Caledonia Football Set to Open Season by Welcoming Fans to New Home
By
Ron Pesch
MHSAA historian
August 25, 2025
Community banter dated back to April 1948, or before. Caledonia football followers were anxious for “an athletic plant of their own.” Members of the local Commercial Club were pushing to build a true place to call home.
At the time, home games were played on a clearing at Lakeside, a local county park in the heart of the village near Emmons Lake. Thanks to the success of the team and the popularity of games, locals felt the Scotties had outgrown the site.
Members of the Class C Bar-Ken-All league, coach Thornton K. Auwater’s squads started to win consistently, grabbing conference championships in 1945, 1946 and 1947. The league began in 1937 with the school as a charter member, along with Byron Center, Hopkins, Kelloggsville, Martin, and Wayland.
The Club proposed building a lighted field to the PTA with the thought that it could be done for between $12,000 and $15,000. According to an article in the area newspaper, the Grand Rapids Press, “It is expected the money will be raised by the sale of bonds locally.”
In 1949, a design was approved. However, in hopes of significantly lowering the cost, the plan was for volunteers to assist in the layout and construction of the site. According to the Press in April 1950, the race was on to finish the project before the arrival of the upcoming season:
“Sod, trucks, and tractors for the job have been donated by local residents. It is estimated that at least 100 more volunteers will be required to complete the field in time for regular season play.”
Auwater’s crew was expected to do well during the fall of 1950. The football team had fallen to Kelloggsville, 19-0, in the second game of the 1949 season, and the defeat meant the Scotties finished second in the league standings to the Rockets. But, of particular note, in the games that followed, Caledonia’s defense was flawless, shutting out its final six opponents. By all measures, it was an exciting time.
Come the new school year, and thanks to the efforts by the community, the field was ready for the team’s nonconference season home opener with Grant on Sept. 15.
Changes
The 1935 season was Caledonia’s first playing football, marking this as the school’s 91st year on the gridiron. Since the fall of 1970, the team has competed in the Ottawa-Kent Conference, and in 2016, moved to the league’s Red division.
Prior to the 1970s, the Scottish terrier – a breed of dog popularly known as the Scottie, originally bred to hunt vermin – was Caledonia High School’s mascot. Around 1974, students decided to change the nickname to the Fighting Scots – depicted by a Scottish warrior dressed in the school colors of purple and gold.
Fast forward to this 2025-26 school year and Caledonia is Class A and among the largest 65 high schools in the state based on enrollment. And 75 years after unveiling their first true home field, Caledonia Community Schools is debuting the team’s reimagined home.
Approved bond issues from 2020 and 2023 have funded the latest updates and renovations to the site. “Preserving the heritage” of the district, a synthetic turf system was added to the current site in 2023. This season, heated team rooms, updated seating, concessions, and restrooms will be unveiled.
For fans, the curtain opens Thursday when the team squares off against Holy Names Catholic from Windsor, Ontario.
“This stadium tells the story of Caledonia. It is a story of community, tradition, and pride,” said Kelly Clark, community and public relations coordinator for the district. “As we celebrate 75 years, we honor those who built the foundation and look forward to the next generation writing their own chapter on this field.”
A souvenir dedication program will be distributed at the home opener. Within, special thanks are extended to many who have helped bring the story to life: “We are especially grateful for the work Steve Poll has done to uncover and preserve so much of this history so that our community can fully appreciate the legacy we carry forward.”
Poll, himself, was a graduate of Grand Rapids South Christian. His dad, Gordon Poll, played right tackle and was a co-captain as a senior on the 1950 Caledonia team.
“He was not one to live in the past,” recalled Steve Poll, “so unless we were at a football game and something triggered a thought, he didn't talk much about the 1950 team accomplishments. … I met one of his teammates at my dad’s funeral, who shared a few things (with me). I intended to interview him (however) he passed away before that happened. I finally decided to dig in and find what I could.”
Poll captured details from old newspaper articles, photos, and memorabilia. “I started investigating before I knew anything about the current rebuild of the stadium,” he said.
Also planned for the celebration is a three-minute video featuring interviews with players – present and past – including a member of the 1950 team who recalled players laying sod on the field at their first practice that season.
MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl, a 1992 Caledonia graduate, will speak at the event.
A season to remember
“Grant High’s fighting team almost spoiled the dedication of a new lighted football field … last night,” reported the Press when covering the first game of the 1950 season, “throwing a real scare into the bigger, highly favored Caledonia High team before tumbling, 6 to 0.” A 30-yard pass from Bob Higley to Don Moffatt was the game’s only score.
In hindsight, it was perhaps the biggest play of the year.
A true stadium dedication ceremony was planned for the second game of the season. Among those scheduled to attend and speak were Caledonia Schools Superintendent Andrew B. Cherpes, Board of Education President Orlo Good, Village President Stan Stawski, and Coach Auwater. Also planning to make the trip from Washington was U.S. congressman Gerald R. Ford, Jr., who held Michigan’s 5th district seat in the House of Representatives. Unfortunately, due to scheduling issues, Ford was unable to attend but did send a telegram to explain his absence and, within, congratulated the community on its outstanding achievement. (Uyl will read the content during this year’s celebration.)
The opponent was Middleville. For several years, the teams had scheduled a two-game nonleague “home-and-home” rivalry series. That continued in 1950, but this time, the Trojans were now members of the Bar-Ken-All. (Kelloggsville had left the league after the 1949-50 school year. The conference expanded, adding Middleville and Delton. To allow time for scheduling transition, the 1950 opening contest of the series did not count in the league standings.)
The Scotties emerged with another slim 7-0 win. According to the Kalamazoo Gazette, the result of the game “only added fuel to the rivalry which will reach a heated state at Middleville in a regular conference game Oct. 20.”
Caledonia plowed through the remaining games. Martin fell 27-0, Coopersville was trounced, 40-0, and Byron Center was easily defeated, 27-0. The highly-anticipated rematch with Middleville was close for the first half, as Caledonia clutched to a thin 7-0 lead at the break. It turned into a rout as “the Scotties flashed a passing attack that netted three more TDs and a 26-0 win.”
Wayland was disposed of 28-0, giving the Scotties possession of the “Cowbell Trophy” donated two years previous by a Wayland merchant. Then the team completely overwhelmed Hopkins in the season’s finale, 73-0. That margin was the state’s largest of the season, according to Dick Kishpaugh of Kalamazoo, who assembled season-ending totals for consumption by the state’s media. The Scotties were also statewide news as one of 26 teams that had posted unbeaten and untied marks on the year. Caledonia was one of just two to finish the year unbeaten, untied, and unscored upon. Garden City had done the same but had played just six games.
Although not rediscovered until recently, the team’s streak of 14 consecutive shutouts with no tie games included (six to end 1949, and eight in 1950) ranks second in the MHSAA football record book, just a single game behind North Muskegon teams that straddled three seasons, 1940-42.
Dedicated to a super volunteer
Besides location, one other item remains unchanged at the “athletic plant” in Caledonia.
“Even though his children go to school in Middleville,” noted the Press back in 1950, Ralph E. Myers thought of Caledonia as “his town.” A member of the Commercial Club Committee that helped plan the project, he followed through as the site’s dedicated lead volunteer, working with others “to get the job done,” according to a community newsletter.
In July 1954, at age 46, Myers died tragically in an automobile accident. His wife, Henrietta, had died a year before. They left behind three daughters. That fall, Caledonia christened the site as Ralph E. Myers Athletic Field.
Over the years, proposals were made to rename the place in honor of others, but Caledonia Community School stood behind the original decision. In September 1998, after a $1.9 million renovation for football and track & field, the site was rededicated with new signage as Ralph E. Myers Memorial Stadium.
With the latest efforts by all involved to capture the stories and communicate the legacy, future students will have the opportunity to easily understand and appreciate the stadium’s humble beginnings and the importance of all, then and now, who pitched in to create a place to call home.
PHOTOS (Top) A sign welcomes visitors to Caledonia’s home field in 1954. (Middle) The 1950 Scotties: Back row William Price, Walter Jousma, Jack Moreland, Peterson, Harvey Jacobsen, Allan Vander Laan, Forrest Clark, Gerritt Nordhof, Arthur Benedict, Larry Schroder, Larry Lind, Donald Williams (Manager). Third row Assistant Coach Wisner, Donald Moffatt, Ramon Schantz, Bob Cisler, Bob Higley, Merle Maier, Wallace Lotterman, Bob Schultz, James Fitzsimmons, Fred Darling, Vern Kayser, Coach Thornton Auwater. Second Row Elmer Velthouse, Bernard Kilmartin, Donald Braendle, Louis Bellgraph, Marvin Eldridge, Allyn Niles, James Porritt, Benjamin Miller, Bill Jousma, Gordon Poll. First Row Gary Cherpes, Joseph Sleeman, Harold Olthouse, Rod Campbell, Garrit Keizer, Carl Yonkers, Clyde Barrett, James Ayers, Hosmer Parks. Not pictured Arnold Benedict, Bob Workman.
1st & Goal: 2025 Week 2 Review
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
September 8, 2025
Most of the time, it's pretty easy to pick out the top matchups across the state heading into a football weekend, and the potentially most impactful results coming out of one.
But perhaps the most fun part of building our "1st & Goal" reviews every Monday is highlighting our "Watch list" teams – ones that stuck out in a notable way that could indicate big things to come.
We introduce another set below, along with our headliners and more who made noise during this 2025 Week 2.
Bay & Thumb
HEADLINER Davison 23, Warren De La Salle Collegiate 21 The Cardinals held off a late De La Salle rally to improve to 2-0. The victory avenged a 21-3 loss last year to the Pilots (1-1) and gave Davison a 2-1 series lead since the pair of championship contenders began playing openers against each other in 2023. Click for more from the Detroit Free Press.
Watch list Bay City Western 38, Petoskey 32 The Warriors (2-0) should carry some momentum into Saginaw Valley League play this week after avenging last year’s 34-point loss to Petoskey (1-1), which had won 10 consecutive regular-season games.
On the move Harbor Beach 43, Ottawa Lake Whiteford 14 The Pirates (2-0) have played two 2024 playoff teams to start this season and outscored them by a combed 85-22. Midland Dow 49, Saginaw Heritage 34 The Chargers also are 2-0 opening against a pair of playoff teams from a year ago – and have avenged 2024 losses against both, having lost to the Hawks (0-2) by a point last season. Armada 34, Croswell-Lexington 12 It may be super early, but this might end up a league title decider with these two and reigning champion Almont the top three in the Blue Water Area Conference last fall.
Greater Detroit
HEADLINER Detroit Catholic Central 27, Toledo Central Catholic 14 The Shamrocks (2-0) outscored TCC 21-0 during the second half in this matchup of reigning champion and runner-up, respectively, from the Catholic High School League Central. Cameron Swearingen starred. Click for more from MLIVE-Detroit.
Watch list Oxford 24, Birmingham Groves 21 The Wildcats will ride an impressive win into their the Oakland Activities Association Red opener against Clarkston, having ended Groves’ 10-game regular-season winning streak to move to 2-0.
On the move Harper Woods 27, Clarkston 21 The Pioneers (2-0) have made a massive jump over the last three seasons, but this may turn out to rank among their most impressive wins during that time as Clarkston (1-1) was coming off a big one over Belleville. Detroit Cass Tech 31, Grandville 28 (OT) Cass Tech (2-0) scored the game’s final 10 points, including a winning field goal in overtime, in a matchup of top Division 1 teams statewide. Madison Heights Lamphere 3, Port Huron Northern 2 This had potential anyway to be a high-profile game as both were division champions in the Macomb Area Conference last season, but the statistical oddity just adds to the intrigue. The Rams (2-0) have won their games this fall by a combined four points.
Mid-Michigan
HEADLINER DeWitt 44, Mason 37 The recent rivalry between these two Lansing-area powers saw a couple of major swings as DeWitt scored 24 unanswered points during the first half and Mason trailed by as many as 18 before coming on late. Click for more from the Lansing State Journal.
Watch list Williamston 36, Hastings 29 The Hornets scored and added the two-point conversion with seven seconds to play to avenge a 2024 loss for the second week in a row and move to 2-0 after finishing last season 3-7. Hastings fell to 1-1 with its first two games both decided during the closing seconds.
On the move Haslett 15, Fenton 14 The Vikings (1-1) scored the go-ahead two-point conversion with 57 seconds to play, then held on through a Fenton field-goal attempt as time expired. Durand 40, New Lothrop 33 The Railroaders (2-0) made it two wins in a row and three in four seasons over New Lothrop (1-1) with all three victories decided by seven points or fewer. Ithaca 36, Lawton 7 The Yellowjackets (2-0) surged in a matchup of teams that finished a combined 18-4 a year ago.
Northern Lower Peninsula
HEADLINER Traverse City St. Francis 42, Ogemaw Heights 32 St. Francis (2-0) took a big early lead and maintained distance to win this matchup of 2024 league champions. The Falcons (1-1) pulled within two and three points during the final quarter before the Gladiators pulled away.
Watch list Gaylord 21, Kingsley 14 The Blue Devils (2-0) won by this score for the second straight week, in doing so avenging a 16-0 defeat from a year ago and moving closer to equaling last season’s 3-6 finish.
On the move Maple City Glen Lake 42, Frankfort 6 The Lakers bounced back big from a season-opening loss to St. Francis, with this likely to be a key game as they look to repeat as Northern Michigan Football League Legacy champions. Kalkaska 20, Oscoda 14 (OT) The Blazers are 2-0 for the first time since 2017 as they ready for NMFL Legends play starting this week. Tawas 44, Erie Mason 14 Tawas (1-1) has won one game both of the last two seasons, but could be ready to make noise with those 44 points their most in one contest since 2022.
Southeast & Border
HEADLINER Jackson Lumen Christi 54, Pontiac Notre Dame 34 Perhaps not surprisingly, the meeting of the reigning Division 6 and 5 champions, respectively – which both averaged more than 42 points per game last season – turned into a high-scoring matchup although Lumen did build a 20-point lead early and maintained it most of the game. In doing so, the Titans (1-1) avenged last season’s 28-24 loss to the Fighting Irish (1-1).
TOUCHDOWN NOTRE DAME PREP🍀 🏈
Brody Sink runs a BEAUTY of a route to get the Irish back within 2 scores!
Lumen Christi: 35
NDP: 20
Delivered by @hungryhowies
Catch the game live on the State Champs YouTube page and Local 4 plus! pic.twitter.com/ejPtk1IOKN— STATE CHAMPS! Michigan (@statechampsmich) September 6, 2025
Watch list Ypsilanti Lincoln 27, Ypsilanti Community 26 The Railsplitters are 2-0 for the first time since 2019 and ran its winning streak against the Grizzlies (1-1) to six.
On the move Hudson 8, Ida 3 After giving up only 10 points per game last season, Hudson (2-0) hasn’t lost stride allowing a total of 11 over its first two victories this fall against opponents that went a combined 21-3 last year. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central 36, Flat Rock 20 SMCC (2-0) is off to a nice start toward repeating as Huron League champ as Flat Rock (1-1) was among contenders as well last season. Hanover-Horton 28, Napoleon 8 Cascades Conference West reigning champion Hanover-Horton (1-1) bounced back from a Week 1 loss by shutting down a Cascades East regular contender in Napoleon (1-1).
Southwest Corridor
HEADLINER Edwardsburg 40, St. Joseph 37 The Eddies are 2-0 for the first time since 2021 thanks to a second close win, this one following a seven-point victory over McBain in Week 1 and avenging last year’s 36-29 loss to the Bears. St. Joseph’s two defeats are by a combined 11 points to teams that finished 19-6 in 2024. Click for more from the St. Joseph Herald-Palladium.
Watch list Portage Central 41, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central 0 Few teams in the state are off to as impressive a start as Portage Central, which has defeated FHC and East Lansing by a combined 86-0 after losing to both last season before finishing 8-4.
On the move Berrien Springs 32, Otsego 14 The Shamrocks have reached the playoffs 11 straight seasons, the last two after 0-2 starts, but they are now 2-0 this fall. Plainwell 34, Galesburg-Augusta 20 The Trojans have won one game both of the last two seasons but are up to 2-0 as well this fall. Decatur 26, Bronson 20 (2OT) Bronson (1-1), from the Big 8 Conference, is playing in the Southwest 10 Conference this season and provided an exciting league opener against last season’s SW10 runner-up Raiders (1-1).
Upper Peninsula
HEADLINER Bark River-Harris 30, Iron Mountain 22 (OT) Watch out for the Broncos (2-0). Bark River-Harris has been a playoff team most of the last decade but took a major step with its first win over Iron Mountain (1-1) in 11 recent tries. This one was at Iron Mountain, and they will face off again Oct. 10 in Harris. Click for more from the Iron Mountain Daily News.
Watch list L’Anse 20, West Iron County 14 The Purple Hornets avenged 29 and six-point losses to West Iron from a year ago to move to 2-0 this fall – after winning one game total over the last two seasons.
On the move Calumet 55, Ishpeming Westwood 6 The Copper Kings have outscored their first two opponents by a combined 96-6 as they prepare for this weekend’s major matchup with Negaunee. Escanaba 36, Cadillac 7 Escanaba is 2-0 for the first time since 2019 as it readies to take on reigning Big North Conference champion Petoskey this week. Kingsford 29, Houghton 6 The Flivvers (1-1) got back on the right track after a Week 1 defeat.
West Michigan
HEADLINER Rockford 30, Muskegon 26 The Rams (1-1) trailed 20-17 heading into the fourth quarter but followed Luke Ahern to a big finish as Rockford made it three wins in three years against the Big Reds (0-2). Click for more from the Grand Rapids Press.
Watch list East Kentwood 43, Byron Center 14 The Falcons (2-0) began showing signs last season of making a jump, and they may be nearing full flight with this win avenging last year’s 43-20 loss to the eventual Division 2 runner-up Bulldogs (0-2).
On the move East Grand Rapids 21, Grand Rapids South Christian 0 This was quite a rebound after EGR’s Week 1 loss to Lowell, as the Pioneers (1-1) avenged a 42-28 defeat from the Sailors from a year ago. Hudsonville Unity Christian 40, Schoolcraft 19 Unity’s offense continued to surge, as the Crusaders moved to 2-0 with this victory over a Schoolcraft team (1-1) that reached the Division 7 Semifinals last season. Muskegon Oakridge 15, Montague 7 Oakridge (2-0) is back on top in this longtime rivalry and also atop the West Michigan Conference Lakes standings after avenging last season’s 14-7 loss to the Wildcats (0-2).
8-Player
HEADLINER Mendon 28, Britton Deerfield 24 It’s not difficult to imagine these two meeting again as both reached Semifinals last season – Mendon in Division 1 and B-D in Division 2 – with both playing in Division 2 this fall. They kicked off Week 2 with a Thursday night gem. Click for more from the Adrian Daily Telegram.
Watch list Felch North Dickinson 52, Rudyard 7 After struggling mightily between 2017-22 and not having a varsity at all in 2023, North Dickinson came back last season to finish 6-3 – and with two victories this fall is riding a seven-game winning streak.
On the move Crystal Falls Forest Park 28, Ishpeming 22 This celebration of 1975 Finals champions was won by last year’s Division 2 title winner as the Trojans (1-1) bounced back from a Week 1 defeat. Portland St. Patrick 14, Morrice 7 These rivals kept the score low in another showdown, making it three of the last four meetings decided by seven points or fewer – and three straight wins during the regular season for the Shamrocks (2-0). Onekama 38, Marion 16 The Portagers’ only defeat last fall before the Division 2 Semifinals came to Marion in Week 2, and they avenged that 44-8 loss in a big way to improve to 2-0 this season.
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PHOTOS (Top) Marquette's Brody Clements hauls in a pass during his team's 41-13 win over Alpena. (2) A pair of Davison defenders wrap up a De La Salle ball carrier. (3) DeWitt's Channing Ridley breaks toward the sideline during his team's win over Mason. (4) Marquette's quarterback Ford Richardson is able to just get in the end zone to score a touchdown against Alpena. (Top photo by Randy Ritari. Davison/De La Salle photo photo by Terry Lyons. DeWitt/Mason photo by Tom Pearson/TCP Photography. Marquette/Alpena Richardson photo by Cara Kamps.)