'3rd-Quarter Team' West Catholic Shows Why in Record-Setting Triumph
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
November 25, 2022
DETROIT – When Negaunee senior Phil Nelson returned the opening kickoff of the second half Friday and tied the Division 6 championship game at 14, it woke something up inside Ford Field.
Unfortunately for Negaunee, that something was Timmy Kloska.
“I just saw that kick return, and it really fired me up,” the Grand Rapids West Catholic senior running back said. “Our o-line got going, the holes were opening and we just got going.”
Kloska dominated the rest of the game, rushing for 172 yards and four touchdowns during the second half, leading West Catholic to a 59-14 victory. It was the sixth Finals title for West Catholic, and first since 2017.
The Falcons’ 59 points set the record for an 11-player Final, breaking the mark set by both Flint Powers Catholic and Saginaw Nouvel in 2011.
“It’s great,” said Kloska, who finished with 241 yards rushing for the game. “Me and all my friends, and all the players on the team, we’ve worked really hard for this. This has been a dream since we were in seventh grade, watching all those state championships. It’s a great feeling because we’ve worked so hard.”
West Catholic put on an offensive display, gaining 520 yards of total offense and averaging 14.9 yards per play. That number sat at 16.8 yards per play entering the fourth quarter.
The Falcons had five touchdowns of longer than 30 yards, and three longer than 60. They were also remarkably balanced, as they gained 295 yards on the ground and 225 through the air on the arm of quarterback Bernie Varnesdeel.
“Our coaches, all week, have put us in good positions,” said junior receiver Carter Perry, who had touchdown receptions of 72 and 32 yards in the first half. “When you get put in that position, it’s almost easy to make the plays and execute them.”
It started right away, too, as Perry’s 72-yard score came on the first play from scrimmage.
“I knew right before the game he was going to be wide open,” Varnesdeel said. “We were working on that play all week at practice, and he’s been open most of the time. He was the main option right there, so I just hit him and executed.”
Despite the big-play success, West Catholic (13-1) wasn’t able to pull away from Negaunee because it barely had the ball during the first half.
Negaunee (13-1) had a 20:03-3:57 edge in time of possession, and ran 37 plays to West Catholic’s 13. But it took until the final play of the half for the Miners to get on the scoreboard. They scored on a 6-yard pass from Ty Jacobson to Nelson on 4th-and-goal to make it 14-7 at halftime. The scoring toss was set up by a 32-yard pass on a reverse flea flicker from Jacobson to Eli VanBuren on a third down near midfield.
“Our gameplan was really similar from the first half to the second half, but you have to give Negaunee a lot of credit,” West Catholic coach Landon Grove said. “They did a really good job. They slowed the game down. They ate up a lot of clock. That’s credit to them. They got us out of rhythm, and they kind of forced our hand a little bit by not letting us have the football.”
When Nelson ran the kick back to start the second half and tie the game at 14, it seemed as if Negaunee’s strategy was working perfectly.
But West Catholic’s 45 unanswered points to end the game negated all of that.
“We ran out of gas,” Negaunee coach Paul Jacobson said. “We played toe-to-toe with them for a half, Phil had a great return to start the second half. I don’t know if we woke a sleeping giant. It was a combination of that, and we kind of ran out of gas. Then they rolled that second half on us.”
The Falcons scored 31 points in the third quarter, and didn’t take up a lot of time in doing so.
Kloska had touchdown runs of 61, 16 and 3 yards, and Varnesdeel threw his third touchdown pass of the game, a 68-yarder to Andrew McAlary. Carson Beekman added a 31-yard field goal.
Those five drives lasted a total of 4:35.
The difference between the third quarter and the first half, however, was that the West Catholic defense was getting the Negaunee offense off the field.
“Kind of our M.O. this year has been third quarters,” Grove said. “Kind of coming out with our hair on fire and taking over games. That’s what we did again today. That’s a testament to our defensive staff for making those adjustments they needed to make. Then our kids buying into those adjustments and believing in the process.”
Kloska added a 13-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, while Elliot Zainea had a 26-yard touchdown run for the Falcons.
Varnesdeel was 5-of-10 passing on the night for his 225 yards and three scores. McAlary had three catches for 121 yards, and Perry had his two for 104.
Charlie DeBruyn led the West Catholic defense with 10 tackles, including 3.5 for loss, and forced a fumble.
Kai Lacar led Negaunee with 45 yards rushing, and Ty Jacobson was 7-of-12 passing for 78 yards.
“I’m just proud of these guys, the way they battled adversity,” Paul Jacobson said. “They battled a ton of different stuff this year. Just the ups and downs, they were able to stick together. We really preach a family mentality, and they stuck together through and through. I’m proud of these guys.”
PHOTOS (Top) West Catholic’s Carter Perry (13) gets upfield during his team’s Division 6 championship win. (Middle) The Falcons’ Danny Groskiewicz (24) and Joe Debski bring down a Negaunee ball carrier. (Below) West Catholic players celebrate Friday’s win. (Click for more from Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
1st & Goal: 2025 8-Player Finals Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 21, 2025
The competition truly will be superior again at Saturday’s 8-Player Football Finals at Northern Michigan University’s Superior Dome.
Three of four teams playing in the two championship games are undefeated – and the one loss among the four came when two played each other during the final week of the regular season.
Blanchard Montabella and Martin will kick off at 11 a.m., and Felch North Dickinson and Portland St. Patrick follow at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $10 and are good for both games, and may be purchased online through NMU or at the door – click for details.
Both games will be broadcast by the NFHS Network:
Audio of both games will be streamed live on MHSAANetwork.com.
Below is a look at all four finalists:
Division 1
BLANCHARD MONTABELLA
Record/Rank: 11-1, No. 2
Coach: Tim Webb, sixth season (32-23)
League finish: First in Mid-State Activities Conference Blue
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 32-28 over No. 3 Norway in Semifinal, 26-0 (Regional Final) and 36-26 over No. 9 Merrill, 64-26 (Regional Semifinal) and 54-18 over Breckenridge.
Players to watch: RB/DB Austin Jensen, 5-10/155, jr. (828 yards/14 TDs rushing, 681 yards/6 TDs receiving); QB Gabe Kauffman, 5-9/160, jr. (1,215 yards/14 TDs passing, 481 yards/9 TDs rushing); RB/LB Brady Kieff, 5-10/160, sr. (1,561/19 TDs rushing); DL Cody Omo, 6-0/160, sr. (95 tackles, 12 sacks).
Outlook: Montabella’s longest playoff run has included its first Regional title and second-straight league championship, The Norway win – during which the Mustangs came back from a 20-point deficit – was Montabella’s only single-digit win, with the lone defeat to Division 2 finalist Portland St. Patrick. Kieff missed all of last season but has led a rushing attack that averages nearly 300 yards and five touchdowns per game. Omo made the all-state second team last season. Junior linebacker Mason Bogart always seems to be around the ball and has 145 tackles.
MARTIN
Record/Rank: 12-0, No. 1
Coach: Brad Blauvelt, eighth season (78-14)
League finish: First in Southwest Michigan 8-Man Football League Red
Championship history: Three MHSAA Finals titles (most recent 2023).
Best wins: 20-8 over No. 5 Kingston in Semifinal, 36-20 over No. 10 Climax-Scotts in Regional Final, 48-26 over Division 2 No. 6 Grand Rapids Sacred Heart, 52-6 over Gobles, 58-20 over Bridgman.
Players to watch: QB/S Haylen Buell, 5-10/175, sr. (1,528 yards/32 TDs rushing, 866 yards/13 TDs passing); WR/DB Weson Elkins, 6-0/170, sr. (408 yards/6 TDs receiving); RB/OLB Seth Toris, 5-3/155, jr. (1,331 yards/10 TDs rushing); OL/DL Peyton Schuring-Harris, 6-3/280, sr. (Statistics through Regional Finals.)
Outlook: Martin is back at Superior Dome after most recently winning back-to-back championships in 2022 and 2023. Buell as a sophomore was among the team’s leading rushers and receivers in the 2023 title game, and he earned an all-state honorable mention last year at linebacker. The Clippers’ closest game this season was the Semifinal win; no other opponent has come closer than two touchdowns. Senior Bryer Watson also has been among offensive leaders, with 562 yards and nine touchdowns rushing and 379 yards and five TDs receiving heading into the Semifinal.
Division 2
FELCH NORTH DICKINSON
Record/Rank: 12-0, No. 7
Coach: Mike Christian, 10th season (37-59)
League finish: First in Great Lakes Eight Conference Central
Championship history: 11-Player Class D runner-up 1998.
Best wins: 44-28 over No. 2 Onekama in Semifinal, 32-12 (Regional Final) and 38-34 over Lake Linden-Hubbell, 40-22 over St. Ignace in Regional Semifinal.
Players to watch: TE/DE Trenton Kramer, 6-4/190, jr. (1,062 yards/18 TDs receiving); FB/LB Jason Graham, 5-8/160, jr. (1,207 yards/17 TDs rushing); QB/DB Brady Jungwirth, 5-10/155, sr. (1,888 yards/28 TDs passing); HB/LB Tyler Fleming, 5-3/110, sr. (612 yards/6 TDs rushing). (Statistics through Regional Final.)
Outlook: North Dickinson has gone from not having a team two years ago to reaching its first championship game in nearly three decades. The Nordics have played only one single-digit game this fall, defeating Lake Linden-Hubbell by four in their season opener before winning the rematch two weeks ago by 20. North Dickinson missed the playoffs last season but did win their final five games, giving them a current 17-game unbeaten streak. Jungwirth’s ability to throw gives the Nordics more balance than most, and Kramer was averaging 19.3 yards per catch heading into last week.
PORTLAND ST. PATRICK
Record/Rank: 12-0, No. 3
Coach: Patrick Russman, 19th season (138-61)
League finish: First in MSAC Red
Championship history: 11-Player Class D champion 1992, five runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 36-15 over No. 4 Deckerville in Semifinal, 51-22 over No. 1 Mendon in Regional Final, 14-7 over No. 9 Morrice, 42-16 over Division 1 No. 2 Blanchard Montabella, 62-12 over Division 1 No. 9 Merrill.
Players to watch: QB/DB Jerryd Scheurer, 5-1/165, jr. (572 yards/10 TDs passing, 306 yards/11 TDs rushing, 32 tackles/7 interceptions); RB/DB Brady Leonard, 6-0/185, sr. (1,263 yards/17 TDs rushing, 55 tackles/10 interceptions); RB/DB Hudson King, 5-8/160, sr. (932 yards/16 TDs rushing); OL/LB Augustus Teachworth, 6-3/190, sr. (85 tackles)
Outlook: St. Patrick most recently finished Division 2 runner-up in 2017, 2019 and 2020 and will make this trip to Superior Dome after navigating arguably the toughest playoff path of any team in 8-player. After defeating Division 1 finalist Montabella in Week 9, the Shamrocks opened the postseason with a 62-16 win over Marion before taking on Mendon and Deckerville, and Morrice is the only opponent this fall to get closer than 21 points. It’s easy to point to the powerful offense, but the defense has given up only 10.2 points per game and been opportunistic with 24 interceptions and seven fumble recoveries.
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.