PREP SPORTS ⚫ RECENT HEADLINES

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 BY MIKE KILLBREATH

 CCN Executive Editor

DETROIT (CCN) — The Goodrich Martians won their first prep football state championship in school history Friday afternoon at Ford Field in Detroit. They whipped undefeated Niles 35-6 in a dominant display on both sides of the ball.

It was the team's second trip to the state finals in three years but this time — veteran Coach Tom Alward finally brought home the most coveted trophy of all in his 35th year of coaching high school football.

Niles was undefeated coming in at 13-0 but proved to be no match for the powerful Martians.

They pile up an impressive 424-96 margin in total offense. The impressive defensive effect resulted in Coach Alward's club holding the vaunted Niles rushing attack to only 89 yards. Meanwhile, Goodrich's senior trio of Chase Burnett, Tanner Mazich and Max Macklem led the way on the offensive side of the ball. 

Running back Burnett rushed for 157 yards on 28 caries and scored twice in the first half when the Martians jumped out in front 21-0. Quarterback Mazich was 6-of-9 passing for 168 yards and connected on a 21-yard TD pass to Macklem who had 4 catches for 100 yards.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Coach Tom Alward who collected his first state championship trophy Saturday in his 35th year of coaching high school football. He's already in the Michigan High School Football Hall of Fame.

 BY MIKE KILLBREATH

 CCN Executive Editor

MILLINGTON (CCN) — The entire Millington community threw a "going out of town" party for their state championship game bound football team on Friday morning.

Supporters lined the streets of Millington as they watched the team bus head out of town, headed for Ford Field in Detroit via a "send off" parade led by a police escort out of town.

Police cruisers from the Tuscola County Sheriff's Department and Michigan State Police led the way with Millington's police cruiser and fire trucks. 

To say the community is excited would be the biggest understatement you could offer the folks of this tiny town 20 minutes north up M-15 from Davison. Some call it a gateway to the Thumb, and the Cardinals play in the Big Thumb Conference. 

To put things into proper perspective on how huge the small town feel is, consider that the high school principal (Lenny Dantine) takes off his shirt and tie after the final school bell to join the players out on the practice field as an assistant coach.

Dantine is a former varsity football coach and a former Athletic Director. Some suggest he may be the first principal to roam the sidelines on the coaching staff in a state title game during the entire 50-year history of the state playoffs.

It's been a week like no other in the annals of Millington's history books.

Rumor has it that the last person out of town has been instructed to turn out the lights on Saturday (Nov. 30, 2024).

A pep rally on the last day of school was epic.

Neighboring Davison High School officials even got into the act of a friendly gesture by letting Coach Jason Germain use their turf surface for an earlier practice session. Not to be out-done, officials at Detroit Country Day opened their indoor facility with turf to let the farm boys from Millington practice later after they arrive in Detroit. 

The best poster on the internet used that farm boy phrase as teacher Taylor Dantine dropped images of her 10-year-old son Hudson and husband Lenny with his head phones on a photo of a cornfield. Across the top it read: "From the corn fields to Ford Field."

 Sign boards went up in the middle of town for alumni to sign their names with "good luck" wishes for the 2024 Cardinals. A call went out to all old mascots to dress up in their old costumes, and  someone needs to call Guinness Book of World Records to count how many old Millington mascots show up to support their school!

They unloaded boxes with hundreds of special red towels for fans to wave.

A map of the seating chart shows Millington fans where to sit in the gigantic 65,000-seat stadium that is usually home to the Detroit Lions except on the two days after Thanksgiving every year when they open it to the Michigan High School Athletic Association to stage its state championship games in all eight divisions.

Well wishers from all corners of the community and former players flooded the Millington Cardinals Football Facebook Page with words of encouragement and good luck wishes. It became a parade of old photos being posted from football teams of years past.

Ryan Comstock posted: "Do all us alumni a favor and punch that ticket! We all put hours in during the dog days of summer and team camps! There has never been a better team or campaign than you boys. Do us a favor."

Patricia Grow added: "Every small town should be excited for this! It’s a dream come true."

Jeremie Joel, a 1998 grad, summed it all up this way: "Millington has such a rich history of strong Cardinal Football through the decades. I'm so proud and happy for our kids, our staff, faculty, town, and fellow Cardinals. We seemed to always go to the playoffs but, NEVER went to Ford Field to compete for State's. I had knee surgery a week ago and am off work for 3 more weeks to heal. (Non weight bearing for 30 days) That said, I won't miss this HISTORIC game. Overflowing with Cardinal Pride and living vicariously through you men, doing what all the teams before you fell short of doing. Let's Go Finish this thing boys!"

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P1HOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is a photo captured as Millington's Cardinals are boarded on a bus Friday for Ford Field in Detroit. 

 BY MIKE KILLBREATH

 CCN Executive Editor

ROCHESTER HILLS (CCN) — Goodrich is going to the prep football state finals again in Division 4. The Martians punched their ticket to get there for the second time in three years by beating Harper Woods 28-12 on Saturday at Rochester Hills Stoney Creek High School.

Veteran Coach Tom Alward's club avenged a loss in last year's state semifinals when Goodrich's season ended with a 35-24 defeat to this same Harper Woods ballclub.

The Martians made it to the state championship game for the first time in school history when getting to Ford Field in 2022.

Now, Alward's boys are looking to bring home the school's first state title when matching 12-1 records with Niles. Neither team has lost since opening night.

Goodrich lost 22-0 at Frankenmuth to an Eagles team that is also going to Ford Field next week. They are 13-0 and playing for the Division 5 state championship.

The Martians were champion of the Metro League this season while Niles went on to win the  Wolverine Conference title after shaking off a 30-7 loss in the non-league opener at St. Joseph.

While Alward has been roaming the sidelines at Goodrich for 35 years, Niles has a similar situation as Goodrich did in 2022 with a veteran leader.

 Niles is enjoying its longest state playoff run by making it to the finals for the first time in school history after its first Regional championship under fourth-year man Scot Shaw who has been coaching for the same number of years as Alward.

But getting to the state finals is not new for Shaw, only his new Niles squad. He led led Three Rivers to the Division 4 championship in 2003. Coach Shaw is 243-119 over 35 seasons that have also included stops at Grandville and two Indiana schools.

Alward is 209-117 overall at Goodrich.

The Martians, who were ranked No. 4 in the final regular season poll by the Michigan High school Football Coaches Association, roared in front of Harper Woods 21-0 on  Saturday behind three straight touchdown runs by star senior running back Chase Burnett.

An interception return to paydirt by JaJuan Jones got Harper woods on the board late in the first half.

Senior Colton Roe then picked off a pass for the Martians and ran it back 27 years to make it a 28-6 game with 11:16 remaining.

While leading Goodrich's offensive attack with 123 yards on 32 carries, Burnett also shined on the defensive side of the ball. He had a key interception and helped hold star Harper Woods running back Dakota Guerrant to a mere 16 yards rushing.

The interceptions by Roe and Burnett were among four turnovers forced Saturday by Goodrich's fierce defensive stand. Jakoby Lagat also picked off a pass while Max Macklem had a fumble recovery.

While Goodrich and Harper Woods were 4-5 in the final regular season rankings, next week's opponent Niles is a rare unranked team to reach the state championship game.

LANSING (CCN) — Six times Millington had lost in the prep football state semifinals. Then came 2024. Hanging on to beat feisty North Muskegon 35-28 Saturday (Nov. 23, 2024) in Lansing now sends Coach Jason Germain's Cardinals to Ford Field for the first time in school history.

Saturday's victory kept them unbeaten, now standing a perfect 12-0.

They will face also unbeaten Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central next Saturday. Game time will be 9:30 am in Detroit at Ford Field where the Michigan High School Athletic Association will crown it state campions next weekend in all eight divisions.

The biggest play of the day for Millington in Lansing was a trick play late in the first half when scoring on a hook-and-ladder gadget play from 20 yards away just 17 seconds before the halftime intermission. Quarterback Truk TerBush hit xxxxxx xxxxx with a pass over the middle, and he tossed it to Bryce Martin on an end around style toss. Martin ran it to paydirt to shock the North Muskegon defense.

Millington then took a 28-14 lead into the fourth quarter. The Cardinals then appeared to put the game away on a 20-yard TD pass from TerBush to Martin pushing it to a 21-point lead with 9:10 remaining. 

But the Rivers Division champions of the Western Michigan Conference refused to quit.

North Muskegon, which was 11-1 coming into the game, clawed right back. Back-to-back long scoring drives cut the lead to 35-28 with 4:02 to go and appearing to recover an on-side kick had everyone going wild on North Muskegon's side of the stadium.

Then came a meeting of the officials who ruled instead that Millington's Jacob Fluty had recovered the kick.

Millington went on to run out the clock without North Muskegon getting its hands on the ball again.

Millington, champions of the Big Thumb Conference's White Division, now face an undefeated Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central team  that is also unbeaten at 13-0 and ranked No. 1 in the state in the final regular season ratings by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association. Millington was ranked No. 5.

Coach Germain said afterward via a Facebook post to Millington's fans: "Ford Field here we come!!!  Couldn’t be prouder of our team and community!!  Thank you for all the love and support. Hope to see as many people as possible next Saturday at the game!!  Let’s GO!"

PHOTO CAPTIONS: Pictured above this story is a photo by xxxxx xxx

LOCAL PREP FOOTBALL STATE PLAYOFFS

All Games on Friday (Nov. 8, 2024)

DIVISION 1

Region 2 • District 1 Championship

Oxford (7-3) at Grand Blanc (8-2)

Region 2 • District 2 Championship

Clarkston (7-3) at Rochester Adams (8-2)

DIVISION 3

Region 3 • District 1 Championship

Linden (6-4) at Mason (8-2)

DIVISION 4

Region 3 • District 2 Championship

Freeland (9-1) at Goodrich (9-1)

DIVISION 5

Region 1 • District 2 Championship

Belding (9-1) at Frankenmuth (9-0)

Region 3 • District 1 Championship

Corunna (8-2) at Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (8-1)

DIVISION 7

Region 2 • District 2 Championship

Cass City (7-3) at Millington (9-0)

DIVISION 8

Region 2 • District 2

Harbor Beach (10-0) at Clarkston Everest Collegiate (9-1)

LOCAL PREP FOOTBALL STATE PLAYOFFS

Friday Nov. 1, 2024 Results

DIVISION 1

Region 2 • District 1

Oxford (6-3) at Davison (7-2)

Grand Blanc 42, Lapeer 21

Region 2 • District 2

Clarkston 34, Lake Orion 16

DIVISION 2

Region 2 • District 1

Midland 34, Flushing 7

DIVISION 3

Region 3 • District 1

Linden 42, Fenton 14

DIVISION 4

Region 3 • District 2

 Goodrich 49, Ortonville Brandon 7 

Freeland 51, Lake Fenton 21

DIVISION 5

Region 1 • District 2

Frankenmuth 62, Howard City Tri-County 6

Region 3 • District 1

Corunna 35, Flint Hamady 8

DIVISION 6

Region 2 • District 2

 Lansing Catholic 36, Chesaning 29

DIVISION 7

Region 2 • District 1

 Pewamo-Westphalia 42, Montrose 12

Region 2 • District 2

Millington 42, Elkton-Pigeon-Bayport Laker 14

Region 4 • District 1

 Leslie 49, Burton Atherton 7

DIVISION 8

Region 2 • District 2

Clarkston Everest Collegiate 52, Burton Bentley 0

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

(CCN) — Three unbeaten teams lead a strong contingent of 18 prep football teams from The Daily Gazette coverage area to qualify for the 2024 state playoffs.

The pairings were announced Sunday on FanDuel Sports Network's Selection Sunday Show.

Frankenmuth and MiIllington were one victory shy of making it to Ford Field for last year's state finals event for all eight divisions.

Millington is back hoping for a Division 7 title and won't need to worry about defending champ Jackson Lumen Christi which opted to move up and play Division 6 where the Titans were ranked No. 1 in last week's poll by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association.

Millington's 8-0 record includes winning the White Division championship in the Big Thumb Conference this fall under Coach Jason Germain's leadership.

Frankenmuth won eight in a row after losing its 2023 opener at the Big House in Ann Arbor to Goodrich before making it all the way to the Division 5 final four.

Coach Phil Martin's 2024 Eagles repeated as Tri-Valley Conference Red Division champion by beating Freeland 21-20 two weeks ago. They are ranked No. 2 in the state in Division 5 behind only Pontiac Notre Dame Prep with a perfect 9-0 record this season after opening with a 22-0 revenge blanking of Goodrich.

Goodrich also made it to the state semifinals a year ago in Division 4. The Martians had an 8-1 regular season record that saw its only loss come to eventual Division 5 state finalist Corunna which beat out the Martians for the Stars Division title in the Metro League.

Goodrich is 8-1 again, and has won big with more than 40 points every game since losing at Frankenmuth on opening night.

Veteran Coach Tom Alward's Martians were rated No. 4 in Division 4 last week.

Chesaning's 9-0 regular season campaign included winning the Mid-Michigan Activities Conference (MMAC) championship. The Indians were ranked No. 3 in Division 6 last week.

Other local qualifiers around the Metro Flint regional area included Grand Blanc, Davison and Clarkston in Division 1, Fenton, Linden and Flushing in Division 2, Goodrich, Ortonville Brandon and Lake Fenton in Division 4, Flint Hamady and Corunna in Division 5, Montrose in Division 7 and a trio of teams qualified in Division 8 — Clarkston Everest Collegiate, Burton Bentley and Burton Atherton.

All the local teams have Friday (Nov. 1, 2024) dates to open state playoff action with 7 pm kick-offs.

Frankenmuth (9-0) hosts Howard City Tri County in its Division 5 state playoff opener.  

Chesaning (9-0), ranked No. 6 last week in Division 6, opens sate playoff action on its home turf against  Lansing Catholic (6-3).

Millington (8-0) hosts Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker (5-4) to start its Division 7 action. The Cardinals were ranked No. 3 in the state last week behind only Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central and Menominee.

Saginaw Valley League Blue Division champion Grand Blanc (7-2) was ranked No. 8 last week while neighboring rival Davison (also 7-2 overall) was No. 10.

Jake Weingardz has his Cardinals eyeing revenge against the Bobcats after losing 55-49 two weeks ago in a battle for the Valley's Blue title.

A rematch would come next week if Grand Blanc beats Lapeer this week and Davison knocks off first round opponent Oxford. Both local Valley schools will have home field advantage.

Oxford is 6-3 while Lapeer is 5-4.

Unranked Clarkston goes to Lake Orion. The Wolves are eyeing revenge, too, after Lake Orion beat them to cost Coach Kurt Richardson's troops a share of the OAA Red Division championship.

Clarkston has reached post-season play five seasons in a row and the Wolves have now made it 20 times in the last 22 years. They've made it 26 times in school history which is fourth-most among teams in the Metro Flint regional area.

Only Montrose, Millington and Frankenmuth have had more success. Montrose's 15th straight time reaching post-season play this fall gives the Rams 32 appearances all-time. This year marks its 21st year in a row to make the state playoffs for Millington and its total number of appearances is  now at 31. Frankenmuth's 14th straight trip to the state playoffs gives the Eagles 30 appearances.

Linden has made it 25 times in school history, Grand Blanc is making its 24th appearance with a current streak of nine years in a row, Fenton made it for the 23rd time, Goodrich's eighth straight year in post-season play is its 21st trip all time, Chesaning is in for the 17th time, Lake Fenton qualified for the 15th time, Ortonville Brandon's 10th straight year in the state playoffs gives the Blackhawks 14 total appearances in school history, Corunna has also now qualified 14 times, Davison's ninth trip in the last 10 years gives the Cardinals 13 total appearances, Flint Hamady is in for the 12th time and Clarkston Everest Collegiate made the state playoffs for the 11th consecutive season since its program began in 2009. 

Bentley and Atherton gave the City of Burton its first multiple qualifiers in the same season. Bentley made it for the second year in a row and for only the seventh time in school history. Atherton got in for only the second time in school history. Bendle, which missed out on making it this year, leads Burton's schools with 15 appearances all-time in the state playoffs.

Flushing (7-2) plays at Midland (8-1) which won the Valley's Red Division championship. The Raiders are led by rookie Coach Austin Cook who rebounded them from a 14-13 homecoming loss to Linden, to face Fenton at home with a chance to create a three-way tie for the Stripes Division title in the Metro League.

Fenton (7-2) beat Flushing for the Stripes Division title but lost the Metro League championship game to Goodrich.

Coach Jeff Setzke's TIgers open on the state playoff trail against arch rival Linden. It's a rematch of their 24-21 barnburner two weeks ago.

Coach Chad Williams has the Linden community exited to qualify for the playoffs for the third time in a row with high playoff points despite a 4-5 record. The Eagles have now made it four years out of the last five after a streak of making it 19 times in a 20-year period.

Fenton is also on a three-year streak in the state playoffs with its 16th appearance in the last 17 years.

Goodrich (8-1) hosts Ortonville Bandon (6-3)

 this week in Division 4 action while Lake Fenton (6-3) goes to Freeland (8-1).

Flint Hamady (5-4) goes to Corunna (7-2) in its Division 5 battle this week. Gary Lee's Hawks, going an independent team this fall, made it for the ninth time in the last 10 years. Corunna is looking to make it back to the state finals where the Cavaliers lost a year ago.

Montrose (6-3) hosts Pewamo-Westphalia (7-2) in a Division 7 opener.

Clarkston Everest Collegiate (8-1) hosts Burton Bentley (5-4) in Division 8 play. Coach Michael Pruchnicki's Mountaineers are coming off a 17-14 overtime loss in the CHSL Prep Bowl to Macomb Lutheran North after winning a division title in the 

Catholic High School League (CHSL) to get there.

 Burton Atherton (7-2) goes to Leslie (8-1) in its Division 7 opener. Coach Randy Young's Wolverines won their first Genesee Area Conference (GAC) championship in their return to 11-man football after five seasons in the 8-man game due to low numbers.

More in-depth stories on state playoff qualifiers are in our local editions of M-15 Connection, Tri-County News, West Valley Voice, County Line Press, Grand Blanc Press and The Burton Banner.

State playoff pairings for prep football across Michigan is in Today's My AM Advantage

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is a photo of Millington's football family watching the Selection Show Sunday at on Fanduel Sports Network

LOCAL PREP FOOTBALL STATE PLAYOFFS

All Games on Friday (Nov. 1, 2024)

DIVISION 1

Region 2 • District 1

Oxford (6-3) at Davison (7-2)

Lapeer (5-4) at Grand Blanc (7-2)

Region 2 • District 2

Clarkston (6-3) at Lake Orion (6-3)

DIVISION 2

Region 2 • District 1

Flushing (7-2) at Midland (8-1)

DIVISION 3

Region 3 • District 1

Linden (5-4) at Fenton (7-2)

DIVISION 4

Region 3 • District 2

Ortonville Brandon (6-3) at Goodrich (8-1)

Lake Fenton (6-3) at Freeland (8-1)

DIVISION 5

Region 1 • District 2

Howard City Tri-County (5-4) at Frankenmuth (9-0)

Region 3 • District 1

Flint Hamady (6-3) at Corunna (7-2)

DIVISION 6

Region 2 • District 2

 Lansing Catholic (6-3) at Chesaning (9-0)

DIVISION 7

Region 2 • District 1

 Pewamo-Westphalia (7-2) at Montrose (6-3)

Region 2 • District 2

Elkton-Pigeon-Bayport Laker (5-4) at Millington (8-0)

Region 4 • District 1

 Burton Atherton (7-2) at Leslie (8-1) 

DIVISION 8

Region 2 • District 2

Burton Bentley (5-4) at Clarkston Everest Collegiate (8-1)

I've been addicted to high school football ever since seeing my first game at Flint Hamady High School on Oct. 16, 1964.

The Hawks lost 48-0 that night to Ortonville Brandon but I was hooked on this sport from the first time I heard the roar of the crowd as the Hawks ran on the field — jumping all over each other in a big pile up near their sideline in front of me. The excitement gave me chills.

A family friend, old cement man Eddie Bielec, sat next to me and offered a game-long crash course lesson on how football was played. He explained what was unfolding in front of me. I remember his announcing that we were leaving after the Hawks yielded yet another touchdown as he complained Ortonville was "running up the score" and it was "time to go home."

We left early that night despite my polite protests but I don't think I've ever left a football game early since that first one that was beyond my control.

The next morning after watching my first prep football game, there I was organizing my first neighborhood football game.

It wasn't long until I discovered there were the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears, thanks to the old weekly Saturday NFL highlights show.

I guess all that losing had already begun for my Detroit Lions because they were never featured on the NFL highlights show. It wasn't until 1966 that I found out there was a team called the Lions when they played the Green Bay Packers at the old Tiger Stadium. My dad had two tickets and going with him that cold fall day remains one of my most memorable moments with him. We stayed until the bitter end despite my dad shivering and making multiple requests about whether or not I was read to head home.

Hey, it started out in the mid 30's at the noon kick-off and temperatures climbed into the mid-40's by the time the game was over.

I fondly remember my dad being concerned a few times as I rooted strongly for the Green Bay Packers. "You can't do that," he cautioned. "We are in Detroit. We root for the Lions."

My Packers won 31-7 that day. A google search tells me we were among 56,954 people who packed into the old Tiger Stadium on that fall afternoon.

It was later in 1966 that I discovered the Michigan Wolverines and fell in love with the greatest college fight song there is.

After Vince Lombardi quit winning Super Bowls with the Green Bay Packers, my loyalties eventually drifted into Go Blue chants for UM and my frustrations began with the Detroit Lions annually teasing us with early optimism that they were going to finally be good.

They never were, of course, until last year when falling one game shy of the Super Bowl with this new cartoon-like character I love named Dan Campbell leading the troops.

But as much as I love Michigan football, all college football, my Lions and the NFL — it's prep football that will always and forever hold first place in my heart. There's nothing like the Friday night lights and all the fun that comes with experiencing the atmosphere at a high school game.

Thanks to MHSAA TV, this reporter can now watch all the prep football action I want.

Obviously, it helps us provide great coverage here at The Daily Gazette. My Michigan Sports Zone Show every day (4:45 pm daily and the live taping weekdays at 11:45 am) benefits from my vast knowledge from watching so much prep football on MHSAA TV. I also still do The Daily Gazette Sports Night Show weeknights at 6 pm that's devoted to local sports and my favorite show of the week is Sunday's with The Daily Gazette Sports Weekend Show from 6 pm with a two-hour tour through the local sports scene.

I'm better known for busting crooked politicians as an award-winning columnist, investigative reporter and owner of the old chain of 14 community newspapers that reached more than 86,000 homes every week. But I've always made it a point to sneak in high school games and big sports stories with UM, MSU and our four pro franchises.

Covering games has allowed me to meet my all-time favorite Detroit Lions growing up — middle linebacker Mike Lucci and tight end Charlie Sanders. I got a chance, too, for interviews with my all-time favorite Tigers — Al Kaline, Allan Trammell, Jack Morris, Mickey Lolich, Denny McLain, Willie Horton and Mark Fidrych. Add in sit-down interviews with such all-time greats as Bo Schembeckler, Hank Aaron, Gordie Howe, Wayne Gretzky, Magic Johnson, Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Red Berensen and Ron Mason.

I can remember every detail of every interview with the list above of sports heroes. My list of interviews in the news world is impressive with the likes of Presidents, Governors, Congressmen and business leaders. But that was work. The details fade over the years 

Sprinkling in the occasional sports stories has been my way to relax and forget the troubles of the world my newspapers and radio shows have covered over the decades.

It's the sports fan in me that has made my job fun for these last 50 years as a journalist.

READ "OLD SPORTS THOUGHTS" COLUMNS

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Mike Killbreath is an award-winning newspaper sports columnist. He appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Daily Gazette Sports Weekend Show Sundays from 6-8 pm, the Michigan Sports Zone Show daily at 4:45 pm, The Daily Gazette Sports Night Show weekdays at 6 pm and on The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings at 8 am. He's an award-winning news columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint regional area chain of 14 newspapers. This fall is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a new weekly national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms.

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

FRANKENMUTH (CCN) — The home crowd at Frankenmuth has become accustomed to watching winning football. Not very often have the home folks watched Coach Phil Martin walk around town with revenge on his mind as he prepared to take his team to battle.

Coach Phil Martin, his Eagles and the whole town had revenge on their minds in what was billed as the biggest blockbuster game on opening night of the 2024 prep football season in the Metro Flint regional area. The Goodrich Martians were coming to town after beating Frankenmuth in last year's opener in the multi-team event at the Big House in Ann Arbor on the campus at the University of Michigan. It was the only loss last season for the Eagles who used an 8-1 regular season record en route to their fourth Final Four appearance in a row in Division 5 prep football.

It also spoiled a streak where Frankenmuth had posted three straight 9-0 regular season finishes.

But everyone knew these Goodrich Martians would be no pushover Thursday night (Aug. 29, 2024). They are coming off back-to-back 8-1 regular season records and reached the Division 4 state semifinals last season after making it to the state championship game at Ford Field in 2022 for the first time in school history.

Frankenmuth also made it to Ford Field for the state finals in 2022 for the school's first ever appearance in the state championship game. Coach Martin also led his 2020 team to the state finals but his Eagles have never won it all.

Defense might be the key to finally bringing home that first state title trophy. And it was defense on display Thursday night in the 2024 opener. The Eagles stifled Goodrich's usually potent ground game by holding the Martians to only 60 rushing yards. Logan Diener was he big man with 15 tackles and one of them got the Eagles rolling early when he tackled a Goodrich ball carrier  in the end zone for a safety.

 Goodrich's veteran rushing star Chase Burnett managed only 25 yards. He carried the ball 20 times for the Martians but could get no where against Frankenmuth's defensive charge.

Frankenmuth held Goodrich to only 77 yards through the air. Quarterback Tanner Mazich, who added 23 yards on the ground on 12 rushes, was 5-of-8 passing for Goodrich. Four of them went to 

 Max Macklem for 56 yards.

Mazich’s biggest catch, however, came on the first play from scrimmage when he shocked the big crowd at Frankenmuth by making an interception and returning it 23 yards to paydirt. The officials called it back, however, because Goodrich players left the sideline and went on the field.

The interception stood but the illegal participation call placed the ball back at Frankenmuth's 35-yar line. Goodrich eventually marched to a 4th-and-5 situation and Frankenmuth’s defense held.

After Diener’s safety and a one-yard touchdown run by Christian Paige built a 9-0 lead for Frankenmuth at halftime.

The Eagles added a couple of long TD runs in the second half to seal things — Hagan Wascher had a 32-yard TD run in the third quarter and Kobbi Ke scored on a 30-yard run in the fourth quarter.

Ke led Frankenmuth's running attack with 117 of its 211 yards. Wascher added 67 yards.

Dineer was backed up on defense by Brady Lipka with seven tackles and Derrick Simmons with five tackles and one pass breakup.

Frankenmuth now turns its attention to Friday night's (Sept. 6, 2024) Tri-Valley Conference-Red opener at Saginaw Swan Valley.

Swan Valley dropped a close one at home last week when non-league rival Crosswell-Lexington eked out a 33-26 victory.

Swan Valley made the state playoffs last year with a 5-4 record but lost 37-15 in the first round to then Tri-Valley rival Birch Run.

Birch Run has defected this year to join the Mid-Michigan Activities Conference (MMAC).

Birch Run finished fourth in 2023 Tri-Valley Red play behind Frankenmuth at 7-0, Freeland at 6-1 and Swan Valley at 5-2.

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor 

(CCN) — Frankenmuth Coach Phil Martin and his Eagles have revenge on their minds in what may be the biggest blockbuster game on opening night of the 2024 prep football season in the Metro Flint regional area. It's set for Frankenmuth's home field on Thursday night at 7 o'clock against the Goodrich Martians.

Clarkston begins at home Thursday when hosting defending Division I state champion Belleville. Kick-off there is 7 pm.

Millington makes its debut in the White Division of the Big Thumb Conference after a long run in the Tri-Valley Conference. The Cardinals host Reese in their first showdown since 1978 at 7 pm in front of Millington's fans who watched Jason Germain lead their troops to their best season in program history with 12 victories and a run to the state semifinals in Division 5. Millington has made the state playoffs 25 times in the last 26 years, but had never before reached the Final Four.

The Davison Cardinals also have a big game on Thursday but it's against a Detroit area opponent instead of the local showdown between Frankenmuth and Goodrich. They will be featured on the Game of the Week broadcast by State Champs Network in the Motor City Kick-off Classic at Wayne State University in Detroit.

Davison, coming off a 9-0 regular season finish, plays at 6:45 pm in a rematch of last year's opener against perennial state power Warren DeLaSalle. Coach Jake Weingardtz's Cardinals rallied to win when the second half was rescheduled the next day to Davison after bad weather stopped their battle at Atwood Stadium in Flint during the Vehicle City Gridiron Classic.

Davison, like Frankenmuth, rolled all the way to the state semifinals a year ago in Division 1.

Frankenmuth lost to the Goodrich Martians in the season-opening kick-off event during multiple games last fall in Ann Arbor at the Big House on the University of Michigan campus. It turned out to be the only loss of the regular season as the Eagles rolled to an 8-1 record after three straight 9-0 finishes. They then made it all the way to the Division 5 state semifinals last year before losing to Detroit Catholic Central.

It was the fourth straight year to reach the state semifinals under Martin (Frankenmuth made it to the state finals twice during the streak) who also led the Eagles to the state semifinals in 2016 and 2017. His teams have been 8-1 or 9-1 in the regular season 11 times in the last 12 years with a 7-2 campaign as the exception.

Goodrich's veteran Coach Tom Alward also led his Martians to the state semifinals a year ago in Division 6. The Martians made it to the state finals for the first time in school history a year earlier.

Goodrich is looking to continue its success against Frankenmuth in their new season-opening series. The Martians lost the first two times, including one on the turf at Flint's Atwood Stadium in the Vehicle City Gridiron Classic.

The two doubleheaders in this year's Vehicle City Gridiron Classic feature two of the area's other perennial top teams — New Lothrop and Grand Blanc. (See Related Story in Today's Sports Section of The Daily Gazette)

Thursday's Vehicle City Gridiron Classic action shifts from the traditional Atwood Stadium site to Grand Blanc's new $37 million stadium. New Lothrop's Hornets play Muskegon Catholic at 4 pm and the hometown Grand Blanc Bobcats face Muskegon Mona Shores. Friday's schedule in Flint at Atwood Stadium features two Burton teams in action — Bendle and Bentley. Bendle faces LakeVille at 1 pm while Bentley faces the Flint Jaguars at 4 pm.

Three leaders in the Vehicle City Gridiron Classic are making their varsity debuts as a high school head coach —  Chrishaun Verdun of the Flint Jaguars, Jimmy Stablie of the Bentley Bulldogs and  Anthony Bauer of the LakeVille Falcons.

Andre Weathers will make his debut on the sidelines at Mt. Morris after previous jobs at Bentley and Southwestern while Dan Hewitt takes over at Flint Kearsley after a four-year run at Bentley ended with last year's appearance in the state playoffs for the first time since 2008 while also pulling off the school's first winning record since that year. Jeremy Ferman defected from Kearsley to Flint Powers Catholic. Flushing also has a new head coach with Austin Cook taking over for the Raiders.

Mt. Morris goes to Clio to face their arch rivals on opening night for the second year in a row in Thursday 7 pm non-league battle. They renewed their rivalry last year on opening night in the Vehicle City Gridiron Classic. Mt. Morris won a 7-0 affair in its first game against Clio since 2016.

Flint Kearsley opens on Thursday at home with a 7 o'clock kick-off against Ann Arbor Huron in non-league action.

Flint Powers opens Thursday at 7 pm with a trip to face Ovid Elsie in a non-league affair. 

Flushing hosts Bay City Central Thursday at 7 pm in another non-league contest.

Other non-league openers around the area on Thursday at 7 pm include Flint Carman-Ainsworth at Swartz Creek, 2023 Metro League Stipes Division champion Fenton hosts Midland Dow, Linden goes to Harrison Township L'Anse Creuse, Holly hosts Bay City Western, Ortonville Brandon hosts Bay City John Glenn, Lake Fenton is at Pinckney, defending Metro League Stars Division  Corunna (2023 state champion in Division 5) hosts Fowlerville, Owosso is at Eaton Rapids, Chesaning is at Bath, Durand goes to Laingsburg, Montrose hosts Riverbiew Gabriel Richard, 2023 Genesee Area Conference champion Flint Hamady hosts Detroit East English, Genesee hosts Melvindale Academy for Business & Tech, Flint New Standard is at Erie Mason, Flint Beecher travels to Southfield Arts & Technology, Flint International Academy goes to Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood and Atherton hosts Vassar in its return to 11-man football. On Friday, Clarkston Everest Collegiate goes to Warren Michigan Collegiate.

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

FLINT (CCN) — Soccer fans can watch some of  

of  the best in area high school soccer compete during the second annual Flint & Genesee Vehicle City Soccer Classic on Saturday, Aug. 17.

The event will again be held at Kettering University’s historic Atwood Stadium in Flint and a three-game prep card will be followed by the Flint City Bucks soccer franchise staging an exhibition game at 7:30 pm. The Bucks, the city’s USL League Two team, will face Inter Detroit FC.

Former Judge Duncan Beagle, who recently retired after 32 1/2 years on the bench, is the President of the Flint & Genesee Vehicle City Sports Commission and he issued the following statement: “With the Flint City Bucks and several outstanding high school teams, Flint & Genesee is brimming with soccer talent. This is a real strength of our sports community, and we want to showcase that.”

A local battle will kick off the event with Davison facing LInden at noon. 

Flint Powers Catholic, expected to be a contender for a Division 3 state title, will play the 2 pm game on Atwood's turf against Elk Rapids High.

Grand Blanc will play the lead-in game to the Flint City Bucks by facing Okemos High at 4 pm.

 Tickets will be $5 at the gate and parking is $5 at the stadium. 

“Anytime we can shine a positive light on Flint, play at a historic stadium, and promote quality soccer — both at a high school and professional level — I’m all in on that,” said Kevin Fiebernitz who is another member of the Flint & Genesee Vehicle City Sports Committee. He also serves as coach at Linden and stressed how much his players are looking forward to playing again at Atwood. He said: “We’ve come down to Atwood Stadium in past years to play Powers Catholic, and that’s always a great experience. Our students love the stadium atmosphere.”

The Flint City Bucks game after the high school action will also include a kids zone, food trucks and post-game fireworks display.

We’re excited to partner once again with the Flint & Genesee Vehicle Sports Committee on this event,” said Costa Papista who is President of the Flint City Bucks. “This is a great opportunity to support and engage with some of our region’s most talented young athletes. We invite the entire community to join us in cheering on the teams and celebrating their skills.”

Anyone purchasing a ticket to one of the hgh school games can get into see the Flint City Bucks for free by showing their ticket stubs. Tickets for others is $12 for adults and $7 for kids. Season ticket holders can get in free to see the Bucks.

The Vehicle City Sports Committee is a non-profit organization that promotes Flint and Genesee County as a premier venue for a diverse level of youth and amateur sporting events, enhancing the economy and quality of life in the area. It provides support and development of youth and amateur sports and fosters amateur sports competitions such as the Vehicle City Gridiron Classic and Vehicle City Soccer Classic.

FLINT (CCN) — Flint Powers Catholic High School Athletic Director Mike Watson has announced the return of an alumni member to coach varsity sports. Matthew Gregson will take over the lacrosse program.

Gregus is a 2006 graduate of Powers who was a standout athlete for the the Chargers in football, hockey and lacrosse.

AD Watson noted that Gregson "made significant contributions to the school's athletic success" as an outstanding athlete.

Watson also described Gregus as "an outstanding coach."

He replaces  Bryan Schramm as head coach.

Powers had a 10-5 regular season record last season when losing 15-2 to Midland in regional action after beating Linden 9-5 in its regional opener.

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

MT. MORRIS (CCN) — Andre Weathers is the new prep football coach in Mt. Morris after Mike Miller stepped down.  

Miller had back-to-back 2-7 campaigns after going 4-4 during his debut season of 2021 with the Panthers. He's the father of three boys who are young athletes in multiple sports, and many had praised Miller's progress in building the  varsity program but friends say he needed more family time with his own boys.

The school hasn't had a winning season since 2008 when going 7-4 and losing in the first rounds of the state playoffs. 

Many projected 2024 as the year Mt. Morris would take a major step forward. In fact, many believe last year's 2-7 finish didn't indicate how the Panthers would have likely been title contenders if they played in the Genesee Area Conference instead of the Mid-Michigan Activities Association (MMAA).

MMAA super powers Montrose and New Lothrop own more state championships than any other teams in the entire Metro Flint regional area. Chesaning, Durand and Ovid-Elsie have pretty strong football traditions, too.

Mt. Morris began last season with a back-to-back strong non-league showings against Metro League members Clio and Owosso. The Panthers beat arch vial Clio 7-0 in the Vehicle City Classic at Flint's Atwood Stadium and then went to Owosso to lose a hard-fought 34-32 decision.

A 56-15 romp at home over LakeVille was the only victory for the Panthers in 2024 though once it was time to begin MMAA play.

With improving the culture already under way in Mt. Morris, Weathers is positioned to have the best year ever of his prep coaching career.

He's a strong football man with NFL pedigree and a national championship experience under his belt at UM where he was a star defensive back. (See Related Story in Today's Tri-County News)

Weathers was 0-9 last year with the Jaguars of Flint Southwestern, and he was 6-38 since being hired there in 2018. He led Burton Bentley before that and departed after the Bulldogs were 1-8 in 2017 for the second season in a row since he took the job there.

The losing ways of an 8-56 varsity head coach do not bother the folks at Mt. Morris who are excited about adding a leader with NFL experience who won a 1997 national championship at the University of Michigan with the Wolverines. 

He was a defensive back at UM and went on to play in a Super Bowl with the New York Giants.

Mt. Morris Athletic Director Jeff Kline recently announced the hiring of Weathers with a Facebook post of Weathers in his Michigan Wolverines uniform, saying, "This is our new coach!"

The reactions to his post on Facebook were positive ones. Ray Assencio said, "Should be a fun year. I'm pumped to watch the Panthers."

Larry Clontz called it an "outstanding" hire for his alma mater and Darren Kinder added: "Great job Jeff!"

Tim Phipps, Kearsley's former varsity baseball boss and a prep football official, praised Weathers on Kline's post, writing: "Great man great coach. I love doing his games (when) he is a coach. He tried to make boys into men. (I) loved it when he was on my sidelines."

Scott Wise said, "(I) worked with him for a couple of years. Really cool guy."

Weathers, a Flint Central grad who is in the Greater Flint Sports Hall of Fame, has five active children and works as an engineer at WGS Global Services in Grand Blanc. 

 “What people don’t understand about Flint is that there is so much more to it than what they hear in the news," Weathers said for the Crim Fitness Program a few years ago. 

"One of the customers that we work for is located in Mexico. When he came here, I took him through downtown Flint as a ‘Welcome to Flint’. He said, “

'Wow, this is not what I thought it was, this is nice, I have a different impression now.' Flint was a hub of athletes, and coaches wanted to come to Flint. One of the biggest priorities we are working toward is to become a pipeline of athletes again. 

Chrishaun Verdun has been hired to replace Weathers as varsity boss at Flint Southwestern.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is a file photo from the Genesee Valley Press of Andre Weathers during his playing days.

Saturday, June 23, 2024 Column

Now that  out-of-state media giant Townsquare Media has shut down 1470 AM, Metro Flint News/Talk Radio is left as the only local radio station presenting high school football and basketball broadcasts.

We will keep in mind that we're the only game in town for prep athletes to get such recognition as we prepare for another prep season.

We will kick off our 2024 broadcasts on Thursday, Aug. 29th when Davison takes on Warren De La Salle Collegiate in the Xenith Prep Kickoff Classic at Wayne State University. The two-day event is sponsored by the Detroit Sports Commission.

Davison plays  in the second game of an opening night doubleheader at 7 pm. A second team from the Metro Flint regional area (Clarkston) will also play in the 12th annual kick-off event at Wayne State University.

The Thursday opener pits Southgate Anderson against Trenton at 4 p.m. 

Action on Friday, Aug. 30 will will feature Belleville taking on Clarkston at 4 pm and Detroit King facing Cleveland Heights at 7 pm.

We will feature some of our veteran broadcasters and we're still looking for new talent to expand our presentation of game broadcasts. If you want to apply, call us at (810) 771-8421 to leave a message or go to our CCN Jobs Page to apply.

We pay only $50 for play-by-play announcers and $35 for color commentators who must have previous experience. Candidates without experience may be able to win a chance to join one of our veteran broadcasters on the air for on-the-job training if you want to win a paying position.

Who knows? You may have what it takes to someday move into a big time media job as a broadcaster or move up to the state college ranks.

READ "OLD SPORTS THOUGHTS" COLUMNS

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Mike Killbreath is an award-winning newspaper sports columnist. He appears on Metro Flint News/Talk Radio via The Daily Gazette Sports Weekend Show Sundays from 6-8 pm, the Michigan Sports Zone Show daily at 4:45 pm, The Daily Gazette Sports Night Show weekdays at 6 pm and on The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings at 8 am. He's an award-winning news columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint regional area chain of 14 newspapers. This fall is his 50th year as a journalist. He also hosts a new weekly national TV show known as The American Crusaders on cable TV and various OTT TV live streaming platforms

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

DETROIT (CCN) — The Detroit Sports Commission has announced its high school football matchups for the 19th annual Xenith Prep Kickoff Classic.

This fall's event will take place for the 12th straight year at Tom Adams Field on the campus of Wayne State University. The two-day event will be staged on Thursday, Aug. 29 and Friday, Aug. 30.

Two teams from The Daily Gazette coverage area will be featured in this year's event that began with six seasons in a row at Eastern Michigan University until the Detroit Sports Commission attracted it to Downtown Detroit.

The Xenith Prep Kickoff CLassic returns after seeing record-breaking attendance in 2023 with more than 14,700 fans at Wayne State which plays Division II college football in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Activities Conference (GLIAC). Wayne State only attracted 13,732 fans for its entire season — averaging 2,285 per game.

Since 2005, the event officials have focused on providing a "bowl game" atmosphere for participating teams, school bands, and cheer squads from across the Midwest.

Since the event's inception, Detroit Sports Commission officials have focused on an inclusive approach to team and match-up selection by inviting more than 90 schools from Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio to play in the signature event.

"The Detroit Sports Commission is proud to once again kick off the high school football season in Michigan with an exciting lineup of games in the city of Detroit," said Marty Dobek, Detroit Sports Commission Deputy Director. "This year's event will feature a tremendous collection of prep football programs, and also the colorful pageantry of school bands and cheerleaders for fans to experience at this signature event in Detroit."

The 2024 event will transpire over two days  with Davison playing  in the second game of an opening night doubleheader at 7 pm and Clarkston playing in Friday's opener at 4 pm against 2023 Division 1 state runner-up Belleville.

The Thursday opener before the Davison-De La Salle matchup pits Southgate Anderson against Trenton at 4 p.m. Action on Friday will feature Detroit King facing Cleveland Heights at 7 pm after the Clarkston-Belleville game.

The Davison Cardinals rolled to a perfect 9-0 regular season record last fall and made it all the way to the Division 1 state semifinals. They finished 12-1 on the year. Davison's Aug. 29 opponent — Warren De La Salle Collegiate — lost 31-26 to Davison in last year's opener at the Vehicle City Gridiron Classic at Flint's historic Atwood Stadium. De La Salle rallied from 2023's opening night loss to Davison with 11 straight victories before losing 33-21 to Muskegon in the Division 2 state championship game at Ford Field.

The Clarkson Wolves  lost a 21-20 nail-biter last season in the regional finals to West Bloomfield to finish with un-Clarkstonlike 6-6 record. Clarkson lost 24-10 to Northville in last year's opener which was in the Battle of the Big House event at Michigan Stadium on the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor. Belleville's 2023 run to the state finals in Division 1 featured a 13-1 record before losing 36-32 to Southfield Arts & Technology.

Among the other competitors in the Xenith Prep Football Kickoff Classic, Southgate Anderston was  7-3 last season, Trenton was 5-5, Cleveland Heights 11-2 and  Detroit King 7-6 although making a run to the Division 3 state semifinals where losing an exciting 26-20 affair to Mason..

 
Tickets are $12 and are available for purchase at detroitsports.org/pkctickets. A portion of the proceeds from tickets will benefit each school. One ticket will grant admission to all games on that particular day. 

BY KEITH DUNLAP

Special Report for MHSAA

EAST LANSING (MHSAA) —  On behalf of this current Flint Powers Catholic baseball team, Saturday’s message was loud and clear to past players, alumni and school officials: "We finally did it for Tom. "

Tom would be long-time head coach Tom Dutkowski, who after 42 years and 872 wins finally got to coach in a state championship game Saturday (June 15, 2024)

Not only did Powers get there for Dutkowski, but the Chargers delivered win No. 873 and his long-awaited first title as coach with an 11-0 defeat of Spring Lake in the Division 2 Final at McLane Stadium. 

“We just made Flint Powers history, and to be a part of that is amazing,” Powers senior Fischer Hendershot said. “We have a lot of alumni and a lot of alumni on the coaching staff. To do it for the coaching staff, everyone here, everyone in Powers, every alumni and everyone who cares about us is a great feeling.” 

In the third, Powers scored four runs to take an 8-0 lead on an RBI single by Hendershot, a walk with the bases loaded and a two-run single by freshman Connor Kelly.

Powers then put three more runs on the board in the fourth inning to take an 11-0 lead.

Hendershot was the winner on the mound, allowing two hits and striking out five in five innings of work.

Spring Lake also was attempting to win its first Finals title, but had to settle for its third runner-up finish (to go with those from 1995 and 1978). 

The Lakers finished 32-10.

“They are a good team, and this was their year,” Spring Lake head coach Bill Core said. “We just couldn’t keep them off of the bases, and our pitching wasn’t as sharp as it’s been. We gave them a couple of free passes, and they mixed in some good hitting. That’s a good team, and that’s why they’ve been ranked No. 1 in the state all year.”

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PHOTO CAPTION: Flint Powers Catholic's Eli Sturgess crosses the plate for the winning run during his team's Semifinal victory Friday at McLane Stadium. 

BY SCOTT DECAMP

Special Report for MHSAA

EAST LANSING (MHSAA) —  After his eighth-inning, game-winning hit to finish Flint Powers Catholic’s Division 2 Semifinal win Friday, Chargers senior Gavin Darling gave away the secret to how 42-year head coach Tom Dutkowski stays so young and energetic.

“That dude works out more than probably half the team, honestly,” Darling said. “He’s a great guy, and we just want to do it for him as well.”

What top-ranked Flint Powers is aiming to do is capture a state baseball championship. Powers has that chance after Darling’s walk-off single to deep left field scored Eli Sturgess for a 4-3 victory over Trenton at Michigan State University’s McLane Stadium.

Powers (36-6) will face Spring Lake (32-9) in Saturday’s 5 p.m. Final. The Chargers are seeking their first Finals title since 1980, and first under Dutkowski’s tutelage.

“We want to win for him, man. It’s not only for us, but it’s for him,” Darling said. “He’s been working hard just like we have.”

Powers and pitcher Grant Garman cruised through the first four innings Friday, Garman carrying a perfect game as the Chargers built a 3-0 lead.

Trenton (30-11-1) began to make Powers work for it in the fifth. The Trojans collected five hits and scored three runs in the inning, keyed by Carson Boike’s two-run single, to knot the score at 3.

The tie remained until the bottom of the eighth inning, when Darling came to the plate with one out and the bases loaded. Powers’ cleanup hitter saw a pitch he could drive, and the rest is history.

“Just (looking for) a pitch to hit, man. They were playing in, so I just had to go for it. I don’t care if it’s a bloop single or a shot like that, I’ve just got to do what I’ve got to do,” Darling said. “(It felt) pretty good to know that I had a guy on third that either way, if it’s caught, he’s tagging and we win the game.

“It’s an unreal feeling, man. These guys are my family, and I can’t thank them enough. They have my back just like I have theirs, and I can’t thank them enough.”

Garman allowed three earned runs on six hits with 10 strikeouts and one walk in five innings. Isaac Sturgess picked up the win in relief, not allowing a hit or run with four strikeouts and one walk over three innings.

Garman led the Powers offense with three hits, while Darling had a pair of RBIs.

Caleb Kidd finished with two hits to pace Trenton. Kidd got the start and worked four innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits with five strikeouts and three walks in four innings. 

Joel Mator took the loss in relief for the Trojans, surrendering one earned run on three hits with five strikeouts and five walks in 3 1/3 innings.

“I can’t say enough about the fight that was in them,” Trenton coach Todd Szalka said. “He had a shutout (perfect game), we’re going into the top of the fifth, he’s throwing a no-hitter, and then, all of a sudden, we challenge them in the dugout and we come away with five hits in the fifth inning. I mean, that’s almost unheard of, especially against a good pitcher like (Grant) Garman. 

“No. 1 team in the state, you’re down 3-0, stakes are on the line, you’re looking at your last nine outs and our kids just continued to fight and went into extra innings. They got the big play when they needed it, and we had gotten the big play the last three games with walk-offs. I’m really proud of the way we came out today.”

Dutkowski instructed Darling to be “short to the ball” on his game-winning hit. The coach was very happy for the player, who “works as hard as anybody.”

Dutkowski believes his team is plenty battle-tested, too, competing in the Saginaw Valley League.

“The Saginaw Valley League is a gauntlet, especially for a school like Powers (as) the smallest school,” he said. “Not that we feel bad about that because we’ve got great players this year, but it is tough.… We beat Bay City Western two out of three this year, and we beat Northville in the Flint Champions Tournament. Neither team was pitching their best, but we beat them. Yeah, we’re battle-tested.”

Dutkowski said that in his younger years, he might have been jumping up and down in the third-base coach’s box during the walk-off play.

On Friday, he said he stayed planted and wanted to make sure Eli Sturgess was tagging at third in case Darling’s deep fly ball was caught.

“I used to be what you’d call an athlete. I used to do all the histrionics, but now my job is to kind of keep guys steady, you know – get them back to neutral as soon as possible,” Dutkowski said.

“I have an ankle-foot orthotic. I am drop foot. I had fusion surgery about 19 months ago on L-4/L-5. No, I’m a wreck. I have this carbon fiber thing,” he said as he pointed to his lower right leg, “that keeps me upright. I’m retired now, so I work out.”

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PHOTO CAPTION: Flint Powers Catholic's Eli Sturgess crosses the plate for the winning run during his team's Semifinal victory Friday at McLane Stadium.