Playoff Finals: They've Gotten Their Chance, What Will They Do With It?

It’s here! Tomorrow we will know four of the state champions! Teams have paid with love and blood to get a chance of a lifetime. Many of these players will

It’s here! Tomorrow we will know four of the state champions! Teams have paid with love and blood to get a chance of a lifetime. Many of these players will never put on the pads again while others get a chance to play at the next level. Who will win? Check back tomorrow as I’ll hopefully be posting updates throughout the day, as long as I can get an internet connection. If not, they’ll be up by midnight Saturday night/Sunday morning.

I’d also like to thank my boy Hondo Carpenter for his words of encouragement and an opportunity to do what most young college graduates don’t do; utilize their minor.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Sleep tonight because there's football tomorrow!

Division 1

Macomb Dakota vs. Livonia Stevenson (1pm Saturday)

It’s a game between last year’s champion and a team not many thought could make it. Dakota has a big team that has a lot of experience. We have to remember that coaches bring up JV (and sometimes freshmen) to varsity for the playoffs. The players who were brought up have a lot of experience and that experience helps get a team deep in the playoffs season after season. They will follow their strong offense and try to beat a good Livonia team for their second straight championship.

Livonia Stevenson is a bit of a surprise. They weren’t expected to make it this far, but they have proved all of their critics wrong. The Spartans have a good offense and the school is making their first appearance in the football finals. This season, they have an undefeated record and they hope to carry that through this last game. Spartan football is quick to the ball on defense and can score a lot of points while on offense, as shown by their 474 points scored this season while only giving up 172 against good competition.

Division 2

Midland vs. Detroit Martin Luther King (1pm Friday)

After a 17 year hiatus from the “big game,” MLK has returned. They hope to give the Detroit Public School League their first state championship in football. King has acquired a few transfers from schools that closed which have really put them in the top tier of football teams in the state. Nick Perry tops that list for King, playing the defensive end position. They will have their hands full with a good Midland team who is also looking for their first state championship.

As for Midland, they have played and won some close games this season. One of their losses came to Flint Southwestern Academy, which could have been in Midland’s spot if they would have won a few games after having to forfeit three due to an ineligible player. Quarterback Andrew Maxwell has played very well under pressure and he has a very fast running back in Colter Robinson. Robinson can really hit the holes quickly and get to that next level. I haven’t seen anyone give Midland much respect or much of a chance to win this game, but they are a very well coached team with a TON of school spirit.

Division 3

East Grand Rapids vs. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (7:30pm Saturday)

Wow! Where do we begin with this game? Two fantastic programs will be squaring off for that big trophy and the ring that comes with it, as well as respect and memories to last a lifetime. East Grand Rapids is the defending Division 3 state champions and has really put away every team they played this season, including top teams like Lowell and last week’s 28-7 win over St. Joseph. They are very well coached, make few mistakes, and know how to capitalize on the opposing team’s mistakes. They proved that against Mount Pleasant a few weeks back.

On the flipside is Orchard Lake St. Mary’s. The Eaglets play in the very tough Detroit Catholic League Central Division. They beat Brother Rice and Warren De LaSalle this season and kept the winning going in the post season. This team has been consistently good since the mid 1970’s and are hungry for another championship. We all know the Eaglets can run the ball, but they will have to block a fantastic game up front and play stout defense if they want to beat a very good East Grand Rapids team.

Division 4

Marine City vs. Detroit Country Day (7:30 Friday)

This is a battle between a top quarterback and a top running back. Both offenses rely on their top players. Marine City’s Brendon Kay has tossed a ton of touchdowns and ran a few more in the postseason helping him get an offer (which he took) to play for former CMU and Grand Valley coach Brian Kelly at Cincinnati (is it weird to anyone else that Kelly wanted the MSU job and Dantonio got it, but Kelly took his old job at Cincinnati?). Up front, they have gotten the job done and allowed Kay to play to the top of his ability. His receivers have played very well and the lone loss on the season was to a very good Melvindale team to open the season. If Brendon Kay can expose the weaknesses in the secondary of Country Day, he will be able to exploit them to a victory for the Mariners.

Country Day is lead by running back Jonas Gray. His next football game will be in the blue and gold of Notre Dame. He has rushed for a ton of yards this season, including over 300 last week against Zeeland West. This team showed that they can win the close games and respond well to immense pressure. One of their losses this season came against Flint Powers, who was beaten by Marine City in the second round of the playoffs. It will really come down to which big time player makes the big plays to help his team win.

Division 5

Menominee vs. Jackson Lumen Christi (4:30 Saturday)

I’m not sure what to say about this game. Two very good programs will face off for that Michigan shaped trophy. JLC has won a ton of championship with the most recent being in 2004. Sophomore quarterback Conor Sullivan has filled in for Nate Russler in fantastic fashion, leading his team to playoff victories after Russler was injured in the regular season finally. The Titans have beaten up on virtually everyone they’ve played this season. Coach Herb Brogan has his team playing at a very high level. That’s good because they’ll have to play a fantastic game to beat a very tough Menominee team.

The Maroons were a favorite to reach this game from the beginning of the season. They have played a very tough schedule with top teams from Minnesota and Wisconsin. One of those teams, Menquon Homestead was last year’s Division 1 champion and this year’s runner up in Wisconsin. Most of the games this season haven’t been close, due to the great defense that the Maroons have played and their hard to read single wing offense. Their closest games in the playoffs were 21 point wins against Grand Rapids West Catholic and Standish-Sterling. Wing back/quarterback Ethan Shaver has played very well on both sides of the ball and I doubt 70some year old coach Ken Hofer will let his players out on the field without being ready for a fight.

Division 6

Saginaw Nouvel vs. Blissfield (4:30 Friday)

I have to admit it; I had no clue that Nouvel would make it back again this season. I figured they were in a reloading season after losing 25 players to graduation. Boy was I wrong! Great coaching has helped the Panthers make it back to the championship for the third time in five seasons. They have played very very well in the playoffs and beaten teams no one outside of the Panther locker room expected them to win. In order to win back to back championships, they’ll have to come and beat a very good Blissfield team.

Defense is the name of the game for Blissfield. They know how to run the ball very well, their line plays at a high level, and they can run the clock. It wasn’t too long ago that Blissfield went four seasons and only won a total of one game. Those days are long gone, and now we have a tough team that has only given up 152 points. Before this season, they had only made it into the second round, and never past it. Now, they get a chance to be state champions.

Division 7

Traverse City St. Francis vs. Mendon (10am Saturday)

Like many other divisions, Division 7 features a game between two perennial powerhouses. Together, they have won 13 state titles with ten belonging to Mendon. The Hornets are led by linebacker Joe Smith who was the Division 7/8 player of the year. Defense is a strength of this team, as they have not given up 100 points total on the season (87 so far). Last year’s hiccup must have lit a fire under these guys and they have come out determined to regain that state title.

After getting beat up by Suttons Bay to open the season, TCSF has come back strong. In the playoffs, they have allowed a total of eight points while scoring 188. Defense is a strength for the Gladiators as well. According to Coach Sellers, the seniors have really reacted well to the first loss and kept the team moving towards their goals. Things started to turn around when they went to Saginaw and beat up on Division 6 finalist Saginaw Nouvel. TCSF has been protecting the ball very well and that is going to be a key factor in the game; turnovers will allow a team to become frustrated and make silly mistakes. Coach Sellers will remind his players to keep fighting as hard as they can so they can win that state title.

Division 8

Crystal Falls Forest Park vs. Fulton-Middleton (10am Friday)

Fifth time will hopefully be the charm for Crystal Falls Forest Park. This will be their fourth consecutive trip to the finals and fifth in eight seasons. We all know the kind of hard work it takes to get to the finals and to never win it can be very discouraging. They have made it 11 times since the playoffs began in 1975 but only have two titles to show for it. Their defense has really turned it on in the playoffs. Offensively, they have run the ball very effectively and that helps keep opposing offenses off the field and the clock rolling.

When you talk about Fulton-Middleton, the first person you have to mention is running back Clevelyn Jefferson. He has over 2,500 yards on the season. It is easier to run when you have an offensive line that compares well to Division 1 lines. This offense has scored a ton of points this season and they hope to continue that trend and win their first state title since 1998. This game will be one of the top games of the weekend despite being played between the two smallest schools.