Drive for Detroit: Week 1 in Review
August 27, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
A new season means new beginnings on high school football fields all over Michigan.
Owosso surely is feeling a resurgence after ending a 35-game losing streak with a 23-18 win over rival Corunna. Same for Memphis, which saw a 26-game losing streak end with a 14-12 win over Burton Bentley. And don’t forget Farwell, which ended a 17-game winless streak by beating Coleman 20-18.
And how about all of 8-player, which saw both MHSAA champions from a year ago defeated this opening weekend? Just like that, those brackets seem a little wider open this fall.
Every team has a chance to create something memorable, and below are some from each region of the state that got off to the quickest starts. “Drive for Detroit” is sponsored by MI Student Aid.
Bay & Thumb
HEADLINER: Ortonville-Brandon 26, Fenton 21 The Blackhawks ended Fenton’s Flint Metro League winning streak at 29, earning their first win over the Tigers since 2011. Fenton has won at least a share of the league title all seven seasons this decade, but hasn’t had to play catch-up since losing its 2012 opener. Click for more from the Flint Journal.
Also of note: New Lothrop 48, Maple City Glen Lake 16 The Hornets have won 72 of their last 73 regular-season games, and this one could end up among the most impressive of the string.
Remember this one: Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker 36, Hudson 6 These are both annual small-school powers, and last year Laker went on to finish 10-2 despite losing to the Tigers in Week 1.
More shoutouts: Marysville 14, Richmond 0 Beating the playoff regular Blue Devils to start the season always is a good sign, especially after Marysville lost last year and finished 4-5. Grand Blanc 38, Midland Dow 35 The Bobcats have moved to the Saginaw Valley League this fall; although Dow is in the other division, this was an impressive start.
Greater Detroit
HEADLINER: Belleville 40, Brighton 35 Brighton quarterback Will Jontz starred but Belleville prevailed, scoring during the final minute to pull ahead for good. The Tigers are considered MHSAA championship contenders coming off a one-loss season. Click for more from the Detroit News.
Also of note: Oak Park 31, Utica Eisenhower 13 Beating the reigning Macomb Area Conference champ is big, especially after Oak Park lost last year’s matchup 24-7.
Remember this one: Northville 28, Livonia Franklin 14 The Patriots went on to finish Division 2 runners-up after a close win over Northville last year in Week 3. Northville is looking to bounce back from a 3-6 finish.
More shoutouts: Detroit Martin Luther King 52, East St. Louis, Ill. 38 The Crusaders made a statement beating one of the top programs in Illinois. Detroit Cass Tech 40, River Rouge 7 Both made the MHSAA Semifinals last season.
Mid-Michigan
HEADLINER: Pewamo-Westphalia 38, Ithaca 0 The Pirates ended Ithaca's 73-game winning streak in the most unexpected way, dealing the usually high-scoring Yellowjackets their first shutout since 2004. P-W may have graduated some big names from the back-to-back Division 7 championship teams, but there's still plenty of power. Click for more from the Lansing State Journal.
Also of note: Haslett 28, Coldwater 7 The Vikings' vast improvement in 2017 is carrying over, as Haslett won big against a Coldwater team riding five straight playoff appearances.
Remember this one: DeWitt 22, Grand Rapids Christian 10 A year ago, DeWitt lost to Christian in the opener and came back to beat the Eagles in the Pre-District round. Could they meet again?
More shoutouts: Breckenridge 20, Beaverton 19 The Huskies avenged last season's opening-night loss, their only regular-season defeat of the last two seasons. East Lansing 40, St. Johns 6 After a one-point game in 2017, the Trojans more comfortably made it three straight against the Redwings.
Northern Lower Peninsula
HEADLINER: Alpena 30, Escanaba 21 Beating an Escanaba team that made the Division 3 Semifinals a year ago might be the best victory for Alpena since its last playoff season in 2004. The Wildcats had lost eight of the last nine to the Eskymos and are coming off back-to-back 2-7 seasons – but have plenty to be excited about this week. Click for more from the Alpena News.
Also of note: Tawas 48, Lincoln Alcona 24 The Braves are looking to bounce back from a 2-6 finish a year ago, and what a way to start than by avenging last season’s 33-point loss to the Tigers.
Remember this one: Traverse City West 17, Midland 15 The way the maps sort out, these opening-night foes could end up in the same playoff District for the second year in a row – and West owns a 4-2 advantage in their recent series.
More shoutouts: Rogers City 20, Whittemore-Prescott 17 The Hurons fell to W-P by 37 a year ago and had lost all five games of their recent series with the Cardinals. Roscommon 44, Grayling 34 The Bucks also avenged a big 2017 loss, having fallen to Grayling by 46 a year ago.
Southeast & Border
HEADLINER: Jackson Lumen Christi 34, Grand Rapids West Catholic 12 The Titans have now won three of four recent openers against West Catholic, with this one notable as Lumen is the back-to-back Division 6 champion and West Catholic has won five straight Division 5 titles. Both have new contributors taking over key roles, but with aspirations surely high again. Click for more from the Jackson Citizen Patriot.
Also of note: Michigan Center 29, Homer 0 The Cardinals are coming off a shared Cascades Conference title and playoff berth, and shutting out another 2017 playoff team was a great way to restart a run.
Remember this one: Brooklyn Columbia Central 24, Napoleon 0 Columbia Central has opened with four straight wins over Napoleon (another of the Cascades co-champs a year ago) and made the playoffs the last three years.
More shoutouts: Pittsford 28, Morenci 0 Both teams have made the playoffs the last four seasons, but in 2017 Pittsford won their meeting by just a point. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central 37, Harper Woods Chandler Park 30 The Falcons closed last fall winning six of their final eight games and have to be glad to open with another victory over a Chandler Park program that’s made the playoffs nine straight seasons.
Southwest Corridor
HEADLINER: Benton Harbor 19, Battle Creek Harper Creek 17 With a new coach taking over after a historic three-year run, and Harper Creek entering this season coming off one of its best finishes ever, it was tough to know what to expect for Benton Harbor last week. Expectations surely jumped after this win. Click for more from the St. Joseph Herald-Palladium.
Also of note: Battle Creek Central 34, St. Joseph 27 The Bearcats haven’t made the playoffs since 2008 but enjoyed one of its best recent wins over a Bears team that has made the postseason 10 of the last 12 years.
Remember this one: Niles 32, Battle Creek Lakeview 27 The Vikings were 2-7 last season and a combined 7-20 over the last three, but avenged last season’s 31-0 defeat to a Spartans team that also is a regular in the playoff hunt.
More shoutouts: Kalamazoo United 46, Berrien Springs 7 Eric Wenzel tossed six touchdown passes for United in a meeting of 2017 playoff teams. Dowagiac 54, Vicksburg 14 The Chieftains broke a three-year losing streak against Vicksburg and could be the early pick to push annual favorite Edwardsburg in the Wolverine Conference.
Upper Peninsula
HEADLINER: Iron Mountain 12, Negaunee 9 Half the Upper Peninsula will be watching as the newly-expanded Western Peninsula Athletic Conference sorts itself out this fall. But Iron Mountain quickly made ample noise after winning just one game a year ago. Negaunee is coming off a rare sub-.500 season too but was a regular contender in the old Mid-Peninsula Conference. Click for more from the Iron Mountain Daily News.
Also of note: Norway 54, Lake Linden-Hubbell 30 Coming off two straight nine-win seasons, the Knights will have lots of competition on their side of the new West-PAC, making this opening win over a frequent contender potentially key.
Remember this one: Iron River West Iron County 14, Munising 0 The Wykons are coming off a Division 8 Semifinal run last fall and might be the team Norway sees at the end of the West-PAC Small-school race – at least literally, since they meet in Week 9.
More shoutouts: Gwinn 36, Bark River-Harris 20 The Modeltowners had beaten Bark River-Harris once in the last five season – in 2016, when they made the playoffs for the first time since 1999. Hancock 28, L'Anse 27 Hancock’s best season last fall since 2006 still included a two-point loss to L’Anse, now avenged.
West Michigan
HEADLINER: Muskegon 36, Warren DeLaSalle 21 Not much is needed to build up this game’s significance other than to remind that Muskegon is the reigning Division 3 champion and DeLaSalle last year’s winner in Division 2. The Big Reds’ running game could be in midseason form already. Click for more from the Muskegon Chronicle.
Also of note: Reed City 34, Montague 13 Even as Reed City tied its program record last fall with 11 wins, that run started with a 21-point loss to Montague – which went on to win 11 games as well.
Remember this one: Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central 21, Jenison 19 The Rangers have high expectations after last season’s record 12-win season – which could be good news for a Jenison team looking for its first playoff berth since 2003.
More shoutouts: Zeeland East 36, East Grand Rapids 27 Both won nine games in 2017, and both should be in league and playoff mixes again. Holland West Ottawa 35, Stevensville Lakeshore 10 West Ottawa went from 2-7 in 2016 to 10-2 in 2017 and may not be done after handing the Lancers their first opening-night loss since 2006.
8-Player
HEADLINER: Eben Junction Superior Central 46, Crystal Falls Forest Park 24 The Cougars have made significant strides the last few seasons and won their last three games of 2017. But the Trojans beat Superior Central by 42 during the regular season on the way to winning last season’s 8-player Division 2 title. Click for more from the Iron Mountain Daily News.
Also of note: Onaway 40, Central Lake 28 Last season’s 8-player Division 1 champion also began this campaign in defeat as Onaway held the Trojans to their fewest points in 14 games of this format.
Remember this one: Stephenson 46, Cedarville 40 These two have played their last two games against each other, and Stephenson has won both. A repeat playoff meeting in a few months would make for another intriguing rematch.
More shoutouts: Engadine 64, Powers North Central 34 The Eagles posted their highest point total since Week 4 of 2016 in downing the two-time champ. Hillman 34, Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart 27 This began the 8-player chapter for two proud small-school, formerly 11-player programs.
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: Lapeer's defense swarms around a Lake Orion ball carrier during the Lightning's 17-7 win Thursday at University of Michigan. (Photo by Terry Lyons.)
Blahas Building Lasting Owosso Legacy
February 5, 2020
By Tim Robinson
Special for Second Half
Owosso seniors Hunter and Colton Blaha, born 11 months apart, have been competing with each other nearly every day of their lives.
“We’ve been competing forever,” said Colton, the younger of the brothers, with a laugh. “Sprinting down the road so you can get to the house first.”
Hunter agreed.
“We’re always competing, no matter what it is,” he said. “Board games, chores. It doesn’t matter.”
The Blaha brothers have channeled that competitiveness into a work ethic and sense of community that has helped lift the Owosso High School sports programs in which they’ve competed.
Both played football (Hunter at quarterback, Colton at running back), while Hunter plays basketball and runs track and Colton is an all-state wrestler who plays baseball in the spring.
Most of the programs they have played for have not had recent success. The brothers endured part of a 43-game losing streak in football, Hunter’s basketball team recently snapped a 30-game losing streak, and the Owosso baseball team has struggled in recent years.
And, to the Blahas, that doesn’t matter.
Competing does.
“I honestly don’t care what our record is,” Colton Blaha said. “We always had a close bond with the kids in our grade, and that means more than anything. It means more than any record we could have had in wins or losses.”
Trojans athletic director Dallas Lintner, who also is an assistant football coach, said what sets the Blahas apart is that selflessness – a willingness to help build a program despite an outward lack of success.
“What’s refreshing to see at the high school level is that they’re competitive, but they’re classy,” Lintner said. “They mean a lot to us at Owosso High School. They mean a lot to our community particularly with the relationships they’ve built with middle-school kids, with elementary school kids. They really do it all for us.”
Both Blahas have worked, assisting the coaches in their sports, with younger athletes at all levels to help them feel a part of the program.
“When we got here, the senior leadership was horrible,” Hunter Blaha said. “We got treated horribly by the upperclassmen, and that plays a big part in a program, having a bond and a relationship with the younger kids. We set that as a goal in the eighth grade, because we knew how important it was to our program if we got the youth program going at a young level and got them going at the same pace.”
And so Owosso football players at lower levels have seen the Blahas at their games or matches the last four years. Both attend youth level games and interact with future Owosso athletes as much as their schedules allow.
“They’re like rock stars to those kids,” football coach Devin Pringle said. “We do things at elementary schools like reading to kids, and we take the Blahas. They’re like NFL stars to those kids. They wrestle with them, give them high-fives, talk about grades.”
At one point during the football season, Hunter became involved with a troubled elementary school student as part of a class in social tolerance.
“I was chosen to help this kid,” he said. “My idea was to bring him to a game, come see a coin toss, maybe get him a signed football.”
Which he did. The youngster got to do all three and went home with a lasting memory.
“It was an awesome experience,” Hunter said. “I could tell he was really happy that he got the chance to do that.”
Another thing that makes the Blahas stand out, their coaches said, is their commitment to their hometown.
“A lot of kids transferred out of here to play on better sports teams,” Colton Blaha said. “My mom has always taught us to make a name for ourselves, and I feel that Hunter and I have both done that here. We’ve done the best we can to try to change the sports programs around, and we hope the kids under us have picked up on that.”
Naturally, coaching and commitment by those younger players is critical, but there are signs of a turnaround in Owosso football. The Trojans varsity won two games last season and lost three more by a single point. The rest of the teams in the program all had winning records.
“We knew coming in it would take some time to get a new culture established,” Pringle said. “When it happens, it’s because these young men decided to stay.”
After his freshman year of football, Hunter Blaha was promoted to varsity. As a sophomore, he was a unanimous choice as a team captain and started at quarterback.
Colton finished third at 160 pounds at last year’s Division 2 Individual Wrestling Finals, a rise fueled by the competitive fires built during his youth.
“We used to have basement wrestling tournaments, and he used to kick my butt,” Colton said of Hunter. “I used to get so mad at him.”
The boys wrestled and sometimes fought at school, too.
“I always beat him,” Hunter said. “I remember one day I stopped and he came up to me and said, ‘I’m not going to let you whip my (butt) any more. It’s just not going to happen. That’s the day he started wrestling, and he’s been working his tail off ever since. It’s pushed me to work harder and get some goals in mind.”
As for the rivalry, “a year later, (Colton) started whipping my butt,” Hunter said, smiling. “It’s escalated from there.”
Both Blahas plan to compete in college, Hunter in football and Colton in wrestling. Both plan to become teachers, and Pringle has a not-so-subtle plan for Hunter.
“Colton is amazing in his own right,” Pringle said. “But Hunter, when he gets that degree, he’ll be head football coach at Owosso someday. We’re getting a new weight room, and I tell him, ‘I’ll have this ready for you when you take over.’ He’ll be a kid who impacts hundreds of kids before he’s done.”
But first, there’s a senior year to complete.
“It feels like it came up way too fast,” Hunter said. “It feels like yesterday I started at quarterback my sophomore year. I kind of get emotional about it. I don’t like talking about it. Most kids are ready to get out of here, to get their lives going. But I’ve been here since I was 6 years old, and it’s all I’ve ever known, playing with these kids.”
Colton Blaha is known as an athlete who’s the first to arrive at practice and the last to leave, almost to a fault.
“I have him in a fourth-hour class, and he always wants to get in a couple of extra sets,” Pringle said, chuckling. “He always leaves the room last, and sometimes I’m late for lunch because of it.”
A few lost minutes of lunch, though, has been a small price to pay.
“I know they’re going to do great things,” Lintner said. “They’re going to be great husbands. They’re going to be great fathers. They’re going to be great college athletes no matter what university they choose. We’re super proud of them, and as an educator, I’ve been fortunate to be with them the last four years of their journey.”
Asked what the most important thing is that they've gained through athletics, both brothers pause for several seconds before answering.
“Hard work can take you anywhere,” Colton said. “Always. Through hard work, you go through a lot of ups and downs, a lot of lefts and rights, but if you keep working hard, keep your head balanced, you can go anywhere.”
“Being a family, definitely,” Hunter said. “That’s what it’s all about. Life’s not always about football and athletics. You want to make your friendships and talk about these memories 20 years down the road.”
But the Blahas have done more than make memories. They’ve made an impact, one that will be felt ‘years down the road.’
PHOTOS: (Top) Colton, left, and brother Hunter Blaha. (Middle) Colton, left, begins his third-place match during last season’s Division 2 Individual Finals at Ford Field. (Middle photo by HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)