DIVISION 2 FOOTBALL: Mona Shores ends string of upset with first state tittle, topping favored Detroit King
BY DAN STICKRADT
CORRESPONDENT
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Twitter: @LocalSportsFans
DETROIT — With so much attention going to Division 3 top-ranked Muskegon this season, perhaps Muskegon Mona Shores’ accomplishments have sat under the radar.
After all, Muskegon, which sits inside the USA Today Super 25 national poll, downed Mona Shores 53-0 on Oct. 18, and is making their ninth state finals appearance in 15 years in the D-3 finals Saturday, it’s all understandable.
The Big Reds also hold a 6-5 all-time record in state finals games.
Still, fourth-ranked Mona Shores rose to the occasion in just its third Division 2 state finals appearance in six seasons, posting a 35-26 decision over third-ranked and favored Detroit King Friday at Ford Field.
And the Sailors did so with back-up quarterback Brady Rose behind center.
“Coach has confidence in me being the backup quarterback, so he just did the same thing as we would be doing if Caden (Broersma) was quarterback,” smiled Rose. “We just chipped away — third-and-one, first down, third-and-one, first down. We just chipped the clock away. We had some nice (long) drives.
“This is incredible,” added Rose. “I don’t think everyone thought we could do this.”
Previously, Mona Shores (12-2) lost in both the 2014 and 2018 state finals to Warren DeLaSalle — 44-8 in 2014 and 29-16 in 2018. The third time was truly the charm for the Sailors.
Fresh off a 57-56 upset of No. 2 Walled Lake Western in the state semifinals, Rose led the Sailors past their third top-10 ranked team in a five-week journey to the school’s first football state title.
Losing to Muskegon in Week 8 turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Mona Shores, according to head coach Matt Koziak.
“People go back to our whooping against Muskegon — I know it sounds crazy, but that was one of the best things that happened to us,” offered Koziak. “It obviously humbled us, made us dig a little deeper and understand that we might not be as good as we think we are without doing the little things.”
Mona Shores was not favored against Detroit King, either — a school that won the D-3 title last season, moved up to D-2 this season and was a perfect 4-0 in state title appearances over 12 seasons heading into Friday.
“I understand that we were picked to lose, and we probably should have been picked to lose,” added Koziak. “But I told them after last game, I would never bet against them in anything.”
King put together a swift, four-play, 85-yard drive that ended with Peny Boone’s 66-yard touchdown run to bring the Crusaders (11-3) to within 28-26 with 10:45 to play. The two-point conversion pass failed, leaving King in a two-point hole.
Rose and the Sailors responded with a time-consuming, 8:40 drive that took 14 plays for 72 yards and. The series was capped by Rose’s 2-yard run and Keegan DeKuiper’s extra point with 1:57 to play to make the final outcome points.
“That last drive was 8:40, almost a 9-minute drive, when things weren’t going our way,” noted Koziak.
Rose finished 8-for-11 passing for 122 yards and added 90 yards on 21 rushing attempts for Mona Shores. Tre-Shawn Hatcher added 96 yards on 18 carries and Jaylen Hopson had five catches for 103 yards for the Sailors.
Mona Shores (12-2) on two of its first three possessions — a Rose 1-yard TD run with 6:17 to go in the first quarter and on Hatcher’s 18-yard run with 10:07 left in the second period. DeKuiper hit both crucial extra points.
Both teams converted two drives into touchdowns in the second quarter.
King clawed back to 14-6 on Dante Moore’s 42-yard pass to Justin Whyte.
Mona Shores answered with Rose’s 1-yard keeper 3:29 before halftime, while King countered on Boone’s 1-yard plunge with 25 ticks left in the half, bringing the Crusaders to with 21-12.
Boone’s 9-yard touchdown run and Moore’s two-point conversion pass to Marshawn Lee with 9:42 remaining in the third quarter brought King to within 21-20. That was as close as the Crusaders could get on the day.
Mona Shores scored its fourth touchdown with 16 seconds left in the third frame on Rose’s 17-yard dart to Hopson.
DeKuiper connected on all five point-after attempts on the afternoon, while King scored on just one conversion pass while missing on three other extra point or passing attempts.
King opened the season with a pair of losses — 24-22 to Division 1 powerhouse Novi Detroit Catholic Central and 41-18 to aforementioned nationally-ranked Muskegon, which opened up in the top 10 of Michigan’s Super 25 by the Detroit News, Detroit Free Press and State Champs Network and climbed nationally. The Crusaders responded with 11 straight victories before being called off by Mona Shores.
“I thought the team’s character was outstanding to go from 0-2 to battle back and play in the state championship game and put yourself in a position to win it,” said King coach Ty Spencer.
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