Ithaca head coach Terry Hessbrook, shown here surrounded by the 2013 Yellowjackets, is the star of the documentary, “Ithaca: The Climb.”
LANSING – Mason Flick, who earned his undergraduate degree from Central Michigan in broadcast and cinematic arts, was searching for a subject for his thesis to complete his master’s degree a couple of years ago.
He saw what other CMU master’s candidates did on film and what the university allowed them to do.
“I was like, I want to do that,” Flick said. “Go big or go home. See if you’re capable of putting something big together. But what do I like? I like watching ‘30 for 30s.’ ”
ESPN’s “30 for 30,” documentaries that often dissect a single subject in detail, are excellent — but Flick still needed an idea.
You can’t be a football fan living in mid-Michigan without being aware of Ithaca football, which had won four consecutive state championships before its 69-game winning streak — second longest in state history — ended in the 2014 Division 6 state championship game.
Over the years, Flick had done some stories on Ithaca football, and one day he decided the program would be the perfect subject for his documentary.
That is why at 9:30 a.m. a couple of Saturdays ago, every one of the 436 seats in the Xtreme theater at the massive NCG Cinemas at the Eastwood Towne Center was occupied.
The joint was packed to see Flick’s documentary, “Ithaca: The Climb,” and you didn’t need to be Siskel or Ebert to know this is a big thumbs-up.
Everyone in the theater seemed to have a connection to the Yellowjackets, including the coaches and many players whose careers were portrayed on the big screen.
“I loved it,” said former quarterback Travis Smith, now at Central Michigan. “Mason did a great job of capturing all of the special moments throughout the past six years. I couldn’t ask for more. Having a documentary based off your high school career is special.”
The main focus was on the 2015 Yellowjackets’ attempt to rebound from the championship-game loss in 2014. But along the way, Flick told the story of the rise of Ithaca football from former coach Jim Ahern to current coach Terry Hessbrook.
Flick has thousands of hours on tape and spent more than 250 hours on editing.
Ithaca is a typical small town in mid-Michigan, but it plays big-time football in an amazing stadium, visible on the west side of U.S.-127 between Lansing and Mt. Pleasant. Ithaca Community Stadium is a two-story brick structure with stadium seating on the visitor and home sides. It also has a 13-by-24-foot video screen for replays.
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Steve Smith, an owner of the NCG Cinema complexes and grandfather of two players, spearheaded the community campaign to renovate the stadium even before the state championships began rolling in.
“They said they had a crazy fan base, and they weren’t kidding,” Flick said. “You never know if people are overdramatizing it, but they have great fans. They support everything, not just football. You never hear about that.”
The star of the documentary is Hessbrook, who is shown in team meetings, at practice and during games. Never once was he or any of his assistants shown demeaning any of their players.
There was no need for Flick, who grew up in Michigan Center near Jackson, to edit out any scenes in which Hessbrook came off as anything but a guy you want as your kid’s coach.
Ithaca quarterback Jake Smith celebrates his team’s 27- 20 victory over Clinton in the Division 6 title game at Ford Field on Nov. 27, 2015.
“I wish I would have had a coaching staff like Ithaca’s,” Flick said. “What you saw in the documentary — that was all. They’re nice guys. You can see the frustration when they’re losing or things are not going right. I grew up with coaches, and it was more of a yelling thing, and in Ithaca, it’s not yelling.”
The most animated Hessbrook got came when addressing his players before the first playoff game in 2015, when Vassar showed up at Ithaca with a stake and hammer, kind of like what a Michigan player did at Michigan State a couple of years ago.
“Their approach is: ‘These are the expectations. You’ve seen what’s been done with us before. Now you just do it, and if you’re not we’re going to let you know and we’re going to hold you accountable for it,’ ” Flick said. “It’s a real mature way to coach a team.”
The film includes Smith’s injury two plays into the 2012 championship game in his junior season, and wide receiver Logan Hessbrook’s move to quarterback to help win the game.
The 2015 season began with Hessbrook’s annual 100-day team meeting, signaling the 100 days before the first game.
It had subplots like talented receiver Spence DeMull suffering an injured knee in the preseason and his rehabilitation process to be able join the team in midseason.
It showed Hessbrook in the locker room challenging quarterback Jake Smith, Travis’ brother, after a poor first half in the 2015 championship game. He responded with a superb second half to deliver the come-from-behind victory and another 14-0 season.
Filmmaker Mason Flick
It seemed as if Flick was at every practice and every game.
“Telling the story of a season as it goes on, you don’t want to miss anything,” he said. “I was a nervous wreck all season that I was going to miss something.”
His commitment shows in the finished product. And by telling the story the way he did, viewers don’t need to know the difference between the spread offense and the wing-T to enjoy the film.
“I thought Mason did a great job really putting together the pieces,” said Jake Smith, who will play at Harvard. “I think that somebody that’s not a football fan or knows the story could really follow it, and I think that’s what his purpose was.”
Flick’s purpose was to show he could handle a project as big as a 14-game football season, as well as tell the story of small-town football in Michigan.
“I think he’s got a bright future,” Hessbrook said. “He’s an amazing guy. I’ve spent so much time with him over the last year. He’s very professional. He does everything first-class. He’s meticulous. He wants everything to be right, whether it’s sound or picture, and I think that’s why he’s going to be good.”
Ithaca celebrates its fourth consecutive state championship at Ford Field on Nov. 29, 2013.
Flick makes a documentary in much the same manner Hessbrook coaches a team, paying attention to even the smallest detail.
Now that the documentary is finished, Flick has two goals: Find a way to distribute the film, and find a job.
But the centerpiece of his résumé is now “Ithaca: The Climb.”
“Hopefully it will help my filmmaking or broadcasting career out — whichever direction I go,” he said. “I’m hoping just to get noticed a little bit. Hoping it helps me get a job somewhere. That’s ultimately the goal. I like saying I put something big together.”
Kind of like winning a state championship with an unbeaten season.
Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.