1st & Goal: 2021 Week 5 Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
September 24, 2021
The football talk is turning up as we reach the midpoint of the 2021 regular season.
Much of what’s coming to the MHSAA office these days concerns the first-time fully-implemented “enhanced strength-of-schedule” format for selecting this year’s playoff qualifiers. So as we prepare to look at some of the games that will shape the field, here’s a quick review of the process that eventually will get us to 256 teams for 11-player and 32 teams in the 8-player brackets.
Let’s start with 11-player and start with the most fundamental change. Teams no longer make the playoffs by winning a certain number of games. Six-wins-and-in is out. Just like for 8-player, the field will be selected solely based on playoff-point average accrued as a combination of success and opponents’ strength of schedule.
The calculation of playoff-point average actually changed last year – but because nearly every team made the postseason due to a temporary COVID-19 restructuring, the new math mostly went unnoticed. Simply put, the newer formula is designed to reward a team for scheduling strong opponents by giving it bonuses based on opponents’ successes throughout the season – no matter if that team won or lost when it played those opponents. Those bonuses also are assigned differently, with points awarded by Division instead of the former “Class” of an opponent. Click here for a further breakdown of the differences between old and new formats.
One more important thing to note: Playoff divisions for 11 and 8-player are determined before the season instead of after Week 9. So teams know every possible opponent long before the playoffs start and can follow their progress toward making the field every week on the MHSAA Website.
MHSAA.tv will carry more than 160 games live this weekend, with Bally Sports Detroit broadcasting Friday's DeWitt/Grand Ledge matchup on its PLUS cable channel and State Champs! Sports Network streaming games both Saturday (Paw Paw at South Lyon East) and Sunday (Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice at Detroit Catholic Central). See the full schedule from the MHSAA Score Center and see below for glances at some of the games that could impact league and playoff races the rest of the regular season. (Games are Friday unless noted.)
Bay & Thumb
Freeland (4-0) at Frankenmuth (4-0)
The Eagles have not lost a league game since Week 4 of 2014, a stretch of 42 consecutive conference wins including the first three of this fall’s Tri-Valley Conference East slate. Freeland could provide the greatest threat yet to that run. While Frankenmuth won last year’s matchup 41-3 in the delayed regular-season opener, the Falcons went on to make the Division 5 Semifinals as the Eagles advanced to the title game at Ford Field. (Freeland and Frankenmuth lost to eventual champion Grand Rapids Catholic Central in successive weeks.) That success has carried over for both. Freeland opened this season downing reigning Jack Pine Conference champion Clare, and last week’s 43-13 victory over Essexville Garber was similarly notable. The Eagles, meanwhile, are the only team to defeat Goodrich so far.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Midland Dow (2-2) at Bay City Western (4-0), Millington (4-0) at Carrollton (3-1), Richmond (3-1) at Croswell-Lexington (3-1), Mount Pleasant (4-0) at Midland (2-2), Harrison Township L'Anse Creuse (3-1) at Port Huron (3-1).
Greater Detroit
Warren De La Salle Collegiate (3-0) at Orchard Lake St. Mary's (4-0)
The way Detroit Catholic League Central teams have begun this season, it will be hard to not pick one of that league’s matchups as the Detroit area’s premier game over the next few weeks. This one gets the nod over Sunday’s Detroit Catholic Central/Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice showdown in part because De La Salle is coming off a 21-16 win over the Warriors and already has an important edge in the standings. But also making this intriguing is the bounce-back success of St. Mary’s, which finished 2-4 a year ago but has opened with a series of nice wins including over Hudsonville and Harper Woods.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Brownstown Woodhaven (4-0) at Allen Park (4-0), Belleville (3-1) at Dearborn Fordson (4-0), Clinton Township Chippewa Valley (3-1) at Romeo (4-0), South Lyon (4-0) at White Lake Lakeland (4-0).
Mid-Michigan
Jackson Lumen Christi (4-0) at Hastings (4-0)
The Saxons were among the best stories of the 2020 season, as they broke a string of seven straight sub-.500 finishes to win a share of the Interstate 8 Athletic Conference title. Hastings actually lost last year’s opener to Parma Western, but started its turnaround the next week by downing the Titans 14-13. The Saxons are up to nine straight regular-season wins, but get a Lumen Christi team this time that has an opening win over reigning Division 7 champion New Lothrop to its credit after putting everything back together to finish last fall with a Regional Finals run.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Evart (4-0) at Beal City (3-1), Grand Ledge (4-0) at DeWitt (3-1), Montrose (3-1) at New Lothrop (3-1), Fowler (2-2) at Pewamo-Westphalia (4-0).
Northern Lower Peninsula
Boyne City (4-0) at Traverse City St. Francis (4-0), Saturday
This means little in the short run as these two play in different divisions of the Northern Michigan Football Conference, but could say a lot if they continue on to win league championships and make playoff noise. They’ve long been rivals, playing together in multiple conferences including the NMFC’s Legends division through 2019, and they represent some of the best this region has to offer with Boyne City ranked No. 5 in Division 6 by playoff-point average and St. Francis No. 4 in Division 7. Boyne City is giving up only six points per contest and will try to match a Gladiators offense averaging 50 points and coming off two straight games scoring 63.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Grayling (3-1) at Kingsley (4-0), Traverse City Central (3-1) at Petoskey (3-1), Maple City Glen Lake (1-3) at Charlevoix (3-1), East Jordan (3-1) at Oscoda (2-2).
Southeast & Border
Riverview (4-0) at Monroe St. Mary's Catholic Central (4-0)
Monroe St. Mary and Milan often are the talk of the Huron League, but Riverview is looking again like possibly the team to beat after winning last season’s league title and opening this fall’s conference schedule by outscoring three opponents by a combined 116-17. The Pirates have won 11 straight league games going back to mid-2019, including 35-7 over St. Mary in last year’s opener. But the Falcons are surging as well and already have overcome a major league obstacle, defeating Milan last week 21-15.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Petersburg Summerfield (3-1) at Adrian Madison (2-2), Napoleon (3-1) at Hanover-Horton (2-2), Hudson (4-0) at Ida (3-1), Sand Creek (3-1) at Ottawa Lake Whiteford (3-1).
Southwest Corridor
Edwardsburg (4-0) at Plainwell (4-0)
It’s impossible to not marvel a bit at Edwardsburg’s work again this season. The Eddies have outscored their four opponents by a combined 203-7, and those four opponents are a combined 11-1 not counting their Edwardsburg defeats. Enter Plainwell, potentially headed toward an 11th-straight .500 or better season, riding its best start since 2013 and boasting a defense giving up just under nine points per game. The challenge is mighty, of course, but the Trojans can’t be overlooked.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Watervliet (4-0) at Berrien Springs (4-0), Constantine (4-0) at Parchment (3-1), Niles (3-1) at Vicksburg (3-1), Centreville (3-1) at White Pigeon (4-0).
Upper Peninsula
Hancock (2-2) at Houghton (3-1)
Go back probably to 2013 – when Houghton need to defeat Hancock in Week 9 to make the playoffs – for the last time this rivalry carried so many additional implications. Houghton is off to its best start since 2016 and would be part of the Division 6 playoff field if the season ended today, while Hancock can eclipse last season’s win total with another one tonight and could make up some ground in the Division 5 playoff race.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Iron Mountain (2-2) at Bark River-Harris (3-1), Marquette (3-1) at Gladstone (2-2), Manistique (2-2) at Ishpeming Westwood (3-1), Kingsford (3-1) at Escanaba (1-3).
West Michigan
Hudsonville (2-2) at Rockford (4-0)
The Eagles’ record requires the context of their losses being to Saline and Orchard Lake St. Mary’s – which are a combined 8-0 – and by just a combined six points. Hudsonville edged Jenison by just a point last week and make any feelings of early disappointment all but disappear with a similar result against the Rams. The Ottawa-Kent Conference Red powers missed their regular-season game against each other last season, but Rockford won their playoff matchup to run their streak in the rivalry to six.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Reed City (3-1) at Big Rapids (3-1), Grand Haven (3-1) at Caledonia (4-0), Byron Center (4-0) at Grand Rapids Northview (3-1), Muskegon Mona Shores (3-1) at Zeeland East (3-1).
8-Player
Adrian Lenawee Christian (4-0) at Colon (4-0)
This is another strong candidate for 8-player regular-season game of the year, combining storylines and successes. Colon will attempt to hand Lenawee Christian its first defeat in two seasons of 8-player football and was the only team to come close to slowing the Division 1 champion Cougars last season – Lenawee Christian won their matchup 24-6, but scored 47 or more points against their other 10 opponents and are up over 61 points per game this fall. The Magi – Division 1 champs two seasons ago – enter this meeting having posted two straight shutouts and averaging nearly 53 points per contest. But the Cougars aren’t just tough to stop; they also are giving up just under seven points per game.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Crystal Falls Forest Park (4-0) at Norway (3-1), Newberry (301) at Rudyard (4-0), Genesee (3-1) at Burton Atherton (3-1). SATURDAY Suttons Bay (4-0) at Munising (3-1).
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PHOTO: Alma defenders begin to collapse the pocked during Freeland’s Week 2 win over the Panthers. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)
Deckerville Completes Title-Clinching Comeback with Unforgettable 'Drive'
By
Jason Juno
Special for MHSAA.com
November 23, 2024
MARQUETTE — Deckerville was used to being in a tough spot.
The Eagles were behind for the duration of the 8-player Division 1 championship game against Pickford on Saturday until finally taking a 30-28 lead eight seconds into the fourth quarter.
When they got the ball back after a brief Panthers possession, they still had that lead. They were just pinned at their own 1-yard line.
Coach Bill Brown had three thoughts.
The first was, “Oh, no.”
The second centered on getting out of there without surrendering a safety or turning the ball over near the end zone.
The third was “The Drive” from back in 1987 when quarterback John Elway took the Denver Broncos 98 yards in the late stages of the fourth quarter to tie the AFC Championship game, which they eventually won.
“I was like, ‘Hmm, I wonder if we can have the drive and we can call that The Drive,’” Brown said.
Saturday’s drive will certainly be remembered in Deckerville for a long time. The Eagles didn’t score, but they did run out the clock – all nine minutes, 14 seconds of it.
That cemented their 30-28 championship victory at the Superior Dome. After falling behind by two touchdowns early, the Eagles rallied back by holding onto the football and keeping Pickford’s electric quarterback, Tommy Storey, on the sideline.
“It’s a dream come true,” Deckerville senior linebacker Corbin Sharbowski said. “I’ve been dreaming since I was a little kid. I think in seventh grade, we were all on the same team, we had a pretty good season and we were like, ‘Yeah, we might be able to do this.’”
Saturday’s game started out as a nightmare, in part thanks to an epic performance by Storey.
The 5-foot-9, 175-pound senior ran for touchdowns of 44, 70, 57 and 34 yards in the first half to give the Panthers 16-0 and 28-16 leads. He ended the half with 282 rushing yards, just 70 off the record for a full 8-player championship game.
He only recorded 22 yards during the second half. To be fair, he was rarely on the field after halftime.
Deckerville got the ball first in the second half. The Eagles used 15 plays to go 71 yards while taking more than 7½ minutes off of the clock.
They converted two fourth downs, including a 4th-and-9 when standout quarterback, Hunter Garza, ran 17 yards for a first down at the 1. Parker Merriman ran the last yard to pull Deckerville within five of Pickford’s lead, 28-23.
The Panthers followed with a four-and-out, as the Eagles stopped their 4th-and-3 play for no gain.
Deckerville took its first lead on the ensuing possession, with Brandon Salowitz grabbing a 36-yard touchdown pass from Garza. Mark Donker’s extra point kick made it 30-28 Eagles with 11:52 left in the game.
Brown said that was the first time they ran that play all season, and it was likely the only one Pickford hadn’t seen from them during pregame prep.
“I (had) seen Brandon, I knew he was 1-on-1, so I just threw it up and he did the rest,” Garza said.
Storey ran for 12 yards on the first play of Pickford’s next possession. A false start doomed that drive, though, and Pickford took two timeouts before deciding to punt from its own 49 with 9:25 left.
The Panthers executed the punt well, downing the ball at the 1-yard line.
They just never saw the ball again. Seventeen rushing plays by Garza and Merriman – only one of which went for more than 10 yards, an 11-yard gain by Garza – ate up all of that clock. Deckerville converted on three third downs. Garza rushed five yards on 4th-and-5 at the Pickford 30 to seal it.
“There wasn’t, ‘Hey, let’s keep the ball,’” Brown said. “No, it’s let’s go score because we’re going to have to outscore them sooner or later.”
Pickford ran just nine offensive plays during the final two quarters. Deckerville went 5-for-5 on fourth downs and had the ball for 19 minutes, 3 seconds of the 24-minute second half.
“That’s the game we like to play,” Pickford coach Josh Rader said. “We like to keep their offense off the field. They did that to us. They ground and pounded it. They got first downs when they needed to.”
Eagles also defended the physical runner Storey well the few times he touched the ball in the second half. “I thought we could run at him a little more, maybe wear him down a little bit more running at him,” Brown said.
Storey finished with the second-most rushing yards 8-Player Finals history, 304 on 21 carries with the four first-half touchdowns. Pickford ended the season at 12-1.
“Proud of our guys,” Rader said. “Like I mentioned after the game, it hurts right now. As we get time to get away, they’re going to realize how fun it actually was to be in this game.”
Deckerville, meanwhile, finished a perfect 13-0.
“It’s so surreal I can’t even grasp what’s happening right now,” Brown said.
The title was Deckerville’s second in 8-player and first since 2012.
“It’s a crazy experience to even go to the state finals,” said Garza, who finished with 225 yards on 37 carries with two touchdowns, “but to win it is just awesome.”
PHOTOS (Top) Deckerville's Brandon Salowitz celebrates his second-half touchdown reception Saturday at the Superior Dome. (Middle) Pickford quarterback Tommy Storey (8) breaks away for his second touchdown run of the first half. (Below) Deckerville quarterback Hunter Garza (7) begins to cut back during his first-half touchdown sprint. (Photos by Cara Kamps. Click for more.)