Division 7 Final: Blue Streak
November 29, 2011
DETROIT – Only a few drives into the MHSAA Division 7 Final, Bennett Lewis came to Saginaw Nouvel coach Mike Boyd with a request.
Give me the ball until Pewamo-Westphalia stops me.
Never happened. The senior running back ran for five touchdowns, and his Panthers scored 56 points – both to set or tie MHSAA Finals records.
And both were accomplished over just two quarters as Nouvel cruised to a 56-26 win and its third football championship.
“I can’t say enough how proud I am of my teammates, especially the offensive line. We’ve been playing together a long time and they really executed in the first half,” Lewis said. “Their defense is one of the defenses we can run our offense against really well. We just executed and made big plays. ”
This championship goes with Nouvel’s back-to-back Division 6 titles in 2006 and 2007, and the Panthers finished 13-0 to match their perfect record in 2006. Pewamo-Westphalia made its first appearance in an MHSAA Football Final and finished 13-1.
The Panthers had scored 63 and 62 points, respectively, during the first two rounds of the postseason. And as Boyd said after, he had an offense built for speedy strikes – especially at an inside venue like Ford Field.
Nouvel blew past the previous MHSAA Finals record of 42 points in one half set by both Farmington Hills Harrison in 2000 and Jackson Lumen Christi in 2001.
“Maybe our third drive, Bennett came off the field and came right up to me and said, ‘I want the football. Until they stop me, give me the football,’” Nouvel coach Mike Boyd said. “I said, ‘Absolutely.’
“Great competitors, great leaders. Just a great group.”
Lewis, the Associated Press’ Division 7-8 Player of the Year this fall, ran 15 times for 200 yards – all in the first half – to push his season rushing total to 2,077. The five touchdowns gave him 36 rushing for the fall. Senior quarterback Joseph Buchalski was 7 for 10 passing for 196 yards and three scores. He also ran five times for 50 yards – again, all in the first half.
“That’s the best team I’ve ever played. The fastest. (And) I don’t hesitate to say Bennett Lewis is the best player I’ve ever played,” P-W senior quarterback/cornerback Justin Thelen said. “We fought, and I’m proud of that. But they had us on our heels right away.”
Thelen was 10 for 21 passing for 176 yards and two touchdowns, and senior Alex Thelen ran 16 times for 77 yards and a score. It was a tough end to a courageous run by the Pirates, who suffered through the death of classmate and baseball teammate Brendon Nurenberg in a car crash earlier this month, but battled through with his memory an additional motivator.
“He was just a fun guy. The guys loved being around him. And the guys rallied around that,” P-W coach Brad Weber said. “They did it for Brendon for the most part. They knew he would have fun, so they did too.”
1st & Goal: 2025 Week 1 Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
August 27, 2025
If you’re looking for storylines for this weekend’s Michigan high school football openers, you’ve landed just in time for launch of the 2025 season.
There will be 305 games played this weekend with at least one Michigan team – 258 tonight, 46 Friday and one Saturday. Several of the most intriguing will play out at traditional Week 1 showcase events – the Amazon Prep Kickoff Classic at Wayne State and Vehicle City Gridiron Classic at Flint’s Atwood Stadium – but those are just the start of the newsy and noteworthy.
This weekend’s slate also includes two matchups of teams that ended last season playing for MHSAA 11-player championships in Detroit, and a third between a reigning Michigan champion (Detroit Cass Tech in Division 1) and an Ohio state runner-up (Toledo Central Catholic). One of the state's longest running rivalries also gets a reboot.
The great majority of varsity games are scheduled to be broadcast this weekend on the NFHS Network. Click the names of the events bolded above for specific broadcast landing pages for those showcases.
Like most, we’re still at the start of learning about this season’s contenders. But every game has a story, and tune in each week for details building up the biggest matchups all over Michigan. All games are tonight unless noted, and follow the MHSAA Scores page all weekend for scores as they’re submitted.
Bay & Thumb
Frankenmuth (13-1) at Goodrich (13-1)
This is one of those matchups of teams that ended last season at Ford Field, as Goodrich is the reigning Division 4 champion and Frankenmuth finished Division 5 runner-up. This will actually be the fifth-straight season they’ll meet in an opener; Frankenmuth has a 3-1 advantage in the recent series coming off a 22-0 win a year ago. Both teams graduated substantial star power from their backfields and lines, likely making this a high-profile debut for several players expected to fill more significant roles at the varsity level this fall.
Keep an eye on these THURSDAY Marysville (8-2) at Almont (9-1), Mount Pleasant (6-5) at Saginaw Heritage (8-4). FRIDAY Marine City (10-3) at Armada (10-2), Cass City (7-4) at Harbor Beach (11-1).
Greater Detroit
Clarkston (7-4) vs. Belleville (10-2) at Wayne State
The post-Bryce Underwood era will begin at Belleville after he quarterbacked the team to Ford Field three of the last four seasons. He and the Tigers defeated Clarkston 35-28 in their opener a year ago at Wayne State, and Belleville’s only other loss of the season came in a Regional Final. Clarkston will attempt to avenge that 2024 defeat keyed in part by an offense that features power up front and a notable passing attack as well.
Keep an eye on these THURSDAY Walled Lake Western (11-1) at Milford (7-3), Davison (7-3) at Roseville (7-3). FRIDAY Warren Michigan Collegiate (9-2) at Clarkston Everest Collegiate (9-2), Detroit Cass Tech (12-2) vs. Toledo Central Catholic (14-2) at Wayne State.
Mid-Michigan
Haslett (8-4) at DeWitt (12-1)
These two combined for 111 points in their opener last season, a 69-42 DeWitt win, and the scoreboard should be ready again as both return playmakers considered among the best in the state – Haslett’s Kory Amachree and DeWitt’s Trav Moore. Both also are coming off nice playoff runs last fall – DeWitt reaching the Division 3 Semifinals and Haslett winning a Division 4 District championship – adding further anticipation to a rivalry renewed despite the Panthers’ dominance in the matchup over the last two decades.
Keep and eye on these THURSDAY Dexter (10-1) at Brighton (8-3), Lansing Catholic (10-4) at Williamston (3-7), Lansing Everett (6-4) at Lansing Sexton (5-5), Detroit Country Day (3-6) at Portland (11-1).
Northern Lower Peninsula
Maple City Glen Lake (9-2) at Traverse City St. Francis (7-4), Friday
These two are facing off for the first time since 2021, with the Lakers coming off their best season since a 2019 run to Ford Field and the Gladiators also looking to build on a District championship game appearance after most recently reaching the MHSAA Finals in 2022. They were both champions in the Northern Michigan Football League last fall – Glen Lake outright in the Legacy and St. Francis sharing the title in the Legends.
Keep an eye on these THURSDAY Howell (11-1) at Traverse City West (6-4), Midland (9-2) at Cadillac (4-6). FRIDAY Sault Ste. Marie (1-8) at Cheboygan (4-5), Edwardsburg (7-4) at McBain (9-2).
Southeast & Border
Fowler (12-1) at Hudson (10-2)
The Eagles won this season-opening matchup 20-6 a year ago and this time head to Hudson after ending last fall with a one-point Division 8 Semifinal loss to eventual champion Beal City. After losing to Fowler in Week 1 last season, Hudson didn’t fall again until its Division 7 Regional Final against Schoolcraft – which capped its longest playoff run since winning the Division 8 title in 2021.
Keep an eye on these THURSDAY Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (13-1) vs. Clinton (7-4) at Adrian College, Ottawa Lake Whiteford (5-5) at Blissfield (4-6), Flushing (7-3) at Ann Arbor Pioneer (5-5), Jackson (4-6) at Parma Western (6-4).
Southwest Corridor
St. Joseph (9-2) at Niles (12-2), Friday
This is another season-opening rematch, and last year's game was referred to frequently – after St. Joseph's 30-7 win, Niles didn't lose again until falling to Goodrich in the Division 4 championship game. In fact, the Vikings gave up only 27 more points during the regular season. The Bears went on to enjoy a successful fall as well, sharing their league's championship before falling to eventual Division 3 champion Zeeland West in a District Final.
Keep an eye on these THURSDAY Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep (9-3) at Berrien Springs (7-4), East Lansing (9-4) at Portage Central (8-4), Lawton (8-3) at Decatur (11-2), Union City (9-2) at Parchment (7-3).
Upper Peninsula
Marquette (6-3) at Negaunee (6-4)
This matchup of Upper Peninsula neighbors is a rivalry restored, resparking a series that goes back to 1894. These two faced off 141 times – still ranking third-highest for total games played between two Michigan teams – before taking a break after the 2017 meeting with Negaunee leading the series 70-60-11. The Miners have strung together six straight playoff seasons, while the Sentinels just missed the playoffs last year but finished second in the Big North Conference for the second season in a row.
Keep and eye on these THURSDAY Kingsford (9-1) at Escanaba (5-4), East Jordan (8-3) at Manistique (4-6), Houghton (4-5) at Iron Mountain (11-1). FRIDAY Menominee (10-2) at Marinette, Wis. (2-7).
West Michigan
Byron Center (12-2) at Hudsonville (12-2)
This is another matchup of teams that finished their 2024 playoff runs at Ford Field, Hudsonville runner-up in Division 1 and Byron Center in Division 2. Even with both graduating significant star power after last spring and turning to new quarterbacks this fall, this seems the perfect time for this matchup. Hudsonville's double-digit win total last year was its first since 2007, and Byron Center is a combined 22-4 over the last two seasons.
Keep an eye on these THURSDAY Grand Blanc (9-3) at Muskegon Mona Shores (9-2), Pewamo-Westphalia (9-3) at North Muskegon (11-2), Saline (7-4) at Rockford (7-3), Hudsonville Unity Christian (10-1) at Whitehall (8-4).
8-Player
Britton Deerfield (10-2) at Pittsford (8-3)
This was another of the most high-powered openers a year ago, as Britton Deerfield won 68-58 to kick off the program’s best season. The Patriots later advanced to the Semifinals for the first time with a 60-26 rematch win over the Wildcats, who otherwise claimed a league championship and lost just once more over the remainder of their season.
Keep an eye on these THURSDAY Climax-Scotts (8-2) at Gobles (9-1), Bridgman (5-4) at Martin (8-2), Powers North Central (9-2) at Munising (6-4), Mendon (10-2) at Suttons Bay (6-3).
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 Grand Ledge takes the field during a home game last season. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)