MHSAA Football Finals - Recap
Sorry folks! I thought I posted this last Thursday. When I went to look at a few things about the games this a few minutes ago, I realized I never posted it! Sorry about the delay, but better late than never I suppose!
Just like that, it’s over. The 2011 MHSAA football season has ended with nine winners and plenty of teams with work to be done. This was a great season with plenty of surprises. Everyone now is busting out the bowling balls, basketballs, wrestling mats, and skis because the winter sports season has already descended on some. Let’s wrap up the football championships!
Division 1
Detroit Cass Tech 49 Detroit Catholic Central 13
To be perfectly honest, this was a surprise to me. I knew that Cass Tech has tons of speed on defense, but I never expected a blowout like this, especially when the last two games were very close. Cass Tech quarterback Jayru Campbell completed 13 of his 20 passes for 240 yards, five touchdowns, and an interception. He also lost six yards on two rushing attempts. Running back Royce Jenkins-Stone ran nine times for 65 yards and a score while also hauling in a three yard touchdown pass. Delano Hill caught four passes for 89 yards and a score. Dejuan Dennard caught three for 66 yards and a score. Daquan Pace hauled in three for 57 yards and a score. Monty Heath caught one and scored from 16 yards out. On the Catholic Central side, quarterback Kyle Cooper tossed 14 passes and completed seven of them for 143 yards a score and an interception. David Houle ran 11 times for 57 yards and the other score. Zach Bock and Anthony Darkangelo each ran eight times for 18 and 16 yards, respectively. Darkangelo also hauled in four passes for 97 yards and a score. This is the second time a Detroit Public School team has won a state championship since the playoff system began in 1976.
Division 2
Birmingham Brother Rice 24 Lowell 14
The Warriors of Brother Rice were a team that nearly missed the playoffs. They made it in with a 5-4 record. Coach Al Fracassa has seven state titles to his name and is without doubt a living legend. Quarterback Cheyne Lacanaria complete four of the eight passes he attempted for 42 yards. Running back Devin Church did the tough sledding, carrying 33 times for 256 yards and three scores. He also pulled in two passes for 13 additional yards. Brian Walker gained 44 yards on 11 attempts. The defense was able to get Lowell out of their veer offense and into a shotgun formation, which isn’t something they wanted to do. For Lowell, Gabe Dean ran 23 times for 62 yards while completing 14 of his 24 passes for 190 yards, two scores, and three interceptions. Josh Addington added seven runs for 22 yards. J.P. North caught five footballs for 71 yards. Luke Bigham and Blake Lyman each caught four passes for 50 and 49 yards, respectively.
Division 3
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 45 Mount Pleasant 7
It had been 10 seasons since OLSM last won a football championship, despite playing in the game four times since. Divisions 1, 2, and 3 all featured teams from the Detroit Catholic League and two of the three won state titles. Eaglet quarterback Dan Clements completed only two of his eight pass attempts for 20 yards and an interception, but the ground game more than made up for the lack of passing. As a team, they rolled up 479 rushing yards on 47 carries. Leading that charge was Spencer McInnis with 214 yards and three touchdowns on 23 attempts. Grant Niemiec gained 96 yards on 11 rushes while Parker McInnis gained 96 yards on nine carries and scored once. For the Oilers of Mount Pleasant, quarterback Ryan Elliott completed 13 of his 23 passes for 145 yards but threw two picks. He also ran eight times for 40 yards and scored the team’s only touchdown. Michael Tweh ran 14 times but gained just 39 yards. Colton Odykirk caught seven passes for 94 yards.
Division 4
Zeeland West 45 Marine City 7
It was Marine City who found the end zone first, but it would also be the last visit this season. Zeeland West was able to run over Marine City even though their star running back was on the sideline with an injury suffered in the previous game. Dux’s Brad Mesbergen returned the second kickoff of the game 97 yards for a touchdown which is a finals record. Zeeland West quarterback Clay Coatney completed six of his nine pass attempts for 122 yards and two scores. He also ran the ball seven times for 33 yards. Derek Postma ran the ball 13 times for 60 yards. Kyle Kujawa ran 11 times for 103 yards and a touchdown. Jordan VanDort caught four passes for 110 yards and a score while Postma pulled in two passes for 12 yards and a score. On the Marine City side, quarterback Adam Kroll completed eight of his 16 passes for 85 yards, a touchdown, and an interception while also running eight times for an additional 24 yards. Anthony Scarcelli ran eight times for 44 yards while also gaining 74 yards on four receptions. Jamie Salisbury ran nine times for 25 yards and caught a six yard pass. Gunnar Glodich pulled in two passes for 40 yards and Marine City’s only score.
Division 5
Flint Powers 56 Lansing Catholic 26
No one gave Flint Powers much of a chance. They had started the season poorly and needed to win out just for a shot at the playoffs. Lansing Catholic had destroyed pretty much everyone that had crossed their path this season. Powers quarterback Garrett Pougnet completed 12 of his 15 passes for 258 yards and four touchdowns while also running 14 times for 159 yards and two more scores. Receiver Daniel Meissner caught six passes for 141 yards and a score. Prescott Myers pulled in three passes for 93 yards and scored twice. Nick Sullivan ran eight times for 53 yards and scored a touchdown. On the Lansing Catholic side, quarterback Cooper Rush completed his high school career with a nice game. He completed 26 of his 41 passes for 291 yards, three scores, and an interception. He also ran 11 times for 44 yards and a score. Connor Bartlett was the leading receiver with 11 catches for 189 yards and two scores. Matt Macksood hauled in seven passes for 62 yards and a score.
Division 6
Ithaca 42 Constantine 14
This game was very tight in the first half. With it all knotted up at 14 going into the break, it was all Ithaca after the half. The win gave them their 28th consecutive victory and back to back Division 6 state championships. Quarterback Travis Smith completed 18 of his 25 attempts for 299 yards and a score while also running 10 times for an additional 48 yards and two more scores. Running back Travis Miniard also ran the ball 10 times for 56 yards and scored once. Receiver David Brown caught six passes for 122 yards and also ran the ball twice for seven more and a score. Zach Allen and Jared Evers each caught four balls for 92 and 52 yards, respectively. On the Constantine side, quarterback Andres Montoya only attempted two passes, and completed one for 15 yards. The other ball was intercepted. Montoya also ran the ball 12 times for 24 yards. Ben Mallo was the leading running back with 17 rushes for 189 yards and the team’s two scores. He was also the recipient of the 15 yard reception.
Division 7
Saginaw Nouvel 56 Pewamo-Westphalia 26
Nouvel scored all their points in the first half and coasted to a victory in the second. It was nearly impossible for P-W to stop Bennett Lewis, as has been the case all season for everyone Nouvel has played. He went to his coach early in the game and told coach to keep giving him the ball. For the game, he gained 200 yards and scored five touchdowns on 15 attempts. Quarterback Joe Buchalski completed seven of his 10 passes for 196 yards and three scores while also running five times for an additional 57 yards. Josh Buchalski caught two passes for 72 yards and a score. On the P-W side, quarterback Justin Thelen completed 10 of his 21 passes for 176 yards and two scores. Alex Thelen was the leading rusher with 94 yards and a score on 16 attempts. Josh Nurenberg caught four passes for 82 yards and a score.
Division 8
Mendon 33 Fowler 0
Perennial power Mendon won their 11th state title in convincing fashion, blanking Fowler. It started with an 84 yard punt return by Tyler Harris and concluded with a 29 yard scamper by Harris. For the game, he ran 14 times for 92 yards and two scores. Tanner Cook ran nine times for 95 yards and a score and also caught a 35 yard pass. Quarterback Chance Nightingale completed four of his eight passes for 119 yards and also ran four times for another 48 yards. Receiver Robbie Gonser caught one pass for 40 yards. For Fowler, quarterback Dustin Wirth completed five of his 10 passes for 70 yards and ran seven times for 28 yards. Tyler Koenigsknecht ran 15 times for 38 yards. Kevin Koenigsknecht caught two passes for 44 yards. Mitch Thelen ran 14 times for 47 yards and caught two passes for 26 yards.
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