Michigan high school football is a recruiting hotbed.
There’s no better time to see some of the state’s top talent than to watch the 16 finalists in the 2024 MHSAA state finals at Ford Field in Detroit.
From the talent-rich Division 1 battle between Detroit Cass Tech and Hudsonville to Orchard Lake St. Mary’s being led by three Michigan State commits in Division 2, here is a rundown of how the top recruits from all eight levels performed in the MHSAA state finals games over Thanksgiving weekend, and how it impacted their team’s outcome in the title games.
We’ll keep this updated all weekend after each game.
GAME SCORES:2024 Michigan high school football state finals results
The Michigan State commit was a part of a RB duo for OLSM, which rushed for 397 yards as a team on 59 attempts. Williams was the team’s second-leading rusher with 109 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. He scored his first touchdown on a jet sweep from the receiver position and stopped on a dime to make the last man miss. Then he scored the second on a handoff right up the gut in the third quarter. Head coach Jermaine Gonzales said for the second straight week that Williams is the best player in the state and deserves the Mr. Football award.
“It’s a dream come true,” Williams said with a grin. “I’m just smiling because I can’t be screaming right now. I’m just excited.”
Jones, who told reporters he will be making a college decision in the coming weeks, was the Eaglets’ leading rusher with 181 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. He got the scoring started with a power run from a goal line T-formation and then scored the dagger with a 4-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Jones did not identify the schools he is deciding between but did say they are at the MAC and Division 2 levels. Head coach Jermaine Gonzales said Jones consistently carried the load at running back and said he was “special” in the backfield.
“We’ve been preaching this all offseason, we got to get back here,” Jones said. “We had a drought at St. Mary’s, its not normal for St. Mary’s to not be in the state championship.”
White, a commit to Michigan State, did not haul in any catches on any of St. Mary’s eight total passes and two completions as the Eaglets opted for a smashmouth approach. On defense as a starting linebacker, White made three tackles.
Like White, Savoury did not record a catch but was used on the field often as a blocker in St Mary’s I and T-formations.
Lee, a three-star uncommitted wide receiver, recorded two catches for 16 yards and finished fourth on his team in tackles with six as a defensive back. Lee was the intended target on a third-down deep shot when quarterback Landon Tungate was strip-sacked in a game-altering play.
Tungate, who has been offered by Division III schools such as Hope and Albion, producted in the second half for the Bulldogs offense. After a fumble, Tungate responded to lead a scoring drive by rushing for 63 yards on four carries, including a 10-yard score. He finished the game completing nine of 16 passes for 49 yards while rushing for 90 yards on 16 attempts.
“It’s been a great ride, I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Tungate said after his final game. “I wish we could’ve come out of this game with a win, but it didn’t work out that way. I’m just happy to be a part of this team.”
Hess, who holds offers from Walsh, Sterling and Vermillion on the NAIA and junior college level, was held in check along with the rest of the Niles offense in the 35-6 loss to Goodrich in the Division 4 title game. He finished with eight carries for 20 yards, recorded the team’s only catch for seven yards and had a handful of tackles as the team’s starting middle linebacker. Hess finished his high school career after starting every game for Niles’ varsity program since he enrolled four years ago.
“We are blessed to be able to as far as we did as a program,” Hess said after helping lead Niles to its first state title appearance. “But, it’s just the way it is. We really learned what it takes to be a winning program.”
Macklem, a wide receiver commit to Central Michigan, finished with four of Goodrich’s six catches in the Division 4 state championship win over Niles. He caught the opening touchdown on a corner route off a long-developing play-action rollout, pulled down a 40-yard catch on a deep post to set up Goodrich’s third touchdown, and had two catches for first downs on the fourth touchdown drive.
“This has been the goal since I was a little kid,” Macklem said postgame. “Doing it with these boys is the best way we could’ve won.”
“He’s an athlete,” quarterback Tanner Mazich said about his top receiver. “If you just throw it up to him, he will come down with it. They wanted to do one-on-one with him on the outside. I didn’t think it was a good idea and obviously it wasn’t.”
WON FOR THE AGES:Goodrich’s D-4 title worth so much more than other wins
Williams, a senior running back who recently decommitted from Central Michigan, set the MHSAA record for rushing yards in a state championship game in the 56-18 win over Lansing Catholic in the Division 6 title game. He finished with 27 carries for 314 yards and five touchdowns. (He also had 276 rushing yards in the 2023 championship game.) Not only did Williams set the rushing yards record, but he also tied the rushing touchdowns record (with two other players) in a state championship game with five scores. He has other college offers from Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Davenport, Grand Valley State and Wayne State.
“I had an outstanding game, but that’s just something I do,” Williams said. “I go out there, play my game and don’t let up off the pedal. I can’t do it without my offensive line, quarterback and the skill guys. They contribute to my success. Hats off to them for having a great season, and a great game today.”
“Offense, we were relentless,” Lumen Christi head coach Herb Brogan said. “We blocked well, and Kadale had a great game.”
Rabideau, a senior wide receiver who has an offer from Valparaiso, finished with six receptions for 103 yards in the 56-18 loss to Jackson Lumen Christi in the Division 6 championship game. He was overshadowed by fellow senior wide receiver Xavier Luea, who caught 10 passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns. Both receivers benefited from the accuracy of senior quarterback Alex Fernandez. Rabideau surpassed 1,000 receiving yards this season, thanks to his 103-yard performance in the championship game.
“Memories that we’ll have for life,” Rabideau said. “Obviously, it’s not the result that we hoped for, but this is a lifetime of memories from today, for sure.”
Calhoun, a senior running back committed to Air Force, finished with 43 rushing yards on 10 carries (plus 16 receiving yards on one catch), but could not find the end zone in the 43-14 loss to Beal City in the Division 8 title game. He also contributed on defense with four tackles, including one tackle for a loss. Calhoun, who ran for more than 1,000 yards this season, has other college offers from Army, Davenport, Ferris State, Grand Valley State, Saginaw Valley State and Wayne State. He committed to Air Force in mid-June 2024.
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