Photo by Miles Postema
**ARTICLE BY NICK TUORI AND JOSH LONGSTRETH**
The MHSAA Football Playoffs rage on to another week of thrilling action. The Michigan Sports Radio team is covering several of the games below. Check out some previews of marquee matchups across the state.
Rockford v Grandville
By Randy Gregory
Rockford and Grandvlle met just three weeks ago to determine the OK Red champion. On a night filled with wind and precipitation at Grandville, Rockford came out on top by the score of 34-13 in a contest that was only a single score affair (21-13 Rockford) well into the third quarter. The Rams put the final two TDs of the night on the board to earn the win and the league title. The game featured the “T” formation all night long for the Bulldogs and left one guessing who had the ball after various fakes and feints. The Bulldogs specialize in ball control and attempt to limit the chances of the opposition to put drives together. That was never illustrated better than in the first contest when Grandville kept possession for 34 minutes versus 14 minutes for the Rams. Rockford counters with a diverse offense that is equally adept in the quick strike passing attack or the potent ground attack led by Ryan Ahern, Drake Irwin and Isaac Poot.
Rockford will enter the contest with a perfect record of 10-0 and the highest playoff point total in their 16-team half of the draw. That distinction affords them home field both this week and next should they emerge victorious. The Rams are averaging 42.2 points per game while allowing only 8.2. Rockford dominated Holland West Ottawa in the opening round of the playoffs last week by the score of 48-6. The Rams are also the second-ranked team in the state in the largest school (Division 1) classification. The Bulldogs come in at 8-2 with their only other loss coming at the hands of another 10-0 team in Davison. Davison topped Grandville 52-21 in the second week of the regular season. Grandville is averaging 34.8 points per game while surrendering 28.4. In the opening round of the playoffs, Grandville squeaked past Hudsonville 22-21 when the Eagles missed a 33-yard field goal with less than two minutes to play. The Bulldogs are also highly thought of in state polls with a top ten ranking themselves.
Grandville is coached by Eric Siegel who is in his tenth year at the helm. He has racked up an impressive record of 67-34 for the Dawgs and had previous head coaching experience at Taylor Truman High School in metro Detroit. The Rams are led by fourth-year coach Brent Cummings. Cummings is an incredible 39-3 thus far and is aiming to guide Rockford to the Regional round for the third time in that time frame.
Grandville is led by their highly recruited sophomore running back Jayden “Tank” Terry. He has rushed for well over 1500 yards so far and has garnered multiple Division 1 offers while also visiting Michigan State last week and Michigan this week. Though diminutive in height he packs an impressive combination of speed and power. He is complemented by running backs Easton Suidinski and Carson Kopko, who have both ripped off multiple big chunk plays for the Dawgs, Quarterback Cash Ruff is the “trigger” man for Grandville and has also demonstrated big play capability both running and passing. Return specialist Miguel Rojas is also someone who needs to be accounted for as he returned a pair of kickoffs for TDs in Grandville’s upset of Caledonia.
Besides Ahern, Irwin and Poot, the Rams also feature standout wide receiver Cam Kruisenga. Kruisenga torched the Bulldogs with a pair of TD passes in the inclement weather the first time around. Seth Anderson, Mikey DeKuiper, Lucas Pitsch and Ben Cummings are also integral to the Ram passing attack. Up front the Rams feature a large, deep and talented offensive line. Alex McPhee and Mason Kirn have been the mainstays with Nolan Miller, Dawson LaPlante, Parker Young, Brandt Pawloski and Isaac Post also playing extensive roles.
Seven different Rams made the OK Red All Conference squad on the defensive side. Ahern and Poot were honored at linebacker and safety respectively. Gabe Stouffer and Christian Herrema were honored on the defensive line and Louis Bosscher joined Poot in the defensive backfield. Kade Friesen and Sam Cummings were also feted as linebackers defensively for Rockford.
The weather preliminarily looks to be cool and dry and kickoff is slated for 7:00 P.M. at Carlson-Munger Stadium on Friday, November 3. A large crowd is anticipated for both teams so keep that in mind in planning your arrival time. The winner advances to play the victor of the game between Davison and Grand Blanc either Friday, November 10 or Saturday, November 11.
Caledonia v Byron Center
The Fighting Scots had a phenomenal offensive showing in their playoff opener, dominating Portage Northern 72-30. Brock Townsend stole the show with a 188 yard rushing game and four total touchdowns. The last time Caledonia scored 72 points in a game came against Byron Center, all the way back in the 1969 season opener. Those Bulldogs finished a paltry 1-7, a far cry from this year’s club. Coach Marc Cisco has built a consistent winning program at Byron Center, as the Bulldogs are 9-1 this fall. The OK White champs have scored over 40 points five times this year, including in last week’s 42-23 win over Portage Central. These longtime league rivals have met sparingly since the 2007 realignment cycle, with the lone meeting a 28-14 Caledonia victory in the 2021 playoffs. In that game, Byron Center raced out to a 14-0 lead before the Fighting Scots stormed back. They will need another quick start in this game against the potent Scots.
South Christian v Forest Hills Eastern
The South Christian Sailors, defending State Champions in Division 4, had to overcome a Week 9 defeat in last week’s playoff opener. They got the best of Wayland with their season on the line, a 34-7 defeat. This week, the Sailors will face a Forest Hills Eastern team eager to exact similar revenge on them. In Week 4, South Christian got all they could handle from Forest Hills Eastern. A late third quarter touchdown run by Carson Vis gave the Sailors a 32-29 victory in a contest that the Hawks have a late chance to pull ahead. After blanking Ionia 27-0 in the opening round, FHE is ready to strike back and advance past the Sailors. This will be a tremendous football game once again, with the winner looking to make a strong run through a wide-open Division 4 playoff bracket.
Grand Rapids Catholic Central v Berrien Springs
The Cougars are poised to make a run back to Ford Field this fall, and in their playoff opener they showed no mercy. It was a rout from the beginning in a 42-6 romp of the Benton Harbor Tigers. This week, GRCC takes on another stronghold from Southwest Michigan, the Berrien Springs Shamrocks. The alma mater of former Michigan State offensive lineman Nick Padla, the Shamrocks cruised past South Haven 42-22 in their opening match. This was the highest offensive output for the Shamrocks this season, besting their 38-14 win over Benton Harbor in Week 8. Berrien Springs will need to kick it into high gear to prevail against the mighty Cougars. This is a rematch from last year’s District Final, a game in which Berrien Springs was blanked, 56-0.
Gobles v Martin
The lone 8-man game on our docket this week features the Gobles Tigers and Martin Clippers. Martin, the reigning champions in 8-Man Division 1, are seeking a return to the Superior Dome this fall. Standing in their way of a fourth straight Regional Title are the upstart Gobles Tigers. This is a rematch of a Week 4 conference battle in which Gobles announced themselves on the scene with a 53-16 statement win. “Everything that happened in that earlier game, it doesn’t matter now,” Gobles coach Greg Eichler shared. “They are a better team than they were back in Week 4. They are a team that will be motivated to prove themselves, and they carry a ton of November football experience from last year’s State Championship run. That being said, our team is laser focused right now.” The Gobles team is led by their experienced seniors, such as Eli DeYoung and Mason Mansfield. “This senior class, they’ve been playing with the mantra “Leave a Legacy” all season. They have been working every day to leave this program in a better place than when they started, so that Gobles football will be a place for the next teams to grow and succeed. Regardless of this game Friday, I think they’ve already done that.” Eichler has helped engineer a Gobles return to prominence, by securing their first playoff win since 2016 on Friday. Fans in Gobles are extremely excited by the prosperity of this year’s team, which will strive to capture the school’s first Regional Championship since 2000 on Friday night.
Freeland @ Goodrich
The Freeland Falcons made their presence known in the 2023 playoffs in a big way last week. Freeland was able to get off and running behind their ground game and in a way, put the game on ice in the first half. It was a game in which, coming off a monumental win in week nine, could have caused some trouble for the Falcons. With a fresh start and entering the playoffs, Freeland ensured that they had moved on from that one and were ready to start the ‘playoff journey’ and a chance to earn another Monday. They did just that to set up a rematch of a 2022 District Final thriller.
Freeland faces a familiar foe this week in Goodrich. The two were locked in a defensive battle last season that turned out to go the Martians way but could have ended quite differently. Everyone knows when you play Freeland, the Falcons are a team that look to get their ground game going early and often to open up their pass game. Last week, Freeland did much of their damage on the ground. The Falcons racked up 335 yards rushing on the night led by Ty Fournier who went over 100 yards on the night. Sam Talaga had a big night with 75 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns. Brayden Petre helped with 61 yards.
After giving up the first score of the game, the Freeland defense woke up and was dominant the rest of the night. The Falcons defense were in the backfield for much of the night and finished the game with 5 sacks. Ethan Fowler finished with 2 of those sacks. Talaga also had a touchdown on the defensive side.
They will be facing a new team this week and that’s a team that, outside of one game this season, has been nearly dominant through a gauntlet of a schedule. The Goodrich Martians come in at 9-1 on the season, with the lone loss coming at the hands of an undefeated Corunna team. Of the nine wins for Goodrich, seven of those have come against playoff teams.
Goodrich is led by quarterback, Easton Phipps. The talented signal caller has passed for 823 yards on the season, 13 touchdowns, and has only accounted for 5 interceptions. Phipps can get it done on the ground as well accounting for 389 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns. The Martians love to get it done on the ground are led by Chase Burnett who has run for 1,416 yards and 20 touchdowns on the year. Goodrich isn’t afraid to go to the air either. Max Macklem leads that group with 782 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. Jakoby Lagat is a young, talented back who helped with 342 yards rushing and 4 touchdowns.
The Martians are talented on the defensive side where they gave up just 13.6 points per game on the season. Outside of two games this season, Goodrich was dominant on that side of the ball. Ben Sennabaum leads a group that can get after the quarterback as he finished with 3 sacks on the season. It’s a defense that can create turnovers as Phipps led the team with 3 interceptions.
This one has all the makings of another thriller. Both teams will likely look to get their ground game established and set the tone early. Goodrich seems to have the advantage through the air but Freeland is a team with some talented guys on the outside that can get loose as well. This one will be a battle. Freeland heads to Goodrich when the two collide this Friday night with a 7:00 start time.
Zeeland West VS Coopersville
Things got off to a booming start for Zeeland West in the 2023 playoffs. Losing their last three games of the regular season, the Dux wouldn’t let that get the best of them in a 52-22 route of rival Zeeland East in last weeks first round playoff matchup. Injuries have plagued West for the latter part of the season. An offense that had been rolling all season lost some momentum late but with last weeks performance the Dux have a new sense of life in the playoffs.
One thing that hasn’t changed for West all season has been their defense. The Dux have limited opponents to just 12.2 points per game through the course of 10 games. The most the defense has given up all season? Just 22 points, one to a Muskegon team that can pile points up in a hurry. If West can put together offensive performances like they did last week, they won’t skip a beat and it could wind up with them having a district title in tow.
The West offense was able to pile up 413 yards rushing last week led by Trey Sloothaak who finished with 161 on the night. Rolando Robelin added 103 yards on just 10 carries. Brandon Holman finished with 5 carries for 94 yards.
It’s been a big year for the Coopersville Broncos football program. Coopersville is currently in the midst of their best season since 2007, and they’re looking for more. The Broncos pulled out a defensive battle last week over perennial power, East Grand Rapids. Coopersville comes into this one at 8-2 on the season and the two losses came by a total of four points. One to undefeated West Catholic and another to 7-3 Spring Lake.
The Coopersville offense has hummed to the tune of 35.6 points per game on the year. They’re led at the helm by quarterback Beau Harris who finished the season with 1,092 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, and just 3 interceptions. He was big on the ground as well accounting for 611 rushing yards to go with 12 touchdowns. The ground game is led by Isaac LeMieux who has gone for 1,209 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns on the year. Evan Arnold added 6 rushing touchdowns of his own. Nick Gordon is a big time playmaker for the Broncos accounting for 475 rushing yards, 3 rushing touchdowns, 470 receiving yards, and 4 receiving touchdowns. Luke Stanton added 317 receiving yards, and 4 receiving touchdowns.
On the defensive side the Broncos do a great job of limiting opponents. That showed last week as the defense held the Pioneers in check for much of the night.
Coopersville head coach, Ed Kaman, gave his thoughts on a tough battle last week. “Last weeks game was a great game between two very good teams. Our kids did an outstanding job of sticking to the gameplan despite the adverse conditions. I’m very proud of our kids for their toughness and coming up with a huge stop to end the game. We have had some close games go the other way this season, but Friday night our kids hung in there and made some plays to win the game”.
He knows this week they’ll face another team that is very well coached. “Zeeland West has a great football program and tradition of success. Coach Schillitos track record speaks for itself. We will need to have a great week of practice and execute at a high level to win this game”.
Coach Kaman gave the key factors that may help his team come out on top Friday night. “Slowing down the wing-t offense and making plays offensively will be a huge factor in the outcome of the game. Our kids will be ready, they are excited to play for the District Championship on Friday night”.
This one should be a tight one throughout. Coopersville will have to find ways to score against a very good West defense that has done nothing but shut down opponents all season. The Dux offense got a boost last week and they’ll need to do the same this week in order to get on top early. This one could very well come down to the wire when the two collide this Friday night with a 7:00 start time.
Muskegon VS Mona Shores
The Muskegon Big Reds got their playoffs off to a big start in their win over Forest Hills Northern last week, knocking off the Huskies 41-0. This is no surprise for a program that hasn’t missed the playoffs since 1999. For much of this season the Big Reds have been completely dominant in outscoring opponents at a clip of 40.2 to 13.7. Muskegon has now won eight games in a row and outside of one of those matchups, they have nearly dominated from start to finish.
The Mona Shores Sailors pulled out a gritty win over Reeths-Puffer last week, 29-20. Mona Shores come into their seventh playoff appearance in a row and currently sit at 7-3 on the season. The Sailors have been solid on both sides of the ball this season. They were in for a battle last week but were able to get a score in the fourth quarter to take the sails out of the Rockets. They’ll need to get off to a better start this time around against Muskegon if they hope to have a chance late.
The Big Reds welcome in Mona Shores this Friday night at 7:00 for a round two battle and a district title on the line.
Mount Pleasant VS Forest Hills Central
The Mount Pleasant Oliers come into this weeks district final at 9-1, with the lone loss of the seasons coming in week one. Since then, Mount Pleasant has been able to cruise most of their opponents this season. They started the 2023 playoffs in a big way with a solid win over Northview last week, 31-17. Most of the teams the Oilers have played this season have been playoff teams. That hasn’t mattered much as they have outscored opponents, 344-171, on the year.
Offensively, aside from that lone loss, Mount Pleasant has piled up points on the year. They’re led by talented signal caller, Logan Bordychuk, who has compiled 1,542 yards passing on the year to go with 21 touchdowns and just 9 interceptions. Caleb Nuebecker leads the backfield with 961 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns. The Oilers have some big time playmakers on the outside in Easton Day (533 yards receiving, 6 touchdowns) and Riley Olson (435 yards receiving, 6 touchdowns). Tyler Hutchins helped with 5 rushing touchdowns and Jaxon Dern added 5 receiving touchdowns.
The defense has limited opponents all season to the tune of giving up just 17.1 points per game. This week will be their biggest test of all, however, as they face a potent scoring attack that has multiple weapons that can beat you.
Forest Hills Central put together an impressive win over Lowell last week, 35-20. The Rangers made their way through a gauntlet of a schedule this season. Even with that, Central was able to pile up 31.7 points per game while limiting their opponents to just 7.5 points per game. This week could likely be their biggest test, especially on the defensive side as they face a potent Oilers offensive attack.
The Rangers, offensively, are led by running back JT Hartman. Hartman has accounted for 884 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns as the biggest weapon on the Central offense. Ty Hudkins is a big time playmaker on the outside leading that group with 504 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns. Brendan Cargill has helped with 4 touchdowns, while Maxwell Richardson has grabbed 3 scores.
It’s a Rangers defense that doesn’t allow much to opposing offenses. The defense has allowed just 191.9 total yards per game. They limit you and suck the life out of you as the game goes on.
The Rangers roll into Mount Pleasant with a district title on the line. In a Saturday afternoon affair, this one should be a big time matchup early on in the playoffs. This one is slated for a 1:00 start time.
Bullock Creek @ Chesaning
The Bullock Creek Lancers are coming off a monumental win in the first round of the 2023 playoffs. Trailing 0-13 at the half, there weren’t many things that the Bullock Creek offense could get going in the first half as Clare looked like they might cruise for most of the game. Instead, the Lancers, both offensively and defensively, put together a big second half to secure their spot in a district final. For a team that was riding high on momentum, the sky is the limit right now for the Lancers.
Offensively last week, the Lancers were able to get things rolling in the second half. Bo Schwartz led the charge for Bullock Creek with 37 carries for 172 yards and 2 touchdowns. He would also throw the game winning touchdown to brother Zane Schwartz to give the Lancers the lead very late in the game. For much of the second half, Bullock Creek used their ground game to chew up clock and lean on the Clare defense and it paid off. Caden Tate rushed for 62 yards on just 5 carries.
The Lancers defense was able to make halftime adjustments to limit the Pioneers offense in the second half. It’s been a mainstay for much of the season for Bullock Creek, defense travels and they did just that again in the win. Bullock Creek would limit a potent Clare attack to just 259 total yards on the night and were helped with 2 turnovers on the night.
Chesaning cruised to a big win over Central Montcalm in their playoff opener, 31-12. It now marks four games in a row that the Indians have been completely dominant on both sides of the ball. They now set their sights on winning their first district title since 2007. It’s a team that has shown mostly dominance throughout what has been a tough schedule for them for much of the year.
Last week the offense was in tune yet again led by Brayden Florian who led the offense with 31 carries for 233 yards and 2 touchdowns. Max Volk finished with 1 touchdown on the night. Adam Woodcock helped with a receiving touchdown. It’s an offense that can beat you in different ways.
The defense was stout again for the Indians and were led by a dominant effort from their defensive line last week. Chesaning was able to add a turnover to their resume as Jordan Nixon had 1 interception on the night.
Chesaning head coach, Matthew Walter, gave his thoughts on last weeks win. “Last week was a hard fought game. Central Montcalm was physical and their backs were hard to bring down. Our offensive and defensive coordinator had great game plans and executed their plans especially in the second half. Both sides of the line wore them down in the second half and we were able to get the ground game going even more. Defense played lights out again and continue to improve under Coach Price”.
He gave his thoughts on the matchup with Bullock Creek this week. “Bullock Creek has a couple of big backs that will get lots of yards after contact if you don’t tackle low. They also have a couple really good linebackers that our offensive line will have to get to the second level often. They beat a good Clare team so we know they will be on a high and we have to match their intensity and physicality. Should be a game that is won in the trenches”.
This should be another great matchup with a district title at stake. Bullock Creek was able to limit a very good Clare offense last week and they’ll be faced with another one on Friday night. Chesaning has been dominant for much of the season and if they get their ground game going again, you can expect big things from the Indians. They will welcome in the Lancers for a 7:00 clash this Friday.
