Michigan Sports Radio’s big football weekend: Previewing prep district finals, MIAA showdown

BY SCOTT DECAMP

For Michigan Sports Radio

Coopersville football coach Ed Kaman is fully aware of DeWitt’s rich tradition and gaudy resume, especially in recent seasons.

The Panthers are reigning MHSAA Division 3 state champions, winners in 34 of their last 37 games. In the last six years, they’ve laid claim to two state titles and one state runner-up finish.

At the same time, Kaman wants people to understand something entering Friday’s 7 p.m. Division 3 district final when Coopersville (9-1) travels to DeWitt (8-2): His Broncos are pretty darn tough, too.

“There’s no doubt, we know they’ve been there and done those things and that’s great,” Kaman said about the Panthers. “But, you know, we feel like we’re pretty good, too. Our kids are confident in our abilities and, like I said, we’re excited to go out and compete this week and that’s really where we’re at.

“We don’t try to play the hype game a whole lot. We just try to kind of go about our process and prepare each week for the opponent, no matter who it is. … I guess if you’re outside of our circle, you may view it as a big underdog situation. You know, that’s OK. We’re just going to play.”

The Coopersville-DeWitt matchup is one of a handful of district championship games being streamed Friday night on Michigan Sports Radio.

On Saturday, MSR is launching its Hope College “Rivalry Series” coverage against Calvin University with the big battle of unbeaten football teams at brand-new Knight Stadium.

Next Tuesday, MSR is planning to be back at Grand Rapids Catholic Central’s Cougar Stadium for an MHSAA district final between GRCC and Berrien Springs.

Here is MSR’s lineup for the upcoming days:

FRIDAY, NOV. 6

DIVISION 1: Grandville (5-5) at Portage Central (9-1), 7 p.m.

DIVISION 2: Mona Shores (9-1) at Caledonia (8-2), 7 p.m. 

DIVISION 3: Coopersville (9-1) at DeWitt (8-2), 7 p.m. 

DIVISION 4: Ludington (8-2) at Kenowa Hills (9-1), 7 p.m. 

DIVISION 4: South Christian (9-1) at Stevensville Lakeshore (9-1), 7 p.m. 

SATURDAY, NOV. 7

MIAA: Hope College (8-0, 5-0 MIAA) at Calvin University (8-0, 5-0), 1 p.m. (Calvin broadcast and Hope audio broadcast)

TUESDAY, NOV. 10

DIVISION 5: Berrien Springs (9-1) at Grand Rapids Catholic Central (8-2), 7 p.m.

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Coopersville and DeWitt have met twice before in the playoffs: Coopersville winning 21-19 in the Division 4 semifinals in 2006, and DeWitt claiming a 21-7 victory in the D-4 regional finals in 2001.

Coopersville and DeWitt have two common opponents this season in Kenowa Hills and Lowell. Coopersville fell to Kenowa Hills in Week 9 (44-0) and edged Lowell in Week 5 (14-13). DeWitt routed Kenowa Hills in Week 1 (59-21) and Lowell in last week’s playoff opener (50-14).

On paper, those outcomes don’t seem to bode well for the Broncos, but as many in the game have pointed out, playoffs are a whole new ball game.

“Obviously, a really good football program, great tradition there,” Kaman said about DeWitt. “We have a lot of respect for coach (Rob) Zimmerman and what they’ve done there. Our kids are a little bit healthier this week, which is good. And our kids did a really good job of bouncing back last week, playing well.”

DeWitt is led by senior Griffin Braman, who is in his first season as the Panthers’ starting quarterback after the graduation loss of all-stater Traverse Moore. 

Braman, who recently received an offer from Division II Davenport University, is 92-of-139 passing for 1,382 yards with 12 touchdowns and just one interception this season. The 6-foot-4, 185-pounder also is DeWitt’s leading rusher with 812 yards and 13 TDs on 85 carries.

As illustrated in its scores against Kenowa Hills and Lowell, DeWitt’s offense is a high-powered unit with a 46.9 point-per game average despite suffering heavy graduation losses from last year’s 14-0 squad.

Kaman said that the Panthers do a lot of things offensively in the way of formations and different looks. He said they play fast defensively. It’ll be key for the Broncos to be lined up correctly on both sides of the ball.

“They’re downhill, they’re aggressive,” Kaman said. “They’ve got some good size up front – some really good size. 

“People over there (in DeWitt) may think, ‘We don’t quite have what we had last year.’ Well, they’re still really good. They graduated some great players, but in a program like that, they just reload. They definitely have that size up front – that’s going to be a big challenge.”

On the Coopersville side, sophomore QB Champ Kelly has had a remarkable season as well. The 6-2, 190-pounder has completed 111 of 177 passes for 1,495 yards with 23 TDs and only two interceptions.

Sophomore Corbin Motman is the Broncos’ top rusher with 165 carries for 1,159 yards and 14 TDs.

In last week’s playoff-opening 24-14 home victory over East Grand Rapids, Coopersville avenged a 2025 district final loss. It was a nice bounce-back for Coopersville one week after a lopsided defeat to Kenowa Hills with the River Cities Alliance title on the line.

“We’re excited for the challenge and obviously it’s a little road trip, getting on the bus and getting down the road,” Kaman said about the 80-mile drive east to mid-Michigan. “But we’re just excited for our kids that we were able to execute well and have a great game for our seniors in a home playoff game last week. 

“Our kids had a really good week of practice. I just can’t say enough about our kids and how they work each day and how they approach things.”

Here are preview capsules for the other games featured on MSR in the coming days:

DIVISION 1

Grandville (5-5) at Portage Central (9-1)

One of the biggest upsets of the first round in terms of playoff-point averages was Grandville’s 38-30 victory at Howell. The Bulldogs jumped on the Highlanders early, building a 22-6 lead that was cut to 22-14 by halftime. Grandville broke it open in the second half, leading 38-14 early in the fourth quarter before Howell stormed back. Grandville’s defense rose to the challenge in the closing seconds as Howell had the ball at the Bulldog 4 with 20 seconds remaining and two plays to score, but the Highlanders were denied.

Grandville seeks a second-straight upset – at least it would be that on paper – when it travels to Portage Central with a district trophy on the line. Portage Central, which advanced to the Division 2 state semifinals last year, is coming off a 21-14 home victory over Hudsonville in the first round. Grandville lost at Hudsonville in OK Red play, 33-15, in Week 4.

Winner plays: In the regional final against the winner of East Kentwood (10-0) and Grand Ledge (10-0)

DIVISION 2

Mona Shores (9-1) at Caledonia (8-2)

In the opinion of many pundits and fans, this is the showcase matchup of the week in West Michigan. Mona Shores survived a big-time scare at home against Traverse City Central in the playoff opener, winning a wild 49-42 game. Mona Shores was outright champion in the OK Green, beating the likes of Byron Center and Muskegon. Mona Shores’ lone loss came in the season opener, 35-27 against two-time defending state champ Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, in a game the Sailors controlled at times. Mona Shores captured back-to-back state titles in 2019 and 2020.

Caledonia is coming off a 41-13 victory over East Lansing. The Fighting Scots were runners-up in the rugged OK Red. They have two losses on their record, but one of them was a forfeit in Week 1 over a player’s ineligibility. The other defeat came against powerhouse East Kentwood, 49-27 in Week 7 when Caledonia jumped out to a 14-0 lead.

Winner plays: In the regional final against the winner of Byron Center (8-2) and Portage Northern (6-4)

DIVISION 4

Ludington (8-2) at Kenowa Hills (9-1)

Kenowa Hills is considered by many a favorite to make it to Ford Field and compete for a state championship, and the Knights have looked the part for most of this season. They’re coming off a high-scoring 49-35 home victory over Grand Rapids Christian in the playoff opener. University of Michigan commit Lundon Hampton was a monster for the Knights last week, running wild for 307 yards and four TDs on 30 carries. He also caught a TD pass.

Ludington advanced to this game with a thrilling 19-15 home victory over Fruitport, in which Asher Forfinski hit Taj Williams on a 13-yard scoring pass with 16 seconds to play. The Orioles are seeking their program’s first-ever district title.

Kenowa Hills and Ludington have one common opponent: Coopersville. Kenowa Hills defeated Coopersville in Week 9 (44-0), while Ludington opened the season with a home loss to the Broncos (39-8).

Winner plays: In the regional final against the winner of Unity Christian (6-4) and Forest Hills Eastern (9-1)

South Christian (9-1) at Stevensville Lakeshore (9-1)

South Christian set a school record for most points in a playoff game in last week’s 63-27 victory over Marshall. The Sailors led 35-12 at halftime and pulled away in the second half. Houston Wildeboer completed 9 of 11 passes for 153 yards and two TDs. In a bizarre stat, Brody Shilts gained 9 yards on four carries but scored three TDs in those attempts.

Stevensville Lakeshore is coming off a wild 49-44 victory over a sneaky good Hastings team in the first round of the playoffs.

South Christian’s lone loss is a 45-34 decision in Week 3 at reigning Division 5 state champ Grand Rapids West Catholic in a game that was closer than the final score indicates. Lakeshore’s only defeat is a 45-10 home setback against rival St. Joseph in Week 3.

Winner plays: In a regional final against the winner of Portland (10-0) and Edwardsburg (10-0)

DIVISION 5

Berrien Springs (9-1) at Grand Rapids Catholic Central (8-2)

After a week of uncertainty, GRCC defeated visiting Comstock Park, 56-13, before a packed house at Cougar Stadium in a rare Tuesday night game in the first round of the playoffs. 

Last Thursday, the MHSAA removed top-seeded GRCC from the playoffs over the use of an ineligible player. Last Friday, a Kent County judge granted an injunction allowing the Cougars to play the first-round game, which had to be played by 7 p.m. this Tuesday. The MHSAA appealed the court’s decision, but that was denied and the game was played. A show cause hearing is scheduled for this Friday morning in Kent County with the MHSAA as defendant and a GRCC player as plaintiff.

The GRCC-Berrien Springs game is scheduled for 7 p.m. this coming Tuesday (Nov. 10). Berrien Springs is coming off a 34-28 overtime victory against Lake Odessa Lakewood.

Comstock Park is a common opponent for GRCC and Berrien Springs. In Week 5 at Comstock Park, Berrien Springs won 41-33.

Winner plays: In a regional final against the winner of Grand Rapids West Catholic (8-2) and Hopkins (9-1).

MIAA

Hope (8-0, 5-0 MIAA) at Calvin (8-0, 5-0)

The intense rivalry between Hope and Calvin on the basketball court is well documented. Now, the Flying Dutch and Knights are playing big games on the football field as well.

This is only Calvin’s third official season with a football program, and it’s been a growing process, but the Knights have become Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association title contenders alongside Hope. This Saturday, the MIAA title is on the line.

Hope routed Calvin last season in Holland, 52-0. The year before, the Flying Dutch defeated the host Knights, 38-7.

This is the first season with Calvin’s new stadium, which will feature a packed-house crowd on Saturday with a lot on the line.

Michigan Sports Radio has been a partner with Calvin University athletics, but recently MSR and Hope announced a partnership to broadcast football and basketball games in the “Rivalry Series” between the Knights and Flying Dutch.

Featured photo at the top: Coopersville football coach Ed Kaman instructs a player during practice Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026, at Coopersville High School. (Photo | Scott DeCamp)