Hearts Heavy, St. Mary's Keeps Promise
November 29, 2014
By Bill Khan
Special for Second Half
DETROIT — The most important football game in Brandon Adams' life suddenly didn't seem so important.
At a time when excitement should've been rising within the Orchard Lake St. Mary's junior, he was holed up in his bedroom, coming to grips with the lowest moment in his young life.
Football? Who cares about something as trivial as football — even a state championship game — when your mother just died two days earlier?
Playing a game may not have been important, but fulfilling a promise to his mother and continuing to live as she would have wished helped him to get up, get out of his room and move forward.
"At first, I didn't think I was going to play this game," said Adams, whose 1-yard run with 5:42 left in the first quarter was the only touchdown in the Eaglets' 7-0 victory over Muskegon in the MHSAA Division 3 Final on Saturday night at Ford Field.
"Thursday, after she passed, I was sitting in my bed at home. My dad walks in and says, 'I don't want you to sit here and sulk,' so I went to practice Friday. We had a team meeting at 1 before our practice at 2. All the guys gave their condolences and said, 'We're not losing this game. We're making a promise to God, to my mom and to the team that we're gonna win,' and we did. I don't know. It's just ..."
Adams' voice trailed off as he held the game ball, standing before reporters and bravely articulating his feelings while still in the midst of grief.
His mother, Katie, was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer three months ago. She continued to follow her son's team, all the way up through the Semifinal victory over New Boston Huron just five days before she died on Thanksgiving.
"All the guys came to the hospital, because she was in hospice for her last hours," Adams said. "The one thing she was saying to all the guys was, 'I'm going to watch the game on TV and I want you guys to bring me back the trophy. Well, she's not here, but we did. It was a promise my brothers made to me and to my family and to each other that we would win the game.
"She never missed a game. Even with her chemo, she was sick as a dog and she'd come sit in her car and come watch. This was the first game in my football career she's missed."
In a time of tragedy for the team, St. Mary's coach George Porritt saw inspiration in the way Adams was supported by his teammates.
"The last 48 hours have been a whirlwind," Porritt said. "What's great is watching kids take care of kids when there are tough times. This team rallied behind this kid. Last night was special."
From a football standpoint, Porritt supported Adams by giving him two straight carries after his fumble nearly ended the game's only scoring drive.
Adams broke through the line and appeared primed to scamper into the end zone on a 4-yard run from the 6-yard line, but he lost the ball, only to recover it himself.
Adams got the next carry, moving the ball one yard closer to the end zone, before going untouched around the left side to cap a nine-play, 34-yard drive.
Adams was appreciative of the opportunity to get the next two carries following his fumble.
"My coaches are very persistent on hanging on to the ball," he said. "After that fumble, it's human nature to get down on yourself and hang your head, but my coaches kept preaching, 'Hold your head up, we'll get through it,' and they gave it back to me again. I knew I was going to get into the end zone."
Porritt insisted that Adams wasn't given the chance to bounce back just because he was going through a hard time in his life.
"Sometimes we like the kid to get the ball right away, get it right back in his hands," Porritt said. "We had to have him."
Real life beyond the football field was also the theme for Muskegon as coach Shane Fairfield addressed his players after the Big Reds lost in an MHSAA Final for the third straight year. They lost to Birmingham Brother Rice in the last two Division 2 title games.
"It's not going to be easy," Fairfield told his team. "It hurts. It should hurt, because it means so much. ... We have to continue the pursuit of greatness in our lives."
Adams tempted fate with his early fumble, but wasn't as fortunate in the second quarter. On second-and-goal from Muskegon's 2-yard line, Alezay Coleman popped the ball loose from Adams' grasp and Taron Smith recovered for the Big Reds with 10:53 left in the first half.
Having escaped a possible early 14-0 deficit, Muskegon's offense began to click after its first three possessions resulted in only four yards on eight plays. The Big Reds marched 95 yards in 14 plays, taking 6:56 off the clock, but came away with no points when they also failed to score from the 2-yard line.
Those missed opportunities by each team from the opponents' 2-yard line would be the closest either would come to scoring after the Eaglets opened up with a touchdown.
The defensive standoff was surprising, given the fact St. Mary's averaged 47.5 points and Muskegon 37 in four playoff games.
"You never know what kind of game it's going to be," Porritt said. "We know we have a great defense and they have a great defense. So, that's what happens. The defenses were a little bit better than the offenses today."
The Eaglets nursed their 7-0 lead through a scoreless second half by not allowing Muskegon to get closer than 31 yards from the end zone.
The Big Reds had four possessions after halftime, with two ending in interceptions. Tyler Cochran picked off a pass on the first play of Muskegon's second possession of the third quarter. The key interception came with 6:37 left in the game when Dwayne Chapman came up with an errant pass on fourth-and-three from the St. Mary's 31.
Muskegon would never touch the ball again. St. Mary's ran out the final 6:37 by getting four first downs on a 14-play possession that covered 49 yards.
When time expired, St. Mary's had its sixth MHSAA title, while the Big Reds had to settle for the runner-up trophy for the third year in a row.
"A lot of teams around Muskegon can't say they've been there three years in a row," Muskegon senior lineman Rowland Sharp II said. "I've been here since my sophomore year. I'm very proud to say I made it to Ford Field. As I go into my career, I'll be able to say, yes, I played at Ford Field; that's an NFL stadium I played in."
Muskegon's explosive ground game was held to 109 yards on 33 carries. St. Mary's also struggled with its trademark running game, gaining 133 yards on 45 carries.
PHOTOS: (Top) Orchard Lake St. Mary’s hoists its Division 3 championship trophy after the final football game of the 2014 MHSAA season Saturday. (Middle) St. Mary’s Josh Ross (5) breaks through the line as Muskegon defenders pursue. (Click for action photos and team photos from Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS:
BIG REDS GOAL LINE TAKEAWAY - Early in the second quarter, Muskegon forces an Orchard Lake St. Mary's fumble, which is recovered by Alezay Coleman.
EAGLETS THWART MUSKEGON'S LAST CHANCE - Muskegon's last offensive chance came near the midpoint of the fourth quarter, where on a fourth down play, a Big Reds pass by intercepted by Orchard Lake St. Mary's Dwayne Chapman. The Eaglets then ran out the clock and won the Division 3 championship game, 7-0.
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Crampton Hanging Up Official's Whistle After 46 Years of Giving Back
By
Doug Donnelly
Special for MHSAA.com
October 26, 2022
After most high school football games end, the referees typically head for the exits, get to the locker rooms and head home. Rarely do fans, players and coaches notice how they disappear.
Things were a little different Friday night in Ottawa Lake.
After Ottawa Lake Whiteford beat Pioneer (Ohio) North Central 30-0, the fans stayed in their seats, the players stayed in the handshake line and coaches gathered around as retiring referee Tom Crampton received his place in the spotlight. After nearly 50 years as a high school football referee, Crampton had blown his whistle a final time.
“I feel like I’m at that point,” Crampton said. “I wanted to go as long as I could. I’ve been fortunate to get to this stage.”
Crampton turned 76 in September. The Jackson native got his start as an official during the 1977-78 school year after hurting his knee in a flag football game.
“I was just running across the field and heard something pop,” he said. “I realized my playing days were over. I had a friend who was an official. He got me into it.”
For years Crampton was a football referee in the fall, basketball official in the winter and umpire in the spring. He gave up the other sports about a decade ago but never wanted to give up football, the game he learned as a 10-year-old growing up in Jackson under the tutelage of Howdy Woods.
“He brought sports into my life,” Crampton said. “He worked with the juveniles of Jackson County and was an official himself, I believe. All of us kids knew Howdy. He got me started in sports.”
Sports became a lifelong passion for the retired director of pharmacy for Henry Ford Allegiance. When he and his wife Colleen had children, he thought about stepping back from his referee duties, but his family wasn’t having it.
“My wife and children all encouraged me to keep doing sports,” he said. “When the kids were younger, I said, ‘I really need to taper this back,’ and they didn’t want me to. They followed me. My wife was my biggest fan. After I retired from work, I thought maybe it was time, but she would not let me quit.”
For years Crampton was a back judge. He transitioned to umpire a few years ago because he felt he was better equipped for that role than running up and down the field.
Chris Dauterman has been an official for 27 years and was a back judge for years before becoming a crew chief only few years ago. Crampton joined his crew when the group of officials he had been working with for decades disbanded due to retirements.
“It’s hard to imagine being dedicated to a hobby that long,” Dauterman said. “That’s really what it is, a hobby. Nobody who does this is doing it for the money. They are doing it for the love of the kids and game. I give him all the respect in the world for putting up with the things he does for so long.
“His knowledge of the rule book and mechanics of an officiating crew is unbelievable,” Dauterman added. “I’ve worked with a lot of officials over the years. In the three years I’ve worked with Tom, he’s helped me transition from back judge to the crew chief. The knowledge he has is tremendous. It’s nice to have him as a sounding board. As another official, it means the world.”
Crampton lives in Lake Columbia, not far from Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. He primarily has done games in the Jackson area, including the Cascades Conference and Southeastern Conference the last few years. Friday he was doing a nonleague game between Whiteford and a school from northwest Ohio.
The game ended prematurely when North Central pulled its players off the field at halftime due to injuries and lack of available players to continue.
Before anyone left, however, Crampton was presented with a golden whistle and received a standing ovation for his years of service. After the handshakes, players from both sides greeted Crampton at midfield.
Crampton said most kids haven’t changed in the last 45-plus years he’s been on the field with them. Except for just a few players, most are respectful of him and the sport.
“When I played in the 60s, sports were an extension of the classroom,” he said. “It was learning things of life and that things don’t always work right. There are failures sometimes, but you go on and you pick yourself up and you respect those around you and the competition.
“I think that has waned a little over the years, but most of the kids haven’t changed. Being a referee has been a great experience. I love being out with the kids. Most of the kids out there are great kids, great people. You just have to give them a chance.”
Crampton said he realized his time as an official was nearing the end about a year ago when he said he couldn’t quite get into the position that he wanted during a game. He hopes new officials sign up for the gig and continue the tradition of helping high school athletics.
“We’ve tried recruiting some new officials,” he said. “They were moving up fast now from lower levels to varsity. We’ve lost so many officials over the last few years. I couldn’t have done this without the support of the MHSAA. I’ve enjoyed being everywhere and meeting all the people.”
Crampton worked two MHSAA Finals games during his officiating career and has memories of great athletes, great coaches, and great games to last a lifetime.
“I’ve been fortunate my whole life,” he said. “I’ll miss it, there’s no doubt about it. This is my 66th year of football. How lucky can a person be?”
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) Retiring official Tom Crampton, middle, shares a laugh with referee colleague Chris Dauterman and Whiteford varsity football coach Todd Thieken before Crampton’s final game Friday. (Middle) Crampton and Dauterman bring Whiteford and Pioneer North Central players together at midfield prior to Friday’s game. (Photos by Doug Donnelly.)