Big Plays, Crucial Stops Drive Lansing Catholic to Latest Finals Fame
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
November 26, 2021
DETROIT – The Lansing Catholic defense spent the postseason nearing its peak performance.
In Friday’s MHSAA Division 6 Football Final, the Cougars reached it.
They forced five turnovers and shut down a powerful Warren Michigan Collegiate run game on their way to a 16-6 victory at Ford Field.
“Our defense is just something special. It’s a true brotherhood,” Lansing Catholic senior linebacker Mason Knippen said. “We just really started clicking as the playoffs started. Going into the season, we wanted to be a physical defense. We preached that through camp, and I think we really stepped that up as we progressed through the playoffs. We really were physical with the run and everything.”
The title was the third for Lansing Catholic (13-1), and second in three years, as it won Division 5 in 2019.
“It’s awful special, but credit (former coach) Jim Ahern for bringing in this system, and credit these guys – these guys are all like my sons,” said first-year Lansing Catholic coach Jim Baker, whose son Joey was the team's starting quarterback. “I’ve coached them since basically kindergarten, and they’re all my sons. It’s just that (Joey) happened to be the quarterback, but I love all these guys to death. It’s special just to be the head coach of these unbelievable men.”
To win title No. 3, Lansing Catholic needed to hold off a suddenly explosive Michigan Collegiate passing game in the fourth quarter, and it did so with big plays of its own. Four of the final five Michigan Collegiate drives ended with a turnover, as Brandon Lewis, Dan Shipman and Knippen each had an interception, and Jack Jacobs forced and recovered a fumble. Knippen’s interception sealed the victory with 1:36 remaining in the game.
Lansing Catholic gave up only 40 points, or eight per game, during its playoff run.
Neither team could get much going for much of the first half, and for Lansing Catholic that meant some great field position going to waste. Lansing Catholic started four of its first five drives in Collegiate territory, but didn’t get on the board until Jonah Richards hit a 20-yard field goal with 4:58 to play in the second quarter.
“I’m so proud of (the defense). They played so hard,” Michigan Collegiate coach John Guth said. “They were out there a long time. We were trying to give certain individuals some breathers, but they were just really grinding it out. They knew what they had in front of them, they knew how explosive they were, but, man, they played so good. They kept us in the game.”
The offense started clicking for Lansing Catholic on its next possession, as it drove 72 yards on eight plays in just 1:18 to take a 9-0 halftime lead, scoring on a 10-yard pass from Joey Baker to Owen Biergans.
Michigan Collegiate (11-3) had a much tougher time of it, recording two first downs and 53 yards of offense in the first half despite holding a slight edge in time of possession.
Lansing Catholic extended its lead to 16-0 late in the third quarter on a one-yard touchdown run from Baker, and it was the defense that had a big hand in that one, as well. The drive started on the Michigan Collegiate 27-yard line after an interception and return by Shipman.
Based on the tenor of the game up until then, 16 points seemed like enough, but the Michigan Collegiate offense found some life on the ensuing drive thanks to some big plays in the pass game. That included a 37-yard touchdown pass from Deion Black to Trevon Redding in which Redding caught the ball between a pair of Lansing Catholic defenders, and lunged into the end zone with one on his back. The two-point attempt failed, leaving it a two-score game at 16-6, but the 80-yard drive more than doubled the Michigan Collegiate total yardage up to that point.
Black finished with 220 yards on 10 of 26 passing. Redding led the receivers with four catches for 97 yards. Alfonso Gray III had a pair of interceptions for the Michigan Collegiate defense, while Black, Elijah Bush and Teshawn Thomas each had nine tackles.
Biergans led the Lansing Catholic defense with 11, while Knippen had eight. Baker finished with 181 yards on 17 of 39 passing. Senior Alex Watters caught six passes for 78 yards, and Biergans caught seven for 69.
PHOTOS (Top) Lansing Catholic celebrates its second championship in three seasons Friday at Ford Field. (Middle) The Cougars’ Brandon Lewis (24) cuts upfield as Michigan Collegiate’s Alfonso Gray III (3) gets in position to make contact. (Photos by Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
Playoff Experience Paying Off as Menominee Pursues Return Trip to Ford Field
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
November 14, 2024
MENOMINEE – Survive and advance.
The Menominee Maroons did just that Saturday as they escaped with a 35-32 overtime football triumph over the Traverse City St. Francis Gladiators in a Division 7 District Final.
Menominee sealed the verdict on junior quarterback Tanner Theuerkauf’s seven-yard scoring pass to junior Dawson Bardowski, helping the Maroons (10-1) move a step closer to what they hope will be a return visit to the Finals later this month.
They host North Muskegon (10-1) in Saturday’s Regional Final at noon (CST) – and defeated North Muskegon 32-21 in a Semifinal last season to book their trip to Detroit. Menominee eventually finished last fall as Division 7 runner-up, dropping a 34-30 decision to Jackson Lumen Christi at Ford Field.
But the Maroons have stormed back, thus far improving on their performance from 2023. Their only loss this time has been 13-12 to Division 5 Kingsford in Week 8, and even after St. Francis scored 32 points, Menominee is still giving up only 9.8 per game – and scoring 45.5 per contest, making for an average margin of victory about six points more than this time a year ago.
On Saturday, Menominee trailed 14-0 after St. Francis’ first two possessions but took a 21-17 lead into halftime thanks to a 35-yard interception return by junior defensive back Landen Daigneau with 17 seconds left before the break.
“I’m very proud and excited,” Menominee coach Chad Brandt said after the St. Francis win. “They had a very good football team. Going down by 14 points is not recommended. Our guys missed some assignments, and they got a jump on us.
“I’m proud of our guys for being resilient. That’s a great football team we beat and I just love the way the guys battled until the final play. The kids will never forget playing in this game, and the fans will not forget being at this game. Their fortitude and will to win were the keys.”
The Maroons led late before St. Francis forced overtime with a touchdown with 22 seconds left in regulation. The Gladiators then scored first in overtime on a 21-yard field goal, before Bardowski hauled in the game-winner.
“Holding them to three in the overtime was huge,” Theuerkauf said. “That opened things up for us.
“The effort we gave today was unbelievable. That has been our strength all year. We had our backs against the wall, but knew we couldn’t give up. Our defense did a great job. Lot of our guys have been in big games. We knew what we had to do.”
Theuerkauf gained valuable experience last season as the top receiver for older brother Trevor Theuerkauf, now playing at Northern Michigan. Tanner also was a starting defensive back last fall, as was Bardowski.
Senior offensive lineman Lucas Thoune also was part of the starting lineup last season at Ford Field. His Saturday included snagging his first varsity reception – a 13-yarder off a deflection during the second quarter that helped set up a scoring run two plays later.
“That was a heads-up play,” he said. “You just do what’s got to be done. It’s exciting. We’re here for each other.
“I think last year’s run helped us out. I’m willing to be a play-maker for Menominee 10 times out of 10. I’ll never stop being the player I can be. I’m going to do everything I can while I can. I love this team. I love this sport. I don’t know what I’d do without Menominee football.”
The Maroons finished with 318 yards in total offense against the Gladiators. Theuerkauf hit 6-of-14 passes for 76 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Sophomore Dylan Beal, who filled in after Theuerkauf was shaken up on a play in the third quarter, completed both of his passes for 56. Bardowski caught four for 79 yards and a TD, and junior running back Clayton Miller gained 87 on 16 carries.
John Vrancic has covered high school sports in the Upper Peninsula since joining the Escanaba Daily Press staff in 1985. He is known most prominently across the peninsula for his extensive coverage of cross country and track & field that frequently appears in newspapers from the Wisconsin border to Lake Huron. He received the James Trethewey Award for Distinguished Service in 2015 from the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.
PHOTOS (Top) Menominee junior Landen Daigneau returns an interception for a touchdown during Saturday’s District championship game against Traverse City St Francis. (Middle) Menominee junior Tanner Theuerkauf celebrates a touchdown against the Gladiators. (Photos by Mitch Vosburg/Escanaba Daily Press.)