Semi-OT: BH beats Portage Northern, playoffs a possibility

Submitted by All Day on

I've posted these updates a few times this season, but this one really needs to be seen. Benton Harbor, coached by 74 (?) year old former Bo assistant, Elliot Uzelac, just knocked off Portage Northern in OT for their 5th win of the year. This is their first winning season since 1989. 

More importantly, BH could make the playoffs for the first time in school history. From what I can tell, they have the highest playoff point total of the Class B teams with 5 wins, making them one of the first teams in if there are not 256 automatic qualifiers (6 wins guarantees you a spot). 

BH lost their first game of the year to a 2-win squad. If that game was any other week of the year the Tigers have their 6th win. Truly a remarkable year for those young men and that community. 

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ckersh74

October 23rd, 2015 at 11:52 PM ^

Searnfootball does an excellent job covering who makes the playoffs, and in which division. Their predicted playoff brackets, not so much, but that is neither here nor there at this point. They'll have their final projections for who is in and who is out sometime Sunday morning, well before the field is officially announced on Sunday night. And you can pretty much take that part to the bank. 

They are also making the call that Benton Harbor is in the playoffs at 5-4.

I will not forward a link, as their site has been buggy as all hell as of late. Every time I go over there, I get a pop-up message trying to tell me to call an 800-number to resolve an issue on my computer. Needless to say, that's not going to happen. 

Joined: 06/30/2008

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ckersh74

October 24th, 2015 at 11:55 AM ^

Mlive gets this from Searnfootball. From what I understand, there are two guys that do this. One goes by the handle Auldschool, I believe. He figures out who is in the field, and slots the breakpoints accordingly. Snooze then takes the information and projects who plays where. At least that's how I think they do it. 

Auldschool's calls as to who makes the playoffs, and in which division, are somewhere around 99% accurate. Probably higher. Snooze then tries to figure out who plays who, and where. That part is much tougher, and less accurate (understandably so). It's tough to climb into the committee's head and figure out how they're going to draw the regionals. 

But from the looks of it, it all comes from Searnfootball. 

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NittanyFan

October 24th, 2015 at 12:37 AM ^

based on the scores as of now, there will be anywhere from 214 to 217 automatic qualifiers.

That leaves room for 39 to 42 at-large (5-4 teams).

As the top team in points among Class B schools, 5-4 Benton Harbor will definitely be among those 39 to 42 at-large teams.  Congrats to them on their 1st ever playoff bid!

Hopefully for Benton Harbor, Zeeland West stays in Division 3 --- if ZW slips to Division 4 that's a strong possibility for Benton Harbor's first game, and that would be a VERY tough task.

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rob f

October 24th, 2015 at 4:00 AM ^

for those kids. BH sports (for the most part everything other than basketball) has been a mess for years. It had to be quite a leap in faith for the players to buy into what Uzelac was selling; their faith and hard work is now paying off. Maybe I can squeeze in a road playoff game yet this fall. It's been over a decade since I last saw BH play (when Joique Bell was there---I worked with his aunt back then and heard how good he was). 5-4 teams that get hot at the right time can win---my alma mater, GR West Catholic, had that same record and took the crown just a few seasons ago.

Joined: 11/11/2010

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FieldingBLUE

October 24th, 2015 at 10:43 AM ^

Very cool to get some positive pub about BH across the state. Despite a lot of good things happening the news doesn't get out much. Everyone just remembers the bad.

The best part is not just the wins but the way these kids are believing in themselves in the classroom. Coach U is building men not just players.



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rob f

October 24th, 2015 at 10:59 AM ^

a short while ago on local radio (WSJM Saturday Coaches Show) for about 20 minutes---what a great story he told! He outlined the steps he, his coaches, and especially his "young men" (how he refers to them) took to turn things around. Said all of the players from the start wanted to win but that 'want' needs to be brought out, then developed, then combined with a belief that they can and WILL win. Said that he gave them the goal from day one of practice that they would be the first BH team to make the state playoffs, initially got looked at like "who IS this crazy 74-year-old man kidding?" but very soon turned them into believers. They lost their first game to a 2-win team, but had a lot of positives to build on, the young men did the work, and they are now in position that they can and will refocus immediately their goals. Even mentioned that there is a good possibility that they host their first-round game, which would be a huge positive for the community. There was one particular thing Uzelac said that impressed me greatly in a couple of directions: 1) he doesn't seem to be considering retirement soon, and 2) he's very motivated and motivating. Here (paraphrased, in part) is his money quote: "we are building something great here, and I wanted the young men to know that 'those who stay will be champions'; as a result of their dedication, I will be installing above the door of their locker room a large team photo of them along with Bo's 'Those Who Stay' quote as both a tribute to them for their dedication and as inspiration for our teams to follow. This will be something permanent that will be there as long as the building stands and maybe beyond". He said the biggest problem now is depth (though he can and probably will add some players from the freshman team). But he's very confident that, with this year's success, he can get more players to join up next season and continue what they've only started. I wish I had heard the entire interview, but even more, that it was available on podcast (pretty sure it's not). No doubt, Uzelac learned much from Bo. No doubt, the wisdom of Bo, channeled through the leadership of Uzelac, is making a very positive impact upon the young men of Tiger Football.

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UNCWolverine

October 24th, 2015 at 11:27 AM ^

Good story.

I couldn't read this and not respond that my high school, Coldwater, finished 9-0 last night for the first time in 85 years. We have had a 3-9, 4-5 type program forever. Then we hired an alum that played football at Hope years ago to come back to turn the program around. This will be our 3rd straight season in the playoffs, although I don't think we've won a playoff game yet.

Go Cardinals!
 

Joined: 10/06/2008

MGoPoints: 23193

Esterhaus

October 24th, 2015 at 9:49 PM ^

 

Topped both schools' varsity football teams this season. Too bad the Lancers have had our number, when I played for good ol' St. Joe it was the reverse - we had defeated them twenty-two years in a row and always took the "farmers" for granted. Then the farmers sold off their land for inexpensive housing tracts and suddenly the tax and talent base grew.

I wish BH good luck because that town imploded half a century ago and the folks striving to better themselves who still live there deserve recognition for the difficult challenges they face including those problems self-inflicted. Provided my Bears continue to prevail over them, I will be pulling for The Tigers all the way to glory. There are some really fine people there despite stuff. My parents raised me not in the fancy Episcopal church in St. Joe but in a predominately "BH" Episcopal church in Fairplain, and so my familiarity with the BH community is atypical for my demographic and my best wishes are genuine.

Good luck, Tiges.

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