MHSAA Football - State Championship Results

Hello everyone! Sorry about being so late with this. The whole family went to Disney World the morning after Thanksgiving so I wasn’t able to attend any of

Hello everyone! Sorry about being so late with this. The whole family went to Disney World the morning after Thanksgiving so I wasn’t able to attend any of the state final games. We had a nice trip and I was able to watch some of the stats come down on the MHSAA’s website. From the little bit I saw, it was all about Drake Harris and his monster game that helped Grand Rapids Christian win a state title in overtime. Yea, that was pretty much the only game I saw part of the stats live. I doubt y’all want to hear how much my three year old daughter loved the “coffee cups ride” as she liked to call it and are far more interested in what happened in those games. Well, let’s take one last look at the football season before we head into basketball season (which started this week.)

Detroit Cass Tech 36 Detroit Catholic Central 21 (Division 1)

First off, I’d like to send condolences to the family of David Widzinski. The sophomore was a standout football player for the Shamrocks and died in his sleep Monday morning. He was the only sophomore to start for Detroit Catholic Central. The Technicians won their second state title with a nice win over the Shamrocks. Sophomore quarterback Jayru Campbell didn’t put up huge numbers, but put his stamp on the game. His stat line is four of 12 passing for 154 yards and a score and ran five times for 10 yards and a score. Campbell’s ability to read the defense and put his team into the proper play was huge, as indicated on his team’s first play of the game; an 89 yard touchdown pass that went to Jourdan Lewis. Lewis finished with two receptions for 101 yards and a score. Running back Mike Weber ran 20 times for 190 yards. Deon Drake Jr. scored as well. For Catholic Central, quarterback Garrett Moores completed 12 of his 23 passes for 221 yards, three scores, and two interceptions. Zach Bock caught six passes for 91 yards and two scores. Malone scored the other receiving touchdown on three receptions for 61 yards. David Houle ran 13 times for 77 yards. Anthony Darkangelo ran 12 times for 56 yards. Moore, in addition to his passing, gained 39 yards on 11 runs. David Widzinski made 15 tackles to lead both teams in that stat category.

Brother Rice 35 Muskegon 28 (Division 2)

We’ve all heard that old adage; big players make big plays in big games. This game was no different. The Big Reds of Muskegon had just tied the score at 28 with only 2:13 left on the clock. On the kickoff, sophomore Delano Madison lateraled the ball across the field to Jason Alessi, who ran 91 yards for the winning touchdown. It was legendary coach (and Michigan State alumni) Al Fracassa’s first back to back championship in school history, and eighth state title overall. Alex Malzone completed eight of his 10 passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns while Cheyne Lacanaria completed four of his six passes for 44 yards and a score. The two quarterbacks combined for six rushes for 17 yards. Shon Powell was the workhorse running back, carries seven times for 97 yards and a score. Receiver Cory Lacanaria caught five passes for 137 yards and two scores. Jason Alessi had that 91 yard touchdown on the kickoff return mentioned earlier. For Muskegon, quarterback Deshaun Thrower completed eight of his 17 passes for 143 yards and a score while Jalen Smith completed four of his 12 passes for 41 yards. Smith also ran 17 times for 149 yards. Keondre Craig caught a 51 yard touchdown pass from Thrower.

Grand Rapids Christian 40 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 37 (OT) (Division 3)

This was a very exciting game. It was pretty close in the first half, with Christian holding a 20-14 halftime advantage. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s outscored them in the second half 23-17. GRC’s Joel Schipper came on the field and nailed a 28 yard field goal to tie the game with four ticks left on the clock. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s got the ball first in overtime, and Grand Rapids Christian stopped them on fourth and three, so Schipper came back out on first down and won the game with a field goal. Future Spartan Drake Harris had a monster of a game to complete his monster season. He finished with a MHSAA finals record 243 yards on eight catches. That yardage total put him at 2,016 receiving yards for the season, making him the first player from Michigan to do it and the 12th player in the nation. The man throwing all those passes to Harris was Alex VanDeVusse. He completed 16 of his 26 passes for 307 yards and a score and ran for 73 yards and a score on seven runs. Seth McIntosh toted the rock 11 times for 91 yards and three scores. The Eaglets ran all over Grand Rapids Christian. The potent rushing attack of Parker McInnis and Grant Niemiec accounted for 437 yards. McInnis ran 25 times for 269 yards while Niemiec ran 28 times for 168 yards and three scores. Quarterback Matt Linehan completed nine of his 14 passes for 120 yards and a touchdown. V. Jefferson hauled in five passes for 79 yards and a score.

Grand Rapids South Christian 40 Detroit Country Day 7 (Division 4)

It wasn’t a slam dunk for GR South Christian to win this game.  The previous week, their starting quarterback broke his collarbone. With Jon Wassink not in the game, Derek Woltjer came in and played well. He accounted for four touchdowns from the quarterback position. He went seven of seven passing for 88 yards and two scores while also running 15 times for 153 yards and two scores. That was good enough to lead the team in rushing. Chad Sterk rushed 11 times for 112 yards. Austin Deikever grabbed two passes for 24 yards and a score. Jason Miller only caught one pass, but raced 41 yards for a score. On the Country Day side, quarterback Tyler Wiegers completed 18 of his 34 passes for 216 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Richard Wilson was the leading rusher with 11 carries for 55 yards. Tristin Wiegers caught eight passes for 75 yards but Maurice Ways led the team in receiving yards with 89 yards on three catches and a touchdown.

Portland 12 Grand Rapids West Catholic 9 (Division 5)

Like the old cliché goes, football is a game of inches. Grand Rapids West Catholic had a first and goal from the Portland 10. They were stuffed and a fourth down screen pass was sniffed out and fell short of the needed yardage. With a Portland defense that had 10 seniors starting, it was a team effort that helped them win their first state championship in any sport. Three Portland players rushed 12 times. Quarterback Tanner Allison ran 12 times for 52 yards and a score while also completing seven of his 16 passes for 214 yards and a score. Jacob Kimmell ran 12 times for 36 yards and Caleb Hickling ran 12 times for 31 yards. Auston Brandt made four catches for 178 yards, including a 94 yard touchdown reception when Allison was trying to throw the ball away. Grand Rapids West Catholic was close, but just couldn’t get the job done this year. Quarterback Travis Russell completed 20 of his 39 passes for 209 yards. David Bankuk caught eight passes for 71 yards. David Kuzma caught two for 55 yards. Andy Corey led the rushing attack with 13 runs for 91 yards and his team’s only touchdown.

Ithaca 37 Constantine 27 (Division 6)

It wasn’t looking good for Ithaca. On their second offensive play of the game, all state quarterback Travis Smith went down with an injury. Logan Hessbrook took over and helped his team win their 42nd game and third straight state title. When it was all said and done, Hessbrook completed seven of his 13 passes for 104 yards and two touchdowns while also running for a team high 140 yards and two scores on 23 carries. Jared Evers chipped in 10 carries for 77 yards and a score while also catching two passes for 30 yards and another touchdown. Markes Gadlen pulled in two passes for 36 yards and a score. Caden Kipp grabbed three passes for 27 yards. For Constantine, quarterback Tommy Reed completed five of his 12 passes for 87 yards and ran 11 times for 51 more. Ben Mallow rushed 16 times for 208 yards and a score. Justin Hull ran nine times for 102 yards and a score. Jeff Steiner ran 10 times for 57 yards and a score and grabbed one pass for 43 yards. The game was close throughout and Ithaca only pulled away in the fourth quarter.

Ishpeming 20 Detroit Loyola 14 (Division 7)

If there was an upset on finals weekend, this was it. Most everyone expected Loyola to roll over Ishpeming because they were so much bigger. The Hematites took their best hits, dished a few of their own, and came away with their first state championship since 1979 and third overall. Running back Eric Kostreva ran 20 times for 183 yards and three touchdowns. He also had one reception for 10 yards. Quarterback Alex Briones completed two of his four passes for 29 yards and ran 20 times for 58 yards. The other reception was made by R.J. Poirier for 19 yards. For Detroit Loyola, it was all about running the ball. Keymonn’e Gabriel was held in check (compared to what he normally does) with 131 yards and a touchdown on 21 runs. He also made four receptions for 52 yards and a touchdown. Keith Graves grabbed one pass for nine yards. Quarterback Toby Sharpe completed five of his 11 passes for 61 yards and ran seven times for 20 more. Marvin Campbell chipped in 10 rushes for 38 yards. Big man Malik McDowell made seven tackles.

Harbor Beach 35 Beal City 10 (Division 8 )

The people of Harbor Beach love their Pirate football. They have been going to games and acknowledge that they are a “football town.” The defense came through in a huge way, shutting down perennial powerhouse of small school football, Beal City. Beal City had scored at least 25 points in every game this season previous to the state title contest. The Pirates had three fourth down stops inside their red zone and held another drive to a field goal. On offense, quarterback Eli Kraft completed eight of his 13 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran 15 times for 78 yards and a score. Derek Pfaff ran 15 times for 64 yards and a score. Austin Seltz ran only twice for six yards, but found the end zone. Aaron Ginther ran five times for 28 yards and hauled in three passes for 66 yards and a touchdown. Travis Essenmacher ran twice for 18 yards and caught two passes for 86 yards and a score. Seven different players carried the ball for Harbor Beach. On the Beal City side, quarterback Sam Schafer completed 10 of his 20 passes for 168 yards as well. When he ran the ball, which he did 12 times, he gained 41 yards. Ty Rollin was the work horse with 17 carries for 82 yards and his team’s sole touchdown. He also made two receptions for 56 yards. Carson Salisbury made five catches for 90 yards. This is Harbor Beach’s first state title.