Moment: Nick & Nick Go 90, 27 Years Apart

October 30, 2020

By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties

The longest rushing play in the MHSAA Football Finals is one of two marks that has two players tied for the top spot.

Nick Williams of Farmington Hills Harrison originally set the standard in 1994, in the Class A Final against Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central, a game won by the Hawks, 17-13.

It took 27 years for the equalizer, when Edwardsburg’s Nick Bradley ripped off a 90-yard scoring run in the Division 4 finale against Grand Rapids Catholic Central, a game in which the Eddies fell to the Cougars, 42-31.

Williams, at 6-foot-2 and 248 pounds, blasted from his fullback’s spot through a hole and went untouched to start the second quarter for the Hawks against Forest Hills Central. Roy Granger followed-up with an 80-yard scoring run in the third quarter to stake coach John Herrington’s team to a 14-0 lead.

“It was the big play.” Williams told the Detroit Free Press after the game. “We’ve got a lot of guys on this team who can make the big play, and everybody wants to make the big play. If you’ve got guys who can make the big play, and they want to make the big play, then they will make the big play.”

Bradley’s 90-yarder was one of two championship game records set in 2017 – the only time that has happened. Caden Coggins had a 99-yard kickoff return for a score in the same game. Bradley's TD cut the Cougars' lead to 35-31 with just over eight minutes left to play.

It was a wild game in the respect that Edwardsburg had five scoring plays in excess of 50 yards, but in the end it was Nolan Fugate, rushing for four touchdowns, who gave CC the victory. Fugate caught a pass for a record-tying fifth touchdown in the game and had 306 yards rushing – one yard short of a Finals game record.


Performance of the Week: Chelsea's Lucas Dunn

December 2, 2021

Chelsea footballLucas Dunn ♦ Chelsea
Football ♦ Senior

The Division 4 championship game provided one of the most unforgettable finishes in MHSAA Football Finals history. And Dunn had a hand, literally, in just about all of it. The senior quarterback set an 11-Player Finals record with six touchdowns passes – including four to teammate Lucas Hanifan during the final 13 minutes as the Bulldogs came back from a 28-point second-half deficit to defeat Hudsonville Unity Christian 55-52. Perhaps the most unnoticed contribution to Dunn’s sizable body of work was his hold on the game-winning field goal as time ran out, corralling a short snap to set up Hunter Shaw’s 33-yarder through the uprights.

Dunn made MHSAA Finals record book lists as well for his 25 attempts, 36 completions, 308 yards passing and 297 total yards (he lost 11 rushing). The 6-foot, 170-pounder finished the season with 1,949 yards and 26 touchdowns through the air, as Chelsea concluded its first perfect season at 14-0. The championship was Chelsea’s first in football, and the championship-game total of 107 points set the 11-Player Finals record for most combined by the two participants. The Bulldogs’ 55 points are tied for third-most in an 11-player championship game.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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2021-22 Honorees

Nov. 25: Riley Nugent, Plainwell swimming - Report
Nov. 18:
Harper Murray, Ann Arbor Skyline volleyball - Report
Nov. 11:
Abby VanderKooi, Muskegon Western Michigan Christian cross country - Report
Nov. 4:
Arianne Olson, Holland West Ottawa cross country - Report
Oct. 28:
Jack Guggemos, Okemos soccer - Report
Oct. 21:
Sachiv Kumar, Northville tennis - Report
Oct. 14:
Kate Brody, Grand Blanc golf - Report
Oct. 7:
Lilly Nelson, Negaunee tennis - Report
Sept. 30:
Stella Chapman, Ann Arbor Pioneer swimming - Report
Sept. 23:
Riley Hough, Hartland cross country - Report
Sept. 16:
Josie Bloom, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep volleyball - Report

PHOTOS courtesy of the Dunn family and Hockey Weekly Action Photos.