Week 13 - There Is Magic In The Air

Hello and welcome to the Semifinals of the MHSAA football playoffs! There are some great games this week. Many of the schools left are traditional powerhouses

Hello and welcome to the Semifinals of the MHSAA football playoffs! There are some great games this week. Many of the schools left are traditional powerhouses when it comes to football in Michigan. Some haven’t been this far very often. It will be an interesting Saturday to say the least!

Capital Area – Division 1

Holt (11-1) vs. Detroit Catholic Central (12-0) (Saturday 1pm at Lansing Everett)

The one loss of Holt’s season came in Week 2 against Rockford. They avenged that loss last weekend when they beat the Rams 27-13. Quarterback Jordan Beachnau completed 12 of his 19 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown. That touchdown was to Chris Scott for a 50 yard scoring strike. Scott finished the day with two receptions for 57 yards. Holt took an early lead with two scores in the first quarter. The 50 yard TD pass was set up by a Dominick Todd interception which was returned to midfield. Beachnau ran in a score from nine yards out. When Beachnau ran, he accumulated 43 yards on 17 carries and scored twice. Jake Gallimore only ran twice, but he punched in a score on a nifty 70 yard run. Nick Curtis was the workhorse, running 13 times and gaining 55 yards. Joseph Johnson also ran a lot, with 12 carries for 27 yards. Daniel Middleton caught four passes for 38 yards and Dominick Todd caught six for 60. This will be a tough game. The offense will need to score against a tough defense and limit mistakes like they did in their win over Rockford.

It was the closest game for Detroit Catholic Central this season. Their offense was methodical; driving long distances for touchdowns and taking time off the clock. Uncharacteristically, the Shamrock defense gave up quick scores. Running back Niko Palazeti rushed 18 times for 84 yards and scored three times. Backfield mate Anthony Capatina ran 17 times and gained 106 yards, including the game winning touchdown in overtime. Quarterback Sam Landry completed six of his 12 passes for 88 yards. Their defense has been the strength of their team all season, but gave up a lot of yardage and allowed Canton to score more points than they had given up all season combined. Detroit Catholic Central played a tough schedule in the regular season. Three other teams from the Catholic League are still playing (Warren DeLaSalle, Birmingham Brother Rice, and Orchard Lake St. Mary’s).

North – Division 7

Traverse City St. Francis (12-0) vs. Ravenna (10-2) (Saturday 1pm at Ferris State)

Like Detroit Catholic Central, Traverse City St. Francis had the closest game of the season in the Regional Final. Luckily, they walked out of the Yooper Dome with a 28-20 overtime victory over Ishpeming. The Gladiators took a 20-14 lead with less than two minutes remaining in the game, but the Hematites weren’t finished. Dan Olson tossed a 53 yard touchdown pass to Wyatt Jurasin (five catches for 113 yards) to score 15 seconds before the game would have ended to force overtime. Joey Kerridge found the end zone in overtime and also added the two point conversion for the winning margin. Defensive back John Zakrewski intercepted a pass two plays later to end the game. Quarterback Riley Bullough finished four of 10 for 33 yards, two interceptions, and one touchdown. That touchdown pass went 17 yards to future Spartan Max Bullough. Zakrewski also ran for 90 yards on nine carries.

Ravenna scored more points than the soaring temperatures last weekend. The Vandals of Merrill and the Bulldogs combined for over 1,200 yards of total offense. Merrill used their passing attack to gain over 600 yards while Ravenna grinded out 580 on the ground. When the dust had settled, Ravenna had 77-49 win. At halftime, it was 35-28. Ravenna’s Jamohn Martin ran 32 times for 232 yards and three touchdowns. Josh Vanderwagon ran 13 times for 186 and three scores. Tyler Chopp gained 81 on his 11 totes and scored two more for the Bulldogs. Even though Matt Vanderwal only ran twice, he gained 70 yards and scored twice. Merrill quarterback Nate Tack completed 24 of his 47 passes for 516 yards and five touchdowns. Ravenna quarterback Ryan Hogan only attempted three passes and completed one which went for a 10 yard touchdown. It’s obvious that Ravenna is going to try and run the ball as much as possible and test the Gladiator defense.

Mid Michigan – Division 5

Clare (12-0) vs. Millington (11-1) (Saturday 1pm at Midland High)

They knew it wouldn’t be easy, but the Pioneers of Clare beat Menominee and their single wing offense 20-7. Senior running back Tyler Gillis scored two of his team’s three touchdowns even though he only ran six times for 15 yards. They were led by Michael McFadden who rushed for 77 yards on eight carries. Quarterback Kris English completed six of his 13 passes for 52 yards and a touchdown. He also ran 10 times for 66 yards. Gillis credited the offensive line for giving that push that enabled him to break past the first level and to the linebackers on his short touchdown runs. Clare forced Menominee into mistakes and was able to make plays when they needed them.

The Cardinals are in a familiar situation. Ten years ago, they made the Semifinals before falling to Detroit Country Day and they lost in the Regional Finals back in 2004. This season, they have put away many good teams in the playoffs, including Carrollton, Vassar, and last week’s 22-21 win over Ovid-Elsie. Star running back Justin Stutler was sick with the flu part of last week, so Cameron Wilson did the majority of the running, especially out of the Wildcat formation. He racked up 196 rushing yards and all three scores on his 33 carries. Stutler, only playing in the first quarter, ran seven times for 22 yards. Matthew Harrington carried 14 times for 88 yards. Neither Noah Moore nor Cameron Wilson completed a pass and Millington attempted five of them.

West – Division 6

Constantine (10-2) vs. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (11-1) (Saturday 1pm at Jackson)

Being in a Semifinal game is something that Constantine fans know. Since 1994, they have played for a state championship three times and won once (2004). The Falcons have never lost a semifinal game. This season didn’t start out well for Constantine. The Falcons dropped their fist two games of the season to Battle Creek Pennfield and Olivet. Since then, they have knocked out ten straight wins. Last week, they beat Bronson 28-14. It was a total team effort; quarterback Jake Bower completed four of his eight passes for 46 yards and ran eight times for 49 yards and a touchdown. He also intercepted two Bronson passes. Running back Payton White ran 14 times for 103 yards and a touchdown. Zach Mallow ran 13 times for 83 yards and a 10 yard touchdown run. Four other players ran the ball as well. It won’t be the first time that St. Mary Catholic Central and Constantine have met; Constantine won a wild last second victory in 2004.

Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central is in a familiar position as well. Last season, they made the semifinals before falling to Leslie by three points. These Falcons are a rushing team. They will pass some, but not a whole lot. Receiver Jack Cusumano has caught two footballs for 56 yards to lead the team in receptions this season. He scored on an 85 yard kickoff return in their 48-6 win over Manchester. Last week, running back Chris LaBeau gained 152 yards on 11 carries and scored twice, including a 44 yard run on the first play of the game. T.J. Lovell ran nine times for 92 yards and also scored twice. This is the fifth time that Coach Jack Giarmo has taken his team to the semifinals.

Detroit – Division 2

Warren DeLaSalle (8-4) vs. Inkster (8-3) (Saturday 1pm at Ferndale)

The Pilots of DeLaSalle had a tough season. They finished with a 5-4 record with losses to Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, Brother Rice, Detroit Catholic Central, and Columbus Watterson (Ohio). This comes one year after they won every game on their way to the state championship game (which they lost to Muskegon 34-13). Running back De’Angelo Parris carried the ball 23 times for 159 yards and scored a touchdown. The Pilots used eight different running backs in the 27-6 victory over Southfield. Freshman quarterback Shane Morris threw the ball for 52 yards and a touchdown. He has moved from third string to starter because of injuries. Their offensive line protected Morris and opened holes for the running backs. It will be a tough game against a good Inkster team. The secondary for DeLaSalle will need a great game to contain quarterback Devin Gardner.

It didn’t take long for Inkster to get started against Southgate Anderson. By the end of the first quarter, the Vikings were up 20-0. The star of the show was quarterback Devin Gardner. He completed 11 of his 19 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns. When he tucked the ball to run, he gained 104 yards on 11 carries. Coach Greg Carter credited the offensive line for slowing the pressure Southgate was trying to apply and allowing Gardner the time he needed to pick apart their secondary. DeShawn Bell carried the ball nine times for 106 yards, including a 50 yard touchdown run on the fourth play of the game. Southgate Anderson made strides during their first season under Coach Derek McLaughlin. Unfortunately for them, Inkster was the better squad. The Vikings had their way with the Titans and Gardner is a force to be reckoned with. He will do his best to pick apart the secondary of DeLaSalle and force the corners to turn and run. That will allow Gardner to run the ball himself.