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.
#TBT: Reeths-Puffer Legends Born
November 30, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The “Legends of the Game” program returned to the MHSAA Football Finals this past weekend, as members of the 1992 Muskegon Reeths-Puffer football team and cheerleaders from that fall were honored at Ford Field.
The Rockets won the Class A championship game that season 21-18 over Walled Lake Western at the Pontiac Silverdome as Stacy Starr plucked a last-ditch downfield throw out of the air and raced into the end zone to finish one of the most well-known highlights in MHSAA Football Finals history.
The play included a pitch, then a handoff, then another pitch back to quarterback Geoff Zietlow, who threw toward the end zone. His pass was deflected and snagged by Starr, who raced the final yards for the 37-yard touchdown with 23 seconds to play.
Below is the video that introduced returning players and cheerleaders.
PHOTOS: (Top) Stacy Starr makes his way around defenders to score the game-winning touchdown at the 1992 Class A Final. (Middle) Members of the 1992 Reeths-Puffer football team and cheerleaders watch the Rockets' famous highlight as they are honored at Ford Field.