Week 11 - District Finals - There Is No I In Team

Week 11 is here and that means District Finals! An interesting thing that happens in the early playoffs is rematches. We are getting past most of the

Week 11 is here and that means District Finals! An interesting thing that happens in the early playoffs is rematches. We are getting past most of the rematches and to the point where teams play other teams for the first time ever. With only three more wins needed to get to Ford Field, time is getting short and intensity is turning up another notch. I’d also like to say that these columns may end without warning as my wife and I are expecting our first child within the next month. I told Baby Cottrell that if she comes before Thanksgiving weekend, she’ll be grounded because I already made plans for Ford Field (hahaha). With dreams still intact and expectations through the roof, we take a look at the SpartanNation Prep Football Games of the Week.

West – Division 2

Muskegon (7-3) at Lowell (9-1) (Friday, 7pm)

The weather wasn’t pretty, nor was the game, but the Big Red Machine rolled past Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills 15-6. Two major mistakes by Kenowa Hills gave Muskegon the win. The first was in the first quarter. It looked like quarterback Kevonta Keys was wrapped up, but he broke free and ran in a 49 yard touchdown. The second major mistake was a poor Kenowa Hills punt snap deep in their own territory. The punter was tackled and Muskegon only had to go 11 yards for a score. Je’Quante Smith punched it in from two yards out four plays after the muffed snap. Muskegon only attempted one pass (incomplete) in the rainy conditions and ran the ball 41 times. They run an option style of offense which allows their athletes to make plays. Although they will throw the ball, this is a running team. That plays well to the weather of November. They will need to limit mistakes and force Lowell into some errors if they want to win the game.

The Red Arrows dominated St. Johns last week. Running back Austin Graham ran 17 times for 209 yards and three touchdowns. He had scoring runs of 3, 20, and 80 yards. Quarterback Gabe Dean completed two of his five passes for 62 yards and two touchdowns. Both of the passes were caught by Derek Cornish. He scored from 44 yards and 16 yards out.   Lowell tallied 461 yards of total offense, 401 of which came on the ground, to St. Johns 139. This is a very tough team. Like Muskegon, they are predicated on the run. Lowell will pass more than Muskegon, if conditions allow. The last time these two teams played was in the 2008 Regional Final. Muskegon won that game 49-14. Lowell will be looking for some revenge. Coach Noel Dean has been at Lowell a long time and knows that his nephew/sophomore quarterback Gabe Dean will execute the game plan set by the coaches. This will be a very interesting game!

North – Division 7

Rudyard (9-1) at Traverse City St Francis (10-0) (Friday, 7pm)

Last week was pretty big for Rudyard. They had lost five straight playoff games dating back to 1986. The Bulldogs beat Rogers City 32-6 to get a playoff win for the first time in 23 years. The weather didn’t distract Rudyard’s passing attack. Quarterback Davin Salo threw three touchdowns, including a 70 yard toss and score. Their defensive line was dominant at times. Coach Pat Maloney had his players ready for the conditions and they just followed their normal game plan. They will have their work cut out for them this week. The Gladiators are the defending state champions and their closest game was a 21 point win over Saginaw Nouvel. People do say that the pass defense of TCSF is suspect so that will go into the Rudyard game plan.

Traverse City St Francis is loaded. They have smoked pretty much everyone that has stepped on the field with them. The Gladiators are averaging 52.4 points per game. This past week, they beat Indian River/Inland Lakes 54-0 for their fifth shut-out of the season. Joey Kerridge led the Gladiator rushing attack with 243 yards on 21 carries and scored five touchdowns. Ben Swan has 114 yards on six carries and a touchdown in the first half before they saddled up Kerridge and let him carry the load in the second half. The field was very muddy and didn’t allow for much traction in the middle of the field. Even though the Bulldogs brought a lot of pressure, it didn’t faze the Gladiators much. Linebacker Max Bullough, a Michigan State commit, is a strong presence in the middle of the defense and can dominate at times. It took them a little while to get used to the conditions, but they transitioned well. The game against Rudyard is the first since 1991 and the second between the two schools ever.

Capital Area – Division 5

Durand (7-3) at Ovid-Elsie (10-0) (Friday, 7pm)

Durand is another team that has waited a long time for a playoff appearance. It’s been 26 years since the Railroaders were last in the playoffs. Back in 1983, they beat Essexville Garber and lost to Battle Creek Lakeview. This year, the beat Laingsburg 34-14 and made it into the District Final. Quarterback James Burrow had a nice game. He completed six of his 16 passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns while also running for 127 yards on 28 totes. Logan Dean ran for 58 yards and a score on his 11 carries. During one 26 second span of the third quarter, Robbie Fiske and Patrick Cherny each returned interceptions for touchdowns. No one gave the Railroaders much of a chance because Laingsburg had posted five straight shut-outs. Durand proved them wrong. Can they slow down Chris Robinson and get the win over Ovid-Elsie?

The Marauders are in the playoffs because of one player; Chris Robinson. The senior running back has rushed for 2,286 yards and scored 30 touchdowns this season. In addition to being the man with the golden legs, he’s also a safety on defense. Last week against Lake Fenton, he ran for 170 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries all in the first half. Coach Jerry Goosen saw his team make it to Ford Field last season but those dreams were smashed when Robinson got hurt in the first half. Goosen has his team rolling through the regular season undefeated and only three games from Ford Field again. Although I couldn’t name one of them, the offensive line must be playing pretty well because Robinson has run for so many yards.

Detroit – Division 1

Livonia Stevenson (8-2) at Detroit Catholic Central (Saturday, 7:30pm)

Last year, Livonia Stevenson was one game away from playing for a state title. This year, they have rattled off eight straight wins and are firing on all cylinders going into their tough game against Detroit Catholic Central. The Spartans are led, coincidently, by a Wolverine. Michigan commit Austin White has had a nice season so far. In last week’s game 21-7 win over Northville, White ran 19 times for 117 yards and a touchdown. Backfield mate Johnny Pauley added 107 yards on his 11 totes. Quarterback Brendan O’Hara completed five of his six passes for 57 yards and a 22 yard touchdown strike to Stephen Pollard. The Spartans are tough inside. They can out-muscle people with their linemen and push their agenda.

Detroit Catholic Central has had steady leadership. The players take ownership of the program and keep them towards the top of the rankings in most seasons. Coach Tom Mach has been instrumental to the success in his 34 years as CC’s head man. If they can win this game, Coach Mach will win his 300th game and join an elite club of coaches with over 300 wins. The other two are Brother Rice legend and Michigan State alum Al Fracassa (honorary captain for this weekend’s Michigan State game), and Farmington Hills Harrison Coach John Herrington. They started poorly last week to begin their playoff run but rallied for a 42-7 victory over Livonia Franklin. They fumbled at the three yard line and Nate Robinson ran it back 92 yards for a score, putting Franklin up 7-0 late in the first quarter. DCC threw an interception, but the defense held. Niko Palazeti scored a 19 yard touchdown run half way through the second quarter to put the score at 7-6 (blocked extra point). Linebacker Butch Herzog intercepted a pass and ran it in for a 12 yard score late in the second quarter. That was the spark they needed. Palazeti, Anthony Capatina, Justin Messner, and Andrew Erickson all scored touchdowns in the second half and pushed the game out of reach.

Mid Michigan – Division6

Reese (8-2) at St. Charles (9-1) (Friday, 7pm)

The Reese Rockets didn’t have too tough of a time making the playoffs. Although they lost their last game of the season to Mount Morris, they ended with a 7-2 record. Last week in their game with Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port, they limped into the game with injury problems at quarterback. JV tailback Jimmy Hahn (sophomore) lined up at quarterback and played well. He was the fourth person to man the position this season. Reese won the game 29-6. Hahn only completed one of his seven passes, but it went 46 yards for a score. He also ran six times. Reese really relied on the legs of Andrew Mendyk, who ran 181 yards and scored twice on his 22 carries. Cody Somerville also ran 11 times for 42 yards.

St. Charles has been one of the top Division 6 teams in the Mid Michigan area for the past few seasons. This is their third consecutive District Final game. Coach Brady Lake took over two seasons ago and installed the Single Wing Offense. For those who don’t know, the Single Wing is predicated on confusing the defense because the ball can be snapped to multiple people in the backfield. Although none of the Bulldog players have over 1,000 yards rushing, four different players have over 500 yards (Tyler Nieman, Dugan Roosa, Tyler Larson, and Travis Crane). Last week in their 51-12 victory over Sandusky, the game started poorly. Roosa fumbled the ball on the first play and Sandusky capitalized, scoring three minutes later. They wouldn’t score again until only two seconds remained in the game. The Bulldogs stormed back after that first mistake. Larson finished with 122 yards on 12 carries and two touchdowns. Nieman ran six times for 88 yards and a touchdown. Roosa ran for 38 yards and a score while also throwing a 13 yard touchdown pass. They will need to limit mistakes and exploit the inexperience of whoever quarterbacks the Rocket squad.