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Drive For Detroit: 11-Player Semis Review

November 19, 2018

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

On Saturday, 16 football teams traded a long, relaxing Thanksgiving weekend for a work trip to Detroit.

They’d have it no other way.

There’s much to tell about every team heading to Ford Field for this weekend’s MHSAA Finals, and we’ll get to that soon. (Check back Wednesday evening for previews of all eight championship games.)

Let’s start the week with a glance at all 16 Semifinals from Saturday, including video highlights all by State Champs Sports Network. “Drive for Detroit” is powered by MI Student Aid.

Division 1

Clarkston 21, Saline 3: The reigning Division 1 champion Wolves (11-2) prevailed by continuing a defensive effort that has now allowed only 16 points total over four playoff games. Saline (11-2) had 215 total yards and only 58 rushing on 20 carries. Click for more from the Oakland Press.

Clinton Township Chippewa Valley 28, Belleville 16: The Big Reds (13-0) moved on to the Finals for the first time since 2001 by handing the Tigers (12-1) their only loss. Chippewa Valley held Belleville to its second-fewest points in a game over the last two seasons. Click for more from the Macomb Daily.

Division 2

Muskegon Mona Shores 49, Midland 28: After three seasons away, the Sailors are heading back to Ford Field for the second time seeking their first MHSAA title. Mona Shores (12-1) took the lead for good with 4:41 to play in the third quarter and then scored 22 points in the fourth to outlast the Chemics (9-4). Click for more from the Muskegon Chronicle.

Warren DeLaSalle 28, Birmingham Groves 0: The reigning Division 2 champion will play for its third title in five seasons after handing Groves (10-3) its first shutout since 2013. DeLaSalle (11-2) scored the game’s first points late in the first half before pulling away during the second. Click for more from the Macomb Daily.

Division 3

Muskegon 45, Zeeland East 22: The Big Reds (13-0) averaged 50 points per game entering the weekend, so by that comparison they were slowed a bit. But considering Zeeland East (11-2) was giving up only 19 per game, it’s fair to say the reigning champs are in Finals form coming off their 27th straight victory. Click for more from the Muskegon Chronicle.

Detroit Martin Luther King 34, DeWitt 21: DeWitt (12-1) pulled within six early in the third quarter before King scored 14 unanswered points to secure the win. The Crusaders (11-2) will be playing for their third title in four seasons after winning Division 2 in 2015 and 2016. Click for more from MLive-Detroit.

Division 4

Edwardsburg 46, Grand Rapids Catholic Central 44 (OT): In arguably the most dramatic finish from the weekend, Edwardsburg won this rematch of the 2017 Division 4 Final. The Eddies (13-0) scored first in overtime and went up eight, then stopped GRCC (11-2) on a 2-point conversion try after the Cougars also found the end zone. Click for more from the Niles Daily Star.

Chelsea 38, Williamston 13: The Panthers (10-3) are headed to their second MHSAA Finals in four years after knocking off a league champion for the second time this playoffs. Chelsea held Williamston (10-3) to season-low scoring while putting up the most points the Hornets had given up this fall. Click for more from the Sun Times News.

Division 5

Hudsonville Unity Christian 14, Saginaw Swan Valley 7: This may have stunned some as Swan Valley (12-1) was the reigning Division 5 runner-up and rarely had been challenged. But Unity Christian’s defense had its most impressive game of the fall, holding a Vikings offense averaging 42 points per game to just a first-half score. The Crusaders (11-2) earned their first Finals berth and set a program record for wins in the process. Click for more from the Grand Rapids Press.  

Portland 35, Marine City 14: The Raiders (13-0) ran for five touchdowns and continued their streak of holding every opponent to 20 or fewer points to earn a trip to Ford Field for the first time since winning Division 5 in 2012. The Mariners (10-3) were on their longest playoff run since 2013, but scored their fewest points this season and tied their most given up. Click for more from the Lansing State Journal.

Division 6

Montague 14, Traverse City St. Francis 7: In a season of solid wins, it’s hard to argue this wasn’t the best for the Wildcats (11-2), who will head to the Finals for the first time since 2009 after handing St Francis (12-1) its only defeat. The Gladiators had been held to single-digit scoring only one other game over the last five seasons – in last year’s Semifinal. Click for more from the Local Sports Journal.

Jackson Lumen Christi 42, Montrose 20: The Titans (12-0) will get a chance to earn their third straight Division 6 championship after ending Montrose’s best run since making the Semifinals as well in 2013. After the Rams (10-3) took the lead twice during the first quarter, Lumen scored 34 unanswered points. Click for more from the Jackson Citizen Patriot.

Division 7

New Lothrop 51, Lake City 22: The Hornets (12-1) are headed to the Finals for the first time since 2006 after scoring 30 points during the first half and breaking away after Lake City cut the lead to eight early in the second. For the second straight season, the Trojans (12-1) ended with their lone loss in the Semifinals. Click for more from the Owosso Argus-Press.

Madison Heights Madison 37, Cassopolis 34: Madison (13-0) will play in its second Final after denying Cassopolis the opportunity to reach its first. The Rangers (12-1) trailed by one at halftime and two at the end of the third quarter but couldn’t catch completely up. Cassopolis had given up only 52 points this season heading into the game, and Madison hadn’t allowed more than 20 to any opponent. Click for more from the Oakland Press.

Division 8

Breckenridge 12, Harbor Beach 0: Since going 0-9 in 2015, Breckenridge is a combined 32-3 including 13-0 this fall – and the Huskies will next play in their first MHSAA Final. The Huskies posted their eighth shutout (on the field, not counting a forfeit win) and second of the playoffs to stop the Pirates (11-2). Click for more from the Mount Pleasant Morning Sun.

Reading 38, Holton 0: The Rangers (13-0) also earned their first championship game berth with a shutout, their seventh this season. Holton was one of only three teams this fall to hold Reading under 40 points, but the Red Devils (8-4) saw their longest playoff run end with a first trip to the Semifinals. Click for more from the Hillsdale Daily News.

Second Half’s weekly “Drive for Detroit” previews and reviews are powered by MI Student Aid, a part of the Student Financial Services Bureau located within the Michigan Department of Treasury. MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information, including various student financial assistance programs to help make college more affordable for Michigan students. MI Student Aid administers the state’s 529 savings programs (MET/MESP) and eight additional aid programs within its Student Scholarships and Grants division. Click for more information and connect with MI Student Aid on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.

PHOTO: Clarkston's defense locks down a Saline ball carrier during the Wolves' Division 1 Semifinal win Saturday. (Photo by Terry Lyons.)

Trojans Standout Back from Basic Training

September 20, 2019

By Chris Dobrowolski
Special for Second Half

It seemed appropriate that the first game T.J. Schultz played his senior season for the Central Lake/Ellsworth football team was also the program’s fourth annual Veterans and First Responders Appreciation Night.

Schultz, a starting linebacker and running back in his third year with the Trojans, had the beginning of his final year on the gridiron delayed until the third week of the 2019 campaign — the game that paid homage to those who have served in the military — as he was completing basic training for the National Guard.

Enlisting in the Split Training Option program gave Schultz the opportunity to do basic training during the summer before his senior year. He reported to Fort Sill in Oklahoma on June 25 and spent the next 10 weeks going through the rigors of the military. It’s part of an eight-year contract with the National Guard that includes six years of active service, followed by two more years of inactive duty.

“It just gave me a head start, instead of graduating and then doing basic,” said Schultz. “The advantage of doing split op is I can come back and finish high school and take a little break, then go back down.”

Schultz quickly found out how demanding the military can be for a new recruit during basic training.

“They give you near-impossible tasks and if you can’t do them, you do push-ups or exercises,” he said. “Sometimes you’d have to go upstairs and change into a new uniform in less than 30 seconds. If you can’t do that, you’re coming downstairs and doing push-ups.”

To make matters even more challenging, the 240-member unit did the brunt of their training in the heat of the southern Oklahoma summer, where temperatures often reached into triple digits.

“They said it was one of the hottest summers there in a long time,” said Schultz. “We had to wear Kevlar helmet, bulletproof vest. They added 30 pounds to us. We were out there in the heat. It was just insane. We didn’t have (air conditioning). What we had were these big fans that sprayed mists of water. They were big, powerful fans, but unless you were really close to them they didn’t work very well.”

Not only did Schultz manage to make it through those hardships that he faced during basic training, but he came out of graduation with high praise from his drill sergeant.

“His drill sergeant had nothing but good things to say about him,” said Schultz’s mother, Mary Drenth, also a veteran of the National Guard. “He did great on everything. He was one of six in the whole unit to shoot expert on the rifle range. He was second. There was one kid who got 38 out of 40, and he got 37 out of 40. We’re incredibly proud.

“We have four boys. When we found out he was graduating a week into school, we chose to let the kids all miss that first week of school and took a trip out to Oklahoma. So, they all got to witness their brother graduate. That was an amazing experience. It was really, really cool.”

Like his first experience in the military, Schultz also can hold his own on the football field, where he has been a fixture at linebacker since taking over a starting spot as a sophomore in 2017 — the year the Trojans went 13-0 and captured the MHSAA 8-player Division 1 championship. It was his first season playing football after moving from Cheboygan the previous year.

“It was funny because I was thinking of doing football in Cheboygan and I never really committed to it because I was hockey, hockey, hockey. I love hockey,” said Schultz, who started playing hockey as a 4-year-old. “Then I came here and thought, ‘I’ll give football a try. Might as well.’ I love those guys. It was just so fun. Everyone was so confident. Going into a game we didn’t expect to lose. We were just going out there and having fun.”

Central Lake/Ellsworth defensive assistant coach Jarod Steenwyk has come to rely on Schultz’s toughness and tenacity at the heart of the Trojans’ defense for the past couple years, so he was excited to finally have Schultz return from basic training. Schultz also is getting an increased role at running back this season after serving as a backup at that position the last two years.

“He brings some size at linebacker for us and having that other running back,” said Steenwyk. “He’s got some speed, but he’s willing to hit somebody — lower the shoulder.”

“He started for us on the state championship team and even in that (championship game) he made some pretty big plays. He really came through for us.”

Steenwyk has noticed that Schultz seems to be more focused in the short time he’s been back with the team. Drenth, likewise, said the experience of basic training changed her son in a good way.

“It was good for him,” she said. “He’s definitely matured a lot. He has the self-discipline. He’s a different kid now.”

After Schultz finishes the school year in the spring, he will return to the National Guard for Advanced Individual Training — eight weeks of hands-on instruction at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas with a Military Occupational Specialty as a construction equipment repairman.

“Right after high school I’ll go to AIT, finish up there and then come back with some good certificates that will get me a head start, and it will look good on my resume,” said Schultz. “So far I’m not regretting anything.”

Chris Dobrowolski has covered northern Lower Peninsula sports since 1999 at the Ogemaw County Herald, Alpena News, Traverse City Record-Eagle and currently as sports editor at the Antrim Kalkaska Review since 2016. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.

PHOTOS: Central Lake/Ellsworth’s T.J. Schultz tries to cut past a Gaylord St. Mary defender during their Week 3 meeting. (Middle) Schultz takes down a Wyoming Tri-unity Christian ball carrier. (Photos courtesy of the Antrim County Review.)