Brother Rice Finds Championship Burst
November 23, 2012
By Bill Khan
Special to Second Half
DETROIT — Jason Alessi appeared to be running out of gas.
The Birmingham Brother Rice junior was all over the football field, matching teammate John Plaskey with a game-high 12 tackles from his free safety position in the MHSAA Division 2 championship game against Muskegon on Friday at Ford Field.
Alessi ran down ball carriers on back-to-back big plays late in the third quarter to make touchdown-saving tackles, but got up slowly on the next play after missing a tackle in the backfield. For someone who spent the day chasing Muskegon's speedy backs, who could blame him if fatigue was setting in?
With a championship on the line, however, Alessi still had 91 yards and the dream of a lifetime within him.
On the kickoff following a game-tying touchdown, Alessi caught a cross-field lateral from sophomore Delano Madison and went 91 yards for the championship touchdown with 2:13 remaining in Brother Rice's 35-28 victory over Muskegon in an epic battle between two of Michigan's premier programs.
It was the eighth MHSAA championship for Brother Rice, which won consecutive titles for the first time.
"Our motto here is never give up," Alessi said. "We played our hearts out. We knew it was going to be a dogfight. We knew we had to give our whole heart into it. We left everything we could out on the field. It was amazing."
With the experience of 53 years of head coaching at his disposal, legendary Brother Rice coach Al Fracassa gave the green light to run a gadget play the Warriors (12-2) didn't install until the week of the championship game.
Fracassa admitted he was skeptical about even using practice time to work on a somewhat-risky lateral play, but deferred to coach David Sofran, who runs the special teams. Brother Rice considered running the play on its first kick return and also to open the second half, but didn't pull this one out of the bag of tricks until after Muskegon tied the game 28-28 on a 51-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Deshaun Thrower to Keondre Craig with 2:31 left in the game.
"We practiced it every day in practice for the last week," Alessi said. "A couple times it did not work. It would be a bad throw or I caught it and there would be guys in front of me. It was a huge risk. Once I heard the coach call that play, I was really excited. I knew it could be a really big play. I didn't know it would be a touchdown, but I knew it would be a huge play."
Madison caught the kickoff at the 4-yard line, took a few steps forward, then passed the ball back to Alessi. Alessi had a clear path down the left side, made some defenders miss at midfield, and was in the clear.
"It's almost unreal," Alessi said. "I dreamed about this moment. Who knew it would come true? It's an amazing feeling."
It was the second trick play Brother Rice used to take the lead in a frantic fourth quarter that will go down as one of the greatest in championship game history.
Two plays after Muskegon (12-2) tied the game 21-21 on an 11-yard run by Marcus Smith, Brother Rice recaptured the lead on a 77-yard flea-flicker pass from sophomore Alex Malzone to junior Corey Lacanaria with 3:29 left in the game.
The play began with a handoff to junior running back Brian Walker, who pitched the ball back to Malzone. Lacanaria, who opened the scoring with a 16-yard catch, was wide open behind the Muskegon defense when he caught the ball at the Big Reds' 41-yard line.
"We had the feeling right before they threw that flea-flicker that if we could get a stop right then, our offense was moving," Muskegon coach Shane Fairfield said. "They were a little tired. Their hands were on their hips. Our kids did a great job of conditioning in the pool room all week, but they made the call and the play and we didn't."
Muskegon hung in there, despite an ankle injury to senior standout quarterback Jalen Smith, who had a game-high 138 yards on 17 carries. Smith was injured with 2:38 left in the third quarter, but Thrower came in and tied the game 14-14 with a 1-yard touchdown run. Smith came back for three plays on the next drive, but didn't play during the final 9:43. Thrower, who attempted only seven passes all season, went 8-for-17 for 143 yards and a touchdown.
"Jalen got hurt," Thrower said. "He had the offense moving real good. I didn't want to slow the tempo down. I wanted to make plays. I didn't want the seniors' last game to be off a loss."
Brother Rice appeared to have the game wrapped up when Thrower threw an incompletion on fourth-and-12 with 57 seconds left in the game. But a fumbled snap while the Warriors were going to take a knee gave Muskegon the ball at its own 5-yard line with 55 seconds to go.
Thrower completed three passes for 46 yards, getting the ball to Brother Rice's 49-yard line before the game ended with an incompletion toward the end zone as time expired.
"We had a lot of players just making great plays out there," Brother Rice senior linebacker Jon Reschke said. "We stopped (Muskegon's ground game). We shut it down. We got them running other things that they didn't want to run, like throwing the ball. They're an 80-percent run team. Everyone knows they're a great rushing team. They had a great rushing game this game, but we got them out of that and got them to pass in the fourth quarter. That's what won us the ball game."
Brother Rice got out to a 14-0 lead on back-to-back scoring drives in the first half before Muskegon's defense settled in and kept the Warriors off the board on their next five possessions. Muskegon cut the margin to 14-7 on a 9-yard run by Javontae Langston with 6:28 left in the second quarter. After a lull in the action, the teams proceeded to score 42 points in the final 13:58 of the game.
"I thought the game was never going to end, really," Fracassa said. "I was suffering down there, 'C'mon, get this game going!' It's just a wonderful thing to happen to a team. They're going to remember it forever."
The burning question after the game was whether this would be the farewell appearance for Fracassa, the winningest coach in Michigan high school football history. He has a 416-117-7 record in eight years at Royal
Oak Shrine and 44 at Brother Rice. He recently turned 80.
Fracassa said he hasn't made a decision on his future.
"I have to go home and talk to my wife about this," Fracassa said. "I love the game. It's done so much for me. It gave me a scholarship to Michigan State. I played football, baseball and basketball in high school. Sports mean a lot to me. I'd like to give back. If I can coach in some capacity, if the good Lord is good to me and gives me good health, I'd like to help somebody out. I have to make the decision pretty soon. My birthday came fast a few weeks ago."
Shon Powell ran seven times for 97 yards and a touchdown for Brother Rice. Malzone was 8-for-10 for 167 yards and two touchdowns, while Cheyne Lacanaria was 4-for-6 for 44 yards and a touchdown as the Warriors' quarterback tandem.
Click for full statistics and to watch a replay of the game. See below for the full press conference.
PHOTOS: (Top) Birmingham Brother Rice and coach Al Fracassa pose with the Division 2 championship trophy Friday. (Middle) Brother Rice's Jason Alessi (4) runs toward the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown late in the title game. (Click for more from Terry McNamara Photography.)
1st & Goal: 2024 Playoffs Week 2 Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 8, 2024
One week gone, half the 288-team field remaining, and matchups that much more competitive with trophies on the line.
The first hardware of this season’s MHSAA Football Playoffs will be awarded this weekend, as 64 teams will earn 11-player District championships and eight will celebrate 8-player Regional titles.
Games are tonight unless noted. Tickets for both 11 and 8-player rounds this weekend cost $7, and more than 60 of the 72 games to be played will be streamed live on the NFHS Network. Scores and pairings will be updated all weekend at MHSAA.com.
11-Player Division 1
Saline (7-3) at Belleville (9-1)
These two have collided in the playoffs the last two seasons, Belleville winning last year’s District Final matchup 65-14 and in 2022 by a 62-44 count. The Tigers bounced back from their Week 9 one-point loss to Howell with a 68-0 win over Ann Arbor Pioneer last week, and Saline is here after downing Northville 37-7. Counting on-field scores from three forfeit losses to start the season, the Hornets have allowed just under eight points per game this fall – and no more than seven since Week 4. But they’ll get their greatest challenge again from a Tigers team averaging nearly 44 ppg.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Utica Eisenhower (8-2) at Macomb Dakota (9-1), Clarkston (7-3) at Rochester Adams (8-2), Oxford (7-3) at Grand Blanc (8-2).
11-Player Division 2
Byron Center (9-1) at Muskegon Mona Shores (9-1)
Their first meeting, in Week 4, was an Ottawa-Kent Conference Green opener and ended up deciding that league’s championship for Mona Shores with a 14-12 win. The Sailors’ defeat came two weeks ago, to Toledo Central Catholic by just a point 14-13. Otherwise, since that first matchup, Mona Shores has posted three shutouts and won its remaining league games by an average of nearly 35 points per, while Byron Center won its four other league games by just under 22 ppg including 17-14 over Muskegon High – which Shores defeated by 15.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Birmingham Seaholm (7-3) at Birmingham Groves (10-0), Warren De La Salle Collegiate (7-2) at Grosse Pointe South (10-0), Saginaw Heritage (7-3) at Midland (9-1).
11-Player Division 3
Zeeland West (9-1) at St. Joseph (9-1)
This will be their second District Final matchup in three years; West won in 2022 36-18. The Dux actually are playing for a third-straight District title and in their ninth playoff games over the last three seasons with a 6-2 record across that string and both losses by seven or fewer points. St. Joseph – which did defeat Zeeland West in 2021 during a Semifinal run – lost only to Mattawan this season and had nonleague wins over eventual playoff teams Niles and Edwardsburg, while West’s loss came to still-undefeated Hudsonville Unity Christian with nonleague wins over playoff qualifiers Grand Rapids West Catholic and Whitehall.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Coopersville (7-3) at Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central (8-2), River Rouge (5-4) at Riverview (9-1), Mount Pleasant (6-4) at Petoskey (10-0).
11-Player Division 4
Freeland (9-1) at Goodrich (9-1)
A 21-20 Week 8 loss to Frankenmuth is all that has separated Freeland from an undefeated run so far, and Goodrich shares that opponent having fallen to the Eagles 22-0 in their season opener. The Martians have scored at last 42 points in every game since and given up only 7.3 per game over their last nine. Freeland has given up more than 20 points two other times this fall, but scored more than 50 points both times to win those matchups – including 51-21 last weekend over Lake Fenton, which Goodrich defeated 62-0 in Week 3.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Edwardsburg (7-3) at Niles (9-1), Hastings (9-1) at Portland (10-0), Dearborn Divine Child (7-3) at Harper Woods (7-3).
11-Player Division 5
Belding (9-1) at Frankenmuth (10-0)
In addition to Freeland and Goodrich (noted above), Frankenmuth also has turned away a challenge from Gladwin among teams playing for District titles tonight. But Belding is a dangerous foe riding a nine-game winning streak since losing its opener to Division 4 Ionia. The Black Knights rocked the O-K Silver, winning their league games on average by 42 points per, and opened the playoffs with a 52-30 win over Saginaw Swan Valley – which Frankenmuth defeated similarly 63-27 in Week 2.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Grand Rapids Catholic Central (6-4) at Grand Rapids West Catholic (7-3), Corunna (8-2) at Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (8-1), Berrien Springs (7-3) at Kalamazoo United (8-2).
11-Player Division 6
Marine City (8-2) vs. Warren Michigan Collegiate (9-1) at Warren Lincoln, Saturday
Warren Michigan Collegiate also is riding a nine-game winning streak since falling 27-24 to Clarkston Everest Collegiate in Week 1. The Cougars will carry a 42-point-per-game average and four straight games reaching 50 into this matchup. Marine City has reached 50 three of its last four games as well, with its only defeats in the season opener to Division 5 Armada – by a point – and 39-20 in Week 6 to Division 4 Marysville.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Standish-Sterling (7-3) at Reed City (8-2), Central Montcalm (9-1) at Newaygo (8-2), Ida (9-1) at Jackson Lumen Christi (9-1).
11-Player Division 7
Traverse City St. Francis (7-3) at Menominee (9-1), Saturday
Both of these teams have trips to Ford Field once over the last two seasons – St. Francis as Division 7 runner-up in 2022 and Menominee as the same a year ago. The Maroons are in a District Final for the fifth time in six seasons after rebounding from their lone loss by outscoring Bark River Harris and Houghton Lake by a combined 103-6 over the last two weeks. St. Francis lost two of its last three games, but started the playoffs with a 41-16 win over Charlevoix.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Pewamo-Westphalia (8-2) at Ithaca (10-0), Union City (9-1) at Hudson (9-1), McBain (9-1) at North Muskegon (9-1).
11-Player Division 8
Harbor Beach (10-0) at Clarkston Everest Collegiate (9-1)
This is part of one of the most competitive Regionals in the state, regardless of division, as Harbor Beach opened last week against reigning champion Ubly and Everest has won four straight District titles – and with the winner this weekend facing either undefeated Fowler or surging Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary next week. Harbor Beach blanked the Bearcats 35-0 and has two straight shutouts and five total this season. Everest has four including last week’s against Burton Bentley – a bounce-back from a 17-14 loss to Division 4 Macomb Lutheran North to close the regular season.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Saugatuck (7-3) at Decatur (9-1), Manchester (8-2) at Riverview Gabriel Richard (8-1), Beal City (8-2) at Maple City Glen Lake (9-1).
8-Player Division 1
Martin (8-1) at Mendon (9-1), Saturday
Whichever team emerges from this side of the bracket to reach the Superior Dome will have conquered an incredible road. Both are one-score losses from undefeated this fall and avenged their regular-season losses last week – with the winner of this matchup to see either undefeated Deckerville or surging Kingston in a Semifinal. The key matchup may be Mendon’s rushing attack – playing the lead role for an offense scoring 65 points per game – vs. Martin’s defense that has allowed at least 20 points six times but more than 24 only once.
Other Regional Finals FRIDAY Indian River Inland Lakes (10-0) at Alcona (9-1), Kingston (8-2) at Deckerville (10-0). SATURDAY Ishpeming (7-2) at Pickford (10-0).
8-Player Division 2
Powers North Central (9-1) at Crystal Falls Forest Park (9-1)
Just two weeks ago, North Central finished a Great Lakes Eight Conference West title run with a 45-34 win over the Trojans. Jets senior Lane Gorzinski ran for 234 yards and five touchdowns and threw for 169 and another score as his team scored more points than Forest Park gave up over their other four league games combined (33). The Trojans bounced back with a 60-0 win over Bellaire last week, while North Central enjoyed a 58-0 shutout of Gaylord St. Mary.
Other Regional Finals FRIDAY Pittsford (8-2) at Britton Deerfield (9-1), Onekama (9-1) at Au Gres-Sims (9-1), SATURDAY Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (7-3) at Morrice (9-1).
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PHOTO Howell players huddle in anticipation of taking the field before their Week 9 win over Belleville. (Photo courtesy of State Champs! Sports Network.)