MHSAA football state finals overview: Mason, Corunna aim for perfection
The Corunna and Mason football teams have already made history.
Corunna has set a new single-season program record with 13 victories — exceeding its previous season-best total of 10 wins. That success has the Cavaliers playing in the state championship game for the first time.
Mason also set a single-season record for wins last week, improving to 13-0 with its state semifinal win over Detroit King. It marked the third straight season the Bulldogs have set a single-season record for wins as they went from 10 wins in 2021 to 12 victories last season to now 13. Mason is now set to play in its first state championship game.
Here’s a look at the title game matchups for Corunna and Mason as they try to wrap up undefeated seasons.
Mason (13-0) vs. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central (12-1)
▶ When: 12:30 p.m. Sunday
▶ TV: Bally Sports Detroit Extra
After having its record run halted in the state semifinals the past two seasons, Mason has broken through to reach its season-long goal of playing for a Division 3 state championship at Ford Field. The top-ranked Bulldogs avenged their losses to Detroit King in the 2021 and 2022 semifinals with a 26-20 victory Saturday that was sealed by an interception by Nick Wells on the final play.
After winning each of its first 11 games by at least 15 points, Mason has been in its tightest games of the season the past two weeks. The Bulldogs overcame a two-score deficit in the second half before recording a 44-41 road regional final win in overtime over No. 5-ranked Walled Lake Western. Mason then scored the go-ahead touchdown against King last week in the early stages of the fourth quarter on a run by AJ Martel and then got a key safety forced by Kaleb Parrish.
Forest Hills Central is making its second straight state championship game appearance. The No. 2-ranked Rangers finished as the Division 2 runner-up last season after falling to Warren De La Salle in the title game.
The playoff run for Forest Hills Central included a 45-21 win over No. 4 Mount Pleasant in the district final and a 33-7 win over No. 3 Gaylord in the regional. The 18-14 state semifinal win over Zeeland West marked the narrowest margin of victory this season for the Rangers.
Forest Hills Central has won eight straight since suffering its lone loss — a 15-14 setback to Byron Center in Week 5.
Corunna (13-0) vs. Grand Rapids Catholic Central (12-1)
▶ When: 4 p.m. Sunday
▶ TV: Bally Sports Detroit
Wyatt and Tarick Bower and several other members of the Corunna football team were among the components who played a part in the boys track team finishing as the Division 2 state champion in June. Now they will try to help the No. 3-ranked Cavaliers claim a football state title in Division 5.
Jaden Edington has had big performances the past two weeks as Corunna rolled to wins over Macomb Lutheran North and Flat Rock on its historic run. Corunna won its regional and state semifinal games by a combined score of 105-18 in that span. The challenge awaiting at Ford Field will be much tougher.
Grand Rapids Catholic Central is making its sixth state championship game appearance in eight years. The Cougars have won five state titles since 2016, finishing as the Division 4 champion in 2016, 2017 and 2019 and the Division 5 champion in 2020 and 2021. The two seasons Grand Rapids Catholic Central didn’t make the title game, it reached the semifinals.
The top-ranked Cougars have knocked off top-five ranked teams the past two weeks to get to their latest championship game. GRCC beat No. 2-ranked Grand Rapids West Catholic, 30-28, in the regional before routing No. 4 Frankenmuth, 35-0, in last week’s state semifinal in Ithaca. The lone loss for GRCC came to Wilmette (Illinois) Loyola Academy in its season opener.
Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on X @brian_calloway
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: MHSAA football state finals: Mason and Corunna a win from perfection
