In an game eerily similar to the one a few weeks ago with these same two teams, Reese earned a 29-6 decision over Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port in the opening round of the Division 6 playoffs Friday night.
The Rockets led just 14-6 at the half, but took advantage of sloppy play from the Lakers, scoring once in the third quarter and then again early in the final period to put the game away.
EPBP's lone score came on a 20-yard fumble recovery from Chris Rowe midway through the second quarter.
That means the Lakers mustered just one offensive TD in 8 quarters vs. the Rockets this season.
In the first game between these teams in Week 7, the Rockets led just 12-7 at the half before breaking it open for a 33-7 win.
A complete recap of the contest will appear in Monday's Tribune.
Here are some photos from the game...
In the most dominating effort of the season, Ubly dismantled Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest, 52-0 in the first round of the Division 7 playoffs. The Bearcats' defense shined as it held the Crusaders to just 39 total yards of offense. Meanwhile, the offense was clicking as it racked up 541 total yards, including 494 on the ground. In all, 13 different players ran the ball for Ubly, led by Justin Cleary with 156 yards on 17 carries, including a 29-yard score. Bryan Nash added 125 yards on 11 totes. He had touchdown runs of 22 and 29. Jordan Terrasi added 51 yards on nine carries and had a 3-yard TD run. Other scores came from Jimmy Shaw on a 28-yard run, Keith Kramer on a 14-yard run and Adam Glaza to Eric Booms for a brilliant 8-yard throw and catch. The Tribune will have much more on this game in Monday's paper. Until then, here are some photos from the game.
Here are playoff scores from around the state. There are a few surprises.
Friday’s Scores
By The Associated Press
PREP FOOTBALL
Division 1
Ann Arbor Pioneer 28, Temperance Bedford 7
Canton 40, Plymouth 17
Clarkston 17, Lake Orion 7
Detroit Cass Tech 24, Dearborn Fordson 23
Grand Haven 34, Grand Ledge 10
Holt 13, Brighton 10
Howell 19, Jackson 14
Livonia Stevenson 21, Northville 7
Macomb Dakota 34, Clinton Township Chippewa Valley 10
Rockford 30, East Kentwood 20
Romeo 35, Grand Blanc 21
Sterling Heights Stevenson 35, Roseville 0
Warren Mott 35, Troy 21
Division 2
Birmingham Brother Rice 35, Walled Lake Central 7
Brownstone Woodhaven 28, Gibraltar Carlson 12
Caledonia 40, Portage Northern 34, OT
Grosse Pointe North 43, Port Huron 22
Inkster 51, Dearborn Edsel Ford 19
Lapeer West 14, Bay City Western 0
Lowell 42, St. Johns 3
Midland 31, Flushing 21
Muskegon 15, Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills 6
Portage Central 28, Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills 13
Rochester Adams 29, Fenton 23
Southgate Anderson 20, Wyandotte Roosevelt 17, OT
Warren De La Salle 20, Grosse Pointe South 0
Division 3
Adrian 28, Milan 0
Byron Center 41, Hastings 6
Chelsea 24, Carleton Airport 21
DeWitt 42, Mason 0
East Grand Rapids 43, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Eastern 0
Hazel Park 40, St. Clair Shores Lake Shore 27
Lansing Sexton 33, Fowlerville 20
Linden 54, Bay City John Glenn 29
Melvindale 33, Dearborn Divine Child 10
St Joseph 56, Richland Gull Lake 13
Stevensville Lakeshore 14, Battle Creek Harper Creek 7
West Branch Ogemaw Heights 8, Petoskey 0
Division 4
Big Rapids 40, Fremont 7
Detroit Country Day 49, Dearborn Heights Annapolis 6
Flint Powers 7, Croswell-Lexington 0
Goodrich 31, Yale 8
Grand Rapids West Catholic 25, Grand Rapids Catholic Central 6
Hamilton 28, Dowagiac Union 3
Holland Christian 28, Spring Lake 6
Marine City 28, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 12
Marysville 50, Richmond 7
Saginaw Swan Valley 26, Portland 14
Stanton Central Montcalm 24, Essexville Garber 22
Three Rivers 14, Otsego 0
Williamston 42, Battle Creek Pennfield 6
Division 5
Berrien Springs 19, Hopkins 0
Capac 35, Harper Woods Chandler Park Academy 0
Clare 25, Freeland 20
Durand 34, Laingsburg 14
Jackson Lumen Christi 40, Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard 0
Madison Heights Madison 47, Detroit University Prep 0
Millington 53, Carrollton 21
Morley-Stanwood 38, North Muskegon 7
Ovid-Elsie 36, Lake Fenton 8
Pinconning 12, Houghton Lake 0
Stockbridge 13, Onsted 6
Vasser 28, Flint Beecher 0
Wyoming Kelloggsville 22, Hillsdale 8
Division 6
Bronson 27, Addison 13
Calumet 54, Charlevoix 13
Clinton 14, Adrian Madison 12
Ithaca 21, Grandville Calvin Christian 0
Manchester 10, Grass Lake 8
Michigan Center 14, Union City 8
Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central 42, Harper Woods 22
Montague 42, Lake City 0
Olivet 20, Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian 16
Reese 29, Elkton-Pigeon Bay Port Laker 6
Sanford-Meridian 14, Suttons Bay 7
St. Charles 51, Sandusky 12
Watervliet 49, Lawton 15
Division 7
Hudson 56, Concord 12
Ishpeming 34, Norway 0
Merrill 20, McBain 18
Petersburg Summerfield 28, Warren Michigan Collegiate 8
Potterville 29, Pewamo-Westphalia 6
Ravenna 43, Saugatuck 14
Reading 20, Ottawa Lake Whiteford 8
Rudyard 32, Rogers City 6
Traverse City St. Francis 54, Indian River-Inland Lakes 0
Ubly 52, Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest 0
White Pigeon 14, Decatur 6
Division 8
Bark River-Harris 25, Pickford 20
Beal City 45, Ashley 8
Climax-Scotts 22, Fowler 6
Colon 45, St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran 0
Crystal Falls Forest Park 21, Iron Mountain North Dickinson 15
Frankfort-Elberta 21, Mio 14
Fulton-Middleton 20, Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart 16
Johannesburg-Lewiston 38, Hillman 0
Manistee Catholic Central 28, Central Lake 22
New Lothrop 56, Sterling Heights Parkway Christian 33
Pittsford 36, Eau Claire 0
St. Ignace LaSalle 29, Gaylord St. Mary 28, OT
It's opening night of the high school football playoffs.
Post scores/comment/lowlights from tonight's games on this thread.
Adams is at Ubly vs. Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest.
Bogan is at Lakers vs. Reese.
Good luck to all...
DECKERVILLE — All through Deckerville's topsy-turvy season, coach Bill Brown never wavered.
And for all the ups and downs Brown and his Eagles have endured in 2009, they're right back where they're used to.
That place is the playoffs.
And, for the third straight season, they get a chance to battle one of the Detroit Catholic League's perennial powers — Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes.
The 5-4 Eagles travel to 7-2 WLOL for an opening-round Division 8 playoff contest at 2 p.m. Saturday.
In 2007, WLOL earned a 36-20 win over the Eagles for the district championship. Last year, Deckerville returned the favor in a 55-34 shelling for the district crown.
"They're a very good program and they are very well-coached," Brown said earlier this week. "We know we have to play a heck of a game against these guys."
Deckerville and WLOL have taken different paths to get to this point of the season.
For the Eagles, they started 2-0, including an impressive 41-14 win over the No. 2 seed in this district, Sterling Heights Parkway Christian, in the season opener. After that, though, the Eagles hit a midseason speed bump when they lost three straight games to playoff-bound Brown City, Sandusky and Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port.
From there, they recovered to win three of their last four games to be one of the eight Division 8 schools with five victories to sneak into the postseason.
Youth, injuries, bad bounces and a lack of intensity all contributed to Deckerville's midseason skid, its longest regular season losing streak since the final three games of 2004.
But to Brown and his Eagles, that's history.
"It's no secret we struggled a little bit," Brown said. "After the Laker game, we've done some things a little differently, and that's helped."
One of the things Deckerville has done is narrow its playbook just a tad.
"We've gone to more of a straight T," Brown said. "The kids have gotten more physical. Our intensity has picked up, and that's something we've needed. We've gotten into a little bit of a groove."
The Eagles were indeed in the groove in last week's 44-22 thumping of Lincoln Alcona. Deckerville rushed for 374 yards, including Scott Gobie's 198 yards and three touchdowns. Rex Thayer added 111 yards and two scores while Cody Ross notched 42 yards and one more TD.
WLOL, meanwhile, started the season with seven straight wins, but wound up losing its final two games to Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (49-6) and Madison Heights Bishop Foley (13-10).
"Their offense is similar to what they've run the last few years," Brown said. "They run a version of the spread. They have a couple of big kids up front, and they have a couple of speedy backs, but they're small.
“Their quarterback throws pretty well. Passing the ball is a big part of their game. They might throw it 40-50 percent of the time, depending on the weather."
WLOL's regular season schedule had three playoff teams on it — Suttons Bay, Royal Oak Shrine and Notre Dame Prep. The six other teams WLOL played combined for a 15-37 record. Two of those teams played eight-game slates.
Deckerville, on the other hand, had one of the Thumb's toughest schedules. The Eagles' nine opponents combined for a 56.8 percent winning percentage.
"Five of our nine opponents made the playoffs," Brown said. "We played a heck of a schedule. I think the kids know that. I know they are going to give it all they have and leave it all on the field.
“And we have to make sure we're ready to go Saturday — and not Friday night."
The winner of this game takes on the winner of the New Lothrop vs. Sterling Heights Parkway Christian contest for the district championship.
HOW THEY GOT HERE
DECKERVILLE
WEEK 1: Deck. 41, SH Parkway 14*
WEEK 2: Deck. 50, Harbor Beach 6
WEEK 3: Brown City 35, Deck. 6*
WEEK 4: Sandusky 33, Deck. 12*
WEEK 5: EPBP 40, Deckerville 7*
WEEK 6: Deckerville 50, Mayville 6
WEEK 7: Deckerville 38, Marlette 0
WEEK 8: Ubly 56, Deckerville 36*
WEEK 9: Deckerville 44, L-Alcona 22
5-4; PF: 284 (31.5); PA 212 (23.5)
RECORD VS. PLAYOFF TEAMS: 1-4
HOW THEY GOT HERE
WLOL
WEEK 1: WLOL 18, Suttons Bay 13
WEEK 2: WLOL 35, Detroit Allen 8
WEEK 3: WLOL 39, MCCM 7
WEEK 4: WLOL 28, R. Gab. Rich. 12
WEEK 5: WLOL 20, A. Park Cab. 6
WEEK 6: WLOL 28, RO Shrine 20*
WEEK 7: WLOL 33, Det. U. Luth. 6
WEEK 8: ND Prep 49, WLOL 6*
WEEK 9: MH Foley 13, WLOL 10
7-2; PF: 217 (24.1); PA 134 (14.7)
*RECORD VS. PLAYOFF TEAMS: 2-1
UBLY — Ubly is back where it wants to be — at home and in the playoffs for a ninth straight season.
The Bearcats completed their second straight undefeated regular season, ensuring they will be at home for at least three games if they can continue to win. They will host Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest (7-2) at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the opening round of the Division 7 playoffs.
“It’s huge, we’re very tired of going on the road,” said Ubly coach Bill Sweeney, whose team has played five road games this season. “It’s just really nice to be at home, get the home crowd here and play in a playoff-type atmosphere.
“It sure beats going on the road.”
The Crusaders are making their second straight postseason appearance. It’s the first time in school history the program has made the playoffs in consecutive seasons.
Expectations are high for Ubly to make another lengthy playoff run, but Sweeney will not allow himself, his staff, or players get caught up in that.
“We’re glad to be in the playoffs where the games really mean something,” he said. “Now, it’s just prepare week to week. If you’re not good enough — you’re done.
“You get so caught in the moment, you don’t see ahead or behind.
“You’re coaching and playing for the here and now. These kids will have the rest of their lives to think about if they put Ubly football on the map.”
Much like last year’s playoff opener with Genesee, the Bearcats’ secondary will be tested as Rochester features a quarterback duo that is not afraid to go to the air.
In fact, Sweeney compared the Crusaders to the Wolves with the style of offense they prefer to run.
“They throw the ball a lot,” Sweeney said. “They played in a monsoon last Friday, and they threw it at least 20 times. They’ve been very successful throwing the ball. They have two quarterbacks that throw the ball well. They have guys that can catch it.
“We just have to play good, sound defense, cover their guys and put pressure on the quarterback. We’re just going to have to play disciplined.
“If they do catch it, we have to tackle them and leave them there. We can’t let them have a 60- or 70-yard play.”
In a 48-7 victory over Southfield Christian in Week 5, Alex Masell completed 8-of-15 passes for 268 yards and four touchdowns. He hooked up with the Crusaders’ other quarterback, Kyle Novack, on an 89-yard TD.
Rochester also features a defense that has only allowed 110 points (12.2 per game) this season.
The Crusaders have two shutouts to their credit and have held three other opponents to single digits.
“Defensively, they run every defense under the sun,” Sweeney said. “They don’t run the same defense twice it seems.
“We’ll have to be very astute to that.”
The defense will be tested by an Ubly team that features an offense every bit as potent as the record-setting squad of 2008.
In fact, the Bearcats’ 410 points (45.5 ppg) scored during the regular season is just 16 points off the pace from 2008.
Although the points are similar, the way they were scored has looked a little different. This year, Ubly has been able to overwhelm its opponents with an experienced offensive line and a deep backfield.
“We’re just not that flashy of a team,” Sweeney said. “We’re not what you would call an extremely athletic team. We’re tough, and we play good defense.
“Nobody really stands out like last year, but as a collective group, we have team speed and they play really well together. It’s an offensive line’s offense. What we run is all dictated by the offensive line and getting some backs that will run hard.”
“A lot of success has been the kids feel confident and they run our stuff really good. It may be boring or bland to a lot of people, but to us, we love it.”
Ubly’s main trio of runners, Justin Cleary, Bryan Nash and Jordan Terrasi, have combined for 2,483 yards, 36 touchdowns and average 7.73 yards per carry.
Cleary leads the group with 1,112 yards and 10 scores while Nash and Terrasi each have 13 touchdowns.
Quarterback Adam Glaza and Keith Kramer have a combined 655 yards and 13 touchdowns.
The winner of this game will face the winner of the Brown City at Genesee contest.
HOW UBLY GOT HERE
WEEK 1: Ubly 38, USA 12
WEEK 2: Ubly 41, Sandusky 6*
WEEK 3: Ubly 50, Marlette 21
WEEK 4: Ubly 48, Mayville 21
WEEK 5: Ubly 42, Harbor Beach 22
WEEK 6: Ubly 40, Vassar 14*
WEEK 7: Ubly 44, Brown City 8*
WEEK 8: Ubly 56, Deckerville 36*
WEEK 9: Ubly 51, Bad Axe 12
9-0; PF: 410 (45.5); PA 152 (16.7)
RECORD VS. PLAYOFF TEAMS: 4-0
HOW RHLN GOT HERE
WEEK 1: RHLN 6, Detroit Urban Luth. 0
WEEK 2: Royal Oak Shrine 35, RHLN 0
WEEK 3: RHLN 46, AH Oakland Chr. 0
WEEK 4: RHLN 26, Westland Luth. 15
WEEK 5: RHLN 48, Southfield Chr. 7
WEEK 6: RHLN 20, GP-Univ. Liggett 2
WEEK 7: RHLN 30, SH Parkway Chr. 6*
WEEK 8: Detroit Loyola 24, RHLN 6*
WEEK 9: RHLN 41, MC Card. Moon. 21
7-2; PF: 223 (24.7); PA: 110 (12.2)
*RECORD VS. PLAYOFF TEAMS: 1-2
PIGEON — Moments after Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port's 33-7 loss to Reese in Week 7, plans were already in the works for the rematch.
"We knew right after that game that if we wanted to get a chance to redeem ourselves we had to win out and maybe we'd get another shot at them," said EPBP coach George Gardy.
"Well, now we have it."
Yes, the Lakers and Rockets will meet once again, this time in the opening round of the Division 6 playoffs at 7 p.m. Friday at Reese.
"We know they are a very good team," Gardy said. "They are very athletic and they are very fast. We know we have our hands full, just like last time. We have to play very well."
That's exactly what the 7-2 overall Lakers didn't do Oct. 9. Though they trailed just 12-7 at the half, the Lakers gave up too many big plays, and couldn't muster any themselves, in their worst loss since a 41-7 setback to these same Rockets in Week 7 of 2007.
"We just could never get anything going," Gardy said.
In fact, the Rockets have had EPBP's number of late, winning six of the teams' last seven meetings.
That Oct. 9 meeting was played in sloppy conditions, with the teams combining for numerous fumbles and 16 plays for minus yardage. The Lakers had negative yardage nine times while the Rockets returned the favor seven times, according to Gardy, mostly due to fumbles.
"It seemed like we'd turn a second-and-five into a third-and-11," Gardy said. "We shot ourselves in the foot way too many times in that game.
"We've played in just as bad, or even worse, conditions the last few weeks and we've been just fine."
The Lakers were more than fine last week, rolling to a 22-0 shutout over playoff-bound Sandusky in wet and windy conditions.
Luke Voelker, Josh Goins and Mike Wolschlager scored touchdowns for the Lakers in that game. Meanwhile, the EPBP defense limited the Redskins to just 78 yards rushing and 54 yards passing. Going into the contest, Sandusky had been averaging over 32 points per game.
"We played very well defensively," Gardy said. "Our linemen and linebackers were in the right spots and they all did a nice job.
"We needed to finish strong — and we did."
While the Lakers are pleased with their regular season finale performance, the Rockets aren't. They traveled to two-win Mt. Morris last Friday and dropped a 14-6 decision to the Panthers.
That loss not only stung in the win-loss column, but it also dropped the 7-2 overall Rockets to the No. 2 seed in the district.
Offensively, Cody Somerville has had a nice season for the Rockets, including a 215-yard, two-TD performance against the Lakers in Week 7. He had scoring runs of 61 and 77 yards. Overall, Somerville has over 400 yards and six scores on the season while backfield mate Travis VanAlst has around 340 yards.
Justin Heinlein, who had two touchdown receptions against the Lakers, has hauled in 12 catches for 350 yards and seven scores this season.
Sophomore quarterback Travis Menapace has started the last few games for the Rockets in place of senior Josh Pickell, who was lost for the season with a ruptured spleen. Menapace, though, sprained his ankle in last week's game against Mt. Morris, according to reports. His status for Friday is uncertain.
Defensively, Kevin Kinasz leads the Rockets from his linebacker spot.
The Rockets come in yielding just 13.3 points per game, giving up more than two touchdowns just twice this season.
The winner of this game between two of the three Greater Thumb West tri-champions will take on the winner of the No. 1 seed St. Charles vs. No. 4 seed Sandusky contest for the district championship.
BAD AXE — Cindy Robbins didn't spare any connections, and has struck it big by bringing a pair of legendary professional bowlers to the Upper Thumb next weekend.
Robbins, a league coordinator here at Longshot Lanes Bar & Games in Bad Axe, has helped bring Walter Ray Williams Jr. and Bob Learn Jr. to the center for a "Bowl Like The Pros" event Saturday, Nov. 7.
Williams Jr. and Learn Jr., along with Gold, Silver and Bronze professional coaches, will be at the center from around 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. There will be special one-on-one training for specific squads at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. At 1 p.m., there will be a trick shot demonstration. Other events are planned throughout the day, as well.
"We managed to get these guys to come with perseverance and with a mission to be able to expose all area youth to this wonderful opportunity and experience of the pros," Robbins said. "All kids have a dream, and we want to provide this one for some."
Prior to coming to Longshot Lanes, Robbins worked for 15 years as a league coordinator in West Palm Beach, Fla. While she was there, she had the pleasure of meeting several professionals, including Learn Jr., Williams Jr., Marshall Holman, Dave Davis, and some others who worked out of Lake Worth Lanes and Greenacres Bowl in West Palm Beach.
One of the main reasons Longshot Lanes got involved in "Bowl Like The Pros" is the recent growth in the area in high school bowling. Several schools now sponsor high school teams in Huron, Sanilac and Tuscola counties. In fact, many of the area's bowling centers are sponsoring high school bowlers for this event.
"When I came to work here at Longshot Lanes for Cathy and Erick Heleski, and realized the dream Cathy had for the high school bowlers to all have access to these kind of professionals, I called Bob Learn Jr. — and from there it went," Robbins said.
Both Williams Jr. and Learn Jr. have had major success on the professional tour.
Williams Jr. owns 45 PBA titles, the most in tour history. He also owns seven major titles, tied for fourth all-time, and is a Tournament of Champions title away from joining Mike Aulby as the only bowlers to complete the “Super Slam" — a win in all five PBA majors. He holds the single-season earnings record with $419,700 in 2002-03, as well as the career earnings record as the first and only player to surpass the $4 million milestone. He has won the PBA Player of the Year award a record-tying six times (1986, 93, 96, 97, 98, 2003) and has won the George Young High Average Award and the Harry Smith Point Leader Award seven times each, both PBA records.
Learn Jr. has won five titles during his PBA career, including a major at the 1999 U.S. Open. Nicknamed Mr. 300, he has rolled 36 career PBA 300 games — 60 overall — and owns the PBA record for the highest three-game score on national television. He fired an 850 series en route to his 1996 Flagship Open victory.
"We are greatful and very lucky to have these pros coming to our humble little center and work their magic," Robbins said. "What a great event it will be."
Spectator tickets run $10 and are good for the entire event. The first 42 spectator tickets sold have guaranteed reserved seating. Spots are filling quickly, and there are a limited number of available tickets. The bowling center will not allow entry to the concourse area that day without a ticket.
For more information on this special event, call Longshot Lanes Bar & Games at (989) 269-9581.
It was a close race, but DAGreen has won the overall title of the Tribune's Sports Blog Football Contest. DAGreen gets a $35 gift certificate to any area eating establishment which has certificates.
DAGreen, let me know where you want the certificate to and I will get it in the mail for you.
Thanks everyone for playing.
And remember, we still have this week and next week!
Here are the final overall standings.
DAGreen 453
NCTL Alum 447
Chiuk Czlek 443
Gary Hunkins 440
Paul Adams 439
Chad Wingert 437
OldTymer75 434
Jill 431
Sportsdude 430
Eddie Fury 424
EPBP 92 424
Bodeen 424
Kellen Bickel 420
Buckeyes 420
Dan Rutkowski 417
Dan Gentner 417
Just Chiming In 415
Coaches Take 413
Two Cents Worth 412
Brandon Deacons 409
Fan77 409
Mike M. 408
Cracker Snake 407
Marty Baker 403
Dave Cook 402
Sara Siminski 401
Bob Bechtel 397
Jeff M. 396
OG Alumni 396
48441 390
Robert Rockefeller 388
Halfway Ed 381
Dustin Mazure 360
Clenny 341
Kyle Bechtel 341
Paehlig1984 340
Allyson Bechtel 334
Jesus 331
Big Worm 292
Aaron Smith 266
Garrett Green 259
Christian Selich 158
Dan Martin 141
Rick Glaza 120
Cory Joseph 113
Marshall Leipprandt 110
ANON 103
CO 82
Garrett Jurges 77
Barb Maurer 61
Steve Fletcher 52
Nevada Gaming Commission 39
Tom 38
Brian Robinson 36
John 22
Hale 18
Kentzebra 12
Hope everyone had a good time playing this year.
We have a Week 9 winner in the Tribune Sports Blog Football Contest.
OG Alumni is this past week's winner
OG Alumni was a nifty 18-2 this past week, missing just the Reese vs. Mt. Morris game and the Dryden vs. Morrice game.
OG Alumni, email me at mbogan@hearstnp.com with an address and I will get the cash out to you.
Overall winner and final standings coming in a few minutes.
Here are the games for Week 10, or the PLAYOFF EDITION, of the Tribune's Sports Blog Football Contest.
We hope to have the Week 9 winner posted later this evening.
Also, we hope to post the final standings and the overall winner then, as well.
20 bucks to this week's winner.
To the games...
2 pointers
Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest at Ubly
Vassar at Flint Beecher
Carrolton at Millington
Sandusky at St. Charles
N. Michigan at Grand Valley State
3 pointers
Flint Powers at Croswell-Lexington
Yale at Goodrich
New Lothrop at Sterling Hts. Parkway Christian
Northwood at Wayne State
Western Michigan at Kent State
4 pointers
EPBP at Reese
Deckerville at Waterford Lady Lakes
Alma at Adrian
Michigan at Illinois
Texas at Oklahoma State
5 pointers
Brown City at Genesee
Rams at Lions
Central Michigan at Boston College
Michigan State at Minnesota
USC at Oregon
EAST LANSING – The Michigan High School Athletic Association and Ford Field have agreed to a two-year extension of their contract to have the Association’s Football Finals take place at the 65,000-seat facility in downtown Detroit through the 2011 season.
Ford Field has been the home for the MHSAA Football Finals since 2005, and last year’s attendance of 66,160 was the highest for the two-day, eight-game event since the playoffs began their five-week, eight-division format in 1999.
“Our priority has always been to keep the Football Finals at Ford Field,” said John E. “Jack” Roberts, Executive Director of the MHSAA. “We know that teams and fans appreciate having ideal conditions in which to play for and watch an MHSAA championship, and we appreciate Ford Field’s willingness in a tough economy to agree to a contract extension under the terms of the current agreement.”
“As an organization, we are strongly committed to supporting youth football in our community and throughout the state of Michigan,” said Tom Lewand, President of Ford Field and the Detroit Lions. “Ford Field is proud to have been home to the high school football finals since 2005 and we’re thrilled to continue this tremendous partnership with the MHSAA, its teams and their fans.”
The MHSAA Football Finals take place annually on Thanksgiving weekend. This year’s dates are Nov. 27-28. The Finals are scheduled for Nov. 26-27 in 2010; and Nov. 25-26 in 2011.
Tickets for this year’s MHSAA Football Finals at Ford Field can be purchased for $10 beginning in mid-November at the Ford Field Box Office; and sales will take place at participating schools the week of the event. Tickets will also be sold on the day of the games at the Ford Field Box Office, located at the corner of Brush and Adams Streets. Parking for this year’s games will be available at the Ford Field Parking Deck, Lot 4 and Lot 5 for $6. Visit the parking maps at mhsaa.com or fordfield.com for other suggested parking locations near Ford Field.
Just a quick note about the area playoff games.
In Division 6, the Reese-Laker game will be played at 7 p.m. Friday.
In Division 7, the Ubly-Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest game will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
In Division 8, the Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes-Deckerville game will be at 2 p.m. Saturday.
WLOL does not have lights for its field.
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