Chance Paying Off Big for Sturgis Again
By
Wes Morgan
Special for MHSAA.com
September 30, 2020
The entirety of 2020 thus far has been a matter of conjecture. Trying to predict anything with any degree of certainty – including the sporting world – has proved to be a worthless expenditure of time.
That the Sturgis High School varsity football team would have as many victories in the first two weeks of the season as it had in the previous two years certainly wouldn’t have been the most absurd thought for Trojans fans. But based on recent history, it surely didn’t seem like the most likely scenario.
And it wasn’t the kind of lofty expectation anyone wanted to throw on the back of first-year head coach Chance Stewart, who was hired June 4.
The 2-0 start is the first for Sturgis since 2003. The 25-21 win over rival Three Rivers to start the year broke a seven-game losing streak for the Trojans, who finished 4-23 over the last three years.
Toss in the fact that the season itself almost didn’t materialize due to COVID-19 restrictions in the state, and that like every other program in Michigan, Sturgis will participate in the playoffs following an abbreviated regular season – and there’s a much louder buzz around town these days.
It will be only the Trojans’ third postseason appearance since Stewart’s final prep game at quarterback in Orange and Black in 2013 — a 16-0 Pre-District loss at St. Joseph. He went on to a brief stint at Western Michigan University and a phenomenal career at Hillsdale College, which yielded a G-MAC Player of the Year award, a single-season school and league record of 3,588 passing yards en route to a conference championship in 2018 and finishing with a school-record 10,064 passing yards. Stewart also recorded 73 career touchdowns in his 41 games played for the Chargers.
At just 24 years old, he’s not that far removed from the young men he’s now charged with overseeing at Sturgis. And in such bizarre times with protocols no one could have imagined just a year ago, Stewart is obviously pleased with how September unfolded.
“These kids are playing extremely hard right now,” Stewart said following the team’s 36-6 win over Allegan this past weekend. “The effort has been outrageously great for us the last two weeks. Finally getting the opportunity to come back after football was taken away from them, the effort was one thing we were hoping we wouldn’t have to worry about. And we didn’t have to. They came out ready to get after it.”
A total of 15 seniors are on the squad this year, but the roster changes weekly as Stewart has given junior varsity players an opportunity to play their way into Friday night spots with the new five-quarter rule instituted by the Michigan High School Athletic Association. Still, it’s the veteran group that mostly has fueled Sturgis so far.
“We have a great senior class here that’s leading the way for the rest of the guys, saying this is how things are going to be done now,” Stewart said. “That senior class really wants to go out on top and they really set the tone the first two weeks.”
Captains Rylee Cain (tight end/linebacker) and Brady Webb (quarterback, linebacker) were selected by their peers, and their production on the field has been solid. Webb threw for 81 yards and two touchdowns in the opener against the Wildcats. Defensively, Webb has logged 11.5 tackles (four for loss), and Cain has 13 tackles (four for loss) and an interception through the first two weeks, which included limited time on the field as the Trojans downed Allegan 36-6. Webb’s 28-yard hookup with Xander Cosby was a game-winner with 43 seconds remaining against Three Rivers.
Stewart also pointed out the crucial play of senior Julian Alldridge, a right guard who will begin lining up at right tackle, and Jaden Bodi, who prepared in camp to play receiver and linebacker but was moved to right guard and defensive end.
“Alldridge has done a phenomenal job so far with helping out,” Stewart said. “From three weeks ago to now, (Bodi) is in two new positions with no questions asked. He just wants to do whatever he can to help the football team.”
Following Jimmy Lamb’s resignation from the head coaching position last year to focus on his new duties in an administrative role in the district, Sturgis athletics director Mark Adams believed Stewart, despite being green behind the ears, had enough experience on the field and the leadership skills to take over.
“That’s something you really need if you’re going to be a good coach,” Adams said. “When my son was growing up, Chance had his own football league at his house and teams from around (St. Joseph County) would come to it. He’s just that kind of guy. He’s organized, he’s imaginative, and talking to him in his interview about his X’s and O’s, I learned a lot of football from him then. He’s young and energetic and has a lot of great ideas, not just for football, but for the community and other things.”
Stewart always hoped to get an opportunity like this, he just didn’t expect it to come so quickly.
“It was special (playing quarterback here),” he said. “It’s special because my dad got to do it back in the 80s. Playing out here, wearing the Sturgis jersey has been really special to us.
Bigger than that, I think was just what the program was able to do for me to help me grow from just a 14-year-old scrawny kid into the person I am now. It’s because of those relationships I created out here. I was lucky enough to play for two coaches that really cared about their players in Coach (Bill) Keim and Coach Lamb — two guys to this day I still look up to. Now I get to give back in that same role that those guys were able to help me.”
Wes Morgan has reported for the Kalamazoo Gazette, ESPN and ESPNChicago.com, 247Sports and Blue & Gold Illustrated over the last 12 years and is the publisher of JoeInsider.com. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) A Sturgis ball carrier follows his blocks in Allegan territory during Friday’s win. (Middle) Chance Stewart has returned home to coach the high school program for which he starred at quarterback less than a decade ago. (Top photo by Scott Rains; middle by Wes Morgan.)
1st & Goal: 2025 Week 6 Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 3, 2025
League title time has arrived as this Michigan high school football season rumbles into October.
We've already celebrated one champion this season, and that crowd should grow substantially this weekend as several leagues move into the final games of their schedules and leaders begin guaranteeing they'll finish with at least a share of the conference crown.
All of our games featured below will have league title implications either this week or over the next few. Watch for scores for every game across the state this weekend as they are reported on the MHSAA Scores page, and tune into several on the NFHS Network, including those with “WATCH” linked below.
Bay & Thumb
Ithaca (5-0) at Saginaw Valley Lutheran (5-0)
Tonight’s winner claims a share of the Tri-Valley Conference Blue championship with one more league game to play. Ithaca has won every matchup with Valley Lutheran since they joined the TVC together in 2006, but the Chargers over the last three seasons also are enjoying their best run of success in more than a decade. Both have played comparably close games against Michigan Lutheran Seminary this fall – Ithaca winning by two points in Week 3 and Valley Lutheran by 10 last week.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Armada (4-1) at Almont (5-0) WATCH, Mount Pleasant (5-0) at Bay City Western (3-2) WATCH, Bay City John Glenn (4-1) at Frankenmuth (4-1) WATCH, Ogemaw Heights (4-1) at Midland Bullock Creek (3-2) WATCH.
Greater Detroit
Macomb Dakota (5-0) at Romeo (3-2) WATCH
Reigning co-champ Dakota can clinch a share of its third Macomb Area Conference Red title over the last four seasons, while Romeo would clinch a share of its first since 2021. A Romeo victory also would be its first in the series since that Bulldogs’ title-winning run. They’ve put together a nice string of victories heading into this matchup, starting with a 34-28 win over the other reigning Red co-champ Utica Eisenhower in Week 3. Dakota’s only single-digit game was a 14-10 season-opening win over Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, although Romeo and then Eisenhower should make the start of October their toughest challenge to date.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY South Lyon (5-0) at Waterford Mott (3-2) WATCH, Hazel Park (4-1) at Madison Heights Madison (4-1), West Bloomfield (5-0) at Oxford (3-2) WATCH, Rochester Adams (3-2) at Rochester Hills Stoney Creek (4-1) WATCH.
Mid-Michigan
Williamston (5-0) at Haslett (4-1)
The winner earns a share of the Capital Area Activities Conference Red title – Williamston potentially continuing its rebound from last year’s 3-7 season, and Haslett after just missing out on last year’s championship due to an overtime loss to eventual Red winner Mason. While the focus tonight may be on offense – Williamston with it’s high-powered passing game and Haslett with its college recruit-loaded running attack – defense may be the decider. The Hornets haven’t allowed a point since Week 2. Haslett – after holding DeWitt to a season-low 21 points in their opener – hasn’t given up more than 14 in a game.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Lansing Everett (4-1) at Grand Ledge (5-0) WATCH, DeWitt (5-0) at Holt (3-2) WATCH, Goodrich (5-0) at Owosso (4-1) WATCH, Howell (4-1) at Hartland (3-2) WATCH.
Northern Lower Peninsula
Boyne City (4-1) at Traverse City St. Francis (5-0)
St. Francis can finish its Northern Michigan Football Conference Legends slate undefeated after getting past Kingsley by a point a week ago. Kingsley owns a Week 4 win over Boyne City – setting up an identical scenario as last year when Boyne City also fell to the Stags but then defeated the Gladiators 23-20 to create a three-way shared title. And it doesn’t easier from here for either team; Boyne’s last two opponents this regular season are both still undefeated, and St. Francis takes on reigning Division 5 champion Pontiac Notre Dame Prep and 2024 Division 6 winner Lumen Christi over the next two weeks.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Mancelona (3-2) at East Jordan (3-2) WATCH, Maple City Glen Lake (3-1) at Kalkaska (5-0) WATCH, Cadillac (2-3) at Petoskey (2-3) WATCH, Midland Dow (4-1) at Traverse City West (3-2).
Southeast & Border
Chelsea (4-1) at Ypsilanti Community (3-2)
Although Chelsea would still need one more win after this weekend to clinch a share of another Southeastern Conference White title, a victory tonight would be a nice rebound off last week’s 42-28 loss to Dexter and extend the Bulldogs’ league winning streak to 14 over the last three seasons. Ypsilanti hasn’t downed Chelsea since 2015, but needs just one more win this fall to guarantee its best finish since 2020 after defeating Pinckney last week to avenge a 2024 defeat.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Tecumseh (3-2) at Adrian (4-1) WATCH, Saline (5-0) at Ann Arbor Huron (3-2) WATCH, Adrian Madison (3-2) at Ida (4-1) WATCH, Stockbridge (2-3) at Springport (5-0) WATCH.
Southwest Corridor
Schoolcraft (4-1) at Lawton (4-1) WATCH
Recent history sends this matchup to the front of a strong slate of games in the southwest this week. After matching up from different divisions of the Southwestern Athletic Conference in a 2019 District Final – won by Schoolcraft – these two have played together in the SAC Valley and determined that league’s champion four of the last five seasons. Schoolcraft broke Lawton’s three-year hold on the Valley title with a 17-3 win in last year’s regular-season meeting, and also claimed a Division 7 District Final rematch 38-0.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Kalamazoo United (3-2) at Constantine (4-1), Berrien Springs (3-1) at Dowagiac (4-1), Three Rivers (4-1) at Niles (5-0) WATCH, St. Joseph (3-2) at Portage Northern (4-1) WATCH.
Upper Peninsula
Marquette (3-2) at Escanaba (5-0) WATCH
This annual rivalry showdown assures Escanaba won't look ahead to a potential Big North Conference-deciding Week 7 matchup against Gaylord. Escanaba is one win away from guaranteeing its best finish since 2019 and seeking its first victory over Marquette since 2017, after the Sentinels won last year’s meeting 28-7. Marquette fell to undefeated Gaylord by just a point in Week 3 and will be Escanaba’s biggest fan if it can get a win tonight and revive its BNC title hopes.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Houghton (2-3) at Calumet (3-2) WATCH, Bark River-Harris (3-1) at L’Anse (4-1) WATCH, Gladstone (2-3) at Menominee (5-0) WATCH.
West Michigan
Hudsonville (5-0) at Rockford (4-1) WATCH
The Ottawa-Kent Conference Red, top to bottom, may be as strong as it’s ever been – and these two are again the frontrunners. Hudsonville broke through last season for its first win over the Rams since 2016 and went on to finish the season at Ford Field as the Division 1 runner-up. The Eagles faced arguably their toughest challenge this season last week and shut out Jenison 42-0, while Rockford also is coming off a 28-0 shutout of a solid Grandville team.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Grand Rapids Christian (3-2) at Grand Rapids West Catholic (4-1), Belding (4-1) at Fruitport (3-2), Muskegon (3-2) at Muskegon Mona Shores (3-2), Hudsonville Unity Christian (5-0) at Zeeland West (4-1).
8-Player
Lake Linden-Hubbell (4-1) at Power North Central (4-1) WATCH
This is only the second week of the Great Lakes Eight Conference West schedule, but this game almost assuredly will impact the league championship picture with these two and undefeated Bessemer the anticipated contenders. North Central’s Week 2 loss to Norway looks better by the week as the undefeated Knights lead the GLEC East, and the same can be said of LL-H’s season-opening defeat to still-unbeaten Felch North Dickinson from the GLEC Central. The Jets have won six of their last eight against the Lakes, including 60-8 a year ago but after LL-H swept regular-season and playoff matchups in 2023.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Peck (4-1) at Kinde North Huron (3-1) WATCH, Concord (3-2) at Pittsford (4-1) WATCH, Indian River Inland Lakes (5-0) at Rogers City (4-1), Central Lake (3-2) at Onekama (5-0) WATCH.
MHSAA.com's weekly “1st & Goal” previews and reviews are powered by MI Student Aid, a division within the Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information. MI Student Aid administers the state’s scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Click to connect with MI Student Aid and find more information on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.
PHOTO A Muskegon ball carrier outruns Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern's pursuing defenders during the Big Reds' 40-21 win last week. (Photo by Tim Reilly.)