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Week 1 Review

1st & Goal: 2022 Week 1 Review

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

August 30, 2022

Another slate of season openers meant another fresh start for more than 600 varsity football teams across Michigan this past weekend.

MI Student AidAnd plenty made it count.

Three reigning MHSAA champions and three more 2021 Finals runners-up were among those starting out 0-1 this fall, while Lansing Waverly, Armada, Allegan and Litchfield were among many who celebrated what they hope will be just the start of special seasons to come.

See below for many of the most notable results from all over Michigan as we take a glance at Week 1.

Bay & Thumb

HEADLINER Davison 28, Clarkston 21 After opening with a three-point loss to Clarkston last season and then missing the playoffs, Davison has switched lanes on the first and set itself up well in the early going for the second. The Cardinals made some big plays late to get past the Wolves this time during the Battle at the Big House at University of Michigan. Click for more from the Flint Journal.

Watch list Fenton 46, Midland Dow 7 The Tigers are coming off their first sub-.500 season since 2007, but that might be a distant memory soon if this win over the Division 2 Chargers is an indication.

On the move Montrose 27, Clarkston Everest Collegiate 0 Everest averaged 38 points per game last season but couldn’t get on track against a Rams defense that had two shutouts a year ago. Frankenmuth 27, Goodrich 2 This might be a sign that a strong Frankenmuth defense from last season will be tough to deal with again. Midland 27, Cadillac 21 The Chemics, winners of two games last season, opened with a solid one over a Cadillac program that finished 9-3 a year ago.

Greater Detroit

HEADLINER Clinton Township Chippewa Valley 20, Detroit Catholic Central 16 This is the type of titanic opening-night matchup we anticipate all offseason, and Chippewa Valley came on strong at the end after trailing by 10 at halftime. The Big Reds also had won last season’s opener between the two. Click for more from the Detroit Free Press.

Watch list Armada 28, Marine City 27 Last year’s first winning record in a decade may have just been the start as the Tigers opened by edging last season’s Division 5 runner-up.

On the move Trenton 6, Chelsea 3 The Trojans reversed last year’s 40-0 loss to the eventual Division 4 champ. Redford Union 26, Pewamo-Westphalia 6 The Panthers also avenged a 2021 defeat to an eventual champion after falling to Division 7 winner P-W 33-6 a year ago. Southfield Arts & Technology 56, Detroit Cass Tech 54 The Warriors are seeking their first winning season since 2016 and should have plenty of momentum after avenging last season’s 49-22 loss to the Technicians.

Mid-Michigan

HEADLINER Lansing Waverly 18, Lansing Catholic 7 This might be Waverly’s best win since clinching a playoff spot in 2012 – or even going back to defeating Grand Ledge in 2002. The Warriors gave up 33 points a game in winning only two last season, but shut down the reigning Division 6 champion Cougars in arguably the biggest upset in the state during Week 1. Click for more from the Lansing State Journal.

Watch list DeWitt 21, Haslett 14 Rivalry restored? It may be early to say that much, but this Battle at the Big House – and first matchup of these two past rivals since 2017 – featured a shutout by the Panthers’ defense but two return touchdowns by the Vikings’ Nakai Amachree.

On the move New Lothrop 12, Jackson Lumen Christi 7 The Hornets won arguably the most anticipated small-school opener in the state, avenging last season’s 27-14 loss to the Titans – who went on to make the Division 7 Semifinals. Brighton 35, Dearborn Fordson 14 Both are likely contenders in their respective divisions of the Kensington Lakes Activities Association, Brighton especially making some noise with this win after finishing 4-5 a year ago. East Lansing 21, Portage Central 15 This was switched late from an East Lansing home game to a trip to Portage, but the Trojans made the best of it against a Mustangs team that won nine games in 2021.

Northern Lower Peninsula

HEADLINER Traverse City Central 49, St. Joseph 28 The Trojans traveled to Ferris State for their first game since finishing Division 2 runner-up last fall at Ford Field, and defeated a St. Joseph program that reached the Division 3 Semifinals last season. The win might prove especially notable with Lapeer and Davison up next and then a first-time run through the newly-configured Saginaw Valley League. Click for more from the Traverse City Record-Eagle.

Watch list Gaylord 15, Lake Fenton 14 Gaylord had won a combined five games over the last three seasons, and this story gets better with Lake Fenton coming off a nine-win campaign.

On the move Kingsley 40, McBain 0 The Stags are on an impressive four-year run and looking to make it five while opening in a big way against another regular playoff qualifier. Traverse City West 7, Marquette 0 The Titans avenged last season’s 28-17 loss in a rematch of 2021 playoff teams. Cheboygan 52, Lake City 26 The Chiefs are seeking their first winning season since 2013, and this is a strong start after the team went from zero wins in 2020 to three a year ago.

Southeast & Border

HEADLINER Reading 33, White Pigeon 14 Expectations are high for both of these teams as Reading entered the season ranked No. 5 in Division 8 with White Pigeon right there at No. 7. The Rangers posted notable showings on both sides of the ball in this one after averaging 26 points per game and giving up 16 per game last year.  Click for more from the Hillsdale Daily News.

Watch list Hillsdale 35, Jonesville 12 The Hornets have tough tasks with Berrien Springs and Hudson up next but should enjoy some added spark after breaking Jonesville’s 13-game regular-season winning streak.

On the move Carleton Airport 35, Ida 32 The Jets avenged last season’s season-opening 43-26 loss as they seek a first winning record since 2019. Manchester 20, Whitmore Lake 6 The Flying Dutchmen are seeking their first winning season since 2015, and opened this one by defeating a 2021 playoff qualifier. Ottawa Lake Whiteford 36, Blissfield 20 It’s a new era but familiar start at Whiteford, as the Bobcats earned first-year head coach and former assistant Todd Thieken his first varsity win with the program.

Southwest Corridor

HEADLINER Battle Creek Lakeview 28, Battle Creek Harper Creek 6 The Spartans ran their winning streak over Harper Creek to three with their best defensive showing in two years. That’s especially significant with one of the tougher Septembers in the state coming up – River Rouge next followed by four of the usual contenders in the Southwest Michigan Athletic Conference. Click for more from the Battle Creek Enquirer.

Watch list Centreville 20, Union City 14 The Bulldogs have been one of the state’s top small-school programs the last five seasons and opened with a win over a playoff qualifier from last fall.

On the move Portage Northern 41, Vicksburg 27 This should benefit both as Northern is a Division 2 team looking to bounce back this fall and Vicksburg in Division 4 won eight games a year ago. Buchanan 46, Saugatuck 20 The Bucks fell back in 2021 but could be bouncing back after defeating a Saugatuck program coming off a playoff berth. Plainwell 21, Otsego 7 The Trojans improved to 71-44-6 all-time against Otsego in a rivalry that goes back to 1896.

Upper Peninsula

HEADLINER Houghton 14, Ishpeming Westwood 12 The Gremlins’ first win over Westwood since 2016 also avenged a 52-8 loss to the Patriots from a year ago and may have reshuffled the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference Copper race right at the start. Houghton also is coming off its best season since 2013, while Westwood made the Regional Finals in Division 7 a year ago. Click for more from the Houghton Daily Mining Gazette.

Watch list Negaunee 19, Iron Mountain 14 The Miners avenged a 2021 loss to another West PAC Copper contender, adding another wrinkle as that conference gets rolling.

On the move St. Ignace 26, Tawas 6 The Saints are 1-0 for the first time since 2016 and after winning a combined three games over the last two seasons. Gladstone 42, Calumet 13 Gladstone ran its winning streak over Calumet to two, even more impressive this time as the Copper Kings are coming off a 9-3 campaign. Menominee 40, Marinette (Wis.) 6 The 116th game of this rivalry upped Menominee’s overall record against Marinette to 58-51-7.

West Michigan

HEADLINER Whitehall 54, Hudsonville Unity Christian 26 The Vikings have posted some impressive wins over the last two seasons as they’ve rejoined the elite in the West Michigan Conference. But from a statewide point of view, this victory is right up there with their best work. Unity Christian was last season’s Division 4 runner-up, and also averaged 57 points per game – making this another notable performance for a Whitehall defense that has given up only 13.6 points per game over the last two seasons. Click for more from the Muskegon Chronicle.

Watch list Grand Rapids West Catholic 28, Edwardsburg 20 The Falcons ended the Eddies’ 35-game regular-season winning streak by slowing an offense that averaged 49 points per game a year ago.

On the move Grandville 49, Grand Blanc 25 The Bulldogs should be contenders again in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red after this win over a 2021 Division 1 semifinalist. Allegan 55, Cassopolis 0 The Tigers haven’t won more than two games in a season since 2011 – but opened with a sizable victory over a program with eight straight playoff appearances (and nine counting 2020 when everyone made it). Grand Rapids South Christian 42, Grand Rapids Christian 7 The Sailors made it two opening-week wins over the Eagles in two seasons as they seek to contend again in the O-K Gold.

8-Player

HEADLINER Martin 30, Mendon 28 The Clippers were down 20-8 at halftime of a game that despite being played Week 1 could decide a league title. But they came all the way back to earn their third victory over the Hornets in three tries over the last two seasons. Click for more from the Sturgis Journal.

Watch list Pickford 28, Gaylord St. Mary 16 The Panthers won their second opener in a row over the Snowbirds and after both made the playoffs last season.

On the move Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian 65, Suttons Bay 19 The Mustangs handed Suttons Bay its first regular-season loss since 2018, also avenging a 30-12 defeat from last fall. Litchfield 34, Bellevue 24 The Terriers put an end to their 20-game winless streak that went back to 2019. Alcona 82, Mio 52 These two wasted no time putting together one of the highest-scoring 8-player games in MHSAA history.

Second Half’s weekly “1st & Goal” previews and reviews are powered by MI Student Aid, a part of the Office of Postsecondary Financial Planning located within the Michigan Department of Treasury. MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information. MI Student Aid administers the state’s 529 college savings programs (MET/MESP), as well as scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Connect with MI Student Aid at www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid and find more information on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.

PHOTOS (Top) A Livonia Churchill defender wraps up a Plymouth ball carrier during Churchill’s 32-14 win over Plymouth at University of Michigan. (Middle) An Otsego ball carrier looks for an opening against Plainwell. (Top photo by Douglas Bargerstock; middle photo by Gary Shook.)

Coleman's Mitch Franklin (right) turns upfield during a 99-yard scoring run against Charlevoix on Sept. 13, 2014.

In the Long Run: Only 15 Rushers Share State Record with 99-Yard Scoring Sprint

By Steve Vedder
Special for MHSAA.com

August 26, 2024

Jakob Price remembers the defense forcing him into a subtle change of plans at the line of scrimmage, then about a dozen seconds later finishing his run into the MHSAA record book.

It's a rare story that only 15 football players in MHSAA history can tell, most involving similar circumstances. A couple of key blocks, the opening of but a sliver of a hole, a fortuitous breakdown on defense including a broken tackle or two, capped, in many cases, by simple luck.

When it comes to a rusher busting loose on a 99-yard run, there is much that has to fall into place. In the case of Price, a sophomore at Muskegon when he became the last player to make that rare record-tying dash on Oct. 8, 2021, it was all the above.

"I remember we ran what we called a "power 6" and I hit the line hard," Price said. "I saw that the hole off the center was clogged, and I thought I was going to get hit, but I made a move. Three guys had a shot at me, but someone took out the tackle with a block and I saw nothing but green. It was almost a safety, but then this hole opened up and I was gone."

Muskegon's Jakob Price (left) makes a move on the way to a 99-yard touchdown run against Muskegon Mona Shores in 2021.In comparison, for instance, there have been 81 players who've thrown for at least six touchdowns in a game. But only 15 players in Michigan history have snatched a handoff and sped 99 yards to pay dirt. It's a wide cast of characters that stretches from one player who has played in 12 major league baseball games to another who collected three times as many receiving yards as rushing and whose previous longest run had been a modest 25.

The first 99-yard run chronicled in the MHSAA record book was by James Edington of Morrice, who raced 99 yards against Kingston on Oct. 29, 1999. Edington's run was one of his last during an outstanding four-year career that included being named all-state three times. He remembers the play, which came late in a playoff game, being an inside trap where he broke at least two tackles. Edington said the play wasn't designed for anything more than to keep the defense from notching a safety.

"I was just trying to get out of the end zone, get us some room," said Edington, who remembers having 4.7 speed in the 40-yard dash. "I remember it was at the end of the game and I was so tired. I was a two-way player who rarely came off the field. I know that in a 99-yard run the blocks have got to be there when the defense hits the box. I knew if I could just get past this linebacker, there was a lot of green grass in front of me."

Morrice, coincidentally, also is the only program to have a 99-yard runner in 8-player football. Morrice switched from 11 to 8-player with the start of the 2014 season, and Jake Rivers made the 99-yard sprint twice in 2015.

Saugatuck coach Bill Dunn is the only coach to have two players on the list, including his son Blake, on Sept. 25, 2015, against Decatur.

From a coaching standpoint, Bill Dunn said there is nothing like a crushing 99-yard burst to change a game's momentum. When a team is clinging to the ball at its 1-yard line, the possible outcomes are seemingly dark – from surrendering a safety to a punt that puts the opposition in prime position to score.

"A lot of things have to happen in a 99-yard run," Dunn said. "There can absolutely be luck. And it can be a backbreaker. You got a team at the 1-yard line, and the defense knows it's going to get good field position with a punt. But instead you get a guy who breaks one for 99."

This chart shows every player in MHSAA history to run 99 yards on one carry. Blake Dunn, now a prospect in the Cincinnati Reds system, was an all-state sprinter in high school as part of earning 16 varsity letters across four sports. Dunn said he made a "mid-line read" after the fullback dove into the line. The defense collapsed on him, Dunn cut back against the grain and was off to the races.

"Our fullback dove down the mid-line, and my read crashed down to him," said Dunn, whose 101 career touchdowns are fourth in state history while his 6,954 rushing yards rank eighth.

"When I followed my blocks through the hole, there was a bunch of open grass. I think there might have been a linebacker that almost tripped me up from the backside, but nobody was able to get me and then 99 yards later it ended in a touchdown. It was pretty cool fun in the moment and fun to look back on it now."

Kyle Raycraft of Frankenmuth made his 99-yard run against Caro on Sept. 5, 2003. Like many of his brethren’s stories, Raycraft, who remembers running for more than 200 yards and three or four touchdowns in the game, said the play came down to a couple of blocks, shaking off potential tacklers, and having daylight in front of him.

"I went up the middle and got good blocking at the line and broke a couple tackles," said Raycraft, also an all-state sprinter and currently an emergency room doctor in Sault Ste. Marie. "I really didn't think that much of it at the time. I think it got us the lead at a key time and that was exciting, but I didn't think it was so rare. There's been a lot of high school football and only (15) kids have done this, so that's a pretty short list."

Matthew Hoffman of Sanford Meridian, by his own admission, wasn't particularly fast. So speed played a minimal part in his run Sept. 11, 2015, against Beaverton.

Hoffman ran track in the spring, but not as a sprinter; he ran distances. His piece of football history was more a result of getting a couple of key blocks, breaking through the line, making a cut and finding running room along the sideline.

"I broke to the line and swerved to the left to the sidelines," said Hoffman, now a certified rescue boat operator working on the Gordie Howe International Bridge for the Bridging North America company. "I was quick and shifty and I'd get a few breakaways, but I wasn't fast. I think the defense was looking for me on the right side, and it was a counterplay to the left. The offensive line did a great job on that play.

Saugatuck's Nick Stanberry breaks away for a 99-yard TD run against Kent City in 2018."It was exciting, but (instead of records) it was more it just happened so quickly. People met me in the end zone after the play was over, but then we were just focused on defense and the next play."

Coleman's Mitch Franklin has another different slant on his 99-yard story. He was primarily a receiver who recorded 1,014 yards at that position as opposed to around 300 as a running back. But on Sept. 13, 2014, against Charlevoix, Franklin took advantage of a rare handoff after a quarterback sneak had netted virtually no gain on first down.

"Best blocking we had all year. A hole opened up, I stiff-armed a guy and just ran," said Franklin, a former Gladwin County sheriff’s deputy. "I remember I was fortunate to run on our right side where we had bigger guys. It was fortunate that we caught the defense off guard. I think it was about our first power run that game and a lot of fortunate things had to happen.

"One of the things I remember is our principal patting me on the back and telling me what a good run it was."

While the members of the select 99-Yard Club may have different memories as to how they successfully dashed from their team's 1-yard line into the other team's end zone, their goals were the same: Just somehow move their team from the shadow of their own goalposts into more favorable territory.

And one last goal, recalled Franklin.

"Hey, you just don't want to make that long drive home with a big, fat ‘L,’” he said. "You want to win the game. That's what was important."

The MHSAA is continuously adding to its record books, and there is no deadline for an accomplishment to be submitted. Find directions to do so and the football record books in full at this link. 

PHOTOS (Top) Coleman's Mitch Franklin (right) turns upfield during a 99-yard scoring run against Charlevoix on Sept. 13, 2014. (Middle) Muskegon's Jakob Price (left) makes a move on the way to a 99-yard touchdown run against Muskegon Mona Shores in 2021. (Below) Saugatuck's Nick Stanberry breaks away for a 99-yard TD run against Kent City in 2018. (Photos provided by Franklin, Price and the Saugatuck football program.)