Three Rivers Takes Run at District Together
October 31, 2017
By Wes Morgan
Special for Second Half
J.J. Wagner is economical with his words, stoic on the sideline, and not preoccupied with statistical trends. All he really asks of his Three Rivers football players is to play and sacrifice for one another.
It’s been a pretty good recipe throughout his 13-year tenure as the head varsity coach of the Wildcats, at least in the years when the players truly held up their end of the bargain. With an 82-50 career record since 2005, Wagner has seen what can happen when everyone is pulling in the same direction, like a 13-0 run that ended with a loss in the 2009 Division 4 Final.
He’s also witnessed how complacency can cut a program right back down, as was the case in 2010 when an experienced Three Rivers squad went 4-5 and missed the postseason.
The Wildcats have been noticeably hungrier the last two years, with a 7-3 mark in 2016 and an 8-2 record this year as they prepare for Friday’s Division 4 District championship game against Edwardsburg.
Eleven games into the year, Three Rivers has been unable to break out of a Wolverine Conference bubble. The Wildcats went 7-2 in the league, with losses to Dowagiac (Week 2) and Vicksburg (Week 9). Revenge was sweet last Friday as Three Rivers beat Vicksburg in the Pre-District game (20-10).
Now, the difficult task of beating the league’s most dominant team for the second time in one year is what’s required to move on in the playoffs. If Three Rivers can beat the Eddies (after also doing so 21-18 in Week 7), there’s a chance they’ll face Wolverine Conference member Plainwell in the Regional Round.
“You get through the Wolverine (schedule) and then you’re suddenly in a mini Wolverine tournament,” Wagner joked.
There are no secrets in terms of playoff prep against such familiar foes, so it’s all about the basics.
“Our offense has been moving the sticks, our defense has been playing well, our special teams have played well and we play well when we don’t turn the ball over,” he said.
Having played for perennial power Mendon, where he registered 253 tackles as an outside linebacker during the 1987-89 seasons, Wagners’ emphasis on that side of the ball has been a hallmark of the 2017 campaign. Three Rivers has only allowed 11.7 points and 203 yards per game. The Wildcats have stopped opponents on third down 79.8 percent of the time.
A lot of that has to do with big and athletic senior defensive end Tirrell Hausmanis (6-foot-4, 245 pounds), senior defensive tackle Tyler Moore (5-11, 235) and the linebacker duo of senior Chris Morrill (5-10, 160) and Traven Van Oss (6-1, 165). That group alone has accounted for 34.5 tackles for loss this season. Morrill and Van Oss are tied for a team-best 61 tackles.
“Anytime you’re playing good defense, you can take a few more chances on offense,” Wagner said. “I don’t know how many times we’ve gone for it on fourth down this year, but it’s probably more than most (years). You can take a chance at midfield or the 40 that maybe you wouldn’t normally.”
Perhaps no player has embraced Wagner’s rule of doing what’s best for the team more than Hausmanis, who likely would have garnered a lot more attention from college coaches had he stayed at tight end. Instead, he’s anchored both lines the past two seasons.
“We all just do our jobs,” he said. “This happened and we weren’t big enough (on the offensive line) for me to play tight end. They needed me at tackle. At first I didn’t really like it, but I had to get used to it because it was what was best for the team. It helped us succeed and win, so I had to do it.”
His defensive stats might not seem that impressive — 30 tackles with two sacks — but it’s what he’s capable of that impacts the game so severely.
“It helps when you know people are going to run away from (Hausmanis), so you can stunt and play games on the other side that can mess with their protections and blocking schemes,” Wagner said.
Wagner admitted he’s not big on stats, but for those who were wondering about how many times the offense has felt comfortable gambling on fourth down because of a belief in the defense, it’s 27. The Wildcats have converted 15 times (55.6 percent).
Other than knowing the defense could likely bail it out if needed, there’s been plenty of confidence in the offense under the leadership of junior quarterback Jalen Heivilin.
With a 22-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio, an average of 214.6 passing yards per game and a completion rate of 61 percent, the first-year starter has settled in nicely. Classmate Gavin Charvat has been Heivilin’s favorite target as the two have connected 42 times for 562 yards and six touchdowns. Bryce Morlan was next in line with 32 receptions for 549 yards and a team-high 11 TDs, but the senior went down in Week 9 with a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Fortunately for the Wildcats they also have reliable receivers in Jett Haifley and Zac Meyer; each has hauled in 23 passes for around 400 yards.
“When we play mistake-free, which is what we harp on, and eliminate pre- and post-snap penalties, you can win a lot of games,” Wagner said. “That’s what we focus on every week. If you can do that, you’re going to keep yourself in a lot of games.”
That was exactly the difference in Three Rivers’ home win against Edwardsburg on Oct. 6, which snapped a 34-game Wolverine Conference winning streak by the Eddies.
“We have to play with that same energy and effort (against Edwardsburg),” Wagner added. “In both of our losses, we came out kind of flat. If I knew why, we wouldn’t do it. We think we can go in there (at Edwardsburg) and play them tough again. It boiled down to mistakes in that (first meeting). We made our extra points, and we held them on all theirs. If we go in there with the same discipline, there’s no reason we can’t beat them again.”
Wes Morgan has reported for the Kalamazoo Gazette, ESPN and ESPNChicago.com, 247Sports and Blue & Gold Illustrated over the last 12 years and is the publisher of JoeInsider.com. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Three Rivers’ defense lines up for a play; it’s been stifling this season giving up only 11.7 points per game. (Middle) Receiver Nolan Mark and quarterback Jalen Heivilin (4) talk things over against Edwardsburg. (Photos courtesy of JoeInsider.com.)
Friday's Game-Winner Latest, Greatest Highlight for Adrian Kicker Hassan
By
Doug Donnelly
Special for MHSAA.com
September 30, 2025
When Zack Hassan was a freshman, he decided to play two sports at Adrian High School – soccer and football.
Because he was a soccer player, the Maples’ football coaches decided he would be a good candidate to be a kicker.
“I had never really kicked a football before, but they thought I could because I played soccer,” Hassan said. “I thought, ‘Sure, why not?’”
Fast forward four years and Hassan is no longer a soccer player. He not only is the Adrian kicker – he is eying a college football scholarship and Friday had the biggest moment of his career when he booted a 37-yard field goal as time expired to give Adrian its biggest football win in years.
“I love the pressure moments,” Hassan said. “I like having all of the eyes on me and going out there and kicking.”
Hassan also played receiver and defensive back the last couple of years, but is focused entirely on kicking this season because of a knee injury suffered toward the end of basketball season. He’s delayed surgery because he didn’t want to miss his senior year of football.
“I could have played receiver this season, but I wanted to be safe,” Hassan said. “I had a choice. I could have had surgery before the season or in the middle, but I just wanted to finish out my last year.”
The injured knee part of his kicking leg – but that’s probably for the best if he had to be injured at all.
“As a kicker its almost better because I don’t have to worry about planting,” he said. “That would be constant impact on it. It’s not super bad. I think I will recover quickly. I should be 100 percent by April or May. I should probably try to save the leg, but I enjoy kicking. I like to kick as much as possible in practice.”
Hassan handles all placekicking duties for Adrian, but doesn’t punt. Maples coach Joel Przygodski said Hassan would make a good punter, though.
“He has a strong leg,” he said. “He regularly kicks off to the 10-yard line. It’s a nice weapon to have.”
Hassan’s family moved to Adrian from Sylvania, Ohio, when he was in middle school.
“When I was growing up, I thought I was going to be a basketball player,” he said.
After he joined the varsity football team as a freshman, he decided he liked kicking.
“After freshman year I thought maybe I could get some free tuition out of this,” he said.
He’s made two college visits already – to Baldwin Wallace in Ohio and Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minn., which has offered him a scholarship. He’s headed back to Macalester in a few weeks to check out what it’s like on game day.
“They are a very good school to get an education,” said Hassan, who has a grade point average above 4.0.
Hassan’s siblings stayed on the soccer route. His older sister was a college goalkeeper and his younger sister plays soccer for Adrian.
On Friday, Adrian was locked in a 0-0 tie with unbeaten Ypsilanti Lincoln. In the fourth quarter the two teams exchanged punts, swapping field position. Adrian got the ball back with fewer than 40 seconds left.
“As coaches, we talked about whether or not we wanted to play it safe, play for overtime,” Przygodski said.
After an incomplete pass on first down, running back Luke Bruggeman carried the ball up the middle and broke a tackle to put the ball past midfield. He even got out of bounds to stop the clock.
“I was thinking, okay, we are in business,” Przygodski said.
After quarterback Jaxon Dowling connected with receiver Adam Parker to reach the Lincoln 25-yard line, Przygodski knew the Maples had a chance. Hassan was warming up.
“We were telling him to be ready,” Przygodski said.
Hassan had missed two field goals earlier in the game. One of those attempts was from 48 yards out.
“My coaches just told me to get ready and told everyone else to stay away from me,” Hassan said.
With less than 1.5 seconds to play, Adrian reached the 20-yard line and called timeout. Hassan trotted out onto the field. The snap was a little slower than he was used to, he said, but he lined up perfectly and hit the 37-yarder, sending the Maples into a frenzy and stunning the home crowd of about 3,000 people at Lincoln’s homecoming.
Hassan was carried off the field by teammates – and not because of an injury.
“After we shook hands, we went into huddle and everyone was like, ‘Lift him up, lift him up,’” he said.
The win was a big one for Adrian, which continues to make strides under Przygodski’s leadership. Adrian is 4-1 with chief rival Tecumseh coming up this week. The Maples have a lot of momentum for the rest of the season.
“Going into the season we were really unsure how we were going to be, because we lost a lot of seniors last year,” Hassan said. “It’s good. We’ve had a lot of people step up. We are turning a lot of eyes right now.”
Doug Donnelly has served as a news and sports reporter at the Adrian Daily Telegram and the Monroe News for 30 years, including 10 years as city editor in Monroe. He's written a book on high school basketball in Monroe County and compiles record books for various schools in southeast Michigan. He is now publisher and editor of The Blissfield Advance, a weekly newspaper. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Adrian kicker Zack Hassan is carried by his teammates after making the game-winning field goal Friday against Ypsilanti Lincoln. (Middle) Hassan steps into his winning kick. (Photos by Marnette Sutherland.)