Division 2 Football Final: 'Anything is Possible'
November 25, 2011
DETROIT – That was the motto of Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice’s football team this season.
And the Warriors had to believe it in order for Friday’s dream finish to become possible.
Brother Rice qualified for the Division 2 playoffs at 5-4 last month and after finishing just fourth in the Detroit Catholic League Central. But riding the legs of senior running back Devin Church, the Warriors finished this season with a 24-14 win over Lowell at Ford Field to earn their seventh MHSAA championship and first since 2005.
Church, who ran for more than 900 yards during the playoffs, piled up 244 and three touchdowns rushing in the Final.
“We did it to make Coach proud,” Church said. “We kept the tradition going.
“That’s everybody’s dream, to win a state title. To walk away with a ring, that’s a blessing.”
“Coach” is Al Fracassa, who finished his 43rd season by winning his 405th high school game. But this run provided a new experience for the longtime leader.
Playing in a conference that also includes Division 1 finalist Detroit Catholic Central, Division 3 finalist Orchard Lake St. Mary and playoff qualifier Warren DeLaSalle, the Warriors lost three league games by a combined four points. Brother Rice (10-4) picked up its fourth loss in Week 8 against Cincinnati LaSalle.
But wins over strong teams – Detroit Martin Luther King and Ann Arbor Pioneer among them – likely gave Brother Rice the playoff points boost it needed to get into the postseason.
“We were worried about making the playoffs again. You get down, but the kids, they taught me a lesson. They came out and they worked their tails off,” Fracassa said. “We had a motto before our season started. … Anything is possible. This motto really personifies this football team. Anything is possible, and they’re going to remember it the rest of their lives.”
Church – who will sign with Northern Illinois in February – ran the ball 33 times. His yards were the sixth-most in an MHSAA Final ever. And they were followed by some flattering comparisons from Lowell coach Noel Dean.
“I don’t want to belittle their team by making it about one player; they have a great team,” Dean said. “(Church) is a fantastic football player. One of the better ones I’ve seen. And I’ve coached against some pretty good running backs in my day. The Grady brothers and the Ducketts, I’ve seen some pretty good ones. He’s fantastic.”
Fracassa added: “He’s done that all year, for the last three years. This is not only his good game he played. He’s played good in every game he’s played.”
And while Church ran wild, the Warriors were able to contain Lowell all-state quarterback Gabe Dean, who was making his third straight appearance in the Division 2 Final. A senior now, he led the Red Arrows to a championship game win in 2009
Dean did throw for 190 yards and two touchdowns, but was able to get free for just 34 yards on the ground as Lowell (12-2) attempted to catch up, and catch Church, most of the afternoon.
“The veer offense, we learned how to shut it down this week in practice. And we did a great job in the game,” Brother Rice junior linebacker Jon Reschke said. “We got them out of the veer and into a shotgun formation, the spread offense, which they didn't want to be in, which helped us.”
Senior linebacker Mark Doman had a team-high 13 tackles for Brother Rice, and Reschke had 10. Junior linebacker Reed Stormzand had 20 to lead Lowell, followed by sophomore linebackers Garrett Stehley and Jake Stehley with 14 and 12, respectively.
Click for full stats and play-by-play.
1975 Ishpeming Title Made National News, Set Standard for Success to Come
By
Jason Juno
Special for MHSAA.com
November 22, 2024
ISHPEMING — Before the 1975 season started, Ishpeming football players talked about the possibility of playing Hudson for a Class C championship.
That was no easy task with just four teams in each Class making the playoffs during the first year the MHSAA sponsored a football tournament.
“We just said to ourselves, ‘Wouldn’t it be something if we played them in the state championship game?’” said Mark Marana, Ishpeming’s all-state quarterback.
When that dream came true, the Hematites felt confident they could defeat Hudson, Marana said, no matter how improbable it appeared.
Hudson entered the 1975 Class C championship game on a 72-game winning streak. The Tigers had been featured in Sports Illustrated, and they were highlighted on TV before a Sunday of NFL games. Everyone knew about Hudson.
When Ishpeming beat the Tigers, the New York Times published a wire story about it.
The Hematites stunned everyone but themselves with that 38-22 victory to become the first Class C champions in Michigan.
“It was one of the greatest things I’ve been a part of in my lifetime,” Marana said.
He said they’re still celebrating the title, and he’s 67 years old.
“It was really a highlight in our community, naturally,” Marana said. “When you’re a Yooper, I think we had the whole U.P. going for us to win the game and the state championship. It was great; we were an underdog going in. They were a good team, but we were also good ourselves.”
The Hematites played bigger schools throughout most of their schedule, including undefeated Class A Marquette, which likely helped them clinch one of the four playoff spots.
“We had some talent,” Marana said. “We had a great tailback in Mike Dellangelo (5-foot-6, 160 pounds). We were doing some things offensively that people weren’t doing at the time. We were running the option game out of the I formation. We had multiple formations, which a lot of teams didn’t do at that time.”
Ishpeming jumped Hudson early. Bill Andriacchi blocked a punt to set up the first score of the game, and Ishpeming led 24-8 after the first quarter.
Hematites’ coach Mike Mileski emphasized the importance of that play to the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
“We had three guys scout Hudson in their Semifinal, and one of the things we thought we could do was block their punts,” he said. “We had four different rushes planned, and we just called the right one in that case. It was our game after that.”
“There was pressure on those guys,” Marana said. “That was one thing that was real critical is that we jumped out to a great start.”
Dellangelo rushed for 158 yards on 21 carries and scored two touchdowns in the championship game played at Central Michigan University.
He scored his first touchdown on a 60-yard run; with Marana’s 2-point run, it gave Ishpeming the 24-8 lead going into the second quarter. Dellangelo’s other TD, a 10-yard rush in the third quarter, gave the Hematites a 36-16 advantage.
“Mike Dellangelo was a great, great tailback,” Marana said. “He had great speed, he was an extremely tough kid and he could pick them up and lay them down.”
Marana said the Hematites were well-coached by Mileski. He said he was lucky enough to get the all-state recognition from the Detroit Free Press, but he said he couldn’t have done it without his teammates.
“It happened at the right time, first year of the playoffs. It worked out you’re playing a team that’s got 72 straight wins,” he said. “I’m going to tell you, they were extremely well-coached and they were a very good football team, also.”
Marana said Ishpeming was a close group that grew up together.
“Great coach, great team, great teammates, guys that were dedicated,” Marana said. “We were very close. Actually, when you have a good team, most of the time you’re pretty close to one another.”
They continue to stay in touch. When Marana was inducted into the U.P. Sports Hall of Fame this spring, 18 of his teammates were at the ceremony. There were only 25-26 players on the team.
“We’re very tight, very tight to this day,” he said.
It was the first of seven championship game appearances for Ishpeming, which has won five Finals titles.
It all started with the 1975 team.
PHOTO: Ishpeming's Mark Marana works to break away from a tackler during the 1975 Class C Final. (MHSAA file photo).