Week 14 - State Finals - One and Done

That’s it boys and girls! My football beard has been growing for 16 weeks and it is burley…just ask my beautiful wife Haley. 16 teams have punched their

That’s it boys and girls! My football beard has been growing for 16 weeks and it is burley…just ask my beautiful wife Haley. 16 teams have punched their ticket to Ford Field. It wasn’t easy for everyone, but they’ve done it. There are dreams left to be dreamt for a couple hundred boys and their coaches. I’d like to first take a look at some interesting facts about the teams playing in the finals. Eight of the 16 teams are undefeated and four of those teams are playing each other (Detroit Catholic Central vs. Sterling Heights Stevenson and Traverse City St. Francis vs. Hudson. Also undefeated are Montague, Clare, Three Rivers, and East Grand Rapids). One team in the state finals made the playoffs as a 4-4 team (Orchard Lake St. Mary’s). Two of the games are rematches for state titles, although some may be years in the past (Traverse City St. Francis vs. Hudson in 2003 and the thrilling five overtime game between East Grand Rapids and Orchard Lake St. Mary’s). Crystal Falls Forest Park is playing in their sixth consecutive state championship game and 12th overall. The only team that is making their first appearance in the state finals is Clare in Division 5. Now that we got the interesting facts out of the way, let’s take a look at all of the state finals!

Division 1 – Saturday 1pm

Detroit Catholic Central (13-0) vs. Sterling Heights Stevenson (13-0)

The Shamrocks are ready to roll. They have been many people’s pick to win a state championship since football season began. Detroit Catholic Central has a lot of things going for them. They have an excellent facility, great coaches, tough players, and tradition. This definitely won’t be Coach Tom Mach’s first dance…just the first since winning a title in 2003. With two running backs that can get the job done, chances are that Detroit Catholic Central will run the ball, control the clock, and let their defense shut down Sterling Heights Stevenson’s prolific offense. Niko Palazeti and Anthony Capatina are tough runners. Last week, like I profiled on Tuesday, they helped DCC to a 31-0 win over Holt. Palazeti and Capatina combined for 247 yards and three touchdowns. It is imperative that the Shamrocks establish the run.

Sterling Heights Stevenson is another team that is coming into the game undefeated. Led by senior quarterback Jason Fracassa, the Titans have been awesome on offense. Fracassa, the grandson of legendary high school coach Al Fracassa, has been starting since his freshman year. All that experience adds up. He set records for passing yards in a career and touchdown passes in a career. He almost lost their semifinal game against Clarkston though. He threw an interception late in the fourth quarter when they were down. Fortunately, Stevenson recovered a fumble on the 40 yard line with just under 40 seconds left to play. His favorite target this season has been D.J. Mershman. He hit Mershman twice on that last drive and moved the ball down to the four yard line. Fracassa spiked the ball with next to no time on the clock and the official put four tenths of a second back on the clock, enough for one last play. Fracassa found a wide open Dylan Cooper in the end zone for the win. For the game, Fracassa was 35 of 53 for 416 and two touchdowns. It’s obvious that Coach Rick Bye will utilize the arm of Jason Fracassa and try to exploit matchups in the secondary of Detroit Catholic Central. The offensive line will need to hold off the Shamrock pass rush and allow Fracassa enough time to find his receivers.

Division 2 – Friday 1pm

Lowell (12-1) vs. Inkster (9-3)

Coach Noel Dean is in a familiar position. He’s won two state championships with Lowell, but not since the Division 3 title in 2004. Dean’s starting quarterback is someone he is familiar with, his nephew Gabe Dean. Interestingly enough, Dean has passed for 1,234 yards this season. He’s run the ball for 1,377 yards this season as well. He isn’t the main man when it comes to running the ball, though. Austin Graham ran for 221 yards and two touchdowns on 37 carries in their 35-14 semifinal win over Birmingham Brother Rice. With a strong rushing attack from Graham and Dean (26 carries for 127 yards and three touchdowns) they were able to utilize their strong offensive line. Gabe Dean said, “All of them hit you every play; they get a nice push. I wouldn’t want to be playing behind any other offensive line in the state.” The defense came though with a strong performance as well. They stopped a fourth and two on Lowell’s nine yard line during the third quarter. Lowell can run and throw the ball with efficiency. Dean went seven of 11 for 101 yards in the game with three of those being caught by Derek Cornish for 70 yards. Coach Dean is surely coming up with a plan to keep a balanced attack and utilize Graham’s sledgehammer running style, Dean’s nifty rushes, and Cornish’s hands.

Inkster is a very tough football team. Greg Carter has them playing at a very high level. Their defense had to come through for them in their 12-3 win over Warren DeLaSalle last weekend. When you talk about Inkster, the conversation most certainly must begin with future Wolverine quarterback Devin Gardner. He has been fantastic all season and is part of the reason that the Vikings are back in the state finals. Although he didn’t play up to his billing against DeLaSalle, part of that needs to be credited to the Pilot defense. He did end up with seven completions for 75 yards and a 12 yard touchdown run. Coach Carter said that Gardner has been slowed by a groin injury so that might slow down the dual threat that he brings to the table. Running back DeShawn Bell is another tough player.�� He had a great game the week before in the win over Southgate Anderson. It’s interesting how much the Inkster enrollment has grown over the past couple of seasons. In 2006, they played Saginaw Nouvel for the state title in Division 6. Now they are playing for a Division 2 title. Last year they lost to East Grand Rapids for the Division 3 title. The school has grown by nearly 650 students since 2006. Shoot, they were a Class D school in 2000 with 245 students. They will try to use their quick strike offense to push past Lowell.

Division 3 – Saturday 7:30pm

Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (8-4) vs. East Grand Rapids (13-0)

This is a rematch of the thrilling 2007 Division 3 title game that went to five overtime periods. By the time the game was over and I was able to get to my car and on northbound I-75, it was midnight…but what a game! The Eaglets come into the game with an 8-4 record. They opened the season with a 21-7 loss to…wait for it…East Grand Rapids. This team finished the regular season at 4-4, but found their rhythm in the playoffs. Coach George Porritt knows about good players and how to win football games. Last week, they stunned Division 3 favorite DeWitt 44-27. The Eaglets took a 30-0 lead and never looked back. Future Penn State quarterback Robert Boldin had a pretty good game. He went seven of 11 for 145 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran in another score and finished with 64 rushing yards. One of those touchdown passes went to Allen Robinson who caught it and raced 80 yards to pay dirt. Earnest Thomas, a running back and linebacker, gave East Grand Rapids some bulletin board material a few weeks back. He said, “When we come to play, we’re tough. East Grand Rapids, we’re coming at you.” OLSM will use a balanced attack and try to get their best player, Robert Boldin, to make plays with his legs and his arm.

East Grand Rapids has been one of the top teams since I started covering high school football a few years ago. They rolled into the state title game with a perfect 13-0 record. Since 2001, they have only lost seven games. The Pioneers in the past have loved to run the ball. They seem a bit more balanced this year. Last week in their 43-8 win over Ogemaw Heights, quarterback Ryan Elble threw 17 passes and completed 11 of them. That gave him 214 yards passing and three touchdowns. Running back Kirk Spencer ran 14 times for 128 yards and two touchdowns. The numbers were not inflated because Coach Peter Stuursma cleared his bench and made sure everyone got playing time. Colin Voss and Josh Laarman will need to contain Boldin when EGR is on defense. A.J. McEwen intercepted a pass on the third play of the game which helped EGR score before two minutes had run off the clock in their semifinal. This school has won a ton of championships and is shooting for their fourth straight.  They won’t break the record of Farmington Hills Harrison this season (five straight) but they could tie Detroit DePorres with four straight titles.

Division 4 – Friday 7:30pm

Three Rivers (13-0) vs. Marshall (12-1)

The Wildcats of Three Rivers needed to play the whole game to win. They were losing to Saginaw Swan Valley but were able to score a touchdown with 1:24 left in the fourth quarter to take the lead and get the win. Quarterback Aaron Spence only completed eight of his 20 passes for 120 yards, but got a touchdown when they needed it most. He hit Kyle Lokar on an 11 yard strike. Spence also ran the ball a lot; he ran 10 times for 20 yards and a one yard touchdown. Alec Friel was the workhorse, rushing 26 times for 123 yards. Three Rivers uses a spread offense and typically throws the ball all over the place in addition to spreading out teams and running right at them. Swan Valley gave them good coverage and didn’t allow a whole lot of passing to happen. Many of the players are seniors so they know the importance of the game and want to go out win, and bring the Michigan shaped trophy back to Three Rivers. Coach J.J. Wagner knows that the players are close to each other and will do his best to put them in the best position to make plays.

Marshall is different than Three Rivers. The Redhawks will line up and try to jam the ball down your throat. They are the proverbial “three yards and a cloud of dust” team. They are averaging 48.5 point per game which is slightly over a point per minute. Leading the rushing attack is Jamar Wimberly. Last week in the semifinal victory over Marine City, he ran for 254 of the team’s 463 rushing yards and scored four of the team’s seven touchdowns. On the season, he had 2,600 yards and 34 touchdowns. Fullback Cody Boughton had a nice game as well. He ran 13 times for 104 yards and had 24 yard touchdown run. Marshall has beaten some pretty good teams this season. They put up 50 points on Detroit Country Day and didn’t allow a first down until halfway through the third quarter. The only loss they have this season is to Division 5 finalist Jackson Lumen Christi. The Redhawks play in the tough Southwest Michigan East Division with teams like Battle Creek Central, Kalamazoo Central, and Battle Creek Harper Creek in addition to Lumen Christi. In the last two playoff games, they have scored nearly 100 points while only giving up 23. Luckily, they eeked out a 27-26 victory over Williamston in the District round and have dominated since. This game could go fast because of all the running that will happen. We know that Marshall will use Jamar Wimberly and run as much as possible. They need to dominate up front to open running lanes for Wimberly and Boughton.

Division 5 – Saturday 4:30pm

Clare (13-0) vs. Jackson Lumen Christi (12-1)

This is an interesting spot for Clare to be in. They have made the semifinals twice, but this is the first time they have ever played in a state championship game. The Pioneers of Clare have rolled to a 13-0 record by beating up on a lot of teams. They posted four shut-outs and their closest game was a 25-20 victory over Freeland in the first round of the playoffs. Quarterback Kris English has helped his team throughout the season.  He threw for over 1,700 yards and 18 touchdowns while also running for 14 scores. Last week against Millington, they made plays when they needed to and responded to the Cardinals scoring. Kris English can also run the ball pretty well. He rushed 10 times for 56 yards and two scores last week. His favorite target when he throws the ball is his cousin Matt English. Matt had four receptions for 91 yards. The hero of last game might be tight end Zach Jelenek. He caught a tight end screen and ran 60 yards for a score to break a 14-14 tie in the fourth quarter. Clare is a very team oriented squad. They know that no individual is bigger than the team and they all need each other to do their job in order to win. Coach Kelly Luplow acknowledged that they don’t have any superstars, but the team concept has carried them throughout the year.

When you talk about state finals in the 2000’s, you have to mention Jackson Lumen Christi. They have four state titles and two runner-up trophies since 2000. A lot of that can be attributed to Coach Herb Brogan. He is a coaching legend and seems to always have his team in the playoffs. Last week, they dismantled Muskegon Heights 42-18. Quarterback Conor Sullivan has been manning the quarterback position and definitely has a handle on what to do in Coach Brogan’s offense. He completed eight of his 11 passes for 176 yards in last week’s victory. Four of those receptions went to Scott Hough for 59 yards. The shortest pass completed went for 16 (Rafe Bellers) and the rest went for 30+ yards. Bellers also carried the ball a lot. He toted the rock 18 times for 99 yards and two touchdowns. Sullivan ran 13 times for 64 yards and a touchdown. Nick Russler ran 10 times for 112 yards and scored two fourth quarter touchdowns. The Titans are very well coached and play disciplined football. They will have a game plan set up that will give them a great chance to win their eighth state title.

Division 6 – Friday 4:30pm

Montague (13-0) vs. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (12-1)

Montague is going for back to back stat championships. They downed Ithaca 47-16 behind a strong defensive game. The Wildcat defense scored three times in the first half and went to the locker room with a 33-0 lead. One of the top players on the team is Cody Kater. He’s a three year starter and a dangerous threat with his arm and his legs. He’s committed to the best college football team in the state of Michigan this season, Central Michigan University. Not only did Kater have a rushing touchdown and a passing touchdown, he also returned an interception 75 yards to pay dirt to open the scoring. He finished eight of 18 for 118 yards. Another top player is Matt DeJong. DeJong caught a 44 yard touchdown pass in addition to running for a 55 yard touchdown. The scoring run came on a fake punt which was their last score of the game. Pat Collins is their head coach. He also played for Montague and won a state title. With a dual threat like Cody Kater, the game plan will be simple; let Kater make plays with his arm and run if nothing is available. Kater and DeJong are seniors that have been quite a combo for the past two years. This is their last chance to put on the royal blue and white of Montague.

The Falcons know how to fly. Don’t get me wrong, Monroe St. Mary Catholic doesn’t throw the ball much at all, but they sure fly down the field and rack up points. It was a very close game with Constantine last week, but the SMCC walked out victorious. Seth Gonyea drilled a 34 yard field goal to take the lead, but a penalty caused him to rekick from 29, and he made it again with only 25 seconds remaining on the clock. There was one last score after that but it was closer than the 23-14 score would indicate. Mike Howey threw the ball four times and completed two of them for 37 yards. Both receptions went to Seth Gonyea. He also ran 10 times for 45 yards. Running back T.J. Lovell carried the workload with 16 carries for 130 yards and two touchdowns. One of those runs was a 77 yard jaunt in the fourth quarter. Jack Cusumano chipped in with 13 runs for 88 yards. One thing they do very well is break big plays in the running game. There have been many times this season when they were able to find holes and exploit them. Coach Jack Giarmo is no doubt preaching tradition. The Falcons of Monroe St. Mary Catholic have won a ton of games in their history. Currently, they are ranked #19 in the state as far as winning percentage. No easy feat considering they will be playing their 499th game since 1950.

Division 7 – Saturday 10am

Traverse City St. Francis (13-0) vs. Hudson (13-0)

This is the other matchup this weekend pitting two undefeated teams against each other in hopes of finishing 14-0 and taking home the glory and memories of a lifetime. The Gladiators are led by senior Max Bullough. He was named the Player of the Year in Divisions 7-8. Their defense has held opponents to 74 total points and shut out five teams. Ishpeming took them to overtime in the regional final, but wasn’t able to get the job done. Last week, they were able to beat Ravenna and their coach had some insulting remarks for the school. Tradition isn’t built in a day and when you have it, it’s tough to take away. In addition to Bullough, Max Zakrzewski has signed to play Indiana, another Big Ten School. Coach Greg Vaughan was able to accomplish a goal of getting back to the finals and his squad won’t be awestruck by anything they see. Players like Ben Swan and Joe Kerridge will be ready to run the ball and have shown that they can do it very well. Quarterback Riley Bullough should be able to manage the game and put his team in good positions. Max Bullough may have said it best when after the conclusion of the semifinal game that winning never gets old at St. Francis.

Hudson is another Cinderella story this season. No one expected too much from them. All they did was win their division, go undefeated, and make it back to the state finals. People might remember that back in the 1970’s, Hudson went on a 72 game winning streak to set a national record (now at 151 games by Concord De La Salle in California). After a thrilling double overtime victory against a tough Mendon team, the Tigers dismantled Ubly 26-6. Grant Benschoter said it best, “We’re a tough team, too, and we knew we could do it. We take challenges head on.” They had to do that because their last three opponents had not lost a game either and Hudson ended those teams’ football seasons. Drew Milligan and Chris Robbins take care of most of the rushing attack. Matt Smith, a defensive end, has made plays like partially blocking a punt last week and knocking down passes. Chris Agguirre attacks from the other defensive end position. I wonder how many times those two have had a “board meeting” at the quarterback.  We may never know why those two are in such a hurry to meet at the quarterback.

Division 8 – Friday 10am

Crystal Falls Forest Park (11-2) vs. Beal City (12-1)

As avid readers of my column know, I like UP football. One of the top squads from up there is the Crystal Falls Forest Park Trojans. This is their sixth straight Division 8 state final and seventh since 2000. Coach Bill Santilli somehow was able to get his team playing fantastic football at the end of the season, when it counts most. It didn’t look good when they lost to Lake Linden-Hubbell to conclude the season, but after the rematch two weeks later, the Lakers were putting away the helmets. One of the more interesting players on the team is Jed Mongar. He stands 5’4” and weighs 135lbs, but can hit like crazy. He helped CFFP shut out a talented Frankfort team 20-0. Tailback Josh Siler, one of the leaders of the team, ran 31 times for 190 yards and two touchdowns, including a 59 yard run which put the first points on the board in the second quarter. Levi Oleksy ran 21 times for 62 yards. Quarterback Christian Valesano isn’t the first in the family to be playing quarterback in the state finals.  His father also guided CFFP to state titles in the 1975 and 1976 football seasons. It will be a tough game but if the Trojans can stick to their game plan and play defense like they showed last week, they have an excellent shot at bringing home their second state championship this decade.

Beal City is another town with a great football tradition. This isn’t the first time that these two teams have met in the playoffs. The Aggies lost to the Trojans in 2004 and 2007. Through physical play, Beal City won their semifinal game over Muskegon Catholic Central 14-7. Quarterback Jared Theisen completed two of his four passes for 33 yards and a touchdown. Both receptions went to Jordan Rau. Kegan Rojas (18 carries for 83 yards) and Brian Bleise (10 carries for 56 yards and a score) ran well in the game thanks to the offensive line. It may have taken a few weeks to get their offensive line together, but they definitely are playing up to Coach Larry Rau’s standards. Even Muskegon Catholic Central coach acknowledged that it was the physical offensive and defensive lines that took it to his team in the second half. That helped the linebackers contain a very good Major Metcalf from MCC. It will be a tough game against Crystal Falls Forest Park, but they should be able to execute their game plan. The question that remains is can they stop Josh Siler and get past the Trojan defense. Only time will tell.