MHSAA Football Playoffs - Semifinal Week

Wow! It seems like yesterday I was gearing up for the season, now we are at the semifinals! All the hard work has paid off for these teams. One more win and

Wow! It seems like yesterday I was gearing up for the season, now we are at the semifinals! All the hard work has paid off for these teams. One more win and they will spend the weekend after Thanksgiving not looking for deals, but playing for the ultimate prize in high school football; a state championship. The memories made this weekend will last forever in the minds and hearts of these young men and women (not 100% sure if there are any young women still playing.) Each of the games this week is at a neutral location. Now, onto the show!

Detroit Catholic Central (8-4) vs. Rockford (10-2) (Division 1) (Saturday November 17, 1pm at Battle Creek Central)

This is a great matchup. Both of these teams are top tier programs. Last year, DCC bounced Rockford in the semifinal. Coach Tom Mach is a living legend. The man consistently puts good teams on the field and sends players to college on scholarship. With 332 wins and a career winning percentage above .800, it’s easy to say he’s a winner. Last week, they beat Plymouth 28-7. The score was close at halftime with DCC holding a 14-0 advantage, but Plymouth scored by putting together a long drive at the beginning of the third quarter. Anthony Darkangelo was the leading running back with 14 carries for 137 yards and a score. Garrett Mores ran seven times for 100 yards and completed three of his six passes for 80 yards. The defense was huge in the game. They held Plymouth to 32 rushing yards and 140 yards of total offense. Their offense put up 362 rushing yards and 80 through the air. If CC can play a game like they did last week, they might get a rematch of last year’s state title game against Cass Tech (assuming both teams win.)

Rockford is rolling. They have a 10-2 record with losses early in the season to Lowell and Muskegon. Coach Ralph Munger is another guy with a boatload of wins (271 to be exact.) Last week, they beat Clarkston 25-14 to give them a semifinal berth and send Clarkston home with their first loss of the season. Running back Connor Darby ran the ball 19 times for 89 yards and a score. Quarterback Kyle Short completed four of his six passes for 159 yards, including a 97 yard Scott Kaule score. Short also ran in the first touchdown of the game from six yards out. Kaule also busted a 52 yard scoring run that helped seal the win for the Rams. Sam Reinke ran for 40 yards and scored once. Both of these teams have a great chance to return to Ford Field. Although Rockford hasn’t been there since 2008, this is their third straight semifinal game.

Pewamo-Westphalia (9-3) vs. Ishpeming (11-1) (Division 7) (Saturday November 17, 11am at Northern Michigan University)

It wasn’t an easy win for the Pirates. They found themselves in a 21-0 hole early in the second quarter. The team didn’t give up and clawed their way back into the game, eventually winning it on a 15 yard scoring pass with 50 ticks left to play. Quarterback Kyle Nurenberg completed 13 of his 26 passes for 183 yards, four touchdowns, and four interceptions. He also ran the ball 13 times for 53 yards. The last score went to Kyle’s brother, Nathan. Nathan Nurenberg caught only one pass but took it to the house while also running the ball 10 times for 56 yards. Jered Myszak toted the rock 18 times for a team high 59 rushing yards. Lane Smith was the leading receiver with eight catches for 126 yards and a score. Clayton Platt caught five for 42 but found the end zone just before halftime to make the score a more manageable 21-14. P-W made it to the state title game last year, but was run over by Saginaw Nouvel.

Ishpeming is having a good season. One of the games I profiled in Week 1 was Ishpeming and Iron Mountain. The game last week was interesting. A win this week will put them into the state championship for the second time in three seasons. Ishpeming won last week 28-12 over Lake City, but the big story was the conditions of the game. It was MUDDY and nasty. Conditions were such that tailback Eric Kostreva ran the ball 25 times and quarterback Alex Briones didn’t even touch the ball on any of those plays. They were all direct snaps. Kostreva finished with 143 rushing yards. Briones only attempted one pass, and it was intercepted. He did run 32 times for 199 yards and four scores. As a team, they ran for 407 yards. Each of their touchdown drives lasted at least nine plays. When you can run the ball in these conditions and stop the other team, you will win more often than not. Kostreva said, “Our linemen really owned the line and opened up some holes for us. The key was they stayed low and got leverage on the defense.”

Bellaire (9-3) vs. Deckerville (11-1) (8 Man Football Final) (Friday November 16, 7pm at Greenville)

This game had to be profiled. It’s the 8 man football state title game. It will be played at Greenville High School on their beautiful new turf. Bellaire had a close game in their 20-16 win over Rapid River. It all came down to one pass into the end zone that fell incomplete at the very end of the game. Quarterback Zach Smith only completed one of his four passes, but it went 58 yards to Wes Villafane. Chase Small helped his team win the game with a strong effort. He rushed 15 times for 136 yards and scored all three of his team’s touchdowns. Villafane also made 13 tackles on defense.

Deckerville came up with a huge win over Portland St. Patrick, a team most people were predicting to win a state title. It took two overtime periods, but Deckerville got it done. Deckerville dominated most of the first half and raced out to a 22-0 lead. Quarterback Nick Pagel completed three of his six passes for 36 yards and ran 17 times for another 69 yards. He was a little banged up from the game the previous week, but played pretty well. Chris Wolfe ran 29 times for 80 yards and scored twice. Corey Wagester ran 14 times for 92 yards and two scores while also hauling in a nine yard touchdown reception. Nathan Spaetzel hauled in one pass for 22 yards. This game should be great. It is the first meeting between the two schools. This is Deckerville’s first year playing 8 man football.

Wyandotte Roosevelt (11-1) vs. Birmingham Brother Rice (10-2) (Division 2) (Saturday November 17, 1pm)

These two teams have never met. Now, they get to play for a trip to Ford Field. The Bears of Wyandotte Roosevelt have played pretty well the past few seasons, winning three straight Downriver League titles. Last week, they were in a defensive fight and came out on top of Oak Park 10-6. Luckily, quarterback Kevin Matejko found Brandon Swards 31 yards away in the end zone for a score with 1:37 left in the game. Then they had to stop Oak Park inside their 10 to preserve the win. Matejko completed six of his nine passes for 63 yards and a score. Kyle Matejko rushed 12 times for 49 yards. D’Aries Davis also ran 12 times but gained only 26 yards. Sowards caught two balls for 45 yards and that touchdown. The defense came through in a huge way to help them win the game. They will need another huge defensive effort if they want to play at Ford Field.

Brother Rice has one of the most decorated coaches in the country. Coach Fracassa has 414 wins under his belt and multiple state championships. Heck, he even had his team in the finals last year and they beat Lowell for the Division 2 title. With that many wins and championships, he is a legend in this state. Last week, his squad beat Walled Lake Western 42-12. Most of that was thanks to running back Shon Powell. He finished with 11 carries for 150 yards and two scores. Brian Walker ran 16 times for 93 yards and two scores. Greg Marzek toted the rock nine times and gained 131 yards. It’s safe to say they had a great game running the ball. Quarterback Cheyne Lacanaria completed four of his eight passes for 43 yards and a score. Sergio Perkovic caught two passes for 35 yards and two scores. It’s hard to bet against Fracassa and his boys, especially when they have a strong running game.