MHSAA Football - Regional Championship Round
Regional championship round is upon us. Now things get really intense because there are only eight teams left in each division. A win this week will get them into the semifinals and one step closer to Ford Field. For many, this is one last chance at a home game and the seniors for that team have a final chance to play on their home turf. Next week’s games will be at a neutral location. But that’s next week. They still have to finish strong in the regional championship round and earn a chance to keep playing.  One interesting point is that all my games that i'm writing about this week occur on Saturday.  I don't remember that ever happening except the Saturday after Thanksgiving for the state title.  On to the games!
Division 2 – Detroit
Warren DeLaSalle (8-3) at Birmingham Brother Rice (11-0) (Saturday November 15, 11:30am)
This is going to be a knock down drag out battle between two Detroit Catholic League teams. They have played 53 previous times with Brother Rice holding a 42-11 advantage in the win column. Those records get thrown out the window in a playoff game though. Last week, DeLaSalle held off a late surge by East English Village to win 21-14. Quarterback Joey Garbarino completed three of his seven passes for 66 yards, a score, and an interception. He ran 17 times for 65 more yards. Allen Stritzinger, a sophomore, rushed 16 times for 49 yards and a pair of scores while also catching a 30 yard pass. Myles Charley caught a 29 yard touchdown pass. Garbarino fumbled three times in the game, and with the weather getting pretty cold this week, he better keep those fingers warm and hold on to that frozen ball so they don’t give Brother Rice easy points off turnovers.
Brother Rice also won last week, beating Birmingham Groves 49-7. Star of the game was quarterback Alex Malzone who tossed a school record six touchdown passes. Incredibly, he did it all in the first half. Malzone finished 11 of 15 for 209 yards, six touchdowns, and an interception. His favorite target was Grant Perry who caught four passes for 112 yards and two touchdowns. Michael Roney, Matthew Jordan, John Garry, and Brian Fortin all caught touchdown passes in the win. Brandon Thomas led the rushing attack with five runs for 55 yards and a score. Donovan Greening chipped in six runs for 24 yards. The offense for the Warriors has been prolific, but that doesn’t mean they have it in the bag. They will need a great effort and great concentration to pull off a win this late in the playoffs.
Division 5 – U.P. Football
Freeland (10-1) at Menominee (11-0) (Saturday November 15, 2pm)
When I was starting to do research on this one, I wondered how many times these two teams have played. I know that Menominee had battled Freeland’s league rival Swan Valley on multiple occasions. Interestingly enough, these two teams have never met. I will tell you this though; both teams are going to run the ball from tight formations and run it with success. Freeland likes the Wing T offense and occasionally spreads things out and passes the ball. They have played very well this season, losing only to Swan Valley by a score in early October. Last week, they BLASTED rival Clare out of the water 41-0. Quarterback Jarett Riffel completed two of his five passes for 31 yards and an interception while also picking up 12 yards on his only run. Jake Jankoska rushed 14 times for 156 yards and a pair of scores. Ryan Schauman picked up 133 yards and two scores on seven attempts. Matthew Denby, Ben Rybicki, and Blake DeSander each carried the ball more than six times in the game. The defense came away with five interceptions. They will need the defense to play sound technique because of all the misdirection that goes on with the Maroons’ single wing offense.
Menominee had a huge win over Calumet last week. They won 48-7. The offense has been amazing this year, putting up at least 28 points. While you normally think of them as a team that is only going to run, they do pass plenty. Sorry, but there is a pay wall and I wasn’t able to get the stats from their win.
Division 8 – Western Michigan
Mendon (10-1) vs Muskegon Catholic Central (11-0) (Saturday November 15, 1pm, Grand Haven High School)
These two teams are widely considered powerhouse programs in Division 8. They have played six times and Muskegon CC holds a 4-2 win advantage. Last week, Mendon used a strong second half to get past Climax-Scotts 35-8. Going into the halftime break, C-S held an 8-7 advantage. It was a strong running game behind Elijah Klepper that helped push them into the next round. Klepper finished with 26 carries for 201 yards and three scores. All of them came in the second half. Quarterback Trey Cook completed seven of his 11 passes for 137 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Parker Cupp hauled in four passes for 60 yards and a score. Brandon Bray scored on his only run which was a ten yard scamper. The Hornets need to get both the passing game and running game working to keep Muskegon CC off balance.
Muskegon Catholic Central, like Mendon, is tough every year. Although it was supposed to be a home game for MCC, they moved it because the field is snow covered and there is no way to clear the snow without tearing up the surface. Grand Haven has turf so it can be done. Neither coach wants the game to be decided because of field conditions. Last week, MCC blasted Fowler 42-0. It was the second year in a row that they knocked out Fowler 42-0 in the playoffs. They scored 35 first half points and put the running clock into effect for the second half. Quarterback Nick Holt completed three of his six passes for 55 yards but did a lot of damage on the ground. He rushed six times for 77 yards and three scores. Zach Winzer was the leading receiver with two catches for 26 yards. Tommy Scott helped the run game by scoring twice and gaining 61 yards on seven attempts. This should be an awesome game between two very tough teams in Division 8.
Division 6 – Capital Area
Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (10-1) at Jackson Lumen Christi (11-0) (Saturday November 15, 7pm)
These teams are among the best in Division 6. They both have a great history of winning big football games. Monroe SMCC has been to the state title game five times, but has only one state championship trophy back in 1991. Last week, they hammered Clinton 50-15. They lost their tough yardage back John Lako to a leg injury early, so that might be something to keep an eye on for tomorrow’s game. Coach Jack Giarmo thinks he will be ready to return for this game. Justin Carrabino (29 for 150) and Mitchell Lamoure (15 for 115) each ran for over 100 yards and three scores. They will run out of a base Wing T offense and try to run the ball down the field.
Jackson Lumen Christi is always a tough team. This year they won the Interstate Eight Athletic Conference in their first season playing in the conference. They are traditionally a Division 5 team, but this year they slid down to Division 6. IN last week’s 38-17 win over Hillsdale, the defense came through in the second half to shut down the opposing offense. Leading the charge was Michigan State 2015 commit Khari Willis. He rushed 26 times for 270 yards and three scores. Quarterback Javon Greca completed one of his three passes for 43 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. He also rushed twice for 46 yards. Devin Edwards caught the lone touchdown pass. Josh Iocca chipped in on the rushing effort with seven carries for 30 yards and a score. This game will be about who can contain the rushing effort of the other team. Both will try to assert themselves up front and push their way to the end zone.
