Division 5 final: Connor Wolf, G.R. Catholic Central get tough yards in 21-7 victory
With two quarterback sneaks, Grand Rapids Catholic Central didn’t have any highlight-reel touchdowns Sunday afternoon at Ford Field.
Yet quarterback Connor Wolf was able to get that 1 yard when the Cougars needed it most, earning a Michigan high school football Division 5 state championship with a 21-7 victory over previously-unbeaten Corunna.
Wolf plowed over the goal line twice in the second quarter, helping GRCC establish a two-touchdown lead over Corunna, which was making its first appearance in a title game.
“It’s just the whole offensive line executing the best they can,” the 6-foot-3, 190-pound signal-caller said. “They’re all big, they’re all good, and we know that if we need one or two yards, we can get it no matter what the situation is. That’s what we’re looking for when we make those calls.”
“It’s confidence in our O-line, it’s confidence in our quarterback,” GRCC coach Todd Kolster said. “Quarterback sneaks are not as easy as people think. We’ve been good at it because our quarterback is really smart and understands to keep his feet going, and where to go and where to find the hole.”
Although GRCC (13-1) outgained Corunna 210-60 prior to the halftime break, its lack of scoring was nearly as notable as the points it did have. GRCC opened the game by launching a 12-play drive which ended inside the Corunna 20, with Wolf coughing up the ball following a 16-yard scramble and Wyatt Bower recovering it.
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Other MHSAA state finals Sunday:
Division 7: Jackson Lumen Christi survives Menominee to repeat, 34-30
Division 1: Belleville vs. Southfield A&T (7 p.m.)
And in an up-temp possession over the final 1:10 of the second quarter, the Cougars fired up four consecutive incompletions from the Cavaliers' 30, all of which depended on a similar route inside the 10 (albeit to three different targets) with each of the throws sailing over the receivers’ heads.
But overall, GRCC was just as effective as it needed to be. The Cougars scored their first touchdown on the opening play of the second quarter after driving 62 yards in eight plays. Wolf had the drive’s biggest ground-gainer, scrambling for 26 yards before Bryce Eddington brought him down at the 1. The play put Wolf in position to finish the drive.
“The big thing is we wanted to keep their offense off the field,” Kolster said. “We wanted to run the football; I thought we could run the football against them, so that was a big part of it. We wanted to limit their possessions and I think we did a good job of it at times. We punted the ball at times because we weren’t throwing the ball, but all in all, our guys did a great job.”
To start the next series, Kellen Russell-Dixon returned a 39-yard Corunna punt 43 yards, giving Wolf & Co. a short field to work with. GRCC moved the chains three times on the drive, including Lucas Thelen’s 10-yard power through the right side of the line to set up the ball for Wolf again at the 1.
It didn’t surprise Wolf that Corunna (13-1) required him to fight for every last yard on Sunday.
“We try and always be tough,” he said, “but you watch their film. They just handled everybody they played all season, so we knew they were going to be physical, we knew they were going to be tough. They’re a great football team, so in the back of our minds all week at practice, that definitely had a place.”
Meanwhile, Corunna couldn’t get in gear through the first two quarters, punting on each of its first four drives.
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The Cavaliers finally entered the end zone with 5 minutes remaining in the third quarter, on Bower’s fourth-down, 7-yard quarterback draw. He saw the middle open up after Brendan Yarmuth and Alan Mrva spread their defenders apart.
The teams then traded punts, but Corunna’s shanked to the right sideline which launched another short drive for GRCC at Corunna's 35. Yet again Wolf got the toughest yard on a keeper, this time on fourth-and-1 at the 26. He had a bit more breathing room for his next TD, a 10-yard keeper which made it 21-7 with 7:59 to play.
Corunna threatened on its next drive, but Mill Coleman III intercepted a pass in the end zone with 5 minutes left, allowing GRCC to eat up all but the last 34 seconds on its resulting possession. Russell-Dixon had GRCC’s longest play of the day during that drive, rushing off right tackle for 43 yards. He was brought down by the facemask, adding 15 yards to get GRCC to the Corunna 12. The long run put Russell-Dixon past 100 yards for the day; he finished with 133 yards on 20 carries.
Catholic Central and Kolster earned their sixth crown without a loss since 2016 — and Kolster hasn’t appeared in any of the team pictures with the championship trophy.
“It feels great, and I’ve been fortunate to coach a lot of great players,” he said. “One of the things I always cherish is the team photo down on the field — I’ve never been in one. I always look at the guys, and that’s what’s more important to me, just seeing how excited they are for what they’ve accomplished. When they get these moments, this is what it’s for.”
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Division 5 final: G.R. Catholic Centrals tops Corunna, 21-7, for title
