Hearts Heavy, St. Mary's Keeps Promise
November 29, 2014
By Bill Khan
Special for Second Half
DETROIT — The most important football game in Brandon Adams' life suddenly didn't seem so important.
At a time when excitement should've been rising within the Orchard Lake St. Mary's junior, he was holed up in his bedroom, coming to grips with the lowest moment in his young life.
Football? Who cares about something as trivial as football — even a state championship game — when your mother just died two days earlier?
Playing a game may not have been important, but fulfilling a promise to his mother and continuing to live as she would have wished helped him to get up, get out of his room and move forward.
"At first, I didn't think I was going to play this game," said Adams, whose 1-yard run with 5:42 left in the first quarter was the only touchdown in the Eaglets' 7-0 victory over Muskegon in the MHSAA Division 3 Final on Saturday night at Ford Field.
"Thursday, after she passed, I was sitting in my bed at home. My dad walks in and says, 'I don't want you to sit here and sulk,' so I went to practice Friday. We had a team meeting at 1 before our practice at 2. All the guys gave their condolences and said, 'We're not losing this game. We're making a promise to God, to my mom and to the team that we're gonna win,' and we did. I don't know. It's just ..."
Adams' voice trailed off as he held the game ball, standing before reporters and bravely articulating his feelings while still in the midst of grief.
His mother, Katie, was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer three months ago. She continued to follow her son's team, all the way up through the Semifinal victory over New Boston Huron just five days before she died on Thanksgiving.
"All the guys came to the hospital, because she was in hospice for her last hours," Adams said. "The one thing she was saying to all the guys was, 'I'm going to watch the game on TV and I want you guys to bring me back the trophy. Well, she's not here, but we did. It was a promise my brothers made to me and to my family and to each other that we would win the game.
"She never missed a game. Even with her chemo, she was sick as a dog and she'd come sit in her car and come watch. This was the first game in my football career she's missed."
In a time of tragedy for the team, St. Mary's coach George Porritt saw inspiration in the way Adams was supported by his teammates.
"The last 48 hours have been a whirlwind," Porritt said. "What's great is watching kids take care of kids when there are tough times. This team rallied behind this kid. Last night was special."
From a football standpoint, Porritt supported Adams by giving him two straight carries after his fumble nearly ended the game's only scoring drive.
Adams broke through the line and appeared primed to scamper into the end zone on a 4-yard run from the 6-yard line, but he lost the ball, only to recover it himself.
Adams got the next carry, moving the ball one yard closer to the end zone, before going untouched around the left side to cap a nine-play, 34-yard drive.
Adams was appreciative of the opportunity to get the next two carries following his fumble.
"My coaches are very persistent on hanging on to the ball," he said. "After that fumble, it's human nature to get down on yourself and hang your head, but my coaches kept preaching, 'Hold your head up, we'll get through it,' and they gave it back to me again. I knew I was going to get into the end zone."
Porritt insisted that Adams wasn't given the chance to bounce back just because he was going through a hard time in his life.
"Sometimes we like the kid to get the ball right away, get it right back in his hands," Porritt said. "We had to have him."
Real life beyond the football field was also the theme for Muskegon as coach Shane Fairfield addressed his players after the Big Reds lost in an MHSAA Final for the third straight year. They lost to Birmingham Brother Rice in the last two Division 2 title games.
"It's not going to be easy," Fairfield told his team. "It hurts. It should hurt, because it means so much. ... We have to continue the pursuit of greatness in our lives."
Adams tempted fate with his early fumble, but wasn't as fortunate in the second quarter. On second-and-goal from Muskegon's 2-yard line, Alezay Coleman popped the ball loose from Adams' grasp and Taron Smith recovered for the Big Reds with 10:53 left in the first half.
Having escaped a possible early 14-0 deficit, Muskegon's offense began to click after its first three possessions resulted in only four yards on eight plays. The Big Reds marched 95 yards in 14 plays, taking 6:56 off the clock, but came away with no points when they also failed to score from the 2-yard line.
Those missed opportunities by each team from the opponents' 2-yard line would be the closest either would come to scoring after the Eaglets opened up with a touchdown.
The defensive standoff was surprising, given the fact St. Mary's averaged 47.5 points and Muskegon 37 in four playoff games.
"You never know what kind of game it's going to be," Porritt said. "We know we have a great defense and they have a great defense. So, that's what happens. The defenses were a little bit better than the offenses today."
The Eaglets nursed their 7-0 lead through a scoreless second half by not allowing Muskegon to get closer than 31 yards from the end zone.
The Big Reds had four possessions after halftime, with two ending in interceptions. Tyler Cochran picked off a pass on the first play of Muskegon's second possession of the third quarter. The key interception came with 6:37 left in the game when Dwayne Chapman came up with an errant pass on fourth-and-three from the St. Mary's 31.
Muskegon would never touch the ball again. St. Mary's ran out the final 6:37 by getting four first downs on a 14-play possession that covered 49 yards.
When time expired, St. Mary's had its sixth MHSAA title, while the Big Reds had to settle for the runner-up trophy for the third year in a row.
"A lot of teams around Muskegon can't say they've been there three years in a row," Muskegon senior lineman Rowland Sharp II said. "I've been here since my sophomore year. I'm very proud to say I made it to Ford Field. As I go into my career, I'll be able to say, yes, I played at Ford Field; that's an NFL stadium I played in."
Muskegon's explosive ground game was held to 109 yards on 33 carries. St. Mary's also struggled with its trademark running game, gaining 133 yards on 45 carries.
PHOTOS: (Top) Orchard Lake St. Mary’s hoists its Division 3 championship trophy after the final football game of the 2014 MHSAA season Saturday. (Middle) St. Mary’s Josh Ross (5) breaks through the line as Muskegon defenders pursue. (Click for action photos and team photos from Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS:
BIG REDS GOAL LINE TAKEAWAY - Early in the second quarter, Muskegon forces an Orchard Lake St. Mary's fumble, which is recovered by Alezay Coleman.
EAGLETS THWART MUSKEGON'S LAST CHANCE - Muskegon's last offensive chance came near the midpoint of the fourth quarter, where on a fourth down play, a Big Reds pass by intercepted by Orchard Lake St. Mary's Dwayne Chapman. The Eaglets then ran out the clock and won the Division 3 championship game, 7-0.
Watch the entire game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.
2025 MHSAA Football Playoff Pairings Announced
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 26, 2025
Here are the pairings for the 2025 MHSAA Football Playoffs, which begin Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 with District Semifinals in the 11-Player Playoffs and Regional Semifinals in the 8-Player Playoffs.
Teams were divided into divisions before the start of play this fall. The top 32 teams in each division in 11-player and top 16 per division in 8-player, based on playoff-point average, were selected to the field. For 11-player, qualifiers were then divided into four regions with eight teams apiece, and for 8-player qualifiers were divided into four regions with four teams in each.
Pairings for the first three weeks of the tournament are based on regular-season playoff point averages, with the highest-ranked team hosting, regardless of the distance between the two schools. For 11-Player District Semifinal and 8-Player Regional Semifinal play, the top-seeded team in each bracket will host the fourth-seeded team, and the second-seeded team will host the third-seeded team.
District Finals for 11-player and Regional Finals for 8-player will follow during the weekend of Nov. 7-8, and the weekend of Nov. 14-15 will have Regional Finals in the 11-Player Playoffs and Semifinals in the 8-Player Playoffs. The 8-Player Semifinals will pair the winners of Region 1 vs. Region 2 and the winners of Region 3 vs. Region 4 at neutral sites assigned by the MHSAA.
Semifinal games in the 11-Player Playoffs will take place Nov. 21-22, pairing the winners of Region 1 vs. Region 2 and the winners of Region 3 vs. Region 4. The MHSAA also will assign 11-Player Semifinals at neutral sites.
All playoff tickets except for Finals (both 11 and 8-player) will be sold online only via GoFan.
For 11-Player, tickets to District Semifinals and District Finals cost $7, tickets to Regional Finals are $9, and tickets to Semifinals cost $10. For 8-player, tickets for Regional Semifinals are $7, tickets for Regional Finals are $9, and tickets for Semifinals cost $10.
The 8-Player Finals will take place Nov. 22 at Northern Michigan University’s Superior Dome in Marquette, and the 11-Player Finals will be played Nov. 28 and 30 at Ford Field in Detroit. An all-day ticket for 8-Player Finals costs $10 and includes admission to both games, and an all-day ticket for the 11-Player Finals costs $20 and includes admission to that day’s four games.
The 11-Player Finals schedule will be as follows:
Friday, Nov. 28
9:30 a.m. - Division 8
12:30 p.m. - Division 4
4 p.m. - Division 6
7 p.m. - Division 2
Sunday, Nov. 30
9:30 a.m. - Division 7
12:30 p.m. - Division 3
4 p.m. - Division 5
7 p.m. - Division 1
Pairings for both the 11 and 8-Player brackets are as follows:
11-Player Pairings
DIVISION 1
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Jenison (4-5) 52.778 at Hudsonville (9-0) 85.556
Grandville (4-5) 56.111 at Rockford (7-2) 75.444
DISTRICT 2
Kalamazoo Central (6-3) 53.778 at Howell (8-1) 80.111
Grand Ledge (7-2) 65.667 at East Kentwood (7-2) 70.222
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Hartland (5-4) 60.000 at Detroit Catholic Central (9-0) 81.056
Brighton (6-3) 69.333 at West Bloomfield (7-2) 72.333
DISTRICT 2
Davison (8-1) 70.000 at Clarkston (8-1) 87.111
Oxford (7-2) 77.556 at Grand Blanc (9-0) 81.444
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Salem (5-4) 57.333 at Saline (8-1) 77.500
Brownstown Woodhaven (7-2) 66.111 at Belleville (7-2) 72.889
DISTRICT 2
Northville (7-2) 70.111 at Detroit Cass Tech (9-0) 74.556
Dearborn Fordson (7-2) 70.889 at Farmington (7-2) 71.222
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Rochester (5-4) 53.333 at Rochester Adams (7-2) 76.111
Utica Eisenhower (5-4) 57.000 at Rochester Hills Stoney Creek (6-3) 64.111
DISTRICT 2
Sterling Heights Stevenson (5-4) 54.778 at Romeo (6-3) 69.444
Macomb Dakota (6-3) 63.444 at Utica (7-2) 67.778
DIVISION 2
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Muskegon Mona Shores (5-4) 52.111 at Muskegon (6-3) 64.556
Traverse City Central (5-4) 53.889 at Traverse City West (5-4) 59.222
DISTRICT 2
Lansing Everett (5-4) 55.778 at Portage Central (9-0) 76.111
Portage Northern (7-2) 62.528 at Byron Center (6-3) 66.333
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Waterford Mott (5-4) 53.889 at Midland Dow (8-1) 71.111
East Lansing (4-5) 56.111 at White Lake Lakeland (7-2) 68.000
DISTRICT 2
Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice (5-4) 54.611 at Walled Lake Western (7-2) 68.667
Orchard Lake St. Mary's (6-2) 63.083 at North Farmington (6-3) 64.889
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
South Lyon East (4-5) 49.222 at South Lyon (9-0) 78.889
Livonia Franklin (6-3) 62.889 at Dexter (8-1) 76.500
DISTRICT 2
Lincoln Park (5-4) 52.444 at Gibraltar Carlson (9-0) 77.667
Temperance Bedford (4-5) 54.357 at Allen Park (5-4) 55.889
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Warren Mott (5-4) 50.222 at Birmingham Groves (6-3) 61.556
Birmingham Seaholm (5-4) 55.556 at Warren Cousino (6-3) 59.778
DISTRICT 2
Roseville (4-5) 52.889 at Grosse Pointe South (8-1) 70.333
St. Clair Shores Lakeview (7-2) 62.444 at Port Huron Northern (7-2) 69.111
DIVISION 3
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Bay City Western (4-5) 46.556 at Mount Pleasant (9-0) 76.444
Marquette (6-3) 51.889 at Gaylord (9-0) 66.000
DISTRICT 2
Coopersville (4-5) 47.000 at Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills (8-1) 67.111
Cedar Springs (8-1) 60.556 at East Grand Rapids (7-2) 60.778
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Zeeland West (6-3) 50.889 at Niles (9-0) 67.778
Zeeland East (6-3) 51.444 at St. Joseph (5-4) 54.889
DISTRICT 2
Coldwater (6-3) 47.111 at Lowell (7-2) 58.778
Middleville Thornapple Kellogg (6-3) 53.222 at Hastings (7-2) 58.556
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Owosso (6-3) 49.444 at DeWitt (9-0) 79.667
Linden (6-3) 50.222 at Mason (5-4) 55.444
DISTRICT 2
Ypsilanti Lincoln (6-3) 55.111 at Adrian (8-1) 60.333
Holly (6-3) 58.222 at Fenton (6-3) 58.444
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Riverview (6-3) 45.667 at Detroit Martin Luther King (5-4) 59.667
Redford Thurston (6-3) 52.222 at Trenton (5-4) 55.000
DISTRICT 2
Warren De La Salle Collegiate (3-6) 49.306 at Warren Fitzgerald (8-1) 65.889
Marysville (7-2) 54.444 at Port Huron (6-3) 59.889
DIVISION 4
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Freeland (7-2) 49.667 at Escanaba (8-1) 58.222
Big Rapids (8-1) 52.667 at Ludington (9-0) 56.778
DISTRICT 2
Holland Christian (5-4) 43.778 at Hudsonville Unity Christian (8-1) 61.333
Spring Lake (6-3) 45.444 at Wyoming Godwin Heights (7-2) 51.444
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Grand Rapids Christian (5-4) 45.333 at Battle Creek Harper Creek (8-1) 65.333
Grand Rapids South Christian (4-5) 47.444 at Portland (9-0) 58.444
DISTRICT 2
Three Rivers (5-4) 46.389 at Paw Paw (6-3) 56.111
Vicksburg (5-4) 48.556 at Edwardsburg (6-3) 51.222
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Lansing Sexton (6-3) 45.667 at Williamston (9-0) 69.500
St. Johns (5-4) 48.889 at Haslett (7-2) 61.111
DISTRICT 2
Lake Fenton (4-5) 43.000 at Goodrich (9-0) 68.000
Fowlerville (5-4) 44.444 at Chelsea (8-1) 67.778
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Tecumseh (6-3) 50.222 at Dearborn Divine Child (8-1) 59.667
Redford Union (7-2) 55.111 at Madison Heights Lamphere (6-3) 57.889
DISTRICT 2
Macomb Lutheran North (7-2) 44.111 at Harper Woods (9-0) 88.222
Center Line (7-2) 48.222 at Harper Woods Chandler Park (7-2) 49.222
DIVISION 5
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Negaunee (6-3) 40.875 at Ogemaw Heights (8-1) 54.389
Gladwin (5-4) 43.111 at Kingsford (6-3) 43.222
DISTRICT 2
Clare (6-3) 43.111 at Saginaw Swan Valley (8-1) 54.778
Howard City Tri County (5-4) 43.556 at Whitehall (5-4) 46.333
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Wyoming Kelloggsville (6-3) 40.778 at Grand Rapids Catholic Central (9-0) 74.206
Muskegon Oakridge (6-3) 43.000 at Grand Rapids West Catholic (8-1) 62.111
DISTRICT 2
Hopkins (5-4) 41.222 at Kalamazoo United (7-2) 43.286
Dowagiac (5-3) 41.827 at Berrien Springs (5-2) 42.802
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Detroit Cody (5-4) 37.222 at Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard (9-0) 52.667
Romulus (4-5) 41.111 at Michigan Center (8-1) 43.000
DISTRICT 2
Detroit Voyageur College Prep (4-5) 36.889 at Romulus Summit Academy North (7-1) 54.125
Flat Rock (6-3) 47.889 at Monroe Jefferson (8-1) 52.111
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Hazel Park (6-3) 39.333 at Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (7-2) 62.444
Detroit Denby (7-2) 46.556 at Detroit Southeastern (6-3) 49.000
DISTRICT 2
Yale (5-4) 39.000 at Frankenmuth (8-1) 57.778
Armada (6-3) 46.444 at Richmond (8-1) 55.222
DIVISION 6
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Calumet (7-2) 40.500 at Kingsley (7-2) 48.167
Boyne City (6-3) 41.944 at Traverse City St. Francis (6-2) 44.472
DISTRICT 2
Sanford Meridian (6-3) 36.111 at Reed City (7-2) 47.667
Montague (5-4) 36.444 at Central Montcalm (7-2) 37.444
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Ovid-Elsie (7-2) 42.000 at Belding (8-1) 57.222
Kent City (9-0) 49.667 at Olivet (8-1) 51.333
DISTRICT 2
Flint New Standard Academy (8-1) 34.264 at Montrose (9-0) 45.889
Durand (7-2) 40.222 at Flint Hamady (6-3) 40.444
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Onsted (4-5) 32.778 at Jackson Lumen Christi (6-3) 61.889
Buchanan (6-3) 34.357 at Napoleon (6-3) 38.556
DISTRICT 2
Adrian Madison (5-4) 33.889 at Ecorse (7-2) 48.000
Dearborn Heights Robichaud (6-3) 40.984 at Ida (7-2) 41.778
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Detroit Central (6-3) 34.889 at Detroit Edison (7-2) 53.056
Warren Michigan Collegiate (5-4) 37.556 at Detroit Pershing (6-3) 40.111
DISTRICT 2
Clinton Township Clintondale (5-4) 33.889 at Almont (9-0) 61.667
Clawson (6-3) 41.000 at Marine City (6-3) 47.222
DIVISION 7
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Manton (6-3) 28.000 at Menominee (9-0) 52.486
McBain (7-2) 36.667 at Charlevoix (8-1) 41.556
DISTRICT 2
Morley Stanwood (3-6) 25.556 at Harrison (7-2) 33.333
Shelby (5-4) 26.667 at LeRoy Pine River (6-3) 32.111
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Ravenna (4-5) 28.889 at Pewamo-Westphalia (8-0) 41.889
Saranac (7-2) 30.778 at North Muskegon (6-3) 35.514
DISTRICT 2
Ithaca (6-3) 34.222 at Saginaw Valley Lutheran (9-0) 40.333
Cass City (6-3) 35.667 at Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker (7-2) 37.778
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Galesburg-Augusta (4-5) 26.000 at Schoolcraft (7-2) 39.333
Constantine (6-3) 38.667 at Lawton (7-2) 39.000
DISTRICT 2
Union City (5-4) 28.222 at Hanover-Horton (7-2) 42.889
Jonesville (6-3) 30.222 at Bronson (7-2) 35.222
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Leslie (5-4) 28.778 at Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (7-2) 49.667
Ottawa Lake Whiteford (8-1) 36.667 at Clinton (7-2) 40.556
DISTRICT 2
Burton Bendle (6-3) 29.333 at Millington (7-2) 41.000
Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest (5-4) 29.873 at Detroit Community (6-3) 30.762
DIVISION 8
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
West Iron County (4-4) 25.361 at Bark River-Harris (7-1) 37.375
L'Anse (5-4) 25.417 at Iron Mountain (5-3) 27.528
DISTRICT 2
Mancelona (5-4) 29.361 at Maple City Glen Lake (7-1) 40.528
Frankfort (6-3) 29.917 at East Jordan (6-3) 32.625
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (5-4) 26.206 at Beal City (9-0) 42.111
Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary (6-3) 33.000 at Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central (7-2) 33.556
DISTRICT 2
Reese (5-4) 27.111 at Harbor Beach (9-0) 42.556
Genesee (4-5) 27.556 at Unionville-Sebewaing (6-3) 32.889
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Centreville (5-4) 29.778 at Hudson (9-0) 49.857
White Pigeon (7-2) 35.222 at Decatur (7-2) 38.222
DISTRICT 2
Manchester (5-4) 28.444 at Springport (9-0) 38.931
Fowler (6-3) 34.111 at New Lothrop (6-3) 37.778
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Auburn Hills Oakland Christian (5-4) 25.611 at Madison Heights Madison (8-1) 44.556
Clarkston Everest Collegiate (5-4) 28.667 at Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes (5-4) 30.444
DISTRICT 2
Riverview Gabriel Richard (4-5) 29.111 at Melvindale Academy for Business & Tech (9-0) 45.667
Southfield Bradford Academy (6-3) 31.889 at Allen Park Cabrini (8-1) 38.889
8-Player Pairings
DIVISION 1
REGION 1
Gogebic (8-1) 32.264 at Norway (9-0) 37.625
Pickford (7-1) 32.542 at Indian River Inland Lakes (9-0) 36.667
REGION 2
Breckenridge (6-3) 30.250 at Blanchard Montabella (8-1) 35.222
Central Lake (6-3) 30.333 at Merrill (7-2) 31.778
REGION 3
Marcellus (6-3) 28.417 at Martin (9-0) 38.667
Climax-Scotts (7-2) 32.486 at Gobles (7-2) 33.194
REGION 4
Bay City All Saints (7-2) 31.319 at Kingston (8-1) 36.222
Capac (7-2) 33.111 at Brown City (7-2) 33.444
DIVISION 2
REGION 1
St. Ignace (6-3) 29.250 at Felch North Dickinson (9-0) 34.708
Powers North Central (7-2) 31.444 at Lake Linden-Hubbell (7-2) 31.444
REGION 2
Hillman (6-3) 29.208 at Onekama (9-0) 36.667
Gaylord St. Mary (7-2) 29.778 at Mio (8-1) 32.472
REGION 3
Marion (6-3) 29.333 at Portland St Patrick (9-0) 37.750
Grand Rapids Sacred Heart (8-1) 34.972 at Mendon (9-0) 37.375
REGION 4
Pittsford (7-2) 32.111 at Britton Deerfield (8-1) 36.889
Morrice (8-1) 32.222 at Deckerville (8-1) 36.556
The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by more than 1,500 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract more than 1.4 million spectators each year.
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