WALLED LAKE – One of the most anticipated matchups in the first round of this season’s high school football playoffs did not disappoint, as Birmingham Brother Rice narrowly defeated Walled Lake Western in a neck-and-neck battle.

Brother Rice will be moving on to the district finals after the 28-24 win, building off of its scorching hot streak to inch its way into the playoffs following a 2-4 season start.

“It means a lot,” Brother Rice head coach Aaron Marshall said. “We couldn’t stop them at all in the first half. They were getting what they wanted in the run game. My defensive coordinator made really good adjustments in the second half, and we got really really key stops.”

The game began in favor of Western, who stretched the opening drive out to nearly seven minutes, topping it off w

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