Kzoo Rivals Unite to 'Crush Cancer'
September 14, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Kalamazoo football players clad in pink and teal took to Loy Norrix’s football field Friday for one of southwest Michigan’s most anticipated annual rivalry games – but also, with the help of some notable alumni, to continue to spread the word about cancer awareness.
Kalamazoo Central downed Loy Norrix 41-13 in the Cross-town Crush Cancer game, Central wearing pink jerseys symbolic of breast cancer awareness and Loy Norrix in teal signifying ovarian cancer awareness.
The jerseys were provided in large part by a donation by former Loy Norrix stars Tico and Todd “T.J.” Duckett, who served as "ambassadors" for the evening along with another past Loy Norrix star, Little John Flowers, past Kalamazoo Central football standout Duane Young and past Central baseball standout Kevan Hess. Both Duckett brothers, Flowers and Young starred at Michigan State before spending time in the NFL, Young and T.J. Duckett playing professionally for six seasons each. Hess was drafted by the Tigers out of Western Michigan University in 2009 and played three seasons in Detroit’s minor league system.
The teal jerseys had particular meaning for Tico and T.J. Duckett, as their mother Jackie Barham died after a fight with ovarian cancer.
“We chose a time such as this because of the anticipated large attendance and the potential for the greatest impact amongst our alma mater’s community members,” said the Duckett brothers in a statement leading up to the game. “Our own mother, Jackie Barham, would have celebrated more birthdays, if there was a cure for cancer. This is just one way that we can honor her memory.”
The jerseys featured the teams’ mascot names and also the Kalamazoo cityscape. Junior varsity players from both schools wore T-shirts with their dates of graduation and the cityscape as well as organizers set a theme of the entire community standing together for a common fight against cancer. The event was organized by a Kalamazoo Central parent committee headed by Terri Benton-Ollie together with administrators and other supporters representing both school communities.
Students from both schools were joined on the field at halftime by 50 cancer survivors from the community, and funds raised will be donated to the West Michigan Cancer Center.
“We know that we must ‘tackle’ so many of our societal ills,” Benton-Ollie said. “Tragedy can be a disastrous one-moment incident or a phenomenon that must be reversed or a disease that lurks amongst us. Let’s create a ripple effect of continuous gestures and action that work in favor of the greater good and crush cancer.”
Click for more from Kalamazoo Public Schools.
PHOTOS: (Top) Former NFL player Duane Young speaks to the crowd during halftime of the "Crush Cancer" game. (Middle) Supporters and teams wore pink and blue signifying, respectively, breast and ovarian cancer awareness; the game's ambassadors were (from left) T.J. Duckett, Kevan Hess, Duane Young, Little John Flowers and Tico Duckett. (Photos by Walter Hall.)
'Mighty' Forest Park Rides Overpowering Start to 5th Finals Championship
By
Jason Juno
Special for MHSAA.com
November 23, 2024
MARQUETTE — The Crystal Falls Forest Park tradition continues.
The Trojans won their fifth MHSAA Finals championship in their 15th title game appearance 42-20 over Morrice on Saturday in the 8-player Division 2 contest at the Superior Dome.
Forest Park (12-1) took advantage of two Morrice fumbles to take a 28-0 lead into halftime. The Orioles came alive in the second half, but they couldn’t overcome such a start.
It was the second 8-player title for Forest Park with the first coming in 2017, and the first for coach Brian Fabbri, who started as a lineman in two 11-player championship games (2004 and 2005) for the Trojans.
He was thrilled to help keep the tradition alive.
“I absolutely love it,” Fabbri said. “I’m blessed to be able to have my name up there with the Mettlachs, Santillis, Graffs. It’s unbelievable.”
Dick Mettlach led Forest Park to back-to-back titles in 1975 and 1976. Bill Santilli took Forest Park to seven title games and won the 2007 championship. Dave Graff was the head coach of the 2017 champion.
“We’re the fifth one to win it; it just feels awesome,” said Forest Park senior Kevin Giuliani, who at 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds was named the Upper Peninsula’s top lineman by media vote recently.
Forest Park’s first-half dominance proved to be the difference in this championship clincher.
The Trojans got the ball first and capped an 11-play, 53-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown run by senior Grayson Sundell midway through the first quarter.
Forest Park’s Noah Starr recovered an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff, but Morrice came up with a big stop on fourth down in the red zone.
Any momentum from that evaporated quickly. The Orioles went three-and-out in their first offensive possession of the game, and Forest Park doubled its lead on the first play after getting the ball back. Sophomore running back Dax Huuki went 58 yards for a touchdown and Dietrich Rasner, who made all six extra points he tried in the game, made it 14-0 two minutes into the second quarter.
Morrice started its next possession with good field position at midfield but fumbled on the second play, and Nik Stephens recovered it at the Forest Park 45. It took the Trojans eight plays to score, and it was Stephens with the eight-yard run to paydirt for a 21-0 advantage.
The Orioles coughed it up again, this time on the third play of their next possession, with Vic Giuliani recovering it.
Huuki scored his second touchdown of the day, a four-yard rush with 10 seconds left in the half. It was another methodical drive of eight plays to go 50 yards. Forest Park led 28-0 at the half.
“Getting that quick score before half was huge for us,” Fabbri said.
The Trojans ended the half with 184 rushing yards on 33 carries. Morrice had only 11 offensive plays the whole half, thanks in part to their turnovers.
That changed during the second half – just not enough to put the game in any serious doubt.
Morrice (11-2) picked up its first first down during the first possession of the second half, and got its first big play, a 32-yard run by Joel Fisher that set the Orioles up at the Forest Park 5. Two plays later, he ran in a score and the lead was down to 28-6. Fisher led Morrice with 99 yards rushing on 12 carries.
The Trojans added a third-quarter touchdown of their own as Stephens ran five yards for a score on the ensuing possession to make it 35-6. Morrice’s Wyatt Cartier ran one yard for a touchdown in the early stages of the fourth quarter, and Fisher returned a punt 85 yards for a TD with 5:30 left in the game, making it 35-20.
“I knew they were a good team. We knew it was coming,” Fabbri said. “It was only a matter of time, and it happened. We had enough cushion there. We made enough big plays at the end.”
The last came a minute later, when Forest Park scored on a 49-yard rush by Stephens, his third touchdown of the day — half of his carries went for scores — and the Trojans were celebrating a championship soon after.
Morrice coach Kendall Crockett said he was proud of his team for fighting the entire game. The Orioles obviously competed much better during the second half as they accumulated 155 of their 194 total yards.
“We hung onto the ball, first of all. That was kind of a big deal for us,” he said. “... As physical as they were in that first half, I thought that we really fought back in the second half, didn’t quit and kept playing ball.”
That physical play has been a staple of Forest Park football since their first state title. Forest Park ran for 184 yards in the first half and finished with 291 on 47 carries — Huuki led with 136 yards on 19 carries. Fullback Trent Kannich ran for fewer yards, 68, but he was a factor as well as Crockett pointed out how hard he hit.
“(Huuki’s) a sophomore, but he runs like a senior,” Fabbri said. “He’s battle-tested. He stepped up when he had to and made some plays.”
Huuki said Morrice was a physical team as well, but Forest Park was determined to go home with a win.
“That was just put into our head going into this week — the most physical team with the most grit, and the mightiest team’s going to win,” he said. “So we just came in wanting it all.”
The Trojans did it in front of a huge sea of Forest Park fans, who chanted, “U.P. Power!” when it became certain the Trojans were going to win late in the fourth quarter.
“It doesn’t seem real,” Kevin Giuliani said. “I’m just so happy. Words can’t explain what I feel like right now. I feel like I’m on top of the world right now.”
PHOTOS (Top) Crystal Falls Forest Park players swarm coach Brian Fabbri (holding trophy) in celebration Saturday at the Superior Dome. (Middle) Forest Park’s Kevin Giuliani and Brody Starr (5) bring down an Orioles ball carrier. (Below) Morrice’s Joel Fisher (2) breaks away from the Forest Park defense for a long second-half touchdown run. (Photos by Cara Kamps. Click for more.)