A Game for Every Fan: 11-Player Finals
November 24, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
You’ll recognize many of the teams playing for MHSAA 11-player football championships this weekend at Ford Field.
Of 16 finalists, 11 are previous champions. Seven of the 11 have won at least three titles.
Then there’s Romeo, Chelsea, River Rouge, Clinton and Pewamo-Westphalia. All are seeking their first MHSAA championship in the sport – with Romeo, Chelsea and River Rouge getting the opportunity to play for one for the first time.
See below for a look at all of the finalists who will take the field this weekend. The Division 8, 2, 6 and 4 games are Friday, with the odd-numbered divisions playing Saturday. Tickets cost $10 and are good for all four games on one day. Click for a full schedule.
The first three Friday games will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Detroit’s primary channel (check cable/satellite box listings for your specific channel) with the Division 4 game tape delayed at 11:30 p.m. on FSD but available live on FoxSportsDetroit.com. Saturday's games all will air live on Fox Sports Detroit. Audio broadcasts will be available on the MHSAA Network website.
Rankings below were voted upon by The Associated Press’ media panel but can be used only as a guide; the AP establishes divisions before the season for poll purposes, but many teams ended up in different divisions at playoff selection. Statistics are current unless noted.
Division 1
ROMEO
Record/rank: 12-1, No. 7
Co-coaches: Curt Rienas and Jason Couch, 13th seasons (90-43)
League finish: First in Macomb Area Conference White.
Finals history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 26-14 over No. 9 Macomb Dakota, 28-14 over No. 10 Clarkston in Pre-District, 34-14 over No. 8 Lapeer in District Final, 40-29 over No. 6 Detroit Catholic Central in Regional Final, 48-21 over No. 5 Grand Ledge in Semifinal.
Players to watch: QB Paul Hurley, 6-2/190, sr. (1,451 yards/23 TDs passing, 332 yards/3 TDs rushing); SE/DB Brad Tanner, 6-2/180, sr. (701 yards/13 TDs rushing, 564 yards/8 TDs receiving); TE/LB Mitchell Heimbuch, 6-3/220, sr. (676 yards/9 TDs receiving, 53 tackles/4 sacks/4 interceptions); DB Kade Messner, 5-10/175, jr. (62 tackles/2 interceptions).
Outlook: Romeo has advanced to its first MHSAA Final despite facing eight playoff teams and defeating seven – the lone loss was by three to Utica Eisenhower in the regular-season finale. No one’s individual numbers pop out, but as a team the Bulldogs run for 6.2 yards per carry and average nearly 12 per pass while giving up only 9.9 points per game. Heimbuch has reportedly committed to sign with Western Michigan University and is a force on both sides of the ball.
DETROIT CASS TECH
Record/rank: 11-2, No. 4
Coach: Thomas Wilcher, 18th season (141-59)
League finish: Second in Detroit Public School League East I.
Finals history: Division 1 champion 2012 and 2011.
Best wins: 16-10 over No. 9 Macomb Dakota in Regional Final, 48-41 over Canton in Semifinal, 33-8 over Division 2 No. 6 Detroit East English, 27-0 over Southfield.
Players to watch: QB Rodney Hall, 6-3/215, jr. (2,232 yards/20 TDs passing, 1,053 yards/14 TDs rushing); TE/LB Timothy Walton, 6-2/225, sr. (108 tackles through 11 games); WR/DB Demetric Vance, 6-2/200, sr. (55 tackles/4 interceptions through 11 games); WR Donovan Peoples-Jones, 6-1/195, jr (1,141 yards/17 TDs receiving); RB/SS Jaylen Kelly-Powell, 6-0/190, jr. (53 tackles/2 interceptions through 11 games); OL/DT Michael Onwenu, 6-3/360, sr.
Outlook: Cass Tech is loaded with talent – leading a large group of college-bound players are Onwenu (Michigan), Vance (Michigan State) and Walton (Illinois), and Peoples-Jones and Kelly-Powell will have their picks as well. The Technicians' only losses were to Division 2 finalist Detroit King, twice. But all eyes will be watching to see if Hall trots onto the field – he missed the Semifinal win with an injury that reportedly was season-ending. Sophomore Aaron Jackson stepped in and accounted for three touchdowns.
Division 2
LOWELL
Record/rank: 12-1, No. 4 in Division 3 (regular season)
Coach: Noel Dean, 20th season (201-35)
League finish: First in Ottawa-Kent Conference White
Finals history: Three MHSAA titles (most recent 2009), two runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 49-34 over No. 2 Walled Lake Western in Semifinal, 36-7 over Division 3 (regular season) No. 5 Muskegon in Regional Final, 35-13 over East Grand Rapids, 28-14 over Grand Rapids Christian.
Players to watch: QB Ryan Stevens, 6-2/160, sr. (2,418 yards/31 TDs passing, 945 yards/16 TDs rushing); RB/LB Max Dean, 5-11/185, sr. (1,164 yards/17 TDs, 57 tackles/7.5 sacks); WR/DB Gabe Steed, 6-1/160, sr. (1,058 yards/17 TDs receiving); LB/RB Nathan Stephens, 5-10/185, jr. (55 tackles); TE/LB Alex Anschutz, 6-1/185, sr. (518 yards/10 TDs receiving, 39 tackles/5 interceptions).
Outlook: The Red Arrows are playing for a championship for the first time since finishing runner-up in 2011 and lost only to Walled Lake Western in the season opener – avenging that loss in the Semifinal. The skill positions are dominated by seniors who also helped the team advance to the Regional Final last season and navigate one of the most competitive leagues in the state again this fall – among those opponents, East Grand Rapids, although unranked, made the Semifinals in Division 3.
DETROIT MARTIN LUTHER KING
Record/rank: 13-0, No. 1
Coach: Dale Harvel, seventh season (60-19)
League finish: First in Detroit Public School League East I
Finals history: Division 2 champion 2007, two runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 42-6 over honorable mention Wyandotte Roosevelt in District Final, 12-10 over No. 9 Warren DeLaSalle, 20-15 and 26-12 (Regional Final) over No. 6 Detroit East English, 31-28 and 27-25 over Division 1 No. 4 Detroit Cass Tech.
Players to watch: QB/LB Armani Posey, 6-1/200, sr. (1,829 yards/19 TDs passing); WR/DB Donnie Corley, 6-3/185, sr. (1,221 yards/14 TDs receiving); WR/DB Dontre Boyd, 5-10/160, sr. (563 yards, 5 TDs receiving); RB Martell Pettaway, 5-10/210, sr. (1,514 yards/22 TDs rushing); WR/DB Lavert Hill, 5-10/175, sr. (11 interceptions through regular season);
Outlook: From the season opener against reigning champion Warren DeLaSalle through last week’s Semifinal against Livonia Franklin, King has been arguably the most impressive team in the state regardless of division. The Crusaders have won big and close – four victories came by a touchdown or less. Hill has at least 13 interceptions and has scored on offense, defense and special teams, and Corley had nine interceptions through the end of the regular season. He’s one of the state’s most pursued college prospects; Pettaway has committed to West Virginia and Hills has committed to Penn State, among others who will play at the next level.
Division 3
CHELSEA
Record/rank: 12-1, No. 9
Coach: Brad Bush, 19th season (149-56)
League finish: Tied for first in Southeastern Conference White.
Finals history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 35-7 over No. 3 Coldwater in Semifinal, 29-16 over honorable mention Trenton in District Final, 35-12 over No. 10 Allen Park in Regional Final, 9-7 over Ann Arbor Pioneer.
Players to watch: QB Jack Bush, 6-2/175, jr. (1,797 yards/17 TDs passing, 9 TDs rushing); WR Bailey Edwards, 6-3/180, sr. (727 yards/8 TDs receiving); TB Trey Seitz, 6-1/185, sr. (875 yards/9 TDs rushing); OT Jay Packard, 6-3/275, sr.; LB Ryan Stasiak, 6-1/180, sr.
Outlook: Chelsea will play in its first championship game but has long been a contender; this was the 16th season in 17 that the Bulldogs made the playoffs, and they had won at least 10 game five other times over the last 16 seasons before setting a program record for victories this fall. The lone loss, to Ypsilanti Community, cost them the outright league title, but the 34 points given up that game were a season high for a defense allowing only 9.2 per game and held Coldwater’s celebrated running attack to only 119 yards on 37 carries in the Semifinal.
ORCHARD LAKE ST. MARY’S
Record/rank: 11-1, No. 2
Coach: George Porritt, 27th season (245-67)
League finish: First in Detroit Catholic League Central.
Finals history: Six MHSAA titles (most recent 2014), six runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 14-7 over East Grand Rapids in Semifinal, 38-0 over Division 2 No. 9 Warren DeLaSalle, 14-7 over Division 1 No. 6 Detroit Catholic Central, 24-12 over Division 7 No. 6 Detroit Loyola.
Players to watch: RB/SS Justin Myrick, 5-10/190, sr. (1,049 yards/13 TDs rushing); RB/DB Ryan Johnson, 5-8/175, jr. (651 yards/11 TDs rushing); QB Brendan Tabone, 6-1/180, sr. (1,036 yards/5 TDs); OL/DL Cameron Kolwich, 6-5/270, sr. LB Josh Ross, 6-1/225, jr.
Outlook: St. Mary’s has rumbled into its fifth final in six years with seven straight wins including the avenging of its lone loss, to Warren DeLaSalle in Week 5. The Eaglets ride a strong running game, although one of three backs may need to take the lead Saturday – Johnson was the leading rusher in the Semifinal with Myrick out with an injury and senior Brandon Adams then also getting hurt during the game. Ross keys a defense that hasn’t given up more than 14 points in a game since the loss, and receiver Kaylee Hamler (569 yards/3 TDs receiving) is another standout junior.
Division 4
FLINT POWERS CATHOLIC
Record/rank: 11-2, unranked
Coach: Bob Buckel, fifth season (45-15)
League finish: Second in Saginaw Valley League Blue.
Finals history: Two MHSAA titles (most recent 2011).
Best wins: 41-0 over No. 10 Goodrich in Pre-District, 28-7 over Division 5 (regular season) No. 8 Richmond in the Regional Final, 21-14 over No. 1 Detroit Country Day in the Semifinal.
Players to watch: QB Noah Sargent, 5-11/175 sr. (1,561 yards/18 TDs passing; 1,020 yards/15 TDs); LB Spencer Gomez, 5-10/195, jr. (69 tackles through 12 games); HB Reese Morgan, 5-10/185, sr. (981 yards/10 TDs rushing); NG Daurel Tolbert, 5-9/252, sr. (72 tackles/3 sacks through 12 games).
Outlook: Powers might not have been regarded as a title contender heading into the playoffs, and again while down two touchdowns in last week’s Semifinal win over Country Day. But the Chargers’ only losses were on opening night to Flushing and then to eventual Division 2 District champ Midland Dow in Week 5, and they’re lead by a championship-winning coach in Buckel, who has 211 wins over 33 seasons at four schools. Powers gave up only 60 points total in its 11 wins this fall.
ZEELAND WEST
Record/rank: 13-0, No. 1 in Division 3 (regular season)
Coach: John Shillito, 11th season (110-22)
League finish: First in O-K Green.
Finals history: Three MHSAA titles (most recent 2013).
Best wins: 38-28 over No. 4 Comstock Park, 28-21 over honorable mention Hudsonville Unity Christian in the Regional Final, 46-8 over Ada Forest Hills Eastern in the Semifinal, 42-34 over Oak Park.
Players to watch: QB/DB Casey Brinks, 6-0/170, sr. (456 yards/4 TDs rushing, 576 yards/7 TDs passing); FB/DB Darius Perisee, 5-9/155, sr. (1,906 yards/29 TDs rushing); HB/LB Tyler Thompson, 6-1/200, sr. (925 yards/19 TDs rushing); HB/DB Dakota Geurink, 6-0/185, sr. (685 yards/8 TDs rushing).
Outlook: After losing to Muskegon in the Semifinal a year ago, West is back to try for its third title – and second perfect season – over the last half decade. The Dux have piled up 5,000 yards rushing with their Wing-T rushing attack, with fullback Perisee getting nearly 40 percent of those yards behind a line averaging 6-foot-1 and 247 pounds. The defense has progressively improved throughout the season and has given up more than one touchdown only once over the last seven games. Shillito is up to 266 wins over 32 seasons and four schools.
Division 5
GRAND RAPIDS WEST CATHOLIC
Record/rank: 11-2, No. 6
Coach: Dan Rohn, ninth season (98-19)
League finish: First in O-K Blue.
Finals history: Three MHSAA titles (most recent 2014), two runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 24-14 over No. 1 Menominee in Regional Final, 42-13 over No. 4 Lansing Catholic in Semifinal, 21-14 over No. 9 Reed City in District Final, 28-14 over honorable mention Muskegon Oakridge in Pre-District, 45-28 over Division 4 honorable mention Hudsonville Unity Christian, 42-35 over Division 4 No. 4 Comstock Park.
Players to watch: QB Gaetano Vallone, 5-10/160, soph. (2,474 yards/28 TDs passing, 814 yards/12 TDs rushing); RB/LB Denny Alt, 5-10/175, sr. (1,364 yards/17 TDs rushing); OL/DL Carl Myers, 6-3/260, sr.; WR/DB Conner Nemmers, 6-1/193, sr. (928 yards/13 TDs receiving).
Outlook: No one can argue West Catholic doesn’t deserve a return to Ford Field after the Falcons downed three top-10 teams and an honorable mention to get to this weekend. This is West Catholic’s fifth straight appearance in a championship game – it is 2-2 with two straight wins over the last four trips. Vallone has continued to impress during his first season as the starter at quarterback, but the Falcons can attack a number of ways with Alt carrying the load and Nemmers a tough matchup on the receiving end of Vallone’s passes.
RIVER ROUGE
Record/rank: 12-1, honorable mention
Coach: Corey Parker, seventh season (55-20)
League finish: First in Michigan Metro Athletic Conference Blue.
Finals history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 51-25 over honorable mention Algonac in the Regional Final, 28-26 over No. 5 Ida in the Semifinal, 41-12 over Romulus, 40-34 over Riverview.
Players to watch: QB Antoine Burgess, 5-10/180, sr. (1,484 yards/27 TDs passing, 1,040 yards/11 TDs rushing {rushing total does not include last week}); WR Aaron Vinson, 6-2/190, sr. (513 yards/11 TDs receiving); Alexander Carter, 5-10/205, soph. (1,076 yards/10 TDs through 12 games); OL Julius Laidler, 6-4/300, sr.
Outlook: River Rouge is no longer just a basketball school. The Panthers have been known statewide for hoops success from a half century ago, but they’ve won 10 or more football games three of the last four seasons and made the playoffs six straight, with this their first championship game appearance. River Rouge has its share of playmakers, but perhaps most notable and almost most noticeable are the guys in front of them. The Panthers’ offensive linemen average 6-1, 312 pounds.
Division 6
CLINTON
Record/rank: 13-0, Division 7 (regular season) No. 5
Coach: Scott McNitt, 31st season (195-109-1)
League finish: First in Tri-County Conference.
Finals history: Division 6 runner-up 2013.
Best wins: 14-10 over No. 4 Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central in Pre-District, 43-20 over No. 9 Madison Heights Madison in District Final, 49-20 over honorable mention Jackson Lumen Christi in Regional Final, 42-20 over Division 7 (regular season) No. 8 Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian in Semifinal, 36-18 over Division 8 honorable mention Ottawa Lake Whiteford.
Players to watch: RB/LB Mathew Sexton, 5-11/170, sr. (2,247 yards/34 TDs rushing, 212 yards/4 TDs receiving, 99 tackles); QB Kaden Kelly, 6-3/160, sr. (680 yards/8 TDs passing); RB/LB Noah Poor, 5-9/180, sr. (1,029 yards/15 TDs rushing); OL/LB Ken DeShano, 6-0/200, sr. (101 tackles/6 sacks); TE/LB Blake Rogers, 6-0/175, sr. (79 tackles).
Outlook: Clinton’s run to its second championship game appearance rivaled Romeo’s in Division 1; the Redskins defeated the reigning champion in addition to multiple ranked and/or undefeated powers after emerging from a league that put four teams in the postseason. Sexton was the team’s second-leading rusher and tackler in the Final as a sophomore and is the player who receives the most attention, but as a team Clinton has run for 3,979 yards and 59 touchdowns with Kelly making key passes as opportunities have arisen.
ITHACA
Record/rank: 13-0, No. 1
Coach: Terry Hessbrook, 12th season (127-18)
League finish: First in Tri-Valley Conference West.
Finals history: Four MHSAA titles (most recent 2013), one runner-up finish.
Best wins: 56-14 over honorable mention Vassar in Pre-District, 42-6 over No. 6 Sanford Meridian in District Final, 28-19 over Division 7 (regular season) No. 1 Traverse City St. Francis in Semifinal, 38-0 over Division 7 No. 9 Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary.
Players to watch: OL/LB Jace Demenov, 6-0/205, sr. (153 tackles); QB/DB Jake Smith, 6-1/170, sr. (1,342 yards/24 TDs passing, 1,632 yards/31 TDs rushing); WR/DB Grant Gimmey, WR/DB, sr. (284 yards/6 TDs receiving); WR/DB Spence DeMull, 6-4/175, sr. (364 yards/8 TDs receiving); RB/NG Jonah Loomis, 5-10/180, sr. (850 yards/15 TDs rushing, 84 tackles).
Outlook: A group of 17 seniors have unfinished business at Ford Field after last season’s defeat in the Final by Monroe St. Mary. Smith has been the key player over the last two seasons and took his game to another level this fall. But just as important Saturday could be Demenov, who is charged with leading a defense that must shut down Clinton’s dominating rush attack. DeMull was injured at the start of this season, but has steadily returned to his elite status and could be a tough matchup this weekend.
Division 7
PEWAMO-WESTPHALIA
Record/rank: 13-0, No. 4
Coach: Jeremy Miller, third season (33-5)
League finish: First in Central Michigan Athletic Conference.
Finals history: Division 7 runner-up 2011.
Best wins: 30-0 over Detroit Loyola in Semifinal, 38-28 over No. 7 Saugatuck in District Final, 26-25 over Division 6 No. 9 Madison Heights Madison, 34-7 over Division 8 No. 9 Fowler.
Players to watch: RB/DE Jared Smith, 6-0/205, jr. (3,096 yards/52 TDs rushing); QB Jimmy Lehman, 6-3/200, soph. (654 yards/8 TDs passing through 12 games); FB/LB Nate Jandernoa, 5-11/220, sr. (348 yards/3 TDs rushing through 12 games); OL/LD Matt Fox, 6-1/295, sr.
Outlook: Pewamo-Westphalia is making its second trip to Ford Field in five seasons but this time on the legs of a record-break running back. Smith eclipsed the MHSAA single-season rushing touchdown record two weeks ago and the single-season yardage record last week, and has more than 5,000 yards combined over the last two seasons. Fox leads a line that averages 6-2, 259 pounds, and Jandernoa keys a defense that has given up three points total over the last two weeks and only 9.1 per game despite a schedule with seven playoff opponents.
ISHPEMING
Record/rank: 12-0, No. 2
Coach: Jeff Olson, 24th season (182-79)
League finish: First in Mid-Peninsula Conference.
Finals history: Four MHSAA titles (most recent 2013), two runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 22-14 over No. 3 New Lothrop in Semifinal, 20-14 over Division 8 No. 2 St. Ignace, 22-16 over Negaunee, 32-8 over Calumet.
Players to watch: QB/DB Ozzy Corp, 6-5/205, sr. (644 yards/7 TDs rushing, 1,047 yards/7 TDs passing through eight games); RB/LB Isaac Olson, 5-10/175, jr. (662 yards/7 TDs rushing through eight games); TE/DE Thomas Finegan, 5-11/200, sr. (453 yards/3 TDs receiving, 7 interceptions through eight games); FB/LB Halen Carello, 5-8/180, sr.
Outlook: The Hematites are seeking their third MHSAA title in four seasons. Corp led a new group of contributors to Ford Field last season and they came up short against Detroit Loyola, but a number of those players returned to win nine games against playoff teams this fall including a pair each against rivals Ishpeming Westwood and Iron Mountain. Ishpeming played only eight regular-season games because it didn’t have an opponent Week 6, but total has given up 99 points – 8.3 per game – with five players back who had tackles in last season’s Final.
Division 8
WATERFORD OUR LADY
Record/rank: 13-0, No. 3
Coach: Josh Sawicki, third season (30-5)
League finish: First in Detroit Catholic League CD.
Finals history: Division 8 champion 2002, two runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 36-20 over honorable mention Ottawa Lake Whiteford in Semifinal, 32-6 over Division 7 (regular season) No. 9 Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary in Regional Final, 36-10 over Division 4 No. 9 Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood.
Players to watch: QB Clay Senerius, 6-3/175, sr. (2,913 yards/34 TDs passing); WR/DB Devin Senerius, 6-2/170, sr. (1,288 yards/12 TDs receiving, 39 tackles/4 interceptions); RB/DB Chris Cartier, 6-3/180, sr. (1,264 yards/20 TDs rushing, 395 yards/7 TDs receiving, 66 tackles/4 interceptions); LB/WR Ryan Kostich, 6-1/210, sr. (352 yards/11 TDs rushing, 590 yards/9 TDs receiving, 158 tackles/6 sacks).
Outlook: Our Lady has set a program record for victories on the way back to the Finals for the first time since 2002, with Whiteford last week the first team to come within 25 points. The Lakers are led by their highest-scoring offense ever, with Senerius to Senerius a dangerous passing comboand Cartier and Kostich providing balance on the ground and as additional targets. Kostich, senior Gabe Nickels (147 tackles) and junior Kurt Romkema (74 tackles) do most of the cleaning up for a defense giving up 9.1 points per game.
MUSKEGON CATHOLIC CENTRAL
Record/rank: 10-2, No. 1
Coach: Steve Czerwon, third season (36-4)
League finish: First in Lakes 8 Conference.
Finals history: Ten MHSAA titles (most recent 2014), three runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 33-20 over No. 2 St. Ignace in Semifinal, 22-12 over honorable mention Frankfort in Regional Final, 48-13 over No. 6 Beal City in District Final,
Players to watch: RB/DB LaTommy Scott, 5-8/185, jr. (1,191 yards/18 TDs rushing); QB/DB Christian Martinez, 6-2/180, sr. (770 yards/14 TDs passing, 426 yards/10 TDs rushing); RB/DB Logan Helton, 5-7/175, jr. (864 yards/11 TDs rushing); OL/DL Jacob Holt, 6-1/245, sr.; LB Nate Jones, 6-1/205, sr.
Outlook: A 26-game winning streak ended on opening night, but the Crusaders put themselves back into contention for a third straight MHSAA title with losses only to Division 5 honorable mention Muskegon Oakridge that evening and Division 4 No. 1 Detroit Country Day in Week 8. Holt leads the way for a strong set of runners – junior Walker Christoffersen is only the team’s third-leading rusher with 472 yards, but he had 192 and a touchdown in the Semifinal win. Holt and Jones were among contributors on last season’s defense but this fall are leaders of a unit giving up 13 points per game during the playoffs.
The MHSAA Football Finals are sponsored by the Michigan National Guard.
PHOTO: Ford Field has been home to the MHSAA 11-player Football Finals since 2005.
Culmination of Ideas, Cooperation Lead to Creation of MHSAA Football Playoffs
By
Ron Pesch
MHSAA historian
August 26, 2022
In November of 1972, Dave Driscoll, football coach at Jackson Parkside, was talking by phone with Larry Paladino of The Associated Press about the goals of the recently-formed Michigan High School Football Coaches Association (MHSFCA).
“Football has been around a long time in Michigan, and we just haven’t moved forward as other sports have. Now with an organization to speak and help us, I think we will see some real movement …”
Driscoll, president of the MHSFCA, was pitching the idea of a football postseason in Michigan – a goal of the young organization.
“It took us a couple of years to get it done,” recalled Driscoll, now age 86 and still in the Jackson area. “The first year or two was a challenge because that’s when you’re instituting something. But it has turned out to be a very progressive, positive influence in the state.”
A Postseason
Michigan was one of only 20 states that did not conduct a football playoff, and the sport was the only one sponsored by the MHSAA that did not have a tournament to determine champions. Newspaper ranking systems, in use since the early 1940s in Michigan, were the method by which football teams were awarded “state titles.” Prior to that, schools with undefeated marks against in-state opponents could make a rightful claim to a championship. Because there was no postseason system in place for teams to square off, those are referred to as “mythical” titles.
A state gridiron playoff had been discussed for many years. But, as a cold weather state, few could see a way to devise an equitable system to accomplish the task. With basketball, every high school squad qualified for the annual MHSAA Tournament. Logistically and geographically, the concept of a football postseason presented numerous challenges. Unpredictable late fall weather meant the season could be expanded by only a couple of weeks. That limited the number of teams that could be involved.
Yet Colorado and Massachusetts, both with weather that could replicate Michigan’s in late autumn, hosted football postseasons.
“They just extend the season by two weeks,” said Driscoll, the MHSFCA spokesperson at the time. “They divide the state by regions. If you win a region, you have a semifinal game the next week, then a final a week after that in each class.”
The MHSFCA, broken into 18 regions across the Upper and Lower Peninsulas, recognized that was far too many to work within a two-week playoff system. So, determining the teams that would participate in the tournament was a major concern.
“Ohio rates its teams by computer. Pennsylvania has a system for it. … Our association would have to investigate these and come up with the best one for our situation,” Driscoll said.
Only eight months old, the MHSFCA planned to present its research, and a possible approach, to the Michigan High School Athletic Association. Driscoll had spoken to both Allen W. Bush, MHSAA executive director, and Vern Norris, associate director, about the goal.
“They’re listening,” he told the press. “If we can come up with a feasible plan, I think they’re willing to listen. We hope to have playoffs in two or three years.”
So the MHSFCA went to work, scheduling meetings around the state – talking with, and listening to, membership.
“We’re not going to press for any certain system at this time. It will take time to work out the details. We just want to sell the idea,” Driscoll said.
The MHSFCA recognized it could take a while.
“Iowa had to present the playoff five years before it was approved,” noted Driscoll.
While the administrative wheels turned, the MHSFCA worked on developing a point system designed to reward teams based on strength of schedule. The goal was to create a test – ideally during the 1973 season – designed to prove the concept, with the hope for an actual playoff in the fall of 1974.
One thing almost certain to occur, if a system could be developed, would be a recasting of those newspaper rankings.
“Indiana had a dry run on their (proposed) playoffs last year and four of the top five teams in the football polls did not make the playoffs on a point system.”
“No matter how honestly polls are conducted,” stated Jim DeLand of the Benton Harbor Herald-Palladium in April 1973, “they inevitably favor unbeaten teams with an easier schedule over teams with a tougher schedule, and say, one loss.”
Financing the Idea
According to the coaches’ group, most football playoffs in other states had been self-supporting and profitable. “Ohio played its semifinals in a doubleheader at the Ohio State stadium last fall and drew 20-some thousand people,” noted Ike Muhlenkamp, coach at St. Joseph High School and Region 5 director of the MHSFCA, in conversation with DeLand. That additional revenue, he noted, could be used to support other things that were coming along, like girls athletics.
MHSFCA regional directors conducted meetings around the state in April 1973 to explain the proposal.
The idea was to use a point system to determine which teams would qualify for play. A school’s classification – Class A, B, C, or D – determined by enrollment size, would be used here as well. Just like basketball, four schools would emerge as champions at the end of the tournament.
“It’s complicated … complicated,” said Bush about the proposal to institute a football playoff just prior to a May pitch by the coaches to the MHSAA Representative Council. “There’s a tremendous mass of bookkeeping involved. Other states are doing it, and we can’t turn our backs on it, but I don’t anticipate it happening this year.”
The Council was receptive to the idea, but it needed examination and testing. The Council called for the assembly of a “Blue-Ribbon panel” of superintendents, principals, athletic directors and coaches from around the state to determine the potential of a football postseason and to explore and address the challenges. Harley Pierce, Sturgis football coach, was named chairman of the committee.
“We’d like to see it operate on paper first,” Driscoll told Dean Howe of the Flint Journal. “That way, we’d know approximately how the real thing would operate.”
“Right now, the Blue-Ribbon committee is studying three point systems, ones used in Ohio, Virginia, and Iowa,” noted Howe. “In Ohio, ratings are done strictly by computer. It costs $5,000 a season to use the computer system.”
In October, the Council asked that the proposed point system be refined.
A key component, as envisioned by the MHSFCA, was to create a system that factored in the quality of competition played by a team during the regular season.
“A team with an 8-1 record might be picked over a 9-0 club by season’s end if that team had played much better competition,” explained Howe.
A special questionnaire was distributed by the MHSAA in February 1974. “By almost a 5 to 1 margin, prep coaches throughout the state supported the playoff,” stated Bob Gross in the Lansing State Journal.
Under the refined system, football game results would be gathered and run through a formula that awarded points based on wins and ties constructed around enrollment classifications, and bonus points for the results of games played by your opponents. League affiliation and margin of victory held no bearing on playoff points awarded.
In May, the Representative Council, acting on the strong support by coaches for a football tournament, instructed staff at the MHSAA to conduct a sample playoff, on paper, during the 1974 season. The approach would serve as a testing ground – a place to run the idea around the track with live data.
The reality of an actual postseason was still, at minimum, a year away. If all worked as intended, the hope was for an actual tournament in 1975 and 1976, with a re-evaluation of the system to follow. But obstacles remained.
“Weather, playing conditions, sites, records of teams and you name it, we’re faced with just about everything when it comes to something like this,” said Bush. “Teams in the U.P. start the regular season two weeks early so naturally they’re finished by the time teams in the Lower Peninsula are in their sixth and seventh games.” If a U.P. team qualified for the proposed tournament, “they’d have to wait two weeks at least to prepare for a playoff.”
In the end, the idea would still need approval by the Association of Secondary School Principals, which had the “final word on all athletic policies.”
“The coaches are on one side of the fence and administrators (on) the other,” Bush continued. “(T)here’s still a lot of work to do before we actually have a playoff.”
Paper and Pencil
University of Michigan’s Bo Schembechler endorsed the idea and stated in a letter to the MHSFCA that he’d like to see the title game played at U-M. Within, he addressed a concern expressed in some administrative circles. At the time, 652 schools in Michigan played football.
“The fact is that only 16 schools will have an extended season,” stated Schembechler. “There should be little, if any, effect on the basic philosophy of scholastic emphasis.”
Michigan State football coach Denny Stolz also wrote a letter to the group stating he, too, favored the playoff system.
Labeled the “Paper Playoffs,” the proof of concept was handled in the old-fashioned manner, as according to Bush, a computer would not be used for point calculations. It would cost too much.
Instead, at schools that believed they deserved consideration, athletic directors were to fill out a rating form after the season’s sixth game with appropriate information about the results of games played. School principals were to sign the form and mail it to the MHSAA. A single MHSAA staff member each week would then manually “tabulate the results and determine the top teams in each class of four regions” and release them for publication.
The resulting rank of teams was expected to be controversial by both the MHSAA and the MHSFCA. Smaller schools beating teams above their enrollment classification would benefit from the system. Larger schools facing smaller schools would receive fewer points for a win than they would by defeating a team within their own classification. As predicted, an undefeated season was no guarantee of a place within the 16-team field of qualifiers.
“After the formula was devised, the coaches applied it to the top teams in the 1973 Class A poll,” stated Dave Matthews in a State Journal article that appeared just prior to the start of the 1974 season. Saginaw Arthur Hill – undefeated, untied, and unscored upon across nine games – had been named state champion in every state newspaper poll. The Lumberjacks had outscored their opponents, 443-0, but would have finished third in their region in the playoff rankings behind both Flint Southwestern (8-1) and East Lansing (9-0). Simply put, Arthur Hill would not have qualified for the playoffs. Based on the formula, both Southwestern and East Lansing had played more challenging schedules than Arthur Hill.
Controversy
Results needed for the first tabulation following the Week 6 games were slow in arriving. As of the Tuesday following the game, the MHSAA had received only 60 forms. With Wednesday as the cutoff date, the first round of calculations didn’t include teams – like undefeated South Haven – that appeared in the weekly newspaper polls. (South Haven’s form didn’t arrive until after the deadline). That illustrated the need for timely reporting.
Comparisons between the press polls and the “paper playoff” rankings were common, and by season’s end, they illustrated the seismic shift that was approaching – and a call for action.
“Football games aren’t won or lost on paper. Neither are state championships,” wrote Roger Neumann in the State Journal in early November as the season headed for its conclusion. “That’s why most mid-Michigan prep coaches are anxious to see the state’s experimental ‘paper playoffs’ taken a step further and put on the gridiron.”
While it appeared a large majority of coaches – and school administrators – favored moving forward, support for the proposed system certainly wasn’t unanimous.
East Lansing coach Jeff Smith questioned the approach.
‘I’m still for a playoff,’ Smith told Neumann. ‘‘But I have some reservations. I’m not sure that the No. 1 team in each region is the best team.” While Smith admitted he didn’t have an answer on how to improve upon the suggested point system in place, he offered a suggestion.
“If we’re going to do this, I think we should do it right and have eight teams in the playoffs (per classification). Eight teams would be more representative. You’d still be going with the elite of the state.”
Smith noted an expanded playoff with three rounds could still be accomplished within two weeks as the MHSAA allowed teams to play every five days.
“With or without such a change, however, Smith said he’d vote for a true playoff, adding, ‘Any playoff is better than no playoff at all. Once you’ve got it, you can always make changes later,” reported Neumann.
The final AP polls, released Tuesday, Nov. 12, showed Birmingham Brother Rice, Muskegon Catholic Central, Hudson, and Traverse City St. Francis as respective state champions in Classes A, B, C, and D, respectively. United Press International (UPI) differed in only Class C, with Battle Creek St. Philip as the top-ranked team, just five points ahead of Hudson.
According to the final “paper playoff” rankings, only Muskegon Catholic and St. Philip would have qualified for postseason play.
Approved
“It’ll be the principals who’ll really decide if there’ll be playoffs,” said Dick Comar, publicity director for the MHSFCA in late January of 1975. The principals were to receive a questionnaire within a week asking their opinion on the proposal. They had until Feb. 24 to cast their vote.
The results of the survey would be presented to the MHSAA Representative Council at its March 21 meeting in Ann Arbor (coinciding with the annual basketball championships at U-M’s Crisler Arena), with a final decision concerning the issue “at that meeting or at their meeting in May.”
On March 22, Bush announced the proposal had passed, indicating that 73 percent of high schools that had responded to the survey had voted in favor of postseason play. Michigan would have a football tournament. Sites and dates were to be determined. The Council requested that semifinal games be played on high school fields, and that, if possible, the final-round contests be played on artificial turf.
By May, the MHSAA had contracted ESR Corporation, a data processing firm in Lansing, to handle the input of weekly game results. Using the same formula developed and tested, ESR would be responsible for calculating point totals to determine the state’s best teams by Class and region.
Norris called the plan “a combination of the best features already in use in Ohio, Iowa, and West Virginia.” He credited former Alpena coach Art Gillespie with doing much of the work for “carrying the ball through the preparation stages.”
Five members of the media – Howe of the Flint Journal, Jack Moss of the Kalamazoo Gazette, Joe Walker of the Saginaw News, Ed Senyczko of the State Journal, and John Carlisle of the Sault Ste. Marie Evening News – were tasked with capturing the results of games played by 679 schools, including 28 from outside of Michigan, and mailing the results to the MHSAA.
“We’re not interested in the score,” said Bush. “We want to know if a team won, lost, tied, or did not play.”
In August, the MHSAA announced that state title games would be played at two sites on Saturday, Nov. 22. Western Michigan University would host the Class A and D games, while Class B and C were slated for Central Michigan University.
The four regions used to divide up the state for the annual basketball tournament also were used as the regions for football.
In September, with the results of the season’s first games – played by the state’s Upper Peninsula teams – fed into ESR’s computers, Bush was clear that the final playoff rankings would cause controversy.
“It’s not necessarily the four best teams in the state that will compete in the semifinals,” he said, “but the best in each region.”
The result was both popular and controversial. The papers continued their weekly football polls. The first MHSAA rankings were not released until Oct 8.
UPI was unimpressed: “If the playoffs were held this weekend – which they are not – not a single one of the teams UPI has rated first in the four classes would qualify.”
Hal Schram of the Detroit Free Press expressed a similar emotion.
“The first computerized points were announced last week and there were glaring differences between the media polls and the MHSAA system,” he wrote.
“’There is no reason to attempt a state football championship, and extend the season two more weeks, when you’re inviting only four teams in each class to perform,’ said Joe Vanderhof, veteran sportswriter of the Grand Rapids Press.
Skepticism continued as the weeks went on, culminating in joy for 16 schools – but disappointment for many others – when the final MHSAA rankings were released Nov. 9.
Norway, undefeated in nine games, was the first to experience heartbreak, as U.P. teams finished their season earlier than others. Tied with Ishpeming in the Region 4 Class C rankings, the Knights lost the playoff spot by a tie-breaking formula. Since the two schools had not played each other, a second method was employed to break the deadlock. The summed win-loss percentage of each school’s opponents was compared, with Ishpeming coming out two-tenths of a percent higher. Two of Norway’s top challengers had not played a ninth game. If either had at least tied another contest, Norway would have slipped ahead in the rankings.
“We’ve been ranked … in the AP ahead of Ishpeming all year,” stated Knights coach Bob Giannunzio. “This is hard to swallow.”
Jim Crowley, coach of Jackson Lumen Christi, was also among the disappointed: “You do everything you can and still don’t make it. Undefeated, the team finished No. 1 in Class B according to UPI.”
“But had it not been Lumen Christi,” noted UPI writer Richard Shook, “then it would have been Dearborn Divine Child (missing out). They were both in the same playoff region.”
Trenton in Class A, Divine Child in Class B, Hudson in Class C and North Adams in Class D finished on top in the final AP poll. Only Trenton did not qualify for the postseason. Traverse City topped Trenton in the final UPI and Free Press polls and did qualify. Lumen Christi finished No. 1 in Class B, Hudson in Class C, and Crystal Falls Forest Park – another qualifier – finished on top in Class D in the Free Press.
“I’ve got the best football team in the state,” Trenton coach Jack Castignola told Schram. “I’ve got at least two future Big Ten players. We had three goals at the opening of practice in August, to go unbeaten, win the conference and the state. We’ve been deprived of reaching our final goal and there’s nothing we can do about it. Corrections are going to have to be made in future years.”
Flint Ainsworth, with a 7-2-0 record, ranked 14th in the UPI poll, was the only team unranked and without even honorable mention in the AP poll to qualify for the tournament.
Livonia Franklin, Divine Child, Ishpeming, and Forest Park emerged as the MHSAA’s first gridiron champions. Since that time, various alterations have been made to the football playoffs. Seasons now begin sooner, many more teams qualify for the postseason, and, beginning in 1976, championship games were moved indoors. Today, 10 teams – eight 11-player squads and two 8-player teams – will be awarded titles come November.
But it was the efforts and collaboration of many that got us here.
“There were a lot of great people involved,” said Driscoll, reflecting on those efforts some 50 years later, and emphasizing that he was only one of many individuals on the same team, uniting behind a goal. “We got great cooperation. We had some super coaches and … some administrators that were not afraid to step forward and say, ‘Hey! These are good people and I know if they do it, they’ll do it the right way.’”
Ron Pesch has taken an active role in researching the history of MHSAA events since 1985 and began writing for MHSAA Finals programs in 1986, adding additional features and "flashbacks" in 1992. He inherited the title of MHSAA historian from the late Dick Kishpaugh following the 1993-94 school year, and resides in Muskegon. Contact him at [email protected] with ideas for historical articles.
PHOTOS (Top) The MHSAA program greets fans for the first Football Finals. (2) Jackson Parkside coach Dave Driscoll talks with one of his players in 1971. (3) A points system was created to determine the field for the first MHSAA Football Playoffs in 1975. (4) Media members were responsible for collecting scores for the MHSAA to tabulate playoff rankings. (Photos gathered by Ron Pesch.)