1st & Goal: 2022 Week 9 Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 21, 2022
It’s not over yet.
Don’t look too far ahead to Sunday’s playoff selection when there’s plenty to behold during this weekend’s football regular-season finales.
For starters, 37 teams are pursuing perfect finishes – and three games feature undefeated teams facing off. Additionally, Detroit Central, Negaunee and Bridgman moved to 9-0 with wins Thursday night.
A handful of league titles are still to be decided – including two by those matchups of unbeaten opponents.
And if last season’s first run using the enhanced strength-of-schedule format for playoff selection ends up the norm, we could see 15 changes in the playoff field between Thursday and the end of Saturday night. Last season, teams ranked Nos. 39 and 38 in playoff-point average heading into Week 9 were among those able to make the top 32 in their 11-player divisions, while 8-player saw teams sitting Nos. 18 and 17 move up into the top 16.
Don’t forget: We’ll unveil the full playoff field and all brackets during the “Sunday Selection Show” at 6 p.m. Sunday on Bally Sports Detroit.
Bay & Thumb
Davison (7-1) at Lapeer (7-1)
For the third time in five seasons but first since 2019, a Saginaw Valley League championship is coming down to these two – this time in the SVL South, as the winner takes the title outright. These two share an intriguing mutual opponent; Davison defeated Clarkston in its season opener, and the Lightning fell to the Wolves last week. But much can change over two months, and the key point instead may be how Davison’s offense – averaging 47 points per game – does against a Lapeer defense giving up 26 per contest. Lapeer scores just over 39 points per game as well, so this one could see a lot of scores put on the board – not too different from the Lightning’s 38-35 win over the Cardinals last season.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Freeland (7-1) at Croswell-Lexington (6-2), Millington (7-1) at Flint Beecher (4-3), Gladwin (8-0) at Standish Sterling (7-0), Romeo (6-2) at Grand Blanc (4-4).
Greater Detroit
Brownstown Woodhaven (6-2) at Gibraltar Carlson (7-1)
These two and Trenton are tied for the Downriver League lead, with the winner of this matchup guaranteed a share of the title and the Trojans needing to defeat Wyandotte Roosevelt for another share. It’s a similar situation to last year, when Woodhaven entered the Week 9 matchup undefeated but Carlson was able to force a shared title (also with Allen Park) thanks to a 28-14 win. The Warriors haven’t given up more than 26 points to anyone this season, so something will have to give as the Marauders have scored at least 27 in every game.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Detroit Cass Tech (5-3) at Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice (3-4), River Rouge (5-2) at Southfield Arts & Technology (6-2), Grosse Pointe South (5-3) at Grosse Pointe North (8-0). SATURDAY Madison Heights Bishop Foley (8-0) vs. Marine City Cardinal Mooney (7-1) at Ford Field.
Mid-Michigan
Belleville (8-0) at Brighton (8-0), Saturday
After turning back undefeated Livonia Franklin last week to clinch the Kensington Lakes Activities Association East title, Belleville will put its 19-game winning streak on the line against another unbeaten for the overall KLAA championship. This will be these teams’ first meeting since Brighton won a 2019 Semifinal matchup. Their strengths this time match up well. The Tigers are averaging 53 points per game despite scoring only 49 and 42 the last two weeks, respectively. Brighton has allowed only 81 points all season. Belleville is No. 1 in Division 1 playoff-point average, and Brighton is tied for No. 3.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Hopkins (5-3) at Belding (7-1), Marine City (7-1) at Durand (8-0), Grand Ledge (6-2) at East Lansing (6-2), Ithaca (7-1) at Shepherd (6-2).
Northern Lower Peninsula
Detroit Country Day (5-2) at Traverse City St. Francis (8-0)
The Gladiators should have a really great idea what they do best heading into the playoffs after dominating Lawton last week and facing Division 5 contender Country Day this week. St. Francis sits atop Division 7 in playoff-point average heading into the weekend, guaranteeing three home playoff games, and will still get a nice bonus win or lose. Country Day will be seeking a bounce back after a Week 8 loss to Brother Rice, and is seeking a third win over a league champion after previously downing Detroit U-D Jesuit and Warren Michigan Collegiate.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Elk Rapids (6-2) at Frankfort (7-1), Ogemaw Heights (6-2) at Lake City (5-3), Traverse City West (2-6) at Traverse City Central (4-4), Charlevoix (7-1) at Maple City Glen Lake (3-5).
Southeast & Border
Clinton (8-0) at Hudson (8-0)
Clinton is in its third season since returning to the Lenawee County Athletic Association and finds itself with a golden opportunity in addition to the chance to claim its first title since coming back from the Tri-County Conference. Hudson is riding a 22-game winning streak – the longest active streak in the state – and sits No. 3 in Division 7 playoff-point average after winning Division 8 a year ago. By the numbers, the Redwolves have scored about two points more and given up a little more than two points fewer against the other six teams in the league this fall. Hudson won last year’s meeting 36-28.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Dexter (8-0) at Chelsea (5-3), Addison (4-4) at Jonesville (4-4), Manchester (5-3) at Reading (6-2), Battle Creek Harper Creek (3-5) at Jackson Lumen Christi (5-3).
Southwest Corridor
St. Joseph (7-1) at Battle Creek Central (7-1)
This has been lining up as the potential deciding game in the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference for a few weeks, and both teams made good on their ends to make it happen. St. Joseph has won the last two meetings, but this is Central’s best team since at least 2018, and with another win will tie its most in a season since 2004. Neither team has lost since Week 1. The Bearcats are 3-1 in games decided by one score, so they will be ready if crunch time presents itself again. But St. Joseph also won its only similarly close game and has an impressive victory over Hudsonville Unity Christian to bolster its SMAC run.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Portland (7-1) at Berrien Springs (6-1), Centreville (6-2) at Buchanan (7-1), Napoleon (8-0) at Union City (7-1), Sturgis (5-3) at Edwardsburg (7-1).
Upper Peninsula
Benzie Central (3-5) at Sault Ste. Marie (5-3)
Sault Ste. Marie is one of four teams with a 5-3 record sitting outside the Division 3 playoff field heading into this weekend. The Blue Devils broke a three-game losing streak last week and will need those three opponents to continue harvesting bonus points while they look to take care of what they can control against the Huskies. Benzie has bounced back since starting the season 0-3 and sits No. 25 in Division 7 playoff-point average thanks in part to losses to some of the same powerhouse teams as Sault Ste. Marie has faced.
Keep an eye on these THURSDAY Bark River-Harris 28, Ishpeming 20; Negaunee 44, Ishpeming Westwood 0. FRIDAY Menominee (4-4) at Kingsford (6-2), Calumet (5-3) at L’Anse (4-4).
West Michigan
Rockford (8-0) at Caledonia (8-0)
This is a dream Week 9 showdown, with the top two teams in the most prominent league on the west side of the state facing off with a perfect regular season and Ottawa-Kent Conference Red outright title on the line. Rockford’s 17-14 win in Week 7 of last year ended up being the title decider. Don’t expect Caledonia’s fifth shutout of this season tonight, but the Fighting Scots’ defense has given up more than 14 points only once. Rockford will counter with an offense scoring 40 points per game that put up 31 against a similarly-strong Muskegon Mona Shores defense in a Week 2 win.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Muskegon Mona Shores (7-1) at Muskegon (6-2), Grand Rapids South Christian (8-0) at Ada Forest Hills Eastern (6-2), Hudsonville Unity Christian (5-3) at Grand Rapids West Catholic (7-1), Byron Center (6-2) at Grand Rapids Christian (3-5).
8-Player
Crystal Falls Forest Park (7-1) Powers North Central (8-0)
The Jets have won a record 32 straight 8-player games, and 40 straight during the regular season. But prior to the streak, Forest Park was one of few to have success against North Central, and the Trojans will try to find some again against a team that has outscored its seven opponents (one win was a forfeit) by a combined 448-17. Forest Park’s only loss was by two to Norway, which fell to North Central last week by a much more significant margin.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Tekonsha (7-1) at Colon (8-0), Peck (7-1) at Deckerville (5-3), Farwell (7-1) at Marion (8-0), Au Gres-Sims (7-1) at Posen (7-1).
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PHOTO Davison, on offense, and Grand Blanc match up last week; the Cardinals won 49-14. (Photo by Terry Lyons.)
DeWitt Rewrites Finals Rushing Record Book in Completing Perfect Run
By
Scott DeCamp
Special for MHSAA.com
November 30, 2025
DETROIT – Traverse Moore had no idea about his record-setting day until the final moments of Sunday’s Division 3 Football Final.
“Honestly, I wasn’t worried about that. I was worried about getting the state championship win,” the shifty and speedy DeWitt senior quarterback said.
Moore and the Panthers left no doubt whatsoever. They ran into the history books.
On the strength of Moore’s Finals-record 397 rushing yards and four touchdowns, DeWitt rolled past Mount Pleasant, 54-20, in a battle of unbeatens at Ford Field. Moore’s effort shattered the record set in last year’s Division 6 Final by Jackson Lumen Christi’s Kadale Williams (314).
“We’ve been dreaming about it since fourth grade when we first started playing together. For this group of seniors to do that today, I couldn’t be happier,” said Moore, whose squad is the second from DeWitt to capture a Finals football title. The 2020 team won the first championship.
In DeWitt’s eighth championship game appearance, Moore scored three TDs in the opening quarter to tie a Finals record and help stake the Panthers to a 26-7 lead. The 6-foot, 195-pound Central Michigan University commit scored from 30 yards out barely two minutes into the contest, from 33 yards a little more than a minute later, and sprung free for a 74-yarder just past the midway point of the first quarter.
Moore’s fourth TD came on a 13-yard run barely three minutes into the second quarter. He had the Finals record for rushing yards early in the third quarter. He carried the ball 32 times in the game, good for 12.4 yards per attempt. Moore also completed 4 of 8 passes for 64 yards and a TD.
As a team, DeWitt (14-0) rushed for a Finals-record 575 yards on 58 attempts (9.9 per carry). It surpassed the previous record of 549 rushing yards by Constantine in the 2004 Division 6 Final.
Moore tipped his cap to DeWitt’s offensive line and tight ends, an all-senior unit comprised of Jackson Hildebrant at center, Sam VanZee and Luke Nolen at guards, Drew Rumsey and Landon Fitzpatrick at tackles, and Jacob Schorfhaar and Caleb Haman at tight ends.
“The guys up front have been special all year,” Moore said. “That’s a group of seniors that have been together since fourth grade – all of us have been together since fourth grade. They’ve been playing O-line since fourth grade, so that’s a special connection and they’re just workhorses, man.”
Sophomore Channing Ridley also reached the 100-yard plateau for DeWitt, finishing with 101 yards on 10 carries, including a 13-yard TD. Senior Jadon Bender caught a 35-yard TD pass from Moore, and junior Tyler Bashore closed out the Panthers’ scoring with a four-yard run. Bashore ended with 77 yards on 16 carries.
DeWitt piled up 219 rushing yards in the first quarter, 153 in the second, 73 in the third, and 130 in the fourth.
“In the offseason, we looked at what we had coming back,” said veteran DeWitt coach Rob Zimmerman, who completed his 27th season at the helm. “DeWitt’s probably known for being a team that throws the football around quite a bit. Last year we were physical and we threw a lot more, but with what we had coming back up front and the speed that we have, you can’t take away everything that we have.
“It’s a great combination with all the single-wing stuff that we do, which nobody else does, and so that’s an issue. But then we have the ability to run right at you and our counter game has been phenomenal for the last two years,” Zimmerman continued. “It’s a tough matchup, and then you add in the tempo, too, that we show quite a bit. I think we’re faster (in that tempo) than anybody else is as far as running plays. Put all of those things together, it’s pretty tough to stop.”
Mount Pleasant (13-1) got on the board midway through the first quarter on a 31-yard TD pass from junior Xavier Creguer to senior Riley Olson. Creguer added a four-yard scoring run with 12 seconds remaining in the first half, but the Oilers were still facing a 40-14 deficit headed into the halftime break.
Creguer joined Moore in the record books with his 91-yard TD run in the third quarter – longest in Finals history, surpassing 90-yard scoring runs by Edwardsburg’s Nick Bradley (2017) and Farmington Hills Harrison’s Nick Williams (1994).
It was an uphill battle for Mount Pleasant, which made its second Finals appearance and still seeks its first championship.
“I wonder if a little bit of the bright lights got to us to start with. We made a few mistakes from the start … . Just a few, little things that we’d like to have back,” Mount Pleasant coach Jason McIntyre.
“That’s a tremendous DeWitt team. It would have been really difficult to hang up the middle, but I think you saw what we could have done maybe if we would have been able to start a little fresher, a little cleaner. … Their offense is super difficult to defend. I thought we were well-prepared in terms of alignment, but the speed in which they do it and obviously No. 2’s (Traverse Moore) a really good player.”
Creguer finished with 162 rushing yards on 12 carries. He also threw for 66 yards.
Senior William Garcia led all defenders with 11 tackles for Mount Pleasant, while Olson notched 10 stops. Senior Lucas Brandell recorded a team-high six tackles for DeWitt.
DeWitt lost in last year’s Semifinal to eventual champion Zeeland West, 32-20. That defeat lingered with the Panthers and fueled them for this season’s run to glory.
“I mean, that stung. Last year stung. It hurt,” DeWitt senior Miller Wing said. “But when winter lifts rolled around, 5:45 in the morning, that’s the reason for it. It’s just staying together as a team. We’re so close.”
DeWitt has been a perennial contender in Division 3. The Panthers have advanced to the Semifinals or further seven of the last eight seasons.
According to Zimmerman, it’s all about the culture, establishing expectations, and putting in the work.
“The older kids have always helped our younger guys to understand the expectations within the program, and I think that’s a big part of why we’re where we’re at as a program,” Zimmerman said. “These guys want to be the next dude, and they work to get there.
“Ton of similarities (between the two championship teams) from a toughness standpoint, leadership standpoint, work ethic. I mean, these guys put in an unbelievable amount of time in the offseason to get where they’re at. This class, from sophomore (season on up), they’re 35-1 as a class, so it’s a pretty good group.”
PHOTOS (Top) DeWitt’s Sam VanZee (54) hoists teammate Traverse Moore into the air in the end zone Sunday. (Middle) Landon Kurncz (13) attempts to surge ahead with Mount Pleasant’s Keagan Wernette-Beals (11) and another defender wrapping him up. (Below) The Oilers’ Xavier Creguer prepares to take on a DeWitt defender.