Program Builder Boyd Honored by Our Lady
October 12, 2016
By Keith Dunlap
Special for Second Half
WATERFORD – Mike Boyd always had a grand vision how his last home game as head coach at Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes would play out.
As it got into the later stages of a nearly 50-year tenure as football coach, athletic director and so much more at the school, Boyd had one specific idea for how he wanted to go out.
“I always said that the last game I coached before I retired, I was going to play it here under the lights,” said Boyd, referring to the field at the school that doesn’t have permanent lights. “I didn’t get a chance.”
Boyd did not, since in April 2013 he decided to retire as football coach from WOLL after a 46 year-career in order to move full-time to Sarasota, Florida.
However, last Friday proved to be the next best thing for Boyd and the Our Lady of the Lakes community.
In a ceremony that was more than three years in the making after he made his retirement official, Boyd was brought back for the honor of having the entire athletic complex at Our Lady of the Lakes named after him.
To top it all off, the ceremony took place under portable lights in what doubled as the first night game ever at the school.
The game was against Royal Oak Shrine, which is not only the biggest rival for Our Lady of the Lakes, but coached by Boyd’s longtime best friend in coaching, John Goddard.
All anyone needs to do is look at MHSAA record book for evidence that it was a no-brainer for Our Lady of the Lakes to name the athletic complex after Boyd, one of the state’s all-time greatest prep athletic figures.
As football coach, Boyd won 357 games in his 46 years, which currently is good for fourth place on the all-time wins list for coaches in that sport.
He led the Lakers to three appearances in MHSAA football championship games, with the zenith of his coaching career on the gridiron coming in 2002 when his Our Lady of the Lakes team won its only Finals title in school history with a 13-10 overtime win over Gaylord St. Mary in Division 8.
Facing a 4th-and-goal from the 1-yard line that day, Boyd didn’t hesitate in sending his offense out to go for the win on a do-or-die running play, and the decision paid off when running back Murray Percival broke the goal line to give Boyd his long-awaited title.
The jubilation was apparent on Boyd with how high he jumped over and over again in celebration following the handshake line.
While that was the only time Boyd celebrated an MHSAA championship in football, he did so plenty of times on the softball diamond.
Boyd led Our Lady of the Lakes to what remains a team state-record eight MHSAA championships in softball, going a perfect 8-for-8 in title game appearances and finishing with 703 career wins before retiring from that sport in 2007.
During his tenure, Boyd also coached two games for the hockey team, track & field and started the baseball program by coaching it for its first year of existence.
When not on a playing surface, Boyd was a principal, bus driver, the athletic director and overall face of not only what has become one of the state’s best small-school athletic programs, but the school as a whole.
One of Boyd’s big contributions was creating the home football field at Our Lady of the Lakes behind its school in stunningly quick fashion after some unexpected news.
Our Lady of the Lakes used to play home games at other high schools or middle schools in Waterford, but that changed suddenly in 2001 before a scheduled home game against Royal Oak Shrine.
“They got a new school board one year,” Boyd said. “We used to pay like $250 a game. They came back and said ‘We want $1,200 a game.’ The Dads club got together and put (the press box) up on one week and got the field ready.”
Indeed, in a matter of days a three-story press box was built (fully furnished later in the season) and space for a football field was created (the right side of it through the infield of the baseball diamond) to allow Our Lady of the Lakes to play games on its campus.
It was fitting that the first home game in 2001 was against Shrine and that the ceremony last week was against Shrine, given his nearly 50-year friendship with Goddard.
The two had a nice chat on Shrine’s bench before the game last Friday, and one can only imagine the stories that were re-hashed.
In fact, when Boyd announced his retirement in 2013, he said how much he would miss playing against “that old turkey” in Goddard.
No doubt, Goddard misses competing against Boyd just as much.
“One year he had a kid that got hurt during practice during that week and he shows up at our place for a game, and after kickoff he comes out and starts running a single-wing,” Goddard said. “I go, ‘What the heck is this offense he is running?’ We beat them, but it took us half a game to figure what he was doing. He made it up on Saturday and we played on Sunday. He was a great coach.”
Boyd still follows the Our Lady of the Lakes program from Florida, watching film online and communicating regularly with current Our Lady of the Lakes head coach Josh Sawicki, a player on that 2002 title team – although Boyd was quick to point out he wants no part in decision-making with the Lakes team. “He’s his own coach,” Boyd said of Sawicki.
Boyd also returns to Michigan every August to help out with preseason practices for Lake Orion, which is coached by his son-in-law, Chris Bell, and he visits Sawicki at his preseason practices while in the area.
Before the game last Friday, Sawicki spoke about how little the topic of the ceremony came up with Boyd during conversations in the days leading up to the game.
“He was talking to me Wednesday or Thursday night, and there was not one question about (the ceremony),” Sawicki said. “It was all about the game plan. ‘What have you got? What have they got? What will you do if they do this? Watch out for Goddard because he likes to do this and likes to do that.’ Still to this day, that was all he was talking about.”
Sawicki said doing things without fanfare is who “Coach” has always been, and it’s a legacy that will be carried on in name now that the athletic complex is named after Boyd.
More importantly, it will also be carried on in spirit.
“He built that brand,” Sawicki said. “It’s the responsibility of the coaches and the players to continue that brand on. That is what we are focused on doing.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Our Lady of the Lakes football coach Mike Boyd hoists the Division 8 championship trophy in 2002 after his team defeated Gaylord St. Mary at the Pontiac Silverdome. (Middle) Boyd (left) receives a plaque from Rev. Lawrence Delonnay, Our Lady’s pastor, on Friday to recognize the naming of the school’s athletic complex in Boyd’s honor.
2018 Week 5 Football Playoff Listing
September 18, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Here is a list of Michigan High School Athletic Association football playing schools, displaying their win-loss records and playoff averages through the fourth week of the season.
Schools on this list are in enrollment order for 11-player teams, with 8-player teams ordered by playoff average. An asterisk (*) beside a record indicates a team has eight or fewer games scheduled.
Those schools with 11-player teams with six or more wins playing nine-game schedules, or five or more wins playing eight games or fewer, will qualify for the MHSAA Football Playoffs beginning Oct. 26. Schools with 5-4, 4-3 or 4-4 records may qualify if the number of potential qualifiers by win total does not reach the 256 mark. Schools with six or more wins playing nine-game schedules or five or more wins playing eight games or fewer may be subtracted from the field based on playoff average if the number of potential qualifiers exceeds the 256 mark.
Once the 256 qualifying schools are determined, they will be divided by enrollment groups into eight equal divisions of 32 schools, and then drawn into regions of eight teams each and districts of four teams each. Those schools with 8-player teams will be ranked by playoff average at season’s end, and the top 32 programs will then be divided into two divisions of 16 each based on enrollment. The playoff in that division also begins Oct. 26.
To review a list of all football playoff schools, individual school playoff point details and to report errors, visit the Football page of the MHSAA Website.
The announcement of the qualifiers and first-round pairings for both the 11 and 8-player playoffs will take place Oct. 21 on the Selection Sunday Show on FOX Sports Detroit. The playoff qualifiers and pairings will be posted to the MHSAA Website following the Selection Sunday Show.
11-Player Playoff Listing
1. Macomb Dakota, 3114, 4-0, 90.000
2. Dearborn Fordson, 2795, 4-0, 88.000
3. East Kentwood, 2651, 3-1, 70.750
4. Grand Blanc, 2637, 4-0, 94.000
5. Clarkston, 2548, 4-0, 96.000
6. Clinton Township Chippewa Valley, 2462, 4-0, 98.000
7. Detroit Cass Tech, 2432, 4-0, 90.000
8. Canton, 2260, 3-1, 68.250
9. Brighton, 2202, 3-1, 70.750
10. Holland West Ottawa, 2190, 3-1, 66.500
11. Oxford, 2170, 3-1, 74.500
12. Ann Arbor Pioneer, 2115, 3-1, 80.667
13. Detroit Catholic Central, 2020, 3-1, 76.750
14. West Bloomfield, 2005, 3-1, 72.750
15. Macomb L'Anse Creuse North, 1994, 3-1, 66.500
16. Monroe, 1949, 3-1, 69.550
17. Hudsonville, 1879, 4-0, 90.667
18. Saline, 1834, 3-1, 70.750
19. Romeo, 1779, 3-1, 72.500
20. Detroit Western International, 1773, 3-1, 54.750
21. Lapeer, 1772, 4-0, 86.000
22. Davison, 1687, 4-0, 88.000
23. Belleville, 1642, 4-0, 98.000
24. Brownstown Woodhaven, 1628, 4-0, 94.000
25. Grosse Pointe South, 1593, 4-0, 92.000
26. Warren Mott, 1585, 3-1, 72.750
27. Waterford Mott, 1558, 3-1, 66.500
28. Warren DeLaSalle, 1474, 3-1, 66.750
29. Jenison, 1464, 3-1, 64.250
30. Livonia Franklin, 1443, 3-1, 64.000
31. Dearborn Heights Crestwood, 1424, 4-0, 76.000
32. Traverse City Central, 1391, 3-1, 70.250
33. Birmingham Seaholm, 1376, 3-1, 68.750
34. Oak Park, 1349, 4-0, 90.000
35. Portage Central, 1349, 3-1, 70.250
36. Roseville, 1303, 3-1, 56.750
37. Port Huron Northern, 1295, 3-1, 70.500
38. St. Clair Shores Lake Shore, 1276, 3-1, 64.500
39. Swartz Creek, 1262, 4-0, 92.000
40. Walled Lake Western, 1258, 3-1, 66.500
41. Jackson, 1229, 4-0, 88.000
42. Ypsilanti Lincoln, 1226, 3-1, 56.500
43. South Lyon, 1225, 4-0, 92.000
44. Muskegon Mona Shores, 1215, 4-0, 90.000
45. Birmingham Brother Rice, 1168, 3-1, 73.567
46. Fenton, 1160, 3-1, 68.500
47. Mattawan, 1153, 3-1, 64.250
48. Detroit Martin Luther King, 1149, 3-1, 54.750
49. Warren Woods Tower, 1126, 4-0, 78.000
50. Auburn Hills Avondale, 1115, 3-1, 64.250
51. Gibraltar Carlson, 1114, 3-1, 70.750
52. East Lansing, 1111, 4-0, 88.667
53. Farmington, 1111, 4-0, 90.000
54. Allen Park, 1105, 3-1, 68.500
55. Garden City, 1080, 3-1, 62.000
56. South Lyon East, 1063, 3-1, 64.500
57. Mt. Pleasant, 1053, 4-0, 84.000
58. Muskegon, 1022, 4-0, 98.000
59. Battle Creek Central, 1014, 3-1, 66.500
60. Gaylord, 1002, 4-0, 80.000
61. DeWitt, 1001, 4-0, 94.000
62. Zeeland West, 997, 3-1, 68.500
63. Cedar Springs, 992, 3-1, 68.750
64. Zeeland East, 955, 3-1, 58.500
65. Detroit Mumford, 943, 3-1, 60.500
66. Trenton, 914, 3-1, 70.500
67. Riverview, 913, 3-1, 58.500
68. Middleville Thornapple Kellogg, 903, 4-0, 80.000
69. River Rouge, 897, 3-1, 58.750
70. Haslett, 895, 4-0, 84.000
71. Ortonville-Brandon, 887, 3-1, 70.250
72. Grand Rapids Christian, 886, 3-1, 66.750
73. Parma Western, 870, 3-1, 56.750
74. Chelsea, 851, 3-1, 70.500
75. Farmington Hills Harrison, 849, 3-1, 66.750
76. Spring Lake, 845, 4-0, 74.000
77. Edwardsburg, 838, 4-0, 76.000
78. Wayland Union, 829, 3-1, 64.750
79. Plainwell, 825, 3-1, 52.750
80. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, 809, 3-1, 62.917
81. Milan, 761, 3-1, 54.500
82. Goodrich, 758, 3-1, 62.500
83. Detroit Cody, 755, 4-0, 84.000
84. Allendale, 749, 3-1, 56.750
85. North Branch, 726, 3-1, 52.750
86. Croswell-Lexington, 724, 3-1, 56.500
87. Battle Creek Pennfield, 709, 3-1, 62.500
88. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, 702, 3-1, 52.500
89. Detroit Country Day *, 687, 3-1, 67.050
90. Three Rivers, 682, 4-0, 82.000
91. Holland Christian, 672, 3-1, 58.750
92. Paw Paw, 670, 3-1, 56.750
93. Whitehall, 669, 3-1, 50.750
94. Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 662, 3-1, 54.500
95. Alma, 643, 4-0, 68.000
96. Lake Odessa Lakewood, 643, 3-1, 62.500
97. Williamston, 619, 3-1, 62.250
98. Grand Rapids South Christian, 615, 3-1, 63.167
99. Grosse Ile, 609, 4-0, 74.000
100. Dearborn Heights Robichaud, 608, 4-0, 74.000
101. Hudsonville Unity Christian, 602, 4-0, 86.000
102. Harper Woods, 594, 3-1, 44.750
103. Freeland, 584, 3-1, 52.750
104. Saginaw Swan Valley, 573, 4-0, 90.000
105. Belding, 572, 3-1, 54.500
106. Muskegon Oakridge, 571, 4-0, 68.000
107. Macomb Lutheran North, 560, 4-0, 70.000
108. Birch Run, 552, 3-1, 58.500
109. St. Clair Shores South Lake, 551, 3-1, 50.500
110. Portland, 550, 4-0, 74.000
111. Frankenmuth, 549, 3-1, 60.750
112. Olivet, 542, 4-0, 72.000
113. Detroit Osborn, 537, 3-1, 44.750
114. Lansing Catholic, 531, 4-0, 70.000
115. Richmond, 524, 3-1, 56.000
116. Ida, 512, 3-1, 58.500
117. Hopkins, 507, 3-1, 58.750
118. Benzie Central, 505, 3-1, 52.750
119. Detroit Denby, 504, 4-0, 66.667
120. Reed City, 504, 4-0, 80.000
121. Almont, 503, 4-0, 68.000
122. Marine City, 503, 3-1, 56.750
123. Berrien Springs, 500, 3-1, 54.750
124. Dundee, 485, 3-1, 52.500
125. Manistee, 472, 4-0, 64.000
126. Durand, 468, 3-1, 46.250
127. Coloma, 460, 3-1, 48.500
128. Ovid-Elsie, 453, 3-1, 50.750
129. Kalamazoo Hackett, 450, 4-0, 66.000
130. Clare, 449, 3-1, 48.500
131. Montague, 445, 3-1, 42.750
132. Kingsley, 443, 3-1, 54.750
133. Hillsdale, 441, 4-0, 66.000
134. Tawas *, 418, 3-1, 38.750
135. Michigan Center, 412, 4-0, 56.000
136. Brooklyn Columbia Central, 410, 3-1, 58.500
137. Constantine, 400, 4-0, 64.000
138. Fennville, 400, 3-1, 48.750
139. Calumet, 392, 4-0, 70.800
140. Warren Michigan Collegiate, 392, 4-0, 74.000
141. Ishpeming Westwood, 391, 2-2, 37.417
142. Millington, 390, 3-1, 54.000
143. Ithaca, 388, 3-1, 50.750
144. Ecorse, 387, 3-1, 46.750
145. Blissfield, 383, 3-1, 60.750
146. Delton Kellogg, 378, 4-0, 68.000
147. Hemlock, 374, 3-1, 42.500
148. Morley Stanwood, 369, 3-1, 48.250
149. Elk Rapids, 366, 3-1, 42.500
150. Napoleon, 365, 3-1, 42.500
151. Beaverton, 362, 3-1, 46.750
152. Grass Lake, 357, 4-0, 56.000
153. Jackson Lumen Christi *, 356, 4-0, 84.000
154. Traverse City St. Francis, 355, 4-0, 84.000
155. Flint Hamady, 353, 4-0, 58.000
156. Schoolcraft, 353, 3-1, 50.500
157. Kent City, 351, 4-0, 58.000
158. Lake City, 348, 4-0, 64.000
159. Leroy Pine River, 348, 4-0, 56.000
160. L'Anse, 344, 3-1, 48.250
161. Ravenna, 344, 3-1, 40.500
162. Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian, 332, 3-1, 42.500
163. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central, 331, 3-1, 63.167
164. St. Louis, 331, 3-1, 48.500
165. Oscoda, 329, 3-1, 28.000
166. Hartford, 322, 4-0, 52.000
167. Roscommon, 319, 3-1, 58.500
168. Madison Heights Madison, 316, 4-0, 80.000
169. Pewamo-Westphalia, 315, 4-0, 56.000
170. Clinton, 313, 3-1, 42.500
171. Detroit Community, 308, 4-0, 48.000
172. Madison Heights Bishop Foley, 306, 3-1, 48.750
173. New Lothrop, 302, 4-0, 66.000
174. Springport, 302, 4-0, 54.000
175. Allen Park Cabrini, 300, 3-1, 42.750
176. Sandusky, 300, 4-0, 62.000
177. Iron Mountain, 298, 3-1, 54.400
178. Cass City, 291, 3-1, 48.250
179. Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker, 282, 3-1, 48.500
180. Harbor Springs, 280, 4-0, 50.000
181. Manton, 280, 3-1, 42.750
182. Centreville, 279, 4-0, 56.000
183. Saugatuck, 273, 3-1, 50.500
184. Sand Creek, 266, 3-1, 37.417
185. Cassopolis, 261, 4-0, 56.000
186. Concord, 255, 3-1, 42.750
187. Royal Oak Shrine Catholic, 252, 3-1, 40.250
188. Ottawa Lake Whiteford, 250, 4-0, 58.000
189. Carson City-Crystal, 248, 4-0, 46.000
190. Gwinn, 246, 4-0, 54.000
191. Iron River West Iron County, 246, 3-1, 40.750
192. Dansville, 244, 3-1, 42.000
193. Reading, 244, 4-0, 66.000
194. Holton, 234, 3-1, 42.500
195. Ishpeming, 233, 4-0, 52.800
196. Ubly, 232, 3-1, 44.750
197. Johannesburg-Lewiston, 226, 3-1, 42.500
198. Breckenridge, 224, 4-0, 60.000
199. Harbor Beach, 222, 3-1, 44.250
200. Rogers City, 220, 4-0, 56.000
201. Sterling Heights Parkway Christian, 220, 4-0, 52.000
202. Detroit Public Safety Academy, 206, 3-1, 37.167
203. Mendon, 193, 3-1, 32.750
204. Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary, 193, 4-0, 50.000
205. Pittsford, 186, 4-0, 52.000
206. Athens *, 185, 3-0, 57.333
207. Adrian Lenawee Christian, 183, 4-0, 52.000
208. Martin, 183, 3-1, 40.000
209. Fowler, 170, 3-1, 36.750
210. Clarkston Everest Collegiate, 115, 4-0, 51.333
8-Player Playoff Listing
1. Colon, 162, 4-0, 50.000
2. Pickford, 156, 4-0, 48.000
3. Onekama, 131, 4-0, 46.667
4. Morrice, 182, 4-0, 46.000
5. AuGres-Sims, 160, 4-0, 44.000
6. Posen, 78, 4-0, 42.000
7. Wyoming Tri-unity Christian, 173, 4-0, 40.000
8. Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart, 122, 3-1, 38.500
9. Brethren, 143, 3-1, 36.250
10. Kingston, 187, 4-0, 36.000
11. Stephenson, 159, 3-1, 35.450
12. Engadine, 102, 3-1, 34.750
13. Hillman, 140, 3-1, 34.750
14. Camden-Frontier, 176, 3-1, 34.500
15. Powers North Central, 109, 3-1, 34.500
16. Battle Creek St. Philip, 178, 3-1, 32.750
17. Suttons Bay, 189, 3-1, 32.750
18. Cedarville, 151, 3-1, 32.500
19. Eben Junction Superior Central, 121, 3-1, 32.500
20. Portland St. Patrick, 102, 3-1, 32.500
21. Genesee, 169, 3-1, 32.250
22. Bellevue, 185, 3-1, 30.750
23. Kinde-North Huron, 130, 3-1, 28.500
24. Manistee Catholic Central, 181, 3-1, 28.500
25. Peck, 136, 3-1, 28.000
26. Mayville, 185, 3-1, 26.750
27. Fife Lake Forest Area, 183, 2-2, 25.250
28. Crystal Falls Forest Park, 125, 2-2, 23.250
29. Deckerville, 175, 2-2, 23.250
30. Webberville, 176, 2-2, 23.000
31. Bellaire, 131, 2-2, 21.917
32. Onaway, 187, 2-2, 21.417
33. Marion, 139, 2-2, 19.250
34. Rapid River, 127, 2-2, 19.250
35. Tekonsha, 121, 2-2, 19.250
36. Rudyard, 159, 2-2, 19.000
37. Waldron, 65, 2-2, 16.750
38. New Haven Merritt Academy, 154, 1-3, 15.500
39. Pellston, 167, 1-3, 13.750
40. Caseville *, 95, 1-2, 13.417
41. Bay City All Saints, 77, 1-3, 11.750
42. Hale, 122, 1-3, 11.750
43. Central Lake *, 190, 1-2, 11.667
44. Atlanta, 74, 1-3, 11.250
45. North Adams-Jerome, 146, 1-3, 11.000
46. Owendale-Gagetown, 57, 1-3, 11.000
47. St. Helen Charlton Heston Academy, 156, 1-3, 10.250
48. Ashley, 94, 1-3, 10.000
49. Big Rapids Crossroads Academy, 201, 1-3, 9.500
50. Mesick, 202, 1-3, 9.500
51. Brimley, 154, 1-3, 9.250
52. Burr Oak, 74, 1-3, 9.250
53. Ontonagon, 173, 1-3, 9.250
54. Burton Madison Academy, 163, 1-3, 8.750
55. Lawrence, 171, 0-4, 2.750
56. Flint International Academy, 171, 0-4, 1.750
57. Bear Lake *, 94, 0-3, 1.250
58. Carney-Nadeau, 133, 0-4, 1.250
59. Felch North Dickinson, 83, 0-4, 1.250
60. Litchfield, 81, 0-4, 1.250
61. St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran, 100, 0-4, 1.250
62. Baldwin, 120, 0-3, 0.500