Highlight Reel: Saturday Football Finals

November 28, 2015

By John Johnson
MHSAA Communications Director 

The 2015 Fall sports season concluded Saturday (Nov. 28), with four more champions crowned at the 11-Player Football Finals – 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 7
Ishpeming 22, Pewamo-Westphalia 16

Smith’s Record Setter – Pewamo Westphalia scored first on this 25-yard run by Jared Smith, his 53rd of the season, a new MHSAA record. He also set a record in 2015 for single-single rushing yardage with 3,243 yards. 

Ozzy Does It All – After scoring all three of his team's touchdowns, Ishpeming's Ozzy Corp makes the defensive play of the game by batting away a fourth-down pass in the end zone.

Watch the whole game and order DVDs by Clicking Here. 

Division 1
Romeo 41, Detroit Cass Tech 27 

Tanner Breaks Free For TD – Romeo's Bradley Tanner rushed for 130 yards and three TDs in the Division 1 Final against Detroit Cass Tech. Here's his second score, in the second quarter. 

Cass Tech Gets Back In The Game – Detroit Cass Tech pulls within a score of Romeo midway through the fourth quarter on this 36-yard pass from Aaron Jackson to Donovan People-Jones.

Watch the whole game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.  

Division 5
Grand Rapids West Catholic 40, River Rouge 34

Fox On The Run – David Fox rushed for 152 yards and three touchdowns to lead Grand Rapids West Catholic in its Division 5 Final with River Rouge.  Here’s the first of those scoring plays – a 64-yard run at the end of the first quarter.

Burgess TD Pass to Vinson – River Rouge QB Antoine Burgess passed for 354 yards and three TDs in the Division 5 Final against Grand Rapids West Catholic.  Here’s a third-quarter pass that went 63 yards for a score to Aaron Vinson, who had 162 yards receiving in the game.

Watch the whole game and order DVDs by Clicking Here. 

Division 3
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 29, Chelsea 12
 

Tabone & Hamler Team Up For Eaglets – The combination of QB Brendan Tabone and WR Kahlee Hamler connected for two TDs in Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Division 3 Final against Chelsea. Here’s the first score in the opening period.

Bulldog Trickery – Chelsea got on the board in the second quarter on a halfback pass covering 47 yards from Graham Kuras to Noah Vanreesema. 

Watch the whole game and order DVDs by Clicking Here

The MHSAA Football Finals are sponsored by the Michigan National Guard.

PHOTO: Romeo's Bradley Tanner makes a move toward the end zone during the Division 1 Final as teammate Paul Hurley appears to signal the touchdown to come.

Moment: Morenci Returns to Record Book

November 18, 2020

By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties

The 1996 MHSAA Class C Football Final at the Pontiac Silverdome produced a special teams gem – the longest blocked punt return in the history of the event.

Morenci came to the game owning a piece of football history in Michigan. The Bulldogs' 1949 gridiron squad is one of seven teams to have ever produced an undefeated, untied and unscored campaign. At the same time, they scored 514 points in nine games, which was a regular-season record until Battle Creek Pennfield hit the 541-point mark in 1992.

Against Ravenna on this Thanksgiving weekend, Morenci found the record book again when Scott Miller blocked a punt attempt by Steve Johnson, and Chad Tedder picked up the loose ball and returned it a record 32 yards for a touchdown.

In the end, it was Ravenna which prevailed in this finale, 30-14. Benny Clark rushed for 207 yards and three touchdowns on a final-game record 49 attempts to end his career with 7,212 rushing yards, a state record at the time.