Prep Football Notes: A look at the stories behind the final scores
Bob Mittlestat made another throw that ended up in a Flat Rock win — more than six decades later.
The 1953 Flat Rock graduate was the honorary captain for the team’s inaugural game on its new artificial turf.
Mittlestat threw the opening coin toss (which the Rams won) and had a special seat in the south end zone with his sons, Pat and Mike, during the team’s 33-21 win over Airport.
It’s not the first time he was involved in a Flat Rock win.
Mittlestat was the quarterback for the 1952 Rams — a team that went undefeated.
The former signal-caller said the coin toss wasn’t quite as strong as some of the throws during that memorable season.
“It was like one of those people that throw out an opening pitch at a baseball game and the ball goes into the stands or into the dirt and everyone starts booing,” he said with a laugh.
Flat Rock’s field is named after Rob’s father, Marvin Mittlestat, which is part of the reason athletic director and offensive football coach John Clair chose him as honorary captain.
“Flat Rock has a very rich history of excellence in athletics,” Clair said. “We wanted to make sure we included coach Mittlestat’s family with the reopening of the new stadium turf.”
More: Flat Rock outguns Airport
Clair was delighted to see that Mittlestat and his sons had stayed the entire game to see the Rams victory.
“In the fourth quarter, I looked down the sideline to (Mittlestat) still sitting in the end zone and was so happy that he got to see such a good game,” he added.
Mittlestat reflected on the undefeated 1952 team with a lot of joy — including one memory that still makes the 89-year-old grin today.
Mittlestat and the Rams were on defense in a game against Chelsea when they caused a fumble. A Ram defender picked it up and ran 90 yards — into the wrong end zone for a safety.
“I tried my best to chase him down, but couldn’t quite catch him,” he said. “So, it was 2-0 at halftime. We won so it didn’t matter, but that still makes me laugh to this day.”
New play is money
The new play was called “mullah.”
It was money for Monroe’s football team Friday night.
The Trojans had not come close to completing a pass against Ypsilanti Lincoln when defensive coordinator Alex Russo suggested the play that had been added to the playbook this week.
“My DC suggested it on the headset. I don’t typically listen when the DC suggests a pass play,” Monroe coach Kyle Reed joked.
More: Monroe defense locks down Lincoln in shutout victory
But since the defense was playing so well, Reed decided to give it a try.
The play features crossing routes with one receiver speeding across the field at a depth of 5 yards and the other at 10. Teegan Simmons ran the deeper route.
He snagged a pass from quarterback Aiden Newton and ran 21 yards for a key first down late in the fourth quarter of a 9-0 Monroe win over Ypsilanti Lincoln.
Simmons was a back-up quarterback last season who shifted to running back this season.
“It’s a little tough remembering all the plays, but it hasn’t been as hard as I thought it would be,” Simmons said.
After not winning a game on the new artificial turf at Bill Bunkelman Field last season, Monroe is off to a 2-0 start at home this year.
Carlson line takes charge
Gibraltar Carlson coach Jason Gendron had plenty of praise for his line after the Marauders moved to 2-1 with a with a 57-12 rout of Taylor.
Adam Zurawski, Gabe Lyle, Melvohn Martin, Jake Nagy, and Alex Gregorich cleared the way for 511 total yards including 352 on the ground.
More: Week 3 Monroe County Region high school football summaries
“We had two backs go over 100 yards and one kid did it on just three carries,” Gendron said.
Avery Ortiz needed just three attempts to amass 120 yards for a gaudy average of 40 yards per carry. Izaiah Wright was Carlson’s top rusher with 136 yards on 12 attempts. He scored on three runs and a reception from Joe Krolak.
Both Ortiz and Wright are sophomores.
Bobcats ready for trick
One of the key moments in Friday's 26-21 Whiteford win over Ottawa Hills was when the Green Bears failed to convert on a fake punt in the fourth quarter.
The Bobcats had gone ahead 18-14 for the first time in the game. On the ensuing drive, Ottawa Hills faced a fourth down from its own 20-yard line and lined up in punt formation. The ball was snapped to the up back, however, and the Bobcat defense sniffed it out with Brandon Knaggs making a great open-field tackle on the Ottawa Hills running back at the 22.
Jake Iott finished off the short drive with a 7-yard touchdown on a fourth-and-two to put the Bobcats up two scores with just under three minutes left.
"These kids never gave up," Whiteford coach Todd Thieken said. "What else can you say? That's three straight games. They have a lot of heart."
Senior Drew Knaggs scored the touchdown that brought Whiteford within 2 points early in the fourth quarter. Knaggs is one of several four-year starters on the Whiteford team. Next week that group will be playing in their 40th career game.
"We have a lot of experience," Knaggs said. "We have a lot of leaders on this team that refuse to let anyone quit, no matter what. You will never quit when you have these 11 guys out on the field with you."
Whiteford will face Edon (Ohio) Friday at home.
Edon is the last team to beat Whiteford in a regular season game, which was Sept. 17, 2021.
The Bobcats have won 17 straight games overall and 17 straight regular season games. The last Bobcat loss came in the Division 8 semifinals in 2021.
New QB learns quickly
Summerfield is dealing with a new offense, a new coach and a new quarterback this season.
Yet the Bulldogs are off to a 3-0 start.
New coach Dylan Szegedi gives a lot of the credit to new quarterback Trace Secor.
Secor completed 11-of-14 passes for 150 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 27-2 win over Springport Friday night. The junior also ran for a TD.
“Trace had a heck of a game,” Szegedi said. “We switched to the veer this year. There is a lot of timing and nuances involved. He had never done it before.”
Szegedi said his QB is picking things up much faster than the coaching staff had hoped.
“He’s becoming a leader,” Szegedi said.
Estes nears 100 wins
Blissfield head coach Ron Estes picked up career win No. 99 Friday when his Royals beat Dundee in the Lenawee County Athletic Association season opener.
Estes said the LCAA is one of the toughest conferences around.
"I keep telling people that," he said. "If you lose, you better be able to bounce back. And, if you win, you better be ready to put that aside and move on to the next one."
Estes, who at one time coached the boys basketball team at Summerfield, is in his 15th season as the Royals head coach in two stints. He coached them from 2002 to 2012, then returned in 2019. He had 76 wins in the first 11 seasons and has 23 in the five seasons since.
After falling to Whiteford in the season opener, the Royals have bounced back and are 2-1 overall.
BEST OF WEEK 3
RUSHING YARDS
William Gaskell V, Milan 226
Izaiah Wright, Carlson 136
Luke Beaudrie, Jefferson 136
Avery Ortiz, Carlson 120
Austin O’Dell, Huron 103
PASSING YARDS
Graham Junge, Flat Rock 350
Vaughn Brown, Mason 248
Ethan Layton, Dundee 245
Cooper Nye, Airport 199
Luke Beaudrie, Jefferson 196
RECEIVING YARDS
Braiden Whitaker, Dundee 190
Adam Szalay, Flat Rock 130
Tyler Vanderpool, Jefferson 126
Tyler Dafoe, Summerfield 95
Korbin Herrera, Mason 91
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Prep Football Notes: Mittlestat returns to field named after his father
