Drive for Detroit: Week 3 in Review
September 17, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Swartz Creek and Flint Kearsley combined for 137 points in Week 3, second most in MHSAA history for two football teams when the losing team scores at least 40 (Swartz Creek won 77-61).
Reigning Division 7 runner-up Detroit Loyola dropped reigning Division 4 runner-up Detroit Country Day to 0-3 with a 20-14 win. And Deckerville, last season's 8-player MHSAA champion, beat 2011 champion Carsonville-Port Sanilac 42-0.
All were pretty significant and worth mentioning for sure. But they were just honorable mentions in this week's recap of the most significant results from every region of the state.
West Michigan
Muskegon 45, Rockford 0
Instead of trying to explain the shock factor that accompanied this score, let’s instead focus on how good this likely means Muskegon (3-0) is again this season. The Big Reds are coming off a runner-up finish in Division 2, and have to be considered a favorite to return to Ford Field after defensively dismantling the Rams (2-1) while getting another big night from quarterback Deshaun Thrower. Click to read more from the Grand Rapids Press.
Also noted:
Holland West Ottawa 27, East Grand Rapids 23: The Panthers (2-1) earned another key nonleague win as they gear up for a tough O-K Red schedule; East Grand Rapids (2-1) will hope to pick up another this week before beginning in the similarly-strong O-K White.
Muskegon Mona Shores 21, Caledonia 20: The Sailors, seeking their first playoff berth, are 3-0 for the first time since 1980 with this win over frequent postseason qualifier Caledonia (2-1).
Zeeland East 14, Hudsonville 12: This Chix (3-0) made it 18 straight wins in the regular season, this time against a Hudsonville team (2-1) that also should be in the O-K Red mix.
Grand Rapids South Christian 34, Grand Rapids West Catholic 17: Another solid win by the reigning Division 4 champion Sailors (2-1) puts reigning Division 5 runner-up West Catholic (0-3) in a must-win scenario for the rest of the regular season.
Lower Up North
Traverse City West 17, Traverse City Central 14 (OT)
At the high school level especially, with rosters changing dramatically each season, it’s difficult to pick which early-season games will be the most competitive. But this rivalry game was again as good as advertised, coming down to an overtime field goal. West avenged last season’s loss to regain the Nowak-Olson Memorial Trophy and earn a 5-4 edge in the teams’ most recent nine meetings. Click to read more from the Traverse City Record-Eagle.
Also noted:
Traverse City St. Francis 36, Elk Rapids 26: Although these two no longer play each other in the Lake Michigan Conference, this matchup between Gladiators (2-1) and Elks (2-1) remains one of the best among Traverse City’s smaller schools.
Cadillac 20, Petoskey 7: The Vikings (3-0) look good to be in the Big North Conference mix again after defeating another contender in Petoskey (2-1) on the first night of league play.
Hale 12, Oscoda 8: The Eagles (1-1) beat Oscoda (0-3) for the first time in their recent five-game series.
Indian River Indian Lakes 36, Pickford 34 (OT): The Bulldogs (2-1), seeking their first playoff berth since 2009, avenged last season’s loss against Pickford (2-1), a 2012 qualifier.
Bay and Thumb
Lapeer West 19, Lapeer East 13
As the Flint Journal led, “it was a classic finish to a storied rivalry.” These schools entered their final game against each other both 2-0 and were tied until the final two minutes. The series, which began in 1975, is ending because the schools are merging next summer. West finished with a 29-10 all-time lead. Click to read more from the Flint Journal.
Also noted:
Flint Beecher 40, Goodrich 7: The Bucs (3-0) pulled nearly a reversal of last season’s 26-0 loss to the Martians (1-2).
Saginaw Arthur Hill 21, Bay City Western 18: The Lumberjacks (3-0) already have equaled their best season since 2008 and did so last week by beating the regularly-ranked Warriors (1-2).
Saginaw Swan Valley 29, Freeland 19: Vikings running back Alex Grace ran for 337 yards as Swan Valley (3-0) continued to impress against the rival Falcons (2-1).
Yale 16, Croswell-Lexington 13: Yale (2-1) broke a four-game losing streak against Croswell-Lexington (1-2) which included regular season and playoff defeats in 2012. In doing so, Yale reclaimed The Helmet traveling trophy.
Upper Peninsula
Iron River West Iron County 23, Iron Mountain 20
How big was this win for West Iron? The Wykons hadn’t beaten their rival since 1990, including five seasons where they also lost playoff games to Iron Mountain. The Mountaineers (1-2) outscored West Iron by a combined 116-0 from 2010-12. And now the Wykons can celebrate their first 3-0 start since that same season 23 years ago. Click to read more from the Iron Mountain Daily News.
Also noted:
Crystal Falls Forest Park 31, Hurley (Wis.) 14: The Trojans (3-0) earned a significant Great Western Conference edge by handing rival Hurley (2-1) its first loss.
Marquette 17, Sault Ste. Marie 14: Few teams in Michigan can match the Marquette's start of three wins against 2012 playoff teams, with Sault Ste. Marie (1-2) its final opponent before the start of league play.
Menomionee 40, Harbor Beach 21: What a way for Menominee (3-0) to enter league play – coming off beating a Harbor Beach team (2-1) coming off the Division 8 championship.
Powers North Central 22, Lake Linden-Hubbell 14: The Jets are 3-0 for the first time since 1998, while the Lakes fell to 1-2 for the first time since 2004.
Greater Detroit and Southeast
Madison Heights Madison 29, Warren Woods Tower 22 (OT)
It’s only the end of Week 3, but Madison (3-0) looks pretty good to repeat at Macomb Area Conference Silver champion thanks to this win combined with last week’s over Warren Fitzgerald, the only team to beat Madison during last season’s title run. Madison trailed Warren Woods Tower (2-1) by two scores early before coming all the way back. Click to read more from the Detroit Free Press.
Also noted:
Detroit Mumford 26, Detroit Cody 22: By improving to 3-0, Mumford bested its records of the past two seasons while dropping Cody – a playoff team last season – to 1-2.
Oak Park 36, Rochester Adams 30: The Knights (3-0) scored twice over the final eight minutes to survive an Adams team that is much better than its 1-2 record indicates.
Warren DeLaSalle 42, Harper Woods Chandler Park 14: Chandler Park (2-1) is considered a team to watch in the Detroit area, which makes this win even more impressive for the Pilots (2-1).
Clinton Township Chippewa Valley 42, Utica Eisenhower 21: The Big Reds (3-0) continued their best start since 2006, with Eisenhower (1-2) now left to chase Chippewa Valley and Macomb Dakota in the Macomb Area Conference Red.
Mid-Michigan
Olivet 28, Schoolcraft 14
Wasn’t the Kalamazoo Valley Association supposed to come down again to Schoolcraft and Constantine? The Eagles no doubt used that as a motivating factor in handing the reigning league champ its first regular season loss since 2011 and only a week after Schoolcraft had beaten Constantine. Now it’s Olivet setting pace in the KVA, with Constantine coming up in Week 8. Click to read more from the Battle Creek Enquirer.
Also noted:
Eaton Rapids 17, Charlotte 12: The Greyhounds (2-1) regained the Little Brown Jug traveling trophy for the first time since 1992 against a solid Charlotte team (2-1), and with one more win will equal their most for a season since 1997.
Lansing Sexton 35, Grand Ledge 0: The Big Reds (3-0) haven’t given up a point in two weeks and with this win put the rival Comets (0-3) in a must-win situation for the rest of the regular season.
Grass Lake 27, Michigan Center 20: Only a loss to Michigan Center (2-1) kept Grass Lake (3-0) from a second straight outright Cascades Conference title last season; the Warriors, Cardinals and Manchester ended up sharing first place, but now Grass Lake has an upper hand.
Howell 14, Hartland 12: The Highlanders (3-0) survived to remain undefeated and avenge last season’s 12-point loss to the rival Eagles (1-2).
Southwest and Border
Plainwell 10, Dowagiac 0
These two don’t play in the same division of the Wolverine Conference, but are arguably the two best teams in the league. Dowagiac (2-1) entered this matchup 19-1 over its last 20 regular-season games and having won all seven of this recent series with the Trojans (3-0). Click to read more from the Kalamazoo Gazette.
Also noted:
Decatur 27, Saugatuck 20: This was the first time Decatur (3-0) gave up points this season, but this also was the most impressive of the victories; Saugatuck (2-1) had outscored its first two opponents by a combined score of 117-12.
Battle Creek Harper Creek 14, Marshall 6: The Beavers (2-1) were in need of a quick bounce-back after last week’s five-point loss to St. Joseph, and got it with a close win over Marshall (0-3).
Portage Central 34, Mattawan 8: After falling to Mattawan (1-2) by a point last season, Portage Central (3-0) left no question this time in the teams’ Southwest Michigan Athletic Conference West opener.
St. Joseph 32, Stevensville Lakeshore 20: The Bears (3-0) continued their impressive opening surge by winning the annual War by the Shore trophy and ending a four-game regular-season losing streak to Lakeshore (2-1).
Trophy Games
Every week of football season, the MHSAA highlights trophy games around the state. Here are two more not previously mentioned above:
Little Brown Jug - Suttons Bay vs. Kingsley: The Stags held onto this trophy for the third straight season. Final: Kingsley 34, Suttons Bay 21.
Bayou Battle Paddle - Fruitport vs. Spring Lake: Spring Lake claimed this trophy for the second time in three seasons, both times with one-point wins. Final: Spring Lake 10, Fruitport 9.
PHOTO: Detroit Mumford (maroon jerseys) edged Detroit Cody 26-22 to move to 3-0. (Photo courtesy of Detroit Public School League.)
Chance Paying Off Big for Sturgis Again
By
Wes Morgan
Special for MHSAA.com
September 30, 2020
The entirety of 2020 thus far has been a matter of conjecture. Trying to predict anything with any degree of certainty – including the sporting world – has proved to be a worthless expenditure of time.
That the Sturgis High School varsity football team would have as many victories in the first two weeks of the season as it had in the previous two years certainly wouldn’t have been the most absurd thought for Trojans fans. But based on recent history, it surely didn’t seem like the most likely scenario.
And it wasn’t the kind of lofty expectation anyone wanted to throw on the back of first-year head coach Chance Stewart, who was hired June 4.
The 2-0 start is the first for Sturgis since 2003. The 25-21 win over rival Three Rivers to start the year broke a seven-game losing streak for the Trojans, who finished 4-23 over the last three years.
Toss in the fact that the season itself almost didn’t materialize due to COVID-19 restrictions in the state, and that like every other program in Michigan, Sturgis will participate in the playoffs following an abbreviated regular season – and there’s a much louder buzz around town these days.
It will be only the Trojans’ third postseason appearance since Stewart’s final prep game at quarterback in Orange and Black in 2013 — a 16-0 Pre-District loss at St. Joseph. He went on to a brief stint at Western Michigan University and a phenomenal career at Hillsdale College, which yielded a G-MAC Player of the Year award, a single-season school and league record of 3,588 passing yards en route to a conference championship in 2018 and finishing with a school-record 10,064 passing yards. Stewart also recorded 73 career touchdowns in his 41 games played for the Chargers.
At just 24 years old, he’s not that far removed from the young men he’s now charged with overseeing at Sturgis. And in such bizarre times with protocols no one could have imagined just a year ago, Stewart is obviously pleased with how September unfolded.
“These kids are playing extremely hard right now,” Stewart said following the team’s 36-6 win over Allegan this past weekend. “The effort has been outrageously great for us the last two weeks. Finally getting the opportunity to come back after football was taken away from them, the effort was one thing we were hoping we wouldn’t have to worry about. And we didn’t have to. They came out ready to get after it.”
A total of 15 seniors are on the squad this year, but the roster changes weekly as Stewart has given junior varsity players an opportunity to play their way into Friday night spots with the new five-quarter rule instituted by the Michigan High School Athletic Association. Still, it’s the veteran group that mostly has fueled Sturgis so far.
“We have a great senior class here that’s leading the way for the rest of the guys, saying this is how things are going to be done now,” Stewart said. “That senior class really wants to go out on top and they really set the tone the first two weeks.”
Captains Rylee Cain (tight end/linebacker) and Brady Webb (quarterback, linebacker) were selected by their peers, and their production on the field has been solid. Webb threw for 81 yards and two touchdowns in the opener against the Wildcats. Defensively, Webb has logged 11.5 tackles (four for loss), and Cain has 13 tackles (four for loss) and an interception through the first two weeks, which included limited time on the field as the Trojans downed Allegan 36-6. Webb’s 28-yard hookup with Xander Cosby was a game-winner with 43 seconds remaining against Three Rivers.
Stewart also pointed out the crucial play of senior Julian Alldridge, a right guard who will begin lining up at right tackle, and Jaden Bodi, who prepared in camp to play receiver and linebacker but was moved to right guard and defensive end.
“Alldridge has done a phenomenal job so far with helping out,” Stewart said. “From three weeks ago to now, (Bodi) is in two new positions with no questions asked. He just wants to do whatever he can to help the football team.”
Following Jimmy Lamb’s resignation from the head coaching position last year to focus on his new duties in an administrative role in the district, Sturgis athletics director Mark Adams believed Stewart, despite being green behind the ears, had enough experience on the field and the leadership skills to take over.
“That’s something you really need if you’re going to be a good coach,” Adams said. “When my son was growing up, Chance had his own football league at his house and teams from around (St. Joseph County) would come to it. He’s just that kind of guy. He’s organized, he’s imaginative, and talking to him in his interview about his X’s and O’s, I learned a lot of football from him then. He’s young and energetic and has a lot of great ideas, not just for football, but for the community and other things.”
Stewart always hoped to get an opportunity like this, he just didn’t expect it to come so quickly.
“It was special (playing quarterback here),” he said. “It’s special because my dad got to do it back in the 80s. Playing out here, wearing the Sturgis jersey has been really special to us.
Bigger than that, I think was just what the program was able to do for me to help me grow from just a 14-year-old scrawny kid into the person I am now. It’s because of those relationships I created out here. I was lucky enough to play for two coaches that really cared about their players in Coach (Bill) Keim and Coach Lamb — two guys to this day I still look up to. Now I get to give back in that same role that those guys were able to help me.”
Wes Morgan has reported for the Kalamazoo Gazette, ESPN and ESPNChicago.com, 247Sports and Blue & Gold Illustrated over the last 12 years and is the publisher of JoeInsider.com. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) A Sturgis ball carrier follows his blocks in Allegan territory during Friday’s win. (Middle) Chance Stewart has returned home to coach the high school program for which he starred at quarterback less than a decade ago. (Top photo by Scott Rains; middle by Wes Morgan.)