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Line Does Lifting, Muskegon Makes Run

October 5, 2015

By Tom Kendra
Special for Second Half

Muskegon High School’s varsity, junior varsity and freshmen football teams all practice on tiny, land-locked Wilson Field, adjacent to Hackley Stadium, the same practice field where thousands of Big Reds have learned the game for more than 100 years.

Junior quarterback Kalil Pimpleton and his stable of athletic receivers and defensive backs are using 90 percent of the available space at a recent practice, running a series of post, flag and go routes under the watchful eyes of head coach Shane Fairfield and offensive coordinator Brent White – along with a group of young, future Big Reds peering wide-eyed at their heroes through the barbed-wire fence.

Meanwhile, sequestered in a muddy corner, are the guys who do all the dirty work.

“We know this is where it all starts,” said Muskegon senior guard and defensive tackle Derices Brown (6-foot-1, 280 pounds), a three-year starter and the team’s only interior player who starts both ways. “If we make the blocks, we can make the backs look good.”

Brown anchors the senior-led right side of the Muskegon attack – along with tackle Juanye Johnson (6-3, 279) and slot back Khari Wilcox-Lewis (6-0, 230) – which excels at straight-ahead drive blocking when fullback Jared Pittman needs the tough yards and for sealing the edge on sweeps for senior slot PP Copeland and Pimpleton.

Muskegon (5-1) is averaging 46 points in its last five games and more than 300 rushing yards per game behind its dominating front five, which has been a constant in the Big Reds’ six trips to MHSAA championship games over the past 11 years.

The leader of the group up front is Matt Bolles, an all-state tackle at Muskegon Catholic Central who went on to play at Eastern Michigan University and brings a warrior’s mentality to his job as the offensive line coach.

“We have established a physical mindset throughout the whole program, but especially on the offensive line,” Bolles said. “If we can run our veer between the tackles, it sets everything else up.”

An amazing run

While many urban football programs have struggled to even field a team in recent years, Muskegon has thrived.

In fact, an argument could be made that the past decade has been the best in school history – which is saying something, considering Muskegon has won more than 800 football games, dating back to 1895.

Muskegon won Division 2 championships in 2004, 2006 and 2008 under Tony Annese, who moved on to Grand Rapids Community College and now coaches Ferris State, which is currently 4-0 and ranked No. 4 in the nation in Division II.

Matt Koziak coached the Big Reds for one year in 2009, finishing 7-4, before stepping down. Koziak is now the head coach at cross-town rival Mona Shores.

Enter Shane Fairfield, who actually started coaching at Muskegon in 1998 under Dave Taylor, one year before Annese arrived. Fairfield gained head coaching experience for five years at nearby Holton before returning to Muskegon as defensive coordinator in 2008 and 2009, then took over from Koziak as head coach in 2010.

Fairfield’s teams have made the playoffs in each of his first five years as head coach, but the past three teams have displayed the physical and mental toughness to take it all the way to Ford Field, marred only by disappointing finishes – losses to Birmingham Brother Rice in Division 2 Finals in 2012 and 2013 and a loss to Orchard Lake St. Mary’s in last year’s Division 3 title game.

This fall, the offensive front is playing inspired, with a singular goal of an MHSAA championship.

“We want to keep getting better, keep getting stronger and be at our best on Week 14,” said Johnson.

Brown and Johnson are both all-state candidates on the right side of the Muskegon line, while considered among the top guards and tackles, respectively, in the entire state and getting attention from both Division I and Division II college programs.

In addition to the strong right side, the other starters up front are junior center Devin Sanders (6-0, 225), senior left guard Dylan Oplinger (6-1, 258) or Corion Ross (6-3, 255) and sophomore left tackle Antwan Reed Jr. (6-7, 286) – a physical specimen who already has been offered a scholarship by University of Tennessee and is considered among the state’s top line prospects in the 2018 class.

Commitment to the weight room

There was a time when Muskegon struggled to match the strength and physicality of teams like Rockford and Lowell, with those games often coming down to whether Muskegon could spring enough big plays to withstand a physical pounding.

But Muskegon’s new emphasis on year-round weight training has changed that dynamic.

“I always tell the kids that if I was an employer and wanted to hire someone, I would go into the weight room in the summer and see who’s in there,” Fairfield said. “Anyone can get fired up on Friday night, but you get bigger, faster, stronger and healthier by spending time in the weight room year-round.”

Muskegon looks at its weight training in three stages – heavy power lifting from the time the season ends through the spring, higher-intensity cross-training and flexibility training in the summer and four days a week of lifting during the season, a phase which not every team employs once the season begins.

“We want to stay strong during the season,” Fairfield explained.

Muskegon’s emphasis on strength training is not only paying dividends on the field, but it’s also helping its players move up to the next level.

Terrance Taylor (Michigan) and Carlin Landingham (Ferris State), who is now on the Big Reds’ coaching staff, are a couple of the players who have gone on to college success, but the rate of placing linemen on college rosters has ratcheted up in recent years.

For example, four of the five starters on Muskegon’s 2012 offensive line are now playing college football – Antwan Billings at Saginaw Valley State, Quincy Crosby at Kalamazoo College, Chandar Ricks at Northwood and Malik King at Ball State.

This year’s group could go on to similar college success, thanks in no small part to Muskegon’s strength training emphasis. Sanders, the starting center, is the small guy at 225 pounds (“our little runt,” as Bolles calls him), but the other five regulars are all at least 255 pounds.

“We don't just try to use our kids for wins at Muskegon,” said Bolles. “Our goal is to make our kids responsible, caring, hard-working and loyal men.”

Quest for perfection

At most high schools, guiding the football team to an MHSAA championship game three consecutive years would lead to the building of a statue in the coach’s honor at the stadium entrance. At Muskegon High, losing that title game has a small faction of fans pushing for a new varsity football coach.

Fairfield knows such expectations come with the territory at Muskegon, which boasts 17 MHSAA championships and doesn’t post runner-up finishes on the sign perched high above the Hackley Stadium press box.

But nobody takes those rare losses harder than Fairfield, which was evident in his postgame television interview last month after Muskegon defeated previously unbeaten Grandville for the 800th win in school history.

“It’s great to get our 800th win, but I wish it was 801,” Fairfield said. “That dang loss (in the opener at Detroit Catholic Central) still bothers me.”

Muskegon lost two games last season – both of which gnaw at Fairfield and his coaching staff, and seniors like Brown and Johnson, on a daily basis. The Big Reds get a chance to avenge those losses in the upcoming weeks.

The first goal for the Big Reds is to win the battle of Muskegon. The Big Reds host Reeths-Puffer this Friday on Senior Night, before the much-anticipated showdown at unbeaten Mona Shores on Oct. 16.

Shores beat Muskegon for the first time in 33 years, last fall, breaking open a 20-20 game at halftime behind the running of Tyree Jackson for a 48-27 victory

The second goal is to win the battle of Michigan. Muskegon, which is experiencing enrollment declines in recent years, will likely end up in Division 3 again this fall, where rivals such as Zeeland West, Lowell and Orchard Lake St. Mary’s could be looming once again.

“We have more desire than ever to win it all,” said Brown. “The only way we’re going to do that is by getting better and getting stronger every day.”

Tom Kendra worked 23 years at The Muskegon Chronicle, including five as assistant sports editor and the final six as sports editor through 2011. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Muskegon, Oceana, Mason, Lake, Oceola, Mecosta and Newaygo counties.

PHOTOS: (Top) Muskegon's offensive line lines up for work with historic Hackley Stadium's home bleachers and press box in the background during the Big Reds' 800th win on Sept. 11 over visiting Grandville. (Middle) Muskegon junior quarterback Kalil Pimpleton strides into the end zone through a big hole created by pancake blocks from senior guard Derices Brown (No. 57), senior tackle Juanye Johnson (center) and senior guard Dylan Oplinger (right). (Below) The Hackley Stadium crowd looks on, along with members of the Muskegon football coaching staff, from left: offensive line coach Matt Bolles, offensive coordinator Brent White, receivers coach Tracy Lewis and head coach Shane Fairfield. (Photos courtesy of Tim Reilly.)

Grand Blanc quarterback Jake Morrow throws a pass Friday with a Davison rusher in pursuit.

1st & Goal: 2025 Week 8 Review

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

October 20, 2025

The words “winner-take-all” appears in this week’s 1st & Goal Review 10 times referring to games played this weekend.

MI Student AidAs schedules tend to rotate annually or every few years, in just about every league across Michigan, to have that many winner-take-all conference championship matchups work out to fall during the same weekend is just incredible luck.

They certainly were the theme of Week 8, as we nearly finished up those races and turned even more of our attention to the playoff chase soon to begin.  

Bay & Thumb

HEADLINER Grand Blanc 57, Davison 29 In one of two games statewide between undefeated teams, Grand Blanc (8-0) dominated in clinching the Saginaw Valley League South championship. Quarterback Jake Morrow was among headliners as the Bobcats scored a season high in handing Davison (7-1) its lone defeat. Click for more from the Flint Journal.

Watch list Frankenmuth 27, Freeland 13 The Eagles (7-1) ran their winning streak over rival Freeland (6-2) to seven by locking up this winner-take-all matchup for the outright Tri-Valley Conference Red championship. Frankenmuth hasn’t lost a league game since 2014.

On the move Goodrich 21, Fenton 20 This concluded Sunday because of Saturday night storms, and the Martians (8-0) held on to claim a second-straight overall Flint Metro League title and after also facing Fenton (5-3) for the championship a year ago. Harbor Beach 20, Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker 6 The Pirates (8-0) need one more win – albeit against a tough Millington team this week – to lock up a second-straight perfect regular season after downing another solid opponent in Laker (6-2). Flint Elite 34, Burton Bendle 8 Elite, a cooperative of New Standard Academy and Burton Madison Academy, improved a 7-1 and clinched a share of the Genesee Area Conference championship with a solid win over Bendle (5-3), which also can clinch a share this week. 

Greater Detroit

HEADLINER Detroit Cass Tech 35, Detroit Martin Luther King 19 The Technicians (8-0) finished a season sweep of King (6-3) and ran their winning streak over the Crusaders to three with a fourth-straight Public School League Blue city championship. One more win this weekend would will give Cass Tech its first perfect regular season (not including shortened 2020) since 2018. Click for more from the Detroit Free Press.

Watch list Warren Fitzgerald 36, Port Huron Northern 23 Fitzgerald (7-1) added to its perfect run through the Macomb Area Conference Gold with this notable victory over the MAC Blue champion Huskies (6-2). Although the Spartans did make the playoffs the last two seasons, this is guaranteed to be their first with a winning record since 2021.

On the move Detroit Denby 20, Detroit Pershing 6 After opening this season 0-2, Denby (6-2) began and finished PSL play with wins over Pershing (5-3), this one in the Gold city championship game. Detroit Edison 27, Ecorse 8 The Pioneers (7-1) finished an outright league title run in the Charter School Conference Gold, winning the tie-breaker over Romulus Summit Academy North because of a 26-14 victory in their Week 3 matchup. Utica 26, Macomb Dakota 17 After losing its league opener, Utica (6-2) still ended up with a share of the MAC White title and ran its winning streak to five games by avenging 35-0 and 31-0 losses to Dakota (6-2) from a year ago.

Mid-Michigan

HEADLINER Howell 37, Brighton 28 The Highlanders (7-1) had been chasing the lead in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association West since falling to Northville during the second week of the league schedule. They finally caught up and earned a share of the title by getting past co-champ Brighton (6-2), extending their winning streak over the Bulldogs to four. Click for more from the Livingston Daily Press & Argus.

Watch list Mount Pleasant 10, Midland 0 The Oilers (8-0) finished a perfect run through the SVL North with their closest win of the season, avenging last year’s 10-7 loss to the Chemics (4-4).

On the move Fowler 48, Ithaca 28 These two small-school powers most recently met in a 2023 playoff opener, won by Ithaca 28-27, but they won’t see each other again this fall with Fowler (6-2) in Division 8 and Ithaca (6-2) in Division 7. Beal City 49, LeRoy Pine River 6 The Aggies (8-0) finished their Highland Conference championship run with four shutouts in seven league games and giving up only 21 total in league play. Portland 49, Charlotte 7 The Raiders (8-0) capped another perfect run through the Capital Area Activities Association White, while Charlotte (4-4) will need to jump seven spots this week to make the Division 4 playoff bracket. 

Northern Lower Peninsula

HEADLINER Charlevoix 13, Boyne City 12 With both teams already done with league competition, this played like a playoff game as Charlevoix (8-0) moved within one more win of achieving a first perfect regular season since 1977 (not counting shortened 2020). The Rayders also had lost three of their previous four against the Ramblers (5-3), including last year’s matchup 45-21. Click for more from the Petoskey News-Review.

Watch list Harbor Springs 34, Oscoda 22 After three straight winless seasons, Harbor Springs is 4-4 with a chance for its winningest since 2019.

On the move Ogemaw Heights 34, Sanford Meridian 0 The Falcons (7-1) posted their second-straight shutout in downing Meridian (5-3) in this matchup of Jack Pine Conference division champions. East Jordan 25, Frankfort 14 East Jordan (5-3) is No. 19 on the Division 8 playoff list and Frankfort (5-3) is No. 23 after the Red Devils’ fourth-straight win in the series. Kingsley 63, Kalkaska 8 The Stags (6-2) prepped to face Charlevoix this week by scoring their most points this season and holding Kalkaska (5-3) to its fewest.

Southeast & Border

HEADLINER Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richad 44, Macomb Lutheran North 19 Matthew Hoban and James Milanovich both scored three touchdowns as FGR (8-0) finished a perfect run through the Catholic High School League Intersectional #1, ending Lutheran North’s two-year reign and also handing the Mustangs (7-1) their only loss. Click for more from the Ann Arbor News.

Watch list Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central 20, Monroe Jefferson 15 The Huron League finished play with three champions as the Falcons (7-1) bounced back from a Week 7 loss to Riverview to hand Jefferson (7-1) its lone defeat – giving all three a share of the title.

On the move Springport 35, Union City 34 The Spartans (8-0) capped a Big 8 Conference outright championship march by getting past second-place Union City (5-3) by the closest of margins, as a few points the other way would’ve meant a shared title. Michigan Center 46, Napoleon 14 These two faced off in a winner-take-all for the Cascades Conference East title, with the Cardinals (8-0) reversing the scenario from when Napoleon (5-3) won their matchup and the league in 2023. Jackson Lumen Christi 27, Traverse City St. Francis 12 No championship was on the line with this showdown, but this could end up the preview of a late-playoff Division 6 matchup as Lumen (5-3) sits No. 2 on that division’s list and St. Francis (6-2) is No. 11.

Southwest Corridor

HEADLINER Decatur 22, White Pigeon 14 Decatur’s first win over White Pigeon in three seasons gave the Raiders the outright championship in the Southwest 10 Conference – after White Pigeon defeated Decatur in a winner-take-all for last year’s title. They may meet again; Decatur (6-2) is No. 9 and White Pigeon (6-2) is No. 13 on the Division 8 playoff list. Click for more from the Kalamazoo Gazette.

Watch list Battle Creek Harper Creek 41, Marshall 22 The Beavers (7-1) clinched a share of the Interstate 8 Athletic Conference title and can claim the championship outright this week at Jackson Northwest. A perfect run through league play would be their first since 2017.

On the move Paw Paw 43, Three Rivers 0 The Red Wolves (5-3) have now won five straight after opening 0-3 against opponents that are a combined 22-2. Vicksburg 38, Edwardsburg 35 The Bulldogs (5-3) bounced back from a pair of tough losses to defeat Edwardsburg (6-2) for the first time since 2014. St. Joseph 37, Battle Creek Central 18 The Bears (5-3) have won five of their last six games and put Central in position as one of several 4-4 teams working for a playoff spot in Division 2.

Upper Peninsula

HEADLINER Menominee 49, Kingsford 14 Another hard-fought race in the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference Copper was decided as Menominee came up big in a winner-take-all after Kingsford (6-2) did the same versus the Maroons to clinch the outright title a year ago. Menominee (8-0) also remains in the hunt for its first perfect regular season since 2015. Click for more from the Iron Mountain Daily Reporter.

Watch list Marquette 21, Cadillac 12 The Sentinels (5-3) are sitting No. 27 on the Division 3 playoff list after a fourth win over their last five games – but with Kingsford up next to complete the regular season.

On the move Bark River-Harris 44, West Iron County 7 The Broncos (6-1) completed a perfect run through the West-PAC Iron and sit No. 12 on the Division 8 playoff list, with the Wykons (3-4) still holding out hope at No. 36. Negaunee 42, Houghton 6 The Miners (5-3) are holding at No. 26 on the Division 5 playoff list, with a tough home matchup with Iron Mountain this week. Calumet 46, Gladstone 3 Calumet (6-2) ended up third in the West-PAC Copper, its losses to the league leaders, but one more win will give the Copper Kings their most since 2021.

West Michigan

HEADLINER Hudsonville Unity Christian 42, Grand Rapids South Christian 14 When last these two met, South Christian (4-4) avenged a 50-21 regular-season loss by ending Unity’s 2024 season with a 35-28 District Semifinal defeat. They may meet again in these Division 4 playoffs as well – but at this moment, Unity (8-0) is the repeat Ottawa-Kent Conference Green outright champion. Click for more from the Grand Rapids Press.

Watch list Wyoming Godwin Heights 41, Wyoming Kelloggsville 22 A ninth-straight win over the rival Rockets (5-3) sent Godwin Heights (7-1) into one of the few remaining league championship games this weekend as the Wolverines will face Belding in a winner-take-all for the O-K Silver title.

On the move Kent City 24, Howard City Tri County 21 After surviving its closest game this season, Kent City (8-0) this week against Grant will pursue its first perfect regular season since 2017. Grand Rapids Catholic Central 35, Grand Rapids Northview 7 The Cougars (8-0) finished a perfect run through the O-K Black by avenging last season’s loss to Northview (5-3). Grand Rapids West Catholic 31, Ada Forest Hills Eastern 21 The Falcons have won 19 straight league games and now four straight league championships including two consecutive in the O-K Green.

8-Player

HEADLINER Blanchard Montabella 36, Merrill 26 Montabella (8-0) wrapped up a repeat championship in the Mid-State Activities Conference Blue by claiming this winner-take-all matchup, and can complete a first perfect regular season during the playoff era this week against Portland St. Patrick. Montabella also is No. 3 on the Division 1 playoff list, while Merrill (6-2) is tied for the No. 11 spot. Click for more from the Mount Pleasant Morning Sun.

Watch list Pittsford 52, Waldron 44 The Southern Central Athletic Association Blue title belongs to Pittsford after another winner-take-all matchup. The Wildcats (7-1) finished a second-straight perfect run through the league and handed Waldron (5-3) its only conference defeat.

On the move Powers North Central 38, Gogebic 34 The Jets (6-2) have swooped in to create a three-way tie for first in the Great Lakes Eight Conference West with the Miners (7-1) and Lake Linden-Hubbell and one league game left to play. Mendon 46, Climax-Scotts 20 The Hornets (8-0) won a winner-take-all in the SCAA Red, further avenging a 46-44 loss to Climax-Scotts last season that allowed the Panthers to do the same. Bridgman 44, New Buffalo 8 The Bees (7-1) handed the Bison (7-1) their only loss this season in claiming a winner-take-all for the Southwest Michigan 8-Man Football League title.

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PHOTO Grand Blanc quarterback Jake Morrow throws a pass Friday with a Davison rusher in pursuit. (Photo by Terry Lyons.)