MHSAA Football Week Seven - Playoff Push

The playoffs are going to be here very soon. We are two weeks and two days away from Selection Sunday for the MHSAA football playoffs. Some teams have to win out to get a chance at a playoff spot. Other teams have already locked up a spot and are competing for conference championships or battling rivals. That is the beauty of high school football; there is always something to play for. There is a reason we play the games. You never know what can happen on a Friday night. Sometimes, a few lucky breaks and some confidence in what you do is all it takes to win a game when everyone thinks you will lose. Two weeks from tonight (or tomorrow), the regular season will be over. Enjoy it while you can, because it’s gone far too quickly.

Muskegon Oakridge (6-0) at Shelby (5-1) (Friday October 5, 7pm)

Oakridge is playing very well this season. Historically, they have only missed the playoffs three times since 1990. Muskegon Oakridge is a program that seems to always have a quality squad. Last week, they beat North Muskegon 27-6. Quarterback Austin Wright completed four of his nine passes for 69 yards. Dan Shoop was the workhorse running back with 18 carries for 128 yards and a touchdown. Francis Decker toted the rock 15 times for 66 yards and two scores while also catching two passes for another 41 yards. The defense for Oakridge has only given up 26 points on the season and posted two shut-outs. This game could have been a lot bigger, but Shelby lost in overtime last week to Montague.

A win for Shelby this week would muddy up who wins the Western Michigan Conference. Three teams would be sitting there with 6-1 records (Montague beat Shelby, Oakridge beat Montague, but can Shelby beat Oakridge?). After losing in overtime last week to Montague, the Tigers will be looking for revenge. Spencer Peters, quarterback for Shelby, had a decent game. He completed six of his 14 passes for 123 yards and a score. That touchdown pass went to Austin Porter from 33 yards out. Nathan Lentz rushed 17 times for 51 yards and a score. On the defensive side, Ben Schroeder made 14 tackles. This game will be a battle.

Ishpeming (6-0) at Negaunee (6-0) (Friday October 5, 7:30pm)

The Hematites of Ishpeming are rolling through the season. They beat a tough Iron Mountain squad to start the season, and now have the biggest game of the season against another undefeated team. Last week, they didn’t have the regular starting quarterback in junior Alex Briones. He broke a bone in his foot and was in a boot. He might or might not be back this week. Two people played in his spot; Tyler Windahl and Tyrus Millimaki. Windahl tossed five passes, completed three of them for 64 yards, and tossed a two point conversion pass. Millimaki ran for a touchdown and returned a punt for another score. The top running back is Eric Kostreva who has 716 yards on the season. This rivalry almost always has close games (both teams have blown out the other in the past 10 years as well.) The team that wins the defensive battle should win the game.

Negaunee had a nice win over Norway last week. They won 42-13 and had the clock running at one point. Negaunee was quick out of the gate, and held a 22-0 halftime lead. Twice they needed the defense to bail them out after turnovers and both times they did. Tyler LaJoie ran for 131 yards on only five carries and scored twice. Dustin Goupille carried 13 times for 92 yards and scored twice as well. Their offense racked up nearly 400 yards of total yards. The defense will need to come though big if they want to beat Ishpeming. With one of the UP’s top running backs, they will have to force the pass and play great pass defense. The Mid Pen Conference title is on the line; who wants it more?

Freeland (5-1) at Hemlock (5-1) (Friday October 5, 7pm)

The Falcons have won or shared the TVC-Central title the past three years. Coach Kevin Townsend runs his Wing T offense very well. They have only lost once, even though starting running back Matt Shauman was lost to an ACL injury in the preseason. Shauman is back, but only playing defense. In his absence, running back Mitch Noack has done very well. Last week, they beat Midland Bullock Creek 35-14. Noack ran 19 times for 181 yards and three touchdowns. PJ Luebbert ran three times for 63 yards. Chris Graebner ran five times for 19 yards and a score. Quarterback Kyle Guster completed one of his four passes for 42 yards. On defense, Graebner made 14 tackles and recovered a fumble. Shauman made seven tackles and also recovered a fumble. This game should be very good.

Hemlock didn’t have it easy either. They lost third year starting quarterback Chase Weichmann in week one to an injury sustained in the preseason scrimmage. In his absence, junior Ethan Apsey played well. This game could be the biggest in Hemlock history. It’s been 35 years since the Huskies last won a conference championship. They have never won a Tri-Valley Conference football title even though they were a founding member back in 1979. After being myriad in mediocrity for decades, Coach Bruce Bendix has this team in position to win a conference title and make the playoffs for a third consecutive year. Last week against their rival Swan Valley, they won 19-7. Quarterback Weichmann completed three of his five passes for 21 yards. He also ran 13 times for another 98 yards. Running back Tony Speckhard ran 10 times for 76 yards and also caught two passes for 11 more. Both teams are going to rely on defense. The big question is whether Freeland can stop Weichmann and the option or will Hemlock stop Noack and the Wing T. It’s homecoming, but will it be a distraction or pump them up?

New Haven Merritt Academy (1-4) at Flint Michigan School for the Deaf (1-3) (Saturday October 6, 2pm)

Normally, I wouldn’t write about a game like this. I don’t write a whole lot about 8 man football to begin with, but this is a little different. This week, FMSftD is playing New Haven Merritt. Both teams have struggled on the field and the only mark in the win category is by forfeit. The Tartars of Flint have not won a football game since November 3, 1978. In all fairness, before restarting the program in 2009, they had not played a game since 1984. The school has about 45 kids so it’s very small. New Haven Merritt is in their first year of a football program. They are a special school as well. This will be a huge win for one team. This game may have a very short write up on Tuesday.