New Coach Takes Next Step at Escanaba
September 1, 2015
By Dennis Grall
Special for Second Half
ESCANABA – When school ended in early June, Dave Howes took a vacation trip to Florida and began thinking about his upcoming fourth season as junior varsity football coach at Escanaba High School.
Within a month he had become the school's varsity head coach, a position he had never thought about taking on.
"To tell you the truth, I never wanted to be a head football coach," Howes said in the Eskymos’ lockerroom before the start of a recent practice. "It just kind of fell in my lap."
Escanaba had a 10-17 record over the last three seasons under previous coach Jim Hansen, who was dismissed in June, but opened this fall with a 21-7 win over Alpena on Thursday. The Eskymos travel to Petoskey on Friday.
When Howes was contacted about moving up from the jayvees, he said, "I had to make up my mind. Do I want it? It happened real fast. I wasn't expecting it. It just happened."
He was encouraged to apply by several people, including an Escanaba High School administrator, and was given the blessing of his wife, Holly, to pursue the position. He is the second coach in four years to direct the Eskymos, who during the previous 50 years had just two head coaches, Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame inductees Jerry Cvengros and Dan Flynn.
When Howes first joined the Eskymos’ coaching staff in 2005, he said Flynn asked if he ever wanted to become the school's head coach. "I said, I don't know," said Howes. "I didn't envision it. Now I'm more than happy."
Howes said he has received excellent support from family, friends, players, coaches and the community during the short time he has been in charge.
"I want our fans to know that our kids are going to be competitive, and they are going to work hard. They will see there will be an edge about them," he said.
About 100 students came out for the three football levels, with 48 on varsity. Howes didn't have any preseason contact until after July 4, about a month behind the normal period. A big plus in the transition was all the previous assistant coaches stuck with the program, and they have all moved up a level in the process.
"They have all the kids they had in previous years, and we're running the same system," Howes said. "It has been an easy transition. Knowing the kids and knowing the coaches was easy. We had the same kids, the same coaches, the same philosophies. It's made practice easier."
Athletic director Nick Nolde brought the coaches and players together and provided the introductions, which weren't really necessary because of the carry over. "It's been smooth sailing ever since," said Howes of the best-case scenario coming together.
Nolde said given the way "everything went down, it has been a seamless transition. He is familiar with the kids, and he is familiar with the program."
Howes is a native of neighboring Gladstone, graduating in 1993 and playing against Escanaba teams in football, basketball and baseball. "It's weird. As a kid, I hated Escanaba with a passion. Now, here I am," said Howes, whose older brother Dave is an assistant varsity coach with former Escanaba player Don Koish and former Gladstone athlete Jason Micheau.
"It is so funny how things happen," said Howes, who also coached subvarsity football in Gladstone and Beal City following his 1998 graduation from Northern Michigan University and before coming to Escanaba in 2005.
He does not feel any pressure taking over the tradition-laden, highly-respected program spotlighted by the MHSAA Class A championship in 1981 and 1979 runner-up finish.
"To me, it is just a game and we're going to be competitive and try our hardest," Howes said. "We are moving forward. Every day we come in here and see the (old) pictures. It is a great tradition with great pride. But the focus is now. Everything is about the present."
He already has noticed the difference of being in charge of the whole program, from dealing with the news media to handling financial situations and MHSAA rules and regulations. "There is a lot more on my plate. Instead of being in charge of 30 kids, you are the boss of the whole program grades 7-12," he said.
He has also installed his own touch, starting with practice sessions. "The last couple of years we have had super-paced practices. This year we're doing more teaching in our practices," he said. "We are keeping it as simple as possible and putting kids in position to succeed. We're getting more done in a shorter amount of time."
He is not worried about matching X's and O's against such legendary Upper Peninsula coaches as Chris Hofer at Kingsford or Joe Noha from Menominee, nor is he concerned about the imprint made by Cvengros and Flynn, or even his high school coach, the highly-regarded John Mileski.
"I can't follow in their footsteps," he said. "They are irreplaceable. We've just got to move on."
Denny Grall retired in 2012 after 39 years at the Escanaba Daily Press and four at the Green Bay Press-Gazette, plus 15 months for WLST radio in Escanaba; he served as the Daily Press sports editor from 1970-80 and again from 1984-2012. Grall was inducted into the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame in 2002 and serves as its executive secretary. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for the Upper Peninsula.
PHOTOS: (Top) Escanaba High School football coach Dave Howes makes a point to members of the Eskymos recently at Escanaba Athletic Field. Howes took over the tradition-laden program in July and is the second head coach in the past four years, after the late Jerry Cvengros and Dan Flynn served as the only head coaches during the previous 50 years. (Middle) Howes encourages his football team during a practice session.
2014 Week 6 Football Playoff Listing
September 30, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Following 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 for 11-player teams, with 8-player teams ordered by playoff average. An asterisk (*) beside a record indicates a team has eight or fewer games scheduled. A caret (^) beside a school’s name indicates 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. 31. 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. 31.
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 on Oct. 26 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.
11-Player Playoff Listing
1. Macomb Dakota, 2814, 4-1, 79.200
2. Sterling Heights Stevenson, 2767, 4-1, 75.400
3. Clarkston ^, 2742, 5-0, 107.200
4. Grand Blanc, 2668, 4-1, 72.600
5. East Kentwood ^, 2592, 5-0, 91.200
6. Rockford, 2555, 4-1, 82.000
7. Clinton Township Chippewa Valley, 2538, 3-2, 60.400
8. Dearborn Fordson ^, 2411, 5-0, 91.200
9. Northville, 2298, 4-1, 69.600
10. Holland West Ottawa, 2293, 4-1, 79.000
11. Canton, 2289, 4-1, 75.800
12. Detroit Cass Tech ^, 2277, 5-0, 89.600
13. Brighton, 2133, 3-2, 55.800
14. Plymouth, 2116, 4-1, 66.400
15. Lapeer ^, 2112, 5-0, 89.600
16. Utica Ford, 2090, 3-2, 53.800
17. Hartland, 2007, 4-1, 78.400
18. Monroe, 1992, 4-1, 72.800
19. Grand Haven, 1960, 3-2, 57.400
20. West Bloomfield, 1929, 4-1, 72.800
21. Westland John Glenn, 1872, 3-2, 51.000
22. Warren Mott, 1870, 3-2, 60.200
23. Oxford, 1864, 4-1, 79.200
24. Ann Arbor Pioneer, 1857, 3-2, 53.800
25. Livonia Stevenson, 1848, 3-2, 49.000
26. Saline, 1844, 4-1, 77.933
27. Walled Lake Central, 1815, 4-1, 74.200
28. Romeo, 1770, 3-2, 58.400
29. Hudsonville, 1759, 3-2, 57.200
30. Waterford Mott, 1738, 4-1, 76.000
31. Rochester Hills Stoney Creek, 1711, 3-2, 55.800
32. Livonia Churchill ^, 1696, 5-0, 97.600
33. Grand Ledge, 1689, 3-2, 55.800
34. Waterford Kettering, 1610, 3-2, 52.400
35. Flint Carman-Ainsworth, 1568, 4-1, 70.800
36. Warren DeLaSalle, 1562, 3-2, 47.467
37. Detroit Western International, 1521, 3-2, 45.400
38. Detroit Martin Luther King ^, 1507, 5-0, 96.000
39. Walled Lake Western, 1502, 4-1, 72.600
40. Traverse City Central, 1490, 4-1, 78.600
41. Oak Park, 1486, 4-1, 74.400
42. Brownstown Woodhaven ^, 1484, 5-0, 96.000
43. Ypsilanti Lincoln, 1422, 3-2, 52.000
44. Caledonia, 1417, 3-2, 58.200
45. Midland, 1400, 3-2, 51.800
46. Portage Central *, 1384, 3-1, 63.000
47. Detroit Pershing, 1379, 3-2, 44.600
48. Southgate Anderson, 1374, 3-2, 50.800
49. Lansing Everett, 1364, 3-2, 53.800
50. Dearborn Edsel Ford, 1356, 3-2, 55.000
51. Wyandotte Roosevelt, 1351, 4-1, 75.800
52. Detroit East English, 1345, 4-1, 72.800
53. Portage Northern, 1345, 4-1, 78.400
54. Port Huron, 1336, 4-1, 79.200
55. Grosse Pointe North, 1310, 3-2, 58.400
56. Ypsilanti Community, 1300, 3-2, 56.600
57. Birmingham Brother Rice ^, 1298, 5-0, 97.600
58. North Farmington, 1296, 3-2, 50.200
59. Garden City, 1290, 3-2, 44.600
60. Battle Creek Lakeview *, 1278, 3-1, 75.000
61. Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills, 1275, 3-2, 47.200
62. Muskegon Mona Shores, 1274, 4-1, 82.200
63. Bay City Central, 1271, 3-2, 49.200
64. Birmingham Groves ^, 1270, 5-0, 86.400
65. Berkley ^, 1265, 5-0, 86.400
66. Flushing, 1260, 4-1, 78.600
67. Midland Dow ^, 1255, 5-0, 91.200
68. South Lyon ^, 1254, 5-0, 99.200
69. Southfield, 1239, 3-2, 57.400
70. Farmington Hills Harrison, 1212, 4-1, 79.000
71. Fenton ^, 1181, 5-0, 96.000
72. Farmington, 1178, 4-1, 72.600
73. Grand Rapids Northview, 1177, 3-2, 52.400
74. Warren Woods Tower ^, 1175, 5-0, 88.000
75. Muskegon ^, 1157, 5-0, 97.600
76. Lowell ^, 1145, 5-0, 86.400
77. Detroit Renaissance, 1144, 3-2, 45.800
78. Greenville, 1130, 4-1, 62.600
79. Gibraltar Carlson, 1129, 3-2, 52.600
80. Battle Creek Central, 1124, 3-2, 50.700
81. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern ^, 1113, 5-0, 86.400
82. Holland, 1109, 3-2, 52.000
83. Detroit Cody, 1096, 3-2, 44.400
84. Marquette, 1090, 4-1, 65.933
85. St. Johns ^, 1088, 5-0, 89.600
86. Byron Center, 1085, 4-1, 72.800
87. Allen Park, 1069, 4-1, 74.400
88. Auburn Hills Avondale, 1056, 3-2, 49.400
89. Orchard Lake St. Mary's ^, 1054, 5-0, 94.400
90. Mt. Pleasant, 1050, 3-2, 60.800
91. St. Joseph, 1028, 3-2, 58.600
92. East Grand Rapids, 986, 3-2, 57.600
93. Petoskey, 965, 4-1, 66.400
94. Trenton, 955, 3-2, 54.000
95. Romulus, 950, 4-1, 56.600
96. Riverview, 935, 4-1, 69.400
97. DeWitt ^, 930, 5-0, 91.200
98. Gaylord, 927, 4-1, 63.000
99. Linden, 921, 3-2, 51.000
100. Detroit Mumford, 919, 3-2, 47.400
101. Clio, 918, 3-2, 50.400
102. Cedar Springs, 910, 4-1, 65.800
103. Grand Rapids Christian, 895, 4-1, 74.400
104. Stevensville Lakeshore, 887, 4-1, 81.700
105. Niles, 885, 4-1, 66.200
106. Carleton Airport, 879, 3-2, 44.600
107. Coldwater ^, 876, 5-0, 70.400
108. Tecumseh, 869, 3-2, 57.200
109. New Boston Huron, 867, 4-1, 71.200
110. Warren Fitzgerald, 857, 3-2, 49.000
111. Zeeland West ^, 850, 5-0, 80.000
112. Dearborn Divine Child, 848, 4-1, 63.600
113. Bay City John Glenn, 847, 3-2, 43.200
114. Battle Creek Harper Creek, 845, 3-2, 44.400
115. St. Clair, 844, 4-1, 68.000
116. Edwardsburg, 839, 4-1, 67.800
117. Chelsea, 838, 4-1, 74.000
118. Detroit Old Redford, 837, 3-2, 44.000
119. Plainwell, 812, 4-1, 66.200
120. Marysville, 806, 3-2, 52.600
121. Spring Lake, 802, 3-2, 49.200
122. Detroit Denby, 800, 3-2, 58.800
123. Vicksburg, 794, 4-1, 67.800
124. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood, 790, 3-2, 41.000
125. Eaton Rapids, 773, 3-2, 45.800
126. Cadillac ^, 747, 5-0, 88.000
127. Goodrich, 737, 4-1, 68.000
128. Three Rivers, 722, 3-2, 50.600
129. Dearborn Heights Robichaud ^, 717, 5-0, 75.600
130. Yale, 716, 4-1, 56.600
131. Harper Woods Chandler Park Academy, 691, 3-2, 52.200
132. Detroit Country Day, 690, 3-2, 51.200
133. Muskegon Orchard View, 662, 4-1, 58.000
134. Williamston ^, 659, 5-0, 80.000
135. Paw Paw, 657, 3-2, 47.600
136. Lansing Sexton ^, 652, 5-0, 102.400
137. Whitehall ^, 644, 5-0, 70.400
138. Grosse Ile, 640, 3-2, 46.200
139. Kalamazoo Hackett, 635, 4-1, 54.800
140. Richmond, 630, 4-1, 69.600
141. Grand Rapids South Christian, 623, 3-2, 49.000
142. Wyoming Kelloggsville, 610, 3-2, 44.600
143. Wyoming Godwin Heights, 609, 4-1, 49.800
144. Saginaw Swan Valley ^, 602, 5-0, 70.400
145. Clawson, 589, 3-2, 40.800
146. North Muskegon, 577, 3-2, 38.200
147. Birch Run ^, 575, 5-0, 72.000
148. Remus Chippewa Hills ^, 567, 5-0, 81.600
149. Flint Powers Catholic, 553, 3-2, 57.400
150. Marine City ^, 553, 5-0, 78.400
151. Freeland ^, 549, 5-0, 78.400
152. Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard, 545, 4-1, 53.600
153. Stanton Central Montcalm, 539, 3-2, 44.200
154. Portland, 538, 3-2, 50.800
155. Menominee ^, 532, 5-0, 83.867
156. Detroit University Prep, 530, 3-2, 46.000
157. River Rouge, 530, 4-1, 67.200
158. Frankenmuth, 528, 4-1, 60.000
159. Gladwin, 528, 4-1, 55.200
160. Ida ^, 527, 5-0, 70.400
161. Hopkins, 522, 4-1, 61.400
162. Grayling, 517, 3-2, 40.850
163. Lansing Catholic ^, 515, 5-0, 80.000
164. Almont ^, 512, 5-0, 73.600
165. Carrollton, 511, 3-2, 37.400
166. Newaygo, 506, 4-1, 61.600
167. Olivet, 505, 4-1, 53.000
168. Berrien Springs, 501, 3-2, 43.800
169. Muskegon Oakridge, 501, 4-1, 55.200
170. Onsted, 499, 4-1, 45.600
171. Chesaning, 480, 4-1, 56.800
172. Manistee, 479, 4-1, 53.400
173. Gladstone, 473, 3-2, 35.000
174. Stockbridge, 462, 4-1, 58.200
175. Reed City, 461, 4-1, 56.600
176. Leslie, 454, 3-2, 37.800
177. Clare, 445, 3-2, 43.200
178. Harrison ^, 444, 5-0, 62.400
179. Kingsley, 439, 3-2, 39.600
180. Grand Rapids West Catholic ^, 438, 5-0, 83.200
181. Lakeview, 426, 4-1, 48.000
182. Beaverton, 422, 3-2, 36.200
183. Calumet, 419, 3-2, 48.133
184. Jonesville, 419, 3-2, 39.800
185. Jackson Lumen Christi ^, 417, 5-0, 76.800
186. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central ^, 417, 5-0, 84.800
187. Negaunee, 417, 3-2, 36.000
188. Millington ^, 414, 5-0, 76.800
189. Warren Michigan Collegiate ^, 414, 5-0, 72.000
190. Fennville, 407, 3-2, 34.600
191. Ithaca ^, 405, 5-0, 72.000
192. Sanford Meridian Early College, 404, 4-1, 45.200
193. Hillsdale, 401, 4-1, 52.000
194. Hanover-Horton, 399, 4-1, 40.600
195. Boyne City ^, 395, 5-0, 65.600
196. Grass Lake ^, 395, 5-0, 56.000
197. Madison Heights Madison, 393, 4-1, 71.200
198. Montrose, 392, 4-1, 53.400
199. Tawas, 385, 4-1, 54.800
200. Elk Rapids, 384, 3-2, 43.000
201. Niles Brandywine, 383, 4-1, 57.800
202. Manchester, 379, 4-1, 55.200
203. Watervliet, 378, 4-1, 47.000
204. Quincy, 375, 3-2, 28.400
205. Vassar, 375, 3-2, 36.800
206. St. Charles, 373, 3-2, 46.200
207. Bad Axe, 371, 3-2, 38.200
208. Constantine ^, 371, 5-0, 66.000
209. Clinton ^, 367, 5-0, 65.600
210. Vandercook Lake, 366, 4-1, 42.200
211. Laingsburg, 361, 4-1, 48.800
212. Schoolcraft, 361, 3-2, 48.400
213. Flint Beecher ^, 350, 5-0, 73.600
214. Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian, 347, 4-1, 55.000
215. Kent City, 344, 3-2, 34.600
216. Leroy Pine River, 343, 3-2, 41.400
217. Ravenna, 342, 4-1, 48.600
218. Carson City-Crystal, 330, 3-2, 36.000
219. Bridgman *, 327, 3-1, 48.600
220. Ishpeming Westwood, 318, 3-2, 33.200
221. Marlette, 316, 4-1, 49.800
222. Homer ^, 312, 5-0, 57.600
223. Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker ^, 308, 5-0, 62.400
224. Ishpeming *, 307, 5-0, 68.800
225. Traverse City St. Francis, 305, 3-2, 41.600
226. Burton Atherton, 304, 4-1, 53.600
227. Pewamo-Westphalia, 302, 4-1, 45.400
228. Dansville, 301, 3-2, 41.400
229. Gobles, 301, 4-1, 55.200
230. Iron Mountain, 298, 3-2, 40.000
231. Riverview Gabriel Richard, 297, 3-2, 49.400
232. Flint Hamady, 295, 4-1, 42.200
233. Union City ^, 294, 5-0, 56.000
234. Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest, 289, 3-2, 36.400
235. Ecorse, 288, 3-2, 38.800
236. Whittemore-Prescott ^, 283, 5-0, 67.200
237. Mancelona, 282, 3-2, 28.400
238. Saugatuck, 281, 3-2, 38.200
239. Detroit Loyola ^, 278, 5-0, 85.200
240. Manton, 276, 3-2, 34.600
241. Royal Oak Shrine Catholic, 273, 4-1, 49.800
242. Hudson, 271, 4-1, 45.600
243. Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett, 270, 4-1, 48.600
244. Decatur ^, 262, 5-0, 70.400
245. Lincoln Alcona, 260, 3-2, 35.000
246. Iron River West Iron County ^, 259, 5-0, 67.200
247. New Lothrop ^, 259, 5-0, 68.800
248. Blanchard Montabella, 256, 4-1, 48.200
249. Breckenridge, 247, 3-2, 38.000
250. Reading, 246, 3-2, 33.200
251. Norway, 244, 3-2, 32.767
252. Onekama, 244, 3-2, 28.400
253. Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary, 243, 4-1, 48.800
254. Suttons Bay, 243, 4-1, 51.050
255. Indian River Inland Lakes, 242, 4-1, 42.400
256. Ottawa Lake Whiteford, 238, 3-2, 34.800
257. Johannesburg-Lewiston, 237, 4-1, 44.000
258. Petersburg-Summerfield, 233, 3-2, 38.400
259. Harbor Beach ^, 232, 5-0, 65.600
260. Bessemer *, 231, 3-2, 28.467
261. L'Anse, 230, 3-2, 36.600
262. White Pigeon, 226, 3-2, 35.700
263. Beal City ^, 222, 5-0, 68.800
264. Lutheran Westland, 221, 4-1, 50.200
265. Coleman, 217, 4-1, 45.800
266. Mendon, 214, 4-1, 51.800
267. St. Ignace ^, 211, 5-0, 59.200
268. Pittsford, 205, 4-1, 36.800
269. Bark River-Harris, 194, 4-1, 37.300
270. Munising, 194, 4-1, 41.200
271. Central Lake, 190, 3-2, 28.600
272. Fowler ^, 189, 5-0, 62.400
273. Morenci ^, 184, 5-0, 67.200
274. Muskegon Catholic Central ^, 183, 5-0, 81.600
275. Sterling Heights Parkway Christian, 171, 3-2, 40.800