Remington's 'All-State' Remains in Play
By
Ron Pesch
MHSAA historian
October 28, 2016
Unfortunately, or perhaps fittingly, Richard E. Remington’s time on earth ended during football season.
Age 69 at the time of his passing, Remington was well-known as one of Michigan’s best football referees, at both the high school and college level. But for tens of thousands of high school football fans, players and parents, he was once best-known as the father of the Michigan All-State football team.
Now some might argue that there were others before. Indeed, “all-state” or “all-scholastic” teams go back nearly to the start of prep football in Michigan. From the beginning, fans have wanted to identify the state’s and the nation’s most talented athletes.
However, most of those selections were made by a local newspaper writer, or perhaps a high school coach. Usually, they were built around the finest players seen among opponents, and featured a more-than-healthy dose of local athletes. Coach “Bull” Green of Saginaw High named four from Saginaw and one from Saginaw Arthur Hill among his 1907 All-State eleven. In 1912, William H. Stocking, coach of Detroit Central, named an 11-member “all-scholastic” team that included four ballplayers from his own Detroit Central squad. Across the state that same year, Louis Gudelsky, coach of Muskegon’s high-scoring team, included four MHS players among his All-State selections.
Remington began officiating high school games before graduation from the University of Michigan in 1910. Born in Auburn, N.Y., he was educated as a civil engineer. But it was his interest in high school athletics that led him to a career in education. In 1912 and 1913, he guided Orchard Lake St. Mary’s through its first two seasons of football. Next came work at Detroit Eastern (now Detroit Martin Luther King), where he served as an assistant coach in multiple sports in 1914 before taking over as head coach of the school’s football and baseball teams in 1915. With the opening of Detroit Northeastern in 1917, Remington again changed schools when he was named director of athletics for the Green and Brown.
By then, he was recognized as one of the state’s finest officials. Of the opinion that “schoolboy athletes didn’t receive sufficient recognition,” Remington picked his first All-State squad in 1917 for the Detroit News, adding a paragraph on each describing his assessment of the athlete. Who better than an impartial judge – a referee – to select an all-state squad?
Remington’s article announcing his picks included his summation on the top team he had seen on the year, (in this case, Scott High of Toledo, Ohio) and his first-team selections, including player weights. While no second team was named, he did include a brief “honorable mention” list, noting “no team is stronger than its substitutes.”
He also admitted the possible shortfall of his choices.
“I have refereed behind the majority of the larger teams, and if there is some one man in a smaller team deserving of especial mention whom I have left off, I am indeed sorry. I base my conclusions on what I have seen right on the field, close to the boys, and at that angle one has a little better view point than from the stands or coaches benches.”
Discussing the team named by Remington, C.D. McNamee, editor and publisher of the Muskegon Chronicle, wrote, “The selections of the Detroit tutor are by far the best of any made this fall by various writers and officials.”
Despite an influenza pandemic sweeping the nation in 1918 that affected the number of games played, Remington was one of the few to name an All-State squad that fall. This time around, he added a second team, and also called out six other players for special mention.
Remington’s writing was unique, in depth, and captured the public’s attention. His selections included fewer clusters from a single school.
Within the write-up of his 1919 team, again published by the News, he singled out Lansing Central quarterback Don Graham (who had also appeared among his 1918 selections) and called him “the brainiest high school player in Michigan.” As such, Graham was named captain of Remington’s mythical squad.
Those selections did create a stir, at least in one part of the state.
“R.E. Remington, Detroit, who selected the Detroit News “all-state” prep school football team, probably is unaware of the fact that Cloverland – the upper peninsula – is part of Michigan,” stated a column that appeared in the Ironwood Daily Globe. “Mr. Remington knows considerable about the southern half of the state, but his education is bounded by Lakes Michigan and Huron.” The author noted that only six cities were represented on the Detroit official’s first team: Lansing, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, Detroit and Muskegon.
“‘As a center,’ says Mr. Remington, ‘B. Springsteen (Detroit Northwestern) is without peer in the state.’ Mebbe, but that’s coming strong, unless Remington saw Umnus of Menominee. No all-state quarterback could be selected fairly without consideration of ‘Bud’ Finch of Escanaba.”
Of course, similar sentiments would be repeated often in the years that followed, as fans, coaches and writers felt slighted when a favorite athlete from a school was ignored.
Remington moved away from coaching football, when his employment led him to Detroit Northwestern in the fall of 1919. However, he did coach basketball there until early in 1922.
“Everyone was sorry to see Richard E. Remington forced to resign as basketball coach,” it was noted in the school yearbook that spring. “Mr. Remington’s ill health lost Northwestern a fine basketball coach. As a coach few surpassed him.”
He did recover from health issues, and would continue to serve as a mathematics instructor at Northwestern. Athletics continued to fill his weekends as he was in constant demand as an official at both the college and prep level.
In 1920, the National Federation of State High School Athletic Associations was formed. The Roaring Twenties saw explosive growth in sports coverage across media, and that became a major reason for men to purchase newspapers. Interscholastic sports and the heroic accomplishments of local “boys” were highlighted in the local newspaper and saved in scrapbooks. Civic pride meant great joy when a local earned recognition in one of the statewide papers.
As the circulation and marketing departments recognized the value, advertisements in a variety of newspapers began to highlight the release of Remington’s teams as a reason to pick up a copy of the News from a local newsstand across the state. By 1922, Remington’s prep all-state selections were viewed as the ultimate achievement for a gridiron athlete and took on status as official. Individual photos of each of the first team selections were featured in a near half-page layout in the News that season.
Remington’s 1923 edition added a third team, and his Honorable Mention picks swelled to 31 players across all positions. That same fall, Remington named an “All-Time, All-State High School Team, highlighting players from as far back as 1911. His 22 picks, spread over a first and second team, included 10 from Detroit high schools. Hindsight, as is said, is 20/20, and Remington’s choices were, no doubt, influenced by play at the college level.
But one thing no one could argue – it certainly made for great press.
When Michigan State athletic director Ralph H. Young invited Remington and his all-state selections to East Lansing to attend the Spartans’ annual football bust banquet in 1924, the Remington stamp-of-approval only grew in value. Among the athletes selected that year was Russell Becks (Tackle, 5-foot-9, 190 pounds), likely the first African-American to be named first-team all-state in Michigan, although this fact was not mentioned in Remington’s write-up. He now relied on personal observation and, with the aid of some 20 men, had “access files, reports and data on every boy” playing high school football in classes ‘A’ and ‘B’ in Michigan.
Other papers published All-State selections. Since these were the days of mid-September starts to the season and Thanksgiving Day games between prep rivals, All-State teams generally received publication in late November and into December. Remington’s selections traditionally were the last announced.
The Detroit Free Press decided to fight fire with fire, and in 1926 hired George M. Lawton, another well-respected football official, to select its all-state team. One of the greatest punters ever developed at the University of Michigan, Lawton also had served as head coach at the University of Detroit in 1913 and 1914. A year before, Lawton and two other well-respected football officials, J.J. Ritter and Wit Duncan, selected an All-State squad for the Detroit Times, a Michigan tabloid-style newspaper.
In 1927, Lawton’s All-State selections were invited to attend the University of Michigan Club of Detroit’s annual Football Bust at the Statler Hotel in early December.
Edgy design and elaborate layouts announcing the All-State teams were a sight to behold in the Detroit publications in the coming years as the newspapers battled for readers.
“By the early 1930s, high school coaches were torn between the welcome impact and adverse effects of newspaper publicity,” notes Michael Oriard in his book, King Football. “While it helped to boost attendance and gate receipts, the added attention could also negatively affect the impressionable boys who played the game.”
As the battle for recognition raged, high schools across the state engaged Remington’s crew to insure area athletes were seen by the referee.
Remington continued with detailed analysis of his first-team selections, adding players’ heights and ages to his reports. In his write-up on the 1933 team, he noted weekly reports from 112 scouts from around the state had helped him in making selections. In the write-up accompanying his selections that appeared in the Free Press, Lawton thanked numerous football coaches and officials for assisting him with compiling his 1933 team. In both cases, the list of Honorable Mentions continued to expand.
Criticism still rained down.
“Remington names 33 men for his first, second and third teams, and then proceeds to give honorable mention to nearly 200 other high school players,” reported the Ironwood Daily Globe in mid-December of 1936. “The designation ‘all-state team’ is a misnomer, however, for out of all that crew of gridders not one has been selected from a high school north of the Straits of Mackinac.”
For unexplained reasons, in 1938, Lawton separated from the Free Press. He would die five years later at age 55.
Remington also separated from the News that year without explanation. Both papers continued selecting All-State squads, using in-house writers.
Yet the Remington tradition of selecting teams continued, with the announcement of his picks now occurring exclusively at the MSC football banquet. They were eagerly anticipated. Invitations to the event were sent to prep players across the state. In nearly all cases, “an invitation to a high school boy usually means a selection on at least the honorable mention list.”
“A crowd of 700 grid fans, alumni, students, players and sportswriters from throughout the state including 212 high school players” attended the Saturday, Dec. 10 banquet at the M.S.C. gymnasium. Remington’s selections were carried in a variety of newspapers including, for the first time, the Detroit Free Press.
The same arrangement with Michigan State took place in 1939. In 1940, the banquet program included a large photo of Richard Remington, next to his first, second and third-team selections. It would be Remington’s last All-State squad.
In 1941, the annual prep selections presented at the Michigan State banquet were chosen by the Michigan Officials Association.
The change, announced in late November by John H. Kobs of the Association, indicated that 200 ballots were mailed to member officials, and that players would be selected based on the returns.
Writing in his “Sports Patter” column in the Benton Harbor News-Palladium, sports editor Nort Baser celebrated the change.
“The conductor of this Patter has an idea the new order will be welcomed especially by the boosters of high school football as played in southwestern Michigan. … Since that team released at the Spartan banquet has been looked upon by many as being more or less official, we in this section of the state have always deplored the fact that a Detroit newspaper man should be the sole judge of the state’s talent.”
The void was filled by The Associated Press, who with the help of “a blue ribbon jury of sports editors of Associated Press newspapers, reflecting the opinions of their staffs, and 50 widely known coaches and officials,” selected its first All-State team. Following the formula established by Remington nearly 20 years before, the AP named first, second and third All-State squads, as well as a host of Honorable Mentions for recognition. Ironically, Watson Spoelstra, the AP writer who penned the column that accompanied the 1941 list, would later work as a sportswriter for the News for nearly 40 years.
Remington remained active into the 1940s as a college referee, frequently officiating MSC games. Slowly, his name faded from the sports spotlight. In 1952, AP writer Harry Stapler mentioned his name in his article on the season’s all-state selections:
“This is the 12th annual team picked by the Associated Press. The AP took over the job of picking all-state teams in 1941 when Dick Remington, widely known official and coach, retired from the job of picking what were considered the official all-state teams.”
Remington continued to work as a mathematics instructor at Detroit Northwestern until retirement in 1956. He died a year later, in late October at age 69, survived by his wife Ruth, three sons and two daughters.
His obituary, carried by some papers, did celebrate his contribution to Michigan prep sports. Perhaps more importantly, the die cast years ago by Remington, with slight modification, is still used by the Detroit papers and The Associated Press in honoring prep football’s finest athletes – the ultimate tribute to Remington’s lifetime of work.
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) Richard Remington's 1922 "All-State Team," selected for the Detroit News. (Top middle) A 1929 ad for Remington's team ran in the Lansing State Journal. (Middle) Ann Arbor all-stater Russell Becks. (Middle below) George M. Lawton's 1928 team for the Detroit Free Press. (Below) Remington's "All-State" selections, as shown in the program for Michigan State's 17th annual football banquet. (Photos collected by Ron Pesch.)
2008 Muskegon's Lesson: Keep the Faith
October 26, 2018
By Ron Pesch
Special for Second Half
Faith.
The word has always been a complex recipe of conviction, trust, belief and loyalty. Sometimes it brings ecstasy, while other times it brings heartbreak. Sometimes it carries surprise.
On a beautiful autumn day 10 seasons ago, Muskegon Big Reds football players, coaches, and fans found their faith tested to the extreme.
Some fans simply couldn’t stand to watch, and departed early, heading to the parking lots surrounding Michigan State University’s Spartan Stadium in East Lansing to get a jump on west-bound traffic. A colossal upset, it seemed, was no longer in the making. Rather, the outcome appeared obvious.
The 2007 regular season was an impressive one for Muskegon. For the first time the Big Reds were competing in the Red division of the Ottawa-Kent Conference, comprised of the largest league schools based on enrollment and considered by many the toughest football league in the state. The reigning MHSAA Division 2 champion, Muskegon rolled to eight straight victories, earning the No. 1 ranking in the Detroit Free Press. Most of the wins were in dominating fashion, included a stunning 52-0 win over No. 2-ranked Hudsonville in the seventh game of the season.
The streak set the stage for a battle with once-beaten Rockford at historic Hackley Stadium in the final game of the regular season before the cameras of NFL Films. It ended in shattering disappointment as the favored Big Reds lost a lead and fell, 28-21, to the Rams. The following week, Muskegon barely slipped past unranked Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills in the final seconds, 38-35, in the opening round of the MHSAA Playoffs, then melted down in a rematch with Hudsonville as the Eagles thumped the Big Reds, 41-7, in the postseason’s second round.
With 18 graduating starters, many questions hovered as the team hung up the pads and headed into basketball and the winter sports schedule. Among those who would graduate were a pair of Associated Press all-state selections, quarterback Chris Crawford, a three-year starter who had guided the Big Reds to the 2006 title, and offensive lineman Carlin Landingham. The Free Press had named Landingham to its statewide Dream Team, and added line mate Mac Parker to its Division 2 selections.
In February, an even bigger question surfaced: “Who will coach the Big Reds?” Coach Tony Annese announced his decision to resign as head coach, noting his desire to spend more time with his family.
But when possible replacements turned down the job, Annese decided to return. Writing in the Free Press prior to the start of the season under his alias, the ‘Son of Swami’, veteran sports writer Mick McCabe joked that “when Annese’s family found out, they huddled and told him they liked him better when he was bugging other people’s kids and made him return to coaching.” In his preseason announcement of the state’s top 25 prep teams, McCabe recognized that 2008 would be a rebuilding year, ranking the Big Reds No. 22. “Although inexperienced, this is a bright group that has run the system at lower levels.”
Muskegon kicked off the new season with a pair of nonconference contests against top-tier schools. The opener, played at Eastern Michigan University as part of the Big Day Prep Showdown, pitted Muskegon against Detroit Martin Luther King, the 2007 Division 2 champ. A dream matchup based on past performances, in reality, the game featured two teams in the throes of renewal. King, like Muskegon, had been hit hard by graduation. Among the departures were defensive standout Nick Perry, a future No. 1 pick of the Green Bay Packers, and Darrin Williams, who had rushed for more 5,600 yards during his days at King. The Crusaders had failed to make McCabe’s preseason rankings.
Still, the Big Reds were impressive. Led by quarterback Elan Banks, who was starting his first varsity game, and the one-two punch of Jason Hannett and Anthony Davis in the backfield, the Big Reds rolled to an impressive 35-0 win. The Crusaders had difficulty adjusting to Muskegon’s quick no-huddle option offense. Will Gardner highlighted the day with a 91-yard touchdown on a kickoff return.
Week 2 of the season brought perennial state powerhouse Birmingham Brother Rice to Muskegon for a Saturday afternoon contest. Playing in the always-tough Detroit Catholic League, the Warriors had advanced to the MHSAA Division 2 championship contest in five of the previous 10 seasons. Coached by the legendary Al Fracassa, Brother Rice had won six state titles, earning two since 1999. McCabe had the Warriors ranked No. 3 in the preseason. Victorious in Week 1, Brother Rice was favored to win, but once again, the Big Reds cruised to victory, 42-27.
With the wins, Muskegon quickly jumped in the weekly polls to No. 4 in Division 2 and No. 7 in McCabe’s Super 10 – a ranking of all schools, regardless of enrollment classification. Next up was the second year of conference play against O-K Red opponents. Holland West Ottawa (49-14) and Grand Haven (43-6) both were defeated easily. Grandville was defeated 28-14.
All eyes quickly focused on the team’s game with Hudsonville. Led by powerful running back and linebacker Jordan Jonker, the Eagles had a single loss to Rockford, 15-12 in Week 4, then rolled to a 44-17 win over East Kentwood. Jonker had 323 yards in the contest against the Falcons.
The Big Reds didn’t make it easy on themselves, turning over the ball four times in the first half. But Banks was spectacular at quarterback, throwing for a school record 318 yards (the total still stands today) and a pair of touchdowns. He finished with 22 completions on 31 attempts without throwing an interception in the 29-26 win.
“Defensively, the Big Reds did an exceptional job against Hudsonville’s Jonker,” wrote McCabe in Sunday’s Free Press, “but not until after he scored on a 67-yard run on the team’s first possession. Jonker finished with 95 yards on 12 carries and added a touchdown on a 72-yard fumble recovery.”
East Kentwood was next on the Muskegon schedule, and was defeated 42-0. Week 7 brought the top-ranked team in Division 1, the Rockford Rams, with the contest to be played at Rockford. For the state’s game of the week, a crowd of 13,657 packed Ted Carlson Memorial Stadium.
“(Muskegon’s 34-6) victory over Rockford wasn’t a stunning upset because the Big Reds were also 7-0 and ranked No. 2 in Division 2,” wrote McCabe in his Free Press coverage of the game. “But what was stunning was Rockford’s minus-44 yards rushing. Nobody does that to Rockford. It is a victory that will catapult the Big Reds to the No. 1 spot in both our Super 10 and Division 2 rankings this week.”
Muskegon’s 64-22 win over Jenison boosted the team’s record to 9-0, earning the Big Reds outright possession of the O-K Red title in only their second year of competition in the league. It also gave the subs the opportunity to gain additional game experience before the postseason.
Holland, earning a spot in the playoffs for the first time in school history, was Muskegon’s first-round postseason opponent and was quickly disposed of, 49-13. That set the stage for a rematch with Hudsonville.
Played on a muddy, rain-soaked Hackley Field, the first half of the game saw the Big Reds score twice by converting a pair of Hudsonville interceptions into touchdowns. Just before the half, the Eagles recovered a Muskegon fumble at the Big Reds 9-yard line and threatened to put points on the board, but a Hudsonville fumble on the 2-yard line with 28 seconds left to play was snagged by Muskegon’s Carleton Johnson. The Big Reds ran out the clock, and the teams headed to the locker room with Muskegon up 12-0.
Hudsonville regrouped and responded with an 84-yard, 12-play drive. A 49-yard screen pass from QB Casey Blackport to tight end Christian Prince set up a two-yard romp into the end zone by Jonker late in the third quarter to pull the Eagles within a touchdown, 12-6. Hudsonville’s defense provided the opportunity for a win by shutting down the Big Reds offense on fourth down in each of Muskegon’s next four possessions. Following a huge stop of Hannett on a 4th-and-inches play at the Hudsonville 19, the Eagles gained control of the ball with 3:18 to play.
Blackport again went to work, throwing a 17-yard strike to Jordan Keur, then finding Prince, who broke a tackle and dashed down the right sideline for a 50-yard gain to the Muskegon 11. Still, the Big Reds defense held steady, and facing fourth down with 1:14 remaining, Hudsonville lined up for a final shot at the end zone. Blackport’s pass deep in the corner went through the hands of Keur and fell incomplete. Muskegon took over on downs and ran out the clock to advance with a second close win over the Eagles.
The third week of postseason play brought the undefeated Red Arrows of Lowell. While the Free Press had Muskegon at No. 1 at the end of the regular season, the final Associated Press poll showed Lowell at No. 1 in Division 2 with the Big Reds second in the rankings. Based on strength of schedule, Muskegon edged out the Red Arrows in MHSAA playoff points; hence, the Big Reds held home field advantage. Since Hackley Field was in rough shape after the Hudsonville game, Muskegon officials chose to move the contest to the field turf of Grand Haven’s Buccaneer Stadium. Although Big Reds fans were not pleased with giving up home field advantage, Muskegon excelled on the artificial surface, and at halftime held an overwhelming 27-point lead. At game’s end, the Big Reds had scored a 49-14 victory over Lowell before a crowd of 8,500.
Jason Hannett had a career game, running for 183 yards on 15 carries. Defensively, he set the tone with a 4th-and-1 stop of Lowell quarterback Kyle Nichol at the 43 late in the first half.
“Muskegon (12-0) dominated in every facet of the game,” wrote McCabe, “except punting, because the Big Reds didn’t have to punt. They scored the first six times they had the ball …
“’I just know what our kids have done to some other teams this year,’ added Lowell coach Noel Dean. ‘And to be on the other end of that tells you how good (the Big Reds) really are.’”
With the District trophy in hand, Muskegon prepared for Davison in the Regional title game to be played as part of a doubleheader at Michigan State University’s Spartan Stadium. A 25-19 winner over Midland, Davison arguably had played the toughest non-conference schedule in the state, beating Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and Holt late in the year, but losing to Lowell in Week 1, Rockford in the second week and Lansing Sexton in Week 5.
Muskegon was still the overwhelming favorite entering the game. Two years previous, Muskegon had soundly defeated the Cardinals 43-21 in a Semifinal contest at Midland on the way to an undefeated season and the 2006 championship.
Indeed, the Big Reds opened the contest strong, scoring on a 49-yard run by Banks for a 7-0 lead with just under two minutes gone in the first quarter. Following a stop by the defense, it looked like Muskegon would go up 14-0, but a fumble by Banks at the goal line on Muskegon’s second possession halted the drive. The Cardinals took advantage of the miscue when sophomore QB Jake Thompson connected with Ron Silver on a 70-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 7-7 with 2:25 left in the first quarter. On Muskegon’s next possession, Davison’s Adam Green picked off a pass and returned it 69 yards to the Muskegon 1, setting up a one-yard TD run by the Cardinals’ Oliver Saylor. Suddenly, Davison held a surprising 14-7 lead with 1:57 to play in the first.
The Cardinals capitalized on another Muskegon fumble late in the second quarter, scoring on a 27-yard toss by Thompson to Dan Thwing, increasing the lead to 21-7 with 1:09 to play in the half. This time, however, the Big Reds responded immediately, showing their explosiveness with a 15-yard TD toss from Banks to Karey Webb as time expired in the first half. The kick failed but, to the relief of Big Reds fans, Muskegon had pulled within eight, 21-13. After a disastrous first half, the Big Reds entered the locker room with some momentum.
But that energy was quickly lost. Two muffed punts by Muskegon in the third quarter led to a 35-13 Cardinals lead with 4:45 to play in the third quarter. Following a 55-yard dash by Hannett, Anthony Davis scored from a yard out for the Big Reds with 1:54 left in the quarter, but the extra point attempt again failed and Muskegon trailed, 35-19.
Time rapidly became Muskegon’s biggest enemy when Davison’s Kevin Yoesting stopped Davis on a 4th-and-1 with less than nine minutes to play in the fourth quarter. A time-consuming Cardinals drive, highlighted by a pair of long runs by Saylor, set up a Davison first down at the Muskegon 20 with just over five minutes to play, Many Big Reds fans headed for the exits, shaking their heads in disbelief. Cardinals fans celebrated during a timeout in what appeared to be certain victory.
But a huge stop by the Muskegon defense began a comeback unseen in MHSAA playoff history.
“It started after Banks and Karey Webb hooked up on a 77-yard TD pass to pull Muskegon within 35-25 (with 4:31 remaining),” wrote Mike Mattson in the Muskegon Chronicle. Yet on the 2-point conversion attempt, Yoesting again came up big for Davison, tackling Banks just short of the end zone and the Big Reds still trailed by 10 points, needing two possessions for victory.
Jubenal Rodriguez, who had never played football until the third game of the 2007 season, laid down a successful onside kick that was recovered by Dominique Maybanks.
“Seven plays later,” continued Mattson, “Banks and Maybanks connected on a 27-yard TD pass to trim the deficit to 35-31 at the 2:33 mark.”
“The next onside kick didn't travel 10 yards, but hit a Davison player,” wrote Bill Khan of the Flint Journal. “Maybanks again recovered, this time at the 46-yard line. The winning drive was a six-play, 54-yard march, all on the ground. On the winning touchdown, (slot receiver Greg) Wickliffe took a pitch from Banks on the left side, got some blocks and went into the end zone untouched with 42 seconds on the clock. Rodriguez made the extra point to make it a three-point game.”
Davison drove to the Muskegon 32 with 11 seconds remaining, but a pass to the middle of the end zone was picked off by Banks, sealing the astonishing 38-35 comeback win and starting a wild celebration by the players, coaches and the Big Reds fans who had remained to the end.
"I was running as fast as I could,'' Wickliffe said to Mattson during the postgame on-field party. "I saw daylight and just took off as fast as I could. This is amazing.''
“I always say one of the five have to be a fortunate victory,” Annese said to McCabe about the five-game path to a state title. “You’re going to have one of those games – it happens every year. In 2006 it was the final game. In 2004 it was Bay City Western.”
The trip to Ford Field came next.
“Muskegon's (34-14) rout of (Warren DeLaSalle) looked similar to its season-opening 35-0 whitewash of Detroit Martin Luther King back in August,” wrote Shawn Liverance in the Chronicle’s coverage of the Division 2 title game. “A tough-as-nails defense and an offense filled with playmakers was too much for DeLaSalle as it was for Muskegon's 13 other opponents this year.”
Ten years later, Muskegon and Davison again line up for another shot at glory in the 2018 edition of the MHSAA playoffs. There is no chance for a rematch, as the Cardinals compete in Division 1 and Muskegon plays in Division 3.
Only one sure thing has been revealed in more than 100 years of prep football in Michigan. The game’s not over until it’s over. Who knows what twists and turns the 2018 postseason might bring?
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 Detroit Free Press captured the postgame celebration by Muskegon’s players after their comeback win over Davison in 2008. (Middle top) The 2008 Muskegon team, top, and the 2008 Davison team. (Middle) The Flint Journal captured the action, including Jake Thompson’s run, as Davison jumped out to a big lead. (Middle below) Davison players suddenly saw their season come to a close at Spartan Stadium.