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Mendon’s J.T. Lux (23) follows a blocker and pulls away from a Martin defender during his team’s Regional Final win.

1st & Goal: 2024 Playoffs Week 2 Review

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

November 11, 2024

If at first you don’t succeed … wait until the playoffs?

MI Student AidThat became the storyline for some of the most intriguing rematches during District title weekend for 11-player football and Regional championship weekend for 8-player brackets.

Of 72 MHSAA playoff games total, 23 were rematches from the regular season. A total of 15 teams won both the first meeting and the second – but that means eight teams that lost before advanced this time around, and plenty shaking up brackets in major ways.  

11-Player Division 1

HEADLINER Macomb Dakota 41, Utica Eisenhower 14 Dakota’s only loss this season was Week 7 to Eisenhower, 21-14. But the Cougars (10-1) avenged in a big way with Brady Hamby reaching the end zone four times to lead the team to a District title after these two shared the Macomb Area Conference Red championship. Click for more from the Macomb Daily.

District Digest Howell 35, Brighton 33 Justin Jones broke Howell’s single-season records for rushing yards and touchdowns, adding 225 and four, respectively, as the Highlanders (11-0) held off the rival Bulldogs (8-3) in a rematch from Week 8. Hudsonville 19, Grandville 16 The Eagles (10-1) also had to hold on in a rematch from the regular season, adding this to a Week 7 victory over Grandville (6-5). Grand Blanc 29, Oxford 7 Grand Blanc (9-2) won this clash of league champions to secure its first District title since 2021 and end Oxford’s season at 7-4, its winningest since 2018.

11-Player Division 2

HEADLINER Byron Center 30, Muskegon Mona Shores 23 Byron Center (10-1) was only slightly behind Mona Shores (9-2) on the final Division 2 playoff points list, and with this win moves ahead as the highest-ranked team on their side of the bracket. Mona Shores had won their Week 4 meeting 14-12. Click for more from FOX 17.

District Digest East Lansing 50, Dexter 49 East Lansing scored and connected on a 2-point conversion pass with no time left on the clock to claim a third-straight District title and end Dexter’s season at 10-1. Saginaw Heritage 17, Midland 7 This was another rematch reversal, as Heritage (8-3) avenged its 28-13 loss to Midland (9-2) from Week 7. Warren De La Salle Collegiate 35, Grosse Pointe South 21 De La Salle (8-2) clinched a fifth-straight District title by handing Grosse Pointe South (10-1) its only defeat.

11-Player Division 3

HEADLINER Zeeland West 42, St. Joseph 0 West (10-1) ran its District championship streak to three and has outscored its two playoff opponents by a combined 74-6 after posting its first shutout of this season. St. Joseph (9-2) was averaging 36 points per game entering the matchup. Click for more from the Holland Sentinel.

District Digest River Rouge 20, Riverview 14 Rouge (6-4) has won four straight after opening 2-4 and claimed this District title by defeating the same two opponents as a year ago, Southgate Anderson and then Riverview (9-2). Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central 28, Coopersville 17 The reigning Division 3 champion Rangers (9-2) earned a rematch with Zeeland West, which won their first meeting in Week 6. Coopersville finished 7-4. Petoskey 38, Mount Pleasant 10 The Northmen (11-0) extended their record-setting season by reaching 11 wins for the first time with their first District title since 2014. Mount Pleasant finished 6-5.

DeWitt’s Traverse Moore (2) eludes a Lowell defender during the Panthers’ 49-35 win in Division 3.

11-Player Division 4

HEADLINER Grand Rapids South Christian 35, Hudsonville Unity Christian 28 In perhaps the upset of the weekend, South Christian avenged a 50-21 loss to Unity (10-1) from Week 7, moving to 7-4 while toppling what was the top team on the Division 4 playoff points list heading into the postseason. Unity led by one at halftime and pulled within one again with 8:21 to play before the Sailors finished the win. Click for more from Michigan Sports Radio.

District Digest Haslett 24, Chelsea 9 The Vikings (8-3) went to Chelsea (8-3) and brought home a District title for the second season in a row, this time adding to a seven-game winning streak to earn a Regional Final rematch with Goodrich. Goodrich 27, Freeland 21 The Martians pulled ahead by two touchdowns with 2:13 to play and held off Freeland’s late comeback attempt to clinch a third-straight District title. The Falcons finished 9-2 after also falling to Goodrich in a District Final last year. Macomb Lutheran North 43, Croswell-Lexington 42 (OT) Lutheran North (10-1) clinched a second-straight District championship and reached 10 wins for the first time, ending Croswell-Lexington’s run at 7-4.

11-Player Division 5

HEADLINER Grand Rapids Catholic Central 21, Grand Rapids West Catholic 18 A late blocked punt and a go-ahead touchdown pass gave Catholic Central (7-4) a ninth-straight District championship with this third-straight playoff win over its rival. West Catholic (7-4) also saw its 2023 season end against the Cougars in a Regional Final. Click for more from the Grand Rapids Press.

District Digest Gladwin 28, Ogemaw Heights 19 Gladwin (8-3) not only avenged last year’s District opener loss but also a 12-7 Week 3 defeat this fall to Ogemaw Heights (9-2). Frankenmuth 37, Belding 7 The undefeated Eagles’ defense continued to shine, this time slowing down a Belding offense that was averaging 46.5 points per game entering the weekend. The Black Knights finished 9-2. Armada 63, Hazel Park 0 Armada (10-1) claimed its first District championship in this sport, also reaching double-digit wins for the first time, while Hazel Park (7-4) capped its first winning season since 2017 and winningest since 2010. 

11-Player Division 6

HEADLINER Boyne City 21, Kingsley 15 The reigning champion is out as Boyne City (9-2) avenged its most recent loss, 26-20 to Kingsley (8-3) from Week 4 in what also was a rematch of two of the three champions from the Northern Michigan Football League Legends. The District title was Boyne’s first since 2014. Click for more from the Petoskey News-Review.

District Digest Newaygo 35, Central Montcalm 34 Newaygo (9-2) claimed its first District title since 2012, thanks in part to stopping Central Montcalm (9-2) on a 2-point conversion attempt after a fourth-quarter touchdown. The Hornets finished their winningest campaign since 1999, according to Michigan-Football.com. Lansing Catholic 31, Ovid-Elsie 28 Lansing Catholic (8-3) finished a run through the elite from the Mid-Michigan Activities Conference, with this win over the runner-up Marauders (8-3) following the District-opening victory over MMAC champion Chesaning. Marine City 38, Warren Michigan Collegiate 28 Marine City (9-2) claimed its first District title since 2021, handing Michigan Collegiate (9-2) its first loss since Week 1. Michigan Collegiate had entered the postseason third on the Division 6 playoff-points average list, and Marine City was fourth.

11-Player Division 7

HEADLINER Menominee 35, Traverse City St. Francis 32 (OT) Menominee (10-1) emerged with arguably its best win this fall as it works to return to Ford Field this month. The Maroons had played only one other single-digit game this season – a two-point Week 8 loss to Kingsford – but held on to get to overtime and then get past the Gladiators (7-4). Click for more from the Escanaba Daily Press.

District Digest Pewamo-Westphalia 17, Ithaca 14 The Pirates (9-2) are repeat District champions as they improved to 3-2 in one-score games this fall, while Ithaca finished 10-1 after its second-straight perfect regular season. North Muskegon 27, McBain 7 The Norsemen (10-1) also finished a second-straight District title run, this one by locking down a McBain offense that was averaging 42 points per game entering the weekend. The Ramblers finished 9-2. Hudson 30, Union City 7 The Tigers (10-1) won their first District title since 2021 with a fifth-straight game holding the opponent to single-digit scoring — and this time while also putting up the most points Union City (9-2) allowed this fall, its winningest since 2011.

Grand Blanc’s Nik Lemons (5) finds the edge as Oxford tacklers pursue.

11-Player Division 8

HEADLINER Harbor Beach 37, Clarkston Everest Collegiate 7 As this season has rolled on, Harbor Beach (11-0) has been more and more impressive. Since a two-point win Week 1 over Cass City, the Pirates haven’t let an opponent closer than 30 points – and Everest (9-2) was arguably its toughest challenge to date, scoring 36 points per game and giving up just under eight before Harbor Beach sailed through. Click for more from the Huron Daily Tribune.

District Digest Iron Mountain 21, East Jordan 18 Iron Mountain (11-0) emerged from its closest challenge this fall to earn a Regional rematch with Beal City, which defeated the Mountaineers a year ago. East Jordan finished 8-3. Reading 30, Springport 29 This was another regular season loss avenged, as Reading (7-4) continued to rebound from last season’s rare sub-.500 finish and after falling 28-24 to Springport in Week 6. Beal City 21, Maple City Glen Lake 14 A second-straight District trophy didn’t come easily for the Aggies (9-2), who went on the road and defeated a league champion that at 9-2 finished its best season since 2019.

8-Player Division 1

HEADLINER Mendon 26, Martin 22 There will be a new Division 1 champion. Martin’s two-year reign came to an end as J.T. Lux ran in the winning score for Mendon (10-1) with two seconds to play. He finished with 147 yards at more than 10 per carry and also had an 84-yard touchdown run during the third quarter – although Martin (9-2) did take the lead during the fourth quarter, setting up Lux’s final heroics. Click for more from the Sturgis Journal.

Regional Roundup Indian River Inland Lakes 32, Alcona 26 Inland Lakes (11-0) played only its second single-digit game this season and its closest to date, but held strong to repeat as a Regional champion and end Alcona’s season at 9-2 with both losses by eight or fewer points. Deckerville 40, Kingston 6 Deckerville (11-0) added to a 44-0 win over Kingston (8-3) from Week 7 to repeat as a Regional title winner. Pickford 44, Ishpeming 6 The Panthers (11-0) also finished a season sweep with a Regional title, having already defeated Ishpeming 65-14 in Week 4. The Hematites ended their first 8-player season 6-3.

8-Player Division 2

HEADLINER Crystal Falls Forest Park 34, Powers North Central 12 In perhaps one the most defining short-range turnarounds of the playoffs so far, Forest Park (10-1) bounced back from losing a league-deciding matchup 45-34 to North Central in Week 9 – and to claim a first Regional title since the Trojans won Division 2 in 2017. The Jets finished 9-2, one win better than a year ago. Click for more from MyUPNow.

Regional Roundup Onekama 48, Au Gres-Sims 44 After four tough seasons during which Onekama won a combined eight games, the Portagers are 10-1 and returning to the Semifinals for the first time since 2018 – and after avenging a 52-30 loss to Au Gres-Sims (9-2) from a year ago. Morrice 46, Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart 14 The Orioles (10-1) eliminated a league opponent for the second time in two playoff games and this time to win a second Regional title in three seasons. Sacred Heart finished 7-4. Britton Deerfield 60, Pittsford 26 The Patriots (10-1) set a program record for wins with their first Regional championship, handing Pittsford a second defeat after also downing the Wildcats (8-3) in their season opener.

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PHOTOS (Top) Mendon’s J.T. Lux (23) follows a blocker and pulls away from a Martin defender during his team’s Regional Final win. (Middle) DeWitt’s Traverse Moore (2) eludes a Lowell defender during the Panthers’ 49-35 win in Division 3. (Below) Grand Blanc’s Nik Lemons (5) finds the edge as Oxford tacklers pursue. (Top photo by Gary Shook/GSPHOTO. DeWitt/Lowell photo by L.C. Arreguin/Team Arreguin Photos. Grand Blanc/Oxford photo by Terry Lyons.)  

Rodammer, left and Eagles coach Phil Martin take a photo on the night the facility was named for its longtime stat person during the 2022 season.

Rodammer Stacks 44 Years, 451 Games Tracking Frankenmuth's Football Numbers

By Steve Vedder
Special for MHSAA.com

September 20, 2024

While Al Rodammer's abbreviated scouting career may have lasted all of one night, it didn't take him long to figure out how he'd spend Friday evenings for the next 44 years.

Rodammer remembers being asked by former Eagles football coach Ralph Munger to drive to Bullock Creek to scout an upcoming playoff opponent. But Rodammer and fellow scout Jeff Reinbold wound up getting lost en route and missed most of the first quarter.

The mix-up didn't sit well with Munger, who "reassigned" Rodammer to a different task: keeping stats for the program.

Instead of fretting about the switch, Rodammer, a former baseball and basketball player at Frankenmuth, embraced the move. Four and a half decades later, Rodammer has kept track of virtually every football stat you can imagine for 451 Eagles games. Starting in 1981, Rodammer has dragged, at first, his trusty pencil and paper, and now laptop to hundreds of cramped press boxes, unsteady roof tops, chilly sidelines or whatever dinky corner space may have been available.

Many people may believe that totaling rushing yards or deciphering passing percentages is a thankless task. The 70-year-old Rodammer, who had the Frankenmuth press box named after him in 2022, prefers to think of his work as a labor of love.

Acting as a bridge between past and present Eagles teams and staying in touch with a community which loves its Friday Night Lights is his way of honoring a highly-successful football program.

The Al "Chick" Rodammer Press Box stands tall before the start of a Frankenmuth game this season."It's a commitment, but it's also a labor of love," he said. "When they named the press box after me, I thought, "Gosh, I don't know if I deserve this.' I don't do it for the recognition. But when the alumni come back, and to see what the work means to them, that's what I get out of it."

Rodammer's connection with the program far exceeds keeping track of how many passes are attempted or how many yards the Eagles' defense surrenders. He's written two books about the program, including an 82-page history of the Frankenmuth-Millington rivalry. While his initial connection may have been as a failed scout, he's recognized as the program's official historian and leading goodwill ambassador as he's constantly stopped on the street and asked what the Eagles’ chances are for the upcoming season.

One of Rodammer's passions is organizing reunions of past teams, a couple of which included his two sons who played football at Frankenmuth.

When you consider all of Rodammer's contributions to the program, Frankenmuth coach Phil Martin said keeping stats is just a small part of his overall contribution to the program. The data turned in to coaches helps them plot offensive and defensive strategies. But Rodammer's work in writing game stories for community media, digging into archives for long-sought but pertinent information and communicating with past teams is his true value.

"But more than statistics, he's cared for the program for 40-plus years," Martin said. "He's helped tradition and the community in understanding what we have in 69 years of Frankenmuth football."

Rodammer, whose statistics career has covered a half-dozen athletic directors and five head coaches, takes particular pride in not just assembling the typical Friday night numbers, but in putting the long history of Eagles football into perspective. His boundless research of Frankenmuth football has taken him from local libraries to Detroit-area facilities which may contain older stories on the team. He uses that information to ensure the accuracy of his records.

"We've been successful in a lot of athletics like soccer or basketball, but Frankenmuth is a football town," said Rodammer, who added tabulating junior varsity statistics to his resume in 2002. "There's something about football that brings out the community. There are always a lot of older people in the stands who get into it.

"Athletics has a definite impact on the community, no doubt about it."

Rodammer does his work in the corner of the press box.Rodammer has missed only four games over his 44 seasons, 28 of which he has been joined by spotter Frank Bender. Two were for weddings, there was one funeral and once the fastpitch softball team he played for was in Minot, N.D., for a tournament. Rodammer is a member of the American Softball Association Hall of Fame.

He admits to being a "numbers guy," who developed programs for the Vassar Building Center before retiring 13 years ago, and he also kept statistics for his softball team for 20 years. Rodammer has his own definition of what numbers mean to him.

"I was only an average student, but there is something about stats," he said. "Yeah, I'm probably a little geekish about numbers."

Making the job easier – if not more fun – has been the wild success of the Frankenmuth program. The Eagles have won 62 consecutive conference games, including 12 league titles. Frankenmuth has been to two MHSAA Finals at Ford Field over the last four seasons. The Eagles have had 14 consecutive winning seasons, been to the playoffs 13 straight years and 29 times since 1987. The team is off to a 3-0 start this season and last week became the 14th program in state history to reach 500 victories.

Such success has left Rodammer with more than a few memories. For instance, he lists the team's 1987 playoff upset of Cheboygan as his personal favorite moment. Cheboygan was unbeaten, but the unraked Eagles prevailed 28-21. He also mentions a 28-20 win over powerhouse Ithaca in 2016 that interrupted a stunning string of Yellowjackets successes during an 118-5 run that included four MHSAA Finals titles and two more runner-up finishes between 2009-17. Another memory is Frankenmuth playing in its first championship game at a near-empty Ford Field due to COVID restrictions in January 2021.

Rodammer is hard-pressed to answer what he'd do with his Friday nights if he wasn't toiling away in a press box at a Frankenmuth football game. Maybe he'd work closer with his church, travel to see other local teams play or check off a couple stops toward his ultimate goal – to visit every Big 10 school for a game.

For the moment, at least, skipping a Friday night perched on a rickety chair tucked into the corner of a cramped press box isn't in the plan.

"I have a passion, but I don't do it for recognition," he said of connecting with the Eagles program "I want to keep a commitment from past teams to the present. That's what motivates me.

"I love summers, but every year I can't wait for the fall."

PHOTOS (Top) Al Rodammer, left and Eagles coach Phil Martin take a photo on the night the facility was named for its longtime stat person during the 2022 season. (Middle) The Al "Chick" Rodammer Press Box stands tall before the start of a Frankenmuth game this season. (Below) Rodammer does his work in the corner of the press box. (Top two photos by Chip DeGrace; below photo courtesy of Al Rodammer.)