Division 6 final: Grand Rapids West Catholic rides third-quarter surge past Negaunee
Detroit — For a brief moment early in the third quarter of the Division 6 state title game between Grand Rapids West Catholic and Negaunee, it looked like a back-and-forth bout might be brewing.
Negaunee’s Phil Nelson took the opening kickoff of the second half 98 yards for a touchdown — the third-longest score in MHSAA state finals history — to tie the game at 14 apiece just 15 seconds into the third quarter.
By the beginning of the fourth quarter, the outcome was a mere formality as West Catholic led, 45-14.
West Catholic stormed Negaunee with 31 unanswered points in the third quarter to secure the Division 6 state championship with a 59-14 victory on Friday at Ford Field, setting an MHSAA record for points scored in a final in the process.
BOX SCORE: Grand Rapids West Catholic 59, Negaunee 14
“Kind of our M.O. this year has been third quarters, coming out with our hair on fire and kind of taking over games. That’s what we did again today,” West Catholic coach Landon Grove said.
From opening the game with a 72-yard passing touchdown on the first play, to running back Timmy Kloska scoring four second-half touchdowns, West Catholic (13-1) moved the ball at will against Negaunee at times, especially after halftime.
Negaunee (13-1) deployed a run-centric offense built around a pair of backs — Kai Lacar and Nico Lukkarinen — where passing is not the priority.
Negaunee managed to be efficient with its passing offense in the first half, picking spots as quarterback Ty Jacobson completed 6-of-8 attempts, including a lob to the end zone that Nelson hauled in for Negaunee’s only points of the first half. But of 71 first-half passing yards, 32 came on a reverse pass trick play. With a limited passing game and a rushing attack that wasn’t churning out the necessary yards, Negaunee sputtered for most of the first half.
Lacking the firepower to win in a shootout, Negaunee needed to keep it a slow, low-possession game and be stout on offense. But after 30 minutes of playing the game on its terms, the dam burst.
But even from the jump, it looked like West Catholic was going to play the game on its terms. With Kloska, an Air Force commit, the main attraction on offense, West Catholic knew it could likely get a good look for a shot play early. It’s a look the team worked on all week and one that the players knew was going to be the first play, quarterback Bernie Varnesdeel said. When he saw junior receiver Carter Perry flashing open on a slot fade, he knew what to do.
“Just had to stay calm and execute. Actually, I don’t think we missed that throw in practice during the week,” Varnesdeel said.
The first play was a microcosm for the rest of the contest: A quick-striking offense for West Catholic outpacing whatever Negaunee could muster.
If it weren’t for Negaunee running 37 plays to West Catholic’s 13 in the first half — and Nelson's special teams touchdown to begin the third quarter that briefly tied the game — it could’ve gotten even uglier as West Catholic embarked on a flurry of quick scoring drives while forcing five straight stops to end the third quarter.
Three plays to go 65 yards for a touchdown. A one-play drive that was a 68-yard touchdown pass. A five play, 41-yard drive that ended in the only field goal of the game. Another one-play drive — this one following a turnover deep in Negaunee territory — was a 16-yard run for a touchdown. And in four plays, West Catholic covered 52 yards to score a fourth touchdown. All in the third quarter.
“One thing Coach Grove has been preaching all week is just our athletes need to make plays and out-athlete their athletes,” Perry said.
By the end of the game, West Catholic had run 35 offensive plays to Negaunee’s 62, yet finished with a 520-178 advantage in total yards. Or, better put, 2.9 yards per play stacked against 14.9 yards per play.
“I don’t know if we woke a sleeping giant — combination between that and just running out of gas,” Negaunee head coach Paul Jacobson said. “Yeah, they rolled that second half on us, that’s for sure.”
Andrew Graham is a freelance writer.