Kicker Steps Into Historic Moment
December 8, 2020
By Doug Donnelly
Special for Second Half
CLINTON – After what Jonathan Baughey has gone through, kicking a football through two yellow goal posts doesn’t seem like a very big deal.
But, when it came against an undefeated, state-ranked team on the last play of the Division 6 District championship game, it was just that.
“It was definitely a scary moment,” said Baughey, a junior from Clinton High School in Lenawee County.
Baughey’s 22-yard field goal as time expired gave Clinton a 16-13 victory over Blissfield and sent his team into a Regional Final against Warren Michigan Collegiate.
It’s been a long road for Baughey, who thought that after a successful kidney transplant in 2015 that his football career was over. At the urging of a family friend and Clinton middle school coach, however, Baughey tried kicking. It was a good choice as he’s now etched his name into Clinton football lore by making probably the biggest field goal in school history.
“He’s been through so much, and I couldn’t be happier for him,” said Clinton football coach Jeremy Fielder. “We had a lot confidence in him kicking in that situation. There was no hesitation.”
Baughey was born with one kidney functioning at 25 percent and the other at 75.
“From birth he always had kidney issues,” said his mother, Kelly Baughey. “We knew growing up he would need a transplant. They tested his father and I, and we were both matches. His dad (Kevin) decided that he wanted to do it for him. He was his donor.”
Kevin Baughey never hesitated.
“It wasn’t a decision at all,” he said. “I would have given him both if I needed to.”
For years, dealing with the kidney issue was just part of Jonathan’s life. He would tire easier than other kids, but he learned to cope with it.
“I was more of a tired kid,” Baughey said. “When I was younger, it wasn’t about contact, it was about how tired I would get. I couldn’t keep up with a lot of other kids. It was hard.”
He had a kidney removed in December of 2012. After that, he said, “it was a roller coaster.” The transplant didn’t come until June of 2015, soon after he finished the sixth grade.
It took roughly six weeks in the hospital for Baughey to recover from the transplant.
“As soon as I had the transplant, I started feeling better than I had felt,” he said. “I had more energy.”
Baughey played flag football as a kid and had started playing tackle football. But when he neared the time for a transplant, he figured his football days were done. That’s when family friend and Clinton middle school coach Keith Tschirhart suggested he try kicking for the Clinton middle school team.
“I had played soccer and thought it was something I could do, so I tried it,” Baughey said. “I went out with him to the football field to see how I would do. It was pretty rough at the beginning. It took some time.”
He didn’t get much practice that first season.
“We never really kicked extra points,” he said.
Baughey kept working at it though and made it through his eighth-grade season. As a freshman he figured he would continue kicking, most likely for the Clinton JV team. He went to the tryouts.
“I kicked my first football and the coach said I was on the varsity,” he said.
Fielder said Baughey made an immediate impact.
“We didn’t have a kicker,” he said. “We had no one. I even told the coaches, ‘What are we going to do?’ Then, I saw him kick the ball and it was like, ‘He’s our kicker.’”
It was big adjustment for Baughey. Not only had he once thought he would never play football again – but he found himself suddenly on the varsity as a freshman, not knowing anyone on the team. And, being exclusively a kicker, meant he practiced mainly by himself.
“That was the struggle that I went through,” he said. “I didn’t know anyone. The only kids I knew were the snapper and the holder.”
Clinton grad Erik Bouse stepped in to help Baughey. Bouse had been a standout kicker for Clinton for three seasons before graduating in 2017.
“He was the one who I mainly worked with,” Baughey said. “He helped me a lot. He really started me out not creating bad habits and helped with the mental part of it.”
As a freshman, Baughey made 42 of his 50 extra-point attempts and a 21-yard field goal. As a sophomore he made 48 of 54 with a 19-yard field goal. This season he has made 29 of 37 extra-point attempts. The winning field goal against Blissfield was his only field goal of the season, on two tries.
Baughey is exclusively a kicker because of the potential risk of injury following the transplant. He wears a special pad on his stomach under his uniform because that is where doctors put his new kidney.
His mother said the no-contact rule causes some angst for her.
“He knows there is a chance he could get hit,” she said. “He wears a shield for padding. The transplant team has okayed him to play.”
Baughey practices every day, often by himself. He goes to the game field and starts at the extra point yardage and works his way back, making at least two kicks at each distance before moving on to the next level. He’ll use his cell phone to record himself, then watch the videos to make sure he is kicking correctly and not developing bad habits.
“The biggest part for me is to go out and know that I can do it,” he said. “You have to know you are going to kick it through the uprights, not just think you are going to. I like to pick out a small target, even a leaf or something, and just clear my mind and just kick the ball.”
When Clinton got the ball back with just over three minutes to go in the District Final against Blissfield, Baughey started thinking the game might come down to his foot.
“I went to the net and started kicking,” he said.
Clinton drove the ball inside the Blissfield 10-yard line, but did not reach the end zone. Fielder called a timeout on fourth down with only a few seconds left. Baughey jogged onto the field and lined up when Blissfield called a timeout.
“I remember walking to the sidelines and taking a deep breath,” he said. “People came up and talked to me and told me I could do it”
Baughey blocked everything out.
“I was really mentally focused,” he said. “After I made the kick, I started clapping. I turned around and all my teammates were jumping up and down. I ran to our coaches and everyone started hugging.”
His father, his donor, could not have been happier to see the ball go through the uprights.
“I was beside myself happy,” Kevin Baughey said. “Thinking about all of the time he spent working in the offseason, and then seeing the confidence his coaches showed with making the call to go for the field goal ... I was as proud as I could possibly be.”
Doug Donnelly has served as a sports and news reporter and city editor over 25 years, writing for the Daily Chief-Union in Upper Sandusky, Ohio from 1992-1995, the Monroe Evening News from 1995-2012 and the Adrian Daily Telegram since 2013. He's also written a book on high school basketball in Monroe County and compiles record books for various schools in southeast Michigan. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Clinton's Jonathan Baughey connects on a kick. (Middle) Baughey, following through on another kick this season, clinched his team's District title with a game-winning field goal. (Photos courtesy of the Clinton football program.)
2019 Week 5 Football Playoff Listing
September 24, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Here is a list of Michigan High School Athletic Association football playing schools, displaying their win-loss records and playoff averages through the fourth week of the season.
Schools on this list are in enrollment order for 11-player teams, with 8-player teams ordered by playoff average. An asterisk (*) beside a record indicates a team has eight or fewer games scheduled.
Those schools with 11-player teams with six or more wins playing nine-game schedules, or five or more wins playing eight games or fewer, will qualify for the MHSAA Football Playoffs beginning Nov. 1. Schools with 5-4, 4-3 or 4-4 records may qualify if the number of potential qualifiers by win total does not reach the 256 mark. Schools with six or more wins playing nine-game schedules or five or more wins playing eight games or fewer may be subtracted from the field based on playoff average if the number of potential qualifiers exceeds the 256 mark.
Once the 256 qualifying schools are determined, they will be divided by enrollment groups into eight equal divisions of 32 schools, and then drawn into regions of eight teams each and districts of four teams each. Those schools with 8-player teams will be ranked by playoff average at season’s end, and the top 32 programs will then be divided into two divisions of 16 each based on enrollment. The playoff in that division also begins Nov. 1
To review a list of all football playoff schools, individual school playoff point details and to report errors, visit the Football page of the MHSAA Website.
The announcement of the qualifiers and first-round pairings for both the 11 and 8-player playoffs will take place Oct. 27 on the Selection Sunday Show on FOX Sports Detroit. The playoff qualifiers and pairings will be posted to the MHSAA Website following the Selection Sunday Show.
11-Player Playoff Listing
1. Macomb Dakota, 3034, 3-1, 64.750
2. Dearborn Fordson, 2868, 4-0, 90.000
3. Grand Blanc, 2719, 4-0, 90.000
4. East Kentwood, 2673, 3-1, 64.500
5. Rockford, 2443, 4-0, 90.000
6. Lake Orion, 2416, 4-0, 98.000
7. Clinton Township Chippewa Valley, 2386, 4-0, 92.000
8. Brighton, 2224, 3-1, 68.750
9. Plymouth, 2090, 4-0, 94.000
10. West Bloomfield, 2042, 3-1, 72.500
11. Hudsonville, 1930, 3-1, 66.250
12. Detroit Western, 1888, 3-1, 54.000
13. Saline, 1861, 3-1, 64.083
14. Lapeer, 1792, 3-1, 72.750
15. Grandville, 1719, 4-0, 96.000
16. Rochester Adams, 1710, 3-1, 62.750
17. Davison, 1694, 4-0, 90.000
18. Belleville, 1692, 4-0, 86.000
19. Romeo, 1692, 3-1, 72.250
20. Waterford Mott, 1658, 3-1, 68.250
21. Rochester Hills Stoney Creek, 1638, 3-1, 68.750
22. Brownstown Woodhaven, 1623, 4-0, 90.000
23. Warren Mott, 1513, 3-1, 64.500
24. Grosse Pointe South, 1510, 3-1, 74.500
25. Temperance Bedford, 1466, 3-1, 62.250
26. Sterling Heights, 1464, 3-1, 64.750
27. Farmington *, 1444, 4-0, 90.000
28. Livonia Franklin, 1435, 4-0, 92.000
29. Harrison Township L'Anse Creuse, 1434, 3-1, 66.250
30. Traverse City Central, 1404, 3-1, 70.500
31. Lansing Everett, 1388, 3-1, 62.500
32. Wyandotte Roosevelt, 1386, 3-1, 68.750
33. North Farmington, 1371, 4-0, 84.000
34. Birmingham Seaholm, 1370, 4-0, 88.000
35. Battle Creek Lakeview, 1350, 4-0, 84.000
36. Birmingham Groves, 1310, 3-1, 72.500
37. Midland, 1309, 4-0, 90.000
38. Port Huron, 1309, 4-0, 82.000
39. Port Huron Northern, 1284, 3-1, 68.500
40. Oak Park, 1276, 3-1, 68.500
41. South Lyon, 1276, 4-0, 90.000
42. Portage Northern, 1274, 3-1, 68.500
43. Jackson *, 1231, 3-1, 58.500
44. Walled Lake Western, 1228, 3-1, 68.750
45. Muskegon Mona Shores, 1227, 3-1, 68.750
46. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central, 1219, 3-1, 66.750
47. Dexter, 1214, 3-1, 68.750
48. Fenton, 1168, 3-1, 66.750
49. Byron Center, 1145, 4-0, 86.000
50. Auburn Hills Avondale, 1133, 3-1, 62.250
51. Grand Rapids Northview, 1130, 3-1, 62.500
52. Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, 1128, 4-0, 94.667
53. Allen Park, 1127, 3-1, 64.250
54. East Lansing, 1119, 3-1, 74.750
55. Redford Thurston, 1084, 3-1, 66.750
56. Zeeland West, 1054, 4-0, 90.000
57. Pinckney, 1053, 3-1, 58.750
58. Mount Pleasant, 1048, 4-0, 84.000
59. St. Joseph, 1019, 4-0, 86.000
60. Cedar Springs, 1018, 3-1, 68.000
61. DeWitt, 1013, 3-1, 72.750
62. Detroit Mumford, 1007, 3-1, 54.750
63. River Rouge, 992, 3-1, 62.500
64. Mason, 964, 4-0, 78.000
65. Muskegon, 954, 4-0, 96.000
66. Flint Kearsley, 951, 4-0, 88.000
67. Zeeland East, 943, 3-1, 59.167
68. Orchard Lake St. Mary's, 942, 4-0, 93.600
69. Coldwater, 940, 3-1, 58.750
70. St. Johns, 938, 3-1, 62.500
71. Riverview, 915, 3-1, 60.500
72. Dearborn Divine Child, 878, 3-1, 60.750
73. Parma Western, 870, 3-1, 62.750
74. Edwardsburg, 856, 4-0, 86.000
75. Chelsea, 847, 4-0, 100.000
76. Fowlerville, 834, 4-0, 74.000
77. Marshall, 825, 3-1, 58.500
78. Ortonville Brandon, 825, 4-0, 74.000
79. Carleton Airport, 815, 3-1, 58.500
80. Sparta, 780, 3-1, 66.500
81. St. Clair, 780, 4-0, 74.000
82. Vicksburg, 764, 3-1, 58.750
83. Allendale, 756, 3-1, 54.500
84. Goodrich, 741, 3-1, 54.500
85. Milan, 738, 4-0, 68.000
86. North Branch, 736, 3-1, 54.750
87. Escanaba, 708, 3-1, 65.583
88. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, 705, 4-0, 84.000
89. Otsego, 683, 3-1, 50.750
90. Romulus Summit Academy North, 681, 3-1, 62.750
91. Sault Ste. Marie, 679, 3-1, 64.250
92. Detroit Country Day, 677, 4-0, 82.000
93. Paw Paw, 662, 4-0, 74.000
94. Ludington, 656, 3-1, 54.250
95. Flint Powers Catholic, 652, 3-1, 62.750
96. Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 628, 3-1, 74.750
97. Hudsonville Unity Christian, 618, 3-1, 62.250
98. Livonia Clarenceville, 602, 3-1, 36.250
99. Muskegon Orchard View, 602, 4-0, 72.000
100. Grand Rapids South Christian, 599, 3-1, 58.000
101. Ogemaw Heights, 588, 3-1, 46.750
102. Portland, 580, 4-0, 80.000
103. Freeland, 579, 3-1, 64.750
104. Hancock, 579, 3-1, 46.250
105. Muskegon Oakridge, 574, 4-0, 66.000
106. Essexville Garber, 561, 3-1, 56.500
107. Frankenmuth, 547, 4-0, 78.000
108. Saginaw Swan Valley, 544, 3-1, 52.500
109. Dearborn Heights Robichaud, 542, 4-0, 80.000
110. Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard, 536, 3-1, 52.250
111. Marine City, 521, 4-0, 74.000
112. Lansing Catholic, 520, 4-0, 78.000
113. Whitmore Lake, 520, 3-1, 32.750
114. Almont, 514, 4-0, 70.000
115. Hopkins, 514, 4-0, 70.000
116. Detroit Denby, 508, 4-0, 68.000
117. Berrien Springs *, 505, 4-0, 76.000
118. Olivet, 505, 4-0, 66.000
119. Dundee, 497, 3-1, 50.500
120. Detroit Henry Ford, 492, 3-1, 60.750
121. Manistee, 487, 3-1, 42.500
122. Richmond, 476, 4-0, 80.000
123. Central Montcalm, 457, 4-0, 72.000
124. Kingsley, 454, 4-0, 70.000
125. Montague, 446, 4-0, 68.000
126. Hillsdale, 445, 4-0, 78.000
127. Clare, 442, 4-0, 70.000
128. Menominee, 425, 3-1, 53.400
129. Tawas *, 421, 3-1, 42.000
130. Flint Hamady *, 420, 4-0, 68.000
131. Brooklyn Columbia Central, 414, 3-1, 48.500
132. Constantine, 412, 3-1, 46.750
133. Jonesville, 395, 3-1, 44.750
134. Clinton Township Clintondale, 392, 3-1, 46.250
135. Maple City Glen Lake, 389, 4-0, 58.000
136. Sanford Meridian, 386, 4-0, 68.000
137. Harrison, 382, 3-1, 44.750
138. Blissfield, 381, 3-1, 58.750
139. Niles Brandywine, 378, 4-0, 68.000
140. Calumet, 377, 4-0, 74.000
141. Warren Michigan Collegiate, 375, 3-1, 52.750
142. Montrose, 374, 3-1, 58.750
143. Ithaca, 362, 4-0, 64.000
144. Delton Kellogg, 358, 3-1, 50.750
145. Grass Lake, 347, 4-0, 54.000
146. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central *, 347, 3-1, 60.750
147. Ravenna, 347, 3-1, 46.750
148. LeRoy Pine River, 345, 3-1, 40.500
149. Kent City, 340, 3-1, 44.750
150. Laingsburg, 338, 3-1, 48.750
151. Pewamo-Westphalia, 335, 4-0, 54.000
152. Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian, 333, 4-0, 50.000
153. Clinton, 328, 4-0, 64.000
154. Schoolcraft, 328, 4-0, 64.000
155. L'Anse, 324, 3-1, 44.500
156. Detroit Leadership Academy, 322, 4-0, 70.000
157. Beaverton, 318, 4-0, 66.000
158. Charlevoix, 318, 3-1, 48.250
159. Madison Heights Bishop Foley, 316, 3-1, 36.667
160. Springport, 316, 3-1, 36.250
161. Jackson Lumen Christi *, 314, 4-0, 92.000
162. Riverview Gabriel Richard, 313, 3-1, 48.250
163. New Lothrop, 307, 4-0, 70.000
164. Iron Mountain, 303, 4-0, 70.000
165. Detroit Central, 299, 3-1, 50.250
166. Oscoda, 295, 4-0, 58.000
167. Detroit Community, 283, 3-1, 38.250
168. Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker, 279, 3-1, 50.500
169. Harbor Springs, 279, 3-1, 36.250
170. Lawton, 275, 4-0, 60.000
171. Evart, 271, 3-1, 42.750
172. Cass City, 269, 3-1, 48.500
173. Cassopolis, 268, 4-0, 58.000
174. Sand Creek, 256, 3-1, 52.750
175. Beal City, 249, 4-0, 64.000
176. Royal Oak Shrine Catholic, 249, 4-0, 76.000
177. Addison, 238, 3-1, 48.500
178. West Iron County, 235, 3-1, 44.750
179. Gobles, 233, 3-1, 36.750
180. Reading, 232, 3-1, 48.750
181. Mount Clemens, 225, 3-1, 38.500
182. Bark River-Harris, 223, 3-1, 40.500
183. Ishpeming, 217, 3-1, 42.250
184. White Pigeon, 213, 4-0, 62.000
185. Johannesburg-Lewiston, 212, 4-0, 56.000
186. Harbor Beach, 207, 4-0, 56.000
187. Adrian Lenawee Christian, 199, 3-1, 45.300
188. Ubly, 198, 4-0, 60.000
189. Breckenridge, 197, 3-1, 40.750
190. Merrill, 197, 3-1, 46.250
191. Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary, 189, 4-0, 52.000
192. Britton Deerfield, 188, 3-1, 46.250
193. Saginaw Nouvel, 188, 3-1, 48.750
194. Mendon, 184, 3-1, 44.750
195. Fowler, 180, 4-0, 56.000
196. Auburn Hills Oakland Christian, 175, 3-1, 46.667
197. Lake Linden-Hubbell, 131, 3-1, 42.500
198. Clarkston Everest Collegiate *, 121, 3-0, 56.667
8-Player Playoff Listing
1. Morrice, 182, 4-0, 48.000
2. Climax-Scotts, 145, 4-0, 46.000
3. Deckerville, 195, 4-0, 44.000
4. Hillman, 124, 4-0, 44.000
5. Powers North Central, 107, 4-0, 44.000
6. Gaylord St. Mary, 162, 4-0, 42.000
7. Pellston, 173, 4-0, 42.000
8. Pickford, 138, 3-1, 40.750
9. Colon, 160, 4-0, 40.667
10. Suttons Bay, 205, 4-0, 40.000
11. Martin, 187, 4-0, 40.000
12. Brimley, 166, 4-0, 40.000
13. Peck, 119, 4-0, 40.000
14. Portland St. Patrick, 99, 4-0, 40.000
15. Crystal Falls Forest Park, 121, 3-1, 38.500
16. Kinde North Huron, 126, 4-0, 36.000
17. Vestaburg, 186, 4-0, 34.000
18. Camden-Frontier, 175, 3-1, 32.750
19. Mio, 168, 3-1, 32.750
20. New Haven Merritt Academy, 174, 3-1, 32.750
21. Kingston, 197, 3-1, 30.750
22. Onekama *, 142, 3-1, 30.750
23. Mesick, 193, 3-1, 30.500
24. Brethren, 141, 3-1, 30.000
25. Mayville, 193, 3-1, 28.750
26. Litchfield, 179, 3-1, 28.250
27. Hale, 113, 3-1, 26.750
28. Engadine, 108, 3-1, 26.500
29. Newberry, 186, 3-1, 24.500
30. Posen, 71, 2-2, 23.500
31. Tekonsha, 159, 2-2, 23.000
32. Bellevue, 171, 2-2, 21.500
33. Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart, 113, 2-2, 21.500
34. Wyoming Tri-unity Christian, 100, 2-2, 21.500
35. Eben Junction Superior Central, 177, 2-2, 21.000
36. Cedarville, 154, 2-2, 20.750
37. Rudyard, 164, 2-2, 19.250
38. Onaway, 182, 2-2, 19.000
39. International Academy of Flint, 185, 2-2, 18.750
40. Burr Oak, 70, 2-2, 17.250
41. Burton Madison Academy, 164, 2-2, 17.000
42. Marion, 133, 2-2, 17.000
43. Fife Lake Forest Area *, 175, 1-3, 16.050
44. Rapid River, 131, 1-3, 13.750
45. Bay City All Saints, 136, 1-3, 13.500
46. Carney-Nadeau, 132, 1-3, 12.200
47. Au Gres-Sims, 129, 1-3, 12.000
48. Ashley, 90, 1-3, 12.000
49. Genesee, 179, 1-3, 11.750
50. Central Lake, 169, 1-3, 11.500
51. St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran, 103, 1-3, 11.500
52. Manistee Catholic Central, 177, 1-3, 9.750
53. Webberville, 182, 1-3, 9.750
54. Battle Creek St. Philip, 179, 1-3, 9.750
55. Felch North Dickinson, 86, 1-3, 9.250
56. Baldwin, 106, 1-3, 9.000
57. Waldron, 77, 1-3, 9.000
58. Atlanta, 74, 1-3, 8.750
59. Akron-Fairgrove, 90, 1-3, 8.250
60. Bellaire, 122, 0-4, 2.750
61. Lawrence, 180, 0-4, 2.500
62. Ontonagon, 165, 0-4, 2.500
63. North Adams-Jerome, 145, 0-4, 2.000
64. Carsonville-Port Sanilac, 92, 0-4, 2.000
65. Caseville, 79, 0-4, 1.750
66. Owendale-Gagetown, 49, 0-4, 1.750
67. St. Helen Charlton Heston Academy, 181, 0-4, 1.250
68. Stephenson, 175, 0-4, 1.250
69. Big Rapids Crossroads Academy, 188, 0-4, 1.000
70. Bear Lake, 98, 0-4, 1.000
71. New Buffalo *, 178, 0-3, 0.750