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Goodrich’s Jakoby Lagat (24) followed the block of teammate Chase Burnett during their team’s Division 4 Semifinal win over Harper Woods.

1st & Goal: 2024 11-Player Semifinals Review

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

November 25, 2024

Of 16 teams that earned trips Saturday to this weekend’s MHSAA 11-Player Football Finals, eight will be returning to Ford Field for at least the second season in a row – with a repeat Division 8 championship game leading off the upcoming lineup.

MI Student AidNotable as well, four schools earned an opportunity to play on the season’s final day for the first time – and those are just some of the storylines to catch up on during a quick week that will conclude the MHSAA’s 2023 Fall season.

We’ll be back with a preview of all eight championship games Wednesday evening. For now, see all 16 Semifinals at a glance:

(Note: Highlights from Saturday's 8-Player Finals will be included in a final football championship "Review" next week.)

Division 1

HEADLINER Hudsonville 27, Rochester Adams 7 Hudsonville (12-1) will play for a championship for the first time since 2005. The Eagles broke away with 20 unanswered points after the teams went into halftime tied. Adams finished 10-3, reaching double digit wins for the third time in four years. Click for more from the Grand Rapids Press.

HEADLINER Detroit Cass Tech 17, Detroit Catholic Central 14 Cass Tech (11-2) will make the one-mile Finals trip for the first time since 2016 after handing Detroit Catholic Central (12-1) its only defeat this season. Alex Graham returned the opening kickoff for a Technicians score, and they held off the Shamrocks late with a Corey Sadler interception and blocked field goal attempt. Click for more from the Detroit Free Press.

Division 2

HEADLINER Byron Center 41, East Lansing 14 Byron Center (12-1) advanced to a championship game for the first time with a stunning defensive performance – stopping a Trojans offense averaging 38 points per game – and on the legs of quarterback Landon Tungate, who ran for six touchdowns. East Lansing finished 9-4. Click for more from FOX 17.

HEADLINER Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 28, Birmingham Groves 27 (OT) Groves scored first in overtime, but St. Mary’s (10-3) stopped a 2-point conversion try and then scored and made the extra point to earn a first Finals trip since 2016. Groves was playing in its fourth Semifinal over the last nine years and finished 12-1. Click for more from the Oakland Press.

Division 3

HEADLINER Zeeland West 32, DeWitt 20 West (12-1) was able to slow down one of the most productive offenses in MHSAA history, holding the Panthers (12-1) to nearly 37 points below their season average to reach Ford Field for the first time since 2015. DeWitt did finish its season with 702 points, good for seventh all-time, with its final 54 ppg average ranking eighth. Click for more from the Holland Sentinel.

HEADLINER Detroit Martin Luther King 35, Mason 14 The Crusaders (10-3) avenged last season’s Semifinal loss to Mason to earn a return to Ford Field for the seventh time in nine seasons. Mason finished 10-3 this fall, and a combined 45-8 over quarterback Cason Carswell’s four seasons on varsity. Click for more from MLIVE-Detroit.

Division 4

HEADLINER Niles 62, Grand Rapids South Christian 30 Niles will carry its longest playoff run ever into the season’s final weekend after putting up its most points this season. South Christian scored first, but the Vikings (12-1) took a 38-14 led into halftime and denied the Sailors (8-5) what would have been a third-straight trip to Ford Field. Click for more from the Niles Daily Star.

HEADLINER Goodrich 28, Harper Woods 14 In another 2023 Semifinal rematch, Goodrich also avenged by defeating the reigning Division 4 champion. Standout running back Chase Burnett scored three times to help send the Martians (12-1) back to Ford Field for the second time in three seasons. Harper Woods finished 9-4. Click for more from the Flint Journal.

Division 5

HEADLINER Frankenmuth 42, Grand Rapids Catholic Central 35 In their fourth playoff matchup over the last five seasons, Frankenmuth (13-0) was able to get past its nemesis for the first time taking at one point a 28-7 lead before holding off the Cougars’ comeback attempt. Frankenmuth had three rushers reach 100 yards, while quarterback Odin Spencer threw for 390 and three scores for GRCC (8-5). Click for more from the Saginaw News.

HEADLINER Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 49, Flat Rock 7 Notre Dame Prep (11-1) earned its first trip to the Finals with the latest of several impressive performances this fall. Most notably, the Fighting Irish stopped a Flat Rock offense averaging 43 points per game, while putting up 49 against a defense that was giving up only 13. The Rams finished their second-straight Semifinals season at 10-3. Click for more from the Oakland Press.

Division 6

HEADLINER Lansing Catholic 34, Boyne City 22 Quarterback Alex Fernandez starred again, leading Lansing Catholic (10-3) back to Ford Field for the first time since 2021 but third time over the last six seasons. Boyne City capped its longest playoff season in a decade at 10-3. Click for more from WLNS.

HEADLINER Jackson Lumen Christi 35, Marine City 6 Lumen Christi (12-1) will finish its season at Ford Field for the third straight and seventh time over the last nine seasons. Kadale Williams ran for four touchdowns, including three of at least 60 yards. Marine City (10-3) was averaging 45 points per game before the Titans defense posted its third single-digit performance of the playoffs. Click for more from WILX.

Division 7

HEADLINER Millington 35, North Muskegon 28 Millington (12-0) earned its first championship game berth, beginning to pull away during the closing seconds of the first half on a hook-and-ladder touchdown pass and then holding off North Muskegon’s comeback attempt at the end. The Norsemen finished their second-straight Semifinals season at 11-2. Click for more from the Saginaw News.

HEADLINER Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central 38, Schoolcraft 7 It was quite a weekend for Monroe St. Mary, as the volleyball team won its first Finals championship since 2020 and the football team advanced to Ford Field for the first time since 2019. The Falcons (13-0) did so in part by locking down a Schoolcraft offense that averaged nearly 37 points per game entering the weekend. The Eagles finished 11-2. Click for more from the Monroe News.

Division 8

HEADLINER Beal City 17, Fowler 16 Beal City (11-2) has proven tough to overtake in close games this month as the Aggies claimed their third in a row by seven points or fewer – and actually fourth of the season with their two losses also by just four points apiece. Beal will return to Ford Field for the first time since 2021, while Fowler ended its first Semifinal run since 2019 at 12-1. Click for more from the Mount Pleasant Morning Sun.

HEADLINER Riverview Gabriel Richad 36, Decatur 30 Gabriel Richard earned its first trip to the Finals with big days from senior Joey Calhoun and junior Derek Lesko. Calhoun scored three touchdowns and Lesko twice with two interceptions as the Pioneers held of Decatur (11-2), which completed its best season since 2002 with two losses by a combined 14 points. Click for more from the Southgate News-Herald.

MHSAA.com's weekly “1st & Goal” previews and reviews are powered by MI Student Aid, a division within the Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). 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 scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Click to connect with MI Student Aid and find more information on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.

PHOTO Goodrich’s Jakoby Lagat (24) followed the block of teammate Chase Burnett during their team’s Division 4 Semifinal win over Harper Woods. (Photo by Terry Lyons.)

Many Champs Have Played Waiting Game

January 12, 2021

By Ron Pesch
Special for Second Half

A state football championship is a dream for many. Fans wait for the day that they can beam with pride as their favorite squad or school hoists the title trophy toward the sky. For coaches and kids, it’s a road to memories never to be forgotten.

Many schools still wait for that day. Others pray for a return to such glory.

Today, we look at return trips to the winner’s circle. It’s filled with fascinating facts.

Ten schools have won three or more consecutive gridiron championship since the arrival of the tournament in 1975 (when titles began being awarded annually in four classifications based on enrollment – A, B, C & D). Grand Rapids West Catholic, Farmington Hills Harrison and East Grand Rapids lead the pack with five successive titles. Muskegon Catholic Central, Detroit St. Martin dePorres and Ithaca each had streaks of four in a row, while Jackson Lumen Christi, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, Detroit Catholic Central and Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice each had three-peats. Michigan has seen 31 instances of back-to-back crowns in 11-player football, accomplished at least once  by 28 schools. To date, Powers North Central is the only squad to repeat since the 8-player playoffs began in 2011.

But what about the span between titles?

Patience is a Virtue

Eighteen schools have seen gaps of 10 or more years between MHSAA football championships. It’s happened twice for both Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and Crystal Falls Forest Park.

St. Mary’s earned its first football title in 1977 under coach Art Paddy. Its second came 17 years later under current head coach George Porritt. The Eaglets have earned eight titles total and have appeared in 14 championship games. Seven of those titles have come under Porritt’s guidance. They went back-to-back in 1999-2000, but then had to wait 11 seasons before winning their fifth title in 2011. In between, they finished as runner-up on five occasions.

Forest Park has appeared in 13 MHSAA Football Finals over the years, including six of the first 10 Class D title games between 1975 and 1984. Led by Upper Peninsula coaching legend Richard Mettlach, the Trojans were winners of the first two Class D titles, when only 16 teams qualified for the postseason. A total of 31 seasons would pass before Forest Park would win its third football championship.  In between, multiple alterations were made to the postseason.

In 1977, the playoffs expanded to a three-week format that included 32 participating teams. The tournament grew to 64 qualifiers in 1985, then moved from awarding titles in four classes to eight (AA, A, BB, B, CC, C, DD &  D) involving 128 teams, played out over four weeks. In 1999, the postseason was again altered, to a five-week layout including 256 contenders within eight groupings of 32 teams (Division 1 through Division 8), established after the 256 qualifiers were determined.

Bill Santilli, captain and star running back of the Trojans’ 1975 championship squad, took over the program in 1996 and led the Red and Black on seven trips to the Division 8 championship game – the first in 2000, then to six straight appearances in the title game between 2004-2009. Leading 22-14, Santilli’s 2007 team ground the final 6:07 off the game clock to seal their victory over Fulton, ensuring celebration during the Trojans’ eight-hour, 500+ mile trip back to the Upper Peninsula.  

Much changed over the following decade at Forest Park. Santilli retired following the 2013 season. He finished with and impressive 171-45 win-loss mark that included 17 straight years in the MHSAA Playoffs. He went out on a high note, posting a 12-1 mark in 2013.

In 2015, following a trend of continued declining enrollments at U.P. schools, the Crystal Falls Forest Park Board of Education chose to move to 8-player football beginning with the 2016 season.

In 2017, seeing a 20-percent increase in the number of schools that chose this option for their student-athletes, the MHSAA expanded the 8-player tournament to two divisions. That fall, under head coach David Graff, the Trojans returned home with the 8-player Division 2 crown, becoming the second team in Michigan to win titles in both forms of the game

So far, Lawrence, is the only other high school to win championships in both 11-player and 8-player ball. The Tigers won their first football title in 1997 in Class DD. In 2014, 17 years later, they trounced Cedarville, 56-12, to pick up their first championship in 8-player.

The Longest Interval of All

Ishpeming fans have enjoyed seven trips to the MHSAA Finals over the years. The Hematites, nicknamed after the reddish-black iron ore that was long mined in the area, waited 33 years between their 1979 title and their 2012 championship. That’s currently the longest span between football championships in Michigan history.

Boasting a strong ground attack, Ishpeming picked up its first state crown in 1975 in an impressive manner, defeating heavily-favored Hudson in a Class C showdown hosted at Central Michigan University. Coach Mike Mileski’s squad rambled to a 24-8 lead by the end of one quarter, then cruised to a 38-22 victory. Hudson hadn’t lost a contest since the 1968 season, and the Hematites’ triumph halted the Tigers’ national win streak at 72-games. 

Mileski guided the Hematites to the 1978 Semifinal before departing for Marquette High School to continue his coaching and teaching career. John Croze, an assistant under Mileski, took the reins in 1979 and drove Ishpeming to its second MHSAA title – finishing with a 13-0 victory over Watervliet.

It took 31 years before Ishpeming earned another shot at a crown. The 2010 Division 7 title game was, once again, a showdown between the Hematites and Hudson. This time, Hudson – coached by Chris Luma, the Tigers’ quarterback back in 1975 – won a thriller, 28-26.

A mere two seasons later, Ishpeming was back, this time winning the first of back-to-back titles, both with victories over Detroit Loyola. Those also were the first of four straight visits to the Finals by coach Jeff Olson’s teams. In 2014, the two teams met again, this time with Loyola emerging as victor. Ishpeming won its third title in four seasons in 2015, downing Pewamo-Westphalia, 22-16.

On the coaching side, Rich Hulkow at Marshall waited 13 seasons (1996 & 2009) between championships. Schoolcraft’s Larry Ledlow (1989 & 2001) had a pause of 12 years between celebrations. The aforementioned Porritt at St. Mary’s saw a break of 11 years between title triumphs. Mike Giannone went 10 season between titles at Macomb Dakota (2007) and later Warren De La Salle Collegiate (2017). Even legends Al Fracassa at Brother Rice (1990 & 2000) and George Barcheski (1983 & 1993) at East Grand Rapids had 10-years spans of wonder during their long coaching careers. Pete Kutches won titles in 1980 and 1982 at Muskegon Catholic, then a decade passed before “The Catch” gave his Muskegon Reeths-Puffer squad the 1992 Class A championship.

Don’t Stop Believing

One school with a long streak of waiting remain in the chase during this extended 2020-21 postseason.

Traverse City High School last won a football title in 1988. Coach Jim Ooley’s Trojans finished Class A runner-up in 1975, then rattled off titles in 1978, 1985 and 1988. Named head coach in 1967, he retired following the 1991 season.

In the fall of 1997, the school split into two with the opening of Traverse City West.

Traverse City Central, as the original school is now known, is still chasing its next football championship 32 years later. The Trojans take on reigning Division 2 champion Muskegon Mona Shores in a Semifinal this Saturday.

Ron Pesch has taken an active role in researching the history of MHSAA events since 1985 and began writing for MHSAA Finals programs in 1986, adding additional features and "flashbacks" in 1992. He inherited the title of MHSAA historian from the late Dick Kishpaugh following the 1993-94 school year, and resides in Muskegon. Contact him at [email protected]:void(0);t with ideas for historical articles.

PHOTOS: (Top) Ryan Van Dyke scores one of his two touchdowns in Marshall’s 14-13 win over Kingsford in the 1996 Class BB Final. (Middle) The 1976 Crystal Falls Forest Park team. (Below) The 1979 Ishpeming team. (Photos from MHSAA files; Marshall photo by Gary Shook.)