8-player Final: Road to Marquette

December 12, 2011

Rapid River and Carsonville-Port Sanilac are 382 miles apart, but they faced off Saturday to decide the inaugural MHSAA 8-player Football Final at Northern Michigan University's Superior Dome.

Take a quick ride with us over Mackinaw Bridge, past Rapid River High School, and into the Dome -- and hear from both coaches -- as we give you some of the sights and sounds surrounding the Tigers' 59-20 victory. 

Moment: Johnson Follows Purple Wall

October 15, 2020

By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties

Brad Johnson saw the wall and was off to the races.

The star do-everything player for Schoolcraft had already scored one touchdown on the day in the 1988 Class D Football Final against Frankfort at the Pontiac Silverdome, and back in a punt return mode in the second quarter, he faked a reverse, saw the wall and he was gone.

An 87-yard punt return, the longest in state finals history by a good 25 yards.

“After making my fake, I looked up and there was a wall,” Johnson told the Detroit Free Press.  “All I had to do was outrun everybody.”

The play gave the Eagles a 21-7 lead at the time and broke the game wide open. Schoolcraft cruised to a 42-7 victory to finish the season at 13-0. 


PHOTO by Gary Shook.