Tuscola County Sports

UM vs MSU. Is there any doubt in anyone's mind that Michigan is going to demolish Michigan State this Saturday afternoon? The Sparty's started out the season on a high note, but losses over the last few weeks, especially the pathetic one last Saturday in Iowa, have taking some of the luster out of this week's game with the Wolverines. On the other hand, after back-to-back losses to open the season, UM has won seven in a row and looks poised to make a run at the Big Ten Title, which was nearly unfathomable two months ago. How the tide has changed! I have no doubt that once Mark Dantonio gets a few years under his belt and once he brings in his style of players after three or more years of recruiting, then and only then will Dantonio turn this program around. He has the swagger of a winner, and I believe that he will eventually take the Spartans to Pasadena. Just no this year. PICK: UM 38, MSU 14

Rockets falter in first round REESE - Bob Saylor thinks his team may have been eliminated by the eventual state champion. Only time will tell if Saylor is correct. The undefeated Rockets ran into a wall against Saginaw Nouvel in the opening round of the State Playoffs on Friday night. The Nouvel defense led the way, limiting the Rockets to just 20 yards of the offense in the first half and forced three turnovers in the Panthers 22-14 win in the Division 6 playoffs. Nouvel (6-3) moves on to face St. Charles (10-0); Reese is finished in the first round for the second straight season. "You never know with a team like Nouvel," Saylor said after the game. "They play a tough schedule, and they are always a tough team. "We just couldn't get anything going against their defense." Nouvel held Reese to just 15 offensive plays in the first twenty-four minutes of play, and the high-flying Rocket offense was held without a first-half first down for the first time in ...

Second Season starts Friday night. We have five area football teams from in and around the Tuscola County area playing this Friday night in the first round of the MHSAA state playoffs. Here's a closer look at the teams and the matchups , starting in Division 5. DIVISION 5 Montrose (8-1) at Millington (8-1): This one has the potential to the best matchup in the entire area. The Rams were the co-champions of the Genesee Area-Red Conference this season, lost just one game to 8-1 Lake Fenton , and were rewarded with a first-round road trip to Millington , where the Cardinals defeated the Rams in the second round of the 1999 playoffs. This will be the third time these two teams have met in the state playoffs (1992 and 2000 were the other years) and the Rams hold a 2-1 edge over the Cardinals. Montro se scored 325 points this year to 315 for Millington while the Rams held their opponents to 117 while the Cardinals surrendered 153. Coach Dennis Reinhart has led his team to two...

Eagles are for real. Well, after watching Frankenmuth dismantle Millington on Friday night, it's safe to say that John Blankenship is without a doubt the best football coach in the area. They convinced me...my vote for the area's Top Ten number one team went to Frankenmuth and after a 23-8 win over the Cardinals on Friday, the Eagles are now tied for the number one team in the area with unbeaten Reese. F'muth not only won the game...they were dominant! Blankenship's defense completely shutdown the Cards, sacked quarterback Dustin Griesing five times, forced him out of the pocket numerous times and rushed seemingly every pass attempt by the Millington senior. The Cardinals had no answer for the Frankenmuth 'D'...the only decent play for the Cards was their touchdown. The Eagles 'D' was relentless in the first quarter so in the second, Millington came out in a five-wide, no running back spread. Griesing took the snap and threw a screen to Garrett Stie...

Sugar Bowl XIV. Friday's matchup between USA and Reese is the 14th Annual Sugar Bowl, with more at stake this year because if the Patriots pull off the upset, they also get a share of the GTW title. Reese, who has already clinched at least a share of the title, would like nothing more than to deny the 'Pats a share by not only winning the game but by really sticking to the Pats. A USA loss would mean that it would be do-or die for USA in their last game of the season. They would need to win against Pinconning in order to make the playoffs, which was also the case a year ago when the Spartans denied USA the win and thus kept from the extra round. A good rivalry. There is a mutual respect between these two schools that makes this a good rivalry. Even though USA has dominated the Sugar Bowl ( 9 wins to 4 for Reese) the overall record in this series is something like 21-17 in favor of the Patriots. When you talk to both of the coaches from these schools, you can tell that ...

Here it is. Well, it's here...the game that everyone around here has been looking forward to all season long. Frankenmuth at Millington. Both teams are 7-0 (6-0 TVC-E) and the Cardinals and the Eagles could not be more evenly matched. They have the exact same number of playoff points (85.714) at this point of the season; both teams blew out Vassar and held the Vulcans without a defensive TD (kickoff return against the Eagles and punt return vs the Cards); both teams blew out Bridgeport and North Branch. And both teams had to play their best to hold off Garber (Muth won 17-7 at Muth while Millington won 20-14 at Garber). One game where things were different was when both played Birch Run. Muth had to use a last minute field goal to win 23-20 while Millington blew out the Panther 45-17, both games played in Birch Run. The game also has the best storylines associated with any game in the area. Roger Bearss, who was the Frankenmuth head varsity football coach from 2001-05, is now ...

Here it is. Another Friday night of high school football is here. Can it already be week six? This is a big week for all of our teams in the TCA area....we have three that can clinch a playoff spot tonight with wins (Millington, Frankenmuth, and Reese). I'm going to be at the Bad Axe-USA game on Friday night. I'm really looking forward to this one...I haven't yet been to a game at USA and I have not seen a Bad Axe team since my junior year of football at Millington (we lost to the Hatchets big. Final score was 44-28). It should be a good game....the Hatchets, outside of a 55-12 blowout loss to Reese, look like the real deal. The Patriots have a lot to overcome, including only having 14 players on the sidelines, but in the end, I like the Pats in this one. It could happen again. Two teams, both undefeated, and playing each other in the last league game of the season. Millington is 7-0 and ranked in the state....Frankenmuth is 7-0 and ranked in the state. The game i...

Week six thoughts. Here it is....as unbelievable as it might seem, week six of the high school football season is upon us. So far, it's been a great season. Here is the Advertiser's Top Ten list after six weeks of play, as voted on by four area coaches and the TCA sports staff: 1. Millington 54 (3) 2. Reese 51 (2) 3. Frankenmuth 51 (1) 4. Harbor Beach 48 5. Garber 27 6. Deckerville 22 T7. Peck 20 T7. North Huron 20 9. USA 11 10. Ubly 10 Others: Birch Run 9, North Branch 2, Marlette 1, Bad Axe 1, Cass City 1 This might be the first poll that we've released that I finally agree with. I still don't think Peck or North Huron could play even with USA, Ubly, Birch Run or Marlette, but that's my opinion. I will say this...I have seen both Reese and Millington play this year, and without a doubt in my mind, Millington is the best team I have seen this year. They are the best team I have seen in maybe ten years or so. Thay can play any game the defense makes them play...

Football poll (voted on by 4 coaches and TCA Sports staff)1. Millington 54 (3)2. Reese 51 (2)3. Frankenmuth 51 (1)4. Harbor Beach 485. Garber 276. Deckerville 22T7. Peck 20T7. North Huron 209. USA 1110. Ubly 10Birch Run 9North Branch 2Marlette 1Bad Axe 1Cass City 1

Is it week five already? I'm really looking forward to tonight's game that I will be covering, which will Vassar at Millington. Millington is looking to go 5-0 for the first time since 1998; the Cards have started the last four years, and five of the last six, with a 4-0 record. But every year, they get tripped up in week number five. The Cards have only had four previous starts of 5-0 (1998, 1995, 1991 and 1981) and only two of those teams went on to undefeated seasons (98 and 91). In 1995 and in 1981, the Cards were defeated in week six. So, maybe Vassar can take some solace in that. Week five seems to be the magical week for teams that are threatening to go undefeated. We have three unbeatens still in our area....Millington, Reese and Frankenmuth. If the Rockets win, they will be 5-0 for the 8th time in school history, and the third time since 2000 (the others being 2001, and 2006). If the Eagles win tonight, they will be 5-0 for the 21st in school history, which is pr...

Where has the time gone. It's hard to believe that four weeks of the 2007 high school football season have come and gone. I spent all weekend nursing a cold (which I'm not entirely over yet) and I tried to watch the entire Michigan-Notre Dame game (the Suphredrine had kicked in with about four minutes to go)....beside watching a predictable UM offense beat up on a bad ND team, here's some questions and thoughts on area teams with four games in the bag... Tri-Valley East Is Millington is the real deal? Yes . The Cardinals are averaging over 40 points a game in their first four games, and yes, the wins have come against Mt. Morris, Bridgeport, North Branch and Caro...not the most impressive list of opponents. But it's the way that Furno and crew are winning games, with a dominant defense, a tough running game and a senior quarterback who has great command over the offense. Dustin Griesing is, hands down, the best QB in the Thumb. The kid is smart, runs the ball ex...

Lets see how this one sits. Week number two of the Advertiser's Top Ten in football was released, and after nearly throwing up and laughing at the placement of the teams, I though I'd put it here. 1. Harbor Beach 2-0 39 pts 2. Reese 2-0 38 pts (2) 3. Birch Run 2-0 33 pts 4. Millington 2-0 32 pts (2) 5. Frankenmuth 2-0 30 pts (1) 6. Garber 2-0 21 pts 7. Ubly 1-1 18 pts 8. Peck 2-0 15 pts 8. Deckerville 2-0 15 pts 10. USA 14 pts Last week I was accused of having a Tuscola County bias by members of the misinformed public, but after the votes were all cast, I think I know where the bias lies. Honestly, does anyone out there in the Thumb truly believe that Peck is a better team than USA? Or even Deckerville? How could Millington drop 63 points on Bridgeport and then fall from first to fourth? Do we really think that Harbor Beach (who is number one without a number one vote...figure that one out) is better than Birch Run? I know these things are all in fun and are meant to me...

First top ten of the year. After Friday's opening games, the TCA released it's first Area Top ten of the young season. In association with four area coaches, representing the four area conferences, along with the sports staff of the TCA, here it is: 1. Millington (1-0) 53 pts (2) 2. Reese (1-0) 52 pts (2) 3. USA (1-0) 45 pts 4. Frankenmuth (1-0) 37 pts (1) 5. Birch Run (1-0) 32 pts (1) 6. Marlette (1-0) 19 pts 7. Ubly (0-1) 17 pts 7. Harbor Beach (1-0) 17 pts 9. Cass City (1-0) 12 pts 10. Garber (1-0) 11 pts All of this will ofcourse settle itself out as the week goes on, but I think the biggest surprise is the fall of Ubly after the opening game loss to USA. Word out of the Thumb is that Bearcat QB Jordan Kaufman broke his collarbone and is out for 7 to 8 weeks, which essentially is the entire season. Ubly must now rely upon a sophomore quarterback to lead them in the GTE, which could open things up for Harbor Beach and Marlette to take the reigns in the conference. As for...

It's almost here. This is it...the week we've all been waiting for since the last Tuscola County area team was eliminated from the playoffs last November....FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL IS BACK!!! We've been working our butts off putting together what we hope is the most comprehensive high school football preview in the Mid-Michigan area, and I think we did a pretty good job. The preview came out today, and everything looks great! It's 16 pages stock full of info on all 13 area teams, schedules from all teams in the three county area (34 in all) and plenty of other 'stuff' that we just had to include. 92.1 will broadcast the Marlette-Kingston game this Friday, with Jon and Christian calling all the action from the booth. I will be at the Mt. Morris-Millington game, eager to see how the Cardinal offense will look with Roger Bearss in charge of calling the plays. According the players, it's going to be fun. We have photo guys all over the county this Friday night,...

Alumni game update . Millington used their entire offense to dominate the Second Annual Alumni Game vs. Vassar, as quarterback Dave Inman (2003) tossed three touchdown passes in a 42-18 win over Vassar last Friday night. The Cardinal running game was tough, as it was sparked up front by the presence of four All-Staters on the O-line, led by two time All-State center Gary Shreeve (1985). On a personal note, I played pretty well considering I had not participated in a full contact, full pad football game since November of 1991, when my Cardinal team was eliminated in the state regional finals by eventual state champ Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central, by a score of 9-7. I finally went in the game on Millington's second series, carried out a play fake and pass blocked on another play (I went in at tailback, the only position I played in high school and it's just too late in life to learn how to play anyplace else). I finally got the call on the first play of the second quarter; I ...

I bleed red and white. Because I am a glutton for punishment, this Friday night I am going to play in the Millington-Vassar alumni football game. I committed to this thing awhile ago, and I was going to change my mind, until I spoke with Jason Germain the other day, and he just convinced to go through with it. I haven't strapped on the pads since my senior year at Millington all the way back in the fall of 1991. I guess there are a few reasons why I want to play: 1. The game is in Vassar. I never had the chance back in my playing days to play at Vassar. I played against the Vulcans for three straight years (they didn't have a freshman team back then), but every year it was in Millington. Because of scheduling, wherever you play as a JV is where the game is played when you are a junior. And my senior year, the Tri-Valley East was formed, so the game was put in Millington again. The chance to play in Vassar sounds like fun. 2. The players . I heard some Millington greats f...

It's been awhile since I've been on here. I've been busy lately...the kids have kept my hands full and work has kept me pretty busy. With not much going on around the area lately, there hasn't been much to talk about around here. There are some new happenings lately, though, and with the beginning of football season a little more than a month away, let's start with that. Talkin' football...alumni games. This year, there are as many as four alumni football games in and around the Tuscola County area. Sandusky and Cros-Lex kick off the fun on Saturday, July 21, with the second annual meeting of these teams to take place at Pioneer Field in Croswell. After two straight years of shutting out Mayville (13-0 in 2005, 47-0 in 2006), Kingston will now play host to the alumni of Peck on the night of July 27, with kickoff scheduled for 8 pm. Millington and Vassar will play the second edition of their game on Friday, August 3, kickoff at 7 pm. That game will be played a...

Here's a schedule for this weekend's baseball and softball finals, and I'll even take a stab at guessing who the winners might be. BASEBALL Semifinals - Friday, June 15 Division 1 - Brighton (27-8-1) vs. Lake Orion (29-5), Morrison Field - 3 p.m. Division 1 - Grandville (30-7) vs. Farmington (27-8), C.O. Brown - 2 p.m. Finals picks: Brighton 6, Grandville 3 Division 2 - Mt. Pleasant (37-1) vs. St Clair Shores Lake Shore (31-4), Nichols Field - 4 p.m. Division 2 - Orchard Lake St. Mary's (27-11) vs. Marshall (20-11), C.O. Brown - 5 p.m. Finals picks: Mt. Pleasant 8, Orchard Lake St. Mary's 2 Division 3 - Hillsdale (21-20) vs. Kalamazoo Christian (27-10), C.O. Brown - 11 a.m. Division 3 - Sagniaw Nouvel (30-10-1) vs. Beaverton (21-9), Nichols Field - 10 a.m. Finals picks: Kalamazoo Christian 10, Nouvel 7 Division 4 - Reading (21-8) vs. Rudyard (19-7), Morrison Field - 12 p.m. Division 4 - Allen Park Inter-City Baptist (19-7) vs. Climax-Scotts (29-4), Nichols Field -...

Here's a closer look at this weekend's sports playoffs: Division 2 baseball Region 14 at Dewitt - North Branch (16-20) vs. Fowlerville (29-6-1); Mt. Morris (33-6) vs. Lake Odessa Lakewood (24-17) The Broncos improbable run to a district championship is not surprising. NB has a big-time player in senior Matt Jacobson, who hit .481 during the regular season, striking out just five times in 96 plate appearances. Jacobson also led his team in wins with an ERA of 1.92 and 84 K's in 76 innings. Unfortunately, Jacobson and the Broncos have to face a tough Fowlerville team. Picks: Fowlerville 9, North Branch 4 Mt. Morris 6, LO Lakewood 2 Finals: Mt. Morris 4, Fowlerville 2 Division 3 baseball Region 24 at Bad Axe - Mayville vs. Almont; Unionville Sebewaing vs. Madison Heights Bishop Foley (22-12) The Wildcats might be the sleeper pick here, even though they won the GTE with a 12-0 conference record. The Cats Justin Lugowski was 6-0 on the regular season and coach Aaro...

Tri-Valley Turnover. At the present moment, it looks as though the Tri-Valley East conference will have a total of four new head coaches come this fall. In Vassar , 10-year head coach Vince Leveille has moved on (check story on previous blog) and his replacement at the top spot is his defensive co-ordinator from a year ago, Jason Kiss. Kiss is a Nouvel graduate who played collegiately at SVSU. He previously held the same defensive co-ordinator position for five years at Nouvel before being hired for the same position and as boy's track coach before the 2006-07 school year at Vassar. Kiss seems like a good coach, although he has no previous head coaching experience at the varsity level. Vassar administration is reportedly banking a lot on Kiss due to his background as both a player and a coach at Nouvel. I hope he's successful, but I also hope he realizes that he's in for a lot of work. Vassar has not had a competitive program for a lot of years; there were times in the ea...