1st & Goal: 2021 Finals Review
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 30, 2021
Two of the longest MHSAA Finals days at Ford Field – capped by two of the most exciting championship games in recent memory – concluded the 2021 football season this weekend.
Fans were able to savor every moment until nearly midnight both nights, and more than 38,000 made the trip to Detroit over the two-day 11-player event. That was in addition to those who journeyed from near and far the weekend before for the 8-Player Finals at Northern Michigan University’s Superior Dome, where a pair of repeat champions reigned again.
Second Half covered all 10 championship games, with quick recaps and links (click on the game scores) to those stories below followed by notations of performances entered into the MHSAA Finals record book and a report on some of the biggest and best stories to emerge from the championship weekends.
Finals in Review
11-Player Division 1: Belleville 55, Rochester Adams 33
After falling a win short of reaching the Final the last three seasons, Belleville advanced this fall and completed its first championship run. Freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood showed on a statewide stage why he’s received lots of attention during his high school debut, and he was surrounded by seniors including receiver Jeremiah Caldwell who helped carry the Tigers to the win.
11-Player Division 2: Warren De La Salle Collegiate 41, Traverse City Central 14
After falling in last season’s championship game, De La Salle took the next step in winning its fourth Finals title – and with expectations we could see the Pilots back at Ford Field again in 2022. Junior quarterback Brady Drogosh has been a big part of both trips, and this time he had a hand in 316 total yards and four touchdowns either running or passing.
11-Player Division 3: Detroit Martin Luther King 25, DeWitt 21
Two of the state’s premier quarterbacks were on display, junior Dante Moore for King and senior Ty Holtz for reigning champ DeWitt. But the deciding play was a defensive stand – specifically, the Crusaders stopping a 4th-and-goal from their 1-yard line with 2:34 to play. Both teams brought interceptions back for touchdowns, Holtz making the grab and score for DeWitt.
11-Player Division 4: Chelsea 55, Hudsonville Unity Christian 52
This is the game from this weekend many will be referring to years from now. Take your pick why – the 11-Player Finals record 107 combined points, Chelsea’s also-record 28-point comeback over the final 23 minutes, the fact Unity Christian had set the season record for points scored during the game. Maybe the walk-off field goal by Hunter Shaw saved in part by the deft handling of a short snap by quarterback/holder Lucas Dunn.
11-Player Division 5: Grand Rapids Catholic Central 31, Marine City 7
The Cougars won their second-straight championship in Division 5 and fifth over the last six seasons to go with Division 4 titles in 2016, 2017 and 2019. They did so with what has to be one of the finest back-up quarterbacking performances ever – senior John Passinault stepped in for injured past Finals star Joey Silveri and threw for 2,307 yards and 37 touchdowns this fall.
11-Player Division 6: Lansing Catholic 16, Warren Michigan Collegiate 6
The Cougars have been known for their offensive production over the last decade or more, but the defense led the way to their second championship in three seasons – they had won Division 5 in 2019. Lansing Catholic gave up only 40 points – or eight per game – during this playoff run, and in this game took advantage of four interceptions and a fumble recovery.
11-Player Division 7: Pewamo-Westphalia 14, Lawton 10
The Pirates added their fourth championship in six seasons, capping a run which saw them win their league and defeat eight more league champions along the way – one of them Lansing Catholic, the eventual Division 6 title winner. P-W had accomplished most of it with key players out with injuries, but multiple returned to lead the Pirates past Lawton, which was making its first Finals appearance.
11-Player Division 8: Hudson 14, Beal City 7
Defense has reigned in Division 8 the last few seasons, with Hudson following recent champions Centreville and Reading in thriving on that side of the ball. The Tigers ended their undefeated season having given up only 99 points (7.1 per game), and this time stopped a Beal City team averaging 35.5 points per contest entering Ford Field.
8-Player Division 1: Adrian Lenawee Christian 31, Suttons Bay 20
A rematch of last season’s Division 1 Final was more closely contested, but with the same result as Lenawee Christian finished its second-straight undefeated campaign. Cougars quarterback Ashur Bryja is a name to remember – he opened the scoring 51 seconds in with an interception return touchdown, ran for two more scores and threw for 229 yards.
8-Player Division 2: Powers North Central 63, Colon 0
The Jets won their second-straight Division 2 title and fourth 8-player championship total, and put up a combined 133 points over those last two Finals wins. North Central had 520 yards of total offense this time. Wyatt Raab, Luke Gorzinski and Alex Naser all scored two touchdowns, and Gorzinski also was the team’s leading tackler.
Records Report
11-Player
Chelsea and Hudsonville blew past the previous record of 94 combined points in an 11-Player Finals game with their combined 107. Chelsea’s 55 tied for third-most, with Unity Christian now sitting at sixth on that list after Belleville also scored 55 in Division 1.
As expected from a 55-52 game, Chelsea ended up with the fourth-most total yardage in 11-Player Finals history, with 533, and the teams’ combined total of 1,024 ranks second. Chelsea’s 28 first downs are tied for third-most.
Chelsea’s Lucas Hanifan tied 11-player championship game records with 30 points and five touchdowns, and set the receiving touchdowns record by two with that total. His quarterback Lucas Dunn set the 11-Player Finals record with six touchdown passes while also making the yardage list with 308, pass attempts list with 36 and completions list with 25. Hanifan’s nine receptions also rank among the most in that category.
Belleville freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood may have even exceeded high expectations with his Finals debut, making the total offense list with a combined 346 rushing and passing yards (with 284 passing) and tying for second with four others with five touchdown passes. Senior receiver Jeremiah Caldwell played a big part, tying for second with 204 receiving yards (on only four receptions) and also tying for second with three touchdown catches.
Warren De La Salle Collegiate became the 22nd team to keep an opponent from completing a pass, shutting out Traverse City Central on its nine attempts. Detroit Martin Luther King became the 29th team to not punt in an 11-Player Final.
De La Salle quarterback Brady Drogosh also made the total yardage list with 316 (including 174 rushing). King’s Dante Moore made the completions list with 18 on 24 attempts.
Chelsea’s Hunter Shaw and Belleville’s Brayden Lane tied the 11-Player Finals record held by three others with seven extra points, while in Division 2, De La Salle’s Brady Lowe made the extra point list with five. Shaw and Adams’ Colin Timko became the 11th and 12th, respectively, to make two or more field goals, Timko hitting from 27 and 35 yards in the Division 1 game and Shaw from 26 and 33.
Hudson’s march to victory included 282 rushing yards on 64 carries, which tied for the eighth-most runs by one team in an 11-Player Final.
8-Player
Powers North Central’s big win was accompanied by multiple scoring record book entries, including for 29 points in a quarter (third most), 49 in the first half (first) and 63 for one game (also ranking third). The Jets also made the team rushing yardage list with 328 and the team first downs list with 20. North Central also became the first in the category for fewest rushing yards allowed, holding Colon to -14.
Adrian Lenawee Christian set the team first downs record with 24 against Suttons Bay.
Lenawee Christian quarterback Ashur Bryja earned the sixth-most total yards in 8-Player Finals history, with 372 including 229 passing.
North Central’s Jaden Walters set the standard for 8-player championship game kickers, making all seven of his extra point attempts.
Suttons Bay’s August Schaub set a record that will be tough to match, returning an interception 99 yards for a touchdown against Lenawee Christian.
Teammate Hugh Periard was added with the second-longest rushing play in 8-Player Finals history, 90 yards against Lenawee Christian.
Stories Behind the Scores
Winning streaks grow: A few of this season’s winners not only repeated as champions, but extended overall winning streaks that will be followed closely next season. Grand Rapids Catholic Central has won 36 straight games, tied for the sixth-longest undefeated run. Lenawee Christian has won all 24 8-player games it’s played over the last two seasons, and North Central also is 24-0 over the last two.
What’s new is new: Belleville and Chelsea were first-time champions after some just-misses over the last decade. As noted above, the Tigers made the Semifinals this season for the fourth straight year before reaching Ford Field for the first time, and Chelsea has made the Semifinals five of the last seven seasons and had lost in Finals in 2015 and 2018.
QB Power: Michigan is graduating another fine class of high school quarterbacks – DeWitt’s Ty Holtz, in particular, provided two seasons of memories leading the Panthers on back-to-back trips to Ford Field. But we should expect to see some of the other 2021 championship signal-callers a lot next season. King’s Dante Moore will close one of the most highly-followed careers in some time, and De La Salle’s Brady Drogosh will be watched just as much next fall. Belleville’s Bryce Underwood will generate plenty of statewide interest over the next three seasons. As noted, Lenawee Christian’s Ashur Bryja is one of the next stars among the small schools, and North Central’s Luke Gorzinski has led two championship runs and still is just a junior. Two more to remember: Marine City junior Jeffery Heaslip was a standout run/pass threat in leading his team to the Division 5 Final, and Rochester Adams junior Parker Picot became known at least in-state as much for football leading his team in Division 1 as he’s known as a top-level baseball prospect.
No taking ‘normal’ for granted: Those who experienced the start-stop-start 2020 season will never forget it, nor should any of us who had the opportunity to enjoy a more “normal” 2021. With COVID-19 ever present, Michigan high schools did their parts again to play safely this fall. And proper perspective remains a great teacher of just how much that’s worth.
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Millington Caps 1st Finals Trip with Decisive 'Forever' Championship
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
November 30, 2024
DETROIT – Dallas Walsh and his Millington teammates achieved a childhood dream Saturday at the Division 7 Football Final.
But for the sea of red in the Ford Field stands, and the few left watching at home, it was the fulfillment of a dream that started decades before the current Cardinals had taken a single snap.
A suffocating defense combined with a big day on the ground from Walsh gave the Cardinals a 24-0 victory against Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central, bringing a first Finals trophy home to Millington.
“It’s definitely an amazing feeling,” Walsh said. “I’ve been playing with these guys since I was probably 8 years old. This is something we’ve all dreamt of, and it’s really an amazing experience. Our whole community backed us the whole way. I’m just so glad that we came out with the win.”
The Cardinals were making the first Finals appearance in program history, as they were 0-6 in Semifinal appearances prior to this season.
That just made getting over the hump that much more special.
“It means the world to us,” Millington coach Jason Germain said. “We were 0-6 going into the Semifinals, and we heard about that. These kids knew that. They fulfilled my dreams, and they fulfilled a lot of people in the community’s dreams. If you couldn’t tell, you’d think that was a Division 1 game out there with that many people in the crowd. It is truly, in small towns like Millington and Frankenmuth, that’s what we cling to. We don’t have a lot in our community, but we have our Friday nights and we have our football program. That’s what it really, truly means. We told our guys, pain is temporary, championships are forever, and that’s what they really bought into. And it’s a true testament to our community. I’m telling you, it’s going to be a good night in Millington tonight.”
That fun night will no doubt include tales of a monstrous defensive effort from the Cardinals, which included three forced turnovers and allowing just 3.2 yards per play.
SMCC came into Saturday’s Final averaging 36.3 points and 240.5 rushing yards per game, but wasn’t able to get anything going against a stout Millington front. The Falcons were held to 131 yards of total offense and 68 yards on the ground.
“They did to us what we’ve been doing to teams for 13 games, so I think that’s a testament to them,” SMCC coach Adam Kipf said. “... They brought it on every single play. I don’t think they lost any energy throughout the game, and they were physical. We’d seen that on tape. We figured they’d wear down a little bit, and they did not wear down.”
The Cardinals held SMCC to 2.3 yards per carry, and when quarterback Ian Jones did drop back to pass, he was often greeted with a defender in his face. Millington finished the game with four sacks, getting two apiece from Logan Myers and Brevin Hendricks, which resulted in 34 lost yards for the Falcons.
The Cardinals also forced three interceptions, with Truk Terbush picking off two and Owen Kreger snagging the other.
“We shut out (Pewamo-Westphalia); they’re a prolific offense. We held North Muskegon to 14 until the end of the game – our defense is outstanding, and that’s a credit to our defensive coordinator (Lenny Dantinne) and these guys buying in,” Germain said. “I can’t say enough about these guys and Coach Dantinne and all of our coaches for preparing these guys. You don’t just shut out a team like Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central unless you’re doing film study and working hard.”
Offensively, Walsh, who had a team-high eight tackles, rushed for 114 yards and a touchdown, while Landon Russell had 67 yards on two carries, including a 64-yard TD run. Terbush finished 7-of-12 for 58 yards and a touchdown, and one interception.
Millington (13-0) had a significant field position advantage through most of the first half, and it was finally able to cash in on that late in the second quarter when Walsh opened the scoring with a 21-yard touchdown run.
The Cardinals put themselves right back into a dangerous position on the next play from scrimmage when Terbush intercepted a pass near midfield and returned it to the SMCC 15. The Falcons defense limited the damage, but Millington took a 10-0 lead with a 25-yard Larry Shoens field goal.
SMCC (13-1) was able to create a chance during the final seconds of the half, as Cole Reinhardt returned the ensuing kick 44 yards into Millington territory. But Kreger intercepted a pass in the endzone as time expired to preserve the Cardinals’ 10-point halftime lead.
That would have been enough, thanks to the outstanding effort of the Millington defense, but Landon Russell added a 64-yard TD run late in the third quarter on what was by far the game’s most explosive play. Russell’s run covered more ground than the SMCC offense had been able to gain up until that point (50 yards).
It’s a play that was supposed to go to Walsh, but he made the decision to switch with Russell after it was called.
“It was really, I told (Russell) I needed a breather, so I said, ‘Go get one,’” Walsh said.
That run capped a 95-yard drive for the Cardinals, as they started at their own 5-yard line, and opened the possession with a false start to fall back to the 2½.
“That was the turning point in the game for us,” Germain said. “They could have stopped us there, but our kids persevered and we just went old school football – flanker, double tight, and we just pounded the ball and scored on that. That was the huge part of the game for me, personally.”
The Cardinals tacked on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Terbush to Brevin Hendrick with 5:21 remaining in the fourth quarter.
SMCC was led by Lucas Linzell’s 12 tackles, while Brady Hines had eight, including 2.5 for loss. Jack Starner had one sack for the Falcons, and Drew Ferreira had an interception.
“I’m proud of our kids,” Kipf said. “They fought and they battled. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
PHOTOS (Top) Millington’s Dallas Walsh (5) busts into a wide opening during Saturday’s Division 7 Final at Ford Field. (Middle) The Cardinals’ Brevin Hendricks (11) chases SMCC quarterback Ian Foster in the backfield. (Below) Millington coach Jason Germain holds up the championship trophy as he’s embraced by one of his players. (Photos by Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)