Swan Valley falls to Three Rivers in heartbreaker
MIDLAND -- The ultimate destination for every high school team in the state of Michigan has become a reality for two regional squads.
Division 8 and Division 5 will be represented at Ford Field by the Beal City Aggies and Clare Pioneers, respectively, as both teams emerged victorious in their state semi-finals matchups on Saturday. The Aggies pulled off perhaps the upset of the day, toppling defending state champion Muskegon Catholic Central by a 14-10 score. Meanwhile, the Clare Pioneers kept their perfect season intact by knocking off the Millington Cardinals by a 27-14 final. Nearly as big of a story as the Pioneers' triumph was the probable ending of Tim Furno's 32-year coaching career at Millington.
"Things didn't swing our way but that's the way it is in this game," said the battle-tested Furno. "It's the bounce of the ball. Sometimes it bounces for you, sometimes against you."
Three other Mid-Michigan teams met the same unfortunate fate as Millington. Ubly, Ogemaw Heights and Swan Valley all fell short in their respective attempts to reach Ford Field. In Division Seven, Ubly suffered their only loss of the season at the hands of Hudson, by a 26-6 score. The Bearcats fell behind by a 12-0 score in the second quarter, before cutting the deficit to 12-6 at the half. But Hudson's punishing ground game eventually wore down Ubly, as the Tigers put up 14 unanswered points to cruise to the 20-point win. The Bearcats fell one victory shy of a second consecutive appearance in the state title game.
The biggest heartbreak of the day belonged to Saginaw Swan Valley, who gave a powerhouse Three Rivers team everything they could handle in Division Four, but ultimately fell by a 14-10 final. The Vikings held a 10-7 lead with under 90 seconds left in regulation, but an 11-yard touchdown pass by the Wildcats put them up for good. On the opposite end of the spectrum, both Ithaca and Ogemaw Heights were overwhelmed in their respective semi-final battles. The Yellowjackets were humbled by defending state champion Montague, 47-16, while Ogemaw Heights were likewise overwhelmed by East Grand Rapids, 43-8.
Beal City will battle Crystal Falls Forest Park at 10 a.m. Friday morning for the Division Eight State Championship, while Clare will oppose Jackson Lumen Christi the following day at 4:30.
