Century of School Sports: Finals Provide Future Pros Early Ford Field Glory
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 26, 2024
For hundreds of Michigan high school athletes, this weekend’s 11-Player Football Finals will provide their first and only opportunity to play any sport where the pros play – in this case, Detroit’s Ford Field.
But for a handful, it could instead be the first of several games to come on the Lions’ home turf.
According to data at Pro-Football-Reference.com, Michigan high schools have produced 791 players from 303 schools who have gone on to play in the NFL. They’ve come from all over, predictably from larger population areas like Detroit but also from several now-closed schools like Stambaugh High School in the western Upper Peninsula, which produced a pair of pros during the 1930s before decades later consolidating with Iron River to become West Iron County.
According to that data, 81 players from 61 schools are currently active in the NFL – topped by five from Detroit Cass Tech, including Jourdan Lewis (32) pictured above making a tackle against Detroit Cass Tech during the 2016 Division 1 championship game. Several more current players experienced Ford Field as a high schooler at the MHSAA Finals – perhaps most notably among them Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, who caught a touchdown pass in Detroit Martin Luther King’s 41-25 win over Muskegon in the 2018 Division 3 championship game, went on to play at University of Cincinnati and has been an All-Pro after both of his first two seasons as a cornerback for the New York Jets.
(Coincidentally, in that win over the Big Reds, Gardner and King played against another future pro – Anthony Bradford, now a starting offensive lineman for the Seattle Seahawks.)
Gardner and Lewis are among those who have formed rich tradition as well of Detroit producing NFL talent. According to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic and FOX Sports, Detroit was tied for the fourth-most players on NFL opening-day rosters this season with 14 – trailing only Miami, Fla.; Las Vegas, Bradenton, Fla; and tied with Atlanta, Ga. During the most recent NFL draft, Michigan high schools saw seven players drafted over the seven rounds, with River Rouge one of 22 high schools nationwide with multiple players selected – Ruke Orhorhoro (Atlanta Falcons, from Clemson) and Kamal Hadden (Kansas City Chiefs, from Tennessee).
Gardner was selected fourth overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, joining a collection of impressive past Michigan high school stars picked at or near the top of the board. Among recent others: 2008 No. 1 Jake Long (Lapeer West/Michigan/Miami Dolphins), 2022 No. 2 Aidan Hutchinson (Dearborn Divine Child/Michigan/Detroit Lions), 2003 No. 2 Charles Rogers (Saginaw/Michigan State/Detroit Lions), 2005 No. 3 Braylon Edwards (Harper Woods Bishop Gallagher/Michigan/Cleveland Browns), 1984 No. 3 Carl Banks (Flint Beecher/Michigan State/New York Giants) and 1991 No. 5 Todd Lyght (Flint Powers Catholic/Notre Dame/Los Angeles Rams).
From this group, Rogers also played in an MHSAA Final catching a 60-yard touchdown pass as Saginaw defeated Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice 14-7 in the 1999 Division 2 championship game at the Pontiac Silverdome.
Previous "Century of School Sports" Spotlights
Nov. 19: Connection at Heart of Coaches Advancement Program - Read
Nov. 12: Good Sports are Winners Then, Now & Always - Read
Nov. 5: MHSAA's Home Sweet Home - Read
Oct. 29: MHSAA Summits Draw Thousands to Promote Sportsmanship - Read
Oct. 23: Cross Country Finals Among MHSAA's Longest Running - Read
Oct. 15: State's Storytellers Share Fall Memories - Read
Oct. 8: Guided by 4 S's of Educational Athletics - Read
Oct. 1: Michigan Sends 10 to National Hall of Fame - Read
Sept. 25: MHSAA Record Books Filled with 1000s of Achievements - Read
Sept. 18: Why Does the MHSAA Have These Rules? - Read
Sept. 10: Special Medals, Patches to Commemorate Special Year - Read
Sept. 4: Fall to Finish with 50th Football Championships - Read
Aug. 28: Let the Celebration Begin - Read
PHOTOS Clockwise from top left: (1) Jalen Mayfield (74) exits the Ford Field tunnel with Grand Rapids Catholic Central in 2017. (2) Muskegon's Anthony Bradford (75) makes a block during the 2018 Division 3 Final. (3) Orchard Lake St. Mary's Allen Robinson eludes an East Grand Rapids defender in 2009. (4) Detroit Cass Tech's Jourdan Lewis (32) makes a tackle in 2016. (5) Detroit Martin Luther King's Ahmad Gardner catches a touchdown pass against Muskegon in 2018. (6) Lansing Catholic's Cooper Rush throws a pass during the 2011 Division 5 Final. All were on NFL rosters at the starting of training camp this summer.
New Turf, Renewed Expectations Greet Kingsford Football as 2025 Fall Practices Begin
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
August 11, 2025
KINGSFORD — Growing up his whole life in the Kingsford community, Jack Kriegl admits the sight is surreal – and a dream.
Just before walking out Monday morning during the first day of high school football practice across the state, Kriegl and others could only beam at the community’s new addition: a gleaming new artificial field installed at the school’s stadium over the summer.
The funds for the field were raised entirely through private donations, according to Kingsford principal David Lindbeck.
“It’s beautiful,” Kriegl said. “It’s weird to see because we’ve been on a grass field our whole life. It looks awesome. “There always has been talk about getting turf forever. We finally got it, and it’s like, ‘Wow.’”
Practices began for all fall sports and 100,000 athletes at MHSAA-member high schools Monday. Kingsford's football team didn’t practice on its new field, however, because construction on the track surrounding the field is taking place. The school annually hosts the MHSAA’s Upper Peninsula Track & Field Finals for all three divisions.
But practicing on the huge and well-manicured grass field behind the stadium didn’t dampen the enthusiasm during the first practice – nor what the future holds once the track is completed and the new turf field is officially open for business in this town of just more than 5,000 adjacent to Iron Mountain on the Upper Peninsula’s southern border with Wisconsin.
“It’ll probably be the premier facility in Upper Michigan,” said Kingsford football head coach Mark Novara, who began his 27th year in the program and seventh as head coach. “It’s that next level of stuff that we’re really ultra-serious about what we’re doing around here with our athletics program.
“Our former superintendent Dave Holmes really had this vision and wanted it to be done for us. The big thing is that we can use that piece of real estate a lot more than we could before. Our baseball team, our softball team can get out there in the spring. Our band can use it, our PE classes can use it, on down the line. It’s nice.”
“Nice” has also been a way to describe Kingsford’s program in recent years. The Flivvers have become arguably the most consistent 11-player program in the Upper Peninsula, amassing a 19-3 record over the last two seasons and with a string of five consecutive winning seasons total.
Kingsford enters this year hungry after a disappointing first-round exit in the Division 5 playoffs last year. The Flivvers enjoyed an unbeaten regular season, but suffered an 18-15 loss to Gladwin in District opener. They had reached the Regional Finals in 2023.
“I’m feel like we all want to get back this year,” said Kingsford senior lineman Logan DeClark. “We want to make it far. We were all pretty bummed last year, losing in the first round after having such a great season and going unbeaten. Speaking for everyone here, we don’t want that to happen again.”
Repeating last year’s success will be a challenge for Kingsford, given the Flivvers were a senior-dominated team in 2024 and newcomers will have to adapt fast to varsity football.
The good news is that Kriegl, a three-sport athlete who has committed to play football at Michigan Tech, is back for his third year on varsity and gives the team notable experience moving over to quarterback after earning all-league second-team as a receiver and first team as a defensive back last season.
Kriegl suffered a spleen injury in practice before the regular-season finale last fall and missed the playoff game.
There are also three starters back along the offensive line – Logan and Preston DeClark and Connor White.
“We’re just trying to maintain that same mental and physical toughness and that hard-nosed brand of football,” Novara said. “I think the talk (from others) will be that ‘they lost everybody.’ But too bad. We’re reloading, and here we come.”
Even better, Kingsford will do so with its spectacular new field on display for the rest of the Upper Peninsula.
“I’m sure it will bring people into the games,” Kriegl said. “Bigger crowds, which will be fun. Hopefully we can put on a show.”
PHOTOS (Top) Kingsford players work through an agility drill Monday during the first day of practice statewide. (Middle) Ian Spencer catches a pass during the team’s first session of the season. (Below) The Flivvers’ new field turf glimmers during the sunny morning. (Photos by Keith Dunlap.)