FHC Caps Ford Field Return by Sending Out Coach, Seniors with 1st Finals Win
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
November 26, 2023
DETROIT – Ty Hudkins and his Forest Hills Central teammates were not going to be denied Sunday in the Division 3 Football Final.
Not even if it meant – in Hudkins’ case – having to drag a Mason defender 20 yards for a touchdown.
Not after coming up one win short of bringing their program its first Finals title a year ago.
And certainly not in the final game of their coach Tim Rogers’ career.
So Hudkins dragged that defender, the Rangers got that last win, and they sent Rogers out a winner, defeating Mason 27-10 at Ford Field.
“We’ve been talking about this since sixth grade,” Hudkins said, before pointing to his teammates assembled at the press conference. “We’ve been playing for each other since we can remember. All our dads have been the coaches – coach’s kid, coach’s kid, coach’s kid, coach’s kid – it’s just been a real blessing. (Rogers) has been around with us the entire time, as well. It’s just a great way to end. We’ve been talking about it since sixth grade, and the fact that it finally came true is just crazy. It’s a blessing.”
Forest Hills Central had lost to Warren De La Salle Collegiate in the Division 2 Final a year ago. After that game, Rogers told the assembled media that the Rangers would be back, and he was proven correct.
This year, he made another major statement following the game, when he announced that he had just coached his final game at Forest Hills Central, calling it the “worst-kept secret in the state.”
“It’s tough,” Rogers said before taking a moment to collect himself. “Their fathers are dear friends, my assistant coaches. There’s been plenty of inquiries if I was stepping down this year, and the last thing I wanted to be was a distraction to our team. So, do what we always do, put our head down and grind. I feel great. I watched these kids grow up. I think I’m leaving it better than I found it. These assistant coaches I have are fantastic – great fathers, great people, great husbands. So, it was great in our final game to do that. Send them off the way they deserve to be sent off. This community has waited a long time for something like this, and they’re fantastic. The student body was fantastic, our administration was very supportive. Storybook ending for my career to finish with these guys and do what we just did today.”
The Rangers (13-1) did it with defense, holding Mason to 36 yards rushing and 4.3 yards per play. They also forced three turnovers, including a pick-six from linebacker Drew Fortino with 7 minutes, 13 seconds to play, which made the score 27-10 and essentially put the game away.
“I saw the guy across the field, and I saw him coming across, and I kind of just stuck my hand out and was like, ‘Shoot, I got the ball,’” Fortino said. “The whole team blocked really well, and I was able to get into the end zone and they were all in there celebrating with me.”
Mason coach Gary Houghton called the Rangers’ front seven the fastest his team had seen this season, including that of Detroit Martin Luther King, who the Bulldogs played in the Semifinal. As the Bulldogs struggled to find room to run – both with and without star running back AJ Martell, who had eight carries for 14 yards before leaving the game with an injury – that became more and more apparent. But Rogers said it went beyond his team’s athleticism.
“They’re talented for sure,” Rogers said. “But they’re smart. They do so much. The offense gets so much credit for checks at the line of scrimmage and all the things they do. We do that all the time on defense. If you watch me and you knew our signals, half the time you’d just think I was calling base. But these guys check everything at the line of scrimmage. It’s a testament to their football IQ, how they get us in the right play all the time on defense, and just a relentless pursuit of the football.”
JT Hartman led the defense with an interception, a sack, two tackles for loss and eight total tackles. Brady Drueke had a team-high 12 tackles, Fortino added a sack and Hudkins had a diving interception.
The defensive performance was a far cry from a year ago, when the Rangers allowed 52 points in the loss to De La Salle.
“We knew we had to be better, just this offseason, so we worked extra hard in the weight room,” Hartman said. “I think all the extra work made us better players and better people. That translated out on the field.”
While the Mason defense had a fine day itself, holding the Rangers to fewer than 300 yards of total offense and 5.5 yards per play, Central was able to break the game open in the second half thanks to a max-effort play from Hudkins. The Purdue commit hauled in a pass from quarterback Mason McDonald at the 28-yard line and was latched onto at the 20 by a Mason defender. Hudkins stayed on his feet, however, and powered his way into the end zone, diving for the pylon and giving his team a 20-3 lead.
“Just a touchdown in and of itself is a big deal, but to see the will – he was not going to be denied,” Rogers said. “With that, you could literally see the whole sideline just start to elevate. Ty was going to put us on his back literally and figuratively, and he wasn’t going to be denied.”
Hudkins finished the game with 115 yards on six receptions. McDonald led the Forest Hills rushing attack with 74 yards on 21 carries, while Hartman had 68 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Kicker Alex Moeller had a pair of field goals (35 and 27 yards).
For Mason (13-1), it was the end of its own storybook season, even if it didn’t come with the ultimate happy ending. The Bulldogs were playing in their first Final after knocking off King, the team that had ended their previous two seasons in Semifinals.
They had served as a rallying point for a community in mourning following the passing of classmates Lillian Klages and Amanda Blue, who died in an August car crash.
Mason players ran onto the field led by players carrying flags bearing their names.
“We gave it our best shot,” Mason senior receiver Kaleb Parrish said. “It wasn’t the outcome that we wanted, but we tried for the community. We knew this game was bigger than just a football game. At the end of the day, we all tried. When I looked up in the beginning, it was great to see all of the community that showed up. It was thousands – probably most of our community showed up.”
Parrish had a big day receiving in his final game at Mason, hauling in eight catches for 102 yards. Derek Badgley, who scored the Bulldogs’ lone touchdown on a 2-yard run late in the third quarter, added 71 yards on eight catches. Quarterback Cason Carswell was 22 of 40 passing for 229 yards. Kicker Collin Winters connected on a 26-yard field goal during the first quarter.
PHOTOS (Top) Forest Hills Central coach Tim Rogers holds up his program’s first championship trophy Sunday at Ford Field. (Middle) Ty Hudkins (5) hauls in a catch down the sideline for the Rangers. (Below) Jacob Harleton (22) breaks up a Mason pass at the goal line. (Photos by Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
1st & Goal: 2026 Playoffs Week 1 Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 30, 2026
We’ve landed in a familiar place, but with a slightly different look as we begin the 2026 MHSAA Football Playoffs this weekend.
For the first time since the 11-player field expanded to 256 teams in 1999, teams in those brackets were seeded regionally before Districts were drawn, resulting in a number of matchups we haven’t seen before, or at least in several seasons, at this stage of the game.
Tickets for all are available on GoFan.co, and more than 100 also will be broadcast on MHSAA.tv. Click to check out all of the matchups in every division, and see below for a few from each that especially jump off the page.
11-Player Division 1
Hudsonville (6-3) at Portage Central (8-1)
Both have significant recent playoff experience, Portage Central making the Semifinals last fall and Hudsonville finishing Division 1 runner-up in 2024 and reaching the Regional Finals last year. The last few weeks have no doubt felt like playoff games as well for the Eagles, who defeated Rockford in Week 8 and fell to East Kentwood last Friday – with their only other loss to Caledonia. Central’s only loss came Week 1 to Toledo Central Catholic, and they doubled up their next-toughest opponent of the season, downing St. Joseph last week.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Belleville (6-3) at Dearborn Fordson (7-2), Davison (7-2) at Oxford (7-2), Brownstown Woodhaven (7-2) at Northville (7-2).
11-Player Division 2
Walled Lake Western (7-2) at Midland Dow (7-2)
Dow shared the championship this fall in the Saginaw Valley League North, and Western tied for third in the Lakes Valley Conference. The Warriors must bounce back quickly after falling last week to Milford 31-28 in a matchup that cost them a share of the LVC title, but an early win over Livonia Franklin and another over South Lyon East two weeks ago are proof of their capabilities. Dow’s only losses also were to playoff teams, and a 52-24 win over Traverse City West in Week 6 helped set up the shared SVL title.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY North Farmington (6-3) at Ferndale (7-2), Saginaw Heritage (6-3) at South Lyon East (7-2), Livonia Franklin (7-2) at Allen Park (7-2).
11-Player Division 3
Marquette (6-3) at Cadillac (7-2)
The Sentinels won the Week 4 matchup between these two 33-27 in Marquette on the way to claiming the Big North Conference title outright – with Cadillac finishing runner-up. The Vikings get to host this time thanks to a slight edge in playoff-point average, and their only other loss came to still-undefeated Portland by seven points. Marquette is coming off a loss to undefeated Kingsford, which broke a six-game winning streak, but has won all four meetings with Cadillac since joining the BNC in 2023.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY East Grand Rapids (6-3) at Coopersville (8-1), Battle Creek Central (5-4) at Battle Creek Harper Creek (6-3), Holly (7-2) at Fenton (7-2).
11-Player Division 4
Vicksburg (7-2) at Edwardsburg (9-0)
Edwardsburg won these rivals’ regular-season meeting 59-27 just two weeks ago to clinch the first share of what ended up an outright Wolverine Conference title. Only Paw Paw – a potential District Final opponent – has gotten within 12 points of catching the Eddies. But only a year ago Vicksburg defeated Edwardsburg during both the regular season and playoffs, and they’ll try to recapture the defensive prowess this weekend that otherwise has given up only 14 points per game this fall.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Paw Paw (8-1) at Portland (9-0), Marshall (8-1) at Grand Rapids South Christian (8-1), Fruitport (7-2) at Ludington (7-2).
11-Player Division 5
Kalamazoo United (9-0) at Hopkins (8-1)
This is a rematch of a 2025 District Semifinal, won 41-20 by United but in Kalamazoo, while Hopkins earned the home game this time based on its strength of schedule. Both also are league champions, United in the Southwestern Athletic Conference and Hopkins in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Silver. This could come down to Hopkins’ offense – averaging nearly 42 points per game – finding a weakness in a Titans defense that has given up 61 points total this fall, and seven or fewer in seven games.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Berrien Springs (8-1) at Lake Odessa Lakewood (8-1), Ida (7-2) at Detroit Voyageur College Prep (6-3), Detroit Denby (6-3) at Redford Union (5-4).
11-Player Division 6
Napoleon (8-1) at Buchanan (7-2)
A bumpy middle of the season saw Buchanan lose consecutive games to playoff teams Berrien Springs and Bronson, but the Bucks rallied to run their postseason streak to five and earn this rematch from last year’s Division 6 bracket. Napoleon won that District Semifinal matchup last season 26-20 and lost this fall only to Cascades Conference overall champion Hanover-Horton, in Week 4. All of its victories have been by double digits.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Harbor Springs (8-1) at Gladwin (5-4), Kent City (7-2) at Olivet (6-3). SATURDAY Calumet (6-3) at Traverse City St. Francis (6-3).
11-Player Division 7
Cassopolis (8-1) at Ravenna (7-2)
Cassopolis has emerged from a 1-7 finish just two years ago to win eight straight games heading into this one, its only loss this season by four points in Week 1 to still-undefeated Decatur. That ended up costing the Rangers the Southwest 10 Conference title, but they will begin pursuit of a first District title since 2018 against a Ravenna team also enjoying a nice rebound with its first winning regular season since 2022. The Bulldogs’ losses were to Beal City and North Muskegon, who are a combined 17-1.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Harrison (7-2) at McBain (7-2), Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker (7-2) at Burton Bendle (9-0), Union City (7-2) at Detroit Community (8-1).
11-Player Division 8
East Jordan (7-2) at Iron Mountain (7-2)
Northern Michigan Football Conference co-champion East Jordan crosses the Mackinac Bridge to take on the Mountaineers in a rematch of a 2024 District Final won by Iron Mountain. The Red Devils are coming off a tough five-point loss to Harbor Springs, but their only other defeat was to Charlevoix by six in Week 1. Iron Mountain hasn’t lost since Week 3 and its defeats were both five-pointers to league champions, North Muskegon and Bark River-Harris.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Saugatuck (6-3) at Springport (8-1), Marine City Cardinal Mooney (6-3) at Royal Oak Shrine Catholic (8-1). SATURDAY Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary (6-3) at Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (6-3).
8-Player Division 1
Bridgman (8-1) at Colon (8-1)
Bridgman’s enrollment has allowed it to be eligible for the 8-player playoffs for the first time, and the Bees will be one of the most dangerous road teams in any division this weekend. They’ve scored 48 or more points six times, with their only loss to another playoff team in Grand Rapids Sacred Heart. Colon is coming in from a similar spot, back in the playoffs for the first time since 2022 and having dominated the majority of this season with its lone loss to Mendon.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Ishpeming (7-2) at Rudyard (7-2), Blanchard Montabella (8-1) at Dansville (7-2), Marlette (7-2) at Deckerville (8-1).
8-Player Division 2
Powers North Central (7-2) at Lake Linden-Hubbell (9-0) – Saturday
Lake Linden-Hubbell has put together its first perfect regular season since 2016 and has played only one single-digit game, defeating Crystal Falls Forest Park 42-38 in Week 7. The Lakes downed North Central 44-27 in Week 5, but the Jets have to be riding high after last week’s 55-36 win over Forest Park that knocked the Trojans out of the playoffs. North Central’s only other defeat came Week 2 to Ishpeming, which enjoyed its best regular season in several this fall.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY St. Ignace (8-1) at Gaylord St. Mary (9-0), Grand Rapids Sacred Heart (8-1) at Marion (9-0), Britton Deerfield (7-2) at Kinde North Huron (7-2).
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PHOTO A Grand Ledge receiver focuses on hauling in a pass during the Comets’ 49-25 Week 4 win over East Lansing. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)