St. Mary's Repeats in St. Mary's Fashion
November 28, 2015
By Bill Khan
Special for Second Half
DETROIT — Glamorous moments come rarely for wide receivers in Orchard Lake St. Mary's offense.
To play receiver for the Eaglets requires patience, a selfless attitude and a player who doesn't mind doing the little things that only get noticed within the inner circle of the team.
Junior K.J. Hamler would be the primary weapon in many offenses, but he knows his role with St. Mary’s — make the blocks that keep the chains moving for a pound-and-ground attack.
When his number is called, he needs to make the most of it — and he usually does.
Hamler caught four passes for 63 yards and two touchdowns, as the Eaglets repeated as MHSAA Division 3 champions with a 29-12 victory over Chelsea on Saturday at Ford Field.
He hauled in a 34-yard pass from Brendan Tabone on a go route to give St. Mary's a 15-0 lead with 4:09 left in the first quarter. Hamler’s 16-yard catch-and-run of a screen pass from Tabone made it a 22-6 game with 7:31 to go in the third quarter.
"I'm always prepared for anything," Hamler said. "I know we're a running powerhouse team. I've just got to prepare to block better. As soon as coach (George) Porritt gives our team a chance to pass the ball, I try my best."
A year ago, Hamler didn't have a catch in the championship game. Tabone had a minimal role as a passer, going 3 for 11 for 31 yards in a 7-0 victory over Muskegon.
St. Mary's ran the ball on its first 15 plays of this game before Tabone got the green light to go deep to Hamler. The Eaglets ran eight more plays before the next pass was called. They finished with 293 rushing yards on 56 carries, while Tabone went 5 for 9 passing for 79 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
"I look forward to every pass play, because we don't throw a ton," Tabone said. "We have such great backs. It was really special to be able to have an impact on the game; I'll remember it forever."
Tabone said Hamler has the right mental framework to play wide receiver in St. Mary's offense.
"K.J.'s such a great guy," he said. "He's selfless. Whenever his number gets called, our eyes light up and we do our best to make a big play when we can."
The flashes of brilliance in the passing game added to a championship performance that was typical for St. Mary's — grind down the opponent with the running game and stifle it with defense.
Justin Myrick had 108 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries, Troy Marks had 105 yards on 17 carries, Rashawn Allen had 55 yards on 13 carries, and Ryan Johnson had 22 yards on three carries to lead the balanced ground game.
"We have depth in our running backs, so if somebody gets hurt we can put in somebody else," said Myrick, who missed the Semifinal victory over East Grand Rapids with an injured hamstring.
Brandon Adams, who ran for the only touchdown in last year's championship victory, missed the game because of an injury sustained on his only carry in the Semifinal.
The Eaglets repeated as MHSAA champions for only the second time in 13 Finals appearances. They won back-to-back titles in 1999 and 2000, missing out on their three-peat bid in a 14-7 loss to Chesaning in 2001.
"At the beginning of the season, we were ranked No. 1 and all that good stuff," said junior linebacker Josh Ross, who had six tackles and an interception. "It was a lot of pressure. We had to come through it. We suffered a bad loss (31-8 to Warren DeLaSalle), which made us bond together as brothers. We came through all that adversity and won the state championship. I couldn't be prouder of our team."
It looked like St. Mary's might run away with it early. The Eaglets were leading 15-0 when they elected to go for a 33-yard field goal on fourth-and-inches from Chelsea's 17-yard line on their third possession. John Kwiecinski missed for only the second time in 10 field goal tries this season, opening the door for the Bulldogs (12-2) to get back in the game.
It took them only four plays to get into the end zone, as Graham Kuras took a reverse and heaved a 47-yard touchdown pass to Noah vanReesema with 8:22 left in the second quarter. Ralph Holley blocked the extra point, leaving the score at 15-6.
"That's our go-to trick play," Kuras said. "I was looking over for Noah. Usually, he's halfway across the field. This time, he wasn't. I was kind of lost on the play. I saw the safety get drawn up, so I knew he'd be open. I stepped up and threw it. I thought I overthrew it. I saw him step into second gear. That was probably one of the biggest plays in the game. Getting down 15-0 right away, we were kind of low on ourselves. Getting a score like that with the crowd behind us and boosting everyone's confidence was key to this game. Without that, it could've been much worse."
St. Mary's took that 15-6 lead into halftime, then expanded it to 22-6 on the 16-yard pass to Hamler following a shanked 11-yard punt.
Chelsea was held to only 13 yards rushing on 22 carries, but was able to do some damage through the air. A 14-yard touchdown pass from Jack Bush to Cameron Cooper with 5:07 left in the third quarter got the Bulldogs within 22-12. A 2-point pass that would've made it a one-possession margin was incomplete.
The response was a vintage St. Mary's drive, a 13-play, 80-yard march made up entirely of running plays. The Eaglets took 6:13 off the clock before Myrick scored on a 3-yard run to make it 29-12 with 8:44 left in the game.
The championship was within St. Mary's grasp once the defense came up with a big goal line stand on the following Chelsea drive. The Bulldogs had first-and-goal at the 3 but ended up with a turnover on downs with 5:39 left.
Chelsea would never touch the ball again, as St. Mary's ran out the final 5:39 with a 10-play, 48-yard drive.
"That's our football," Porritt said. "That last drive was big-time for us. The last drive and the defensive stop were our M.O. for the year. The defense has come up big in some goal line situations. Our offense running clock and having long sustained drives has been our football strategy all year."
Bush was 13 for 21 for 145 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He was sacked four times.
While St. Mary's is a regular visitor to the championship game, it was the first time Chelsea made it this far.
"As sad as it is to be over, I wouldn't want to end it anywhere else with any other guys or any other team," Kuras said. "It was the experience of a lifetime."
The MHSAA Football Finals are sponsored by the Michigan National Guard.
PHOTOS: (Top) K.J. Hamler beats the Chelsea defense for one of his two touchdowns Saturday. (Middle) The Eaglets celebrate their second straight Division 3 championship.
Perseverance Turns Into Possibilities During Cassopolis' Turnaround Season
By
Scott Hassinger
Special for MHSAA.com
November 3, 2026
CASSOPOLIS – Good times on Friday nights have returned to the Cassopolis football program.
A couple of years removed from canceling its final three games of the 2024 season because of injuries and a lack of experienced players to fill in, coach Jeremiah Lee and his Rangers have lots to celebrate heading into this offseason and 2027.
Cassopolis finished 8-2 this fall with a 54-12 Division 7 District Semifinal loss at Ravenna on Friday. But Lee's Rangers ended the regular season on an eight-game winning streak after suffering a 25-21 defeat in the opener to Southwest 10 Conference foe and Division 8 playoff qualifier Decatur.
With an experienced roster filled with several two-, three-, and four-year varsity letterwinners, Cassopolis rebounded from a 3-6 season in 2025 by outscoring opponents 451-161 this autumn and earning its first appearance in the postseason since 2021.
"Everything has come together for our kids and coaching staff. It's just a blessing to be able to end the season in the spot we are,” Lee said. “We don't take any of it for granted and try and take advantage of all these opportunities.
"Our physicality between last year and now has changed greatly. You could see that in our preseason scrimmage at Constantine and when we took Decatur down to the wire to open our schedule. That first game allowed our team to realize how good they could be, and they continued to tap into that every week.”
Senior quarterback Lucas Williams, a four-year starter, played a major part in Cassopolis' resurgence with his athleticism and leadership in the huddle. The Rangers ran a split-back and spread offensive look.
During the regular season, the 6-foot-2, 180-pound Williams completed 73-of-114 passing attempts with 27 touchdowns while adding 75 carries for 792 rushing yards and 14 TDS.
"This season has been great after some hard times with the cancelation of our season a couple years ago and the death of one of our teammates a year ago," Williams said, referring to Kollin Grover, who died from injuries sustained during a crash a few weeks before the start of the 2025 season. "We've stuck together through it all as one and have been driven to get stronger every day on the field and off it."
Williams, a standout and four-year all-league performer in basketball and baseball as well, broke Tyrese-Hunt Thompson's school record for total TDs (passing and rushing) in a single season with 41. Hunt-Thompson, one of the greatest all-around athletes in school history, went on to play football at Ferris State and North Texas State.
Williams credited his offensive line of junior Mason Boyer (6-6, 300), Conner Turnbow, Colt Bement, Cah'lil Warren, Micah Schuelke and others for his success behind center.
"I couldn't have done anything without their hard work and dedication up there. I couldn't have broke the TD record without those guys or my receivers Jamiere Pratt, Mason Nelson and Camdyn Gillam,” Williams said. “It was just an amazing feat to be able to do this with all of my teammates.”.
Lee stated athletes like Williams don't come around often.
"Lucas is a real special kid. He's matured a great deal and has become a really great teammate this season,” Lee said. “It's tough to be a quarterback with the beatings you take in there sometimes. He makes the game easier for everyone around him, and he's made leaps and bounds."
Senior tailback Elijah Wagoner (6-0, 185) rounded out a balanced Rangers' backfield with 60 carries for 581 yards rushing. "Elijah has been our guy to get those tough yards for us late in the game. He sticks his head in there and does what he has to do," Lee said.
Among Williams' top targets through the air were Pratt, his cousin and a junior this fall. Pratt (5-10, 143) had 26 receptions for 665 yards and 15 TDs. Williams’ brother Mason Nelson, a senior, added 28 catches for 535 yards and nine TDs.
Pratt, also a standout with his speed on special teams, returned three kickoffs for TDs (55, 75, 45 yards) and with an 80-yard punt return for a score. Nelson (6-0, 150) returned a punt 89 yards for another touchdown.
"It's pick your poison. Our receivers have been really good about sharing the load. When one of them has an off night, the others pick up the slack. They block well when we have to run the ball as well. Everyone realizes it’s about we not me," Lee said. "Any time Jamiere hits a seam on kickoff or punt returns, he has a chance to take it to the house. Our offensive line is a selfless unit as well."
Senior Lane Leach, a four-year starter at middle linebacker and on the Rangers' offensive line, has been the catalyst on a stingy defense with 103 tackles, two forced fumbles and a pair of fumble recoveries.
"I'm really good at reading the field, and I feel like I'm pretty physical on defense. Offensively, I just try to do my best to protect our quarterback," Leach said.
The Rangers were known as one of the quicker teams defensively in the SW10 and among schools in Southwestern Michigan. Lee also noted that unit’s versatility and ability to show multiple fronts, and the advantages of having so much speed on that side of the ball.
"We are pretty strong up front, especially on our defensive line. Our safeties and defensive backs have helped us contain opponents to just running the football. We all strive to do our jobs and just go out and execute," Leach added. "It really stunk having to cancel our season early two years ago. But we realized we had to be dedicated and put a lot of hard work in the offseason and had a strong year this fall."
Cassopolis ended the fall allowing just 16.1 points per contest. Wagoner added 59 tackles, one forced fumble and seven pancake blocks to the efforts on both sides of the ball.
"Having that previous varsity experience helped me a great deal this season knowing the plays and having a good connection with a phenomenal quarterback. Our greatest mentality this season has been our will to win and a strong belief in ourselves. It's been a pleasure to be on the field with these guys," Wagoner said. "We like to fly to the ball and hit you hard on defense and let you know we are there."
Mason Pike had 83 tackles, one interception and three fumble recoveries. Trevor Williamson added 78 tackles. Tyson West 44 tackles and 11.5 sacks, Easton Mitchell 56 tackles and one interception, and junior Conner Turnbow totaled 52 stops, two interceptions, one forced fumble and one recovery for the Rangers.
One of several two-way starters for the Rangers, Turnbow (6-0, 185) handled the center's duties as well as playing outside linebacker.
He’s among several players expected to return next fall; Cassopolis will graduate just four seniors off a 34-player roster.
"We've had some past struggles, but we stuck with it and this year we really put it together as a team. It was about loving one another and sticking with it,” Turnbow said. “We are more disciplined and locking down in the weight and film room. There's a lot of brotherhood, we are having fun and we come out expecting to win now.”
Scott Hassinger is a contributing sportswriter for Leader Publications and previously served as the sports editor for the Three Rivers Commercial-News from 1994-2022. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Cassopolis senior quarterback Lucas Williams receives a necklace signifying his single-season school record for touchdowns. (Middle) Jamiere Pratt (1) returns a kickoff for a touchdown during a Week 9 win over Galesburg-Augusta. (Below) Conner Turnbow (55) recovers a fumble during that 49-18 victory. (Photos by Scott Hassinger.)