No. 7 Cardinals gunning for first outright conference title since 1998

JOHANNESBURG — The No. 7 Johannesburg-Lewiston football team didn’t have the film review it thought it’d be having Monday night.

“You guys are 7-1, you just beat Newberry by 48 points and I’m still chewing your butt during film study,” defensive coordinator Cody Proctor recalled telling his Cardinals, who host winless Inland Lakes on Friday, Oct. 19, for a chance to win their first outright conference championship since 1998. “Those little things can cost us, and there are a lot of small things I see on film that I’m not happy about. These are the mistakes we can’t make against the good teams.”

The Cardinals are having their best season since 2009, when they shared the Ski Valley Conference championship with rival St. Mary. Yet they haven’t quite gotten the respect they deserve, despite how much work Proctor says his boys have left to do. They’ve made it as high as No. 5 in the Associated Press’ Division 8 poll, but in each of the last three weeks, they’ve dropped one spot at a time. They haven’t even lost a game since Week 1 to Manton.

Detroit Free Press reporter Mick McCabe had the Cardinals ranked No. 4 this week, though.

“We’re not even focused on any of that,” said sixth-year coach Joe Smokevitch, whose J-L’s teams have missed the playoffs only once since he took over on the sidelines. “We’re just focused on taking that next step. Just one more step. That’s what it’s been all season. We’re just accomplishing our goals.”

“We knew if we wanted a chance at the playoffs we’d have to beat Harbor Springs, and we’ve done that. Do you want a chance at the conference championship? You got to take care of this week. It’s one step at a time, and we’re going to keep going like that every day.”

Smokevitch said the Cardinals have been laser-focused in practice since Proctor joked with the players during their film session. He said captain Tyson Claeys has made sure the team stays on task to get the final win it needs to win the Northern Michigan Football League-Legacy championship outright against the Bulldogs.

From there, J-L will focus on a lengthy playoff run, which will likely include a game or two at home.

“Kids like Tyson, they hate to lose, so he’s been on the guys about getting stuff done right,” Smokevitch said. “That’s just Tyson’s demeanor. Our kids are focused, and it’s been great to see them focused. You worry about that sometimes, and when you look at Inland Lakes’ record (0-8) it’s easy to take them lightly. So our kids are focused on everything this week.”

The Cardinals will be looking to clean up their small mistakes against the Bulldogs in the regular-season finale – if not to capture the conference title, at least so they don’t get chewed out by Proctor come Monday night.

Inland Lakes at a glance

2017 Record: 2-7 (2-3 NMFL-Legacy).

2017 Finish: Missed D8 postseason.

2018 Record: 0-8 (0-5 NMFL-Legacy).

Last Week: Lost to Sault Ste. Marie, 41-7.

Key Players: QB Luke Parker, WR Tyler Wolford, OT Ethan Wolford.

Worth Noting: With a win over the Bulldogs, J-L wins its first outright conference championship since 1998. A loss and the Cardinals will share the NMFL-Legacy title with Harbor Springs.

Battle of Blue Devils for 1 final win

• Gaylord and Sault Ste. Marie enter the final week of the regular season in the same spot. Both teams need just one win to guarantee a spot in the D3 postseason for the first time since 2015.

There is one discernable difference between the two Blue Devils squads, however: Sault High hasn’t played anybody good. Sault High’s schedule this year included games against three (3!) D8 schools, including Lincoln Alcona (a forfeit win), Rogers City (a 20-16 close-call victory) and Inland Lakes (a 41-7 drubbing), a team that plays in the same conference as J-L and St. Mary. It also has wins over small schools such as Cheboygan, Ogemaw Heights and Gladstone.

In terms of strength of schedule, Gaylord has the upper hand, and it should enter Friday’s game in the Upper Peninsula as a considerable favorite.

Sault Ste. Marie

at a glance

2017 Record: 2-7 (0-4 GNUP).

2017 Finish: Missed D3 postseason.

2018 Record: 5-3.

Last Week: Beat Inland Lakes, 41-7.

Key Players: FS James Huskey, OT Nick Dautremont, QB Tate Kay.

Worth Noting: Gaylord leads the all-time series with Sault Ste. Marie 21-6, which includes a 28-6 win in last year’s meeting in Gaylord.

Spoiling the Saints’ postseason

• After last week’s last-minute loss to Frankfort, St. Mary coach Kevin O’Connell said the Snowbirds will play for pride in Week 9 because it is mathematically impossible for them to make the D8 postseason.

Well, St. Mary can do better than merely playing for pride. It can spoil host St. Ignace’s bid for a playoff spot Friday night. The Saints enter the week 4-4 after losing to Rogers City in a close fight last week. A 5-4 record could possibly give them an at-large berth into the playoffs. St. Mary could end those hopes with a win in the Upper Peninsula.

St. Ignace at a glance

2017 Record: 1-8 (1-4 NMFL-Legacy).

2017 Finish: Missed D8 postseason.

2018 Record: 4-4 (3-2 NMFL-Legacy).

Last Week: Lost to Rogers City, 14-6.

Key Players: MLB Garrett Rickley, OG Reid Marshall, RB Lane Matson.

Worth Noting: St. Mary’s 35-22 win over the Saints last season is its only win against St. Ignace, which leads the all-time series, 1-4.