Drive for Detroit: Week 9 in Review
October 27, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The biggest news of this weekend undoubtedly came Sunday night, when the field for this season’s MHSAA Football Playoffs was announced.
But before we move on, let’s pay a final homage to another regular season – and some memorable highlights that made their way in before Week 9 came to a close Saturday night.
Consider these appetizers:
- Hanover-Horton defeated Quincy 50-48 in six overtimes Thursday; it was the sixth game in MHSAA history to go at least six overtimes, with the record nine and six tied for second-longest.
- Crystal Falls Forest Park beat rival Lake Linden-Hubbell 36-22 to finish second in the Great Western Conference but remain undefeated in Michigan this fall – the Trojans' lone loss was to league champion Hurley, from Wisconsin.
- Saginaw Arthur Hill beat rival Saginaw High 28-0. Neither of these teams will move on – this was the only win this fall between the two – but this ended a rivalry that began in 1894, as the schools will combine beginning next summer.
Read on for the main course, including some of the details behind the final league championships decided this fall.
West Michigan
Muskegon Mona Shores 48, Muskegon 27
Muskegon has been able to make the argument the last two seasons for being the best of the always-strong west Michigan football scene – the Big Reds (8-1) were a combined 24-4 in 2012 and 2013, finishing Division 2 runner-up both seasons. That’s part of why Mona Shores’ win Friday sent statewide shockwaves. Although the Sailors (8-1) played Muskegon to within six points last season and later earned their first playoff berth ever, and have risen this fall to the cusp of elite as well, defeating the Big Reds gave Mona Shores its first league title since 1968 and a school record for victories with arguably its best win in program history. It also was Mona Shores’ first over Muskegon since 1982 Click for more from the Muskegon Chronicle.
Also noted:
Grand Rapids Catholic Central 26, Middleville Thornapple Kellogg 13 – The Cougars (6-3) added to a now seven-season playoff streak despite opening 2-3.
Caledonia 38, Grand Rapids Christian 14 – Despite its impressive run over the last five weeks, Caledonia (7-2) still could’ve lost its share of the O-K White title against the dangerous Eagles (5-4) – who did make the playoffs with an at-large bid.
Grandville 22, Hudsonville 7 – Five of six O-K Red teams finished with overall winning records this fall, which makes a good case why both of these earned at-large playoff bids with matching 5-4 records.
Muskegon Catholic Central 45, Ravenna 0 – The Crusaders (9-0) have won 21 straight and are the likely Division 8 favorite again with four shutouts including this latest of solid Ravenna (7-2).
Bay and Thumb
Midland Dow 35, Midland 17
There’s joy on one side of this Midland rivalry, but both schools should share a sense of pride. Dow has been solid over the years, but had fallen to its neighbor 11 times in their past 12 games – so beating the Chemics was probably the best possible scenario for Dow as it finished its first perfect regular season since its MHSAA championship year of 1976. The Chargers also helped put to an end one of the most incredible runs in MHSAA regular-season history; Midland finished 4-5 and sub-.500 for the first time since 1976. Click for more from the Midland Daily News.
Also noted:
Fenton 35, Linden 29 – The Tigers (9-0) edged another playoff team in Linden (6-3) to finish perfect for the regular season for the first time since 1985.
Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary 27, Birch Run 20 – The Cardinals (8-1) beat another playoff team in the Panthers (7-2) to guarantee their best finish since 1994.
New Lothrop 35, Montrose 21 – The Hornets (9-0) finished their fifth straight perfect regular season with one of the most impressive wins of the run, over arguably one of the best six-win teams in the state in Montrose (6-3).
Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker 14, Beal City 13 – The Lakers finished their first 9-0 regular season since 2002 against the two-time reigning Division 8 runner-up Aggies (7-2) after both decided to play instead of claiming forfeit wins from their original Week 9 opponents.
Greater Detroit
Birmingham Brother Rice 35, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 28
What a way to finish the regular season – the final 11-player game before the start of the 2014 playoffs was even better than billed, considering the Warriors had defeated the Eaglets 28-20 only three weeks ago. Brother Rice (9-0) pulled within 28-27 on Grant Perry’s fourth touchdown catch and with only 24 seconds left in the Detroit Catholic League Prep Bowl at Ford Field, then decided to go for two points and the win. Perry caught the conversion pass from quarterback Alex Malzone to take the lead, and the Warriors added their final points off a turnover on the final play of the game. St. Mary’s only losses in going 7-2 are to Brother Rice. Click for more from the Detroit News.
Also noted:
Detroit Cass Tech 39, Detroit Martin Luther King 7 – The Detroit Public School League championship game matched undefeated teams and proved again the strength of Division 1 contender Cass Tech (9-0), with Martin Luther King (8-1) still expected to contend in Division 2 as well.
Clarkston 31, Farmington Hills Harrison 24 – The Wolves (9-0) have won 22 straight with this against Harrison (7-2) only the third game of that streak decided by seven points or fewer.
Dearborn Fordson 17, Monroe 6 – The Tractors (9-0) held strong again against one of their toughest opponents so far, Monroe (6-3), to finish undefeated for the third regular season over the last seven.
Hudson 34, Hillsdale 14 – The Lenawee County Athletic Association title came down to the final week, and this time Hudson (8-1) clinched it outright after sharing last season with both Hillsdale (7-2) and Ida.
Upper Peninsula
Menominee 48, Marquette 28
Menominee (9-0) is Great Northern Upper Peninsula Conference champion for the second straight season, although not without facing one of its toughest challenges in some time. Second-place Marquette (7-2) gave the Maroons arguably their best regular-season game since a 14-13 loss to Kingsford in 2012 and scored the most points given up by the Maroons in the regular season since 2011. Menominee’s offense keeps churning, averaging 48 points per game with its 48 against Marquette the most the Redmen had given up since 2009. Click for more from the Marquette Mining Journal.
Also noted:
Negaunee 27, Ishpeming Westwood 9 – The Miners (5-4) kept their three-year playoff string going, but needed this win over Westwood (6-3) to take full advantage of the Patriots’ best regular-season finish since 2011.
Bark River-Harris 8, Iron River West Iron County 6 – The Broncos (7-2) added another highlight to their best season since 2009 by handing West Iron (8-1) its first regular-season loss since Week 7 in 2012.
Bessemer 51, Ironwood 6 – The Miners (Bessemer’s nickname as part of its football co-op, Gogebic) won their sixth game to advance to the playoffs for the third straight season.
Iron Mountain 21, Norway 20 – The Mountaineers (6-3) are back in the playoffs after a one-year miss, but needed to edge a Norway (4-5) team that was playing for an at-large bid but still finished with its best record since 2010.
Lower Up North
Cadillac 15, Traverse City Central 14
This is the way a league title should be decided – one-point game between first and second-place teams on the final night of the regular season. Never mind that Cadillac had already earned a share of the Big North Conference title and that Central ended up tied for second with Petoskey; Cadillac’s go-ahead score with 4.6 seconds to play makes this one of the most exciting finishes in Michigan so far this season. The score came after Central had forced Cadillac into a turnover on downs at the Trojans’ 4-yard line a minute and a half prior. A Central win would've made them co-champions. Click for more from the Cadillac News.
Also noted:
Boyne City 55, Grayling 36 – The Ramblers (9-0) celebrated not only their first perfect regular season since 2001, but also the end of a five-game losing streak to the Vikings (4-5).
Johannesburg-Lewiston 42, Indian River Inland Lakes 6 – The South-winning Cardinals (8-1) can call themselves second-best in the Ski Valley Conference overall, having fallen to North champ St. Ignace in Week 5 before beating North runner-up Inland Lakes (7-2) impressively.
Onekama 40, Frankfort 22 – The Portagers (6-3) are headed to the playoffs for the first time since 2007 with also their first winning record since that season; Frankfort (5-3) had previously qualified.
Traverse City West 35, Walled Lake Northern 14 – The Titans earned enough playoff points downing Northern (4-5) to earn an at-large postseason bid and extend its streak to three seasons despite opening this fall 1-3.
Southwest and Border
Gobles 51, Saugatuck 49
This Southwestern Athletic Conference North finale had all kinds of implications. While Fennville cruised into a share of the league title with a 42-0 win over Bloomingdale (after beating Gobles 22-12 in Week 8 and despite losing the Saugatuck the week before that), a Saugatuck win in this one would have changed things substantially by giving the Indians (5-4) both a share of the league title and a playoff berth. Instead, Gobles (7-2) shared the championship with Fennville, and those two will continue into the postseason while Saugatuck will not despite notching an eighth-straight winning season. Click for more from the Kalamazoo Gazette.
Also noted:
Mendon 28, Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart 7 – The Hornets (8-1) beat six teams that finished the regular season .500 or better, including the Irish (5-4), who earned a playoff at-large bid.
Schoolcraft 28, Reed City 14 – Schoolcraft (6-3) closed the season on a 5-1 run to make the playoffs, but still needed to beat a co-league champion in Reed City (7-2) to guarantee a spot.
Berrien Springs 7, Dowagiac 0 – The Shamrocks (6-3) are back in the playoffs after a two-season hiatus also thanks to a 5-1 run to close the regular season and the first win over Dowagiac (3-6) of their recent three-game series.
Battle Creek Central 18, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix 15 – The Bearcats (5-4) didn’t make the playoffs, but did guarantee their first winning season since 2008 and after winning a combined five games over the last five years.
Mid-Michigan
Lansing Catholic 27, Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central 21
The talk about rejuvenated Lansing Catholic (9-0) of late has focused on if the Cougars are set to take the step into MHSAA title contender status. This victory seems to indicate yes. St. Mary (8-1) also entered undefeated and led by a strong group of seniors who should make it a player again in Division 6. Lansing Catholic is looking good to make a similar run in Division 5 after surviving its only game closer than 24 points this season. Click for more from the Lansing State Journal.
Also noted:
Okemos 20, East Lansing 13 – The Chieftains (6-3) secured their first playoff berth since 2011 after a 2-3 start, by riding in part their best defensive performance in a decade (16.7 ppg) despite facing five eventual playoff qualifiers.
Grand Ledge 41, Holt 7 – The Comets (6-3) are another bounce-back playoff team, in after a year off and despite a 1-2 start to this fall and having to face their biggest rival in the finale.
Eaton Rapids 35, Charlotte 6 – Despite new leagues for both this fall, they kept the series alive; Eaton Rapids (6-3) also kept alive a playoff streak after making the postseason for the first time a year ago.
Manchester 47, Union City 27 – This matchup of champions from the Cascades and Big 8 conferences saw Cascades winner Manchester (8-1) hand Union City its lone loss.
8-Player
Lawrence 40, Battle Creek St. Philip 19
Beating St. Philip (8-1) didn’t bump Lawrence (9-0) up enough to get it a home game if these two meet again in the Regional Final – but did push Lawrence past Portland St. Patrick so it will host the Shamrocks this week. The win also showed Lawrence is the team to beat from this quarter of the bracket, regardless of where the games are played. Click for more from the Battle Creek Enquirer.
Also noted:
Rapid River 42, Bellaire 28 – The Rockets (9-0) tuned up for what they hope will be another playoff run with Bridge Football Alliance runner-up Cedarville to start October and third-place Bellaire (7-2) to finish it.
Webberville 44, Burr Oak 16 – This unofficial playoff game got Webberville (4-5) into the field in the 16th and final spot, while Burr Oak (4-5) ended up 17th in playoff point average and just outside.
PHOTO: Muskegon Mona Shores ran away in the third quarter Friday to defeat rival Muskegon for the first time since 1982 and claim its first league title since 1968. (Photo courtesy of Eric Sturr.)
1st & Goal: 2022 Football Finals Review
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 29, 2022
There were the highest-scoring Finals performances on record, and one of the closest finishes of all-time.
Greats who will immediately go down in history played their final high school games. Others continued to write their championship stories.
Four teams made repeat trips to their season’s final days. But most who earned the opportunity during these MHSAA Playoffs stepped on championship turf for the first time, and 45,000 fans watched them do it.
Another Michigan high school football season came to a close over the last two weekends, with 8-Player Finals on Nov. 19 and 11-Player Finals this past Friday and Saturday.
MHSAA.com covered all 10 championship games, with quick recaps and links (click on the game scores) to those stories below followed by notations of performances entered into the MHSAA Finals record book and a report on some of the main storylines to emerge as those championships were being decided.
Finals in Review
11-Player Division 1: Belleville 35, Caledonia 17 - Read
Belleville sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood was awe-inspiring again in leading the Tigers to their second-straight championship to close a 14-0 season. He threw for 155 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 149 yards and a score. Caledonia led as late as the final minute of the third quarter before Belleville scored the game’s final 21 points.
11-Player Division 2: Warren De La Salle Collegiate 52, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central 13 – Read
De La Salle repeated as Division 2 champion again following the lead of quarterback Brady Drogosh, who completed an astonishing 21 of 23 passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 152 yards and three scores. Forest Hills Central was playing its first championship game since 1994, with this its only defeat of the season.
11-Player Division 3: Detroit Martin Luther King 56, Muskegon 27 – Read
The Crusaders made their third championship game appearance with Dante Moore as starting quarterback and repeated as Division 3 champion as he threw for 275 yards and four touchdowns, completing 21 of 26 passes. Jameel Croft Jr. returned the opening kickoff 96 yards, and King never trailed on the way to its sixth championship. Muskegon moved up the Finals appearances list and now sits tied for sixth all-time with 13.
11-Player Division 4: Grand Rapids South Christian 28, Goodrich 0 – Read
South Christian completed its first perfect season with its first Finals championship since 2014. The Sailors took a 14-0 lead during the second quarter and doubled it up in the fourth, as quarterback Jacob DeHaan was among the weekend’s stars with 266 yards and a touchdown passing and 99 yards and a touchdown rushing. Goodrich was making its first Finals appearance.
11-Player Division 5: Gladwin 10, Frankenmuth 7 – Read
Gladwin’s Treyton Siegert drilled a 21-yard field goal during the final seconds to clinch the Flying Gs’ first Finals championship and a 14-0 season. Frankenmuth also had entered undefeated and seeking its first Finals title. As anticipated, defense dominated as the teams combined for just 424 total yards and 15 first downs, plus 11 punts.
11-Player Division 6: Grand Rapids West Catholic 59, Negaunee 14 – Read
This was another close game at halftime – Negaunee made it 14-14 on the first kickoff return of the second half, before West Catholic scored 45 unanswered points. Running back Timmy Kloska became one of the stars of the weekend as well with 241 yards and four touchdowns rushing as his team handed the Miners their only defeat of the season.
11-Player Division 7: Jackson Lumen Christi 15, Traverse City St. Francis 12 – Read
The Titans avenged a 42-35 Week 2 loss to the Gladiators to finish off their rebound from an 0-3 start this season, earning the program’s 12th Finals championship. St. Francis took a 12-0 lead into halftime, but Lumen Christi scored the only touchdowns of the second half including the eventual game winner with 7:05 to play.
11-Player Division 8: Ottawa Lake Whiteford 26, Ubly 20 – Read
These two opened the 11-player championship weekend with a close finish, as Whiteford won the matchup of undefeated contenders with quarterback Shea Ruddy scoring the game winner with just under two minutes to play. The Bobcats opened with two first-quarter scores and led 20-6 early in the third before Ubly made its comeback.
8-Player Division 1: Martin 74, Merrill 24 – Read
Martin claimed its first Finals championship since 1987 led by quarterback JR Hildebrand, who ran for 191 yards and four touchdowns including the game’s first two scores – and whose dad Tracey played on that 1987 team. The Clippers scored the first 20 points and never led by less than 12 the rest of the way. The loss was Merrill’s only one this fall.
8-Player Division 2: Powers North Central 66, Mendon 26 – Read
The Jets extended their 8-player record winning streak to 37 games with three championships while enjoying the final game of quarterback Luke Gorzinski’s career. He’s guided all three of those championship teams and this time threw for 207 yards and four touchdowns, and ran for another score, despite playing through a knee injury.
Records Report
A number of longtime powers returned to Ford Field, as seven of the 16 finalists in 11-player made at least their eighth appearance in a championship game. Jackson Lumen Christi moved up to a tie for third on that list with its 15th appearance, and as noted above Muskegon moved into a tie for sixth with its 13th title game berth. In 8-player, Powers North Central became the first to play in at least five Finals – and win at least five championships. Lumen Christi is now tied for second on the 11-player championship list with 12 titles, one back of record holder Farmington Hills Harrison.
Both the 8 and 11-Player Finals saw team scoring records. In 8-player, Martin set a record with 74 points, while its 43 in the first half ranked second for one half and its 98 combined points with Merrill ranked third for highest-scoring 8-player championship game. North Central’s 66 points were the fourth-most for one team in an 8-Player Final, with its 28 in the first quarter fourth on the single-quarter list, its 41 in the first half third for one half, and its combined 92 points with Mendon also ranking fourth for highest-scoring game. In 11-player, Grand Rapids West Catholic set the Finals record for one team with 59 points, with its 31 third-quarter points ranking third on that list and its 45 second-half points ranking second. King’s 56 total points are tied for second-most in an 11-Player Final, and De La Salle’s 52 points also made that list.
Going along with those 56 points, King’s 529 yards of total offense ranked sixth, and its 24 first downs were tied for 11th-most in an 11-Player Final. De La Salle’s 25 first downs tied for seventh on that list. Martin rushed for an 8-player championship game record eight touchdowns, while its 374 rushing yards was third on that list. Merrill’s 328 passing yards ranked third for an 8-player title game, while North Central’s five TD passes tied for third and its 23 first downs tied for second most.
A pair of eventual winners got started quickly. Jameel Croft Jr. tied the 11-player record for quickest first touchdown on a kickoff return, scoring 15 seconds into the Division 3 Final on a 96-yarder for King. Bernie Varnesdeel found Carter Perry 16 seconds into the Division 6 game on a 72-yard scoring pass to give Grand Rapids West Catholic an early lead – that was the second-fastest passing TD to start a game.
Kickers did their parts during the high-scoring weekends. King’s Terrence Moore and West Catholic’s Carson Beekman tied for the record for most extra points, both making all eight of their tries. De La Salle’s Landon Ryska sits tied for third after making all seven of his attempts. Belleville’s Brayden Lane also made the list with five extra points in five tries. In 8-player, Adrian Mercier earned the second spot on that list with six extra points for North Central.
Quarterbacks again made big statements, especially a pair of stars in their final high school games. King’s Dante Moore made Finals lists with 275 passing yards, four passing touchdowns and 304 total yards, plus his 21 completions tied for seventh-most and his .808 completion percentage ranked sixth for 11-player title games. De La Salle’s Brady Drogosh also completed 21 passes, and his .913 completion percentage is second on that last. His 401 total yards ranked seventh, and he also made the passing yards list with 249. South Christian’s Jacob DeHaan made the passing yards list with 266 and total yards list with 365, and Belleville’s Bryce Underwood also made the total yards list with 304.
In 8-player, Martin quarterback JR Hildebrand scored 28 points, tied for fourth most, with his four touchdowns tied for third on the overall and rushing TD lists. Merrill quarterback Joe Tack’s 328 passing yards rank third, and his 347 total yards are eighth.
West Catholic running back Timmy Kloska earned statewide interest as his 241 rushing yards made that record list. He also tied for eighth in 11-player scoring with 24 points, tied for fifth with four touchdowns, tied the record for most rushing touchdowns in a quarter with three, and with his four rushing TDs for the game tied for third on that list.
King’s Sterling Anderson Jr. also made the 11-player single-game rushing yards list with 207, and Mendon’s Jack McCaw made the list in 8-player with 211. Merrill’s Kaleb Walker made the 8-player receiving yards list with 213, which ranks second, and Martin’s Gavin Meyers became the first 8-player entry for interceptions in a championship game after snagging three.
Special teams had its share of highlights, with four returns making Finals record book lists. Negaunee’s Phil Nelson brought a kickoff return back 98 yards, ranking third on that list, and Croft’s return noted above is tied for fifth-longest in 11-player. North Central’s Elijah Gorzinski ran back the longest kickoff return in 8-player, 85 yards, for also the fastest score off an opening kickoff in 11 seconds. Martin’s Taegan Harris earned the first 8-player punt return entry with his 94-yarder.
West Catholic and De La Salle became the 30th and 31st teams to not punt in an 11-Player Final.
Last, but certainly not least: The Whiteford vs. Ubly Division 8 Final became the first 11-player championship game to see zero penalties, and of course zero penalty yards. Previously, five games had seen 10 or fewer penalty yards by both participants combined.
Stories Behind the Scores
Up to the Challenge: For the first time, coaches at 11-player championship games were allowed to challenge officials’ calls on a series of pre-determined situations including if a pass was complete or incomplete, if a runner or receiver was in or out of bounds, etc. Two challenges were made over the eight games at Ford Field – including one challenge that didn’t need to be made as it came on a scoring play, and all scoring plays are automatically reviewable. The other challenge confirmed the officials’ original call.
Glad-WIN: Six teams came to Finals seeking a first championship, and Gladwin prevailed with its 10-7 victory over Frankenmuth, another team seeking a first title. Coach Mark Jarstfer took over the program in 2019, with the Flying Gs riding a four-season sub-.500 streak. They finished 1-8 his first year, improved to 4-4 in 2020, then 9-1 last fall on the way to a perfect 14-0 this season. We highlighted some kickers above who made big impacts over the last two weekends, but the biggest kick surely belonged to Treyton Siegert as he drilled the history-making field goal Gladwin people will be talking about for generations.
Legends of the Finals: As noted above, De La Salle’s Brady Drogosh, King’s Dante Moore and North Central’s Luke Gorzinski capped careers that saw all three quarterback their teams to three Finals. Drogosh was 2-1 in championship matchups, completing 40 of 53 passes for 230 yards and five touchdowns and running for 339 yards and five scores over those three games. A four-year starter, Moore was 2-1 in championship games. He completed a combined 54 of 72 passes for 712 yards and five touchdowns in Finals. Gorzinski won all three of his championship games, completing a combined 25 of 48 passes for 447 yards and nine touchdowns. Despite being limited to just one carry because of injury two weeks ago, Gorzinski also ran for 425 yards and six scores in championship deciders.
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PHOTOS (Top) Our collage includes photos from all 10 MHSAA Football Finals. (2) Lumen Christi’s Kadale Williams looks for an opening upfield against Traverse City St. Francis. (3) Drake Buell (7) leads Martin onto the field for the 8-Player Division 1 Final. (4) Gladwin kicker Treyton Siegert connects on the game-winning field goal in 11-player Division 5. (11-Player Finals photos by Hockey Weekly Action Photos. 8-Player Finals photos by Cara Kamps.)