Prout Powers Pinckney with Inspiration
September 12, 2019
By Tim Robinson
Special for Second Half
Larry Prout, Jr., who wears Pinckney football jersey number 6, stands 4-foot-8 and 85 pounds.
Or slightly less than one pound for each of the 105 surgeries he’s had in his young life.
He can’t play football — his body is much too fragile, despite a strong desire to play the game — but he makes his mark with the Pirates as an inspiration.
And the Pirates put a spark into a young man who has spent a large portion of his life in hospitals.
“Everyone gets pumped when he’s around,” Pirates senior quarterback Joe Bona says. “How could you not? Larry’s a great kid, an awesome, awesome character, and what he’s gone through should push us, because it’s way harder than what we’ve ever done. I think it pushes and makes us work harder.”
Larry is the sixth of six children of Kathy and Larry Prout Sr., who have made countless trips to emergency rooms when a medical emergency has cropped up in young Larry’s life.
At one point, their living room was a hospital room for Larry, complete with bed and medical equipment as the Prout family rallied around him.
He was born with no skin covering the lower half of his torso, leaving his internal organs exposed.
He spent most of the first 18 months of his life in the hospital, and didn’t breathe on his own until he was 3 years old.
“His first word was ‘lucky,’” Kathy Prout said in a 2016 interview. “It was the craziest word. It’s like a three-legged dog named Lucky, you know? That was his first word, and we would die laughing.”
He was included as much as he could be in his siblings’ hijinks, although he spent much of his time at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor. But Larry Jr. became well-known among Wolverines fans during the 2016 season for the inspiration he was providing to the U-M football team, with Bleacher Report referring to him as the “heartbeat of Michigan football” in a 2017 report.
He’s making that level of impact on his favorite high school team now as well.
"Being part of Pinckney and Michigan means a lot," Larry Jr. said. "It’s been really fun, seeing the players and coaches; it’s the same as at Michigan. I love going to the games and sitting on the sidelines before kickoff, and seeing my players and my friends, my best friends, and seeing Coach Jim (Harbaugh) and Coach Rod (Beaton).
Larry is home-schooled because his body isn’t strong enough to allow him to attend school on a regular basis. He takes electives at Pinckney, including photography, and loves being at school, although his parents had to set some limits.
“We found out that every time we dropped him off at school, he would go out and find Rod (Beaton, Pinckney’s football coach),” Kathy said.
“We told him, once a week,” Larry Sr. said. “Rod’s got work to do.”
That may be, but Beaton returns Larry Jr.’s admiration.
“It goes without saying that he’s truly an inspiration,” Beaton says. “I’ve never met a young person with a more positive attitude than Larry. He really does bring it every single day, every time he’s here.”
Larry also has carried the flag during Pinckney's "No Quarter," the pause between the third and fourth quarters where a student picks up a black or red flag, depending on how the Pirates are faring, and runs back and forth in front of the bleachers to rev the Pirates crowd for the fourth quarter.
He practiced at home before carrying the flag in both of Pinckney's games so far this season.
His peers return the love, too.
Last spring, Larry Jr. planned to attend Pinckney’s prom, but had to miss it due to a hospitalization.
When Larry Jr. got out of the hospital, a classmate, Alex Williams, put on her prom dress and with some fellow students put on a prom for Larry.
“We have some outstanding kids here,” Beaton said, “and it goes to speak to what we have in this community. Our kids come from such great households, with parents who raise these kids the right way. They understand what Larry’s situation is, and it uplifts us all, every time he’s out here.”
The same, the Prouts say, goes for Larry.
“I remember I loved school,” Kathy said. “I loved it when my older kids were in school. You get the pencils and the pictures and the new clothes. With Larry, I have anxiety and stress because he wants to fit in and make friends and take six classes when he can only do two or three.”
Including Larry Jr. in activities like the prom and football means a lot to all of the Prouts.
“We have a lot of gratitude, and we don’t know how to show it enough,” Kathy said, ‘We want to show our gratitude to Rod and all of the players because they’ve made Larry feel important, such a part of this Pinckney football team. It’s something we’ll never forget, something Larry will never forget.”
Larry Jr. was a part of the Michigan football team for three seasons, and among his close friends is reserve Buck West, a former Pinckney standout who often is seen at the Prout house watching game shows with Larry Jr.
“I love watching Family Feud and Steve Harvey,” Larry Jr. said. “(The Pirates) are like my brothers, just like Michigan was.”
Larry Jr. got connected to the Michigan team through an organization called Team Impact, which connects youths with life-threatening or chronic illnesses to college football teams.
Dan Kraft, the son of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, invited the Prouts to Ford Field when the Patriots played a preseason game there last month and got them passes to be on the field during pregame.
“As I was hanging out, the camera was filming me and they said Team Impact had a surprise for me,” Larry Jr. said. “And the craziest thing is, I see Tom Brady coming up and giving me a fist-bump and a high five. I shook his hand and told him I loved seeing him play. He pointed to my (Michigan) hat and told me to make sure to beat the Buckeyes this season. I told him I would make sure to do that.”
After Brady left, Larry Jr. jumped for joy, no mean feat for a young man who uses a wheelchair for anything but short walks.
“When he gets excited, he jumps,” Kathy said. “He can clear eight inches, which is pretty awesome, because they said he would never walk.”
At Pinckney practice, Larry Jr. hands out encouragement and banters with players who are, in many cases, a foot taller than him.
While he basks in the glow of being part of a team, he contributes to the Pirates something they might not have learned otherwise.
“The lesson I take is that it’s not as bad as what it’s going to be,” senior running back Sal Patierno said. “What we go through, you just think of what he’s gone through, and it makes you want to go harder. Just keep fighting. I know he’s fought harder than any of us.”
“It makes you think,” Bona said. “It makes you work harder.”
“He uplifts us all, every time he’s out here,” Beaton said.
PHOTOS: (Top) Larry Prout Jr. carries the Pinckney "No Quarter" flag in front of the crowd during the Pirates’ Week 2 game at Chelsea. (Middle) Then-senior Pirates quarterback Jack Wurzer spelled out Prout’s name on his helmet in 2017 from bones the players receive for outstanding efforts. (Below) Prout’s friends put on a prom for him after Prout, in purple shirt and tie, missed the school’s event this spring while hospitalized. (Photos courtesy of the Prout family and Tim Robinson.)
MHSAA Announces 2023 Football Playoff Brackets, 11-Player Finals Schedule
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 22, 2023
Here are the pairings for the 2023 MHSAA Football Playoffs, which begin Oct. 27-28 with District Semifinals in the 11-Player Playoffs and Regional Semifinals in the 8-Player Playoffs, and also an announcement of the schedule for the 11-Player Finals on Nov. 25-26 at Ford Field.
Teams were divided into divisions before the start of play this fall. The top 32 teams in each division in 11-player and top 16 per division in 8-player, based on playoff-point average, were selected to the field. For 11-player, qualifiers were then divided into four regions with eight teams apiece, and for 8-player qualifiers were divided into four regions with four teams in each.
Pairings for the first three weeks of the tournament are based on regular-season playoff point averages, with the highest-ranked team hosting, regardless of the distance between the two schools. For 11-Player District Semifinal and 8-Player Regional Semifinal play, the top-seeded team in each bracket will host the fourth-seeded team, and the second-seeded team will host the third-seeded team.
District Finals for 11-player and Regional Finals for 8-player will follow during the weekend of Nov. 3-4, and the weekend of Nov. 10-11 will have Regional Finals in the 11-Player Playoffs and Semifinals in the 8-Player Playoffs. The 8-Player Semifinals will pair the winners of Region 1 vs. Region 2 and the winners of Region 3 vs. Region 4, at the sites of the highest-ranked team.
Semifinal games in the 11-Player Playoffs will take place Nov. 17-18, pairing the winners of Region 1 vs. Region 2 and the winners of Region 3 vs. Region 4. The MHSAA will assign 11-Player Semifinals at neutral sites.
All playoff tickets except for Finals (both 11 and 8-player) will be sold online only via GoFan at gofan.co/ to provide for a cashless and contactless purchasing process.
For 11-Player, tickets to District Semifinals and District Finals cost $7, tickets to Regional Finals are $9, and tickets to Semifinals cost $10. For 8-player, tickets for Regional Semifinals are $7, tickets for Regional Finals are $9, and tickets for Semifinals cost $10.
The 8-Player Finals will take place Nov. 18 at Northern Michigan University’s Superior Dome in Marquette, and the 11-Player Finals will be played Nov. 25-26 at Ford Field in Detroit. An all-day ticket for 8-Player Finals costs $10 and includes admission to both games, and an all-day ticket for the 11-Player Finals costs $20 and includes admission to that day’s four games.
The MHSAA also has announced its schedule for the 11-Player Finals weekend, which will be played on Saturday and Sunday this season to accommodate the Michigan State/Penn State football game on Friday, Nov. 24, at Ford Field. The Finals schedule will be as follows:
Saturday, Nov. 25
10 a.m. - Division 8
1 p.m. - Division 4
4:30 p.m. - Division 6
7:30 p.m. - Division 2
Sunday, Nov. 26
9:30 a.m. - Division 7
12:30 p.m. - Division 3
4 p.m. - Division 5
7 p.m. - Division 1
Pairings for both the 11 and 8-Player brackets are as follows:
11-Player Pairings
DIVISION 1
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Holland West Ottawa (4-5) 54.667 at Rockford (9-0) 85.667
Hudsonville (5-4) 58.111 at Grandville (7-2) 74.111
DISTRICT 2
Lapeer (5-4) 57.444 at Davison (9-0) 82.444
Grand Ledge (6-3) 57.458 at Grand Blanc (5-4) 58.222
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Brighton (5-4) 58.667 at Northville (8-1) 78.667
Detroit Catholic Central (7-2) 60.444 at Novi (7-2) 70.667
DISTRICT 2
Ann Arbor Huron (5-4) 54.222 at Belleville (9-0) 84.000
Ann Arbor Pioneer (6-3) 58.000 at Saline (8-1) 78.333
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Oxford (4-5) 55.500 at Lake Orion (9-0) 85.778
Romeo (4-5) 59.333 at Clarkston (4-5) 62.111
DISTRICT 2
Utica (4-5) 53.556 at Utica Eisenhower (8-1) 78.000
Rochester Adams (6-3) 62.778 at West Bloomfield (7-2) 77.556
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Sterling Heights Stevenson (4-5) 58.000 at Clinton Township Chippewa Valley (7-2) 77.022
St. Clair Shores Lakeview (7-2) 62.889 at Macomb Dakota (7-2) 70.778
DISTRICT 2
Dearborn Fordson (5-4) 58.333 at Southfield Arts & Technology (8-1) 74.667
Detroit Cass Tech (6-3) 58.681 at Westland John Glenn (7-2) 70.556
DIVISION 2
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Traverse City Central (4-5) 49.778 at Saginaw Heritage (7-2) 66.667
Midland (5-4) 50.667 at Midland Dow (5-4) 51.444
DISTRICT 2
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern (6-3) 54.889 at Muskegon (7-2) 69.000
Muskegon Reeths-Puffer (7-2) 60.889 at Muskegon Mona Shores (6-3) 61.444
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Byron Center (8-1) 67.111 at Portage Central (8-1) 73.833
Portage Northern (8-1) 68.944 at Caledonia (7-2) 70.111
DISTRICT 2
Lansing Everett (5-4) 48.097 at East Lansing (7-2) 67.528
Milford (6-3) 59.111 at White Lake Lakeland (6-3) 60.889
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Birmingham Groves (6-3) 62.667 at Birmingham Seaholm (8-1) 72.861
Livonia Franklin (6-3) 63.000 at Waterford Mott (7-2) 65.556
DISTRICT 2
Livonia Churchill (4-5) 48.556 at Gibraltar Carlson (8-1) 73.333
Dexter (6-3) 64.778 at Allen Park (8-1) 71.556
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Warren Cousino (6-3) 50.000 at Warren De La Salle Collegiate (7-2) 69.333
Detroit U-D Jesuit (6-2) 58.078 at Warren Mott (6-3) 58.111
DISTRICT 2
Harrison Township L'Anse Creuse (4-5) 52.889 at Grosse Pointe South (8-1) 77.222
Roseville (6-3) 60.444 at Port Huron Northern (7-2) 61.000
DIVISION 3
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Bay City Western (5-4) 47.222 at Gaylord (9-0) 66.569
Petoskey (5-4) 47.389 at Marquette (5-3) 49.667
DISTRICT 2
Grand Rapids Northview (4-5) 46.444 at Mount Pleasant (8-1) 73.333
Lowell (6-3) 56.222 at Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central (8-1) 71.889
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Coopersville (7-2) 55.778 at East Grand Rapids (7-2) 63.667
Zeeland East (6-3) 57.111 at Zeeland West (6-3) 57.333
DISTRICT 2
Battle Creek Harper Creek (6-3) 51.000 at Parma Western (8-1) 62.986
Stevensville Lakeshore (5-4) 54.833 at St. Joseph (6-3) 58.722
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Linden (4-5) 49.000 at Mason (9-0) 72.750
Fenton (6-3) 60.889 at DeWitt (6-2) 62.181
DISTRICT 2
Redford Thurston (6-3) 46.556 at Walled Lake Western (8-1) 74.333
Holly (6-3) 52.444 at Auburn Hills Avondale (8-1) 68.667
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Detroit Martin Luther King (4-5) 45.667 at Port Huron (7-2) 61.667
Warren Fitzgerald (4-5) 46.222 at Grosse Pointe North (6-3) 51.000
DISTRICT 2
River Rouge (5-4) 50.333 at Southgate Anderson (7-2) 65.389
Trenton (5-4) 56.778 at Riverview (8-1) 57.667
DIVISION 4
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Allendale (6-3) 48.333 at Whitehall (9-0) 62.778
Big Rapids (8-1) 49.444 at Spring Lake (7-2) 55.556
DISTRICT 2
Ionia (5-4) 42.889 at Ada Forest Hills Eastern (7-2) 55.778
Wayland (6-3) 48.444 at Grand Rapids South Christian (6-3) 50.889
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Vicksburg (4-5) 42.444 at Niles (8-1) 60.556
Edwardsburg (5-4) 47.444 at Paw Paw (8-1) 60.278
DISTRICT 2
Charlotte (6-3) 44.222 at Hastings (7-2) 60.167
Lansing Sexton (8-1) 56.444 at Portland (9-0) 59.500
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Tecumseh (5-4) 46.639 at Chelsea (8-1) 64.444
Adrian (6-3) 51.667 at Haslett (6-3) 55.236
DISTRICT 2
Ortonville Brandon (5-4) 47.444 at Goodrich (8-1) 64.222
Lake Fenton (6-3) 49.778 at Freeland (8-1) 55.333
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Croswell-Lexington (7-2) 51.000 at Harper Woods (6-3) 64.889
Madison Heights Lamphere (7-2) 51.889 at Marysville (7-2) 55.000
DISTRICT 2
Detroit East English (5-4) 43.667 at Carleton Airport (8-1) 62.333
Dearborn Divine Child (5-4) 48.250 at Redford Union (7-2) 59.667
DIVISION 5
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Gladwin (7-2) 45.833 at Ogemaw Heights (8-1) 51.500
Howard City Tri County (7-2) 46.333 at Kingsford (8-1) 49.792
DISTRICT 2
Essexville Garber (5-4) 35.889 at Frankenmuth (8-1) 57.222
Birch Run (5-4) 38.889 at Saginaw Swan Valley (5-4) 42.222
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Comstock Park (5-4) 37.889 at Grand Rapids West Catholic (9-0) 69.222
Muskegon Oakridge (6-3) 45.667 at Belding (8-1) 58.333
DISTRICT 2
Benton Harbor (4-5) 33.889 at Grand Rapids Catholic Central (8-1) 66.444
Berrien Springs (5-3) 41.611 at South Haven (6-3) 43.444
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Flint Hamady (8-0) 47.528 at Corunna (9-0) 67.778
Williamston (6-3) 55.556 at Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (8-0) 61.431
DISTRICT 2
Richmond (5-4) 38.444 at Marine City (8-1) 56.000
Armada (5-4) 43.778 at Macomb Lutheran North (7-2) 45.667
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard (7-2) 38.333 at Dearborn Heights Robichaud (6-3) 49.778
Detroit Denby (8-1) 41.984 at Detroit Southeastern (6-3) 48.500
DISTRICT 2
Milan (4-5) 38.556 at Flat Rock (6-3) 47.500
Romulus (5-4) 40.667 at Romulus Summit Academy North (7-2) 46.194
DIVISION 6
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Boyne City (5-4) 34.222 at Gladstone (7-2) 46.569
Grayling (6-3) 38.903 at Negaunee (7-2) 43.444
DISTRICT 2
Mason County Central (5-4) 32.111 at Kingsley (7-2) 50.944
Lake City (6-3) 32.222 at Manistee (7-2) 49.111
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Montague (4-5) 38.111 at Reed City (6-3) 46.444
Kent City (7-2) 39.000 at Hart (8-1) 40.000
DISTRICT 2
Midland Bullock Creek (6-3) 34.222 at Clare (7-2) 45.222
Central Montcalm (5-4) 35.778 at Chesaning (8-1) 42.000
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Olivet (3-6) 33.111 at Constantine (8-1) 50.889
Buchanan (6-3) 37.333 at Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep (5-4) 39.833
DISTRICT 2
Lansing Catholic (3-6) 33.667 at Michigan Center (7-2) 38.111
Ida (5-4) 34.222 at Ovid-Elsie (5-4) 37.889
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Clinton Township Clintondale (4-5) 32.667 at Almont (8-1) 58.222
Clawson (7-2) 43.556 at Warren Michigan Collegiate (9-0) 54.181
DISTRICT 2
Detroit Pershing (5-4) 35.000 at Ecorse (7-1) 44.264
Detroit Old Redford (8-1) 38.333 at Detroit Edison (6-3) 44.250
DIVISION 7
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Benzie Central (5-4) 30.556 at Menominee (7-2) 43.556
Traverse City St. Francis (4-4) 34.139 at Charlevoix (8-1) 40.347
DISTRICT 2
Hemlock (3-6) 26.111 at Beaverton (6-3) 33.556
Houghton Lake (5-4) 26.667 at McBain (5-4) 29.000
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Union City (6-3) 32.667 at North Muskegon (9-0) 45.000
Schoolcraft (7-2) 37.222 at Lawton (8-1) 43.722
DISTRICT 2
Perry (5-4) 28.778 at Pewamo-Westphalia (8-1) 39.778
Laingsburg (4-5) 29.222 at Bath (6-3) 34.889
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Burton Bendle (4-5) 26.250 at Montrose (6-3) 37.111
Detroit Central (4-5) 31.667 at Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett (7-2) 36.778
DISTRICT 2
Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker (5-4) 30.222 at Millington (9-0) 46.347
Sandusky (6-3) 30.667 at Cass City (7-2) 35.333
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Grass Lake (6-3) 31.778 at Jackson Lumen Christi (8-1) 61.222
Manchester (7-2) 37.889 at Napoleon (8-1) 43.222
DISTRICT 2
Blissfield (5-4) 34.222 at Clinton (8-1) 45.389
Detroit Loyola (4-5) 34.986 at Monroe St Mary Catholic Central (5-4) 44.653
DIVISION 8
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Maple City Glen Lake (5-4) 27.861 at Iron Mountain (9-0) 38.931
Ishpeming (6-3) 30.819 at East Jordan (8-1) 38.528
DISTRICT 2
Frankfort (7-2) 32.750 at Beal City (8-1) 39.111
Muskegon Catholic Central (5-4) 33.458 at Evart (7-2) 35.333
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary (6-3) 33.556 at New Lothrop (8-1) 46.778
Fowler (8-1) 40.333 at Ithaca (9-0) 42.778
DISTRICT 2
Burton Bentley (7-2) 29.292 at Ubly (9-0) 44.444
Marlette (7-2) 34.000 at Harbor Beach (8-1) 41.111
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Saranac (5-4) 27.556 at Saugatuck (7-2) 37.556
Centreville (5-4) 27.556 at White Pigeon (9-0) 35.556
DISTRICT 2
Sand Creek (5-4) 30.444 at Ottawa Lake Whiteford (9-0) 44.778
Hudson (7-2) 38.556 at Addison (9-0) 41.333
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest (5-4) 27.333 at Clarkston Everest Collegiate (7-2) 38.667
Arts & Technology Academy of Pontiac (6-3) 27.667 at Marine City Cardinal Mooney (5-4) 31.444
DISTRICT 2
Allen Park Cabrini (4-5) 28.778 at Sterling Heights Parkway Christian (7-2) 34.778
Mount Clemens (5-4) 29.222 at Riverview Gabriel Richard (5-4) 34.444
8-Player Pairings
DIVISION 1
REGION 1
Rudyard (6-3) 31.292 at Pickford (8-1) 36.222
Newberry (7-2) 31.444 at Norway (7-2) 33.778
REGION 2
Central Lake (7-2) 31.903 at St. Ignace (8-1) 38.347
Alcona (8-1) 34.222 at Indian River Inland Lakes (8-1) 34.972
REGION 3
Carson City-Crystal (8-1) 31.556 at Brown City (9-0) 39.167
Merrill (8-1) 32.556 at Kingston (7-2) 35.611
REGION 4
Marcellus (7-2) 31.111 at Martin (7-2) 33.111
Mendon (7-2) 31.111 at Gobles (7-2) 32.111
DIVISION 2
REGION 1
Powers North Central (7-2) 29.540 at Posen (8-0) 32.333
Crystal Falls Forest Park (7-2) 30.444 at Lake Linden-Hubbell (6-3) 31.333
REGION 2
Bay City All Saints (7-2) 30.319 at Marion (8-0) 34.458
Au Gres-Sims (7-2) 31.069 at Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (8-1) 33.556
REGION 3
Fulton (6-3) 28.667 at Portland St. Patrick (8-1) 32.889
Morrice (7-2) 32.111 at Deckerville (7-2) 32.611
REGION 4
Camden-Frontier (6-3) 28.750 at Adrian Lenawee Christian (9-0) 38.333
Pittsford (7-2) 32.444 at Climax-Scotts (9-0) 37.000
(Photo by Douglas Bargerstock.)