Drive Complete: 2017 Finals in Review
November 27, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Every November, the MHSAA Football Finals give players, coaches and fans an opportunity to see what everyone else has been talking about.
These last two weekends were no different. We saw powers restored and others emerging. We witnessed two first-time winners finish perfect seasons and another champion win for the fifth straight year. We enjoyed performances from some of the talented stars we’d only read about, and encores by others returning to the championship round – including the now-winningest coach in Michigan high school history.
Second Half covered all 10 championship games last weekend at Ford Field and two weekends ago at the Superior Dome, with quick recaps and links (click on the game scores) to those stories below followed by notations of performances entered into the MHSAA record book and a report on some of the biggest and best stories to emerge from the 2017 Finals.
Finals in Review
11-Player Division 1: Clarkston 3, West Bloomfield 2
This one had an intriguing circumstance from the start: West Bloomfield, playing its first Final, had tied for first and Clarkston finished third in the Oakland Activities Association Red during the regular season with the Lakers beating the Wolves 37-16 in Week 4. The rematch ended with the second fewest points scored in MHSAA Finals history.
11-Player Division 2: Warren DeLaSalle 41, Livonia Franklin 6
DeLaSalle took its lead 16 seconds into the game on a fumble return touchdown and never slowed down in winning its second championship in four seasons. Franklin, playing in its first title game since 1975, had turnovers on three of its first four possessions (and a turnover on downs to end the other one) and never got rolling again.
11-Player Division 3: Muskegon 28, Farmington Hills Harrison 10
Muskegon won its first championship since 2008 after finishing runner-up four of the last five seasons. The Big Reds finished one of the most impressive runs in recent playoff history, winning on average by 37 points over its five postseason victories. Harrison – led by all-time winningest coach John Herrington – did give Muskegon one of its toughest tests.
11-Player Division 4: Grand Rapids Catholic Central 42, Edwardsburg 31
After winning a 2016 Division 4 title game that saw only 17 points scored between the two teams, GRCC repeated in a game featuring 73. The Cougars came back from an early deficit as standout running back Nolan Fugate put together one of the top rushing performances in Finals history. The Eddies were playing in their first championship game and made this arguably the most entertaining of the weekend.
11-Player Division 5: Grand Rapids West Catholic 34, Saginaw Swan Valley 7
Grand Rapids West Catholic tied two more programs by winning its fifth straight MHSAA championship, jumping out to a 34-0 lead led by three-year quarterback Gaetano Vallone and a number of others who have contributed to multiple titles. Swan Valley was making its first Finals appearance, but will be a strong candidate to return next fall.
11-Player Division 6: Jackson Lumen Christi 40, Ithaca 34
What was expected to be one of the most competitive Finals didn’t disappoint, as the Titans came back from a 13-8 halftime deficit to repeat. They put up some of the biggest rushing numbers in championship game history to offset the dual danger posed by Ithaca quarterback Joey Bentley, who threw three touchdown passes in the fourth quarter as the Yellowjackets worked for a chance to win.
11-Player Division 7: Pewamo-Westphalia 21, Saugatuck 0
These teams met in the playoffs for the third straight season but first in a championship game. P-W, despite losing quarterback/defensive end Jimmy Lehman to a hand injury near the end of the second quarter, hung on through a scoreless second half to repeat as champion.
11-Player Division 8: Ottawa Lake Whiteford 42, Saginaw Nouvel 21
Whiteford returned after finishing runner-up in 2016 to claim its first MHSAA football championship. The Bobcats got on the board before the first minute was over and totaled 484 yards as quarterback Thomas Eitniear and running back Logan Murphy both ran for three touchdowns.
8-Player Division 1: Central Lake 32, Deckerville 30
Central Lake came back from 2-7 last season, its last in 11-player, and 10 points down during the second half of this game to win its first MHSAA football championship and first in any sport since 1980. The Trojans went ahead to stay with 2:49 to play.
8-Player Division 2: Crystal Falls Forest Park 54, Portland St. Patrick 12
The Trojans claimed their first championship since 2007 and first as an 8-player program, but in similar style as their 11-player winners. Forest Park ran for 481 yards and built a 30-point lead by halftime.
Record Report
Clarkston’s three points against West Bloomfield tied the record for fewest by a winning team (with Ann Arbor Pioneer’s 1987 team) and the five points scored between the teams ranked as the second fewest for a Final. The two also combined to tie the record for most punts, with 14, with Clarkston’s Jermaine Roemer tying the individual Finals record with eight.
Brandan Madigan made the “quickest touchdown” list by returning a fumble return 13 yards for a touchdown 16 seconds into Warren DeLaSalle’s Division 2 win. Warren DeLaSalle also tied for the third-most points in a quarter, putting up 31 during the second in its win over Livonia Franklin.
Warren DeLaSalle’s Riley Garrison and Grand Rapids West Catholic’s Liam Putz both drilled two field goals, joining seven others who have done the same (two hold the record at three field goals). Garrison also made the extra points list with five on five tries.
Farmington Hills Harrison broke the record it previously held with Detroit Catholic Central by playing in an 18th MHSAA championship game, this its first since 2010. The MHSAA Football Playoffs began in 1975.
Muskegon sits 11th with 10 MHSAA Finals appearances and moved up to tied for 10th with six championships. La’Darius Jefferson earned multiple entries with his 245 yards and four touchdowns rushing, tying for fourth-most points (24) in one Final, third most total touchdowns and also rushing touchdowns in a game and eighth most rushing yards.
Harrison’s Ben Williams earned entries for his 91-yard opening kickoff touchdown, both among the longest kickoff returns and fastest touchdowns (16 seconds into the game) scored in a Final.
Nolan Fugate capped his career with one more jaw-dropping rushing performance. The Grand Rapids Catholic Central running back ran for 306 yards, one shy of tying the Finals record, and his 392 total yards ranked seventh all-time. He did tie Finals records with five touchdowns and 30 points and tied for third with four rushing scores. Kicker Alec Winden tied for the fourth-most extra points making all six of his tries.
Edwardsburg also took home two Finals records, as Nick Bradley tied the longest running play with a 90-yard touchdown dash; his run equaled Nick Williams’ for Farmington Hills Harrison in 1994. Caden Goggins tied the 2014 record set by Tommy Scott of Muskegon Catholic Central by bringing a kickoff back 99 yards for a touchdown.
Grand Rapids West Catholic moved up lists with its eighth MHSAA Finals appearance and sixth championship, and into a first-place tie with a fifth-straight title. Farmington Hills Harrison 1997-2001 and East Grand Rapids 2006-2010 also won five consecutive Finals. Grand Rapids Catholic Central also moved up the Finals appearances list with its seventh, while Jackson Lumen Christi is tied for eighth most with 12 and Ithaca added its seventh as well. Lumen Christi’s championship was its 10th, good to tie for the sixth-most titles.
Jackson Lumen Christi became the third team to rush for more than 500 yards in a Final, its 514 yards the third most and its 67 carries second. Sebastion Toland ran for 244 yards – ninth-most by one player – and teammate Kyle Minder made that list with 206 yards. The team’s 523 yards of total offense tied for fifth most, and its 24 first downs tied for eighth.
Ithaca’s Joey Bentley made his last game another great one, even in defeat. His four touchdown passes tied for fifth-most in a championship game, and his 329 total yards of offense – 89 rushing, 240 passing – also earned a record book entry.
Ottawa Lake Whiteford’s offense impressed to open Finals weekend, tying for third with six rushing touchdowns and becoming the latest of 24 teams that did not punt in a championship game.
Crystal Falls Forest Park set an 8-Player Finals record with 481 yards on the ground, rushing 52 times without throwing a pass. Peter Ropiak had the second-most yards in one game, 275 on 16 carries, while backfield mate Connor Bortolini was added for scoring 26 points on four rushing touchdowns and a two-point conversion. Ropiak’s total yards also qualified in the total offense category, and the team’s eight rushing touchdowns also set a record.
Central Lake made the rushing list with 316 yards in its 8-Player Division 1 win over Deckerville, and also the first downs list with 21.
Portland St. Patrick’s Colin Cook was added for seven punts in the 8-Player Division 2 game against Forest Park. Cook averaged 34.1 yards per punt with a long of 63.
Stories behind the scores
Repeat again: For the second straight season, there were four repeat champions at the 11-Player Finals – this time, as noted above, Grand Rapids Catholic Central in Division 4, Grand Rapids West Catholic in Division 5, Jackson Lumen Christi in Division 6 and Pewamo-Westphalia in Division 7. Also noted above, West Catholic next fall will attempt to become the first team in MHSAA football history to win six straight titles.
First-time celebrations: Ottawa Lake Whiteford in 11-Player Division 8 and Central Lake in 8-Player Division 1 claimed their first championships, showing off powerful running games against opponents who had won championships previously – Whiteford over Saginaw Nouvel and Central Lake over Deckerville.
Running ran the day(s): In an era of wide-open spread offenses, power running ruled the 2017 Finals. Start with Whiteford and Central Lake mentioned above; Crystal Falls Forest Park set an 8-Player Finals record for rushing while Jackson Lumen Christi put rushers on the all-time record book list for the second straight season. Muskegon threw two passes and didn’t complete any in running away in Division 3, and the Division 4 Final between GRCC and Edwardsburg featured a combined 675 rushing yards.
We may never see this again: Clarkston’s 3-2 win over West Bloomfield was the lowest-scoring Final in 30 years, but how the teams got to five total points might end up rarer. Clarkston’s points, of course, came on a field goal by Roemer from 30 yards out on the final play of the second quarter. But to that point, West Bloomfield led for 15 minutes thanks to a safety when a punt snap sailed through the end zone. For unrelated comparison’s sake, two of our four Baseball Finals in the spring were higher scoring, and only one was decided by the same close margin.
Hawks’ last stand: Farmington Hills Harrison finished something of an unexpected run by playing in its 18th MHSAA football championship game, capping the season that saw Herrington become the winningest coach in state history with a 435-108-1 record. The school will close in spring 2019, and Herrington will coach the final season next fall; he has served as coach since the school opened in 1970. Harrison’s enrollment likely will fall without the usual underclassmen next year – which could make the Hawks an interesting contender staying in Division 3 or moving into Division 4 or 5.
The MHSAA Playoffs are sponsored by the Michigan Army National Guard.
DeWitt Rewrites Finals Rushing Record Book in Completing Perfect Run
By
Scott DeCamp
Special for MHSAA.com
November 30, 2025
DETROIT – Traverse Moore had no idea about his record-setting day until the final moments of Sunday’s Division 3 Football Final.
“Honestly, I wasn’t worried about that. I was worried about getting the state championship win,” the shifty and speedy DeWitt senior quarterback said.
Moore and the Panthers left no doubt whatsoever. They ran into the history books.
On the strength of Moore’s Finals-record 397 rushing yards and four touchdowns, DeWitt rolled past Mount Pleasant, 54-20, in a battle of unbeatens at Ford Field. Moore’s effort shattered the record set in last year’s Division 6 Final by Jackson Lumen Christi’s Kadale Williams (314).
“We’ve been dreaming about it since fourth grade when we first started playing together. For this group of seniors to do that today, I couldn’t be happier,” said Moore, whose squad is the second from DeWitt to capture a Finals football title. The 2020 team won the first championship.
In DeWitt’s eighth championship game appearance, Moore scored three TDs in the opening quarter to tie a Finals record and help stake the Panthers to a 26-7 lead. The 6-foot, 195-pound Central Michigan University commit scored from 30 yards out barely two minutes into the contest, from 33 yards a little more than a minute later, and sprung free for a 74-yarder just past the midway point of the first quarter.
Moore’s fourth TD came on a 13-yard run barely three minutes into the second quarter. He had the Finals record for rushing yards early in the third quarter. He carried the ball 32 times in the game, good for 12.4 yards per attempt. Moore also completed 4 of 8 passes for 64 yards and a TD.
As a team, DeWitt (14-0) rushed for a Finals-record 575 yards on 58 attempts (9.9 per carry). It surpassed the previous record of 549 rushing yards by Constantine in the 2004 Division 6 Final.
Moore tipped his cap to DeWitt’s offensive line and tight ends, an all-senior unit comprised of Jackson Hildebrant at center, Sam VanZee and Luke Nolen at guards, Drew Rumsey and Landon Fitzpatrick at tackles, and Jacob Schorfhaar and Caleb Haman at tight ends.
“The guys up front have been special all year,” Moore said. “That’s a group of seniors that have been together since fourth grade – all of us have been together since fourth grade. They’ve been playing O-line since fourth grade, so that’s a special connection and they’re just workhorses, man.”
Sophomore Channing Ridley also reached the 100-yard plateau for DeWitt, finishing with 101 yards on 10 carries, including a 13-yard TD. Senior Jadon Bender caught a 35-yard TD pass from Moore, and junior Tyler Bashore closed out the Panthers’ scoring with a four-yard run. Bashore ended with 77 yards on 16 carries.
DeWitt piled up 219 rushing yards in the first quarter, 153 in the second, 73 in the third, and 130 in the fourth.
“In the offseason, we looked at what we had coming back,” said veteran DeWitt coach Rob Zimmerman, who completed his 27th season at the helm. “DeWitt’s probably known for being a team that throws the football around quite a bit. Last year we were physical and we threw a lot more, but with what we had coming back up front and the speed that we have, you can’t take away everything that we have.
“It’s a great combination with all the single-wing stuff that we do, which nobody else does, and so that’s an issue. But then we have the ability to run right at you and our counter game has been phenomenal for the last two years,” Zimmerman continued. “It’s a tough matchup, and then you add in the tempo, too, that we show quite a bit. I think we’re faster (in that tempo) than anybody else is as far as running plays. Put all of those things together, it’s pretty tough to stop.”
Mount Pleasant (13-1) got on the board midway through the first quarter on a 31-yard TD pass from junior Xavier Creguer to senior Riley Olson. Creguer added a four-yard scoring run with 12 seconds remaining in the first half, but the Oilers were still facing a 40-14 deficit headed into the halftime break.
Creguer joined Moore in the record books with his 91-yard TD run in the third quarter – longest in Finals history, surpassing 90-yard scoring runs by Edwardsburg’s Nick Bradley (2017) and Farmington Hills Harrison’s Nick Williams (1994).
It was an uphill battle for Mount Pleasant, which made its second Finals appearance and still seeks its first championship.
“I wonder if a little bit of the bright lights got to us to start with. We made a few mistakes from the start … . Just a few, little things that we’d like to have back,” Mount Pleasant coach Jason McIntyre.
“That’s a tremendous DeWitt team. It would have been really difficult to hang up the middle, but I think you saw what we could have done maybe if we would have been able to start a little fresher, a little cleaner. … Their offense is super difficult to defend. I thought we were well-prepared in terms of alignment, but the speed in which they do it and obviously No. 2’s (Traverse Moore) a really good player.”
Creguer finished with 162 rushing yards on 12 carries. He also threw for 66 yards.
Senior William Garcia led all defenders with 11 tackles for Mount Pleasant, while Olson notched 10 stops. Senior Lucas Brandell recorded a team-high six tackles for DeWitt.
DeWitt lost in last year’s Semifinal to eventual champion Zeeland West, 32-20. That defeat lingered with the Panthers and fueled them for this season’s run to glory.
“I mean, that stung. Last year stung. It hurt,” DeWitt senior Miller Wing said. “But when winter lifts rolled around, 5:45 in the morning, that’s the reason for it. It’s just staying together as a team. We’re so close.”
DeWitt has been a perennial contender in Division 3. The Panthers have advanced to the Semifinals or further seven of the last eight seasons.
According to Zimmerman, it’s all about the culture, establishing expectations, and putting in the work.
“The older kids have always helped our younger guys to understand the expectations within the program, and I think that’s a big part of why we’re where we’re at as a program,” Zimmerman said. “These guys want to be the next dude, and they work to get there.
“Ton of similarities (between the two championship teams) from a toughness standpoint, leadership standpoint, work ethic. I mean, these guys put in an unbelievable amount of time in the offseason to get where they’re at. This class, from sophomore (season on up), they’re 35-1 as a class, so it’s a pretty good group.”
PHOTOS (Top) DeWitt’s Sam VanZee (54) hoists teammate Traverse Moore into the air in the end zone Sunday. (Middle) Landon Kurncz (13) attempts to surge ahead with Mount Pleasant’s Keagan Wernette-Beals (11) and another defender wrapping him up. (Below) The Oilers’ Xavier Creguer prepares to take on a DeWitt defender.