MHSA(Q&)A: Football Coaches Jim Ahern and Brad Weber
August 31, 2012
Pewamo-Westphalia football coach Brad Weber and Lansing Catholic's Jim Ahern had experienced plenty of success long before the end of last season.
But this month marked the first time either had returned to the sideline after a trip to the MHSAA Finals.
Their teams faced off on opening night at Holt Junior High, the Cougars' home field. Gone were Lansing Catholic's all-state quarterback-receiver tandem that helped the Cougars finish Division 5 runner-up last fall, as well as the large group of standout se
niors who guided the Pirates to the Division 7 Final.
But the coaches are back for more, and we caught up briefly with both after Lansing Catholic's 45-21 win. (Lansing Catholic fell to 1-1 this week with a loss at Saginaw Nouvel, while P-W improved to 1-1 with a win over Potterville.)
This has to be the most unfamiliar group you've had at Lansing Catholic?
Ahern: They're a good group from the standpoint that they have a lot of team chemistry. They're a close-knit group, and they've worked extremely hard in the offseason. I know every coach says that. But this, probably of all the groups I've had, has really worked hard. We were a little nervous. We had a lot of kids playing in spots where they hadn't been there, but they settled down a little bit.
Have the players approached things differently because of how you ended up last year?
Weber: A little bit. But it's still football, and they've been playing football since sixth grade. It shouldn't be too different.
Are you (as a coach) approaching some things differently?
Weber: Yes and no. We're still getting down to business. Practices are the same. We still have a lot of energy at practice. But you do. You're looking for a little bit of the senior leadership to step up because it was so good last year. These guys kinda took it for granted, and they rode on their coat tails, and it's time for them to step up and be leaders of this team. It's 2012 now.
Ahern: Not really. Every year I tell everyone the same thing. Our goal is to win the league. If we do that, good things will happen. That's our goal -- to win the conference. ... We're still running the same stuff pretty much. We haven't changed a whole lot.
Do you have to say things to certain guys who are replacing (all-staters), like 'Do you know what you're stepping into?'"
Ahern: You don't have to remind them about it. They know it. They don't need to hear it. I think that's why they work so hard in the offseason. The bar's set pretty high for them, so they want to continue that.
Week 6 Football Playoff Listing
September 26, 2012
Here is a list of Michigan High School Athletic Association football playing schools, displaying their win-loss records and playoff averages through the fifth week of the season. Schools on this list are in enrollment order. An asterisk (*) beside a record indicates that a team has eight or fewer games scheduled. A carrot (^) beside a school’s name indicates that a team is one win away from playoff qualification.
Those schools with 11-player teams with six or more wins playing nine-game schedules, or five or more wins playing eight games or fewer, will qualify for the MHSAA Football Playoffs beginning Oct. 26-27. Schools with 5-4, 4-3 or 4-4 records may qualify if the number of potential qualifiers by win total does not reach the 256 mark. Schools with six or more wins playing nine-game schedules or five or more wins playing eight games or fewer may be subtracted from the field based on playoff average if the number of potential qualifiers exceeds the 256 mark.
Once the 256 qualifying schools are determined, they will be divided by enrollment groups into eight equal divisions of 32 schools, and then drawn into regions of eight teams each and districts of four teams each.
Those schools with 8-player teams will be ranked by playoff average at season’s end, and the top 16 programs will be drawn into regions of eight teams each for the playoff in that division, which also begins Oct. 26-27.
To review a list of all football playoff schools, individual school playoff point details and to report errors, visit the Football page of the MHSAA Website.
The announcement of the qualifiers and first-round pairings for both the 11 and 8-player playoffs will take place at 7 p.m. on Oct. 21 on the Selection Sunday Show on FOX Sports Detroit. The playoff qualifiers and pairings will be posted to the MHSAA Website following the Selection Sunday Show.
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11-Player Playoff Listing
|
1. |
Utica Eisenhower |
2772 |
3-2 |
62.000 |
|
2. |
Sterling Heights Stevenson |
2766 |
4-1 |
75.800 |
|
3. |
Clarkston ^ |
2721 |
5-0 |
94.400 |
|
4. |
Grand Blanc |
2644 |
3-2 |
57.600 |
|
5. |
Macomb Dakota |
2608 |
4-1 |
80.600 |
|
6. |
Lake Orion ^ |
2565 |
5-0 |
96.000 |
|
7. |
Rockford |
2526 |
3-2 |
57.400 |
|
8. |
Troy |
2502 |
3-2 |
57.400 |
|
9. |
Clinton Township Chippewa Valley |
2462 |
4-1 |
77.000 |
|
10. |
Dearborn Fordson |
2442 |
4-1 |
83.400 |
|
11. |
Holland West Ottawa |
2262 |
4-1 |
71.000 |
|
12. |
Northville |
2220 |
3-2 |
60.400 |
|
13. |
Detroit Cass Tech |
2200 |
4-1 |
77.400 |
|
14. |
Canton |
2166 |
3-2 |
51.200 |
|
15. |
Monroe ^ |
2154 |
5-0 |
83.200 |
|
16. |
Detroit Catholic Central |
2060 |
3-2 |
47.800 |
|
17. |
Plymouth |
2050 |
4-1 |
71.200 |
|
18. |
Salem |
2039 |
4-1 |
75.600 |
|
19. |
Livonia Stevenson |
2005 |
4-1 |
77.200 |
|
20. |
Holt |
1992 |
3-2 |
57.200 |
|
21. |
Hartland ^ |
1932 |
5-0 |
91.200 |
|
22. |
Warren Mott ^ |
1879 |
5-0 |
86.400 |
|
23. |
Livonia Churchill ^ |
1877 |
5-0 |
100.800 |
|
24. |
Walled Lake Central |
1857 |
3-2 |
52.200 |
|
25. |
Macomb L'Anse Creuse North |
1853 |
3-2 |
58.400 |
|
26. |
Saline |
1849 |
4-1 |
72.400 |
|
27. |
Grandville |
1846 |
3-2 |
53.600 |
|
28. |
Flint Carman-Ainsworth ^ |
1772 |
5-0 |
88.000 |
|
29. |
Grand Ledge |
1743 |
4-1 |
70.600 |
|
30. |
Rochester |
1725 |
4-1 |
72.800 |
|
31. |
Traverse City West |
1720 |
4-1 |
72.200 |
|
32. |
White Lake Lakeland |
1700 |
4-1 |
72.400 |
|
33. |
Harrison Township L'Anse Creuse |
1680 |
3-2 |