Drive for Detroit: Week 7 Preview
October 6, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Tonight could end with at least a few Michigan communities celebrating the best night in their local high school's football history.
Breckenridge is seeking its first league title since its players' grandparents were newborns. Engadine, Corunna and many more could have momentous evenings as well as league titles stand to be decided all over the state.
All nine highlighted games of this week's Drive for Detroit preview powered by MI Student Aid could decide league races, whether tonight or in the near future. Check out the MHSAA Score Center for a schedule of this weekend's games and to see scores as they're reported. All games listed below are today unless noted.
Bay & Thumb
Corunna (6-0) at Lake Fenton (6-0)
This Genesee Area Conference Red finale matches the league’s co-leaders. Corunna’s transformation the last two seasons truly deserves note; the Cavaliers didn’t have a winning season from 2006-12 and then fell back to 2-7 in 2014 after a 6-4 finish the year before. But they’re in position to repeat as Red champs after sharing the title last season with Goodrich. Lake Fenton has been much more of a regular contender but still will be playing for its first league title since sharing the Red with Montrose in 2007.
Others that caught my eye: Alma (5-1) at Carrollton (4-2), Saginaw Swan Valley (4-2) at Freeland (6-0), Davison (6-0) at Lapeer (5-1), Saginaw Heritage (3-3) at Flint Carman-Ainsworth (4-2).
Greater Detroit
Rochester Adams (5-1) at Birmingham Groves (6-0)
It’s a little complicated, but the Oakland Activities Association White winner also can be partially determined tonight. Thanks to a one-point loss to Oak Park in Week 4, Adams trails Groves just slightly in the standings with the opportunity to secure a share of the league title with a win tonight in what will be its final league game of the fall. Groves also can clinch a share tonight with a win but still has one more league game to play next week and must win that as well to clinch the title outright – unless Oak Park, already with a league defeat to Groves, also loses one of its final two OAA White games. An Adams win tonight could lead to a three-way title share.
Others that caught my eye: Romeo (4-2) at Warren Mott (6-0), Detroit Western International (4-2) at Detroit Mumford (5-1), Detroit Catholic Central (6-0) at Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (4-2), Detroit East English (4-2) at Detroit Martin Luther King (5-1) on Saturday.
Mid-Michigan
Merrill (5-1) at Breckenridge (6-0)
Already celebrating its first playoff berth since 1993 – and after going 0-9 (!) last season – Breckenridge can secure a share of its first league title tonight in 70 years, according to a Midland Daily News report. But Merrill – which like Breckenridge joined the Mid-State Activities Conference this season after leaving the Tri-Valley Conference West – can set up a possibility to share the championship as it enters with only an MSAC loss to Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart. Merrill downed Breckenridge 48-6 a year ago after the Huskies took their 2014 meeting.
Others that caught my eye: Fowler (4-2) at Dansville (4-2), Lansing Sexton (4-2) at East Lansing (4-2), Stockbridge (3-3) at Olivet (4-2), DeWitt (5-1) at St. Johns (3-3).
Northern Lower Peninsula
Clare (5-1) at Roscommon (6-0)
These two are tied for first in the Jack Pine Conference with three games to play – meaning that a loss tonight won’t entirely derail either’s hopes. But the winner should be set up well to at least share the title, although Roscommon still must play Harrison (4-2) and Claire finishes with playoff hopefuls Beaverton (4-2) and Houghton Lake (3-3). The Pioneers are used to this scenario – before falling twice last season, they had won 34 straight Jack Pine games and have dominated the league most of the last two decades. Roscommon, meanwhile, has its most wins already since 2006, when it finished 10-2 and won the conference.
Others that caught my eye: Gaylord St. Mary (5-1) at Johannesburg-Lewiston (3-3), Muskegon Catholic Central (6-0) at Manistee (4-2), Charlevoix (5-1) at Onekama (5-1), Saginaw Nouvel (4-2) at Tawas (4-1).
Southeast & Border
Ida (6-0) at Hudson (5-1)
Ida has won all but one of its Lenawee County Athletic Association games over the last two seasons by at least 24 points. The team to come closer, Hillsdale (falling 20-17), is next week’s opponent – but Ida won’t look past rejuvenated Hudson. The Tigers have bounced back from finishing 4-5 last year and still have LCAA title hopes despite falling to Hillsdale 14-6 last week. Hillsdale already has a league loss as well, so an Ida win tonight puts the Bluestreaks in strong position to at least share the championship after winning it outright in 2015.
Others that caught my eye: Petersburg-Summerfield (4-2) at Clinton (4-2), Quincy (5-1) at Concord (5-1), Milan (6-0) at Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (3-3), Morenci (4-2) at Ottawa Lake Whiteford (6-0).
Southwest Corridor
Battle Creek Harper Creek (6-0) at Coldwater (4-2)
Harper Creek is having an all-around great fall; the volleyball team is ranked No. 6 in Class B, the boys cross country team was tied for No. 9 in Lower Peninsula Division 2 entering this week, and the football team has doubled its wins from a season ago with an opportunity tonight to clinch a share of the Interstate 8 Athletic Conference championship against last year’s champion. Coldwater has won two straight over the Beavers and won’t go quietly, but Harper Creek has yet to allow a team to get closer than 10 points.
Others that caught my eye: St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic (5-1) at Bridgman (4-2), Schoolcraft (6-0) at Gobles (5-1), Portage Central (5-1) at Portage Northern (4-2), Delton Kellogg (4-2) at Watervliet (4-2).
Upper Peninsula
Ishpeming (3-2) at Negaunee (6-0)
A couple of pretty strong Negaunee teams have had their Mid-Peninsula Athletic Conference hopes dashed by MHSAA title-contending Ishpeming teams over the last few years. The Hematites have beaten the Miners in three straight, and the 2013 and 2015 victories decided league titles. But Negaunee enters as the favorite this time with wins over five teams still up for playoff berths, and Ishpeming has a little additional pressure; it must win two of its last three games against Negaunee, St. Ignace and Gwinn to guarantee adding to a 14-season playoff streak.
Others that caught my eye: Kingsford (4-2) at Iron Mountain (5-1), Escanaba (5-1) at Gladstone (3-3), Lake Linden-Hubbell (6-0) at Houghton (3-3), Hancock (4-2) at Gwinn (4-2).
West Michigan
Zeeland East (5-1) at Hudsonville Unity Christian (6-0)
Four teams in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Green are at least 5-1 and a fifth is 4-2, making this arguably the strongest league in the state top to bottom this fall. Two of this week’s matchups are highlighted in this space this week, and Unity Christian enters tied with Byron Center for first place but with Hamilton and Zeeland East holding only one league loss. East is a newcomer after playing previously in the O-K Black, but could have the greatest influence on the final finish with Unity on the schedule this week, Byron Center next week and rival Zeeland West in Week 9
Others that caught my eye: Whitehall (4-2) at Ravenna (4-2), Big Rapids (3-3) at Reed City (6-0), Grand Rapids South Christian (3-3) at Wyoming (4-2), Hamilton (5-1) at Zeeland West (4-2).
8-Player
Cedarville (6-0) at Engadine (6-0)
Engadine is in the midst of a string of successful seasons it hasn’t enjoyed since the mid-1980s, but winning tonight could make this fall the best of the bunch. The Eagles can clinch a share of the Bridge-Alliance League title after returning this fall after a year playing in the Western Eight Conference. Cedarville, of course, is a regular favorite and has only four league losses in five seasons of 8-player football. The Trojans’ closest games this fall have been a pair of 20-point wins, and Engadine hasn’t let anyone get closer than 10.
Others that caught my eye: Wyoming Tri-unity Christian (6-0) at Lawrence (6-0), Webberville (5-1) at Portland St. Patrick (6-0), Rapid River (5-1) at Stephenson (5-1).
Second Half’s weekly “Drive for Detroit” previews 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: Saginaw Swan Valley (left) and Zeeland East faced off earlier this season; both will attempt to beat league leaders this weekend. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
Port Huron Proud to Wear Perfection After First 9-0 Regular Season Since 1952
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
October 28, 2026
The T-shirts celebrating Port Huron High’s Macomb Area Conference Blue football title came in a little later this year, but for good reason.
They were in need of a design tweak to add another, even bigger accomplishment: the school’s first 9-0 season since 1952.
“It was getting to be six and seven (wins), so I looked it up and I didn’t let anybody know except for the athletic director,” Port Huron coach Dan Perkins said. “We won our league and she shared with me the shirt design. and I said, ‘Well, hold off on those, we might want to add something to it.’ So it’s pretty neat.”
Port Huron defeated rival Port Huron Northern 13-10 this past Friday to finish off its perfect regular season. While the players may not have been aware of exactly how long it had been, they did know they were part of something special.
“It means the most to me, definitely, to do it with these guys and this type of team,” senior linebacker and tight end Aiden Forstner said. “Coming through, I haven’t seen a team do it (go undefeated), and I wanted to be the first to do it. All summer long, that’s what we thrived for. Every day in the weight room, all the conditioning, all the days that sucked, we thrived to be 9-0. Getting that accomplishment means a lot to me. (Beating Northern) definitely made it special, because everyone was expecting a blowout in that game, but it being as close as it was, and it being a nail-biter, it will stay with me forever. It being the school from the north, it made it 10 times better.”
It’s not as though the Port Huron program has lacked success. This year’s playoff berth extends the Red Hawks’ current streak to eight years. The 2019 team won a District title, as did the 2011 group, which came the closest to similar perfection, falling in its final regular-season game to finish 8-1.
“It’s crazy, and Northern’s last one was 1986, so for the whole town that’s quite an accomplishment,” Perkins said. “Doing that is very, very hard. We had a team in 2011 that’s getting inducted into the (Port Huron Sports Hall of Fame) that was a juggernaut, and we just slipped up the one game. It’s quite an accomplishment.”
Led by a suffocating defense, the Red Hawks have been overpowering throughout the season, winning every game outside of Weeks 1 and 9 by at least two scores. For the season, they’ve held opponents to 12.3 points on average while scoring 37.2. The offense is quarterbacked by junior Jaxon Johnston, a 6-foot-2 junior with a big arm who is in his first year in the program.
He’s been able to grow into the system as Port Huron’s defense has been dominant from start to finish. Only Anchor Bay (in overtime) and Madison Heights Lamphere scored more than 14 against Port Huron this season.
“We can hang our hat on our defensive crew, and that’s very nice,” Perkins said. “As long as our field position is right, going 80 yards against us is hard, real hard to do. And running the football has been real difficult for teams; we’re real stout up front. But every one of our defensive backs has multiple interceptions, and as a team we’ve got 19. The whole group has done a fantastic job, and coach (Brandon) Wardlow has done an awesome job with them, and the kids have really just responded. They take on the challenges. That’s been our calling card, and then the offense has been kind of a work in progress and has gotten better throughout the year.”
The defensive line is leading the charge on that side of the ball, paced by tackles Dylan Volpe and Ja’Michael Thomas, who create havoc up the middle. Both are juniors who stand over 6 feet tall and weigh in at 280-plus. Volpe has drawn interest from Division I college programs across the country, reporting offers from Florida State and Eastern Michigan.
And they’re surrounded by even more playmakers up front.
“Our D line is crazy. I think all of us have over three sacks,” Volpe said. “Me, Ja’Michael Thomas, Parrison Rome on the other end, Jayvon Bolar, Hunter Rock and Bryant (Braley), our D line is crazy.”
It’s also making things easier for the rest of the defense.
“It makes it so much easier,” senior linebacker Jaxon Winchester said. “Sometimes the linemen can’t even get to us because they’re putting in so much work. It’s just great to have, especially like Volpe and JT up there, they’re just so fast off the ball. It’s so nice to be part of, and I get some plays out of it.”
The next test for the Red Hawks is a matchup with New Boston Huron on Friday at Memorial Stadium in the opening round of the Division 3 playoffs. A win would give them a school record-tying 10th win and make them the first team in school history to reach 10-0.
Port Huron is the No. 1 seed in its region, meaning any game through the Regional Final would be played on the Red Hawks’ home field. But with Warren De La Salle Collegiate and Detroit Martin Luther King lurking as potential District and Regional opponents, the Red Hawks still feel as though they are doubted.
“I believe we’re very underlooked,” Forstner said. “Even if it’s like, ‘Where’s the competition that these guys have played?’ I feel like we’ve played at the level competition is, and where we need to be, and it will show when those weeks come.”
If they’re able to defend home field over the next three weeks, the Red Hawks would become the first team in program history to advance to a Semifinal, which would probably warrant one more shirt design.
“It would mean so much,” Winchester said. “Senior year, so it’s the last year, and I really think we can do it. We have the team, we have to come in and work every day like we have been all season. Port Huron Red Hawks coming, man. That’s all I have to say.”
Paul Costanzo served as a sportswriter at The Port Huron Times Herald from 2006-15, including three years as lead sportswriter, and prior to that as sports editor at the Hillsdale Daily News from 2005-06. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Midland and Gladwin counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Port Huron’s Dylan Volpe (64) works against a blocker during his team’s Week 2 win over Marysville. (Middle) Quarterback Jaxon Johnston surveys the field. (Below) Carter Bankston (11) contends for the ball with a Marysville player. (Photos by Ryan Dowd/Blue Leprechaun Photography.)