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Meet Jared Smith, P-W's Record Setter

November 10, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

WESTPHALIA – Jared Smith saw the parking lot full and cars lining Clintonia Road to the west and Centerline Road south of Pewamo-Westphalia’s stadium Saturday as his Pirates prepared to kick off their District Final against Saugatuck.

He knew once again there was no place else he’d rather be.

And that goes to the core of what Smith would tell anyone who might be curious about the senior back making a run at the MHSAA’s career rushing yards record.

Smith showed a little to the statewide audience with 149 yards and a touchdown in P-W’s 22-16 loss to Ishpeming in last season’s Division 7 Final at Ford Field. But with most of his games over the last three-plus seasons played for a 300-student school on rural fields like his on the Clinton/Ionia County line, there are probably a few more eager to see the back they’ve mostly only read about as he’s made his run at 8,000 yards.

“I guess I’m just a hard-working kid from a small town,” he said Monday in explaining how he’d describe himself to those who haven’t seen him play. “I grew up in a great community that loves football, and they’re always out here supporting it. And I wouldn’t rather be anywhere else.”

Smith heads into the Pirates’ Division 7 Regional Final on Saturday at Traverse City St. Francis with five MHSAA football records and ranking second or third in three other categories, and he will graduate in the spring on a short list of the most accomplished high school backs in Michigan history.

He helped carry the Pirates to the cusp of their first MHSAA title last fall with a  single-season record 3,250 yards and 53 touchdowns – his scores set records both for total touchdowns and total rushing TDs in one season – on 315 carries, which came out to 10.3 yards per carry and a touchdown every sixth time he ran the ball.

This fall, Smith has only 2,318 yards on 197 carries (11.8 per rush) with 34 scores on the ground – giving him an MHSAA-record 119 rushing touchdowns for his career with at least one more game to play. Total over three seasons and parts of a fourth – Smith came up in Week 6 to back up Ross Wolniakowski as a freshman in 2013 – he has run for 7,930 yards, only 501 shy of the career record set by East Grand Rapids’ Kevin Grady, Jr., from 2001-04.

Another big finish would allow fans outside mid-Michigan and those who follow our smallest schools one more glimpse at the player who will end up all over the MHSAA record book. But in the meantime, here’s a primer based on viewpoints from those who have coached the 6-foot, 205-pound hammer, and those who have tried to stop him.

“I tell them that he is the same kid that he was when I brought him up as a freshman,” P-W coach Jeremy Miller said. “He hasn’t changed. His outlook, his work ethic. He’s a tremendous teammate, a tremendous kid to coach. I’ve never had to say two words to him: ‘Hey, knock it off. Be quiet. Pay attention. You’re not working hard.’ So he’s a tremendously gifted athlete, but he has all the intangibles to be every coach’s dream. He really does.”

Smith came up to varsity as a freshman, again mostly as the scout team back, but he picked up 226 yards and four touchdowns to begin his record book march.

He’ll be the first to explain how much of his last three seasons have been a result of a strong cast around him. Anchor Matt Fox was the only member of last season’s offensive line to graduate – leaving now-seniors Dominic Spitzley, Austin Thelen and Devon Pung and junior Isaiah Schafer to form a veteran nucleus. Thelen suffered a season-ending knee injury on the first play of this season, but senior Nick Jandernoa – pulling off the rare double as a cornerback on defense – took Thelen’s spot at offensive guard, while 6-foot-5 senior Nolan Hagen has moved from tight end last year to play the other guard and senior Jason Smith has taken on that tight end spot key to the blocking scheme.

Smith also has benefitted from last season’s starting tight end, junior Bryce Thelen, now playing fullback, and the return of junior quarterback Jimmy Lehman, a threat through the air. Senior Ryan Smith is an option quarterback who switches in and can pull some of the attention away from his lead back.

But if Jared Smith was just a great small-town back, more programs would have one like him – and only a few players at that level the last few years have been comparable.

One is Saugatuck’s Blake Dunn, who Saturday finished his four-year varsity career with 6,954 yards on the ground. The Indians are one of few teams to play P-W close the last two years, falling 38-28 in a 2015 District Final before being edged 25-19 last week – games in which Smith ran for 300 yards and two touchdowns and then 210 yards and two scores, respectively.

“He has great leg strength, great balance, and then on top of that, his vision and his ability to cut back really make him unique,” said Saugatuck coach Bill Dunn, also Blake’s dad, whose team has navigated the Southwestern Athletic Conference the last two years to go a combined 20-2. “What he did last year versus this year was very similar. His running style was very similar. Our preparation was to not let him cut back, but he’s got a very good offensive line, and you have to give credit to those guys as well.

“(But) absolutely, I think he’d do well in any league. Just with his size alone, and the fact that he can run.”

Laingsburg coach Brian Borgman is among those from the Central Michigan Athletic Conference who have appreciated Smith’s work – but won’t miss trying to stop it. The 15-year Wolfpack coach, who played collegiately at Bowling Green, has watched Smith help the Pirates win 14 straight league games and 27 of 28 over the last four seasons.

After this fall’s 40-7 P-W win over Laingsburg – which won eight games for the second straight season – Borgman told Smith, “Congratulations” and also he was glad he wouldn’t have to plan for him again.

“When he was a sophomore, he basically was just an outside runner, able to take the ball to the edge. They didn’t ask him to take it between the tackles much,” Borgman said. “But as he’s matured, as he’s been lifting, with his strength – he’s become a bear to take down. (And) just his confidence. Our game we played in a downpour. They direct snapped to him and we were able to corral him for a quarter and a half, but you never saw him get worried. He kept his cool, kept his poise and eventually ran right past us” for 271 yards and two touchdowns.

“He is by far the most talented player I’ve had to try to defend,” Borgman added. “His special blend of power, speed, vision and balance make him so dangerous. He gives a lot of credit to the O-line in front of him, as well he should, but I’ve seen him turn a blown play into an 80-plus yard TD all by himself. He is a rare talent, and I wish him well in the future.”

That future is something Smith knows he’ll eventually have to figure out and feels a little bit of pressure to get started – but there’s another potential trip to Detroit to plan first.

Despite his success, while also starting at linebacker – and carrying a 3.97 grade-point average – Smith isn’t getting as much college interest as one might expect. He mixes that physical running style with speed; he made the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 3 Track & Field Finals in the spring for 300-meter hurdles and as part of the 1,600 relay. But his 4.65-second 40 time isn’t considered “top-end” – “But give him the football and see if you can tackle him,” Miller said.

And Smith learns. He scored the first points of the Division 7 Final and had 100 yards by halftime. But what Smith remembers instead is that he fumbled – a rarity at the time, but Smith hasn’t fumbled once this season.

And he’s only improved as a leader too, driven more by team aspirations than trying to one-up his records or add to the growing pile.

“The biggest motivator for me was coming off that loss at states,” Smith said. “Other than that, I just enjoy coming out here and working.

"(The 2015 Final) was just a game where we could've come out and done a lot of things better. We were so close, and just came up a little short. ... Now that's our ultimate goal. Everyone is working for it." 

Geoff Kimmerly joined the MHSAA as its Media & Content Coordinator in Sept. 2011 after 12 years as Prep Sports Editor of the Lansing State Journal. He has served as Editor of Second Half since its creation in Jan. 2012. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for the Barry, Eaton, Ingham, Livingston, Ionia, Clinton, Shiawassee, Gratiot, Isabella, Clare and Montcalm counties.

PHOTOS: (Top) Pewamo-Westphalia's Jared Smith came into this season with single-season rushing and touchdown records. (Middle) Smith works for yardage against Ishpeming during last season's Division 7 Final. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)

Martin’s Gavin Meyers (7) breaks through a gap in the Gobles defense Friday.

1st & Goal: 2024 Playoffs Week 1 Review

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

November 4, 2024

The ability to play another day obviously is the best reward for 288 teams that qualify for the MHSAA Football Playoffs.

MI Student AidBut another of the greatest gifts is the chance to make up for a missed opportunity from the regular season.

We highlight below 40 of our 144 first-round games from this past weekend. Of those 40, 15 were rematches – and of those rematches, nine were won the second time by the team that lost the first.

11-Player Division 1

HEADLINER Grandville 24, Rockford 14 For the second-straight season, Grandville (6-4) opened the playoffs with a win – and this time with its first over the Rams since 2019. Rockford (7-3) had defeated Grandville 37-20 in Week 3, but with Tank Terry scoring twice during the third quarter the Bulldogs brought a lead into the second half of this rematch and never trailed again. Click for more from the Grand Rapids Press.

District Digest Hudsonville 25, East Kentwood 23 On the other side for Grandville in their District bracket, Ottawa-Kent Conference Red champion Hudsonville (9-1) held off a strong challenge from the Falcons (5-5) after having defeated them 35-6 in their Week 5 meeting. Oxford 21, Davison 14 Oxford (7-3) went on the road, and coming off a Week 9 loss, to win its first playoff game since 2021 and guarantee its best record since 2018 – when the Wildcats also opened the playoffs with a win over Davison (7-3). Clarkston 34, Lake Orion 16 The Wolves (7-3) are surging with five wins over their last six gams and this avenging their only loss during that string, a 20-13 defeat to the Dragons (6-4) in Week 7.

11-Player Division 2

HEADLINER Byron Center 38, Grand Rapids Northview 17 Byron Center (9-1) just missed on a league championship this fall but will play for a second-straight District title after pulling away to hand O-K Black champion Northview (9-1) its only loss this fall. The Bulldogs earned a rematch this week with O-K Green rival Muskegon Mona Shores, which won their Week 4 meeting 14-12. Northview closed its first winning season since 2019 with more victories than the last two combined. Click for more from FOX 17.

District Digest Grosse Pointe South 27, Roseville 26 South (10-0) at one point led 24-6 and held on to reach double-digit wins for the first time – and after going 9-2 a year ago and losing to Roseville (7-3) in a District Final, 24-17. Mattawan 27, Lansing Everett 21 Mattawan (7-3) is enjoying its winningest season since 2017, with this its first playoff victory since 2012. Everett (6-4) improved a win from a year ago to tie its highest total since 2014. Farmington 39, White Lake Lakeland 13 Farmington (7-3) earned its first playoff win since 2019 – continuing a rebound from 2-7 a year ago – and defeated a Lakeland team (6-4) that made the playoffs for the seventh time over the last eight seasons.

11-Player Division 3

HEADLINER Linden 42, Fenton 14 Linden (5-5) opened this season 0-2 and finished the regular season with two defeats and three over its last four games. But all of that may have paid off with this win to avenge a 24-21 Week 6 loss to the Tigers (7-3) that ended up deciding the Flint Metro League Stripes championship. That loss to Fenton was one of four three-point heartbreakers the Eagles endured this fall, but they will play for a District title this week. Click for more from the Tri-County Times.

District Digest Riverview 22, Trenton 21 Riverview quarterback Lucas Thompson put his team ahead to stay with a 2-point conversion run with 20 seconds to play, giving the Pirates (9-1) a close playoff win over Trenton for the second-straight season after they defeated the Trojans (6-4) by two in a District opener a year ago. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central 7, East Grand Rapids 0 The reigning Division 3 champion Rangers (8-2) followed up a 24-0 win over EGR in Week 9 by just getting past the Pioneers (5-5) again. Walled Lake Western 49, Garden City 7 The Warriors (10-0) are expected to be top contenders in this division and reached 10 wins for the second straight season, but Garden City (7-3) deserves recognition as well for completing its winningest campaign since 2000.

11-Player Division 4

HEADLINER Dearborn Divine Child 42, Madison Heights Lamphere 6 Lamphere (8-2) entered the postseason No. 3 in the coaches poll and completed its third eight-win season over the last five. But Divine Child will play on after freshman quarterback Drew Sheridan threw five touchdown passes to send the Falcons (7-3) into a District Final matchup with reigning Division 4 champion Harper Woods. Click for more from the Dearborn Press & Guide.

District Digest Edwardsburg 29, Battle Creek Harper Creek 8 Edwardsburg (7-3) has shown plenty of times over the last 15 years why it is a scary playoff opponent, and this became another example as Harper Creek (8-2) entered the weekend coming off a league title and finished with its best record since 2017.  Niles 42, Paw Paw 14 The two teams that finished ahead of Edwardsburg in the Wolverine Conference met for the second week in a row, with Niles (9-1) adding to its 21-0 win from Week 9 to end Paw Paw’s season at 8-2. Harper Woods 46, Redford Union 6 Harper Woods (7-3) entered the playoffs ranked No. 5 by the coaches, and Redford Union (8-2) was No. 2 and also had lost to the Pioneers in their season opener 43-21.

11-Player Division 5

HEADLINER Gladwin 18, Kingsford 15 When a team moves to 7-3 with all three of its losses to league champions, it’s difficult to call it a stunner. But Gladwin can claim it as Kingsford (9-1) also was a league champion, undefeated and ranked No. 3 entering this District Semifinal. Eric Roggow’s fourth-quarter field goal was the decider for the Flying Gs. Click for more from the Bay City Times.

District Digest Ogemaw Heights 21, Clare 13 Just as the Week 5 matchup went to Ogemaw Heights, 41-34, so too did the rematch between the Jack Pine Conference Division 1 co-champions. Clare finished 7-3 for the second-straight year after completing its 19th-straight winning regular season. Romulus 26, Detroit Lincoln-King 24 Romulus (5-5) earned its first playoff win since 2016, and in doing so handed Lincoln-King (9-1) its only loss of what was by far the most successful season of its three-year varsity history. Lincoln-King was 0-9 two seasons ago and 3-6 last fall. Flat Rock 40, Detroit Denby 22 Flat Rock (8-2) advanced by defeating a league title winner in Detroit Public School League Gold co-champion Denby (6-4), putting the Rams in position to play for a third-straight District trophy.

11-Player Division 6

HEADLINER Ovid-Elsie 44, Almont 21 The Mid-Michigan Activities Conference saw its undefeated champion fall (see below) but its runner-up down another undefeated league title winner as Ovid-Elsie handed No. 2 Almont its only loss. This was a rematch of a 2023 Semifinal won by the Raiders 45-21, but this time the Marauders put up their most points since mid-September and the most Blue Water Area Conference champ Almont (9-1) had given up in a game since 2021. Click for more from Lansing State Journal.

District Digest Lansing Catholic 36, Chesaning 29 The Cougars (7-3) have won at least one playoff game now eight seasons in a row, and this one came against MMAC champion Chesaning (9-1) and a defense that otherwise gave up just 12 points per game this fall. Detroit Central 34, Detroit Edison 16 Central (7-3) shared the PSL Gold title with Denby and then won the PSL Gold City championship, and this victory over No. 9 Edison (6-4) ranks right up there as well. Constantine 39, Parchment 14 Just because Constantine (7-3) found itself outside a league title race this fall for the first time in a while doesn’t mean the Falcons were going to go quietly – and they made some serious noise in avenging a 51-30 loss to Parchment (7-3) from Week 7.

Clarkston’s Griffin Boman (0) wraps up Lake Orion’s Jayden Borrero.

11-Player Division 7

HEADLINER Union City 42, Hanover-Horton 13 Big 8 Conference champ Union City (9-1) has scored nearly 36 points per game during its winningest season since 2011, and this was the Chargers’ fourth time reaching 42 as they bounced back from a Week 9 loss to Buchanan. Hanover-Horton (8-2) closed this season with two losses to teams a combined 18-2 but must be celebrated for its best showing since 2014, a run which included a Cascades Conference West title. Click for more from the Coldwater Daily Reporter.

District Digest Clinton 38, Ottawa Lake Whiteford 32 The former Tri-County Conference rivals met for the first time since 2019, Clinton’s last season in the TCC, and this time the Redwolves (7-3) came back from two straight losses to end the regular season to end Whiteford’s fall at 5-5. Traverse City St. Francis 41, Charlevoix 16 The Gladiators (7-3) won this matchup of Northern Michigan Football League divisional champions, having also defeated the Rayders (6-4) in the season opener 67-22. McBain 49, Harrison 6 McBain (9-1) bounced back from a Week 9 loss to reach a second-straight District Final. Harrison (7-3) finished this fall with three straight defeats to playoff teams but with its best record since 2015 and after going 2-7 both of the last two seasons.

11-Player Division 8

HEADLINER Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary 21, Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central 20 These neighbors have played one-point games three of the last five seasons, and Nouvel (8-2) actually won their regular-season meeting in Week 4, 23-14, and led this time 6-0 into the third quarter. But MLS (7-3) found its stride thereafter to earn its second trip to the District Finals in three seasons. Click for more from the Saginaw News.

District Digest Saugatuck 24, White Pigeon 22 After having three of its last four seasons ended by White Pigeon (8-2) in the playoffs, Saugatuck advanced to a second-straight District Final by winning the closest game for both this fall. Beal City 47, Frankfort 0 Beal City (8-2) faced Frankfort (7-3) in a playoff opener for the second-straight season, adding this win to last year’s 42-7 victory that started a Semifinal run. Harbor Beach 35, Ubly 0 The Pirates (10-0) posted their second-straight shutout and fifth of the season in ending this year’s run and a six-game winning streak for last fall’s Division 8 champion Bearcats (6-4).

Ishpeming's Caden Luoma breaks away from Norway's Carter Cazzola (43) and Keith Burar, Jr. (54).

8-Player Division 1

HEADLINER Martin 52, Gobles 22 The two-time reigning champion Clippers appear to be in playoff form again, as this avenged a 20-14 loss to Gobles from just three weeks earlier. This made it two seasons in a row that Martin (9-1) avenged a regular-season loss to the Tigers (9-1). The Clippers broke away with 30 second-half points to Gobles’ eight. Click for more from the Kalamazoo Gazette.

Regional Roundup Mendon 58, Climax-Scotts 50 Mendon’s Owen Gorham ran for 231 yards and five touchdowns, the last a four-yarder with three seconds to play followed by his 2-point conversion to push the Hornets (9-1) past Climax-Scotts just two weeks after losing to the Panthers (8-2) 46-44. Kingston 16, Fulton 14 The Cardinals (8-2) earned a rematch with rival Deckerville by handing the Pirates (8-2) just their second loss of their winningest season since 2010 in 11-player. Ishpeming 44, Norway 38 The Hematites’ first run into an 8-player bracket is off to the right start, with this win over the Knights (7-3) earning Ishpeming (6-2) a rematch with Week 4 opponent Pickford.

8-Player Division 2

HEADLINER Onekama 22, Marion 20 Both finalists for last season’s Division 2 championship were eliminated from this year’s bracket, and we’ll start with the reigning runner-up Marion (8-2) – which had defeated Onekama 44-8 in Week 2. The Eagles ended their season with two losses by a combined six points. But the Portagers improved to 9-1, one more win than their last four seasons’ totals combined. Click for more from the Manistee News Advocate.

Regional Roundup Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart 24, Grand Rapids Sacred Heart 21 After debuting in varsity play last season with a win by forfeit and two losses, Grand Rapids Sacred Heart (9-1) established itself with a perfect regular season and No. 1 ranking heading into this playoffs. But Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (7-3) had seen plenty of top competition with its three losses to teams that all finished the regular season 8-1. Morrice 28, Portland St. Patrick 22 Two of those one-loss teams that had defeated MP Sacred Heart met on the other side of the bracket, with Morrice (9-1) avenging a 29-12 Week 4 defeat to the Shamrocks (8-2). Britton Deerfield 58, Adrian Lenawee Christian 15 The Patriots (9-1) reached nine wins for the second time in four seasons – and after finishing just 2-7 a year ago – completing a 2024 sweep of the 2023 Division 2 champion Cougars (4-6).

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PHOTOS (Top) Martin’s Gavin Meyers (7) breaks through a gap in the Gobles defense Friday. (Middle) Clarkston’s Griffin Boman (0) wraps up Lake Orion’s Jayden Borrero. (Below) Ishpeming's Caden Luoma breaks away from Norway's Carter Cazzola (43) and Keith Burar, Jr. (54). (Top photo by Gary Shook. Clarkston/Lake Orion photo by Terry Lyons. Ishpeming/Norway photo by Cara Kamps.)