With 16,000 high school football teams, there are hundreds of thousands, if not well over a million, receptions each season. This year, it took until one of the very final games of the season to have what may be the catch of the year.
In the game between nationally ranked Belleville and Southfield Arts & Tech, which would decide the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) Div. 1 championship, three-star receiver/defensive back Adrian “AD” Walker Jr. had an interception in the first quarter that was unlike any pick you’ve seen before.
Walker went airborne, jumping the route; he tipped the ball up with both hands and then caught it behind his back:
.@adrianwalkerjr_ just made one of the best one-handed interceptions you will see 😮#MIFTBL | @ThinkFordFirst pic.twitter.com/dg2141LKJG
— Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) November 27, 2023
The incredible catch certainly belongs with the best of all time in a championship game, sharing space with the likes of David Tyree, Julian Edelman and Lynn Swann.
Walker returned the ball to the 11-yard line, putting Belleville in position for running back Colbey Reed to punch home a touchdown and give the team a 7-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Despite the heroics, Belleville fell to Southfield Arts & Tech 36-32. Kansas quarterback commit Isaiah Marshall scored the game-winning touchdown and subsequent two-point conversion with just under a minute to go, clinching the championship and putting the bow on a 13-1 season.
In getting the win, Southfield Arts & Tech broke Belleville’s 38-game win streak and prevented the No. 21 team in the Super 25 national rankings from achieving a three-peat after Belleville won the titles in 2021 and 2022.
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