'Gamer' Helps Shores Gut Out 1st Finals Win
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
November 29, 2019
DETROIT – Brady Rose walked into Ford Field on Friday carrying the backup quarterback tag.
After a performance that showed he was a backup in name only, the Muskegon Mona Shores junior walked out with the Division 2 Football championship.
Rose, who was starting in place of injured all-stater Caden Broersma, accounted for 212 total yards and four touchdowns as he led the Sailors to their first Finals title with a 35-26 win over Detroit Martin Luther King.
“He looked like an athlete,” King coach Ty Spencer said when asked if Rose looked like a backup. “He looked like a very good athlete that just helped his team win a state championship.”
A year after coming up one win short of the program’s first title, Mona Shores (12-2) pulled off what most considered to be an upset against a King team that featured three Division I college committed recruits and several other players who hold Division I and II offers. Not only were the Sailors without Broersma, but they had to replace nine defensive starters from a year ago.
They suffered a 53-0 loss in Week 8 to Division 3 finalist Muskegon and played two of their first three playoff games on the road. In the Semifinal victory over Walled Lake Western, Broersma injured his back on the first series, and the Sailors used a 2-point conversion in the final minute to pick up the win.
“People go back to our whoopin’ (against) Muskegon … I know it sounds crazy, but that was one of the best things that happened to us,” Mona Shores coach Matt Koziak said. “It obviously humbled us, made us dig a little deeper and understand that we might not be as good as we think we are without doing the little things. I understand that we were picked to lose, and we probably should have been picked to lose. But I told them after last game, I would never bet against them in anything – in life. They just find a way.”
There was no comeback needed Friday, as the Sailors not only never trailed, but were never tied after taking a 7-0 lead on their first drive. But they were certainly pushed, and responded with an 8-minute, 40-second drive in the fourth quarter that put the game away.
After King’s Peny Boone scored on a 66-yard run with 10:45 remaining, the Crusaders unsuccessfully went for two to try to tie the game at 28.
Mona Shores responded with a 14-play, 72-yard drive that was capped off by a two-yard touchdown run by Rose, his third of the game. The Sailors converted two third downs and a crucial 4th-and-1 at the King 12 to keep the drive alive and essentially put the game away.
“That last drive was 8:40, almost a 9-minute drive, when things weren’t going our way,” Koziak said. “King just kind of came out and was kind of like, ‘Bam. Bam.’ Kind of punched us in the mouth. (Rose) just didn’t get rattled by it. It’s almost like he’s playing on a middle school field; he doesn’t get caught up in the moment.”
Rose was 8-of-11 passing for 122 yards and a touchdown and added 90 yards on 21 rushes.
“Coach has confidence in me being the backup quarterback, so he just did the same thing as we would be doing if Caden was quarterback,” Rose said. “We just chipped away – 3rd-and-1, first down. 3rd-and-1, first down. We just chipped the clock away.”
Broersma also had confidence that his teammate could get the job done.
“I’ve said before that Brady Rose is just a gamer,” Broersma said. “You can put him in any situation and he’ll handle it better than probably 90 percent of this Earth. There’s really no question having him play quarterback. There’s total belief in him, there’s total belief in every play call and the coaching he gets. I’m super happy to see him succeed.”
Broersma’s No. 4 did make its way onto the field, and made quite an impact, as teammate Kolbe Trovinger wore it and finished with seven tackles and the game-sealing interception with 36 seconds play.
The two interceptions and a fourth-down stop ultimately made the difference, as they were the stops the Crusaders were unable to get on the other side of the ball.
Also, it was the first time since 1993 and second time in Finals history that neither team punted.
“Really it just came down to getting the big stop,” Spencer said. “We had one of them, but then we turned the ball over on that drive. We had to get that big stop and make a play and I think it would have turned our way, but we didn’t.”
The Mona Shores offense was nearly unstoppable in the first half, scoring on all three of its drives. Rose had a pair of one-yard scores, while Tre’Shawn Hatcher – who rushed for 95 yards on the day – added an 18-yard touchdown. The Sailors rushed for 130 yards on 23 carries in the half and added just enough passing – Rose was 5-of-7 for 64 yards during the first two quarters – to keep King honest.
King’s balanced offensive attack kept it in the game. Justin Whyte scored on a 42-yard screen pass from Dante Moore on the Crusaders’ second drive, and Boone added a one-yard touchdown run in the final seconds of the first half. A missed extra point and failed 2-point conversion kept King two scores back at halftime, but the offense did manage 200 total yards – 81 on the ground and 119 from Moore’s arm – during the opening 24 minutes.
Even on its first possession King managed to get to the Mona Shores 24-yard line, but a Cam Sobich sack on fourth down ended the threat.
The King offense stayed hot to open the third quarter, marching 73 yards in five plays, and pulling within one of the Sailors following a nine-yard Boone touchdown run and 2-point conversion pass from Moore to Marshawn Lee.
A big fourth-down stop at its own 14 gave King momentum and the opportunity to take the lead, but Rose stepped up near midfield, intercepting Moore. Seven plays later, Rose hit Jaylen Hopson for a 17-yard touchdown on fourth down. The point after put the Sailors back up eight at 28-20 with 16 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Hopson finished with five catches for 103 yards.
Boone, who has committed to Maryland, finished with 198 yards rushing, while Moore was 15-of-29 for 209 yards. Joe Frazier and Jaylen Reed each had 11 tackles for King (11-3), while Rishad Hence had eight tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and one forced fumble.
“I thought the team’s character was outstanding to go from 0-2 to battle back and play in the state championship game and put yourself in a position to win it,” Spencer said. “We came up short, but I’m proud of these guys, proud of the seniors, proud of the way (Moore) has played all year long.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Mona Shores’ Brady Rose follows a block by Tre’Shawn Hatcher into the end zone Saturday. (Middle) A Mona Shores defender gets an arm around King quarterback Dante Moore.
1st & Goal: 2025 Week 5 Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
September 26, 2025
Football falls always seem to move fast, and we’ve already reached the midpoint of this 2025 regular season in what again feels like record time.
It’s never too early to start considering playoff possibilities, and you can follow along with by keeping an eye on MHSAA.com’s Playoff Point Summary page, which shows how all teams rank in their respective divisions, updating as scores are received all weekend. Remember, the top 32 in 11-player divisions and top 16 in 8-player will continue once the regular season concludes Oct. 25.
Scores for every game across the state this weekend will be posted on the MHSAA Scores page as they conclude. Tune into several on the NFHS Network, including those with “WATCH” linked below.
Bay & Thumb
Port Huron (3-1) at Port Huron Northern (3-1)
The midpoint of the regular season is also the midpoint of the Macomb Area Conference Blue schedule, and the standings show these two as the only teams undefeated in league play after two games. They’ve split their last eight, with two of those matchups in the playoffs. Reigning league champion Northern’s loss this season came to still-undefeated Madison Heights Lamphere by a 3-2 score, and the Huskies won last year’s showdown with the Red Hawks 30-23.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Clio (4-0) at Goodrich (4-0) WATCH, Unionville-Sebewaing (3-1) at Harbor Beach (4-0) WATCH, St. Clair Shores South Lake (3-1) at Marine City (3-1), Traverse City Central (2-2) at Midland Dow (3-1) WATCH.
Greater Detroit
South Lyon (4-0) at Walled Lake Western (3-1) WATCH
South Lyon is seeking to make the playoffs this season for the first time since 2022, and also sits alone atop the Lakes Valley Conference after Western saw its league winning streak end at 28 games with a Week 3 loss to Waterford Mott. The Warriors have defeated South Lyon the last three seasons, including 49-7 a year ago. But the Lions already have avenged 2024 defeats to White Lake Lakeland and Milford.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Farmington (3-1) at Birmingham Seaholm (4-0) WATCH, Rochester Adams (3-1) at Clarkston (3-1) WATCH, Detroit Community (4-0) at Melvindale Academy for Business & Tech (4-0), Grosse Pointe South (4-0) at Roseville (3-1).
Mid-Michigan
Michigan Center (4-0) at Leslie (4-0) WATCH
These two are only a game into the Cascades Conference East schedule but the only teams undefeated overall in the league with the next-best 2-2. This fall has seen nearly a direct reversal of Michigan Center’s 1-3 start a year ago, when the Cardinals then fell to 1-4 with a 33-31 loss to the Blackhawks. Leslie is the reigning league champion and last week avenged its lone 2024 regular-season defeat by downing Grass Lake.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Northville (4-0) at Brighton (3-1) WATCH, Grand Rapids Catholic Central (4-0) at Middleville Thornapple Kellogg (3-1) WATCH, Montrose (4-0) at Ovid-Elsie (3-1) WATCH, Williamston (4-0) at St. Johns (4-0) WATCH.
Northern Lower Peninsula
Traverse City St. Francis (4-0) at Kingsley (3-1) WATCH
The Northern Michigan Football Conference Legends division has at least one premier matchup every week, and this might be the best as these were two of the three co-champions a year ago and have a rivalry going back to the start of the league in 2014. St. Francis holds a 9-3 advantage during that time, and claimed last year’s meeting 49-20, but the series is knotted 3-3 since 2019.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Escanaba (4-0) at Cheboygan (2-2) WATCH, Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (2-2) at East Jordan (2-2) WATCH, Clare (3-1) at Ogemaw Heights (3-1) WATCH, Midland (3-1) at Traverse City West (2-2).
Southeast & Border
Dearborn Divine Child (4-0) at Jackson Lumen Christi (2-2) WATCH
Divine Child has reached the playoffs the last three seasons, and this year has become one of the most intriguing stories of the first half. The Falcons have yet to give up a point, outscoring their four opponents by a combined 172-0. They’ve fallen 35-7 and 35-0 to Lumen Christi during their two seasons together in the Catholic High School League AA, and the Titans are certainly used to challenges with one of the state’s toughest schedules already featuring a pair of state champions and a semifinalist.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Hudson (4-0) at Adrian Madison (3-1) WATCH, Chelsea (4-0) at Dexter (3-1), Union City (3-1) at Quincy (4-0) WATCH, Adrian (3-1) at Ypsilanti Lincoln (4-0) WATCH.
Southwest Corridor
Buchanan (3-1) at Berrien Springs (3-0) WATCH
Berrien Springs is the reigning champion and Buchanan last season’s runner-up in the Lakeland Conference thanks to the Shamrocks’ 31-6 win over the Bucks last October. Berrien Springs actually has won the league the last two seasons and Buchanan won the first championship in 2022. The Shamrocks have had two weeks to prep for this matchup as they didn’t have a game for Week 4, but Buchanan should be riding high after bouncing back from a three-point Week 3 loss with a big win over Niles Brandywine.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills (4-0) at Battle Creek Harper Creek (3-1), Vicksburg (3-1) at Three Rivers (4-0) WATCH, Watervliet (2-2) at Kalamazoo United (2-2) WATCH, Hastings (3-1) at Battle Creek Pennfield (2-2) WATCH.
Upper Peninsula
Pewamo-Westphalia (4-0) vs. Bark River-Harris (3-0) at Gaylord WATCH
Whichever teams wins, this is a great result for both after both faced the likelihood of sitting home this week after losing their previously-scheduled opponents. Instead, they’ll meet in Gaylord, both among the top small-school teams on their sides of Mackinac Bridge this season. P-W, which already is facing an open date next week, has given up a combined 12 points this season and topped 50 all of its last three games. The Broncos’ Week 4 game was canceled but their early run has included a 30-22 win over Iron Mountain.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Menominee (4-0) at Houghton (2-2) WATCH, Calumet (3-1) at Kingsford (3-1) WATCH, Iron Mountain (2-1) at L’Anse (4-0) WATCH, Sault Ste. Marie (0-4) at Marquette (2-2) WATCH.
West Michigan
Zeeland West (3-1) at Zeeland East (3-1)
West has won the last nine meetings between these neighbors, going back to 2019. But there seems to be a bit more buzz around this matchup again, perhaps because the Dux –reigning champions in Division 3 – took a loss to Whitehall in Week 3, although the Chix also suffered their first last week to Hudsonville Unity Christian.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Reed City (3-1) at Big Rapids (4-0) WATCH, Rockford (3-1) at Grandville (3-1), Hudsonville (4-0) at Jenison (3-1), Cedar Springs (3-1) at Lowell (4-0) WATCH.
8-Player
Norway (4-0) at Pickford (4-0) WATCH
Pickford has won all three games between these two over the last two seasons, and last year’s Division 1 runner-up has been putting up video-game numbers again outscoring its first four opponents by a combined score of 234-14. But don’t sleep on the Knights, who have put up 212 points and given up only 30 so far, with a 58-8 win over otherwise-unbeaten Powers North Central. Likewise, Pickford handed Newberry its only defeat, 53-6.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Breckenridge (3-1) at Blanchard Montabella (4-0) WATCH, Kingston (4-0) at Brown City (3-1) WATCH, Hillman (4-0) at Indian River Inland Lakes (4-0) WATCH. SATURDAY Bay City All Saints (3-1) at Onekama (4-0) WATCH.
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PHOTO Cass City quarterback Preston Dorland (11) prepares to hand off to one of his backs during his team's 17-14 overtime win over Millington last week. (Photo by Terry Lyons.)