“There are some events that separate the great from the near great.'”— James Wasserman, “The Legendary Luke Warfel.”
The recently concluded high school football season was the most successful in this area in quite some time.
The obvious evidence is that both Hopkins and Martin qualified for the post-season playoffs, but looking deeper, it appears both squads entered into the realm of the near great.
In both cases, making the playoffs was an achievement that halted a great deal of athletic frustration. Hopkins seemed to have been a perennial playoff team, but fell on hard times between 2014 and 2017, going 2-7, 3-6 and 4-5.
Martin’s historic season was even more striking. The Clippers were in the playoffs often as well, but went into a devastating downward spiral in the win-loss column. Martin failed to win a single game after its 2007 post-season playoff loss and a regular season losing streak of 56 consecutive games threatened to overtake the state record.
It wasn’t until Martin bested Bellevue 34-14 in 2014 that the streak of woe was snapped. And now, just four years later. the Clippers sailed their way into the playoffs with a 6-3 overall record.
The achievement looks even better with closer examination, showing Martin’s one-point 25-24 loss to Holton in the opening round actually revealed just how competitive first-year coach Brad Blauvelt’s squad was. Holton, despite just a 5-4 regular season record, went on a post-season tear and made it all the way to the tourney semifinals before losing to Reading.
Hopkins, guided by Cody Francis, captured the O-K Silver Conference championship with an 8-1 overall record and an uncharacteristic blend of running and passing prowess. The Vikings hammered Berrien Springs in the first round, but then ran into a career-record setting quarterback from Kalamazoo United and lost in a shootout.
Kalamazoo United the following week had its season ended by eventual state Division 5 champion Hudsonville Unity Christian.
Considered for your approval: Two local high school football teams that didn’t simply regain their chops on the gridiron, they had a brush with glory and had to settle for being among the near great.