2016 Week 8 Football Playoff Listing
October 11, 2016
Second Half editor
Here is a list of Michigan High School Athletic Association football playing schools, displaying their win-loss records and playoff averages through the seventh week of the season.
Schools on this list are in enrollment order for 11-player teams, with 8-player teams ordered by playoff average. An asterisk (*) beside a record indicates a team has eight or fewer games scheduled. A caret (^) beside a school’s name indicates a team is one win away from playoff qualification.
Those schools with 11-player teams with six or more wins playing nine-game schedules, or five or more wins playing eight games or fewer, will qualify for the MHSAA Football Playoffs beginning Oct. 28.
Schools with 5-4, 4-3 or 4-4 records may qualify if the number of potential qualifiers by win total does not reach the 256 mark. Schools with six or more wins playing nine-game schedules or five or more wins playing eight games or fewer may be subtracted from the field based on playoff average if the number of potential qualifiers exceeds the 256 mark.
Once the 256 qualifying schools are determined, they will be divided by enrollment groups into eight equal divisions of 32 schools, and then drawn into regions of eight teams each and districts of four teams each. Those schools with 8-player teams will be ranked by playoff average at season’s end, and the top 16 programs will be drawn into regions of eight teams each for the playoff in that division, which also begins Oct. 28.
To review a list of all football playoff schools, individual school playoff point details and to report errors, visit the Football page of the MHSAA Website.
The announcement of the qualifiers and first-round pairings for both the 11 and 8-player playoffs will take place at 7 p.m. on Oct. 23 on the Selection Sunday Show on FOX Sports Detroit. The playoff qualifiers and pairings will be posted to the MHSAA Website following the Selection Sunday Show.
11-Player Playoff Listing
1. Macomb Dakota, 2976, 4-3, 55.714
2. Utica Eisenhower, 2700, 7-0, 108.571
3. Clarkston ^, 2683, 5-2, 74.143
4. Grand Blanc, 2628, 4-3, 63.571
5. East Kentwood, 2596, 4-3, 60.143
6. Southfield Arts & Technology, 2581, 4-3, 59.286
7. Rockford ^, 2563, 5-2, 77.143
8. Clinton Township Chippewa Valley, 2518, 4-3, 67.286
9. Howell ^, 2499, 5-2, 71.857
10. Dearborn Fordson, 2487, 7-0, 104.000
11. Lake Orion ^, 2418, 5-2, 71.571
12. Detroit Cass Tech, 2368, 7-0, 92.571
13. Northville, 2325, 6-1, 94.429
14. Salem, 2172, 4-3, 56.429
15. Brighton, 2142, 6-1, 88.714
16. Detroit Catholic Central, 2128, 7-0, 106.514
17. Novi, 2050, 4-3, 54.857
18. Oxford, 2042, 4-3, 57.429
19. Canton ^, 2035, 5-2, 74.714
20. New Baltimore Anchor Bay, 1987, 4-3, 50.571
21. Macomb L'Anse Creuse North, 1986, 6-1, 83.143
22. Dearborn, 1978, 6-1, 87.571
23. Lapeer ^, 1932, 5-2, 64.286
24. Saline, 1923, 7-0, 105.905
25. Bloomfield Hills, 1831, 7-0, 100.571
26. White Lake Lakeland, 1822, 4-3, 53.714
27. Grandville, 1810, 6-1, 88.571
28. Hudsonville, 1797, 6-1, 88.714
29. Warren Mott, 1768, 6-1, 86.286
30. Grand Ledge, 1694, 6-1, 84.143
31. Belleville ^, 1668, 5-2, 71.286
32. Davison, 1668, 7-0, 97.143
33. Rochester Adams ^, 1666, 5-2, 71.143
34. Romeo ^, 1641, 5-2, 82.429
35. Rochester, 1632, 4-3, 59.857
36. Walled Lake Northern ^, 1631, 5-2, 70.714
37. Kalamazoo Central, 1615, 4-3, 57.048
38. Grosse Pointe South ^, 1600, 5-2, 74.286
39. Temperance Bedford, 1597, 6-1, 83.143
40. Detroit Western International, 1584, 4-3, 44.286
41. Brownstown Woodhaven ^, 1579, 5-2, 68.857
42. Detroit East English, 1579, 4-3, 51.429
43. Livonia Churchill, 1578, 4-3, 60.857
44. Traverse City West ^, 1552, 5-2, 71.429
45. Flint Carman-Ainsworth ^, 1522, 5-2, 67.571
46. Livonia Franklin ^, 1507, 5-2, 74.000
47. Warren Cousino, 1496, 6-1, 82.714
48. Detroit Martin Luther King, 1487, 6-1, 79.714
49. Detroit U-D Jesuit *, 1482, 5-1, 82.905
50. Jenison ^, 1481, 5-2, 65.000
51. Oak Park ^, 1409, 5-2, 76.000
52. St. Clair Shores Lakeview ^, 1409, 5-2, 62.714
53. Ypsilanti Lincoln, 1404, 4-3, 53.524
54. Traverse City Central, 1394, 7-0, 101.714
55. Port Huron, 1392, 4-3, 52.429
56. Midland, 1388, 4-3, 49.857
57. Portage Central, 1388, 6-1, 89.619
58. Portage Northern, 1378, 4-3, 60.071
59. Walled Lake Western, 1370, 6-1, 97.286
60. Grosse Pointe North ^, 1367, 5-2, 69.857
61. Battle Creek Lakeview *^, 1353, 4-2, 63.619
62. Hamtramck, 1352, 4-3, 43.071
63. Dearborn Edsel Ford, 1346, 4-3, 50.286
64. Berkley ^, 1319, 5-2, 71.714
65. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central ^, 1316, 5-2, 70.000
66. Wyandotte Roosevelt, 1311, 6-1, 88.857
67. Port Huron Northern ^, 1288, 5-2, 62.571
68. Wyoming, 1288, 4-3, 49.714
69. Pinckney ^, 1276, 5-2, 73.286
70. Midland Dow, 1254, 7-0, 94.857
71. Birmingham Brother Rice, 1250, 4-3, 56.875
72. Birmingham Groves, 1248, 7-0, 105.143
73. Jackson, 1243, 4-3, 56.571
74. Muskegon Mona Shores, 1240, 4-3, 56.429
75. Muskegon Reeths-Puffer, 1198, 4-3, 50.571
76. Lowell, 1165, 7-0, 109.714
77. Holly ^, 1164, 5-2, 65.143
78. Bay City Central, 1158, 4-3, 52.143
79. Greenville ^, 1142, 5-2, 69.714
80. Fenton ^, 1138, 5-2, 75.286
81. East Lansing ^, 1117, 5-2, 67.143
82. Ferndale ^, 1117, 5-2, 58.571
83. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern, 1100, 4-3, 55.571
84. Allen Park, 1094, 7-0, 107.429
85. Byron Center, 1070, 6-1, 81.857
86. Muskegon, 1052, 6-1, 84.143
87. Orchard Lake St Mary's, 1040, 4-3, 64.827
88. Ortonville-Brandon, 1034, 6-1, 78.286
89. Detroit Cody ^, 1015, 5-2, 64.143
90. Mason, 1009, 6-1, 77.286
91. Zeeland East, 1007, 6-1, 78.286
92. DeWitt, 1002, 6-1, 88.714
93. St. Joseph ^, 989, 5-2, 73.095
94. East Grand Rapids ^, 979, 5-2, 76.000
95. Trenton ^, 969, 5-2, 74.714
96. Linden ^, 940, 5-2, 62.000
97. Coldwater ^, 929, 5-2, 68.429
98. Romulus, 929, 6-1, 79.571
99. Grand Rapids Christian, 912, 6-1, 85.571
100. Warren Fitzgerald, 891, 6-1, 78.143
101. New Boston Huron ^, 886, 5-2, 63.143
102. Battle Creek Harper Creek, 880, 6-1, 73.714
103. Chelsea, 867, 7-0, 97.238
104. Redford Union ^, 865, 5-2, 59.714
105. Stevensville Lakeshore, 865, 4-3, 62.143
106. Vicksburg, 861, 6-1, 72.857
107. Dearborn Divine Child ^, 859, 5-2, 63.629
108. Zeeland West ^, 857, 5-2, 75.714
109. Edwardsburg, 855, 7-0, 85.714
110. Marshall, 849, 4-3, 52.857
111. Bay City John Glenn ^, 838, 5-2, 62.000
112. Fowlerville ^, 833, 5-2, 59.857
113. Cadillac ^, 817, 5-2, 62.857
114. Hamilton ^, 810, 5-2, 65.286
115. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, 797, 6-1, 69.333
116. Marysville, 794, 7-0, 96.000
117. Adrian, 792, 4-3, 55.952
118. St. Clair, 784, 4-3, 55.143
119. Milan, 775, 6-1, 85.000
120. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, 749, 4-3, 52.286
121. River Rouge, 741, 6-1, 74.000
122. Allendale ^, 735, 5-2, 63.286
123. Three Rivers, 730, 6-1, 73.286
124. Escanaba, 722, 6-1, 76.286
125. Detroit Mumford, 714, 6-1, 79.524
126. Harper Woods Chandler Park Academy *, 708, 5-2, 62.762
127. Ludington, 695, 6-1, 54.571
128. Detroit Country Day, 692, 7-0, 85.714
129. Alma, 674, 6-1, 75.143
130. Battle Creek Pennfield, 669, 4-3, 48.571
131. Wyoming Kelloggsville, 660, 6-1, 73.190
132. Croswell-Lexington ^, 659, 5-2, 58.714
133. Lake Fenton, 654, 7-0, 83.429
134. Grosse Ile, 653, 6-1, 76.143
135. Whitehall, 653, 4-3, 48.857
136. Flint Powers Catholic, 647, 4-3, 54.143
137. Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 644, 7-0, 92.571
138. Benton Harbor, 643, 7-0, 86.857
139. Corunna, 639, 6-1, 68.286
140. Hudsonville Unity Christian, 629, 6-1, 80.714
141. Grand Rapids South Christian, 621, 4-3, 53.571
142. St. Clair Shores South Lake ^, 617, 5-2, 67.429
143. Lake Odessa Lakewood, 614, 7-0, 84.571
144. Dowagiac, 610, 4-3, 50.286
145. Lansing Sexton, 610, 4-3, 59.143
146. Hancock, 608, 4-3, 37.429
147. Saginaw Swan Valley, 607, 4-3, 48.000
148. Detroit Denby, 593, 6-1, 64.429
149. Muskegon Oakridge, 590, 6-1, 64.857
150. Southfield Bradford Academy ^, 587, 5-2, 54.048
151. Belding ^, 585, 5-2, 57.429
152. Portland, 579, 7-0, 92.571
153. Remus Chippewa Hills, 577, 6-1, 71.714
154. Richmond, 562, 6-1, 71.714
155. Freeland, 561, 7-0, 94.857
156. Essexville Garber ^, 550, 5-2, 55.286
157. Algonac, 547, 7-0, 83.429
158. Ida, 546, 6-1, 70.429
159. Carrollton, 543, 4-3, 43.143
160. Kingsford ^, 543, 5-2, 65.607
161. Olivet ^, 541, 5-2, 57.714
162. Harper Woods, 540, 4-3, 43.429
163. Frankenmuth, 533, 7-0, 85.714
164. Lansing Catholic, 532, 6-1, 78.571
165. Grandville Calvin Christian, 531, 4-3, 46.357
166. Grant ^, 520, 5-2, 53.000
167. Kalkaska, 517, 6-1, 62.286
168. Almont, 497, 4-3, 44.429
169. Shepherd, 497, 4-3, 46.571
170. Manistee, 496, 4-3, 40.857
171. Reed City, 496, 7-0, 88.000
172. Grayling, 492, 4-3, 42.143
173. Berrien Springs *^, 482, 4-2, 57.214
174. Buchanan *^, 476, 4-2, 55.095
175. Grand Rapids West Catholic, 475, 6-1, 65.714
176. Durand, 463, 4-3, 38.571
177. Parchment, 448, 4-3, 42.571
178. Brooklyn Columbia Central ^, 442, 5-2, 51.714
179. Menominee, 439, 7-0, 90.857
180. Hillsdale, 432, 4-3, 42.571
181. Ithaca, 426, 7-0, 78.857
182. Clare, 419, 6-1, 68.286
183. Pinconning ^, 417, 5-2, 49.143
184. Montague, 414, 6-1, 62.000
185. Tawas *^, 412, 4-2, 41.381
186. Hemlock, 411, 4-3, 39.714
187. Harrison, 410, 4-3, 40.571
188. Calumet, 406, 6-1, 67.000
189. Michigan Center, 406, 4-3, 35.000
190. Morley Stanwood ^, 404, 5-2, 52.714
191. Lakeview, 402, 4-3, 42.857
192. Delton Kellogg, 401, 4-3, 45.143
193. Negaunee, 400, 7-0, 82.857
194. Warren Michigan Collegiate, 398, 6-1, 68.333
195. Adrian Madison, 397, 4-3, 40.000
196. Boyne City ^, 396, 5-2, 61.571
197. Charlevoix, 393, 6-1, 61.143
198. Millington, 393, 6-1, 70.571
199. Beaverton ^, 387, 5-2, 51.429
200. Constantine ^, 386, 5-2, 59.429
201. Montrose, 386, 4-3, 45.571
202. Byron ^, 385, 5-2, 56.286
203. Quincy ^, 381, 5-2, 42.429
204. Jackson Lumen Christi ^, 380, 5-2, 65.429
205. Napoleon ^, 380, 5-2, 49.429
206. Watervliet ^, 380, 5-2, 56.286
207. Maple City Glen Lake ^, 379, 5-2, 53.143
208. Manchester, 378, 4-3, 38.571
209. Detroit Edison Public School Academy *^, 374, 4-2, 44.000
210. Houghton Lake, 374, 4-3, 44.286
211. Laingsburg, 374, 6-1, 58.000
212. Roscommon, 367, 6-1, 68.143
213. Grass Lake, 363, 7-0, 69.714
214. Kent City ^, 362, 5-2, 53.571
215. New Haven, 362, 4-3, 44.143
216. Schoolcraft, 358, 7-0, 76.571
217. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central, 355, 4-3, 53.571
218. Ravenna ^, 350, 5-2, 55.143
219. Leroy Pine River, 347, 6-1, 67.000
220. Madison Heights Madison, 343, 4-3, 62.000
221. Traverse City St. Francis, 341, 7-0, 77.714
222. Bath, 336, 4-3, 34.857
223. Lawton, 333, 6-1, 55.714
224. Clinton ^, 331, 5-2, 53.857
225. Flint Hamady ^, 329, 5-2, 56.143
226. Reese ^, 328, 5-2, 48.286
227. Detroit Delta Prep ^, 327, 5-2, 50.143
228. McBain, 326, 4-3, 46.000
229. Burton Atherton, 316, 4-3, 34.000
230. Homer ^, 313, 5-2, 55.000
231. Bridgman, 312, 4-3, 33.786
232. Galesburg-Augusta, 312, 4-3, 31.857
233. Iron Mountain ^, 302, 5-2, 51.143
234. New Lothrop, 298, 7-0, 77.714
235. Gobles ^, 289, 5-2, 50.714
236. Saugatuck, 289, 7-0, 68.571
237. Cass City, 288, 4-3, 42.286
238. Pewamo-Westphalia, 288, 7-0, 70.857
239. Gwinn ^, 287, 5-2, 50.571
240. Cassopolis, 278, 6-1, 62.976
241. Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett, 277, 7-0, 71.429
242. Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest, 275, 4-3, 35.429
243. Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker, 274, 6-1, 57.857
244. Carson City-Crystal, 268, 4-3, 31.143
245. Sand Creek, 268, 7-0, 64.381
246. Hudson, 267, 6-1, 70.143
247. Unionville-Sebewaing, 267, 6-1, 62.571
248. Detroit Loyola, 266, 6-1, 71.286
249. Hesperia, 265, 4-3, 38.000
250. East Jordan, 261, 4-3, 29.143
251. Ubly, 260, 7-0, 67.429
252. Dansville, 259, 4-3, 37.571
253. Springport, 259, 6-1, 55.429
254. Concord, 258, 6-1, 57.857
255. Onekama ^, 254, 5-2, 40.143
256. Whittemore-Prescott, 251, 4-3, 36.762
257. Royal Oak Shrine Catholic ^, 249, 5-2, 54.714
258. Saginaw Nouvel ^, 248, 5-2, 56.905
259. Petersburg-Summerfield, 247, 4-3, 33.857
260. Lincoln Alcona, 245, 6-1, 55.357
261. Decatur, 243, 4-3, 33.714
262. Evart, 242, 4-3, 39.429
263. Ottawa Lake Whiteford, 242, 7-0, 66.286
264. Iron River West Iron County, 241, 4-3, 39.196
265. Beal City ^, 239, 5-2, 51.714
266. Breckenridge, 235, 7-0, 62.857
267. St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic, 232, 6-1, 53.000
268. Harbor Beach, 231, 4-3, 32.286
269. St. Ignace, 219, 6-1, 56.857
270. Norway, 214, 6-1, 56.714
271. Newberry, 212, 6-1, 52.286
272. Pittsford, 206, 4-3, 34.000
273. Mendon ^, 203, 5-2, 51.500
274. Morenci, 201, 4-3, 42.429
275. Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary ^, 200, 5-2, 50.429
276. Vestaburg ^, 195, 5-2, 44.429
277. Merrill ^, 191, 5-2, 39.000
278. Fowler ^, 185, 5-2, 44.571
279. Martin, 178, 4-3, 31.143
280. Sterling Heights Parkway Christian, 173, 4-3, 41.429
281. Frankfort, 171, 7-0, 61.714
282. Gaylord St. Mary, 170, 6-1, 43.000
283. Climax-Scotts, 169, 7-0, 59.810
284. Muskegon Catholic Central, 163, 7-0, 83.429
285. Lake Linden-Hubbell, 157, 7-0, 73.571
286. Colon ^, 156, 5-2, 37.095
287. AuGres-Sims, 149, 6-1, 52.143
288. Hillman, 146, 4-3, 32.857
289. Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart, 146, 4-3, 35.000
290. Waterford Our Lady ^, 134, 5-2, 54.333
291. Clarkston Everest Collegiate, 115, 6-1, 56.571
292. Felch North Dickinson ^, 95, 5-2, 37.857
8-Player Playoff Listing
1. Deckerville *, 177, 7-0, 61.714
2. Engadine, 91, 7-0, 58.286
3. New Haven Merritt Academy, 165, 7-0, 56.000
4. Powers North Central, 115, 7-0, 54.190
5. Wyoming Tri-unity Christian, 168, 7-0, 53.714
6. Portland St. Patrick, 92, 7-0, 52.762
7. Stephenson, 177, 6-1, 46.857
8. Crystal Falls Forest Park, 159, 6-1, 46.762
9. Lawrence, 186, 6-1, 46.571
10. Owendale-Gagetown, 48, 6-1, 45.429
11. Cedarville, 156, 6-1, 44.286
12. Fife Lake Forest Area, 162, 6-1, 41.048
13. Pickford, 149, 6-1, 40.857
14. Peck, 143, 5-2, 39.952
15. Battle Creek St. Philip, 143, 5-2, 38.381
16. Rapid River, 116, 5-2, 38.190
17. Webberville, 178, 5-2, 38.000
18. Flint International Academy, 185, 5-2, 35.857
19. Camden-Frontier *, 159, 5-1, 35.762
20. Morrice, 168, 4-3, 33.905
21. Tekonsha, 135, 4-3, 28.286
22. Hale, 129, 4-3, 27.286
23. Onaway, 190, 4-3, 25.143
24. Marion, 132, 3-4, 24.286
25. Posen, 94, 3-4, 22.095
26. Waldron, 83, 3-4, 21.857
27. Ontonagon, 126, 3-4, 21.054
28. Mayville, 196, 3-4, 20.857
29. Burton Madison Academy, 198, 3-4, 19.714
30. St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran, 97, 3-4, 18.524
31. Manistee Catholic Central, 189, 3-4, 18.000
32. Eben Junction Superior Central, 125, 2-5, 16.286
33. Burr Oak, 72, 2-5, 15.143
34. Brethren, 152, 2-5, 14.143
35. Caseville, 98, 2-5, 13.143
36. Flint Michigan School for the Deaf *, 47, 2-4, 12.333
37. Bellaire, 133, 2-5, 12.143
38. Baraga, 150, 1-6, 9.048
39. Ewen-Trout Creek, 115, 1-6, 9.000
40. Carney-Nadeau *, 140, 1-5, 8.762
41. Covert *, 95, 1-5, 8.190
42. Charlton Heston Academy, 137, 1-6, 8.000
43. Carsonville-Port Sanilac, 118, 1-6, 7.571
44. Pellston, 169, 0-7, 3.952
45. Kinde-North Huron, 157, 0-7, 3.333
46. Litchfield, 85, 0-7, 3.143
47. Akron-Fairgrove, 105, 0-7, 3.000
48. Big Rapids Crossroads Academy, 193, 0-7, 2.762
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.