What a performance.  And I’m not just talking about the Big Reds.  Is there a better football community in the state than Muskegon?  Not a chance.  The Big Reds have been ranked #1 in the nation by both the Massey and maxpreps polls.  That’s right…. NATION.

The Big Reds pounded on Lowell on Saturday in the quarterfinals.  It was an incredibly dominant performance.  Muskegon scored on every single drive in the first half.  They shut down a powerful Lowell offense that hadn’t been held under 35 points in a game all season.  They stuff Lowell on a goal line stand early to set the tone.  The ran the ball at will against a solid Lowell defense.  Now the question is, how will they respond now that we’re all singing their praises.  Last year they were rolling until the week they were on Versus Network against Rockford.  It was as if somebody flipped a switch and that team struggled from that point on.   I don’t see that happening again, but it has to be in the back on Tony Annese’s mind.

What’s even more amazing is Muskegon Oakridge and Muskegon Catholic Central both look ready to make runs at another state championship.  The Eagles are the top ranked team in Division 5.  The Crusaders are #1 in Division 8.  Dusty Fairfield has Ravenna barking again in Division 7.  And in Division 6 Montague is 11 and 1 heading into its semi-final game against Saginaw Nouvel.  Five teams from one area in the semi-finals, led by the winningest program in history of Michigan.  Something tells me we’re going to see a lot of traffic on I-96 over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.