Aggie Nation

MHSAA Division 8 Football Playoff Pairings – Round 1

Region 1

District 1

#4 Crystal Falls Forest Park (5-3) 44.889 at

#1 Lake Linden-Hubbell (9-0) 73.000

#3 Bark River-Harris (7-2) 54.333 at

#2 Munising (7-2) 56.500

District 2

#4 Hillman (6-3) 38.667 at

#1 Johannesburg-Lewiston (8-1) 67.444

#3 Newberry (6-3) 46.056 at

#2 St. Ignace (8-1) 65.764

Region 2

District 1

#4 Baldwin (4-4) 30.933 at

#1 Frankfort (7-2) 62.556

#3 Central Lake (7-2) 49.556 at

#2 Onekama (8-1) 57.600

District 2

#4 Vestaburg (5-4) 32.444 at

#1 Beal City (8-1) 76.111

#3 Mt Pleasant Sacred Heart (6-3) 47.778 at

#2 Muskegon Catholic Central (6-2) 62.556

Region 3

District 1

#4 Bay City All Saints (6-3) 34.444 at

#1 Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary (8-1) 73.778

#3 Fowler (6-3) 43.333 at

#2 Merrill (6-3) 54.556

District 2

#4 Clarkston Everest Collegiate (5-4) 43.667 at

#1 Waterford Our Lady (9-0) 90.667

#3 Melvindale ABT (6-3) 47.333 at

#2 Sterling Heights Parkway Christian (6-3) 52.444

Region 4

District 1

#4 Mendon (5-4) 41.111 at

#1 Climax-Scotts (9-0) 67.000

#3 Colon (6-3) 41.667 at

#2 Pittsford (6-3) 41.778

District 2

#4 Adrian Lenawee Christian (8-1) 50.111 at

#1 Morenci (7-2) 60.222

#3 Ottawa Lake Whiteford (7-2) 52.222 at

#2 Petersburg-Summerfield (7-2) 57.556

October 26, 2015 0

Aggies Finish Strong

Under the lights at Saginaw Valley State University the Beal City Aggies recorded their last regular season with a win over the Elkton Pigeon Bay Port Lakers to improve their overall record to 8-1 where they will finish their regular season. The night started as any other would, with the Aggies marching 58 yards on their opening drive capped off by a 1 yard Tucker Gross TD run and the Aggies being up 8-0 early in the game. This order of events has been pretty consistent since the upset loss to Evart nearly a month ago on September 25.

But unlike some of the teams that the Aggies have beaten since the Evart game, this Lakers team was able to put up some yards against a tough Aggie defense that only allowed 5 total yards of offense last week. But even though the spread attack of the Lakers was able to put up 264 passing yards, 104 rushing yards, and 20 points; it still wasn’t enough to counter the 326 yards that the Aggies ground game came up with running their Power-T rushing attack.

With 5:01 left in the first half, it looked as though it was going to be a back and forth affair as the only points in the game were off of Gross’s TD run way back at the beginning of the first quarter. Then all of the sudden it was 20-0 Aggies as they scored two touchdowns just nine seconds apart. The first 6 points were courtesy of Chase Rollin and his 55 yards punt return TD. Then on the ensuing kickoff, when the ball hit the ground at the Laker 20 yard line, it bounced straight up and when it hit the ground again the Aggies were on top of it. Then on the first play after the recovery, Tucker Gross spun his way up the middle of the Laker defense and into the end zone and the Aggies would go to the half with a comfortable 20-0 lead.

However, the Lakers came out of the half swinging as they scored on their opening possession to make it 20-6 early in the third. But it wouldn’t last long as Kyle Yuncker responded with a 3 yard run to put the Aggies back up three scores. But again, the Lakers weren’t going to go quietly as they put another six on the board to make the score 28-12 early in the fourth. Chase Rollin then put matters into his own hands and took one to the house from 16 yards out to put the icing on the cake with the score being 35-12. The Lakers would add another touchdown late in the game to put the score at 35-20, but the Aggies already had the game in hand.

Again, Chase Rollin led all rushers with 188 yards and a touchdown and rushed for more than the entire Laker offense put together. And even though the Aggies only had 1 passing yard, their ground game more than made up for it with seven players getting carries for the Aggie offense.

Next week starts the first round of the state playoffs. The Aggies will find out who they play Sunday night, the MHSAA Playoff Selection show will be broadcasted live on Fox Sports Detroit at 7pm. Division 8 is usually announced first so make sure you tune in right when it starts to see who we get paired with. It’s been a fun regular season, now it’s time to crank it up a notch because playoff football is here.

by Josh Williamson

Twitter: @Beal_CityAggies

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/433627816762070/

Instagram: bealcity.aggies

October 24, 2015 0

Last Stop on the Road to Playoff

The Aggies have one more game until they start to prepare for playoffs. Friday October 23 the Aggies will be facing off against the Lakers of Laker High School. The game will be taken place under the lights at Saginaw Valley State University football stadium.

Last week against the La Lumiere the Aggies seemed unstoppable as they were up 28-0 at the end of the first quarter. The Aggies refused to let up the pressure as they scored 13 unanswered points to end the 2nd quarter leading into halftime. Coach Brad Gross should feel very pleased with his teams first half performance. While the 2nd half went on coach Gross slowly rotated in the 2nd string. The second string left off right where the first stringers did, as they did not allow the Lakers to score a single point ending the game 48-0.

This Friday the question to be asked is can the Aggies focus on the game at hand and not about playoffs next week. Coming off the big win against La Lumiere the Aggies look to carry over the momentum against Laker High School. The Aggies will test the Lakers from the start of the game with their hard nose run offense. While the Lakers commit to trying to stop them the coaching staff will make them stay true with quick screens and down field passing.

Game time will start at 7:00pm under the lights at Saginaw Valley. Come out and support your Aggies as they look to end their season in steady fashion.

By Josh Steger

Twitter: @Beal_CityAggies

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/433627816762070/

Instagram: @bealcity.aggies

October 23, 2015 0

BEAL CITY STATS: WEEK 8

BCHS PASSING: CP/ATT YARDS TD INT LNG

#9 T.Gross 5/9 183 2 0 75

BCHS TACKLES Tk Ast Sack TFL

#20 T. Ferguson 0 1 0 0

#51 R. Powell 1 1 0 0

#7 C. Winegardner 1 0 0 0

#25 K. Yuncker 1 0 0 0

#54 J. Robinson 1 0 0 0

#66 N. Cole 2 0 0 0

#72 T. Embrey 4 1 1 2

#50 I. Hoogerhyde 2 1 0 1

#63 C. Vogel 3 0 1 2

BCHS RECIEVING: Rec Yards TD Long fumble

#32 K. Flaugher 1 75 1 75 0

#1 T. McCann 3 102 1 45 0

#25 K. Yuncker 2 11 1 8 0

BCHS RUSHING: ATT Yards TD Long Fumble

#44 J. Matthews 2 85 2 55 0

#17 C. Rollin 2 85 2 55 0

#32 K. Flaugher 2 -1 0 0 0

#9 T. Gross 5 53 1 24 0

#25 K. Yuncker 0 0 0 0 0

#24 S. Mauldin 3 12 0 5 0

#33 N. Schafer 4 36 1 22 0

#65 P. Garrett 5 40 0 28 0

BCHS PUNT RETURNS: Return AVG TD Long

#1 K. Yuncker 1 -8 0 0

BCHS KICKOFF RETURNS: Return AVG TD Long

#17 C. Rollin 1 22 0 22

October 21, 2015 0

Player of the week: Thomas McCann

In a game as lop sided as the La Lumiere football game there is always going to be a few options for player of the week. Tucker Gross probably had his best game throwing the ball(5 of 9, 183 yards and 2 touchdowns) and Chase Rollin put up gaudy stats as well. (2 carries, 85 yards and 2 touchdowns)

But this week we’re going to put the spot light on Thomas McCann. McCann has 102 yards receiving on just 3 catches. Most of McCann’s numbers came in the first quarter before Beal City put some second string players in. I can only assume if this game was closer his numbers would be higher because of the dominate level McCann was playing at.

I like to call McCann, “The Play Maker”. This Junior wide receiver/running back has found his role on this team as their primary pass catcher. The vast majority of McCann’s touches are when the offense spreads the field with 4 wide outs. Gross takes the shotgun snap and instantly throws it to McCann and watches as McCann makes defenders miss. In the first quarter McCann took one of these quick out passes and miraculously changed directions 3 different times making countless defenders look silly. This play went for 45 yards and set up the Aggies for a first quarter touchdown. Gross must love having this type of athlete and play maker on the outside to throw a simple quick out route too. Gross just has to quickly throw the ball out to him and simply watch as McCann increases his passing stats. Watch this play against McBain to get an idea of how McCann turns a 1 yard pass into nearly a 20 yard pick up.

http://www.hudl.com/athlete/4933327/highlights/303164480/v2

Although McCann isn’t the biggest player out on the field at only 5’8″ hes still is a down the field threat, even in jump ball situations. Later in the first quarter Beal City as faced with a long 4th down situation on the 40 yard line of La Lumiere. With what looked like a broken play Gross rolled out right and somehow saw McCann in the right side of the endzone. Gross heaved it into the air and McCann went up bobbled the ball in mid air. As everyone’s heart skipped a beat watching, McCann regathered his barrings and reestablish possession of the ball, resulting in a 40 yard touchdown.

The first game I watched of Beal City’s was the Evart game. Not their best performance by any means. But since then the Aggies have adopted these quick out throws to keep the defense honest and keep them from clogging up the middle. If the Aggies are poised to make a deep playoff run they’re going to need McCann to keep up his stellar work on the outside and let the dude make plays.

By Joshua Lueck

Twitter: @Beal_CityAggies

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/433627816762070/

Instagram: @bealcity.aggies

October 20, 2015 0

“Coach’s Insight” with Head Coach Brad Gross for Week 9

In an interstate battle, your Beal City Aggies blanked the La Lumiere Lakers out of Indiana 48-0 in an unusual Saturday morning contest. It’s Monday now though, so the team is looking at their next opponent, the Lakers out of Pigeon, MI, and I got another chance to talk to Coach Gross about what he saw in last weeks game, what he looks to work on for the upcoming game, and how they managed to get a game with a team out of Indiana.

I first asked how they got to schedule a game with a school from Indiana. It was actually a pretty simple explanation. Coach Gross told me that Marian, a Highland Conference team, didn’t have enough players to stay in Division 8, and had to move to the “8 Man Division”. With all of this happening, a spot had opened up in Beal City’s schedule. La Lumiere was familiar with playing schools from Michigan as a matter of fact, Gross mentioned that they have played some schools out of Southwest Michigan, and they were willing to make the trip up to Beal City so the game was scheduled.

Since it was an interstate game, I asked coach if he felt like he was representing the state of Michigan in a certain way. That didn’t seem to phase him, as he said he really didn’t think of the game in that sense. It was another week of sticking to the game plan and sticking it to the other team for his Aggies. He noted that the football program at La Lumiere is still young, but they had some big players which helped the Aggies prepare for what they could possibly see in the future.

Coach Gross said now that they’ve made the playoffs, these next couple weeks the coaching staff is going to look to fine tune and pay attention to detail in preparation for the playoffs. He said he saw great improvement in the defense in this past weeks game. Coach Gross likes how his defense is becoming more familiar with the schemes and understanding them better. He also likes how the players are getting a better grasp on the rotation they have.

As far as looking into the upcoming game, Coach Gross again emphasized fine tuning the little things to mentally prepare the team for the upcoming playoffs, and then mentioned offensive blocking schemes. Gross understands that the offense begins at the line. If the line can’t create a running lane, the runner can’t gain yards. If the line can’t protect the quarterback, then he can’t make the throw. He would like to make sure the offensive line is ready to take on anything thrown at them and looks to keep them sharp to make the run to Ford Field.

Come out and support the team on the 23rd as they take on the Lakers out of Pigeon, MI, 7:00 at Saginaw Valley State University. Go Aggies!

By Doug Moors

Twitter: @Beal_CityAggies

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/433627816762070/

Instagram: @bealcity.aggies

October 20, 2015 0

AGGIES ROLL!!!!!

On a chilly Saturday morning around 10:15am, Chase Rollin ran 30 yards up the middle to put the Aggies up 6-0. That would be all they needed as they rolled to a 48-0 win on senior day over the La Lumiere Lakers from LaPorte Indiana. Beal City did its best Michigan football impression as they shut out the Lakers and held them to just 9 total yards of offense.

Beal City scored on 4 of its first 12 plays on offense and forced La Lumiere to five straight 3 and outs to start the game. After the Rollin touchdown, Thomas McCann took a screen pass from Tucker Gross and weaved his way 50 yards down the field to the Laker 18 yard line where Tucker Gross took it in on the next play to make it 14-0. After forcing another 3 and out the Aggies got the ball back with a chance to put it away early. It looked as though the Lakers were finally going to stop the potent Aggie offense as they had a 4^th and 14 from the Laker 39, but Gross and McCann had something else in mind. Gross rolled out and evaded would be tacklers and threw it up to McCann and he hauled in the pass for a 39 yard touchdown to make it 21-0.

After yet another Laker punt and then an interception by Gross, it was quickly 35-0 on 55 yard run by Chase Rollin and a 10 yard run by Jake Matthews. The Aggies then stuffed La Lumiere again and the Lakers proceeded to punt…again. Just one play after the punt, Gross found Kendall Flaugher for a 75-yard touchdown pass and the Aggies were up 41-0 at the half.

The second half started with a running clock and the Aggies defense continued to dominate. In the fourth quarter, Nicholas Schafer decided the Aggies weren’t done on offense as he ran 22 yards for a touchdown and upped the score to the final, 48-0. Tucker Gross finished 5/9 with 183 pass yards, 53 rushing yards, and 3 total touchdowns. Chase Rollin finished with a game high 85 yards on just two carries for 2 touchdowns. Thomas McCann lead everyone with 102 receiving yards and a touchdown on just 3 receptions.

The Aggies improved to 7-1 on the season and will travel to Saginaw Valley State on Friday the 23^rd to play the Laker Lakers (3-5) from Pigeon, MI.

by Josh Williamson

October 17, 2015 0

BEAL CITY STATS: WEEK 7

BCHS PASSING: CP/ATT YARDS TD INT LNG

#9 T.Gross 6/9 76 1 0 24

BCHS TACKLES Tk Ast Sack TFL

#20 T. Ferguson 0 1 0 0

#1 T. McCann 2 0 0 0

#7 C. Winegardner 1 0 0 0

#17 C. Rollin 3 0 0 2

#25 K. Yuncker 3 0 0 0

#78 S. Steffke 0 1 0 0

#54 J. Robinson 1 0 0 0

#70 T. Hoover 1 0 0 0

#53 B. Upton 4 1 0 1

#56 D. Farrell 2 1 0 0

#72 T. Embrey 5 2 0 0

#50 I. Hoogerhyde 0 1 0 0

#58 N. Reeves 0 1 0 0

BCHS RECIEVING: Rec Yards TD Long fumble

#12 W. Chilman V 1 24 0 24 0

#1 T. McCann 2 23 0 14 0

#17 C. Rollin 2 11 1 8 0

#85 Z. Yoder 1 18 0 18 0

BCHS RUSHING: ATT Yards TD Long Fumble

#44 J. Matthews 6 48 1 35 0

#17 C. Rollin 7 119 2 46 0

#7 C. Winegardner 2 6 0 5 0

#9 T. Gross 7 93 2 67 0

#25 K. Yuncker 3 3 0 4 1

#1 T. McCann 7 18 0 9 0

#10 D. Miles 1 2 0 2 0

#6 C. Maxon 1 0 0 0 0

BCHS PUNTING: Num AVG IN 20 Long

#9 T. Gross 3 17 1 44

BCHS PUNT RETURNS: Return AVG TD Long

#1 T. McCann 1 22 0 22

BCHS KICKOFF RETURNS: Return AVG TD Long

#17 C. Rollin 1 8 0 8

#25 K. Yuncker 1 29 0 29

#1 T. McCann 2 12 0 13

October 14, 2015 0

Player of the week: Tucker Gross

Tucker Gross has been the steady rock that this Beal City team has needed throughout its season thus far. Every week Gross does a marvelous job commanding and leading this team. He doesn’t necessarily have eye popping stats but has a knack for making big plays in crucial moments in the game.

Gross had a solid night with 76 passing yards on 6/9 passing. He also added a great touchdown pass on a drag pattern to Chase Rollin early in the third quarter. That touchdown pass likely put the game out of reach for the Manton Rangers as Beal City took a 34-12 lead, making it a 3 touchdown lead. Gross also had a quality night on the ground with 93 rushing yards on only 7 carries. A very respectable 13.3 yards per rush. His ground game was highlighted by a ridiculous 67 yard touchdown run on a broken pass play. Gross rolled out right and with no open receivers, decided to take off in an effort to gain a few yards. Gross made at least 5 or 6 defenders miss and managed to cut back across the field where he saw nothing but the end zone. Two Manton Rangers tried catching Gross from behind but only lost ground as he put the pedal to the metal.

Here’s the highlight http://www.hudl.com/athlete/3028038/highlights/301121479/v2

The coaches have full faith in Gross and his ability to make things happen. At the beginning of the second quarter Manton had answered Beal Citys’ open drives with touchdowns of their own. Gross was given the ball 4 times in a row to start the next drive before partner in crime; Chase Rollin busted a 37 yard touchdown. The leadership Gross shows in the field in truly exhibited by his play. Faced with a 3 and 9 situation late in the second quarter Gross made the best pass I have seen his throw all year. It was a beautiful seam pass to #12 William Chilman for 24 yards. The pass was thrown perfectly between the window of the dropping linebacker and the incoming safety. Three plays later his PIC (partner in crime) Rollins added another touchdown to his stats.

-Side note- Tucker gross may win player of the week but William Chilman wins name of the year.

This talented Beal City team will only go as far as Gross can carry them. I’m not trying to put down the rest of the team when I say this but if this team becomes one dimensional with the run other teams will key on it. If Gross can continue to exceed in the quick out throws to his play makers it will stretch the field and open running lanes for his running backs.

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October 13, 2015 0