GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The end of the football season is here as five local schools travel to Ford Field in Detroit this weekend for the state finals.
Here’s a quick preview of the five matchups:
Division 1: Caledonia (12-1) vs. Bellville (13-0) 1 p.m. Saturday
The Fighting Scots will compete for a state title for the first time since winning in Division 3 in 2005.
Caledonia’s defense has been the staple of their impressive postseason run, which included a 21-0 shutout win over Clarkston last week in the semifinals.
The Fighting Scots have recorded five shutouts this season and held their last three opponents to 14 points or less.
Caledonia has been led by senior quarterback Mason McKenzie, who has combined for 39 touchdowns, and junior running back Brock Townsend, who has racked up more than 1,100 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Top-ranked Bellville is the defending Division 1 state champion and has won 24 consecutive games.
The Tigers edged Cass Tech 29-28 in overtime last week to reach the finals. It was their only game won by single-digits this season.
Division 2: Forest Hills Central (13-0) vs.Warren De La Salle (12-1) 1 p.m. Friday
Forest Hills Central is back in the state finals for the first time in 28 years.
The unbeaten Rangers finished as Class A runner-up in 1994, but hasn’t been back until this year’s remarkable run.
FHC upset top-ranked Dexter last week 20-17 in double overtime to advance to the Finals.
Seniors Crandall Quinn and Raymond Cargill have led a defense that has surrendered only 15 points per game in the postseason.
Warren De La Salle, guided by former West Catholic coach Dan Rohn, is the defending Division 2 champion after defeating Traverse City Central 41-14 in last year’s Final.
The Pilots have won four state titles and finished state runner-up three times.
Senior quarterback Brady Drogosh, who’s committed to Cincinnati, has combined for nearly 3,000 yards and 46 touchdowns through the air and on the ground.
Division 3: Muskegon (11-2) vs. Detroit Martin Luther King (9-3) 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Muskegon is back in familiar territory after failing to reach the state finals the past two years.
The Big Reds made four consecutive trips to Ford Field from 2016-2019, winning a state crown in 2017.
The program has won six state championships and finished runner-up six times as well.
Senior dual-threat quarterback M’Khi Guy has been the catalyst of the offense. He has rushed for 1,638 yards and 24 touchdowns, while also tossing 11 touchdowns.
Muskegon’s only losses have come against Warren De La Salle and O-K Green conference foe Zeeland West.
Martin Luther King, the reigning Division 3 state champions, returns a talented cast of players.
The Crusaders have been led by Oregon-commit Dante Moore, a senior quarterback who has passed for more than 2,300 yards and 28 touchdowns.
Division 4: South Christian (13-0) vs. Goodrich (12-1) 7:30 p.m. Friday
The Sailors finally reached the pinnacle after beating their nemesis, Edwardsburg, in the semifinals last week.
The Eddies had knocked South Christian out of the postseason the past two years, but avenged those losses with a 26-20 win.
The Sailors will play for a state title for the first time since 2014, when they won the championship by beating Lansing Sexton 28-27.
South Christian, the O-K Gold champions, ended Catholic Central’s 41-game winning streak during the regular season and beat top-ranked Whitehall in the regional finals en route to the Finals.
Senior quarterback Jacob DeHaan has led the charge for the Sailors with more than 3,600 combined yards and 50 touchdowns.
Wide receivers Seth Ritsema and Carson Vis have combined for 25 touchdowns, while Cayden Dykema and Cam Post are the team’s top tacklers on defense.
Goodrich is playing in its first state championship game and has won 12 straight games following a season-opening loss to Division 5 finalist Frankenmuth.
Division 6: West Catholic (12-1) vs. Negaunee (13-0) 4:30 Friday
West Catholic returns to a spot where they had unprecedented success in the mid 2010s.
The Falcons won five straight state titles from 2014-2017 and are back with aspirations to add another.
West Catholic, which lost its only game to Fruitport in Week 7, has won each of its postseason games by 19 points or more.
The Falcons are led by Air Force-commit Tim Kloska, who has rushed for 2,158 yards and 35 touchdowns.
Senior quarterback Bernie Varnesdeel has thrown for more than 1,400 yards and 20 touchdowns.
Defensively, juniors Ryer Snow and Charlie DeBruyn have been catalysts.
Negaunee slipped past Reed City in the semifinals and is searching for its first state championship since 2002.
The Miners have scored a school-record 492 points and allowed only 87 points. Their defense has recorded five shutouts and held eight opponents to eight points or less.
*Correction: A previous version of this article misstated the kickoff time of the West Catholic game. It was scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Friday. We regret the error, which has been fixed.
