Rose's Legend Grows in Shores Repeat
January 22, 2021
By Jason Schmitt
Special for Second Half
DETROIT – Game planning for an all-state football player like Brady Rose certainly isn’t easy.
In fact, it’s downright awful just to think about.
The Muskegon Mona Shores senior quarterback once again proved that point to be true Friday afternoon, leading his team to a 25-19 victory over Warren De La Salle Collegiate and a second consecutive MHSAA Division 2 championship at Ford Field in Detroit.
Rose rushed 22 times for 154 yards and a pair of touchdowns. But it was a 65-yard scamper early in the fourth quarter that proved to be the play of the game – a game filled with key plays by Rose.
“We ran that play quite a bit (today), but I wasn’t being patient, I wasn’t bouncing it to the outside,” Rose said. “(This time) I just let it develop, let it do what it was supposed to do and I bounced it outside and took it down into the red zone.”
The play lifted the spirits of the entire team and provided a much-needed boost of confidence.
“We get the ball down there, everybody is excited again. Everybody is hyped,” he added. “After that run, we knew we were going to punch it in. Anytime we get into the red zone, we have to punch it in, and we did.”
Three plays later, senior wideout Keondre Pierce scored on a 10-yard pitch to the right side, giving Mona Shores a 19-7 lead with 9:25 left in the game.
De La Salle, which trailed 13-0 at halftime, didn’t give up. The Pilots answered right back on a 52-yard touchdown run by senior JC Ford with 7:58 to play. The drive took just 1:21 off the clock and also included a 23-yard pass from Ford to senior running back Brett Stanley to help set up the touchdown run.
After a quick three-and-out, the Sailors then relied on their defense to get the ball back. Coach Matt Koziak’s team came up with a clutch stop on fourth down, on De La Salle’s half of the field. Seven plays later, Rose scored his second touchdown of the game, this time from four yards out to give his team a 25-13 lead with just 1:47 left to play.
De La Salle did move the ball down the field quickly, scoring on a four-yard keeper by sophomore quarterback Brady Drogosh with 16 seconds to play. But it wasn’t enough, as Rose recovered the ensuing on-side kickoff attempt and then took a knee to end the game.
“They did have us on our heels a little bit,” Koziak said. “We jumped up on them, 13-0 going into halftime, then they come right back in the second half. We said it at halftime, ‘They’re not going to go away. They’re not going to let you win this, you’ve got to go take it.’”
The Mona Shores defense, led by senior Kyree Hamel, who finished with 11 tackles and an interception, held De La Salle to just 50 total yards and three first downs in the first half. The Pilots totaled 62 yards on the ground during their drive to start the second half. Ford provided a change of pace for De La Salle, running the ball six straight times to begin the drive. After runs of 15 and 10 yards by freshman Rhett Roeser moved the ball inside the 5-yard line, Ford capped the drive with a four-yard touchdown run to get his team on the scoreboard.
“We didn’t run a lot of plays in the first half, and we couldn’t get into a rhythm,” De La Salle head coach Dan Rohn said. “So we went into halftime and said, ‘Let’s change things up a little bit and up the tempo.’ It’s kind of been JC’s role all year long. We haven’t needed it in the playoffs because he’s playing two ways.”
Ford finished with 111 yards on 15 carries and those two touchdowns. Stanley had 42 yards and Roeser added 38 for the Pilots. Defensively, junior Will Beesley had a game-high 20 tackles, while senior Jayden Conklin added 14. Junior Dionte Dandridge had an interception.
Mona Shores (12-0) finished with 311 rushing yards. Along with Rose, junior Elijah Johnson also had a good game on the ground. He carried the ball 14 times for 81 yards and had a nine-yard touchdown in the first half. Rose also returned three kicks for 48 yards, averaged 39 yards on his three punts, blocked an extra point and had eight tackles on the other side of the ball.
“What a legacy for him to leave,” Koziak said of Rose, who will play collegiately at Ferris State University. “Obviously he’s a tremendous player, a tremendous competitor. It’s so easy to root for a dude like that. He’s not 6-foot-3, he doesn’t run a 4.3 40 (yard dash). He’s not a 5 star. But all great stories usually have an underdog in it, so it’s easy for people to get behind him, for his teammates to get behind him. They love him. I think when we look back on one of the great players, and performances, in the state over the past two seasons, he’s got to be in the conversation.”
Rohn, who completed his first year at De La Salle after having won four Division 5 championships at Grand Rapids West Catholic, said he was proud of his team for battling through a lot of adversity over the past year.
“We went against one of the best football teams in the state of Michigan and one of the best football players in the state of Michigan,” Rohn said. “Hats off to Matt (Koziak) and his team. I have nothing but respect for their program and the way they played today. Who would have thought that we’d be sitting here on January 22 with an opportunity to win a state championship?”
Koziak praised Rohn for all his accomplishments at De La Salle, while also crediting players from all over the state for forging ahead despite all the obstacles they faced over the past year.
“I’m proud of our young men. I’m proud of the state of Michigan, the football players,” Koziak said. “These young men have been through the ropes. They’ve been on an emotional rollercoaster. Football prepares you for life. But this season, holy cow, it’s going to teach you disappointment, it’s going to teach you hope, it’s going to teach you surprise, it’s going to teach you humility. I have no doubt these young men are going to be good fathers, and better sons, better husbands because things didn’t go their way this year. Whether it was wins or losses, or COVID, or a pause in the season, whatever it was. They’re all going to be better human beings for it, and I think that’s a special message we tried to preach all year.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Muskegon Mona Shores quarterback Brady Rose drops back to pass during Friday’s Division 2 championship game at Ford Field. (Middle) De La Salle’s Will Beesley makes his move as Shores defenders close in. (Click for more from Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
1st & Goal: 2024 Week 3 Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
September 12, 2024
It’s always “rivalry week” somewhere in Michigan, and “championship week” is still a month or more away for most football contenders.
But as we finish up the first third of the 2024 regular season, this could be “opportunity week” for several teams playing in our top regional matchups highlighted below.
All nine games are part of annual series, and most of those series have been relatively one-sided of late. But that past history has set up opportunities for some of this season’s early risers, who will try to avenge 2023 defeats, shake up league standings, continue establishing themselves as teams to watch or some combination of all three.
Stay tuned. All games listed below are tonight unless noted, and keep up with results as they are reported all weekend on the MHSAA Scores page.
Bay & Thumb
Lake Fenton (2-0) at Goodrich (1-1) WATCH
Goodrich has won two straight in this series – including 34-15 a year ago – and five of the last six against the Blue Devils. This is a Flint Metro League Stars opener, and the Martians rebounded in a big way from a season-opening loss to Frankenmuth with a 47-7 win over Linden last week. Lake Fenton linebacker Hunter Carey could be key in slowing Chase Burnett and a Goodrich rushing attack that found its stride after that first-week shutout.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY New Lothrop (1-1) at Chesaning (2-0) WATCH, Grand Blanc (1-1) at Saginaw Heritage (2-0) WATCH, Muskegon Mona Shores (2-0) at Flint Hamady (2-0), Ubly (0-2) at Harbor Beach (2-0) WATCH.
Greater Detroit
Warren De La Salle Collegiate (2-0) at Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (2-0)
De La Salle won last year’s meeting 41-27 and owns a four-game winning streak against the Eaglets. The Pilots also have been among the most impressive teams statewide to start this season with wins over Davison and Detroit Martin Luther King, while giving up a combined 16 points over those two victories. But St. Mary’s is 2-0 for the first time since 2021, and with a 50-19 season-opening win over Portage Northern especially impressive.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Grand Rapids Catholic Central (2-0) at Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (2-0) WATCH, West Bloomfield (1-1) at Rochester Adams (2-0) WATCH, Harper Woods (1-1) at Detroit Catholic Central (2-0) WATCH, Oxford (1-1) at Clarkston (1-1) WATCH.
Mid-Michigan
Grand Ledge (2-0) at East Lansing (2-0) WATCH
While most will point to East Lansing’s Week 5 matchup with DeWitt as the game of the year in the Lansing area, Grand Ledge will attempt to break up that excitement. The Comets are seeking to avenge a 35-21 loss to the Trojans from a year ago (and have lost five of their last six in this series) and no doubt will take some tips from Hudsonville, which edged East Lansing 14-12 last week. That defeat on the road against a top team likely will end up looking like a “good loss,” however, and the Trojans’ season-opening 31-7 win over Portage Central looked even better last week as Central fell to reigning Division 3 champion Forest Hills Central by only seven points.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY McBain (2-0) at Beal City (2-0) WATCH, Montrose (1-1) at Durand (2-0) WATCH, Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary (2-0) at Ithaca (2-0), Mason (1-1) at Williamston (0-2) WATCH.
Northern Lower Peninsula
Gladwin (2-0) at Ogemaw Heights (2-0) WATCH
The Flying Gs are flying high again with a variety of playmakers contributing to the 99 points they’ve scored over their first two games. But this trip to see a familiar opponent should be more challenging. Gladwin and Ogemaw Heights have played three straight seasons – Gladwin winning three times but Ogemaw winning last season’s playoff rematch 28-23. This time, for the first time, they’re part of the same Jack Pine Conference division, and the Falcons also earned early buzz with a 29-13 win over reigning Division 8 champion Ubly in their season opener.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Benzie Central (1-1) at Frankfort (1-1) WATCH, Elk Rapids (1-1) at Cheboygan (1-1) WATCH, Charlevoix (1-1) at Boyne City (1-1) WATCH, East Jordan (2-0) at Kalkaska (1-1) WATCH.
Southeast & Border
Grass Lake (2-0) at Hanover-Horton (2-0) WATCH
Hanover-Horton has played some notable opponents close over the last decade, but a one-point win last week might be a sign the Comets are on their way to building a memorable 2024. They edged frequent playoff team Michigan Center, in doing so moving to 2-0 and already equaling their season win total from a year ago. Grass Lake is another playoff regular, and Hanover-Horton actually has defeated the Warriors two of the last three seasons – although Grass Lake won last year’s matchup 32-22.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Saline (2-0) at Ann Arbor Pioneer (2-0) WATCH, Adrian Madison (2-0) at Clinton (1-1) WATCH, Ida (2-0) at Hudson (1-1) WATCH, Ann Arbor Skyline (1-1) at Ann Arbor Huron (1-1) WATCH.
Southwest Corridor
Constantine (2-0) at Schoolcraft (2-0) WATCH
Constantine has won this rivalry game the last two seasons including 27-21 a year ago and rumbles into this year’s edition having outscored its first two opponents by a combined 114-14 – with a 64-6 win over 2023 playoff team Benton Harbor last week. Schoolcraft has defeated returning playoff teams both of its first two games – Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker and then Centreville – and will try to finish off last season’s comeback against the Falcons that fell just short.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Ottawa Lake Whiteford (1-1) at Buchanan (1-1) WATCH, Parchment (2-0) at Dowagiac (1-1), Lawton (1-1) at Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep (2-0), Three Rivers (1-1) at Niles (1-1) WATCH.
Upper Peninsula
Negaunee (2-0) at Calumet (2-0) WATCH
The Western Peninsula Athletic Conference Copper is loaded again, and for the second-straight season Calumet plays Negaunee, Menominee and Kingsford in back-to-back-to-back weeks with an opportunity to establish itself in the mix as well. The Copper Kings will make the push coming off a 30-14 win over Ishpeming Westwood and will try to break a two-game losing streak against the Miners after Negaunee won last season’s meeting 20-13 on the way to eventually sharing the league title.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Kingsford (2-0) at Gladstone (0-2) WATCH, Hancock (1-1) at Houghton (0-2), Menominee (2-0) at Ishpeming Westwood (1-1) WATCH. SATURDAY Gaylord (0-2) at Marquette (2-0).
West Michigan
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central (2-0) at Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern (2-0) WATCH
Forest Hills Central has owned this rivalry matchup winning all nine since the two began playing annually again in 2016. But the Huskies are coming off their winningest season since 2015 and have an opportunity to set themselves up with incredible momentum heading into a challenging league schedule that opens Week 4 with Muskegon followed by Reeths-Puffer, Mona Shores and Byron Center. FHC has won 11 straight games – with five of those, of course, coming during last season’s Division 3 title run – and has downed 2023 playoff teams Reeths-Puffer and Portage Central to start its repeat pursuit.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Ada Forest Hills Eastern (2-0) at Hudsonville Unity Christian (2-0), East Kentwood (1-1) at Caledonia (2-0), Grand Rapids South Christian (2-0) at Grand Rapids West Catholic (1-1), Zeeland West (2-0) at Whitehall (1-1) WATCH.
8-Player
Norway (2-0) at Crystal Falls Forest Park (2-0) WATCH
After closing last season with a pair of losses, Forest Park has popped back up impressively winning its first two games by a combined score of 87-14. The Trojans will bring that surge into this matchup with Norway, the only opponent to defeat them during last year’s 7-1 start. The Knights won last year convincingly, 40-6, and have put up a combined 102 points over the first two weeks as they look to build on last year’s 8-3 finish, their best since moving to 8-player in 2021. Norway also won this matchup in 2022.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Portland St. Patrick (2-0) at Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (2-0), Climax-Scotts (1-1) at Adrian Lenawee Christian (1-1) WATCH, Mendon (2-0) at Concord (2-0) WATCH, Au Gres-Sims (1-1) at Rogers City (1-1).
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PHOTO Fenton defenders begin to bring down Haslett's Cornelius Malone (5) during the Tigers' 21-14 win in Week 2. (Photo by Terry Lyons.)