In Return to Finals, Edwardsburg Reigns
By
Tom Markowski
Special for Second Half
November 23, 2018
DETROIT – Edwardsburg finished the deal on Friday, erasing much of the disappointment the final game of last season produced.
Although the Eddies’ offense was slow to jell, they controlled the clock and Chelsea’s multi-faceted attack to capture their first MHSAA Finals championship in any boys sport with a 28-7 victory in the Division 4 title game at Ford Field.
Edwardsburg has one other MHSAA title to its credit – the girls volleyball team won Class C in 1977.
“This is a huge moment for the program,” Edwardsburg coach Kevin Bartz said. “Last year was more of a surprise. Beating a good River Rouge team, we were just happy to be here. They were more focused this year and not getting involved with all of the hoopla.”
Edwardsburg defeated River Rouge, 32-21, in a Semifinal last season and then lost to Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 42-31, in the Final. Last week, the Eddies avenged that defeat, downing GRCC 46-44 in overtime in their Semifinal matchup.
The Eddies (14-0) entered this championship game averaging 48.5 points per contest this fall and had scored 196 during the playoffs. But Chelsea (10-4) was up to the task early, and its defense gave the team a chance at winning would have been its first football championship as well.
But an underrated unit is Edwardsburg’s defense. The Eddies have five shutouts to their credit this season, and their defense kept this game close until the offense got untracked.
“You hear a lot about our offense,” Bartz said, “but it was our defense that won the game.”
Mistakes, a missed field goal attempt and a failed fourth down try kept the scoring to a minimum in the first half.
Chelsea stopped an Edwardsburg try for a first down on 4th-and-1 at the Eddies’ 34, but the Bulldogs couldn’t take advantage of the fine field position as Bryce Blue intercepted a Chelsea pass in the end zone.
That turnover set up Edwardsburg’s lone touchdown of the first half, as Caden Goggins scored from five yards out. Isaiah Mitchell’s conversion run gave the Eddies an 8-0 lead with 1:53 left in the first quarter.
Chelsea came back on the next possession and scored on a four-yard touchdown pass from Quinn Starkey to Hunter Neff, who made a one-handed catch in the left corner to complete the play. Starkey was 3-of-3 passing for 50 yards on the 64-yard drive.
The teams exchanged turnovers in the middle of the second quarter, and Chelsea couldn’t capitalize on a good scoring opportunity late. The Bulldogs drove from their 40 to the Edwardsburg 3, but a three-yard loss and an incomplete pass produced a bit of a dilemma for Chelsea coach Josh Lucas. He decided to go for the short field goal from the 6, but it missed to the right with 20 seconds left. Edwardsburg clung to an 8-7 lead at the break.
There were just two possessions in the third quarter, and only Edwardsburg made good on its opportunity.
The Eddies took the second half kickoff and drove 83 yards in 12 plays. Mac Gaideski, on his only carry of the drive, scored on a five-yard run. Quarterback Tre Harvey’s conversion run gave Edwardsburg a 16-7 lead with 6:39 left.
Chelsea used up the rest of the quarter, but its drive stalled at the Edwardsburg 32, and third and fourth down passes were incomplete.
Edwardsburg’s first drive of the fourth quarter didn’t produce any points, but it was just what Bartz wanted. His team burned 6:31 off the clock and pinned the Bulldogs on their 15.
Chelsea did not make a first down on its next drive, and the Eddies put the game away as Harvey ran five yards around right end for a touchdown and a 22-7 lead with 3:10 left.
“I came back with a vengeance this year,” Harvey said. “I wanted it. (Chelsea) came out strong in the beginning. They’re a good team. We preach playing strong in the third and fourth quarters. We definitely wear teams down.”
Edwardsburg rushed for 382 yards on 50 carries. The Eddies did not complete a pass in two attempts, but that’s not unusual for a T-formation team that prefers physicality at the line of scrimmage over big pass plays.
“The running backs deserve the credit,” Harvey said. “They’re the ones carrying out the fakes.
“We came in here not so much in awe as last year. I might have stared at the ceiling here too much a year ago.”
Goggins led Edwardsburg with 125 yards on 15 carries, and Chase Segar had 119 yards on 14 attempts.
For Chelsea, Starkey was 16-of-27 passing for 178 yards and one touchdown. The Bulldogs were held to 69 rushing yards.
“All of the credit goes to the line,” Sager said. “They made the holes. We had a mindset after last year. We weren’t used to the atmosphere then. I think now people will know where Edwardsburg is (located). We’re making them pay attention.”
Edwardsburg is located in the southwest part of the state, by the way.
PHOTOS: (Top) Edwardsburg celebrated earning its first MHSAA Finals championship in any boys sport Saturday at Ford Field. (Middle) Eddies linebacker Drew Bidwell brings down a Chelsea ball carrier.
Performance: Detroit King's Dequan Finn
November 29, 2018
Dequan Finn
Detroit Martin Luther King senior – Football
The Crusaders’ standout quarterback capped his high school career by leading his team to a 41-25 win over Muskegon to clinch the Division 3 championship Saturday at Ford Field. Finn completed 9-of-13 passes for 173 yards and four touchdowns and ran for another 73 yards and a score on 11 carries to earn the Michigan Army National Guard “Performance of the Week.”
This wasn’t Finn’s first time succeeding on the state’s biggest stage – the 6-foot-1, 195-pound signal-caller also quarterbacked King to the Division 2 championship in 2016, and the Crusaders fell just shy of making the Finals in 2017 as well, losing by a point in their Semifinal against Warren DeLaSalle. King was 35-6 over his three seasons as the varsity starter, and this fall he threw for 2,109 yards and 26 touchdowns and ran for 1,262 yards and 21 scores. He was further recognized Tuesday by being awarded this season’s statewide Mr. Football Award from State Champs Sports Network.
King finished 12-2 this fall, winning the Detroit Public School League Black division championship and defeating league champs River Rouge, Warren Woods Tower and DeWitt plus Allen Park on the way to Ford Field. The Crusaders’ losses came Week 2 – at Muskegon, 24-21 – and then in the PSL playoffs final to Detroit Cass Tech, 42-8. But Finn led the team’s rebound after each defeat and will get the chance to continue leading an offense at the college level. (He has been committed to sign with Central Michigan University, although the Chippewas recently fired coach John Bonamego and Finn didn’t have a comment on his future plans in the immediate aftermath of the championship win.) Finn also owns an MHSAA Finals championship in track & field – he helped King win the 800-meter relay in Lower Peninsula Division 2 this past spring – and excels academically, carrying a 3.1 grade-point average.
Coach Tyrone Spencer said: “He did a phenomenal job. That’s our 35th win together. I’m just proud of him, the way he did for us. He’s a great leader, a great competitor and a great football player. … Just his play-making ability, his decision-making. He was calm. He’s been here before, and he looked like it. He didn’t look rattled, or he wasn’t doing too much. He just played in the moment, and that’s why he plays so well.”
Performance Point: “It’s just a real moment right now,” Finn said during postgame interviews. “I’m just thankful for having it, for my team, and for just going hard these three years. It was a good experience. … I just tried to be the best me I could be – the best version of me.”
Second time’s the charm: “(Playing Muskegon twice) helped a lot, just (with) pre-snap reads – I knew where to go every single play. It was a big advantage for us to go against them Week 2. We still had that 24-21 loss in our minds. … It was an emotional game. We took it personally.”
Playoff rebound: “Coach Spencer said there’s a state championship out there (after the Cass Tech loss). If you want to get it, you’ve got to go get it. We just had to lock in mentally and prepare. That’s all we had to do, prepare and execute.”
From last season to this one: “(My) maturity, me knowing what to do and what not to do at certain points. Knowing down and distance; for instance, knowing what plays to run and what plays not to run. It’s just the little stuff.”
From Week 2 to today: “I learned I just had to calm down, not get too high, not get too low. Just remain calm at all times.”
- Geoff Kimmerly, Second Half editor
Every week during the 2018-19 school year, Second Half and the Michigan Army National Guard recognizes a “Performance of the Week" from among the MHSAA's 750 member high schools.
The Michigan Army National Guard provides trained and ready forces in support of the National Military Strategy, and responds as needed to state, local, and regional emergencies to ensure peace, order, and public safety. The Guard adds value to our communities through continuous interaction. National Guard soldiers are part of the local community. Guardsmen typically train one weekend per month and two weeks in the summer. This training maintains readiness when needed, be it either to defend our nation's freedom or protect lives and property of Michigan citizens during a local natural disaster.
Past 2018-19 honorees
November 22: Paige Briggs, Lake Orion volleyball - Read
November 15: Hunter Nowak, Morrice football - Read
November 8: Jon Dougherty, Detroit Country Day soccer - Read
November 1: Jordan Stump, Camden-Frontier volleyball - Read
October 25: Danielle Staskowski, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep golf - Read
October 18: Adam Bruce, Gladstone cross country - Read
October 11: Ericka VanderLende, Rockford cross country - Read
October 4: Kobe Clark, Schoolcraft football - Read
September 27: Jonathan Kliewer, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern soccer - Read
September 20: Kiera Lasky, Bronson volleyball - Read
September 13: Judy Rector, Hanover-Horton cross country - Read
PHOTOS: (Top) Detroit Martin Luther King's Dequan Finn pulls away from a Muskegon defender during Saturday's Division 3 championship win at Ford Field. (Middle) Finn hands off to teammate Peny Boone.