King Completes Perfect Run on Final Play
November 27, 2015
By Bill Khan
Special for Second Half
DETROIT — Armani Posey was supposed to be a two-week stopgap at quarterback for Detroit Martin Luther King.
Two weeks turned into 11 weeks, building toward a championship finish for the ages.
In a moment that was “The Catch” and “The Drive” all rolled into one, Posey heaved a 40-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Donnie Corley on the final play of the game to give King a 40-38 victory over Lowell in the Division 2 title game Friday at Ford Field.
Lowell led 31-13 in the third quarter before Posey responded by throwing four of his record-tying five touchdown passes in the final 15:41 of the game. The final drive began with 37 seconds remaining at King's 3-yard line after a punt out of bounds and a penalty.
It was a scenario tailor-made for John Elway — or Armani Posey.
"What happened today is a memory forever," Posey said. "I dreamed about that and went out there and did it today. I couldn't imagine that type of performance, but we got the job done. Shout-out to the O-line."
When the starter was suspended for two weeks, King coach Dale Harvel was in search of a quarterback for the Week 4 game against Detroit Denby and the week 5 game against eventual Division 1 finalist Detroit Cass Tech. Harvel wanted a mature senior to, at the very least, manage an offense that is loaded with Division I college prospects. Posey turned into much more than a game manager.
"What we found out was he settled down everybody in the offense, because the first week we struggled a little bit against (Warren) DeLaSalle and struggled against East (English) Village," Harvel said. "We were able to win because we were playing good defense. He's been a settling effect on our offense and we couldn't go away from him, because we were in a rhythm with our offense. So, we stuck with him all year."
Posey's first position was quarterback, but that was way back in his elementary school days playing in the Detroit Police Athletic League for the East Side Tigers. One of his teammates back in the day happened to be the young man with whom his legacy will forever be linked.
"He played quarterback when I played for the Tigers," Corley said. "He's always been a good quarterback. I didn't know he was going to play this well. He had five touchdowns for 300 yards today? That's amazing."
After starting the game with three three-and-outs and his team falling behind 17-0, Posey finished 19 for 27 for 383 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. He broke the MHSAA Finals record of 335 yards set by Olivet's Jay Cousineau in the 2010 Division 5 Final. He matched the record of five touchdown passes shared by Macomb Dakota's Mitch Lovett (2007, Division 1) and Cass Tech's Jayru Campbell (2011, Division 1). Posey also ran seven times for 20 yards and a touchdown.
It took a rare defensive stop by King to put Posey and Corley in a position to produce a moment that will be talked about for decades.
Lowell drove from its own 35 to King's 39 before its only negative play of the game, a 2-yard loss on a run by quarterback Ryan Stevens, forced only the second punt of the game for the Red Arrows. Stevens nailed the punt out of bounds at the 5 with 37 seconds left. An illegal procedure penalty on King before the first snap moved it back inside the 3.
"They battled, right down to where we punted the ball down to the 5 with (37) seconds on the clock," Lowell coach Noel Dean said. "I thought that would be a pretty good spot to be in. Credit them — they made the plays at the end."
King made several plays on its way to the end zone.
A 22-yard pass to Lavert Hill, a 10-yard pass to Corley and a 25-yard pass to Dontre Boyd got the ball to the Lowell 40 with 10 seconds left. Boyd had to watch the final play from the sidelines, having injured his shoulder after his catch on a tackle by Alex Anschutz. Boyd had 126 yards on five catches.
"He could've easily dropped the football," Harvel said. "He focused on that football and knew he was going to get hit — a good legal hit. He caught the football and made the play for a first down for us and made the opportunity to throw that pass to Donnie. All of his teammates understand what he sacrificed for his football team out there today."
"To me, that was the biggest play of the game," said Corley, who was about to make the most memorable play of the 2015 season.
King had two shots at the end zone in the final 10 seconds. On the first play, Posey overthrew Ambry Thomas down the left side. Two seconds remained on the clock for a play that would make one team's dreams come true and crush another's.
As King lined up for the final play, Corley was in single coverage on the left side. This was an inviting prospect for the Crusaders, considering Corley is being recruited by Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame and Ohio State.
Corley said the Lowell cornerback called for safety help over the top, but that the safety didn't hear in the instructions.
"When we didn't see the safety move over, I was repeating, 'Throw it to Donnie, throw it to Donnie,'" Harvel said. "Nobody could hear me, but it was comforting to me to say that, even though nobody could hear me."
As Corley ran toward the left side of the end zone, Posey had time to heave the ball to his star receiver. Corley, who has a 37-inch vertical leap, won a jump ball against the corner who appeared to get a hand on the ball, then fell to the ground safely inbounds.
"It was a beautiful ball," said Corley, who caught six passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns. "It couldn't have been any better. He threw it just inbounds and in the back of the end zone. I knew where I was on the field. I couldn't believe it — I'm not gonna lie. We fought back from 17-0 and we won."
It's only the second time that the winning score in an MHSAA championship game took place on the final play. Steve Mann caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from Charlie Johnson to give Detroit Country Day an 18-14 victory over Muskegon Catholic Central in the 1986 Class C title game.
For most of the afternoon, this wasn't a championship game that appeared to be destined for a dramatic finish.
Max Dean's third touchdown run of the game, a 4-yarder with 8:24 left in the third quarter, gave Lowell a 31-13 lead. The Red Arrows had leads of 17-0 and 24-7 in the first half.
A 25-yard touchdown pass from Posey to Corley with 3:41 left in the third quarter and a 41-yard pass from Posey to Thomas got King back in the game, down only 31-26 with 11:44 remaining.
Lowell responded with a 10-play, 73-yard drive that culminated with a 2-yard touchdown run by Stevens with 7:10 remaining.
Aided by a personal foul for facemasking, King crept to within 38-34 on a 2-yard pass from Posey to Hill and a 2-point pass from Posey to Martell Pettaway with 4:42 to go.
Lowell got two first downs on its next possession, forcing the Crusaders to use their remaining timeouts. They were able to manage the clock well on the final drive, particularly when Hill gave up the opportunity for a few more yards to get out of bounds with 28 seconds left on the first play. The clock stopped temporarily when Corley's 10-yard catch got a first down. Boyd was on the field for a couple of minutes after being injured making his 25-yard catch, allowing King to discuss its options and be ready at the line when the clock started running as play resumed.
Corley's catch gave King its second MHSAA championship, matching the achievement of the 2007 team. It was King's fourth victory of three points or fewer in a 14-0 season.
Lowell scored on its first four possessions before taking a knee to end the first half during its fifth, leading 17-0 before King even registered a first down.
After getting first-and-goal at the King 5, Lowell settled for a 21-yard field goal by George Gonzales to open the scoring with 4:52 left in the first quarter.
A 36-yard pass to senior Gabe Steed was the key play on a 10-play, 70-yard scoring drive that ended with a 1-yard run by Dean with 11:03 left in the second quarter.
A 62-yard pass to a wide-open David Kruse on Lowell's third drive set up a 4-yard touchdown run by Stevens with 7:02 left in the first half. At this point, Lowell had a 173-9 advantage in total offense and a 17-0 lead.
It appeared King would suffer its fourth straight three-and-out to start the game when an intentional grounding penalty left the Crusaders facing third-and-20 from their own 25. That's when King's explosive offense finally showed life, as Boyd had a 73-yard catch and run down to the Lowell 2. Two plays later, Posey scored on a 3-yard bootleg to the right, cutting Lowell's lead to 17-7 with 4:21 left in the first half.
Lowell responded immediately, using a 66-yard pass to Sawyer Olesko to set up a 3-yard touchdown run by Dean with 1:53 to go in the first half, making it a 24-7 game.
King tightened the margin before the break, as Hill made an acrobatic 41-yard catch at the Lowell 12, then grabbed a 12-yard touchdown pass from Posey on the next play to cut Lowell's lead to 24-13 with 25 seconds left in the half. The extra point attempt failed.
Lowell (12-2) used some trickery to build its lead to 31-13, with Nathan Stephens taking a short direct snap on a fourth-and-one punt and running 38 yards to the King 5. Two plays later, Dean scored his third touchdown from four yards out with 8:24 left in the third quarter.
Dean finished with 99 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 22 carries. Stevens was 6 for 9 for 186 yards, running 22 times for 66 yards and two touchdowns.
The MHSAA Football Finals are sponsored by the Michigan National Guard.
PHOTOS: (Top) Detroit Martin Luther King’s Donnie Corley pulls down a touchdown pass on the final play of the game to give the Crusaders the lead and win. (Middle) King players celebrate their second MHSAA championship.
After Reaching Historic Heights, Niles Eager to Continue Climb Under Shaw
By
Scott Hassinger
Special for MHSAA.com
September 9, 2025
NILES – Scot Shaw admits he was just looking to have a little fun when he accepted Matt Brawley's offer five years ago to become the new football coach at Niles.
But anyone aware of his past success knew it wouldn't take long for Shaw – a member of the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association's Hall of Fame – to affect change in the culture of the Niles program.
Shaw, a former head coach at Elkhart Memorial, Ind., from 2015-2019, returned to the sidelines after sitting out 2020 during COVID-19.
Prior to Shaw's arrival, Niles hadn't had a winning season since 2014. Following six consecutive sub-.500 finishes, Niles compiled a 5-4 mark in Shaw's first season as several underclassmen played key roles and set the Vikings up for future success.
Not counting the shortened 200 season – when all schools were playoff eligible – Niles secured its first postseason berth since 2003 and went 6-5 in Shaw's second season, losing 24-17 in a Division 4 District Final to Edwardsburg. The Vikings improved to 10-2 in 2023, losing a heartbreaking 21-14 Regional decision to Portland but winning the first of now two straight Wolverine Conference titles.
Their hard work came to further fruition last fall as they finished 12-2 and secured league, District and Regional tiles, the latter by avenging the 2023 loss to Portland 37-34. Niles then doubled up perennial state power Grand Rapids South Christian 62-30 in a Semifinal at Armstrong Field in Three Rivers before falling to Goodrich a week later in the Division 4 championship game at Ford Field, 35-6.
Shaw is 35-13 at Niles with a career win-loss record of 246-120.
"When I got here, I was coming off a one-year retirement. I just wanted to have some fun and run a different offense. My son Kyle is an assistant coach at Mishawaka (Ind.), and they run the flexbone," Shaw said. "Coming in … I don't think the expectations were that high, so as a coaching staff you think about what you can do to improve things. So at least in my past experience, we've always been pretty good and have had high expectations. We changed the culture here at Niles by asking our players to come to practice, do the best they can every day and be more physical than the people we play. So far those three principles have worked out well and put this program where it is now."
Shaw used the 2024 home playoff win over Portland to describe how everything has come full circle.
"In that game we were ahead of Portland, then gave the lead up and we could've given up. But we came back and scored in the last few seconds to win in the Regional Finals,” Shaw said. “Having a belief that you can win despite all odds is a huge thing now and instilled in our kids. They don't doubt themselves or each other any longer.”
Niles outscored opponents 535-160 in 2024, posting six shutouts. The Vikings averaged 38.2 points per game while allowing just 11.4 per contest.
Freshman quarterback Will Turnbull now controls the Vikings' flexbone attack following the graduation of Talen Bennett. So far, Turnbull has met the challenge by completing 10-of-27 passes for 117 yards and one TD with three interceptions. He's also run for a pair of TDs.
"The quarterbacks we've had so far at Niles have been very intelligent, smart and very good at reading opposing defenses. Will is an excellent athlete who throws the ball well and is a little water bug when he runs it. He's been able to pick up our offense pretty quickly," Shaw said.
Niles also graduated 1,000-yard rusher Sam Rucker, but sophomore Brandon Walsh has stepped up at that spot with 63 carries for 303 yards and four TDs. Anderson also handles some of the rushing load, along with Elijah Norris, who had 23 touches for 120 yards during a 16-0 Week 2 win over Stevensville Lakeshore – Niles’ first victory on Lakeshore’s home field.
Junior wideout Max Rucker, along with senior tight end Brenden Olsen, are two other key ingredients on both sides of the ball for Niles.
Olsen (6-foot-7, 180 pounds) is also a standout basketball and baseball player for Niles who recently received a Division I baseball scholarship off from the University of Houston.
"It’s been a wonderful experience playing football with several cool guys and a great coaching staff. They key is just showing up every day ready to work and getting better,” Olsen said. "Our state finals loss just showed that we need to dig deeper and prepare better for teams like that down the road.
“Building good chemistry with the new guys has been easy because we have so many returners. My goals are to be more of a leader and be more involved in plays this season."
Senior all-staters Chase Brawley (6-1, 280) and Brandon Hamilton (5-11, 245) both return on the Vikings' offensive line. Knee injuries to both Hamilton and senior Trenton Scott (6-2, 280) kept them on the sidelines during the Vikings' push through the end of the 2024 regular season and playoffs. Evan Williams (5-10, 200) is another key part of the Vikings' blocking group, and junior kicker Ben Bruckner is another returning offensive weapon.
"Getting to state last year really motivated us to prepare well for this season,” Brawley said. “The experience I gained playing varsity these last three years has been invaluable. Our team motto this season is 'All In,' so we just have to remain focused to attain our goals."
Perhaps no one was more motivated to get back on the field than Hamilton, who was sidelined with that injury after Week 6.
"Last year I learned it takes all 11 guys to win a football game. Coaching from the sidelines really taught me a great deal,” Hamilton said. “I'm playing right guard and outside linebacker. We have four out of our five offensive linemen back, so we are experienced. Defensively we can fly to the ball, and we have some dudes who can really hit. That's exciting.”
Cheney, Jayelin Vawter, RJ Fielder, Bryce Zache, Malachi Burris, Rucker and Bradley Wolverton are among the team's top tacklers so far.
"It takes everyone on the team to make a big difference. The main thing we have to remember is it’s a new year,” Cheney said. “Last year's achievements don't matter, but it prepared us well for any success we have this time around."
Cheney, a senior, anchors the Niles' defense after earning all-state honors as a junior. Freshman Vaughn Ausmus also has seen time at linebacker. Other returning starters on the Vikings' defensive front include Fielder, Burris and Bryce Young.
Niles' defensive secondary will be anchored by Olsen, Rucker and Anderson.
"We have a lot of good kids coming back defensively, and the kids who are stepping up to fill in different spots realize what their responsibilities are and they have become part of our rotation," Shaw said.
Many successful stops
Shaw is a 1975 graduate of Mishawaka, where he played basketball for legendary coach Marvin Wood. Shaw also lettered in football and received the prestigious Phil Askew Mental Health Award his sophomore year at the 1973 Indiana state football finals. He then attended and played football at Butler University, earning all-Pioneer Football Conference honors in 1978 and 1979 and serving as senior captain.
From 1979-1986, Shaw taught social studies and physical education at Concord High School (Ind.) serving as an assistant coach in football, wrestling and baseball. He served as Three Rivers' varsity football coach from 1986-2004, leading that team to the MHSAA Playoffs 15 times and the Division 4 title in 2003. Shaw also served as the Wildcats' head boys track & field coach, leading them to 2000 and 2002 MITCA team championships.
Shaw then served as Grandville's head football coach from 2005-2010, leading the Bulldogs to two Ottawa-Kent Conference Red titles and two playoff appearances. He was an assistant coach at Hope College for three seasons, then served a one-year stint in 2014 as the head coach at Wayne High School in Fort Wayne, Ind., where the Generals went 9-2, won the Summitt Conference and made it to the third round of the state playoffs.
He moved on to coach four seasons at Elkhart Memorial before the school consolidated with Elkhart Central. After the one-year coaching hiatus in 2020, he took over at Niles.
Brawley, who was hired as the school's athletic director just three days before Shaw, remembers football participation nearly doubling after Shaw and his staff took over.
"Basically, Scot had only a month to put together his coaching staff and prepare the kids that first season. I accompanied the coaching staff to a three-day coaches clinic down south at Harding University. Scot is very detailed, and I remember he filled several notebooks with notes on running the Flexbone offense," Brawley recalled.
"Scot relates very well to his players and has a special knack for being able to motivate them with positive words, and he understands that kids have more going on in their life besides football. We couldn't ask for a better situation. Scot does a great job of mentoring his coaches, getting kids into the weight room. It’s truly amazing what Scot and his coaching staff have been able to do here at Niles in such a short time."
Shaw has been successful in building Niles' program in much the same manner that he developed Three Rivers into a perennial conference and state power.
"It's my sincere belief that kids want to be successful, be good and to win,” Shaw said. “It’s not enough to want to do it, but they must be taught how to do so. You are off to a great start if you have that belief that you can win, do the things that are required of you to win and then carry that out with a tremendous work ethic. The next step is to develop that talent, and it’s easier if you have the right attitude. I've been very fortunate to be able to mold attitude, a strong work ethic and a team-first attitude in building this program.”
Shaw's current group of players closely resemble some of the teams he had years ago at Three Rivers. This year’s Niles team features big, strong, physical and athletic athletes with quickness who succeed because of an extraordinary work ethic.
Niles' school enrollment increase pushed the Vikings into Division 3 this fall. They quickly have proved they belong with victories over St. Joseph (28-18) and Lakeshore (16-0). Niles could very well see either one of them again come playoff time.
"Bumping up to D3 is going to be another challenge, but it also means we're going to see some different teams in the playoffs. The community is going to expect the same type of results,” Shaw said. “As a team, we have to be able to carry on that tradition with the same type of attitude and commitment to excellence that we preach every day. You have to do that in each step along the way, and if you're lucky enough to make the playoffs then you have to be able to do whatever you can to earn yourself another Monday.”
Shaw's coaching staff includes Kyle Mikel, Dan Brawley, Dave Landon, Austin Weber, Lonnie Jones, Thane Typer, Zach Fillwock, Joel Brawley, Scott Swanson, Shane Brown and Chase Andres.
"I’m really happy with our coaching staff. They are very dedicated and they work hard during the offseason in the weight room, attending clinics, and they are very knowledgeable at the positions they coach,” Shaw said. “When we got here, we had a hard time getting coaches because of previous results. But now we have a loyalty to the guys who have helped build this while we were going through the growing pains. I had been there before at the Finals, and last year it was fun to gauge the excitement our other coaches felt.”
Honoring a community icon
Niles held its annual community-wide pep rally Sunday, Aug. 17 where all 2025 Vikings fall sports teams were introduced and long-time Niles' No. 1 fan Johnny Morrison was honored for his years of support of the athletic program. Hundreds of people attending the event wore Gold T-shirts with the words "Johnny Morrison Vikings' Legend" across the front.
"Johnny is one of the most outstanding human beings I've ever been around in my life. When you see him, he always is eager to talk about our coaching staff or our athletes. He has the biggest heart in the world," Brawley said.
Morrison, who has Down syndrome, has served as manager on the sidelines for the Vikings' football, basketball and baseball teams since 1986.
Scott Hassinger is a contributing sportswriter for Leader Publications and previously served as the sports editor for the Three Rivers Commercial-News from 1994-2022. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Niles senior tailback Alex Anderson scores a touchdown during last season's 62-30 Semifinal win over Grand Rapids South Christian at Armstrong Field in Three Rivers. (2) Fifth-year Niles head coach Scot Shaw, third from left, is pictured with seniors Chase Brawley (71), Brandon Hamilton (78), Brenden Olsen (3) and Ward Cheney (5). (3) Members of the Niles cheerleading squad and student body get the crowd pumped up and showing their school spirit at a community-wide pep rally on Aug. 17. (4) The Niles athletic department and sports boosters held the pep rally to introduce the 2025 fall sports teams and honor longtime Niles' No. 1 fan Johnny Morrison. (Action photos by Scott Hassinger. Pep rally photos by Max Harden/Leader Publications.)