Detroit Martin Luther King Jr. downed Detroit Denby 27-6 to earn the Detroit Public School League Division 1 Football Championship on Friday, Oct. 25, at Detroit Renaissance’s William Douglas Hill Field.

   Denby (7-2) got on the board first as junior Kayon Hammond returned an interception16 yards for a touchdown with 5:57 left in the first quarter.

   King (7-2) came right back with a 68-yard drive, capped by freshman Dante Moore’s 11-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Lynn Wyche-El.

   Junior Jaylen Reed forced a fumble on a blind-side sack to give King the ball on the Denby 25 yard line with two minutes left in the half.

   “Jaylen’s been doing it all year, and we needed that," King coach Tyrone Spencer told reporters. "They really didn’t score on our defense."

   Maryland-bound senior running back Peny Boone took charge with the short field, accounting for all 25 yards on the drive. Boone scored from

seven yards out to give the Crusaders a 13-6 lead with 28 seconds left in the game.

   Moore, who already has offers from Michigan, Kentucky, West Virginia and Illinois, connected with senior Marshawn Lee on a quick slant with 5:54 left in the third quarter and Lee took it 47 yards for a touchdown to increase the lead to 20-6.

   Boone broke loose down the right sideline for 55 yards to the one-yard line on the final play of the third quarter. He scored on the first play of the fourth quarter to open up a 27-6 lead.

   King will host  Temperance Bedford (6-3) in its Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 2 district playoff opener. Denby hosts Detroit Communication & Media Arts (6-3) in its district opener. CMA  earned its first MHSAA playoff berth with a win on Thursday.