It’s that time of the year, as we have reached the State Finals for the High School football season. With games back to their regular Friday and Saturday schedules, with eight games left in the season, we will break down each matchup and give you a look at how each team got here. This will be the Saturday edition of the picks and preview article. Remember, all games will take place at Ford Field this weekend.
This week, two special guests join our experts for the picks in Allen Park High School Head Coach Tom Danosky and Southgate High School Football and Head Baseball Coach Andy Green. Danosky has been the Head Coach at Allen Park since 2016, and Green has been Southgates Running Backs Coach since 2022, and the Baseball Coach since 2023.
Round up
Last week, our experts were joined by Henry Ford College Head Baseball Coach Jacob Pacholski. Here is how everyone did in the picks.
Bear: 6-7 (60-18)
Nat: 5-8 (53-26)
Kirby: 5-8 (52-26)
Guest Picker: Jacob Pacholski: 7-6 (70-9)
Division 1: Detroit Cass Tech vs Hudsonville- 7:00pm
The final game of the weekend will end the football season for Michigan High Schools and cap off a weekend that will see seven games featuring first-time matchups, including this one between Cass Tech and Hudsonville.
This will be Cass Tech’s fifth appearance in the state title game, and they have won three of the previous games. The last time they were in the state finals was in 2016 when they beat Detroit Catholic Central 49-20. This will be the fourth time that Hudsonville has made it to the state finals, losing the last three. The last time they made it was in 2005 when they lost to Brother Rice by a final of 14-7.
For the Cass Tech football team, everyone knows about Corey Sadler, which is a given with how talented he is, but Sadler isn’t the only player who is a star for Cass Tech. They also have players like Alex Graham, De’Mari Hendrix, and Freshman Quarterback Donald Tabron. Tabron has been a breath of fresh air for the Technicians of Cass Tech as he has given them a true Quarterback since the graduation of Leeshaun Mumpfield. During the season, Tabron has completed 71 of 114 passing attempts for 1318 yards and 13 touchdowns. The top two pass catchers for the Technicians were Sadler and Graham, as they pulled in 62 catches for 1217 yards and 13 touchdowns. Graham has also played a role in the return game, scoring two touchdowns and intercepting two passes. The Technicians also like to run the ball, as between Hendrix and Julian Taylor, they combined 1138 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Hudsonville has had a pretty balanced offense; they attempted 125 passes with Starter Griffin Baker, and he completed 76 of them for 1105 yards and ten touchdowns. However, Baker wasn’t afraid to take off with the ball as he ran for 557 yards and 13 touchdowns on 105 attempts this season. If it wasn’t Baker running with the ball, it was Bryce Fox who rushed 201 times for 937 yards and 13 touchdowns. As we said, the Eagles of Hudsonville have had a balanced attack as Carson Dykstra and Braden VanLaecke pulled in nine of the ten touchdowns that Barker threw this season.
Will Cass Tech use home-field advantage to its advantage, or will Hudsonville walk out of Detroit with its first-ever State Title?
Bear: Cass Tech
Nat: Cass Tech
Kirby: Hudsonville
Danosky: Hudsonville
Green: Hudsonville
Division 3: Detroit Martin Luther King vs Zeeland West-12:30pm
This will be the First time the two schools have met on a football field.
This will be the fifth time that Zeeland West has made it to the state finals, and they have won all four times they have made it in the past, with their last coming in 2015 against Flint Powers, a game they won handily 40-14. This will be the tenth time Martin Luther King has made it to the state finals, with them going 6-3 in the last nine appearances. They last made it to Ford Field in 2022, as they beat Muskegon 56-27.
The Zeeland West Dux is a running team, and their best runner this season has been the full-back Keaton Hendricks. Hendricks has carried the ball 121 times for 1419 yards and 18 touchdowns as the lead back. They also used Isaac VanderZwaag and Jonah Leslie in the running game, with VanderZwaag running it 115 times for 609 yards and eight scores, and Leslie has 12 touchdowns on 82 carries for 444 yards.
For the Crusaders of Martin Luther King, they have the third most state title appearances in the field this year. They are led by players like Xavier Newsome and Damon Stennis, who have the title game experience, which will be a big factor in this game for first-year Head Coach Terel Patrick. While this is Patrick’s first year as the head man, he has plenty of experience as an assistant coach in this game. While Newsome and Stennis have experience in this game, they will also have to rely on Darryl Flemister and Michael Dukes, who have been key contributors for them this season.
Will Zeeland West walk out of Ford Field with their fifth title, or will Martin Luther King use the close proximity to home to get their seventh title?
Bear: MLK
Nat: MLK
Kirby:MLK
Danosky: MLK
Green: MLK
Division 5: Notre Dame Prep vs Frankenmuth- 4:00pm
This will be the first time the two schools have met.
This will be the third time that Frankenmuth has made it to the state finals, with their previous two trips ending in losses. The last time they made the track to Ford Field was in the 2022 season when they lost 10-7 to Gladwin. For Notre Dame Prep, on the other hand, this will be their first trip to Ford Field for the Championship game. Before this season, their best finish was three losses in the regional round of the playoffs.
Frankenmuth has used three quarterbacks to complete 37 passes for nine touchdowns and 841 yards. They have also used four different runners to score 30 touchdowns on a little over 2200 yards. If Frankenmuth wants to leave Detroit as champions, Kobbi Ke and Lleyton Hoard will have to play a big role.
Notre Dame Prep might be the most explosive team left in the playoffs, and they will look to use that explosive ability to win their first state title. Leading the explosive offense is junior quarterback Sam Stowe. On the year, Stowe has passed for 2458 yards and 33 touchdowns and rushed for seven touchdowns and 42 yards. Stowe’s favorite target has been Joey Decasas, who has pulled in 72 receptions for 1118 yards and 18 touchdowns. Also playing a big role on offense has been Billy Collins, who has rushed for eight scores and 1186 yards, and if it isn’t Collins who runs it in from out deep, it will be Drew Heimbuch who will pound it in from short distance like he has done 18 times this season.
Bear: Notre Dame Prep
Nat: Notre Dame Prep
Kirby: Frankenmuth
Danosky: Notre Dame Prep
Green: Notre Dame Prep
Division 7: Millington vs SMCC- 9:30am
This will be the second time that the two teams have met in a game, the last one coming in 1991, when SMCC beat them 9-7 in the regional round of the Playoffs.
This will be Millington’s first trip to the state finals. Their best finish has been six losses in the semifinals of the state playoffs. For SMCC, this will be their eighth trip to the state finals. They are currently 3-4, with their last win coming in the 2019 finals against Maple City Glen Lake.
Millington is looking for their first state title in football and will look to a variety of different people to make that happen like they have all year. Millington will lean on both of their running backs, Dallas Walsh and Landon Russel, who have combined for just under 3000 yards and 25 touchdowns. Quarterback Truk Terbush is another player who likes to run the ball with authority. Terbush has run for 453 yards and ten touchdowns, as well as throwing for 1298 yards and 19 scores. Terbush also has two pick-sixes on the year.
For SMCC, it’s the Drew Harris and the Ian Foster show. Harris has been a bell cow back for SMCC as he has gone off for 1348 yards and 21 scores out of the backfield, but that isn’t all he can do as he has also pulled in three touchdowns on four receptions for his quarterback Ian Foster. While Foster is the team’s quarterback, he is fearless in taking off and running the ball. While he has passed for 15 touchdowns and 640 yards on 27 of 41 passing attempts, he has also run for 424 yards and seven scores.
It will be a battle of the running attack in the Division Seven final. Which team’s rushing attack will pay off for a State Title?
Bear: SMCC
Nat: SMCC
Kirby: Millington
Danosky: SMCC
Green: SMCC