Drive for Detroit: Week 2 Preview
August 31, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
After an opening weekend highlighted by showcases in the Detroit and Ann Arbor areas, Michigan high school football fans should look west, north and really far north for the most colossal matchups of Week 2.
Arguably the top teams in the Lansing and Grand Rapids areas and all of 8-player football will face off as the most intriguing games of this week’s Drive for Detroit, powered by MI Student Aid. A number of leagues also begin play, with matchups in at least three conferences likely playing a part in which favorite eventually is crowned champion.
Check out our previews below – and visit the MHSAA.com Score Center tonight and all weekend for scores as they are reported and links to updated schedules and standings.
Bay & Thumb
Almont (1-0) at Algonac (1-0)
The water should be boiling for this Blue Water Area Conference opener. Rewind to Week 6 of last season, when upstart Algonac broke reigning league champ Almont’s 16-game BWAC winning streak with a 21-7 victory. Algonac went on share the league title with Richmond (with Almont a win short of also sharing), then beat Almont again, 13-0, in their Division 5 District Final. Both earned impressive victories last week, Algonac over Marine City and Almont over Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary.
Others that caught my eye: Chesaning (1-0) at Freeland (1-0), Midland Dow (1-0) at Bay City Central (1-0), Harbor Beach (1-0) at Beaverton (1-0), Flint Powers Catholic (0-1) at Saginaw Heritage (1-0).
Greater Detroit
Allen Park (1-0) at Wyandotte Roosevelt (1-0)
Allen Park shared the Downriver League championship last season by winning its final seven regular-season games after falling to Roosevelt 23-14 in Week 2. The Bears, meanwhile, ended up missing out on any share of the league title by going on to lose two games by a combined four points. Roosevelt has won seven of eight meetings against Allen Park – including once in the playoffs – since the two became league foes in 2009.
Others that caught my eye: Walled Lake Western (1-0) at Canton (0-1), Utica Eisenhower (1-0) at Macomb Dakota (1-0), Clinton Township Chippewa Valley (1-0) at Romeo (0-1), Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (0-1) at Detroit Loyola (1-0) on Friday.
Mid-Michigan
DeWitt (1-0) at Grand Ledge (0-1)
Lansing-area fans have been anticipating this matchup not just since schedules were announced for this season, but for many years. These two have been the most successful programs in the Capital Area Activities Conference for most over the last two decades and nearly are neighbors, although Grand Ledge has about 700 more students. The Comets made the Division 1 Semifinals a year ago; DeWitt’s most recent of five MHSAA Finals appearances came in 2013. Both are led by standout quarterbacks – DeWitt by Will Nagel and the Comets by Nolan Bird – although playmakers JD Ross and Antonio Rush, respectively, could be the difference-makers for those teams on offense. DeWitt dominated at Linden last week, while Grand Ledge fell a score short at Hudsonville.
Others that caught my eye: Lansing Catholic (1-0) at Lansing Everett (0-1), Dansville (1-0) at Pewamo-Westphalia (1-0), Hillsdale (1-0) at Portland (1-0), Davison (1-0) at Mount Pleasant (0-1) on Friday.
Northern Lower Peninsula
Maple City Glen Lake (1-0) at Traverse City St. Francis (1-0) on Friday
St. Francis is fresh off a trip to the Upper Peninsula and a 40-14 win over frequent playoff team Marquette. Glen Lake certainly is a more familiar opponent – the teams were in the same division of the Northern Michigan Football Conference during the league’s first two seasons, although they are in different divisions this fall. Glen Lake made headway in its two matchups with St. Francis last season, coming off a 41-7 Week 7 loss to fall only 21-3 in a Division 6 playoff opener. A four-touchdown win over Kingsley last week should be a good sign of things to come for the Lakers.
Others that caught my eye: Charlevoix (1-0) at Boyne City (0-1), Lincoln Alcona (0-1) at Hillman (0-1), Whittemore-Prescott (1-0) at Tawas (1-0), Central Lake (1-0) at Frankfort (1-0).
Southwest Corridor
Edwardsburg (1-0) at Vicksburg (1-0)
Although Edwardsburg won this matchup 58-25 a year ago, the fact remains that Vicksburg is still the only team to hand the Eddies a regular-season loss over the last three seasons – winning 16-14 in 2014. That’s enough to make this intriguing. But add in a solid 17-7 win for the Bulldogs over Dowagiac last week, and it appears they’re up to the task of challenging the Wolverine Conference frontrunners again.
Others that caught my eye: Marshall (0-1) at Coldwater (1-0), Schoolcraft (1-0) at Watervliet (1-0), Niles (1-0) at Mattawan (0-1), Kalamazoo Central (0-1) at Stevensville Lakeshore (1-0).
Southeast & Border
Morenci (1-0) at Hudson (1-0)
An early key moment in Morenci’s turnaround over the last three seasons was a 2014 win over the rival Tigers, who had mostly dominated their annual game over the previous decade and a half. Morenci made it two straight on Hudson by winning 26-20 last year and is coming off a solid 34-7 win over 2015 playoff qualifier Pittsford. The Tigers are coming off their first sub-.500 finish last year since 2006 and have plenty to prove – and also to benefit from by winning this one with an increasingly tough Lenawee County Athletic Association schedule ahead.
Others that caught my eye: New Haven (1-0) at Ida (1-0), Milan (1-0) at Flat Rock (1-0) on Friday, New Boston Huron (1-0) at Carleton Airport (1-0) on Friday, Ypsilanti Community (0-0) at Monroe (0-1) on Friday.
West Michigan
Lowell (1-0) at Rockford (0-1) on Friday
After three seasons off, these Grand Rapids-area powers will face off again; Lowell won both the 2011 and 2012 meetings when the teams first brought this matchup back after nearly four decades. Aside from these being two of the best-known programs in the state, last week’s events should draw a few more statewide eyes west. Lowell, the reigning Division 2 runner-up thanks to a last-play touchdown in the 2015 Final by Detroit Martin Luther King, blazed out of the gates with a 36-19 win over Warren DeLaSalle. Rockford, meanwhile, was forced to forfeit to Saline last week because an illness sidelined a good portion of the team. The Rams made the Division 1 Regional Finals last fall.
Others that caught my eye: Benton Harbor (1-0) at Grand Rapids South Christian (1-0), at Hudsonville; St. Ignace (1-0) at Muskegon Catholic Central (1-0), Zeeland West (1-0) at Muskegon Mona Shores (1-0), Caledonia (1-0) at Grand Rapids Christian (1-0) on Friday
Upper Peninsula
Negaunee (1-0) at Calumet (1-0)
Calumet is one of the most consistently solid teams on either peninsula, with seven or more wins nine of the last 11 seasons. And the Copper Kings broke through one of their toughest annual obstacles at the end of last fall, downing Negaunee 24-14 in a Division 6 playoff opener after losing all five of the teams’ recent meetings. Still, the Miners’ 7-3 finish last fall was similarly solid but a little deceptive – those three losses came over the final four weeks and by a combined 17 points. This could be a statement win for a team looking to take those next small steps back to elite.
Others that caught my eye: Petoskey (0-1) at Escanaba (1-0), Gwinn (1-0) at Iron Mountain (1-0), Bessemer Gogebic (1-0) at Bark River-Harris (1-0) on Friday, Newberry (1-0) at Munising (0-1) on Friday.
8-Player
Powers North Central (1-0) at Crystal Falls Forest Park (1-0) on Friday
Forest Park, 11-player until this fall, has taken a deep dive immediately into 8-player football, opening up last week against annual power Rapid River (and winning 64-22) and now hosting reigning champion Powers North Central. The Jets opened last week just as explosively as they played all of last season, putting up 60 on Luck, Wis. This one could be telling in how the Western Eight Conference standings eventually shake out – and also indicate where Forest Park sits in relation to the 8-player elite.
Others that caught my eye: Posen (1-0) at Cedarville (1-0), Lawrence (1-0) at Morrice (1-0).
Second Half’s weekly “Drive for Detroit” previews are powered by MI Student Aid, a part of the Student Financial Services Bureau located within the Michigan Department of Treasury. MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information, including various student financial assistance programs to help make college more affordable for Michigan students. MI Student Aid administers the state’s 529 savings programs (MET/MESP) and eight additional aid programs within its Student Scholarships and Grants division. Click for more information and connect with MI Student Aid on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.
PHOTO: Kalamazoo Central, here on offense against St. Joseph last week at Michigan Stadium, will face Stevensville Lakeshore seeking its first win this season. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Lawton's Rueff Caps Career Among State's All-Time Leading Rushers, Scorers
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
April 28, 2023
Lawton’s run to the 2021 Division 7 championship game frequently came on the legs of then-senior Jake Rueff, who posted some of the top performances in MHSAA football history.
He scored 298 points – fifth-most in 11-player history – with his 49 total touchdowns ranking fourth and his 46 rushing touchdowns third. He also made records lists with 2,370 rushing yards, 71 career touchdowns and 430 career points.
Lawton as a team scored 92 touchdowns, tying the record with 10 in one game, gained 5,662 yards of total offense and ran for 4,725 yards over 14 games.
Rueff plays at Michigan Tech.
See below for more recent additions to the 11-player football record book:
Football
Aiden Brunin stacked up many contributions on both sides of the field for Cedar Springs in 2021. But his less frequently-mentioned punting earned the senior a spot in the record book as he booted an 83-yard punt during a Nov. 6 playoff win over Muskegon that ranks as the fourth-longest in state history. The kick flew 62 yards in the air before taking a series of bounces and rolls. Brunin currently is a freshman baseball player at Spring Arbor.
Sturgis’ Jacob Thompson became the 10th to return two kickoffs for touchdowns in one game as a junior in 2021, scoring from 97 and 83 yards out against Paw Paw. Thompson also was added to the records for six rushing touchdowns in a Sept. 9, 2022, win over Plainwell – and he also threw for a score in the 55-34 victory.
Twenty years later, Coleman’s Joshua Moore has been added for a pair of interception returns for touchdowns Oct. 11, 2002, against Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart. Moore was a senior that season and scored off those turnovers during the third and fourth quarters.
Nearly a decade later, Cheboygan’s Ben Pearson also was added to the record book for a 99-yard rushing touchdown that tied the record for longest run. Pearson took the handoff deep in his own end zone and scored against Gaylord on Aug. 29, 2013. Pearson, a senior that season, went on to play at Northwood.
A trio of past Grand Ledge standouts have been entered for their achievements going back decades. Mitch Gulker made the record book for 1,002 receiving yards as a senior in 1976. Nick Kissane was added for his 170 completions, 297 pass attempts, 2,452 yards and 29 touchdowns through the air in 2008. Corey Arnouts made the tackles for loss list with 28 as a senior in 2011. Grand Ledge’s Division 1 championship run in 2000 came in part on the arm of Matt Bohnet, and he’s been added for his 2,052 yards passing that season. He went on to play at Iowa and Eastern Michigan. Arnouts went on to play at Ferris State, and Kissane went on to play baseball at Aquinas College.
Justin Brown had multiple returns for touchdowns as a junior at East Lansing in 2018, including a 99-yarder on Sept. 14. That kickoff return tied the record for longest on a list that now stands at 20 players.
Carson Roose earned his 10th record book listing when he threw for five touchdowns during the first half of Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett’s 58-22 win over New Haven on Oct. 22, 2021. Roose graduated last spring.
Frankenmuth’s run to the Division 6 championship game in the fall saw the Eagles make team record book lists with 544 points and 72 touchdowns over 14 games, featuring as well a kicker who will bring an impressive extra point streak into the upcoming season. Junior Will Soulliere made 69 of 70 extra-point tries and has connected on 61 straight as he prepares for his senior season. Additionally, the Eagles’ defense was added after not allowing a first down during its Semifinal win over Detroit Country Day. Sam Barger was added for a 98-yard kickoff return in 2021, and Ryan Brenner was added for 45 extra points during the abbreviated 2020 season. Barger also is a senior this school year.
West Bloomfield’s run to the 2021 Regional Final was fueled in part by a tough defense, including a pair of pass rushers who rank among the all-time leaders in single-season sacks. Michael Williams II recorded 24 that fall, tied for fourth-most for one season, while Brandon Davis-Swain tied for 12th with 18. Williams, a senior that fall, plays for South Florida, while Davis-Swain is finishing his junior year at West Bloomfield.
PHOTO Lawton’s Jake Rueff (22) breaks into the open during his team’s Division 7 Final matchup with Pewamo-Westphalia in 2021.