Moment: Goggins, Scott Go Distance
November 26, 2020
By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
A few weeks back, we highlighted one of two of the “longest play” records in the MHSAA Football Finals where there’s a tie for the top spot – longest rushing play. Today, we feature the longest kickoff returns in the history of the games.
The longest kickoff return you can record in high school football is 99 yards, and that’s what Caden Goggins of Edwardsburg did in the 2017 Division 4 11-Player Football Final against Grand Rapids Catholic Central to tie a Finals game record with Tommy Scott of Muskegon Catholic Central, who accomplished the same against Munising in the 2014 Division 8 title game.
Goggins’ runback came in a game where he said “top that” to the other mammoth scoring plays – runs of 54, 55, 64, 79 and a Finals-record 90 yards.
Grand Rapids Catholic Central had just scored on its first possession of the second half to take a 28-13 lead. Goggins found daylight on the ensuing kickoff and was off to the races. “I saw the hole and just took off,” he told the South Bend Tribune after the game.
The pesky Eddies kept nipping at the heels of the Cougars all night long, getting within four points at 35-31 midway through the final period. But in the end, the Grand Rapids team prevailed, 42-31. Goggins would bring Edwardsburg back to Ford Field the next year, rushing for 125 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-7 win over Chelsea.
As for Scott, his 99-yard streak sent a second shock wave through the crowd after Munising had torched the Crusaders secondary for a 79-yard touchdown pass just 13 seconds earlier.
"It was huge to get the momentum right back after they took the momentum in the first three plays," Scott told the MHSAA Second Half after the game. "Making a big play like that can change a game."
Scott wasn’t finished. After being held to 14 yards rushing in the first half, he scored three second half touchdowns as MCC broke things open and won, 31-6. Scott finished the game with 92 yards on the ground.
Scott’s TD return broke the previous record of 97 yards by Brad Mesbergen of Zeeland West in the 2011 Division 4 Final.
Robichaud's Wheatley Inducted Into NFHS Hall of Fame, Speaks for Class of 2024
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
August 1, 2024
BOSTON — Tyrone Wheatley on July 1 became the 10th Michigan honoree to be inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) – and in addition to that honor, was selected to speak on behalf of the 12-member class during the induction ceremony in Boston.
The now-Wayne State University football coach surely is best known as a star running back for University of Michigan who went on to play 10 seasons in the NFL for the New York Giants and Oakland Raiders. Wheatley did lead his Robichaud football team to the Class B championship in 1990 and earned a Parade All-America honor, running over three seasons for a combined 4,257 yards and 67 touchdowns, including 2,010 yards and 33 scores on 208 carries as a senior in 1990 – the latter despite playing quarterback half of that season.
But Wheatley also is arguably most glorified in Michigan high school athletics for his accomplishments on the track, where as a junior in 1990 he became the first (of still only two) athletes to win four individual events at an MHSAA Lower Peninsula Finals – placing first in the 100 and 200-meter dashes, 110-meter hurdles and long jump. He led Robichaud to the Class B team title that day, scoring 40 of its 49 points. Wheatley completed his high school career in 1991 with three more Class B individual track & field championships and nine total over his final three seasons; he was injured in the 100 during that senior-year meet and could not run his final race to attempt another four-title day.
Wheatley also was a standout on the basketball court for Robichaud, averaging 14 points and 16 rebounds per game as a senior in earning all-state recognition in that sport as well.
He returned to Robichaud as its varsity football coach in 2007 and led that team to a 9-2 record and the MHSAA Playoffs for the first time since 1994. He then served as an assistant football coach at four college programs including U-M and Syracuse, and with the Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars and Denver Broncos. He also served as Morgan State University's head coach from 2019-21 and just completed his first season as head coach at Wayne State.
The video above was shown as an introduction before Wheatley was awarded his Hall of Fame plaque and medal during the induction ceremony. Below, he speaks for the Class of 2024.
Previous Michigan inductees to the National High School Hall of Fame
2022: John E. "Jack" Roberts, MHSAA - Watch
2016: Ken Beardslee, Vermontville Maple Valley - Watch
2011: Brad Van Pelt, Owosso
2007: Jim Johnson, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook
2005: Bob Wood, Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett
2001: Richie Jordan, Fennville
2000: Diane Laffey, Warren Regina
1986: Lofton Greene, River Rouge
1983: Charles E. Forsythe, MHSAA