Gaylord's Teams Pursue Return to Elite
September 23, 2015
By Dennis Chase
Special for Second Half
GAYLORD – Gaylord High School is in the midst of a football revival.
Gaylord St. Mary is hoping it can say the same in a few years.
Gaylord High is 4-0 and, among various media polls, ranked as high as No. 4 in Division 3. The senior-laden Blue Devils will be put to the test Friday, facing another unbeaten, Traverse City Central, on the road.
St. Mary, challenged by numbers, is 0-4. With just five seniors on the 25-player roster – there’s no junior varsity team – the Snowbirds are building for the future behind a "solid" sophomore class.
"We realize we're behind the eight ball in terms of numbers," St. Mary coach Kevin O'Connell said. "But we're very encouraged about what's coming up.
"We start six to seven sophomores on each side of the ball, plus a freshman. We're very young. We're a JV team playing on Friday night. We're OK with that because over the next two or three years we anticipate being very competitive."
Gaylord coach Will Cleaver can relate to that. Two years ago, in his first season back after a five-year hiatus, the Blue Devils started 0-8 before closing the campaign with a win over Alpena.
"That was a grind, a tough season," Cleaver said. "Our kids really had to learn a lot of things. We just weren't competitive."
But those underclassmen in 2013 stepped up, leading the Blue Devils to a 5-4 mark and near-playoff berth last season.
"The thing I was most proud about in 2014 was that we were competitive in every game," Cleaver said. "There were no blowouts, like in 2013. We were making progress."
The progress has continued. With the senior class leading the way, Gaylord football is returning to where it was when Cleaver first ran the program from 2000 to 2007. The Blue Devils went 55-24 during those eight years.
"It's exciting to be in the situation we're in now," Cleaver said. "We're pleased with how our kids are progressing and responding. We've got some pretty good players. That makes it easier."
One of those players is senior running back/safety Shane Foster, who rushed for 148 yards and four touchdowns in last week's 52-8 win over Ogemaw Heights. Foster was on the varsity as a sophomore in 2013 – a time when success was elusive. Gaylord slipped to 7-38 in the five years after Cleaver left following the 2007 season.
"It's all about mindset really and that (2013) team didn't have a good mindset,” Foster said.
That's changing now.
"Last year we went 5-4," Foster said. "Obviously, we want to do better than that and make the playoffs. We realize we have to come together and work as a team to make that happen."
Gaylord’s athletic director Christian Wilson has watched his school’s progression – and it puts into perspective what St. Mary is going through. Those sophomores who had to play in 2013 have continued to work hard, especially in the weight room, he said, and now are reaping the benefits.
"Sometimes you have those years when you've got a lot of young kids playing," Wilson said. "But it's difficult to win games, especially in the Big North Conference, when your key players are sophomores or even juniors. You need to have senior leadership. We've been blessed with that this year."
"So goes your seniors, so goes your season, as a general rule," Cleaver added.
Seniors dominate the line on both sides of the ball for the Blue Devils. Foster is the leading ground gainer. Another senior, Jacob Freeman, is a threat, too. He returned a kick 60 yards for a score, hauled in a 37-yard touchdown pass from Nick Rowley and completed a 34-yard pass to Rowley on a trick play in the win over Ogemaw.
Rowley, a sophomore, gives the Blue Devils balance. He completed 12 of 15 passes for 170 yards in a Week 3 win over Escanaba.
"Our kids have caught on as to what it takes to win ... what it takes to play at a high level," Cleaver said. "It all has to come together. We have great kids, and I have a staff that does a great job with those kids. It's been very rewarding."
Foster credits the staff for turning the team's fortunes around. It all starts with Cleaver, who left in 2007 to work as a defensive line/quality control coach under Butch Jones at Central Michigan University. He spent the next season coaching inside linebackers at Liberty High School in Frisco, Texas, before returning to Gaylord and helping out in the youth football program.
Cleaver, a financial adviser, said he didn't expect to return to the sidelines at the high school given the commitment it would take to rebuild the program. But his two sons, who were playing in the system, "begged" him to consider it. So a family meeting was called.
"I told them that if I'm going to do this, it's going to take a lot of work and you need to be on board," Cleaver said. "If everyone is not all in, it's not going to be worth it. Everybody voted and said 'Let's do it.'"
Gaylord started 4-0 last season, but a loss to Traverse City Central spiraled into a 1-4 finish.
"After that (loss to Central), it didn't go the way we planned," Foster said.
That's why Friday's showdown is critical for the Blue Devils.
"We're trying to make our statement here for the Big North Conference (title)," Foster said.
At St. Mary, there is no league title to play for this season. The goal is long range – boost numbers in the program. With Manistee Catholic Central switching to 8-player this fall, St. Mary is now the smallest Catholic school playing 11-player football in the northern Lower Peninsula. In fact, the Snowbirds, who co-op with Alba, are the sixth smallest program in the state with 133 high school students – 91 at St. Mary, 42 at Alba.
With three Ski Valley Conference members – Bellaire, Pellston and Onaway – playing 8-player, there was talk in the community about making that switch, too. But that's all it was – talk. Since then the school's made a commitment to 11-player by joining the Northern Michigan Football League, with play starting next season.
"We feel there's a good future here," new athletic director Jeff Hunter said. "We obviously have to work at increasing our numbers. The economy really hurt us for several years. It hurt everybody. This is a choice for people to send their kids here. We've seen our numbers go from the mid-60s (three years ago) to back into the 90s. I would like to see us with 150 kids in this high school in the next five years. We're working really hard."
Five of the 25 players on the roster are from Alba. Hunter said he's looking at other "co-op opportunities" as well in order to strengthen the program, although he did not want to elaborate at this time.
"Everybody wants us to be competitive, most everybody wants us to stay 11-man," he said. "I have some things in the works I'm pushing hard to try and get."
St. Mary has a proud tradition. The Snowbirds went 85-22 over a stretch from 1999 to 2009. They won 10 or more games five years in a row. Twice, in 1999 and 2002, St. Mary finished 13-1, falling in the MHSAA Division 8 Final, first to Mendon (7-6) and then to Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes (13-10).
Cleaver was the coach of the 1999 squad.
Hunter is certain St. Mary has the right coach in O'Connell to bring the Snowbirds back.
"Our current football staff is out of this world, entirely committed," he said. "We're not far from being competitive – three or four athletes. We're in most of these games. There's a lot to come, and Kevin is the guy to lead us."
St. Mary suffered two eight-point losses to start the season – 35-27 to Oscoda and 22-14 to Central Lake. O'Connell would like to have those games back.
"You can't turn the ball over five times one week and four the next and expect to win," he said.
The Snowbirds then ran into two of the area’s powerhouse teams, unbeaten and state-ranked St. Ignace and Johannesburg-Lewiston.
"We're taking our lumps right now, but we're definitely headed in the right direction," O'Connell insisted.
"We have a solid group of athletes in our sophomore class. They're physically big enough to play. And we have a nice eighth grade class coming up."
O'Connell is putting added emphasis in a strength and conditioning program for all high school athletes, regardless of sport.
"We're making great headway and our kids, boys and girls, are getting on board with it," he said. "We want to be able to jump higher, run faster and be more explosive. Last I knew, those (concepts) applied to every sport."
With such a young roster, O'Connell admits he and his staff are spending more time teaching fundamentals than in the past when the school had a JV team. They're also trying to develop the mental aspects of the game, such as working with players in analyzing situations in order to slow the speed of the action down so it's not overwhelming.
O'Connell feels for the younger players who are not ready for varsity, but are thrust into competing with older players. He said they miss out "on those formative years" at the JV level where they can grow, learn the fundamentals, gain confidence and get game repetitions while playing opponents the same age.
Hunter hopes this is just a blip.
"Our intent next year is to have a JV team," he said.
With several smaller schools, especially in the northern Lower Peninsula, turning to 8-player to keep programs alive, O'Connell is concerned about the future for those who elect to stay in the 11-player game. As more Division 8 schools make the switch, more Division 7 schools drop down to create equal numbers for the playoffs – widening the enrollment gaps within the division.
But St. Mary is moving forward, ready to tackle the challenge. Hunter, a pilot for Southwest Airlines, thinks the program is ready to take off.
"Kevin believes we can be successful," he said. "A quality football program is one of the cornerstones to a growing school. A lot of people don't like (to hear) that, but I think it's true. A great athletic program is a draw.
"I'm hoping next year you're writing a different article, and that article will say here's the way to success."
Dennis Chase worked 32 years as a sportswriter at the Traverse City Record-Eagle, including as sports editor from 2000-14. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Gaylord defenders stack up an Ogemaw Heights ball carrier during last week's win. (Middle top) Gaylord coach Will Cleaver addresses his team after a victory. (Middle below) St. Mary junior Josh Nowicki looks upfield for an opening. (Below) Older brother Adam Nowicki, a senior, turns the corner during the Snowbirds' game against Central Lake. (Gaylord photos by Rob DeForge/RD Sports photo; St. Mary photos by Bill Serveny/Gaylord Herald Times.)
Drive Complete: 2017 Finals in Review
November 27, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Every November, the MHSAA Football Finals give players, coaches and fans an opportunity to see what everyone else has been talking about.
These last two weekends were no different. We saw powers restored and others emerging. We witnessed two first-time winners finish perfect seasons and another champion win for the fifth straight year. We enjoyed performances from some of the talented stars we’d only read about, and encores by others returning to the championship round – including the now-winningest coach in Michigan high school history.
Second Half covered all 10 championship games last weekend at Ford Field and two weekends ago at the Superior Dome, with quick recaps and links (click on the game scores) to those stories below followed by notations of performances entered into the MHSAA record book and a report on some of the biggest and best stories to emerge from the 2017 Finals.
Finals in Review
11-Player Division 1: Clarkston 3, West Bloomfield 2
This one had an intriguing circumstance from the start: West Bloomfield, playing its first Final, had tied for first and Clarkston finished third in the Oakland Activities Association Red during the regular season with the Lakers beating the Wolves 37-16 in Week 4. The rematch ended with the second fewest points scored in MHSAA Finals history.
11-Player Division 2: Warren DeLaSalle 41, Livonia Franklin 6
DeLaSalle took its lead 16 seconds into the game on a fumble return touchdown and never slowed down in winning its second championship in four seasons. Franklin, playing in its first title game since 1975, had turnovers on three of its first four possessions (and a turnover on downs to end the other one) and never got rolling again.
11-Player Division 3: Muskegon 28, Farmington Hills Harrison 10
Muskegon won its first championship since 2008 after finishing runner-up four of the last five seasons. The Big Reds finished one of the most impressive runs in recent playoff history, winning on average by 37 points over its five postseason victories. Harrison – led by all-time winningest coach John Herrington – did give Muskegon one of its toughest tests.
11-Player Division 4: Grand Rapids Catholic Central 42, Edwardsburg 31
After winning a 2016 Division 4 title game that saw only 17 points scored between the two teams, GRCC repeated in a game featuring 73. The Cougars came back from an early deficit as standout running back Nolan Fugate put together one of the top rushing performances in Finals history. The Eddies were playing in their first championship game and made this arguably the most entertaining of the weekend.
11-Player Division 5: Grand Rapids West Catholic 34, Saginaw Swan Valley 7
Grand Rapids West Catholic tied two more programs by winning its fifth straight MHSAA championship, jumping out to a 34-0 lead led by three-year quarterback Gaetano Vallone and a number of others who have contributed to multiple titles. Swan Valley was making its first Finals appearance, but will be a strong candidate to return next fall.
11-Player Division 6: Jackson Lumen Christi 40, Ithaca 34
What was expected to be one of the most competitive Finals didn’t disappoint, as the Titans came back from a 13-8 halftime deficit to repeat. They put up some of the biggest rushing numbers in championship game history to offset the dual danger posed by Ithaca quarterback Joey Bentley, who threw three touchdown passes in the fourth quarter as the Yellowjackets worked for a chance to win.
11-Player Division 7: Pewamo-Westphalia 21, Saugatuck 0
These teams met in the playoffs for the third straight season but first in a championship game. P-W, despite losing quarterback/defensive end Jimmy Lehman to a hand injury near the end of the second quarter, hung on through a scoreless second half to repeat as champion.
11-Player Division 8: Ottawa Lake Whiteford 42, Saginaw Nouvel 21
Whiteford returned after finishing runner-up in 2016 to claim its first MHSAA football championship. The Bobcats got on the board before the first minute was over and totaled 484 yards as quarterback Thomas Eitniear and running back Logan Murphy both ran for three touchdowns.
8-Player Division 1: Central Lake 32, Deckerville 30
Central Lake came back from 2-7 last season, its last in 11-player, and 10 points down during the second half of this game to win its first MHSAA football championship and first in any sport since 1980. The Trojans went ahead to stay with 2:49 to play.
8-Player Division 2: Crystal Falls Forest Park 54, Portland St. Patrick 12
The Trojans claimed their first championship since 2007 and first as an 8-player program, but in similar style as their 11-player winners. Forest Park ran for 481 yards and built a 30-point lead by halftime.
Record Report
Clarkston’s three points against West Bloomfield tied the record for fewest by a winning team (with Ann Arbor Pioneer’s 1987 team) and the five points scored between the teams ranked as the second fewest for a Final. The two also combined to tie the record for most punts, with 14, with Clarkston’s Jermaine Roemer tying the individual Finals record with eight.
Brandan Madigan made the “quickest touchdown” list by returning a fumble return 13 yards for a touchdown 16 seconds into Warren DeLaSalle’s Division 2 win. Warren DeLaSalle also tied for the third-most points in a quarter, putting up 31 during the second in its win over Livonia Franklin.
Warren DeLaSalle’s Riley Garrison and Grand Rapids West Catholic’s Liam Putz both drilled two field goals, joining seven others who have done the same (two hold the record at three field goals). Garrison also made the extra points list with five on five tries.
Farmington Hills Harrison broke the record it previously held with Detroit Catholic Central by playing in an 18th MHSAA championship game, this its first since 2010. The MHSAA Football Playoffs began in 1975.
Muskegon sits 11th with 10 MHSAA Finals appearances and moved up to tied for 10th with six championships. La’Darius Jefferson earned multiple entries with his 245 yards and four touchdowns rushing, tying for fourth-most points (24) in one Final, third most total touchdowns and also rushing touchdowns in a game and eighth most rushing yards.
Harrison’s Ben Williams earned entries for his 91-yard opening kickoff touchdown, both among the longest kickoff returns and fastest touchdowns (16 seconds into the game) scored in a Final.
Nolan Fugate capped his career with one more jaw-dropping rushing performance. The Grand Rapids Catholic Central running back ran for 306 yards, one shy of tying the Finals record, and his 392 total yards ranked seventh all-time. He did tie Finals records with five touchdowns and 30 points and tied for third with four rushing scores. Kicker Alec Winden tied for the fourth-most extra points making all six of his tries.
Edwardsburg also took home two Finals records, as Nick Bradley tied the longest running play with a 90-yard touchdown dash; his run equaled Nick Williams’ for Farmington Hills Harrison in 1994. Caden Goggins tied the 2014 record set by Tommy Scott of Muskegon Catholic Central by bringing a kickoff back 99 yards for a touchdown.
Grand Rapids West Catholic moved up lists with its eighth MHSAA Finals appearance and sixth championship, and into a first-place tie with a fifth-straight title. Farmington Hills Harrison 1997-2001 and East Grand Rapids 2006-2010 also won five consecutive Finals. Grand Rapids Catholic Central also moved up the Finals appearances list with its seventh, while Jackson Lumen Christi is tied for eighth most with 12 and Ithaca added its seventh as well. Lumen Christi’s championship was its 10th, good to tie for the sixth-most titles.
Jackson Lumen Christi became the third team to rush for more than 500 yards in a Final, its 514 yards the third most and its 67 carries second. Sebastion Toland ran for 244 yards – ninth-most by one player – and teammate Kyle Minder made that list with 206 yards. The team’s 523 yards of total offense tied for fifth most, and its 24 first downs tied for eighth.
Ithaca’s Joey Bentley made his last game another great one, even in defeat. His four touchdown passes tied for fifth-most in a championship game, and his 329 total yards of offense – 89 rushing, 240 passing – also earned a record book entry.
Ottawa Lake Whiteford’s offense impressed to open Finals weekend, tying for third with six rushing touchdowns and becoming the latest of 24 teams that did not punt in a championship game.
Crystal Falls Forest Park set an 8-Player Finals record with 481 yards on the ground, rushing 52 times without throwing a pass. Peter Ropiak had the second-most yards in one game, 275 on 16 carries, while backfield mate Connor Bortolini was added for scoring 26 points on four rushing touchdowns and a two-point conversion. Ropiak’s total yards also qualified in the total offense category, and the team’s eight rushing touchdowns also set a record.
Central Lake made the rushing list with 316 yards in its 8-Player Division 1 win over Deckerville, and also the first downs list with 21.
Portland St. Patrick’s Colin Cook was added for seven punts in the 8-Player Division 2 game against Forest Park. Cook averaged 34.1 yards per punt with a long of 63.
Stories behind the scores
Repeat again: For the second straight season, there were four repeat champions at the 11-Player Finals – this time, as noted above, Grand Rapids Catholic Central in Division 4, Grand Rapids West Catholic in Division 5, Jackson Lumen Christi in Division 6 and Pewamo-Westphalia in Division 7. Also noted above, West Catholic next fall will attempt to become the first team in MHSAA football history to win six straight titles.
First-time celebrations: Ottawa Lake Whiteford in 11-Player Division 8 and Central Lake in 8-Player Division 1 claimed their first championships, showing off powerful running games against opponents who had won championships previously – Whiteford over Saginaw Nouvel and Central Lake over Deckerville.
Running ran the day(s): In an era of wide-open spread offenses, power running ruled the 2017 Finals. Start with Whiteford and Central Lake mentioned above; Crystal Falls Forest Park set an 8-Player Finals record for rushing while Jackson Lumen Christi put rushers on the all-time record book list for the second straight season. Muskegon threw two passes and didn’t complete any in running away in Division 3, and the Division 4 Final between GRCC and Edwardsburg featured a combined 675 rushing yards.
We may never see this again: Clarkston’s 3-2 win over West Bloomfield was the lowest-scoring Final in 30 years, but how the teams got to five total points might end up rarer. Clarkston’s points, of course, came on a field goal by Roemer from 30 yards out on the final play of the second quarter. But to that point, West Bloomfield led for 15 minutes thanks to a safety when a punt snap sailed through the end zone. For unrelated comparison’s sake, two of our four Baseball Finals in the spring were higher scoring, and only one was decided by the same close margin.
Hawks’ last stand: Farmington Hills Harrison finished something of an unexpected run by playing in its 18th MHSAA football championship game, capping the season that saw Herrington become the winningest coach in state history with a 435-108-1 record. The school will close in spring 2019, and Herrington will coach the final season next fall; he has served as coach since the school opened in 1970. Harrison’s enrollment likely will fall without the usual underclassmen next year – which could make the Hawks an interesting contender staying in Division 3 or moving into Division 4 or 5.
The MHSAA Playoffs are sponsored by the Michigan Army National Guard.