MY AM ADVANTAGE

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BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

ARLINGTON, , TEXAS (CCN) — Jake Paul, the YouTube sensation turned pro boxer, won an unanimous decision over Mike Tyson to spoil his comeback after a 19-year layoff.

Tyson retired with a 50-6 record that included 44 knockouts, including 22 in the 1st Round.

Now 58, he proved no match for the younger Paul.

Only 27, Paul went to 11-1 since turning pro only four years ago. His 10 previous victories included 7 KO's, and Tyson avoided going down on the canvas but he lost with the judges scoring it 80-72, 79-73 and 79-73.

Tyson was a heavy fan favorite at AT&T Stadium in Arlington where the Dallas Cowboys play. FanDuel also reported that wagering was more than 70 percent on Tyson to win.

More than 72,00 fans packed into AT&T Stadium and millions more tuned in via Netflix.

Tyson struggled to mount any significant offense in the bout that had special rules limiting rounds to two minutes instead of the usual three-minute rounds.

Paul peppered Tyson with jabs throughout the affair, and landed 78 of 278 punches to only 18 punches landed by Tyson out of only 97 thrown.

"I didn't prove nothing to anybody, only to myself," Tyson said of his performance afterward in an interview on Netflix while still inside the ring. "I'm not one of those guys that look to please the world. I'm just happy with what I can do," Tyson added.

Paul paid tribute to Tyson, saying, "He's a legend. He's the greatest to ever do it. He's the GOAT. I look up to him. I'm inspired by him, and we wouldn't be here without him. He's an icon. He's the toughest man on the planet."

Asked if this was the end of the line for his boxing career, Tyson snapped back, "I don't know. It depends on the situation. Maybe I'll fight his brother."

Logan Paul's reply? "I'll kill you, Mike."

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Jake Paul who went to 11-1 by beating Mike Tyson.

Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024 Column

Last night was a stark reminder that there's one opponent that eventually nobody can beat.

It's Father Time.

Mixed between rooting for the old geezer in the boxing ring to land a lucky punch and praying for his mere survival, it became increasingly evident that eventually — Father Time beats all of us.

Mike Tyson went the distance in his match against Jake Paul. His legs were shaky at times. He appeared uneasy on his feet. He often looked like he was ready to quit, too tired to go on.

But there we were — hoping and cheering for the old guy to land one big powerful punch.

It would be a blow for everyone who faces the prospects of feeling too old to compete.

Sure, Jake Paul looked worried. Mike Tyson's "stare" is like looking into the awful glare of a killer. Who wouldn't be a bit scared when watching old videos of Mike Tyson delivering knockout after knockout like no champion before him, or after him. The first 19 times he climbed into the ring, Tyson knocked out every opponent  — 12 times challengers went to the canvas in the very first round. In all, 22 of his 44 career KO's came in the opening round.

But the reality was that Mike Tyson is 58 years old. Jake Paul is 27.

In fact, Mike Tyson retired 19 years ago when Jake Paul was just 8. Tyson began his boxing story before Jake Paul was even born.

So it was impossible not to root for the hero in a story like this one. FanDuel reported that more than 70 percent of its wagers were betting on Tyson to win.

Yet, we knew it couldn't happen.

But there were more than 72,000 fans in the stadium to watch in Arlington, Texas where the Dallas Cowboys play football. So many millions more were watching live on Netflix that they literally broke the internet. The screen kept freezing up, proving streaming isn't yet ready to bring us live sports.

Mike Tyson got a $20 million paycheck.

Master promoter Jake Paul, the YouTube sensation turned boxer, cashed a $40 million paycheck for beating a 58-year-old, over-the-hill former world heavyweight champion. He can say he retired Mike Tyson for good.

Tyson's best punch at age 58 turned out to be at the weigh-in when he got in a good slap after Jake Paul stepped on his foot.

See Recent 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 and on The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8 am until 9:30 am. He's an award-winning news columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This fall will be 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.

TODAY'S GAMES

DIVISION 1

Region 1 Championship:

Hudsonville (10-1) at Howell (11-0)

Saturday, Nov. 16 at 1 pm

FRIDAY'S GAMES

Region 2 Championship:

Rochester Adams 21, Grand Blanc 14

Region 3 Championship:

Detroit Catholic Central 35, Belleville21

Region 4 Championship:

Detroit Cass Tech 21, Dakota 14

Boyne City 34, Reed City 21

Byron Center 52, Portage Central 14

Catholic Central 21, Hackett 14

DeWitt 70, Petoskey 34

East Lansing 49, Heritage 27

Flat Rock 41, Father Gabriel Richard 0

Frankenmuth 35, Gladwin 0

 Gabriel Richard 30, Loyola 12

Goodrich 42, Haslett 13

Groves 21, De La Salle 19

Harper Woods 48, Lutheran North 3

King 34, River Rouge 0

 Marine City 52, Central 26

Mason 22, Walled Lake Western 17

Niles 37, Portland 34

Notre Dame 45, Armada 19

South Christian 28, Whitehall 21

 St Mary Catholic Central 55, Leslie 18

St Mary's 27, Carlson 3

Zeeland West 36, Forest Hills Central 20

PREP FOOTBALL STATE PLAYPOFFS

(Scores on Nov. 8-9, 2024)

DIVISION 1

 Region 1 • District 1 Championship Game:

Hudsonville 19, Grandville 16

Region 1 • District 2 Championship Game: 

Howell 35, Brighton 33

Region 2 • District 1 Championship Game:

Grand Blanc 29, Oxford 7

Region 2 • District 2 Championship Game:

Rochester Adams 41, Clarkston 0

 Region 3 • District 1 Championship Game:

Belleville 42, Saline 7

Region 3 • District 2 Championship Game:

Detroit Catholic Central 41, West Bloomfield 14

Region 4 • District 1 Championship Game:

Detroit Cass Tech 42, Dearborn 7

Region 1 • District 2 Championship Game:

Macomb Dakota  41, Utica Eisenhower 14

DIVISION 2

 Region 1 • District 1 Championship Game:

Byron Center 30, Muskegon Mona Shores 23

Region 1 • District 2 Championship Game: 

Portage Central 22, Mattawan 0

Region 2 • District 1 Championship Game:

Saginaw Heritage 17, Midland 7

Region 2 • District 2 Championship Game:

East Lansing 50, Dexter 49

Region 3 • District 1 Championship Game:

Orchard Lake St Mary’s 51, Farmington 0

Region 3 • District 2 Championship Game:

Gibraltar Carlson 35, Livonia Franklin 7

Region 4 • District 1 Championship Game:

Birmingham Groves 36, Birmingham Seaholm 7

Region 4 • District 2 Championship Game:

Warren De La Salle Collegiate 35,

Grosse Point South 21

DIVISION 3

 Region 1 • District 1 Championship Game:

 Petoskey 38, Mount Pleasant 10

Region 1 • District 2 Championship Game: 

DeWitt 49, Lowell 35

Region 2 • District 1 Championship Game:

 Zeeland West 42, St Joseph 0

Region 2 • District 2 Championship Game:

Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central 28, Coopersville 17

Region 3 • District 1 Championship Game:

Mason 45, Linden 14

Region 3 • District 2 Championship Game:

Walled Lake Western 42, Auburn Hills Avondale 0

Region 4 • District 1 Championship Game:

River Rouge 20, Riverview 14

Region 4 • District 2 Championship Game:

Detroit Martin Luther King 62, Grosse Pointe North 28

DIVISION 4

 Region 1 • District 1 Championship Game:

Whitehall 17, Big Rapids 7

Region 1 • District 2 Championship Game: 

Grand Rapids South Christian 35, 

Hudsonville Unity Christian 28

Region 2 • District 1 Championship Game:

Niles 21, Edwardsburg 0

Region 2 • District 2 Championship Game:

Portland 37, Hastings 14

Region 3 • District 1 Championship Game:

 Haslett 24, Chelsea 9

Region 3 • District 2 Championship Game:

Goodrich 27, Freeland 21

Region 4 • District 1 Championship Game:

Harper Woods 40, Dearborn Divine Child 21

Region 4 • District 2 Championship Game:

Macomb Lutheran North 43, Croswell-Lexington 42 (OT)

PREP FOOTBALL STATE PLAYPOFFS

(Scores on Nov. 1-2, 2024)

DIVISION 1

Region 1 • District 1 

Hudsonville 25, East Kentwood 23

Grandville 24, Rockford 14

Region 1 • District 2 

Howell 35, Kalamazoo Central 12

Brighton 53, Grand Ledge 12

DIVISION 1

Region 2 • District 1

Oxford 21, Davison 14

Grand Blanc 42, Lapeer 21

Region 2 • District 2

Clarkston 34, Lake Orion 16

  Rochester Adams 44, Rochester Hills Stoney Creek 14

DIVISION 1

Region 3 • District 1

 Belleville 68, Ann Arbor Pioneer 0

Saline 37, Northville 7

 Region 3 • District 2

West Bloomfield 49, Novi 15

Detroit Catholic Central 33, Livonia Stevenson 0

DIVISION 1

Region 4 • District 1

Dearborn 30, Dearborn Fordson 0 

 Detroit Cass Tech 41, Sterling Heights Stevenson 0

Region 4 • District 2

 Macomb Dakota 31, Utica 0

Utica Eisenhower 44, Romeo 21

 DIVISION 2

Region 1 • District 1

Muskegon Mona Shores 28, Traverse City West 0

 Byron Center 38, Grand Rapids Northview 17

Region 1 • District 2

 Portage Central 28, Portage Northern 12

Mattawan 27, Lansing Everett 21

DIVISION 2

Region 2 • District 1

Midland 34, Flushing 7

 Saginaw Heritage 52, Midland Dow 20

Region 2 • District 2

Dexter 42, South Lyon East 14

 East Lansing 43, Milford 22

DIVISION 2

Region 3 • District 1

Farmington 39, White Lake Lakeland 13

Orchard Lake St. Mary's 42, North Farmington 7

Region 3 • District 2

Livonia Franklin 21, Allen Park 14

Gibraltar Carlson 42, Temperance Bedford 21

DIVISION 2

Region 4 • District 1

 Birmingham Groves 49, Ferndale 14

 Birmingham Seaholm 59, Warren Mott 29

Region 4 • District 2

Grosse Pointe South 27, Roseville 26

 Warren De La Salle Collegiate 49, Port Huron Northern 0

DIVISION 3

Region 1 • District 1

 Petoskey 61 Bay City John Glenn21

Mount Pleasant 36, Cadillac 22 

Region 1 • District 2

DeWitt 42, St. Johns 7

Lowell 27, Cedar Springs 7  

DIVISION 3

Region 2 • District 1

 St. Joseph 41, Stevensville Lakeshore 21

 Zeeland West 32, Zeeland East 6

Region 2 • District 2

Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central 7, East Grand Rapids 0

Coopersville 39, Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills 13

DIVISION 3

Region 3 • District 1

Linden 42, Fenton 14

Mason 59, Jackson18

 Region 3 • District 2

 Walled Lake Western 49, Garden City 7

 Auburn Hills Avondale 43, Redford Thurston 6

DIVISION 3

Region 4 • District 1

 River Rouge 13, Southgate Anderson 7

Riverview 22, Trenton 21 

Region 4 • District 2

 Detroit Martin Luther King 41, Warren Fitzgerald 0

Grosse Pointe North (4-5) at Port Huron (4-5)

DIVISION 4

Region 1 • District 1

Big Rapids 28, Ludington 21

Whitehall 28, Ada Forest Hills Eastern 21 

Region1 • District 2

Hudsonville Unity Christian 63, Hamilton 20 

Grand Rapids South Christian 35, Holland Christian 7

DIVISION 4

Region 2 • District 1

 Niles 42, Paw Paw 14

 Edwardsburg 29, Battle Creek Harper Creek 8

Region 2 • District 2

Portland 42, Lansing Sexton 8

Hastings 35, Ionia 0 

DIVISION 4

Region 3 • District 1

 Chelsea 24, Pinckney 20

Haslett 42, Parma Western 21 

Region 3 • District 2

Goodrich 49, Ortonville Brandon 7

Freeland 51, Lake Fenton 21

DIVISION 4

Region 4 • District 1

 Dearborn Divine Child 42, Madison Heights Lamphere 6

Harper Woods (6-3) at Redford Union (8-1) 

Region 4 • District 2

Croswell-Lexington 31, Marysville 6

Macomb Lutheran North 48, St. Clair 30 

DIVISION 5

Region 1 • District 1

 Gladwin (6-3) at Kingsford (9-0)

Ogemaw Heights 21, Clare 13

Region 1 • District 2

Frankenmuth 62, Howard City Tri-County 6

 Belding 52, Saginaw Swan Valley 30

DIVISION 5

Region 2 • District 1

Grand Rapids Catholic Central 28, Hopkins 0  

Grand Rapids West Catholic 32, Muskegon Oakridge 14 

Region 2 • District 2

Berrien Springs 14, Dowagiac 6 

South Haven (5-4) at Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep (7-2)

DIVISION 5

Region 3 • District 1

Corunna 35, Flint Hamady 8 

Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 49, Williamston 19 

Region 3 • District 2

  Armada 37, Richmond 10

Hazel Park (6-3) at St. Clair Shores South Lake (5-4)

DIVISION 5

Region 4 • District 1

 Romulus 26, Detroit Lincoln-King 24

Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard 51, Whitmore Lake 20

Region 4 • District 2

Flatrock 40, Detroit Denby 22

Detroit Voyageur College Prep 38, Romulus Summit Academy North 31

DIVISION 6

Region 1 • District 1

Calumet (6-3) at Kingsley (7-2)

Boyne City 23, Negaunee 16

Region 1 • District 2

Reed City 41, Manistee 20 

Standish-Sterling 52, Mason County Central 30

DIVISION 6

Region 2 • District 1

Newaygo 30, Montague 17 

Central Montcalm 36, Kent City 12

Region 2 • District 2

 Lansing Catholic 36, Chesaning 29

  Almont 21, Ovid-Elsie 14

DIVISION 6

Region 3 • District 1

Olivet 49, Buchanan 15

Constantine 39, Parchment 14

Region 3 • District 2

 Ida 56, Dearborn Advanced Tech Academy 8

Jackson Lumen Christi 42, Dearborn Heights Robichaud 8

DIVISION 6

Region 4 • District 1

Warren Michigan Collegiate 52, Royal Oak Shrine Catholic 0

Marine City 50, Clinton Township Clintondale 30

Region 4 • District 2

 Detroit Central 34, Detroit Edison 16

Detroit Old Redford 28, Detroit Pershing 6

DIVISION 7

Region 1 • District 1

 Menominee 62, Houghton Lake 6

Traverse City St. Francis 41, Charlevoix 6

Region 1 • District 2

North Muskegon 56, Evart 7

McBain 49, Harrison 6 

DIVISION 7

Region 2 • District 1

Ithaca 42, Saranac 7

Pewamo-Westphalia 42, Montrose 12

Region 2 • District 2

Millington 42, Elkton-Pigeon-Bayport Laker 14

 Cass City 50, Saginaw Valley Lutheran 15

DIVISION 7

Region 3 • District 1

Lawton 42, Coloma 6 

Schoolcraft 28, Bronson 14 

Region 3 • District 2

Hudson 38, Napoleon 6

Union City 42, Hanover-Horton 13

DIVISION 7

Region 4 • District 1

  Leslie 49, Burton Atherton 7

 Bath (5-4) at Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett (6-3) 

Region 4 • District 2

Clinton 38, Ottawa Lake Whiteford 32 

Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central 41, Blissfield 6

DIVISION 8

Region 1 • District 1

  Iron Mountain 49, Manistique 12

East Jordan 34, Bark River-Harris 14 

Region 1 • District 2

Maple City Glen Lake 38, Mancelona 14

Beal City 47, Frankfort 0 

DIVISION 8

Region 2 • District 1

Fowler 48, Reese 12 

Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary 21, Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central 20

Region 2 • District 2

Harbor Beach 35,  Ubly 0

Clarkston Everest Collegiate 51, Burton Bentley 0 

DIVISION 8

Region 3 • District 1

Decatur 34, Centreville 6 

Saugatuck 24, White Pigeon 20

Region 3 • District 2

Springport 38, Addison 14

Reading 36, Sand Creek 0

DIVISION 8

Region 4 • District 1

Manchester20, Petersburg Summerfield 17

Riverview Gabriel Richard 48, Allen Park Cabrini 0 

Region 4 • District 2

Detroit Loyola 28, Mount Clemens 8

 Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest 40, Marine City Cardinal Mooney 14

TORONTO (CCN) — Malik Beasley scored 20 points to lead a balanced attack Friday night (Nov. 15, 2024) as the Detroit Pistons beat the Toronto Raptors 99-95 after losing two nights earlier in an overtime heartbreaker at Milwaukee.

It was not only Detroit's second victory in two games but its third in the last five since a one-point loss to the Charlotte Hornets. The other defeat during the streak was a close one, too (a 101-99 affair to the Atlanta Hawks).

It could have been three in a row and 4-of-5 if not for Ken Holland II missing two free throws with one second left in regulation in a 111-111 game at Milwaukee when the Bucks went on to win in OT.

Coming off a 123-121 victory over the Miami Heat, Detroit also blew an early 18-point lead in Milwaukee and led 70-52 early in the 3rd quarter but the Bucks went on a 33-14 run to take their first lead of the night going into the final quarter

The Pistons are now 6-8 on the season and moved into the playoff picture with the No. 7 seed. The top 8 in each conference qualify. The Pistons are now 1/2 game behind the Haks and Heat for the No. 5 position.

Cade Cunningham, who led Detroit with 35 points in the losing cause at Milwaukee, scored 15 points against the Raptors with 10 assists.

Tobias Haris added 11 points and 11 rebounds for Detroit, Jaden Ivey put up 14 points, Jalen Duren 12 points, Holland 10 points and Wendell Moore Jr. 8 points.

Beasley's 20-point night at Toronto followed his  26-point outburst two nights earlier in Milwaukke against his former teammates.

The Pistons will be back in action on Sunday (Nov. 17, 2024) in Washington D.C. against the Wizzrd.  Tip-off is 6 pm with the telecast on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit. The radio broadcast will be on  
ALT Detroit (WDZH 98.7 FM).

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Malik Beasley who scored 20 points to lead a balanced attack for the Detroit Pistons in their victory at Toronto.

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

ANN ARBOR (CCN) — New Coach Dusty May will be seeing turnovers in his nightmares after the Michigan Wolverines coughed up the ball an 

 unfathomable 21 times Friday night (Nov. 15, 2024) at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor.

Danny Wolf led the way with 14 points and 14 rebounds for his second double-double in three games for the Wolverines who went to 2-1 on the young season in college basketball with a 76-64 triumph over TCU.

They had to overcome a rash of turnovers — 16 in the first half alone.

"We were playing a little too fast” May said to reporters afterward. “Each team presents a new challenge, whether it’s zone or no middle defense or whatever the case. We’re a bigger, less playmaking team off the bounce and when you drive, they collapse. So you have to have great off-ball movement. You have to have ball fakes... We were over-penetrating. We probably stressed not turning the ball over too much, probably talked about it and told them what not to do too much this week instead of focusing on what we wanted to do to beat their defense. But we were so consumed with focusing on ourselves. We’ll definitely spend some more time on the details as far as the turnovers, but it’s part of the growth process for us.”

UM jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead and also had leads of 21-15 with 7:56 to go in the first half and 32-23 with 3:41 to go.

Every time, UM's offense went into turnover mode to let TCU back in the game.

After starting off 3-for-3 from the field, UM committed six straight turnovers for 8 points by TCU to take the lead at 10-9. Roddy Gayle Jr. made a layup with 13:36 left before halftime to give the Wolverines the lead again at 11-10, and they never trailed again. They ran the margin to as many as 12 points, and TCU got as close as two points in the second half before UM pulled away.

A 6-0 run by TCU off turnovers cut the margin to 34-31 at halftime.

UM built a 46-38 margin in the first 5 minutes of the second half, then made it 51-40 with 13:57 to go on a 4-of-5 shooting streak.

The visiting Horned Frogs used a 5-0 run to get within 54-50 with 10:34 left and scoring on three straight trips down the floor narrowed it to a mere two points with under 7 minutes to go.

Then came UM's defensive pressure. The Wolverines held TCU to 1-for-8 shooting during a stretch that lasted just over two minutes, and pulled ahead again by building its biggest lead of the night at the final buzzer.

Freshman Sam Walters and junior transfer Tre Donaldson added 10 points and 14 points, respectively, for UM. Fifth-year senior Nimari Burnett, UM's only returning starter who played in all 32 games a year ago, had his best game so far of the 2024-25 campaign by bagging a team-high 16 points to go with snaring 6 rebounds.

But Wolf was the key man. The 7-foot big man improved his early averages to 12.3 points per game and  9.7 rebounds per game with Friday's double-double.

The junior transfer from Yale did commit 4 turnovers in a continuing pattern and didn't like it, saying, “Yeah, personally, obviously (I’ve had) a few games with a lot of turnovers, I think it’s just something where coach May just tells me to slow the game down and let it come to me more,” Wolf said. “I think that a few of turnovers today were travels, the ones where it’s just bad passes and knowing the scout a little bit better, it’s something we’re going to continue to work on. If we don’t turn the ball over, our chances of winning go up significantly. That’s something that coach is going to preach and something we’re going to keep working at. It’s going to come with time.”

One of 11 newcomers to this year's UM roster, Wolf  led Yale to the Ivy League championship a year ago. He was MVP in the tournament when Yale earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and he was an all-Ivy League first team selection.

Wolf averaged 14.1 points per game last season as a sophomore with 24 double-figure games in 31 starts, including 20-point games 8 times. He also grabbed an average of 6.7 rebounds per game.

UM NOTEBOOK:

BALANCED ATTACK: Wolf scoring at a 12.3 points per game clip is part of a balanced offensive attack. Donaldson, also a junior transfer, is UM's top scorer so far at 13.3 points per game. Walters and Burnett are averaging 9.7 points per contest. Fifth starter Gayle, a junior transfer from Ohio State, checks in with a 10.7 average. L.J. Cason has an 8-point average off the bench and Will Tschetter has a 6.3 average off the bench.

PROVEN WINNERS: Along with Wolf leading Yale to the Ivy League title last season when making the NCAA Tournament, UM has plenty of winning pedigree in its lineup. Donaldson helped Auburn make two straight trips to the NCAA Tournament and was on the SEC Tournament championship club last year. Burnett helped Alabama to a Sweet 16 in the 2021 NCAA Tournament and he was on SEC championship teams in 2021 and 2023 before transferring to UM last season. Tschetter was on UM's Sweet 16 team in 2022. Grad student Vladislav Golden, UM's 7-footer as the second half of the twin towers duo with Wolf, was part of the winning program under Coach May at Florida Atlantic. May who was 126-69 there and led the Owls to the Conference USA title in 2023 when they reached the NCAA Tournament Final Four for the first time in school history, 

UM SHARP FROM FIELD: UM shot 50 percent (26-of-52)from the field against TCU.

WORK NEEDED ON FREE THROWS: UM shot only 65 percent (15-of-23) from the free throw lines against TCU.

WILL UM STAY AT FULL SPEED? Coach May said: “From Day 1, we’ve tried to play at such a fast pace. We are encouraging them to play a lot faster than they’ve ever played. The decisions are quicker, we’re seeing bigger bodies. We’re not going to panic, we’re simply going to tighten up a little bit and tighten up a little bit, but there are some themes. We do feel confident that we’ll look back at the end of the year and we’ll have a significant improvement from where we are now.”

UP NEXT: UM will remain in Ann Arbor for game two of its three-game homestand on Monday (Nov. 18) against Miami (Ohio) at Crisler Center. The game will tip off at 6 p.m. and will be televised on the Big Ten Network. UM hosts Tarleton State on Thursday at 8:30 pm. The game will also be on the Big Ten Network.

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

EAST LANSING (CCN) — The Michigan State Spartans used a late 18-0 run to overcome a spirited challenge by non-conference college hoops rival Bowling Green Saturday night (Nov. 16, 2024) at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.

Coach Tom Izzo's Spartans won 86-72 but MSU trailed by 12 points (40-28) late in the first half. The Spartans rallied to tie it at 43-43 by the halftime intermission and they built a 50-45 lead 2:47 into the second half. A 14-2 run put Bowling Green back in front at 64-56 with 10:53 left.

Back-to-back dunks by sophomore Coen Carr capped a 10-0 run by the Spartans over a 1:32 span to go back ahead 66-64. The Falcons took a lead again at 70-68 and extended it to 72-68.

Junior Carson Cooper's slam dunk and a 7-point surge by Carr gave the Spartans the lead for good to begin an 18-point run. A free throw by Carr gave MSU a 73-72 lead, followed by a tip-in dunk by Carr and a 3-point bomb by senior Jaden Akins.

Before the closing 18-point flurry, Bowling Green's pesky Falcons just wouldn't go away, and it should have been no surprise to the 14,797 fans. Bowling Green was playing on behalf of the entire Mid-American Conference 's pride in East Lansing against a perennial college basketball power from the bigger Big 10 Conference.

It was also a homecoming for former MSU star Lourawls "Tum Tum" Nairn Jr. who is now the associate head coach for Bowling Green.

When asked how Tum Tum Nairn being on the opposite bench impacted his team's play, Coach Izzo told the media in his post-game press conference: "I don't know, Tum didn't make many shots, they made them all. But it is different. It's hard enough to coach against your former assistants, but it's even harder to coach against your former players. I've only done it twice, but only one of them was a 4-year guy and that's Tum. Of course, at Butler, MoJo (Maurice Joseph) was the other one, but he was only here for two years."

Bowling Green Head Coach Todd Simon said: "(It was a) good, fun college basketball game ... anytime you get an opportunity to play a program the caliber of Michigan State, it's a big deal for us. I'm grateful to Coach Izzo to give us the game and bring us back close to home for Tum ... it was a good experience. They're tough and it really helped our team development. We are hopeful for some leaps from this game that we can grow on."

Akins liked  Izzo and Tum Tum being close to make the game more competitive, saying, "He knows all of our plays and was calling some of our plays out, so he knows what we do but we still have to execute... No, I was watching him a little bit, but I wasn't talking to him too much. I was just watching when he was talking to his players, when we were playing defense or when I was over there on that side of the court."

Akins led MSU with his first career double-double. He scored 13 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Akins also passed out 6 assists and made a couple of steals as MSU improved to 3-1 on the young season. MSU also reached the midway mark of its 8-game non-conference schedule to prepare for the Big 10 opener on Dec. 4 at Minnesota. The Spartans also rebounded from their 77-69 loss earlier in the week to No. 1 Kansas.

Akins said his teammates had to keep their energy focused on preventing a letdown, saying, "You get up for a game like Kansas, or the No. 1 team in the country, and then you come back and play, and you can't think 'Oh, everybody just comes in and we win the game easily.' We saw what they were capable of. They have some good players over there, so we knew it wasn't going to be just the easy game."

The senior from Farmington topped a parade of seven Spartans to reach double figures in the scoring column. Cooper and senior Frankie Fidler added 12 points each, Carr and junior Tre Holloman tallied 11 each and sophomore Jeremy Fears Jr. and junior Jaxon Kohler contributed 10 each.

. 

Izzo liked the balance, saying, "I said that we are strength by numbers, and ironically the only guy that did not score tonight was Jase (Richrson). He is averaging 11-12 points a game. But he didn't get any shots either. I don't know if we can keep it going, but it sure is nice to know that we have different guys that can score it in different ways. We got to just keep riding that horse until a couple guys break out and start really making shots and then we will go from there."

Richardson is the 6-3 freshman from Denver who is the son of MSU great Jason Richardson who made it to the NBA after playing for Izzo.

On the offensive balance, Akins said, "We just go on strength and numbers really, starters come off, bench comes in and provides instant offense and instant points. So, I feel like that just makes our team really dangerous. We have to continue to be like this."

Cooper added: "I think our bench points have been over 30 or something, the last four games. So, our bench has been able to come and contribute a lot, and I just heard Jaden say it, 'strength in numbers,' is another mantra that we have been going by. It's really nice to see everyone kind of step in and have a part in a big win."

Coen said, "Just having a lot of guys that bring the same energy, and that play hard on defense, because everybody comes in and there's no drop off. Everybody comes in and does their job. It's like we have a team full of starters. Just having that can definitely take a toll on teams."

On his energetic big tip-in dunk in the clutch to help fire up the Sparans to pull away and never look back, Coen said, "A lot, I don't feel like my dunks are worth two points, I feel it's worth more than that. I feel it's worth two points and it is worth helping getting us a stop on defense. The other team not knowing what they're calling on offense because the gym's screaming so loud, so I just feel like my dunks do a lot with that."

MSU NOTEBOOK:

KEY STATS: Bowling Green shot 54.8 percent from the floor in the first half (17-of-31) but went 32.3 percent from the floor in the second half (10-of-31). MSU shot 45.8 percent from the floor for the night (27-of-59) while hitting 59 percent of its two-point shots (23-of-39).

ADVANTAGE ON THE GLASS: MSU out-rebounded Bowling Green 42-28, including 25-14 in the second half. MSU is now 3-0 on the year when controlling the boards, losing when out-rebounded by Kansas.

BIG EDGE ON BENCH POINTS: MSU's bench played a key factor, too, by out-scoring Bowling Green's reserves 37-6.

ALL-TIME NUMBERS: MSU has an all-time record of 12-3 against Bowling Green, including 6 victories in a row. Izzo is 5-0 all time against the MAC school two hours south of East Lansing. 

MR. 700 CLUB: Izzo won his 710th career game. He's now 710-296.

SCORING 80 AGAIN: MSU has reached 80 poits in all three of its victories.

DOUBLE FIGURES PARADE: MSU's seven players in double figures marked the first time that's happened since Dec. 13, 2020 when beating Oakland University.

ANOTHER FEAT FOR AKINS: Along with his first career double-double, Akins also had a career-best mark with his 6 assists.

CAREER HIGH FOR COOPER: His 12 points set a new career-high. He hit a career-best 4 field goals and tied his career best with 4 free throws.

FREE THROW MAGIC: Fielder had at least 10 free throws in a game for the 14th time in his career. He connected on 10-of-10 to become just the third MSU player in the last 10 years to do so. The others were Adreian Payne against Delaware on March 20, 2014 and Tyson Walker against Indiana State on Dec. 30, 2023.

UP NEXT: MSU continues a two-game homestand, hosting Samford on Tuesday (Nov. 19 , 2024) at the Breslin Center. Game time is 8 pm and it will be televised on the Peacock Network.

Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024

"We may not agree on politics or religion but we all want to see Mike Tyson knock out Jake Paul in the first round."

That's what Bob Seger said when summing up the thoughts for a lot of us old geezers about Friday's (Nov. 15, 2024) big boxing match.

Seger, the Motown Madman (he's a singer famous for Old Time Rock & Roll and so many other great songs before some of you younger readers were born), made the above social media post that has gone viral all over the internet about the much-hyped fight featuring the former heavyweight champion of the world — Mike Tyson.

You younger readers likely recognize his opponent who is a YouTube sensation turned boxer by the name of Jake Paul. 

He looks a bit chubby although a Netflix documentary shows a strong, strong man. A younger man. Much younger.

He's only 27 year old. Tyson is 58 and he retired from the sport 19 years ago.

So should we worry about Mike Tyson?

I suggest no. He was one of the baddest, most vicious champions of all time with 44 KO's in 56 fights. He won 50 of them and now chalks up many of his defeats to poor training, no training,  overconfidence, drugs and alcohol.

He once bit off Evander Holyfield's ear when things weren't going his way in a big fight in Las Vegas.

Iron Mike says he might kill Jake Paul.

"This guy does not belong in a ring with me," Tyson told reporters a few days ago.

I believe it.

Or maybe all this isn't real, but just a prank and a huge money grab.

Netflix is showing it to subscribers, and I'm gonna watch. In fact, I can't wait.

I haven't been this excited over boxing since the days of greats like Muhamad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Tommy "Hit Man" Hearns and Sugar Ray Leonard.

I guess it's because Jake Paul is the master promoter. He started boxing as a pro only four years ago and is just 10-1 but he's climbing into the ring for a $40 million payday. He mentioned  at the weigh-in how Tyson is getting only $20 million and must really need the money to risk getting killed.

Tyson slapped him.

Tyson has a history of legal and financial troubles but has said he isn’t fighting for the money.

"I don't like the guy," he told reporters. "I'm gonna kick his ass. Listen, don't worry about me. I'm not gonna lose... Listen, I'm not losing!"

Tyson's muscles don't look like they belong on a 58-year-old's body. Video of his training sessions must send chills of fear from Jake Paul's toes to the top of his ugly head.

Yeah, I'm with Iron Mike on how ugly the guy is and I don't like him either — both from his babbling to hype this fight to being forced to watch his influencer videos when two of my grandchildren discovered YouTube before he became a pro boxer.

Going to prison for rape and his troubled lifestyle while wasting millions of dollars makes Mike Tyson a hard guy to like.

Maybe it's the "old guy" cracks we keep hearing from Jake Paul that bother me so much.

Hey, I'm older than Iron Mike.

Former champ Oscar De La Yoya had this to say about the biggest sports event so far of 2024: “Jake Paul and Mike Tyson are set to fight tomorrow night on Netflix. Jake, you’re a f—ckin’ spectacular marketer my man. After only a few years in the sport you managed to get yourself an enormous payday and you’re fighting Mike f—cin’ Tyson. But you’re fighting Tyson at 60 years old. This is serious sh-t, where you can actually hurt an old man. Jake, it adds zero credibility to your resume. I’ve been saying this for years, that if you want to be taken seriously in boxing you need to take a different path. Regardless, I will be watching and I do hope Mike catches you with that left uppercut and knocks you the f-ck out.”

Any round will do for me.

See Recent 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 and on The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8 am until 9:30 am. He's an award-winning news columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This fall will be 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

(CCN) — Eight schools avenged regular season losses in Friday's (Nov. 8, 2024) prep football state playoffs.

There were 23 rematches among 72 MHSAA state playoff games in the District championship round of 11-player action and the Regional finals of the 8-player divisions.

Here's a rundown of the 11-player picture for this week's Regional championship games after District champs were crowned Friday:

DIVISION 1

Macomb Dakota avenged a 21-14 Week 7 loss to Utica Eisenhower by winning 41-14 behind Brady Hamby's four touchdowns. The two schools shared the Macomb Area Conference's Red Division championship after Utica Eisenhower spoiled a perfect season for Macomb Dakota.

Utica Eisenhower finished its season at 8-3 after a No. 7 ranking in the final regular season rankings by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association.

Macomb Dakota was ranked No. 5.

The Cougars (10-1) play in the Region 4 finals against Detroit Cass Tech on Friday at home. Cass Tech, runner-up this fall in the Detroit Public School League's Blue Division, advanced to 9-2 on the year by beating Dearborn 42-7 but is an unranked team. 

No. 1 ranked Howell (11-0) hosts No. 4 Hudsonville Saturday at 1 pm in the Region 1 finals. Howell nipped arch rival Brighton 35-33 while Hudsonville nipped Grandville 19-16 to move on.

Brighton was rated No. 8 in the last poll and finished its season with an 8-3 record.

 Justin Jones led Howell with 225 rushing yards that included running for 4 TD's. He broke single-season school records for rushing yards and TD's. 

No. 3 Belleville, which lost the Kensington Lake Activities Conference title game 30-29 to West Division champ Howell, went to 10-1 by romping 42-7 over Saline in its bid to return to Ford Field again for the state finals.

Belleville won back-to-back state titles before losing 36-32 to Southfield A&T last season. Southfield A&T did not qualify this fall to try to defend its crown.

Next up for Belleville in the Region 3 title game Friday at 7 pm is No. 2 ranked Detroit Catholic Central. The Catholic High School League's Central Division champion Shamrocks won 41-14 last week over West Bloomfield. They play host to Belleville this week and its No. 1 recruit in the nation — quarterback Bryce Underwood. 

Rochester Adams hosts Grand Blanc in the Region 2 championship game. Both schools have identical 9-2 records after Grand Blanc disposed of Oxford 29-7 and Rochester Adams beat Clarkston 41-0. Grand Blanc is feeling confident after making rather easy work of Oxford which beat Rochester Adam 18-17 during the regular season to win the Oakland Activities Association's Red Division title.

Grand Blanc won the Saginaw Valley League's Blue Division championship this season and was rated No. 9 in the final poll.

DIVISION 2

M

MILWAUKEE (CCN) — Ken Holland II missed two free throws with one second left in regulation for the Detroit Pistons in a tie game Wednesday night (Nov. 13, 2024) and they then lost 127-120 to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Holland's choke cost the Pistons a two-game winning streak after winning in overtime a night earlier in Detroit at Little Caesars Arena when pulling out a 123-121 victory over the Miami Heat.

 Detroit blew an early 18-point lead in Milwaukee and led 70-52 early in the 3rd quarter but the Bucks went on a 33-14 run to take their first lead of the night by the of the frame.

The Pistons are now 5-8 on the season. Milwaukee improved to 4-8.

Detroit is still 1/2 game ahead of the Bucks and fell 1/2 game out of the 8th and final playoff spot in the NBA's Eastern Conference. The Heat are tied with the Pistons at 1/2 game behind the Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks and New Jersey Nets.

Beating the Heat was costly for the Pistons. They played without Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jaden Ivey against the Bucks after they were hurt in the OT victory a night earlier. Hardaway missed the game after getting stitches to his head after a fall against the Heat. Ivey was out with a toe injury.

 Cade Cunningham led Detroit with 35 points and Malik Beasley had 26 against his former team.

Tobias Harris added 10 points for the Pistons who got 11 each from Marcus Sasser and Holland who missed two key free throws with the score tied at 111-111 with one second to go.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 59 points to lead the Bucks — the NBA's highest-scoring individual performance so far this season.

It was the second best effort by Antetokounmpo in his career. He scored 64 in a game last season against  the Indiana Pacers.

Brook Lopez added 29 points for the Bucks.

The Pistons will be back in action on Friday (Nov. 15, 2024) in Toronto against the Raptors.  Tip-off is 7 pm with the radio broadcast on 97.1 FM The Ticket and the telecast on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Cade Cunningham who scored 35 points for the Detroit Pistons  at Milwaukee.

ANN ARBOR (CCN) — The Michigan Wolverines failed in their bid to restore some national respect to their program Saturday at the Big House in Ann Arbor.

More than 110,000 fans packed into their stadium to watch college football's No. 1 ranked Oregon Ducks visit Ann Arbor. With a national TV audience looking on, too, Oregon rolled to a 38-17 victory that eliminated UM from the Big 10 title talk.

Oregon went to 9-0 overall atop the national polls while going to 5-0 in the Big 10 standings where Indiana is now 6-0 after blasting Michigan State 47-10 on Saturday to also reach 9-0 overall.

The loss dropped the Wolverines to 5-4 overall and 3-3 in the Big 10.

It was a must win Saturday at the Big House for Michigan to keep alive any pulse to repeat as Big 10 champs. Penn State and Ohio State have one conference loss each after Saturday's 20-13 vitory by the buckeyes in their showdown that was also on national TV.

UM was trying to stay in the title picture with Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota who have suffered two Big 10 losses each. Knocking Oregon from the unbeaten ranks would have allowed UM to have a flicker of hope to return to Indianapolis for the Big 10 championship game once again. UM has remaining games with Indiana and Ohio State but would have needed outside help for Oregon and Indiana to suffer second defeats. The Wolverines also have a remaining game left against Northwestern.

UM 

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

(CCN) — All 8 No. 1 ranked teams began their journeys toward what they hope will be state championships by winning their opening round tests in Michigan's prep football playoffs Friday night (Nov. 1, 2024).

The biggest winner was Belleville in Division 1 which pounded visiting Ann Arbor Pioneer 68-0.

All the other top-ranked schools also posted lopsided game 1 victories.

Top ranked Birmingham Groves in Division 2 won 49-14 over Ferndale in its post-season opener; No. 1 Dewitt whipped St. Johns 42-7 in Division 3; No. 1 Hudsonville Unity Christian rolled 63-20 over Hamilton in Division 4; top ranked Pontiac Notre Dame prep in Division 5 prevailed big by 49-19 over Williamston; No. 1 Jackson Lumen Christi won 42-8 over Dearborn Heights Robichaud in Division 6; No. 1 Monroe St Mary Catholic Central thumped Blissfield 41-6 in Division 7; and top ranked Fowler in Division 8 began post-season action by beating Reese 48-12.

Muskegon High also isn't back to defend its state title in Division 2 after a 3-6 showing this year.

While that means the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) will definitely crown new champions in its two top classifications, Jackson Lumen Christi opted to move up one class to play in Division 6 after back-to-back seasons of winning it all in Division 7.

All the opening round scores and next week's pairings for District championships are presented at right if you are reading on a laptop or PC. Scroll down if you are reading on a mobile device.

Here's a division-by-division rundown of the opening week highlights across our state:

DIVISION 1 STATE PLAYOFFS

Belleville is now 9-1 overall and has an asterisk on its No. 1 rating in the final regular season poll by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association. It was released a day before Howell knocked off the Tigers in a 30-29 barnburner to win the Kensington Lakes Athletic Association's crossover championship game between the KLAA's division title winners.

Belleville is eyeing revenge that could come in the state finals at Ford Field in Detroit.

In addition to revenge against Howell, Belleville is aiming to get back there to win it all again after its two-year resign on top ended last fall when losing 36-32 to Southfield A&T.

Southfield A&T isn't back to defend its title after a dismal 2-7 campaign left the Warriors out of the playoff picture this fall.

Senior quarterback Bryce Underwood was the usual star for Belleville. The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder threw six touchdown passes in the first half before taking a seat on the bench after halftime. He was 15-for-23 for 243 yards with his longest TD strike going to Trey Graham in stride down the sideline for a 55-yard scoring play.

Underwood, highly recruited across the USA since his freshman season on varsity, is considered by many as the top college prospect  in the country for the class of 2025. He had committed in January to go to LSU but media reports earlier this week say the Michigan Wolverines have been pursuing him hard to direct him to Ann Arbor to solve their QB dilemma

Detroit TV stations reported that LSU's offensive coordinator (Joe Sloan) made a trip to Belleville to see his school's potential prize recruit in person on Friday night.

Next up for the Tigers this week in the District 1 finals of Region 3 is No. 9 ranked Saline High. Saline won a battle of 6-3 teams Friday night  at Northville 37-7. The District 2 finals in Region 3 pit West Bloomfield against Detroit Catholic Central. Detroit CC, ranked No. 2 last week, blanked Livonia Stevenson 33-0 while West Bloomfield won 49-15 over Novi in its playoff opener.

The matchups for District championship games in Region 1 will feature Hudsonville and Grandville in District 1 and Howell against Brighton in District 2. Hudsonville nipped East Kentwood 25-23, Grandville beat Rockford 24-14, Howell cruised to a 35-12 romp over Kalamazoo Central and Brighton crushed Grand Ledge 53-12.

Howell went to 10-0 to set up a rematch with its Livingston County rivals from the KLAA. Coach  Brian Lewis ' Highlanders beat Brighton 20-15 on Oct. 16. Howell used a strong running attack to easily dispose of Kalamazoo Central. Justin Jones ran 15 times for 106 yards with one TD, Bryce Kish ran for two TD's while Wilson Zimlich and  Aiden Horvath ran in one TD each. Horvath scored Howell's longest one on a 26-yard bolt up the middle.

It was Howell's first 10-victory season in school history and earned a No. 1 ranking in the state in the Detroit Free Press rankings in addition to being No. 3 in the MHSAA coaches poll before beating Belleville gave the Highlanders their first perfect 9-0 regular season since 1963. Jones has 203 carries for 1,457 yards and 22 TD strikes to lead Howell's offensive attack. Kish, only a sophomore, has added 787 rushing yards and reached paydirt 8 times.

In Region 2, Oxford (7-3) goes to Grand Blanc (8-2) in the District 1 title battle while Clarkston (7-3) goes to Rochester Adams (8-2). Oxford upset No. 10 Davison 21-14, Grand Blanc spanked Lapeer 42-21, Clarkston won 34-16 at Lake Orion to avenge a regular season loss that cost the wolves a share of the OAA-Red title and Rochester Adams blasted Rochester Hills Stoney Creek 44-14.

In Region 4, Dearborn (6-4) goes to Detroit Cass Tech (8-2) to determine the District 1 champion while Utica Eisenhower (7-2) goes to Macomb Dakota (9-1) to play for all the marbles in District 2. Dearborn blanked Dearborn Fordson 30-0, Cass Tech bombed Sterling Heights Stevenson 41-0, Macomb Dakota shut out Utica 31-0 and Utica Eisenhower won 44-21 over Romeo.

DIVISION 2 STATE PLAYOFFS

No. 1 Birmingham Groves won big in its opener Friday night but everybody is focused on Warren De La Salle Collegiate

Muskegon High ended Warren De La Salle Collegiate's two-year run as state champions in Division 2 with a 33-21 triumph last year at Ford Field in the finals but a dismal 3-5 record kept them out of the post-season action this fall. 

 DIVISION 2

Region 1 • District 1

Muskegon Mona Shores 28, Traverse City West 0

 Byron Center 38, Grand Rapids Northview 17

Region 1 • District 2

 Portage Central 28, Portage Northern 12

Mattawan 27, Lansing Everett 21

DIVISION 2

Region 2 • District 1

Midland 34, Flushing 7

 Saginaw Heritage 52, Midland Dow 20

Region 2 • District 2

Dexter 42, South Lyon East 14

 East Lansing 43, Milford 22

DIVISION 2

Region 3 • District 1

Farmington 39, White Lake Lakeland 13

Orchard Lake St. Mary's 42, North Farmington 7

Region 3 • District 2

Livonia Franklin 21, Allen Park 14

Gibraltar Carlson 42, Temperance Bedford 21

DIVISION 2

Region 4 • District 1

 Birmingham Groves 49, Ferndale 14

 Birmingham Seaholm 59, Warren Mott 29

Region 4 • District 2

Grosse Pointe South 27, Roseville 26

 Warren De La Salle Collegiate 49, Port Huron Northern 0

DIVISION 6 STATE PLAYOFFS

Perennial power Lumen Christi was ranked No. 1 in last week's Division 6 state rankings, and Coach  Herb Brogan's Titans flexed their muscle to begin their 2024 state playoff journey by blasting Dearborn Heights Robichaud 42-8.

DIVISION 7 STATE PLAYOFFS

Millington, a state semifinalist for the first time in school history a year ago, is among the teams with an eye on succeeding Lumen Christi as top dog in Division 7 this fall. Millington, armed with its second straight unbeaten regular season and a No. 3 ranking in the state last week, began its state playoff schedule by whipping Elkton-Pigeon-Bayport Laker 42-14.

Only Monroe St. Mary Catholic and Menominee are ranked ahead of Millington and No. 1 Monroe St. Mary Catholic also started strong Friday night in the state playoffs by beating Blissfield 41-6. Menominee plays Saturday (Nov. 2, 2024) at 1 pm.

Jackson Lumen Christi won it all in Division 7 but opted to move up one classification to Division 6 where the Titans are 8-1 and enter the state tournament as the No. 1 ranked team there in the latest poll by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association.

Five other schools are back to defend their state titles when MHSAA prep football post-season action begins with Friday night (Nov. 1, 2024) kick-offs at 7 o'clock across the state.

Here's a division-by-division rundown of the pairings that were announced Sunday by the MHSSA's "Selection Show" which aired on FanDuel Sports Network:

DIVISION 1 TOURNAMENT

Belleville is 8-1 and aiming to win it all again after its two-year resign on top ended last fall. The Tigers go into the 2024 tournament ranked No. 1 in last week's poll by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association. They start in District 1 of Region 3 against Ann Arbor Pioneer (5-4).

DIVISION 2 TOURNAMENT

Coach Shane Fairfield's Muskegon High squad ended Warren De La Salle Collegiate's two-year run as state champions in Division 2 with a 33-21 triumph last year at Ford Field in the finals but a dismal 3-5 record kept them out of the post-season action this fall. 

De La Salle was ranked No. 5 in last week's poll by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association but Muskegon goes into the 2024 tournament as an unranked team.

De La Salle is in Region 4 with two other 9-0 state-ranked teams. No. 1 Birmingham Groves (9-0) starts by hosting Warren Mott (7-2) in District 1 action where Ferndale (6-3) is at Birmingham Groves (9-0) in the other contest. District 2 pairings see No. 7 Grosse Pointe South (9-0) hosting Roseville (7-2) in District 2 while De La Salle (6-2) goes to Port Huron Northern (7-2).

Four state-ranked teams are in Region 1 of Division 2. No. 2 Muskegon Mona Shores (8-1) hosts Traverse City West (6-3) in District 1 and No. 6 Grand Rapids Northview (9-0) is at No. 4 Byron Center (8-10) while District 2 features Portage Northern (5-4) at Portage Central (6-3) and Lansing Everett (6-3) at Mattawan (6-3)

No. 3 Dexter (9-0), No. 9 Midland (8-1) and No. 10 East Lansing (6-3) are in the Region 2 field. Midland hosts Flushing (7-2) in one District 1 matchup while Midland Dow (5-4) is at Saginaw Heritage (6-3) in the other contest. East Lansing hosts Milford (7-2) in District 2 where Dexter hosts South Lyon East (6-3).

No. 8 Orchard Lake St. Mary's (6-3) is at North Farmington (6-3) in Region 3. The Eaglets are in District 1 where Farmington (6-3) is at White Lake Lakeland (6-3). The District 2 games see Livonia Franklin (5-4) at Allen Park (6-3) and Temperance Bedford (5-4) at Gibraltar Carlson (8-1).

DIVISION 3 TOURNAMENT

 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central won the Division 3 crown last season by beating Mason 27-10 at Ford Field in the state championship game to end a two-year reign by  Detroit Martin Lutheran King.

Coach Dave Fortino's defending champs finished behind Hudsonville Unity Christian and Zeeland West for a third-place finish in its own league this fall but is back to attempt another run for all the marbles. The Rangers are 7-2 overall and they were  No. 9 in the latest poll by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association.

They open the state playoffs by hosting East Grand Rapids (5-4) in District 2 of Region 2 where Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills (6-3) is at Coopersville (6-3) in the other matchup.

No. 3 Zeeland West (8-1) hosts arch rival Zeeland East (5-4) in District 1 of Region 2. Stevensville Lakeshore (3-6) is at No. 6 St. Joseph (8-1) in the other District 1 game in Region 2.

DeWitt is 9-0 this season and ranked No. 1. Coach Rod Zimmerman's Panthers open in District 2 of Region 1 against St. Johns (6-3). The other District 2 game has Cedar Springs (7-2) at Lowell (7-2).

No. 5 Petoskey puts its 9-0 record on the line in District 1 of Region 1 against visiting Bay City John Glenn (5-4). Cadillac (4-5) goes to Mount Pleasant (5-4) in the other District 1 matchup.

No. 7 Fenton and No. 10 Mason are in Division 1 of Region 3. Mason (7-2) hosts Jackson (4-5) in its opener while Fenton (7-2) hosts Linden (5-4). The District 2 games in Region 3 see Garden City (7-2) at No. 2 Walled Lake Western (9-0) and Redford Thurston (7-2) at Auburn Hills Avondale (6-3)

No. 4 ranked Detroit Martin Luther King (6-3) hosts Warren Fitzgerald (4-5) is District 2 of Region 4 with Grosse Pointe North (4-5) at Port Huron (4-5) in the other contest. Trenton (6-3) hosts No. 8 Riverview in District 1 while River Rouge (4-4) is at Southgate Anderson (7-2) in the other game.

DIVISION 4 TOURNAMENT

 Harper Woods won the Division 4 title last fall at Ford Field in Detroit by beating Grand Rapids South Christian 33-27 but neither team is ranked in the top 10 going into the state playoffs.

Hudsonville Unity Christian is 9-0 and ranked No. 1.  Coach Craig Tibbe's Crusaders  try to stay perfect by opening state playoff action when hosting Hamilton (5-4) in District 2 of Region 1. The other District 2 game has 2023 finalist Grand Rapids South Christian (5-4) hosting Holland Christian (6-3).

District 1 action Friday in Region 1 sees Ludington (7-2) at No. 7 Big Rapids (8-1) and Whitehall (6-3) at Ada Forest Hills Eastern (7-2).

Region 2 of Division 4 joins Region 4 of Division 5 as maybe the toughest fields in any of the eight classes this season with five state-ranked teams each bunched together.

No. 3 Paw Paw starts at No. 6 Niles in one District 1 battle of the Division 4 tournament that pits a pair of 8-1 clubs against each other while No. 10 Battle Creek Harper Creek (8-1) hosts Edwardsburg (6-3) in the other matchup. The District 2 field has No. 2 Portland (9-0) hosting Lansing Sexton (5-4) and No. 8 Hastings (8-1) hosting Ionia (6-3).

No. 4 ranked Goodrich, which made it to the state semifinals last season after reaching the state finals for the first time in school history a year earlier, is on an early collision course with another top 10 team. Goodrich (8-1) hosts Ortonville Brandon (5-4) in one District 2 battle in Region 3 while No. 9 Freeland (8-1) hosts Lake Fenton (6-3) in the other one.

No. 5 Chelsea is in District 1 of Region 3. Pinckney (5-4) is at Chelsea (7-2) and Parma Western (6-3) is at Haslett (6-3) in games for that bracket.

Region 4 has no ranked teams in its field but defending state champion Harper Woods is included there. In District 1, Harper Woods (6-3) goes to Redford Union (8-1) and Dearborn Divine Child (6-3) goes to Madison Heights Lamphere (8-1). In District 2,  Croswell-Lexington (6-3) is at Marysville (8-1) and St. Clair (6-3) is at Macomb Lutheran North (8-1).

DIVISION 5 TOURNAMENT

Grand Rapids Catholic Central won it all in Division 5 a year ago by beating first-time finalist Corunna 21-7 at Ford Field in Detroit.

Coach Todd Kolster's 2024 Cougars barely made it in this season with a 5-4 record but they were impressive enough to earn a No. 9 ranking in the last regular season poll by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association.

Corunna's road back to the finals has a tough start. They're in District 1 of Region 3 and beating 

Flint Hamady (6-3) in is opener could earn a shot at No. 1 ranked Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (7-1) if the Fighting Irish dispose of Williamston (3-6) in Pontiac Notre Friday night.

The District 2 games in Region 3 see No. 5 Armada (8-1) hosting Richmond (4-5) and Hazel Park (6-3) at St. Clair Shores South Lake (5-4).

No. 3 Grand Rapids West Catholic could be Grand Rapids Catholic Central's second opponent in the District 1 finals of Region 2. West Catholic (6-3) opens by hosting Muskegon Oakridge (4-5)while the Cougars host Hopkins (6-3) to start their 2024 post-season action. 

The District 2 pairings in Region 2 of Division 5 pit Dowagiac (6-3) at Berrien Springs (6-3) and South Haven (5-4)  at Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep (7-2). All four schools are not ranked.

Five top 10 schools are in Region 1, including No. 2 Frankenmuth which is aiming for its fourth straight Final Four appearance under Coach Phil Martin with an eye on its first ever state title. The Eagles (9-0) start by hosting Howard City Tri-County (5-4) in District 1 lay.  Saginaw Swan Valley (6-3) is at No. 6 Belding (8-1) in the other Division 1 matchup. In District 1 action, Gladwin (6-3) is at No. 4 Kingsford (9-0) and No. 7 rated Clare (7-2) goes to No. 8 Ogemaw Heights (8-1). 

No. 9 Detroit Lincoln-King Academy (9-0) is the only ranked team in Region 4. The Eagles are in District 1 and begin play by hosting Romulus at the Corner Ballpark. Whitmore Lake (7-2) is at Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard (5-4) in the other District 1 game. In District 2 action, Detroit Denby (6-3) is at Flat Rock (7-2) and Detroit Voyageur College Prep (7-2) goes to Romulus Summit Academy North (6-2).

DIVISION 6 TOURNAMENT

 G

 1Jackson Lumen Christi

2Almont

3Chesaning

4Warren Michigan Collegiate

5Negaunee

6Ovid-Elsie

7Ida

8Lansing Catholic

9Reed City

10Central Montcalm 

DIVISION 7 TOURNAMENT

 G

 Jackson Lumen Christi (Herb Brogan)Menominee 34-20 

 1Monroe St Mary Catholic Central

2Menominee

3Millington

4Ithaca

5McBain

6Pewamo-Westphalia

7Traverse City St Francis

8North Muskegon

9Hudson

10Schoolcraft

LOCAL PREP FOOTBALL STATE PLAYPOFFS

Scores on Friday (Nov. 1, 2024)

DIVISION 1

Region 1 • District 1 

Hudsonville 25, East Kentwood 23

Grandville 24, Rockford 14

Region 1 • District 2 

Howell 35, Kalamazoo Central 12

Brighton 53, Grand Ledge 12

DIVISION 1

Region 2 • District 1

Oxford 21, Davison 14

Grand Blanc 42, Lapeer 21

Region 2 • District 2

Clarkston 34, Lake Orion 16

  Rochester Adams 44, Rochester Hills Stoney Creek 14

DIVISION 1

Region 3 • District 1

 Belleville 68, Ann Arbor Pioneer 0

Saline 37, Northville 7

 Region 3 • District 2

West Bloomfield 49, Novi 15

Detroit Catholic Central 33, Livonia Stevenson 0

DIVISION 1

Region 4 • District 1

Dearborn 30, Dearborn Fordson 0 

 Detroit Cass Tech 41, Sterling Heights Stevenson 0

Region 4 • District 2

 Macomb Dakota 31, Utica 0

Utica Eisenhower 44, Romeo 21

 DIVISION 2

Region 1 • District 1

Muskegon Mona Shores 28, Traverse City West 0

 Byron Center 38, Grand Rapids Northview 17

Region 1 • District 2

 Portage Central 28, Portage Northern 12

Mattawan 27, Lansing Everett 21

DIVISION 2

Region 2 • District 1

Midland 34, Flushing 7

 Saginaw Heritage 52, Midland Dow 20

Region 2 • District 2

Dexter 42, South Lyon East 14

 East Lansing 43, Milford 22

DIVISION 2

Region 3 • District 1

Farmington 39, White Lake Lakeland 13

Orchard Lake St. Mary's 42, North Farmington 7

Region 3 • District 2

Livonia Franklin 21, Allen Park 14

Gibraltar Carlson 42, Temperance Bedford 21

DIVISION 2

Region 4 • District 1

 Birmingham Groves 49, Ferndale 14

 Birmingham Seaholm 59, Warren Mott 29

Region 4 • District 2

Grosse Pointe South 27, Roseville 26

 Warren De La Salle Collegiate 49, Port Huron Northern 0

DIVISION 3

Region 1 • District 1

 Petoskey 61 Bay City John Glenn21

Mount Pleasant 36, Cadillac 22 

Region 1 • District 2

DeWitt 42, St. Johns 7

Lowell 27, Cedar Springs 7  

DIVISION 3

Region 2 • District 1

 St. Joseph 41, Stevensville Lakeshore 21

 Zeeland West 32, Zeeland East 6

Region 2 • District 2

Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central 7, East Grand Rapids 0

Coopersville 39, Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills 13

DIVISION 3

Region 3 • District 1

Linden 42, Fenton 14

Mason 59, Jackson18

 Region 3 • District 2

 Walled Lake Western 49, Garden City 7

 Auburn Hills Avondale 43, Redford Thurston 6

DIVISION 3

Region 4 • District 1

 River Rouge 13, Southgate Anderson 7

Riverview 22, Trenton 21 

Region 4 • District 2

 Detroit Martin Luther King 41, Warren Fitzgerald 0

Grosse Pointe North (4-5) at Port Huron (4-5)

DIVISION 4

Region 1 • District 1

Big Rapids 28, Ludington 21

Whitehall 28, Ada Forest Hills Eastern 21 

Region1 • District 2

Hudsonville Unity Christian 63, Hamilton 20 

Grand Rapids South Christian 35, Holland Christian 7

DIVISION 4

Region 2 • District 1

 Niles 42, Paw Paw 14

 Edwardsburg 29, Battle Creek Harper Creek 8

Region 2 • District 2

Portland 42, Lansing Sexton 8

Hastings 35, Ionia 0 

DIVISION 4

Region 3 • District 1

 Chelsea 24, Pinckney 20

Haslett 42, Parma Western 21 

Region 3 • District 2

Goodrich 49, Ortonville Brandon 7

Freeland 51, Lake Fenton 21

DIVISION 4

Region 4 • District 1

 Dearborn Divine Child 42, Madison Heights Lamphere 6

Harper Woods (6-3) at Redford Union (8-1) 

Region 4 • District 2

Croswell-Lexington 31, Marysville 6

Macomb Lutheran North 48, St. Clair 30 

DIVISION 5

Region 1 • District 1

 Gladwin (6-3) at Kingsford (9-0)

Ogemaw Heights 21, Clare 13

Region 1 • District 2

Frankenmuth 62, Howard City Tri-County 6

 Belding 52, Saginaw Swan Valley 30

DIVISION 5

Region 2 • District 1

Grand Rapids Catholic Central 28, Hopkins 0  

Grand Rapids West Catholic 32, Muskegon Oakridge 14 

Region 2 • District 2

Berrien Springs 14, Dowagiac 6 

South Haven (5-4) at Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep (7-2)

DIVISION 5

Region 3 • District 1

Corunna 35, Flint Hamady 8 

Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 49, Williamston 19 

Region 3 • District 2

  Armada 37, Richmond 10

Hazel Park (6-3) at St. Clair Shores South Lake (5-4)

DIVISION 5

Region 4 • District 1

 Romulus 26, Detroit Lincoln-King 24

Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard 51, Whitmore Lake 20

Region 4 • District 2

Flatrock 40, Detroit Denby 22

Detroit Voyageur College Prep 38, Romulus Summit Academy North 31

DIVISION 6

Region 1 • District 1

Calumet (6-3) at Kingsley (7-2)

Boyne City 23, Negaunee 16

Region 1 • District 2

Reed City 41, Manistee 20 

Standish-Sterling 52, Mason County Central 30

DIVISION 6

Region 2 • District 1

Newaygo 30, Montague 17 

Central Montcalm 36, Kent City 12

Region 2 • District 2

 Lansing Catholic 36, Chesaning 29

  Almont 21, Ovid-Elsie 14

DIVISION 6

Region 3 • District 1

Olivet 49, Buchanan 15

Constantine 39, Parchment 14

Region 3 • District 2

 Ida 56, Dearborn Advanced Tech Academy 8

Jackson Lumen Christi 42, Dearborn Heights Robichaud 8

DIVISION 6

Region 4 • District 1

 Royal Oak Shrine Catholic (7-2) at Warren Michigan Collegiate (8-1)

Marine City 50, Clinton Township Clintondale 30

Region 4 • District 2

 Detroit Central 34, Detroit Edison 16

Detroit Old Redford 28, Detroit Pershing 6

DIVISION 7

Region 1 • District 1

 Houghton Lake (5-4) at Menominee (8-1)

Traverse City St. Francis 41, Charlevoix 6

Region 1 • District 2

North Muskegon 56, Evart 7

McBain 49, Harrison 6 

DIVISION 7

Region 2 • District 1

Ithaca 42, Saranac 7

Pewamo-Westphalia 42, Montrose 12

Region 2 • District 2

Millington 42, Elkton-Pigeon-Bayport Laker 14

 Cass City 50, Saginaw Valley Lutheran 15

DIVISION 7

Region 3 • District 1

Lawton 42, Coloma 6 

Schoolcraft 28, Bronson 14 

Region 3 • District 2

Hudson 38, Napoleon 6

Union City 42, Hanover-Horton 13

DIVISION 7

Region 4 • District 1

  Leslie 49, Burton Atherton 7

 Bath (5-4) at Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett (6-3) 

Region 4 • District 2

Clinton 38, Ottawa Lake Whiteford 32 

Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central 41, Blissfield 6

DIVISION 8

Region 1 • District 1

  Iron Mountain 49, Manistique 12

East Jordan 34, Bark River-Harris 14 

Region 1 • District 2

Maple City Glen Lake 38, Mancelona 14

Beal City 47, Frankfort 0 

DIVISION 8

Region 2 • District 1

Fowler 48, Reese 12 

Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary 21, Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central 20

Region 2 • District 2

Harbor Beach 35,  Ubly 0

Clarkston Everest Collegiate 51, Burton Bentley 0 

DIVISION 8

Region 3 • District 1

Decatur 34, Centreville 6 

Saugatuck 24, White Pigeon 20

Region 3 • District 2

Springport 38, Addison 14

Reading 36, Sand Creek 0

DIVISION 8

Region 4 • District 1

Manchester20, Petersburg Summerfield 17

Riverview Gabriel Richard 48, Allen Park Cabrini 0 

Region 4 • District 2

Detroit Loyola 28, Mount Clemens 8

 Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest 40, Marine City Cardinal Mooney 14

(CCN) — Michigan's women had a  strong outing in their season opener on the road Monday night (Nov. 4, 2024). The Lady Wolverines hung tough against defending national champion South Carolina, losing only 68-62.

South Carolina is ranked No. 1 in the NCAA pre-season women's basketball poll by the Associated Press which didn't include Michigan in is top 25. Michigan State also didn't crack the top 25 but was among 16 schools that go votes as honorable mentions.

Behind South Carolina in the AP's pre-season rankings were UConn, USC, Texas, UCLA, Notre Dame, LSU, Iowa State, North Carolina State and Oklahoma.

 USC nipped Ole Miss 68-66 on Monday night, UCLA won 66-59 over Louisville, Notre Dame won 105-61 over Mercyhurst, LSU won 95-44 over Eastern Kentucky, Iowa State won 96-56 over Chicago State and Oklahoma won 76-44 over Southern.

North Carolina State opens play Tuesday (Nov. 5, 2024) when hosting East Tennessee State, UConn opens Thursday (Nov. 7, 2024) when hosting Boston University and Texas begins on Sunday (Nov. Nov. 10, 2024) when hosting Southeastern Missouri State.

.Michigan State's Lady Spartans open the season Tuesday (Nov. 5, 2024) at the Breslin Center in East Lansing against Oakland University in a non-conference battle. Tip-off is 6:30 pm.

It's one of four games against state rivals during an 8-game stretch to prepare for the Big 10 Conference opener on Dec. 15 against defending champ Iowa in East Lansing. MSU hosts Eastern Michigan on Nov. 11 and Detroit Mercy visits the Breslin on Nov. 20. The Lady Spartans go to Kalamazoo on Nov. 17 to take on Western Michigan.

MSU was 12-6 in Big 10 play a year ago and finished 22-9 overall. The Lady Spartans lost in the opening round of the Big 10 tournament to Nebraska and dropped their NCAA tourney opener to North Carolina.

UM was 9-9 in Big 10 action last season but won twice in the Big 10 tournament before losing to Iowa. That sent the Lady wolverines to the NCAA tournament where they lost their opener in overtime to Kansas.

Freshman Syla Swords of Ontario made her debut for UM a memorable one with a double-double. The 6-foot guard scored 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in her first collegiate game.

Senior Jordan Hobbs added 19 points for UM while freshman Olivia Olson contributed 5 points and 5 rebounds in her college debut.

The impressive outing at South Carolina made a strong case for Coach Kim Barnes Arico to see her Lady Wolverines crack the college basketball world's next top 25.

UM plays next on Friday (Nov. 8, 2024) at home against Lehigh and then on Nov. 14 when hosting Central Michigan.

Central Michigan's women made their season debut at home Monday night (Nov. 4, 2024) and lost 65-62 to Coastal Carolina. The Lady Chippewas blew a 32-22 halftime lead and had three players reach double figures — Jess Lawson and Demetria Prewitt with 10 points each  and freshman point guard Madi Morson of Canton with 13 points. CMU began a 9-game stretch of non-conference games in front of 1,080 fans at  McGuirk Arena. The Mid-American Conference (MAC) opener is on Jan. 1 at Buffalo.

Western Michigan opened on Monday with a 61-52 non-conference victory over Arkansas State. WMU hosts MSU during a 10-game run to prepare for its MAC opener on Jan. 1 in Ypsilanti against state rival Eastern Michigan.

EMU lost 75-71 on Monday to visiting Texas State in its opener. It's the first of a 10-game stretch to get ready for its MAC opener.

WMU finished 8th in last year's final MAC standings, 12-18 overall. CMU and EMU were the bottom two teams in MAC play at 11th and 12th.

CMU was 4-14 in the MAC, 6-22 overall. EMU was 

3-15 in the MAC, 7-22 overall.

Detroit Mercy opens its season on Thursday (Nov. 7, 2024) when MAC member Bowling Green visits Calihan Hall.

Oakland University, Michigan's other Division 1 program, has its home opener on Friday at 11 am against Cleary College.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is freshman Syla Swords who made her Michigan debut with a double-double, scoring 27 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.

Down 5-0, Los Angeles Dodges rally to win 7-6 and end World Series in New York over Yankees 

Friday, Nov. 1, 2024

NEW YORK (CCN) — Down 5-0 early in Game 5 of the World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied to win 7-6 and claim their eighth championship in franchise history.

The New York Yankees roared in front 5-0 in a bid to win for the second game in a row Wednesday night (Oct. 30, 2024) after going down 3-1 in the Series by losing the first two on the west coast before dropping Game 3 in New York.

Aaron Judge ended a slump by blasting a first inning home run to get the Yankees off and running. The Yankees super star battled Jack Flaherty in a 10-pitch at bat that was capped off by ripping a monster 403-foot shot into the right field seats. The two-run homer was his first home run of the Series after smacking 58 during the regular season.

He was batting only .152 in October post season action and just .131 in his first world Series appearance until sending a Flaherty pitch into orbit.

It seemed then that this World Series was shifting back to the opposite coast after Jazz Chisholm Jr. went back-to-back with Judge by belting a solo home run to make it 3-0.  Alex Verdugo added a RBI single in the 2nd inning to make it 4-0 and Giancarlo Stanton then ripped a 3rd inning home run to make it 5-0.

With all-star Gerrit Cole on the mound, it seemed like a cinch that this wasn't the last baseball we would be seeing this fall. Cole, a former No. 1 pick in the 2011 Major League Baseball draft, signed a $324 million contract before the 2020 season to do exactly this kind of thing for the Yankees.

His free agent deal was signed after a 2019 campaign when he led the Houston Astros to the World Series title by going 20-5 with a sparkling  American League-leading 2.50 earned run average. The Yankees gave Cole the biggest free agent deal ever issued to a starting pitcher at the time. It was for nine years but gave Cole a chance to opt out after five years.

Losing this World Series might make Cole opt out of his contract when considering that Yankees Manager Aaron Boone twice pulled him while he was cruising on the mound. Cole was visibly angry both times that Boone asked for the ball and turned it over to relievers who blew the games.

Cole recovered from trouble in the 5th Wednesday night to get back in his groove with a 1-2-3 6th followed by getting the first two outs in the 7th before Boone yanked him after a walk.

But it was bad defense in the 5th that did the Yankees in, along with the kind of clutch play that highlighted the Dodgers' resume this summer.  They trailed 43 times during the regular season, yet came back to win. They were down by at least 3 runs 9 times, but rallied to win. Five times they came back in the 9th inning, including in Detroit in front of a sellout crowd of more than 45,000 fans when Shohei Ohtani won it for the Dodgers with a home run blast.

Remember, this was before the All-Star break when the fans were there to see Ohtani do exactly what he did because the Tigers were not very good yet.

They were there to see the $70 million per year man do his thing. It was one of 54 homers he belted this year after signing his $700 million, 10-year to play in tinsel town. Ohtani also swiped 59 bases to become baseball's first 50-50 man ever in those categories.

About all Ohtani didn't do during his first 6 MLB seasons with the Angels was make the playoffs. His 225 home runs in his first 7 seasons is better than Babe Ruth's 162 although the Babe was primarily a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox until they traded him to the Yankees in 1920. Babe Ruth smacked 307 home runs in his first 7 seasons with the Yankees. Babe Ruth started off as a pitcher and had a 2.28 ERA in his first 148 starts. Ohtani's 2022 ERA was 2.33 when he was a 15-game winner but his career mark is 3.01 for his first 86 starts.

The super star from Japan is on track to break the Babe's original home run mark of 714 but he has a ways to go to catch Babe Ruth in World Series rings. The Babe had 7 in his career.

He didn't get to celebrate like Ohtani and his Dodger friends though. The city of LA threw a parade for their baseball heroes and more than 200,000 people lined the streets to get a glimpse of them. They also tried to burn down part of the city in the wee hours of the next morning after Wednesday's victory, and we wonder what the Babino would think about such behavior.

All over a baseball team winning it all.

Wednesday's 5-run deficit was epic, however, as it marked the biggest comeback ever in the clinching game of a World Series.

Babe Ruth once a shot in the 1932 World Series and hit it exactly where he pointed. But never did his famed Yankees go down 5 runs and rally to win the clinching game. 

So we witnessed a bit of history with Wednesday's rally —  even if it was clouded by the kind of bad baseball more common on little league diamonds.

It all began when Judge misplayed a line drive to centerfield to open the flood gates for the Dodgers in the top of the 5th inning. Two more botched plays later in the inning led to 5 unearned runs to tie the game at 5-5. In addition to Judge dropping a routine fly ball, Anthony Volpe made a bad throw throw to third base and pitcher Garrett Cole didn't bother to cover first base on an infield hit.

The first run scored when Cole failed to cover first base on a ball hit between first and second. Freddie Freeman then did what World Series MVP's do by delivering a key two-run single to cut LA's lead to 5-3. Then Teoscar Hernández ripped a game-tying two-run double on a two-out, two-strike pitch from Cole.

The Yankees promptly grabbed the lead back in the 6th when Juan Soto walked and later came in on Giancarlo Stanton's RBI sacrifice fly.

The Dodgers then rallied from the 7-6 deficit with a pair of runs in the top of the 8th. Kiké Hernández  and Tommy Edman started things off with back-to-back singles. Then Will Smith drew a walk to load the bases.  Gavin Lux tied it with a RBI sacrifice fly and Mookie Betts drove in what proved to be the winning run with another RBI sacrifice fly.

The Yankees got two runners on in the bottom of the 8th before  Blake Treinen extinguished the fire, then Walker Buehler closed it out for the Dodgers with a 1-2-3 9th that was culminated by striking out Austin Wells and Alex Verdugo.

So the champions of baseball for 2024 are a bunch of guys who came to Detroit earlier this summer before the All-Star break and played in front of sellout crowds all weekend. Yeah, they won one on a Friday night homer by Ohtani in the last inning.

But I prefer to think about the Saturday and Sunday games before everybody left for the All-Star Game.  There was a 5-run rally then, too. But it was by the Tigers. And all the runs came in the bottom of the 9th inning. 

An improbable 5-run uprising was capped off by a clutch game-tying home run from rookie Colt Keith. The Tigers then won it 11-9 when another rookie, Gio Urshela, ripped a walk-off two-run home run to complete the comeback victory.

The Tigers then did it again the next day when rookie Justyn-Henry Malloy delivered a pinch hit RBI single in the bottom of the 9th to tie it and 

rookie Wenceel Perez dropped a run-scoring bunt to win it 4-3.

A team that was once 10 games out of the wild card race and 5 games under .500 impressed me that weekend against the Dodgers.

That's why I was livid when the July 30 trade deadline arrived and our Tigers opted to be sellers. That's how the Game 5 starting pitcher Jack Flaherty got to Los Angeles.

The Dodgers wanted his arm.

Don't forget either that Flaherty was dealt away along with the likes of star pitcher Andrew Chafin and hitters Mark Canha and Carson Kelly. And yes, they nearly traded ace Tarik Skubal.

The Tigers wound up with a roster half full of rookies and beat the Astros in a Wild Card series sweep before losing to Cleveland in the Division Series. 

Watching the Yankees lose softened the blow for me in our Tigers breaking my heart.

They're primed for big things next spring. I'm sure of it.

Maybe a World Series parade is in their future by beating the Dodgers like this summer in Detroit.

Nobody tried to burn down the city then either.

See Recent 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 and on The Morning Gazette Radio Show weekday mornings from 8 am until 9:30 am. He's an award-winning news columnist and investigative reporter who is the former long-time owner of the local Metro Flint area chain of 14 community newspapers. This fall will be 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.

(CCN) — The Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) will crown new champions in its two top classifications this fall.

 Southfield A&T beat Belleville 36-32 last year in the Division 1 state finals at Ford Field but won't be back to defend its crown after failing to qualify this year. The Warriors were 2-7.

Muskegon High ended Warren De La Salle Collegiate's two-year run as state champions in Division 2 with a 33-21 triumph last year at Ford Field in the finals but a dismal 3-5 record kept them out of the post-season action this fall. 

Jackson Lumen Christi won it all in Division 7 but opted to move up one classification to Division 6 where the Titans are 8-1 and enter the state tournament as the No. 1 ranked team there in the latest poll by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association.

Five other schools are back to defend their state titles when MHSAA prep football post-season action begins with Friday night (Nov. 1, 2024) kick-offs at 7 o'clock across the state.

All the opening round games are listed at right if you are reading on a laptop or PC. Scroll down if you are reading on a mobile device.

 Tournaments begin with District semifinals in 11-player action and Regional semifinals in 8-player competition. Tickets cost $7 and nearly 120 of the 144 opening round games will will be streamed live on the NFHS Network via the MHSAA. 

Here's a division-by-division rundown of the pairings that were announced Sunday by the MHSSA's "Selection Show" which aired on FanDuel Sports Network:

DIVISION 1 TOURNAMENT

Belleville is 8-1 and aiming to win it all again after its two-year resign on top ended last fall. The Tigers go into the 2024 tournament ranked No. 1 in last week's poll by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association. They start in District 1 of Region 3 against Ann Arbor Pioneer (5-4).

No. 9 ranked Saline High (6-3) is at Northville (6-3) in the other District 2 game in Region 3, and the winner advances to play the Belleville-Pioneer winner.

Next up would be a rip to the Region 3 finals against the District 2 champ. That bracket features West Bloomfield (4-5) at Novi (5-4) and Livonia Stevenson (5-4) at No. 2 Detroit Catholic Central (9-0).

The brackets in Region 1 of Division 1 feature four top 10 ranked teams. No. 3 Howell (9-0) hosts  Kalamazoo Central (6-3) while Grand Ledge (5-4) is at Brighton (7-2) in District 2 matchups. District 1 has East Kentwood (5-4) at No. 6 Hudsonville (8-1) and Grandville (5-4) at Rockford (7-2).

Two state-ranked teams are in Region 2 of Division 1. Both schools host games in District 1 as No. 10 Davison (7-2) entertains Oxford (6-3) and No. 8 Grand Blanc (7-2) entertains Lapeer (5-4). 

The District 2 field in Region 2 of Division 1 sees Clarkston (6-3) at Lake Orion (6-3) and Rochester Hills Stoney Creek (5-4) at Rochester Adams (7-2).

Three state-ranked teams are in Region 4. No. 4 Macomb Dakota (8-1) hosts Utica (4-5) while No. 5 Utica Eisenhower (7-2) hosts Romeo (4-5) in District 2. No. 7 Detroit Cass Tech (7-2) hosts Sterling Heights Stevenson (5-4) in District 1 where the other match-up has Dearborn (5-4) at Dearborn Fordson (5-4).

DIVISION 2 TOURNAMENT

Coach Shane Fairfield's Muskegon High squad ended Warren De La Salle Collegiate's two-year run as state champions in Division 2 with a 33-21 triumph last year at Ford Field in the finals but a dismal 3-5 record kept them out of the post-season action this fall. 

De La Salle was ranked No. 5 in last week's poll by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association but Muskegon goes into the 2024 tournament as an unranked team.

De La Salle is in Region 4 with two other 9-0 state-ranked teams. No. 1 Birmingham Groves (9-0) starts by hosting Warren Mott (7-2) in District 1 action where Ferndale (6-3) is at Birmingham Groves (9-0) in the other contest. District 2 pairings see No. 7 Grosse Pointe South (9-0) hosting Roseville (7-2) in District 2 while De La Salle (6-2) goes to Port Huron Northern (7-2).

Four state-ranked teams are in Region 1 of Division 2. No. 2 Muskegon Mona Shores (8-1) hosts Traverse City West (6-3) in District 1 and No. 6 Grand Rapids Northview (9-0) is at No. 4 Byron Center (8-10) while District 2 features Portage Northern (5-4) at Portage Central (6-3) and Lansing Everett (6-3) at Mattawan (6-3)

No. 3 Dexter (9-0), No. 9 Midland (8-1) and No. 10 East Lansing (6-3) are in the Region 2 field. Midland hosts Flushing (7-2) in one District 1 matchup while Midland Dow (5-4) is at Saginaw Heritage (6-3) in the other contest. East Lansing hosts Milford (7-2) in District 2 where Dexter hosts South Lyon East (6-3).

No. 8 Orchard Lake St. Mary's (6-3) is at North Farmington (6-3) in Region 3. The Eaglets are in District 1 where Farmington (6-3) is at White Lake Lakeland (6-3). The District 2 games see Livonia Franklin (5-4) at Allen Park (6-3) and Temperance Bedford (5-4) at Gibraltar Carlson (8-1).

DIVISION 3 TOURNAMENT

 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central won the Division 3 crown last season by beating Mason 27-10 at Ford Field in the state championship game to end a two-year reign by  Detroit Martin Lutheran King.

Coach Dave Fortino's defending champs finished behind Hudsonville Unity Christian and Zeeland West for a third-place finish in its own league this fall but is back to attempt another run for all the marbles. The Rangers are 7-2 overall and they were  No. 9 in the latest poll by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association.

They open the state playoffs by hosting East Grand Rapids (5-4) in District 2 of Region 2 where Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills (6-3) is at Coopersville (6-3) in the other matchup.

No. 3 Zeeland West (8-1) hosts arch rival Zeeland East (5-4) in District 1 of Region 2. Stevensville Lakeshore (3-6) is at No. 6 St. Joseph (8-1) in the other District 1 game in Region 2.

DeWitt is 9-0 this season and ranked No. 1. Coach Rod Zimmerman's Panthers open in District 2 of Region 1 against St. Johns (6-3). The other District 2 game has Cedar Springs (7-2) at Lowell (7-2).

No. 5 Petoskey puts its 9-0 record on the line in District 1 of Region 1 against visiting Bay City John Glenn (5-4). Cadillac (4-5) goes to Mount Pleasant (5-4) in the other District 1 matchup.

No. 7 Fenton and No. 10 Mason are in Division 1 of Region 3. Mason (7-2) hosts Jackson (4-5) in its opener while Fenton (7-2) hosts Linden (5-4). The District 2 games in Region 3 see Garden City (7-2) at No. 2 Walled Lake Western (9-0) and Redford Thurston (7-2) at Auburn Hills Avondale (6-3)

No. 4 ranked Detroit Martin Luther King (6-3) hosts Warren Fitzgerald (4-5) is District 2 of Region 4 with Grosse Pointe North (4-5) at Port Huron (4-5) in the other contest. Trenton (6-3) hosts No. 8 Riverview in District 1 while River Rouge (4-4) is at Southgate Anderson (7-2) in the other game.

DIVISION 4 TOURNAMENT

 Harper Woods won the Division 4 title last fall at Ford Field in Detroit by beating Grand Rapids South Christian 33-27 but neither team is ranked in the top 10 going into the state playoffs.

Hudsonville Unity Christian is 9-0 and ranked No. 1.  Coach Craig Tibbe's Crusaders  try to stay perfect by opening state playoff action when hosting Hamilton (5-4) in District 2 of Region 1. The other District 2 game has 2023 finalist Grand Rapids South Christian (5-4) hosting Holland Christian (6-3).

District 1 action Friday in Region 1 sees Ludington (7-2) at No. 7 Big Rapids (8-1) and Whitehall (6-3) at Ada Forest Hills Eastern (7-2).

Region 2 of Division 4 joins Region 4 of Division 5 as maybe the toughest fields in any of the eight classes this season with five state-ranked teams each bunched together.

No. 3 Paw Paw starts at No. 6 Niles in one District 1 battle of the Division 4 tournament that pits a pair of 8-1 clubs against each other while No. 10 Battle Creek Harper Creek (8-1) hosts Edwardsburg (6-3) in the other matchup. The District 2 field has No. 2 Portland (9-0) hosting Lansing Sexton (5-4) and No. 8 Hastings (8-1) hosting Ionia (6-3).

No. 4 ranked Goodrich, which made it to the state semifinals last season after reaching the state finals for the first time in school history a year earlier, is on an early collision course with another top 10 team. Goodrich (8-1) hosts Ortonville Brandon (5-4) in one District 2 battle in Region 3 while No. 9 Freeland (8-1) hosts Lake Fenton (6-3) in the other one.

No. 5 Chelsea is in District 1 of Region 3. Pinckney (5-4) is at Chelsea (7-2) and Parma Western (6-3) is at Haslett (6-3) in games for that bracket.

Region 4 has no ranked teams in its field but defending state champion Harper Woods is included there. In District 1, Harper Woods (6-3) goes to Redford Union (8-1) and Dearborn Divine Child (6-3) goes to Madison Heights Lamphere (8-1). In District 2,  Croswell-Lexington (6-3) is at Marysville (8-1) and St. Clair (6-3) is at Macomb Lutheran North (8-1).

DIVISION 5 TOURNAMENT

Grand Rapids Catholic Central won it all in Division 5 a year ago by beating first-time finalist Corunna 21-7 at Ford Field in Detroit.

Coach Todd Kolster's 2024 Cougars barely made it in this season with a 5-4 record but they were impressive enough to earn a No. 9 ranking in the last regular season poll by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association.

Corunna's road back to the finals has a tough start. They're in District 1 of Region 3 and beating 

Flint Hamady (6-3) in is opener could earn a shot at No. 1 ranked Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (7-1) if the Fighting Irish dispose of Williamston (3-6) in Pontiac Notre Friday night.

The District 2 games in Region 3 see No. 5 Armada (8-1) hosting Richmond (4-5) and Hazel Park (6-3) at St. Clair Shores South Lake (5-4).

No. 3 Grand Rapids West Catholic could be Grand Rapids Catholic Central's second opponent in the District 1 finals of Region 2. West Catholic (6-3) opens by hosting Muskegon Oakridge (4-5)while the Cougars host Hopkins (6-3) to start their 2024 post-season action. 

The District 2 pairings in Region 2 of Division 5 pit Dowagiac (6-3) at Berrien Springs (6-3) and South Haven (5-4)  at Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep (7-2). All four schools are not ranked.

Five top 10 schools are in Region 1, including No. 2 Frankenmuth which is aiming for its fourth straight Final Four appearance under Coach Phil Martin with an eye on its first ever state title. The Eagles (9-0) start by hosting Howard City Tri-County (5-4) in District 1 lay.  Saginaw Swan Valley (6-3) is at No. 6 Belding (8-1) in the other Division 1 matchup. In District 1 action, Gladwin (6-3) is at No. 4 Kingsford (9-0) and No. 7 rated Clare (7-2) goes to No. 8 Ogemaw Heights (8-1). 

No. 9 Detroit Lincoln-King Academy (9-0) is the only ranked team in Region 4. The Eagles are in District 1 and begin play by hosting Romulus at the Corner Ballpark. Whitmore Lake (7-2) is at Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard (5-4) in the other District 1 game. In District 2 action, Detroit Denby (6-3) is at Flat Rock (7-2) and Detroit Voyageur College Prep (7-2) goes to Romulus Summit Academy North (6-2).

DIVISION 6 TOURNAMENT

 G

 1Jackson Lumen Christi

2Almont

3Chesaning

4Warren Michigan Collegiate

5Negaunee

6Ovid-Elsie

7Ida

8Lansing Catholic

9Reed City

10Central Montcalm 

DIVISION 7 TOURNAMENT

 G

 Jackson Lumen Christi (Herb Brogan)Menominee 34-20 

 1Monroe St Mary Catholic Central

2Menominee

3Millington

4Ithaca

5McBain

6Pewamo-Westphalia

7Traverse City St Francis

8North Muskegon

9Hudson

10Schoolcraft 

LOCAL PREP FOOTBALL STATE PLAYPOFFS

All Games on Friday (Nov. 1, 2024)

except those listedwith an asterisk

DIVISION 1

Region 1 • District 1 

East Kentwood (5-4) at Hudsonville (8-1)

Grandville (5-4) at Rockford (7-2)

Region 1 • District 2 

 Kalamazoo Central (6-3) at Howell (9-0)

Grand Ledge (5-4) at Brighton (7-2)

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)

 Rochester Hills Stoney Creek (5-4) at Rochester Adams (7-2)

DIVISION 1

Region 3 • District 1

 Ann Arbor Pioneer (5-4) at Belleville (8-1)

Saline (6-3) at Northville (6-3)

 Region 3 • District 2

West Bloomfield (4-5) at Novi (5-4)

Livonia Stevenson (5-4) at Detroit Catholic Central (9-0)

DIVISION 1

Region 4 • District 1

Dearborn (5-4) at Dearborn Fordson (5-4) 

Sterling Heights Stevenson (5-4) at Detroit Cass Tech (7-2)

Region 4 • District 2

 Utica (4-5) at Macomb Dakota (8-1)

 Romeo (4-5) at Utica Eisenhower (7-2) 

 DIVISION 2

Region 1 • District 1

Traverse City West (6-3) at Muskegon Mona Shores (8-1)

Grand Rapids Northview (9-0) at Byron Center (8-1)

Region 1 • District 2

 Portage Northern (5-4) at Portage Central (6-3)

Lansing Everett (6-3) at Mattawan (6-3) 

DIVISION 2

Region 2 • District 1

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

 Midland Dow (5-4) at Saginaw Heritage (6-3)

Region 2 • District 2

South Lyon East (6-3) at Dexter (9-0)

Milford (7-2)at East Lansing (6-3

DIVISION 2

Region 3 • District 1

Farmington (6-3) at White Lake Lakeland (6-3) 

Orchard Lake St. Mary's (6-3) at North Farmington (6-3)

Region 3 • District 2

Livonia Franklin (5-4) at Allen Park (6-3)

Temperance Bedford (5-4) at Gibraltar Carlson (8-1)

DIVISION 2

Region 4 • District 1

 Ferndale (6-3) at Birmingham Groves (9-0)

Warren Mott (7-2) at Birmingham Seaholm (6-3)

Region 4 • District 2

Roseville (7-2) at Grosse Pointe South (9-0)

Warren De La Salle Collegiate (6-2)at Port Huron Northern (7-2)

DIVISION 3

Region 1 • District 1

 Bay City John Glenn (5-4) at Petoskey (9-0)

Cadillac (4-5) at Mount Pleasant (5-4) 

Region 1 • District 2

 St. Johns (6-3) at DeWitt (9-0) 

 Cedar Springs (7-2) at Lowell (7-2)  

DIVISION 3

Region 2 • District 1

 Stevensville Lakeshore (3-6) at St. Joseph (8-1)

Zeeland East (5-4) at Zeeland West (8-1) 

Region 2 • District 2

 East Grand Rapids (5-4) at Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central (7-2)

 Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills (6-3) at Coopersville (6-3) 

DIVISION 3

Region 3 • District 1

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

 Jackson (4-5) at Mason (7-2)  

Region 3 • District 2

 Garden City (7-2) at Walled Lake Western (9-0)

Redford Thurston (7-2) at Auburn Hills Avondale (6-3)

DIVISION 3

Region 4 • District 1

 River Rouge (4-4) at Southgate Anderson (7-2)

Riverview (8-1) at Trenton (6-3) 

Region 4 • District 2

Grosse Pointe North (4-5) at Port Huron (4-5)  

Warren Fitzgerald (4-5) at Detroit Martin Luther King (6-3)

DIVISION 4

Region 1 • District 1

 Ludington (7-2) at Big Rapids (8-1) 55.111

Whitehall (6-3) at Ada Forest Hills Eastern (7-2) 

Region1 • District 2

 Hamilton (5-4)at Hudsonville Unity Christian (9-0)

Holland Christian (6-3) at Grand Rapids South Christian (5-4)

DIVISION 4

Region 2 • District 1

 Paw Paw (8-1) at Niles (8-1)  

 Edwardsburg (6-3) at Battle Creek Harper Creek (8-1) 

Region 2 • District 2

Lansing Sexton (5-4) at Portland (9-0)

Ionia (6-3) at Hastings (8-1)

DIVISION 4

Region 3 • District 1

 Pinckney (5-4)at Chelsea (7-2)

Parma Western (6-3) at Haslett (6-3)

Region 3 • District 2

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

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

DIVISION 4

Region 4 • District 1

 Dearborn Divine Child (6-3) at Madison Heights Lamphere (8-1

Harper Woods (6-3) at Redford Union (8-1) 

Region 4 • District 2

 Croswell-Lexington (6-3)at Marysville (8-1)

St. Clair (6-3) at Macomb Lutheran North (8-1) 

DIVISION 5

Region 1 • District 1

 Gladwin (6-3) at Kingsford (9-0)

Clare (7-2) at Ogemaw Heights (8-1)

Region 1 • District 2

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

 Saginaw Swan Valley (6-3) at Belding (8-1) 

DIVISION 5

Region 2 • District 1

 Muskegon Oakridge (4-5) at Grand Rapids West Catholic (6-3)

Hopkins (6-3) at Grand Rapids Catholic Central (5-4)

Region 2 • District 2

Dowagiac (6-3) 39.486 at Berrien Springs (6-3)

South Haven (5-4)  at Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep (7-2)

DIVISION 5

Region 3 • District 1

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

 Williamston (3-6) at Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (7-1) 

Region 3 • District 2

 Richmond (4-5) at Armada (8-1)

Hazel Park (6-3) at St. Clair Shores South Lake (5-4)

DIVISION 5

Region 4 • District 1

 Romulus (4-5) at Detroit Lincoln-King (9-0)

Whitmore Lake (7-2) at Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard (5-4)

Region 4 • District 2

Detroit Denby (6-3)  at Flat Rock (7-2)

Detroit Voyageur College Prep (7-2) at Romulus Summit Academy North (6-2) 

DIVISION 6

Region 1 • District 1

Calumet (6-3) at Kingsley (7-2)

Negaunee (6-3) at Boyne City (7-2)

Region 1 • District 2

Manistee (5-4) at Reed City (7-2)

Standish-Sterling (6-3) at Mason County Central (8-1)

DIVISION 6

Region 2 • District 1

Montague (4-5) at Newaygo (7-2)

Kent City (6-3) at Central Montcalm (8-1)

Region 2 • District 2

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

 Ovid-Elsie (7-2) at Almont (9-0) 

DIVISION 6

Region 3 • District 1

 Buchanan (6-3) at Olivet (7-2)

Constantine (6-3) at Parchment (7-2)

Region 3 • District 2

Dearborn Heights Robichaud (4-5) at Jackson Lumen Christi (8-1)

Dearborn Advanced Tech Academy (6-3) at Ida (8-1)

DIVISION 6

Region 4 • District 1

 Royal Oak Shrine Catholic (7-2) at Warren Michigan Collegiate (8-1)

Clinton Township Clintondale (6-3) at Marine City (7-2)

Region 4 • District 2

 Detroit Central (6-3) at Detroit Edison (6-3)

Detroit Old Redford (8-1) at Detroit Pershing (7-2) 

DIVISION 7

Region 1 • District 1

 Houghton Lake (5-4) at Menominee (8-1)

Charlevoix (6-3) at Traverse City St. Francis (6-3)

Region 1 • District 2

Evart (6-3) at North Muskegon (8-1)

Harrison (7-2) at McBain (8-1) 

DIVISION 7

Region 2 • District 1

 Saranac (6-3) at Ithaca (9-0)

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

Region 2 • District 2

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

Saginaw Valley Lutheran (5-4) at Cass City (6-3)

DIVISION 7

Region 3 • District 1

 Coloma (4-5) at Lawton (7-2)

Bronson (6-3) at Schoolcraft (8-1)

Region 3 • District 2

 Napoleon (6-3) at Hudson (8-1)

Union City (8-1) at Hanover-Horton (8-1)

DIVISION 7

Region 4 • District 1

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

 Bath (5-4) at Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett (6-3) 

Region 4 • District 2

Ottawa Lake Whiteford (5-4) at Clinton (6-3) 

Blissfield (4-5) at Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (9-0)

DIVISION 8

Region 1 • District 1

 Manistique (4-5) at Iron Mountain (9-0)

Bark River-Harris (5-4) 27.556 at East Jordan (7-2)

Region 1 • District 2

 Mancelona (4-5) at Maple City Glen Lake (8-1)

Frankfort (7-2) at Beal City (7-2)

DIVISION 8

Region 2 • District 1

 Reese (5-4) at Fowler (9-0)

Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary (6-3) at Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central (8-1) 

Region 2 • District 2

Ubly (6-3) at Harbor Beach (9-0) 

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

DIVISION 8

Region 3 • District 1

 Centreville (4-5) at Decatur (8-1)

Saugatuck (6-3) at White Pigeon (8-1)

Region 3 • District 2

 Addison (4-5) at Springport (7-2)

Sand Creek (4-5) at Reading (5-4) 

DIVISION 8

Region 4 • District 1

Manchester (7-2) at Petersburg Summerfield (8-1) 

Allen Park Cabrini (5-4) at Riverview Gabriel Richard (7-1)

Region 4 • District 2

Mount Clemens (6-3) at Detroit Loyola (3-6)

 Marine City Cardinal Mooney (4-5) at Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest (6-3)

ANN ARBOR (CCN) — University of Michigan officials announced today (Oct. 3, 2024) that a special event will be held to honor one of its long-time administrators — Greg Harden.

Harden, know as the "mental" coach to many hundreds of UM athletes over the past five decades, passed away in mid-September.

UM's 1991 Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard, now a college football analyst for ESPN, credited Harden with helping him win college football's top prize for individual players. "I don't win the Heisman if not for him" he said on an episode of ESPN's College Game Day when the death was announced, calling Harden a "mentor" and "long-time close friend."

Bob Bowman, coach to UM's Michael Phelps,  credited Harden with helping Phelps take his career to the next level when becoming the most decorated male swimmer in Olympic history.

Family, friends, UM staff, UM students and former athletes impacted by Harden are invited to attend “A Celebration of Life” for the long-time UM on Thursday, Oct. 24 at 11 a.m.

The memorial service and celebration will be held at Crisler Center on UM's campus.

Individuals can claim digital tickets at no cost for the event, beginning next week. Former UM student athletes and staff will have access to sign up on Monday (Oct. 7, 2024). Members of the public will be able to claim tickets on Wednesday (Oct. 9, 2024).

The event will include speakers from different eras of Harden’s life.

 A tribute to him on UM's website noted how Harden once  described his work in the following manner: "My real obsession is to convince an individual that they must determine for themselves what sort of man, what sort of woman they want to be. The goal is to make people experts on themselves."

He worked with hundreds of UM student-athletes during his career, including Desmond Howard, J.J. McCarthy, Tom Brady, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard and Olympians Emily Brunemann and Jeff Porter, as well as Michael Phelps.

Harden specialized as a mental coach for athletes, coaches, university personnel, executives and others on the world's biggest stages. That he maintained close personal relationships with so many, even decades after their competitive or working days had ended, reflects the enormous impact of his work on their performance and lives.

Harden was instrumental in the design and implementation of student-athlete and staff development strategies. His collaborative style and efforts helped to strengthen the athletic department's connection with the larger university community. He started his affiliation with the UM Athletic Department in 1986 when Hall of Fame football coach Bo Schembechler hired Harden as a staff consultant and student-athlete personal development program counselor.

Harden later became President of Power One Performance, Inc. providing performance coaching to corporate executives, professional athletes and community leaders.

He was President of Unlimited Access Educational Services — a non-profit organization. Harden has also served as Senior Vice President of Associated Consultation and Training, Inc.  and Executive Director of Leaders in Prevention.

A Detroit native and graduate of Southwestern High School, Harden received both his Bachelor of General Studies and Master's Degree in social work from UM. He published his first book in 2023 debuted at No. 1 on all of Amazon and became a bestseller on the New York Times list. — Stay Sane in an Insane World: How to Control the Controllables and Thrive.

DETROIT (CCN) — Thursday's dramatic comeback victory by the Detroit TIgers, coupled with the Minnesota Twins losing in extra innings later in the evening, reduced the magic number to one. The TIgers wasted no time clinching a spot in the American League playoffs by then promptly beating the Chicago White Sox 4-1 on Friday night.

It was the fifth victory in a row for the Tigers as they won for the ninth time in the last 10 games. They're 33-11 over their last 44 games for the best record in all of baseball.

They were once 10 games below the .500 mark in August and 10 games out of the wild card race.

Down 3-0 in Thursday's matinee, Detroit rallied to win 4-3 for its most dramatic comeback since July when coming back from five runs down to beat the Dodgers before the All Star Game  break.

A sellout crowd of 44,435 fans showed up Friday night to watch history. The Tigers, who had not had a winning season in seven years made the playoffs for the first time in 10 years 

The Tigers erased a 2-1 deficit Friday night with two runs in the bottom of the 7th inning to win it.

Riley Greene's RBI single and Matt Vierling's RBI double led Detroit's offense while four pitchers combined on a 3-hitter with Brant Hurter going to 6-1 on the season with 4 innings of work to get the victory.

(CCN) — Two long-time high school football coaches in Michigan have been placed on administrative leave and will miss Friday night's (Sept. 27, 2024) varsity games.

Carrollton High School's new varsity football coach has been placed on administrative leave. Multiple media reports say David Schneider is accused of throwing a pen at a student-athlete.

 New Baltimore Anchor Bay school district officials say its football coach, Mike Giannone, has been placed on administrative leave there, pending an investigation. Parents told CBS Detroit TV 62 that they have not been notified about why Giannone was placed on leave.

Giannone left his previous head coaching job at Warren De La Salle in 2019 after several players were accused of hazing younger students.  He won two state championships in three seasons at De La Salle and immediately landed the job at Anchor Bay after he left the De La Salle program. He previously led Macomb Dakota to  15 straight state playoff appearances and consecutive Division 1 state titles in 2006 and 2007. He was 191-64 in 22 years as a head coach until taking thejob at Anchor Bay where he's 18-21.

Carrollton Schools Superintendent Tiffany Peterson confirmed for other media that Schneider is on administrative leave, pending the outcome of an investigation. Carrollton Police Chief Chris Kellet confirms his office has begun an investigation and multiple media reports say interviews will be scheduled soon.

Schneider had 31 years of coaching experience before leaving his teacher position to take a job in Florida as a fishing boat captain in 2013. He took the Carrolton job last spring to get back into coaching after an 11-year run out of the game.  Schneider graduated in 1983 from Cheboygan High and starred there to make the football team at Olivet College . He was a prep head coach at Atlanta in 2008 and 2009 with a 6-12 record and then went to Lincoln Alcona where he had records of 4-5, 5-4, 6-3 and 10-1. 

Anchor Bay takes a 2-2 record into Friday's contest at home against Romeo without Coach Giannone. 

Carrolton is going to Saginaw Novel Catholic on Friday in search of its first victory of the season. The Cavaliers are 0-4. 

 GLENDALE, ARIZONA  (CCN) — The Detroit Lions moved to 2-1 by rebounding from last week's loSs to Tampa Bay by winning 20-13 on the road Sunday (Sept. 22, 2022) against the Arizona Cardinals.

David Montgomery led Detroit's offensive attack with 109 yards on 23 carries, including an early 1-yared touchdown run after big runs keyed the opening drive.

  Jahmyr Gibbs  added  83 yards rushing on 16 carries and scored a TD on a 20-yarde hook-and-ladder pass to  Amon-Ra St. Brown who immediately lateraled to Gibbs.

St. Brown caught a 5-yard TD strike from Jarred Goff earlier to put Detroit ahead 13-7 to cap a drive highlighted by runs from Gibbs.

Goff was  18-of-23 for 196 passing yards to balance the great running game by Montgomery and Gibbs. He hit on his first 14 passes in a row for the longest streak without an interception in his nine-year career that started with the Rams.

A near pick 6 came just before halftime though when the Cardinals returned it for a TD on a play that was whistled dead by the referees because they ruled the two-minute warning ticked down just as Goff threw the pass.

The Minnesota Vikings also won Sunday (34-7 over the Texans) to go to 3-0 in the NFC North over the 2-1 Lions. The Green Bay Packers went to 2-1 Sunday by beating the Titans 30-14.

The Lions play the Monday night game next week against the Seattle Seahawks.

They went to a perfect 3-0 on Sunday by beating the Miami Dolphins 24-3 Sunday.

All Sunday's NFL scores are at right if you are reading on a laptop or PC, or scroll down to see them if you are reading on a mobile device.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is David Montgomery who had a 106-yarde rushing performance to lead the Detroit Lions to victory Sunday in Arizona.

Sunday's NFL Scores

Detroit Lions 20, Arizona Cardinals 13 

Minnesota Vikings 34, Houston Texans 7

Green Bay Packers 30, Tennessee Titans 14

Indianapolis Colts 21, Chicago Bears 16

Seattle Seahawks 24, Miami Dolphins 3

Jets 24, New England Patriots 3

New York Giants 21, Cleveland Browns 15

Philadelphia Eagles 15, New Orleans Saints 12

Denver Broncos 26, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7

Pittsburgh Steelers 20, Los Angeles Chargers 10

Carolina Panthers 36, Las Vegas Raiders 22

Baltimore Ravens 28, Dallas Cowboys 25

Kansas City Chiefs 22, Atlanta Falcons 17

Monday Night Games

Buffalo Bills 47, Jacksonville Jaguars 10

Washington Commanders 38, Bengals 33

Next Sunday's Games

Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers

Los Angeles Rams at Chicago Bears

Buffalo Bills at Baltimore Ravens

Cleveland Browns at Las Vegas Raiders

Commanders at Cardinals

Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers

Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants

New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons

Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans

Denver Broncos at New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers at Indianapolis Colts

New England Patriots at San Francisco 49ers

Next Week's Monday Night Game

Seattle Seahawks at Detroit Lions

Tennessee Titans at Miami Dolphins

 DETROIT (CCN) — Tarik Skubal pitched 7 innings of 2-hit ball to lead the Detroit Tigers in a matinee game at Comerica Park Tuesday (Sept. 24, 2024) as they beat the Tampa Bay Rays 2-1.

Skubal made a strong case to win the Cy Young Award in the American League by winning his 18th game of the season. He blanked the Rays for 7 innings to improve his AL-best earned run average to 2.39. Skubal also leads all of baseball with 223 strikeouts.

Skubal struck out 7 batters in Tuesday's matinee victory at Comercia Park. Beau Brieske came on to get the save with two innings of work. He allowed a 9th inning home run before settling down to end it for Manager A.J. Hinch's Tigers.

They moved 1 1/2 games ahead of the Minnesota Twins in the American League wild card playoff race. It became a two-game lead later when the Twins were beaten 4-1 in Miami by the Marlins in a Tuesday night game.

The Kansas City Royals won 1-0 over the Royals to pull back even with the Tigers for the No. 2 wild card spot in the AL with five games to go.

Detroit plays at 6:40 pm tonight against the Rays and close out a three-game series on Thursday at Comerica Park at 1:10 pm. The Tigers then close out the season at home against the Chicago White Sox who have the worst team in baseball.

 Wenceel Perez ripped a two-run double in the bottom of the 5th inning to give Detroit  its lead.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Tarek Skubal who won his 18th game of the season Tuesday at Comerica park by beating the Tampa Bay Rays 2-1.

CONNECTICUT  (CCN) — Indiana Fever fans remain in an uproar after rookie star Caitlin Clark was poked in the eye early in Game 1 of their best-of-three playoff series and the Connecticut Sun went on to win 93-69 against an obviously half speed Clark who was sporting a big black eye by halftime.

The Fever and Sun hook up in Game 2 tonight at    MohegaMohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville 

The game will be televised at 7:30 pm on ESPN.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Catilin Clark who was poked in the eye early in Game 1 of Indiana's playoff game with the Connecticut Sun.

MIAMI (CCN) — Baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball history to join the 50-50 club in home runs and stolen bases in the same season with one of the greatest individual feats ever.

Ohtani powered the Los Angeles Dodgers to a West Division clinching victory over the Miami Marlins by blasting three home runs, driving in 10 runs and swiping a pair of bases.

He now has 51 home runs and 51 stolen bases.

DETROIT (CCN) — Tarik Skubal made what may have been his last start at Comerica Park a memorable one by turning in 7 strong innings of work on the mound with 8 strikeouts as the Detroit Tigers rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat the Minnesota Twins 7-2.

Skubal's gem came amid rumors flying about a possible trade as baseball's trading deadline approaches on Tuesday.

Skubal allowed three hits and trailed 2-0 after giving up a 1st inning home run, but he surrendered just two hits the rest of the way while shutting out the Twins until leaving with a 3-2 lead after the 7th inning.

Skubal was locked in a pitching duel with Twins' ace Joe Ryan until the 6th inning when Colt Keith's RBI triple in the bottom of the 6th tied it after Mark Veiling opened with a lead-off single, and Keith then scored the go-ahead run off a RBI sacrifice fly by Mark Canha.  

Keith and Javier Báez then drilled two-run homers in the bottom of the 7th inning to offer insurance runs for the Tigers.

It was the third homer in three days for Báez. (See Related Story at right if you are reading on a lagtop or PC, or scroll down if you are reading on a mobile device)

Keith's homer was his 11th of the season — tying  Jake Wood and Nick Castellanos for most by a rookie in Tigers' history.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Tarik Skubal who went to 12-3 with a strong 7-inning outing for the Detroit Tigers on Saturday.

DETROIT (CCN) — Javier Báez had hit only one home run all season but his two-run blast in the 7th inning Saturday (July 28, 2024) in front of more than 35,000 fans at Comerica Park in Detroit marked his third in three days.

Báez drilled a three-run blast in the 2nd inning propel the Detroit Tigers to a 3-0 victory over the American League's Central Division leaders Thursday night (July 25, 2024) in Cleveland.

Báez, who was hitting a lowly .177 going into the Cleveland game, ripped another homer to start a homestand Friday night against the Minnesota Twins before adding the 7th inning blast on Saturday as the Tigers rallied from an early 2-0 deficit to beat the Twins 7-2.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is   Javier Báez who has three home runs n the last three games for the Detroit Tigers.

 COOPERSTOWN, N.Y.  (CCN) — Former Detroit Tigers Manager Jim Leyland offered an emotional speech Sunday (July 21, 2024) when inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

“My contributions to our beautiful pastime pale in comparison to the joy it has brought to my life, from the heart of a little boy to the soul of an old man,” Leyland said.

He was a former Double-A ball back-up catcher who went on to spend 22 years as a big league manger. He won a World Series championship with the Miami Marlins, made it to the World Series two other times in Detroit and won six division titles with the Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Leyland was honored three times as Manager of the Year.

 Inducted Sunday with Leyland were Todd Helton, Adrian Beltré and Joe Mauer.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is former Detroit Tigers' Manager Jim Leyland.

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

DETROIT (CCN) — Boxer Claressa Shields will step up to the heavyweight division on Saturday night (July 27, 2024) at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

She announced via her Facebook page that all floor seats are sold out for the big title fight.

Tickets start at $25 and range all the way to $750.

The two-time Olympic champion from Flint is the reigning WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO Middleweight World Champion and is the only women’s boxer in history to hold undisputed world titles in two divisions. She's also s is also a professional mixed martial artist in the Professional Fighters League.

Shields defended her middleweight belts by scoring a unanimous 10-round decision over Maricela Cornejo in June 2023 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The wildly successful event was the first boxing match ever held there.

“The Queen of Boxing is back! I’m so excited to return to the ring, especially after my MMA victory in February.” Shields said. “I’m excited to bring another entertaining fight to Little Caesars Arena. Last time 12,000 fans filled the arena, and this time we’re going to lift the roof off the building! This is a significant and unique fight where I am moving up two weight classes against a very tough champion in my quest to become World Champion in my fourth weight division. It’s an exciting time for women’s sports, and I thank DAZN for providing a global platform for women’s boxing. I plan to do what I do best: bring that GWOAT energy and continue putting women’s boxing on the map.”

She held a big party in Flint on Sunday at her old stomping grounds of Berston Field House on Saginaw Street.

"We’re taking over the block! I want all my friends, family, and supporters to join me in Flint for my official send-off to fight week," she had posted on social media when inviting Flint friends to join her.

 Shields will fight Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse. The 29-year-old from Canada is WBC World Champion in the Heavyweight division and 8-0 for her pro career. Shields is 14-0 since becoming a pro boxer after winning two Olympic gold medals.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is boxer Claressa Shields who is fighting for the heavyweight championship on Saturday night at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.  

DETROIT (CCN) — The Detroit Red Wings re-signed former first round draft choice Joe Veleno to a two-year contract for $2.275 million per season.

Veleno, 24, skated in 80 games with the Red Wings during the 2023-24 season as a centerman and set career highs in goals (12), assists (16), points (28), power play goals (3), shots (86) and shooting percentage (14.0%). The 6-foot-1, 201-pound forward spent the entire 2022-23 campaign in Detroit as well and finished with 20 points (9-11-20) and only 30 penalty minutes.

Selected by the Red Wings in the first round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft with the 30th overall pick, Veleno has totaled 64 points (30-34-64) and 81 penalty minutes in 232 NHL games since 2020-21. He also collected 36 points (18-18-36) and 26 penalty minutes in 69 games with the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins from 2019-2022. Additionally, Veleno began the 2020-21 season with the Malmo Redhawks in the Swedish Hockey League, notching 20 points (11-9-20) and 20 penalty minutes in 46 games before returning to North America following the conclusion of the SHL season.

Prior to turning professional, Veleno played four seasons with the Saint John Sea Dogs and Drummondville Voltigeurs in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League from 2015-19, racking up 266 points (90-176-266), a plus-82 rating and 106 penalty minutes in 230 games, along with 46 points (27-19-46) and 34 penalty minutes in 61 postseason matchups. 

In the 2018-19 season, Veleno was selected to the QMJHL First All-Star Team after ranking fourth in the league with 104 points (42-62-104) in 59 regular-season games with Drummondville.

 Veleno helped Saint John win a QMJHL title in 2017 when he had 3 goals and 8 assists for 14 points in the playoffs after scoring 13 goals and 27 assists for 40 points in regular season play.

 A native of Kirkland, Quebec, Veleno became the first Quebec-born prospect to be granted exceptional player status by Hockey Canada in 2015. On the international stage, Veleno won a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2023 IIHF World Championship, tallying five points (2-3-5) in five games. He also represented his country at back-to-back IIHF World Junior Championships in 2019 and 2020, earning a gold medal at the 2020 tournament. Additionally, Veleno dished out three assists in four appearances at the 2018 IIHF World Under-18 Championship and captained Team Canada to a gold medal at the 2017 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Joe Veleno who has re-signed with the Detroit Red Wings for two seasons.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS (CCN) — The Detroit Tigers took a high school player with their first pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. They took shortstop Bryce Rainer from Hollywood, California with the 11th selection overall.

Rainer is also a top pitching prospect — maybe the top one in the Class of 2024.

He led Harvard-Westlake to its second CIF Southern Section Division I title in school history as a freshman when going 9-0 with 74 strikeouts and a 1.46 ERA in 55 2/3 innings. He also hit .391 at the plate to take home the Max Preps National Freshman of the Year award.

Rainer focused on playing shortstop afterward when catching the eye of MLB scouts.

The left hitter finished his senior season last month with a .505 batting average.

Current Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, who was also drafted out of high school from Harvard-Westlake, told reporters in the days leading up to the MLB Draft that he sees Rainer making the big leagues in four or five years.

"I think Bryce is more than capable of being a top-five pick and a kid that goes to the big leagues in the next four or five years,” Crow-Armstrong had told reporters earlier in the week.

"And he’s got the attitude for it, he added. "Now, it’s just his turn to kind of find his way in the pro ball setting and get beat up a little bit, but then have the opportunity to show everybody who Bryce Rainer is. He’s really, really, really talented. Better than me at that age. Not even close. Not defensively, but he can hit, and if he wanted to go try the two-way thing, I think he’d have a good chance of doing that. Talent-wise, he’s got it, for sure."

The Tigers have a history with Harvard-Westlake High School, too. They took Brennan Boesch in the 3rd round of the 2006 MLB Draft. He went there, too, before playing college ball at Cal and making it to the big leagues with the Tigers.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is shortstop Bryce Rainer who was the first pick by the Detroit Tigers on Sunday in the 2024 MLB Draft. Rainer hit .505 last season in high school ball and is also a pitching prospect.

(CCN) — C.J. Weins is headed to Detroit's organization after he was obtained in a trade with the Boston Red Sox.

Weins is a 24-year-old, right-handed pitcher who was a 6th round draft choice of the Red Sox out of Western Kentucky in 2023.

In 20 games this season for Salem in single-A ball, Weins had a 4.62 earned run average in 25 1/3 innings of work. He is 0-2 with 3 saves.

He has been assigned to Detroit's single-A team in Lakeland known as the Flying TIgers.

The Tigers gave up relief pitcher Trey Wingenter to get Weins in the deal.

Wingenter pitched in spring training for the Tigers but has been at Triple-A Toledo all season. He has a sparkling 13.2 strikeouts per 9 innings in 26 relief appearances for the Mud Hens in 2024. He's 4-4 with a 3.31 ERA. Wingenter was a 17th round selection of the San Diego Padres in the 2015 MLB Draft. He has 33 saves in his 10-year minor league career that began with six seasons in the Padres' organization.

Wingenter missed missed almost all of 2020, 2021 and 2022 due to Tommy John surgery. He signed with the Tigers in 2023 and made it to the big leagues with them during his first season in their organization when splitting his time between Detroit and Toledo in Triple-A.

The trade comes as the Red Sox are 7 1/2 games ahead of the Tigers in the race for the final wild card playoff spot in the American League.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is C.J. Weins who was obtained by the Detroit Tigers in a trade with the Boston Red Sox. 

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

DETROIT (CCN) — The weekend magic continued Sunday (July 14, 2024) for the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. They used a rally in the bottom of the 9th inning to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers for the second day in a row.

Down 3-1, Sunday's comeback began with a lead-off triple in the bottom of the 9th by Zack McKinstry.  "It was a curveball up in the zone and I was able to get a barrel to it," the ex-Central Michigan star told media members afterward. "I saw it going toward the line and I was like, 'Stay fair, stay fair.' Then it hit the ground and I was like, 'Oh yeah, let's go,' and I turned on the burners." 

An RBI single by rookie pinch hitter Justyn-Henry Malloy tied it at 3-3, before back-to-back bunts were botched by the Dodgers. An errant throw over their third baseman's head into left field resulted in Malloy trotting in with the walk-off winning run.

Malloy and Ryan Vilade were both safe when the Dodgers booted a bunt by Vilade. Then Wenceel Perez dropped another bunt to try to move Malloy to third when the bad throw came by L.A.

Vilade, recently called up from Triple-A Toledo, was 2-for-3 on the day besides the sacrifice bunt.

Detroit's come-from-behind rally on Saturday to beat the Dodgers 11-9 came after they were down by 5 runs going into the bottom of the 9th. They tied it at 9-9 on Colt Keith's fifth home run in the last 10 games, then won it in the bottom of the 10th on the first big league homer by Gio Urshela.

The TIgers also treated their fans to an exciting game on Friday night when a sellout crowd of 42,060 fans packed Comerica Park, and were disappointed when superstar slugger Shohei Ohtani's RBI double in the 9th gave the Dodgers a 4-3 victory.

Another sellout crowd watched Detroit's dramatic rally on Saturday before more than 35,000 turned out on Sunday.

The Tigers climbed to 24,390 fans per game with the big crowds this weekend to move up to No. 21 in MLB attendance average. They went into the weekend at just over 20,000 fans per game to rank next to last in the entire MLB  — ahead of only the Miami Marlins.

Sunday marked the 8th time in the last 10 games that the Tigers won. Taking 2-out-of-3 over the National League's West Division leading Dodgers at Comerica Park followed taking 3-out-of-4 from the American League's Central Division leading Cleveland Guardians in Detroit. They started their hot streak with a 3-game sweep last weekend over the Reds in Cincinnati.

The Tigers got a great bullpen performance on Sunday after starter Beau Bridges surrendered all 3 runs by the Dodgers in the first inning.

Five Tigers combined to toss shut-out ball the rest of the way — highlighted by Kenta Maeda going 3 2/3 innings and giving up only one hit.

The Tigers are now 47-50 going into the break for Tuesday's All-Star Game in Arlington, Texas.

The Tigers are 12 games behind first-place Cleveland in the AL Central and within 5 games of the third-place Royals and 7 1/2 behind the second-place Twins.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Zack McKinstry who ripped a lead-off triple in the bottom of the 9th inning to begin Detroit's rally to win again in come-from-behind fashion via a walk-off winner.

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

DETROIT (CCN) — Gio Urshela hit his first big league home run in dramatic fashion with a walk-off blast to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 11-9 in front of a sellout crowd Saturday (July 13, 2024) at Comerica Park.

It came in the bottom of the 10th inning after the Tigers rallied from a 9-4 deficit to tie the game at 9-9 on a two-run homer by rookie Colt Keith in the bottom of the 9th.

The sellout crowd was the second in a row for the Tigers who blew a 3-2 lead to lose 4-3 on Friday night in front of 42,060 fans. 

Manager A.J. Hinch was bubbling with excitement after the game when meeting with reporters. He said, “I don't know how to appropriately comment on that game. It's an amazing feeling to see the guys happy — what a comeback on both sides of the ball.”

The Dodgers, who lead the National League's West Division, were 48-0 when leading this season after 8 innings. “That’s pretty cool,” CMU grad Zach McKinstry of the Tigers said to the media afterward. “Now (48) and one,” he added.

Keith, who drilled his 5th homer in 10 games, told reporters there is simply "no quit" in the Tigers. "We never gave up," he said. "Even (when) falling down 9-4, I feel like there was no change, no falter there. Everyone was going in, trying to have a good at-bat."

The Tigers started the bottom of the 9th with consecutive hits by Wenceel Pérez, Justyn-Henry Malloy and Matt Vierling. Pérez and Malloy had back-to-back singles before Vierling delivered a two-run double to get the Tigers within 9-6. 

 Riley Greene grounded out and Jake Rogers struck out to put the Tigers down to their final out.

Carson Kelly kept them alive with an RBI single to make it 9-7 before 22-year-old rookie Keith ripped a first-pitch, up-and-in cutter to the right field seats to tie it at 9-9.

Keith also knocked in 3 runs in the 2nd inning when belting a double. He was 3-for-4 in his 4 RBI day at the plate to raise his batting average to .253 after a slow start this season. The homer was his 9th of the year.

Rookie Keith also shined in the field at second base when turning an inning-ending doubleplay to strand the bases loaded in the top of the 10th.

 Shohei Ohtani scored three times for the Dodgers and belted his 29th home run to become the first Japanese-born player in MLB history to reach the 200 plateau for his career.

He scored for the third time in the 8th inning on Freddie Freeman's RBI sacrifice fly to put the Dodgers ahead 9-4 after a lead-off walk. He stole second base (his 23rd steal of the year) and moved up to third on a single by Teoscar Hernandez.

Ohtani also had a single and a triple to come up .only a double shy of hitting for the cycle.

The Dodgers slipped to 7 games ahead of the San Diego Padres in the NL West standings.

 The Tigers improved their record to 46-50 with one more contest until the All-Star Game break. That one will come Sunday at 1 pm in the rubber game of the 3-game series with L.A. The game will be on Bally Sports TV and the radio broadcast will originate from 97.1 FM The Ticket. The 13 games behind the first-place Cleveland Guardians in the American League's Central Division.

The Tigers took 3-out-of-4 from Cleveland to start their homestand at Comerica Park after a 3-game sweep over the Reds in Cincinnati.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Saturday's hero  Gio Urshela. His two-run homer won it for the Detroit Tigers in front of a sellout crowd Saturday at Comerica Park in walk-off fashion.

 ARLINGTON, TEXAS (CCN) — Cam Collier of the Cincinnati Reds' organization blasted a 409-foot home run to win the MVP award at the 25th annual MLB Futures Game as All-Star Week continued at Arlington's Globe Life Field which is the home of the Texas Rangers.

Collier led the National League prospects to a 6-1 victory over the American League prospects in the annual showcase of the top young players in minor league baseball.

The Detroit Tigers were represented by two of their top prospects in the minors — Single-A outfielder Max Clark and Double-A infielder Hao-Yu Lee. They were a combined 1-for-5 with Clark getting the lone hit on a line drive single.

Clark, who was the No. 3 overall pick in last year’s MLB draft.by the Tigers, is hitting .279 this season with the Lakeland Flying Tigers. He has 6 home runs and an impressive 25 stolen bases. 

The MLB Draft starts on Sunday, followed by the Home Run Derby on Monday and the All-Star Game on Tuesday.

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

DETROIT (CCN) — Shohei Ohtani spoiled an otherwise perfect night at Comerica Park in Detroit for the streaking Tigers.

They had won 6-of-7 coming into Friday night's (July 12, 2024) series with the National League's West Division leading Los Angeles Dodgers. A sellout crowd of more than 40,000 fans greeted the Tigers who led 3-2 but lost 4-3 on Ohtani's RBI double in the 9th inning.

The heroics by Ohtani showed why he's the highest paid player in baseball at $70 million per year on a 10-year deal.

The superstar had praise for Detroit starting pitcher Tarik Skubal who made a strong case to be the starter at Tuesday's All-Star Game with a strong 6-inning outing. "Hats off to Skubal for pitching really great, really good today,” said Ohtani through interpreter Will Ireton. “But I think we really put up good at-bats and grinded out every single at-bat. So I think the pitch count went up (to 101 pitches) and, as a result, we were able to have a shot to win today.”

Skubal is 10-3 on the year with a sparkling 2.41 earned run average. He has 140 strikeouts in 116 innings of pitching this season.

Friday's 101 pitches was a career high for Skubal who reached 99 mph on the radar gun several times during his 6 innings of work that featured 8 strikeouts against a Dodger' line-up that featured Ohtani as one of four all-stars and two past MVP winners.

“For sure, you could feel it as a player," Skubal told media members afterward about the sellout crowd of 42,070 fans. "You could feel the buzz in the park when I walked out (to warm up) today. That was awesome. Obviously, you want to win in front of those crowds when there’s however many thousands of people here. But we didn’t, so … Do it tomorrow.”

Perhaps the season highlight for young Skubal was striking out the side in the 2nd inning against the middle of the lineup in the potent Dodgers' offense that has carried them to a 7 1/2 game lead in the NL West Division.

Tigers' catcher Jake Rogers had nothing but praise for Skubal afterward to the media, saying, “He’s a firecracker. He was just going after guys. He’s always kind of like that. He was jawing at (plate umpire) John (Libka) a couple times, like he does with umpires, and I told John, ‘I’m sorry. He’s just competing his butt off out there.’”

L.A. closer Daniel Hudson, who had walked only 5 batters all season, walked two Tigers in the bottom of the 9th as the crowd was roaring in anticipation of a Detroit rally. Then Matt Vierling struck out and Hudson got Riley Greene to fly out to end the game.

 Teoscar Hernandez tied the game at 3-3 for the Dodgers with an opposite-field RBI single in the top of the 8th inning. Greene had a two-run double for the Tigers and Justyn Henry Malloy added an RBI single among two hits to build Detroit's 3-2 lead.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Shohei Ohtani who beat the Tigers Friday night with a 9th inning RBI double.

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

DETROIT (CCN) —  An alarming story has surfaced on a web site known as Awful Announcing about the mysterious 24-day absence by Craig Monroe from the Detroit TIgers' broadcast booth.

Monroe is a color commentator on games for both Bally Sports TV and 97.1 FM The Ticket.

The Detroit News reported at about 10 am today (July 2, 2024) that sources have since told the newspaper that Monroe was removed from his role on broadcasts last month minutes after a post on social media accused him of sexually molesting a girl in Florida. She said on her post that the the abuse continued for years, into his years playing in Detroit for the Tigers. She said she was initially a minor when the abuse began by Monroe while he was playing in the minor leagues.

Fox 2 Detroit TV reported the story last night on its 11 o'clock newscast about the news report by Brandon Contes of Awful Announcing.

The Detroit Tigers and Bally Sports had issued a statement on June 9 indicating that Monroe would be away from the booth while "taking care of a personal problem." The June 9 statement said:  " Craig Monroe is addressing a personal matter and is not on the broadcast schedule. Any further questions should be directed to Craig.” 

Another joint statement was issued to the Detroit News on Tuesday, saying, "Bally Sports Detroit and the Tigers are aware of the social media allegations and take them seriously. As previously stated, Mr. Monroe has not been on the broadcast schedule, and that will continue on an indefinite basis. We will have no further comment and any questions should be directed to Mr. Monroe."

 The woman who accused Monroe last night detailed the abuse she alleged in her June 9 social media post — alleging it dated back to her childhood when talking anonymously to Fox 2 Detroit TV.  

CBS announced an hour ago that the incident is now being investigated by the Sheriff's Department in the Florida county where the alleged sexual assault on the minor took place.  The New York Post and countless other media sources around the USA have now reported the story. Monroe has not made a statement and he has not reacted on his social media accounts 

Contes wrote on Awful Broadcasting that the Instagram account @carbarbie941 accused Monroe of the sex crimes of rape and child molestation. "The woman also additionally accused Monroe of turning her into a prostitute,” Contes wrote.

Monroe played six seasons in Detroit (2002 until 2007) and was selected by the Tigers as their Rookie of the Year in 2003. He made brief Major League Baseball stints in 2001 and 2002 with the Texas Rangers and Tigers. Monroe also played for the Chicago Cubs, Minnesota Twins and Pittsburgh Pirates  during his 9-year MLB career. He played 7 1/2 full seasons in the minors before making Detroit's roster out of spring training in 2003. He was the 206th overall pick in the 1995 draft in the 8th round and the Tigers claimed him off waivers from Texas during the off season after Monroe made his big league debut in 2002.

Monroe was a career .252 hitter with 115 home runs and 435 RBI. He was a .265 hitter in the minors with 100 home runs, 495 RBI and 180 stolen bases. 

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Craig Monroe who has been working on TV telecasts on Major League Baseball games of the Detroit Tigers since 2012.

CINCINNATI (CCN) — . The Detroit Tigers scored three times in the 8th inning to win in Cincinnati Sunday 5–1 over the Reds. Ace pitcher Tarik Skubal had another stellar outing on Sunday, allowing a single run on three hits with a career-high 13 strikeouts to help the Tigers complete a three-game series sweep at Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park. 

The Tigers won 5-4 over the Reds Friday night and won 5-3 on Saturday with a s come-from-behind effort.

 Zach McKinstry had a RBI single in the 4th to put the Tigers ahead 1-0 and after the Reds tied it in the bottom of the 4th. It then stayed 1-1 until the 7th when Colt Keith delivered a RBI single.

 McKinstry ripped a two-run homer in the 8th and newly recalled Austin Meadows added a two-out RBI single for lots of insurance.  Will Fest and Alex Faedo finished off the Reds in relief of Skubal with one inning each of scoreless work 

Sunday's victory improved the Tigers to 42-48 on the season — identical to the Reds and good for 15 games back of the Guardians who come to town tonight to start a three-game series. Game time is 6:40 pm at Comerica Park in Detroit you can tune in via Bally Sports TV or on the radio at 97.1 FM The Ticket. 

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is ace pitcher Tarik Skubal of the Detroit TIgers.

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF. (CCN) — The Chase Center, as well as the entire bay area, will never be the same for sports fans. They won't be able to watch one half of their famous "Splash Brothers" act after it was revealed that Klay Thompson is departing the Golden State Warriors.

ESPN reports that after 13 seasons and four NBA championships with fellow backcourt star Steph Curry, Thompson is joining the 2024 NBA finalist Dallas Mavericks via a sign-and-trade deal confirmed today (July 2, 2024).

He was a free agent but agreed to sign a contract to allow the trade to happen with the Mavs.

Thompson is a five-time NBA All-Star who will now join Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in Dallas. The Mavs lost to the Boston Celtics in this year's NBA championship series.

Thompson has averaged 19.1 points per game during his NBA career. He's best known for his 41.3% shooting percentage from behind the 3-point arc. Thompson set a NBA record with a 37-point third quarter in 2015 en route to a 13-for-13 shooting night during a 52-point explosion.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Klay Thompson who is leaving the Golden State Warriors after 13 seasons to join the Dallas Mavericks who were NBA finalists this season.