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8-Player Takes Flight in Upper Peninsula

September 28, 2017

By Dennis Grall
Special for Second Half

ESCANABA – Three yards and a cloud of dust. That was the highly successful version of football applied by veteran Ohio State coach Woody Hayes as big bruisers dominated the game.

It certainly is not the preferred style on the fields of 8-player football. Nope, this version is much more open-field and definitely more exciting, full of big plays and a ton of scoring.

Take Powers North Central as the prime example. The Jets have won the last two 8-player MHSAA championships with back-to-back 13-0 seasons, piling up yards and points in their first two seasons in the 8-player game with a large group of skilled athletes.

Their winning streak ended at 27 games earlier this season, but the style they displayed with exceptional athleticism led by Jason Whitens and Bobby Kleiman has caught on with many other programs.

The Upper Peninsula, at the forefront of the 8-player game due largely to decreasing enrollments, has been lighting up the scoreboards this year. Teams like Pickford and Cedarville, Rapid River and Stephenson, Ontonagon and Crystal Falls Forest Park are progressing with the same formula as North Central by featuring explosive offenses.

Citing some 8-player detractors who don't think the game is real football, veteran Cedarville coach Scott Barr said, "I don't think anyone can argue that it (8-player) has not been healthy for football. It has been healthy."

The game is thriving in small schools because the 8-player version simply has allowed football to remain in the athletic program despite shrinking enrollments across the state.

"It has allowed us to keep football," said veteran coach Steve Ostrenga of Rapid River, who led the Rockets into 8-player Finals in 2011 and 2013 and into the playoffs every season since making the switch after going 1-7 in 11-player in 2010.

"We did it out of necessity. We may have waited too long," added Ostrenga, recalling that last year of 11-player football when only one sub was available at several games.

Veteran Pickford skipper Josh Rader has an idea why the 8-player game has met approval at so many small schools. "It is a high-octane game. It is a lot of fun to watch," he said. "It puts a lot of pressure on defenses because it is such a wide open game. It makes it exciting for the fans."

No longer do fans have to squint and squirm in their seats to see what is happening among the goliaths in the line. Now the football is visible in the wide open spaces as skilled athletes display dazzling moves, whether the team favors the extremely popular spread offense or uses the more familiar run-oriented approach.

"It is more a one-on-one oriented game now," said coach Ben Mayer of Ontonagon, whose program has consolidated with neighboring Ewen-Trout Creek, which yearly battled small player turnouts just to keep the game alive. Fifteen E-TC students are playing football at Ontonagon, with six on the varsity, highlighted by 6-foot-7 receiver Jacob Witt, who caught MHSAA 8-player record 24 touchdown passes last season.

"Without 8-player, we would have gone under a while back," said Mayer, who played for U.P. Sports Hall of Fame coach Bob "Cubby" Carlson at Ontonagon. He said the Gladiators were forced to use four freshmen and had 130-pound athletes on the line in past years.

"Football has changed a lot in the last four years," he said of the time since the Gladiators moved to the 8-player game. "The ball is in the air. It is fun to watch.”
Mayer said 8-player also enables his program to offer junior varsity football to younger students, instead of having them compete against older, bigger and stronger players with the potential to increase injuries.

"There is not as much violence between the tight ends now because we don't play in those tight spaces," said Mayer.

He also recalls putting "wildly undersized kids in the line against bigger schools with monsters from legitimate programs, with kids getting stepped on and squashed on.

"You do have a lot of choices in 8-man. I can put smaller kids somewhere and they will be all right, and we can still play football."

Ostrenga said it seems injuries, especially of the serious variety, have also seemed to decrease. "We used to hit a lot more in practice. Now we do a lot of teaching and drill work and conditioning," he said, adding MHSAA officials have been in the forefront of trying to reduce injuries with new regulations.

Ostrenga said in the 11-player version, many times it came down to "men playing against boys."

He did say, however, that under the 8-player game coaches "can tend to overuse a player. You get a really good athlete and use him as a crutch in a game."

Ostrenga said it took time to support the change to 8-player football. "I was against 8-man football at first. Now it has made me more open-minded and allowed me to become more understanding." He said 8-player athletes need to have speed, strength, balance and shiftiness.

"Some big guys can't move that well," he said, indicating this version of football requires more agile and nimble athletes to cover the wide-open spaces. "The big thing is understanding you have to get your athletes on the field. You just have eight guys on the field and you are (more) exposed. In 11-man you can hide someone. In 8-man, coaches will find your weaknesses."

Rader agreed, noting, "It puts a lot of pressure on the defense because the game is so wide open. There is a little different strategy. It is a disadvantage for the defense because (the field) is so wide open and there is not a lot of help. You want to take the advantage your offense has over the defense in one-on-ones.

"We like to run the ball and throw the ball, so our athletes can utilize the open field.”
Barr said 8-player quarterbacks are more difficult to contain than typical pocket passers. "They are more elusive," he said, recalling how the 6-foot-4 Whitens could take the direct snap, survey the field and decide whether to throw or run the ball himself.

In the 2016 MHSAA title game, Whitens ran 17 times for a record 352 yards and six touchdowns as the Jets beat Deckerville 58-22. The Jets ran for 469 yards that night.

"You rarely see teams ground and pound," Barr said of the8-man game, noting he began to rely on the spread offense in 11-player football as he tried to figure out how to match up with the over-powering tailback-oriented rushing attack of perennial power Forest Park, which began playing 8-player football in 2016.

Barr said the kicking game is of vital importance now and that secondary tackling is a tough transition because of the explosive offense athletes.

He said "the hybrid player who has size and speed" is featured in 8-player "and it can eliminate the real big kids," which he said are seldom a factor for small schools anyway.

Another plus for the 8-player game comes in scheduling, where Class D schools no longer have to face larger Class C programs and can also find opponents in northern Wisconsin, which also has declining enrollments. 

Bark River-Harris and Lake Linden-Hubbell are the only Class D schools still fielding 11-player football teams in the Upper Peninsula. Three other schools, Class D Wakefield-Marenisco and Bessemer and Class C Ironwood have formed a cooperative program, Gogebic Miners, for football purposes.

Denny Grall retired in 2012 after 39 years at the Escanaba Daily Press and four at the Green Bay Press-Gazette, plus 15 months for WLST radio in Escanaba; he served as the Daily Press sports editor from 1970-80 and again from 1984-2012. Grall was inducted into the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame in 2002 and serves as its executive secretary. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for the Upper Peninsula.

PHOTOS: (Top) Crystal Falls Forest Park downed Powers North Central 66-58 in Week 2 as the teams combined to score more than 100 points for the third time in two seasons. (Middle) Ewen-Trout Creek’s Jacob Witt, here against Carney-Nadeau last season, caught 24 touchdown passes in 2016 and is playing as part of a co-op team with Ontonagon this fall. (Photos by Paul Gerard.) 

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.

MHSAA.com's weekly “1st & Goal” previews and reviews are powered by MI Student Aid, a division within the Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). 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 scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Click to connect with MI Student Aid and find more information on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.

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.)