Romulus Summit Academy entered Week 3 of the 2026 Michigan high school football season with a stingy defense featuring two shutouts.
But on Friday, Sept. 11, the Detroit Edison offense, led by star senior
quarterback Myles Matlock, had no issues breaking down Summit's defense. The Pioneers crushed the Dragons – who came into the game ranked in Division 5 and the preseason pick to win the Charter School Gold Division by the coaches – by 27 points, 41-14
"I know their potential," Edison coach Chanterius Brock said after a game in which the Pioneers led by six at the half, then scored 21 unanswered after the break. "I know what our capabilities are. But to see it culminate against a tough team on the road at a place that we've never won at – we've never won [at Summit] here until tonight – it's big."
Chain crew ejected in first half
Edison's run masked a bizarre – perhaps even bonkers – mess in the first half, as part of a chippy game with 31 penalties and multiple ejections. Not of players, though – of the sideline chain crew supplied by Summit, over disagreements about ball spots, in a game that lasted nearly three hours and 30 minutes thanks to a delay while plucking replacements were plucked from the sidelines and stands.
The mess came on Summit's second drive, and torpedoed a Dragons drive. They should have had third-and-10 coming out of the hiatus for the replacements, but the referees ruled it was fourth down, despite Summit only running two plays. That forced a Summit punt.
"Momentum is real," said Summit coach Matt Swain. "It is like a spiritual thing almost. When kids get their heads down, the momentum is down and it seems like every penalty goes against you. Some of them were bad calls, but the momentum makes it feel even worse. ... But that's not an excuse. The game has to be played in between the lines. The team that is more physical, the team that executes, is going to win. That team was more physical and executed tonight."
Update: the chain crew was actually ejected by the linesman https://t.co/Wx24FHRpEt
— Jared Ramsey (@jared_ramsey22) September 12, 2026
QB Myles Matlock closes the case vs. Summit
Jai'Von Plowden and freshman Ja'Juan Evans kept Edison on schedule with solid runs. But Matlock delivered the back-breakers – Edison's quarterback was in complete command and distributed the ball evenly to the bevy of playmakers around him.
Edison often found itself backed up due to a multitude of penalties. But Matlock routinely erased those issues, both by pushing the ball downfield or quickly firing off a pass for a catch-and-run opportunity.
"Our whole thing is responding to adversity," Matlock said. "You see on the sidelines, when we get flags, we clap it up. Because that's some adversity that we get the opportunity to overcome."
Matlock went 13-for-18 for 229 yards and three touchdowns and added a rushing touchdown on a "Tush Push" quarterback sneak. His three touchdown passes went to three receivers – Ferris state commits Andre Neal and Mekhi James-Davis, and Kenji Whyche-El.
Neal and James-Davis showed why they're headed to the defending Division II champs by turning screen passes into long touchdowns over 30 yards; likewise, Matlock hit Whyche-El for a 47-yard touchdown on a corner route in the second half.
"He makes great decisions with the football, the receivers were able to make plays for him and we were finding our timing," Brock said of Matlock. "That's the key for us. We've got athletes. We talk about administering the poison."
It was a crucial win for the Pioneers (2-1, 2-0) over Summit (2-1, 1-1). Edison, the reigning Charter School Conference champion, has an early leg up with plenty of games still remaining.
Since losing in Week 1 to reigning Division 6 champion Jackson Lumen Christi, Edison has rebounded with wins over Summit and Warren Michigan Collegiate.
"That was our benchmark," Matlock said. "We were trying to match up and see how far off we are and we aren't that far off. We are going to keep grinding, keep being ourselves, keep responding to adversity and see if we can level up to them eventually."
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Jared Ramsey covers high school sports for theDetroit Free Press. Contact him at jramsey@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: QB Myles Matlock stars, bonkers chain crew ejection mars Detroit Edison win vs Romulus Summit
