Early Wins Leader Maskill Built Champions
November 12, 2019
By Ron Pesch
Special for Second Half
The long shadows of “midcentury modern” coaching legends have mostly disappeared from the gridirons of Michigan.
One more vanished in late October at the age of 96.
Bill Maskill was once the winningest football coach in Michigan high school history, chalking up the majority of his victories at Galesburg-Augusta. One of only six who could claim such an honor – coaches are first counted after reaching 200 wins – he received his start in coaching at Sheridan High School (now known as Central Montcalm since the Sheridan and Stanton school districts merged in 1963). In 1980, he became only the second coach to compile 200 varsity victories as a coach, and in the fall of 1982 he surpassed Muskegon Heights’ coaching legend Oscar E. ‘Okie’ Johnson on the victory list.
Maskill’s coaching accomplishments – and their historic significance – are a reminder of a change in eras. Michigan prep sports in the pre-playoff days were filled with coaches with Swiss-Army like skills, as many were expected to coach multiple sports at their respective schools. The gridiron season was unlike today’s in many ways, and the differences are reflected in a variety of manners within the state record books.
Coaching and player season performances up to the creation of the MHSAA Playoffs in 1975 were constrained by the schedule. In general, nine games was the max. (With the playoffs, a season can extend up to 14 games.) Maskill’s victory total now ranks 16th overall in Michigan high school history, as there are 63 coaches with at least 200 varsity wins. Two coaches, John Herrington of Farmington Hills Harrison – the state’s current leader – and Al Fracassa, long of Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, amassed more than 400 varsity victories during their careers. In both cases, more than 65 victories were earned during the postseason.
The MHSAA postseason was approaching its eighth year of existence when Maskill passed Johnson as the winningest football coach in state history. To that point, Maskill’s Rams had twice qualified for the playoffs – the first time in 1976, and again in 1980 – but had yet to win a game during the postseason.
But he stayed atop the state’s football wins list for more than a decade – and later found playoff successes as well, more crowning achievements for a coach whose many wins came after turning around both programs fortunate enough to employ him over a combined 44 seasons.
A Rough Start
Maskill’s career, at least in his eyes, was nearly derailed during his first season at the helm.
“The year was 1949, and Bill Maskill was in his first year as varsity football coach at Sheridan High, about 50 miles north of Lansing. He thought it would probably be his last. His team did not win a single game. ‘A couple of times, I thought of throwing in the towel,’” Maskill told Mick McCabe of the Detroit Free Press in October 1982, when he surpassed Johnson in victories.
There was little likelihood that Maskill would be dismissed as coach after that disappointing season. But it took a few years for his Redskins to become competitive.
“Previous to his work there, Sheridan had not played football and there was little interest in the game,” noted the Battle Creek Enquirer in the spring of 1957, when Maskill was announced as the new football and baseball coach at Galesburg-Augusta High School. “He built up interest to the point that during the past five years, Sheridan has won the Montcalm County League championship once and finished second for four years. During this period, the team’s overall record was 31 won, 9 lost and 2 tied. In baseball, he had one county championship, finished second twice and third twice.”
A 1941 graduate of Detroit DeLaSalle, Maskill had been a hard-plunging fullback on the football team who also boxed in Catholic Youth Organization tournaments. Following graduation, he initially enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1942, receiving his freshman numerals from coach Wally Weber, but only after a year at prep school near Pittsburgh.
“I screwed around a lot in high school and couldn’t get into Michigan,” he told McCabe years later, laughing. “They sent me to this prep school, and I couldn’t believe all the studying I had to do. It was the best thing to ever happen to me.”
He ended up at Michigan State, where he earned a varsity letter from coach Charlie Bachman in 1944 and his bachelor’s degree.
“He was hard of hearing; he had it bad,” recalled Bob Ludwig of Muskegon, a football teammate with Maskill in the backfield for the Spartans in 1945. “Our quarterback would mouth the words of the play to him.”
Over time, Maskill had multiple operations in hopes of correcting the issue.
The attempts improved his hearing, according to Maskill, “to about six percent. And that’s the truth. But there are some advantages. The kids can cuss at me and I don’t know it.”
The disability never stopped him. He told McCabe that the only thing he ever wanted to be in life was a football coach: “I just liked playing football, and that made me want to coach.”
Another Rough Start
At Galesburg-Augusta, he inherited a team that finished with a single tie amid eight losses the year prior to his arrival. Improvement certainly wasn’t reflected in the standings in Maskill’s first year in charge. The Rams completed the eight-game season without a victory or a tie to show for their efforts. That changed in year two, as G-A finished with a 7-1 mark. The only loss was to unbeaten Bangor, 40-21, in the season finale. In 1959, Maskill and his stable of assistants had completely flipped the table, as the Rams ended with a perfect 8-0 mark.
“Galesburg-Augusta blasted Bangor, 27-0, before a crowd of more than 2,500 fans at jam-packed Angell Field in Kalamazoo … in a battle between the Kalamazoo Valley’s unbeaten football teams. Bangor’s great 21-game winning streak simply collapsed before the high-powered running attack as the Rams rolled to their seventh straight victory of the season,” wrote Dick Kishpaugh in his coverage for the Enquirer. Kishpaugh would later be known as Michigan’s authority on high school sports.
A week later, the Rams trounced a solid Paw Paw team on the road, 33-7. They finished third in the United Press International season-ending Class C-D rankings behind Charlevoix and Cassopolis.
Statewide Success
That was the first of eight G-A squads to finish the regular season undefeated for Maskill. The next four would each be named mythical state champions according to the polls.
His 1962 team allowed only 14 points across eight games to end the year as Class C-D champion ahead of St. Joseph Catholic according to The Associated Press poll of Michigan sportswriters and sportscasters.
Maskill’s 1966 and 1967 Rams squads each finished unbeaten and untied in nine contests. The 1967 team scored a school-record 389 points on the year, and held opponents to a mere seven points – a touchdown and an extra point scored by Springfield in a midseason 27-7 triumph. The 1970 team also finished with a flawless 9-0 mark, topping the 1967 team’s offensive output with 408 points on the season.
Maskill’s 1976 team ended the regular season 9-0 and was one of only four teams to advance to the Class C postseason in place during those earliest days of the MHSAA playoff system. G-A immediately was eliminated by Flat Rock, the eventual champion.
The media spotlight came to Galesburg-Augusta in 1980 for a regular season-ending contest with Constantine. A victory would give the veteran coach another perfect regular season and push Maskill’s career win total to 200. The week played out under television station coverage and multiple newspaper reports.
“More than 120 of Maskill’s former players were on hand, some wearing varsity letter jackets that were nearly 20 years old. All trotted onto the field, according to their graduation years, during halftime festivities,” said Bob Byington in the Enquirer. “… The warmest embrace and greeting were reserved for Maskill’s son, Bill Jr., an assistant coach at the University of Louisville. The younger Maskill drove in from Kentucky to surprise his dad …”
The Rams won 28-6 to finish 9-0, qualifying for the MHSAA Playoffs for the second time in school history. The team ranked fifth in the final AP poll. A loss to White Pigeon in the opening round capped the season.
Despite impressive 8-1 records in 1981, 1982 and 1983, the Rams didn’t return to the playoffs until 1985. There, they won their first postseason contest, downing Hudson, 21-6, in a Pre-Regional. G-A fell the next weekend to eventual Class C titlist Lansing Catholic Central.
Lansing Catholic would again eliminate the Rams from the postseason the following year.
We Have a Lot of Heart
The MHSAA approved an expansion to the football playoff system in 1990, doubling the classifications from four to eight, which in turn doubled the number of annual qualifiers. While the Rams finished the regular season with a single defeat, they were unranked in the weekly press polls. Thanks to the changes to the playoff system, they were in the tournament, but weren’t expected to go far.
Rumors had circulated that this – Maskill’s 40th year as a head coach – would be the last go-around for the 67-year-old veteran coach. The first-round opponent was No. 4-ranked Dansville. With the Rams trailing 17-0 with 8:33 remaining in the third quarter, the result didn’t look promising.
But Jason Meek would have none of that. The Rams started their comeback with a trick play – a halfback pass by Meek off a lateral for a touchdown reception by Rusty Smith. It was followed on the next possession by a 27-yard TD reception by Meek from reserve quarterback Dave Lemmien. A pair of 2-point conversions by Rick Tyson had cut the lead to 17-16. Tyson scored the game winner on a one-yard touchdown run, set up by an interception by Meek that capped a 14-play, 59-yard drive – all rushes – that burned 6:53 off the clock. The defense shut down Dansville for the remaining six minutes of the contest.
A week later, the Rams lined up against No. 1 Schoolcraft, the two-time reigning Class C champion which was riding a 16-game win streak. The Eagles had lost only three of their last 57 games.
Galesburg-Augusta stunned all prognosticators with a 15-13 win before nearly 5,000 fans.
The Rams ran the ball 52 times, with Tyson handling the ball 28 occasions for 78 yards including a 19-yard TD that opened the game’s scoring. Schoolcraft tied the game at 7-7 just before the half, then opened a 13-7 lead on its second drive of the second half.
“It took all of us to do it,” said G-A junior fullback Paul Zimmerman, who scored the game-tying touchdown, and winning 2-point conversion on nearly identical plays with 4:01 remaining in the game.
Again, like the previous week, the Rams’ defense rose to the occasion, shutting down the Eagles for the remaining minutes.
“They kept the football,” said Larry Ledlow, coach of Schoolcraft about the second half. “Our defense was on the field much too long.”
G-A would win its Week 12 Semifinal contest with Clinton, 22-7, to advance to its first MHSAA Final. Corky Meinecke wrote a career-respective feature on Maskill that appeared in the Free Press on the day of the game:
“Just about everyone who loves, respects and admires Bill Maskill … figures he’ll announce his retirement sometime after the Rams play Muskegon Catholic Central … in the Class C championship game at the Silverdome. The timing couldn’t be better. Getting the Rams (11-1) to the Silverdome was the last notch on a heavyweight coaching belt that includes four mythical state titles … and five playoff appearances. He is the winningest football coach in state prep history …”
Weighing into the pending decision was a surprising aspect few ever considered.
“Maskill never figured he’d run out of players before he ran out of desire,” wrote Meinecke, “but that appears to be the case. Of G-A’s 24 players, only six are underclassmen. The school did not field a freshman team and the junior varsity – comprised of mostly freshmen – forfeited its last two games because it could not suit up enough players.”
“A normal person would retire,” said Ken Buelow, Maskill’s assistant for all but three of the coach’s seasons at G-A and Sheridan. “But you have to remember, Bill is not a normal person. You’re talking about one hell of a human being here.”
“We don’t have size, we don’t have quickness and we don’t have speed,” Maskill said to Meinecke about this team that was perhaps the most satisfying of his career. “But we have a lot of heart.”
The Rams lost to MCC.
Changing landscapes
Maskill’s decision still took time. In August 1991, the G-A administration officially announced that the district would not field a varsity football team that coming fall.
“We do not have the numbers,” said athletic director Alex Forrester at the time. “It has nothing to do with money. … We do not have enough players.”
G-A chose to sponsor only a JV team that season. Instead of walking away, Maskill chose to stay on.
“I’ve never not coached a varsity,” he told Mark Bradley of the Enquirer. “I won’t know how to coach at the junior varsity level. But coaching is coaching, whether it be at the varsity or junior varsity level.”
He had retired from teaching following the 1980-81 school year and was one of 30 individuals inducted into the inaugural class of the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame in April 1983. In October 1986, the school district honored him by naming the G-A football field in his honor. Without Maskill walking the halls and recruiting, fewer and fewer kids came out for football. After a year leading the JV, in July of 1992, he officially stepped aside from coaching. Forrester, one of his longtime assistants, took charge.
Maskill had purchased a tire company after he retired from teaching, and that became his focus.
In October 1994, over 12 years after Maskill had passed Johnson on the win list, Marysville’s Walt Braun passed Maskill in total wins. Leo “Smokey” Boyd of Saginaw Nouvel overtook Braun on the list in 1996. In turn, Fracassa topped Boyd in 2001, and Herrington bettered Fracassa’s total in 2017.
The “Ram Family”
The floor-to-ceiling mementos from his career that Maskill shared with Meinecke during their conversation were a feature of a party that Maskill would host annually.
“… It was not unusual to have 200-plus (former players, coaches, and new and old friends) there to celebrate the man they knew as ‘Coach’,” wrote Bill Broderick in a heartfelt article in the Enquirer, announcing Maskill’s passing.
Several years back, Buelow, his old assistant coach, had organized a group to create “a would-be Galesburg-Augusta football museum” in Maskill’s basement.
“… I was shocked when I heard,” said Bill Maskill, Jr., to Broderick concerning his Dad’s passing. Head football coach at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, since 2002, Bill Jr. had earned all-state honors at quarterback as a senior at G-A in 1966. "He went out and walked a mile on Monday. We all thought he would live forever."
Ron Pesch has taken an active role in researching the history of MHSAA events since 1985 and began writing for MHSAA Finals programs in 1986, adding additional features and "flashbacks" in 1992. He inherited the title of MHSAA historian from the late Dick Kishpaugh following the 1993-94 school year, and resides in Muskegon. Contact him at [email protected] with ideas for historical articles.
PHOTOS: (Top) Bill Maskill Sr., here during the 1980-81 school year, was the state’s winningest high school football coach all-time after his final varsity season in 1991. (2) Maskill, shown here during the 1954-55 school year, played football and earned his bachelor’s degree from Michigan State. (3) The 1959 Galesburg-Augusta team finished 8-0. (4) The 1966 Galesburg-Augusta team was named a mythical state champion by media rankings. (5) Maskill took his team to the MHSAA Finals for the first time in 1990, when it finished Class C runner-up. (Photos gathered by Ron Pesch.)
1st & Goal: 11-Player Finals Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 21, 2021
We made it.
This season’s “Drive for Detroit” – as we often call it – started in August, stopped, started again, and stopped again in November.
But we’ve arrived at Ford Field with eight 11-player championship games left to cap the longest, and certainly one of the most unforgettable seasons in MHSAA football history.
This weekend’s lineup includes four 2019 champions aiming to repeat, and seven contenders hoping to claim the state’s ultimate high school football prize for the first time.
Here’s the schedule:
FRIDAY
Division 8: Centreville (10-0) vs. Ubly (9-2), 10 a.m.
Division 2: Muskegon Mona Shores (11-0) vs. Warren De La Salle Collegiate (7-4), 1 p.m.
Division 6: Montague (11-0) vs. Clinton (10-1), 4:30 p.m.
Division 4: Cadillac (8-2) vs. Detroit Country Day (8-2), 7:30 p.m.
SATURDAY
Division 7: New Lothrop (10-0) vs. Traverse City St. Francis (9-2), 10 a.m.
Division 1: Davison (11-0) vs. West Bloomfield (10-1), 1 p.m.
Division 5: Grand Rapids Catholic Central (10-0) vs. Frankenmuth (11-0), 4:30 p.m.
Division 3: DeWitt (11-0) vs. River Rouge (9-1), 7:30 p.m.
Spectators remain limited for this weekend’s games at Ford Field. But all eight will be broadcast by FOX Sports Detroit – click for the full cable schedule plus more links to watch online and listen live.
Rankings below are derived from where teams finished the regular season in their divisions based on playoff point average. Teams that are “unranked” finished outside of the top 10.
Division 1
DAVISON
Record/rank: 11-0, No. No. 10
Coach: Jake Weingartz, third season (30-5)
League finish: First in Saginaw Valley League Red
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2019.
Best wins: 27-3 over No. 6 Rockford in Semifinal, 47-6 (District opener) and 37-6 over Lapeer, 20-7 over Detroit Catholic Central in Regional Final, 48-19 (District Final) and 46-21 over Grand Blanc.
Players to watch: QB/DB Dion Brown Jr., 6-0/180, sr. (248 yards/3 TDs passing, 387 yards/4 TDs receiving); RB/DB Carter Cryderman, 5-11/195, sr. (848 yards/11 TDs rushing, 132 yards/1 TD receiving); WR/DB Payton Pizzala, 6-0/185, sr. (118 yards/ 1 TD receiving); TE/DE Harrison Unger, 6-2/235, sr.
Outlook: Reigning Division 1 champion Davison handed lone losses this season to Detroit Catholic Central and Rockford on its way back to Ford Field. Brown has been one of the heroes of the playoffs; with all-state QB Brendan Sullivan off to Northwestern as an early enrollee, Brown has moved over from leading receiver to guide the Cardinals to their best two wins of the season. Senior running back Te’Avion Warren is emerging as another postseason star – he ran for a team-high 30 times for a team-best 163 yards and a two scores against the Rams, giving him 506 yards and seven TDs rushing this season. Unger made the all-state first team and keys a defense giving up just 6.9 points per game – he’ll play at Air Force after high school. Cryderman on offense made the all-state second team, and Pizzala on defense earned honorable mention.
WEST BLOOMFIELD
Record/rank: 10-1, No. 9
Coach: Ron Bellamy, 11th season (77-40)
League finish: Second in Oakland Activities Association Red
Championship history: Division 1 runner-up 2017.
Best wins: 35-34 (2OT) over No. 3 Belleville in Semifinal, 63-6 over Sterling Heights Stevenson in District Final, 28-0 over Lake Orion.
Players to watch: RB Donovan Edwards, 5-11/195, sr.; RB/DB Dillon Tatum, 5-10/185, jr.; DB Maxwell Hairston, 6-0/175, sr.; DT Jaden Green, 6-0/265, sr. (Statistics not provided.)
Outlook: West Bloomfield handed both Stevenson and then Belleville their lone losses to reach this weekend, and after the Lakers had fallen in Regional Finals the last two seasons. Edwards, an all-state first teamer and Michigan recruit, is arguably the most electrifying running back in the state. The Lakers’ lone defeat came in Week 6, 24-21 in overtime to eventual OAA Red champion Clarkston – and after that game, West Bloomfield’s defense posted four straight shutouts. Hairston and Tatum both made the all-state second team as defensive backs, and Green earned an honorable mention on the line. Senior punter Sammy Lafata also earned an all-state honorable mention, averaging 37.5 yards per punt through the Regional Final. Hairston will play next at Kentucky, and senior safety Gavin Hardeman will play at Air Force.
Division 2
MUSKEGON MONA SHORES
Record/rank: 11-0, No. 4
Coach: Matt Koziak, 10th season (83-29)
League finish: First in Ottawa-Kent Conference Green
Championship history: Division 2 champion 2019, runner-up 2018 and 2014.
Best wins: 43-30 over No. 9 Traverse City Central in Semifinal, 24-21 over No. 2 East Lansing in Regional Final, 28-25 over No. 8 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central in District Semifinal, 35-21 over Detroit Martin Luther King, 21-14 over Division 3 No. 6 Muskegon.
Players to watch: QB/DB Brady Rose, 5-7/172, sr. (1,244 yards/20 TDs rushing, 985 yards/11 TDs passing); WR/DB Keondre Pierce, 5-11/175, sr.; TE/LB Karsen Marihugh, 5-11/236, sr.; OL/DL Mason Klos, 6-1/273, sr.
Outlook: Mona Shores won three playoff games by eight or fewer points and a fourth with a big comeback, which showed an impressive amount of resolve as the Sailors navigated one of the toughest paths to get to this weekend. Rose became an instant star taking over at quarterback for last season’s championship game and running for 90 yards and three touchdowns and throwing for 122 yards and a score. He made the all-state first team this season, Marihugh and Pierce made the second team, and Klos earned an honorable mention. Junior running back Elijah Johnson is another player to watch in the backfield – he’s run for 814 yards and 11 touchdowns.
WARREN DE LA SALLE COLLEGIATE
Record/rank: 7-4, unranked
Coach: Dan Rohn, first season (7-4)
League finish: Third in Detroit Catholic League Central
Championship history: Division 2 champions 2018, 2017 and 2014, runners-up up 2008 and 2006.
Best wins: 26-20 (OT) over Oak Park in Semifinal, 36-0 over No. 1 Port Huron in District Final, 45-3 over Warren Mott in Regional Final.
Players to watch: QB Brady Drogosh, 6-4/195, soph. (949 yards/9 TDs passing); QB/LB JC Ford, 5-9/175, sr. (484 yards/3 TDs rushing); RB/LB Brett Stanley, 5-8/180, sr. (699 yards/9 TDs rushing); WR Alton McCullum, 6-0/195, jr. (236 yards/2 TDs receiving). (Statistics through Regional Finals).
Outlook: After finishing 2-4 against a regular-season schedule that included three opponents that went 6-0 and a fourth 5-1 – and losing a pair of those games by a combined six points – De La Salle has put together a playoff run that included only one close game. Before the Semifinal, the Pilots had outscored their first four playoff opponents by a combined 172-23. Rohn previously led Grand Rapids West Catholic to Division 5 championships in 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2015 and is a combined 157-57 during his head coaching career. Stanley earned an all-state honorable mention this season.
Division 3
DEWITT
Record/rank: 11-0, No. 2
Coach: Rob Zimmerman, 22nd season (221-45)
League finish: League did not keep standings because of shortened season.
Championship history: Finished runner-up five times (most recently 2013).
Best wins: 14-0 over No. 6 Muskegon in Semifinal, 43-0 over No. 5 Mason in District Final, 43-3 over Warren De La Salle Collegiate, 37-3 over Division 5 No. 4 Portland, 64-38 over Grand Ledge.
Players to watch: QB/DB Tyler Holtz, 5-11/195, jr. (2,219 yards/31 TDs passing, 3 TDs rushing); WR/DB Lukas Bresser, 6-3/180, sr. (612 yards/11 TDs receiving); WR/DB Thomas McIntosh, 6-5/200, jr. (707 yards/13 TDs receiving, 4 interceptions); RB/LB Andrew Debri, 5-11/215, sr. (312 yards/9 TDs rushing, 69 tackles/2 interceptions); QB/LB Grant Uyl, 5-11/210, sr. (56 tackles).
Outlook: DeWitt has made at least the Regional Finals the last five seasons and the Semifinals the last three, and last weekend’s Muskegon win avenged a seven-point Semifinal loss to the Big Reds in the same round in 2019. Zimmerman has led the program to double-digit wins 12 of the last 15 seasons and five of the six championship game trips. An offense scoring 45 points per game often gets the headlines, and for good reason. But the defense is giving up just five points per game and hasn’t allowed any since Stevensville Lakeshore put up six in the regular-season finale. Holtz, McIntosh and Debri all made the all-state first team, Debri at linebacker, with Bresser and Uyl earning honorable mentions.
RIVER ROUGE
Record/rank: 9-1, unranked
Coach: Corey Parker, 11th season (107-30)
League finish: Does not play in a league.
Championship history: Division 3 champion 2019, Division 5 runner-up 2015.
Best wins: 30-22 over No. 1 Chelsea in Semifinal, 33-30 over Detroit Martin Luther King in Regional Final, 38-20 over Riverview in District Semifinal, 40-21 over New Boston Huron in District Final.
Players to watch: QB Mareyohn Hrabowski, 6-4/214, sr.; DB Armorion Smith, 6-2/190, sr.; DL Pius Odjugo, 6-2/340, sr.; DL Davonte Miles, 6-5/280, jr.; OL Jalen Johnson, 6-2/310, sr. (Statistics not provided.)
Outlook: The reigning champion shut out five of six opponents during the regular season, with its only loss to eventual Division 2 Regional finalist East Lansing. Hrabowski starred in last season’s Division 3 championship game victory over Muskegon and can do damage running and passing; he made the all-state second team this fall. He works behind what might be the state’s most sizable offensive line, with the five starters averaging 6-foot-2 and 307 pounds. Johnson is one of that group and also made the all-state second team, and senior Chance Moore earned an honorable mention. Also earning accolades, Miles and Smith both made the all-state first team, while Odjugo made the second and senior receiver Tayshaun Massey-Johnson earned an honorable mention. Hrabowski will play next at Western Michigan, Smith at Cincinnati, Odjugo at Central Michigan, Johnson at Ball State and Moore at Morgan State.
Division 4
CADILLAC
Record/rank: 8-2, unranked
Coach: Cody Mallory, sixth season (26-33)
League finish: Third in Big North Conference
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 28-26 over No. 1 Edwardsburg in Semifinal, 27-23 over Ada Forest Hills Eastern in Regional Final, 34-14 over Sault Ste. Marie in District Final.
Players to watch: QB/DB Aden Gurden, 6-0/170, jr. (945 yards/13 TDs rushing, 263 yards/1 TD passing); RB/LB Noah Cochrane, 5-11/180, sr. (540 yards/7 TDs rushing); RB/DB Collin Johnston, 5-9/180, jr. (243 yards/2 TDs rushing, 91 tackles); RB/DB Dan Gray, 5-11/160, sr. (61 tackles, 2 interceptions).
Outlook: It’s fair to say Cadillac stunned many who follow high school football with last week’s win over the offensively-powerful Eddies, but it’s hard to think of a better way for the Vikings to earn their first trip to the Finals. They’re enjoying an impressive turnaround – they were 1-8 only two seasons ago before improving to 7-5 in 2019. Their strength is defense, where Johnston and Gray earned all-state honorable mentions. Plenty of power running the ball helps on both sides, of course; the Vikings are rushing for 300 yards per game with four players scoring at least five times on the ground. Cadillac’s losses this season were to eventual Division 2 semifinalist Traverse City Central and also larger Traverse City West.
DETROIT COUNTRY DAY
Record/rank: 8-2, unranked
Coach: Dan MacLean, 23rd season (179-79)
League finish: Does not play in a league.
Championship history: Three MHSAA titles (most recent 1999), six runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 12-0 over No. 5 Williamston in Semifinal, 38-0 over No. 3 North Branch in Regional Final, 20-10 over No. 10 Madison Heights Lamphere in District Final, 21-14 (District Semifinal) and 10-0 over Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, 37-17 over Paw Paw.
Players to watch: TE/LB Billy Abdallah, 6-3/216, sr.; WR/DB Danny MacLean, 6-0/212, sr.; OL/DL Caleb Tiernan, 6-7/280, sr.; RB/DL Nick Wachol, 6-0/212, sr.; OL/DL Will Leggon, 6-3/290, sr.
Outlook: Country Day was able to get in only four regular-season games, but has surged through the postseason and looks to be in stride. The defense has been especially impressive, giving up a combined 36 points over five playoff games and bringing a two-game shutout streak into this weekend. Tiernan, who also will play next at Northwestern, made the all-state first team and plays on both sides of the ball, as does Leggon, who earned all-state honorable mention. Abdallah made the all-state second team and Danny MacLean and Wachol earned honorable mentions, all three for their work on defense as well. Senior Jacob Yarberry is an offensive playmaker of note; he’s the leading rusher and has scored five times on offense and once on a punt return. Junior quarterback Brandon Mann has run for six touchdowns and thrown for another.
Division 5
GRAND RAPIDS CATHOLIC CENTRAL
Record/rank: 10-0, No. 1
Coach: Todd Kolster, ninth season (99-12)
League finish: First in O-K Gold
Championship history: Five MHSAA titles (most recent 2019), two runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 49-14 over No. 7 Freeland in Semifinal, 58-7 over Muskegon Oakridge in Regional Final, 41-6 over No. 10 Belding in District opener, 28-27 (OT) over Division 4 No. 4 Grand Rapids South Christian, 42-28 over Cedar Springs.
Players to watch: WR Jace Williams, 6-5/198, sr. (814 yards/19 TDs receiving); QB Joey Silveri, 6-0/205, jr. (1,839 yards/29 TDs passing, 7 TDs rushing); TB Nick Hollern, 5-9/195 sr. (1,057 yards/17 TDs rushing); SS Nolan Ziegler, 6-3/205, jr.; OL/DL Brady Redmer, 6-0/205, jr.
Outlook: The reigning Division 4 champion won three of the last four titles in that division and will look to add its first in Division 5. Only rival South Christian has come closer than 24 points of the Cougars this season, with 2019 Finals star Silveri putting up big numbers and Williams becoming one of the most prolific receivers in MHSAA history – his 19 touchdowns catches are tied for 15th most for one season and have come in just nine games (one win was a forfeit). He and Ziegler made the all-state first team, while Silveri made the second and Hollern and Redmer earned honorable mentions. Ziegler will continue next season at Notre Dame, and Williams will play at Miami (Ohio).
FRANKENMUTH
Record/rank: 11-0, No. 2
Coach: Phil Martin, eighth season (79-14)
League finish: First in Tri-Valley Conference East
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 31-7 over No. 6 Marine City in Regional Final, 31-7 over No. 9 Essexville Garber, 41-3 over No. 7 Freeland, 35-14 over Lansing Catholic in Semifinal.
Players to watch: QB Davin Reif, 5-8/170, sr. (842 yards/8 TDs passing, 963 yards/17 TDs rushing); RB Cole Lindow, 5-9/170, jr. (1,082 yards/14 TDs rushing); TE/DE Ethan Jacobs, 6-2/185, sr. (206 yards/2 TDs receiving, 49 tackles/9 sacks/2 interceptions); S Cole Jankowski, 6-1/175, jr. (6 interceptions); Kyle Main, 6-5/315, sr.
Outlook: Frankenmuth has played in seven Semifinals since making its first in 1987, and this time advanced to the season’s final weekend for the first time. Reif and Lindow combine to lead a rushing attack averaging 294 yards per game – but what jumps off the page perhaps more is the defense has allowed 302 rushing yards all season (on 267 carries). Passers haven’t fared much better; combined Frankenmuth yields just under 115 yards and 6.8 points per game. Main and Jacobs (as a punter) made the all-state first team, while Reif, Lindow and Jankowski earned honorable mentions. Seniors Konnor Roche and Ben Reinhert are two more to watch on defense – Roche leads the Eagles with 73 tackles and has 18 tackles for loss at linebacker, and Reinhert has 19 tackles for loss and 13 sacks from the other defensive end spot.
Division 6
MONTAGUE
Record/rank: 11-0, No. 4
Coach: Patrick Collins, 17th season (158-45)
League finish: First in West Michigan Conference
Championship history: Division 6 champions 2009 and 2008, two runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 41-16 over No. 9 Montrose in Regional Final, 36-7 over No. 2 Muskegon Catholic Central in District Final, 50-7 over No. 6 Clare in District Semifinal, 34-31 (2OT) over Whitehall, 42-6 over Muskegon Oakridge.
Players to watch: QB/DB Drew Collins, 6-3/208, sr. (1,894 yards/22 TDs passing, 661 yards/16 TDs rushing); WR/DB/K Andrew Kooi, 5-9/170, jr. (426 yards/4 TDs passing, 362 yards/5 TDs receiving, 3 TDs rushing, 59-63 XP/2 FG); OL/DL Hayden McDonald, 6-3/285, jr. (65 tackles), OL/DL Walker Martin, 6-3/285, sr. (51 tackles)
Outlook: After missing the Finals by a one-point Semifinal defeat last season, Montague is back at championship weekend after finishing Division 6 runner-up in 2018. Drew Collins made the all-state first team and leads an attack that runs and passes to nearly equal yardage; he’s the second-leading rusher behind junior Dylan Everett (719 yards/16 TDs). The defense, minus the double-overtime win over Whitehall, gave up an average of only 6.9 points per game over its other 10. Martin and McDonald also made the all-state first team and start on both the offensive and defensive lines, and Montague also can rely on all-state first-team kicker Kooi. Also notable, Montague has intercepted 19 passes, with sophomore Izac Jarka picking off nine.
CLINTON
Record/rank: 10-1, No. 7
Coach: Jeremy Fielder, third season (27-5)
League finish: Second in Lenawee County Activities Association
Championship history: Division 6 runner-up in 2015 and 2013.
Best wins: 40-6 over No. 8 Constantine in Semifinal, 13-12 over No. 3 Warren Michigan Collegiate in Regional Final, 16-13 over No. 5 Blissfield in District Final, 21-14 over Hillsdale.
Players to watch: RB/LB Bradyn Lehman, 5-10/180, soph. (998 yards/11 TDs rushing); RB/LB Brayden Randolph, 5-11/180, sr. (843 yards/10 TDs rushing); RB/S Davey Campbell, 5-8/160, sr. (674 yards/8 TDs rushing); OL/DL Tyler Bowles, 6-0/280, sr.
Outlook: Clinton’s return to Ford Field included the rematch win over Blissfield, which won their first meeting 28-14 to eventually decide the league title. Another tough-running offense has allowed Clinton to earn a few postseason championships, however. In addition to Lehman, Randolph and Campbell, junior George Ames has rushed for 852 yards and 11 scores as the team has 3,885 yards and 54 touchdowns running the ball (and has thrown only 28 passes). Randolph made the all-state first team at linebacker, while Bowles made the second team and Campbell earned honorable mention also on defense. Junior kicker Jonathan Baughey earned an all-state honorable mention as well, making 36 of 42 extra points and a field goal so far this season.
Division 7
NEW LOTHROP
Record/rank: 10-0, No. 2
Coach: Clint Galvas, 13th season (128-15)
League finish: First in Mid-Michigan Activities Conference
Championship history: Division 7 champion 2018, Division 8 champion 2006.
Best wins: 36-21 over No. 6 Schoolcraft in Semifinal, 41-7 over No. 1 Detroit Loyola in Regional Final, 44-15 over Division 6 No. 9 Montrose, 49-6 over Durand.
Players to watch: QB/DL Cam Orr, 6-4/230, sr. (1,882 yards/27 TDs passing, 730 yards/18 TDs rushing); RB/DB Will Muron, 5-11/180, sr. (798 yards/8 TDs rushing, 603 yards/10 TDs receiving, 3 TDs on special teams); RB/LB Julius Garza, 6-0/180, sr. (209 yards/2 TDs rushing, 431 yards/7 TDs receiving); OL/DL Will Taylor, 6-3/250, sr. (Garza’s stats are through the Regional Final only.)
Outlook: After seeing last season end with a one-point Regional Final loss to eventual champion Pewamo-Westphalia, New Lothrop has stormed back winning all of its games by at least two touchdowns. The Hornets have won 26 of their last 27 games, going back to the start of that last championship playoff run. Orr sets the pace for an offense averaging nearly 49 points per game, although he made the all-state first team as a lineman for a defense giving up 9.2 points per contest. Muron was the offensive star of the Semifinal win, and he also made the all-state first team on defense. He’s also returned a kickoff and two punts for scores. Taylor was named to the all-state second team, and Garza earned an honorable mention.
TRAVERSE CITY ST. FRANCIS
Record/rank: 9-2, unranked
Coach: Josh Sellers, 11th season (120-17)
League finish: First in Northern Michigan Football Conference Legends
Championship history: Six MHSAA titles (most recent 2009), three runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 13-12 over Cass City in Semifinal, 44-32 over Charlevoix in District Final, 21-20 over Jackson Lumen Christi, 42-20 over Grayling.
Players to watch: RB/DB Owen Mueller, 5-9/178, sr. (565 yards/5 TDs rushing); RB/DT Aidan Schmuckal, 6-0/205, sr. (483 yards/11 TDs rushing); OL/DL/K Bryce Kempf, 6-3/220, jr. (35-35 XP/1 FG); OL/DE Casey Donahue, 6-3/210, sr. (Schmuckal and Kempf’s stats through Regional Final only.)
Outlook: The Gladiators are back at Ford Field for the first time since that last title run but after making the Semifinals four times over the last nine seasons. Sellers was coach for the 2003 and 2005 championships teams; he left to coach in Tennessee after the 2007 season but took St. Francis’ program back over in 2015. There’s some interesting history to this Finals matchup; St. Francis in 2018 gave the Hornets their only regular-season loss of the last four years. The offense has a number of contributors, and the running attack has gained more than 2,200 yards over 10 games on the field. Donahue made the all-state first team, while Schmuckal on defense and Kempf as a kicker earned honorable mentions.
Division 8
CENTREVILLE
Record/rank: 10-0, No. 7
Coach: Jerry Schultz, first season (10-0)
League finish: First in Southwest 10 Conference
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 8-0 over Sand Creek in Regional Final, 32-14 over Reading in District Final, 16-0 (District Semifinal) and 14-8 over White Pigeon, 36-0 over Mendon.
Players to watch: WR/DB Tristan McElroy, 6-1/160, sr. (299 yards/4 TDs receiving, 5 interceptions); RB/OLB Gunner Bunning, 5-8/150, sr. (268 yards/4 TDs rushing); QB/FS Sam Todd, 6-1/185, sr. (438 yards/7 TDs passing, 1,005 yards/13 TDs rushing); FB/DE Jared Spencer, 6-3/195, sr. (399 yards/4 TDs rushing).
Outlook: Centreville is a combined 25-6 over the last three seasons after a run of nine straight finishing below .500. Schultz took over the program this fall after serving as defensive coordinator at Niles for four seasons, and has brought Centreville not only to its first championship game but also delivered its first Regional Final and Semifinal trips. While no opponent finished among the top 10 in its division in playoff point average, Sand Creek, Reading and Mendon all finished between Nos. 11-15 in Division 8. Todd earned an all-state honorable mention at quarterback, while the defense has given up a Michigan high school-best 3.2 points per game (credit to the Kalamazoo Gazette’s Patrick Nothaft for that research).
UBLY
Record/rank: 9-2, unranked
Coach: Eric Sweeney, first season (9-2)
League finish: Third in Greater Thumb Conference East
Championship history: Division 7 runner-up 2008.
Best wins: 43-0 over Johannesburg-Lewiston in Semifinal, 42-0 over Flint Beecher in District Final, 36-6 over Carson City-Crystal in Regional Final, 20-14 (OT) over Unionville-Sebewaing in District Semifinal.
Players to watch: RB/LB Carson Heleski, 6-1/190, sr. (1,135 yards/20 TDs rushing); RB/DT Colin Oberski, 6-1/180, jr. (565 yards/8 TDs rushing); RB/S Logan Mueller, 6-1/165, jr. (676 yards/6 TDs rushing); QB/S Evan Peruski, 5-11/165, fr. (238 yards/2 TDs passing, 498 yards/8 TDs rushing). (Statistics through Regional Final only.)
Outlook: Sweeney moved up after two seasons leading the junior varsity and has Ubly headed to Ford Field for the first time in more than a decade, and after the Bearcats missed the Finals last season by a one-point Semifinal loss. They finished 13th in Division 8 in playoff-point average after early losses to Harbor Beach and Sandusky. While the offense is certainly impressive, especially running the ball – Ubly averaged 306 yards rushing per game over its first 10 – the defense shut out a Johannesburg-Lewiston team that was averaging 44 points per game and a Beecher team that was scoring 32 points per contest. Heleski earned an all-state honorable mention, and you’ll certainly hear more about Peruski, the rare freshman starting quarterback to bring his team this far.