The OK Conference in the State Championships

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2022 season was a historic one for our local Grand Rapids Area football programs. The Ottawa-Kent conference sent five teams to Ford Field, with South Christian and West Catholic coming home with Championship trophies, plus Muskegon, Caledonia, and Forest Hills Central earning runner-up honors. This article will quickly recap all five games while providing additional insight via interviews and added discussion.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Forest Hills Central falls to De La Salle 52-13</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>FHC faced a lot of adversity throughout the postseason. From losing Osterhouse in the East Lansing game to having to face a few juggernauts, such as Mona Shores, it was a hard-fought run. In the championship, they ran into a brick wall. Players like [player_tooltip player_id='251945' first='Ty' last='Hudkins'] played great for the Rangers, but the Pilots outmatched them in every way. Near the end of the 2nd-quarter, FHC trailed 35-0. The very end of the 2nd proved to be great for the Rangers, as they scored all 13 of their points within the final three minutes of the first half. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After the game, I asked Head Coach Tim Rogers, QB Justin Osterhouse, and DB [player_tooltip player_id='251945' first='Ty' last='Hudkins'] about the local community support.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>How did it feel to get the sendoff from Grand Rapids and to feel the support that came with playing in this game?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It just showed us truly how many people this game affected in our community. Football is a big part of FHC, and it showed leaving the high school.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><cite>Justin Osterhouse, FHC Quarterback</cite></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:quote --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It kinda showed the community was also playing in the game with us. It wasn't just us, it was all the other people out there too. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><cite>[player_tooltip player_id='251945' first='Ty' last='Hudkins'], FHC Safety</cite></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>FHC finishes the season 13-1, with eight starters set to return next season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>South Christian defeats Goodrich 28-0</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The stars shined for South Christian as they defeated Goodrich 28-0. Most in the press booth labeled this game as a toss-up, but the Sailors bested the early-game defensive struggle to get points on the board. The game started as a slugfest, but two TDs before halftime, then two more TDs late in the 4th sealed the deal. Jake DeHaan capped off his legendary career with 365 all-purpose yards and 3 TDs to grab the title. South Christian has been knocking on the door for some time, and finally, they've achieved the perfect 15-0 season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":525838,"width":439,"height":292,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/11/Dap-me-up-SC.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-525838" width="439" height="292" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Muskegon falls short in a shootout with King 56-27</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Big Reds had a phenomenal season but couldn't finish the job against Detroit's best. The game began with fireworks, as King's [player_tooltip player_id='30325' first='Jameel' last='Croft'] took the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown, then after another King TD, Muskegon answered. Down 14-0 early on, [player_tooltip player_id='253304' first='M'khi' last='Guy'] broke a 60-yard run to paydirt. After both teams traded touchdowns one more time, King surged for two-straight scores. King led 35-14 at the half, and neither defense did much better in the second half. Even though Guy, Botello, and Brooks showed out for the Big Reds, it wasn't enough. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Seniors such as [player_tooltip player_id='243094' first='Kingston' last='Blackmon'] and Amarion Glover will be sorely missed. Though Muskegon returns most of their offensive line, their Quarterback, and Running Back, plus they have a whole offseason to fine-tune the defense. Muskegon will be back. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":532098,"width":512,"height":340,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/12/IMG_6160.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-532098" width="512" height="340" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Caledonia runs out of steam vs. Belleville, losing 35-17</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nobody thought Cal would put up the fight that they did. Belleville becoming repeat champions was the expected outcome, but OK-Conference couldn't have been better represented with Caledonia. As the game kicked off and the 1st-quarter went along, it was apparent that Caledonia was playing this game to win. At the end of the 1st, the game was tied 7-7, despite a goalline INT by [player_tooltip player_id='407081' first='Mason' last='Mckenzie']. At halftime, it sat at 14-14. Gutsy performances by [player_tooltip player_id='407081' first='Mason' last='Mckenzie'] and Derek Pennington Jr paved the way to a competitive 1st-half, but the 2nd-half had Belleville slowly gaining dominance. Caledonia showed their tiredness, and after a few minor mistakes, the game ended with Belleville standing victorious, 35-17. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ever since Head Coach Derek Pennington took the helm, Caledonia has been on a meteoric rise. Defeating Rockford in the postseason was legendary while blowing Clarkston out of the water was eye-opening. Even though QB [player_tooltip player_id='407081' first='Mason' last='Mckenzie'] is set to graduate, they are many key pieces of this team that will be returning. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I was able to ask [player_tooltip player_id='407081' first='Mason' last='Mckenzie'] about his 1st-half interception, and here's what he had to say</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mason, talk about the interception at the end of the 1st-quarter. What did you see there, and what was the plan? </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We had a slant to Kaden and one of the linebackers tipped it, then the DB made a great play on the ball. Tough, tough break for us. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><cite>Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='407081' first='Mason' last='Mckenzie']</cite></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>West Catholic smashes Negaunee 59-14</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Falcons are back! After a few "down" years, West Catholic returns to Ford Field and puts up a sensational performance against the best team in the Upper Pinnensula. Most were surprised to see Negaunee dictate the pace in the 1st half, as the halftime score showed a narrow 14-7 West Catholic lead. Little did the Miners know, there was a Kloska tsunami heading toward them in the 3rd-quarter. RB [player_tooltip player_id='159621' first='Timmy' last='Kloska'] had an incredible 2nd-half, totaling 241 yards and 4 TDs, leading the Falcons to victory. It was an incredible ending to the record-breaking career of Kloska, and I couldn't be happier for a guy like him. As the clock hit 0:00, it was celebration time for West Catholic. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After the game, I caught up with Head Coach Landon Grove and RB [player_tooltip player_id='159621' first='Timmy' last='Kloska'] and discussed aspects of the game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>In the 1st half, I think you played their style of football, but in the 2nd-half, you were really able to play your game. Was there a gameplan change in the 2nd-half?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Yeah, our gameplan was really similar to what it was in the first-half. But again, you have to give Negaunee credit. They did a really good job, they slowed the game down, the ate a lot of clock. think we ran 9 plays in the first half while they probable ran 30 or a lot more. So again, credit to them. They got into a rythym and kinda forced our hand a little bit by not letting us have the football. When we had the ball, we capitalized and did a really nice job. So, in the 2nd-half our defense made some adjustments, got off the field on 3rd and 4th down, and we were really able to get into our script and gameplan a little bit more which allowed us to display the good players we have here. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><cite>Head Coach Landon Grove</cite></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Timmy, you're one of the hardest workers in the state that I've seen. How does it feel to really show out this game and end your senior season with a state championship? </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's great. Me and all my friends, and players on the team we've worked really hard for this, and this has been a dream since we were in 7th grade watching all these state championships growing up with those guys. So, it's a great feeling becasue we've worked so hard for it. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><cite>RB [player_tooltip player_id='159621' first='Timmy' last='Kloska'] </cite></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:image {"id":535775,"width":613,"height":402,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/12/IMG-5726-crop-1676x1100-1670288933.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-535775" width="613" height="402" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->