Division 4 Final: No. 2 Becomes No. 1
November 29, 2011
DETROIT -- Subtract an injured star linebacker, and what did Zeeland West get?
An inspired performance from his teammates -- and this fall’s MHSAA Division 4 football championship.
Senior Josh Blanton remained on the sideline Friday at Ford Field, unable to contribute because of an injury suffered in last week’s Semifinal.
But his No. 2 Dux teammates rallied, and despite falling behind early came back to run over and past top-ranked Marine City 45-7 in perhaps the most highly-anticipated of the day’s four Finals.
“We knew we were going to have a tough time, and as a team we kinda thought about things,” Zeeland West quarterback Clay Coatney said. “We just said to ourselves, we’re going to come out and play as hard as we could, play as physical as we could.”
Zeeland West finished with its second MHSAA championship, but first 14-0 record in seven seasons as a program. Marine City ended 13-1.
The Dux’ physicality was the difference-maker on both sides of the ball. Marine City’s offense came into the Final averaging nearly 37 points per game. But led by senior linebacker Jake McKellar’s eight tackles and lots of contributors all around him, the Dux held the Mariners to just 216 yards of total offense -- while also dominating the line on offense and gaining 410.
Senior Kyle Kujawa ran for 99 of the team’s 288 rushing yards, and scored once. Coatney was 6 for 9 passing for 122 yards and two scores. Senior Brad Mesbergen responded to the Mariners’ early touchdown by returning the ensuing kickoff an MHSAA Finals-record 97 yards to even the score.
Marine City scored the game’s first touchdown just less than two minutes into the game. But the Mariners, despite multiple drives into Dux territory, gave the ball away one each by fumble and interception and three more times on turnovers on downs.
“We’ve got an all-state linebacker not playing. To say we’re playing that type of explosive offense, (and) for those kids to show up and do what they did, you’ve just gotta go, ‘Holy smokes, who are those guys?’” Zeeland West coach John Shillito said.
Marine City senior Adam Kroll threw 36 yards to senior Gunnar Glodich for that lone Mariners touchdown, and finished 8 of 16 passing for 85 yards total. Senior running back Anthony Scarcelli gained just 42 yards on eight carries in his final high school game before signing with Central Michigan, but did lead the team with eight tackles in what also was the final game for his father and coach, Tony Scarcelli.
"When I look at this season, I don't look at one game," Tony Scarcelli said. "I look at this as we're state runners-up. Twenty years from now, we'll all look back on this and say what a great season it was."
MHSAA Opposes Big Ten Friday Football
November 2, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The executive director of the Michigan High School Athletic Association said today that he is “disappointed and disheartened” by the Big Ten Conference announcement that it will play and televise football games on Friday nights beginning with the 2017 season.
Friday night football remains one of the strongest and longest-standing traditions in high school athletics, and the MHSAA has fought since the start of this century to keep Friday nights sacred against the overstepping of college football and the damage televised Big Ten games are now expected to cause to attendance and media coverage of the sport at the high school level.
MHSAA Executive Director John E. “Jack” Roberts was contacted by both Big Ten Conference commissioner Jim Delany and Michigan State University athletic director Mark Hollis before the decision was announced. Roberts said he is appreciative of Michigan State and University of Michigan’s low tolerance to be included in this venture – at most, both will host a Thursday or Friday night game during Labor Day weekend and play one Friday night away game during the remainder of a season – but remains frustrated that similar respect for high school football was not shown by the conference as a whole.
Michigan State has played Friday night games during Labor Day weekend the last six seasons, hosting five and playing at Western Michigan University in 2015. However, most Michigan high school games continue to be scheduled and played on the Thursday before Labor Day, relieving holiday travel conflicts in most communities. University of Michigan did play on the Thursday before Labor Day at University of Utah in 2015, but has not played on a Friday night of Labor Day weekend this decade. The Wolverines are one of five Big Ten schools without a Friday night game in 2017.
“We are saddened by this decision. We had hoped that the Big Ten Conference would stay above this. We think this cheapens the Big Ten brand,” Roberts said. “Fans won’t like this. Recruits won’t like this. And high school football coaches won’t like this.
“We are grateful that Michigan State University and the University of Michigan are trying to minimize the effects of this decision by the Big Ten. But overall, this is just the latest step by major college athletics in the pursuit of cash that is just crushing high school sports.”
The MHSAA has shown its opposition to the use of Friday nights for televised collegiate football games for more than 15 years, dating back to 2001 when the NCAA lifted its restrictions on Friday night telecasts, which at first led to the broadcasting of “mid-major conference” games on the same night traditionally reserved for high school athletes.
The MHSAA launched in 2001 its “Save Our Friday Nights” campaign to emphasize the role that Friday night high school athletic events play in communities and to rally MHSAA member schools to contact NCAA member school football coaches, athletic directors and conference commissioners to voice their concerns.
In addition to causing lower attendance at events going up against Big Ten football games, Roberts anticipates that Friday night college games also will leave high school football as a secondary priority in many media markets. More than 80 radio stations statewide cover high school games regularly, but many also carry Michigan State or University of Michigan football. High school football could lose significant time on local TV highlights shows and in print and online coverage as well, as resources are diverted to cover a college game – potentially quieting significantly the positive buzz that comes from the typical high school football Friday night.
“Everyone knows that football is struggling right now,” Roberts said. “It’s getting a lot of bad publicity. Participation is declining. And now this; there couldn’t be worse timing.”
PHOTO: Grand Ledge takes on Okemos under the Friday night lights this season. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)