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1918 Pandemic, WWI Threatened HS Sports
March 31, 2020
By Ron Pesch
Special for Second Half
Into a world filled with the challenges of World War I, a new menace arrived
It didn’t wear colors or plead allegiance to a flag. It held no prejudice. It knew no borders.
“Have you had it yet?” asked the Detroit Free Press on the front page of the Wednesday, April 3, 1918 edition. “Doctors are not agreed as to what it is, but the victims, and there are a lot of ‘em, are enthusiastically unanimous in declaring that it’s all-fired discomforting.
“Whatever the name of the disease is, there’s an epidemic of it throughout Detroit and Highland Park.
“Dust, weather, and whisky all are blamed in wild guesses as to its origin.”
The illness resembled common influenza, according to the newspaper, and in fact that’s exactly what it was, in mutated form, spurred on by many factors of the era. Sometimes referred to as the “grip” or “grippe” in the United States, this was the first of three waves that hit. By the fall and running into the summer of 1919, it would wreak havoc upon the globe, killing an unfathomable 50 million people as it spread – compared to the estimated guess of 16 million killed worldwide during WWI. In the U.S., the estimate was more than 675,000 deceased because of the flu.
The 1918 Influenza Pandemic
The United States officially entered the war in April 1917, and it was this move that led to the cancelation of the 1918 spring prep sports season in the state at a late March meeting of the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) – the predecessor of the modern-day MHSAA. The Second Half article, 'Over Here,' Athletes Gave To WWI Effort’, details that time when the Boys’ Working Reserve was created to address the labor deficiency caused by WWI. The move, in hindsight, was a wise one considering what was to come.
In the U.S., research indicates the first outbreak of an odd form of influenza appeared in Haskell County, in southwest Kansas. In early March 1918 the virus appeared at Camp Funston, a training camp located near the Fort Riley Army base in north-central Kansas. Designed to prepare troops for duty in France, the camp was one of 16 established by the federal government near the outbreak of WWI. As soldiers moved city to city, camp to camp and ultimately overseas, the disease spread nationally and globally. To date, experts still debate the global origin of the pandemic. Falsely, it was christened the “Spanish Flu”.
In Michigan, Pinckney, located about 20 miles from Ann Arbor, had reported an outbreak of various diseases, including an odd form of influenza, in late March. Camp Custer in Battle Creek reported “a flurry of influenza … thought to be caused by dust” in an early April report published in the Ann Arbor News. “A large number of men in the Ford factory are suffering from influenza,” relayed the Detroit Times at the same period. “It spreads rapidly where men work indoors and close together.”
The United States War Department, on April 4, reported via the news wire that the army’s health was good, “although bronchitis and influenza complicated with pneumonia in many northern camps increased the … death rates slightly over the preceding week.”
Word out of Lansing’s “vital statistics department” indicated that pneumonia, which “often followed influenza in its wake,” had led as the cause of death in March in Michigan, with 490 cases. Influenza was blamed as the reason in 39 instances. In mid-April, the Grand Rapids Press noted schools and industry saw operations hampered by influenza sweeping the city.
The April 25 edition of the Escanaba Morning Press included a quarter-page posting from the Board of Health highlighting precautions that should be taken by residents in order to combat what was now being referred to as an epidemic of “Spanish Influenza which is now Prevalent in Our State.” Lansing reported that pneumonia death totals swelled to 892 in April with influenza totaling 125. (Recall that the first flu shot, developed by Jonas Salk and Thomas Francis, didn’t arrive until 1938.)
Reports about the devastation from around the world continued to fill column inches in Michigan newspapers, although the spread of illness seemed to subside in the state as spring flowed into summer. July saw only 13 deaths attributed to influenza and 107 to pneumonia.
Doctors and officials continued to grasp at straws in trying to identify who was most susceptible. A theory that it attacked the underfed was proven false. Another wire article circulating in papers around the state indicated that “Persons who want to avoid the Spanish influenza, or the common garden variety of the same disease, were warned by the New York City department of health … not to kiss ‘except through a handkerchief.’”
But by late summer, life in Michigan seemed back to normal. In May of 1917, the Selective Service Act had passed, requiring all males between 21 and 30 to register for military service. On August 31, 1918, the act was expanded to cover men between ages 18 and 45 with a provision “that voluntary enlistments be closed until after the war.”
That action helped resolve a lingering question, posed by the creation of the Boys’ Working Reserve by the Interscholastic Athletic Association back in March.
“Last spring when the (MIAA) held a meeting at Ann Arbor, it was decided that ballots should be cast the third week in August by members … (to decide) whether football would be played or not,” wrote the Detroit Times in mid-August.
“Taking 18-year olds would wreck many entire elevens and threatens disruption of Schoolboys’ Interscholastic competition,” stated the Detroit Free Press in a headline. The paper then noted in an article, published after the passage of the 18 to 45 draft bill, that “With the act curtailing enlistments, the boys will be unable to go to the navy as many had planned and likely will remain here until called. The most sensible solution will be to play football and the grid game bids fair to play the greatest part of any prep school sport in preparing boys for the war.”
Votes slowly trickled in with a majority of MIAA member schools opting to compete. As a former coach stated, “the younger boys have worked up to this opportunity and cannot enlist, so they should be allowed to play football.”
Public Schools Open and Football Starts
Students across the state returned to the classroom come September as scheduled. In newspapers, readers were introduced to new teaching staff. Advertisers pitched new clothes, shoes, pencil sharpeners and other school supplies. Front pages included headlines about key victories by the Allies over the Central Powers, while cities and towns continued to offer up their “best manhood for the cause of democracy.” A railway ad in the Lansing State Journal offered trips to Camp Custer to “See the Soldiers” and “Miles of Barracks.” Midwest writers picked the Chicago Cubs over the Boston Red Sox in the World Series.
“Despite the German and the trouble he is causing the Allied forces over there and over here, the lads seem determined to make the most of the 1918 football season and prepare for the bigger battles which are in store for them,” wrote the Free Press on the fourth of September, in an article announcing game schedules for Detroit Central, Eastern, Cass Tech, Northern, Western, Northeastern and Northwestern high schools.
“High School Starts Grid Play Monday” was the headline in the Kalamazoo Gazette on Sunday, September 8. The Kalamazoo Central squad would practice for two weeks before lining up “against a strong Camp Custer Team on Sept. 21. It is hoped to bring a big Custer band here for that occasion.” However, the game was cancelled and the Camp football team disbanded.
Influenza was back in the headlines by mid-September, “raging” at epidemic levels in Boston, then Camp Devens, a nearby Army training facility; then across the military. Assistant secretary of the Navy, Franklin D. Roosevelt, was carried off a troopship in New York on a stretcher, dealing with pneumonia that set in after a bout with “Spanish influenza contracted while on his voyage home” from France after inspecting “U.S. troops in Europe.”
Approximately four thousand men were in quarantine because of an outbreak at the naval aviation training camp at Great Lakes, Illinois. Surgeon General Rupert Blue reminded the public “that it was well not to under-rate the disease,” and requested the National Research Council “to determine the exact nature of the microbe, or micro organism which is causing the so-called ‘Spanish influenza.’”
The virus had again reached Michigan by October 1, when papers announced it had hit a naval training station in River Rouge, and that there were nearly 2,000 cases diagnosed at Camp Custer. “To aid in the care of the men, 25 extra nurses have been called from Battle Creek and a dozen from Ann Arbor.”
Recognizing the danger, draft plans were abandoned for troops by the War Department. Warning placards began appearing in cities to help residents recognize the symptoms. The flu would soon overwhelm Detroit where, initially, 10 cases were reported on October 1. Ten days later, health officials frankly admitted that the city, with 953 cases, had an epidemic on their hands. “Health authorities believe that many cases of real influenza have not been reported.” On October 14, known cases had exploded to 1,924. Within 24 hours it was 2,563.
Still, Detroit schools did not close. “There is less danger to the children in the schools,” Detroit commissioner of health J.W. Inches said, “then there would be if they were closed and the youngsters ran the streets.”
On October 12, Governor Albert Sleeper suggested that all “churches, theaters, moving picture shows, pool rooms, billiard rooms, lodge rooms, dance halls” remain closed and that “all unnecessary public meetings and gatherings shall be avoided” indefinitely.
“I trust that the patriotic citizens of this state will give us their cooperation in this manner.”
Children with colds were ordered to be sent home but schools were not required to close. That decision was an option available at the discretion of local school boards. Various districts had been closing because of the virus, including Petoskey, schools in and around Ann Arbor, Jackson, Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, as well as various outlying areas like Sault Ste. Marie, Fremont, Charlotte and Allegan. More and more would follow suit.
Meanwhile in Europe, what would become known as the “100 Day Offensive” was showing success. Demands for unconditional surrender were issued by President Woodrow Wilson.
Three days before it was scheduled, Governor Sleeper called off the annual University of Michigan – Michigan Agricultural College (renamed Michigan State College in 1925) football game scheduled for Saturday, October 19. However, many high school contests around the state still were played.
“Saginaw high school’s football eleven went down to defeat at the hands of Detroit Northwestern, 1917 state champions, at Alumni Field Saturday afternoon, 20 to 0. There was nothing of disgrace in the beating, however. Saginaw fought gamely from whistle to whistle,” reported the Saginaw News. “The crowd was rather disappointing, probably due to the influenza scare …”
That night at midnight, the governor’s suggestion to suspend public gatherings became mandatory.
This second wave of attack devastated Michigan and much of the rest of the nation. The October death toll announced to the media by the state’s Vital Statistics department for influenza and pneumonia was 4,200.
On October 19, the Surgeon General announced that 283,331 cases of influenza had been reported in army camps and that 14,153 individuals had “died from influenza since the epidemic began.”
Locally, health officials made additional moves to suppress the spread. “In Flint, the population (has) been wearing … masks for a week and Muskegon is the second city of the state to take up the practice,” noted the Muskegon Chronicle on Monday, October 21, announcing the new order put in place by health officer R.J. Harrington. “All school pupils have been ordered to wear them. Factory employees will wear them continuously unless in a few instances where work is such that this is impossible. Employees at restaurants, stores, and hotels must wear them at all times when on duty.” Still many residents refused the direction.
Soon after, Port Huron closed schools and also requested residents to wear gauze masks to combat the epidemic.
Ban ends
The governor’s ban on public gatherings ended on Friday, November 8, despite protest by physicians. The announcement allowed businesses to reopen, but cities were allowed to dictate direction as they saw fit. Cancellation of gatherings still took place at various points around the state.
“Football games between Saginaw and Bay City Eastern and between (Saginaw) Arthur Hill and Flint (Central) high schools … were called off this afternoon by health officials,” stated reports out of Saginaw immediately after the ban was lifted. “… it would be unwise to bring teams here from Flint and Bay City, where the influenza situation is considerably more serious than in Saginaw.”
But a number of other schools quickly resumed play. “Hurry-up arrangements were made last night and the game” with Grand Rapids Catholic Central was announced, “even with limited time to advertise the contest,” wrote the Muskegon Chronicle, excitedly reporting plans for a Muskegon High game scheduled for Saturday at Hackley Field.
“There were no games before this issue went to press,” stated the ‘Athletics’ section of the school’s monthly publication of the Said and Done. “Most of them were postponed or annulled because of old Mr. ‘flu’ coming uninvited. He not only made us wear muzzles but he also made us stop playing football. Coach Rand however gave his men no rest, but kept them practicing every day. Then, when Grand Rapids Catholic came over they had something to hit.”
While the lift of the ban was big news, the headlines were, rightfully, dominated with bulletins from across the Atlantic. Pending defeat combined with German Revolution led Kaiser Wilhelm II to abdicate the imperial crown on November 9. The terms of the Armistice, ending WWI, began at 11 p.m. Washington, D.C., time on November 11, 1918.
Lansing Central is Mythical State Champion
In gridiron play, reigning state champion Detroit Northwestern, Detroit Central and Lansing Central quickly emerged as strong candidates for the state’s mythical crown.
Unbeaten in Michigan, Northwestern had lost to Toledo Waite. Lansing had dominated all of its first six opponents, including a 40-0 win over the Michigan Agricultural College reserves. Unbeaten and unscored upon, Lansing dispatched Northwestern from the title race on November 21 with a 10-6 win, played at Lansing’s South Field. The game was dominated by Lansing halfback Harry Kipke, who scored nine of Lansing’s 10 points. Trailing 10-0, Northwestern’s single score came on a recovered fumble in the Lansing end zone in the third quarter.
“The game was witnessed by the largest crowd which has attended a high school game in Lansing in recent years, despite the fact that a special train filled with pigskin fans had done to Ann Arbor to the M.A.C - U. of M. game.” Michigan downed the visitors from East Lansing, 21-6 at Ferry Field before an estimated 20,000 – “the largest crowd of the season by 10,000” in their rescheduled meeting.
On Thanksgiving Day, Lansing Central and Detroit Central squared off at 2 p.m., again at South Field, to determine the state title. While Detroit Central had lost to Toledo Scott a week earlier, an even larger crowd appeared for the “Capitol City” squad’s battle with the Blue and White
“From the first whistle to the final, Lansing had everything in her favor,” stated the State Journal following the “big red” team’s crushing 61-0 triumph. While rain had preceded the contest, very little fell during the game, and the field “was in fairly good condition.”
“Led by (Harry) Kipke, the most sensational prep school halfback in the state, Lansing romped over the Detroit goal-line almost at will,” stated the Free Press. Lansing led 25-0 at the half.
“He is exceedingly quick on return of punts, can both hurl and receive forward passes,” said Richard Remington of the Detroit News, when naming the junior and two of his teammates among the 11 players on his All-State team. “He has a rapid change of pace and seems to know intuitively when to cut in. He punts well, good drop kicker and place kicks seem easy to him.” Added Remington, “This year he is 50 percent better physically, and 100 percent better in knowledge of the game.” Kipke would again earn all-state selection by Remington in 1919, then move on to a Hall of Fame college career as a player and coach.
Lansing Central sought out another opponent for the following week. “We would play any high school in the country, either Chicago, Boston or New York, preferred,” said coach E.J. Shassberger, seeking a game so as to lay claim to a national title. “We think it proper that the rest of the country should know or see just what Michigan’s champion high school is like. When arrangements for a contest with Toledo Scott (which had beaten Waite 12-7 on Thanksgiving) fell through, the season was officially concluded after eight victories. (In 1952, Dick Kishpaugh, “the Kalamazoo authority on prep sports” named the 1918 Lansing Central squad as the state’s greatest of all-time. The article appeared in the December issue of The Michigan Coach magazine).
By the end of the month, the state board of health announced that influenza was subsiding within the state. Sandusky was still dealing with extreme infection, while Grand Rapids and Bay City were “among the larger communities … hit the worst, but the barely 100 cases at each of these cities give no cause for alarm.”
A December report in the Grand Rapids Press stated that “During November the vital statistics bureau reports 2,779 persons died from pneumonia and influenza.” December totals would climb slightly before falling to under 1,934 in January and 949 in February 1919, leveling to normal levels by April.
With that, prep sports were back in full swing. That winter, Holland surprised many by defeating favored Detroit Northwestern, 14-13, for the state’s 1919 Class A basketball championship. Cadillac defeated Greenville, 35-13, for the Class B crown. The tournament was hosted at Michigan Agricultural College.
Come spring, trailing Battle Creek by a half-point as the meet headed to its last event, Detroit Eastern grabbed team victory in the state track and field final, 24½ to 24 thanks to a fourth-place finish in the half-mile relay while Battle Creek failed to place in the race. High schools athletics would roar through the 1920s and survive the Great Depression before seeing another interruption.
Ron Pesch has taken an active role in researching the history of MHSAA events since 1985 and began writing for MHSAA Finals programs in 1986, adding additional features and "flashbacks" in 1992. He inherited the title of MHSAA historian from the late Dick Kishpaugh following the 1993-94 school year, and resides in Muskegon. Contact him at [email protected] with ideas for historical articles.
PHOTOS: (Top and last) Lansing Central was named "mythical" football state champion in 1918. (2) A Detroit Times placard explains Spanish flu in October 1918. (3) The Lansing State Journal in September 1918 advertised an opportunity to visit soldiers encamped at Fort Custer. (4) The 1919 Saginaw High yearbook. (5) An advertisement called fans to the 1918 Muskegon vs. Grand Rapids Catholic Central football game. (Images collected by Ron Pesch.)
![Pewamo-Westphalia/Lansing Catholic football](/sites/default/files/2021-10/211025_football_2H6.jpg)
1st & Goal: 2021 Week 9 in Review
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 25, 2021
For a lot of reasons – two big ones in particular – this football regular season had a different feel to it.
And one of those was magnified significantly during Week 9.
Of course, we’ve rolled through the fall almost “normally” after the 2020 season had to hurdle various COVID-related adjustments.
But the biggest football-related change this fall dealt with the first year of playoff qualification using the enhanced strength-of-schedule formula instead of automatic qualification by win total. And with that switch, eyes were glued to the MHSAA playoff-point webpage from Thursday night through about 11 p.m. Saturday, watching every adjustment as we arrived with our 288-team field.
A lot of moving parts went into those final calculations, and the results below had leading roles.
Bay & Thumb
HEADLINER Ubly 25, Bad Axe 13 The Bearcats (9-0) won a matchup of Greater Thumb Conference champions, representing the East in victory over one of the three co-champs from the West in the Hatchets (7-2). Ubly also locked up one of two perfect regular seasons in Division 8 – its first undefeated regular season since 2016 – to add to a run that has seen the program go 62-16 over the last seven years. Click for more from the Huron Daily Tribune.
Watch list Marine City 21, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 10 The Mariners (9-0) moved up to No. 2 in Division 5 playoff points, finishing with one of six perfect regular-season records in that bracket. Four wins came against teams in Division 3 and 4, including Notre Dame Prep (7-2).
Remember this one Lapeer 38, Davison 35 While the Lightning (7-2) locked up a Division 1 playoff spot, Davison (5-4) just missed the postseason for the first time since 2014, adding another layer to an always highly-anticipated rivalry game.
More shoutouts Flint Kearsley 35, Armada 27 The Hornets started 2-3 but won four straight to return to the Division 3 playoffs, over an Armada team that at 6-3 is back in the playoffs for the first time (not counting the all-in 2020) since 2004. Frankenmuth 28, New Lothrop 14 Both are hoping to return to Ford Field, New Lothrop (6-3) the reigning Division 7 champion and Frankenmuth (9-0) the returning Division 5 runner-up and coming off a second-straight perfect regular season.
Greater Detroit
HEADLINER Gibraltar Carlson 28, Brownstown Woodhaven 14 Carlson’s first win over Woodhaven (8-1) since 2017 netted the Marauders a share of the Downriver League championship, their first since sharing with Woodhaven in 2018, and also pushed Carlson (8-1) up to No. 3 in the final Division 3 ranking. Three Cody Britt rushing touchdowns were among the difference-makers. Click for more from the Southgate News-Herald.
Carlson senior Cody Britt led the Marauders with three rushing touchdowns in the 28-14 win over Woodhaven tonight. @CHSMarauder @CHSMarauderFB @CodyBritt26 @CoachLGrove @themoshpit16 @GSDathletics #StateChamps X @hungryhowies pic.twitter.com/nphC2IM248
— STATE CHAMPS! Michigan (@statechampsmich) October 23, 2021
Watch list Detroit Cass Tech 40, Orchard Lake St. Mary's 7 Eyes across the state were watching the Division 1 playoff list as scores came in Friday night, knowing the Technicians (6-3) had won big Thursday but still were on the edge of qualifying. Downing the Division 3-qualifying Eaglets (5-4) provided the necessary bump for Cass Tech to lock up a postseason spot.
Remember this one Belleville 46, Hartland 9 Since falling to Livonia Churchill in Week 3, Belleville (8-1) has won six straight including to clinch the Kensington Lakes Activities Association East and now overall titles. This win over the Eagles (7-2) tied for its biggest playoff points bump of the season.
More shoutouts Oxford 29, Clinton Township Chippewa Valley 28 The Wildcats (5-4) ran their winning streak to four with three of those wins by one score and two by one point, this time against a Chippewa Valley team (6-3) with three losses by a combined nine points. Madison Heights Bishop Foley 43, Clarkston Everest Collegiate 37 Jackson Zeiter caught two touchdown passes, ran for a third score and returned a kickoff for another in the Detroit Catholic League Cardinal championship game.
Mid-Michigan
HEADLINER Pewamo-Westphalia 12, Lansing Catholic 7 The Pirates pushed the go-ahead score across midway through the fourth quarter to add one of their most impressive wins to a run of 60 regular-season victories over their last 62 games going back to 2015. P-W not only handed Division 6 top-ranked Lansing Catholic (8-1) its lone loss, but the Division 7 No. 5 Pirates (9-0) avenged last season’s 28-13 defeat against the Cougars. Click for more from the Lansing State Journal.
Watch list Portland 31, Montague 7 The Raiders (7-2) earned their second win this season over a reigning Finals champion, adding this victory over Division 6 Montague (6-3) to the Week 2 edging of Division 3 DeWitt.
Remember this one Ionia 35, Lake Odessa Lakewood 14 The Bulldogs’ third-straight win in this annual Week 9 rivalry game meant more this season as it sent Ionia (5-4) into the Division 3 playoffs with their first (not counting 2020) berth since 2013.
More shoutouts Holt 34, Grand Ledge 6 The Rams (7-2) made it three wins in their last four games against the rival Comets (6-3), this one helping Holt finish second in the final Capital Area Activities Conference Blue standings. DeWitt 50, Stevensville Lakeshore 14 The CAAC Blue champ Panthers (8-1) added another impressive nonconference win against a Lakeshore team (6-3) they could see again in a Division 3 Regional Final.
Northern Lower Peninsula
HEADLINER Traverse City St. Francis 38, Kingsley 30 The winner-takes-all matchup for the Northern Michigan Football Conference Legends championship was everything it was billed, with St. Francis (9-0) regaining the title after Kingsley (8-1) had won the last two. The Gladiators were behind 16-0 early, then up 16 into the fourth quarter before holding off a late rally to finish their first undefeated regular season since 2018. Click for more from the Traverse City Record-Eagle.
Watch list East Jordan 22, Frankfort 18 This one easily could’ve been considered the region’s “headliner” as well as East Jordan also won a winner-take-all NMFC matchup, to claim the Legacy title, and in doing so also clinched the final playoff spot in Division 7.
Remember this one Maple City Glen Lake 20, Mancelona 6 The Lakers (4-5) appeared all but done after a 1-5 start. But those defeats came against an eventually undefeated team, three with still one loss and another now at 6-3 – and defeating Mancelona (5-3) earned Glen Lake the second-to-last playoff spot in Division 6.
More shoutouts McBain 32, Muskegon Heights Academy 28 The Ramblers (6-3) were able to lock up a Division 7 playoff spot against a Muskegon Heights Academy team (5-4) that also reached the postseason, in Division 8. Grayling 32, Benzie Central 26 The third-place team in the Legends, Grayling (7-2) closed on a four-game winning streak.
Southeast & Border
HEADLINER Jonesville 20, Addison 14 The Comets completed their first perfect regular season since 1988 (according to Michigan-football.com) in this Big 8/Cascades champions crossover, in doing so handing Addison (8-1) its lone loss. Defense reigned as both teams were held to season-low scoring totals. The win helped Jonesville (9-0) improve four spots to No. 11 in Division 6, but didn’t move Addison from No. 3 in Division 8. Click for more from the Jackson Citizen Patriot.
Watch list Ottawa Lake Whiteford 62, Erie Mason 22 The Bobcats (8-1) eliminated the possibility of a shared Tri-County Conference championship, instead earning the title outright and finishing an in-state run of eight wins by at least 20 points. Their only loss this season was to Edon, Ohio.
Remember this one Ann Arbor Huron 31, Rochester 14 This season has been memorable and then some for the River Rats. Huron (8-1) moved up five spots to No. 10 in Division 1, and its eight wins tied as many as the program won from 2011-20 – and are the most in one season since 2001.
More shoutouts Parma Western 35, Richmond 17 The Panthers (6-3) held onto the No. 27 spot in Division 3, and Richmond (4-5) also kept its grip on a playoff spot in Division 5. Michigan Center 28, Reading 20 This Big 8/Cascades runner-up crossover capped another solid regular season for the Cardinals, whose only loss was by a point Week 4 to Addison.
Southwest Corridor
HEADLINER Portage Central 26, Battle Creek Harper Creek 7 The Mustangs (7-2) won this matchup of league champions with one of their strongest defensive performances, holding Harper Creek scoreless until midway through the fourth quarter. Portage Central moved up five spots to No. 11 in Division 2, while Harper Creek (6-3) moved down five to a still-comfortable No. 21 in Division 3. Click for more from the Battle Creek Enquirer.
Watch list Lawton 42, Saugatuck 21 This combined with Delton Kellogg’s loss to Schoolcraft gave Lawton (9-0) the outright Southwestern Athletic Conference Valley championship and its second perfect regular season in three years.
Remember this one Mattawan 26, Battle Creek Central 6 After losing nine straight on the field between the end of last season and start of this one, the Wildcats (4-5) finished on a three-game winning streak (to go with a Week 4 forfeit victory) to gain the No. 29 spot in Division 3.
More shoutouts Niles Brandywine 44, Benton Harbor 32 After opening with a pair of solid wins including against reigning Division 8 champion Centreville, Brandywine (4-5) found itself outside the Division 7 playoff field before jumping up five spots to No. 28 with this victory. Parchment 38, Watervliet 27 The Panthers (6-3) have occupied the No. 32 spot in Division 5 four of the last seven weeks – and with this win, held onto it when it counted most. Watervliet (5-4) still tied for No. 29 in Division 6.
Upper Peninsula
HEADLINER Ishpeming Westwood 32, Negaunee 14 The Patriots (8-1) locked up a shared Western Peninsula Athletic Conference Copper championship with Calumet, putting up the most points Negaunee has given up in a game this season while holding the Miners (7-2) to their fewest since Week 1. The championship was Westwood’s first since 1992 in the Mid-Peninsula Conference. Click for more from Upper Michigan Source.
Watch list Kingsford 34, Menominee 27 The Flivvers (6-3) hadn’t played a Great Northern Conference game since Week 5, but came back to finish off the regular season by keeping Menominee (5-4) from an outright league title and turning the championship into a three-team share with these two and Marquette.
Remember this one Bark River-Harris 26, Ishpeming 0 The Broncos (6-3) finished a perfect run through the West-PAC Iron with this winner-take-all championship game victory.
More shoutouts Calumet 53, L'Anse 32 As noted above, this gave the Copper Kings (7-2) a share of the Copper championship, their first since 2018. Marquette 17, Petoskey 14 Not only did it get to celebrate a league championship, but Marquette moved to 7-2 for the second-straight season to again tie its winningest going back to 2010.
West Michigan
HEADLINER Muskegon Catholic Central 30, Muskegon Oakridge 28 They aren’t quite neighbors, but made the 10-mile drive again for the first time since back-to-back games in 2015 and 2016 in another matchup of league champions. MCC (8-1) made the return trip home having represented the Lakes 8 Activities Conference well with a close victory over Oakridge (7-2), one of three co-winners of the West Michigan Conference title. Joe Waller ran for the tying touchdown and then two-point conversion winner with nine seconds to play. Click for more from the Muskegon Chronicle.
Muskegon Catholic Central senior Joe Waller (@JoeDub24) with the 65-yard touchdown in the 1st quarter in the 30-28 win over Muskegon Oakridge on Friday night. #StateChamps X @hungryhowies pic.twitter.com/yQPJxmtxWu
— STATE CHAMPS! Michigan (@statechampsmich) October 23, 2021
Watch list Reed City 38, Whitehall 28 This league champion clash saw the winner of the Central State Activities Association Gold, Reed City (8-1), edge another of the three West Michigan Conference co-champs in Whitehall (7-2).
Remember this one Hopkins 38, Belding 22 Both are in Division 5, and Hopkins (5-4) made a big jump to No. 17 past Belding (5-4), which sits No. 19 as both secured spots in the field.
More shoutouts Cedar Springs 38, Grand Rapids South Christian 32 The Red Hawks (7-2) bounced back from a one-point Week 8 loss to Grand Rapids Catholic Central to win another close one, over the Sailors (6-3). Grand Rapids Christian 48, Grand Rapids Northview 17 The Eagles (6-3) moved up for the third-straight week with this win, to No. 7 in Division 4, while making Northview (4-5) the last team eliminated from joining the Division 3 field.
8-Player
HEADLINER Morrice 60, Deckerville 18 The Orioles (9-0) secured their fifth North Central Thumb League title in five seasons and second-straight in the Stars division while also handing Deckerville (7-1) its lone loss of the fall. Morrice shut down an Eagles offense that entered averaging 56 points per game, and with the win jumped five spots to No. 1 in Division 2. Click for more from WILX.
Watch list Adrian Lenawee Christian 41, Britton Deerfield 20 The Cougars (9-0) won this matchup of undefeated teams, but it could’ve been only chapter one – they may face again in a Division 1 Regional Final, although Britton Deerfield (8-1) opens this week on the road at Deckerville.
Remember this one Powers North Central 42, Crystal Falls Forest Park 0 These two have build quite a rivalry over the last decade, and this meeting gave the Jets the outright Great Lakes Eight Conference West championship and their sixth shutout on the field this fall. North Central has given up 13 points total over eight games.
More shoutouts Indian River Inland Lakes 44, Gaylord St. Mary 30 The Bulldogs (9-0) finished a perfect regular season with the Ski Valley Conference championship, when a win by the Snowbirds (5-4) would’ve created a three-way shared title. Newberry 44, Rogers City 36 The GLEC East co-runners-up handed Rogers City (8-1) its lone loss while improving to 7-2.
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PHOTOS (Top) A Pewamo-Westphalia defender wraps up a Lansing Catholic ball carrier as the ball pops loose Friday. (2) A Frankenmuth ball carrier makes a move toward the sideline against New Lothrop. (3) Novi, left, and Livonia Churchill lock up during a Friday night crossover. (4) A Perry ball carrier pulls away from a Bath defender down the sideline. (5) A Bark River-Harris ball carrier works for more yardage as Ishpeming players pursue. (Photos by High School Sports Scene (1), Terry Lyons (2), Douglas Bargerstock (3), Christine McCallister (4) and Cara Kamps (5).)