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'Eight Man' Football State Final Won't Be At Dome
 EAST LANSING---The Michigan High School Athletic Association has decided that this month's "Eight Man" football state championship game will be played at downstate Greenville High School, even if Rapid River wins next week and advances to the final. The decision comes after the MHSAA had a policy the past three seasons that should a U.P. team be in the final, then it would be played in the NMU Superior Dome. That's what happened in 2011, when Rapid River faced Carsonville-Port Sanilac from the lower peninsula's Thumb area in the state final. And last season, had Rapid River beat Bellaire in the state semifinal, the Rockets would have faced Deckerville in the Dome. Instead, Bellaire faced Deckerville in Greenville last November. This year, the site of the finals was listed as "To Be Determined" until this past weekend, when it was internally announced that the game would be played in Greenville. MHSAA Communications Director John Johnson responded via E-Mail to our request for an explanation on Sunday. "In the last two years, the landscape of eight-player football has changed," Johnson wrote, "and that geography is what makes Greenville the better choice for the Finals site for this event." Johnson was referring to the fact that more downstate schools have joined the ranks of eight-man ball. Sixteen teams make it into the state tournament, and in the first year, most of the teams were from the U.P. or northern Lower Michigan. Johnson also says that logistics of hosting a state final were a concern. "This approach will work better than preparing for two sites until the last moment," Johnson wrote, "especially since both are excellent semifinal sites for the 11-player tournament." But what about the Rockets, who had the highest playoff point total of all 27 eight-man teams in the state, and who had operated under the assumption that the championship game would be at the Superior Dome up until the last few days? "We try to look at the big picture in terms of mileage for the entire tournament," Johnson wrote. "And in the case of Rapid River, being home for three weeks and only having to travel once if it qualifies for the Finals balances things out a bit compared to the travel of some other teams that may make it to the title game." Rapid River Schools Superintendent Jay Kulbertis and Athletic Director Rick Pepin both protested to top MHSAA officials, but the decision stands. Rapid River Football Coach Steve Ostrenga says that the decision is "disappointing", but he's concerned right now about preparing for Kinde North Huron in next Saturday's state semifinal. Ostrenga says that his team will "make the most of it if we have the honor of making it to the state final." The game will be played at Greenville's Legacy Field, a $6.5 million facility that opened two years ago. It has artificial turf, and seats 4,200 people. It has amenities that most high school stadiums do not have in the entire State of Michigan. But it is also an outdoor venue, and no other MHSAA Finals event is held at a high school stadium under freezing temperatures and potential snow or rain. The finals for the eight 11-man divisions are held inside at Detroit's Ford Field. The championship game between the Rapid River/North Huron winner and the winner of the Lawrence-Peck semifinal will be played in Greenville at 7:00 on November 22. |
| Date | Time | Opponent | Score | Record |
8/29 |
7:00 PM |
at Ewen-Trout Creek Panthers
|
44 - 12 (W)
|
1-0
|
9/5 |
7:00 PM |
Posen Vikings
|
62 - 26 (W)
|
2-0
|
9/13 |
7:00 PM |
Engadine Eagles
|
56 - 28 (W)
|
3-0
|
9/20 |
7:00 PM |
at Brimley Bays
|
48 - 6 (W)
|
4-0
|
9/27 |
7:00 PM |
at Engadine Eagles
|
46 - 22 (W)
|
5-0
|
10/4 |
7:00 PM |
at Cedarville Trojans
|
48 - 25 (W)
|
6-0
|
10/11 |
7:00 PM |
Superior Central Cougars
|
42 - 0 (W)
|
7-0
|
10/18 |
7:00 PM |
Mid Peninsula Wolverines
|
2 - 0 (W)
|
8-0
|
10/25 |
7:00 PM |
at Bellaire Eagles
|
74 - 42 (W)
|
9-0
|
11/1 |
7:00 PM |
Posen Vikings
|
60 - 25 (W)
|
10-0
|
11/8 |
7:00 PM |
Engadine Eagles
|
50 - 21 (W)
|
11-0
|
11/16 |
1:00 PM |
Kinde North Huron Warriors
|
40 - 8 (W)
|
12-0
|
11/22 |
7:00 PM |
at Peck Pirates
|
32 - 67 (L)
|
12-1
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