Football

When Ishpeming coach Jeff Olson watched film this week of Saturday opponent Detroit Loyola, he saw a team that continuously “demoralized” its opponents. By midway through the second quarter of the MHSAA Division 7 Final, his players understood what he meant...

The Grand Rapids South Christian community wouldn't allow Derek Woltjer to feel nervous or unsure of himself. As soon as it became apparent that he would start for injured star quarterback Jon Wassink in the MHSAA Division 4 championship game, Woltjer was bombarded w...

Logan Hessbrook started at quarterback for Ithaca’s junior varsity last season as a sophomore, and probably would start for a few hundred teams that don't have the luxury of all-state quarterbacks every season. But neither takes away from the fact that ...

Jason Alessi appeared to be running out of gas.  For someone who spent the day chasing Muskegon's speedy backs, who could blame him if fatigue was setting in? With a championship on the line, however, Alessi still had the dream of a lifetime within him.

Harbor Beach always has considered itself a football town. Beginning with its last run to an MHSAA championship game in 1991, the Pirates have amassed six seasons with at least 10 wins – including four over the last decade. But the 1,600 residents living along th...

Recognize more than a few of this season's MHSAA 11-player football finalists? You should.  Only three first-timers will be making the trip to Ford Field this weekend. The other 13 contenders have combined for 68 championship game appearances over the 37-year hist...

Here's what we got from Saturday's MHSAA 11-player Semifinals: Four reigning champions headed back to Ford Field. Two rematches of 2011 championship games. And three teams – welcome Grand Rapids Christian, Portland and Detroit Loyola – t...

Deckerville sophomore Ryan Stone had serious doubts about playing on the varsity team this year. Stone thought he was better suited for the junior varsity. But following Friday night's MHSAA 8-player football championship game, everyone in the city of Deckerville is gl...

Alex Grace knew there would be high expectations when he joined Saginaw Swan Valley’s varsity football team this fall as a sophomore.  But he also spent all last season – and most of his life – learning how to fulfill them from one of the Vikings...

Starting with this Saturday's Semifinals, every team left in the MHSAA football playoffs hits the road.  Some face longer trips than others. But all 32 hope their final journeys last long enough to land them at Ford Field for an extended Thanksgiving celebration.&...

Friday’s second-ever MHSAA 8-player football championship game will feature teams representing different stages of the new division’s development. Together, Bellaire and Deckerville should bring an exciting conclusion to the 8-player season at Greenville Hi...

Basketball is a source of pride at Flint Beecher, with a tradition of excellence that includes four boys and two girls MHSAA championships. Courtney Hawkins is as proud as anyone, having played on the 1984-85 and 1986-87 championship teams. But this fall's run...

Four of last season's MHSAA football champions still have opportunities to repeat when the games return to Ford Field in two weeks.  But this weekend's Regional Finals laid waste to some of the seemingly safest predictions from only a few weeks ago.

Let's face it. In high school football especially, it's tough to predict which teams will be around when the big trophies are awarded Thanksgiving weekend. It wouldn't take much research to figure out how many top-ranked favorites have fallen long before finishing the d...

Two down. Two to go. The postseason portion of this fall's Drive for Detroit is halfway complete. And while a number of contenders have traveled this far many times before, some of the most captivating moments are being created by teams make this leg of the journey for...

Time is running out on the 2012 MHSAA football season. And that's why it's the favorite time of year for fans all over the state. The field that began with 272 teams has been cut in half. Seven teams that entered the postseason undefeated suffered their first and only...

Terry Hessbrook has sensed this level of buzz around Ithaca's football program once before, during his senior year of 1984, when the team made the playoffs for the first time.  Local fans long have supported a winning football program. But thanks to a 38-game win...

Hopes are high for most of 242 teams heading into the first weekend of the MHSAA football playoffs. But we see it every October – the unexpected and plain unbelievable take over in the postseason as teams raise their games to meet the urgency of do-or-be-done.

What started as more than 600 MHSAA football teams is down to a mere 272. And eight are no doubt enjoying a whirlwind this week they've never experienced before.

Between double checking data for more than a third of our 626 football teams, and creating 136 first-round games for our most popular tournament, the morning of MHSAA football "Selection Sunday" is both one of the most exciting and nerve-wracking of the school year. S...