To Assist and Honor Those Who Served

September 7, 2012

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Born into a multiple-generation U.S. Military family, Eddie Ostipow understood early the honor in serving one’s country.

His father, Mike, did so in Vietnam. Grandfather Alex Ostipow – now 90 – was part of the D-Day Invasion of France during World War II, then taken as a prisoner of war during the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium, and earned three purple hearts while deployed from 1942-46.

Tonight, as the Orioles’ football coach leads his team against Eaton Rapids, both will take the field with him – symbolically at first, and then down from the stands with a larger group of veterans and active-duty soldiers who will be honored for their contributions to this country.

Mike and Alex Ostipow's names are among those that will be worn on both teams’ jerseys as part of their “Victory for Veterans” game to benefit the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Home for Children based in Eaton Rapids.

Funds raised from the purchase of those jerseys and other donations all will benefit the National Home, which was built in 1925 and provides a variety of services to military members and their families, including housing when a family member is deployed. Total, the schools raised roughly $6,300 for the home, which receives all of its funding through donations.

“The kids don’t always understand what those people sacrificed for the freedom we have to even play football on Friday nights,” Ostipow said.  “It’s close to me. (And) for me, selfishly, I’ll be able to honor my grandfather.”

Kickoff is 7 p.m. Both teams will wear camouflage jerseys featuring the names of military personnel that were purchased with donations of $100. Charlotte players were given the opportunity to wear the names of family members. For those who did not have names to wear, jerseys were sponsored by teachers and other members of the community.

Charlotte 2002 graduates Nick Cantin and Matt Lamoreaux will serve as honorary captains – Cantin is in the Air Force and Lamoreaux serves in the Navy. After the game, players from both teams will present their jerseys to the service members or their families who they honored.

This cause was a natural for the Orioles. On the Friday before Memorial Day each spring, Charlotte hosts a school-wide round table of veterans, who speak candidly with students about their war experiences. And this opportunity allowed both communities to donate to an effort close to home – both schools are in Eaton County, and Eaton Rapids is only 11 miles from Charlotte.

Ostipow had heard of the home previously – in fact, his grandmother had visited the facility while his grandfather was deployed. But until he began researching for tonight’s event, he didn’t realize the variety of services it provides. 

His student teacher, former Eaton Rapids quarterback Matt Marriott, is the son of one of the home’s facility managers. After a series of meetings with Marriott's dad, representatives from the home and Eaton Rapids’ administration and coaches, the plan was hatched.

The Orioles received a bonus when their local National Guard recruiter heard about the effort, and the Guard paid for $2,500 of the $2,800 it would have cost to print the Orioles’ jerseys. That meant $2,500 more that Charlotte could donate to the home.

Click to learn more about the VFW National Home for Children.

Week 5 Football Playoff Listing

September 18, 2012

Here is a list of Michigan High School Athletic Association football playing schools, displaying their win-loss records and playoff averages through the fourth week of the season.

Schools on this list are in enrollment order. An asterisk (*) beside a record indicates that a team has eight or fewer games scheduled. A carrot (^) beside a school’s name indicates that 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. 26-27. 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. 26-27.

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 on Oct. 21 on the Selection Sunday Show on FOX Sports Detroit at 7 p.m. The playoff qualifiers and pairings will be posted to the MHSAA Website following the Selection Sunday Show.

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11-Player Playoff Listing

1. Utica Eisenhower, 2772, 3-1, 72.500

2. Sterling Heights Stevenson, 2766, 3-1, 68.500

3. Clarkston, 2721, 4-0, 90.000

4. Macomb Dakota, 2608, 3-1, 72.500

5. Lake Orion, 2565, 4-0, 90.000

6. Troy, 2502, 3-1, 70.500

7. Clinton Township Chippewa Valley, 2462, 3-1, 74.250

8. Dearborn Fordson, 2442, 3-1, 76.250

9. Holland West Ottawa, 2262, 3-1, 66.500

10. Detroit Cass Tech, 2200, 4-0, 92.000

11. Canton, 2166, 3-1, 62.750

12. Monroe, 2154, 4-0, 82.000

13. Plymouth, 2050, 3-1, 62.750

14. Salem, 2039, 4-0, 88.000

15. Livonia Stevenson, 2005, 4-0, 92.000

16. Hartland, 1932, 4-0, 88.000

17. Warren Mott, 1879, 4-0, 84.000

18. Livonia Churchill, 1877, 4-0, 94.000

19. Walled Lake Central, 1857, 3-1, 64.750

20. Saline, 1849, 3-1, 62.250

21. Grandville, 1846, 3-1, 64.750

22. Flint Carman-Ainsworth, 1772, 4-0, 82.000

23. Grand Ledge, 1743, 3-1, 64.250

24. Rochester, 1725, 3-1, 68.750

25. Traverse City West, 1720, 3-1, 62.250

26. White Lake Lakeland, 1700, 3-1, 64.250

27. Davison, 1664, 3-1, 64.750

28. Grosse Pointe South, 1648, 3-1, 70.500

29. Temperance Bedford, 1581, 3-1, 58.750

30. Brownstown Woodhaven, 1520, 3-1, 64.750

31. Ypsilanti Lincoln, 1520, 3-1, 66.750

32. Midland, 1485, 4-0, 94.000

33. Port Huron, 1473, 3-1, 66.500

34. Traverse City Central, 1429, 3-1, 64.000

35. Oak Park, 1391, 4-0, 94.000

36. Lansing Everett, 1359, 4-0, 96.000

37. Birmingham Seaholm, 1349, 3-1, 62.500

38. Garden City, 1344, 3-1, 64.250

39. Portage Central, 1340, 3-1, 66.750

40. Muskegon Mona Shores, 1337, 3-1, 52.750

41. Birmingham Brother Rice, 1336, 3-1, 70.750

42. Portage Northern, 1328, 3-1, 70.750

43. Caledonia, 1308, 4-0, 90.000

44. Wyandotte Roosevelt, 1304, 4-0, 78.000

45. Farmington Hills Harrison, 1302, 3-1, 68.250

46. Farmington, 1278, 4-0, 90.000

47. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central, 1278, 3-1, 64.750

48. Taylor Truman, 1253, 4-0, 88.000

49. Swartz Creek, 1223, 4-0, 90.000

50. Fenton, 1202, 3-1, 60.750

51. Grand Rapids Northview, 1180, 3-1, 62.000

52. Lowell, 1177, 3-1, 66.750

53. Bay City Western, 1171, 4-0, 72.000

54. Gibraltar Carlson, 1160, 4-0, 78.000

55. Muskegon, 1144, 4-0, 98.000

56. East Lansing, 1142, 4-0, 76.000

57. Mattawan, 1124, 4-0, 82.000

58. Marquette*, 1112, 3-1, 68.250

59. Redford Thurston, 1088, 3-1, 52.500

60. Auburn Hills Avondale, 1080, 4-0, 82.000

61. St. Johns, 1068, 4-0, 82.000

62. Zeeland East, 1067, 4-0, 88.000

63. Detroit East English, 1030, 3-1, 60.750

64. Lansing Waverly, 1011, 3-1, 54.750

65. St. Joseph, 974, 3-1, 58.500

66. Mason, 969, 4-0, 76.000

67. Milan, 959, 4-0, 78.000

68. Grand Rapids Christian, 954, 3-1, 68.750

69. Cedar Springs, 950, 3-1, 50.250

70. DeWitt, 931, 3-1, 62.750

71. Fruitport, 929, 4-0, 76.000

72. Orchard Lake St. Mary's, 926, 3-1, 66.750

73. Bloomfield Hills Lahser, 925, 4-0, 78.000

74. Linden, 923, 4-0, 92.000

75. Niles, 920, 3-1, 66.750

76. Hazel Park, 909, 3-1, 58.750

77. Stevensville Lakeshore, 906, 4-0, 94.000

78. St. Clair, 901, 4-0, 74.000

79. Tecumseh, 887, 4-0, 82.000

80. Carleton Airport, 868, 3-1, 60.500

81. Detroit Central Collegiate, 868, 3-1, 60.250

82. Hastings, 850, 3-1, 54.750

83. Plainwell, 832, 3-1, 62.750

84. Cadillac, 820, 4-0, 80.000

85. Madison Heights Lamphere, 814, 3-1, 60.750

86. Edwardsburg, 805, 3-1, 52.500

87. North Branch, 803, 3-1, 56.500

88. Hamilton, 801, 4-0, 80.000

89. Marysville, 794, 4-0, 84.000

90. Three Rivers, 760, 3-1, 52.500

91. Goodrich, 748, 3-1, 56.500

92. Dearborn Heights Robichaud, 720, 4-0, 82.000

93. Big Rapids, 706, 3-1, 48.750

94. Croswell-Lexington, 704, 4-0, 82.000

95. St. Clair Shores South Lake, 704, 3-1, 62.500

96. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, 701, 4-0, 78.000

97. Otsego, 698, 3-1, 54.500

98. Detroit Country Day, 685, 3-1, 66.250

99. Comstock Park, 678, 3-1, 60.000

100. Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 674, 4-0, 76.000

101. Grand Rapids South Christian, 660, 3-1, 56.500

102. Battle Creek Pennfield, 656, 4-0, 56.000

103. Grosse Ile, 649, 3-1, 52.750

104. Saginaw Swan Valley, 642, 4-0, 72.000

105. Paw Paw, 639, 4-0, 68.000

106. Allendale, 636, 3-1, 66.500

107. Williamston, 636, 3-1, 56.750

108. Cheboygan, 631, 3-1, 58.500

109. Marine City, 629, 3-1, 66.250

110. Alma, 614, 3-1, 60.750

111. Saginaw Valley Lutheran, 608, 3-1, 36.750

112. Dowagiac, 605, 4-0, 74.000

113. Livonia Clarenceville, 597, 3-1, 57.417

114. Clawson, 582, 3-1, 46.500

115. Remus Chippewa Hills, 581, 3-1, 50.500

116. Essexville Garber, 572, 3-1, 54.500

117. Clinton Township Clintondale, 570, 4-0, 78.000

118. Lake Fenton, 564, 3-1, 54.500

119. Freeland, 561, 3-1, 54.500

120. Kingsford, 559, 3-1, 50.750

121. Portland, 555, 4-0, 72.000

122. Flint Powers Catholic, 542, 4-0, 78.000

123. Menominee, 539, 4-0, 82.000

124. Macomb Lutheran North, 537, 4-0, 74.000

125. Hopkins, 531, 4-0, 64.000

126. Detroit University Prep, 528, 4-0, 72.667

127. Grayling, 516, 4-0, 66.000

128. Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard, 515, 3-1, 48.750

129. Allen Park Cabrini, 512, 3-1, 42.750

130. Olivet, 509, 3-1, 48.750

131. Frankenmuth, 507, 4-0, 72.000

132. Newaygo, 507, 3-1, 54.750

133. Ida, 503, 4-0, 64.000

134. River Rouge, 495, 4-0, 66.667

135. Carrollton, 492, 4-0, 56.000

136. Lansing Catholic, 487, 3-1, 52.500

137. Reed City, 480, 4-0, 70.000

138. Muskegon Oakridge, 474, 4-0, 68.000

139. Kingsley, 473, 3-1, 40.250

140. Jackson Lumen Christi, 472, 4-0, 74.000

141. Buchanan, 467, 3-1, 50.500

142. Leslie, 467, 4-0, 66.000

143. Roscommon, 461, 3-1, 46.750

144. Kalkaska, 459, 3-1, 38.750

145. Millington*, 459, 3-1, 58.750

146. Warren Michigan Collegiate, 446, 4-0, 66.000

147. Boyne City, 437, 4-0, 66.000

148. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central, 437, 3-1, 52.500

149. Negaunee, 433, 4-0, 66.000

150. Beaverton, 422, 3-1, 40.250

151. Hemlock, 421, 3-1, 56.750

152. Shelby, 417, 4-0, 78.000

153. Vassar, 416, 4-0, 50.000

154. Clinton, 413, 4-0, 68.000

155. Maple City Glen Lake, 409, 4-0, 54.000

156. Michigan Center, 406, 4-0, 64.000

157. Manchester, 404, 3-1, 44.750

158. Ithaca, 402, 4-0, 76.000

159. Montrose Hill-McCloy, 400, 3-1, 58.750

160. Niles Brandywine, 396, 3-1, 38.917

161. Grass Lake, 395, 3-1, 48.750

162. Hillsdale, 391, 4-0, 70.000

163. Madison Heights Madison, 391, 3-1, 58.000

164. Ecorse, 390, 3-1, 42.500

165. Montague, 390, 3-1, 50.750

166. Sanford Meridian, 388, 3-1, 48.250

167. Saranac, 383, 3-1, 50.250

168. Constantine, 371, 3-1, 44.750

169. Grandville Calvin Christian, 371, 3-1, 46.750

170. Watervliet, 369, 4-0, 48.000

171. Schoolcraft, 366, 4-0, 68.000

172. Byron Area, 364, 3-1, 40.750

173. Reese, 350, 4-0, 54.000

174. Union City, 350, 4-0, 54.000

175. Burton Bendle, 348, 3-1, 40.750

176. Pellston, 347, 4-0, 32.000

177. Saginaw Nouvel, 344, 3-1, 64.750

178. Carson City-Crystal, 337, 3-1, 34.250

179. Hartford, 337, 4-0, 62.667

180. Marlette, 336, 4-0, 56.000

181. Whittemore-Prescott, 328, 3-1, 40.750

182. Lawton, 317, 4-0, 60.000

183. Lake City, 316, 4-0, 48.000

184. Pewamo-Westphalia, 316, 3-1, 46.500

185. Hesperia, 309, 3-1, 38.500

186. Ishpeming, 307, 4-0, 62.000

187. Unionville-Sebewaing, 303, 3-1, 38.500

188. Evart, 302, 3-1, 34.750

189. Homer, 302, 3-1, 36.750

190. Detroit Loyola, 298, 4-0, 76.000

191. Lincoln Alcona, 292, 3-1, 30.500

192. Genesee, 288, 3-1, 34.000

193. Mancelona, 288, 4-0, 50.000

194. Royal Oak Shrine Catholic, 284, 3-1, 56.750

195. Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett, 283, 3-1, 36.500

196. Reading, 283, 3-1, 38.500

197. Decatur, 277, 4-0, 50.000

198. Gobles, 271, 3-1, 38.750

199. Ottawa Lake Whiteford, 268, 3-1, 40.750

200. Waterford Our Lady, 263, 4-0, 64.000

201. Newberry, 260, 3-1, 26.750

202. Mayville, 258, 3-1, 50.500

203. Melvindale Academy for Business & Tech, 254, 3-1, 52.500

204. Marcellus, 249, 4-0, 44.000

205. Harbor Beach, 245, 3-1, 38.750

206. Vestaburg, 242, 3-1, 36.500

207. Coleman, 239, 3-1, 38.250

208. New Lothrop, 237, 4-0, 64.000

209. Bessemer*, 233, 3-1, 38.750

210. L'Anse, 233, 4-0, 54.000

211. Petersburg-Summerfield, 232, 3-1, 40.750

212. Atlanta, 224, 3-1, 30.917

213. Mendon, 216, 4-0, 50.000

214. Beal City, 213, 4-0, 68.000

215. Pittsford, 213, 3-1, 36.250

216. Morenci, 207, 3-1, 40.000

217. St. Ignace La Salle, 207, 4-0, 46.000

218. Pickford, 197, 4-0, 48.000

219. Onaway, 194, 4-0, 38.000

220. Powers North Central, 194, 3-1, 26.250

221. Fowler, 186, 3-1, 48.750

222. Climax-Scotts, 183, 4-0, 44.000

223. Morrice, 171, 4-0, 48.000

224. St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic*, 171, 3-0, 46.667

225. Colon, 164, 3-1, 30.750

226. Crystal Falls Forest Park, 164, 4-0, 48.000

227. Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart, 121, 3-1, 42.750

228. Iron Mountain North Dickinson*^, 112, 4-0, 54.000

229. Ashley, 99, 3-1, 28.500

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8-Player Playoff Listing

1. Deckerville, 194, 3-1, 36.750

2. Battle Creek St. Philip, 182, 3-1, 34.750

3. Kingston, 175, 3-1, 30.500

4. Cedarville, 169, 4-0, 45.333

5. Peck, 156, 4-0, 40.000

6. Eben Junction Superior Central, 132, 4-0, 42.000

7. Rapid River, 115, 4-0, 34.000

8. Portland St. Patrick, 104, 4-0, 46.000

9. Owendale-Gagetown, 60, 3-1, 32.250