Drive for Detroit: Week 9 in Review
October 27, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The biggest news of this weekend undoubtedly came Sunday night, when the field for this season’s MHSAA Football Playoffs was announced.
But before we move on, let’s pay a final homage to another regular season – and some memorable highlights that made their way in before Week 9 came to a close Saturday night.
Consider these appetizers:
- Hanover-Horton defeated Quincy 50-48 in six overtimes Thursday; it was the sixth game in MHSAA history to go at least six overtimes, with the record nine and six tied for second-longest.
- Crystal Falls Forest Park beat rival Lake Linden-Hubbell 36-22 to finish second in the Great Western Conference but remain undefeated in Michigan this fall – the Trojans' lone loss was to league champion Hurley, from Wisconsin.
- Saginaw Arthur Hill beat rival Saginaw High 28-0. Neither of these teams will move on – this was the only win this fall between the two – but this ended a rivalry that began in 1894, as the schools will combine beginning next summer.
Read on for the main course, including some of the details behind the final league championships decided this fall.
West Michigan
Muskegon Mona Shores 48, Muskegon 27
Muskegon has been able to make the argument the last two seasons for being the best of the always-strong west Michigan football scene – the Big Reds (8-1) were a combined 24-4 in 2012 and 2013, finishing Division 2 runner-up both seasons. That’s part of why Mona Shores’ win Friday sent statewide shockwaves. Although the Sailors (8-1) played Muskegon to within six points last season and later earned their first playoff berth ever, and have risen this fall to the cusp of elite as well, defeating the Big Reds gave Mona Shores its first league title since 1968 and a school record for victories with arguably its best win in program history. It also was Mona Shores’ first over Muskegon since 1982 Click for more from the Muskegon Chronicle.
Also noted:
Grand Rapids Catholic Central 26, Middleville Thornapple Kellogg 13 – The Cougars (6-3) added to a now seven-season playoff streak despite opening 2-3.
Caledonia 38, Grand Rapids Christian 14 – Despite its impressive run over the last five weeks, Caledonia (7-2) still could’ve lost its share of the O-K White title against the dangerous Eagles (5-4) – who did make the playoffs with an at-large bid.
Grandville 22, Hudsonville 7 – Five of six O-K Red teams finished with overall winning records this fall, which makes a good case why both of these earned at-large playoff bids with matching 5-4 records.
Muskegon Catholic Central 45, Ravenna 0 – The Crusaders (9-0) have won 21 straight and are the likely Division 8 favorite again with four shutouts including this latest of solid Ravenna (7-2).
Bay and Thumb
Midland Dow 35, Midland 17
There’s joy on one side of this Midland rivalry, but both schools should share a sense of pride. Dow has been solid over the years, but had fallen to its neighbor 11 times in their past 12 games – so beating the Chemics was probably the best possible scenario for Dow as it finished its first perfect regular season since its MHSAA championship year of 1976. The Chargers also helped put to an end one of the most incredible runs in MHSAA regular-season history; Midland finished 4-5 and sub-.500 for the first time since 1976. Click for more from the Midland Daily News.
Also noted:
Fenton 35, Linden 29 – The Tigers (9-0) edged another playoff team in Linden (6-3) to finish perfect for the regular season for the first time since 1985.
Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary 27, Birch Run 20 – The Cardinals (8-1) beat another playoff team in the Panthers (7-2) to guarantee their best finish since 1994.
New Lothrop 35, Montrose 21 – The Hornets (9-0) finished their fifth straight perfect regular season with one of the most impressive wins of the run, over arguably one of the best six-win teams in the state in Montrose (6-3).
Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker 14, Beal City 13 – The Lakers finished their first 9-0 regular season since 2002 against the two-time reigning Division 8 runner-up Aggies (7-2) after both decided to play instead of claiming forfeit wins from their original Week 9 opponents.
Greater Detroit
Birmingham Brother Rice 35, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 28
What a way to finish the regular season – the final 11-player game before the start of the 2014 playoffs was even better than billed, considering the Warriors had defeated the Eaglets 28-20 only three weeks ago. Brother Rice (9-0) pulled within 28-27 on Grant Perry’s fourth touchdown catch and with only 24 seconds left in the Detroit Catholic League Prep Bowl at Ford Field, then decided to go for two points and the win. Perry caught the conversion pass from quarterback Alex Malzone to take the lead, and the Warriors added their final points off a turnover on the final play of the game. St. Mary’s only losses in going 7-2 are to Brother Rice. Click for more from the Detroit News.
Also noted:
Detroit Cass Tech 39, Detroit Martin Luther King 7 – The Detroit Public School League championship game matched undefeated teams and proved again the strength of Division 1 contender Cass Tech (9-0), with Martin Luther King (8-1) still expected to contend in Division 2 as well.
Clarkston 31, Farmington Hills Harrison 24 – The Wolves (9-0) have won 22 straight with this against Harrison (7-2) only the third game of that streak decided by seven points or fewer.
Dearborn Fordson 17, Monroe 6 – The Tractors (9-0) held strong again against one of their toughest opponents so far, Monroe (6-3), to finish undefeated for the third regular season over the last seven.
Hudson 34, Hillsdale 14 – The Lenawee County Athletic Association title came down to the final week, and this time Hudson (8-1) clinched it outright after sharing last season with both Hillsdale (7-2) and Ida.
Upper Peninsula
Menominee 48, Marquette 28
Menominee (9-0) is Great Northern Upper Peninsula Conference champion for the second straight season, although not without facing one of its toughest challenges in some time. Second-place Marquette (7-2) gave the Maroons arguably their best regular-season game since a 14-13 loss to Kingsford in 2012 and scored the most points given up by the Maroons in the regular season since 2011. Menominee’s offense keeps churning, averaging 48 points per game with its 48 against Marquette the most the Redmen had given up since 2009. Click for more from the Marquette Mining Journal.
Also noted:
Negaunee 27, Ishpeming Westwood 9 – The Miners (5-4) kept their three-year playoff string going, but needed this win over Westwood (6-3) to take full advantage of the Patriots’ best regular-season finish since 2011.
Bark River-Harris 8, Iron River West Iron County 6 – The Broncos (7-2) added another highlight to their best season since 2009 by handing West Iron (8-1) its first regular-season loss since Week 7 in 2012.
Bessemer 51, Ironwood 6 – The Miners (Bessemer’s nickname as part of its football co-op, Gogebic) won their sixth game to advance to the playoffs for the third straight season.
Iron Mountain 21, Norway 20 – The Mountaineers (6-3) are back in the playoffs after a one-year miss, but needed to edge a Norway (4-5) team that was playing for an at-large bid but still finished with its best record since 2010.
Lower Up North
Cadillac 15, Traverse City Central 14
This is the way a league title should be decided – one-point game between first and second-place teams on the final night of the regular season. Never mind that Cadillac had already earned a share of the Big North Conference title and that Central ended up tied for second with Petoskey; Cadillac’s go-ahead score with 4.6 seconds to play makes this one of the most exciting finishes in Michigan so far this season. The score came after Central had forced Cadillac into a turnover on downs at the Trojans’ 4-yard line a minute and a half prior. A Central win would've made them co-champions. Click for more from the Cadillac News.
Also noted:
Boyne City 55, Grayling 36 – The Ramblers (9-0) celebrated not only their first perfect regular season since 2001, but also the end of a five-game losing streak to the Vikings (4-5).
Johannesburg-Lewiston 42, Indian River Inland Lakes 6 – The South-winning Cardinals (8-1) can call themselves second-best in the Ski Valley Conference overall, having fallen to North champ St. Ignace in Week 5 before beating North runner-up Inland Lakes (7-2) impressively.
Onekama 40, Frankfort 22 – The Portagers (6-3) are headed to the playoffs for the first time since 2007 with also their first winning record since that season; Frankfort (5-3) had previously qualified.
Traverse City West 35, Walled Lake Northern 14 – The Titans earned enough playoff points downing Northern (4-5) to earn an at-large postseason bid and extend its streak to three seasons despite opening this fall 1-3.
Southwest and Border
Gobles 51, Saugatuck 49
This Southwestern Athletic Conference North finale had all kinds of implications. While Fennville cruised into a share of the league title with a 42-0 win over Bloomingdale (after beating Gobles 22-12 in Week 8 and despite losing the Saugatuck the week before that), a Saugatuck win in this one would have changed things substantially by giving the Indians (5-4) both a share of the league title and a playoff berth. Instead, Gobles (7-2) shared the championship with Fennville, and those two will continue into the postseason while Saugatuck will not despite notching an eighth-straight winning season. Click for more from the Kalamazoo Gazette.
Also noted:
Mendon 28, Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart 7 – The Hornets (8-1) beat six teams that finished the regular season .500 or better, including the Irish (5-4), who earned a playoff at-large bid.
Schoolcraft 28, Reed City 14 – Schoolcraft (6-3) closed the season on a 5-1 run to make the playoffs, but still needed to beat a co-league champion in Reed City (7-2) to guarantee a spot.
Berrien Springs 7, Dowagiac 0 – The Shamrocks (6-3) are back in the playoffs after a two-season hiatus also thanks to a 5-1 run to close the regular season and the first win over Dowagiac (3-6) of their recent three-game series.
Battle Creek Central 18, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix 15 – The Bearcats (5-4) didn’t make the playoffs, but did guarantee their first winning season since 2008 and after winning a combined five games over the last five years.
Mid-Michigan
Lansing Catholic 27, Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central 21
The talk about rejuvenated Lansing Catholic (9-0) of late has focused on if the Cougars are set to take the step into MHSAA title contender status. This victory seems to indicate yes. St. Mary (8-1) also entered undefeated and led by a strong group of seniors who should make it a player again in Division 6. Lansing Catholic is looking good to make a similar run in Division 5 after surviving its only game closer than 24 points this season. Click for more from the Lansing State Journal.
Also noted:
Okemos 20, East Lansing 13 – The Chieftains (6-3) secured their first playoff berth since 2011 after a 2-3 start, by riding in part their best defensive performance in a decade (16.7 ppg) despite facing five eventual playoff qualifiers.
Grand Ledge 41, Holt 7 – The Comets (6-3) are another bounce-back playoff team, in after a year off and despite a 1-2 start to this fall and having to face their biggest rival in the finale.
Eaton Rapids 35, Charlotte 6 – Despite new leagues for both this fall, they kept the series alive; Eaton Rapids (6-3) also kept alive a playoff streak after making the postseason for the first time a year ago.
Manchester 47, Union City 27 – This matchup of champions from the Cascades and Big 8 conferences saw Cascades winner Manchester (8-1) hand Union City its lone loss.
8-Player
Lawrence 40, Battle Creek St. Philip 19
Beating St. Philip (8-1) didn’t bump Lawrence (9-0) up enough to get it a home game if these two meet again in the Regional Final – but did push Lawrence past Portland St. Patrick so it will host the Shamrocks this week. The win also showed Lawrence is the team to beat from this quarter of the bracket, regardless of where the games are played. Click for more from the Battle Creek Enquirer.
Also noted:
Rapid River 42, Bellaire 28 – The Rockets (9-0) tuned up for what they hope will be another playoff run with Bridge Football Alliance runner-up Cedarville to start October and third-place Bellaire (7-2) to finish it.
Webberville 44, Burr Oak 16 – This unofficial playoff game got Webberville (4-5) into the field in the 16th and final spot, while Burr Oak (4-5) ended up 17th in playoff point average and just outside.
PHOTO: Muskegon Mona Shores ran away in the third quarter Friday to defeat rival Muskegon for the first time since 1982 and claim its first league title since 1968. (Photo courtesy of Eric Sturr.)
Glen Lake Plays for Weekends Like This
November 15, 2019
By Chris Dobrowolski
Special for Second Half
There’s nothing that could spoil Jerry Angers’ mood right now.
When you love coaching football as much as Maple City Glen Lake’s varsity leader, being able to continue preparing your team deep into the playoffs trumps any tough situations that might come along.
That’s why an early-season snowstorm that hammered Leelanau County and shut down a number of schools in the area hardly registered as problematic for Angers, who is guiding his Lakers into a Division 6 Regional championship game against Calumet on Saturday — a clash of 10-1 squads aiming to advance to the Semifinal round.
“It’s totally awesome,” said Angers, in his 11th year in charge of the Lakers. “We’re getting pounded with snow up here, and we’ve got guys plowing our field off. We practiced in the gym today because it was snowing so bad. We were told we had to go home early. I wouldn’t trade that adversity for anything.”
This will be the second time in the last four years Glen Lake has ventured to the Upper Peninsula to face the Copper Kings. In 2016 the two teams met in the same round of the postseason, with the Lakers pulling out a 14-0 win on the way to reaching the Division 6 Final against Jackson Lumen Christi, which won the title with a 26-14 victory. Nearly all of the 16 seniors on Glen Lake’s roster were freshmen on the 2016 team and have the experience of an eight-hour bus trip to the Keweenaw Peninsula under their belts.
“That’s a really cool similarity because those kids have experienced this trip,” said Angers. “They weren’t playing, but they experienced what it took to get there.”
Angers makes the experience more than just playing the game. Getting in a practice on the way to Calumet, the team meals, the hotel stay — each aspect becomes part of the joy of the journey.
“It’s fun getting on the bus and basically spending two days with the kids and experience all the different things,” said Angers. “It’s like college football life on the high school level.”
There’s little doubt this is a business trip for the Lakers, though.
“When we got into film session on Sunday, Coach just told us it’s college football 101,” said senior running back/linebacker Johnathan Wright. “Long bus ride. We’ve got to stay focused.
“(They are) definitely a typical U.P. power team. They want to run downhill and run the clock out and just keep smashing you in the mouth.”
Angers admits to being superstitious enough that he’s trying to mimic as much of the trip this time to the one in 2016 in hopes that it can lead to a similar outcome. Just maybe not an exact mirror, however.
Right as the Lakers were getting ready to head from the hotel to the field in that Regional contest in 2016, they realized they had been locked out of their bus. Without panicking, players had to file into parents’ vehicles to transport them to the game in time. The Lakers managed to overcome that moment of turmoil by winning the game.
“So, if that’s what goes wrong and you still get to play a game? I was laughing about it,” said Angers. “How many other people are playing football right now?”
The seeds for this season were sown during an up-and-down 5-5 campaign a year ago that included a first-round playoff loss to Beaverton. The senior class — which showed its potential when it got significant playing time and performed well in a postseason victory against Roscommon as freshmen — wanted to leave its own legacy with a deep playoff run like the one the Lakers experienced three years ago.
“That was a huge motivation,” said senior lineman Ben Kroll. “We hated how we exited last year. We did not like the way we played. We do a boot camp every summer before the season starts. It was definitely the best boot camp I’ve been to, how close we all were and how we get along. We’ll fight for each other every day.”
Glen Lake has good athletes at the skill positions. Wright is in his second year starting on offense — he’s also been a three-year starter at linebacker — and is the leading rusher. Quarterback Reece Hazelton, at 6-foot-7, has a greater stature than a typical high school quarterback, though his best sport is basketball. He signed his letter of intent Wednesday to play hoops for Ferris State. His favorite target is junior receiver Finn Hogan.
The line, a position group near and dear to Angers’ heart, is the heartbeat of the team, with seniors Garrett Tremble, Dylan Kilinski, River Dallas and Kroll, and junior tackle Sam Keys.
“Without them nothing would happen,” said Wright.
Angers makes sure everyone on the roster knows they have key roles, whether it’s starting on offense, defense or special teams. Guys who make up the scout team are held in high value. Angers can go down the line and name off kids on his team and big plays they’ve been able to make at some point this season.
“There’s 31 kids I can turn to at any time, and I feel very comfortable and confident that they’re going to go in and get the job done,” said Angers. “Next man up. You’re one play away from being a starter. I think these kids also understand that.”
The Lakers have gone through a brutal schedule nearly unscathed. Five of the nine teams on the schedule qualified for the playoffs, and four of those teams won at least one postseason game. The schedule is specifically created that way for Glen Lake to be properly prepared to handle tough teams during the playoffs.
The one slip up came in the seventh week when Kingsley — which remains undefeated and is playing for a Regional crown in Division 5 — handed the Lakers a 53-14 loss. Angers shoulders the blame, saying he didn’t have the Lakers ready for a game of that magnitude and Glen Lake was uncharacteristically sloppy.
“That was a real wake-up call, and I think that was really good for our team because now in these playoff runs we know we can’t take any days off, any moments off,” said Kroll.
The ultimate goal, of course, is to win the Division 6 championship at Ford Field. Two more wins and Glen Lake will be back in the position it was in three years ago, playing in Detroit with a title on the line. Glen Lake’s last football championship came in 1994 when the Lakers won the Class DD crown with a 20-10 victory against Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes.
“There’s nothing like it,” said Wright. “All the lights are on you. You’re at the center of a huge dome, and it feels amazing. I just want to get back to that.”
The memory of being in Detroit for Thanksgiving weekend is still fresh in Angers’ mind — arriving at the stadium and feeling the electricity in the air as an earlier game unfolded.
“One of the coolest experiences was when we were all walking in from the bus into the tunnel and there was a big play made in the game before us,” said Angers. “The crowd just erupted, and it just ran down that tunnel. My kids, they were just starry eyed and they looked at me and I went, ‘You’re in the big time boys.’”
And nothing could be better than that.
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.
PHOTO: Maple City Glen Lake quarterback Reece Hazelton breaks free from Lake City defenders during a 30-19 Pre-District win. (Photo courtesy of the Traverse City Record-Eagle.)