Moment: Menominee Achieves Finals 1st
December 4, 2020
By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
Menominee’s march from the southern tip of the Upper Peninsula to Ford Field had some storybook feel about it – a team which overcame injuries – and mixed in a grinder of a Semifinal victory to bring the chants of “U.P. Power” to the Motor City and the MHSAA Football Playoff Finals in 2016.
The Maroons’ good fortune ran out that Thanksgiving weekend against a superior Grand Rapids West Catholic squad in the Division 5 championship game, but Menominee’s trip will long be remembered for a state championship game record set during the second half.
Liam Putz, who had earlier in the game set a Finals record with a 47-yard field goal for the Falcons, was lined up to attempt a 42-yard placement midway through the third quarter. Sam Larson broke through and blocked the kick. Hunter Hass picked up the ball with nothing but green turf and yard stripes in front of him and returned it for a touchdown, the first time that had ever happened in the Finals. The return went for 76 yards, which became the record for the special teams play.
“All week we were practicing to block their punt, and it just so happened that we blocked their field goal,” Hass said after the game. “I saw the ball. I just picked it up and ran into the end zone, just trying to get some points to get some momentum going for our team.”
West Catholic won the game, 43-7.
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.