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King Avenges Early Defeat to Reign Again

November 24, 2018

By Tom Kendra
Special for Second Half

DETROIT – Rematches are rare in high school football, especially for teams located on opposite sides of the state.

But Detroit Martin Luther King on Saturday got the chance to avenge a Week 2 loss at Muskegon, and star senior quarterback Dequan Finn and his talented supporting cast made the most of it.

Finn, a 6-foot-1,190-pound senior who has committed to sign with Central Michigan University, threw four touchdown passes and ran for another as the Crusaders’ offensive versatility was the difference in a 41-25 victory over previously unbeaten Muskegon in the Division 3 Final at Ford Field.

“So many great King teams have lost to Muskegon, and it felt great to be the first to beat them,” said Tyrone Spencer, who has two MHSAA titles and a Semifinal appearance in his three years as King’s head coach. “They are a great program with a rich tradition, and it feels good to beat them for a state championship.”

King (12-2) won its third Finals championship in four years, after claiming back-to-back Division 2 crowns in 2015 and 2016. The Crusaders have won four titles overall, with their first also in Division 2 in 2007. 

Muskegon (13-1) was shooting for its seventh MHSAA title, but instead finished runner-up for the fifth time, and saw its state-best 27-game winning streak snapped.

The final championship game of the weekend was a matchup between arguably the two best quarterbacks in the state – and neither disappointed.

Muskegon junior Cameron Martinez (5-11, 190) was once again the workhorse for the Big Reds, carrying 37 times for 211 yards and two touchdowns. He completed only 1-of-4 passes, but that completion was good for a 13-yard touchdown to senior Ali’vonta Wallace.

Finn, meanwhile, was deadly with his arm and feet.

Finn completed 9-of-13 passes for 173 yards and the four scores, as his offensive line gave him plenty of time to pick apart the Muskegon secondary. He was also King’s second-leading rusher with 11 carries for 73 yards and another touchdown.

“I’m just happy with the whole team, the effort that we gave,” said Finn. “It’s a surreal moment right now. I’m lost for words.”

The quarterback matchup went back-and-forth for three quarters, and when Martinez plunged in from two yards out late in the third quarter to draw his team within 21-17, it appeared the stage was set for a fantastic finish.

Instead, King’s myriad offensive weapons overwhelmed Muskegon over the final 12 minutes.

Three players scored in the fourth quarter as the Crusaders pulled away – senior receiver Ahmad Gardner on a 22-yard pass from Finn, junior running back Peny Boone on a 52-yard run and senior receiver Darrell Wyatt on a three-yard pass from Finn that was nearly intercepted in the end zone.

“There were a lot of plays that could have been big for us, but there were dropped passes and a missed interception,” said Martinez, who finished his junior year with a school-record 2,527 rushing yards. “In a game like this, you can’t afford to make mistakes.”

Muskegon, which was playing in an MHSAA Finals game for the sixth time in seven years, got off to a great start.

The Big Reds forced a punt on King’s first possession, and despite taking over at their own 3-yard line, marched 97 yards in 13 plays behind their dominating offensive line. Martinez sprinted in from 10 yards out for a 7-0 lead.

Making openings for Martinez were four seniors up front – tackles Anthony Bradford (6-5, 360) and Evan Towers (6-4, 285) and guards Marquis Cooper (6-1, 330) and Da’Quarious Johnson (6-0, 260) – along with junior center DeAndre Mills-Ellis (6-0, 290).

King countered with the passing of Finn, who connected with senior wideout Dominick Polidore-Hannah on a pair of first-half touchdown passes covering 42 and 22 yards as the Crusaders took a 14-10 halftime lead.

The third quarter was even as Finn and Martinez each had scoring runs, but King’s athleticism prevailed over Muskegon’s size and strength during the final quarter.

“We won 27 games in a row, and you have no idea how remarkable that is,” Muskegon ninth-year head coach Shane Fairfield told his huddled team on the Ford Field turf afterwards. “It hurts and it should hurt, but we haven’t felt this in a while.”

Boone made Muskegon pay for spreading out to cover the pass, hammering his way for 111 yards on 14 carries. Gardner and Polidore-Hannah each caught three passes. Leading King defensively was junior free safety Joe Frazier with 11 tackles, sophomore safety Jaylen Reed and senior safety Ray Williams with 10 tackles apiece and senior linebacker Rich Miller with nine stops.

The victory was sweet revenge for the Crusaders and especially Finn. In the Week 2 meeting, he  mishandled a snap with 35 seconds remaining. Muskegon’s Billie Roberts recovered the fumble, and the Big Reds held on for a 24-21 win at Hackley Stadium in Muskegon. They went on to be ranked No. 1 in Division 3 the entire regular season and heading into the playoffs

“Our kids didn’t have any quit in them,” Spencer said. “I told them to give more effort, and that’s what they did. We got some breaks tonight, but (Muskegon) had some breaks when we went to their place and played. It’s a part of the game, and I’ll take it all day. Our guys never quit, and I’m proud of them.”

Senior Demario Robinson was the second-leading rusher for the Big Reds with 47 yards on six carries, while senior Carlos Hernandez booted a 37-yard field goal on the final play of the first half. Wallace led the defense with seven tackles, junior linebacker Tarran Walker had six and senior defensive back Isaiah Moore made five stops.

Muskegon, the winningest team in state history with 844 victories over 124 years of football (dating back to 1895), beat Farmington Hills Harrison last year for the Division 3 title. The Big Reds also have lost twice to Birmingham Brother Rice (2012 and 2013), twice to Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (2014 and 2016) and now King in championship games.

Fairfield scheduled the regular-season game against King to help prepare his team for the type of athletes it might see at Ford Field. He did not expect to see King again, as the Crusaders have traditionally slotted into the Division 2 bracket. But a drop in enrollment put both teams in the same division – and on a collision course.

Both had to survive Pre-District playoff scares, as Muskegon edged East Grand Rapids by one score (42-35), while King beat River Rouge by just one point (7-6).

After that, both teams rolled over their next three opponents en route to Ford Field.

Saturday’s matchup was the second time the two schools have met in an MHSAA Finals game, with the first meeting in the Class A Final in 1989 at the Pontiac Silverdome. Muskegon, which is now 5-1 all-time against King, prevailed in that title game 16-13.

Click for the full box score.

PHOTOS: (Top) Detroit Martin Luther King raises the Division 3 championship trophy Saturday night at Ford Field. (Middle) Crusaders defenders work to bring down a Muskegon ball carrier.

Hudsonville’s Bryce Fox (9) emerges from the grasp of multiple Howell defenders Saturday.

1st & Goal: 2024 Playoffs Week 3 Review

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

November 18, 2024

We’ve rounded the final turn toward the finish of this 2024 football season.

MI Student AidAll four 8-player finalists are decided, and we lead off today’s “Review” with a look back and how they earned their trips this weekend to Northern Michigan University’s Superior Dome.

We also glanced at all 32 Regional Finals in the 11-player bracket as those winners pulled within one more victory of booking Thanksgiving weekend at Ford Field.

8-Player Division 1

HEADLINER Pickford 34, Indian River Inland Lakes 18 This proved to be Pickford’s closest game so far this season, but the Panthers (12-0) advanced to their first MHSAA Final since 2019 when they won Division 1 – and also avenged a 12-0 Semifinal loss to Inland Lakes from a year ago. Pickford did so by holding the Bulldogs (11-1) well below its average of 53 points per game heading into the weekend. Click for more from WLUC.

HEADLINER Deckerville 49, Mendon 32 Mendon scored first and trailed by only three at halftime, but Deckerville outscored the Hornets 20-6 over the final two quarters. The Eagles (12-0) slowed down a Mendon rushing attack that hadn’t run into too many obstacles this season, and Deckerville quarterback Hunter Garza ran for 228 yards and three touchdowns and threw for two fourth-quarter scores. Click for more from the Huron Daily Tribune.

8-Player Division 2

HEADLINER Crystal Falls Forest Park 49, Onekama 24 The Trojans are headed back to the Finals for the first time since winning Division 2 in 2017. Forest Park put up more points than Onekama had given up in a game this season and held the Portagers (10-2) to eight fewer than their season average. Click for more from the Iron Mountain Daily News.

HEADLINER Morrice 36, Britton Deerfield 0 Morrice (11-1) dominated on both sides of the ball and with Wyatt Cartier finding the end zone from his positions on offense and defense, running for three scores and returning an interception for a fourth. The Patriots (10-2) were averaging 53 points per game entering the weekend. Click for more from the Lansing Herald.

11-Player Division 1

HEADLINER Detroit Catholic Central 35, Belleville 21 As anticipated, and evidenced by the sizable crowd filling the stands, this was a game many had hoped to see for some time – and they watched DCC (12-0) win its first Regional title since 2017 while ending the career of one of the most accomplished players in MHSAA football history. Belleville (10-2) finished a combined 50-4 with three trips to Ford Field and two Division 1 titles during quarterback Bryce Underwood’s four seasons on varsity. Click for more from the Oakland Press.

Regional Roundup Hudsonville 35 Howell 6 The Eagles (11-1) won their first Regional title since 2005 and ended Howell’s winningest season at 11-1, holding the Highlanders scoreless until the fourth quarter. Rochester Adams 21, Grand Blanc 14 Adams (10-2) improved to a combined 9-3 in the playoffs over the last four seasons by winning its first Regional title since 2021. Grand Blanc finished 9-3, its defeats by a combined 10 points. Detroit Cass Tech 21, Macomb Dakota 14 Alex Graham snagged the game-winning touchdown pass above two defenders with 19 seconds to play to lead Cass Tech (10-2) to its second Regional title in three seasons. Dakota finished 10-2.

11-Player Division 2

HEADLINER Birmingham Groves 21, Warren De La Salle Collegiate 19 Groves (12-0) took a seven-point lead into halftime and a one-point advantage into the fourth quarter on the way to claiming its second Regional title in three seasons. The Falcons’ victory also meant the end of De La Salle’s four-year streak of reaching Ford Field; the Pilots (8-3) were Division 2 runners-up a year ago. Click for more from the Detroit Free Press.

Regional Roundup Byron Center 52, Portage Central 14 Byron Center (11-1) won its first Regional championship and set a program record for wins, taking the next step after falling in a Regional Final last year. Portage Central finished 8-4 after winning its first District title since 2021. East Lansing 49, Saginaw Heritage 27 East Lansing (9-3) repeated as a Regional champion by scoring more points than Heritage (8-4) had given up in a game since Week 3 of the 2023 season. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 27, Gibraltar Carlson 3 St. Mary’s (9-3) won its first Regional title since 2016, thanks in part to holding the Marauders (10-2) to 39 points below their average and single digits for the first time since 2022.  

East Lansing’s Jace Clarizio (0) works to break the tackle of Saginaw Heritage’s Anthony Fries.

11-Player Division 3

HEADLINER Zeeland West 36, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central 20 West (11-1) repeated as a Regional winner and this time ended the season for the reigning Division 3 champion, after having lost to FHC 18-14 in the Semifinal a year ago that sent the Rangers to Ford Field. The Dux also had won their regular-season meeting in Week 6, as FHC finished this fall 9-3. Click for more from the Grand Rapids Press.

Regional Roundup Mason 22, Walled Lake Western 17 After falling to Western 20-17 in Week 8, Mason (10-2) avenged to clinch its fourth-straight Regional title and end the Warriors season at 11-1. DeWitt 70, Petoskey 34 DeWitt (12-0) ended Petoskey’s longest playoff run since 2014 by tying its highest-scoring output this fall – and moving into a tie for eighth all-time for single-season scoring by an 11-player team, with 682 points. The Northmen finished 11-1. Detroit Martin Luther King 34, River Rouge 0 King (9-3) ran its Regional title streak to four with a fourth-straight season defeating Rouge during the playoffs since falling to the Panthers (6-5) in a 2020 Regional Final.

11-Player Division 4

HEADLINER Niles 37, Portland 34 Niles (11-1) not only avenged last season’s 21-14 loss to Portland in this round, but in doing so won its first Regional title and set a program record for wins for the second-straight season. Portland is a combined 43-7 over the last four after completing its fourth-straight double-digit finish at 11-1 as well. Click for more from the Niles Daily Star.

Regional Roundup Grand Rapids South Christian 28, Whitehall 21 In another one-score Regional Final, Whitehall (8-4) came back to get within striking distance but fell to the Sailors in a Regional Final by this score for the second time in three seasons. South Christian (8-4) needs one more win to reach Ford Field for a third-straight year. Goodrich 42, Haslett 13 Goodrich (11-1) repeated in winning this Regional Final matchup from a year ago as well, controlling the line to run for five touchdowns and adding a sixth on a turnover. Haslett finished 8-4 after beginning 1-3, and with three losses this season to teams playing in Semifinals. Harper Woods 48, Macomb Lutheran North 3 The reigning champion is one win from returning to Ford Field, as Harper Woods (9-3) held Lutheran North to 30 points fewer than its season average. The Mustangs set a program record for wins in finishing 10-2.

Goodrich’s Chase Burnett (25) takes on a pair of Haslett defenders.

11-Player Division 5

HEADLINER Grand Rapids Catholic Central 21, Kalamazoo United 14 Dale Gant’s touchdown with 3:04 to play was the decider as Catholic Central (8-4) claimed a ninth-straight Regional title. United finished 9-3, with its highest win total since 2018 and two of those losses to opponents still playing. Click for more from Michigan Sports Radio.

Regional Roundup Frankenmuth 35, Gladwin 0 The Eagles (12-0) added a second win over Gladwin (8-4) over the last four weeks to clinch a fifth-straight Regional championship. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 45, Armada 19 In winning their first Regional title, the Fighting Irish (10-1) tied their school record for wins. Armada (10-2) also set a school record for wins this fall. Flat Rock 41, Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard 0 Flat Rock won a second-straight Regional title with its second shutout this season. FGR finished 7-5 after winning its first District title since 2012.

11-Player Division 6

HEADLINER Lansing Catholic 49, Newaygo 36 Lansing Catholic (9-3) is another team that has entered the spotlight these playoffs, with three wins over opponents that entered those matchups a combined 26-4. The Cougars took advantage of turnovers to get a quick jump this time and followed quarterback Alex Fernandez to their second Regional title in four seasons. Newaygo finished its winningest since 2012 at 9-3. Click for more from MLIVE.

Regional Roundup Boyne City 34, Reed City 21 Boyne City (10-2) rushed to its first Regional title since 2014 on the legs of Owen Hewitt, who scored four touchdowns. Reed City finished 9-3, reaching nine wins for the fifth-straight season. Jackson Lumen Christi 42, Constantine 6 Last season’s Division 7 champion is enjoying similar success in Division 6 as Lumen Christi (11-1) is seeking to make the Ford Field trip for the third-straight year. Constantine finished 8-4. Marine City 52, Detroit Central 26 Marine City (10-2) downed Central for the second time in four weeks after previously defeating the Trailblazers (8-4) in Week 9, 37-15. The Regional title was the Mariners’ second in four seasons.

11-Player Division 7

HEADLINER North Muskegon 23, Menominee 0 North Muskegon made the long drive to the western Upper Peninsula, which allowed additional time to celebrate one of the most notable wins in recent program history. The Norsemen (11-1) claimed their second-straight Regional title and avenged last year’s Semifinal loss to Menominee (10-2), which ended up finishing Division 7 runner-up. This time, North Muskegon shut down a Maroons offense that was averaging 45.5 points per game and put 32 on the Norsemen last season. Click for more from the Muskegon Chronicle.

Regional Roundup Millington 28, Pewamo-Westphalia Defense also was the story in this matchup, as the Cardinals (12-0) posted their fifth shutout this fall, holding the Pirates (9-3) without a point for the first time since 2012. Schoolcraft 28, Hudson 16 Schoolcraft (11-1) will play in the Semifinals for the first time since 2020 after taking the lead during the closing minute of the first half and holding off the Tigers (10-2) the rest of the way. Hudson entered the game giving up only 8.4 points per game and hadn’t allowed more than 17. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central 55, Leslie 18 St. Mary (12-0) won its first Regional title since 2019 as it continued to surge offensively – the Falcons topped 50 points for the second time this season and also second week in a row. Leslie finished its first winning season since 2012 at 10-2, totaling one more win than the last three seasons combined.

Fowler’s Joe Epkey (78) wraps up a Harbor Beach ball carrier Saturday. 

11-Player Division 8

HEADLINER Fowler 25, Harbor Beach 7 Fowler (12-0) has impressed all season and now will play in a Semifinal for the first time since 2019. But this might have been the Eagles’ best win so far this fall. Fowler held a Pirates offense averaging 44 points per game to a single score and put 25 points on a defense that was giving up just 5.5 ppg entering the weekend. Harbor Beach finished 11-1, its best since 2018. Click for more from the Lansing State Journal.

Regional Roundup Beal City 14, Iron Mountain 7 Beal City (10-2) also handed the lone loss of this season to its opponent, traveling to Iron Mountain to win its second-straight Regional title and third in four seasons. The Aggies also defeated the Mountaineers (11-1) in a 2023 Regional Final. Decatur 41, Reading 0 Decatur (11-1) claimed its first Regional title since 2002, continuing a tremendous improvement from 4-5 a year ago. The Raiders have given up only 13 points over three playoff games. Reading finished 7-5, also a considerable turnaround from 2-7 last fall. Riverview Gabriel Richard 30, Detroit Loyola 12 RGR (10-1) was another repeat Regional champion, and this time set a program record for wins in adding a second this fall over Loyola (5-7). The Pioneers also had defeated Loyola 29-8 in Week 5.

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PHOTOS (Top) Hudsonville’s Bryce Fox (9) emerges from the grasp of multiple Howell defenders Saturday. (2) East Lansing’s Jace Clarizio (0) works to break the tackle of Saginaw Heritage’s Anthony Fries. (3) Goodrich’s Chase Burnett (25) takes on a pair of Haslett defenders. (4) Fowler’s Joe Epkey (78) wraps up a Harbor Beach ball carrier Saturday. (Top and East Lansing/Heritage photos by L.C. Arreguin/Team Arreguin Photos. Goodrich/Haslett photo by Terry Lyons. Fowler/Harbor Beach photo by Kolleth Photo.)