Hackley Stadium Celebrating Century as Monument to Community Dedication, Football Glory
By
Ron Pesch
MHSAA historian
September 4, 2026
Mounted on the brick wall of Hackley Stadium, facing Sanford Street in Muskegon, is a bronze plaque. In raised type, it details a successful “GoFundMe” effort – 1920s style.
The approach was a bit different then, but the fundraising efforts were successful and created an iconic landmark that still stands – now ready to celebrate its 100th year.
Seated, rectangularly, in the middle of a residential neighborhood, directly behind the high school, the site itself has served as home to Muskegon High School’s football team for 120 years. The sport dates to 1895 at MHS.
The wooded lot was gifted in 1902 by Muskegon’s greatest benefactor – lumber baron Charles H. Hackley – to the Board of Education. Hackley desired the space to be developed into an athletic field and playground for use by the school and area youth.
Quickly dubbed Hackley Field, it took four years before administration cleared trees from the lot. Initial plans for the parcel, laid out by a former coach and director of athletics, envisioned a site that would accommodate multiple sports, including a gridiron at the center of the property, surrounded by a track, with tennis courts placed at the site’s four corners.
Bob Zuppke – hired in August 1906 as the school’s newest coach and director – learned that the school board was ready to act on the design. He immediately spotted the planned layout showed a football field of just 50 yards. Recognizing the site could accommodate a full-sized gridiron, his redesign reduced the number of tennis courts to three and pushed them to one end of the site. He expanded the gridiron to regulation size and surrounded it with a 1/5-mile cinder track. His plan included space for a baseball diamond within the gridiron. An extensive wooden grandstand along the northeast side of the site would stretch the length of the football field to handle growing crowds at sporting events.
Zuppke’s modifications were promptly accepted, and Hackley Field was ready in mid-May 1907 for an initial track meet with Muskegon’s biggest rival, Grand Rapids Central. That fall, Muskegon played seven consecutive football home games at the new location. Recognizing the financial value of the annual clash with Central, that contest was moved to the last game of the year and staged on Thanksgiving Day. Crowds soared in size.
Dropping just a single game each season during his four years in town, Zuppke built Muskegon into a football powerhouse before moving on to even greater gridiron success over three years at Oak Park High School in Illinois. In 1913, he was named head football coach at the University of Illinois, earning national titles in 1914, 1919, 1923 – with a team that featured three-time All-American Harold ‘Red’ Grange – and 1927. Zuppke retired following the 1941 season. During his 35-year prep and college career, he introduced numerous innovations that remain hallmarks of the game today.
Plans for a Cement Stadium
From a comfortable chair, stationed in his room at a retirement home in Kalamazoo, 85-year-old C. Leo Redmond, former coach at Muskegon, recalled the story behind the construction of Muskegon High School’s historic Hackley Stadium. The concrete structure, built in 1927, replaced greatly expanded wooden stands (tennis courts were never added) originally placed on the site by Zuppke’s design.
Born in 1900 in Kalamazoo, Redmond arrived at MHS in 1925. A recent graduate of Western State Normal School – today’s Western Michigan University – he wasn’t Muskegon’s first choice to replace his predecessor, the highly-successful J. Francis Jacks.
A 1912 graduate of Muskegon, Jacks had turned the team’s football games into a huge draw between 1920 and 1924. During the span, his teams earned three mythical state titles over five years and produced an array of talented athletes, including University of Michigan great Bennie Oosterbaan.
But in the spring of 1925, Jacks passed away unexpectedly. Gus Cohrs, another Muskegon alum, was experiencing success in basketball and football at Grand Haven High School. He’d accepted the Muskegon job to succeed Jacks, but an outcry by Grand Haven fans and an immediate pay raise kept him from moving.
Fortunately for all, Redmond’s teams went 7-1-2 in 1925, then repeated as Michigan’s mythical champion in 1926. Immediately after the completion of that season, however, the school faced its next challenge.
“We walked out to the bleachers at the football field and Joe Bicknell (the Hackley Manual Training School director and facility manager for athletics) pulled out his pocketknife,” said Redmond. “He then pushed the blade completely into one of the wooden beams supporting the bleachers and said, ‘They will fall down if they have to support another season.’ So, we started a fund drive for Hackley Field’s reconstruction by selling stadium bonds.”
Muskegon contacted The Osborn Engineering Company of Cleveland, Ohio, to discuss the task. Peter P. Evans, vice president of the firm, visited Muskegon to inspect possible sites. “Mr. Evans’ company planned and built Navin Field, Detroit, the Polo Grounds, New York, and is now building the new stadium for the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor,” noted the Muskegon Chronicle.
Visiting in December, Evans advised “it would be best if it could replace the present seating arrangements at Hackley Field,” noting “it would not be architecturally objectionable to anyone in the neighborhood nor spoil the landscape effects of the campus.”
Building a stadium made with cement had been pondered by Bicknell and administration as early as 1913, but cost – then estimated at $25,000 – was viewed as insurmountable.
It took until April 1927 for final approval of a plan, and Osborn Engineering was authorized to prepare specifications. Time was of the essence, as the existing bleachers were now condemned and needed to be removed and replaced by fall.
The design would include “two team rooms” and restrooms under the stands, with the project financed by sale of bonds. A total of 1,500 were issued, priced at $50, earning 4 percent interest. The structure would feature seating for 6,000, with a block of 1,100 seats located between the 35-yard lines reserved for bondholders. The $75,000 campaign launched the first week of May.
The district tapped into a young sales force to help execute the plan – the student body. The classes of '27, '28, '29 and '30 – over 2,000 strong – were asked to distribute pamphlets and sell bonds to the public.
Years later, Gont Miller remembered walking home with Bub Meier – both would serve as future captains of Big Reds football teams.
"Principal John Craig talked to us Thursday night after practice,” recalled Miller. “He said, 'We're going to ask you to get out and sell some bonds.'
The pair talked about their frustration at being assigned the unwanted task.
“Together, we decided we weren't going to do it. After I got home, I told my mother about the bonds.”
She reframed it for her son, highlighting the community that surrounded them.
"Boy, that will be easy,” she said. “After dinner, go on over and see Mr. Runzel across the street, and the Nelsons on the side of us. I'm sure they will be interested.
"Well, I guess she got me inspired. I went over and saw Mr. Runzel, and he bought four. And Lester Nelson bought three, and Otto Meeske bought six. Mr. Runzel said, 'Go down and see my son,' and I did, and he bought two. People really supported Big Red football. We sold all the bonds, and they built the stadium. It was quite an experience for a kid."
Construction contracts were awarded by June 1, and actual work on the site started on Wednesday, June 15. According to the files of Osborn Engineering, the concrete and brick structure itself was completed over just 24 days – July 20 to August 12. Final plumbing and electrical preparations were completed in time for the first game against Muskegon Heights on Saturday, September 17.
Dedication and the Birth of a Rivalry
"Impressive and colorful flag-raising ceremonies marked the dedication of the new stands," wrote Jimmy Henderson in the Muskegon Chronicle. "A massed assemblage of over 2,000 students who paraded on the field following the Heights and Muskegon high school bands, and close to 3,000 spectators in the stands stood at attention while the massed bands under the leadership of Ronald Hinchman played the national anthem, as the new flag was slowly raised to its position over the stadium."
The Big Reds posted a crushing 89-0 victory over the Heights and their new coach, Oscar E. "Okie" Johnson – a former teammate of Redmond’s at Western – in the season opener. It was the first of nine shutouts posted by Muskegon en route to a 10-0 campaign and another mythical state title. Outscoring opponents 445-6, the team remains among the greatest in school history.
Muskegon claimed a second-consecutive shutout over Johnson’s Tigers in 1928, this time 19-0, and finished the season with another state crown. In ’29, they again blanked the Tigers, but by just seven points. In 1930, Johnson’s squad tied Redmond’s Big Reds, 6-6, and established themselves as Muskegon’s chief rival. Come 1936, the game was moved to the season finale, replacing the matchup with Grand Rapids Central. Lights were added to Hackley in 1940, with most games shifted to Friday nights. Annual classic battles between the Big Reds and Tigers were all played at Hackley (until 1948) and still staged on Saturday afternoons (until 1953) to accommodate the massive crowds.
The 1945 season-ending contest between the schools – both undefeated – was a battle for the state title. A record crowd of 13,500 packed every square inch of the grounds. Heights opened a 7-0 lead early, but Muskegon responded with a touchdown midway through the second quarter. A missed extra point pinned the score at 7-6. It remained stuck there until an intense goal-line stand late in the fourth quarter would determine the game’s outcome. The Big Reds had advanced the ball to the Tigers’ 1 on second down. A charge at the center of the line on third down was stopped.
“The ball, three inches from the goal line when play started, still was an inch from the line when it was set down,” wrote Henderson, still covering the rivalry. “When (the defense) stopped the forward motion of (Muskegon’s quarterback), the air went dark with the applause of the Heights fans, and the groans of Muskegon’s.” The win capped the first of three consecutive state crowns won by the Tigers, and the loss was the first in 16 starts for the Big Reds, the defending state champion.
In 1946, Muskegon installed its first electronic scoreboard, retiring the one manually operated by the Boy Scouts. Redmond retired as coach following the season with a 156-29-13 record and seven state titles over 22 seasons. (His victory total remained tops in school history until recently surpassed by current head coach Shane Fairfield.) Most fittingly, the remarkable gridiron rivalry between coaches Redmond and Johnson ended dead even at 9-9-2.
Reduced revenue during the depression years forced default on bond payments. After a restructuring of obligations, a final payout distributed in 1950 to bondholders meant the stadium was now out of debt. That fall, $8,000 in repairs and waterproofing helped stabilize a structure starting to show wear and tear.
Coach Harry Potter – another Western teammate of Redmond’s, and his longtime assistant – took the reins in 1947 and guided the 1951 Big Reds to another gridiron state championship. That team featured future NFL quarterback Earl Morrall.
Over the years, Hackley Stadium has served the community with World War II events to sell war bonds, practice drill formations, events to honor local industries’ wartime outputs, and VFW Memorial Day gatherings. There have been countless halftime shows, marching band competitions, high school assemblies, and commencement exercises. It has hosted opera, concert performances, and music reviews. In 1951, evangelist Rev. Billy Graham and his music director Cliff Barrows visited. In 1957, a massive Water Follies show with a dive tank, stage, and swim tank – spanning 150 feet – filled Hackley Stadium, raising money for the local ‘Police and Fireman Benevolent Association’.
More than 10,000 fans packed the stands in the fall of 1971 to watch another pair of unbeatens as the Big Reds topped Traverse City on their way to another state championship. Members of the Lake Michigan Athletic Conference, the Trojans became firmly established as new primary rivals on Muskegon’s annual slate.
After four uncharacteristic down years on the gridiron during the early 1980s, huge crowds returned to pack Hackley’s stands beginning in 1985, especially during Muskegon’s march to MHSAA playoff titles in 1986 and 1989.
Continued maintenance over the years ensured the stadium’s survival. In 1996, extensive renovations and rejuvenation of the concrete stadium ensured the safekeeping of the ‘Home of the Big Reds’. Concession stands were moved from beneath the seating to structures at the north and south ends of the stadium. Modern requirements meant removal of the track that once surrounded Hackley to expand the concourse that leads to seating. But proximity and sight lines to the playing surface – always a feature of Hackley for fans – were not sacrificed.
The Tunnel
Terry Foster, writing for the Detroit News, visited the stadium as part of his “Terry’s Tour” in 2006. Kicking off a series of articles where he visited high school football games across the state, Foster’s opening paragraphs focused on another unique feature of the stadium.
Postgame, the Big Red Band ends home game festivities by marching – shoulder-to-shoulder, students aligned three-or-four-or-five across, with instruments swinging up-and-down and side-to-side, beneath the stands.
“Fans lined both sides of the cramped corridor as the band paraded through the narrow human tunnel …
“‘Ok. You got to hang tight against the wall,’ Muskegon head coach Tony Annese told Foster. … You will get hit if you are not careful.’ … Like Annese, they wanted to feel the booming drums vibrate off the concrete walls as the band marched underneath the stadium. …
“The march that eventually took the musicians (down Sanford Street) to their music room has been going on for decades. So has winning football.”
A new video scoreboard was installed in 2015. Field turf replaced Hackley Field’s natural grass in 2020. Also added was a brick fence similar in placement to one that surrounded the site back in 1914 and was removed in phases between 1927 and 1946.
Muskegon continues to lead the state in all-time football victories, earning additional MHSAA titles in 2004, 2006, 2008, 2017 and 2023. Many feel that rich tradition, combined with the classic backdrop of Hackley Stadium packed with alumni and passionate football fans, has played a huge role in those wins.
For the Big Reds, Hackley has always been more than brick, concrete, and rebar.
PHOTOS (Top) Muskegon takes on Grandville in 2015 at Hackley Stadium in what would end as the program’s 800th victory. (2) The proposed stadium plan from 1906 shows the football field, baseball diamond, track and tennis courts among other proposed features to the new athletic field. (3) Muskegon takes on Grand Rapids Central in 1922. (4) Osborn Engineering works on the renovated stadium during the summer of 1927. (5) The stands are filled for a game in 1942. (6) This display includes a photo of the 1928 state championship team and brochure for stadium bonds. (Top photo by Tim Reilly. Other photos collected by Ron Pesch.)
1st & Goal: 2025 11-Player Finals Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 26, 2025
Matchups of undefeated contenders will kick off and conclude this weekend’s 11-Player Football Finals at Ford Field, with one more unbeaten-vs.-unbeaten matchup in the middle of Sunday among headliners this championship weekend.
With Michigan State playing Maryland on Saturday at Ford Field, the eight MHSAA championship games will be split between Friday and Sunday:
Friday, Nov. 28
Division 8 – Harbor Beach (13-0) vs. Hudson (13-0) – 9:30 a.m.
Division 4 – Dearborn Divine Child (12-1) vs. Hudsonville Unity Christian (12-1) – 12:30 p.m.
Division 6 – Kingsley (11-2) vs. Jackson Lumen Christi (10-3) – 4 p.m.
Division 2 – Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (10-2) vs. Dexter (12-1) – 7 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 30
Division 7 – Schoolcraft (11-2) vs. Menominee (13-0) – 9:30 a.m.
Division 3 – Mount Pleasant (13-0) vs. DeWitt (13-0) – 12:30 p.m.
Division 5 – Grand Rapids West Catholic (12-1) vs. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (11-2) – 4 p.m.
Division 1 – Detroit Cass Tech (13-0) vs. Detroit Catholic Central (13-0) – 7 p.m.
All eight championship games will be streamed live on the NFHS Network and available for listening from the MHSAA Network. Links to purchase tickets and more are available on the Football page.
Below is a glance at all eight matchups. Statistics are through Semifinals unless noted.
Division 1
DETROIT CATHOLIC CENTRAL
Record/Rank: 13-0, No. 1
Coach: Justin Cessante, third season (32-4)
League finish: First in Catholic High School League Central
Championship history: 10 MHSAA Finals titles (most recent 2009), seven runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 46-6 over No. 8 East Kentwood in Semifinal, 42-13 over No. 5 Clarkston in Regional Final, 29-14 over Division 2 No. 1 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, 26-14 over Division 3 No. 5 Detroit Martin Luther King, 27-14 over Toledo Central Catholic.
Players to watch: WR/DB Samson Gash, 6-1/185, sr. (971 yards/14 TDs receiving); QB Duke Banta, 6-4/210, jr. (2,222 yards/27 TDs passing); TE/DL Jack Janda, 6-6/250, sr. (42 tackles/15 tackles for loss/10 sacks); OL/DL Benny Eziuka, 6-3/300, sr.
Outlook: The Shamrocks will return to the Finals for the first time since 2016 and after reaching the Semifinals last season. They’ve won 25 of their last 26 games – that Semifinal loss to Cass Tech the only defeat during that time – and this season have not allowed an opponent to get closer than 12 points. Gash is committed to Michigan State and made the Division 1-2 all-state first team last season, and senior Cedric Williams (1,146 yards/12 TDs rushing) helps provide balance on offense. Janda and Eziuka are part of a dominating defensive front for a group allowing only nine points per game. Eziuka is committed to Penn State and Janda has several high-major Division I scholarship offers.
DETROIT CASS TECH
Record/Rank: 13-0, No. 2
Coach: Marvin Rushing, fourth season (37-9)
League finish: First in Detroit Public School League Blue
Championship history: Four MHSAA Finals titles (most recent 2024), one runner-up finish.
Best wins: 42-28 over No. 6 Saline in Regional Final, 35-19 and 27-22 over Division 3 No. 5 Detroit Martin Luther King, 28-27 over Toledo Central Catholic.
Players to watch: SE/DB Corey Sadler Jr., 5-11/186 sr. (1,406 yards/19 TDs receiving); LB Marcus Jennings, 6-3/209, sr.; QB Donald Tabron II, 6-4/192, soph. (2,394 yards/30 TDs passing); OL Khalief Canty Jr., 6-5/298, sr. (Statistics through Regional Finals.)
Outlook: Cass Tech is seeking its first repeat Finals championship since winning back-to-back Division 1 titles in 2011 and 2012. The Technicians also have won 23 straight games – including 17-14 over DCC in their Semifinal a year ago. Sadler, committed to North Carolina, and Tabron are the best-known playmakers, but sophomore Julian Taylor showed what he could do in the 48-22 Semifinal win over Rochester Adams, running for 178 yards and five touchdowns to bring his season rushing totals to 845 and 19, respectively. Sadler also has five punt return, two kick return and an interception return for touchdowns this fall. He and Canty both made the Division 1-2 all-state first team last season. Canty has committed to Missouri, and Jennings has committed to Pittsburgh.
Division 2
DEXTER
Record/Rank: 12-1, No. 5
Coach: Phil Jacobs, ninth season (65-30)
League finish: Second in Southeastern Conference Red
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 56-42 over No. 6 Gibraltar Carlson in Regional Final, 41-27 over No. 4 South Lyon in District Final, 42-28 over Division 4 No. 6 Chelsea, 50-27 over Brighton.
Players to watch: QB Cooper Arnedt, 5-11/170, sr. (4,308 yards/52 TDs passing); WR Cole Novara, 5-8/155, sr. (2,098 yards/28 TDs receiving); LB Nathan Gersh, 6-2/225, sr.; OL/DL Mateo Kipke, 6-6/240, sr.
Outlook: Arnedt to Novara has become the most successful passing duo in MHSAA history, with Arnedt needing 125 yards and four touchdowns to tie single-season records in those categories and Novara setting state records for yardage, receptions (118) and touchdowns catches. That’s come against a schedule that also included Division 1 No. 6 Saline, the only team to defeat the Dreadnaughts. Jacobs took over a program in 2016 that had lost 32 straight games, and after going 0-9 his first season turned it into a state power that made the playoffs for the first time in 2018. Junior running back Brady Arbaugh has run for 949 yards and 13 touchdowns to give the offense another dimension, and Iowa State commit Owen Winder (6-7/290) at left tackle is among those leading the way. Gersh made the all-state first team last season, and Novara made the second.
ORCHARD LAKE ST. MARY’S
Record/Rank: 10-2, No. 1
Coach: Jermaine Gonzales, fourth season (29-17)
League finish: Tied for second in CHSL Central
Championship history: Nine MHSAA Finals titles (most recent 2024), six runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 42-7 over No. 3 Portage Central in Semifinal, 42-7 over No. 10 Midland Dow in Regional Final, 35-14 over Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice in District Final, 49-10 over Division 3 No. 7 Warren De La Salle Collegiate, 36-21 over Toledo Central Catholic.
Players to watch: QB Jabin Gonzales, 6-2/202, jr. (1,881 yards/24 TDs passing, 7 TDs rushing); WR/DB Lorenzo Barber, 5-9/176, jr. (643 yards/11 TDs receiving, 6 TDs rushing); DL Ryan Harrington, 6-5/215, sr.; RB/DB Camari Patterson, 5-10/186, sr.
Outlook: St. Mary’s also is seeking to repeat, after most recently doing so with three straight Division 3 titles from 2014-16. The Eaglets’ first loss this season was to DCC, and in the District Final they avenged their second defeat, to Brother Rice. Harrington made the Division 1-2 all-state first team last season and has committed to Wake Forest, and he and Patterson (Western Michigan) are among standouts on a defense that has allowed just 35 points over four playoff wins. Sophomore running back Jamari Givhan (866 yards/6 TDs rushing) adds additional balance to the offense, and 6-foot-3 junior Chad Willis (649 yards/6 TDs receiving) is another valuable target in the passing game.
Division 3
DEWITT
Record/Rank: 13-0, No. 1
Coach: Rob Zimmerman, 27th season (275-55)
League finish: First in Capital Area Activities Conference Blue
Championship history: Division 3 champion 2020, six runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 41-20 over No. 7 Warren De La Salle Collegiate in Semifinal, 59-7 over Grand Ledge, 21-3 over Haslett.
Players to watch: QB/DB Traverse Moore, 6-0/195, sr. (2,115 yards/29 TDs rushing, 870 yards/12 TDs passing); WR/DB Jadon Bender, 6-0/182, sr. (307 yards/5 TDs receiving, 24 tackles/7 interceptions); RB Channing Ridley, 6-0/192, soph. (1,098 yards/15 TDs rushing); OL/DL Drew Rumsey, 6-2/285, sr.
Outlook: The Panthers are making their third trip to Ford Field over the last six seasons, having also finished Division 3 runner-up in 2021. With Central Michigan commit Moore leading the way, they’ve piled up points all season at least 50 eight times. DeWitt is defeating its opponents by an average of 40 points per game with only one single-digit margin, and averaging 9.7 yards per play. The defense doesn’t get as much attention but also has held opponents to single digits eight times. Rumsey made the all-state second team last season, and Moore and Bender earned honorable mentions. Sophomore Vincent Rose is another important offensive threat; he’s made 86 of 88 extra-point attempts and five field goals with a long of 40 yards.
MOUNT PLEASANT
Record/Rank: 13-0, No. 2
Coach: Jason McIntyre, 20th season (168-52)
League finish: First in Saginaw Valley League North
Championship history: Division 3 runner-up 2011.
Best wins: 28-14 over No. 8 East Grand Rapids in Regional Final, 42-0 over No. 9 Gaylord in District Final, 63-39 over Division 2 No. 10 Midland Dow, 28-13 over Traverse City Central.
Players to watch: QB/DB Xavier Creguer, 6-0 jr. (1,548 yards/20 TDs passing, 927 yards/8 TDs rushing); FB/LB Grahm Phillips, 5-10 sr. (452 yards/9 TDs rushing); WR/LB Jack Mozurkewich, 6-2 sr. (272 yards/7 TDs receiving); OL/DL Kaed Wheeler, 6-3 jr. (Statistics through Regional Finals.)
Outlook: Mount Pleasant has cleared all of its opponents by at least 10 points this fall and made a nice jump after falling in District Finals the last four seasons. The Oilers handed Dow its only loss of the regular season and Gaylord its lone defeat all fall. Mozurkewich caught two more touchdown passes in the Semifinal win, and senior receivers Riley Olson (445 yards/4 TDs receiving) and Isaiah Rodriguez (395/5) have been two more reliable targets for top playmaker Creguer. Lowell in the Oilers’ 41-21 Semifinal win was the first opponent since Dow in Week 3 to score more than 17 points on the Mount Pleasant defense. Total, the team has 23 seniors, with seven starting on offense and five on defense.
Division 4
HUDSONVILLE UNITY CHRISTIAN
Record/Rank: 12-1, No. 4
Coach: Craig Tibbe, 23rd season (144-95)
League finish: First in Ottawa-Kent Conference Gold
Championship history: Division 5 champion 2018, Division 4 runner-up 2021.
Best wins: 52-14 over No. 10 Big Rapids in Regional Final, 14-6 over Zeeland West, 40-19 over Division 7 No. 7 Schoolcraft.
Players to watch: QB/DB Justin Febus, 5-9/155, sr. (979 yards/16 TDs rushing, 1,014 yards/18 TDs passing); RB/LB Lucas Elliott, 6-3/190, sr. (698 yards/6 TDs); RB/LB Jared DeVries, 5-11/200, sr. (622 yards/7 TDs); OL/DL Levi Offringa, 6-0/246, sr. (Statistics through Regional Finals.)
Outlook: Unity Christian is a combined 22-2 over the last two seasons, its only loss a year ago in a District Final and the only defeat this fall in Week 9 to Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, which will play this weekend seeking to repeat as the Division 5 champ. The Crusaders have won all of their playoff games by double digits relying again on a crushing T-offense rushing attack that is averaging 331 yards on the ground per game. Unity Christian also has capitalized on nearly two turnovers per game and has more interceptions this season than passing touchdowns allowed (12 to 11).
DEARBORN DIVINE CHILD
Record/Rank: 12-1, No. 7
Coach: Chris Laney, fourth season (34-13)
League finish: Tied for first in CHSL AA
Championship history: Two MHSAA Finals titles (most recent 1985), one runner-up finish.
Best wins: 10-7 over No. 2 Goodrich in Semifinal, 10-6 over No. 1 Harper Woods in Regional Final, 17-13 over Division 6 No. 2 Jackson Lumen Christi.
Players to watch: RB/S Marcello Vitti, 6-0/190 sr.; WR/S Giancarlo Vitti, 5-10/165, jr.; QB Drew Sheridan, 6-1/170, soph.; WR/CB Antonio Solares-Vitti, 6-3/185, sr. (No statistics submitted.)
Outlook: Divine Child will play for a Finals championship for the first time since 1985 after defeating a pair of undefeated contenders (Harper Woods and Goodrich) the last two weeks and losing only to Toledo St. Francis de Sales, by seven points in Week 7. The defense has been tough to beat all season – giving up 6.9 points per game – but really moved to the forefront with those most recent playoff wins. Offensively, Divine Child is dangerous on the ground and through the air, with nearly identical yardage and touchdowns attacking both ways. Marcello Vitti will play next for Iowa, and Solares-Vitti is committed to Eastern Michigan.
Division 5
PONTIAC NOTRE DAME PREP
Record/Rank: 11-2, No. 4
Coach: Pat Fox, 12th season (89-36)
League finish: Does not play in a conference.
Championship history: Division 5 champion 2024.
Best wins: 51-21 over No. 9 Monroe Jefferson in Semifinal, 42-28 over No. 3 Frankenmuth in Regional Final, 34-25 over Division 4 No. 4 Hudsonville Unity Christian, 21-12 over Division 6 No. 6 Marine City, 63-38 over Division 6 No. 8 Traverse City St. Francis.
Players to watch: RB/CB Ben Liparato, 5-9/160, sr. (924 yards/12 TDs rushing); WR/CB Drake Roa, 6-3/190, sr. (950 yards/17 TDs receiving); QB/LB Sam Stowe, 6-5/205, sr. (2,498 yards/38 TDs passing); WR/LB Brody Sink, 6-4/200, sr. (784 yards/13 TDs receiving). (Statistics through Regional Finals.)
Outlook: After winning its first championship a year ago, Notre Dame Prep will attempt to repeat with a pair of the same standouts leading the way. Stowe at quarterback and Sink at linebacker both made the all-state first team last season and are pacing units that have been outstanding again, with the offense topping 500 points for the second-straight season and the defense posting two shutouts to start the playoffs and slowing Frankenmuth and Jefferson the last two weeks. Among additional two-way standouts, senior running back Anthony Tartaglia had 710 yards and 10 touchdowns rushing through the Regional Final and also starts at linebacker. Sink will play next at Miami (Ohio).
GRAND RAPIDS WEST CATHOLIC
Record/Rank: 12-1, No. 2
Coach: Landon Grove, fourth season (43-7)
League finish: First in O-K White
Championship history: Seven MHSAA titles (most recent 2022), two runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 34-24 over No. 7 Ogemaw Heights in Semifinal, 21-20 (OT) over No. 1 Grand Rapids Catholic Central in District Final, 28-16 over Zeeland West.
Players to watch: QB Grady Augustyn, 6-1/190, sr. (2,154 yards/20 TDs passing); RB/DB Connor Olszewski, 5-11/195, sr. (1,129 yards/12 TDs rushing); TE/LB Jael Djouguem, 5-10/170, jr.; OL/DL Jacob Timmer, 6-7/275, sr.
Outlook: West Catholic is back in a Division 5 Final for the first time since claiming five straight from 2013-17 and after winning in Division 6 in 2022. A key was getting past rival Grand Rapids Catholic Central, which had ended West Catholic’s last two seasons with playoff losses. Timmer, who will play next at Central Michigan, made the Division 5-6 all-state first team last season and leads a blocking unit that’s also cleared the way for junior Collin Abram (1,182 yards/16 TDs rushing). Senior kicker Landon Smith also is a returning all-state first-teamer and has connected on 49 of 53 extra-point attempts and eight field goals.
Division 6
JACKSON LUMEN CHRISTI
Record/Rank: 10-3, No. 2
Coach: Herb Brogan, 46th season (431-96)
League finish: Tied for first in CHSL AA
Championship history: 14 MHSAA Finals titles (most recent 2024), three runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 25-19 (3OT) over No. 1 Almont in Semifinal, 27-12 over No. 8 Traverse City St. Francis, 41-6 over Division 4 No. 7 Dearborn Divine Child, 54-34 over Division 5 No. 4 Pontiac Notre Dame Prep.
Players to watch: QB Benny Gaston, 6-0/185, jr. (1,594 yards/12 TDs passing); RB/LB Paul Sattler, 6-1/190, sr. (1,250 yards/14 TDs rushing); FB/LB Sean Walicki, 6-0/205, sr. (629 yards/9 TDs rushing); TE/DE Isaac Maki, 6-3/185, sr.
Outlook: Lumen Christi is playing for a fourth-straight Finals championship and second-straight in Division 6 after winning in 2021 and 2022 in Division 7. Brogan is the second-winningest coach in MHSAA football history, tying and then moving past Brother Rice legend Al Fracassa (430 wins) over the last two weeks. Two of Lumen’s losses this season came to teams playing for championships this weekend – Notre Dame Prep and Lombard Montini Catholic from Illinois – and the third defeat came to Grand Rapids Catholic Central during a 2-3 start to the season. Lumen hasn’t given up more than 19 points in a game since that Week 3 loss to the Cougars.
KINGSLEY
Record/Rank: 11-2, No. 5
Co-Coaches: Tim Wooer, 17th season (145-44); Jason Morrow, second season (18-5)
League finish: Second in Northern Michigan Football Conference Legends
Championship history: Two MHSAA Finals titles (most recent 2023)
Best wins: 14-0 over No. 4 Kent City in Semifinal, 18-14 (Regional Final) and 24-6 over No. 9 Reed City, 57-6 over No. 8 Traverse City St. Francis in District Final, 44-18 over Division 7 No. 4 Charlevoix.
Players to watch: TE/LB Colton Goethals, 6-1/195, sr. (420 yards/8 TDs receiving); QB/LB Tucker Dreves, 6-1/175, sr. (1,046 yards/13 TDs passing); FB/OL/DL Isaiah Cosgrove, 5-9/190, sr. (739 yards/6 TDs rushing); FB/DB Gavin Lewis, 5-9/160, sr. (1,023 yards/14 TDs). (Statistics through Regional Final.)
Outlook: Kingsley has navigated one of the toughest playoff roads in any division, and the Charlevoix win closed the regular season. The St. Francis victory in the District Final avenged a one-point loss to the Gladiators in Week 5, and the Stags’ only other loss came to Division 3 Gaylord, which finished 10-1 this fall. Goethals made the Division 5-6 all-state second team last season and keys a defense that hasn’t given up more than 21 points in a game and has allowed 34 total over four playoff wins. Cosgrove has been the team’s second-leading rusher, but is starting at right guard along with his spot at defensive end.
Division 7
MENOMINEE
Record/Rank: 13-0, No. 1
Coach: Chad Brandt, fourth season (40-10)
League finish: First in Western Peninsula Athletic Conference Copper
Championship history: Three MHSAA Finals titles (most recent 2007), three runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 32-28 over No. 3 Pewamo-Westphalia in Semifinal, 49-6 over No. 9 McBain in District Final, 49-14 over Kingsford.
Players to watch: QB/DB Tanner Theuerkauf, 6-3/185, sr. (1,379 yards/22 TDs passing); RB/DB Dawson Bardowski, 5-9/165, sr. (516 yards/6 TDs receiving); RB/DL Clayton Miller, 5-11/190, sr. (1,132 yards/22 TDs rushing); OL/DL Ryan Marzian, 6-0/240, sr. (Statistics through Regional Final.)
Outlook: Menominee is making its second trip to Ford Field over three seasons, most recently finishing Division 7 runner-up in 2023, and after an impressive comeback win over P-W in the Semifinal. The Pirates were the only team this season to score more than 17 points on the Maroons, and Menominee’s 32 points were the most P-W gave up this fall. Once known for its run-heavy single-wing offense, Menominee attacks with plenty of balance and spreads it around on the passing side with three receivers catching at least four touchdowns this fall. Senior nose guard Blake Paasch and Theuerkauf were among the team’s leading tacklers in its 34-30 loss to Lumen Christi in the 2023 Final.
SCHOOLCRAFT
Record/Rank: 11-2, No. 7
Coach: Dan DeVries, first season (11-2)
League finish: First in Southwestern Athletic Conference Valley
Championship history: Three MHSAA Finals titles (most recent 2001), three runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 43-14 over No. 5 Clinton in Semifinal, 22-14 over Hanover-Horton in Regional Final, 26-0 (District Final) and 18-14 over Lawton.
Players to watch: RB/DB T.J. Luteyn, 5-11/180, sr. (681 yards/8 TDs rushing); WR/DB Drew Enright, 6-1/185, sr. (858 yards/13 TDs receiving); QB/P Jack DeVries, 6-2/180, jr. (2,290 yards/30 TDs passing); OL/DL Brody Epple, 6-3/200, sr.
Outlook: Schoolcraft is making its first Finals trip since that most recent championship season, and doing so under first-year coach Dan DeVries, who was promoted after four seasons coaching the junior varsity and played on the 1994 team that finished Class C runner-up. The Eagles’ only losses were early to Hudsonville Unity Christian – playing in the Division 4 Final – and in the regular-season finale to Division 5 Kalamazoo United. Schoolcraft has nearly identical yardage and touchdown totals rushing and passing, with several contributors to both parts of the attack.
Division 8
HUDSON
Record/Rank: 13-0, No. 1
Coach: Dan Rogers, sixth season (58-11)
League finish: First in Lenawee County Athletic Association
Championship history: Two MHSAA Finals titles (most recent 2021), three runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 67-14 over No. 5 Allen Park Cabrini in Semifinal, 68-22 over No. 6 Springport in Regional Final, 44-8 over No. 8 Fowler, 38-0 over Berrien Springs, 32-16 over Division 7 No. 5 Clinton.
Players to watch: RB/DB Beckett Campbell, 5-7/160, soph. (2,345 yards/37 TDs rushing); RB/DB Grayson Bills, 5-9/165, sr. (1,790 yards/25 TDs rushing, 4 TDs receiving); QB/DB Colt Perry, 5-7/155, sr. (637 yards/9 TDs passing, 4 TDs rushing); OT/DE Koen Hinzman, 6-7/285, jr.
Outlook: Save for an 8-3 win over Division 6 Ida in Week 2, Hudson has dominated this season from start to near-finish, defeating its opponents by an average of 41 points. Bills made the all-state first team as a running back last season and is joined by Campbell; they combined for most of the team’s 450-plus rushing yards in the Semifinal win. As a team, the Tigers have run for nearly 5,300 yards this fall, which would rank third all-time heading into this weekend. Seniors Malachi Marshall (6-4/245) and Colton Natale (6-0/255) also start on both the offensive and defensive lines, and senior flanker Devon Brigman has nearly 500 yards and eight touchdowns rushing to augment Campbell and Bills’ efforts.
HARBOR BEACH
Record/Rank: 13-0, No. 3
Coach: Troy Schelke, 29th season (220-90)
League finish: First in Big Thumb Conference Black
Championship history: Division 8 champion 2012, Class C runner-up 1991.
Best wins: 40-0 over Bark River-Harris in Semifinal, 26-15 over No. 2 Beal City in Regional Final, 41-7 over Division 7 No. 10 Millington, 43-14 over Division 7 No. 8 Ottawa Lake Whiteford.
Players to watch: QB/LB Caden Bucholtz, 6-1/225, sr. (960 yards/21 TDs rushing, 753 yards/10 TDs passing); RB/S Benson Harper, 6-0/180, sr. (308 yards/3 TDs rushing, 178 yards/3 TDs receiving); C/DE Peyton Roggenbuck, 6-3/220, sr.; OT/DT Noah Mellendorf, 6-3/245, sr.
Outlook: Harbor Beach has seemed on the verge of this moment with two straight perfect regular seasons and with its only 2023 losses during the regular season and playoffs to eventual Division 8 champion Ubly. The closest an opponent has gotten to the Pirates this season was 11 points, and they’ve won their playoff games by an average of nearly 38. Harper made the Division 7-8 all-state first team last season, and Bucholtz earned an honorable mention. While Bucholtz directs the offense, Harbor Beach has several contributors including as well senior fullback Rogan Messing (697 yads/10 TDs rushing), senior running back Keagun Potestivo (495 yards/11 TDs rushing) and 6-5 senior tight end Skiler Kruse (293 yards/5 TDs receiving).
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