Drive for Detroit: Week 8 in Review
October 17, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
On one hand, this weekend was the second-to-last of a football regular season that seemed this fall to roll by as quickly as ever.
On the other, this weekend was just the start of the second half of the 14-week Michigan high school football season that finishes up in six weeks at Ford Field – and 174 teams have clinched opportunities to continue on the hunt for an MHSAA title.
This annually is one of the most important weeks of the season; more than 600 teams finish up regular-season play, and Sunday we'll announce the 256-team 11-player playoff field and 16 teams that will advance in 8-player. We'll talk about that more as this week goes on. But we'll start with the highlights of all that was Week 8 below.
Bay & Thumb
Flint Carman-Ainsworth 34, Midland Dow 27
The Cavaliers (6-2) bounced back from a 1-2 start to go undefeated in winning the Saginaw Valley League Blue title, but had to beat co-leader Dow in the final game to finish the run. Carman-Ainsworth last won a league title in 2013, but had finished fifth and then fourth in the SVL Red over the last two seasons while Dow was hoping for a third straight Blue title. Click for more from the Flint Journal.
Also noted:
Richmond 28, Algonac 13 – For the second straight season, this matchup decided at least partially the Blue Water Area Conference title; for the second straight season, Richmond (7-1) beat Algonac (7-1), this time to win the league outright.
Bay City Central 17, Saginaw Heritage 14 – The Wolves (5-3) held on against the Hawks (3-5) to edge closer to a first playoff berth since 2007, and can clinch a spot this week against rival Bay City Western.
Ubly 54, Harbor Beach 12 – The Bearcats (8-0) won the Greater Thumb Conference East title outright while guaranteeing their best season finish since 2010 and sending Harbor Beach to 4-4.
Marysville 28, St. Clair 27 – The Macomb Area Conference Gold champion Vikings (8-0) guaranteed their best record since 2011 and have a chance to go 9-0 for the first time since 2003 after just edging St. Clair (4-4).
Greater Detroit
Utica Eisenhower 38, Warren Mott 6
The Eagles (8-0) couldn’t clinch the Macomb Area Conference Red title outright until this final league game, but did so comfortably after jumping out to a 24-0 lead. Five of six teams in the league are still alive for playoff berths – Eisenhower and Mott (6-2) have clinched, and Romeo, Clinton Township Chippewa Valley and Macomb Dakota can get in with wins this week – which makes Eisenhower’s first league title since 2011 all the more impressive. Click for more from the Macomb Daily.
Also noted:
Birmingham Brother Rice 20, Traverse City Central 17 (3OT) – The Warriors (5-3) kept themselves alive to return to the playoffs by handing Central (7-1) its first loss with a marathon effort.
Dearborn 28, Dearborn Fordson 23 – This matchup of neighborly rivals also ended up as a matchup of Western Wayne Athletic Conference divisional champs; Dearborn (7-1) broke a three-game losing streak against the Tractors (7-1).
Clarkston 45, Lake Orion 16 – Despite a Week 2 overtime loss to Southfield Arts & Technology, Clarkston (6-2) stormed back to earn a share of the Oakland Activities Association Red title in part because Lake Orion (5-3) handed the Warriors a league loss in Week 5.
Warren Michigan Collegiate 34, Harper Woods Chandler Park 22 – The Cougars (7-1) clinched the Charter School Conference championship for the first time since 2011 as these two met to decide the league title for the third straight year; Chandler Park (5-3) has the week off but will make the playoffs with five wins in eight games.
Mid-Michigan
Grand Ledge 31, East Lansing 28
The Comets (7-1) jumped to an early lead and saw four players score as they stayed just ahead of East Lansing to clinch the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue title outright for the second straight season. East Lansing (5-3) had fallen to Jackson in its league opener but had a chance to create a shared championship with a victory. Grand Ledge’s only loss this season was on opening night, by seven, to Hudsonville. Click for more from the Lansing State Journal.
Also noted:
Clare 31, Beaverton 14 – The Pioneers (7-1) earned a share of their ninth Jack Pine Conference championship in 10 seasons while putting the Beavers (5-3) in a must-win situation this week.
Fowlerville 30, Corunna 15 – The Gladiators (6-2) secured their first playoff berth since 2010, also the last season they won at least six games; Corunna fell to 6-2 as well but had already clinched a spot.
DeWitt 48, Menominee 14 – In a battle of annual Ford Field hopefuls, DeWitt (7-1) became the first this season to hold the Maroons (7-1) to fewer than 28 points.
Brighton 41, Howell 20 – The Bulldogs (7-1) staved off the Highlanders (5-3) to win the Kensington Lakes Activities Association West outright and earn this week’s Lakes final berth against Walled Lake Western.
Northern Lower Peninsula
Frankfort 28, Charlevoix 0
The Panthers (8-0) repeated at Northern Michigan Football Conference Legends division champions with their second straight shutout and third this season. They earned a share and can clinch outright this week against Onekama. The win also extended Frankfort’s best start since 2004, the last time the team finished a perfect regular season. Charlevoix (6-2) still can finish with its most wins since 2006 with another this week against Mesick. Click for more from 9&10 News.
Also noted:
Johannesburg-Lewiston 30, East Jordan 28 – The Cardinals (4-4) kept themselves in the hunt for a sixth straight playoff berth while also forcing East Jordan (4-4) into hoping for an at-large bid.
Harbor Springs 38, Gaylord St. Mary 24 – In what could be considered an upset, Harbor Springs (4-4) actually moved past St. Mary (6-2) in the NMFC Legacy standings with a third straight win.
Cadillac 26, Manistee 22 – With one-loss Traverse City Central and a shot at a share of the Big North Conference title up this week, Cadillac (6-2) was wise to get playoff qualification out of the way with a close win over Manistee (4-4).
Whittemore-Prescott 14, Hillman 0 – The Cardinals (5-3) kept themselves alive for an automatic berth to their 10th straight playoffs, but Hillman (4-4) will need a win and some help to qualify for the 11th straight season.
Southeast & Border
Ottawa Lake Whiteford 48, Sand Creek 20
Whiteford (8-0) closed out its first perfect run through the Tri-County Conference since joining the league in 1975 and set itself up for its first perfect regular season since 1965. The Bobcats have won five straight over Sand Creek, which still is enjoying its best season since 2005. Click for more from the Toledo Blade.
Also noted:
Brooklyn Columbia Central 28, Dundee 26 – The Golden Eagles (6-2) clinched back-to-back playoff berths for the first time in program history while eliminating Dundee (3-5) from postseason consideration.
Ida 52, Hillsdale 13 – The Bluestreaks (7-1) came up big against a dangerous opponent in Hillsdale (4-4) to remain tied for first with Hudson in the Lenawee County Athletic Association with a game to play.
Monroe Jefferson 20, Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central 14 – The Bears (4-4) guaranteed their best finish since 2011 and gave themselves a chance at making the playoffs for the first time since 2006 while also putting the Falcons (4-4) in a tougher spot as they go for a 13th berth in 14 seasons.
Michigan Center 24, Grass Lake 22 – In arguably the night’s biggest upset statewide, Michigan Center (5-3) gave itself a chance to earn a playoff berth this week and gave Napoleon a share of the Cascades Conference title by dealing co-champion Grass Lake (7-1) its first loss.
Southwest Corridor
Berrien Springs 33, Buchanan 27 (OT)
A two-point loss to Buchanan kept Berrien Springs from winning the Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph White title last season, but the Shamrocks finished the run this time after coming back from nine down in the fourth quarter to force overtime. Berrien Springs (5-2) also clinched a playoff berth because it has an eight-game schedule; Buchanan (4-3) also is playing eight games and must beat Niles Brandywine this week to get in automatically. Click for more from the South Bend Tribune.
Also noted:
Battle Creek Harper Creek 21, Marshall 20 – The Beavers (7-1) bounced back from their only loss to just edge Marshall (4-4) and keep a share of the Interstate 8 Athletic Conference championship, with Jackson Lumen Christi securing the other half.
Benton Harbor 47, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 21 – The Tigers (8-1) tied their highest win total since 1985 in sending Notre Dame Prep to 4-4.
Schoolcraft 20, Constantine 10 – The Eagles (8-0) got by far their best game of the season from the old rival Falcons (5-3) in a matchup of Southwestern Athletic Conference divisional champions.
Edwardsburg 38, Three Rivers 0 – Make that 28 straight Wolverine Conference wins, four straight league titles (after clinching a share), and three straight shutouts for Edwardsburg (8-0), which has beaten Three Rivers (6-2) in five straight.
Upper Peninsula
Norway 25, Gwinn 2
Norway will need help to claim a share of the Mid-Peninsula Conference title – leader Negaunee can clinch outright this week against two-win Ishpeming Westwood. But the Knights (7-1) have equaled their most victories since 2010 and with another will guarantee their best finish since 2006. Gwinn (5-3) must beat Ishpeming this week to clinch a first playoff berth since 1999. Click for more from the Iron Mountain Daily News.
Also noted:
Iron River West Iron County 34, Hancock 7 – The Wykons (5-3) remain alive for an automatic berth with L’Anse (2-6) up next; Hancock (4-4) lost that automatic berth chance and must beat rival Houghton (3-5) this week to have an at-large shot.
St. Ignace 24, Ishpeming 16 – The Saints (7-1) avenged last season’s six-point loss to the Hematites (3-4), who must win this week to have a chance at extending their 14-season playoff streak.
Lake Linden-Hubbell 24, Felch North Dickinson 6 – The Broncos (8-0) clinched a share of the Mid-Eastern Conference title and sent North Dickinson (5-3) out of second place and into a must-win situation.
Kingsford 43, Gladstone 14 – The Flivvers (6-2) clinched their second straight playoff berth and fourth in five seasons while knocking Gladstone (3-5) out of consideration.
West Michigan
Muskegon Oakridge 31, Montague 28
Oakridge is another that enjoyed revenge and a league title celebration Friday. The Eagles (8-0) dominated the West Michigan Conference last season before losing to Montague (6-2) by seven in the final league game and finishing second to the Wildcats. This time, Oakridge hung on by scoring the final 17 points including the winning field goal with 25 seconds to play to claim the championship outright. Click for more from the Local Sports Journal.
Also noted:
Byron Center 62, Zeeland East 14 – One of the most competitive league races in all of Michigan will go at least in part to Byron Center(7-1), which clinched a share of the Ottawa-Kent Conference Green title while sending East (6-2) into a tie for third.
Grand Rapids West Catholic 20, Grand Rapids Catholic Central 3 – By many accounts, this was closer than the score indicates; West Catholic now owns a share of the O-K Blue title and has given up only 17 points over five league games after holding GRCC (7-1) 18 below its previous season low.
Lowell 41, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern 34 – The comeback Red Arrows (8-0) were down 11 this time before coming back to clinch the O-K White championship and send Forest Hills Northern to 4-4.
Wyoming 20, Greenville 13 – The Wolves (5-3) pulled to within a win of clinching the first playoff berth in the program’s five-year history and kept Greenville (5-3) from clinching as well.
8-Player
Wyoming Tri-unity Christian 8, Fife Lake Forest Area 6
Tri-unity (8-0) assuredly will make the MHSAA playoffs for the first time – the Defenders have the second-highest playoff point average in 8-player. This win also gave them the Midwest Central Conference championship outright over second-place Fife Lake Forest Area (6-2), which is now playing for one of the final spots in the postseason field. Click for more from the Cadillac News.
Also noted:
Powers North Central 76, Rapid River 18 – Well, the reigning champion Jets look ready for the playoffs with three straight games with more than 75 points, although Rapid River (5-3) did score more than any opponent had since Sept. 9.
Pickford 44, Cedarville 14 – The first-season 8-player Panthers (7-1) handed Cedarville (6-2) the latter’s second straight loss to move into second in the Bridge Alliance.
Webberville 46, Morrice 14 – The Spartans (6-2) battled through a heart-wrenching Friday to win a key game that may have cemented their spot in the playoff field.
PHOTO: Muskegon Oakridge players celebrate during Friday's West Michigan Conference title-clinching win over Montague. (Photo by Tim Reilly.)
After Answering Call, MCC's Caughey Finds Football Lessons Pay Off in Priesthood
By
Tom Kendra
Special for MHSAA.com
August 5, 2025
Michael Caughey was known for his brute force and ability to bully opponents as an all-state offensive lineman at Muskegon Catholic Central.
Today, 10 years after his high school graduation, suffice to say that his life has made a 180-degree turn and he’s using an entirely different skill set in his first “real world” job.
“I’m trying to help people get to heaven,” he said.
The kid that everybody called Mikey is now Father Michael Caughey, FSSP, after completing seven years of training at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Nebraska and being ordained as a Catholic priest on May 28 in Lincoln, Neb.
He returned home briefly – basically for a busy month of June, saying Mass at various stops around West Michigan – before leaving in early July and making the nearly 1,700-mile, one-way trip to El Paso, Texas, where he is now serving as one of two assistant pastors at Immaculate Conception Church in downtown El Paso.
Fr. Michael is slowly adjusting to the triple-digit heat (he calls it “Hell Paso”) and also the pressure and responsibility of serving his congregation.
He often relies on the discipline and work ethic he learned as a Crusaders football player, where he was a two-way starting lineman on back-to-back Division 8 championship teams in 2013 and 2014 – the first two of four consecutive Finals winners for MCC.
“I went through seven years of preparation in the seminary but, I tell you what, nothing can totally prepare you for being on the other side of the altar,” said Caughey, 28, who also speaks fluent Spanish.
“My football days at MCC helped get me ready for this. I learned how to stay focused and get the job done under pressure.”
Gridiron dreams
When he was a little kid, Michael dreamed of playing football for MCC, then later for Michigan State and the Detroit Lions.
His biggest role model was his dad, Shawn, who was a member of Muskegon High School’s 1986 Class A championship team, although the two had completely different body types. As a senior, Shawn was a 5-foot-11, 165-pound free safety, while Michael was a 6-1, 270-pound offensive tackle.
Michael more closely resembled his uncle, Rob Vanderleest, a fellow all-state lineman at Muskegon Catholic who went on to become a 6-4, 270-pound tight end at Michigan.
Caughey was a three-year varsity starter for the Crusaders as a two-way tackle. He made all-state in 2013 and 2014 and was a team captain his senior year.
Muskegon Catholic coach Steve Czerwon, who was in his first season leading the program in 2013, said Caughey was a “dominant drive blocker” who also caught the coaching staff’s attention off the field.
“We noticed he carried a Bible around with him,” said Czerwon. “But he was very sincere about it, and that’s just who he was. I had him in class, and I would put him in the top one percent of students I’ve ever had in intelligence.”
Caughey said one of the first times he felt a calling to do more with his faith was during the first week of Lent during his freshman year, when he made an individual confession.
It wasn’t until his junior year that he contacted the Diocese of Grand Rapids about the priesthood and gathered more information about that possible career path.
“I didn’t really go too far down that road because I had a girlfriend at the time,” Caughey said with a chuckle.
Faith over football
He had opportunities to play college football in Michigan, but he also wanted to explore his faith further, so he chose to play at Benedictine College – a small, Catholic, NAIA school in Atchison, Kan.
He redshirted his first year, then made the travel team and played in every game the following fall as a backup offensive lineman and member of the field goal unit.
But early in his redshirt sophomore year of 2017, his interest in the priesthood, which had been smoldering for about five years, was reignited after being introduced to the Latin Mass.
“All those feelings about the priesthood came back and I knew I needed to pursue them,” said Caughey, whose younger sister, Molly, will be a senior at MCC this year. “I called my parents and told them I wanted to drop out of college and enter the seminary. The calling was so strong.”
Shawn and Sharon Caughey were initially skeptical, but have come to understand that Michael’s calling to the priesthood was a great gift to their family.
“We are all better people because of Michael and his journey,” said Shawn. “We are a stronger family, and I am a much better person because of him. I know that for a fact.”
Michael spent the past seven years at the Fraternity of St. Peter House of Formation in Denton, Neb., where he not only transformed himself spiritually with intense study of Catholic theology, but also physically – dropping about 60 pounds, and even running a marathon last year.
Even though his football career was done, he was able to satisfy his competitiveness on the basketball court. Michael helped his team to five national championships against other seminaries and is proud to be the leading rebounder in the school’s history.
His time at the seminary culminated and concluded with his ordination ceremony in late May, which was attended by a large group of family and friends, including Czerwon.
Getting to the next level
Caughey admits his life has been something of a whirlwind for the past two months since his ordination day.
He is just now settling in at Immaculate Conception, where English is, essentially, his third language. He delivers all of his Masses and homilies in Latin and a high percentage of the congregation speaks Spanish.
“I just can’t believe how quickly everything happened,” he said during a recent phone interview, taking a break from his parish duties. “I was just a kid at the seminary, and now I’m saying Mass and hearing confessions. I’m responsible for people’s souls.”
While he misses home, he is thankful he was able to return to Muskegon as an ordained priest.
He said one of the best moments of his life was saying Mass on June 2 at his home parish, St. Mary’s in downtown Muskegon, followed by a reception in his honor.
The next day, he returned to his alma mater and said a Mass at Muskegon Catholic’s Nugent Auditorium. He delivered the Mass in Latin, as always, but he was “amazed at how locked in all of the kids were.”
He was then able to roam the halls of MCC for the first time as a priest, stopping to take pictures next to his all-state photo in the school’s “Hall of Fame,” and realizing that, as much as things have changed, the process to greatness remains the same.
“I remember playing tackle and telling the guard next to me, Jacob Holt, that we need to double-team the tackle and then get to the next level,” Caughey said. “The goal back then was to get our running backs into the end zone, which we did a pretty job of.
“Our goal now is to get our parishioners into heaven. The goal is just a little bigger now, I guess.”
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PHOTOS (Top) At left, Michael Caughey rushes the quarterback in a playoff game against Mendon. At right, Father Michael Caughey, FSSP, was ordained a Catholic priest on May 28 in Lincoln, Neb. (Middle) Caughey poses in front of his all-state picture in Muskegon Catholic Central's Hall of Fame. (Below) Caughey (62) walks onto the turf at Ford Field before the 2014 Division 8 championship game as one of Muskegon Catholic Central's four captains. (MCC action photos by Tim Reilly; recent photos courtesy of Shawn Caughey.)