1st & Goal: 2021 11-Player Semifinals Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 19, 2021
Our final 32 11-player football teams are one more win from playing at Ford Field.
At this time of year, and with the added detail we have on each Semifinal below, that’s plenty of introduction.
All 16 games will be broadcast live. Bally Sports Detroit will feature on its primary channel the Division 1 Semifinal between Sterling Heights Stevenson and Belleville, and the other 15 games can be watched on MHSAA.tv.
Division 1
Rochester Adams (12-0) vs. Grand Blanc (12-0) at Howell
This might be one of the weekend’s most difficult games to predict, because these teams seem to match up so well. Senior running back Elijah Jackson-Anderson (1,119 yards/16 TDs rushing) and senior quarterback Hunter Ames (1,795 yards/21 TDs passing), plus a defense giving up 15 points per game, has keyed Grand Blanc’s school-record playoff run. Adams, aiming for its first Final since 2003, is giving up 11 points per game and following the lead of junior quarterback Parker Picot (1,165 yards/18 TDs rushing, 4 TDs passing) and senior running back Griffin Henke (863 yards/15 TDs rushing).
Sterling Heights Stevenson (10-2) vs. Belleville (11-1) at Troy Athens
Belleville is playing a Semifinal for the fourth-straight season and hoping to book its first trip to Ford Field. Freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood is a player to remember this weekend and for the next three years. Stevenson is playing in its second Semifinal in three seasons and seeking its first Finals berth since 2009 on the rushing attack of seniors Jordan Ramsey (1,204 yards/16 TDs rushing ) and Jordan Kwiatkowski (1,283 yards/15 TDs). Senior Biagio Madonna is another big-time playmaker, running for 872 yards and 12 touchdowns and throwing for 1,011 yards and five scores.
Division 2
Traverse City Central (11-1) vs. South Lyon (12-0) at Greenville
A long-awaited opportunity is on the line for both; Central is seeking to reach the Finals for the first time since 1988 (and first time since Traverse City West opened), while South Lyon last played in a championship game in 1995. Senior Josh Burnham (6-foot-4, 230 pounds) has exceeded high expectations, running for 1,315 yards and 25 touchdowns and throwing for 934 yards and 14 scores while also starting at linebacker. Junior Reed Seabase (1,175 yards/12 TDs rushing) carries a significant load on offense as well. Last week’s 29-23 overtime win over Portage Central was South Lyon’s first by fewer than 14 points. Junior Tommy Donovan (895 yards/16 TDs rushing) is among playmakers, and senior Braden Fracassi (865 yards/8 TDs passing) has stepped in well after the Lions lost their starting quarterback to injury midway through the regular season.
Livonia Franklin (7-5) vs. Warren De La Salle Collegiate (11-0) at Hazel Park
The Pilots – last season’s Division 2 runners-up – have been one of the teams most expected to reach this point, especially after their undefeated run through the Detroit Catholic League Central. Junior quarterback Brady Drogosh led last season’s run and remains tough to slow down – he’s run for 1,440 yards and 21 touchdowns and thrown for 1,285 yards and 10 scores. Franklin entered the playoffs 4-5 and defeated three teams that were a combined 22-8. Two of the Patriots’ top three scoring outputs of the season have come during the postseason run.
Division 3
St. Joseph (8-4) vs. DeWitt (11-1) at Jenison
The reigning Division 3 champion Panthers returned the majority of their playmakers this fall and have scored 48 points per game led by senior quarterback Tyler Holtz (2,483 yards/36 TDs passing, 829 yards/11 TDs rushing) and senior receiver Tommy McIntosh (1,107 yards/19 touchdowns receiving). St. Joseph is playing to make the Finals for the first time since 1988. The Bears are grinders, with more than 2,800 yards rushing led by juniors Trey McGinnis (902 yards/14 TDs) and Joron Brown (850 yards/12 TDs).
Mason (10-2) vs. Detroit Martin Luther King (11-1) at Wayne Memorial
The Bulldogs coming off one of the biggest wins in their history, 20-17 over Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, to reach the Semifinals for the first time. Next up is another team most expected to be back at this level. King is looking to return to Ford Field for the third time in four seasons. Junior quarterback Dante Moore is one of the most heralded players in Michigan, and for plenty of reasons – he’s thrown for 2,626 yards and 37 touchdowns over 10 games on the field (two wins were by forfeit). Mason has put together more than 4,000 yards of total offense, with sophomore running back AJ Martel (1,430 yards/23 TDs rushing) the key cog.
Division 4
Edwardsburg (12-0) vs. Hudsonville Unity Christian (12-0) at Portage Northern
A pair of recent champions will face off – both won titles in 2018, Edwardsburg in Division 4 and Unity in Division 5. Three years later, both are on similar paces as those title winners. Edwardsburg’s average margin of victory this fall is 48 points, thanks to a defense giving up less than five points per game and a rushing attack that’s run for 4,400 yards with five backs gaining between 400-700. Unity’s average margin of victory is 45 points with an offense that has scored at least 40 every game. Senior Drew Chandler has run for 1,242 of the Crusaders’ 4,500 on the ground.
Freeland (11-1) vs. Chelsea (12-0) at Lapeer
The Falcons are playing in their fifth Semifinal – and second straight – hoping to reach the Finals for the first time. Senior quarterback Bryson Huckeby (1,522 yards/15 TDs passing, 8 TDs rushing) and senior Garrett Pistro (1,037 yards/18 touchdowns rushing) lead a balanced offense. Chelsea has reached the Semifinals four straight seasons and eliminated reigning champion Detroit Country Day last week. The Bulldogs hope to return to Ford Field for the first time since 2018 with senior running back Trenton Hill (1,400 yards/29 TDs rushing) and senior quarterback Lucas Dunn (1,440 yards/18 TDs passing) leading a similarly-balanced attack.
Division 5
Frankenmuth (12-0) vs. Grand Rapids Catholic Central (12-0) at Mount Pleasant
This is a rematch of last season’s Division 5 championship game, a 48-21 Catholic Central win. The Cougars lost star quarterback Joey Silveri to injury early this season, but senior John Passinault (1,765 yards/33 TDs passing) has stepped in and been outstanding as well with lots of help from senior tight end Nolan Ziegler (1,039 yards/23 TDs receiving). Frankenmuth also returns one of its best playmakers in senior running back Cole Lindow (1,794 yards/20 TDs rushing), while senior Cole Jankowski has stepped in well at quarterback with 18 rushing touchdowns and six more passing.
Portland (10-2) vs. Marine City (12-0) at Novi
These are two more teams familiar with this stage, as both last made the Semifinals in 2018 and won championships during the last decade. Marine City is giving up only nine points per game and has three players averaging at least 10 yards per carry, led by junior Zach Tetler (1,302 yards/27 TDs rushing). Portland’s strategy also isn’t a secret, and just as effective – four Raiders have run for 700 or more yards and eight touchdowns apiece.
Division 6
Standish-Sterling (10-2) vs. Lansing Catholic (11-1) at Clare
Standish-Sterling is one of the comeback stories of the year, after finishing 1-6 a season ago. The Panthers now run into Lansing Catholic, making its third-straight trip to the Semifinals and having won Division 5 in 2019. Senior Joey Baker (2,523 yards/27 TDs passing) is the latest great Cougars quarterback, and senior Alex Watters (1,063 yards/14 TDs receiving) also was among stars of that 2019 team. Standish-Sterling’s defense has been outstanding during the playoffs, giving up 21 points over three games, and senior Laine Thibault (1,396 yards rushing) is solid leading the offense.
Michigan Center (11-1) vs. Warren Michigan Collegiate (10-2) Ypsilanti Lincoln
Both are seeking their first championship game appearances. Michigan Center has gotten here with a defense giving up 11 points per game and an offense keyed by multi-talented senior quarterback Kaydin Hiland (1,322 yards/19 TDs rushing, 7 TDs passing, 7 TDs receiving). Michigan Collegiate is paced by an excellent dual-threat QB as well – senior Deion Black has run for 1,134 yards and 14 touchdowns and thrown for 13 scores.
Division 7
Pewamo-Westphalia (12-0) vs. Traverse City St. Francis (12-0) at Cedar Springs
These two combined have played in seven Semifinals and three championship games over the last five years. P-W complements a defense giving up six points per game with an offense led by two runners with at least 800 yards and 10 touchdowns apiece. All of the Pirates’ nonleague wins, including in the playoffs, have been over teams that won conference titles this fall. St. Francis is the reigning Division 7 runner-up, having fallen by just seven points in last season’s Final. The Gladiators haven’t scored less than 48 points during the playoffs, led by senior quarterback Charlie Peterson (1,677 yards/21 TDs passing).
Lawton (12-0) vs. Jackson Lumen Christi (11-1) at Battle Creek Harper Creek
These two have vastly different playoff pasts but could look very similar when they meet. Lawton is playing in its first Semifinal, relying on a defense giving up eight points per game and a senior running back in Jake Rueff with incredible numbers – 2,253 yards and 46 touchdowns on the ground. Lumen Christi is a regular in late November, and the recipe is similar – the defense gives up 13 points per game, and the offense runs the ball with five backs gaining between 400-900 yards this fall.
Division 8
Ubly (12-0) vs. Beal City (11-1) at Mt. Morris
Reigning runner-up Ubly has yet to play a single-digit game this fall. Sophomore quarterback Evan Peruski is averaging 11.1 yards per carry for 1,009 total, along with 17 touchdowns rushing, and he’s thrown for eight more scores. Beal City’s only loss was opening night by a point to Ravenna, and the Aggies have been rarely challenged otherwise. They are winning by 29 points per game, giving up just under nine on average.
Ottawa Lake Whiteford (11-1) vs. Hudson (12-0) at Adrian College
Hudson’s defense has been an intriguing follow, giving up just under six points per game and last allowing more than eight in Week 5. The Tigers match that with an offense that’s rushed for 3,600 yards, led by senior Nick Kopin’s 1,397 with 16 touchdowns on the ground. Whiteford is undefeated in-state, with its lone defeat to an opponent from Ohio, and all of the Bobcats’ wins have been by double digits. Senior Cole Giesige is a big part of a balanced offense, running for 1,241 yards and 21 scores this fall.
Second Half’s weekly “1st & Goal” previews and reviews are powered by MI Student Aid, a part of the Office of Postsecondary Financial Planning located within the Michigan Department of Treasury. MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information. MI Student Aid administers the state’s 529 college savings programs (MET/MESP), as well as scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Connect with MI Student Aid at www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid and find more information on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.
PHOTO Sterling Heights Stevenson’s Jordan Ramsey (5) fends off a potential tackler during his team’s Semifinal win. (Photo courtesy of C&G Newspapers.)
Memories Don't Fade for 1st MHSAA Class A Champion Franklin
By
Brad Emons
Special for MHSAA.com
November 8, 2024
Even after 50 years, Tim Hollandsworth recalls Livonia Franklin’s run to the first MHSAA Class A football playoff championship like it was yesterday.
Before 5,506 fans at Western Michigan University’s Waldo Stadium, the unranked Patriots capped a season for the ages by upending heavily favored Traverse City for the 1975 title, 21-7.
“It was a once in a lifetime event, and I guess it just brings back great feelings winning that game obviously,” said Hollandsworth, who went on to become an all-Mid-American Conference linebacker at Central Michigan. “What I remember most was carrying that trophy around on the field. Myself, Jim Casey and the whole team ... we paraded it out Stanley Cup-style in front of our fans, and everybody was going crazy. Just a happy time.”
The championship game was played on a frigid Nov. 22 afternoon in Kalamazoo, just 12 years following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
“When I think about that game, the first thing that comes to mind is that it was a cold, cloudy day before the game,” Hollandsworth said. “And as the game started, the sun came out; it was really bright. It turned out to be a bright, sunny day, and we didn’t feel the cold at all. The adrenalin was pumping.”
No. 2-ranked Traverse City, coached by Jim Ooley, entered with a high-powered offense averaging 34 points per game. The Trojans featured the running back tandem of Rick Waters (1,300 yards) and Bruce McLachlan, along with tight end Mark Brammer, a two-time All-American at Michigan State who later played five seasons for the Buffalo Bills in the NFL.
Franklin took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter when Dennis Smith, the holder on a 30-yard field goal attempt by Sam Williams, couldn’t secure the snap from center but alertly got up and tossed a 17-yard TD pass to Rick Lee.
The Patriots then went up 14-0 in the second quarter on a 3-yard TD run by Casey, who went on to play four seasons at Ball State as a defensive back.
Traverse City cut the deficit to 14-7 before halftime on a 2-yard TD run by McLachlan, but the Patriots put it away in the final quarter on a 9-yard TD run by Casey, who finished the game with a hard-earned 105 yards on 24 carries.
Hollandsworth, who also starred in the backfield with Casey, severely twisted his ankle in the first half and was limited to playing only defense for the remainder of the game. Fortunately for Franklin, Tom Smith took his place and helped continue the offensive surge.
“It was just the fact that everybody was just stepping up when they had to have them,” Casey said. “I think it kind of exemplified everything we did throughout the year to get there. That’s what was so cool about the whole deal.”
Meanwhile, Waters – who later became Hollandsworth’s friend and teammate at CMU – led the Trojans’ rushing attack with 85 yards rushing on 19 carries.
Franklin’s defense played a pivotal role in the win with four interceptions – one each by Hollandsworth, Chuck Hench, Jerry Pollard and Casey (his 10th of the season).
Williams, the Patriots’ star tight end and middle linebacker and the son of former Detroit Lions “Fearsome Foursome” defensive end Sam Williams Sr., also batted down a key fourth-down pass in the end zone to thwart a Traverse City scoring threat.
“It’s funny about the whole game ... you forget about the details, it’s crazy,” Casey said. “It was everybody coming together. There may have been some mistakes along the way. That just happens during the game and we hung in there, did what it took to score enough points to win.”
The game was played on artificial turf, not real grass, which was also a first for both teams.
“I think it had been raining the day before ... anyhow, the field was soaked,” Casey said. “And all it takes is to fall on a field that is soaked on an Astroturf field and everything, and all your clothes are soaked. I remember in the first half – I couldn’t wait for halftime to go inside and warm up.”
During the practice week prior to the title game, the Patriots were able to get acclimated when athletic director and assistant coach George Lovich made a deal to practice on the University of Michigan’s artificial surface.
“We had to get new shoes because nobody had played on artificial turf in high school back then,” Casey said. “They had a bunch of used shoes from the (U-M) team. They threw them in a big old box and they let us practice one night on their Astroturf. We went in and got our shoes and we were ready to play – excited about that. It was just different compared to regular grass. It felt super-fast.”
With only four spots per Class up for grabs in the inaugural MHSAA playoffs, five unbeaten Class A teams did not make the postseason including Warren Fitzgerald and Mount Clemens Chippewa Valley from Region 1, Trenton in Region 3, and Grand Rapids Union and Marquette from Region 4.
On the final Saturday of the regular season at Eastern Michigan’s Rynearson Stadium, No. 1-ranked Birmingham Brother Rice (Region 2) was upset in the Catholic League championship, 7-0, by Dearborn Divine Child, which went on to claim the Class B title.
That allowed the 8-1 Patriots, who had lost to rival Livonia Stevenson 13-9 in Week 2, to sneak into the playoffs just ahead of the previously-unbeaten Warriors.
“We were all in the stands watching that game,” Hollandsworth said. “And our coach, Armand Vigna, had all our points figured out right to the point where he said if Brother Rice were to lose, we were in. So, we’re sitting in the stands and Detroit Southwestern is off to our right a little bit higher in the stands. When Divine Child won that game, we were just going crazy and you could see Southwestern wondering who we were and what was going on.”
During the build-up to the Class A Semifinal game against Franklin, Southwestern coach Joe Hoskins was quoted in the Detroit newspapers as saying, “Livonia who?”
Southwestern was led by all-state QB Mike Marshall (MSU), along with junior tackle Luis Sharpe (UCLA), an eventual first-round NFL pick who played 13 seasons with the St. Louis, Phoenix and Arizona Cardinals.
And in that Semifinal at Pontiac’s Wisner Stadium before 5,000 fans, Franklin upended the No. 3-ranked Prospectors, 12-9, as Casey ran for 145 yards on 27 carries. Hollandsworth added a 1-yard TD to cap a nine-play, 72-yard drive and give his team the lead 9-7 at the half.
Southwestern got an 18-yard TD pass from Marshall to Andrew Williams and scored on a two-point safety when the Patriots fumbled the kickoff to start the second half.
Williams, however, booted a pair of field goals, including the game-winning 28-yarder to break a 9-9 deadlock for the Patriots after they were aided by a pass interference call followed by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which took the ball to the Southwestern 18.
In protest, Hoskins took his team off the field and had to be coaxed by MHSAA officials to bring his players back to finish the game.
“I think we were excited about the playoffs because we were undefeated the year before, so were looking forward to getting into the playoffs,” Hollandsworth said. “It was deflating when we lost; it was low-scoring, tough battle versus Stevenson. All the Livonia games (vs. Churchill and Bentley) were tough battles. It was the first game that Sam Williams was out. He got hurt in the (Dearborn) Fordson game before that (the opener) and Sam was not only our tight end, and starting middle linebacker, but he was also our punter and kicker. I think we passed up some field goals in that Stevenson game because we were so unsure of our kicking game.”
PHOTOS (Top) Livonia Franklin’s Jim Casey (45) plows ahead during the 1975 Class A Final as Traverse City tacklers converge. (Middle) Franklin coach Armand Vigna, right, shares an embrace with lineman Rick Kruger in the moments after their team’s championship victory. (Photos courtesy of Hometown Life, which includes the former Livonia Observer).