Highlight Reel: Friday Football Finals
November 26, 2016
By John Johnson
MHSAA Communications Director
A pair of repeat champions took center stage Friday at the first day of the MHSAA 11-Player Football Finals, powered by the Michigan Army National Guard, at Ford Field in Detroit.
Division 8
Muskegon Catholic Central 35, Ottawa Lake Whiteford 6
Due to technical difficulties, highlights of this game will be posted at a later date.
Division 2
Detroit Martin Luther King 18, Walled Lake Western 0
Finn Hits Thomas for King TD - Late in the first half, Dequan Finn hit Ambry Thomas with a 9-yard touchdown pass for Detroit Martin Luther King.
Tip Drill Turns Into King TD - A tipped ball turned into a pick-six for Detroit Martin Luther King, as Jesse Scarber came up with this second interception of the game returned this one 56 yards for a score.
More Pick-Six Action By Morton - Detroit Martin Luther King returned a second interception for a score in the fourth quarter when Jay-Veyon Morton took this pick back for a TD.
Division 6
Jackson Lumen Christi 26, Maple City Glen Lake 14
Lakers Back In The Game - Trailing in the second quarter, Maple City Glen Lake gets back into the Division 6 Final when QB Cade Peterson finds a streaking Nick Rice going down the sideline for 57 yards and a score.
Ring The Bell - Jackson Lumen Christi's Bo Bell came up big with 238 yards rushing. Here's his longest run of the day, a 46-yard jaunt in the third quarter which set up a 3-yard scoring run – his lone TD of the game.
Division 4
Grand Rapids Catholic Central 10, Detroit Country Day 7
Yellowjackets Score On The Interception - Trailing in the second quarter, Detroit Country Day seized the lead when Roy McCree intercepted a pass and returned it 82 yards for a score.
Finding Its Offense At The Right Time - Early in the fourth quarter, Grand Rapids Catholic Central gets its lone first down of the Division 4 title game on this 44-yard pitch-and-catch from Jack Bowen to Michael Brown.
The MHSAA Football Finals are sponsored by the Michigan National Guard.
PHOTO: Detroit Martin Luther King players hoist the Division 2 championship trophy Friday at Ford Field.
Moment: Menominee Achieves Finals 1st
December 4, 2020
By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
Menominee’s march from the southern tip of the Upper Peninsula to Ford Field had some storybook feel about it – a team which overcame injuries – and mixed in a grinder of a Semifinal victory to bring the chants of “U.P. Power” to the Motor City and the MHSAA Football Playoff Finals in 2016.
The Maroons’ good fortune ran out that Thanksgiving weekend against a superior Grand Rapids West Catholic squad in the Division 5 championship game, but Menominee’s trip will long be remembered for a state championship game record set during the second half.
Liam Putz, who had earlier in the game set a Finals record with a 47-yard field goal for the Falcons, was lined up to attempt a 42-yard placement midway through the third quarter. Sam Larson broke through and blocked the kick. Hunter Hass picked up the ball with nothing but green turf and yard stripes in front of him and returned it for a touchdown, the first time that had ever happened in the Finals. The return went for 76 yards, which became the record for the special teams play.
“All week we were practicing to block their punt, and it just so happened that we blocked their field goal,” Hass said after the game. “I saw the ball. I just picked it up and ran into the end zone, just trying to get some points to get some momentum going for our team.”
West Catholic won the game, 43-7.