Preps!

To borrow a golf term, Allen Park’s offense took a lot of risk on, but didn’t exactly garner much reward in its homecoming game against Trenton.

Yet the Jaguars did enough to reap the rewards of a 23-10 win, dodging rain drops as often as tacklers on the saturated field. The victory kept the Jaguars undefeated at 6-0, earning a guaranteed playoff berth.

Allen Park’s offense rebuffed using its punter in favor of running multiple plays on 4th down — including its first three possessions of the game, deep in Trenton territory. All three attempts were stopped by Trenton between its 25 and 21 yard lines.

But the Trojans didn’t do much for their own cause, going 3-and-out each time.

• More scores from Friday night’s action

Allen Park broke the stalemate open on the first play of its fourth possession, a 77-yard touchdown run by Reid Paffhausen. He started left, then cut back right and broke away down the right sideline untouched.

“That run was supposed to go left but I saw the opening and took it the other way,” Paffhausen said. “Our field is kind of known for being sloppy, so that might have helped.”

A fourth attempt on fourth down was successful and kept the Allen Park drive going to inside the 10-yard line of Trenton. But penalties and a couple plays for loss resulted in a 27-yard field goal by Mike Beyst to close out the first half, 11-0.

“We had a short field on so many of those fourth downs, I didn’t want to kick it and just have it go in the end zone and have the ball come out to the 20, maybe a net gain of 5 or 6 yards. So we went for it,” said Allen Park coach Tom Danosky.

The Jaguars’ defense has been key, giving up only 13 points all season coming into the matchup. Trenton’s 10 points were the most scored by any opponent.

Trenton pushed deep into the red zone before Danosky’s defense stopped the drive and forced a field goal by Trevor Goodman – a 23-yarder to close the gap, 11-3, late in the third quarter.

But Allen Park answered immediately on its next drive when Matt Arnoldy grabbed a 35-yard pass from quarterback Antonio Mangiapane. After stopping Trenton on the next possession, on its try of a fourth-and-1, Paffhausen (120 yards on 11 carries) scored again on a 4-yard run with exactly 9:00 remaining in the 4th quarter.

Trenton (5-1) kept at it and Kenny Styles grabbed a 17-yard pass for a touchdown to pull Trenton to within 23-10 with 2:44 to play.

Canton tight end Jake Dattillio

Addison 52, Jackson East Jackson 0

Algonac 27, Yale 0

Allen Park 23, Trenton 10

• Reid Paffhausen helps Jaguars stay perfect

Allendale 37, Grand Rapids South Christian 20

Alma 33, Standish-Sterling 12

Ann Arbor Skyline 40, Ann Arbor Huron 7

Au Gres-Sims 22, Whittemore-Prescott 20

Auburn Hills Avondale 39, Hazel Park 6

Auburn Hills Oakland Christian 56, Southfield Christian 6

Battle Creek Central 55, Richland Gull Lake 24

Battle Creek Harper Creek 43, Parma Western 28

Battle Creek Pennfield 42, Jackson Northwest 14

Bay City John Glenn 17, Alpena 14

Beal City 21, McBain 12

Beaverton 48, Farwell 6

Belding 27, Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian 23

Bellaire 42, Pellston 0

Belleville 44, Redford Thurston 6

Benton Harbor 21, Traverse City West 16

Berkley 48, Pontiac 0

Berrien Springs 61, Comstock 0

Big Rapids 24, Stanton Central Montcalm 18

Birmingham Groves 14, Farmington Hills Harrison 7 (OT)

• Groves spoils Harrison’s Senior Night, clinches playoff berth

Birmingham Seaholm 41, North Farmington 14

Blanchard Montabella 14, Coleman 6

Blissfield 20, Dundee 6

Bloomfield Hills 31, Royal Oak 14

Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood 28, Riverview Gabriel Richard 3

Boyne City 21, Kalkaska 14

Breckenridge 38, Carson City-Crystal 0

Brighton 48, Milford 21

Brooklyn Columbia Central 41, Onsted 14

Brown City 46, Marlette 14

Brownstown Woodhaven 43, Taylor Truman 13

Buchanan 50, Parchment 48

Burr Oak 38, St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran 6

Burton Madison 62, Carsonville-Port Sanilac 30

Byron 37, Burton Bendle 0

Byron Center 54, Hamilton 32

Cadillac 16, Gaylord 12

Caledonia 22, Grand Haven 14

Calumet 34, West Iron County 7

Canton 51, Livonia Churchill 7

• McCabe: Canton uses effective offense, tenacious defense to dominate

Canton Salem 55, South Lyon East 0

Capac 19, Imlay City 10

Caro 21, Bridgeport 20

Carrollton 15, Chesaning 10

Cass City 48, Bad Axe 8

Cassopolis 45, White Pigeon 6

Cedarville 55, Charlton Heston 12

Charlevoix 21, East Jordan 0

Charlotte 21, Hopkins 14

Cheboygan def. Benzonia Benzie Central, forfeit

Chelsea 33, Adrian 6

Clare 41, Sanford-Meridian 14

Clawson 21, New Haven 0

Climax-Scotts 48, Pittsford 28

Clinton Township Chippewa Valley 16, Utica 12

Coloma 40, Fennville 22

Colon 27, Adrian Lenawee Christian 6

Constantine 60, Watervliet 58

Corunna 42, Montrose 23

Croswell-Lexington 38, Armada 0

Crystal Falls Forest Park 60, Carney-Nadeau 12

Dansville 22, Bath 8

Davison 20, Midland 0

Dearborn 49, Dearborn Heights Annapolis 6

Dearborn Fordson 48, Redford Union 0

Dearborn Heights Crestwood 46, Livonia Clarenceville 6

Decatur 36, Marcellus 0

Deckerville 42, Dryden 0

Delton Kellogg 63, Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Central 42

Detroit Catholic Central 47, Gary West, Ind. 0

Detroit Central 48, Detroit Pershing 0

Detroit Cody 20, Detroit Western International 14

Detroit Denby 28, DCP-Northwestern 6

Detroit East English 20, Detroit Osborn 6

Detroit Mumford 30, Detroit Renaissance 0

Detroit U-D Jesuit 48, St. Joseph 13

Detroit Voyageur def. Detroit Westside Christian, forfeit

DeWitt 45, Haslett 0

Dowagiac Union 30, Plainwell 12

East Grand Rapids 28, Grand Rapids Christian 7

East Kentwood 24, Holland West Ottawa 12

East Lansing 27, Lansing Everett 14

Edwardsburg 51, South Haven 0

Elkton-Pigeon Bay Port Laker 46, Vassar 6

Engadine 56, Rudyard 20

Evart 26, Lake City 6

Fair Haven-Anchor Bay 37, Sterling Heights Stevenson 14

Fenton 54, Holly 35

Fife Lake Forest Area 36, Traverse City Christian 6

Flint Carman-Ainsworth 43, Bay City Central 34

Flint Powers 30, Saginaw Arthur Hill 6

Fowler 63, Potterville 12

Fowlerville 17, Williamston 14

Frankenmuth 34, Essexville Garber 8

Frankfort 26, Maple City Glen Lake 21

Freeland 35, Shepherd 7

Fulton-Middleton 30, Saranac 22

Galesburg-Augusta 28, Hartford 20

Garden City 50, Dearborn Heights Robichaud 12

Gibraltar Carlson 35, Taylor Kennedy 0

Gladstone 28, Sault Ste Marie 6

Gobles 60, Bangor 0

Grand Ledge 42, Lansing Eastern 6

Grand Rapids Catholic Central 21, Sparta 6

Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central 25, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern 0

Grand Rapids West Catholic 61, Comstock Park 7

Grandville Calvin Christian 35, Wyoming Lee 8

Grant 21, Howard City Tri-County 14

Grass Lake 27, Hanover-Horton 12

Greenville 33, Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills 6

Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett 42, Westland Lutheran 12

Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett 42, Romeo 12

Gwinn 34, Ishpeming Westwood 0

Hamtramck 22, Detroit Community 0

Hancock 47, Hurley, Wis. 40

Harbor Beach 61, Memphis 0

Harper Woods 40, Dearborn Heights Star International 6

Harper Woods Chandler Park Academy 54, Romulus Summit Academy 0

Harrison 20, Houghton Lake 18

Hastings 34, Marshall 7

Hemlock 16, St. Charles 0

Hesperia 21, Lakeview 0

Hillman 51, Atlanta 6

Hillsdale 14, Hudson 6

Homer 42, Quincy 6

Howell 48, Grand Blanc 46

Hudsonville 6, Grand Rapids Northview 0

Hudsonville Unity Christian 48, Holland Christian 0

Ida 68, Erie-Mason 7

Iron Mountain 43, Manistique 14

Iron Mountain North Dickinson 40, Munising 0

Ishpeming 22, Oconto, Wis. 12

Ithaca 17, Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary 6

Jackson 25, Okemos 21

Jackson Lumen Christi 21, Coldwater 20, OT

Jenison 11, Muskegon Reeths-Puffer 8

Johannesburg-Lewiston 43, Indian River-Inland Lakes 0

Jonesville 26, Athens 14

Kalamazoo Central 14, Battle Creek Lakeview 7

Kent City 22, Morley-Stanwood 17

Kingsford 42, Marquette 28

Kingsley 43, Elk Rapids 15

Kingston 24, Morrice 22, OT

L’Anse 32, Ironwood 20

Lake Fenton 40, Goodrich 0

Lake Odessa Lakewood 34, Olivet 27

Lake Orion 47, Troy Athens 14

Lansing Catholic 42, Ionia 14

Lansing Sexton 30, Holt 20

Lapeer 31, Saginaw 0

Lawrence 32, Camden-Frontier 8

Leroy Pine River 25, Manton 8

Lincoln Park 14, Southgate Anderson 13

Lincoln-Alcona 66, Oscoda 14

Linden 42, Flint Kearsley 0

Livonia Franklin 21, Westland John Glenn 6

Lowell 27, Cedar Springs 8

Ludington 56, Muskegon Orchard View 31

Macomb Dakota 56, Utica Ford 14

Manchester 20, Michigan Center 6

Manistee 27, West Branch Ogemaw Heights 7

Marine City 27, St. Clair 6

Martin 39, Bloomingdale 12

Marysville 29, Warren Woods Tower 12

Mason 43, Lansing Waverly 28

Mattawan 33, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix 0

Mendon 35, Bronson 0

Menominee 28, Escanaba 14

Merrill 20, Vestaburg 6

Merritt Academy 36, Owendale-Gagetown 32

Mesick def. Suttons Bay, forfeit

Midland Dow 48, Bay City Western 21

Milan 27, Grosse Ile 6

Millington 55, North Branch 0

Monroe Jefferson 35, Flat Rock 14

Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central 50, Carleton Airport 28

Morenci 53, Britton-Deerfield 8

Mount Morris 13, Flint Beecher 7

Mount Pleasant 14, Flint Southwestern 13

Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart 48, Ashley 6

Muskegon 69, Grand Rapids Union 0

Muskegon Catholic Central 55, Muskegon Heights 6

Muskegon Mona Shores 48, Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills 21

Muskegon Oakridge 27, Whitehall 26

Napoleon 42, Vandercook Lake 0

Negaunee 28, Norway 14

New Boston Huron 7, Riverview 6

New Lothrop 49, Durand 6

Newaygo 35, Fremont 6

Newberry 49, Gogebic Miners 8

Niles Brandywine 22, New Buffalo 14

North Muskegon 14, Montague 6

Northland Pines, Wis. 12, Houghton 0

Northville 24, South Lyon 21

Novi 38, Livonia Stevenson 17

Oak Park 14, Clarkston 7

Onekama 35, Mancelona 20

Ortonville Brandon 23, Flushing 16

Ottawa Lake Whiteford 52, Adrian Madison 16

Ovid-Elsie 25, St. Louis 6

Oxford 26, Rochester Hills Stoney Creek 0

Peck 58, Brethren 18

Perry 26, Stockbridge 24 Petersburg Summerfield 40, Whitmore Lake 16

Pewamo-Westphalia 40, Laingsburg 7

Pinckney 19, Hartland 0

Pinconning 54, Saginaw Valley Lutheran 12

Plymouth 35, Wayne Memorial 33

Port Huron Northern 19, St. Clair Shores Lake Shore 16

Portage Central 40, Niles 0

Portage Northern 17, Stevensville Lakeshore 14

Portland 44, Eaton Rapids 6

Portland St. Patrick def. Litchfield, forfeit

Powers North Central 78, Eben Junction Superior Central 8

Rapid River 69, Baraga 6

Ravenna 32, Shelby 0

Reading 30, Union City 20

Reed City 12, Remus Chippewa Hills 8

Richmond 34, Almont 21

River Rouge 42, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 0

Rochester Adams 56, Farmington 7

Rockford 7, Grandville 6

Rogers City 28, Mio 14

Romeo 7, Grosse Pointe South 0

Romulus 20, Dearborn Edsel Ford 15

Roscommon 52, Gladwin 6

Roseville 15, Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse 7

Saginaw Heritage 45, Flint Northwestern 0

Saginaw Nouvel 30, Bay City All Saints 7

Saginaw Swan Valley 41, Midland Bullock Creek 0

Saline 20, Ann Arbor Pioneer 9

Sand Creek 12, Clinton 7

Saugatuck 68, Eau Claire 0

Schoolcraft 56, Lawton 7

Southfield 33, West Bloomfield 14

Spring Lake 20, Coopersville 0

Springport 20, Concord 16

St. Clair Shores South Lake 47, Clinton Township Clintondale 12

St. Ignace LaSalle 36, Gaylord St. Mary 8

St. Johns 42, Owosso 7

St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic 35, Centreville 0

Stephenson 50, Ontonagon 0

Sterling Heights Parkway Christian 54, Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest 45

Sturgis 49, Allegan 7

Swartz Creek 22, Clio 0

Tecumseh 20, Dexter 3

Tekonsha 16, Waldron 6

Temperance Bedford 13, Monroe 10

Three Rivers 14, Paw Paw 0

Traverse City Central 49, Petoskey 20

Traverse City St. Francis 58, Grayling 8

Ubly 46, Sandusky 7

Unionville-Sebewaing 20, Reese 12

Utica Eisenhower 70, Macomb L’Anse Creuse North 6

Vermontville Maple Valley 42, Leslie 0

Vicksburg 27, Otsego 7

Walled Lake Northern 28, White Lake Lakeland 21

Walled Lake Western 38, Waterford Mott 7

Warren Cousino 36, Grosse Pointe North 33

Warren De La Salle 24, Dearborn Divine Child 14

Warren Fitzgerald 29, Warren Lincoln 14

Warren Michigan Collegiate 44, Detroit Old Redford 0

Warren Mott 40, Fraser 6

Waterford Kettering 20, Walled Lake Central 6

Waterford Our Lady 34, Clarkston Everest Collegiate 31

Wayland Union 30, Ada Forest Hills Eastern 27

Webberville 16, Battle Creek St. Philip 14

Wyandotte Roosevelt 21, Melvindale 7

Wyoming 29, Middleville Thornapple Kellogg 6

Wyoming Kelloggsville 22, Wyoming Godwin Heights 20

Wyoming Tri-unity Christian 64, Marion 8

Ypsilanti Lincoln 22, Ypsilanti 20

Zeeland East 38, Fruitport 14

Zeeland West 20, Holland 7

Canton’s Reid McDonnell runs for a touchdown at Livonia Churchill on Friday. McDonnell gained 118 yards on 18 carries as the Chiefs had 454 yards on the ground.

With 3:01 left in the game, Canton’s Cameron Dixon took a handoff and scored on a 5-yard run.

On the Canton sidelines, Markus Sanders leaped into the air and began screaming as if he had walked downstairs on Christmas morning and found a pony under the tree.

Dixon’s touchdown didn’t clinch a state playoff berth or wrap up a league championship. All Dixon’s touchdown did was put an exclamation point on Canton’s dominating 51-7 victory over Livonia Churchill Friday night, but the Canton players responded as if they were headed to Ford Field.

“He’s one of our scout team running backs and he takes a lot of hits by our starting defense in practice,” Sanders said. “It was just a good moment for him because he finally got his time to shine.”

Dixon is a senior and this was his first varsity touchdown.

“I’ve been looking forward to this my whole life, and doing it with my boys on Canton made it that much better,” said Dixon, who led the state in pats-on-the-back-after his TD. “I think the boys just like me because I work hard. I try my best every day at practice. I love my team. I’ll do anything for my team.”

• More scores from Friday night’s action
• Groves clinches playoff spot, spoils Harrison’s Senior Night
• Reid Paffhausen leads Allen Park over Trenton

So would Sanders, and he did in this key KLAA South Division game, gaining 229 yards on 19 carries and scoring on runs of 65 and 29 yards in the Chiefs’ fourth straight victory.

Like Canton (4-2, 3-0), Sanders started slowly this season, trying to recover from a strained PCL. This effort against the Chargers (4-2, 3-1) was crucial for the back who ran for 2,495 yards as a junior.

“It took a couple of weeks to recover,” he said. “I’m back and I’m better.”

So was the Canton line, which also helped Reid McDonnell gain 118 yards on 18 carries as the Chiefs, who lost to Churchill, 33-14 last season, gained 454 yards — all on the ground.

“I was just reading my keys and my linemen helped me,” Sanders said. “We practiced at lot on what they were doing last year. They were doing a lot of slanting last year, and we didn’t come out the way we wanted last year. So we had to have redemption this year.”

The offensive explosion was made possible by a tenacious defense that limited a potent Churchill offense to 176 yards.

“We all just read our keys, did what we needed to do and at the end of the day we won the game,” said defensive tackle/offensive guard Jake Warner. “We just shut them down.”

In the first game of the season, Canton led Dearborn Fordson, 28-7 at halftime, before losing 40-35. The next week the Chiefs allowed Walled Lake Western to come from behind and hand them a 33-30 loss.

Those are top 10 teams in the state, and Canton learned some valuable lessons.

“It was very tough because we really didn’t expect that to happen,” Sanders said. “The second half against Fordson, we got smacked in the mouth and we didn’t come out the way we were supposed to.”

The Chiefs came out for this one the way they were supposed to. After punting on its first possession, Canton scored the next five times it had the ball and led, 31-7, at halftime.

Like his players, Canton coach Tim Baechler might have been most excited about Dixon’s touchdown and the reaction it caused.

“He’s our scout-team running back and gets pounded,” Baechler said. “He has a great attitude, and we all love that kid and have so much respect for him. The way our kids responded to that means they get it.”

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.

The Canton high school offensive line chases a kickoff during a game against Livonia Churchill on Friday.

Auburn Hills Avondale 39, Hazel Park 6: Vince Wright had 23 carries for 162 rushing yards and three touchdowns for Avondale (1-5). Chance Chatman added a 3-yard touchdown run.

Belleville 44, Redford Thurston 6: Julian Barnett secured four tackles and assisted another to go along with two pass deflections. He added two catches for 40 yards and a touchdown. Devonni Reed totaled 12 tackles for Belleville (4-2).

Clawson 21, New Haven 0: Kamariell Manley had a 46-yard touchdown reception and a 98-yard interception return for TD for Clawson (3-3, 1-2 MAC Silver). Max Sandzik, Mitchell Payne and Jacob Butler each had 12 tackles.

Clinton Township Chippewa Valley 16, Utica 12: Patrick O’Connor was 5 of 15 for 78 yards and a touchdown in the loss for Utica (2-4, 2-1 MAC White). Nathan Ayers had 38 carries for 167 yards and a TD while Kavon Higdon caught four passes for 61 yards and a TD.

Dearborn 49, Dearborn Heights Annapolis 6: Ali Saad had 11 tackles to lead the defensive effort for Dearborn (5-1). Both Issa Daher and Yousif Saad had a touchdown run.

Dearborn Fordson 45, Redford Union 0: Hamze Elzayat had 75 yards rushing and a touchdown to go along with 110 yards passing and two TDs for Fordson (6-0, 5-0 Western Wayne). Aziz Hanek recorded 101 yards rushing and two touchdowns while Khaled Elhaj had 75 total yards, including a 35-yard TD reception. Union dropped to 4-2.

Detroit Central 46, Detroit Pershing 0: Dizon Harris had 12 carries for 171 yards and two touchdowns for Central (2-4). D.J. Atkins caught eight balls for 135 yards and one touchdown, and also returned a punt 67 yards for a touchdown. Santango Reynolds put up eight tackles and three sacks.

• More scores from Friday night’s action

Detroit Cody 20, Detroit Western 14: Jaysaar Ball secured nine tackles and three sacks for Cody (4-2, 1-1 PSL). Marquis Burnett passed for two touchdowns, including one for 75 yards and the other for 65 yards. Devion Hightower caught two touchdown passes for a total of 140 yards. Western slips to 4-2 (1-1).

Detroit Denby 28, Detroit Collegiate Prep 6: Armani White rushed 21 times for 155 yards and three touchdowns for Denby. Giovanni Allen recorded 83 yards rushing and one touchdown. Jalen Early secured an interception with a 40-yard return. Donovan Watson also grabbed an interception.

Detroit East English Village 20, Detroit Osborn 6: For East English (4-2), Denzell Armstrong caught a 20-yard touchdown pass. Sam Womack rushed for 50 yards and one touchdown. Osborn slips to 3-3.

Detroit Mumford 30, Detroit Renaissance 0: Omar Pagan rushed 11 times for 189 yards and one touchdown for Mumford (5-1, 4-0 PSL). Keontae Streeter secured 13 tackles, two tackles-for-loss and one fumble recovery. Greg Johnson added five tackles, two sacks and one forced fumble. Dmitri Howard returned a punt 30 yards for a touchdown. Renaissance slips to 2-4, 0-4 PSL.

Fenton 54, Holly 35: Josh Czarnota led Fenton (4-2) with 180 yards passing and 186 yards rushing. Kyle Staple and Griffin Backs each returned kickoffs for touchdowns — 85 yards and 75 yards, respectively.

Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett 42, Westland Lutheran 12: Connor McCarron went 19 of 25 for 272 yards and five touchdowns for Liggett (6-0, 4-0 MIAC). Jackson Walkowiak hauled in five passes for 103 yards and three touchdowns. Charles Caine had eight receptions for 102 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 142 yards and one touchdown.

Harper Woods 40, Dearborn Heights Star 6: For Harper Woods (4-2), Kelvin Jones rushed for two touchdowns and 50 yards and also caught another score, which went for 47 yards. Jalib Davis rushed 10 times for 30 yards and two touchdowns. Charles Ward added another score. Dearborn slips to 0-6.

Harper Woods Chandler Park 54, Romulus Summit 0: For Chandler Park (4-2), Emari O’Brien rushed 12 times for 165 yards and four touchdowns. O’Brien also completed 7 of 11 passes for 154 yards and another touchdown.

Homer 42, Quincy 6: Hunter Wilson led the Homer rushing attack with 21 carries for 187 yards and a touchdown. Jordan Wilson added 16 rushes, totaling 114 yards and three touchdowns. Payton Schrader rushed twice for 73 yards and a touchdown.

Jenison 11, Muskegon Reeths-Puffer 8: Nate McCrary led Muskegon with 168 yards rushing and one touchdown.

• Groves clinches playoff spot, spoils Harrison’s Senior Night
• Reid Paffhausen leads Allen Park over Trenton
• McCabe: Canton uses effective offense, tenacious defense

Johannesburg-Lewiston 43, Inland Lakes 0: For Johannesburg (3-3), Dominic Cassisi rushed nine times for 176 yards, three touchdowns and a two-point conversion.

Lapeer 31, Saginaw 0: Jalen Kirkland rushed 13 times for 90 yards and two scores. Drew Rubick rushed four times for 47 yards and one score, and he also threw a 27-yard touchdown to Hunter Bailey.

Macomb Dakota 56, Utica Ford 14: Cassius Jackson had an interception return for touchdown for Ford (1-5, 0-3 MAC White). Alex Iafrate had four catches for 72 yards to go along with a TD reception for Ford.

Millington 55, North Branch 0: Bryce Bears completed 7 of 9 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns, and he also rushed for another score. Brady Payne rushed seven times for 107 yards and two touchdowns. Kohlton Sherman snagged three catches for 100 yards and one touchdown, and he also added another score on the ground.

New Baltimore Anchor Bay 37, Sterling Height Stevenson 14: Jordan Erwin had 26 carries for 214 yards and two touchdowns for Anchor Bay (4-2). He was also 5-of-7 for 142 passing yards and three touchdowns. Matt McDonald led the defense with eight tackles.

New Boston Huron 7, Riverview 6: Reid Smith rushed 11 times for 119 yards and the only score for Huron (4-2, 3-2 Huron). Cameron Rogers totaled 16 carries for 77 yards and a touchdown for Riverview (1-5, 1-4).

Novi 38, Livonia Stevenson 17: For Novi (4-3, 3-0 KLAA Central), Aahmaud Jenkins rushed 19 times for 219 yards and two touchdowns. Anthony D’Annibale had two catches for 58 yards and one touchdown, and he also rushed nine times for 66 yards. For Stevenson (3-3, 1-2), Chris Tanderys completed 24 of 37 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns. Ian Knoph notched five catches for 84 yards and two touchdowns.

Novi Detroit Catholic Central 47, Gary (Ind.) Westside Academy 0: For Catholic Central (6-0), Nicholas Capatina rushed for two touchdowns, including one on a 25-yard run. Matt Young recovered a fumble and returned it for a score, and Matt Poet intercepted a pass and returned it 27 yards for a touchdown. Labar Morgan led in rushing with 66 yards and a TD on nine carries.

Oxford 26, Rochester Hills Stoney Creek 0: Matt Mielnicki snagged two interceptions. Ethan Williams rushed for 209 yards and two scores on 27 carries. Oxford moves to 3-3.

Plymouth 35, Wayne Memorial 33: Zach Beadle completed 10 of 21 passes for 236 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. C.J. Wieloch snagged two passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns.

Romulus 20, Dearborn Edsel Ford 15: Alaric Wooten had 10 tackles for Romulus (5-1). Jaylen Tatum rushed for 134 yards and one touchdown, and also threw for one score.

Royal Oak Shrine 28, Macomb Lutheran North 7: Dan Ramone had 17 carries for 155 yards, including a 34-yard touchdown run, for Shrine (5-1). Michael Niehaus scored two rushing touchdowns and recorded two interceptions. The lone touchdown for North (2-4) came on a 7-yard touchdown run by Derrick Craig.

St. Clair Shores South Lake 47, Clinton Township Clintondale 12: Lance Mitchell compiled 263 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns for South Lake (4-2). Jarrod Vines had 10 tackles, one sack, two forced fumbles and two touchdowns in the contest.

Sterling Heights Parkway Christian 54, Lutheran Northwest 45: Julian Davis had seven carries for 233 yards and three touchdowns while Maurice Hutchinson had 10 carries for 135 yards and three TDs for Parkway Christian (3-3, 3-1 MIAC). Jacob Bambrick also had 18 carries for 98 yards and a score while compiling nine tackles and an interception. Hutchinson also had eight tackles and two fumble recoveries. Lutheran Northwest drops to 3-3 (2-2).

Utica Eisenhower 70, Macomb L’Anse Creuse North 6: For Eisenhower (6-0, 3-0 MAC Red), Jack Probencher rushed 14 times for 156 yards and five touchdowns. Jacob Albrecht added three touchdowns, including one on a 98-yard kickoff return.

Walled Lake Western 38, Waterford Mott 7: Jalen Marshall racked up 23 carries for 116 yards and four touchdowns for Western (5-1). Cam Ford caught three balls for 105 yards and one touchdown. John Tracy went 8-of-22 for 180 yards and one touchdown.

Warren Cousino 36, Grosse Pointe North 33: For Cousino (5-1, 3-0 MAC Blue), Dan Maleszyk rushed 17 times for 114 yards and three touchdowns. Karry DeBose added 109 rushing yards on 25 carries, and scored two touchdowns. North moves to 4-2 (2-1).

Warren De La Salle 24, Dearborn Divine Child 14: For De La Salle (3-3), Cordell Tannyhill had 33 carries for 177 yards. Jake Badalamenti had a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, and Carlos Smith Jr. added 11 carries for 75 yards and two touchdowns. Theo Day rushed for both Divine Child (4-2) scores.

Warren Fitzgerald 29, Warren Lincoln 14: Najon Moore had 43 carries for 146 yards and two touchdowns while Chris Eddy had 11 carries for 121 yards and two TDs for Fitzgerald (6-0).

Warren Michigan Collegiate 44, Detroit Old Redford 0: For Michigan Collegiate (5-1), Shawn Jackson rushed 13 times for 108 yards and two touchdowns. Javeonte Brown rushed 16 times for 103 yards and one touchdown. Tracy Hubbard rushed 11 times for 75 yards and two touchdowns. Ervin Butler rushed twice for 39 yards and one touchdown. Doug Rogers secured 13 tackles, three sacks and two fumble recoveries. Old Redford slips to 2-4.

Warren Mott 40, Fraser 6: Howard Turner recovered a fumble and returned it 60 yards for a touchdown for Mott (6-0, 3-0 MAC Red). Jayvon Wilson had a 59-yard rushing touchdown, and Cortland Cross added two rushing touchdowns. James Warner secured nine tackles, including one for loss.

Preps!

Greg Carter has helped 12 football teams win state championships in Michigan, including eight as an assistant and four as a head coach.

Now in his sixth year at Oak Park, Carter knows exactly what it takes to earn big wins and take programs to the next level.

He’s doing that with the Knights (4-2), who upset Clarkston, 14-7, on Friday and earned their first win over the Wolves in program history.

“It was definitely one of our better moments,” said Carter, who has faced Clarkston three times since joining Oak Park. “It was a big win for us as a program. It was against a 4-1 team and against a team that puts together a run for a possible state championship every year.

“It was definitely a big win for us.”

Oak Park snapped a 7-7 tie midway through the fourth quarter when quarterback Corey Graham tossed a 30-yard touchdown pass to Da’John Davis, who snared the ball in between two Clarkston defenders and then scooted into the end zone for the winning score.

The Knights defense stepped up during the ensuing drive, as Desmond Barber intercepted a pass that gave Oak Park possession and the ability to run out the clock in the final few minutes.

“They were in desperation mode and opened it up a bit,” Carter said. “They started throwing it around, so we had to play good pass defense.

“We were in man-defense underneath and zone over the top. Their receiver tried to catch the ball but got hit, and Des was right there where he needed to be. Thank goodness because we got the ball back.”

Oak Park receiver Keveon Clark reeled in a 40-yard reception that gave his team a 7-0 advantage just before halftime.

Clarkston running back Michael Fluegel punched in a 10-yard TD early in the fourth quarter to knot the score.

“They were better than us, and we couldn’t move the ball,” Clarkston coach Kurt Richardson said. “They physically handled us.

“The score isn’t indicative of that, but they handled us pretty good up front. They threw us around like rag dolls. They dominated the game pretty much, and they were much more physical than us.”

The loss dropped the Wolves, who haven’t missed the playoffs since 2002, to 4-2 overall. They must win two of their final three games to ensure a 14th consecutive berth in the playoffs.

“We got to get better in a hurry,” Richardson said. “We got West Bloomfield, Lake Orion and (Rochester) Adams all in a row now.

“Those are all really good teams. We can’t be pouting or worrying about that. We got to put on our big boy pants and play.”

Friday, Sept. 30 Michigan high school football scores

Detroit Cass Tech’s WR Donovan Parker catches a touchdown against Detroit King in the second half Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016, in Detroit.

At face value, the Detroit Cass Tech-Detroit King matchup did not look like a battle between two teams that will still be playing Thanksgiving weekend.

There were too many penalties – host Cass had 13 and King eight – too many dropped passes, too many missed assignments to think that Cass Tech, No. 1 in Division 1, will compete for the D-1 title, and King, No. 2 in Division 2, can repeat as D-2 champs.

Cass Tech coach Thomas Wilcher was happy to concede that his team’s 31-18 victory Saturday afternoon was not worthy of a spot in a time capsule.

“I don’t think we played very, very well at all; we played very terrible,” said Wilcher. “We made so many mistakes out there, it was ridiculous. We left so many points on the board. We had so many bad plays, so many wrong plays it was ridiculous. We just have to clean all that up.”

And that is the thing. Cass Tech (6-0) is more than capable of correcting many of its mistakes it made in this game – and so is King (5-1).

But the biggest thing needed is to clean up the field.

The game was played at Cass Tech, which has a natural grass field, although the grass is disappearing at an alarming rate. After all of the rain we’ve had the last few days, the best description of the field is that it was soggy with several spots of standing water.

If Cass Tech finishes 9-0 it may want to turn down home field advantage in the state playoffs for an opportunity to play an opponent that has some type of field turf. Get the Technicians on an artificial surface and they are a different team, able to use their abundance of speed.

Playing on this field severely limited what Cass did offensively. It rarely targeted All-America receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones, who caught two passes for 98 yards.

He was mostly covered by King star Ambry Thomas, who caught Peoples-Jones from behind at the King 6-yard line after Peoples-Jones caught a slant pass and gained 83 yards.

Donovan Peoples-Jones’ big play flips switch for Cass Tech

“No, I’m not going to let him forget that,” said Thomas. “But it was still a great catch by him. We were in cover three, so I bailed out and he caught it.”

At halftime, Peoples-Jones received his jersey for the All-America game in San Antonio – and so did teammate Donovan Johnson, who stole the show.

With Cass’ running game sputtering late in the second quarter, Johnson took a pitch around the right side, which still featured plenty of grass and a path. A King player had an excellent angle of pursuit to stop Johnson, but Johnson had something else.

“He had the angle on me,” Johnson said. “I had the speed.”

Once he got by the defender, Johnson turned that into a 69-yard touchdown run

“Keep running full speed, don’t let no one catch you, don’t do nothing silly,” he said. “Just score.”

Early in the fourth quarter, Johnson ran a circle route out of the backfield after Peoples-Jones cleared out the area for him. He caught a short pass and turned that into an 82-yard touchdown and a commanding 31-6 lead.

“The quarterback told me to go out for a pass,” Johnson said. “I went out for a pass, caught the ball, saw a defender, had to break that tackle and as soon as I broke his tackle: Touchdown.”

King’s offense was also hampered by the field conditions. But these teams should meet again for the Public School League championship in Week 9.

That game will be played on an artificial surface.

“We’ll see them real soon,” said Thomas. “We gave away this game. We’ve still got to fix a few mistakes. We had a few dropped balls out there – a few touchdowns that were dropped. We’re going to come back strong. We’re a young team. I think we needed that loss.”

King may have needed a loss, but Cass Tech needs a new field.

No. 1-ranked Detroit Cass Tech takes ‘The Walk’ each day to practice

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.

Detroit Cass Tech’s WR Donovan Parker catches a touchdown against Detroit King in the second half Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016, in Detroit.

Detroit Cass Tech’s Donovan Peoples-Jones is honored as a 2017 U.S. Army All-America during halftime against Detroit King on Saturday, October 1, 2016, in Detroit.

When does an ordinary play produce out-of-the-ordinary results? When the players running it are extra-ordinary.

That was the case as the first quarter wound down Saturday afternoon, when Detroit Cass Tech and Detroit King were locked in a scoreless battle on a muddy field. Cass Tech quarterback Rodney Hall found receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones on a typical slant pattern, and 83 yards later, the Technicians were no longer pinned deep in their own end — they were threatening to score.

Although Cass finished the drive with three points instead of seven, it was as if that play flipped the “on” switch for the state’s top-ranked team, which went on to win its homecoming contest, 31-18.

“Coaches called the right play at the right time,” said Peoples-Jones, the Free Press’ top-ranked senior in the state. “I ran the slant, caught the ball and ran upfield for like 80 yards.”

“He just caught it, and the people in the stands started screaming and shouting,” said Hall, a Northern Illinois commit. “That gets us pumped up too because we’re going to play for them and play well.”

Understand that Cass Tech has a three- or four-touchdown lead by that point in the game against most Detroit Public School League opponents. But King — last year’s Division 2 state champion and the Technicians’ arch-rival — isn’t most PSL opponents.

“We don’t usually play a lot of hard teams throughout the season, and to play King at home, it’s just a great honor just to host them,” Hall said. “Everybody’s going to bring out the best in each other because you have competition that’s a big rivalry, so everybody’s going to work hard.”

“We have to play our best, which is Cass Tech football, whenever we step on the field. It doesn’t matter if it’s King, Mumford, Cody, we need to play our best,” Peoples-Jones said.

While Hall and Peoples-Jones (3 catches, 177 yards) flipped the switch, fellow senior Donovan Johnson lit up the house with two long-range touchdowns. The first, a sweep up the right sideline, came when Cass got the ball back after a King punt with under three minutes to play in the first half. Johnson turned the corner and outsprinted everyone 69 yards to the end zone.

“As soon as I got the ball in my hands, I knew I wanted a touchdown and that’s what I got,” he said. “(Running through) the mud didn’t slow me down at all. Not at all. Not. At. All.”

Johnson’s second big play, a screen pass which went for 82 yards, made it 31-6 with 9:42 to play.

“Well, it actually wasn’t designed as a scoring play, but that’s what happened,” he said. “(Hall) told me to go out for a pass, he threw it to me late, I saw my defender and had to break his tackle. You can’t get tackled by (just) one defender. Once I broke his tackle, I just had to take it to the end zone.”

King got on the board behind Jae’Veyon Morton’s 86-yard kickoff return with four minutes remaining in the third. The Crusaders got their other two touchdowns from Kevin Willis, on a 6-yard run on a direct snap and a 22-yard pass from Dequan Finn.

No. 1-ranked Detroit Cass Tech takes ‘The Walk’ each day to practice

Detroit Cass Tech’s Donovan Johnson (2) and Donovan Peoples-Jones are honored as 2017 U.S. Army All-Americas during halftime against Detroit King on Saturday, October 1, 2016, in Detroit, MI.

Cass Tech had an especially long halftime during its homecoming contest against King Saturday afternoon, as a couple of Technicians had some business to take care of during the 20-minute break.

Surrounded by teammates, cheerleaders and family members, seniors Donovan Johnson and Donovan Peoples-Jones received jerseys to commemorate their selections to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, which will be played in San Antonio on Jan. 7, 2017. Only the top 100 seniors in the nation are selected, and it’s rare to have two representatives on the same team.

“That’s a goal I’ve been waiting to accomplish and I’m glad I accomplished that,” Johnson said. “I’m actually not sure (how I was selected), it’s just that I work hard and every time I touch the ball I play to the best of my ability, and I thank God for that.”

Mick McCabe: Detroit Cass Tech beats Detroit King, 31-18

But both justified their selections with their play Saturday. Peoples-Jones had three catches, but they covered 69, 83 and 25 yards, the latter two putting the Technicians in first-and-goal situations.

Johnson worked his magic from further back on the field, busting touchdowns from 69 (an end sweep) and 82 yards away (screen pass reception). That play was the longest touchdown of his career.

While the honor is a distinguished one, Peoples-Jones said the timing of the ceremony was a bit curious.

“I tried not to pay too much attention to that, I tried to keep focused on the game,” he said. “The game was the reason the jersey presentation was held here. First and foremost, I had to focus on the game.

“To come out after the halftime and keep that momentum flowing was really big for our team,” he added. “I really give it to our coaches for keeping us motivated and getting us ready to play.”

Donovan Peoples-Jones’ big play flips switch for Cass Tech

Playing in the Army-sponsored All-Star game should showcase both players, neither of whom has announced a college commitment so far.

Johnson said he hopes to indicate his choice “about a week or two after the season.” He has already made an official visit to Virginia Tech, where he said he was impressed with the coaches and the overall attitude. He talked with former Saline quarterback Josh Jackson while there.

Peoples-Jones, meanwhile, hasn’t indicated his leading contenders yet.

“Next year, I don’t know right now,” he said. “It’s a holding pattern. I gotta get a (championship) ring first.”

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No. 1-ranked Detroit Cass Tech takes ‘The Walk’ each day to practice

Detroit Cass Tech’s Donovan Peoples-Jones during home game against Detroit King on Saturday, October 1, 2016, in Detroit, MI.

Ann Arbor Richard 14, Westinghouse (Pa.) 6

Detroit Cass Tech 31, Detroit King 18

• CT tops PSL rival in sloppy affair

Detroit Delta Prep 36, Detroit University Science 8

• Isiah Forman had 10 tackles and two sacks to lead the defense for Prep (4-2). Damonte Maddox caught a 70-yard touchdown reception and a 74-yard rushing touchdown. Alonte Dell had 140 rushing yards and one touchdown. University Prep is now 1-5.

Detroit Loyola 55, Detroit Leadership 0

• Hunter Harris caught one reception for a 94-yard touchdown and a 64-yard kick return for a score for Loyola (5-1). Price Watkins threw for 110 yards and one touchdown and added an interception returned for a touchdown. The Loyola defense accounted for a safety, two touchdowns and forced five turnovers. 

Ecorse 26, Melvindale Academy for Business And Tech 18

Ferndale 21, Madison Heights Madison 6

• Friday’s scores from across the state

Flint International 58, Hale 20

Lake Linden-Hubbell 40, Bark River-Harris 16

Madison Heights Bishop Foley 17, Allen Park Cabrini 13, susp. to Oct 2.

Mount Clemens 58, Marine City Cardinal Mooney 28

Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 21, Birmingham Brother Rice 0

Royal Oak Shrine 28, Macomb Lutheran North 7

St. Clair Shores Lakeview 39, Center Line 8

Rockford is back in the Division 1 rankings this week, after it beat Grandville, 7-6, thanks to an inadvertent whistle wiping out a Grandville touchdown. That is why Grandville also still is rated.

Detroit King’s loss to Detroit Cass Tech didn’t negatively affect the Crusaders’ ranking in Division 2. Warren Cousino and Flint Carman-Ainsworth moved into D-2 this week, after Farmington Hills Harrison and Birmingham Brother Rice lost for the third time each.

East Grand Rapids has two losses but is now ranked in Division 3 after it handed then-No. 2 Grand Rapids Christian a decisive 28-7 loss. Fenton, another two-loss team, has played well lately and is now ranked.

River Rouge created even more space between the No. 1 and No. 2 spot in Division 4 when it drilled Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, 42-0. Milan, with an impressive victory over Grosse Ile, debuts at No. 8 in D-4, and Lake Fenton is No. 10.

Clare has won five straight since its three-point loss to Ithaca in Week 1 and is ranked No. 10 in Division 5 after Montague was upset by North Muskegon.

Laingsburg’s 40-7 loss to Pewamo-Westphalia and Quincy’s 42-6 loss to Homer made way for Tawas and perennial playoff power Jackson Lumen Christi in the Division 6 rankings.

Hudson and Concord were the only Division 7 teams to lose, and their losses opened the door for Royal Oak Shrine and Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port, both with long playoff histories, to debut in the rankings.

Norway’s 28-14 loss to Negaunee, No. 1 in Division 6, had no impact on the Division 8 rankings. But joining the D-8 fun this week are two schools that know how to win in the state playoffs: Mendon and Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes.

Mick McCabe’s rankings

Super 10

Rank, School, Record, Division

1. Detroit Cass Tech, 6-0, 1

Dominated King, for the most part

2. Walled Lake Western, 5-1, 2

Had no problem dismissing Waterford Mott

3. Novi Detroit Catholic Central, 6-0, 1

Has a big test at Orchard Lake St. Mary’s on Friday

4. Muskegon, 5-1, 3

When will the Big Reds play a close game?

5. Detroit King, 5-1, 2

Didn’t quit against Cass Tech and should improve

6. Lowell, 6-0, 2

Should be tested this week by Forest Hills Central

7. Utica Eisenhower, 6-0, 1

A thorough thrashing of L’Anse Creuse North, 70-6

8. Dearborn Fordson, 6-0, 1

Running clocks are becoming the norm for Fordson

9. River Rouge, 5-1, 4

A 42-0 beatdown of Notre Dame Prep adds to credibility

10. Midland Dow, 6-0, 2

Few teams can match Dow’s passing attack

Division 1

Rank, School, Record, Last week

 1. Detroit Cass Tech, 6-0, 1

 2. Novi Detroit Catholic Central, 6-0, 2

 3. Utica Eisenhower, 6-0, 3

 4. Dearborn Fordson, 6-0, 4

 5. Davison, 6-0, 5

 6. Warren Mott, 6-0, 8

 7. Saline, 6-0, 9

 8. Rochester Adams, 5-1, –

 9. Rockford, 4-2, –

10. Grandville, 5-1, 6

Division 2

 1. Walled Lake Western, 5-1, 1

 2. Detroit King, 5-1, 2

 3. Lowell, 6-0, 3

 4. Midland Dow, 6-0, 4

 5. Birmingham Groves, 6-0, 6

6. Temperance Bedford, 5-1, 10

 7. Traverse City Central, 6-0, 5

 8. Portage Central, 5-1, –

9. Warren Cousino, 5-1, –

10. Flint Carman-Ainsworth, 4-2, –

Division 3

 1. Muskegon, 5-1, 1

 2. Chelsea, 6-0, 4

 3. Allen Park, 6-0, 3

 4. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, 4-2, 7

 5. Edwardsburg, 6-0, 5

 6. Battle Creek Harper Creek, 6-0, 6

 7. DeWitt, 5-1, 8

 8. Byron Center, 5-1, –

 9. Fenton, 4-2, –

10. East Grand Rapids, 4-2, –

Division 4

 1. River Rouge, 5-1, 1

 2. Birmingham Detroit Country Day, 6-0, 2

 3. Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 6-0, 3

 4. Benton Harbor, 6-0, 6

 5. Corunna, 6-0, 4

 6. Marysville, 6-0, 5

 7. Hudsonville Unity Christian, 6-0, 9

 8. Milan, 6-0, –

 9. Hamilton, 5-1, 8

10. Lake Fenton, 6-0, –

Division 5

 1. Grand Rapids West Catholic, 5-1, 1

 2. Menominee, 6-0, 2

 3. Ithaca, 6-0, 3

 4. Frankenmuth, 6-0, 4

 5. Portland, 6-0, 6

 6. Ida, 6-0, 7

 7. Lansing Catholic, 5-1, 8

 8. Freeland, 6-0, 9

 9. Algonac, 6-0, 10

10. Clare, 5-1, –

Division 6

 1. Negaunee, 6-0, 3

 2. Grass Lake, 6-0, 5

 3. Schoolcraft, 6-0, 6

 4. Millington, 5-1, 1

5. Roscommon, 6-0, 7

 6. LeRoy Pine River, 5-1, 10

 7. Calumet, 5-1, –

 8. Tawas, 5-1, –

 9. Jackson Lumen Christi, 4-2, –

10. Maple City Glen Lake, 4-2, 9

Division 7

 1. Detroit Loyola, 5-1, 1

 2. Traverse City St. Francis, 6-0, 2

 3. Pewamo-Westphalia, 6-0, 3

 4. New Lothrop, 6-0, 4

 5. Saugatuck, 6-0, 5

 6. Sand Creek, 6-0, 8

 7. Iron Mountain, 5-1, 9

 8. Ubly, 6-0, 10

 9. Royal Oak Shrine, 5-1, –

10. Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port, 6-0 –

Division 8

 1. Muskegon Catholic Central, 6-0, 1

 2. Climax-Scotts, 6-0, 2

 3. Frankfort, 6-0, 3

 4. St. Ignace, 5-1, 5

 5. Ottawa Lake Whiteford, 6-0, 7

 6. Lake Linden-Hubbell, 6-0, 9

 7. Saginaw Nouvel, 4-2, 8

 8. Norway, 5-1, 10

 9. Mendon, 4-2, –

10. Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes, 4-2, –

Oct. 1 Michigan high school football scores

Detroit Cass Tech’s Donovan Johnson runs the ball against Detroit King on Saturday, October 1, 2016, in Detroit, MI.

Footballs on the field before a game.

In honor of Bruce Springsteen’s recently released autobiography, these five Michigan high school football players were born to run and turned in spectacular performances to help their teams to victories in Week 6:

1. RYAN BRENNAN

Howell: The 6-foot-2, 192-pound senior quarterback set school records by carrying the ball 43 times and gaining 311 yards in a 48-46 victory over Grand Blanc. He scored TDs on runs of 9, 8 and 8 yards and threw TD passes of 17 and 5 yards.

Mick McCabe’s Week 6 Michigan high school football rankings

2. JARED SMITH

Pewamo-Westphalia: The 6-0, 192-pound senior running back surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the season by running for 261 yards on 22 carries and scoring on runs of 1 and 95 yards, as P-W defeated Laingsburg, 40-7, in a battled of unbeatens.

3. JOSH CZARNOTA

Fenton: the 6-2, 202-pound junior quarterback picked up 200 yards on 22 carries and scored two touchdowns in addition to completing 12-for-17 passes for 193 yards and two TDs in a 54-35 victory over Holly.

4. NICK LEVICKI

Ida: The 5-11, 219-pound senior scored first-quarter touchdowns on runs of 19, 41, 36 and 25 yards, as Ida set a school record with 48 points in the opening quarter of a 68-7 win over Erie-Mason. In less than two quarters, Levicki had 152 yards on seven carries.

5. BLAKE DUNN

Saugatuck: The 5-11, 180-pound senior quarterback scored a touchdown on all of his five carries — 43, 20, 8, 33 and 94 yards — totaling 198 yards in a 68-0 win over Eau Claire. He also added a sixth touchdown on a 92-yard kickoff return.

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.

Elliot Uzelac has Benton Harbor in state playoffs again

Friday, Sept. 30 Michigan high school football scores

Mick McCabe: Detroit Cass Tech beats Detroit King, 31-18

Benton Harbor head football coach Elliot Uzelac talks with Mikel Seals-Porter during practice.

Benton Harbor was the feel-good story of the 2015 football season.

Elliot Uzelac, former coach at Navy and Western Michigan and longtime assistant at Michigan and Ohio State, came out of retirement at 74 to take control of a program riding a 19-game losing streak with only three wins in the previous eight seasons combined.

The Tigers finished 6-5 last season after making the state playoffs for the first time in school history, and they won a playoff game.

A year ago, with a regular-season record of 5-4, Benton Harbor had to wait until Selection Sunday to learn whether it made the playoffs. There will be no waiting this year.

Mick McCabe’s Week 6 Michigan high school football rankings

The Tigers clinched a playoff spot last week with a 21-16 victory over Traverse City West, a Division 2 school, to improve to 6-0.

The victory also boosted Benton Harbor to No.4 in Division 4 in the Free Press rankings, up a couple of spots from the week before.

The amazing aspect of this is Benton Harbor has done this without two of its best players — linebacker Percy Brown and running back/defensive end Darius Clayton — who are among four players lost to injury.

The win over West was Benton Harbor’s most impressive of the season and proved these are no paper Tigers we’re talking about.

“I think we’re pretty good,” Uzelac said. “I still think we’re making some mistakes that we have to clean up — some mental errors, a couple of physical things technically — but I think we’re a good football team — we’re a solid team.”

They proved that when they came from behind against West, a talented team that could land in the Division 2 state playoffs.

Things were going West’s way in the first half when it limited Jeremy Burrell to 25 yards.

“They did a great job against us on the inside run,” Uzelac said. “They did not want Burrell to get the inside run. So, we made a couple of adjustments at halftime, worked some things more outside in instead of inside out, and it really helped us a lot.”

5 outstanding prep football performances from Week 6

The changed blocking assignments permitted Burrell to finish with 119 yards on 19 carries with two touchdowns, one on a 23-yard reception.

Burrell has more than 1,000 yards, equaling his output of 11 games a year ago, and, more impressive, he is averaging 9.7 yards per carry.

Making Burrell so effective is his improved strength. He is squatting 500 pounds, benching 315 and power cleans 225.

Now you’re talking a kid packed in at 184 pounds, 5-10,” Uzelac said. “He doesn’t go down easy. People are bouncing off him. The line has to get some credit for that, too. We’ve been doing some pretty good things up front.”

Uzelac didn’t take the job until July 2015, meaning he had little time with his players before preseason practice. Entering this season, Uzelac had his players all winter, spring and summer.

That is when he was able to fully implement a weight program, which the school never had before. The players also went through a running program.

“We’re bigger and stronger and faster,” Uzelac said. “As a team, I don’t think anybody is going to be stronger or faster. But what we have to do is really work hard on the mental aspects of the game. This is where we have improved dramatically. We can do things mentally — adjustment-wise, offensively and defensively — we could never do last year.”

Over the years, Uzelac has established himself as a teacher of the game. That’s something he is proving again with these players, improving their football IQs.

“They know what we’re doing, and they know how we’re doing it,” he said. “Now, we can make adjustments with the offensive line, we can make defensive changes, things we just couldn’t do in the past.”

Friday, Sept. 30 Michigan high school football scores

The funny thing is that what Uzelac has done on the field is the least important contribution he has made to the Benton Harbor community.

The players now realize that their academic performance is far more important than what they accomplish on the field.

In addition to teaching and coaching his players, Uzelac also is feeding them, thanks to the initiative of Trish Adams and Dana Humes, who have found a way to help provide meals for the players on a regular basis.

“Those are the two ladies that really started it and got it rolling, and my wife, Wendy, jumped in with those two,” Uzelac said. “But Trish and Dana, we would never have succeeded without what they’ve done. They just do a phenomenal job for our players.”

The people in town might describe Uzelac’s performance the same way.

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.

Indianapolis Cathedral offensive lineman Emil Ekiyor

Michigan picked up their second verbal commitment of the 2018 class today when Indianapolis Cathedral four-star Emil Ekiyor chose the Wolverines over Tennessee, Auburn, Florida State, Michigan State and a host of others.

https://michigan.247sports.com/Season/2017-Football/Commits/Embed

The commitment continued Michigan’s recruiting momentum in the Indy area, as the Wolverines signed four-stars Brandon Peters (QB) and Chris Evans (RB) in the 2016 class. The staff remains after Ekiyor’s teammate, 2018 four-star running back Markese Stepp, who is committed to Notre Dame but visited U-M on Saturday with Ekiyor.

The decision was a slight surprise, as Ekiyor didn’t mention much of publicly committing, but the Wolverines were always believed to be at or near the top of his leader board.

“Michigan was my first offer and that always meant a lot to me,” he told 247Sports today. Michigan offered Ekiyor a scholarship in the summer of 2015 at Jim Harbaugh’s first ever satellite camp, held in Indianapolis. “The timing felt right, and it felt like home to me.”

Ekiyor, who projects to the interior of the offensive line at the next level, is a road-grader in the run game, who consistently punishes defensive tackles and clears lanes for Stepp and Cathedral’s other running backs. At Michigan, he will have an opportunity to play in an offense that will showcase his strong suits, and that was another major draw for the Wolverines.

“I like to play a physical style,” he said. “That’s what Coach Harbaugh is all about. I am excited to see what he can do at Michigan and excited to see what he can build. It’s a great situation for me.”

The four-star joins Georgia safety/linebacker Otis Reese in Michigan’s 2018 class and gives them their first offensive line commitment of the cycle. He is currently ranked 110th overall in the country according to the 247Sports Composite rankings for the 2018 cycle.

Steve Lorenz is the editor and publisher of Wolverine247 of the 247Sports Network. You can follow him on Twitter @TremendousUM and sign up for our FREE newsletter today!

Michigan Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh throws the ball during pregame warm-ups prior to the start of the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Michigan Stadium on October 1, 2016 in Ann Arbor.

Detroit King RB Kevin Willis is tackled by Detroit Cass Tech DB Jimmy Garner on Saturday, October 1, 2016, in Detroit.

The Michigan High School Athletic Association released its list of football playoff contenders Tuesday. Schools with six wins have qualified for the playoffs (or five wins or more if playing an eight-game schedule).

Schools are listed in order of enrollment with their records and playoff averages through Week 6.. An asterisk (*) beside a record indicates a team has eight or fewer games scheduled. A caret (^) beside a school’s name indicates a team is one win away from playoff qualification.

11-Player Playoff Listing

1. Macomb Dakota, 2976, 4-2, 63.000

2. Utica Eisenhower, 2700, 6-0, 106.667

3. Clarkston, 2683, 4-2, 67.500

4. Grand Blanc, 2628, 4-2, 70.500

5. East Kentwood, 2596, 3-3, 52.333

6. Southfield Arts & Technology, 2581, 3-3, 52.667

7. Rockford, 2563, 4-2, 72.333

8. Clinton Township Chippewa Valley, 2518, 3-3, 56.833

9. Howell, 2499, 4-2, 66.333

10. Dearborn Fordson, 2487, 6-0, 104.000

11. Lake Orion, 2418, 4-2, 64.667

12. Detroit Cass Tech, 2368, 6-0, 89.333

13. Northville ^, 2325, 5-1, 87.333

14. Salem, 2172, 3-3, 45.500

15. Brighton ^, 2142, 5-1, 87.333

16. Detroit Catholic Central, 2128, 6-0, 98.667

17. Novi, 2050, 4-2, 62.167

18. Monroe, 2046, 3-3, 45.867

19. Oxford, 2042, 3-3, 49.333

20. Canton, 2035, 4-2, 69.500

21. New Baltimore Anchor Bay, 1987, 4-2, 58.167

22. Macomb L’Anse Creuse North ^, 1986, 5-1, 79.500

23. Dearborn ^, 1978, 5-1, 86.000

24. Lapeer ^, 1932, 5-1, 72.500

25. Saline, 1923, 6-0, 100.800

26. West Bloomfield, 1905, 3-3, 52.167

27. Livonia Stevenson, 1839, 3-3, 56.000

28. Bloomfield Hills, 1831, 6-0, 97.333

29. White Lake Lakeland, 1822, 4-2, 62.167

30. Grandville ^, 1810, 5-1, 85.833

31. Hudsonville ^, 1797, 5-1, 82.000

32. Warren Mott, 1768, 6-0, 97.333

33. Grand Ledge ^, 1694, 5-1, 79.333

34. Belleville, 1668, 4-2, 64.167

35. Davison, 1668, 6-0, 89.333

36. Rochester Adams ^, 1666, 5-1, 79.167

37. Romeo, 1641, 4-2, 70.500

38. Waterford Mott, 1638, 3-3, 55.167

39. Rochester, 1632, 3-3, 51.000

40. Walled Lake Northern ^, 1631, 5-1, 80.333

41. Kalamazoo Central, 1615, 3-3, 48.967

42. Grosse Pointe South, 1600, 4-2, 65.000

43. Temperance Bedford ^, 1597, 5-1, 80.833

44. Detroit Western International, 1584, 4-2, 49.167

45. Brownstown Woodhaven, 1579, 4-2, 61.500

46. Detroit East English, 1579, 4-2, 54.833

47. Livonia Churchill, 1578, 4-2, 67.500

48. Saginaw Heritage, 1558, 3-3, 39.167

49. Traverse City West, 1552, 4-2, 64.333

50. Warren DeLaSalle, 1526, 3-3, 53.933

51. Flint Carman-Ainsworth, 1522, 4-2, 58.667

52. Livonia Franklin, 1507, 4-2, 64.833

53. Warren Cousino ^, 1496, 5-1, 79.000

54. Detroit Martin Luther King ^, 1487, 5-1, 71.500

55. Detroit U-D Jesuit *^, 1482, 4-1, 63.967

56. Jenison, 1481, 4-2, 61.000

57. Caledonia, 1456, 3-3, 51.833

58. Oak Park, 1409, 4-2, 68.333

59. St. Clair Shores Lakeview, 1409, 4-2, 58.167

60. Ypsilanti Lincoln, 1404, 3-3, 46.033

61. Traverse City Central, 1394, 6-0, 98.667

62. Port Huron, 1392, 3-3, 47.500

63. Midland, 1388, 3-3, 44.333

64. Portage Central ^, 1388, 5-1, 82.967

65. Portage Northern, 1378, 4-2, 67.567

66. Walled Lake Western ^, 1370, 5-1, 88.000

67. Grosse Pointe North, 1367, 4-2, 62.500

68. Battle Creek Lakeview *, 1353, 3-2, 58.333

69. Hamtramck, 1352, 3-3, 36.400

70. Dearborn Edsel Ford, 1346, 3-3, 40.833

71. Berkley, 1319, 4-2, 64.833

72. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central ^, 1316, 5-1, 77.833

73. Wyandotte Roosevelt ^, 1311, 5-1, 80.833

74. Dearborn Heights Crestwood, 1294, 3-3, 39.000

75. Port Huron Northern ^, 1288, 5-1, 69.333

76. Wyoming, 1288, 4-2, 57.167

77. Pinckney, 1276, 4-2, 63.833

78. Midland Dow, 1254, 6-0, 92.000

79. Birmingham Brother Rice, 1250, 3-3, 50.000

80. Birmingham Groves, 1248, 6-0, 100.000

81. Jackson, 1243, 3-3, 52.333

82. Muskegon Mona Shores, 1240, 3-3, 50.667

83. Muskegon Reeths-Puffer, 1198, 3-3, 42.667

84. Lowell, 1165, 6-0, 104.000

85. Holly, 1164, 4-2, 61.000

86. Farmington Hills Harrison, 1161, 3-3, 49.833

87. Bay City Central, 1158, 3-3, 48.333

88. Greenville, 1142, 4-2, 66.500

89. Fenton, 1138, 4-2, 69.000

90. East Lansing, 1117, 4-2, 60.667

91. Ferndale, 1117, 4-2, 52.000

92. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern, 1100, 3-3, 45.833

93. Allen Park, 1094, 6-0, 104.000

94. Redford Thurston, 1090, 3-3, 47.167

95. Byron Center ^, 1070, 5-1, 76.667

96. Muskegon ^, 1052, 5-1, 79.333

97. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, 1040, 4-2, 70.424

98. Ortonville-Brandon ^, 1034, 5-1, 73.833

99. Detroit Cody, 1015, 4-2, 57.167

100. St. Johns, 1015, 3-3, 44.667

101. Mason ^, 1009, 5-1, 75.333

102. Zeeland East ^, 1007, 5-1, 70.000

103. DeWitt ^, 1002, 5-1, 82.000

104. St. Joseph, 989, 4-2, 65.100

105. East Grand Rapids, 979, 4-2, 71.000

106. Trenton ^, 969, 5-1, 83.500

107. Linden, 940, 4-2, 58.667

108. Cedar Springs, 936, 3-3, 48.667

109. Niles, 931, 3-3, 41.143

110. Coldwater, 929, 4-2, 58.167

111. Romulus ^, 929, 5-1, 78.000

112. Sturgis, 929, 3-3, 37.667

113. Grand Rapids Christian ^, 912, 5-1, 84.881

114. Warren Fitzgerald, 891, 6-0, 88.000

115. New Boston Huron, 886, 4-2, 54.833

116. Melvindale, 881, 3-3, 45.500

117. Battle Creek Harper Creek, 880, 6-0, 82.667

118. Chelsea, 867, 6-0, 93.333

119. Redford Union, 865, 4-2, 52.000

120. Stevensville Lakeshore, 865, 4-2, 69.167

121. Vicksburg ^, 861, 5-1, 67.500

122. Dearborn Divine Child, 859, 4-2, 58.333

123. Zeeland West, 857, 4-2, 68.167

124. Edwardsburg, 855, 6-0, 82.667

125. Marshall, 849, 3-3, 48.000

126. Bay City John Glenn, 838, 4-2, 61.333

127. Sparta, 834, 3-3, 36.333

128. Fowlerville, 833, 4-2, 56.167

129. Tecumseh, 832, 3-3, 45.533

130. Cadillac ^, 817, 5-1, 71.167

131. Hamilton ^, 810, 5-1, 72.667

132. Wayland Union, 810, 3-3, 41.167

133. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood ^, 797, 5-1, 64.500

134. Marysville, 794, 6-0, 88.000

135. Adrian, 792, 3-3, 50.533

136. Detroit Osborn, 786, 3-3, 41.833

137. St. Clair, 784, 3-3, 46.667

138. Milan, 775, 6-0, 93.333

139. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, 749, 4-2, 58.333

140. River Rouge ^, 741, 5-1, 68.833

141. Allendale, 735, 4-2, 59.000

142. Three Rivers ^, 730, 5-1, 68.167

143. Escanaba ^, 722, 5-1, 72.833

144. Detroit Mumford ^, 714, 5-1, 71.267

145. Harper Woods Chandler Park Academy *^, 708, 4-2, 52.833

146. Ludington ^, 695, 5-1, 55.500

147. Detroit Country Day, 692, 6-0, 82.667

148. Monroe Jefferson, 687, 3-3, 42.333

149. Yale, 683, 3-3, 35.000

150. Alma ^, 674, 5-1, 67.500

151. South Haven, 674, 3-3, 42.833

152. Paw Paw, 672, 3-3, 40.500

153. Battle Creek Pennfield, 669, 3-3, 43.000

154. Wyoming Kelloggsville ^, 660, 5-1, 67.967

155. Croswell-Lexington, 659, 4-2, 56.167

156. Lake Fenton, 654, 6-0, 74.667

157. Grosse Ile ^, 653, 5-1, 74.167

158. Whitehall, 653, 4-2, 53.333

159. Flint Powers Catholic, 647, 3-3, 50.833

160. Wyoming Godwin Heights, 645, 3-3, 43.967

161. Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 644, 6-0, 92.000

162. Benton Harbor, 643, 6-0, 82.667

163. Williamston, 643, 3-3, 39.000

164. Big Rapids, 639, 3-3, 37.333

165. Corunna, 639, 6-0, 76.000

166. Hudsonville Unity Christian, 629, 6-0, 88.000

167. Grand Rapids South Christian, 621, 3-3, 42.000

168. St. Clair Shores South Lake, 617, 4-2, 59.833

169. Lake Odessa Lakewood, 614, 6-0, 84.000

170. Dowagiac, 610, 3-3, 40.833

171. Lansing Sexton, 610, 4-2, 65.333

172. Hancock, 608, 4-2, 41.310

173. Saginaw Swan Valley, 607, 4-2, 52.000

174. Clawson, 599, 3-3, 42.000

175. Detroit Denby ^, 593, 5-1, 63.167

176. Muskegon Oakridge ^, 590, 5-1, 60.833

177. Southfield Bradford Academy ^, 587, 5-1, 60.667

178. Belding, 585, 4-2, 50.667

179. Portland, 579, 6-0, 89.333

180. Remus Chippewa Hills ^, 577, 5-1, 67.500

181. Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard, 568, 3-3, 30.300

182. Richmond ^, 562, 5-1, 68.833

183. Freeland, 561, 6-0, 89.333

184. Essexville Garber, 550, 4-2, 50.833

185. Algonac, 547, 6-0, 80.000

186. Ida, 546, 6-0, 76.000

187. Carrollton, 543, 4-2, 46.500

188. Kingsford, 543, 4-2, 59.214

189. Mt. Morris, 543, 3-3, 36.500

190. Olivet, 541, 4-2, 49.667

191. Harper Woods, 540, 4-2, 49.000

192. Frankenmuth, 533, 6-0, 84.000

193. Lansing Catholic ^, 532, 5-1, 76.833

194. Grandville Calvin Christian, 531, 3-3, 38.900

195. Grant, 520, 4-2, 49.500

196. Kalkaska ^, 517, 5-1, 57.833

197. Perry, 504, 3-3, 35.333

198. Almont, 497, 3-3, 35.333

199. Kalamazoo Hackett, 497, 3-3, 40.500

200. Shepherd, 497, 3-3, 40.667

201. Manistee, 496, 4-2, 45.000

202. Reed City, 496, 6-0, 84.000

203. Grayling, 492, 3-3, 39.500

204. Berrien Springs *, 482, 3-2, 48.438

205. Stockbridge, 482, 3-3, 38.000

206. Gladstone, 478, 3-3, 39.500

207. Buchanan *, 476, 3-2, 47.133

208. Grand Rapids West Catholic ^, 475, 5-1, 60.500

209. Durand, 463, 4-2, 41.333

210. Parchment, 448, 4-2, 44.733

211. Brooklyn Columbia Central, 442, 4-2, 48.167

212. Menominee, 439, 6-0, 87.619

213. Hillsdale, 432, 4-2, 47.667

214. Ithaca, 426, 6-0, 77.333

215. Clare ^, 419, 5-1, 60.833

216. Detroit Voyageur, 418, 3-3, 35.967

217. Pinconning, 417, 4-2, 42.333

218. Montague ^, 414, 5-1, 60.167

219. Houghton, 412, 3-3, 27.952

220. Tawas *^, 412, 4-1, 44.333

221. Hemlock, 411, 4-2, 44.000

222. Harrison, 410, 4-2, 45.167

223. Calumet ^, 406, 5-1, 65.976

224. Michigan Center, 406, 3-3, 29.833

225. Morley Stanwood, 404, 4-2, 49.167

226. Lakeview, 402, 3-3, 37.667

227. Delton Kellogg, 401, 4-2, 50.500

228. Negaunee, 400, 6-0, 80.000

229. Warren Michigan Collegiate ^, 398, 5-1, 66.000

230. Adrian Madison, 397, 3-3, 36.833

231. Boyne City, 396, 4-2, 58.167

232. Charlevoix ^, 393, 5-1, 53.833

233. Millington ^, 393, 5-1, 66.167

234. Burton Bendle, 392, 3-3, 30.833

235. Mason County Central, 389, 3-3, 29.333

236. Beaverton, 387, 4-2, 45.167

237. Constantine, 386, 4-2, 51.833

238. Montrose, 386, 3-3, 36.833

239. Byron, 385, 4-2, 46.667

240. Quincy ^, 381, 5-1, 47.167

241. Jackson Lumen Christi, 380, 4-2, 58.833

242. Napoleon, 380, 4-2, 41.333

243. Watervliet, 380, 4-2, 50.667

244. Maple City Glen Lake, 379, 4-2, 52.333

245. Manchester, 378, 4-2, 41.333

246. Detroit Edison Public School Academy *, 374, 3-2, 40.500

247. Houghton Lake, 374, 3-3, 38.167

248. Laingsburg ^, 374, 5-1, 56.833

249. Roscommon, 367, 6-0, 73.333

250. Grass Lake, 363, 6-0, 68.000

251. Kent City, 362, 4-2, 47.500

252. New Haven, 362, 3-3, 36.667

253. Schoolcraft, 358, 6-0, 69.333

254. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central, 355, 3-3, 42.000

255. Oscoda, 352, 3-3, 31.000

256. Ravenna, 350, 4-2, 45.333

257. Leroy Pine River ^, 347, 5-1, 60.667

258. Madison Heights Madison, 343, 3-3, 47.833

259. Traverse City St. Francis, 341, 6-0, 74.667

260. Bath, 336, 3-3, 29.833

261. Lawton ^, 333, 5-1, 52.833

262. Clinton, 331, 4-2, 46.667

263. Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian, 330, 3-3, 30.333

264. Flint Hamady, 329, 4-2, 51.833

265. Reese, 328, 4-2, 46.833

266. Detroit Delta Prep, 327, 4-2, 47.667

267. McBain, 326, 3-3, 42.667

268. Madison Heights Bishop Foley, 322, 3-3, 34.000

269. Riverview Gabriel Richard, 320, 3-3, 36.333

270. Burton Atherton, 316, 4-2, 37.000

271. Homer, 313, 4-2, 50.500

272. Bridgman, 312, 4-2, 36.900

273. Galesburg-Augusta, 312, 3-3, 27.500

274. Iron Mountain ^, 302, 5-1, 56.300

275. New Lothrop, 298, 6-0, 72.000

276. Gobles ^, 289, 5-1, 55.333

277. Saugatuck, 289, 6-0, 66.667

278. Cass City, 288, 3-3, 35.667

279. Pewamo-Westphalia, 288, 6-0, 70.667

280. Gwinn, 287, 4-2, 41.500

281. Cassopolis ^, 278, 5-1, 58.533

282. Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett, 277, 6-0, 65.333

283. Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest, 275, 3-3, 31.633

284. Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker, 274, 6-0, 62.667

285. Carson City-Crystal, 268, 4-2, 32.833

286. Sand Creek, 268, 6-0, 63.200

287. Hudson ^, 267, 5-1, 60.500

288. Unionville-Sebewaing ^, 267, 5-1, 52.833

289. Detroit Loyola ^, 266, 5-1, 67.167

290. Hesperia, 265, 4-2, 42.167

291. East Jordan, 261, 4-2, 33.333

292. Ubly, 260, 6-0, 65.333

293. Dansville, 259, 4-2, 41.500

294. Springport ^, 259, 5-1, 51.167

295. Concord ^, 258, 5-1, 48.667

296. Onekama ^, 254, 5-1, 43.167

297. Whittemore-Prescott, 251, 3-3, 33.400

298. Auburn Hills Oakland Christian *, 250, 3-2, 33.467

299. Royal Oak Shrine Catholic ^, 249, 5-1, 61.667

300. Saginaw Nouvel, 248, 4-2, 46.500

301. New Buffalo, 247, 3-3, 26.667

302. Petersburg-Summerfield, 247, 4-2, 37.333

303. Lincoln Alcona ^, 245, 5-1, 55.267

304. Decatur, 243, 3-3, 27.000

305. Evart, 242, 4-2, 44.833

306. Ottawa Lake Whiteford, 242, 6-0, 64.000

307. Iron River West Iron County, 241, 3-3, 33.905

308. Beal City, 239, 4-2, 46.667

309. Ishpeming *, 239, 3-2, 36.038

310. Breckenridge, 235, 6-0, 57.333

311. Johannesburg-Lewiston, 233, 3-3, 25.667

312. St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic ^, 232, 5-1, 45.833

313. Harbor Beach, 231, 4-2, 35.667

314. Melvindale Academy for Business & Tech, 224, 3-3, 30.500

315. St. Ignace ^, 219, 5-1, 56.833

316. Norway ^, 214, 5-1, 46.205

317. Newberry ^, 212, 5-1, 48.833

318. Pittsford, 206, 3-3, 28.667

319. Rogers City, 205, 3-3, 28.333

320. Marcellus, 204, 3-3, 25.500

321. Mendon, 203, 4-2, 46.400

322. Morenci, 201, 4-2, 45.500

323. Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary, 200, 4-2, 46.500

324. Vestaburg, 195, 4-2, 37.000

325. Fulton, 191, 3-3, 26.000

326. Merrill ^, 191, 5-1, 41.667

327. Adrian Lenawee Christian, 186, 3-3, 34.867

328. Fowler, 185, 4-2, 37.000

329. Martin, 178, 4-2, 34.333

330. Sterling Heights Parkway Christian, 173, 3-3, 36.133

331. Frankfort, 171, 6-0, 60.000

332. Gaylord St. Mary ^, 170, 5-1, 36.667

333. Climax-Scotts, 169, 6-0, 56.000

334. Muskegon Catholic Central, 163, 6-0, 76.000

335. Lake Linden-Hubbell, 157, 6-0, 67.238

336. Colon, 156, 4-2, 35.033

337. AuGres-Sims ^, 149, 5-1, 48.667

338. Hillman, 146, 3-3, 26.000

339. Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart, 146, 3-3, 29.833

340. Waterford Our Lady, 134, 4-2, 45.500

341. Clarkston Everest Collegiate ^, 115, 5-1, 53.833

342. Felch North Dickinson, 95, 4-2, 35.025

8-Player Playoff Listing

1. Deckerville *, 177, 6-0, 62.667

2. New Haven Merritt Academy, 165, 6-0, 56.000

3. Engadine, 91, 6-0, 54.667

4. Powers North Central, 115, 6-0, 51.048

5. Cedarville, 156, 6-0, 50.667

6. Lawrence, 186, 6-0, 50.400

7. Peck, 143, 5-1, 48.033

8. Wyoming Tri-unity Christian, 168, 6-0, 48.000

9. Portland St. Patrick, 92, 6-0, 45.333

10. Crystal Falls Forest Park, 159, 5-1, 45.100

11. Rapid River, 116, 5-1, 40.933

12. Webberville, 178, 5-1, 40.667

13. Owendale-Gagetown, 48, 5-1, 39.500

14. Stephenson, 177, 5-1, 38.571

15. Fife Lake Forest Area, 162, 5-1, 36.833

16. Battle Creek St. Philip, 143, 4-2, 35.933

17. Pickford, 149, 5-1, 35.500

18. Camden-Frontier *, 159, 4-1, 34.967

19. Flint International Academy, 185, 4-2, 33.500

20. Hale, 129, 4-2, 29.333

21. Morrice, 168, 3-3, 28.667

22. Marion, 132, 3-3, 27.167

23. Onaway, 190, 4-2, 27.000

24. Tekonsha, 135, 3-3, 24.667

25. Mayville, 196, 3-3, 24.500

26. Waldron, 83, 3-3, 23.167

27. Posen, 94, 2-4, 17.533

28. Brethren, 152, 2-4, 17.167

29. Ontonagon, 126, 2-4, 16.214

30. Burr Oak, 72, 2-4, 15.333

31. Burton Madison Academy, 198, 2-4, 14.500

32. Caseville, 98, 2-4, 14.500

33. Flint Michigan School for the Deaf *, 47, 2-3, 14.233

34. Bellaire, 133, 2-4, 13.333

35. St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran, 97, 2-4, 12.833

36. Manistee Catholic Central, 189, 2-4, 12.500

37. Eben Junction Superior Central, 125, 1-5, 9.933

38. Ewen-Trout Creek, 115, 1-5, 9.500

39. Baraga, 150, 1-5, 9.267

40. Carney-Nadeau *, 140, 1-4, 9.067

41. St. Helen Charlton Heston Academy, 137, 1-5, 8.333

42. Carsonville-Port Sanilac, 118, 1-5, 7.667

43. Pellston, 169, 0-6, 3.333

44. Kinde-North Huron, 157, 0-6, 2.833

45. Litchfield, 85, 0-6, 2.833

46. Covert *, 95, 0-5, 2.333

47. Big Rapids Crossroads Academy, 193, 0-6, 2.000

48. Akron-Fairgrove, 105, 0-6, 2.000

Detroit King WR Christian Chatman runs the ball against Detroit Cass Tech on Saturday, October 1, 2016, in Detroit.

Friday’s games

CATHOLIC LEAGUE

Dearborn Divine Child at Ann Arbor Richard, 4

Novi Detroit Catholic Central at Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, 7

Riverview Richard at Macomb Lutheran North, 7

Royal Oak Shrine at Waterford Our Lady, 7

Warren De La Salle vs. U-D Jesuit at Hazel Park, 7

CHARTER SCHOOL

Southfield Bradford at Harper Woods Chandler Park, 7

DETROIT PSL

Cass Tech at Osborn, 4

CMA at Pershing, 4

Cody at Renaissance, 4

Collegiate Prep at Henry Ford, 4

Douglass at Central, 4

Southeastern at Denby, 4

Western at Mumford, 4

DOWNRIVER

Allen Park at Melvindale, 7

Taylor Kennedy at Lincoln Park, 7

Taylor Truman at Gibraltar Carlson, 7

Woodhaven at Southgate, 7

Wyandotte at Trenton, 7

HURON

Carleton Airport at Grosse Ile, 7

Milan at Monroe St. Mary CC, 7

Monroe Jefferson at New Boston Huron, 7

Riverview at Flat Rock, 7

KENSINGTON LAKES

Canton at Wayne Memorial, 7

Hartland at Brighton, 7

Howell at Milford, 7

Livonia Churchill at Livonia Franklin, 7

Northville at Livonia Stevenson, 7

Pinckney at Grand Blanc, 7

Plymouth at Westland Glenn, 7

Salem at Novi, 7

South Lyon East at South Lyon, 7

Walled Lake Northern at Walled Lake Western, 7

Waterford Mott at Walled Lake Central, 7

White Lake Lakeland at Waterford Kettering, 7

MACOMB AREA

Center Line at New Haven, 7

Clawson at St. Clair Shores Lakeview, 7

Clinton Twp. Clintondale at Madison Heights Lamphere, 7

Grosse Pointe North at Sterling Heights, 7

Macomb Dakota at Clinton Twp. Chippewa Valley, 7

Macomb L’Anse Creuse North at Utica, 7

Marine City at Warren Woods Tower, 7

Marysville at Port Huron Northern, 7

New Baltimore Anchor Bay at Grosse Pointe South, 7

Port Huron at L’Anse Creuse, 7

Romeo at Warren Mott, 7

Roseville at Warren Cousino, 7

St. Clair Shores Lake Shore at St. Clair, 7

Utica Eisenhower at Sterling Heights Stevenson, 7

Utica Ford at Fraser, 7

MICHIGAN INDEPENDENT

R.H. Lutheran Northwest at Southfield Christian, 7

MICHIGAN METRO

Hamtramck at Melvindale Business & Tech, 7

OAKLAND ACTIVITIES

Auburn Hills Avondale at Pontiac, 7

Berkley at Troy, 7

Farmington Hills Harrison at Oak Park, 6

Hazel Park at Ferndale, 7

Lake Orion at Birmingham Seaholm, 7

North Farmington at Farmington, 7

Rochester Adams at Birmingham Groves, 7

Rochester Hills Stoney Creek at Southfield A&T, 5:30

Royal Oak at Rochester, 7

Troy Athens at Oxford, 7

West Bloomfield at Clarkston, 7

SOUTHEASTERN

Ann Arbor Huron at Temperance Bedford, 7

Ann Arbor Pioneer at Ann Arbor Skyline, 7

Dexter at Adrian, 7

Monroe at Saline, 7

Tecumseh at Ypsilanti Lincoln, 7

Ypsilanti at Chelsea, 7

WESTERN WAYNE

Belleville at Garden City, 7

Dearborn Fordson at Dearborn Heights Robichaud, 7

Dearborn Heights Annapolis at Romulus, 7

Dearborn Heights Crestwood at Dearborn Edsel Ford, 7

Livonia Clarenceville at Dearborn, 7

Redford Thurston at Redford Union, 7

OTHER GAMES

Birmingham Detroit Country Day at Marquette, 7

Bloomfield Hills at Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, 7

Dearborn Heights Star at Bay City All Saints, 7

Detroit Community at Detroit Delta, 4

Detroit Edison at Detroit Leadership, 5

Detroit Public Safety at Wyoming Lee, 7

Detroit Voyageur at River Rouge, 7

Harper Woods at Ecorse, 7

Warren Lincoln at Madison Heights Bishop Foley, 7

Saturday’s games

CATHOLIC LEAGUE

Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook at Allen Park Cabrini, 1

CHARTER SCHOOL

Detroit Old Redford at Detroit University Prep, 3

Romulus Summit at Warren Michigan Collegiate, 7

DETROIT PSL

King at East English, noon

MACOMB AREA

Madison Heights Madison at Warren Fitzgerald, 1

St. Clair Shores South Lake at East Detroit, 1

MICHIGAN INDEPENDENT

Oakland Christian at G.P.W. University Liggett, 1

Lutheran Westland at Sterling Heights Parkway, 1

OTHER GAME

Detroit Loyola at Detroit Science and Math, 1

Sunday’s game

Clarkston Everest at Marine City Cardinal Mooney, 4

Each day, the Son of Swami receives a reminder of how old he has become.

Sometimes it’s an e-mail where the writer flat-out tells SOS that he is old and decrepit and should retire before entirely losing control of his faculties. Others are more subtle.

One of those came this week from Craig Petersmark, whose son, Ben, is a linebacker at Rochester Adams. Petersmark mentioned that this week, his son’s team will be playing Birmingham Groves, which features safety Ryan Flaherty and is coached by his father, Brendan Flaherty.

Petersmark pointed out that he and Flaherty were teammates at Eastern Michigan back in 1987. That is significant because that was the greatest season in EMU history, in which it won the Mid-American Conference and the California Bowl.

That did not come as a surprise to SOS because the All-Knowing One also covered the MAC back then and had EMU as his preseason favorite to win the conference and go to Fresno.

Better yet, SOS was in Fresno when Eastern, a 171/2-point underdog, knocked off San Jose State in the biggest upset of that year’s bowl season.

SOS certainly remembers Petersmark and Flaherty, but he was under the impression that defensive tackle Donshell English, now the Detroit Mumford coach, made every single tackle in that bowl game and quarterback Ron Adams, now the Wyandotte coach, threw for 550 yards.

OK, maybe SOS’s memory is off a bit, but that is what English and Adams tell SOS every time he covers one of their games.

The game was terrific, but it took a back seat to the media basketball event the day before the game when sports information director Jim Streeter, who never met a shot he didn’t take, and SOS led the visiting media to victory, thanks in no small part to the incredible post play by EMU athletic director Gene Smith, who is reportedly working at Ohio State these days.

As SOS attempts to return to this century, here are this week’s top games.

Ishpeming (3-2) at Negaunee (6-0), 7 Friday. This is not the same Ishpeming team that has won three of the last four Division 7 state championships. But this is still a big hurdle for Negaunee, which has lost 10 of the last 11 games to the Hematites. Ishpeming better be prepared for a Negaunee’s physical running attack featuring Neal Violetta and Shane Ring. If the Miners continue to convert on fourth down, like they did five times in seven attempts last week, this won’t be close. Nagging 27, Ishtar 19.

Davison (6-0) at Lapeer (5-1), 7 Friday. For the Lapeer defense, stopping running back Tariq Reid is Job One. Reid has been so good this season, over 1,000 yards already, stopping him is also Job Two and Job Three. If someone is going to beat Lapeer, it has to be someone other than Reid. The Davison defense has a more difficult job. Not only needs it to shut down the running of Jalen Kirkland, but it better be sure quarterback Drew Rubick doesn’t get time in the pocket or he will pick it apart. Perrier 31, Davison Freeway 25.

Rochester Adams (5-1) at Birmingham Groves (6-0), 7 Friday. Groves is adjusting to life in the tougher OAA White just fine and can put a virtual lock on the title if the Falcons manage to beat Adams. That won’t be easy. QB Kyle Wood is a four-year starter for Adams and Mark Patritto is an asset at receiver and safety. The Adams offense just might want to keep an eye on where Ryan Flaherty lines up in the Groves secondary and throw the ball to the opposite side of the field, because he can ruin a passing game. Addams Family 21, Orange Groves 17.

Novi Detroit Catholic Central (6-0) at Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (4-2), 7 Friday. The CC offense is predicated on the statement: “The Wham Never Loses Yardage.” The Wham is a play where the ball is handed to the fullback who plows is way through the line of scrimmage. It is nothing fancy, but most of the time it works, which is one of the reasons why CC is so good year after year. St. Mary’s is good year after year, too, and it also likes to run the ball a lot. If St. Mary’s is going to beat CC, it better be able to stop the Wham. The Vatican 21, St. Mary’s by the Lake 20.

Detroit King (5-1) at Detroit East English Village (4-2), noon Saturday. East English Village is likely the only thing standing between King and a Week 9 Cass-King rematch in the PSL championship game. Cass demolished East English, 58-18, three weeks ago, but the Bulldogs have played King remarkably tough the last few years. East English must buy QB Delvin Washington time to find Sammy Womack. King’s Ambry Thomas needs to play his usual spectacular game in the secondary and at receiver. King of Wishful Thinking 32, It takes a Village 21.

Week 7 Michigan high school football schedule

Detroit King’s high schools Kevin Willis runs the ball against Southfield A&T high school during first half action of the Prep Kickoff Classic game Saturday, August 27, 2016 at Wayne State University in Detroit MI. Kirthmon F. Dozier/Detroit Free Press

Son of Swami

Son of Swami

Rocky Lombardi made his first big plays at the varsity level long before he was a high schooler.

It was a summer day in suburban Chicago. His father, Tony, then the coach at Cedar Rapids Washington, brought his team for a 7-on-7 high school football tournament in 2010. Both of his sons tagged along.

In one game, the Warriors were down two scores with an injured quarterback. Tony looked around and spotted Rocky standing on the sideline, helmet in hand. Moments later, Rocky, all of 5-foot-8 at the time with short blonde hair, a baby face and a voice full of high-pitched squeaks, jogged out to play with the varsity team.

He’ll be fine, Tony told himself, more with hope than confidence.

Valley High School’s Rocky Lombardi is arguably the best high school quarterback in the state of Iowa, Monday, Oct. 3, 2016. He attributes it to his upbringing and relentless work ethic.

Rocky erased all doubt by orchestrating a brilliant comeback. He rifled passes in and around the defense, baiting players with pump fakes and poking holes in the zone. Tony stood stunned on the sidelines. The way he remembers it, “we went from down 15 to up 20” after Rocky entered the game.

One play in particular stood out that afternoon.

After getting the defense to press, Rocky uncorked a 40-yard bomb to Flynn Heald, who hauled in the pass, took three steps and dove toward the pylon for a touchdown. He then popped up and celebrated. Nearly six years removed from that afternoon, Tony still remembers the back-and-forth afterward between Heald and the defender.

“You got lucky,” the opposing defensive back told Heald, “scoring with your freshman quarterback.”

“Nah, dude,” Tony recalls Heald saying. “That guy’s in sixth grade.”

“At that point,” Tony says now, “I figured he had a chance to be pretty good.”

Valley quarterback Rocky Lombardi throw a pass downfield on Sept. 2 against Waukee.

On a Monday in mid-September, Rocky Lombardi sat at Valley Stadium, just three days removed from a 43-point blowout victory in which he accounted for more than half of his team’s total yards. He shrugged at the thought, his mind racing with other ideas.

Instead, Lombardi spoke of his mistakes, because “there were quite a few.”

“Just small mistakes,” the senior said. “It’s not always the picks or the fumbles that are the mistakes. It’s footwork and making the wrong read. Even when I complete the ball sometimes, maybe I made the wrong read and could’ve made a better pass.

“There was a lot of small stuff that not everybody picks up on. If you look deep into the film, you can see that kind of stuff.”

He’s always seen things a little differently, and has continually chased a perfection he knows he may never obtain. That mindset — established inside the walls of a football home and nurtured by a father who’s coached longer than Lombardi’s been alive — became the foundation for Iowa’s best quarterback prospect in the last half-decade, if not longer.

“First and foremost, he’s a big, strong kid that can do everything you want as a quarterback,” said Steve Wiltfong, the National Recruiting Director at 247Sports, which assigned the 6-foot-3, 215-pound Lombardi a composite score of .8641, the highest mark for an Iowa quarterback since City High’s AJ Derby (.8895) in 2010. He now plays tight end for the New England Patriots.

“He’s a top multi-sport athlete,” Wiltfong continued on Lombardi. “We have him as the No. 4 player in Iowa in what’s a pretty good year in Iowa. He’s a guy that, in addition to his physical tools, he’s going to bring that right demeanor that you need to play the quarterback position.”

For his career, Lombardi is 26-5 as a varsity starter and has thrown for 5,280 yards and 57 touchdowns to date. Under his guidance, Valley is in possession of a 6-0 record and the top spot in this season’s Register Super 10 rankings. Yet he’s never been satisfied by any of those accolades, always looking for something to improve on, be it a strength or a weakness.

“There are certain steps you need to take if you want to be great,” Lombardi said, “and in order for me to reach my goals, I have to be the best I can be. In every snap that I take. In every read that I make. I can’t let the little things slide.”

He can’t remember a time when he hasn’t been critical of a performance, a subtle comment offering insight to how his mind is wired. He is endlessly competitive, a scratch golfer who torments his buddies in video games, yet his coaches say he revels more in the team’s accomplishments than his own. He is the product of his daily habits, both on and off the field.

Recently, Lombardi took a personality quiz for a leadership class. His top trait advantage, he said, was context, meaning he researches the past to help him improve in the future. The result both stunned and fascinated him.

“I would say he’s pretty much a perfectionist,” said Beau, his younger brother by two years. “I see it all the time. We play so many different sports, and he’s good at all of them. We can try anything new, and he’s either already good at it, or he’ll work to become good at it.”

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Homecoming candidates Genny Wyckoff and Rocky Lombardi wave to fans on Sept. 22 during the Valley homecoming parade and party.

Tony Lombardi grew up on the sidelines with his dad, Bob, who pieced together a career worthy of the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Tony then played tailback for four years at Arizona State and jumped into coaching shortly after, with stops at Wisconsin, Mankato State, Eastern Michigan and, for a year, the short-lived XFL’s Chicago Enforcers.

Tony hoped his kids would take to football the same way he did. The names of his first four children all carry a football-related story. The inspiration behind his oldest son’s name comes from Rocky Bleier, a Notre Dame grad who lost part of his right foot in the Vietnam War. He returned and fought through rehab to become a starter for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and helped them win four Super Bowls in the 1970s.

Rocky appeared well on his way — he said his first word was “ball.” But one Sunday, while coaching for the Enforcers, Tony hugged Rocky in the doorway of their home and told him he’d see him on Friday.

“Why are you leaving again?” Tony remembers him asking, and he explained it was because of football. They’d grown used to this talk because Tony often traveled for recruiting purposes at each college gig. But on this day, a 4-year-old Rocky was in tears.

“I hate football,” Tony remembers him crying out.

Tony said he dropped his head and walked to his car. As he drove to work, he thought about his father and the memories that helped foster his love for football. The image of Rocky crying in the doorway was a nightmare come true. He decided he needed to change.

“I thought the coolest thing in the world would be to grow up with your father as the head coach,” Tony says now. “I loved everything about football, loved everything about my dad, loved everything about being around his players. But I hadn’t put two and two together.

“My dad was a high school coach, so he never recruited, never left town and was home after practice. I kind of realized that I was creating a negative association for football with him. I did not want my son to grow up hating this sport.”

The XFL folded after just one season in 2001, and Tony soon earned his teaching certificate. He took a coaching job at Homewood-Flossmoor in the Chicago suburbs, the same school where Bob coached when Tony walked the sidelines at the age of 5. In 2002, he led the Vikings to a 5-5 record and a playoff appearance, with Rocky by his side for all 10 games.

Growing up with a football coach for a parent sounds like pop quizzes on the weekends. As Rocky Lombardi and Tony watched football on Saturdays and Sundays, Tony would ask his son questions after plays unfolded in an attempt to pick his brain.

“We’d watch a play, and I’d turn to him and ask, ‘You know why that guy was open, don’t you?’” Tony said. “At first, he was like, ‘No,’ but now, he’ll come back with, ‘Yeah, because the safety jumped the shallow route, and that left a seam behind him for the immediate crossing route, so the quarterback just read the safety.’

“We watch the game from an analytical standpoint. We just like to watch good football or good schemes or good coaching or good techniques. It’s a different way to watch the game. People have a hard time understanding it.”

Tony began these conversations with Rocky in third grade, when he started playing tackle football. The tactic proved vital, a powerful force that shaped how Rocky consumed and digested the sport. He grew up not rooting for teams but reading Xs and Os.

Once he entered high school, he took his dad’s lessons and began studying specific quarterbacks, mining their film for the tendencies that make them great. He loves Tom Brady’s knack for reading defenses, Aaron Rodgers’ quick feet and Ben Roethlisberger’s ability to extend plays.

Watching games that way allowed Rocky to pick up football concepts faster. He took to the quarterback position naturally, Tony said, which allowed his strongest personality trait to shine through.

“I remember a pick I threw against Waukee my sophomore year on a smash concept,” Rocky said. “The corner baited me into throwing the hitch. I dropped back, and ended up throwing a pick in the red zone. This year, we ran that same concept. Complete pass.

“There’s some stuff you remember more vividly than others. I like to remember my mistakes. You don’t want to make the same mistake twice. That’s something that’s constant throughout my whole life.”

He remembers the good plays, too. One of his earliest was from sixth grade, at the 7-on-7 tournament near Chicago. Rocky lights up at the memory, and rattled off his stats from the few games he played: 35-for-50, eight touchdowns, one interception.

“I was just playing and having fun,” he said, “then my dad told me (the numbers), and I was like, ‘Huh, I guess I was doing better than I thought.’”

The older he got, the more important those small details became. When he reviews film, he watches himself almost as much as opposing defenses, making sure his footwork and arm technique are top-notch. When he throws to warm up, he picks a target on his receivers’ face — nose, ear, eye — and tries to hit it each time.

“They don’t know I’m doing it,” he said and smiled.

Lombardi overcomes early miscues in win over Dowling

At 220lbs Valley’s Rocky Lombardi sprawls as Ames’ Harrison Townsend shoots in for a takedown on Thursday, December 10, 2015, during a wrestling meet held at Waukee High School.

A couple years ago, Lombardi and Braeden Heald — Flynn’s younger brother — were hanging out in Lombardi’s basement. After a couple of games of ping pong, Heald lined up in a receiver’s stance and challenged Lombardi to a quick one-on-one coverage battle.

Lombardi accepted, and he jammed Heald shoulder-first into a nearby wall. The drywall caved, and Heald careened straight through to the other side. Lombardi said the hole was so big that a picture frame wouldn’t have covered it.

“I said to him, ‘I bet you can’t cover me,’” Heald recalled. “Next thing you know, I’m inside the wall and we’re just looking at each other, like, ‘Oh God, what do we do?’ You could literally see through the wall.”

His insatiable desire to win is astounding. Lombardi started growing out his striking blonde hair three years ago, and only cuts it when the football team loses (or when wrestling season rolls around). But none of the stories are as intense as him throwing his favorite receiver through a wall.

“It was his own fault,” Lombardi said and laughed.

His friends say he has the uncanny ability to identify the best angle for victory and pursue it relentlessly. The contest matters not. A few weeks ago, he and Heald were playing the “NCAA Football” video game. When Lombardi plays, he reads the virtual defenses the same way he does live ones. He tore Heald to shreds.

“I quit by half,” Heald said.

His will to win has long been visible. Lombardi used to attend Tony’s high school workouts over the summer, and always won the team-building games at the end. In elementary school, Lombardi entered the third period of a wrestling match down four points. He started on bottom, and on the whistle, he reversed his opponent to his back for the pin.

For all the success he’s had, Lombardi rarely accepts the credit publicly, often redirecting it to his teammates. His sophomore year, he compiled 196 total yards and four scores in a 56-0 win over Council Bluffs Lincoln. He returned home and sang the praises of then-senior Austin Hronich because “he caught his first touchdown pass (that night),” Tony said.

One of the biggest thrills he’s ever experienced, his coaches say, was in last year’s state wrestling duals. Lombardi spoke with coach Travis Young before the Class 3A finals, featuring Valley against national powerhouse Southeast Polk. For Valley to have the best chance at winning, Lombardi needed to win at heavyweight, rather than at his usual 220-pound class.

Without hesitation, Lombardi bumped up to wrestle second-ranked Daniel Ramirez. Lombardi won 3-2, helping Valley to a state dual team title.

“He understood that it would happen, and was excited for the opportunity,” Young says. “He was taking on something that was harder, that’s for sure, but, you know, he hates to lose. When the lights are on, he’s as competitive as anybody we have.”

Perhaps most impressive is Lombardi’s ability as a scratch golfer. He learned the game when he still lived near Chicago and started playing it religiously when he moved to Iowa. (His family initially lived in Cedar Rapids, but then moved to West Des Moines before Lombardi’s freshman year after Tony resigned as the coach at Washington in 2013 amid verbal abuse allegations).

Beau, his brother, said he could golf all day — and there are times, in fact, when he does. Last summer, Lombardi bought a summer pass to a local course and said he golfed at least every other day. He was naturally talented, applying his attention to detail to a game that demands it. He once devoted an entire summer to putting.

“Now, I’m a pretty decent putter,” Lombardi said.

His competitive spirit surfaced again when he looked at colleges. After his junior year, Lombardi told Tony he wanted to play professionally, so he scanned all the NFL rosters to see where the majority of quarterbacks came from. He came away most impressed with Michigan State, and gave his verbal commitment to coach Mark Dantonio on April 3.

“They play in a pro-style offense, they have a great culture, and they have great coaches,” Wiltfong said. “What they ask their kids to do, it translates really well to the next level, from the offense to the terminology to the things they have to do and know pre-snap.

“Rocky will have to beat out some good players, but he’s plenty capable. We think he’s going to be a multi-year starter at Michigan State, and their last two multi-year starters were drafted. He fits that program. Just a hard-nosed, blue-collar type kid that they covet in East Lansing.”

Valley’s Rocky Lombardi is mobbed by teammates after running in for a touchdown during their game against Bettendorf at Valley Stadium on Friday, August 26, 2016 in West Des Moines.

About an hour before the varsity kickoff between Johnston and Valley last month, Lombardi and his teammates stood behind the south end zone and loosely warmed up. He threw passes to Beau and Jevon Mason, the latter of whom threw back and said, “Rocky,” in the same way someone might say “Kobe” when he throws a crumbled piece of paper into a trash can.

A slew of youth football teams lined up around the field, and a group of fifth-graders got front-row seats to watch Lombardi warm up. They all huddled together and marveled at his hair, his size and his throwing motion. To them, he was a celebrity standing just a few feet away. One kid asked his mom for her phone.

He took the phone and approached Lombardi, asking for a selfie. Lombardi smiled, and called his friends to gather in close. He snapped a few pictures and handed the phone back.

The kids bounced back to their spot in line, their smiles present the rest of the night.

Valley High School’s Rocky Lombardi is arguably the best high school quarterback in the state of Iowa, Monday, Oct. 3, 2016. He attributes it to his upbringing and relentless work ethic.

Valley quarterback Rocky Lombardi was behind center the last time the Tigers beat Dowling Catholic during the 2014 season.

Shareef O’ Neal, left, plays basketball March 7, 2015.

Sean is a recruiting aficionado who used to work for rivals.com and the Big Ten Network and now is with Intersport. Look for his mailbag every other week (with some live chats sprinkled in, too). If you have a recruiting question for Sean, email him at merriman.sean@gmail.com or tweet him @btnsean. 

I know MSU has offered Isaiah Wilson, the No. 1 recruit in the country out of Brooklyn, NY. What are the chances we finally land a big-time recruit like Isaiah? – MSU’81

I think Michigan State’s chances of landing Wilson are slim to none. He has three official visits scheduled in the near future, to Michigan, Florida State and Alabama. At this point, it’s going to be awfully tough for the Spartans to compete with those behemoths. Now, that doesn’t mean MSU can’t and won’t land future five-star prospects. Remember, Malik McDowell was a five-star recruit MSU got just two seasons ago. Keep an eye on Donovan Peoples-Jones. He is a five-star Detroit product for whom MSU is certainly in the running in 2017.

Who are the Spartans’ basketball targets for 2018? They could sure use a great point guard in that class. – Jdub

The Spartans’ primary targets, at this point, include Shareef O’Neal (five-star PF), Brandon Johns (four-star SF), Trevion Williams (four-star PF), Joey Hauser (four-star PF) and Foster Loyer (three-star PG). They already have a verbal commitment from three-star PF Thomas Kithier from Macomb, MI. Loyer is the point guard they are after in this class. Remember, Cassius Winston is a pure point guard and a guy who I could see being a four-year player at Michigan State.

Is there any chance with Aubrey Solomon still for U of M, or is he going to Georgia? – Alpha Dawgs

I think this was a case of a kid committing too early and feeling like he wanted to see everything out there before making a final decision. There are rumors that Solomon’s recruitment could continue until National Signing Day or even longer. Auburn and Alabama also are in the mix here. I wouldn’t count out Michigan, but it looks like Georgia is the leader right now.

Aubrey Solomon decommits from Michigan after ‘heartbreaking’ note

What is your best guess on where Deron Irving Bey ends up? – jw32

I think he is going to stay in-state at either Michigan State or Michigan. I’ve pegged the Spartans as the leader here all along. However, Irving-Bey spoke very highly of his experience at Michigan last weekend. He is scheduled to visit Tennessee soon, as well.

Any chance State goes after Danny Clark or Blake Barnett? – Dark Mantonio

It looks like Kentucky is making a strong push for Clark after his decommitment from Ohio State, and he is expected to make a visit to Lexington this weekend. As for Barnett, this is really intriguing. No doubt, the Spartans would love to add a quarterback with the skill set of a Blake Barnett. But remember this: Mark Dantonio recruited Brian Lewerke and Messiah deWeaver to Michigan State because he felt they best fit his system. His coaching staff is grooming those two to be the future of Michigan State football. What kind of message does it send to those two — and 2017 recruit Rocky Lombardi — if you bring in a five-star quarterback to compete for a starting spot? Also keep in mind why Barnett transferred from Alabama in the first place. He wanted to be the man. With no guarantee that he would be “the man” in East Lansing, I’m not sure this would work.

Does MSU still have a fighting chance for Donovan Peoples-Jones? – At Work

Yes, it does. I think it’s fair to say that Peoples-Jones is a slight Michigan lean at this point, but Michigan State is very much still in the game. He is expected to visit Ohio State this weekend, but unless that visit goes absolutely flawlessly, I expect Peoples-Jones to stay in the state of Michigan and play for either the Wolverines or Spartans.

It is now clear that Spartan Football will need monster recruiting classes in 2017 and 2018. Can they finish off 2017 that way? Can they get some momentum going for the 2018 class? – Northern Spartan

The simple answer to your question is yes, Michigan State certainly can finish off  2017 with a bang. The Spartans are in good standing with several highly touted prospects, including KJ Hamler, Oliver Martin, Tyler Johnson, Lynn Bowden and Deron Irving-Bey. I expect Mark Dantonio and his staff to land at least two or three of those players, all of whom are four-star prospects. As for 2018, it’s still really early, and Michigan State isn’t traditionally a school that racks up big numbers at this point. The Spartans already have a verbal commitment from four-star athlete Xavier Henderson. The 2018 class is absolutely loaded in the state of Ohio, which Mark Dantonio and his staff have done an outstanding job recruiting.

Full list: Michigan State recruits (with highlights)

Full list: Michigan’s recruits (with highlight videos)

Photo gallery: Photos: Michigan’s 2017 football recruits

Oak Park’s Najee Trinity (5) is tackled by a Detroit Cass Tech player Aug. 28, 2016, in Detroit.

Welcome to Week 7 of the high school football season in Michigan! It’s officially into the home stretch.

We’re live-blogging tonight’s action around the state, pulling in tweets from our reporters out in the field. Chris Allen will be moderating the chat and conversing with fans. You can contribute score updates by tweeting them with the #mipreps hash tag.

Click here to join the live blog

Parma Western high schools JV coach Mark Raczkowski (center) with his sons Luke Raczkowski (left) and Landon Raczkowski (right)Tuesday, September 20, 2016 at Parma Western high school in Parma MI. Kirthmon F. Dozier/Detroit Free Press

PARMA Luke Raczkowski doesn’t recall the last time he sat in the room when his father spoke to a reporter.

“I don’t remember anything,” the 17-year-old senior at Parma Western said. “I was pretty young.”

He was still in diapers. Luke was 10-months-old when his father, Mark, spoke to a reporter about the best and worst season of his coaching career.

That was ages ago for Luke, a running back and safety on the Western football team and a two-time all-state wrestler.

Also on the Western varsity is Landon, Luke’s freshman brother, who is an outside linebacker – and an added twist to the story.

In 1999, Mark Raczkowski was the head coach at nearby East Jackson, in the process of guiding the team to its first state playoff appearance in school history. East Jackson hadn’t even won a conference title since the 1950s.

While coaching had never been more fun for Raczkowski, each day was a struggle for him to just get out of bed.

The day after the team’s preseason scrimmage, Raczkowski and daughter Logan, who was four at the time, flew to Minnesota to see Pam, Raczkowski’s wife, and Luke. Pam was in the process of losing her battle with cancer. After she died, suddenly Raczkowski was alone with two young children and he couldn’t quite figure out how he was going to make it through each day.

Because he is quiet, Luke never asked a lot of questions about his mom, relying on his father to fill in the blanks, which he did. But as the years have gone on, Luke doesn’t remember a lot of the details.

“I’ve wondered, but just really never asked,” he said. “I wonder what she was like, the usual stuff.”

Well, here is what she was like.

It was Pam’s second bout with cancer. In 1996, about a year after Logan was born, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease and underwent 12 cycles of chemotherapy.

She was in remission when she asked if she could have another child and was given the OK. But 26 weeks into her pregnancy with Luke, she felt a pain in her shoulder blade, which turned out to be a malignant tumor behind her right lung.

Luke listened intently as his father retold the story. He was aware of most of what happened, but not everything.

For instance, Luke was unaware that doctors told Pam she should terminate the pregnancy.

Luke’s head popped up when he heard this and his face became flush.

“I didn’t know that,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m thankful. That’s shocking.”

The thought of terminating the pregnancy was unacceptable to Pam. She simply wouldn’t hear of it, although most people close to her encouraged her to do it.

“She was very determined: ‘We’re not terminating!’ ” Raczkowski said. “She never would let it happen.”

Then Raczkowski turned to Luke.

“Sorry, son,” he said, “I was the one who wanted to. So you’re truly a miracle baby, whether you think so or not. Truly a miracle.”

Luke laughed because he knows how devoted his father is to him. How he has coached him in soccer and wrestling and football and how the two are terrific friends.

Pam is the mother of Logan and Luke, but she is not the one they call mom. That would be Christy, who married Raczkowski over two years after Pam’s death.

It wasn’t long after Christy and Raczkowski began dating that he introduced her to Logan and Luke.

“That’s how he sucked me in,” Christy said. “He had me meet his kids right away and that was it, I was a goner.”

Christy made it her mission to keep Pam’s memory alive in her children with pictures and stories.

“Christy was the one who said she needed to make sure that they know all about it,” Raczkowski said. “She is the one who talked to them about it. She was the one that wanted pictures of Pam in their room. She was the one that told stories to them when they were young. She said they didn’t have to call her mom if they didn’t feel comfortable with it.”

Both Logan and Luke call Christy mom, and they have been told about their mother.

“I think it’s really important that they know she’s their mom in heaven,” Christy said. “Luke doesn’t have any memory of her. It was really important to me that they always knew about her and remembered her. They both have pictures of her holding them when they were little. Her dad is a huge part of our life, and his brother is also, and they have been from the beginning.”

Christy and Mark have two other children, Landon and Lincoln, a seventh-grader, and it isn’t an accident that both of their names begin with the letter “L.”

The Raczkowski family has a tradition of all of their children having the same initials, and Christy didn’t want to change anything.

“It was the same with religion,” she said. “I’m Lutheran, they’re Catholic. I didn’t want there to be any difference so Landon and Lincoln are also Catholic.”

Luke and Landon get along like typical brothers.

“We argue and stuff,” Luke said, “but it’s all good at the end of the day.”

Raczkowski is now Parma Western’s junior varsity coach, and having Landon called up to the varsity and play defense alongside Luke is a dream come true for the veteran coach. He has noticed in games when Luke gives London a congratulatory helmet-bump after a good play and how they high-five each other after big plays.

“When my ninth grade son got moved up to varsity – that was the top of everything,” he said. “You’re watching two sons play together on varsity.”

Over the years, Raczkowski has many terrific memories watching Luke compete. In each of the last two wrestling seasons, Luke has lost to the eventual state champ while earning all-state honors.

“He is much better than I ever was,” said Raczkowski said. “We argue all the time. I tell him I was only sixth, but I was Class A and he’s only Division 2, Class B. But he’s really good.”

In addition to football and wrestling, Luke also competes in track. He has difficulty choosing a favorite sport.

“Whatever sport we’re in,” he said with a shrug. “I probably like football more because I like the team aspect of it. I like wrestling because it relies on me, but I also like playing with the team and having other people, not just me, and having me do it all. It’s fun winning as a team.”

This season, Luke has gained 540 yards with five touchdowns on 87 carries while catching 12 passes for 148 yards and a TD and recording 54 tackles.

“Luke is just a great high school football player,” said Western coach Dave Mifsud. “He’s 5-7, 155 pounds, but he’s got great balance and great shiftiness. He has a nose for the ball. He’s just fun to watch.”

Better yet, he is fun to coach, the kind of kid that makes coaching worthwhile. He is a “yes sir, no sir” type who does his job without any drama.

He is quiet and unassuming and just happy to be part of a team, which may be part of the reason he was elected the school’s homecoming king.

“Luke is almost nice to a fault,” Mifsud said. “He’s a wonderful kid and he’s a pleaser. He wants to please everyone and he wants everyone to like him. He’s just a great kid.”

Although he has no memory of East Jackson’s 1999 season, Luke can identify with it after last season. A year ago, Parma Western made the state playoffs for the first time in school history – and he was right in the middle of everything.

“It was awesome,” he said. “I knew going into the season we had a chance and once we did it, it was the best day of my life, probably.”

It has been a life well-lived. A life made possible by a mother who didn’t listen to her doctors when instructed to terminate her pregnancy.

“I wouldn’t be here,” Luke said, almost overwhelmed by the thought of it. “It’s weird. I’m lucky I’m here.”

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1