2013 MHSAA Div 2 Finals replay on FSD (Alex Malzone)

Submitted by Bodogblog on

Brother Rice Warriors vs. Muskegon Big Reds.  8:00. 

Big Mike

June 21st, 2014 at 8:20 PM ^

In Michigan is High School playoffs separated by public leagues and Catholic leagues. Here in PA all teams play each other. There was not one Public School in state finals last year through our 4 division so you can say it's pretty unfair.

Wolverine Devotee

June 21st, 2014 at 8:30 PM ^

Schools are placed into Division 1-8 by enrollment size.

Novi Detroit Catholic Central, a private school, has played against public schools in 3 straight state finals (losing all three).

It's pretty even across the board here.

Cass Tech won back-to-back D1 titles in 2011-2012, Brother Rice has won the last 3 D2.

Division 6 Ithaca has won 56 straight games, which I think is the state record. If not, it's close.

Wolfman

June 22nd, 2014 at 1:27 AM ^

That says a whole hell of a lot about the competition they were facing prior to playoffs being introduced. I mean the very first, freaking game!!!! And that was right after the SI write up about what was then, and still may be, a national record winning streak.

TIMMMAAY

June 21st, 2014 at 9:20 PM ^

It's pretty even across the board here.

I would say it's very dependant on region. In the Detroit metro area, yeah things are pretty even. Once you get outside of there, and the other few larger cities, it's not very even at all. 

The Baughz

June 21st, 2014 at 8:28 PM ^

I coach for a team in Western, Pa. We are in the D-10 AA league. We lost in the state semi finals to a team called South Fayette who ended up winning the AA state title. Im almost positive they are a public school.

Bodogblog

June 21st, 2014 at 8:31 PM ^

All teams play each other.  Brother Rice and Catholic Central are the two major Catholic league powers in Michigan, with Orchard Lake St. Mary's putting out a lot of talent as well. 

Muskegon is a public school perennial power, along with Cass Tech and several others.  The championships are dominated by several top schools it seems, but maybe an even split between public/private?  Someone who follows HS football in Michigan more closely can give a better answer.  But it doesn't seem like an unfair set-up. 

MgoRayO3313

June 21st, 2014 at 9:33 PM ^

Cass has become successful because they do essentially the same thing as the parochial schools only in the city of Detroit. Unfortunately, DPS's struggles have been well documented. As a district it is among the very worst in the entire country. The city has probably lost 40+ schools (public and private) in the last 30 years. Cass was built brand new around 2007-2008 (May be off by a couple years) to replace the original building that sat across the street. (Also one of the few HS that were actually knocked down) The building is beautiful and offers a more stringent curriculum than most of the city's schools.



All of these factors combine to allow Cass tech to be the most desired school in the city. Because of school of choice, kids from around the city (and really all

of metro Detroit) can attend Cass. The only school in the city that can even think about competing with CT is MLK, and even they simply lack the depth of CT.



It's a good school in a city full of debt, blight, and failing institutions. The school is ascetically nice and is much newer than 90% of other DPS facilities. That, coupled with good coaching has allowed CT to have a monopoly on football talent in and around the core city of Detroit. It's not officially recruiting, but it may as well be.



MgoRayO3313

June 21st, 2014 at 10:13 PM ^

They do take a test as well I believe. It has always claimed to be a technical institution. The test is not anything particularly difficult though. If someone is coming to the school to play football and they are a phenomenal athlete, best believe they will pass the test.



Anyone who I ever talk with from

The city (coach or not) say that nearly all students who are looking for an academic challenge within the city put their name

on the list. The schools reputation combined with the actual facilities make it second to none within the city limits.

Wolverine Devotee

June 21st, 2014 at 10:06 PM ^

^ what he said.

Isn't Cass still a magnet school that requires certain test scores to get into?

And you aren't kidding about DPS locations closing yearly. It's sad, really.

Since 2006, DPS high schools that have shut down: Chadsey, Cooley, Crockett, Finney, Kettering, Mackenzie, Murray-Wright, Northeastern, Northern and Southwestern.

Some of them have merged to become other schools like Finney and Crockett becoming East English Village.

But if you look at that list, Michigan has gotten tons of talent from those schools. The biggest one that stands out is Jalen Rose from Southwestern in Basketball.

Mr. Yost

June 22nd, 2014 at 2:19 AM ^

...and sad.

My whole family went to Southwestern, except for my mother who tested into Cass and vowed to never put her kids into DPS.

I was born in Detroit and lived there until it was time to start elementary school and sure enough, mom moved us to Ann Arbor.

I love Detroit, it will always be home, but can't thank her enough.

Big Mike

June 21st, 2014 at 8:54 PM ^

nice name buddy. Anyways, we play in the Mid-Penn with perennial powerhouse Bishop McDevitt. This team from Harrisburg takes ALL the kids they want from the mid state like Noah Spence who was originally from Susquehanna Township, and Andre Robinson who is the 9th best player in the state from Mechanicsburg. It's horse shit because they get whoever they want because they're a Catholic School and they recruit with "religion" the Mid Penn would be such a better conference if the talent would just be spread out like it was instead of putting all the good players on the same team. just my opinion.

BlastDouble

June 21st, 2014 at 11:36 PM ^

And I agree about the participation trophy generation. Its about schools recruiting athletes outside if district lines, or having any parameters in whovattends your school. As herm edwatds said, HELLO! Sorry for cursing im drunk

Blue4U

June 21st, 2014 at 9:01 PM ^

Back in the day I played for Flint Holy Rosary and we belonged to the Detroit Catholic League D Division.  We would always have a Catholic League Crossover game where the Class A-Class B champ would play each other and then the Class C-Class D teams would play each other.  One year we played Allen Park Cabrini and got waxed.  They had a QB named Terry Andrysiak  who went on to Notre Dame only to throw a heartbreaking TD to Tim Brown against Michigan.  Anyways, after the Catholic League Crossover games the state playoffs started and both public and private schools participated.

ThadMattasagoblin

June 21st, 2014 at 9:06 PM ^

Yea, it's well known that private and religious schools recruit people. Why do you think that all of the best teams on ESPN are named Our Lady ... or ... Academy? It's not because of people already in their student body.

NJblue2

June 21st, 2014 at 10:29 PM ^

Yeah I agree with this, plus a lot of kids go to private schools rather than public schools just for the change. I watch a summer league for basketball and some of the best teams in the state (NJ) play in it and for the most part the public schools have no chance of being the private schools. Only one or two can hang with the big boys like St. Anthony's or The Patrick School.

DrewGOBLUE

June 22nd, 2014 at 2:10 AM ^

Many around the country do, that's for sure. But I doubt many Christian high schools in Michigan can afford to recruit kids by handing out scholarships. I went to a Catholic HS was dirt poor, tiny and could never ever afford to do that. But having winning sports teams, especially in football and basketball, was a huge priority because it gave the school extra publicity which they hoped would attract more students. I could be wrong, but I'm guessing most Christian high schools in the state have a similar rationale.



Not to mention, I remember being only 10 years old and having football practice everyday for at least 2 hours. Usually 30+ minutes of that were just for doing push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and anything else that didn't involve weights to get us prepubescent children bigger and stronger. So yeah, I might have hit my prime at age 12.

Bodogblog

June 21st, 2014 at 10:12 PM ^

Well Malzone was excellent in that game.  20 of 23 with 4 TD's as I'm turning it to the Tigers with the game winding down.  He's not huge, I get that.  But great command of the offense and made some excellent throws.  He cocks the ball a little, but apparently he's worked on that over the spring and looking better. 

Will be a lot of fun to see how he continues to develop this year. 

 

MgoRayO3313

June 21st, 2014 at 10:41 PM ^

But when you see him in person he is a thick kid for a QB. He is certainly not skinny. At SMSB he was probably the most consistent QB. I keep seeing on various sites that the '16 kid from Cali was the best QB there. That is not at all true. Malzone impressed me a ton during drills and he was the best QB during 1v1s. (Although no one was awesome during 1v1s)

814 East U

June 22nd, 2014 at 11:33 AM ^

Schools like Brother Rice, UofD, and CC charge around $10,000 a year in tuition. They definitely don't hand out free tuition and recruit kids like some think. Sure they may give need based scholarship for families (even families that have sons who do not play sports) and may tell certain kids the benefits of coming to a private school. However scouting 8th graders come on. I'd imagine projecting 8th graders is pretty difficult. Orchard Lake St. Mary's on the other hand...



There was a Michigan starter on my HS team at a private school who was second string for the first couple games on the freshman team. It didn't take too long after the first couple games though to see how much I a monster he was.

wolverinebutt

June 22nd, 2014 at 3:07 PM ^

The private schools dominate sports for the most part.  Even if they don't pay for their players with free or half off costs they attract kids with all of the championships because they recruit. .

The starte playoffs should have seperate playoffs.

Brother Rice Lacrosse 12 year win streak?  This doesn't happen by accident my friends.

Google Brother Rice Lacrosse.

 

wolverinebutt

June 22nd, 2014 at 7:37 PM ^

When Brother Rice doesn't win the football state champtionship I'm suprised.  They have the deck stacked with recruiting. 

They have great coaching, etc, but they get the top players every single year. 

Public schools get what they get for the most part.  There is a little nonsense with school of choice, but nothing like Rice and others recruiting stars every year. 

Lets not forget Chris Weber playing at Detroit Country Day. I believe it was called a leadership scholarship for C-webb when he attended DCD. . 

814 East U

June 22nd, 2014 at 10:03 PM ^

Br. Rice and CC get good players but lets not act like heismans walk in every year or so. They may get a decent D1 player every few years (mostly MAC level depth guys or Hillsdale Adrian Albion type guys). It just so happens the public schools don't get those kids as consistently. 

Schools like northville, plymouth/canton, novi still have hundreds/1,000+ of males to field teams ...thats not the private schools' fault that they still beat them. 

wolverinebutt

June 23rd, 2014 at 12:42 AM ^

Brother RIce gave a half scholarship to an old middle school teamamte of my son.  This was no need involved with his family.  The kid was a 6 foot 4 inch 8th grader and a good kid.     

814 East U - I'll agree that all public schools programs are not 100% clean if you agree the private schools recruit.  Not all private schools recruit, but the large ones like BR, CC, DCD it happens every year. 

Brother RIce usually has a D1 player most every year.  The 2015 team will send their QB to U of M.  The 2013 team had a LB go to MSU.

The 2014 team has 13 college bound players, but none to large programs.  13 is a huge number that a public school would never match in one class.  

CC used to rule the large school division in football until they moved to Novi. They are still good, but they are not getting the same recruits like the Redford and Detroit days. Its the same Coach at CC(Tom Mach).  The Coach didn't lose his touch, but he lost his talent level.  CC used to always have big time players like Mike Martin, etc.