Michigan high school football playoffs: Predicting all of the state championship games
The football finals are upon us and for the first time since 1989, SOS will be able to experience something new: Black Friday.
For the last 33 years Black Friday simply didn’t exist to the All-Knowing One because SOS was holed up in Ford Field — and the Pontiac Silverdome before that — for the high school football state championship games.
But this year, the Michigan High School Athletic Association agreed to yield Friday to NBC to move the Michigan State-Penn State game from East Lansing to Ford Field.
That means the MHSAA state championship games will occupy Ford Field on Saturday and Sunday for the first time in history.
SOS always looks forward to the finals and especially these finals since his boys from Menominee are coming in for the Sunday 9:30 a.m. Division 7 brunch game against SOS’s boys from Jackson Lumen Christi.
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SOS recalls the last time these teams met — in the 2007 Division 5 game that Menominee won, 21-7, when Menominee Hall of Fame coach Ken Hofer had to coach from a wheelchair after suffering a broken leg in a practice accident.
In speaking with Menominee coach Chris Brandt, he says Hofer often wanders over to practice.
“I don’t think I could use him as scout team quarterback anymore, he’s not moving quite as good,” Brandt said. “But he still doesn’t miss a cup of coffee or miss his walk to the bakery.”
SOS spoke to the 89-year-old Hofer this week and he is pleased that Brandt is still using the single wing offense that won three titles for Hofer.
“They’ve got a great coaching staff and a bunch of kids who really want to play football,” Hofer said of the Maroons. “They’ve added winkles to the single wing and I’ve been impressed with what he’s done with it.”
The single wing can be an advantage of you are playing a team that is not familiar with it. But legendary Lumen Christi coach Herb Brogan has been around so long he has coached against every offense known to mankind.
This is Brogan’s 43rd year as head coach and he is the third winningest coach (407-95) in state history, 36 wins behind John Herrington.
“Their coach is an exceptional coach,” said Hofer. “As a result the Maroons really have their hands full because fundamentally he’s about as sound as they get.”
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Making matters worse for Menominee is word on the street is that Brogan actually ran the single wing when he played at Jackson St. Mary, believed to be sometime in the middle of the last century.
SOS does have a bone to pick with the Maroons. He picked their game with North Muskegon incorrectly last week, the only semifinal game he missed. SOS would have gotten it right if only he would have known that Millie Hofer, Ken’s wife, is the offensive coordinator.
The 15-1 record raised SOS’s playoff record to 196-44 (82%). This week he is determined to be perfect on all eight semifinal games after Mrs. SOS tells him how to work Black Friday. Of course, every day is Black Friday to Mrs. SOS.
Division 1
Southfield A&T (12-1) vs. Belleville (13-0), 7 p.m. Sunday. To say Belleville has been dominant this season is to say that the New England Patriots won a lot of games with Tom Brady. So far, Belleville has won games by 7, 49, 56, 53, 39, 27, 53, 40, 42, 41, 51, 42 and 42 points. So what do you expect will happen this time? Belle Tire, 41, AT&T 20.
Division 2
Muskegon (11-2) vs. Warren De La Salle (11-2), 7:30 p.m. Saturday. De La Sale beat the Big Red, 40-28, in Week 2. But that is when the Pilots had their top three running backs, who are all now injured. The key is if Muskegon can complete some passes to keep De La Salle from keying on its formidable running attack. De La Slappy 37, Muskie’s Gone 29.
Division 3
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central (12-1) vs. Mason (13-0), 12:30 p.m. Sunday. This could be the best game of the weekend. The Mason defense will have to figure the way to slow down Central running back TJ Hartman without forgetting about Purdue-bound receiver Ty Hudkins. On the other hand, Central has to be concerned with the passing of Mason’s Cason Carswell without ignoring running back AJ Martel. Kristin Haynie High 35, Sherwood Forest 33.
Division 4
Grand Rapids South Christian (10-3) vs. Harper Woods (10-3), 1 p.m. Saturday. South Christian is the defending state champ while Harper Woods is ... well the Pioneers are in unchartered waters. But they are certainly talented enough to be in the state finals. South Christian has some outstanding players, too, especially SOS’s main man Carson (Best Man) Vis. SOS hopes Vis doesn’t have any wedding commitments Saturday. David Kool High 28, Harper Woods 19.
Division 5
Grand Rapids Catholic Central (12-1) vs. Corunna (13-0), 4 p.m. Sunday. With all due respect to the great Nick Annese, this is the best ever Corunna team. Twins Wyatt and Tarik Bower would have starred on any Corunna team, as well as Jaden Eddington. But CC has won five state titles since 2016 and Kellen Russell-Dixon and Connor Wolf are terrific players. Throw in a transfer from the Farmington area — Mill Coleman III — and another title looks promising. Catholics in Grand Rapids? 24, Corona 21.
Division 6
Kingsley (11-2) vs. Almont (12-1), 4:30 p.m. Saturday. This is a toughie. The only thing these teams have in common is each lost to Ogemaw Heights, a D-5 playoff team. Almont is on the verge of winnings its first title in school history. The Stags won a state championship in 2005 when coach Tim Wooer established himself as one of the best coaches in the state. Becky Schramski High 24, Almond Joy 21.
Division 7
Menominee (11-2) vs. Jackson Lumen Christi (12-1), 9:30 a.m. Sunday. Menominee has crossed The Bridge and is headed our way. The Maroons have won three state championships and are talented enough to win a fourth. But Lumen Christi has been tremendous this season and it looks like another title for the Titans. Aluminum Foil 24, Nominate Me 20.
Division 8
Ubly (13-0) vs. Ottawa Lake Whiteford (13-0), 10 a.m. Saturday. Both teams have been incredibly dominant _ Whiteford has outscored its opponents 558-114 while Ubly holds a 573-130 edge. So, Whiteford outscored its opponents by 444 points and Ubly has outscored its opponents by 443. Whiteford claimed a 26-20 victory over Ubly last season and this one could be closer. A White Ford 28, Bubbly 27.
Mick McCabe (err, Son of Swami) is a former longtime columnist for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at mick.mccabe11@gmail.com. Follow him @mickmccabe1. Save $10 on his new book, “Mick McCabe’s Golden Yearbook: 50 Great Years of Michigan’s Best High School Players, Teams & Memories,” by ordering right now at McCabe.PictorialBook.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: MHSAA football playoffs: Predicting all the state championship games
