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Drive for Detroit: Week 9 in Review

October 28, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Just like that, nine weeks of Michigan high school football have come and gone this fall, and more than half the state’s 600+ teams are turning in their helmets and pads as we turn our attention toward the final 288 playing for MHSAA championships.

But let’s not skip by Week 9 just yet. It definitely deserves a few more minutes of our time and attention. 

The regular season made plenty of noise on its way out this weekend, with a few surprise conclusions to league title races and plenty of teams with plenty to celebrate. Some of those achievements were obvious, some not, and below we tried to cover many in both categories.

"Drive for Detroit" is sponsored by MI Student Aid.

Bay & Thumb

HEADLINER Lapeer 24, Davison 21 (2OT) For the second-straight year, the Saginaw Valley League Blue title came down to these two in a regular-season finale. And this one came down to a pair of field goal attempts in double overtime – Lapeer (8-1) made its kick and then blocked Davison’s to lock up the win and the repeat championship after also defeating the Cardinals (7-2) in the clincher a year ago. Click for more from the Flint Journal and see highlights below from State Champs Sports Network.

Watch list Midland Dow 42, Midland 7 The Chargers (6-3) started this season 2-3 and lost a Week 5 league game to Saginaw Heritage, which finished 4-5. But they battled all the way back and clinched a shared league title with the Chemics (8-1) by breaking a three-game losing streak against their rivals.  

Remember this one Millington 41, Central Montcalm 18 The Cardinals (5-4) needed to close with a significant win to extend their playoff streak to 16 years, and they made it as an additional qualifier after defeating a league champion in Central Montcalm (7-2).

More shoutouts Harbor Beach 21, Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker 6 The Pirates (9-0) finished their third undefeated regular season this decade and first since 2014, with Laker (6-3) one of four opponents that also made the playoffs. Flint Hamady 56, Flint Southwestern 18 The Hawks (7-1) locked up the Genesee Area Conference title outright to go with their win in the old GAC Blue a year ago. 

Greater Detroit

HEADLINER Orchard Lake St. Mary's 13, Detroit Catholic Central 0 The co-champions of the Detroit Catholic League Central met again two weeks after DCC’s 20-14 win sealed the shared title. The Eaglets (8-1) avenged as well as any team could hope, not only claiming the Prep Bowl Bishop championship but also keeping the Shamrocks (4-5) from advancing to the playoffs for the first time since 2014. Click for more from the Detroit News.

Watch list Belleville 41, Plymouth 14 The Tigers (9-0) capped a third-straight undefeated regular season with another Kensington Lakes Activities Association overall title, in this KLAA final handing Plymouth (8-1) its only loss.

Remember this one Detroit Martin Luther King 27, Detroit Denby 6 The Crusaders (7-2) have rebounded from losses to DCC and Muskegon to open this season to win a third straight league championship and this PSL 1/2 final. Denby also is 7-2, with its losses both to King.

More shoutouts Brownstown Woodhaven 49, Birmingham Groves 28 The Warriors (9-0) locked up their second perfect regular season over the last six with a season-high scoring output against Groves (7-2). West Bloomfield 16, Warren De La Salle Collegiate 8 The Lakers (8-1) brought their average points allowed down to 12 with a near-shutout of the two-time reigning Division 2 champion Pilots (5-4), whose last three defeats have been by a combined 12 points.  

Mid-Michigan

HEADLINER New Lothrop 42, Frankenmuth 22 Three games this weekend matched undefeated teams, and reigning Division 7 champion New Lothrop (9-0) made a statement handing a loss to Division 5 Frankenmuth (8-1). The Hornets completed their eighth unbeaten regular season over the last 10 years, locking it up by scoring more than double the number of points the Eagles allowed in any other game going back to Week 2 of 2018. Click for more from the Saginaw News and see highlights below from WJRT.

Watch list Pewamo-Westphalia 41, Williamston 0 Last year the Pirates got past the Hornets by a point in Week 9 on the way to the Division 7 Regional Finals. This time, P-W (9-0) earned its sixth shutout of the season, impressive even more considering the Hornets (5-4) are headed back to the Division 4 playoffs.

Remember this one Mason 48, Eaton Rapids 6 The Bulldogs, 5-4 last season and 2-7 in 2017, finished their first 9-0 regular season – an accomplishment made more impressive considering Mason had finished with one regular-season loss nine times over the last 35 years.  

More shoutouts Holt 42, Grand Ledge 37 The Rams (7-2) held on against the rival Comets (2-7) to clinch a share of the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue title (with East Lansing and DeWitt) and guarantee their winningest season since 2010. St. Johns 21, Alpena 20 (OT) The Redwings (6-3) went to overtime to guarantee a playoff berth in coach Andy Schmitt’s first season and in the process ended any hopes for Alpena (4-5), which was hoping to make the playoffs for the first time since 2004.  

Northern Lower Peninsula

HEADLINER Traverse City Central 41, Cadillac 13 The Trojans (8-1) finished an outright championship run through the Big North Conference with their fifth straight win over Cadillac. Central hasn’t lost since Week 1 against DeWitt, which also went on to share a league title this fall. There’s a consolation, however, for the Vikings (5-4) – they’re back in the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and after going a combined 3-15 over the last two seasons. Click for more from the Traverse City Record-Eagle.

Watch list Ogemaw Heights 30, Houghton Lake 18 The Falcons improved to 7-2, their best and also first winning record since 2013, and this win over Houghton Lake (6-3) arguably was the best of the run so far. The Falcons’ losses were to two other playoff teams, Kingsley and Sault Ste. Marie.

Remember this one Lake City 14, Sanford Meridian 10 Lake City’s streak of two straight undefeated regular seasons ended opening night. But the Trojans won four straight to get back to the playoffs for the third-straight year, with this win over Meridian (6-3) arguably their best this fall.

More shoutouts Johannesburg-Lewiston 47, Indian River Inland Lakes 0 The Cardinals finished the regular season 9-0 for the first time since 1998 and finished an outright championship run through the Northern Michigan Football League Legacy division. Kingsley 44, Boyne City 16 The Stags (9-0) had a similar story in the NMFL Legends, with this win completing a run to an outright title and their first perfect regular season since 2005.

Southeast & Border

HEADLINER Reading 51, Addison 6 The reigning Division 8 champion Rangers appear to be in postseason form after winning this crossover of winners from the Big 8 and Cascades conferences. Reading was the Big 8’s best for the third straight season and hasn’t scored fewer than 44 points in a game since being shut out opening night by still-undefeated Division 7 contender Pewamo-Westphalia. Cascades champion Addison (7-2) could see Reading again in the Regional Final. Click for more from the Hillsdale Daily News.

Watch list Saline 45, Grand Blanc 27 The Hornets are headed into arguably the toughest District in the state, regardless of division, but not without some momentum. Saline (8-1) is unbeaten since falling opening night to reigning Division 1 champion Clinton Township Chippewa Valley. Grand Blanc (5-4) scored the second-most points the Hornets have given up this fall, but Saline reached 400 points for the season – 40 more over nine games than the Hornets scored over 13 last season when they made the Semifinals.   

Remember this one Whitmore Lake 41, Livonia Clarenceville 6 The Trojans’ first season in the Michigan Independent Athletic Conference now includes the outright league title, a first playoff berth since 2013 and at 7-2 its most wins since 2008. Clarenceville did miss the playoffs, but at 5-4 posted its first winning season since 2013.

More shoutouts Concord 51, Hanover-Horton 49 The Yellow Jackets (5-4) pushed back into the playoffs for the first time since 2016 with their first winning record since that year, while also dashing the hopes for Hanover-Horton (4-5) as it sought its first playoff berth since 2014. Grass Lake 26, Jonesville 24 The Cascades took this matchup of runners-up as Grass Lake (8-1) received one of its toughest challenges from the Comets (6-3), who have a winning record and made the playoffs both for the first time since 2013.  

Southwest Corridor

HEADLINER Edwardsburg 44, Paw Paw 14 This decade now has included eight league championships for the Eddies, who locked up another in the Wolverine Conference as well as their fourth perfect regular season over the last five years. This matchup was for the outright title as Paw Paw (8-1) also hadn’t lost heading into the weekend. But Edwardsburg put up nearly half of the 92 points the Redskins have given up all season.

Watch list Portage Northern 49, St. Joseph 26 The co-leaders of the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference West also played for that outright championship, with Portage Northern (8-1) claiming it after sharing the title with Portage Central a year ago. St. Joseph (6-3) will try to bounce back from three straight losses as it heads into the playoffs for the fifth straight season.

Remember this one Kalamazoo United 35, Schoolcraft 27 Perhaps this shouldn’t be considered a stunner – the Titans won the Southwestern Athletic Conference Valley a year ago. But United (5-4) also bounced back from an 0-3 start and a loss in Week 8 to Constantine to deliver Schoolcraft (8-1) its only defeat – and turn the league title into a three-team share between the Titans, Eagles and Falcons.

More shoutouts Mattawan 32, Stevensville Lakeshore 6 The Wildcats (5-4) won four straight to get back to the playoffs for the third-straight year, and in the process ended Lakeshore’s bid to make the playoffs for the 22nd straight season by sending the Lancers to 4-5. Niles Brandywine 52, Buchanan 38 The Bobcats are 9-0 for the first time since 1995 after putting up 50 points for the fifth time this season to increase their scoring average to 50.3 points per game.

Upper Peninsula

HEADLINER Marquette 31, Kingsford 7 The Redmen (5-4) did it all in their regular-season finale, clinching the Great Northern Conference title outright while locking up their first winning regular-season record and playoff berth both since 2014. In the process they ended the postseason hopes for Kingsford, which at 4-5 fell a win shy of consideration for the second straight year. Click for more from the Marquette Mining Journal.

Watch list Menominee 48, Hopkins 38 The Maroons may have had a chance to get back to the playoffs at 5-4, but guaranteed a spot finishing 6-3 with this win over the Vikings (8-1), winners of the Ottawa-Kent Conference Silver this fall.

Remember this one Ishpeming Westwood 42, Negaunee 14 The Patriots (7-2) have beaten Negaunee in three straight, but the Miners (6-3) can earn a rematch as they line up on opposite sides of the same Division 6 District.

More shoutouts Ishpeming 54, Bark River-Harris 8 The Hematites (7-2) finished a perfect run through the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference Iron – and will see Bark River-Harris (5-4) again this week in a Division 8 opener. Iron Mountain 42, Gogebic 14 The Mountaineers (9-0) claimed the outright West PAC Copper title and finished the regular season unbeaten for the first time since 2011.

West Michigan

HEADLINER Rockford 17, East Kentwood 7 The last two weeks in the O-K Red have been unpredictable to say the least. Week 8 saw Grandville down Rockford 30-3 to move into a first-place tie with a game to play for both. Rockford (8-1) took care of its end of winning the league title with this victory over East Kentwood. And the Rams finished the weekend outright champs after Caledonia upset the Bulldogs 56-35. Rockford’s win avenged a loss last season to the Falcons – and the Rams can double up as they face East Kentwood (5-4) again in a Division 1 opener this week. See below for highlights from FOX 17.

Watch list Hudsonville Unity Christian 55, Zeeland East 28 The Crusaders (6-3) needed a victory to guarantee returning to the playoffs after winning Division 5 a year ago – and they got it by avenging last season’s defeat to Zeeland East (5-4), one of two teams to beat Unity during the 2018 title run.

Remember this one Grand Haven 37, Grand Rapids Union 6 The Buccaneers (5-4) finished the regular season with a winning record and earned a playoff spot both for the first time since 2011 after closing with four straight victories.

More shoutouts Muskegon Oakridge 25, Traverse City St. Francis 20 The Eagles (9-0) finished their first perfect regular season since 2012 with a final defensive stand against another annual power in St. Francis (6-3). Montague 18, Portland 14 Downing last season’s Division 5 runner-up Portland (7-2) was a huge way to ride into the playoffs for Montague, which was runner-up in Division 6 last year.

8-Player

HEADLINER Gaylord St. Mary 53, Brethren 14 Prospects turned dim when St. Mary had to forfeit four wins three weeks ago. But the Snowbirds (4-5) did everything possible to get into the playoffs, with this victory over Brethen (5-4) joining a Week 8 win over Mio that helped them accumulate enough points to earn a spot in the Division 1 bracket. Click for more from the Gaylord Herald Times.

Watch list Martin 26, Climax-Scotts 24 The Clippers (9-0) just continue to impress, this weekend getting past Climax-Scotts (7-2) to lock up their first perfect regular season since 1987, in this their first season of 8-player football.

Remember this one Sutton Bay 27, Mesick 18 The Norsemen (9-0) closed the regular season winning this matchup of league champions over Mesick (7-2), which still finished with its best regular-season record since 1995.

More shoutouts Engadine 54, Cedarville 20 The Eagles (8-1) ran their winning streak over Cedarville (5-4) to five; Engadine’s only regular-season losses the last two seasons have come to Pickford, this week’s playoff opponent. Deckerville 48, Peck 0 The Eagles (9-0) finished their second straight North Central Thumb League Blue outright title and third perfect regular season this decade with their sixth-straight win over Peck (5-4). 

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PHOTO: Lapeer rumbled to a 24-21 double overtime win over Davison in Week 9 to lock up the Saginaw Valley League Blue championship. (Photo by Terry Lyons.)

Portage Northern football

Portage Northern Coach Nurturing New Roots After Arriving from Crosstown Rival

By Pam Shebest
Special for MHSAA.com

October 19, 2021

PORTAGE — When Kurt Twichell was hired as Portage Northern’s head football coach last May, he had some serious closet cleaning to do.

Southwest CorridorAs an assistant coach at crosstown rival Portage Central, his wardrobe was filled with blue and gold.

“I had to clean out probably 80 percent of my closet,” Twichell said, laughing. “Being a phys. ed. guy, I had quite a bit of blue and gold PC stuff.

“That all went into a big old bag, and I actually donated it back to them. I had a lot of work to do from a wardrobe perspective, no doubt about that.”

Twichell is nearing the conclusion of his first season as a head coach, with Portage Northern 2-6 this fall heading into its season finale Friday against Kalamazoo Central.

He had spent the previous seven seasons at Portage Central, finishing his tenure with the Mustangs last fall as their defensive coordinator. Across town at that time, Pete Schermerhorn was completing his 27th and final season leading the Huskies’ football program – and after some thought, Twichell applied to be his replacement and was named Northern’s next coach this spring.

Twichell made sure to wear orange when he met with his new team for the first time.

If he had worn any hint of blue, “We wouldn’t have let him in,” said senior and two-way player Xavier Thomas with a big grin.

Twichell said he understood why players were apprehensive.

Portage Northern football“I think naturally, with teenagers, it was like what the heck is going on?” he said. “We hired a guy from Portage Central. This is crazy.”

Twichell said he worked very hard to establish a rapport with the players.

“You’re trying to build trust within your program,” he said. “As soon as I accepted this job, I’m diving full on in, orange, brown and white as a Huskie.”

Thomas said players did not know what to expect.

“The initial feeling, we were a little nervous as far as what his path for us was going to be. Having come from that school, would he hold a grudge against us or not?” he recalled.

“After meeting him and sitting down and having a conversation with him, we understood that he was fully on the path of Portage Northern Huskies. He fully supports all of our sports programs, not just football. He’s just a great guy that we need in our community.”

Climbing the ladder

Twichell said his love of football started at Haslett High School in “an up-and-coming program” under head coach Charlie Otlewski and defensive coordinator Rob Porritt, adding “Those are my guys.”

After a football injury at Hope College derailed his playing career, Twichell transferred to Michigan State as a “regular student” and started working with Otlewski and Haslett’s football team.

“I spent a couple years there doing it for fun,” Twichell said. “I ended up loving it so much.”

He scrapped plans for med school and earned a teaching degree.

Taking his first job at White Pigeon, “I was just a young guy looking for any job I could get.”

Portage Northern footballTwo years later he contacted Enders, who happened to have a job available. Twichell spent the next seven years at Central, working his way up to defensive coordinator.

When he heard about the opening at Northern, which included a teaching position, he was not sure about applying.

“I was very, very rooted with Central and really enjoyed the staff and the opportunity they gave me to work my way up to d-coordinator,” he said. “When this job came up, I actually sat down and thought about it for more than three seconds. Being a head coach is a goal of mine.”

Twichell’s wife, Kate, coaches the Portage schools’ co-op girls lacrosse team and he said the family, including 3-year-old twins, are happy living in the community.

Ironically, shortly after accepting the Northern coaching job, his wife left Hackett Catholic Prep to teach Spanish and English at Portage Central.

That makes for some interesting family dynamics, especially during the rivalry game.

“I try to push the (twins) one way; Kate doesn’t necessarily try to push them either way but we still hear the ‘M’ (Mustangs) word after “Go” from the kids,” Kurt said.  “They’ll say every now and then, Go Mustangs or Go Huskies. Kate just cheers for ‘no injuries,’ the way she puts it.”

No longer just Xs and Os

“The biggest change is how much of your role has almost nothing to do with football from an Xs and Os perspective or from an actual coaching kids perspective,” Twichell said.

“It’s community relations, youth involvement, financial management, recruiting.”

He said it is like the iceberg analogy.

“People just see Friday nights and results, but below the surface is all these components that go into building a good program,” he said. “Coach Shermerhorn left a pretty good foundation in terms of that iceberg, but I definitely want to put my own spin on things.”

During the day, Twichell is in the weight room, teaching a full day of power lifting.

The academic classes are open to all students, and Twichell hopes to resurrect the school’s power lifting team.

Chris Riker, Northern’s athletic director, said when hiring a coach, it is not where he coached but if he was a good fit for the program.

“We had some outstanding candidates and Kurt had a good plan on developing culture, developing not just the football player but the whole athlete, the whole person,” Riker said. “Academics were important. Getting involved in your community is important, and being a role model for the younger kids is important as well as being a good football player, good person.”

Riker said the team is very involved with the community.

“He’s done some things with our kids and Rocket Football to establish that connection with the youth program,” he said.

He added that Twichell and Enders collaborated on Camp Ability in July.

“It’s a camp for special needs kids who want to be involved with football,” Riker said. “It’s pretty cool to get out there and see kids who aren’t involved in football be that excited and be next to our football players. Kids had big smiles on their faces, just to be able to try on the shoulder pads and football jerseys.”

The children also ran drills, tossed footballs and ran for touchdowns, helped by players from both teams.

Not just another game

The Huskies are still settling into a new system (although a highlight was a Week 4 win over Division 3 No. 10 Stevensville Lakeshore). But Twichell has surrounded himself with solid support, carrying over several assistants from Schermerhorn’s staff.

Portage Northern football“Those guys have been phenomenal,” Twichell said. “Just about every coach who wanted to come back did.”

As the defensive coordinator at Portage Central, Twichell was familiar with Tom Laskarides, Schermerhorn’s defensive coordinator.

“People probably wondered what that was going to look like, but I have nothing but admiration and respect for Tom,” Twichell said. “We also brought back Mike McGuire who was on staff here probably 10 years ago. He’s a quarterbacks, offensive guy and a former head coach himself. That’s been huge to have these guys.”

Twichell said the team lost several outstanding players to graduation the last three years.

“When you go through losing groups like that, there’s going to be a transition there, regardless of a new coach,” he said. “We have a very young team, an inexperienced team.”

One game on Twichell’s radar this fall was the battle of the Portages, a game Northern lost, 33-17, two weeks ago.

“I’m not sure there’s a playbook out there that anybody’s ever written,” he said. “Not just competing against players that you had physically coached and had invested so much in their lives, but you know their families, their career aspirations, especially that senior class.”

Twichell said the “coach speak” was that it was just another game.

But the emotions surfaced during the postgame handshakes.

“Lots of hugs and some emotions. It was a good feeling from a human standpoint, but obviously we’re disappointed the game didn’t go the way we wanted it to,” he said.

Thomas said his coach warned the players that the game would generate more than the usual hype.

“He let us know there would be a lot of attention brought on us from the media, being (Central head coach Mick) Enders vs. Twichell,” Thomas said.

“But with his preparation, we were pretty dialed into the game. Hopefully we can take the things we learned from that game and assess them moving forward so the things that happened in that game won’t happen again.”

Pam ShebestPam Shebest served as a sportswriter at the Kalamazoo Gazette from 1985-2009 after 11 years part-time with the Gazette while teaching French and English at White Pigeon High School. She can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties.

PHOTOS (Top) First-year Portage Northern varsity football coach Kurt Twichell talks with his team this season. (2) Portage Northern senior Xavier Thomas, top, and athletic director Chris Riker. (3) Twichell, left, works with his players during a practice this fall. (4) Twichell addresses the Huskies after a game. (Action photos by Jason Altwies; head shots by Pam Shebest.)