Football Playoffs: Semifinals in Review
November 21, 2011
It’s always hard to wave good-bye to another high school football season.
But stories of this fall’s playoffs will no doubt be retold a few times this winter -- especially after one of the most memorable Semifinals weekends in recent memory,
Nine of Saturday’s 16 games were decided by eight points or fewer. Two games were decided by three points, and three more games by just one. Twice, overtime was necessary to decide which team would advance to this weekend’s MHSAA Finals at Detroit’s Ford Field.
We’ll kick off Finals week with our regular round-up of the previous weekend’s playoff action – including the first 8-Player Final in MHSAA history. Later this week, we’ll take a brief look at every team hoping to finish by hoisting a championship trophy.
All eight games will be broadcast on Fox Sports Plus. Click for a full schedule and playoff scoreboard. And click here for a list of Fox Sports Plus channels in your area.
(Rankings are by The Associated Press’ panel of media voters.)
1st and 10
Division 1: Detroit Catholic Central 23, Rockford 20 (OT) – Rockford kicked a field goal for a three-point lead to begin overtime, but No. 2 beat No. 1 when DCC running back Anthony Darkangelo ran in the game-winner from seven yards out. Read more in the Novi News.
Division 1: Detroit Cass Tech 6, Utica Eisenhower 3 – Here’s why they play the games. Unranked Cass Tech continued an impressive defensive stand (see lower in this post for more) in knocking off the No. 3 Eagles. Read more in the Detroit Free Press.
Division 2: Lowell 42, Walled Lake Western 35 (OT) – Walled Lake Western came back from 14 down in the third quarter and then took a lead, but couldn’t keep the Red Arrows from booking a third-straight trip to the Finals. Read more in the Grand Rapids Press.
Division 2: Birmingham Brother Rice 27, Detroit Martin Luther King 26 – The Crusaders fought back from an early 21-0 deficit, and Brother Rice scored all of its points during the first half. But the Warriors held on twice at the end – once on a two-point conversion try that would’ve given King the lead, and then once more on the Crusaders’ final possession. Read more from the Oakland Press.
Division 3: Mount Pleasant 38, East Grand Rapids 37 – The Oilers were probably thinking less about EGR’s 28-game playoff winning streak and more about how the Pioneers had knocked them out of the playoffs two of the last three seasons. Now, Mount Pleasant can focus on playing in its first MHSAA Final. Read more in the Mount Pleasant Morning Sun.
Division 5: Lansing Catholic 42, Grand Rapids West Catholic 35 – The teams exchanged shots until just about the end, with this season’s No. 1 taking down the reigning champion despite trailing twice during the first half. Read more in the Lansing State Journal.
Division 6: Constantine 45, Ecorse 44 – The Falcons have shown they are tough to stop when it matters most, winning their third playoff game by seven or fewer points to advance to their first Final since 2004. Read more in the Sturgis Journal.
Division 7: Pewamo-Westphalia 22, Hudson 14 – The Pirates, making their second Semifinal appearance ever, earned their first Finals berth by ending the 26-game winning streak of the reigning champion Tigers. Read more from the Lansing State Journal.
Division 8: Mendon 34, New Lothrop 13 – The No. 3 Hornets had given up 47 points over their first 12 games, but top-ranked Mendon nearly doubled that while holding a New Lothrop offense averaging 52 points to just a pair of touchdowns. Read more in the Sturgis Journal.
8-Player Final: Carsonville-Port Sanilac 59, Rapid River 20 – It’s arguable what was more impressive – the Tigers’ offensive might, or that its defense held Rapid River scoreless in the second half of the first-ever MHSAA 8-player Final. Read more in the “First Pitch” at MHSAA.com.
Numbers Game
16 – Number of points Detroit Cass Tech has given up during the postseason, including three to Utica Eisenhower in Saturday’ 6-3 victory. The Technicians have held opponents to seven or fewer points in nine of 13 games this fall.
34 – Number of minutes Constantine held onto the ball – and kept Ecorse’s offense off the field – in a 45-44 Division 6 win.
901 – Number of yards, combined, put up by Carsonville-Port Sanilac and Rapid River in the inaugural 8-player Football Final.
324 – Passing yards by Carsonville-Port Sanilac quarterback Hayden Adams, who likely will be remembered as this state’s first 8-player star. Five of his 12 completions went for touchdowns, and he also ran for 130 yards and two scores.
More Fantastic Finishes
Division 3: Orchard Lake St. Mary 14, Battle Creek Harper Creek 10 – They were tied going into the fourth quarter. Harper Creek added a go-ahead field goal – and then St. Mary’s Grant Niemiec scored on an 11-yard run with 49 seconds left to take the final lead.
Division 4: Zeeland West 30, Comstock Park 6 – The Dux moved to 13-0 to tie the school record for wins and make a second MHSAA Final – in just seven seasons of existence.
Division 4: Marine City 45, Grosse Ile 6 – The Mariners shut down Grosse Ile until the final five minutes of the game to earn their second Finals berth in five seasons.
Division 5: Flint Powers Catholic 27, Almont 10 – Why they play the games, Part II. Powers is the latest to make the rare trek from 5-4 qualifier to potential MHSAA champion after taking out Nos. 2 and, most recently, 4 from the final AP regular-season poll.
Division 6: Ithaca 28, Iron Mountain 0 – The Yellowjackets returned to the Superior Dome and beat Iron Mountain for the second straight season to advance to Detroit.
Division 7: Saginaw Nouvel 14, Traverse City St. Francis 3 – The Panthers’ defense also has been awesome during this postseason, giving up just 23 points over four games.
Division 8: Fowler 45, St. Ignace La Salle 8 – The Eagles have gone from losing their coach the weekend before practice began in 2010 to making their first Final since winning Class D in 1998.
Up Next: MHSAA 11-player Finals
FRIDAY
Division 8: Mendon (13-0) vs. Fowler (11-2), 10 a.m. – These are two of the most storied small-school programs in state history, both ranking among the top 14 in the state in winning percentage since 1950 according to Michigan-football.com. Mendon was expected to be here, but surprise Fowler has been to this point plenty of times as well.
Division 2: Birmingham Brother Rice (9-4) vs. Lowell (12-1), 1 p.m. – Brother Rice’s tough schedule always gives it a decent shot of making the playoff field even at 5-4, but getting to the Final after coming in with that record is new ground for the Warriors (they made the Semifinals in 2009 after entering 5-4). Lowell was just about everyone’s pick to get this far – and will try to make it two titles in three seasons after losing in the 2010 championship game.
Division 6: Constantine (11-2) vs. Ithaca (13-0), 4:30 p.m. – Constantine’s 1-2 start is a distant memory as the Falcons go for their first championship in seven seasons. Ithaca made its first Final just a year ago, but can further its reputation as an elite power but claiming two titles in a row and extending its winning streak to 28.
Division 4: Marine City (13-0) vs. Zeeland West (13-0), 7:30 p.m. – It’s rare for the combination of bracket assignments and rankings to play out like this, but Marine City entered the postseason No. 1 and Zeeland West No. 2. The Mariners last won a championship in 2007, but have the chance to also finish 14-0 this time. Same story as the Dux try to improve just that little bit on their 2006 title run.
SATURDAY
Division 7: Pewamo-Westphalia (13-0) vs. Saginaw Nouvel (12-0), 10 a.m. – The Panthers are going for their third MHSAA championship in six seasons and have no problem raising their game; not counting two against Canadian teams, Nouvel played 10 games this season against teams that qualified for the playoffs. P-W joins Fowler as finalists from the Central Michigan Athletic Conference, and is led by a senior class that might be one of the best in the program’s successful history.
Division 1: Detroit Cass Tech (10-3) vs. Detroit Catholic Central (12-1), 1 p.m. – The Technicians seemingly have been building toward this weekend after making their first Semifinal appearance in 2010, and after losing by three in that game before going on to win by three in last week’s semi. Now they get the Shamrocks, who can move into a third-place tie with 11 MHSAA football championships.
Division 5: Flint Powers Catholic (9-4) vs. Lansing Catholic (13-0), 4:30 p.m. – The Cougars defeated Powers 37-17 in Week 2, but it’s fair to say much has changed. The Chargers haven’t given up that many points in a game since – but Lansing Catholic also hasn’t scored that few.
Division 3: Mount Pleasant (13-0) vs. Orchard Lake St. Mary (11-2), 7:30 p.m. – The Eaglets lost the last two Finals to East Grand Rapids by eight and three points, respectively. No matter what happens in this finale, there will be a new Division 3 champion for the first time in five seasons.
(Photo courtesy of Sharon Weber via the Lansing State Journal.)
Beaudrie's Rebuild of Jefferson Football Gaining Speed with Fast Start
By
Doug Donnelly
Special for MHSAA.com
September 17, 2025
NEWPORT – Rob Beaudrie has found the secret formula to building a winning football team.
Take over as head coach. Tap his freshman son (even if unexpectedly) as the starting quarterback. Mix in a couple of years hitting the weights, consistent offseason workouts and getting the underclassmen to buy into the playbook and new culture.
Oh, and winning a few games doesn’t hurt.
“Kids like to win,” Beaudrie said. “They don’t want to go out and practice two or three hours every day and go 0-9. It’s not fun for them. These kids have bought in. They’ve been playing football together since they were in youth football. It’s a good experience for them.”
Beaudrie is the head football coach at Monroe Jefferson, a Division 6 school in Newport, along the shores of Lake Erie and home to the Fermi 2 nuclear power plant. The Bears were once a football power, winning the Class BB championship in 1994, but have struggled for the last 20 years or so.
Being from the area, Beaudrie knew all about Jefferson. He took the job three seasons ago. He stayed on the course and things slowly improved.
This year, everything has come together as the Bears are off to a 3-0 start for the first time since 2006. One more win and they’ll have more victories than in any one season since 2016, which was the last time Jefferson qualified for the playoffs.
“We’ve come a long way,” Beaudrie said. “We are doing a lot of things right. We are attacking the ball, pursuing. We’re blocking together. There are still some growing pains. We are young in some areas, but they’ve come along well. They are very talented.”
Beaudrie inserted his son Luke, then a freshman, into the starting quarterback role his first year as head coach. It was an unexpected move because Luke had been a slot receiver or running back while playing youth football and middle school football. When the player Beaudrie expected to be the starting quarterback quit the team, Beaudrie turned to his son.
“He’s not a true quarterback, but he’s learning,” Beaudrie said. “He’s learned to understand the offense and read the defense. He’s a leader.”
In Jefferson’s 52-21 win over Milan on Friday, Luke Beaudrie returned a kickoff 99 yards, had touchdown runs of 65, 2, 50 and 32 and returned an interception 89 yards for a touchdown – all in the first half.
“He’s a special athlete,” Rob Beaudrie said. “He was never tackled in middle school. He’s very fast and has great vision.”
Luke said he has adapted to being the quarterback.
“When I first started, I didn’t think it was for me,” he said. “But you have to have the mindset ‘whatever is best for the team.’ I started learning it, and now I’m more comfortable.”
Through three games, Beaudrie has 487 yards rushing, 243 yards passing and has scored 13 touchdowns.
The Beaudries have used this same game plan before, but at a different school. Rob was head coach at Erie Mason, a program that had struggled. His son Noah became the starting quarterback as a freshman, went through some growing pains, but developed into an all-stater his senior season as Mason won a league championship.
Noah went on to play college football at Mount Union University (Ohio) where he quarterbacked the Purple Raiders into the Division III national championship game last season. This year, Noah transferred to Adrian College where he is the starting quarterback and has the Bulldogs off to a 2-0 start.
Being close to home has allowed him to serve as an assistant coach for Jefferson.
“The schedules line up really well,” Rob Beaudrie said. “He can be at (our) practice just about every Sunday and Monday and can be at most of our games. He helps Luke out a lot. He’s brought a lot of college experiences with him to the playbook.”
Another former player Rob had at Mason, Tanner Herrera, is helping coach the Jefferson offense.
“I didn’t want to do it all,” Beaudrie said. “I offered him the OC (offensive coordinator) job, and he’s run with it.”
Beaudrie said he thought this could be the year Jefferson turned things around. The Bears still have a difficult Huron League schedule ahead of them. This week they take on Riverview, then have Flat Rock and Division 7 No. 1-ranked Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central.
“The good thing is, these kids don’t know what they don’t know,” Beaudrie said.
Roster numbers have gone up steadily since Beaudrie took over. His first season the Bears had 23 players in the entire program. Last year they had 36 players in all and no seniors. This year Jefferson counts 61 players – plenty enough for a JV and varsity program.
“That has been a huge help,” he said.
The first two years weren’t easy as he brought his system to Jefferson. He faced skepticism over the team’s passing attack. For years, even decades, Jefferson was known for its rushing offense; at one time, the Bears would go weeks without attempting a pass.
“This is all new at Jefferson. People would tell me, ‘They don’t know anything about passing the ball; you can’t do that,’” Beaudrie said. “I told them, ‘You’d be surprised what kids can learn.’ We came in and did our thing. We were out-manned a bit the first few years.
“Sometimes the first couple of years you get a new coach in, and some people don’t like what you are doing. It wasn’t going to ruffle my feathers. I have thick skin. There’s a plan, and you have to trust the process, trust the system.
“Now, the kids are excited, the parents are excited, everyone is excited. Everybody likes a winner. I’m excited to see what happens next year as well, but we are going to enjoy these wins right now.”
Jefferson athletic director Alyssa Eppler said the football success has brought excitement to the games and district.
"There’s an incredible buzz in our school and community right now, and it’s been building for a few years now,” she said. “It’s exciting to finally see it all come together. You can feel the energy in the hallways and see it in the stands on Friday nights. Or first home game truly had the atmosphere of a homecoming. We’re proud of the momentum and what it means for our kids."
Luke Beaudrie is happy with how things have worked out, even if he had to learn a new position.
“The first few years were a little rough,” he said. “Now, everyone is starting to buy in, and everyone expects some good things the next couple of years. It feels amazing. This hasn’t happened here in a while.”
Doug Donnelly has served as a news and sports reporter at the Adrian Daily Telegram and the Monroe News for 30 years, including 10 years as city editor in Monroe. He's written a book on high school basketball in Monroe County and compiles record books for various schools in southeast Michigan. He is now publisher and editor of The Blissfield Advance, a weekly newspaper. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Monroe Jefferson’s Luke Beaudrie sprints toward the end zone during a game last season. (Middle) Jefferson coach Rob Beaudrie holds a pad while Luke works on making a cut during practice. (Photos courtesy of the Monroe News.)