Scott Keyes
Sports Scene
Fowler coach Craig Koenigsknecht played on the Eagles’ first championship team in 1993. This season, Koenigsknecht guided the Eagles to the Division 8 state final where they faced Mendon, a proven winner when it comes to the state finals.
Mendon came into the state final at Ford Field on November 25 with 10 state championships under its belt. When the dust had cleared, Mendon had earned its 11th state championship by defeating Fowler 33-0 in the Division 8 title game.
Mendon’s 11 state championships ties it for third with East Grand Rapids, and it is just two off Farmington Hills Harrison’s record 13. The game marked Mendon’s first state championship appearance since 2007.
Fowler came into the contest with four state titles of its own, but Mendon was on a mission to cap its perfect season and did just that.
“This was a great accomplishment for this team,” Koenigsknecht said. “We beat a lot of very tough teams to get this far. Being here along with P-W shows how tough our conference is. I couldn’t be prouder of my team. We battled all season long. We don’t have anything to hang our heads about. We had a great season.”
The Eagles’ road to the finals wasn’t an easy one. Fowler opened up the playoffs against Fulton, the team that knocked it out of the playoffs in the opening round a year ago after the Eagles finished the regular season 9-0. Fowler then faced Sacred Heart Academy, the 2010 Division 8 state champion, followed by Beal City, the 2009 state champion. They then traveled to face an undefeated St. Ignace team, whom they handled with ease.
In the end, it was a tough Mendon team that stood in the way of the Eagles and another state championship.
Mendon wasn’t about to lose.
After Fowler was forced to punt on its first possession of the game, Mendon junior Tyler Harris caught the first punt of the game and thought he soon would be tackled on the routine-looking play.
Instead, he ran untouched for 84 yards, the second-longest punt return in state final history, giving the Hornets a lead they never relinquished.
Harris added two more touchdowns — an 11-yard run in the second quarter and a 29-yard rush in the fourth to help his school to its 11th state title.
“I’ve been saying all year that if they don’t score, they can’t win,” Mendon linebacker Cody Bingaman said. “Our defense really stepped up today. We knew they wanted to pound the ball. By the second half, they were tired of getting hit. That’s what we’ve been doing all year, wearing down teams, and it worked again today.
Longtime coach Mendon coach John Swartz was asked during the post game press conference how he would rank this team compared to his previous teams.
He said, “I can’t rank our championship teams, but this is the toughest 14-team schedule we’ve ever played. Battling that schedule and seeing teams that attacked us so many ways are the reason we were so well-prepared for what Fowler did today.”
While Fowler’s road to Ford Field was difficult, Mendon’s road was probably the toughest of all the competitors, regardless of class. Muskegon Catholic Central, Saugatuck, and New Lothrop were all unbeaten before facing the Hornets this season.
“I don’t know how many more I have in me, but this one is special. All of the kids worked their butts off this season, and this has been a great season. From the coaches to the players to the communities, this is for everyone that makes Mendon football.”
Mendon was led by outside linebacker Rodney Arnott, who had 12 tackles. Junior Nick Eberstein had 10 stops and Robbie Gonser had nine tackles.
Mendon came into the game averaging 46 points per game and with a defense that posted five shutouts this season.
In the final, Mendon racked up 359 yards in total offense to Fowler’s 198. The Hornets rushed 29 times for 240 yards.
Junior linebacker Tyler Koenigsknecht led the Eagles with 11 tackles.