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Muskegon's Quest: 800 Wins & Counting

By Ron Pesch
MHSAA historian

September 24, 2015

Editor's note: The Muskegon High School football program became the first in Michigan high school history to win 800 games when it defeated Grandville 39-12 on Sept. 11. 

Longtime MHSAA historian Ron Pesch is the foremost expert on Muskegon Big Reds football; he even wrote the book celebrating the program's first 100 years in 1994. Below, he recounts his start in uncovering Muskegon's rich past and notes many of the highlights on the way to this season's milestone victory – as well as his "journey" starting with instructor's criticisms and finishing with the publishing of "Muskegon Big Reds: 100 Years of Football."  

“This is all very interesting, but what good is it? What can you tell from all this data? Are there any patterns you can ascertain? Changes in size of the schools played?”

So began the journey to 800.

The newest version of a high school in Muskegon opened in the fall of 1893. Two years later, in the fall of 1895, the Muskegon High Athletic Association was organized with the goal of assembling a football team “fully capable of sustaining Muskegon’s reputation in athletics.”

Under the guidance of Mr. Edward Taylor, a teacher at the high school, whose influence led to the creation of the organization, the club was formed, with Louis Udell named to serve as president, while John Miller acted as vice-president, Louis Brock as secretary and Vernor Page as treasurer. “A committee of three … was appointed to select from pupils of the High School a sufficient number to form a Foot Ball Team.”

Practices were scheduled and challenges quickly came from teams in Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, Big Rapids, Ionia, and the Ferris Business College in Muskegon. The first game was scheduled against the Business College for Saturday, November 2 at the baseball grounds, at the terminus of the Pine Street railway line.

A stiff breeze had to be contended with, but good straight play was a feature of the game. The high school was defeated by the heavier squad assembled by Business College, 12-8. It was a start. 

The next two contests were cancelled due to weather. On November 23, 1895 at 12:35 p.m., Muskegon boarded a train for Grand Haven. At 3 p.m., the contest, featuring two halves of 30 minutes each, was played. When the final whistle blew, MHS had its first-ever victory.

The details of what occurred over the next 80 or so years were then buried in yearbooks, newspaper accounts and in the memories of hundreds of Muskegon athletes.

As it turned out, no one was compiling the wins. No one had tried to see the forest through the trees.

“A disappointing paper. Very little narrative and practically no analysis or insight. I realize it must have been difficult to put together the team records, but what use are they?”

Like most schools, Muskegon did produce a yearbook, and, in the early days, a monthly magazine that detailed the success and failures of individual games and seasons. Unfortunately, there were years where magazines or annuals simply didn’t exist, or results weren’t listed.

For 11 seasons, I couldn’t find the scores.  Scanning the forest of newsprint on microfilm from those early years, when the results of sporting events were mixed in with the news of the day, often proved of little help.

“You do not even total them up for an overall record. Services are not understood.”

Larry Harp inherited a talented squad from his predecessor, after head coach Roger Chiaverini opted to jump across town to lead the Crusaders of Muskegon Catholic in the fall of 1971. In Harp’s first year as head varsity coach, the Big Reds won a huge victory over previously unbeaten Traverse City before 10,000 fans at Hackley Stadium, ended the year undefeated, and were proclaimed Michigan’s Class A football state champions by the statewide media at season’s end. I was as proud as a 10-year-old could be that the high school that would be mine had won the crown.

But while I loved the game, I never played a down of football at Muskegon High School.  Coach Harp was my gym teacher, but he understood, as a 4-foot-11 senior, I was as far as one could be from being all-state material.

Instead, fate had a different role for me. As a college student, I enrolled in a local history class. There I was assigned a term paper that would alter my path in life.

My paper would focus on football at Muskegon. By all accounts, the delivered product was limited in scope, comprised of hundreds of scores and some details on important people, games and interesting notes I found along the way.

I had 15 weeks, start to finish, molding a paper that was enlightening to me, but a major disappointment to my professors.

"What about comparing trends in Muskegon sports to trends elsewhere? Distance traveled to play opponents as roads improved, etc.  Changes in Strategy? Use of specialized teams? What about even a listing of all-staters from Muskegon? Anything to make it worth your trouble."

I learned that in 1901, Dr. J.L. Williams was hired as the school’s first coach. Prior to that time, the team’s captain, fullback, or a volunteer served in the role.  A parade of others followed Williams, including Robert Walker, a player on that first team who led Muskegon to its first undefeated season in 1904, and Mortimer Jones, a star in Muskegon’s backfield before the turn of the century, who in all likelihood was the first African-American to coach a high school team in Michigan, and perhaps beyond.          

Within the collection of coaches was Robert Zuppke, who had accepted his first coaching job at Muskegon. His success led to a move to Oak Park High School in the suburbs of Chicago, where he won a pair of mythical national gridiron crowns before moving to the University of Illinois where his football squads totaled 131 victories, seven Big Ten titles and four mythical national championships over 29 seasons.  With players like Harold "Red" Grange, George Halas and Potsy Clark, his innovative mind is credited with creating the screen pass and the “flea flicker” that advanced the game.

As a sophomore at Muskegon, I had led tours through the school’s newly opened gymnasium building. Thanks to the research, I now better understood why the district had named the complex the Redmond/Potter gymnasium.  Coach C. Leo Redmond guided Muskegon to seven mythical state football titles and a basketball crown, while his longtime assistant and successor, Harry Potter, led Muskegon to a gridiron championship in 1951. The quarterback of that team was Earl Morrall, later an All-American at Michigan State University and a 21-year veteran in the NFL.

The 1920s were Muskegon’s most successful decade, as the team won more than 85 percent of its games thanks to the leadership of J. Francis Jacks, who guided Muskegon to its first mythical state football title in 1920, then additional titles in 1921 and 1923. Like Potter years later, Jacks’ team in 1923 featured the skill of a future University of Michigan All-American, Bennie Oosterbaan, who is considered the greatest all-around athlete in the long rich history of the university. Following the sudden passing of Coach Jacks in the spring of 1924, the school hired Redmond, who would compile a 156-29-13 record as head coach over 22 seasons before retiring in 1946. Muskegon posted 28 straight winning seasons between 1919 and 1946.

The first instructor completed his assessment and graded the paper with a "C” ... The second added his note, tacked on a minus sign to the “C” and altered the score. Final grade – 70.  Unlike most assignments from high school and college, when the semester ended, I did not toss this one out.

The final entry in the paper noted that Muskegon had finished the 1979 season with a 7-2-0 record and a Lake Michigan Athletic Conference championship. It was Coach Harp’s final year. He stepped down to become the school’s athletic director.

On the gridiron, Muskegon’s fortunes had begun to slip.  Over the next three years, the team set school passing records galore, but posted a disappointing 8-19 record.  A lone highlight was a 19-15 regular-season win over cross-town rival Muskegon Catholic Central in 1980. The Crusaders would go on to win the MHSAA Class B championship that year. It was Muskegon Catholic’s single loss during an otherwise flawless season, and Muskegon’s single victory that year.

I continued digging into microfilm, and researching the history of football at Muskegon. Coach Harp cheered me on during my research, assisting where possible. Staff at our local library knew me by name.

As I neared completion of the list of scores, a pair of phone calls would lead to a startling discovery.

A call to Kalamazoo Central High School designed to cross-check scores of games played against the Maroon Giants guided me to a resident of the Kalamazoo area.  My second call was to Dick Kishpaugh. Unknown to me, I had reached the state authority on high school sports.

Kishpaugh quickly recognized that Muskegon’s win total topped Michigan in all-time football wins and ranked among the top teams in the nation.

In the fall of 1983, Dave Taylor was named head coach at Muskegon, and quickly righted the ship. In 1985, I was presented with a chance to write a series of articles, based on my research, covering the history of high school football at Muskegon for the local newspaper.

The timing was remarkable, as the Big Reds scored their first appearance in the MHSAA football playoffs that same season. A year later, Taylor’s team won the school’s first playoff title. Led by an undersized defense, Muskegon  upset Sterling Heights Stevenson 10-0 for the Class A title – its first since the MHSAA began a playoff system in 1975.

Taylor’s Big Reds won a second title in 1989.  He spent 17 years at the helm, second in longevity to only Redmond, and compiled a 112-51-1 mark over the span.  

In the fall of 1994, the project that began as a term paper hit the press. A fundraiser for the school’s Athletic Association, 100 Years of Muskegon Big Red Football, told the story of Muskegon’s gridiron past. Still offering little analysis, it did contain much more narrative, and a comprehensive look at the names and faces that guided the teams to success.

Taylor retired from teaching, but at the request of school administrators, remained in charge as the district sought a replacement. In 2000, Tony Annese, took the reins and, to the astonishment of many across the state, pushed the program to an even higher level. In nine seasons, his squads won three MHSAA Division 2 titles and totaled 92 victories in 107 games.

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the road to 800 is the fact that a single school district has been able to sustain success on the football field for so long. In an environment of constant economic, demographic and personnel change, where the number of school districts serving students in the Muskegon area has ballooned in size beginning in the 1950s, the Big Reds continue to rack up victories against strong opponents. 

Matt Koziak took charge of the Muskegon program for a year before moving over to Mona Shores, where he has put together a squad that has emerged as a playoff contender after years of silence. Shane Fairfield was named head coach of the Big Reds beginning in 2010, and hasn’t missed a beat.  His teams have earned three straight trips to Detroit’s Ford Field, where all three finished as runners-up to the MHSAA crown.  Entering the season, Fairfield’s Big Reds have scored 52 victories against 13 defeats.

In the state of Michigan, Muskegon entered the 2015 season with a 798-273-43 record over 120 seasons of football. Ann Arbor Pioneer first started playing in 1891 and ranked second in wins, with a 714-422-38 record, while Menominee began the current season tops in the Upper Peninsula and third in the state with a 634-283-40 mark dating back to its start in 1894.

Muskegon picked up win number 800 on Friday, Sept. 11, with a 39-12 victory over Grandville, making the school only the 10th in the nation to reach the landmark. Victory 700 came in 2005, with Annese in charge, while victory 600 was earned by Taylor’s 1991 squad versus cross-town rival Mona Shores.  Unbeknown at the time, Harp’s 1975 team scored the school’s 500th win. Redmond’s 1935 team tallied the school’s 250th, while Louis Gudelsky’s 1912 team was the one that grabbed win number 100.  In total, the school has won 17 state titles, 12 mythical when a team with an unblemished season-ending record could lay claim, and five MHSAA crowns.

In the end, they are only games, but the educational value and impact on lives can be far reaching.  Certainly for those who play and coach the game, and sometimes, even for those who simply play witness.

Ron Pesch has taken an active role in researching the history of MHSAA events since 1985 and began writing for MHSAA Finals programs in 1986, adding additional features and "flashbacks" in 1992. He inherited the title of MHSAA historian from the late Dick Kishpaugh following the 1993-94 school year, and resides in Muskegon. Contact him at [email protected] with ideas for historical articles.

PHOTOS: (Top) The Muskegon football team readies for its entrance at Ford Field before last season's MHSAA Division 3 Final. (Middle top) The 1944 team was among those considered a "mythical state champion" before the introduction of MHSAA playoffs in 1975. (Middle) A number of Big Reds legends, clockwise from left: Bennie Oosterbaan, Earl Morrall, coach Robert Zuppke, coaches C. Leo Redmond and his rival, to the right, Muskegon Heights' Oscar E. "Okie" Johnson, over an action shot from their 1943 game. (Middle below) Marcus Longmire celebrates a touchdown during the 1989 playoff against Escanaba. (Below) Pesch's book, co-authored with Marc Okkonen, detailed the first 100 years of Muskegon football.

Drive for Detroit: Playoff Week 1 Review

November 4, 2019

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Everything starts fresh in the playoffs. It’s not supposed to matter which teams have dominated during the regular season or won the first time when two rivals are set to meet again.

When coaches need a little help convincing their players of any of that, they should remember this first weekend of the 2019 postseason.

Upsets abounded, rematches reversed, and a few brackets saw some serious shake-up during the Pre-District and Pre-Regional rounds in 11- and 8-player, respectively.

Our weekly review, playoff edition, glances at some of the results from every division as we move one step closer to Ford Field and the Superior Dome.

"Drive for Detroit" is sponsored by MI Student Aid.

11-Player

Division 1

HEADLINER Macomb Dakota 34, Clinton Township Chippewa Valley 13 The reigning Division 1 champion Big Reds (9-1) had won 23 straight games including three during that time over rival Dakota, but this year’s first meeting was an indication of what might be possible. Chippewa Valley won the Week 6 meeting only 27-21, and unlike last year – when the Big Reds won the regular-season game by seven and the playoff rematch by 41 – Dakota flipped the result for perhaps the biggest upset from a weekend full of them. Click for more from the Macomb Daily and see highlights below from State Champs Sports Network.

District Digest East Kentwood 38, Rockford 12 This nearly overtook the above for biggest upset statewide. A week after Rockford (8-2) downed East Kentwood 17-7 to lock up the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red title, the Falcons (6-4) stormed back to hand the Rams their earliest playoff exit since 2002. Belleville 49, Saline 10 This matchup of 2018 semifinalists went Belleville’s way big as the Tigers (10-0) achieved double-digit wins for the third straight season and held the Hornets (8-2) to their fewest points this season. Detroit Cass Tech 24, Grosse Pointe South 17 The Technicians (6-4) may have made the playoffs as an additional qualifier, but they always are tough to beat in the postseason and advanced to the District Finals for the 12th straight year. The Blue Devils finished 7-3. Davison 35, Romeo 21 The Cardinals (8-2) bounced back from a Week 9 loss to Lapeer and also a first-round playoff exit a year ago to get past Romeo (7-3) and earn a rematch this week with the Lightning.

Division 2

HEADLINER Detroit U-D Jesuit 34, North Farmington 21 The Cubs (7-3) did win the Detroit Catholic League AA title this fall, but had to beat Dearborn Divine Child a second time Week 9 to make the playoffs as an automatic qualifier. So on paper, they may not have been expected to hand North Farmington (9-1) its first and only loss – although digging deeper, it’s key to remember Jesuit’s defeats were to annual powers Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, Detroit Catholic Central and Warren De La Salle Collegiate – valuable preparation for games of this magnitude. Click for more from the Oakland Press.

District Digest Farmington 12, Oak Park 6 The Falcons (8-1) fell short of winning the Oakland Activities Association Blue because of a four-point loss to North Farmington, but they’ll play for a District title after this win over the OAA White champion Knights (8-2). Midland Dow 27, Traverse City Central 24 The Chargers (7-3) are riding as hot a streak as any team in the state and followed up a league title-clinching win Week 9 by edging the Big North Conference champion Trojans (8-2). Muskegon Mona Shores 20, Midland 13 The Sailors (8-2) began a march they hope leads to a second-straight trip to Ford Field with a second straight win over the Chemics (8-2) after also defeating them in last year’s Semifinal. Port Huron 27, Port Huron Northern 21 The Big Reds (7-3) broke a three-game losing streak against their crosstown rival as they continued their best season since 2014. Northern (8-2) had won the first meeting Week 7, 29-26, but lost star defensive end Braiden McGregor to a season-ending injury in that victory.

Division 3

HEADLINER St. Johns 17, Mason 7 The Redwings (7-3) have made nice strides under first-year coach Andy Schmitt this fall, with their best record since 2015. But they’ve also made big improvements over just the last five weeks – St. Johns had fallen to Mason 46-7 in Week 5, and the Bulldogs (9-1) went on to achieve their first undefeated regular season. The rematch win gave the Redwings a 6-2 advantage on Mason since the teams became part of the same league in 2014. Click for more from the Lansing State Journal and see highlights from WILX.

District Digest DeWitt 21, East Lansing 13 On the other side of the District from St. Johns, DeWitt (8-2) avenged its only Capital Area Activities Conference Blue defeat by downing the Trojans (7-3) in a matchup of two of the three teams that shared the league title. Flint Kearsley 20, Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice 19 The Hornets (8-2) made their first playoff game since 1998 count winning a game that saw both teams score during the final minutes. Rice finished 6-4. Cedar Springs 34, Mount Pleasant 7 The Red Hawks (9-1) will play for a District title for the third-straight season after opening the playoffs for the second straight with a win over the Oilers (7-3). Zeeland West 38, Zeeland East 7 The Dux (9-1) avoided the rematch upset that had occurred between these rivals in the playoffs three of the last seven years, finishing a season sweep of the neighboring Chix (5-5).

Division 4

HEADLINER Sparta 35, Muskegon Orchard View 0 This looked on paper like potentially one of the first round’s best matchups, and Sparta (9-1) showed up big in its first playoff game since 2013. The Spartans not only handed Orchard View (9-1) its lone loss, but shut out an offense averaging 40.7 points per game entering the weekend. See highlights below from FOX 17.

District Digest Grand Rapids South Christian 31, Grand Rapids Christian 28 The Sailors had given Grand Rapids Christian (7-3) one of the latter’s two closest O-K Gold games, losing by just seven Week 7. South Christian (6-4) avenged that 27-20 defeat, hanging on after a late Eagles score. Cadillac 35, Escanaba 12 The Vikings’ first playoff win since 2013 came at Escanaba (7-3) against a team that had won three straight District titles. Cadillac (6-4) heads back over the Bridge this week to Sault Ste. Marie. Fowlerville 29, Goodrich 28 (OT) The Gladiators (7-3) went for a 2-point conversion after its overtime touchdown and knocked out a league champion in the Martians (7-3). Milan 14, Carleton Airport 13 The Big Reds (10-0) narrowly escaped joining the list of those who suffered rematch downfalls, getting past Airport (6-4) for the second time in three weeks after winning the Week 8 meeting 20-6.

Division 5

HEADLINER Almont 30, Richmond 20 The Raiders traveled to Richmond (8-2) for the second time in four weeks and came home victorious again against the team it defeated previously to clinch a share of the Blue Water Area Conference title. Almont (10-0), which then won the league outright, also reached double-digit wins for the second-straight season and will play this week for what would be its first District title since 2014. Click for more from the Port Huron Times Herald.

District Digest Kalamazoo United 16, Berrien Springs 12 The Titans (6-4) are surging, claiming a share of their league title Week 9 against previously-unbeaten Schoolcraft and this week ending the season for another undefeated team in the Shamrocks (8-1). Lansing Catholic 28, Olivet 21 The Cougars (9-1) got past Olivet (8-2) in the first round for the third-straight year to again earn a chance to avenge its only loss against rival Portland. Dearborn Heights Robichaud 29, Dundee 28 A fourth-quarter score gave the Bulldogs (8-2) their first playoff win since 2015 and sent Dundee to 5-5, still tying its winningest season since 2012. Whitmore Lake 45, Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard 28 The Trojans (8-2) earned their first postseason win since 2006 by avenging a 22-20 Week 5 loss to the Fighting Irish (5-5).

Division 6

HEADLINER Sanford Meridian 19, Ithaca 14 Talk about perseverance. The Mustangs (7-3) are in the playoffs for the first time since 2015 and after three straight sub-.500 seasons. During their last three-year playoff stretch from 2013-15, they were eliminated by Ithaca (8-2) twice. And Meridian also put this win together on the road and coming off its third loss over the final five weeks of the regular season. Click for more from the Mount Pleasant Morning Sun and see highlights below from MI Sports Now.

District Digest Menominee 48, Ishpeming Westwood 18 The Maroons (7-3) moved to 24-8 in playoff contests this decade and appear to be heating up with at least 47 points for the third straight game, this total the most given up by Westwood (7-3) since 2013. Harrison 38, Clare 6 The Pioneers (8-2) rarely lose during the Jack Pine Conference season, but Harrison (6-4) came back from a 42-40 Week 3 defeat to win this rematch 38-6. Constantine 58, Niles Brandywine 8 The Falcons’ best season since 2014 now includes a share of a league title and handing the only loss to Brandywine (9-1). Constantine (8-2) increased its points per game average to 42.3. Millington 21, Flint Hamady 14 The Cardinals (6-4) extended their playoff season streak to 16 as an additional qualifier, then opened the postseason by defeating a league champion in Hamady (7-2).

Division 7

HEADLINER Riverview Gabriel Richard 17, Clinton 14 The Pioneers won on a field goal as the final seconds ticked off the clock. Gabriel Richard (8-2) has had a nice run over the last five years and will play in its fourth District Final during that time and third straight. But this still likely was considered a slight upset with Clinton (9-1) undefeated for the regular season for the fifth time in eight years and having beaten all but one of its opponents this fall by double digits. Click for more from the Adrian Daily Telegram.

District Digest Charlevoix 32, Harbor Springs 0 The Rayders (7-3) won in the playoffs for the first time with their first shutout of the season and after also defeating Harbor Springs (6-4) 47-27 in Week 9. McBain 14, Oscoda 12 The Owls (8-2) were playing for their first playoff win since 2000, but McBain (6-4) held on to book a return trip to the District Finals. Lawton 7, Centreville 3 These teams combined to gain only 384 yards and punt seven times, which made sense since Lawton (10-0) gives up 7.8 points per game and Centreville (6-4) gave up 8.6 per game this fall. Detroit Loyola 26, Detroit Central 12 After facing six eventual playoff qualifiers during the regular season, Loyola (5-4) made the prep pay off in handing Central (8-2) its first defeat since Week 1.

Division 8

HEADLINER Flint Beecher 52, Clarkston Everest Collegiate 25 Beecher (6-3) worked through a 1-2 start and then an open Week 7 to reach the postseason, then kickoff off the playoffs by handing the Mountaineers (8-1) their only defeat. The teams had also met in the playoffs last year, a 22-14 Buccaneers District Final win, and this time Beecher took off for its highest-scoring game of the fall.

District Digest Lake Linden-Hubbell 36, West Iron County 14 The Lakes’ first playoff win since 2016 improved them to 7-3 and avenged a 24-16 Week 6 loss to the Wykons (7-3). Saginaw Nouvel 33, Merrill 13 Three straight losses at the end of the regular season forced Nouvel (6-4) to win Week 9 to have a chance at earning an additional qualifier spot, and now the Panthers are on a two-win streak after downing the Vandals (6-4). Reading 38, Mendon 0 The reigning Division 8 champ Rangers (9-1) started this playoff run with their fourth shutout over the last five weeks, ending Mendon’s season at 7-3. Sand Creek 52, Addison 24 The Aggies (8-2) finished third in a strong Tri-County Conference and earned the league more fame by doubling up the Cascades Conference-winning Panthers (7-3).

8-Player

Division 1

HEADLINER Gaylord St. Mary 48, Pellston 6 The Snowbirds (5-5) quickly ended Pellston’s first playoffs, locking down an offense that averaged 42.4 points per game. The Hornets’ only other defeat this fall came against Hillman as they finished 8-2 to end a streak of 22 straight sub-.500 seasons. Next up for St. Mary is Suttons Bay, which it beat on the field by a point in Week 6. Click for more from the Gaylord Herald Times.

Regional Roundup Mio 34, Mayville 22 The Thunderbolts (9-1) extended their first 8-player season with their first playoff win since 2010, ending what tied for the winningest season for Mayville (6-4) since 1987. Kingston 58, Mesick 22 The Cardinals (8-2) made their first Regional Final since 2014 by defeating a league champion in Mesick (7-3), which concluded its winningest season since 1995. Martin 28, Bellevue 0 The Clippers (10-0) reached double-digit wins for the first time since 1987 with their first playoff victory since 2007, handing Bellevue (6-4) its first shutout since 2016.

Division 2

HEADLINER Powers North Central 46, Crystal Falls Forest Park 28 These rivals were two of the top seven teams in Division 2 by playoff point average, with North Central tied for the top spot. After falling in the teams’ first meeting 34-8, Forest Park scored first in the rematch but couldn’t keep pace with a Jets offense averaging 53.3 points per game. Click for more from the Escanaba Daily Press.

Regional Roundup Onekama 22, Wyoming Tri-unity Christian 20 The reigning Division 2 runner-up escaped a quicker exit against former league foe Tri-unity (5-5), which had beaten the Portagers (7-3) by two when they last met a year ago. Pickford 57, Engadine 12 The reigning Division 1 runner-up earned its second win this season over Engadine (8-2), which lost only to Pickford (9-1) this fall. Climax-Scotts 26, Brethren 6 The Panthers (8-2) bounced back from a two-point Week 9 loss to unbeaten Martin with a nice win over a Brethren team that strung together back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time and finished this fall 5-5.

Second Half’s weekly “Drive for Detroit” previews are powered by MI Student Aid, a part of the Office of Postsecondary Financial Planning located within the Michigan Department of Treasury. MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information. MI Student Aid administers the state’s 529 college savings programs (MET/MESP), as well as scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Connect with MI Student Aid at www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid and find more information on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.

PHOTO: After breaking a couple of tackles and almost getting pushed out of bounds, Menominee's Keagan Moore dives for the end zone and scores. (Photo by Cara Kamps.)