Highlight Reel: Friday Football Finals
November 28, 2015
By John Johnson
MHSAA Communications Director
Champions were crowned Friday (Nov. 27) in four divisions of the 2015 MHSAA 11-Player Football Playoffs – presented by the Michigan Army National Guard – at Ford Field in Detroit.
Below are highlight clips from every game plus links to watch them in full.
Division 8
Muskegon Catholic Central 7, Waterford Our Lady 0
Senerius To Senerius – Waterford Our Lady threatened several times in the first half, including late, when Clay Senerius hit Devin Senerius for a 30-yard gain.
Crusaders Go On Top – The only score of the Division 8 title game came early in the fourth quarter when Muskegon Catholic Central's Christian Martinez ran it in from 8 yards out.
Watch the whole game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
Division 2
Detroit Martin Luther King 40, Lowell 38
Dean’s Second TD For Lowell – Lowell jumped out to a 24-7 lead late in the first half on this 3-yard run by Max Dean, his second score of the game.
Incredible Finish - Corley Winning TD – On the final play of the game, Detroit King's Donnie Corley hauls in a 40-yard TD pass from Armani Posey to give the Crusaders the win over Lowell for the MHSAA Division 2 title.
Watch the whole game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
Division 6
Ithaca 27, Clinton 20
Sexton Takes It To The House – Clinton scored the first 13 points of the Division 6 Football Final against Ithaca. Here's the second touchdown on a 56-yard run by Mathew Sexton early in the third quarter.
Ithaca Takes The Lead – Ithaca's run of 27 unanswered points included this 18-yard pass from Jake Smith to Spence DeMull in the third quarter. The Yellowjackets added the PAT and never trailed again.
Watch the whole game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
Division 4
Zeeland West 40, Flint Powers Catholic 14
Dux Take Flight – Zeeland West QB Casey Brinks was 4 for 4 passing for 103 yards against Flint Powers, getting half of that yardage on this pass to Tyler Thompson in the first quarter. This pass set up the Dux’ first TD.
Sargent Hits Brcic For Six – Noah Sargent makes a nice TD pass on the run to Luke Brcic for Flint Powers Catholic against Zeeland West in the Division 4 Final.
Watch the whole game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
The MHSAA Football Finals are sponsored by the Michigan National Guard.
PHOTO: Ithaca quarterback Jake Smith dives ahead for an extra yard during the Division 6 Final.
Flashback 100: Future Baseball Pro Led Escanaba's Legendary Football Title Run
November 8, 2024
The MHSAA 11-player Football Playoffs have awarded 332 Finals champions over their first 49 seasons, and the total will grow by eight later this month.
However, only 22 of those titles have been claimed by teams from Michigan's Upper Peninsula. And of those, just one came in the state’s largest division.
That honor belongs to Escanaba, which won the Class A title in 1981, marking the first and only time a U.P. team has claimed the crown in either Division 1, Class A, or Class AA.
The 1981 Escanaba team, coached by the legendary Jerry Cvengros – who would later be inducted into the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame – was led by Kevin Tapani. A dynamic two-way player, Tapani starred at both quarterback and safety. The Eskymos finished the season undefeated at 12-0, outscoring opponents by a combined 345-67. They shut out six opponents and defeated Fraser 16-6 in the title game at the Pontiac Silverdome.
While Tapani excelled in football, his true passion was baseball. He was a standout in high school and went on to become a four-year starting pitcher at Central Michigan University. In 1986, Tapani was selected by the Oakland A’s in the second round of the MLB Draft. He went on to enjoy a successful 13-year career in the majors, earning a 143-125 record, with a 16-9 season in 1991 when he helped lead the Minnesota Twins to a World Series title.
In recognition of his athletic achievements, Tapani was inducted into the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame in 2012 and named one of the Minnesota Twins' 50 all-time greatest players.
The 22 U.P. teams to win an MHSAA 11-player football championship:
1975 – Ishpeming – Class C
1975 – Crystal Falls Forest Park – Class D
1976 – Crystal Falls Forest Park – Class D
1979 – Ishpeming – Class C
1979 – Norway – Class D
1980 – Munising – Class C
1980 – Norway – Class D
1981 – Escanaba – Class A
1983 – St. Ignace – Class D
1992 – Lake Linden-Hubbell – Class DD
1993 – Kingsford – Class B
1993 – Iron Mountain – Class C
1997 – Lake Linden-Hubbell – Class D
1998 – Menominee – Class BB
2000 – Iron Mountain – Division 7
2002 – Negaunee – Division 6
2006 – Menominee – Division 5
2007 – Menominee – Division 5
2007 – Crysal Falls Forest Park – Division 8
2012 – Ishpeming – Division 7
2013 – Ishpeming – Division 7
2015 – Ishpeming – Division 7
Previous "Flashback 100" Features
Nov. 1: Flashback 100: Michigan High School Baseball Trio Provide World Series Voices - Read
Oct. 25: Flashback 100: Before Leading Free World, Ford Starred for Champion GR South - Read
Oct. 18: Mercy Links Legend Becomes World Golf Hall of Famer - Read
Oct. 11: Fisher Races to Finals Stardom on Way to U.S. Olympic First - Read
Oct. 4: Lalas Leaves High School Legacies on Ice & Pitch - Read
Sept. 27: Tamer's History-Making Run Starts in Dexter, Continues to Paris - Read
Sept. 20: Todd Martin’s Road to Greatness Starts at East Lansing - Read
Sept. 13: James Earl Jones, Dickson High Hoops to Hollywood Legend - Read
Sept. 6: Pioneers' Unstoppable Streak Stretches 9 Seasons - Read
Aug. 30: Detroit dePorres Rushes to 1995 Class CC Football Championship - Read
PHOTOS (Top) Escanaba's 1981 Class A championship team, Tapani is in the second row, fourth from the right (#18). (Middle) Kevin Tapani from his Escanaba Wall of Fame Plaque. (Photos courtesy of Escanaba High School, and the MHSAA archives.)