First and 20 for Lansing Catholic's Rush
December 16, 2011
If Lansing Catholic’s Cooper Rush would’ve thrown that late second-quarter pass just a litter farther Friday, his receiver probably would’ve had time to run under and catch it.
But it was hard for the Cougars’ senior quarterback to be disappointed. His first miss came after 20 straight completions to begin a 61-13 Division 5 Regional win over Dowagiac – and was one of three MHSAA records Rush set or tied on the night.
The 20 straight completions tied the mark set by Rockford’s Mike Segard in 1997. Rush also threw eight touchdown passes to set a record ahead of five who had thrown seven, a record seven TDs during the first half, and tied a record with five in the first quarter. And before leaving the game in the third quarter – after just 28 pass attempts – Rush had tossed for 510 yards to tie for third on that single-game list.
This fall has been filled with wild passing totals by Rush, who has committed to sign with Central Michigan this winter. His 3,302 yards for the season are seventh on the MHSAA record list with a possible two games left to be played, and his 41 touchdown tosses are third. A three-year starter, he emerged as an all-state candidate last season. But he’s dwarfed that performance in helping Lansing Catholic to a 12-0 record heading into Saturday’s Semifinal against Grand Rapids West Catholic.
“We’ve improved greatly, especially this year from last year,” Rush said. “I’ve developed a lot more timing with all my receivers, with that extra year playing with each other. All my receivers know what I want, and I know what they want.
“(I tell them) never give up on a route. Trust it, and they know I’ll put it where they can catch it and make a play after the catch.”
Total, Rush finished Friday night 25 for 28 throwing the ball, and he connected with five receivers. Senior Matt Macksood caught 11 passes for 304 yards and four touchdowns – the yardage fourth on the MHSAA record list for one game, and the four scores one short of tying for first. (Click to see both players' entries in the MHSAA record book.)
And Rush was hardly just dumping off the ball. All but nine of his completions were for 10 yards or more, and eight went for at least 25 yards. Macksood and his receivers helped out with a few great catches. But most of the time, he and teammates Jack Swain, Connor Bartlett, Dan Liesman and Jim Maher simply had to snag what was thrown at them.
“Every time I dropped back, guys were wide open. It was pretty easy to hit wide-open receivers,” Rush said. “It was the same old (routes) they’ve run all year. They just ran them really crisp.”
Macksood also is rising on MHSAA record lists in a number of categories. He’s surpassed 1,400 receiving yards for the second straight season and is one of five receivers on the MHSAA list with at least 2,800 for his career. His 33 touchdown catches over the last two seasons puts him tied for sixth in that category.
Click to watch the replay of Friday's game online at FoxSportsDetroit.com.
Martin Returns, Redeems, Runs Away for 3rd Finals Championship in 4 Seasons
By
Jason Juno
Special for MHSAA.com
November 22, 2025
MARQUETTE — Martin has gotten used to making the long but fruitful trip to the Superior Dome in the middle of the Upper Peninsula.
But after winning back-to-back 8-player Division 1 championships in 2022 and 2023, the Clippers didn’t make it out of the Lower Peninsula last year, losing in the final second of the Regional Final.
That started the Redemption Tour.
The players coined it, the coaches went with it, a fan even painted it on his car windows. The Clippers completed the tour Saturday with a dominating 52-8 victory over Blanchard Montabella 435 miles away from their home south of Grand Rapids.
They didn’t want to forget what happened last year, and that bad taste in their mouths helped turn the 2025 campaign into the kind of season they’ll never want to forget either — only for much better reasons.
“We didn’t want that feeling again because it was terrible,” Martin coach Brad Blauvelt said. “Especially winning the two years before, we wanted to be here doing this.”
Senior quarterback Haylen Buell was a big part of the win; he ran for a game-high 179 yards on just nine carries and threw for another 134 during a four-touchdown championship day. That’s two years after being one of the leading rushers and receivers in the 2023 Final.
“(This) means everything. This is what we strive for each and every year,” Buell said. The workouts to get here start each year in March. “I think every senior was at every single workout. It showed up here.”
A dozen seniors, some with experience in previous Finals like Buell, were key to the season and to this victory. Despite the final score, Blanchard Montabella proved up to the challenge early on and Martin needed an answer.
The Mustangs scored first, a rarity for any team against Martin, according to Mustangs coach Tim Webb. They used 13 plays and nearly six minutes to go 90 yards as Brady Kieff put them on the scoreboard with a three-yard run.
Martin answered with a scoring drive to tie it, ending on a three-yard touchdown rush by Buell. Montabella took the ball back and took another methodical drive right back into the red zone, even overcoming a holding penalty early in the drive.
“We thought that we were gonna be the more physical, more dominant team,” Blauvelt said. “That first quarter, they gave us a run for our money and then we kind of took over with our physicality.”
With the help of a key takeaway to set it all in motion.
On the third play of the second quarter, and the 10th of the drive, the Mustangs fumbled. Martin senior linebacker Isaac Suk recovered, and the whole game changed. Compounding the devastating turnover, Martin scored on the very first play of the ensuing drive, on an 81-yard touchdown run by Bryer Watson.
“That was a huge turnover,” Blauvelt said. “Football is momentum, and once we had that, we didn’t really look back.”
It opened the floodgates for the Clippers.
The Mustangs went four-and-out. Martin scored on a 44-yard run by Buell. Montabella punted. Martin scored on a one-yard rush by Seth Toris. Montabella turned it over on downs near midfield. Martin scored on a 25-yard pass from Buell to Anderson Keeler.
It went from looking like a shootout to a 38-8 Martin lead at the half.
Webb said the Mustangs needed to play mistake-free football to compete. It was tough to keep doing that all afternoon.
“We did some good things, I thought, first quarter, first couple drives,” he said. “But we needed to play almost flawless to be able to compete. Their (12) seniors just kind of control the game. Line of scrimmage, they controlled the offense and defense. They tackled better than we did. And I got to give them credit for that.”
Montabella finished the season 11-2 while making its first trip to the Finals. A tough ending to be sure, but a lot to be proud of as well.
“It was a good experience for us, but I mean it’s tough to have it go the way it did,” center Brayden Foster said. “But first one in school history.”
Webb said he hopes the successful run this year shows other Montabella students they can do it, but it’ll take even more dedication in the weight room.
“It’s been a pretty magical couple weeks for our football program,” he said. “And I think we’re just getting started.”
Martin is the gold standard right now in Division 1, with the Clippers now winners of three titles over the last four years. They can forget about last year now that the Redemption Tour is complete with a 13-0 championship season.
“It’ll take me a minute to realize all that,” Blauvelt said. “We’re just trying to win the football game at this point. We’ll look back at it and years from now be like, ‘Man, that was a heck of a run.’ Heck of a run, just special, every time we get here and then win it, too. I’m just proud of my team and my coaches.”
He was thrilled to have a player-led team this time around, something that’s no slam dunk with high school-age kids. It’s the most tight-knit senior group he’s had, and that’s what made this team unique among the three champion squads.
Plus that dominating defense.
“Our defense is different,” he said. “This is our best defense that we think we had. And we held our hat on that, and we like to be physical.”
And if a strong senior class and a feared defense weren’t enough, Martin also had the advantage of having been here before, the coaches and the players. They have an itinerary for the trip that works — which includes speeches from players and coaches the night before — and the ability to focus on the game instead of the commotion of championship week.
“We take that as an advantage,” Blauvelt said. “We just try to soak in the moment every time we come. This is a special place to play. … It’s electric, it’s fun. It stinks it’s eight hours from home, but it’s a cool place.”
One that’s been very good to them.
PHOTOS (Top) Martin’s Weson Elkins (22) charges down the sideline Saturday as Montabella’s Austin Jensen closes in during the Division 1 Final at Superior Dome. (Middle) Montabella’s Brady Kieff steps into the end zone for the game’s first score. (Below) The Mustangs’ Noah Carlson (10) attempts to slow down Haylen Buell as he approaches the end zone. (Click for more from Cara Kamps.)