OTTAWA LAKE — Whiteford football came just short of reaching the state finals last season.

Whiteford mentioned last year’s semifinal loss once this season, during its first practice in August, before the Bobcats could bring it up again in last Saturday’s state semifinal win over Clarkston Everest Collegiate.

“On Saturday, I said, 'We haven't said anything about it. Every one of us know and had it in the back of our mind that we had something taken away from us last year, or that we let slip away. Now's our chance to bury that demon,'” first-year coach Todd Thieken said. “It's certainly has been a motivating factor for our kids. They internalized it.”

The top-ranked Bobcats (13-0) rewrote their story and defeated Clarkston Everest 44-6 to advance to the Division 8 title game against No. 3-ranked Ubly (13-0) on Friday at Ford Field at 10 a.m. The game will be televised by Bally Sports Detroit.

Doug Donnelly

Back on top: Whiteford football wins Division 8 state championship

Whiteford will play in its third state championship game and looks for its second state title.

Thieken took over for former coach Jason Mensing, who left after 10 years with the team. Whiteford last won a state title in 2017, Thieken’s second year as defensive coordinator.

Whiteford has dominated all season, winning its 13 games by an average of 36.2 points.

Running back/ linebacker Jake Iott, Whiteford’s leading rusher and tackler, owns the Bobcats’ single-season tackle record with 189. He also has 14 tackles for loss, eight sacks, and four pass break-ups.

“I just try to be the center of the defense,” Iott said, “and coach them and to tell them what we need to do to win.”

Fourth-year starting quarterback Shea Ruddy holds Bobcat career records in starts at quarterback (44), completions (236), attempts (420), yards (4,349), touchdown passes (52), and total offense (6,612).

“The quarterback is as good an athlete as I’ve seen,” Ubly coach Eric Sweeney said.

This season, Ruddy has gone 58-for-97 passing for 1,129 yards and 19 touchdowns, while rushing for 725 yards and 17 scores.

“We have a tremendous offensive line this year,” Ruddy said. “A lot of experience, and they're just opening a lot of wide open holes. They have great blocking, pass protection, and we just have a lot of experience all around. Our backs are doing great. It's easy to do stuff when you have a great team.”

Four Bobcats have more than 500 rushing yards: Iott (1,121), Hunter DeBarr (1,116), Ruddy, and Drew Knaggs (524). Iott has rushed for 36 two-point conversions this season and has 50 in his three years as a Bobcat.

Iott, DeBarr, and Knaggs, all of whom are juniors, and Ruddy, a senior, have veteran experience for the Bobcats.

“When I look at those two classes together, the maturity that they have and their focus on all the things that you got to do as a football player to get better, it's pretty impressive to be around,” Thieken said Tuesday. “Just now, coming out of film and watching our kids in film and seeing the way that they not only pay attention to things, but they ask questions and they relate something that we did in practice last night back to film, and they're asking questions about that. All that stuff, it shows a lot of maturity.”

Ubly, champions of the Greater Thumb Conference East Division, have been equally as dominant, allowing eight points or fewer in 10 of 13 games.

The Bearcats have reached the state championship game twice, losing in 2008 and 2020.

Ubly this season has only attempted 23 passes en route to Detroit.

“We run everything out of Power-T and Wing-T,” said Sweeney, who is in his third season as head coach. “It’s what we’ve always ran. It’s been that way going all the way back to the 1970s. It’s our identity.”

Mark Heilig leads the team with 1,354 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns.

Quarterback Evan Peruski has completed 15 of his 21 passes for 312 yards with six touchdowns and one interception. Peruski has rushed for 1,165 yards and 20 scores.

“He’s a three-year starter and really the left-handed version of Whiteford’s quarterback,” Sweeney said. “He played at Ford Field as a freshman. He’s athletic and can run when he gets out into space. He’s like having a fourth running back.”

Whiteford believes its practice intensity will prepare it for Ubly’s physicality.

“We're going to battle on Friday, and it's not going to be an easy game,” Iott said. “We know that they're going to play us hard, and we'll play them hard back.”

First Published November 24, 2022, 4:11 p.m.