Article - High School Sports Scene

The DeWitt Panthers sneaked through the semifinal round with a 21-20 victory over St. Clair and seemed ready to take home that elusive state title. Rob Zimmerman, in his 15th year as coach, entered the Division 5 state title game with a 149-34 record. Win No. 150 at Ford Field would have been sweet.

But the Panthers were denied by a tough and talented Zeeland West team that walked away with a 34-27 victory and the Division 3 state title.

“I couldn’t be more proud of our kids,” Zimmerman said. “13-1 is a doggone good season. When you lose to a team like this, obviously we’re not happy we lost. But I’m proud of what our kids accomplished and what we did this year.”

The Panthers have appeared in previous state final games and been unable to pull out a win. But this year, there was plenty to smile about, as far as the DeWitt coaching staff was concerned.

“This was a much closer game and a much better game,” Zimmerman said. “This was as good of a team as we’ve played. The mentality all week in practice was great. Their preparation was outstanding. We made some mistakes, but I thought we played very good football. To come back from being down…generally, when these guys get on someone like that they blow them out. To come back like we did is a great tribute to the character of these kids.

“I’m pretty proud of what we accomplished. [Media] can take the negative approach if you want. But I’m proud of what we accomplished as a program. I think there’s a few schools that would like to be in our shoes.”

Zeeland West team is coached by nine-year veteran John Shillito, who has an 85-21-9 record and has also had success at other schools like Orchard View and East Kentwood.

“They deserve all the credit in the world, their coaching staff and kids,” Shillito said. “To hang in there when you’re down like that…they made some plays.”

“John’s a great coach and has a lot of senior kids,” Zimmerman said. “This is the first team we faced that matched us physically. I thought our kids rose to the occasion. We didn’t win…generally when they get up, it’s ‘Katy, bar the door.’ Our defensive coaches did a nice job at halftime and our kids played their hearts out. It’s a tough loss. I’m proud of their effort.

“[Danny Bauber] presents some major problems. If you key on him too much, the other guys are good enough that they can hurt you. It’s a tough loss; we knew we’d have to play our best game to beat them.”

Zimmerman had an emotional final huddle with his team when the game ended.

His message?

“How proud [I am] of them,” he said. “We have to have a great off-season. But we have a lot of talent returning. We return our quarterback, we have a good starting quarterback there.”

Another junior who will return next year is starting safety Ben Zamiara. “It’s very tough, I feel for our seniors,” he said. “We worked so hard this year. We listed our goals for this season and accomplished every goal up to this point. When we reflect, we’ll realize we had one heckuva season. It’s tough right now.

“I’ll never forget these guys. Our relationships will last a lifetime. It’s tough, coming that close.”

But the Panthers can take pride, Zamiara agreed, in coming back from a huge early deficit. “In the halftime lockerroom, we talked about it; that we weren’t going to lay down,” he said. “We talked all year about getting back up and fighting back. And we did. It’s a testament to our team. We never give up.”

Back

The final game of the Division 3 football season went down to the wire, but the result wasn’t what the DeWitt Panthers wanted. DeWitt’s bid for that elusive state title fell short short at Ford Field with a 34-27 loss to Zeeland West.

Both teams ended their years at 13-1. Zeeland West built a 28-7 halftime lead, but DeWitt fought back with a 20-6 scoring edge in the final two quarters.

“It was tough to lose a game like this,” said DeWitt coach Rob Zimmerman. “We played our hearts out tonight.”

“We completely dominated the second half,” he continued. “I can’t believe there’s a better group in the state of Michigan than these kids.”

Late in the game, Zeeland West punted in DeWitt territory The punt was nearly blocked. If it had been, DeWitt might have been able to go for the tying or go-ahead score. But the Panthers missed the block and were called for roughing the kicker.

Zimmerman noted that going for the block nearly worked. “We had 48 seconds left and had no time out, so if they punted and we get it at our 10, it’s a long way to go,” Zimmerman said. “It obviously didn’t turn out in our favor. But you have to take chances when you’re in that situation.

“We had to make a choice. If they punt and it pins us, we have to go 80 or 90 yards with no timeouts. So we decided to go after it. Obviously, we didn’t have a very good angle on it. I would call the same thing every single time in that situation.”

DeWitt is now 0-5 in state title games.

“I’m really proud of these kids and the season they had,” Zimmerman said. “That’s the most important thing. They did a great job. It’s about our kids and the program.

“We made some adjustments at halftime that I think really helped us defensively. We tweaked something offensively to get some things going. They’re a very good football team. We had to play our best football game tonight. We didn’t play our best game. But I’m proud of our kids’ effort. It wound up being a great football game after it started out looking like it was going to get ugly.”

Zeeland West was able to take advantage of DeWitt mistakes in the first half.“We had two turnovers in the first half, which hurt us,” Zimmerman said. “We traditionally don’t turn the ball over a whole lot. Those were significant. I thought we moved the ball in the first half, too. We had two turnovers. Thought it was the tale of two halves. They got the better of us in the first half. We definitely outplayed them in the second half.

“They’re physical and execute the offense extremely well. You can’t make mistakes against them. There’s a reason they beat everybody as bad as they did during the season. They’re pretty doggone good. They’re a senior-laden team. They execute well. Doggone, I would have liked one more possession.”

It appeared that Zeeland’s misdirection plays were giving DeWitt troubles early in the game.

“You have to pick your poison when you play that offense,” Zimmerman said. “You take one thing away, they’re good enough to adjust and play something else. It’s cat-and-mouse when you play the Wing T. [Danny Bauder] is a heckuva back with his speed and presents some problems. You take one thing away and you’ll get something else.”

DeWitt was down 22-0 when it scored in the second quarter on a 4-yard pass from Jake Johnson to Justice Shankel.

Chris Ruby had a 56-yard run and Jake Johnson threw scoring passes of 29 and 75 yards to Josh Borta. “Josh had a ridiculous game,” Zmmerman said of his leading receiver, who caught five passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns.

“Jake struggled a little bit early, but he made some great throws,” Zimmerman said.

Johnson was 15 of 24 for 289 yards.

“I’m extremely proud of our kids,” Zimmerman said. “I thought our defense played extremely well. We dug ourselves into a little too deep of a hole. With one more possession, who knows what might have happened?”

Despite the Panthers inability to win the state title, they may have enough talent to make a run next season.

“We’ll be very good next year. We return seven guys on offense and have five underclassmen on defense,” Zimmerman said. “I expect us to be very good. But right now all that matters is our seniors. The character they have displayed, the team unity these guys exhibited, and how hard they work…I wouldn’t trade them for any team in America. They’re great kids.”

Back

DIVISION 1

Kurt Richardson was in the spotlight as the coach of the Division 1 state champion and loved every minute of it.

Clarkston won its first football state championship ever with a 32-14 victory over Detroit Catholic Central Nov. 30 at Ford Field.

“This one was for every kid that’s worn a uniform for us, every fan that’s sat and frozen their butts for us, every parent that’s yelled and called me names, whatever. This one is for C-town,” Richardson said. “Our biggest goal we were striving for was balance, balance, balance. The offensive line doesn’t get enough credit. They really deserve it for this one.”

Ian Eriksen had touchdown runs of 37, 1, and 12 yards for Clarkston. The winners also got touchdown passes of 15 and 47 yards from D.J. Zezula to Shane Holler and Alexander Bock.

“A lot of these kids have been together since the fifth or sixth grade,” Richardson said. “They’ve come up through the junior ranks. We felt this could be a special season. We had some issues at the start. We talked to the kids all the time of turning the negative to the positive. We got slapped in the face in the first game. They learned from it. That was a huge coming together for us as a team.”

Clarkston lost to Rochester Adams 12-7 in the season opener but beat that school 56-28 in the regional final. The Wolves ended the year 13-1.

“The way they approach the game was a difference maker,” Richardson said.

In the state final, Clarkston was up 6-0 at halftime and 18-7 after the third quarter. It outscored Catholic Central 14-7 in the fourth quarter. Catholic Central has now lost three straight state title games.

Eriksen had a big game with 237 yards on 32 carries. “It feels good to be able to perform in this kind of game and make it count,” he said.

Zezula passed 15 times, with 10 completions for 154 yards.

“This has been our goal a long time,” Richardson said of the school’s first state title. “We wanted to bring our program to this point. Winning breeds winning.”

DIVISION 2

Brother Rice ended the Al Fracassa era with a perfect 14-0 record and the Division 2 state title with a 38-21 victory over Muskegon at Ford Field.

Fracassa ended his 45 years of coaching the Warriors with a 386-98-2 record and three straight state crowns.

Brother Rice led at halftime 21-14, with Alex Malzone throwing touchdown passes of 16 and 34 yards to Damarius Woods and Grant Perry, respectively, in the first quarter. Malzone had a 17-yard touchdown run in the fourth on a fake field goal and also passed 21 yards to Corey Lacandaria for a score. Jason Alessi added a 36-yard field goal.

Malzone was 20 of 24 for 263 yards and four touchdowns.

DIVISION 4

Michigan high school football history was made Nov. 29 at Ford Field when Marine City’s junior placekicker Olivia Viney kicked seven extra points and became the first female to score in the state football finals.

Marine City improved to 13-1 with a 49-35 victory over Grand Rapids South Christian for the title. South Christian ended the year at 12-2.

Viney also tied the state football finals record for most extra points in a title showdown.

Alex Merchant threw three touchdown passes to Peter Patsaslis in the first half to spark the Marine City effort and lead his team to a 21-21 tie at halftime. Marine City then outscored the Sailors 28-14 in the second half.

DIVISION 5

Grand Rapids West Catholic was 0-3 at one stage of the season and 1-4 at another. It then won its last four games, including a 21-20 squeaker over Forest Hills Eastern to end the regular season, and it sneaked into the playoffs with a 5-4 record.

Five weeks later, West Catholic was the Division 5 state champion.

The Falcons ended a stunning 5-0 run in the playoffs with a 27-14 victory over previously undefeated Menominee and took the crown with a 10-4 record.

The West Catholic defense was very impressive, led by Jason McDonough with seven solo tackles and two assists. The Falcons controlled the vaunted single-wing offense from the Upper Peninsula school.

Travis Russell threw touchdown passes of 24 and 45 yards to David Bancuk and Drake Wooten and also ran 25 yards for a score. Travis Hoving passed 30 yards to Bryce Witham for another touchdown.

DIVISION 7

Ishpeming built a 22-0 lead and hung on against Loyola for a 22-12 victory in the Division 7 state final at Ford Field.

Alex Briones threw touchdown passes of 17 and 2 yards to Marcus Antilla and Mitch Laurin in the first half and had a 2-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

Loyola had touchdown passes of 34 and 31 yards from Garrett Schaller to Keith Graves for its two touchdowns.

Ishpeming was one of two Upper Peninsula schools to qualify for the state finals but was the only one to win it.

Briones was 6 of 13 passing for 76 yards and rushed for 60 yards. Adam Prisk led Ishpeming in rushing with 77 yards.

8-MAN FOOTBALL

For the second straight season, Greenville hosted the 8-man state title game. Peck reigned supreme with a 67-32 win over Rapid River from the Upper Peninsula. Tristen Haener completed 12 of 16 passes for the winners for 379 yards and seven touchdowns. His favorite receivers were Kyle Abrego with six catches for 236 yards and four touchdowns and Tyler Beurmann with five catches for 133 yards and two touchdowns.

Back

Ithaca football coaches, players, and fans like to refer themselves as one big family. But there are unique families within that one big family at Ithaca, one of which is the Hessbrook family.

Terry Hessbrook has a stunning 101-17 record over 10 years as Ithaca’s head football coach. Do the math, and it was 45-17 the first six seasons prior to the four-year run of 56-0.

Hessbrook’s tenure has been a family affair of sorts, with his brother Todd serving as an assistant coach. Todd’s son/Terry’s nephew Logan has been one of the outstanding performers over the years.

Logan called it a “great feeling” to play for his uncle as head coach and his dad as an assistant coach.

“I’ve got my little cousin [Brady Hessbrook] as a water boy,” Logan smiled. “There’s a lot of Hessbrooks out there on the sidelines. I couldn’t ask for a better family. My uncle and I, me and my dad, we have a strong bond. It’s tremendous. We’re working the off-season and watching film constantly. It definitely pays off.”

Logan is a defensive back, while his dad coaches the linebackers.

“He directly doesn’t deal with me, but he coaches me during the game as well,” Logan said. “ He’s a very knowledgable coach. [Terry] gives me pointers on how I can get better. Our coaching staff is tremendous in helping us on working on our weaknesses.”

Logan Hessbrook has played split end for the last three Ithaca state championship squads. He said the 2013 title would probably rank as the most memorable.

“We’re 14-0 for the fourth straight year. You play with your best friends you grew up with your whole life,” he said. “It’s the best group of friends I could ask for, plus the coaching staff and community. It’s amazing. Ithaca is a special place. Coach says it, and everyone says it. When I get out of college, I’m going to try to come right back to Ithaca. It’s amazing to live there.”

Logan caught six passes for 93 yards in the title game. Defensively, he had four solo tackles and two pass breakups.

In the second half, “their option was getting on the edge and their receivers were blocking strongly,” Logan said. “That was definitely some fits for us. Our coaches made some adjustments to make the outside linebacker go toward the pitchman instead of the quarterback.”

Terry Hessbrook enjoyed coaching his nephew. “We have a rule so-to-speak in Ithaca that our best players have to be our hardest workers,” Hessbrook said. “If our best players are our hardest workers, then everyone else will buy into it. It’s a pleasure to coach [Logan]. My brother Todd is one of the first people I hired when we put the staff together in 2004. He has a tremendous way of relaying what he wants done to his players. He has a tremendous rapport. He doesn’t work at the school. He works at Consumers Energy. He always says it’s the highlight of his day when he shows up at 3 p.m. The core of our staff has been here the entire time.”

Todd is 16 months older than Terry was only one year ahead in school. Both are Ithaca graduates.

They weren’t able to play football together. “There’s quite a story there,” Todd said. “That’s why football is so near and dear to my heart and why I’m so passionate about it. When I was 5, I had my left kidney removed. I grew up in a football family, and we played football every weekend in the fall in the front yard. I always said I’d be able to play football some day. When I hit ninth grade, I couldn’t get a physical for a contact sport. No doctor in the world would clear me for a contact sport, because I’ve only got one kidney.”

Hessbrook’s dad went to the Ithaca school administrators to get permission for his son to play freshman football as a punter and kicker and avoid all contact.

“I lasted four or five games and was actually getting involved in some contact,” he said. “I was a healthy kid and wanted to play football. They called me in the office and said ‘young man you may not realize it, but your life is more important than high school football.’ They kicked me off the freshman team and I never got to play again.

“I would always tell Terry that I used it for motivation to motivate him. When you can’t play high school football, that’s tough to deal with. When he hired at Ithaca, he came to me and said he needed coaches and asked me about it.”

Todd got his family’s blessing to take the job. He had coached three seasons in the late 1980s with Jim Ahern but hadn’t planned on returning to coaching until his brother got the Ithaca head job.

“I had two sons coming up that were going to play football, and if I was going to be in the program, I wanted to be in for the duration,” Todd said. “I didn’t want to be a parent that got in when your kid was in the ninth grade and got out when your kid leaves. I’m proud of the fact I’ve been here 10 years. I primarily work with the JVs. I work with the linebackers with the varsity and help Brad Showers [defensive coordinator] with the defensive plan and adjustments.”

Todd Hessbrook is among those coaches, athletes, and fans who never would have thought four years ago that a 56-0 run was coming up.

“I never could have imagined it, and I still can’t believe it,” he said. “I’m just so happy and blessed to be able to do it and to have two great sons and a great family. It’s Ithaca, and we’re on top of the football world right now.”

Back

Ithaca is 56-0 and four-time state Division 6 champion during the last four seasons.

It’s as simple as that.

The Yellowjackets held back Clinton 41-22 November 29 at Ford Field to win their fourth straight state title while going 14-0 for the fourth straight year.

They did find themselves behind a couple of times in the game, which featured two 13-0 teams.

“We battled the champs for 2 1/2 quarters,” said Clinton coach Scott McNitt. “We knew it’d have to be a perfect game; a few things would have to go wrong for them. We did what we could. In the end, the defensive line in my opinion controlled our offensive front. We were running for our lives a little bit there.”

Coach Terry Hessbrook, in 10 years at Ithaca, now has a 101-17 record plus four state titles and a 56-game winning streak.

“It was a very entertaining game, I’ve got to believe, from a fan’s perspective,” Hessbrook said. “They gave us everything we expected. They’re every bit as good as we expected. We were very concerned about their team speed and their athleticism they had on the perimeter and how well they matched up with us. Everything we were concerned about came true in that first half. We’re very fortunate.”

Ithaca had built a 14-0 lead on a 15-yard pass from Travis Smith to Josh Hafner and a 30-yard interception return for Smith. But Collin Poore’s 18-yard touchdown run and Matthew Saxton’s 86-yard punt return for a touchdown, plus a 2-point conversion, gave Clinton a 15-14 lead.

The punt return was further marred with an injury to Ithaca linebacker Dallas Reeser, who sustained a broken arm and was tended to for several minutes.

“We got quite a punch from them early,” Hessbrook sad. “The adversity these guys have to face during the 56-game streak, and we don’t get a lot of adversity during the regular season…during the playoffs, they seem to bounce back. Nobody has never done this in the state of Michigan. Someday these kids will look back and say we went undefeated four years and 14-0. Someday, we’ll realize how special this is. Right now, we’re all caught up in the moment.”

“I anticipated they would take the opening kickoff and score,” McNitt said. “I thought our kids would adjust to it as the game went on. The pick six put them up 14-0. I wasn’t sure what would happen. We were teetering, but we responded. We got the momentum back. But they overwhelmed us as the game went on.”

Smith passed to Eli Villalobos for a touchdown late in the second quarter and gave Ithaca a 21-15 halftime lead. Collin Poore’s 8-yard TD run gave Clinton a 22-21 advantage in the third.

But Ithaca scored three unanswered touchdowns, with Smith passing 14 yards to Hafner at 7:56 of the third quarter and 21 yards to Logan Hessbrook at 6:17 of the third, and Smith running for a 10-yard score at 5:21 of the fourth.

Smith gained 123 rushing yards and was 17 of 27 for 246 yards and a TD. Bryan Shaw had 41 yards rushing. In receiving, Hessbrook caught six passes for 93 yards, Villalobos six for 82, and Hafner four for 45.

Smith and Hafner both had interceptions.

In total yards, it was 317 for Clinton and 419 for Ithaca. Poore led the Redskins in rushing with 125 yards.

“They blitzed us, as we anticipated they would,” McNitt said. “They were more physical than we were up front. We struggled with our passing game. We had a hard time getting people open.”

“In the second half, we really decided to get after them on the option,” Hessbrook said. “We gave them a couple of different looks on the option. We decided to bring the pressure a lot harder. We talked at halftime about being more physical on the edge and brought people from different areas.”

Linebacker Jace Demenov had six solo tackles and two assists, defensive end Seth Capen had five solo tackles and two sacks, and the other defensive end, Lam Morgan, had a sack and four solo tackles.

“Ithaca is a great football team,” McNitt said. “It was an honor to play them.”

But, Hessbrook admitted that the last four weeks of the 56-0 win streak weren’t easy, starting with the district final.

“We played Glen Lake in the district championships and faced Trevor Apsey, one of the best backs we ever faced at Ithaca,” he said. “Then we got to the regional finals and saw Negaunee with Kyler Lajoie who might be the best back we’ve ever faced at Ithaca. Then we faced Montrose and had a problem with their overall size and revenge factor they had. Today, we may have faced one of the best backs because of the speed and big-play ability they had to offer.

“We’ve been behind four weeks in a row, four playoff games in a row we’ve been behind. It does not seem to phase them. With the big heavy weight burden on their shoulders of the bullseye and the winning streak and all that kind of stuff, I have to think a lot of high school kids would crumble under that pressure. These guys will go on to accomplish amazing things in life because they’re special people. They don’t seem to care. We get behind, and they just keep playing. A lot of times, we make big plays and get back in the game.”

It’s definitely been a four-year dream, according to Hessbrook. “We’re being given a chance to live our dream,” he said. “Nobody ever thought…we were 5-4 in 2008 and probably a lot of people in Ithaca wanted to see me down the road. In 2009 we broke through. That was a special group of kids, and we won our first regional championship and got to the semifinals. In that game, the first quarter, we played with Montague, who won the state championships the year before, for one quarter. The second quarter, they showed us who the best team was, and we learned that we weren’t ready.

“What happened was our players started to believe we have a chance to play with these guys. Our conditioning that we do at Ithaca is fantastic. These kids work hard to condition. It’s been a factor during our streak.”

Back

Beal City won’t forget the fall sports season of 2013 for a long time.

The Aggies won a state title in one sport and finished runners-up in two others. That fact wasn’t lost on the Beal City football team after it settled for second place in Division 8 after a 35-12 loss to Muskegon Catholic Central.

“The community stands behind us, no matter if we’re in the state championship game or losing all of them,” said running back Ty Rollin. “It’s a great feeling, It sucks not to come out on top. But we’re still proud of what we’ve done.”

His teammate, quarterback Kurt Gross agreed. “It’s great to be a part of a community that’s good in athletics and in academics,” he said. “There’s never a downtime. There’s always something going on…the next day you have a practice for the next season.”

Football coach Lou Rau reflected on what’s it’s been like to have so many teams at Beal city flirt with state championship success. “To be able to come out and put two years and be 26-2, how great is that?” he said. “Our girls’ cross country team won a state championship, our girls’ volleyball team was state runners-up this year. It shows the great tradition and attitudes we have at Beal City.”

Athletic director Aarron Butkovich noted that the Beal City community takes pride in its sports achievements while keeping academics No. 1.

“For the most part, during the school day, it has been business as usual,” he said the week after the football state final. “Extracurricular activities are just that – they are after school events, and we try to keep the events and activities to after school. We did have a homecoming assembly, which is annual, and we had a 15-minute assembly honoring the girls’ cross country state championship during the school day. It was the first championship for that program and the first female state championship for any sport in school history.”

At the same time, Butkovich acknowledged that there’s something special about being an Aggies fan.

“The community was buzzing all fall about the in season successes, and of course the energy and excitement was extended with the long playoff runs and successes,” he said.

After the girls’ cross country state championship, there seemed to be some extra excitement and energy in the community and school. Despite the long travel for several of the tournament events, there was still great support from the school and community at all of the events.

Butkovich has seen positive outcomes from the sports program’s success. “Aside from the normal positives of teamwork, humbleness, organization, time management, commitment, etc., in addition this year there was an extra level of support for each other across all extracurriculars: marching band, cheer, football, cross country, football, and winter sports,” he said. “Everyone worked together providing the best opportunities for everyone. Bottom line, all of the young men and women created memories for a lifetime.”

The fall of 2013 isn’t the only time that Beal City compiled memorable moments with its sports program.

“Last year, out of the 10 varsity sports Beal City sponsors, there were six regional champions, including three state runner-up teams and two fourth-place teams at the state level. The 2012-13 athletic season, overall, was quite impressive. The fall 2013 season was unprecedented at Beal City with a state championship, two runner-up finishes, and a program-best 7th place finish by the boys’ cross country at state finals. All four Beal City fall sports teams had outstanding years.”

For Butkovich, it’s easy to explain the reason for this success. “The bottom-line key to the successes are the student/athletes’ talent and commitment,” he said. “There is outstanding parental and community support allowing and trusting our coaches to enhance and maximize their sons’ and daughters’ potential and talents. The entire staff of coaches across the board work well together and support each other’s programs. This element is huge in a small school, when most of the student/athletes participate in multiple sports.”

“Our coaches have committed huge amounts of their time providing opportunities and knowledge for these young men and women to grow as student/athletes. The student/athletes on these teams have cherished those opportunities. The elements of enjoyment and fun are crucial.”

Can the fall of 2013 be duplicated at Beal City?

“This fall’s successes are quite rare,” Butkovich said. “As far as it happening again, who knows? Athletics are impossible to predict, especially at the high school level; after all, that is why you play the game. I do not foresee our attitude, expectations, or commitment levels changing.

“Beal City athletics has three core covenants: pride, work ethic, and respect. All of our fall sports teams deeply exhibited these covenants.”

Back

Kurt Gross had to battle hard in the preseason to secure the Beal City quarterback position. It was the one position that was basically up for grabs on a team that had a lot of starters returning.

While the 35-12 loss to Muskegon Catholic Central in the state final was disappointing to Gross, it was hard for the Aggies’ senior signal-caller to not reflect favorably on his team’s 13-1 season.

Beal City opened 61-0 over Sacred Heart, beat Clare 48-0, Pine River 64-13, Manton 77-0, Pinconning 74-0, and Marion 70-0 during the regular season and topped Mio 68-15 and St. Ignace 55-0 during their playoff run.

Against MCC, “offensively, we wanted to do what we do, run the ball off tackle, pass once in awhile, and catch them off guard,” Gross said. “They were bigger, faster, and stronger.”

Early in the game, Gross was hurt when he was hit by an MCC lineman and left the game for a few plays. “I was shaken up for a second, but then I felt better and knew that I had to get back in there,” he said.

“It was probably the best pass rush [Beal City faced all season],” said Gross.

Gross was 8 of 16 for 94 yards and one interception. For the season, he led an offense that put up a ton of points.

“Muskegon Catholic sends a lot of guys. They’re on a mission,” Gross said. “They knew what they were doing. Their DBs were covering well. They shifted over well. They were disciplined. That’s the best way to describe them.”

It was definitely not what the Aggies were hoping for when they embarked on a new season, following the disappointment of last year’s state final loss.

“They’re a great team, the best team we’ve faced all year, obviously,” Gross said. “We had some mistakes here and there, but they were the best overall team we’ve faced, I thought.”

Gross’ successful season at quarterback is among the reasons the Aggies made it to the state final.

“Coming into the season, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to play or not,” he said. “When I got the job, I had high expectations. Before that, I was just hoping to get the job…and then try to get to Ford Field.”

The most memorable game for Gross was the victory over Forest Park in the Superior Dome in Marquette when the Aggies secured a 34-18 state semifinal victory.

“When I was little, I went up there and watched them play and we got beat,” Gross said. “I always wanted to go back up to Crystal Falls and beat them.”

Gross is also on the basketball and baseball teams, which he hopes will allow him and his teammates get that elusive state title.

“[In baseball], we want to get back and take care of some unfinished business,’” Gross said.

Back

It wasn’t easy reflecting on a 35-12 loss to Muskegon Catholic Central in the Division 8 state title game. But running back and defensive back Ty Rollin had to admit it was a pretty good season and career at Beal City.

“It’s tough going down in the state championship two years in a row,” he said. “When we look back at the season, especially this season, we broke a lot of records. Everybody came so far and worked so hard in the off-season both seasons. No one has to hold their heads. Everybody worked their butts off in the off-season, and it showed, until this game I guess,” he continued. “We broke a lot of records at our school for a longstanding football program. Nobody has anything to hang their heads about.

“We gave ourselves a shot to win it all, and that’s what we’re looking to do,” he said. “[MCC’s] just a good team.”

The game plan for victory was simple, Rollin said.

“We knew we’d have to stop [quarterback Nick Holt and running back Alex Lewandoski],” Rollin said. “Offensively, we knew we’d have to stay on our blocks until the whistle and give what we’ve got 200 percent.”

Lewandoski ran for 218 yards and Holt rushed for 123 yards.

Lewandoski took the first play from scrimmage 78 yards for a touchdown. That play set the stage for the rest of the game, foreshadowing the Crusaders’ big plays.

“I thought we could still win, and none of us gave up,” Rollin said.

Rollin also plays for the basketball team that was regional champion last year and for the baseball squad that was runner-up in the state. Therefore, he still has a shot at that elusive state crown.

“It’s hard to lose,” he said. “It’s my third loss in a state championship game. It’s a [bad] feeling, but we still have a couple of shots. We’ll still do everything we can.”

The Aggies powered their way to an impressive 13-0 record to get to the title game, a fact the players won’t soon forget.

“It was an amazing season,” Rollin said. “Right off the get go, we scored 60 points and 70 a couple of times.”

They opened 61-0 over Sacred Heart Academy, beat Clare 48-0, Pine River 64-13, Manton 77-0, Pinconning 74-0, and Marion 70-0 during the regular season and topped Mio 68-15 and St. Ignace 55-0 during their playoff run.

MCC “is a good team. They came at us hard. We went 100 percent but didn’t come out on top,” Rollin said. “We had good initial blocks, but they move so hard to the ball, it’s tough to break one.”

Back

When you love something so much, it’s very difficult to leave.

Brother Rice ended the final season of the Al Fracassa era with a perfect 14-0 record and the Division 2 state title after a 38-21 victory over Muskegon November 29 at Ford Field.

Quarterback Alex Malzone was 20 of 24 for 263 yards and four touchdowns.

“When you’ve got good athletes, you can win,” Fracassa smiled. “They make you look good.”

“It feels great with this being Coach Fracassa’s last year,” said Malzone. “To give him a third one meant a lot to us and him, especially going undefeated, getting that Catholic [league] championship, and the state championship. It’s just a great feeling to send him out like that, great coach, great man.”

Fracassa is not leaving the cupboard bare for his successor. “We’re in good shape,” he said, noting that Malzone and wide receiver Grant Perry are coming back. “We have a few others coming back for a good nucleus. We had a very good JV team.”

Fracassa has won nine state titles, but this marked his first undefeated team in 30 seasons.

“I can’t believe it,” he said. “I had hoped for one. We had one in 1974 and 1977. In 1977, we had no players that got a scholarship to a Division I school. I call them my termites, because they’re so little. There’s good things about every team I’ve had. It was a great year, a great three years. Don’t know many coaches that can win a state championship three years in a row. It’s awesome. Learned that word from my kids.

“My wife never comes to games. She used to come, but she’d get so nervous she’d beat everyone up next to her,” Fracassa joked, “Today, she came with my daughter, who flew in from Omaha. It was nice for them to see us play and have a great victory.”

But Fracassa admitted it will be tough to leave. “I wish I was young enough to coach some more,” Fracassa said. “I’ll still love football. It’s done a lot for me. It’s given me a scholarship to Michigan State. I enjoyed being an athlete. I learned so much at Michigan State when we had a 28-game winning streak. Biggie Munn and Duffy Daugherty were my coaches. They taught me so much. They would say the difference between a good team and great team is something like a little extra effort. Biggie Munn used to to say that every day at practice.”

Fracassa said the realization that this was his last year after 57 years of coaching “has hit me during the whole season. When I’d go home every night, I couldn’t believe this was going to be my last year. I tried [not] to think of it. Football kept me busy. But it’s here and time for someone to take over.

“I had a great coaching staff. My defensive and offensive staff, five of those guys played for me. We were all together as a family. They’re great coaches. They did an outstanding job coaching my boys. They coach. They did most of the coaching. I did most of the yelling. That’s my job. Their job was to prepare the team and they did a fantastic job.”

Back

For the second straight time, a magnificent Beal City season ended in disappointment at the state finals.

The Aggies lost Nov. 29 to Muskegon Catholic Central 35-12 at Detroit’s Ford Field in the Division 8 title game.

“Obviously, it didn’t turn out the way we had hoped and prepared for,” said coach Lou Rau, who now has a 14-year record of 144-39. “We cleared a big hurdle by getting here two years in a row. We couldn’t quite finish it off with a W.”

The Aggies’ season ended at 13-1.

Catholic Central showed that it meant business on the first play from scrimmage when Alex Lewandoski scampered 78 yards for a touchdown. Beal City responded with a 55-yard drive and 2-yard touchdown run by Hayden Huber. The kick failed and MCC led 7-6.

The Crusaders scored on runs of 1 and 66 yards by Lewandoski in the second and third quarters and a 21-yard jaunt by Tommy Scott in the third for a 35-6 lead. Nick Holt scored for the Crusaders early in the fourth. Ryan Tilmann caught an 8-yard pass from Tucker Gross for a late-game Aggies touchdown.

It was 14-6 at halftime, and an interception by Nick Hoogerhyde stopped a Crusader drive. The Aggies seemed to have a little momentum.

“I thought if we made the right adjustments and could establish something on the ground and get things moving in the air, we’d be in great shape,” Rau said. “It was one of those things. It’s a big momentum killer when they have a big play and get a score and you don’t get that drive.”

Rau acknowledged that while his team had to grind it out for everything it got, MCC prospered with the big play.

“When you give up the first play of the game, that hurts, and you try to dig yourself out of the hole right off the bat,” Rau said. “It definitely changes what you do and how we do it.”

Two pass interceptions against Beal City hurt the Aggies, who had 263 total yards compared to 402 for MCC.

“There were some cleanup things we didn’t do,” Rau said. “We had some assignment errors here and there that were crucial. Obviously, they’re a great strong and fast team.”

Beal City’s passing game seemed to improve after the second quarter. “Starting out, we wanted to use as much possession time as we had,” Rau said. “Obviously as we got behind, we needed to complete more passes downfield.”

MCC was also blitzing its linebackers. “We didn’t pick them up,” Rau said. “To be honest, they didn’t start stunting until later. When they send more guys than you can block, it’s tough to pick them up.”

Gross was 8 of 16 for 94 yards and one interception. Ryan Tillman and Ty Rollin caught three passes apiece for 33 and 32 yards. Huber led in rushing with 52 yards, while Rollin had 44.

Even with the loss, it was still quite season for the Aggies. “We knew with [Lewandoski], they were going to be troublesome,” Rau said. “They ran our T offense to a tee. You had to play tight to what they usually do to try to make them go outside. When we couldn’t stop it up the gap, we were in trouble.”

Back

DeWitt coaches, players proud of entire season

DeWitt falls short in Division 3 finals

Teams celebrate state championships for football

Hessbrooks reign as First Family of football in Ithaca

Ithaca makes it 56-0 four straight state titles

Beal City closes outstanding fall sports season

Kurt Gross enjoys memorable year as Beal City quarterback

Ty Rollin reflects on Beal City football career

Legendary Brother Rice coach ends career with state championship

Beal City falls short in second title bid