MCC Follows 'Big #77' in 3-Peat Attempt
November 4, 2015
By Tom Kendra
Special for Second Half
Jacob Holt will be in the middle of the action, guaranteed, when two great football traditions collide Saturday afternoon in Beal City.
Holt is a four-year starter up front for Muskegon Catholic Central, which ventures toward the middle of the mitten to Beal City in its quest for a third consecutive MHSAA Division 8 championship.
“We know we have to play our best or it will be our last game,” said Holt (6-foot, 245), a senior guard and defensive end for the Crusaders, who were ranked No. 1 in Division 8 in the final Associated Press state poll. “This is a completely different team than the past two years, but our motivation is to uphold the MCC tradition.”
Holt brings a wealth of size, talent and, perhaps most importantly, experience into Saturday’s showdown. He has started nearly 48 games for MCC over the past four years – leading his team to the Semifinals in 2012, starting all 14 games each of the next two years for back-to-back championship teams, and all nine games this year for the 7-2 Crusaders.
Holt is a force on an offensive line which is very good, but not quite the wrecking machine of a year ago.
MCC lost three players off last year’s offensive line who earned some form of all-state recognition – Jaeden MacPherson (now at Ferris State), Michael Caughey (Benedictine in Atchison, Kan.) and Lamar Jordan (St. Francis in Joliet, Ill.).
The new line showed its youth in this season’s opening game at perennial Division 5 powerhouse Muskegon Oakridge. The Eagles rolled to a 31-0 halftime lead and, eventually, a 45-26 victory, snapping MCC’s 26-game winning streak.
Since that game, the Crusaders’ line has come of age behind Holt, who will likely go down as one of the best pulling guards to ever play for veteran MCC line coach and defensive coordinator Mike Ribecky.
“Jacob is just really coordinated and skilled for his size,” said third-year MCC coach Steve Czerwon, whose team has won seven of its last eight games, with its only loss during that stretch coming Week 8 at Detroit Country Day, the top-ranked team in Division 4. “We try to take advantage of that in different ways. We pull him quite a bit and he has played about 20 snaps this season at fullback.”
In his normal position at guard, Holt anchors the strong right side of the Crusaders’ line, which also includes monstrous junior tackle Brock Johnson (6-1, 280) and senior tight end Nate Jones, who made his 50th consecutive varsity start in last week’s 49-7 win over visiting Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart.
Also missing off those back-to-back championship winners is quarterback Nick Holt, Jacob’s older brother and the unquestioned leader of those powerhouse teams. The Holts also made up the battery of MCC’s MHSAA championship baseball team this spring, with Nick on the pitcher’s mound and Jacob at catcher.
“It’s been weird not having him around this fall,” said Jacob of his older brother, who is now a freshman at Hope College, where he is a pitcher on the baseball team. “I miss riding home with him after every game and every practice and just going over everything. We still text all the time, but it’s not the same.”
Nick Holt had to make a difficult choice between playing baseball or football in college, and Jacob will soon face the same agonizing decision. Among the schools pursuing him in football are Saginaw Valley State, Wayne State, Northwood, Mount Union (Ohio) and Hope, while he is actively being recruited in baseball by Kalamazoo College, Aquinas College and Hope.
Stepping into Nick Holt’s big shoes at the quarterback spot is senior Christian Martinez, who has assumed a more traditional ball distribution role – getting the ball to junior running backs Logan Helton and LaTommy Scott, as well as his favorite aerial target in junior Walker Christoffersen.
Holt gives much of the credit for his success to his parents, Mike and Cathi Holt, who raised their two sons to be both competitive and humble in everything they do.
“My dad has been my coach ever since I was a little kid,” said Jacob, 17, who has a 3.88 GPA and scored a 27 on his ACT. “He taught me how to be a man. The big thing with him was, win or lose, we weren’t going to be poor sports.”
Mike Holt, now in his 16th year as a science teacher at MCC, has influenced more than just his two sons for the Crusaders’ football program. Holt is the Crusaders’ middle school head football coach and, along with former MCC great and Northern Illinois Hall of Famer Frank Lewandoski, has played a big part in the development of the program’s players for the past six years.
This fall, the school district took it a step further with the formation of the Muskegon Catholic Central Youth Football Club, which was organized by current MCC School Board President Andy Riegler, who quarterbacked the Crusaders to a Class C championship in 1990. Czerwon called the club’s first season “hugely successful.”
Those kinds of efforts at the lower levels help explain MCC’s continued success, despite steadily declining enrollment over the past 35 years.
“We’re blessed to have quality coaches at the middle school and the youth levels, who really care about the kids,” said Czerwon, who boasts a gaudy 33-4 record in his three years as head coach.
MCC first broke through in the football playoffs as a Class B school, winning MHSAA titles in 1980 and 1982. The Crusaders won three Class C championships in the 1990s and have won five titles in either Division 7 or Division 8 during the first 15 seasons the 2000s.
With a current enrollment of 177 students, MCC is a Class D school in size, but the standards and expectations for the football program have remained as high as ever.
Many of those young kids aspire to someday be like Jacob Holt, big No. 77, who sets a great example for them both on and off the field.
Holt will need to be at his best against a Beal City program that knows all about physical football and playing in November.
While the Crusaders boast 10 MHSAA titles in the playoff era, Beal City has the edge over MCC and every other team in the state with 33 playoff appearances. Farmington Hills Harrison is second with 32, followed by Crystal Falls Forest Park and Fowler with 31. Muskegon Catholic is eighth with 27 playoff appearances.
Beal City (9-1), which was ranked sixth in the final AP Division 8 poll with its only loss coming Week 5 against Evart, will seek to avenge a 35-12 loss to MCC in the 2013 Division 8 championship game at Ford Field in Detroit.
While the two schools are known for football success, their biggest rivalry in recent years has been on the baseball diamond. Beal City knocked off MCC in Division 4 Regional Finals in 2013 and 2014, with the Crusaders getting the upper hand this past spring.
On Saturday, the two schools will meet on the gridiron for a Division 8 District championship.
“We’ve gotten to know Beal City really well,” said Holt, an all-Lakes 8 Conference lineman the past two years. “It’s a chance for us to show how far we’ve come this year. We lost 18 seniors last year, so it hasn’t always been smooth, but I think we’re playing our best right now.”
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) Jacob Holt recovers a fumble during MCC's dramatic, come-from-behind, 29-26 victory over host Fruitport on Oct. 2. (Middle) Holt shows his athletic ability, leaping high and nearly blocking this punt in a 49-14 victory over visiting Fremont at Kehren Stadium. (Below) Mike Holt, a Muskegon Catholic Central teacher and middle school football coach, is flanked by his sons, junior Jacob (77) and senior Nicholas (3), after MCC defeated Munising last year for its second consecutive MHSAA Division 8 championship. (Photos by Tim Reilly.)
1st & Goal: 2024 Week 5 Review
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
September 30, 2024
We have our first league champions of the 2024 Michigan high school football season. And we have several more who could join them soon.
We highlight many of both below in our discussion of Week 5 and as we moved past the midway point of the regular season. That being the case, you’ll also notice several references to playoff-point average and positioning, a growing theme of note as we continue into the final four weeks before this year’s brackets are selected Oct. 27.
Bay & Thumb
HEADLINER Port Huron Northern 30, Port Huron 23 After an 0-2 start this season, Northern has won all three of its league games and can clinch a share of the Macomb Area Conference Blue title against Fraser this week. Lincoln Watkins scored the go-ahead points with 3:26 to play, and Mailk Thompson had two interceptions over the final 2:54 as Northern avenged last season’s 34-0 loss to the Red Hawks (3-2). Click for from the Port Huron Times Herald.
Watch list Saginaw Heritage 10, Lapeer 7 Despite an 0-2 start in Saginaw Valley League Red play, Heritage (3-2) isn’t going away. The Hawks will need major some help to climb back into the league title race, but handing Lapeer (4-1) its first loss was the right start.
On the move Almont 28, Croswell-Lexington 14 This along with Armada’s big win over Yale set up an Almont/Armada matchup this week for first place in the Blue Water Area Conference. Almont (5-0) is the reigning champ and Cros-Lex (3-2) was the runner-up last year. Chesaning 17, Birch Run 9 Chesaning is 5-0 for the first time since its Division 4 championship season of 2001 and will see the other top three teams in the Mid-Michigan Activities Conference over the next three weeks after sending Birch Run to 2-3. Grand Blanc 35, Lansing Everett 21 The Bobcats (4-1) continued an impressive surge by handing Everett (4-1) its first loss. Grand Blanc has jumped from No. 21 to No. 10 in Division 1 playoff-point average over the last two weeks.
Greater Detroit
HEADLINER Detroit Catholic Central 31, Warren De La Salle Collegiate 14 Sunday’s Boys Bowl victory put Detroit Catholic Central (5-0) within one more win of clinching a share of the Catholic High School League Central title. DCC jumped out to a 21-0 first-half lead, and Samson Gash scored three times as the Shamrocks ended a three-game losing streak against the Pilots (3-2). Click for more from the Oakland Press.
Watch list Lake Orion 28, Rochester Adams 25 Lake Orion (4-1) impressed with a season-opening win over Northville, lost a tough one to much-improved Oxford in Week 4, but bounced back to stop a charging Adams team (4-1). The Oakland Activities Association Red race remains wide open as the Dragons seek to repeat.
On the move Riverview 52, Flat Rock 45 Riverview (5-0) will face Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central this week for first in the Huron League after downing another former co-leader Flat Rock (4-1) with a go-ahead touchdown during the final seconds. Warren Fitzgerald 18, Madison Heights Lamphere 7 Fitzgerald started this season 0-2 but can clinch a share of the MAC Gold title this week after handing a first loss to Lamphere (4-1), which entered the game atop the statewide Division 4 playoff-point average list. Birmingham Groves 28, Harper Woods 12 Groves (5-0) clinched a share of the Oakland Activities Association White title after finishing second a year ago, when league opponents Harper Woods and Southfield Arts & Technology both went on to win MHSAA Finals championships.
Mid-Michigan
HEADLINER DeWitt 42, East Lansing 35 Although this was only their second league game, the high-scoring Panthers (5-0) put themselves in position to take back the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue title for the first time since 2021 and also moved into the top spot for statewide Division 3 playoff-point average. Trav Moore scored three times, and the Panthers made a last-minute defensive stand as DeWitt defeated reigning league champ East Lansing (3-2) in the teams’ third-straight meeting decided by seven points or fewer. Click for more from the Lansing State Journal.
Watch list Leslie 45, Manchester 28 It’s still early in the Cascades Conference East schedule as well, but Leslie stands alone on top after handing Manchester (4-1) its first defeat. The Blackhawks finished 4-5 and fifth in the league a year ago.
On the move Portland 35, Lansing Catholic 14 The two-time reigning champ Raiders (5-0) extended their CAAC White winning streak to 17 as they moved into first place alone thanks to a third-straight victory over the Cougars (3-2). Howell 27, Northville 12 The Highlanders (5-0) already have outdone their finishes from the last two seasons and are tied for first in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association West after this win over reigning champion Northville (2-3). Ovid-Elsie 42, Montrose 7 The Marauders (5-0) kept pace with Chesaning in the MMAC and put Montrose a game back in avenging last year’s 29-22 loss to the Rams (3-2).
Northern Lower Peninsula
HEADLINER Traverse City St. Francis 49, Kingsley 20 As stated in Friday’s preview, the winner of this showdown would emerge as the likely favorite in the Northern Michigan Football League Legends, and St. Francis (4-1) can now clinch a share of the title this week at Cheboygan. The Gladiators broke away after taking a 22-14 lead into halftime to avenge a 44-21 loss to the Stags (3-2) from last season. Click for more from the Traverse City Record-Eagle.
Watch list Ogemaw Heights 41, Clare 34 In its first season in the Jack Pine Conference, Ogemaw Heights (5-0) edged an annual favorite to pull within a win of clinching a share of the JPC Division 1 title. Ogemaw moved past Clare (4-1) with the go-ahead score with 1:08 to play.
On the move Maple City Glen Lake 7, East Jordan 6 Glen Lake (4-1) can clinch a share of the NMFL Legacy title this week after handing East Jordan (3-2) its second one-score loss in as many weeks. Traverse City Central 21, Midland Dow 7 Central (2-3) pulled Dow (2-3) out of the shared lead in the SVL Blue and also moved up substantially in Division 2 playoff-point average after three straight losses to start this month. Charlevoix 34, Benzie Central 14 Charlevoix (3-2) is one win from clinching the NMFL Leaders championship for the second-straight season after defeating last year’s league runner-up Benzie (2-3).
Southeast & Border
HEADLINER Petersburg Summerfield 20, Ottawa Lake Whiteford 14 The final Tri-County Conference championship in football may be headed to Summerfield (4-1), which can clinch a share of its eighth championship in this league either this week (if Whiteford defeats Erie Mason) or next (with a win over Erie Mason) after its first win over Whiteford (2-3) since their 2020 District Final. The Bulldogs scored the only touchdown of the second half and made an impressive defensive stand, especially considering Whiteford had scored at least 42 points every meeting during a four-game winning streak in the rivalry. Click for more from the Monroe News.
Summerfield 🏈 spoiled Whiteford's Homecoming festivities by posting a 20-14 triumph. pic.twitter.com/BQWtQrwLsD
— BCSN (@BCSNsports) September 29, 2024
Watch list Ypsilanti Community 27, Jackson 20 Ypsilanti Community (2-3) tied its win total from last season and moved into the No. 32 spot on the Division 3 playoff-point average list with its first win over Jackson since the Vikings (4-1) joined the Southeastern Conference in 2018. The Grizzlies also have losses by only five and one point as they seek their first winning season since 2014.
On the move Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central 32, Milan 0 As noted above, SMCC (5-0) will face Riverview this week for first in the Huron League, and coming off its third-straight shutout. Hudson 44, Blissfield 6 After opening this season with a loss, Hudson (4-1) continues to roll and sits tied for Clinton atop the Lenawee County Athletic Association. Napoleon 30, Grass Lake 26 The reigning champion in the Cascades Conference East, Napoleon (3-2) bounced back from a Week 4 loss and could make the standings messy this week against leader Leslie and with Grass Lake (3-2) also in the mix still as well.
Southwest Corridor
HEADLINER Parchment 32, South Haven 0 With its third shutout of the season, Parchment (4-1) advanced its best start since 2017 and avenged last year’s 52-20 loss to South Haven (2-3). The Panthers amassed nearly 500 yards of offense and are one of three teams tied for first early in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Lakeshore. Click for more from the Kalamazoo Gazette.
Watch list Kalamazoo Loy Norrix 6, Battle Creek Central 0 The Knights (3-2) already have guaranteed their best finish since 2012 and after winning a combined three games over the last four seasons. They returned to the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference this fall after four seasons as an independent.
On the move Portage Central 7, Mattawan 0 Portage Central (3-2) remains one of three teams without a league loss early in the SMAC East, despite a significant push from the Wildcats (2-3). Union City 35, Sand Creek 14 Union City (5-0) joins Bronson and Springport atop the Big 8 Conference standings and plays them back-to-back, respectively, over the next two weeks. Dowagiac 63, Benton Harbor 6 After a few rough seasons to start this decade, Dowagiac is 4-1 for the second season in a row – and seeking to improve on last fall’s 5-4 finish.
Upper Peninsula
HEADLINER Escanaba 62, Grayling 21 With its highest-scoring game since 2009, Escanaba (3-2) guaranteed its best finish since 2019 after winning two games apiece the last two seasons. All three Escanaba victories this fall have avenged losses from a year ago; Grayling won last season’s meeting 37-30. Click for more from the Escanaba Daily Press.
Watch list West Iron County 24, Gwinn 16 (2 OT) West Iron had a rough go over the last three seasons, winning just one game total. But in avenging two losses to Gwinn (2-3) from a year ago, the Wykons (2-3) have guaranteed their best finish since 2020.
On the move Iron Mountain 63, L’Anse 8 The Mountaineers (5-0) clinched a share of the Western Peninsula Activities Conference Iron championship and ran their regular-season winning streak to 22. Ishpeming Westwood 42, Gladstone 15 The Patriots (2-3) have doubled their win total from a year ago in avenging last year’s 49-8 loss to Gladstone. Kingsford 14, Calumet 0 The Flivvers (5-0) posted their third shutout in five games but also ran into a strong defensive effort from the Copper Kings (2-3), who held Kingsford to a season low.
West Michigan
HEADLINER Hudsonville Unity Christian 20, Zeeland West 8 These two entered the weekend among 28 undefeated teams statewide, and Unity (5-0) finished the weekend leading an Ottawa-Kent Conference Gold that also includes among six teams three at 4-1 and a fourth at 3-2. Unity scored a season low, but also joined Mona Shores as the only teams to keep the Dux (4-1) to single digits over the last five seasons. Click for more from the Grand Rapids Press.
Watch list Jenison 15, Rockford 14 If the season ended today, Jenison (2-3) would be in the playoffs for the first time since 2018 (not counting 2020, when nearly every team qualified because of COVID-19). This will be an unforgettable win from coach Josh Lucas’ first season as it broke a 12-game losing streak to the Rams (3-2) that began in 2006.
On the move Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central 34, Grand Rapids South Christian 13 South Christian (4-1) also entered the weekend among the undefeated, but reigning Division 3 champion FHC (4-1) did its part to also shake up the O-K Gold standings. Muskegon Mona Shores 42, Muskegon 27 The Sailors (5-0) ended a five-game losing streak against the Big Reds (1-3) that included regular-season and playoff defeats in 2023. Lowell 28, Cedar Springs 14 The Red Arrows (3-2) were another team to hand out a first loss this week, to the Red Hawks (4-1), and did so for the second consecutive week after delivering Marquette its first defeat as well in Week 4.
8-Player
HEADLINER Burr Oak 60, Waldron 34 After last scoring 60 pints in 2020, Burr Oak (4-1) did so for the third time this fall in handing Waldron (4-1) its first loss. The last time Burr Oak had defeated the Spartans also was in 2020. And keep an eye on this storyline: The Bobcats’ next two opponents are both 1-4, and two more wins would guarantee Burr Oak its best finish since 1974, according to Michigan-Football.com. Click for more from the Sturgis Journal.
Watch list Morrice 22, Fulton 0 The Orioles (4-1) bounced back from their first loss with their second shutout of the season, handing a first defeat to the Pirates (4-1) – who were averaging nearly 58 points per game.
On the move Brown City 26, Kingston 16 Brown City supporters may have just become Kingston’s biggest fans outside the Cardinals’ hometown as this Green Devils (4-1) win kept them in the Big Thumb Conference Blue race – as long as Kingston (4-1) can defeat league leader Deckerville in two weeks. Gobles 38, Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian 8 Gobles (5-0) handed NorthPointe its first in-state loss this season in avenging last year’s defeat by the Mustangs (3-2). Indian River Inland Lakes 30, Ishpeming 22 Inland Lakes (5-0) held on for its closest regular-season victory this fall. Ishpeming (3-2), meanwhile, faced an undefeated opponent for the third-straight week. Britton Deerfield 48, Adrian Lenawee Christian 26 Britton Deerfield (4-1) clinched a share of the Southern Central Athletic Association White championship with its first win over Lenawee Christian since 2014.
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PHOTOS (Top) Detroit Catholic Central’s Samson Gash reaches the end zone during his team’s win over Warren De La Salle Collegiate. (2) DeWitt’s Jadon Bender (11) cuts back between East Lansing defenders. (3) Negaunee's Brady Mager (4) takes on Hancock's Ethan Anderson (45) during the Miners’ 48-20 win. (4) Perry defenders pursue a Bath ball carrier during the Bees’ 40-0 victory. (Top photo by Adam Sheehan. DeWitt/East Lansing photo by Terry Lyons. Negaunee/Hancock photo by Cara Kamps. Perry/Bath photo by John Johnson.)