Detroit Edison football has a fairly straightforward path to success when the Pioneers need a play on offense.
Get the ball to senior receiver Andre Neal Jr. – headed to defending Division II champion Ferris State next year – and let him do the rest.
The formula, when he's healthy. worked over the first seven weeks of the season: see his crucial touchdown on a tunnel screen against Romulus Summit Academy in Week 3.
And, in Week 8 of the 2026 Michigan high school football season, it was successful again – in Edison's most important regular-season game .
Neal created two touchdowns seemingly out of thin air to break a tie with Charter School Conference foe Ecorse to give Edison the cushion it needed for a 30-20 victory. First, Neal erased a third-and-forever by dancing around a few tackle attempts, turning a screen pass into a 60-yard touchdown.
After Edison senior linebacker Jai'Von Plowden got the ball right back with a strip sack, recovered by defensive lineman London Lester, the Pioneers marched to the Ecorse 9 before three straight penalties backed them to the 36.
But Neal erased those mistakes. He took a pass from senior Myles Matlock, administered a juke that belonged in an old-school hoops mixtape video to shake multiple defenders and took off for a 36-yard touchdown.
"He is one of the highest-level playmakers in high school football," Edison coach Chanterius Brock said. "He can get by the defensive backs, and if they give him cushion, he can turn those screen passes into touchdowns."
Edison (7-1, No. 6 in Division 6) repeated as Charter champions with a 6-0 record in league play while Ecorse (7-1, No. 7 in Division 6) picked up its first loss of 2026.
"It means a lot to repeat," Brock said. "This was a measuring stick for us and we met the challenge. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Ecorse and their coaching staff and we knew it wasn't going to be easy."
Ecorse jumped ahead for an 8-0 lead, but Edison responded quickly to tie it up. The Raiders went back up 14-8 late in the first quarter with an interception returned for a touchdown by Kelly Walls.
But Matlock stepped up as a senior leader and settled in after the interception. Edison stayed on schedule with a balanced attack and he hit the necessary passes to Neal in the third quarter.
"He is a resilient kid," Brock said. "And I always tell my guys, adversity introduces a man to himself, and he responded."
Ecorse could not get enough going on offense to keep up. After Neal's second touchdown, the Raiders fumbled a punt snap in the end zone, resulting in a safety that made it 30-14. Ecorse scored a fourth-quarter touchdown, but it was too late.
A potential playoff matchup could be in the cards for two of metro Detroit's best Division 6 teams, but Edison put themselves in position to host that game with their win, which also clinched conference bragging rights.
"I think the Charter School Conference is one of the more underrated conferences in the state," Brock said. "So it means a lot to win it two years in a row. ... I'm going to sleep with a smile on my face because of how we played and responded to the adversity."
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Jared Ramsey covers high school sports for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jramsey@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Andre Neal Jr. lifts Detroit Edison to 2nd straight Charter title