4Frenzy covered a matchup between two state football powerhouses! The defending Division 2 state champions, Warren De La Salle Pilots were tested against the Muskegon Big Reds in a compelling matchup that took place at Lawrence Tech University.
Highlights aired on Local 4 News Friday at 11p.m., Saturday at 6 a.m. and streamed on Local 4+.
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For Warren De La Salle Head Coach Dan Rohn, this game was personal.
“Grew up in Muskegon and my entire family is from Muskegon so this one means a lot to me personally,” Rohn said. “My uncle and my aunt go to almost every Big Reds Football game so this week at the game they will need to choose Pilots/Family or Big Reds/Community. I will have a lot of family and friends at this game. Even though it is in Detroit a number of them will make the trip over. It is exciting to compete.”
Warren De La Salle was fresh off a 41-13 win over Detroit Renaissance in week one and put their 1-0 record to the test against Muskegon. Rohn aimed for his team to limit mistakes against Muskegon.
“We can’t allow the big plays,” Rohn said. “We need to make them earn it. On offense we have to control the ball and not have any turnovers.”
Last season, Warren De La Salle won the Division 2 state title finishing with a perfect 13-0 record. It was a dominating run to the school’s fourth state title in school history and the Pilots are already focused on making another deep run.
“We want to play our best football in November,” Rohn said .”So we’re focused on daily improvements in every phase of the game and we’re still improving our strength, speed and endurance.”
In order to repeat the phenomenal run from last year, the Pilots look to build upon their championship-level experience. De La Salle has 50 seniors, including Cincinnati-bound quarterback Brady Drogosh, defensive end Mason Muragin (Illinois) and cornerback Jamari Allen (Central Michigan) from its Division 2 state championship team.
“Same goal as last year of course but this team has to build its own sense of identity,” Rohn said. “The biggest difference from last year is we had four offensive lineman that were returning starters so our ability to run the ball early in the season last year allowed us to develop our entire offensive game plan. Our skilled positions on offense have a lot of experience along with our D-line. So we’re looking to continue to develop the offensive line and secondary.”
On the opposing side, the Muskegon Big Reds came into this game after a 20-14 victory over East Kentwood last week.
Last season the Big Reds finished with a 9-2 record after losing in the district championship game to Cedar Springs. It was the school’s first loss in a district championship game since 2011.
Losing is largely an unfamiliar feeling for Muskegon as it is Michigan’s winningest high school football program. Muskegon is expected to make a deep run in the playoffs every year. Under Coach Shane Fairfield and his mentor, Tony Annese, the Big Reds have done that.
Since Fairfield took over the head coach job in 2009, the Big Reds are 123-22 with nine straight district titles, five consecutive regional titles and seven state finals appearances with a Division 3 championship in 2017.
The Big Reds have a young team but a lot of underclassmen have ample playing experience. Last year, Muskegon started eight sophomores and a freshman. With limited roster turnover, the Big Reds have had a full off-season to improve and have a chip on their shoulder after falling short of expectations last season.
Muskegon has returned plenty of offensive firepower from last year’s squad that averaged over 52 points per game during the regular season. The Big Reds have a strong offensive line protecting junior quarterback M’Khi Guy and run blocking for junior running back Jake Price. It’s an intriguing matchup of Muskegon’s high-powered offense against the experience of Warren De La Salle’s defense.