2017 Week 8 Football Playoff Listing
October 10, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Here is a list of Michigan High School Athletic Association football playing schools, displaying their win-loss records and playoff averages through the seventh week of the season.
Schools on this list are in enrollment order for 11-player teams, with 8-player teams ordered by playoff average. An asterisk (*) beside a record indicates a team has eight or fewer games scheduled.
Those schools with 11-player teams with six or more wins playing nine-game schedules, or five or more wins playing eight games or fewer, will qualify for the MHSAA Football Playoffs beginning Oct. 27. Schools with 5-4, 4-3 or 4-4 records may qualify if the number of potential qualifiers by win total does not reach the 256 mark. Schools with six or more wins playing nine-game schedules or five or more wins playing eight games or fewer may be subtracted from the field based on playoff average if the number of potential qualifiers exceeds the 256 mark.
Once the 256 qualifying schools are determined, they will be divided by enrollment groups into eight equal divisions of 32 schools, and then drawn into regions of eight teams each and districts of four teams each. Those schools with 8-player teams will be ranked by playoff average at season’s end, and the top 32 programs will then be divided into two divisions of 16 each based on enrollment. The playoff in that division also begins Oct. 27.
To review a list of all football playoff schools, individual school playoff point details and to report errors, visit the Football page of the MHSAA Website.
The announcement of the qualifiers and first-round pairings for both the 11 and 8-player playoffs will take place at 7 p.m. Oct. 22 on the Selection Sunday Show on FOX Sports Detroit. The playoff qualifiers and pairings will be posted to the MHSAA Website following the Selection Sunday Show. The MHSAA Football Finals are presented by the Michigan Army National Guard.
11-Player Playoff Listing
1. Macomb Dakota, 3016, 5-2, 69.000
2. Dearborn Fordson, 2741, 6-1, 86.571
3. Utica Eisenhower, 2689, 7-0, 113.143
4. Grand Blanc, 2660, 6-1, 85.286
5. East Kentwood, 2639, 5-2, 66.429
6. Clarkston, 2603, 5-2, 74.429
7. Rockford, 2485, 4-3, 63.714
8. Clinton Township Chippewa Valley, 2434, 6-1, 94.571
9. Detroit Cass Tech *, 2434, 5-1, 76.143
10. Troy, 2422, 5-2, 71.000
11. Brighton, 2247, 4-3, 58.429
12. Canton, 2212, 6-1, 87.714
13. Holland West Ottawa, 2200, 6-1, 87.714
14. Salem, 2090, 4-3, 55.286
15. Detroit Catholic Central, 2080, 5-2, 73.714
16. West Bloomfield, 1990, 5-2, 74.429
17. New Baltimore Anchor Bay, 1956, 5-2, 66.857
18. Utica, 1907, 4-3, 56.571
19. Saline *, 1869, 6-1, 88.429
20. Bloomfield Hills, 1842, 5-2, 71.000
21. Lapeer, 1837, 5-2, 65.286
22. Livonia Stevenson, 1811, 4-3, 63.143
23. Walled Lake Central, 1804, 4-3, 58.143
24. White Lake Lakeland *, 1765, 5-2, 72.000
25. Romeo, 1753, 5-2, 76.619
26. Grandville, 1750, 5-2, 70.714
27. Grand Ledge, 1726, 6-1, 86.429
28. Warren Mott, 1712, 4-3, 56.714
29. Belleville, 1709, 7-0, 106.286
30. Detroit Western International, 1701, 4-3, 49.857
31. Davison, 1695, 6-1, 88.714
32. Walled Lake Northern, 1678, 5-2, 66.000
33. Grosse Pointe South, 1644, 4-3, 63.214
34. Rochester Adams, 1626, 6-1, 89.714
35. Waterford Mott, 1586, 6-1, 87.429
36. Traverse City West, 1582, 7-0, 97.143
37. Brownstown Woodhaven, 1569, 5-2, 71.429
38. Temperance Bedford, 1548, 6-1, 81.857
39. Warren DeLaSalle, 1538, 5-2, 76.943
40. Flint Carman-Ainsworth, 1502, 5-2, 68.857
41. Livonia Churchill, 1486, 6-1, 91.857
42. Livonia Franklin, 1469, 5-2, 66.286
43. Jenison, 1457, 5-2, 65.714
44. Roseville, 1412, 5-2, 68.429
45. Detroit Martin Luther King, 1404, 6-1, 77.810
46. Dearborn Edsel Ford, 1396, 5-2, 62.143
47. Oak Park, 1395, 5-2, 73.429
48. Grosse Pointe North *, 1371, 4-2, 61.048
49. Portage Central, 1353, 6-1, 87.571
50. Traverse City Central, 1345, 5-2, 71.286
51. Wyandotte Roosevelt, 1345, 7-0, 99.429
52. Royal Oak, 1332, 4-3, 49.714
53. Okemos, 1326, 4-3, 49.429
54. Walled Lake Western, 1318, 6-1, 92.143
55. Midland, 1316, 6-1, 84.286
56. Flushing, 1312, 5-2, 71.286
57. Birmingham Groves, 1300, 6-1, 89.714
58. Port Huron Northern, 1277, 6-1, 83.000
59. St Clair Shores Lake Shore, 1273, 4-3, 48.571
60. Pinckney, 1272, 6-1, 83.000
61. Detroit East English, 1270, 7-0, 86.857
62. Midland Dow, 1263, 6-1, 79.143
63. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central, 1258, 7-0, 104.000
64. Muskegon Mona Shores, 1238, 7-0, 109.714
65. Birmingham Brother Rice, 1224, 4-3, 62.036
66. Ypsilanti Lincoln, 1222, 5-2, 72.000
67. Lowell, 1195, 4-3, 62.857
68. Muskegon Reeths-Puffer, 1186, 4-3, 50.286
69. Ferndale, 1180, 6-1, 75.857
70. Mattawan, 1171, 5-2, 68.714
71. Holly, 1166, 4-3, 52.429
72. Fenton, 1163, 7-0, 105.143
73. Greenville, 1158, 4-3, 51.000
74. Holland, 1140, 5-2, 64.286
75. Hamtramck, 1135, 5-2, 59.429
76. Detroit Renaissance, 1131, 4-3, 46.524
77. Gibraltar Carlson, 1125, 7-0, 101.714
78. East Lansing, 1108, 5-2, 67.714
79. Redford Thurston, 1102, 5-2, 61.571
80. Eastpointe, 1101, 4-3, 48.714
81. Warren Woods Tower, 1095, 6-1, 80.714
82. Byron Center, 1083, 4-3, 50.000
83. Muskegon, 1058, 7-0, 100.571
84. St. Joseph, 1043, 5-2, 70.714
85. Auburn Hills Avondale, 1033, 4-3, 61.143
86. Farmington Hills Harrison, 1030, 5-2, 77.000
87. East Grand Rapids, 1010, 7-0, 102.857
88. DeWitt, 994, 6-1, 87.571
89. Zeeland East, 994, 7-0, 93.714
90. St. Johns, 990, 4-3, 49.857
91. Gaylord, 980, 4-3, 49.571
92. Ortonville-Brandon, 969, 4-3, 54.714
93. Zeeland West, 960, 5-2, 74.714
94. Melvindale, 956, 4-3, 54.286
95. Cedar Springs, 946, 5-2, 72.143
96. Coldwater, 933, 4-3, 51.714
97. Riverview, 928, 6-1, 77.143
98. Detroit Cody, 924, 4-3, 48.810
99. Linden, 924, 6-1, 91.143
100. Warren Fitzgerald, 903, 5-2, 64.429
101. Grand Rapids Christian, 896, 6-1, 92.286
102. Stevensville Lakeshore, 891, 6-1, 91.857
103. Hazel Park, 889, 5-2, 67.571
104. Battle Creek Harper Creek, 884, 7-0, 91.429
105. Parma Western, 880, 4-3, 50.000
106. New Boston Huron, 877, 5-2, 64.000
107. Romulus, 864, 5-2, 65.429
108. Haslett, 856, 5-2, 66.286
109. Marshall, 854, 4-3, 49.429
110. Dearborn Divine Child, 852, 6-1, 85.143
111. Tecumseh, 850, 4-3, 54.286
112. Chelsea, 841, 6-1, 85.143
113. River Rouge, 836, 6-1, 84.286
114. Edwardsburg, 835, 6-1, 72.714
115. Bay City John Glenn, 831, 4-3, 52.143
116. Detroit Mumford, 829, 5-2, 60.810
117. Coopersville, 824, 5-2, 54.857
118. Sparta, 815, 4-3, 45.571
119. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, 812, 6-1, 73.857
120. Plainwell, 808, 5-2, 64.286
121. Vicksburg, 801, 6-1, 71.429
122. Milan, 772, 4-3, 48.857
123. Madison Heights Lamphere, 768, 4-3, 47.286
124. Detroit Old Redford, 763, 4-3, 36.143
125. Goodrich, 759, 6-1, 68.143
126. Escanaba, 739, 6-1, 78.048
127. Harper Woods Chandler Park Academy, 727, 5-2, 59.524
128. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, 718, 6-1, 63.714
129. Three Rivers, 707, 6-1, 78.143
130. Croswell-Lexington, 681, 4-3, 42.143
131. Wyoming Godwin Heights, 679, 5-2, 50.714
132. Wyoming Kelloggsville, 678, 7-0, 86.857
133. Romulus Summit Academy North, 674, 4-3, 44.429
134. Paw Paw, 662, 4-3, 45.571
135. Whitehall, 661, 5-2, 52.000
136. Flint Powers Catholic, 660, 4-3, 57.571
137. Lake Fenton, 660, 6-1, 75.143
138. Flat Rock, 658, 5-2, 64.571
139. Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 646, 7-0, 79.048
140. Alma, 642, 6-1, 73.857
141. Comstock Park, 636, 4-3, 51.143
142. Williamston, 628, 5-2, 59.714
143. Lansing Sexton, 620, 5-2, 76.286
144. Lake Odessa Lakewood, 608, 6-1, 74.000
145. Hudsonville Unity Christian, 606, 4-3, 54.571
146. Grand Rapids South Christian, 602, 6-1, 73.857
147. Belding, 597, 6-1, 78.429
148. Bridgeport, 594, 4-3, 44.571
149. Muskegon Oakridge, 592, 5-2, 58.571
150. Saginaw Swan Valley, 586, 6-1, 77.429
151. Hancock, 584, 6-1, 61.857
152. North Muskegon, 579, 5-2, 43.714
153. Dowagiac, 568, 4-3, 52.286
154. Freeland, 564, 5-2, 60.857
155. Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard, 555, 6-1, 61.476
156. Olivet, 552, 7-0, 85.714
157. Lansing Catholic, 551, 6-1, 75.000
158. Remus Chippewa Hills, 550, 5-2, 60.714
159. Kingsford *, 542, 5-1, 71.131
160. Algonac, 534, 6-1, 71.571
161. Portland, 534, 6-1, 80.571
162. Frankenmuth, 528, 7-0, 88.190
163. Carrollton, 520, 6-1, 71.571
164. Ida, 520, 6-1, 63.429
165. Marine City, 514, 6-1, 87.714
166. Grant, 512, 5-2, 50.429
167. Kalkaska, 512, 4-3, 35.000
168. Richmond, 510, 7-0, 83.429
169. Grand Rapids West Catholic, 505, 6-1, 77.286
170. Onsted, 505, 5-2, 49.000
171. Reed City, 501, 6-1, 76.286
172. Almont, 494, 5-2, 58.714
173. Gladstone, 493, 6-1, 61.286
174. Grayling, 492, 4-3, 43.571
175. Berrien Springs, 484, 6-1, 65.429
176. Coloma, 480, 5-2, 51.429
177. Menominee, 479, 5-2, 61.321
178. Kalamazoo Hackett, 474, 5-2, 58.286
179. Newaygo, 474, 5-2, 56.143
180. Detroit Denby *, 461, 5-1, 69.667
181. Ovid-Elsie, 458, 5-2, 54.143
182. Clare, 457, 6-1, 64.857
183. Detroit Voyageur, 446, 4-3, 44.429
184. Parchment, 443, 5-2, 56.143
185. Boyne City, 428, 7-0, 80.000
186. Brooklyn Columbia Central, 426, 5-2, 65.143
187. Michigan Center, 419, 6-1, 61.143
188. Ecorse, 417, 4-3, 40.714
189. Harrison, 410, 5-2, 49.571
190. Montague, 409, 7-0, 85.714
191. Millington, 407, 6-1, 71.714
192. Hemlock, 405, 5-2, 47.714
193. Morley Stanwood, 405, 6-1, 55.714
194. Negaunee, 405, 4-3, 35.143
195. Ithaca, 403, 7-0, 78.857
196. Clinton Township Clintondale, 401, 6-1, 73.571
197. Calumet, 396, 4-3, 42.929
198. Detroit Henry Ford, 385, 4-3, 33.667
199. Warren Michigan Collegiate, 382, 7-0, 90.286
200. Montrose, 381, 6-1, 65.857
201. Maple City Glen Lake *, 376, 4-2, 44.000
202. Quincy, 376, 5-2, 53.857
203. Kent City, 375, 7-0, 70.857
204. Lakeview, 374, 4-3, 36.714
205. Napoleon, 373, 5-2, 56.143
206. Schoolcraft, 372, 5-2, 55.000
207. Blissfield, 371, 4-3, 55.571
208. Detroit Central, 369, 5-2, 54.143
209. Laingsburg, 367, 5-2, 48.286
210. Grass Lake, 365, 4-3, 38.000
211. Traverse City St. Francis, 362, 7-0, 86.476
212. Jackson Lumen Christi *, 361, 6-1, 80.857
213. Houghton Lake, 357, 4-3, 42.143
214. Watervliet, 355, 7-0, 75.048
215. Beaverton, 353, 7-0, 74.286
216. Elk Rapids, 353, 6-1, 64.857
217. Burton Bendle, 352, 4-3, 35.286
218. L'Anse, 351, 4-3, 43.571
219. Vermontville Maple Valley, 346, 4-3, 37.286
220. Allen Park Cabrini, 344, 4-3, 32.143
221. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central, 344, 4-3, 54.286
222. Hanover-Horton, 342, 4-3, 33.714
223. Ishpeming Westwood, 342, 6-1, 55.571
224. Riverview Gabriel Richard, 341, 6-1, 53.286
225. Lake City, 333, 7-0, 75.429
226. Oscoda, 332, 4-3, 34.000
227. Detroit Delta Prep, 329, 5-2, 57.714
228. St. Louis, 329, 4-3, 39.714
229. Flint Hamady, 327, 5-2, 50.714
230. Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian, 327, 5-2, 59.857
231. Union City, 327, 5-2, 52.571
232. Madison Heights Madison, 323, 7-0, 92.800
233. Hartford, 318, 5-2, 48.571
234. McBain, 314, 6-1, 59.143
235. New Lothrop, 311, 7-0, 78.857
236. Clinton, 309, 5-2, 50.000
237. Harbor Springs, 306, 4-3, 34.000
238. Pewamo-Westphalia, 305, 6-1, 61.000
239. Homer, 299, 4-3, 44.143
240. Saugatuck, 297, 5-2, 49.143
241. Saranac, 285, 4-3, 40.714
242. Springport, 285, 5-2, 45.857
243. Cass City, 282, 6-1, 65.857
244. Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest, 279, 7-0, 62.476
245. Cassopolis, 268, 7-0, 69.714
246. Unionville-Sebewaing, 267, 4-3, 39.857
247. Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker, 263, 6-1, 63.571
248. Hudson, 263, 6-1, 70.429
249. Reading, 263, 6-1, 64.286
250. Carson City-Crystal, 258, 4-3, 33.714
251. Breckenridge, 254, 6-1, 56.857
252. Addison, 253, 6-1, 56.714
253. Auburn Hills Oakland Christian *, 248, 4-2, 43.000
254. Beal City, 247, 4-3, 38.857
255. Iron River West Iron County, 245, 6-1, 60.000
256. Ubly, 243, 6-1, 57.857
257. Ottawa Lake Whiteford, 239, 7-0, 69.714
258. St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic, 238, 5-2, 41.405
259. Petersburg-Summerfield, 235, 5-2, 47.143
260. Decatur, 234, 4-3, 38.857
261. Lincoln Alcona, 233, 6-1, 57.048
262. Norway, 230, 6-1, 55.643
263. Johannesburg-Lewiston, 228, 4-3, 34.714
264. Harbor Beach, 218, 6-1, 56.857
265. New Buffalo, 209, 4-3, 34.000
266. Saginaw Nouvel, 208, 7-0, 75.657
267. Mendon, 205, 7-0, 68.571
268. Newberry *, 205, 4-2, 42.714
269. Pittsford, 204, 6-1, 60.000
270. Morenci, 200, 4-3, 42.286
271. Munising *, 200, 4-3, 34.500
272. Sterling Heights Parkway Christian, 194, 4-3, 41.833
273. Adrian Lenawee Christian, 181, 5-2, 38.000
274. Athens, 181, 5-2, 32.286
275. Gaylord St. Mary, 173, 7-0, 70.667
276. Frankfort *, 170, 5-2, 43.619
277. Muskegon Catholic Central *, 169, 6-0, 74.667
278. Fulton, 167, 5-2, 44.714
279. Climax-Scotts, 162, 6-1, 53.286
280. AuGres-Sims *, 148, 7-0, 65.143
281. Hillman, 140, 4-3, 39.000
282. Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart, 133, 5-2, 42.286
283. Waterford Our Lady *, 124, 4-2, 38.190
284. Clarkston Everest Collegiate, 112, 6-1, 55.905
8-Player Playoff Listing
1. Onekama, 136, 7-0, 57.143
2. Deckerville, 182, 6-1, 56.714
3. Rapid River, 118, 7-0, 56.381
4. Camden-Frontier, 156, 7-0, 56.000
5. Central Lake, 191, 7-0, 54.857
6. Pickford, 151, 7-0, 50.286
7. Morrice, 175, 6-1, 49.714
8. Bellevue, 174, 6-1, 47.714
9. Portland St Patrick, 103, 6-1, 46.429
10. Stephenson, 160, 6-1, 46.381
11. Marion, 136, 6-1, 44.095
12. Rudyard, 193, 6-1, 43.000
13. Cedarville, 152, 6-1, 42.857
14. Bay City All Saints, 97, 6-1, 41.857
15. Kinde-North Huron, 148, 6-1, 41.286
16. Kingston, 191, 5-2, 41.286
17. Flint International Academy, 150, 5-2, 39.143
18. Engadine, 95, 5-2, 38.143
19. Webberville, 179, 5-2, 36.857
20. Crystal Falls Forest Park *, 146, 4-2, 36.810
21. Wyoming Tri-unity Christian, 182, 4-3, 34.143
22. Ontonagon *, 187, 4-2, 33.952
23. Battle Creek St. Philip, 135, 4-3, 31.571
24. Mayville, 197, 4-3, 30.571
25. Powers North Central *, 112, 4-2, 30.333
26. Suttons Bay, 201, 4-3, 29.571
27. Mesick, 180, 4-3, 29.381
28. Tekonsha, 145, 4-3, 29.286
29. Peck, 127, 4-3, 25.714
30. Brimley, 164, 4-3, 24.714
31. Lawrence, 181, 3-4, 24.000
32. Bellaire, 142, 3-4, 22.286
33. Brethren *, 159, 3-3, 22.238
34. Carsonville-Port Sanilac, 106, 3-4, 21.857
35. Waldron, 79, 3-4, 21.571
36. Hale, 129, 3-4, 21.238
37. St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran, 99, 4-3, 20.286
38. North Adams-Jerome, 150, 3-4, 19.714
39. Atlanta, 74, 3-4, 18.571
40. New Haven Merritt Academy, 164, 3-4, 18.143
41. Onaway, 195, 3-4, 17.429
42. Manistee Catholic Central *, 178, 2-4, 17.000
43. Carney-Nadeau, 133, 2-5, 15.943
44. Fife Lake Forest Area, 165, 2-5, 15.857
45. Eben Junction Superior Central, 131, 2-5, 15.643
46. Bear Lake, 93, 2-5, 13.571
47. Baldwin, 105, 2-5, 11.095
48. Felch North Dickinson, 101, 1-6, 10.429
49. Burton Madison Academy, 171, 1-6, 8.429
50. Posen, 87, 1-6, 7.857
51. Caseville, 93, 1-6, 7.714
52. Owendale-Gagetown, 57, 1-6, 7.000
53. Burr Oak, 74, 0-7, 3.857
54. Pellston, 167, 0-7, 3.857
55. Litchfield, 81, 0-7, 3.571
56. St. Helen Charlton Heston Academy, 140, 0-7, 3.571
57. Big Rapids Crossroads Academy, 187, 0-7, 2.905
58. Akron-Fairgrove, 76, 0-7, 2.714
59. Flint Michigan School for the Deaf *, 47, 0-5, 1.686
Constantine Celebrates 100th Season, Renowned for Continuity & Signature Wing-T
By
Scott Hassinger
Special for MHSAA.com
September 6, 2023
CONSTANTINE – Bennett Vandenberg and Cohen McGee are just like any other high school football players.
Both Constantine seniors have high aspirations of winning a fifth-straight Southwestern Athletic Conference Lakeshore title and reaching the postseason.
But Vandenberg and McGee, along with their Falcons teammates, will be celebrating more than victories and a potential playoff appearance this fall.
Constantine, a community located in southern St. Joseph County, is observing the 100th season of the school's football program.
The Falcons (1-1) will commemorate the occasion Saturday, Oct. 7, with a home game against SAC Lakeshore foe Kalamazoo United. Kickoff time from Sweetland Stadium is 1 p.m. The game will be followed by a community luncheon and program in the high school at which time past coaches, players and the program's biggest accomplishments will be recognized and celebrated.
Vandenberg, a starting fullback/tight end and outside linebacker, and McGee, an offensive lineman and linebacker, are both looking forward to the rest of the season and continuing Constantine's strong tradition on the gridiron.
"We have a huge football tradition here at Constantine. This year we're celebrating the 100th year, and we have some of the oldest living players coming back to help celebrate after that game with United,” said Vandenberg, a three-year starter and Finals placer his junior year in wrestling and track & field. “Our community is all about football. We know we have to go out there and represent our school and community the right way."
McGee is following in the footsteps of his older brother Carter.
"There are lots of things that people who follow Constantine football don't see, like the hours of dedication and work we put in during the offseason. That's where we make our strides and become better as a program," McGee said.
The football stadium at Constantine is named after Dr. George Sweetland, a physician in the community, who donated money for a football stadium to be built with a hill completely circling the facility.
Sweetland, who moved to Constantine in 1916 to take over his brother's medical practice after the latter was killed in a car crash, reportedly allowed patients to work off their medical bills by helping with the stadium's construction.
Constantine, which played its first football game in 1924 and finished as county champs at 4-2 under coach Lew Lake, sports an all-time record of 481 wins and 221 losses with 11 ties. During that span, the Falcons have enjoyed 11 unbeaten seasons, including Robert Finlay's 1937 squad that went 8-0 and was unscored upon.
Coaching longevity is one of the biggest factors allowing Constantine to be as successful as it has been, especially during the program's modern era. The Falcons have had just four head coaches since 1964.
Mike Messner, a three-sport athlete and 1965 Constantine graduate, later served as the school's athletic director from 1992-2016.
Messner pointed to Meredith 'Spud' Huston, Constantine's football coach from 1958-1961, as one of the first individuals influential in setting the wheels in motion for the program's future success.
Huston guided the Falcons to their first league title in 1961.
Constantine's four winningest coaches – Dave Horn, Tim Baker, Ken Rimer and Shawn Griffith – are all honorary members of the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association's Hall of Fame.
Horn, who died earlier this summer, served two stints as Constantine's head coach from 1964-1981 and 1987-1989 while compiling a 116-65-4 record.
Baker (129-30) coached Constantine for 15 seasons and guided the Falcons to a record of 129-30. Under Baker, the Falcons were Division 6 champs in 2004 and Finals runners-up in 1994 (Class CC) and 2002 (Division 5).
"Dave (Horn) was a genuinely great person who coached 21 years. He could get upset at you on the field, but he was a very kind, storyteller and a thoughtful guy who really cared about others," Messner said.
"In the modern coaching era, Tim (Baker) really believed in lifting weights, making kids stronger and developing kids into good football players. He was diligent, hardworking and put a lot of time into the program while missing a lot of family functions. He concentrated on doing the best job he could. Ken (Rimer) was right there in the same mode as Tim. When they started coaching together, they wanted a program that kids at Constantine could be proud of. Things started really happening, and ever since then the program has been strong. We have coaches who want Constantine to be successful on the field."
Rimer spent 28 years as an assistant coach under Baker and current head coach Shawn Griffith. Constantine compiled a win-loss mark of 242-70 with Rimer as an assistant.
Griffith, who took over as Constantine's head coach in 2005, is the Falcons’ all-time winningest coach at 156-53. Under Griffith's tutelage, the Falcons have made 17 playoff appearances, with back-to-back Division 6 runners-up finishes in 2011 and 2012.
"The history of Constantine football kind've coincides with everything else here in the community. This is my 32nd year overall as a coach in this program. But I also have several memories from when I was in high school at Mendon as a player going up against Constantine," Griffith said.
"When you talk about any community our size, you immediately look at family names. We have another Stears (Lucas) on this year's team. Mike (Messner) told me there have been over 20 from the Stears family that have worn the Falcon uniform. It doesn't stop there. I look at the number of kids we have in the locker room this year, and I realize that I've coached many of their brothers, fathers and uncles. We look at the program as one big family. This program has helped to raise a lot of young men in the area these last few years. The community has been extremely supportive of the program as well."
Constantine won 19 league championships as a member of the St. Joseph Valley League from 1952-2007. That league consisted of Constantine, White Pigeon, Schoolcraft, Centreville, Colon, Climax-Scotts, Burr Oak and Mendon. Bronson and Battle Creek St. Philip became members later after Climax-Scotts and Burr Oak left to join the Southern Central Athletic Association. Eventually, the SJV disbanded due to conference realignment and declining enrollment among its smaller schools.
At one time, Constantine played in one of the longest-running rivalries in state football history. The Falcons and archrival White Pigeon began playing one another in 1924 and Constantine held a 47-35-6 in the rivalry, with wins in the final 17 meetings before the series ended after the 2007 season.
Messner recalls the 1981 meeting between White Pigeon and Constantine as one of the most memorable. The game was played at the Sweetland Stadium in Constantine, and there were more than 5,000 people in attendance.
"White Pigeon came into that game unscored upon and ranked No. 1 in the state. We were undefeated, but nobody was saying anything about us, but they were really talking (White Pigeon) up," Messner said. "(White Pigeon) had brought over 1,000 balloons with them and hid them behind the bleachers. They were going to launch them every time they scored. They never scored, and we beat them 21-0. It was such a sad moment for both schools when they had to stop playing one another in football."
After the SJV dissolved, Constantine and Schoolcraft became members of the Kalamazoo Valley Athletic Association from 2008-2014 before leaving to join the Southwestern Athletic Conference for the 2015 season. Constantine begins its ninth season competing in the SAC Lakeshore against the likes of Watervliet, Allegan, Kalamazoo United, South Haven and Parchment.
Messner also lists several playoff games as big moments in Constantine's football history.
"Our first playoff team (1991) was a big year, and our first state finals appearance (1994) was another," Messner added.
Constantine lost to Orchard Lake St. Mary's (35-7) in the 1994 Class CC Final, but knocked off heavily-favored Fennville (50-0) in their Pre-Regional and Whittemore-Prescott (54-6) in a Semifinal to get there.
"Both teams were considerably bigger than us up front on the line. Fennville had a really good quarterback (Frank Alfieri) and Whittemore-Prescott had a great tailback (Tom 'Touchdown' Tyson) that our much smaller guys managed to shut down," Messner said. "Then there was a 13-7 win we had in the 2002 Regional Finals over heavily-favored Muskegon Oakridge."
But perhaps the 2004 Semifinal deemed 'The Miracle in Marshall' will go down as the most memorable game in Constantine history. In that contest, Constantine trailed Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central 27-14 with a little more than six and a half minutes to go in the fourth quarter.
The Falcons scored twice during those last few minutes, including a last-second 32-yard TD pass from Aaron Baker to Sean Wolf caught in the end zone that tied the game at 27-27 with one second left. Jordan Williams booted the PAT as time expired, giving the Falcons a 28-27 win.
Constantine went on to defeat Suttons Bay 34-13 in the Division 6 Final the following week.
From 1991-2015, Constantine attained at least seven wins for 25 consecutive years, which is a state record. The Falcons made 18 consecutive playoff appearances from 1999-2016 before suffering their most recent losing season in 2017, when they finished 3-6.
Constantine's overall playoff record stands at 49-25 with 26 total appearances.
It was Griffith, who played his high school football at Mendon for Class D championship-winning coach Roger Smith and his then-assistant John Schwartz (who would later lead the Hornets to 10 more Finals titles) who convinced Baker the Falcons should transition from the I-Formation to the Wing-T offense.
After much discussion and argument among the coaching staff, Baker reluctantly agreed to Griffith's idea.
"I joined the coaching staff in 1992 as offensive coordinator. As a coaching staff, we really came into our own and made our first run to the Finals in 1994. In the late ’90s we had some really good teams, but still didn't quite have a real identity. During that time we ran into some really good Wing-T football teams," Griffith said.
"We started noticing that we had a real hard time stopping these teams that ran the Wing-T like Muskegon Orchard View, Hopkins and Battle Creek Pennfield. So I came to Tim (Baker) after the 2001 season with the idea of changing the offense. We knew we had a tremendous group of running backs coming up through the program for the next seven or eight years. I approached him about running the Wing-T. He wasn't real receptive at first about running it. But after sitting down with other Wing-T coaches like John Shilito (Muskegon Orchard View) and Irv Sigler (Belding), he agreed to give it a try."
Constantine began running the Wing-T at the start of the 2002 season.
"Once you get known for running an offense like this, it kind've becomes your niche. I get emails from people all over the United States wanting me to come teach them this offense at camps. Here at Constantine, we've been fortunate to rack up quite a few wins since we installed this offense. Our kids can really talk the Wing-T game, and we didn't really have that before when we were running our I-formation and single-back stuff," Griffith said.
"The blocking schemes have become ingrained in our kids. They do a great job of knowing where they are supposed to be and who they are supposed to block. Another thing I really like about the Wing-T is it's a lineman's offense. Our linemen get a lot of credit, which they deserve. There is a certain toughness to this offense as well. It's allowed us to use kids who might be smaller and less athletic, but still allows us to be successful because they have developed a certain toughness."
Griffith credits a lot of that toughness to his players who compete on the Falcons' wrestling team during the winter sports season. Constantine’s wrestling program also has enjoyed a long run of success, including a Class C-D title in 1993 and Division 3 runner-up finish in 2002. The Falcons have won Team Regional titles three straight seasons.
Scott Hassinger is a contributing sportswriter for Leader Publications and previously served as the sports editor for the Three Rivers Commercial-News from 1994-2022. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Constantine players celebrate near the end of their 2004 championship win at Pontiac Silverdome. (2) A trio of Constantine defenders pursue Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Phil Martin (4) during the 1994 Class CC Final. (3) Longtime Constantine athletic director Mike Messner. (4) Current Constantine head varsity coach Shawn Griffith. (5) The 2004 “Miracle in Marshall” remains one of the most memorable games in Constantine football history. (Finals photos from MHSAA archive. “Miracle in Marshall” photo by Dick Carter. Messner and Griffith photos gathered by Scott Hassinger.)