Howell Names Field for Longtime Leader
August 30, 2018
By Tim Robinson
Special for Second Half
If you got the impression that John Dukes has been around Howell football forever, you wouldn’t be far off.
His association with the program began before high school.
“When I was a kid, I used to live near Page Field (Howell’s former athletic complex), and I would go out and watch football practice,” Dukes said. “I was at practice all the time, and the coach said, ‘If you’re going to be here all the time, you may as well get some water for the boys while they’re practicing.’”
That was in 1963, when the Highlanders went 9-0.
A little more than 55 years later, Dukes will be honored tonight when the field at Howell’s Memorial Stadium will be named John Dukes Field.
Howell football coach Aaron Metz began the drive to name the field after Dukes when it was determined the old turf, installed in 2004, needed to be replaced.
“We have a commitment award named for John,” he said. “If you play football for four years, you get the John Dukes Commitment Award. We put a committee together with people who have been around Howell for a long time, and when you ask anybody, they say there’s not a person more deserving than John Dukes.
“So I ran it up the ladder to the athletic director and superintendent, and, to be honest, it was a pretty easy process because no one could find anything bad about John,” Metz added. “We’re excited to have the opportunity to do it.”
Dukes was a three-year varsity player at Howell and then played at Alma College, where his teams won three league championships.
With the exception of six years at Hartland coaching under his son, Marcus, John Dukes has been affiliated with Howell football for 46 years, including 25 as the head coach.
After graduating from Alma in 1972, Dukes got a teaching job at Howell and was an assistant freshman coach for a season and a varsity assistant for two before taking over as head coach at age 25.
“My philosophy at the time was I wanted to help the kids enjoy playing football and help them to be successful at it,” he recalled. “The previous three years our record wasn’t very good. That was one of my objectives, was to make it fun.”
He then talked about his first season with a little self-deprecation, a common thread in most conversations with Dukes.
“I remember my first game,” he said. “Because I played defense in college (Dukes was a linebacker), I thought we were going to be a really good defensive team. We played Fenton in my first game, and we lost 32-19, so my defensive prowess wasn’t good at the time.”
The Highlanders lost six of their first seven games that season, but won the last two and went 8-1 three seasons later.
In all, Howell had winning records in 15 of his 25 seasons, but one group of players stood out for an entirely different reason.
“We had a period of time (1989 and 1990) where we weren’t very good, and we lost 17 games in a row,” he said. “But those kids were wonderful kids to coach. They came to practice with energy all the time, and from a coaching standpoint, it was wonderful to coach them during the week. Now, Fridays were a different story, because we didn’t play very well on Fridays, ever.
“But the real thing that stands out with that group was the very last game of their senior year we beat (Waterford Kettering), and you’d have thought we’d won the Super Bowl,” Dukes continued. “Those kids who were seniors, that was their first football victory in high school. It was an amazing time. We had several teams with good players, and I really enjoyed coaching them, too, and I don’t want to leave them out. But that really stood out in my mind, in that they came out to work every day.
“Over a period of time of losing that many games, sometimes, it’s not fun and it’s not fun for them or the coaches. But we had a very enjoyable time over that two-year period, regardless of the fact we didn’t win any games.”
His perspective is consistent with the principles by which he ran his program.
“These weren’t original to me,” he says, “but the three things I always told our kids was your faith should be your number one priority, your family should be your number two priority. Football, when school hadn’t started, should be number three. And when school started, school became three and football became number four. We tried to base everything we did on these priorities in our lives. Sometimes those things cross over and mix and match. When they do, then you have to step back and say what is really important here?”
Dukes resigned after the 1999 season.
“There were a lot of things and I don’t know if anything in particular,” he said of his decision. “I had been doing it for 25 years, and we had a string of years where we were 6-3. So we were OK, but I felt it was time to be done with it.”
His self-imposed exile lasted one season. He had a couple of stints as an assistant coach when he finally decided to retire for good in 2006.
“No sooner had I done that, my son (Marcus) called me up and said he just got the Hartland job,” Dukes recalled. “He said, ‘Dad, you have to come here and help.’ So I went there for six years. Then he resigned, and I thought I was going to be done again.”
After another stint as a Howell assistant, John Dukes took the last two years off before agreeing to rejoin the program as a junior varsity assistant this season, as the offensive coordinator.
As it turns out, one grandson, Jackson Dukes, plays on the Howell JV, and John Dukes also is helping coach another grandson, Colin Lassey, on his junior football team.
“When Jackson gets home, I ask him, ‘Did you get yelled at by Grandpa today?” Josh Dukes says. “And when he says yes, I say, ‘Good. You should be getting yelled at.’ So nothing has changed in the 30 years since high school.”
Josh Dukes, the oldest of John Dukes’ three children, joined Marcus in playing football for their father.
“There was never an expectation that we had to be this or that,” Josh Dukes said of himself, his brother and sister, Carrie. “Now maybe he was a little harder on me, but that’s something we were thankful for. I’d rather him be harder on me than any kid on the field, because then the other kids left me alone. They knew it was the same for everyone across the board. He wasn’t going to take it easy on me, my brother or my sister.”
John Dukes coached his daughter, Carrie, when she played middle school basketball.
“The first time he coached me, he came home to my mom and said, ‘I don’t know how people do this,’” she recalled. “‘They’re all crying, half of them don’t think I like them. I don’t know how to do this with girls. It’s a totally different ballgame.’ But he was a great coach. I know some people don’t like their parents coaching them, but I loved having him coach.”
Like her brothers, Carrie Lassey stayed involved with sports. She is now the athletic director at St. Joseph Catholic School in Howell.
“He coached my freshman team a couple of years ago,” she said. “It was third and fourth-grade girls. It’s amazing. He can coach pretty much anybody.”
Indeed, Dukes also coached baseball and wrestling at the varsity level at Howell, and, for a couple of weeks, filled in as a competitive cheer coach when the Highlanders had a temporary vacancy.
“I was more a supervisor,” he said, but serving that role illustrated his commitment to the athletic program as a whole. He was needed, and he stepped in.
Having stopped and started his career so many times, Dukes, now 68, laughs when asked about what he will do when he retires in the distant future.
“I’m sure he’ll be coaching when he’s in his 90s. Maybe triple digits,” jokes Bill Murray, the former Brighton coach who matched up with Dukes’ teams during the second half of Dukes’ Howell tenure. “The guy loves the game, he’s out there and he has a lot to offer. His teams were always well-prepared, they played great defense, were fundamentally sound and when you went nose-to-nose, they were consistent as to what they were going to do. It was a matter of whether you could stop them or not.”
Dukes still keeps up with the Howell varsity, still offers advice when asked, and still enjoys the competition.
“For me, as a head coach, it’s great having a coach (on staff) who has been there and done it to talk to and mentor, even me,” Metz said. “What makes a successful coach, I don’t think, changes, whether it’s been 50 or 100 years ago to the current day. He steered the ship to have an outstanding record (130-95) and also have a huge impact on kids in our community.”
“When people talk to me about my dad, they say he was a dad to them, or like a second dad,” Josh Dukes added. “Or, ‘I wanted to be a teacher because of him.’ These are the things that for us,” referring to his siblings, “is the most impressive part. The kids of players he’s coached, or the grandkids.”
Dukes has the unusual distinction of having coached more congressmen (Mike Rogers and Mark Schauer, who started on the offensive line for Dukes in the late 1970s) than pro football players (Jon Mack, who played for the Michigan Panthers of the USFL in 1984).
John Dukes will give a short speech before tonight’s ceremony, which will take place before Howell’s home opener against Plymouth.
“They’ve given me five minutes, but it will probably be shorter because they want to get the game started on time,” he joked.
“It’s an incredible honor,” Josh Dukes said. “Everyone in our family feels the same way. I don’t think he ever went into this with any intentions of being singled out. It’s a great lesson for our community and our athletes, to see what hard work and effort and care for your community can do, you know?”
During the ceremony, the letters “John Dukes Field,” which were sewn into the artificial turf in Howell’s Vegas Gold, will be unveiled.
“Aaron showed it to me last week when they were putting it in,” John Dukes said, then joked, “I thought (the lettering) was going to be a little trademark sign (sized), and my goodness, it’s bigger than the numbers. It’s a little bit ostentatious for me, I think; wow, that’s quite a tribute. I’m very humbled by it and honored by it and very appreciative of what people have done to make this happen.”
A few days later, Dukes posed for a picture next to his name on the field and chatted with a reporter as they left the stadium.
Then, he turned a corner to the JV football office and kept walking.
Before he became a living legend, John Dukes was a football coach, and there’s a game coming up and his team to prepare.
PHOTOS: (Top) Howell coach John Dukes celebrates his team’s 38-0 playoff victory over Wayne Memorial in 1992. (Middle) Dukes, during the 1991 season. (Below) Dukes stands next to the lettering that will be unveiled Thursday when the school’s field is named in his honor. (Photos taken or collected by Tim Robinson.)
A Game for Every Fan: 11-Player Semis
November 21, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
This season's MHSAA football playoffs have featured their share of the unpredictable, to say the least – down to snow-driven changes we've made to the schedule as recently as Friday afternoon.
But on the field, this set of matchups as a whole could be the most competitive we've seen in some time. And we're all excited to let the games begin.
See below for brief previews of all 16 Semifinals. All are set for 1 p.m. Saturday unless noted; the only Friday game is Munising vs. Beal City at the Superior Dome.
All 16 games will be streamed live either as part of the FoxSportsDetroit.com Prep Zone or MHSAA.tv. Venue changes have led to some adjustments, so make sure to click here for up-to-date information as we receive it and links to watch.
DIVISION 1
East Kentwood (11-1) vs. Clarkston (12-0) at Brighton High School
East Kentwood’s best season since 2002 has come down to a face-off with reigning champion Clarkston. The Falcons could work to control tempo with a rushing game averaging 235 yards per game. But they’re also giving up 204 yards rushing per game – good news for Clarkston junior running back Nolan Eriksen, who has run for 1,239 yards and 18 touchdowns, and senior quarterback D.J. Zezula (745 yards and 12 TDs rushing to go with 1,930 yards and 18 TDs passing.
Saline (11-1) vs. Detroit Cass Tech (12-0) at Troy Athens High School
Saline carries an 11-game winning streak into its first Semifinal; the Hornets’ only loss came on opening night, by three, to Division 2 semifinalist Muskegon Mona Shores. They’ve drawn tournament veteran Cass Tech, playing a Semifinal for the fifth straight season and led by arguably the best player in the state in senior running back Mike Weber. He’s committed to the University of Michigan and has run for 2,050 yards and 28 touchdowns, with 404 yards in last week’s Regional Final.
DIVISION 2
Muskegon Mona Shores (11-1) vs. Farmington Hills Harrison (10-2) at Howell High School
Two years ago, Mona Shores had never made the playoffs. Two years later, it might be the favorite in Division 2 thanks in part to senior quarterback Tyree Jackson (2,213 yards and 23 TDs passing, 773 yards and 14 TDs rushing). Harrison is much more familiar with this stage; this is its first Semifinal since 2010, when it went on to claim the most recent of an MHSAA-best 13 football championships. Among those lining up across Jackson will be Hawks senior linebacker Michael Ojemudia, who will be key also in stopping a rushing game with more than 3,000 yards this fall.
Southfield (9-3) vs. Warren DeLaSalle (9-3) at Novi High School
Both of these are considered small surprises that have picked up big wins on the way – Southfield over Detroit Martin Luther King in their playoff opener and DeLaSalle over three-time reigning champion Birmingham Brother Rice last week. But both rosters are filled with dynamic difference-makers. Southfield senior defensive back Dior Johnson is committed to Wake Forest University, and receiver/defensive back Ray Buford is committed to Minnesota University. DeLaSalle senior defensive linemen Khary Harris (6-foot-3/234 pounds) and Mike Danna (6-3/233) key a front that is giving up a meager 73 yards rushing per game.
DIVISION 3
Muskegon (11-1) vs. Zeeland West (12-0) at Greenville High School
Muskegon was Division 2 runner-up the last two seasons, and West is the reigning champ in Division 3. These two might be least affected by crummy weather than any others Saturday. Muskegon can ride the running of senior back Caleb Washington (1,422 yards, 14 TDs) and senior quarterback Shawn Pfenning (466/14). West has accumulated an incredible 4,870 rushing yards through its devastating T offense, led by senior Nick Jasch (1,366 yards, 25 TDs) and junior Darius Perisee (1,276/20).
Orchard Lake St. Mary's (12-2) vs. New Boston Huron (11-1) at Dearborn High School
The Eaglets are two close losses to Brother Rice from perfection and fitting their usual mold with another dominating pair of running backs, this season juniors Brandon Adams (1,251 yards, 15 TDs) and Justin Myrick (969/10), and a big-time defensive back in Michigan State University recruit Tyson Smith. Huron is a new arrival in the Semifinals but carries impressive credentials. The Chiefs’ lone loss was to Division 6 semifinalist Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central, in Week 3, and junior quarterback Matt Hartwick is a handful with 1,265 yards and 15 TDs rushing and 1,052 yards and 11 TDs passing.
DIVISION 4
Grand Rapids South Christian (10-2) vs. Edwardsburg (11-1) at Jackson High School, 3 p.m.
The Sailors are working for a third-straight championship game appearance after winning Division 4 in 2012 and falling to Marine City in last year’s Final. They’ve been uncommonly balanced (2,482 rushing yards, 2,277 passing), as characterized by standout senior quarterback Jon Wassink (1,078 yards, 16 TDs rushing; 2,169 yards, 23 TDs passing). Edwardsburg is easier to read but no easier to stop. The Eddies have run for 4,346 yards to 683 passing, led by sophomore Isaiah Miller (1,485 yards, 22 TDs) and senior Dustin Vires (1,267/17).
Lansing Sexton (12-0) vs. Detroit Country Day (8-4) at Fenton High School
This ties the longest playoff run for Lansing Sexton, which is relying on a talented group of seniors that has carried the Big Reds to a 24-1 record over the last two seasons and just missed making last year's Final. Quarterback Malik Mack has thrown for 1,418 yards and 17 touchdowns – 11 to senior Rayshawn Wilborn – and seniors JaVon Wray and Avonte’ Bell have combined to run for 2,582 yards. Country Day made the playoffs as an at-large qualifier but is only two seasons off an MHSAA title. A player to watch is senior running back Jacob Hill, who has eight touchdowns rushing, three receiving, another on a kickoff return and one more off an interception.
DIVISION 5
Menominee (12-0) vs. Grand Rapids West Catholic (12-0) at Northern Michigan University Superior Dome, 11 a.m
This is a rematch of last season’s championship game, a 27-14 West Catholic win. The scenario is a bit reversed this time, with West Catholic making the trip north but with an even more impressive body of work than in 2013. Senior quarterback Travis Russell is back and has thrown for 1,976 yards and 30 touchdowns and run for 1,274 yards and 20 scores. Similarly, Menominee also returns its top offensive player, senior back Justin Brilinski, who has run for 1,515 yards and 23 TDs and thrown for 1,686 yards and 18 scores.
Lansing Catholic (12-0) vs. Almont (12-0) at Brighton High School, 4:30 p.m.
This should be a battle of styles. Lansing Catholic will look to make its second championship game in four seasons keyed by the high-scoring heroics of 6-7, 230-pound junior quarterback Tony Poljan, who has thrown for 2,405 yards and 32 touchdowns and run for 871 yards and 20 scores. Almont is much more traditional offensively, eating up yards with senior running back Mike Couch (1,230 yards, 25 TDs) and junior running back Nick Baker (1,228/19). And the defense has been one of the state’s most impressive giving up only 68 points and 1,420 yards.
DIVISION 6
Boyne City (12-0) vs. Ithaca (12-0) at Midland Community Stadium, 2 p.m.
Ithaca last week survived perhaps its greatest scare during a national-best 68-game winning streak, trailing Madison Heights Madison into the fourth quarter before scoring three times over the final seven minutes. The team has only four seniors, but as usual is led by an all-state caliber quarterback in junior Jake Smith (1,830 yards, 25 TDs passing, 1,247 yards, 17 TDs rushing). Boyne City is the next with a chance to making history by ending some, and returns to the Semifinals for the first time since another 12-0 start in 2001. The Ramblers probably won’t add to their total of six shutouts, but could slow the Yellowjackets more than most.
Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian (11-1) vs. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (11-1) at Battle Creek Harper Creek High School
NorthPointe Christian has seemingly gained steam as it’s built its best season of a seven-year football history; the Mustangs have actually increased their scoring average during the playoffs four points per game to just more than 42. Senior quarterback Luke VanDyke (1,143 yards/15 TDs passing, 561/13 rushing) and senior running back Kenny Willekes (1,194 yards/15 TDs rushing) are responsible for much of that firepower. But St. Mary has eliminated two previously-undefeated teams the last two weeks and tripped up only against Lansing Catholic, in Week 9. Junior Justin Carrabino (1,268 yards, 12 TDs) is one of three backs who have run for at least 800 yards and 12 scores.
DIVISION 7
Ishpeming (11-0) vs. Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary (11-1) at the Superior Dome, 2 p.m.
The key to two-time reigning champion Ishpeming adding to its 32-game winning streak could be stopping the multiple offensive threats of Seminary, which has scored more than 400 points for the first time since 1995. Senior running back Owen Heyn is averaging 8.4 yards per carry and has run for 12 scores, and senior quarterback Nathanael Lindloff has thrown for 1,515 yards and 25 TDs – including 11 to sophomore Casey Williams, who also has run for seven, scored twice on kickoff returns, twice on punt returns and once off an interception. Junior Ozzy Corp has stepped in strongly at quarterback this season for Ishpeming after the graduation of standout Alex Briones, running for 15 touchdowns and throwing for six more through the regular season.
Pewamo-Westphalia (10-2) vs. Detroit Loyola (12-0) at Jackson High School, 11 a.m.
Loyola has fallen to Ishpeming in the last two Division 7 Finals, but appears to have taken its game to another level with no opponent getting within 28 points including previously-undefeated New Lothrop last week. Senior Marvin Campbell is the top running back again, this fall rushing for 1,639 yards and 28 touchdowns with senior Mideyin Wilson following with 925 yards and 13 scores. But P-W is not unfamiliar with this level, making its third Semifinal appearance in four seasons and with a star in the making carrying the load. Sophomore Jared Smith has run for 2,033 yards and 27 touchdowns, averaging 11 yards per carry.
DIVISION 8
Munising (11-1) vs. Beal City (10-2) at the Superior Dome, 7 p.m. Friday
Munising passed tests against previously-undefeated St. Ignace and powerful Crystal Falls Forest Park the last two weeks, but now must defeat reigning runner-up Beal City to extend its best season since 1980. The Mustangs have the firepower with senior Garrett Blank running for 1,849 yards and 28 touchdowns and senior quarterback Austin Kelto throwing for 18 scores – with no interceptions. Beal City has advanced to the last two Division 8 Finals and is looking to return with a mostly new group, although it impressed again last week in shutting out a potent Baldwin offense.
Muskegon Catholic Central (12-0) vs. Harbor Beach (12-0) at Alma College
No one has been expected to stop reigning champion MCC this fall; a number of the biggest contributors from 2013 are leading the way again, including senior running back Tommy Scott (1,691 yards, 29 TDs rushing) and senior quarterback Nick Holt (859/15). But Harbor Beach has been considered one of the candidates to have a shot. The Pirates are back in a Semifinal for the third straight season and won the championship in 2012 before moving into Division 7 for 2013. Waterford Our Lady two weeks ago is the only opponent to score more than seven points this season, and Harbor Beach doesn’t allow many chances with seniors Austin Seltz (1,243 yards/23 TDs) and Josh Schelke (1,219/23) dominating the run game.
PHOTO: Lansing Catholic quarterback Tony Poljan scans the field during last week's Division 5 Regional Final win over Flint Powers Catholic. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)