Playing 'Goodrich Football' at its Finest, Martians Make Title Dream Come True
By
Brad Emons
Special for MHSAA.com
November 29, 2024
DETROIT – Over his 32 years as head football coach at Goodrich, Tom Alward had come close once but was never able to hoist a state championship trophy.
But that all ended Friday as his Martians invaded Ford Field and rolled to a 35-6 victory over Niles in the Division 4 Final.
After falling 22-0 to Grand Rapids South Christian in the 2022 D4 championship game, Goodrich put on an impressive display in all three phases – offense, defense and special teams – to finish a 13-1 season and earn its first Finals title.
“I never gave up on a dream, and these guys are the ones that made it come true,” Alward said. “We tell the guys we want to get better every year. And I’ve had 32 of them get better. It’s been a great ride.”
To show how dominant the Martians were, Goodrich outgained the Vikings 424-96 in total yards.
And it all started up front.
“That’s Goodrich football,” Alward said. “That’s the way we play, that’s the way we coach it and we teach it, and what these guys bought into. We need to own the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, and when we do, good things happen.”
Goodrich showed great balance offensively as junior quarterback Tanner Mazich was 6 of 9 passing for 168 yards and a touchdown, while senior running back Chase Burnett rushed for 157 yards on 28 carries and a pair of TDs. Junior Jakoby Lagat contributed 76 yards on 12 carries along with another TD run.
It was all Goodrich in the opening half – and then some.
The Martians took a 7-0 lead with a 10-play, 68-yard drive resulting in a Mazich 21-yard TD strike to senior Max Macklem with 4:38 to go in the first period.
“It’s amazing when you have five or seconds to get open,” Macklem said. “He just gives me time back there. I find open grass and just throw the ball.”
Burnett then scored on a 1-yard TD run with 9:49 remaining in the second quarter as the Martians marched 74 yards on 11 plays to make it 14-0.
“I just always follow my blockers,” said the 6-foot, 200-pound Burnett. “I’m not going to go down with one tackle. I’m going to bounce off them, keep following them and run through tackles.”
Goodrich’s Zaiden Hall then came up with an interception at his own 49 with 6:27 to go in the half to set up Burnett’s six-yard TD run just 78 seconds later for a 21-0 advantage following Landon Williams’ third straight PAT. (A 41-yard pass from Mazich to Macklem set up the score).
“We liked the matchups with Max (Macklem) and we took shots, and that’s what happened – it worked,” Mazich said.
Goodrich was poised to go up four scores at the end of the half as Mazich hit Lagat on a 34-yard pass to put the ball on the Vikings’ 11.
But the Martians – out of timeouts – couldn’t spike the ball in time before the half ended following a five-yard run by Burnett down to the Niles 1 as the score remained 21-0.
The Vikings, making their first Finals appearance, had only 34 yards of first-half offense while Mazich himself was 4 of 5 passing for 130.
Goodrich got the ball to start the second half, and the Martians used 7:50 to score on a 16-play, 73-yard drive culminating in a Colton Burnett one-yard TD run to go up by 28 points. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Lagat scored a 12-yard run as the Martians pushed the lead to 35.
Niles, a winner of 12 straight after losing its season opener 30-7 to St. Joseph, couldn’t find any bargains offensively against the Martians’ suffocating defense. If there was any consolation for the Vikings, it came with 1:02 remaining when Peyton Gordon rushed 35 yards for the game’s final score.
Meanwhile, with his ability to make throws on the run and extend plays, Mazich proved to be a major thorn in Niles’ side.
“We had a great season. I’m proud of these guys,” Niles fourth-year coach Scot Shaw said. “They (Goodrich) are good; they obviously have to be to be here. (Mazich) did what he did and did well. We couldn’t stay in front of receivers, and we couldn’t have an edge on that kid. They controlled both lines of scrimmage, and they’re well-coached, played hard. I don’t know if we got caught by surprise ... take nothing away from them, but we didn’t play real well. But that’s part of it. Probably because they played better than we did.”
Shaw said Goodrich’s team speed was somewhat deceiving.
“They’re quick,” he said. “They probably didn’t look that quick on film. Their alignment really didn’t surprise us because they had shown that, but I think they were stronger and faster than probably we gave them credit for.”
Goodrich’s first championship run began during the offseason.
“I believed in these guys all season; they’re an incredible group,” Alward said. “They started workouts at 5:30 in the morning on January 8 of this year. And these guys, along with many others, didn’t miss workouts. They’ve worked that hard to get to this point. They deserve all the success that they have achieved. I can’t tell you how proud I am of them, how physical they play and just how much they embrace what we’re trying to do. And that’s gotten us to where we are right now.”
It was only two years ago when Mazich, then a freshman, was serving as a scout team quarterback during the Martians’ 2022 tournament run.
“I got to experience it,” the 5-foot-10, 165-pound junior said. “I just remember how disappointed everyone was with the loss and obviously we got our butts kicked pretty good, but I think it helped us win this game today. They came out strong and owned us the whole game, and that’s what we had to do this game and we did. Obviously Max Macklem is a great receiver, and we have three great running backs. It’s kind of hard to stop the offense with a bunch of weapons like that.”
PHOTOS (Top) Goodrich football coach Tom Alward hoists his football program’s first championship trophy as players rush to him Saturday at Ford Field. (Middle) The Martians’ Thomas Niles (15) works to pull away from a Niles defender. (Below) Jakoby Lagatt (24) enjoys a replay on the scoreboard. (Photos by Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
Many Champs Have Played Waiting Game
January 12, 2021
By Ron Pesch
Special for Second Half
A state football championship is a dream for many. Fans wait for the day that they can beam with pride as their favorite squad or school hoists the title trophy toward the sky. For coaches and kids, it’s a road to memories never to be forgotten.
Many schools still wait for that day. Others pray for a return to such glory.
Today, we look at return trips to the winner’s circle. It’s filled with fascinating facts.
Ten schools have won three or more consecutive gridiron championship since the arrival of the tournament in 1975 (when titles began being awarded annually in four classifications based on enrollment – A, B, C & D). Grand Rapids West Catholic, Farmington Hills Harrison and East Grand Rapids lead the pack with five successive titles. Muskegon Catholic Central, Detroit St. Martin dePorres and Ithaca each had streaks of four in a row, while Jackson Lumen Christi, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, Detroit Catholic Central and Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice each had three-peats. Michigan has seen 31 instances of back-to-back crowns in 11-player football, accomplished at least once by 28 schools. To date, Powers North Central is the only squad to repeat since the 8-player playoffs began in 2011.
But what about the span between titles?
Patience is a Virtue
Eighteen schools have seen gaps of 10 or more years between MHSAA football championships. It’s happened twice for both Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and Crystal Falls Forest Park.
St. Mary’s earned its first football title in 1977 under coach Art Paddy. Its second came 17 years later under current head coach George Porritt. The Eaglets have earned eight titles total and have appeared in 14 championship games. Seven of those titles have come under Porritt’s guidance. They went back-to-back in 1999-2000, but then had to wait 11 seasons before winning their fifth title in 2011. In between, they finished as runner-up on five occasions.
Forest Park has appeared in 13 MHSAA Football Finals over the years, including six of the first 10 Class D title games between 1975 and 1984. Led by Upper Peninsula coaching legend Richard Mettlach, the Trojans were winners of the first two Class D titles, when only 16 teams qualified for the postseason. A total of 31 seasons would pass before Forest Park would win its third football championship. In between, multiple alterations were made to the postseason.
In 1977, the playoffs expanded to a three-week format that included 32 participating teams. The tournament grew to 64 qualifiers in 1985, then moved from awarding titles in four classes to eight (AA, A, BB, B, CC, C, DD & D) involving 128 teams, played out over four weeks. In 1999, the postseason was again altered, to a five-week layout including 256 contenders within eight groupings of 32 teams (Division 1 through Division 8), established after the 256 qualifiers were determined.
Bill Santilli, captain and star running back of the Trojans’ 1975 championship squad, took over the program in 1996 and led the Red and Black on seven trips to the Division 8 championship game – the first in 2000, then to six straight appearances in the title game between 2004-2009. Leading 22-14, Santilli’s 2007 team ground the final 6:07 off the game clock to seal their victory over Fulton, ensuring celebration during the Trojans’ eight-hour, 500+ mile trip back to the Upper Peninsula.
Much changed over the following decade at Forest Park. Santilli retired following the 2013 season. He finished with and impressive 171-45 win-loss mark that included 17 straight years in the MHSAA Playoffs. He went out on a high note, posting a 12-1 mark in 2013.
In 2015, following a trend of continued declining enrollments at U.P. schools, the Crystal Falls Forest Park Board of Education chose to move to 8-player football beginning with the 2016 season.
In 2017, seeing a 20-percent increase in the number of schools that chose this option for their student-athletes, the MHSAA expanded the 8-player tournament to two divisions. That fall, under head coach David Graff, the Trojans returned home with the 8-player Division 2 crown, becoming the second team in Michigan to win titles in both forms of the game
So far, Lawrence, is the only other high school to win championships in both 11-player and 8-player ball. The Tigers won their first football title in 1997 in Class DD. In 2014, 17 years later, they trounced Cedarville, 56-12, to pick up their first championship in 8-player.
The Longest Interval of All
Ishpeming fans have enjoyed seven trips to the MHSAA Finals over the years. The Hematites, nicknamed after the reddish-black iron ore that was long mined in the area, waited 33 years between their 1979 title and their 2012 championship. That’s currently the longest span between football championships in Michigan history.
Boasting a strong ground attack, Ishpeming picked up its first state crown in 1975 in an impressive manner, defeating heavily-favored Hudson in a Class C showdown hosted at Central Michigan University. Coach Mike Mileski’s squad rambled to a 24-8 lead by the end of one quarter, then cruised to a 38-22 victory. Hudson hadn’t lost a contest since the 1968 season, and the Hematites’ triumph halted the Tigers’ national win streak at 72-games.
Mileski guided the Hematites to the 1978 Semifinal before departing for Marquette High School to continue his coaching and teaching career. John Croze, an assistant under Mileski, took the reins in 1979 and drove Ishpeming to its second MHSAA title – finishing with a 13-0 victory over Watervliet.
It took 31 years before Ishpeming earned another shot at a crown. The 2010 Division 7 title game was, once again, a showdown between the Hematites and Hudson. This time, Hudson – coached by Chris Luma, the Tigers’ quarterback back in 1975 – won a thriller, 28-26.
A mere two seasons later, Ishpeming was back, this time winning the first of back-to-back titles, both with victories over Detroit Loyola. Those also were the first of four straight visits to the Finals by coach Jeff Olson’s teams. In 2014, the two teams met again, this time with Loyola emerging as victor. Ishpeming won its third title in four seasons in 2015, downing Pewamo-Westphalia, 22-16.
On the coaching side, Rich Hulkow at Marshall waited 13 seasons (1996 & 2009) between championships. Schoolcraft’s Larry Ledlow (1989 & 2001) had a pause of 12 years between celebrations. The aforementioned Porritt at St. Mary’s saw a break of 11 years between title triumphs. Mike Giannone went 10 season between titles at Macomb Dakota (2007) and later Warren De La Salle Collegiate (2017). Even legends Al Fracassa at Brother Rice (1990 & 2000) and George Barcheski (1983 & 1993) at East Grand Rapids had 10-years spans of wonder during their long coaching careers. Pete Kutches won titles in 1980 and 1982 at Muskegon Catholic, then a decade passed before “The Catch” gave his Muskegon Reeths-Puffer squad the 1992 Class A championship.
Don’t Stop Believing
One school with a long streak of waiting remain in the chase during this extended 2020-21 postseason.
Traverse City High School last won a football title in 1988. Coach Jim Ooley’s Trojans finished Class A runner-up in 1975, then rattled off titles in 1978, 1985 and 1988. Named head coach in 1967, he retired following the 1991 season.
In the fall of 1997, the school split into two with the opening of Traverse City West.
Traverse City Central, as the original school is now known, is still chasing its next football championship 32 years later. The Trojans take on reigning Division 2 champion Muskegon Mona Shores in a Semifinal this Saturday.
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]:void(0);t with ideas for historical articles.
PHOTOS: (Top) Ryan Van Dyke scores one of his two touchdowns in Marshall’s 14-13 win over Kingsford in the 1996 Class BB Final. (Middle) The 1976 Crystal Falls Forest Park team. (Below) The 1979 Ishpeming team. (Photos from MHSAA files; Marshall photo by Gary Shook.)