West Bloomfield, MI — West Bloomfield took on cross town rival Birmingham Groves last Friday and used a balanced offense to dominate time of possession vs the Falcons en route to a 20-7 victory. Despite having the ball for virtually the entire first half (Groves ran 8 offensive plays in the first 23 minutes of the game) the Lakers only went to the locker room with a 6-0 lead. While the offense successfully moved the ball, they stalled in the Red Zone 4 times, settling for two Bryce Coburn FG's, a turnover on downs, and a fumble. The second half saw Groves get on the scoreboard and take a 7-6 lead, but West Bloomfield responded with a Jamal Shakespear TD to retake the lead. The defense followed with a fourth down stop and a Will Espy rushing touchdown to put the game away. Espy led all rushers with 63 yards, as the team ran for 158 yards on 40 carries. QB Jaxson Carver also completed 11 passes for 178 yards, linking with senior Willie Edwards for 85 yards on 5 catches. The win takes West Bloomfield to a 5-0 overall record as they rejoin OAA Red play at Oxford next week.