Logo

Grass Lake Thriving But Driving for More

September 13, 2019

By Doug Donnelly
Special for Second Half

GRASS LAKE – Cameron Darrow remembers the play like it was yesterday.

“It was the third quarter and there was nine minutes left,” the Grass Lake middle linebacker said. “I had 14 tackles in the game already. I came up through the hole and it was raining, and I tackled the running back. As I was lifting him up, my foot got caught in the ground and twisted and popped.”

Darrow broke his ankle in two spots in that game against Addison, which was near the end of his sophomore season. It was a long road back, but the Warriors senior captain made a full recovery. He’s one of the reasons Grass Lake is off to a 2-0 start and has its sights set on a big season.

“We just take it game by game,” Darrow said. “We just want to keep winning. Our goal at the end of every week is to be 1-0.”

The reigning Cascades Conference champions earned a spot in The Associated Press’ Division 6 top 10 poll earlier this week. And going into tonight’s game against East Jackson, the Warriors are in midseason form. Grass Lake beat Stockbridge 58-12 in the season opener and handled Vandercook Lake 51-0 in the first game of league play.

“You can’t argue with how the kids have played,” said 20th-year Grass Lake head coach Randy Cole. “It’s very early in the season, though. We have a long way to go. We just have to keep getting better.”

Over the past six seasons, Cole has employed a high-powered, up-tempo offense. His son Anthony was an assistant coach at Albion College when Cole asked him his thoughts about implementing the offense at Grass Lake. It’s worked.

“It gives us a lot of versatility,” Cole said. “We spread the ball around. We get the ball out quick. It’s fun. The kids like it.”

Grass Lake is used to winning. The Warriors have made the playoffs 13 of the last 14 years and are 145-60, a winning percentage above .700, during Cole’s tenure.

This year’s offense is led by junior quarterback Carson Farley. He’s been dynamite through two weeks, completing 26 of his 30 passes for 440 yards and nine touchdowns. He hasn’t thrown an interception.

“He’s new,” Cole said. “He was our JV quarterback last year. He’s off to a great start. He makes good decisions. He has good knowledge of the offense. We run the same thing on the JV, and he ran it well last year. He knew coming in that he was going to be our quarterback, so he worked hard this summer.”

Farley has spread the ball around. Over just two games, six Warriors have at least one rushing attempt and eight receivers have caught passes. Six of those eight pass-catchers have a touchdown.

“We don’t really have a No. 1 receiver,” Cole said. “We spread it around. We take what the defense gives us.”

Trenton Holden leads the Warriors in rushing with more than 300 yards on nearly 12 yards per carry.

Grass Lake never huddles on offense.

“We don’t even use the word huddle,” Darrow said. “We call it a gathering. The only time we ‘gather’ is late in a game if we are trying to use up the clock.”

On defense, Darrow is the signal-caller from his middle linebacker spot. He’s been in on 24 tackles over two games – credited with 20 solo tackles and four assists. He has three tackles for loss and one sack.

“He’s the guts and glue of our defense,” said Cole.

Grass Lake’s No. 1 goal, as usual, is to win the Cascades Conference. After that, the Warriors are hoping to make a deeper run in the playoffs. Last season they started 8-0 before losing to eventual Division 8 champion Reading in the Week 9 Big 8 Conference crossover game 55-7 and then to Cascades foe Michigan Center 35-6 in the first round of the playoffs.

“We were humbled,” Darrow said. “We really wanted to be the third team in Grass Lake history to go 9-0 in the regular season, but we just fell short. We definitely have that in the back of our minds. We want revenge and want to make it further in the playoffs.”

During the winter and summer workouts, Darrow said, those two losses were motivation for the Warriors players.

“We had 30 to 40 kids there lifting all summer,” he said. “We talked about those losses. We want to be better this year.”

Darrow, who is one of three team captains along with Gage Lee and Shane Holcomb, said this year’s Warriors are a tight group.

“We play for each other,” he said. “We all have the same goals. We’ve been playing together since the third grade and we just love football. When I was coming back from my injury last year, everyone lifted me up and helped me get back. Not coming back wasn’t an option. I love football too much.

“Football is a brotherhood. We play for each other.”

Doug Donnelly has served as a sports and news reporter and city editor over 25 years, writing for the Daily Chief-Union in Upper Sandusky, Ohio from 1992-1995, the Monroe Evening News from 1995-2012 and the Adrian Daily Telegram since 2013. He's also written a book on high school basketball in Monroe County and compiles record books for various schools in southeast Michigan. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.

PHOTOS: (Top) Cameron Darrow is back leading the Grass Lake defense this season. (Middle) Carson Farley looks downfield for a receiver (Photos courtesy of Amy Farley.)

Belleville blockers including Damon Denny (57) create running room during Saturday's 63-21 Division 1 Semifinal win over Davison.

1st & Goal: 2023 11-Player Semifinals Review

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

November 20, 2023

Of 16 teams that earned trips Saturday to this weekend’s MHSAA 11-Player Football Finals, eight will be returning to Ford Field for at least the second season in a row – with a repeat Division 8 championship game leading off the upcoming lineup.

MI Student AidNotable as well, four schools earned an opportunity to play on the season’s final day for the first time – and those are just some of the storylines to catch up on during a quick week that will conclude the MHSAA’s 2023 Fall season.

We’ll be back with a preview of all eight championship games Wednesday evening. For now, see all 16 Semifinals at a glance:

(Note: Highlights from Saturday's 8-Player Finals will be included in a final football championship "Review" next week.)

Division 1

HEADLINER Belleville 63, Davison 21 At 38 straight games, Belleville’s winning streak is up to the seventh-longest in MHSAA history and fourth-longest among streaks taking place entirely during the playoff era. The Tigers (13-0) earned the opportunity to play for a third-straight Division 1 title by scoring more than 60 points for the second time in three weeks, and despite giving up a season-high 21 points to the Cardinals (12-1). Click for more from MLIVE-Detroit.

HEADLINER Southfield Arts & Technology 40, West Bloomfield 35 Quarterback Isaiah Marshall scored the game-winning touchdown on the final play to send A&T (12-1) to its first Final in this sport. The win also avenged the Warriors’ 31-20 loss to West Bloomfield (10-3) in Week 8. Click for more from the Oakland Press.

Division 2

HEADLINER Muskegon 42, East Lansing 7 Running back Jakob Price was the biggest star this time as Muskegon (11-2) broke away to earn a return trip to the Finals after finishing Division 3 runner-up a year ago. East Lansing (10-3) capped its winningest season since 2001. Click for more from the Muskegon Chronicle.

HEADLINER Warren De La Salle Collegiate 45, Waterford Mott 19 The two-time reigning Division 2 champion is heading to the Finals for the fourth-straight season after extending its winning streak to nine this fall. The Pilots (11-2) opened up a 21-7 halftime lead on the way to advancing, and ended Mott’s longest playoff run and winningest season at 10-3. Click for more from the Macomb Daily.

Division 3

HEADLINER Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central 18, Zeeland West 14 The Rangers (12-1) also will be making a return trip to Ford Field after finishing Division 2 runner-up last season and thanks to a go-ahead touchdown during the final minutes after the teams traded scores during the fourth quarter. West finished 9-4, those losses by a combined 20 points. Click for more from the Grand Rapids Press.

HEADLINER Mason 26, Detroit Martin Luther King 20 Mason (13-0) is off to its first Final, and after falling to the Crusaders in Semifinals the last two seasons. King (7-6) led 13-10 at halftime, but after the teams traded scores to start the second half Mason eventually went ahead for the final time in the fourth quarter to get past the two-time reigning champ. Click for more from the Lansing State Journal.

Division 4

HEADLINER Grand Rapids South Christian 21, Portland 6 South Christian (10-3) earned an opportunity to repeat as Division 4 champion after limiting a Portland offense that averaged nearly 41 points per game entering the day. The Raiders (12-1) also shined on that side of the ball, holding South Christian to its second-lowest output of the season. Click for more from the Lansing State Journal.

HEADLINER Harper Woods 35, Goodrich 24 Harper Woods (10-3) will play in its first championship game in this sport after ending another long run for the reigning Division 4 runner-up Martians. Harper Woods tied the score at 21 all just before halftime, then pulled away during the second half while holding Goodrich (11-2) to just a field goal over the final two quarters. Click for more from MLIVE-Detroit.

Division 5

HEADLINER Grand Rapids Catholic Central 35, Frankenmuth 0 After a year away from Ford Field, GRCC (12-1) is heading back for its fourth Final over the last five seasons after shutting down an offense that averaged 46 points per game entering the weekend. Connor Wolf threw three touchdown passes and Kellen Russell-Dixon scored three times including twice rushing for the Cougars. Frankenmuth (11-2) was playing in its fourth-straight Semifinal and is a combined 47-5 over those seasons. Click for more from MLIVE.

HEADLINER Corunna 49, Flat Rock 0 Corunna (13-0) is headed to its first championship game in this sport after posting its fourth shutout this season and against an offense that averaged nearly 39 points per game during the regular season but 47 over three playoff wins. Flat Rock finished its first Semifinal run since 1976 at 9-4. Click for more from the Owosso Argus-Press.

Division 6

HEADLINER Kingsley 37, Reed City 7 Kingsley (11-2) added to its season-opening win over the Coyotes, this time to reach the Finals for the first time since 2005. Skylar Workman scored four times for the Stags, who held Reed City (9-4) to its two lowest scoring outputs of the season. Click for more from the Traverse City Record-Eagle.

HEADLINER Almont 45, Ovid-Elsie 21 Almont is headed to Ford Field for second time in five seasons after building a big first-half lead and carrying it through the second. The Raiders (12-1) scored on the first play with Chase Battani breaking away for a long run, one of his three rushing touchdowns. Ovid-Elsie finished its first Semifinal season since 2008 at 8-5. Click for more from the Port Huron Times Herald.

Division 7

HEADLINER Menominee 32, North Muskegon 21 The Maroons (11-2) earned a return to the Finals for the first time since 2016 by handing North Muskegon (12-1) its only loss – scoring the most points the Norsemen gave up this fall. Menominee jumped out to a 20-0 lead and held off the comeback attempt. Click for more from the Eagle Herald.

HEADLINER Jackson Lumen Christi 35, Millington 7 The Titans (12-1) earned an opportunity to play for a repeat championship this weekend by handing Millington (12-1) its lone loss this season. It was the ninth time Lumen Christi had held an opponent to single-digit scoring. Click for more from the Jackson Citizen Patriot.

Division 8

HEADLINER Ubly 24, Beal City 6 For the fifth-straight season, these two met with a trip to Ford Field on the line – and for the second straight Ubly (13-0) will be making it. Record-setting kicker Brett Mueller caught two touchdown passes and also booted a 54-yard field goal for the Bearcats. Beal City finished 11-2 and is a combined 33-5 over the last three seasons. Click for more from the Huron Daily Tribune.

HEADLINER Ottawa Lake Whiteford 35, Riverview Gabriel Richard 6 Reigning Division 8 champion Whiteford ran its winning streak to 27 games in earning its Ford Field return, also holding an opponent to single digits for the ninth time this season. Gabriel Richard finished its longest tournament run at 8-5. Click for more from the Monroe News.

MHSAA.com's weekly “1st & Goal” previews and reviews are powered by MI Student Aid, a part of the Office of Postsecondary Financial Planning located within the Michigan Department of Treasury. MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information. MI Student Aid administers the state’s 529 college savings programs (MET/MESP), as well as scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Connect with MI Student Aid at www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid and find more information on Facebook and X (Twitter) @mistudentaid.

PHOTO Belleville blockers including Damon Denny (57) create running room during Saturday's 63-21 Division 1 Semifinal win over Davison. (Photo by Terry Lyons.)