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   Final

  (11-1) Ovid-Elsie

  (10-2) Freeland

While the first half had flashes of Game 1 and the 90 points that came with it, the 2nd half was a completely different story.  With Ovid-Elsie up 27-19 at the break, both teams would only add one more score a piece in the game and that wouldn't come until halfway and late into the final quarter.  Both teams drove the ball quite well in the 2nd half but failed to get within prime striking distance several times in the third.  Each time the Falcons or Marauders would come up with a big play to gain momentum, the defense would make a play to gain it right back.

Freeland forced Ovid-Elsie into a 3 and out on their next possesion but the Falcons failed to move it on offense as well.  WIth the ball and time running down, the Marauders put together the drive of their season, pounding inside/outside with star RB Chris Robinson.  With just over 2 and a half minutes to go in the game, the talented back, finished the job.  Robinson took the handoff, ran up around right guard, side-stepped would be tackler and then weaved in and out of traffic, racing to the sidelines, finally diving in from about the 3 yard line for the score.  The 46 yard touchdown was a thing of beauty for the huge following that came over from the Ovid-Elsie area.  With the extra point, the Marauders reclaimed the lead 34.27, Freeland was far from done however.

After pounding the ball down the field, the clock started to become Freeland's biggest foe.  With about a minute and a half to go, Ruhlman went up top to Alix Fisher up the left sidelines.  The huge gain on 3rd and 9 got the ball down to the O-E 28.  Fisher was the target again a few plays later as Ruhlman hit him on a backside screen that was set up perfectly by his blockers.  14  yards later, the Falcons found themselves at the Marauder 14, first down but with under a minute remaining.  On third down, the game appeared to be over and the clock to have run out after Cody Nixon saced Ruhlman way behind the line of scrimmage.  The clock was stopped however on a penalty after the sack.  The Marauders were called for a late hit on the QB but the penalty did not, howver, give the Falcons a 1st down and left the down at 4th.  With a half minute to play and 4th down and long at the 14, the Falcons went back to the air 1 last time.  Ruhlman took the snap, rolled left as he faced immense pressure and then saw an open Gideon Paetz.  Paetz had found some open space near the sidleine, right at about the 2 yard line.  Ruhlman flicked the ball to Paetz who tried to scoop the ball up and turn around but never came up with the ball as it rolled into the endzone.  It would have been a tough grab as Paetz had to come up with the catch and still manage to stay inbounds for possession as his full body momentum was taking him out of bounds.

With the ball turned over on downs, the celebration began.  With one final snap in victory formation, the team and the crowd rushed the field.  The game was an instant classic that saw big plays on both sides and both sides of the ball.  The post-game ceremony was a true sign of sportsmanship as the Falcons stood across the Marauders as they received their medals and trophy in a sign of respect and honor.  Just as Coach Goosen was receiving the trophy he pointed to Freeland's side and told them how great of a team they were.  The favor was also returned by the Freeland fans as they told the Marauders who left the field through the man-made tunnell that Freeland was supporting them the rest of the way and to represent the Tri-Valley conference.

Ovid-Elsie jumped out early 13-0 but that was answered by 13 straight from Freeland.  With just over two minutes to go in the 2nd half, Ruhlman took it himself from 10 yards out to tie the game.  That score was answered immediately by a Robinson 80 yard scoring jaunt.  With 31 seconds remaining in the half, Freeland got within in 1 on a Ruhlman to Marker 9 yard pitch and catch for 6 points.  The extra point was blocked however.  With only 31 seconds to go, the Marauders managed to get within striking distance on a Jason Goosen to Cameron Hurst 38 yard pass.  Then with time running out, Goosen hit Nick Madden for a 14 yard score that put O-E up 27-19 after Hurst added the point after.  The score was not only a big play in terms of points but to snatch momentum away going into halftime was a huge psycological edge for the Marauders heading into the lockers. 

Ovid-Elsie move on to play the winner of the Gladstone/Standish-Sterling game tomorrow afternoon.  Robinson finished with 267 yards on 21 carries and reached the endzone three times, all three TDs on runs of 46 yards or more.  Alix Fisher led Freeland with 122 yards on the ground.  Sophomore Falcon RB Justin Pettinger had 2 scores and 50 yards on the ground.

   Final

  (9-3) St. Charles

  (12-0) Nouvel CC

Nouvel got things moving themselves early on in the 2nd quarter.  RB Ryan Miller took the handoff at the Bulldogs 37, broke a tackle, weaved in and out of defenders and raced down to the 5 yard line, setting up first and goal after the 32 yard run.  RB Kevin Robinsn then finished the drive with a 5 yard plunge to put the game's first points on the board.  Bo Themm added the point after to make it 7-0 Panthers. 

Just when it looked like St. Charles had a drive to answer, they found themselves faced with fourth and short.  The Bulldogs gambled and gave

With under 6 minutes to go in the half, the Bulldogs got the boost they needed.  Marshall Davenport took the kickoff, avoided being tackled and after breaking through the wedge of players, raced all the way for an 81 yard touchodwn  The touchdown brought back the lively visiting fans and gave their team some hope.  It was short lived however as Nouvel wasted no time in moving up the field.  At the 50, Henris flipped a shovel pass to Robinson on the left side of the field in what first looked like a QB option but was actually a very well designed and exectued short pass that picked up 27 yards, down to the 23.  After a pass interference penalty and a punishing run by Robinson down to the 1, the big man got the call again, this time from 1 yard out and the score.  After the extra point, it was 21-7 Nouvel and that wrapped up the scoring. 

The 2nd half contined to be in favor of Nouvel but not after St. Charles got another spark on their kickoff return that brought the ball back to near the 10 yard line.  St. Charles couldn't punch it in but managed to put three points on the board, making it 21-10.  Nouvel went on to add two more scores in the 2nd half.  Henris ran one in from 8 yards out and in the fourth quarter connected with Herbert for an 80 yard bomb, making the score final at 35-10.  Henris finished with 240 yards passing with 2 passing scores and a rushing score.  Kevin Robinson led all rushers with 121 yards and two scores.  Nouvel will face the winner of tomorrow's Montague vs. Iron Mountain game. 

   Final

  (11-1) Lowell

  (12-0) Muskegon

Full Game Story and Stats here from The Muskegon Chronicle

   Final

  (9-3) Davison

  (10-2) Midland

Davison struckt first on the game's opening drive.  The Cards drove down to the Midland High 21 yard line but were faced with a 4th and 6.  The offense stayed on the field and QB Jake Thompson went to the air.  With time, he found a streaking Daniel Thwing down the middle of the field who had nobody within 5 yards of him.  Thwing hauled in the pass and walked into the endzone.  William Nicolai added the point after to make the score 7-0 with 7:34 left in the opening quarter.

For the rest of the half, Davison could not get any kind of rthym going.  Thompson, the Sophomore QB was being bottled up with no place to run and few options to make positive gains.  As Midland High was controlling the tempo on defense they were moving the ball quickly on offense.  Much like last year's game, the Chemics were knocking on the door often but just couldn't enter.  On Midland's next drive after their score, they took over at the Davison 44, drove down to the 28 and hit Moulton on a quick slant inside the redzone.  They were flagged for holding however and the first down turned into 2nd and a mile at the 40.  The Chemics still managed to get the first down after tosses to Albrecht and Moulton, down to the 21.  On the very next play, Maxwell went to the right corner of the endzone and hit a sliding Albrecht for the 21 yard score.  However, TD was negated by another penalty.  The Chemics managed to get it back to the 19 but had to settle for a field goal attempt.  Kicking into the wind, Gagnon's field goal was just wide right and the Cardinals had dodged a huge bullett.

On Davison's first play after, they tried to go to the air.  The pass intended for Adam Trafas was thrown nicely to his inside, to lead him but unfortunately for the Cardinals, Moulton had air tight coverage to the inside and played the ball perfectly for the interception.  Midland was right back in business, taking over at the Davison 38.  Another golden opportunity turned into another missed chance for Midland However as they drove the ball down to the 17 but turned it over on downs.  On 4th and 1, Albrecht took a delayed handoff and was topped in the backfield.  Davison was able to pick up their 1st first down since the opening drive but couldn't manage much more. 

With 2:22 to go in the half, ball on the 22 and all three time-outs, Midland High took over.  With 41 seconds to go in the half and the ball at the Davison 43, the Chemics went to a little razzle-dazzle.  Maxwell hit Moulton on a quick slant who immediatley tossed it back to Albrect, who then raced up the left sidelines to the Midland High 14, for 29 yards.  It was a very unconventional hook & ladder as Moulton caught the ball but then begin cutting across the grain backwards, which looked as he was just trying to make a big play himself.  Then as Albrecht ran in the opposite direction behind him, he took the toss and then picked up the big first down and got out of bounds to stop the clock.  Maxwell then dropped back and went to the right corner of the endzone for Albrecht.  Just as his momentum was taking him out of bounds, Albrecht hauled in the pass, and manged to barely get a foot in for the score, with just 26 seconds to go before halftime.  They lined up for 2 but the pass was broken up, with the score 12-7, which is where it would stand, going into halftime.

The 2nd half started well for the Chemics but suddenly imploded.  Davison was just looking for something to get the momentum swung, being only down 5 points.  With a matter of one interception, it seemed as if the Cards had a match lit underneath them.  Midland High was again in Davison territory, facing 4th and 3 at the Davison 29.  Maxwell dropped back and looked tried to drill it in to Gagnon in the middle of the field but was intercepted by Quentin Martin who then raced down the left sidelines, to their own 47.  The play not only stemmed the tide but turned it.  After that, Davison's offense start to click on all cylinders.  After a big run by RB Oliver Saylor to the Midland 41, Thompson hit Ron Silver out in the flats, who picked up 13 more yards, down to the 28.  Thompson then picked up another first down with his legs to the 17.  They went out in the flats to Silver again.  Silver caught the ball at about the 10 but refused to go out of bounds and muscled away from the tackler, ran up to about the 2, before being leveled out of bounds.  With 3:28 left in the third quarter, the Cards regained the lead.  Saylor took the ball on first and goal and powered his way in for a 2 yard score.  Up 13-12, the Cards went for 2 and got it as Thompson carried the option around left end for the conversion and a 15-12 lead. 

After forcing Midland High to punt, the Cardinals went right back to the ground and moved the ball like a machine.  Big runs by Saylor and Thompson, moved the ball to the Midland 24.  Thompson's 23 yard run came on an option, where he just used his speed to get around the corner and race down the sideline before being pushed out.  Two plays later, another Thompson run and another first down, down to the 12.  Two more plays later, Thompson, again, took it on the option, this time for the score.  With 10:40 to go in the game, the Cardinals had extended the lead to 22-12. 

Davison forced Midland to punt again and went right back to the ground, getting chunks of yardage at time.  This drive belonged to Saylor as he powered the ball into Midland terriorty.  From the Midland 47, Saylor took the handoff and bowled his way down to the 25, 22 yards later.  Two more Saylor runs later, they were at the Chemic 14.  A flag derailed Davison's touchdown march however, as they were forced to settle for a 27 yard field goal by Nicolai.  With 4:19 to go, Davison was now up 25-12, with all of the momentum. 

With time running out, the Chemics started to find rthym again, moving the ball down to the Davison 14.  After an incompletion on third down and 11, the Chemics were flagged for a dead ball personal foul, which turned their 4th and 11 into a 4th and 26 at the 29 yard line.  On the fourth and forever, Maxwell was chased down from the backside and couldn't set up to throw, so he took off running and got as much as he could before being pushed out of bounds, well short of the first down.  As Maxwell, walked to the sidline, limping just a little, it was a sad sight for Chemics fans to see their season end the way it did.  After 4 years as Midland High's starting quarterback, Maxwell had directed the offense for the last time, so we thought. 

Midland High, with no timeouts remaining, held Davison and forced them to punt.  With 60 seconds to go, the Chemics got the ball and quickley moved it up to the 33, led by a big pass and catch from Maxwell to Gagnon, who quickly got out of bounds with the first down.  Maxwell then went deep to Moulton up the left sideline.  With about 6 people jockeying for the ball, it was deflected and tipped backwards.  Moulton kept his concentration and snagged the ball, then raced into the endzone for the score with 29 seconds to go.  After Gagnon's extra point, it was 25-19 Davison.  Then came the onside kick.  The Chemics got the perfect kick and bounce, as the entire right side of the kickoff team was just inches away from recovering it.  Davison's Cory Coble stood their, by himself, just him between an army of Chemics and the ball.  Goble as calm as I have ever seen anyone, hauled the kick in and quickly went down with the ball and now the game in tow. 

Davison went to the victory formation and snapped it one final time, running out the clock and advancing to the State Semi-Finals.  It was a huge win for the Cardinals, who are now heading to the Final 4 for the 2nd time in three years and avenged last year's 7-3 loss to Midland High in the Regional Final.  The Cardinals must now take on Muskegon, a team I covered earlier in the afternoon and as of now, the state's overall best team.  Davison faced Muskegon at this same stadium two years ago in the Semis, losing to the Big Reds, who then went on to win the Division 2 state championship.  It's going to be a mountain of a task for this mixture of young and seasoned Cardinals but they have proved their mettle throughout the season.  They had a murderers' row schedule and it's now paying off, as they have taken their shots and exams and have now passed with flying colors, on to the next round.  They now have a QB in Thompson that is playing well ahead of his sophomore status, a big brusing back with speed in Saylor, a line that can take over games and a defense that does what it needs to, to pull out the W.  The game next week will be played at MSU's Spartan Stadium at 1PM. 

For Midland High, it was a great run by Maxwell and Co.  A two year span that saw the Chemics reach the Finals last year and the Quarters this season.  The image that saw him limp gently onto the sidelines was erased by that 33 yard touchdown in the final moments, a fitting end to a wonderful career, a student of the game and the classroom.  1 final act by a class act.