Kingsford at Frankenmuth – – Football Regional – – The Bleacher Denizen – – November 11, 2023 – – by Chuck Krafft

Today, your Bleacher Denizen is off to Frankenmuth, his Alma Mater, to watch as the Eagles host the Kingsford Flivvers in a Division 5 Football Regional Final. The Flivvers came from their school that is basically on the Wisconsin border, so they had to deal with roughly a day of travel to get here.

Your Aging Bleacher Denizen is fighting a back injury that is slowly getting better, but he was able to manage to climb the stairs into the Eagle Press Box to take his notes. To my delight, I found that I was to be seated next to Hall of Fame M-Live Reports Hugh Bernreuter. On my other side was Randy Van Gasse, who was there to broadcast the game to the Upper Peninsula on WZML-AM! It was great to listen to him and also to hear this fine announcer as he informed his listeners of the games’ events!

Frankenmuth and Kingsford each have a 10-1 record coming into this game. Frankenmuth’s only loss was to Division 4 State Semifinalist Goodrich. Kingsford’s loss is to a strong Negaunee team.

Kingsford won the coin toss and elected to defer their decision to the second half. Frankenmuth chose to be the receiving team.

Today is Veteran’s Day, so about 25 people from Frankenmuth’s band saluted each of the four service branches by playing “Anchors Aweigh” (Navy) “Caissons Go Rolling Along” (Army) the Marine’s Hymn and “Off We Go to the Wild Blue Yonder” (Air Force.) The band did a wonderful job on all the songs.

For those of you who were not there to hear the band play these patriotic songs, here is a video of “America the Beautiful” from my You Tube Channel! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PjBoaLFVMU

Kingsford’s Jack Olson surprised with an onside kick; his Flivver teammate, Jack Kriegl, recovered the ball for Kingsford on Frankenmuth’s 38 yard line where the Flivvers started the game’s first series.

Riley Hubbard covered for Frankenmuth on the Flivver incomplete first down pass. Logan Diener and Jake Vanderhaar teamed up to stop the Kingsford second down run for no gain. Kingsford Quarterback Nic Novara passed to Jack Kriegl for a six yard third down gain; Colin Main made the tackle for Frankenmuth. Carson Knoll covered on Kingsford’s incomplete fourth down pass and Frankenmuth took over the ball on downs on their own 32 yard line.

Colin Main’s first down run up the right tackle gained seven yards before Gavin Trevillian and Garrett Veale teamed up to stop him. Hunter Bernthal went to the left side for a five yard second down gain. Brettin Rouse made the Flivver tackle; Frankenmuth earned a first down.

Jack Rich went to the left for a six yard gain before Gavin Grondin took him down. Jack Rich (Frankenmuth’s Quarterback) faked a handoff and went up the middle for a eight yard gain and a first down; Jack Kriegl made the tackle for Kingsford. Frankenmuth had a first down on the Kingsford 42 yard line.

Colin Main went up the right tackle for a nine yard gain; Brettin Rouse made the stop for the Flivvers. Hunter Bernthal took a pitch to the left for a sixteen yard gain before Connor Quick pushed him out of bounds. Frankenmuth had a first down on Kingsford’s 17 yard line.

Colin Main went up the middle for a five yard gain before he ran into Noah Johnson. On the next play, Jack Rich broke several tackles on a run up the middle for a twelve yard touchdown. Owen Bierlein made the long snap, Jake Vanderhaar held the ball and Aiden Labissoniere kicked the successful extra point. With 6:56 remaining in the first quarter, the Eagles had a 7-0 lead.

Aiden Labissoniere kicked the ball off to the Flivver 17 yard line where Cardel Morton fielded it and returned it sixteen yards before Hagan Wascher took him down. Kingsford had a first down on their own 33 yard line.

Logan Diener and Derrick Simmons teamed up to stop Kingsford’s first down run for no gain. Nic Novara tossed a sixteen yard pass to Gavin Trevillian for a sixteen yard second down gain and a first down. Carson Knoll and Thomas Conzelmann teamed up to make the tackle for Frankenmuth.

Hagan Wascher made a great diving effort and nearly intercepted Kingsford’s first down pass. Nic Novara completed a second down pass to Noah Johnson, but Nicklaus Hoesman stopped the play for a four yard loss. Colin Main and Caleb Morgan sacked the Flivver Quarterback for a ten yard third down loss. Cardel Morton punted for Kingston on fourth down. Gavin Grondin downed the ball on the Frankenmuth 45 yard line where the Eagles began their next series.

Jack Rich faked a handoff and ran for a fourteen yard first down gain. Jack Kriegl made the tackle for Kingsford.

Kobbi Ke gained five yards for Frankenmuth on first down before Jack Kriegl made the Flivver tackle. Gage Gendron and Elizin Rouse teamed up to stop Frankenmuth’s second down run for a one yard gain. Jack Rich was chased out of the pocket on third down; he gained twelve yards before Gage Gendron and Gavin Grondin tackled him. Frankenmuth had a first down on Kingsford’s 23 yard line.

Hagan Wascher went to the right and gained two yards before Wyatt Shippy took him down. Hunter Bernthal took a pitch to the right for a six yard second down gain; Elizin Rouse made the Kingsford tackle. Griffin Barker went through the middle for a four yard gain to earn a first down on the Kingsford 11 yard line. Brettin Rouse made the tackle for the Flivvers.

That was the final play of the first quarter. Frankenmuth entered the second quarter with a 7-0 lead and a first down on the Kingsford 11 yard line.

Hagan Wascher took a pitch to the right for a six yard first down gain; Gavin Trevillian got the stop for Kingsford. Hunter Bernthal went to the left on second down and gained four yards before he ran into a parking lot full of Flivvers. On the next play, Hunter Bernthal pounded his way into the end zone for a one yard touchdown run. Owen Bierlein made the long snap, Jake Vanderhaar held the ball and Aiden Labissoniere booted the successful extra point. With 10:56 remaining in the first half, Frankenmuth had a 14-0 lead.

Aiden Labissoniere kicked the ball off to Cardel Morton who fielded the ball around the Kingsford 10 yard line and gained about fifteen yards before Ethan McNeil took him down. Kingsford had a first down on its own 26 yard line.

Nicklaus Hoesman and Derrick Simmons teamed up to stop the Flivver first down run for a one yard gain. Griffin Barker and Caleb Morgan worked together to stop Kingsford’s second down run for a four yard loss. Nic Novara completed an eleven yard third down pass to Gavin Grondin on the right for an eleven yard gain. Griffin Barker made the Eagle tackle. This was one yard short of a first down, so Cardel Morton punted on fourth down. His punt was caught by Hunter Bernthal on the Frankenmuth 27 yard line and returned eight yards before Mason Tappy and Wyatt Scott took him down.

The Eagles had a first down on their own 35 yard line.

Wyatt Shippy and Gage Gendron stopped Frankenmuth’s first down run for no gain. Jack Rich’s second down run to the left was good for an eleven yard gain before Noah Johnson tackled him; Frankenmuth earned a first down.

Kobbi Ke gained four yards on a first down run up the right tackle before Jack Kriegl halted him. Frankenmuth was penalized five yards for having twelve men on the field. On the next play, Hunter Bernthal took the ball to the left for a sixteen yard gain to give the Eagles a first down on the Flivver 39 yard line. Connor Quick and Noah Johnson made the tackle for Kingsford.

Colin Main took the ball over the right tackle for a twelve yard gain. Gavin Grondin got the stop for Kingsford.

On the next play, Wyatt Scott recovered a Frankenmuth fumble to give Kingsford a first down on their own 26 yard line.

Logan Diener and Jake Vanderhaar worked together to stop Kingsford’s first down run to the right for a one yard loss. Nic Novara completed a second down pass to Gavin Trevillian on the right side for a nine yard gain. Thomas Conzelmann made the tackle for Frankenmuth. Nic Novara completed a third down pass to Gavin Grondin; after a fumble, Flivver teammate recovered the ball on Kingsford’s 45 yard line for an eleven yard gain and a first down.

Nicklaus Hoesman, Thomas Conzelmann and Carson Knoll stopped Kingsford’s first down run for a two yard loss. Hagan Wascher’s timely hit forced Kingsford to drop its second down pass. On third down, Hagan Wascher appeared to intercept the ball, but the officials ruled pass interference; as many volunteer referees in the stands disagreed vociferously, Kingsford got a first down on Frankenmuth’s 42 yard line.

Derrick Simmons stopped the Flivver first down run for no gain. Riley Hubbard stopped Kingsford’s second down pitch to the right for a two yard loss. Frankenmuth’s defense put a lot of pressure on the quarterback and Nicklaus Hoesman covered the receiver on Kingsford’s incomplete third down pass. Cardel Morton’s fourth down punt went out of bounds at Frankenmuth’s eight yard line.

Griffin Barker went up the middle for a two yard gain; Thomas Maynard made Kingsford’s tackle. Gavin Grondin and Noah Johnson stopped Frankenmuth’s second down run for no gain, but a penalty on Kingsford gave Frankenmuth a first down on its own 29 yard line.

On the next play, Jack Rich completed a pass to Jared Watchorn, who had to fight to catch the ball; he quickly eluded a couple tackles and ran for a seventy-one yard touchdown. Owen Bierlein snapped the ball, Jake Vanderhaar held the ball and Aiden Labissoniere kicked the extra point. With just 25 seconds left in the first half, Frankenmuth had a 21-0 lead.

Aiden Labissoniere kicked the ball off to the Kingsford 35 yard line. Gavin Grondin caught the ball and gained seven yards before he was stopped by Vincent Fortin. Kingsford had a first down on its own 42 yard line.

Carson Knoll intercepted Kingsford’s first down pass at the Eagle 29 yard line.

Frankenmuth threw an incomplete first down pass. On the final play of the first half, Hagan Wascher made a short gain up the middle before he was tackled by Wyatt Scott.

Frankenmuth had a 21-0 halftime lead.

As there was no entertainment at halftime and because it is Veteran’s Day, I’ll submit these two Patriotic songs from my You Tube Channel for your listening (hopeful) pleasure!

This Land is Your Land https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ9XoJtKIbE

Ballad of the Green Beret https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4Zhok_G24Y

Kingsford elected to receive the second half opening kickoff. Aiden Labissoniere kicked the ball off to the Flivver 23 yard line where Cardel Morton grabbed it and gained nineteen yards before Brady Lipka took him down. Kingsford had a first down on its own 42 yard line.

Griffin Barker stopped Kingsford’s first down run for a one yard loss. Colin Main, Logan Diener and Derrick Simmons worked together and stopped the second down run to the left for a two yard loss. Nic Novara threw a clutch third down pass to Gavin Trevillian, who made a nice run and gained twenty-five yards before Carson Knoll stopped him. Kingsford had a first down on the Frankenmuth 36 yard line.

A hard hit by Hagan Wascher forced Kingsford to drop its first down pass. On the next play, Nic Novara completed a screen pass to Jack Kriegl, who took the ball to the end zone for a thirty-six yard touchdown. Grayson Palmer made the long snap, Jack Kriegl held the ball and Kaleb Fornetti kicked Kingsford’s successful extra point. With 9:35 remaining in the third quarter, Kingsford trimmed Frankenmuth’s lead to 21-7.

Jack Olson kicked the ball off to the Frankenmuth 16 yard line where Hagan Wascher snared it and returned it thirty yards before Cardel Morton tackled him. Frankenmuth had a first down on its own 46 yard line.

Hunter Bernthal went to the left for a two yard first down gain. Garrett Veale made the tackle for Kingsford. Jake Bennett led several Eagle blockers and cleared a path for Hagan Wascher, who earned fourteen yards on a second down run to the left to give Frankenmuth a first down on the Kingsford 38 yard line.

Hunter Bernthal took the ball to the left for a five yard first down gain before he ran into Gavin Grondin. Jack Kriegl tripped up the Eagle second down runner for a one yard loss. Jack Rich went to the left on third down and gained six yards for a first down before Gavin Trevillian tackled him.

Jack Rich gained four yards on a first down run up the left tackle before Garrett Veale took him down. On second down, the Eagle runner fumbled the ball out of bounds, but managed to gain three yards. Colin Main gained five yards on a first down pitch to the right to give Frankenmuth a first down on the Kingsford 16 yard line. Elizin Rouse made the Flivver tackle.

Hunter Bernthal gained six yards on a first down run through the left tackle; Garrett Veale made the tackle for Kingsford. Noah Johnson stopped Frankenmuth’s second down run for no gain. Jack Rich went to the middle for a five yard gain before Brettin Rouse tackled him.

On the next play, Hunter Bernthal ran to the middle and scored a five yard touchdown. Aiden Labissoniere’s successful extra point gave Frankenmuth a 28-7 lead with 3:57 remaining in Quarter Number Three.

Aiden Labissoniere kicked the ball off to the Kingsford 10 yard line where Cardel Morton fielded it and gained nineteen yards up the middle of the field before he ran into Jake Vanderhaar and Christian Paige. Kingsford had a first down on its own 29 yard line.

Thomas Conzelmann nearly intercepted Kingsford’s first down pass. Thomas Conzelmann and Hagan Wascher covered on Kingsford’s incomplete second down pass. On third down, Frankenmuth’s Carson Knoll intercepted a Kingsford pass on the Flivver 40 yard line.

Jack Rich’s first down run to the left earned three yards before Brettin Rouse took him down. Hunter Bernthal took a second down pitch ton the left for a thirty-five yard gain to give the Eagles a first down on the Flivver 2 yard line.

Jack Rich followed a block by Griffin Barker for a two yard touchdown run. Aiden Labissoniere kicked the successful extra point to give Frankenmuth a 35-7 lead with 2:25 left on the third quarter clock.

Frankenmuth’s kickoff went out of bounds; so the kickoff had to be repeated from the 35 yard line (instead of the 40.) On the rekick, Aiden Labissoniere kicked the ball to the Kingsford 15 yard line; Cardel Morton returned the kick fifteen yards before he was stopped by Carson Knoll and Jake Vanderhaar. Kingsford had a first down on its own 30 yard line.

Griffin Barker stopped the Flivver first down run for a one yard gain. Colin Main stopped the second down run for a one yard gain. Jack Kriegl passed to Andres Finley for a six yard third down gain. On the final play of the third quarter, an offside penalty on Frankenmuth gave Kingsford a first down on its own 38 yard line.

Frankenmuth had a 35-7 lead entering the fourth quarter; Kingsford had a first down on its own 38 yard line.

Before the fourth quarter started, Frankenmuth’s announcer saluted Ken Spencer for his final game on the chain gang. He has volunteered his services to Frankenmuth for thirty years!!

The Kingsford Quarterback was forced out of the pocket on first down; Nicklaus Hoesman and Colin Main tackled him for a three yard loss. A delay of game penalty pushed the Flivvers back five yards. Jack Kriegl tossed the ball to Noah Johnson for an eight yard second down gain. Griffin Barker made the tackle for Frankenmuth. On third down, Jack Kriegl passed to Gavin Grondin, who made a fantastic leaping catch for a twenty-nine yard gain.

Kingsford had a first down on Frankenmuth’s 28 yard line.

Thomas Conzelmann covered for Frankenmuth on Kingsford’s incomplete first down pass. Elizin Rouse gained six yards on a second down run up the right tackle. On third down, the Kingsford quarterback was forced out of the pocket and Nicklaus Hoesman tackled him for a three yard loss. Gavin Trevillian made a fine diving catch of Jack Kriegl’s fourth down pass to give the Flivvers a first down on the Eagle 17 yard line. Riley Hubbard made the Frankenmuth tackle.

On the next play, Jack Kriegl passed to Gavin Grondin, who made a great leaping one-handed catch for a seventeen yard touchdown. Griffin Barker blocked Kingsford’s extra point kick. With 7:58 left in the game, Frankenmuth’s lead was at 35-13.

Jack Olson booted his kickoff to the Frankenmuth 40 yard line where Hunter Bernthal caught it and downed the ball.

Jack Rich’s first down run to the left was good for six yards before Wyatt Scott took him down. Kobbi Ke made a six yard second down gain to the right to earn a first down. Jack Kriegl got the tackle for Kingsford.

Hagan Wascher took a first down pitch to the right and gained three yards before Gavin Trevillian took him down. Jack Rich went to the right for a three yard second down gain; Elizin Rouse halted his progress. On third down, Noah Johnson sacked the Eagle quarterback for a ten yard loss. Aiden Labissoniere punted on fourth down. Jack Kriegl caught the ball on the Flivver 12 yard line and gained twelve yards before Ethan Edwards stopped him. Kingsford had a first down on its own 22 yard line.

Elizin Rouse went to the left for a twelve yard gain. Logan Diener and Colin Main teamed up for the Frankenmuth tackle.

Nicklaus Hoesman stopped Kingsford’s first down run by Elizin Rouse for a two yard gain. Riley Hubbard covered for Frankenmuth in Kingsford’s incomplete second down pass and nearly intercepted the ball. Jack Kriegl passed to Eli Wallis on the right side for a four yard third down gain. Griffin Braker and Thomas Conzelmann collaborated for the Eagle tackle. Cardel Morton punted for Kingsford on fourth down. Hunter Bernthal fielded the punt on Frankenmuth’s 30 yard line and gained eleven yards before Jack Kriegl took him down.

Frankenmuth had a first down on its own 41 yard line.

Hunter Bernthal took the ball to the right for an eight yard gain; Jack Kriegl made the tackle for Kingsford. Hagan Wascher went to the left for a seven yard gain and earned a first down for Frankenmuth.

Frankenmuth took a knee on the final two plays of the game.

Frankenmuth won the game 35-13 and will play Grand Rapids Catholic Central in the State Semifinal next Saturday.