MHSAA Vault: Shooks a Legend as Freshman Coach
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
September 4, 2026
The following originally appeared in the Lansing State Journal on Oct. 28, 2004, and was reprinted by the MHSAA that winter.
Wayne Shooks retired from coaching entirely in 2008 and died Tuesday at the age of 84.
Wayne Shooks tried the varsity football thing once. Some time during the late 1980s, longtime DeWitt coach Gail Thornton asked Shooks to be his offensive coordinator.
“I didn't sleep a night. My wife, after three weeks, said, ‘You're going back to freshmen,’” Shooks remembered.
And those three weeks were in the month of June.
But Shooks' wife must have been on to something. Because few, if any, freshman football coaches have accomplished what Shooks finished with one last win last fall.
He ended his 16th and final season as freshman coach with a 135-2-1 record.
Amazing.
“You can't lose a game for him, or you'll feel bad,” DeWitt senior Mat Brynick recalled from his days as a freshman. “Coach never says it, but it's what everyone expects.
“He taught us how to win.”
Guys like Shooks, 62, usually go unappreciated.
They get the kids fresh to high school, fresh to high school sports, and still learning things like not spiking the ball after a touchdown.
But few freshman football coaches are as legendary as Shooks is in DeWitt. They are so unappreciated that it's impossible to find out if anyone has accomplished what he's done.
Shook is not big on numbers. Never has been during his 41 years teaching in the district, or more than 20 coaching everything from football to basketball to wrestling to tennis. Oh, and track since 1980.
He also coached 8th-grade football for a few years, junior varsity for one season and was a varsity assistant. But he'll be remembered for what he did with the freshmen.
The losses came in 1993 to Mason during a terrible wind storm, and in 2002 to Greenville. That same year, the Panthers tied Haslett, meaning it was the only year during his tenure that DeWitt wasn't sure if it finished first in its league, since league titles aren't handed out at the freshmen level.
“The kids felt bad. They did their best,” Shooks remembered.
But the losses, however few, were more of a relief for Shooks than a letdown.
Don't take that to mean Shooks doesn't like to win.
Sure, he embraced the role of teacher as much as any freshman coach. But as DeWitt varsity coach Rob Zimmerman said, “If he was a 5th-grade coach, he'd be the most competitive 5th-grade coach you've ever seen.”
“I never pointed (our record) out, it was not our goal,” Shooks said. “Our goal was to win the next week. Although the kids knew it. They just assumed we were going to go 9-0, I guess.”
Guess so.
Shooks had more easily-attainable goals:
- Have fun
- Learn fundamentals
- Emphasize the logical stuff, like the importance of bringing equipment to school every day
“He does a really good job teaching expectations about being young men and being great students,” Zimmerman said. “It's gigantic.”
And it kept kids coming back to junior varsity and varsity. You could hear the fun coming out in Brynick's voice.
He was remembering his freshman football experience, remembering his time with perhaps Michigan's most successful coach at that level.
“I remember a few games, we'd find one play that works, and we ran it to death, pounding it and pounding it,” Brynick recalled. “He loves running the same play over and over. If you can do that, march 80 yards down the field, you're doing something right. No one could stop us.”
That was not all Brynick remembered, or didn't.
Shooks almost never yelled. If he did, it meant a kid messed something up over and over and over again.
He has a doctorate in zoology. Education is obviously a big deal. He loves to win, but he loves to teach. And he's hesitant to go looking for any attention for what he's done.
All made him a perfect freshmen football coach.
“Sometimes I don't think people understand about coaches. You think college level, they are coaches first, that's their job, but not at the high school level,” Shooks said.
“It's not what I've done, it's what they've done. I've always believed the focus should be on the kids. My job is a teacher. I coach because I love to coach.”
PHOTO DeWitt freshman coach Wayne Shooks, fourth from right, stands for a photo with this final football team in 2004. (Photos courtesy of the DeWitt football program.)
1st & Goal: 2025 Week 8 Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 16, 2025
A sense of urgency builds throughout the football regular season – and we’re right on schedule again this fall, although we might be reaching the peak even a little early with another week of games still to play.
Week 8 has it all – a pair of matchups featuring undefeated teams with league titles on the line, several more winner-take-all championship showdowns, and of course plenty of games that could decide who’s in and who’s home when playoff brackets are plugged in Oct. 26.
In addition to following scores on the MHSAA Scores page and watching games on the NFHS Network, you’ll also want to keep a close eye this weekend on the Playoff Point Summary page as it will give you a real-time look at which teams are still in the hunt to continue playing in November.
Bay & Thumb
Davison at Grand Blanc WATCH
Grand Blanc took back the upper hand in this rivalry last season with a 55-49 win after Davison swept regular-season and playoff matchups in 2022 and 2023. These two easily could face off in the postseason again next month as well, but first this meeting will end either with Grand Blanc winning the Saginaw Valley League South outright or Davison claiming a share with one more league game to play. Neither has had a league game closer than 21 points this fall.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Harrison (6-1) at Gladwin (4-3), Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker (6-1) at Harbor Beach (7-0) WATCH, Freeland (6-1) at Frankenmuth (6-1) WATCH. SATURDAY Fenton (5-2) at Goodrich (7-0) WATCH.
Greater Detroit
Detroit Martin Luther King (5-2) vs. Detroit Cass Tech (7-0) at Ford Field WATCH
This will be the sixth season in a row these two will meet for a second time in a city championship game, and two of the last three seasons the series has ended in a split. Cass Tech won the first meeting this fall 27-22 in Week 4. That game was played over two days, with Cass Tech taking a 27-0 lead into the stoppage in the middle of the third quarter but King scoring all 22 points when the teams reconvened the following day.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Farmington (6-1) at Clarkston (6-1) WATCH, Grand Ledge (6-1) at Detroit Catholic Central (7-0), Detroit Pershing (5-2) vs. Detroit Denby (5-2) at Ford Field WATCH, Detroit Edison (6-1) at Ecorse (6-1).
Mid-Michigan
Howell (6-1) at Brighton (6-1) WATCH
For the second season in a row, these two will meet in the final week of Kensington Lakes Activities Association West play to decide some portion of the league championship. A year ago, Howell won 36-14 to finish an outright title, and then defeated the Bulldogs again 35-33 in a Division 1 District Final. This time, Brighton is undefeated in league play and Howell has a loss – but with the possibility of a Highlanders’ victory creating a three-way shared championship between these two and Northville.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Ithaca (6-1) at Fowler (5-2) WATCH, New Lothrop (5-2) at Ovid-Elsie (5-2), Charlotte (4-3) at Portland (7-0), Midland (4-3) at Mount Pleasant (7-0) WATCH.
Northern Lower Peninsula
Jackson Lumen Christi (4-3) at Traverse City St. Francis (6-1), Saturday
St. Francis is coming off its only loss, 63-38 to reigning Division 5 champion Pontiac Notre Dame Prep a week ago – but that also followed a pair of close wins that resulted in the Gladiators winning the Northern Michigan Football Conference Legends championship. Things obviously don’t get easier this week in this preview of a possible Division 6 playoff showdown. The reigning Division 6 champion Titans do have a win over Notre Dame Prep, 54-34 back in Week 2, and went on to share the Catholic High School League AA title.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Boyne City (5-2) at Charlevoix (7-0) WATCH, Sanford Meridian (5-2) at Ogemaw Heights (6-1) WATCH, Kingsley (5-2) at Kalkaska (5-2) WATCH, Beal City (7-0) at LeRoy Pine River (5-2).
Southeast & Border
Macomb Lutheran North (7-0) at Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard (7-0)
There are multiple league championship deciders in the southeastern part of the state this week, but this is one of only two matchups statewide of undefeated teams. The winner claims the CHSL Intersectional 1 title outright, with Lutheran North seeking to finish a third-straight perfect run through the league and FGR seeking its first perfect league run since 2009. The Mustangs have given up only 48 points this season, but might see its greatest challenge from a Fighting Irish offense that has scored at least 42 points in every game and at least 50 in six.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (6-1) at Monroe Jefferson (7-0), Ypsilanti Lincoln (6-1) at Chelsea (6-1) WATCH, Temperance Bedford (4-3) at Saline (6-1) WATCH, Napoleon (5-2) at Michigan Center (7-0) WATCH.
Southwest Corridor
White Pigeon (6-1) at Decatur (5-2)
Although White Pigeon’s loss to Bronson last week took a bit of the punch out of this matchup, it’s still packed with possibilities. A Decatur win would give the Raiders an outright Southwest 10 Conference title, while a White Pigeon victory would create a three-way share among them. The Chiefs have won the last two meetings, including 14-6 a year ago, and had given up only 12 points over their first six games before allowing 32 to Bronson. Decatur defeated Bronson in Week 2, 26-20 in double overtime.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Hastings (5-2) at Coldwater (6-1) WATCH, Williamston (7-0) at Dowagiac (5-2) WATCH, Paw Paw (4-3) at Three Rivers (4-3) WATCH, Edwardsburg (6-1) at Vicksburg (4-3) WATCH.
Upper Peninsula
Menominee (7-0) at Kingsford (6-1) WATCH
This matchup has title implications in the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference Copper for the third season in a row, and is a winner-take-all for the second straight. Kingsford has won 18 straight league games, including 14-12 over Menominee a year ago, and the Flivvers’ only loss this season was 21-18 to Escanaba in their season opener. The Maroons haven’t played a game closer than 10 points this season and is seeking its first win over Kingsford since 2022.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY West Iron County (3-3) at Bark River-Harris (5-1) WATCH, Gladstone (3-4) at Calumet (5-2) WATCH, Negaunee (4-3) at Houghton (2-5).
West Michigan
Grand Rapids Catholic Central (7-0) at Grand Rapids Northview (5-2)
Northview can’t catch Grand Rapids Catholic Central in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Black. But the Wildcats can break up the Cougars’ perfect season and prevent them from claiming the league title outright. Catholic Central claimed a share last week against Holland Christian and sits a game ahead of East Grand Rapids after winning their Week 4 meeting 10-7. Northview won last year’s matchup 12-3 on the way to claiming the O-K Black title outright, and bounced back from two midseason losses with a win over Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills last week.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Hudsonville Unity Christian (7-0) at Grand Rapids South Christian (4-3) WATCH, East Kentwood (5-2) at Grandville (4-3), Howard City Tri County (5-2) at Kent City (7-0) WATCH, Wyoming Kelloggsville (5-2) at Wyoming Godwin Heights (6-1).
8-Player
Merrill (6-1) at Blanchard Montabella (7-0) WATCH
Montabella has enjoyed some of its most consistent success the last two seasons and carries a 10-game league winning streak into this winner-take-all for the Mid-State Activities Conference Blue title. To repeat, the Mustangs must go through Merrill, which gave them their closest league game in 2024, a 20-12 win. The Vandals are seeking their first league championship since 2022 and could also see Montabella in the Division 1 playoffs.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Powers North Central (5-2) at Gogebic (7-0) WATCH, Waldron (5-2) at Pittsford (6-1) WATCH, Climax-Scotts (6-1) at Mendon (7-0) WATCH, Bridgman (6-1) at New Buffalo (7-0).
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PHOTO As the rain falls, Pewamo-Westphalia's Ty Thelen celebrates a score during his team's win last week over Fowler. (Photo by Jim Pivarnik.)