No Letdown: Detroit King Rolls Past Renaissance 41–0 After OLSM Thriller
DETROIT — One week after surviving one of the wildest games of the young Michigan high school football season, Detroit Martin Luther King Jr. showed there would be no emotional letdown.
The Crusaders followed their dramatic 44–42 overtime victory over Orchard Lake St. Mary’s with a dominant 41–0 shutout of Renaissance on Friday night.
For King, the result was another statement from a team that has opened the 2026 season with three consecutive victories.
The Crusaders began the year with a 27–7 win over Whitmer before facing Orchard Lake St. Mary’s in Week 2. King escaped that matchup with a 44–42 victory after the two Michigan powers finished regulation tied at 22.
Coming off a game with that much emotion, King faced a different challenge against Renaissance: putting the previous week’s celebration behind them and taking care of business.
They did exactly that.
King scored 41 points while its defense kept Renaissance off the scoreboard entirely. The victory improved the Crusaders to 3–0, with King having scored 112 points while allowing 49 through its first three games.
Perhaps more impressive is the way King has won.
The Crusaders have already shown they can control a game, survive a high-pressure overtime battle against another state power, and dominate an opponent from start to finish.
That versatility should keep King firmly in the conversation among Metro Detroit’s top teams as the season moves forward—and it will certainly factor into the next Detroit Varsity Sports Top 10.
King’s schedule is also about to become increasingly interesting.
The Crusaders are scheduled to host Detroit Henry Ford on Thursday, Sept. 17, before a major matchup with Cass Tech on Friday, Sept. 25.
If both Detroit powers continue their strong starts, that Sept. 25 matchup could become one of the biggest games on the DVS calendar.
Detroit Varsity Sports will continue following King and the Metro Detroit high school football landscape throughout the 2026 season.
