MHSAA District Finals - Time To Start Handing Out Trophies!

Now is the time to play your best football. Every win is worth a bigger trophy. In less than a month, 16 teams in eight divisions will battle for the glory

Now is the time to play your best football. Every win is worth a bigger trophy. In less than a month, 16 teams in eight divisions will battle for the glory and memories to last a lifetime. These are the games that you talk about at your 50th class reunion. Each game should be good with evenly matched squads. If you haven’t had a chance to make it out to a game, I urge you to support your local team or your alma mater. There is nothing like the roar of the crowd when your team makes a big play. Let’s take a look at four different games from around the state.

Lansing Area - Division 4

Lake Fenton (8-2) at Lansing Sexton (10-0) (Friday November 8, 7pm)

Overall, it’s been a pretty good season for the Blue Devils. They lost the season opener, and then rattled off seven straight wins. They even had a chance to win the Genesee Area Conference Blue Division. Last week, they battled an always tough Williamston squad. They came out victorious 35-15. It was mostly the ground game though, with the Blue Devils rushing 56 times for 174 yards. They only attempted six passes, but completed two of them for 69 yards and two touchdowns. It’s very important for Lake Fenton to start quick this week. Lansing Sexton is undefeated and has a great squad this year. The LF coaches will have a game plan and be should have their team ready to play a big game tonight.

The Big Reds have rolled this season. The closest game was in Week One when they beat Chelsea 21-14. Lansing Sexton laid a beat down on Corunna last week, 58-6. Up by 37 at halftime, they cruised to victory. Quarterback Malick Mack completed seven of his eight passes for 182 yards and two scores and ran four times for another 26. JaVaon Cooney was a very integral part of the game. He ran five times for 94 yards and two scores while also catching three passes for 128 yards and a score. A’Vonte Bell toted the rock eight times for 99 yards and two scores. The winner of this game will face the winner of the Saginaw Swan Valley and Essexville Garber game.

Saginaw – Division 5

Millington (8-2) at Frankenmuth (9-1) (Friday November 8, 7pm)

Everyone loves a rivalry. Well, this game has got it. These two schools are close in vicinity to each other and have already played once this season. Frankenmuth came out on top, but that means nothing now. Millington was without their quarterback and their running back. Now it’s far more important, with a chance to continue playing football. Last week, the Cardinals beat Almont 28-21. Quarterback Caleb Wascher completed five of his seven passes for 100 yards and a touchdown and ran 17 times for 135 more. Chase Maxon, seeing his first action since being injured in the second game of the season, had a fantastic game. He ran 20 times for 200 yards and two scores while also grabbing two receptions for another 60 yards and an additional touchdown. Colton Seabert also caught a pass for 25 yards and a touchdown, coming on the only attempt Austin Weber made. Jacob Hager made 10.5 tackles on defense.  This rivalry game should be a good one.

Frankenmuth has rolled through the season. They lost the season opener to Hemlock, but haven’t lost since. Last week, they took on a good Freeland squad and beat them handily. They scored the first time they touched the ball, with Jack Veitengruber returning a punt 85 yards for a touchdown. Quarterback Nick Volk completed five of his seven passes for 97 yards and a score. That touchdown pass went to Tyler Jason, who only caught that pass for a 43 yard score. Volk also ran 15 times for 45 yards. Brian Stearns rushed 13 times for 39 yards and two scores. Veitengruber rushed four times for 40 yards and a score. Jake Reinbold ran eight times for 62 yards. This game will be fun. It’s a rivalry so both teams will be excited. The winner of this game will take on the winner of the Muskegon Oakridge vs. Reed City game. If Frankenmuth wins, they will be the host of that game.

Detroit – Division 1

Saline (9-1) at Temperance Bedford (10-0) (Friday November 8, 7pm)

This game is another rematch. Back in late September, these two squads played and Saline lost 33-17. Now they have a chance to get some revenge and win their second consecutive district championship. Last week, the Hornets dismantled Belleville 35-3. Belleville scored first, at the end of the first quarter, but Saline struck back hard in the second, rattling off three touchdowns. Quarterback Trent Theisen completed 14 of his 18 passes for 227 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. He also ran five times for 15 yards. Griffin Wooley was the leading rusher, with 13 runs for 54 yards and three touchdowns to go along with three receptions for 34 yards. Nader El-Awar caught six passes for 146 yards and a touchdown. Cameron Cole grabbed on pass and took it nine yards to pay dirt. Jeb Palka rushed eight times for 17 tough yards. A chance to beat the team that gave you the only loss of the season and win a district championship should be more than enough to motivate Saline.

Temperance Bedford has really come around the past half-decade or so. They have made the playoffs six straight times. This is an interesting team. From the early 1960’s until 1999, they played in the Great Lakes Conference, which is made of Ohio teams. Last year, Saline knocked out Bedford in the first round of the playoffs. Last week, they beat Westland John Glenn 28-6. It was a tough “grind it out” kind of game. They went into the game with the phrase, “Six, six, move the sticks” and were able to do that for the most part. They had two chances to score in the first half, and were able to do just that behind the legs of Alex Hullibarger. He scored four touchdowns during the game and has 24 on the season. Even though they had no turnovers and only 10 penalty yards, Coach Wood said they had made a lot of mistakes. It’s been a tough season for the Mules. Only a few weeks ago, they tragically lost senior Colton Durbin to an automobile accident. The winner of this game will face the winner of Detroit Catholic Central and Walled Lake Western.

Grand Rapids – Division 3

Wayland Union (6-4) at Byron Center (7-3) (Friday November 8, 7pm)

The thing many people do not know, is that Byron Center coach Marc Cisco and Wayland Union coach Jerry Diorio are good friends. Diorio was an assistant under Cisco and even their wives are friends. The big thing for this game is what they have labeled “Four Stories of Courage.” Two families at each school have been identified who are facing serious challenges and they will raise money for those families during the game. In Wayland Union’s 38-28 victory of Plainwell, many things went right. Running back Mike Miklusicak rushed an incredible 40 times for 294 yards and a score. Jack Phillips rushed for 74 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries. With 61 carries between them, I don’t think they passed the ball at all. They are the #1 and #2 rushers in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Gold Division.

Byron Center is no slouch. Two of their three losses came at the hands of pretty good playoff teams. The 28-3 win over Battle Creek Harper Creek was their first playoff win since 2009. The defense came through in a huge way. They held BCHC to 117 total yards of offense, and only 16 yards in the second half. Quarterback Jake Bylsma completed two of his three passes for 48 yards and rushed 12 times for 85 more. Jarod Rodgers ran 19 times for 108 yards and a score. Travis Baker, Mike Palazzolo and Zach Teitsma each found the end zone when running the ball. Erik Chard grabbed one pass for a 45 yard gain. This is going to be a very tough and good game. They are rivals, but it’s not a bitter one. Whoever wins this game will face either Stevensville Lakeshore or St. Joseph.