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Powers North Central Extends Title Legacy

November 18, 2016

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

GREENVILLE – Their parents are taking credit for this, and for many reasons, rightfully so.

But the moms and dads who birthed the athletes rolling through Powers North Central’s football and boys basketball programs these last few years never stacked championships like this. For that matter, no class at any Michigan school has accomplished what the Jets seniors added to Friday night.

North Central’s 58-22 win over Deckerville at Legacy Field finished a second straight undefeated 8-player football championship season for the Jets, to go with two straight undefeated Class D championship teams for their boys basketball team – and ignited questions of how a school with only 115 students from a small Upper Peninsula community could come up with such a collection of talent.

Jets assistant coach Gerald Whitens provided his son, star quarterback and hoops guard Jason Whitens, with one explanation.

“Most of our parents went to North Central. It’s coming back around,” Jason Whitens said. “We had a good family group that stayed at Powers North Central, and we just kept filtering through and growing as a group. My dad said he blazed the path for us, and we just made it even bigger. So I have to give him a little credit.”

Added senior running back Bobby Kleiman, whose dad Scott also is a football assistant and played with Gerald Whitens on the school’s 1984 Class D champion basketball team: “(This kind of group) doesn’t come by often, I can tell you that. But we’re blessed to have the kids we have. The timing, everything, it just fell into place. We grew up with each other, we love each other, and it’s just a blessing to have the kids we have.”

That blessing to North Central athletics has been an unmovable obstacle for football opponents the last two seasons.

The Jets finished this run 13-0 to move to 26-0 since switching to 8-player before the start of the 2015 season.

But this most recent win didn’t come as smoothly as the score might indicate – at least during most of one quarter.

The first belonged to North Central, and the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Whitens in particular. In 2015, Kleiman became the first player in the then-five seasons of 8-player football to run for more than 200 yards in an MHSAA Final, finishing with 205. Whitens obliterated that record in the first quarter Friday, running for 231 yards and three touchdowns on only five carries as the Jets opened up a 20-0 lead.

But Deckerville, also undefeated and making its first championship game appearance since winning 8-player in 2012, didn’t fold. In fact, the Eagles (11-1) rode the running of senior tailback Austin Fritch and senior quarterback Brandon Pattullo, who combined for 162 yards rushing and three touchdowns during the second quarter to put the Eagles up suddenly 22-20 with 1:57 to play before the break.

North Central had trailed only once before this season, into the third quarter Week 2 against Crystal Falls Forest Park before coming back to win 60-42.

“We’re not used to other people scoring on us and having close games,” Bobby Kleiman said. “But we played Crystal Falls two weeks ago (a 60-50 Regional Final rematch); they’re an exact replica of this team. We had one of the craziest games ever with them, and they really prepared us for this game.”

Indeed, Whitens scored on a 44-yard run a minute after Deckerville took its lead, and the Jets never trailed again. Kleiman added a 49-yard scoring run less than three minutes into the third quarter, and Whitens added 37 and 2-yard scoring runs and a 71-yard touchdown pass to senior Marcus Krachinski.

Whitens finished with an 8-Player Finals rushing record that may not be broken in some time, 352 yards on only 17 carries (20.7 yards per carry) with six touchdowns. His numbers could’ve been greater, or at least different if for just two plays, both dropped passes that likely would’ve resulted in touchdowns. Still, Whitens completed 6 of his 12 throws for 100 yards despite rain that blew sideways for most of the first three quarters.

Deckerville had given up only 50 points total this season and only 18 during the playoffs despite facing two other undefeated teams.

“We made a nice comeback there, but you’ve still got to keep going, and we weren’t able to make some plays,” Deckerville coach Bill Brown said. “We can’t give up big plays and expect to win. We don’t have a kid like that that can get 80-yard runs every time and score.”

Fritch and Pattullo did both finish with 133 yards rushing, Pattullo on only 12 carries for an average of 11.1 yards per attempt.

Kleiman added 123 yards rushing on 10 carries despite what North Central read as Deckerville aligning to stop him early on. That read led to Whitens’ big first quarter, including a 38-yard run on the first offense play of the game, on the “dart” quarterback keeper play that North Central continued to throw at the Eagles throughout the night.

The addition of Friday’s performance gave Whitens 2,496 yards and 44 touchdowns passing this season, along with 943 yards and 22 touchdowns rushing.

He’s one of 11 seniors who played his last high school football game – and six of those seniors also played in last season’s Class D Basketball Final.

“This is the best class probably ever in the state, to do what they’ve done,” North Central coach Kevin Bellefeuil said. “Two basketball titles, two football titles, and they have to be a favorite to win a third one (in hoops).

“This is a special group of kids. We have the right mix of skill players, offensive linemen, linebackers; we have a little bit of everything.”

And some will take only a short break. Whitens said at first he’d be back to work for basketball Saturday morning. Then he self-corrected – he’ll wait until Monday instead.

“You’re never satisfied with who you were last year, or the day before. You’re always growing to get better each and every day of your life, and that’s how I go about my life,” Whitens said.

“We’ve got our eyes on the ultimate prize. This is our last year, last run at it, and we’re going to enjoy it. … I’m going to get home, join our community, let them bask in the glory with us. And then Monday morning, I’m ready to go.”

Click for the full box score.

The MHSAA Football Finals are sponsored by the Michigan National Guard.

PHOTOS: (Top) Powers North Central quarterback Jason Whitens breaks away for one of his six rushing touchdowns Friday. (Middle) A Deckerville ball carrier works to get free of a North Central defender. (Below) Whitens confers with Jets coach Kevin Bellefeuil. (Photos by John Johnson/MHSAA.)

Drive for Detroit: Week 9 in Review

October 22, 2018

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

This week, 288 Michigan high school football teams are starting anew.

But before we turn our focus entirely toward the playoffs, let’s say a final goodbye to another memorable regular season.

The last of available league championships were clinched Friday and Saturday, and more teams than we can mention won to get into the postseason. Sunday, of course, was highlighted by the announcement of playoff divisions and pairings – and we’ll jump into the most intriguing first-round matchups later this week.

But for now, let’s take an acknowledging glance at the storylines from Week 9, which in many cases set up some of what we’ll be watching the rest of the way.

“Drive for Detroit” is powered by MI Student Aid. 

Bay & Thumb

HEADLINER: Lapeer 28, Davison 6 The Saginaw Valley League Blue title went outright to the Lightning with this winner-take-all win. Lapeer (9-0) also capped its first perfect regular season since 2015 and third in five years since the former West and East high schools merged heading into fall 2014. Davison (7-2) finished league runner-up for the second straight season after winning it in 2016. Click for more from the Flint Journal and see below for highlights from WJRT.

Also of note: Ortonville Brandon 34, Swartz Creek 27 The Blackhawks (8-1) held off Swartz Creek to cap their best regular season run since 2000 with a share of the Flint Metro League title (with Flushing), while dropping the Dragons (6-3) out of first place and into a tie for third.

Remember this one: Midland 14, Midland Dow 8 Players never forget this kind of rivalry game. Midland (6-3) made it two straight over the Chargers (5-4) and in the process earned an automatic playoff berth. Dow became an additional qualifier, and they could meet again in a Division 2 District Final.

More shoutouts: Millington 34, Warren Michigan Collegiate 26 The Cardinals’ 14-year playoff streak was on the line, but Millington (6-3) earned an automatic bid by handing Michigan Collegiate (8-1) its lone regular-season defeat. Byron 31, Flint Beecher 27 Croswell-Lexington 47, Goodrich 13 Both ended up in the playoffs, but the Pioneers (6-3) made sure this time after missing last year at 5-4; Goodrich (5-4) did qualify with that record this time despite the defeat.

Greater Detroit

HEADLINER: Detroit Cass Tech 42, Detroit Martin Luther King 8 The Technicians (9-0) will carry Detroit Public School League Green and now PSL A playoff titles into the postseason after avenging last year’s 10-point loss to King. The perfect regular season finish was the team’s second in three years and fourth in six. King, the PSL Black champ, fell to 7-2. Click for more from MLive-Detroit and see below for highlights from State Champs Sports Network.

Also of note: Warren DeLaSalle 24, Detroit Catholic Central 6 A week after falling to the Shamrocks 10-7 in what created a shared Detroit Catholic League Central title between the two, DeLaSalle (7-2) came back to down DCC (6-3) in the Prep Bowl A-B championship game at Ford Field.

Remember this one: Farmington Hills Harrison 48, Farmington 7 The final regular-season game in Harrison’s illustrious football history saw the Hawks (6-3) earn an automatic playoff bid with a big win over Farmington (6-3), which also qualified for the first time since 2015.

More shoutouts: Oak Park 21, Clarkston 14 The Oakland Activities Association White champion Knights (8-1) bounced back from a Week 8 loss to gain a boost by beating the OAA Red champ Wolves (7-2). Belleville 32, Brighton 17 They met to open and close the regular season, but this Kensington Lakes Activities Association overall championship win for the Tigers (9-0) wasn’t as nail-biting as that five-point Week 1 victory over the Bulldogs (7-2).

Mid-Michigan

HEADLINER: Pewamo-Westphalia 28, Williamston 27 (OT) The Pirates (9-0) stopped a 2-point conversion try in overtime to win this matchup of league champions and finish their third straight perfect regular season in four years. The two-time reigning Division 7 champion hadn’t had a game closer than 28 points this fall before getting a valuable test from the Division 4 Hornets (7-2). Click for more from the Lansing State Journal and see highlights below from FOX 17.

Also of note: Howard City Tri-County 48, Holton 16 The Vikings (5-4) made the playoffs for the first time since 2004 after giving themselves the opportunity with this win over Holton (5-4), which also was selected. Tri-County also guaranteed its first .500-or-better season since 2005 after going 1-8 a year ago.

Remember this one: East Lansing 20, Okemos 17 These neighbors already had qualified for the playoffs, Okemos (6-3) for the first time since 2014. But this might be another indication this rivalry is on its way back – East Lansing (8-1) has won four straight meetings, but four of the last six have been decided by seven points or fewer.

More shoutouts: Portland 27, Montague 20 The Raiders (9-0) look playoff-ready again after capping their third perfect regular season in four years by beating a Montague team that finished 7-2 with its only other defeat to also-unbeaten Reed City. Vermontville Maple Valley 42, Comstock 18 The Lions (5-4) struggled mightily through a 2-4 start, but finished with three straight wins to line up their second straight playoff appearance.

Northern Lower Peninsula

HEADLINER: Traverse City West 21, Petoskey 6 The Titans (7-2) entered this game with the possibility of falling into a three-way shared Big North Conference title. Instead, West won outright and finished a regular season where its two defeats were by a combined 10 points. Petoskey (5-4), meanwhile, earned its first playoff berth since 2015 after going a combined 5-14 over the last two seasons. Click for more from the Traverse City Record-Eagle.

Also of note: Benzie Central 42, Frankfort 6 The Huskies (6-3) clinched their first playoff berth since 2011 – and after not having a team in 2016. Benzie came back to go 1-8 last season before completing the turnaround. Frankfort finished 5-4 but was an additional qualifier after winning three of their last five games.

Remember this one: Traverse City St. Francis 35, New Lothrop 14 Remember it, because the Hornets (8-1) do not lose often during the regular season. This was just their second regular-season defeat in nine seasons, but came against a Gladiators team that at 9-0 finished its third perfect regular season in four years.

More shoutouts: Maple City Glen Lake 27, Grayling 19 The Lakers (5-4) won the Northern Michigan Football League Leaders championship but were in jeopardy of missing the playoffs; beating Grayling (3-6) made them eligible as an additional qualifier. Gaylord 41, Sault Ste. Marie 0 Gaylord’s Blue Devils (6-3) bounced back from two straight one-point defeats to clinch their first playoff berth since 2015 and leave Sault Ste. Marie (5-4) just short, although those Blue Devils more than doubled their 2-7 records of both last season and 2016.

Southwest Corridor

HEADLINER: Cassopolis 21, Centreville 0 It’s rare to luck out with two undefeated teams meeting for a league championship in their regular-season finale. Cassopolis (9-0) chipped away to claim the Southwest 10 Conference title with its sixth shutout this fall. Centreville (8-1) entered averaging nearly 44 points per game, and still has plenty to celebrate – the Bulldogs have their first playoff berth and winning season both since 2008. Click for more from the Cassopolis Vigilant.

Also of note: Kalamazoo United 21, Schoolcraft 20 The Southwestern Athletic Conference Valley championship was decided by a point as the Titans (9-0) edged Schoolcraft for the second straight season after beating the Eagles (7-2) last year by three.

Remember this one: Portage Northern 16, St. Joseph 7 The Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference West sent five of its six teams to the playoffs, and the league race frequently is close. Portage Northern (7-2) with this win earned a share of the title while dropping the Bears (5-4) out of a possible share and into a tie for third place.  

More shoutouts: Stevensville Lakeshore 18, Mattawan 13 The Lancers’ 20-year playoff streak was on the line, but this win put them at 5-4 and allowed them to be selected as an additional qualifier. Mattawan (5-4) was selected as well. Coloma 52, Watervliet 36 The Comets (5-4) beat Watervliet for the first time since 2009 (they didn’t play 2012-14) to finish 5-4 for the second straight regular season – but this time they were selected for the playoffs for the first time since 2008.

Southeast & Border

HEADLINER: Reading 55, Grass Lake 7 The Rangers (9-0) took their domination outside of the Big 8 Conference with this crossover win over the Cascades Conference champion. Grass Lake (8-1) also entered undefeated and scoring nearly 39 points per game. Click for more from the Hillsdale Daily News.

Also of note: Jackson 36, Lake Fenton 14 The dream season continued for the Vikings (9-0), who ended the regular season unbeaten for the first time perhaps ever (?). Someone surely will be doing some digging to confirm, but it will be well worth it to celebrate a historic accomplishment – and after Jackson went 4-5 a year ago.  

Remember this one: Brooklyn Columbia Central 35, Hudson 16 The Eagles (8-1) broke a two-game losing streak to the Tigers (4-5) to clinch a share of the Lenawee County Athletic Association title with Hillsdale, which it defeated in Week 8.

More shoutouts: Hillsdale 30, Dundee 13 The Hornets (8-1) held on to their share of the LCAA title by avenging two straight defeats to Dundee (5-4), and by doing so kept the Vikings out of the playoffs. Michigan Center 25, Springport 16 The Cardinals finished the regular season 8-1 for the second straight as Springport (7-2) lost for the second straight week but only second time this season.

Upper Peninsula

HEADLINER: Escanaba 39, Kingsford 27 The Eskymos (7-2) probably didn’t anticipate ending the weekend with a share of the Great Northern Conference championship. But by beating the Flivvers (4-5), Escanaba was able to benefit from Menominee’s upset of first-place Marquette. The win over Kingsford held additional significance too – the Flivvers edged the Eskymos for the GNC title last season with a win in their Week 9 meeting. Click for more from the Escanaba Daily Press.

Also of note: Gwinn 20, Munising 16 The Modeltowners (6-3) flipped last season’s 3-6 record to earn an automatic playoff berth and keep Munising (4-5) from possible selection as an additional qualifier.

Remember this one: Menominee 32, Marquette 14 This ended an uncharacteristic down season for the Maroons (2-7) – they saw their 22-year playoff streak come to an end. But they did finish by adding to a seven-game winning streak over Marquette, denying the Redmen (4-5) an outright league title and possible additional qualifier bid for the playoffs.

More shoutouts: Ishpeming 54, Bark River-Harris 13 The Hematites (9-0) put together their fourth perfect regular season in six years and coming off back-to-back three-win finishes. St. Ignace 44, Gaylord St. Mary 0 The Saints missed the playoffs, but finishing 5-4 was a great jump from 1-8 in 2017.

West Michigan

HEADLINER: East Kentwood 28, Rockford 17 The Falcons (8-1) made their way through an Ottawa-Kent Conference Red that will send four of seven teams to the playoffs – and with Rockford making a bid Friday to grab a share of the league title. The win over the Rams was East Kentwood’s first since 2015 and put Rockford (5-4) in an unfamiliar spot of briefly not knowing if its season was done – although the Rams did make the playoffs as an additional qualifier for a record 24th straight season. Click for more from the Grand Rapids Press and see highlights below from WZZM.

Also of note: Zeeland East 36, Hudsonville Unity Christian 13 The Chix (8-1) completed a repeat O-K Green championship after Unity Christian (7-2) entered with an opportunity to create a three-way tie for the top spot.

Remember this one: Saugatuck 56, Fennville 20 The Indians (8-1) claimed the SAC Lakeshore title in this winner-take-all matchup, avenging the Week 9 loss to the Blackhawks (7-2) a year ago that gave Fennville the championship ahead of Saugatuck.

More shoutouts: Holland Christian 24, Spring Lake 17 Despite playing in an O-K Green with three other playoff teams, the Maroons (6-3) are headed back to the postseason for the first time since 2012 and with a guaranteed final winning record for the first time since 2009. Spring Lake (5-4) also made the playoffs as an additional qualifier after going 0-9 a year ago. Hudsonville 23, Holland West Ottawa 16 Two more of the O-K Red’s best met with playoffs on the line for the Eagles, who earned an automatic berth with the win. These two will settle things one more time with a Division 1 rematch this week.

8-Player  

HEADLINER: Wyoming Tri-unity Christian 22, Colon 14 The Midwest Central Michigan Conference West champion Defenders (9-0) handed the Southern Central Athletic Association A champion Magi their only loss of the regular season, holding Colon (8-1) to almost 33 points under its average. The win also gave Tri-unity its second perfect regular season in three years. These teams could meet again in an 8-Player Division 1 Semifinal. Click for more from the Sturgis Journal.

Also of note: Morrice 32, Webberville 0 The Orioles finished 9-0 for the first time in program history and reached nine wins for the third time in four years. Webberville made the loss pay off getting enough bump to make the playoffs at 4-5 with a higher playoff-point average than other teams that finished 5-4.

Remember this one: Engadine 52, Crystal Falls Forest Park 42 The Eagles (8-1) edged the reigning 8-player Division 2 champ Trojans (5-4), but these teams could see each other again in a Regional Final.

More shoutouts: Pickford 48, Cedarville 8 The Pirates (9-0) completed their second straight perfect regular season and finished an outright title run in the Great Lakes Conference East. Cedarville (5-4) will join three others from the league in the playoffs. Deckerville 20, Peck 8 The Eagles (7-2) eluded a possible shared North Central Thumb League Blue title, holding on to the championship outright by holding off an upset bid by the Pirates (5-4).

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PHOTO: Lapeer pushes through for a touchdown during its league title-clinching win over Davison. (Photo by Terry Lyons.)