I don't know how many teams down (16) in the state championship game would have put out their lips, but that wasn't going to happen to this team. Until the last foul, they had no doubts they were going to win. I'm proud of them for that.

He was the fullback on our state (championship) team. He'd be the tailback for 90 percent of the teams in the state. He's the same size (6-0, 210), and he runs very well. We'll see how he runs at tailback.

It's going to be great. Playing for a regional championship, that's awesome. It's a game that both teams are going to remember for a long time. It should be fun.

James Lewis and those other kids in '78, '79 and '80 laid the groundwork for our state championship teams. But especially James. The kids that followed learned from him. We all did. He always came to practice prepared, practiced like it was game night and was better in the fourth quarter than he was in the first. He left an impression.

This game meant so much more than a playoff game. We considered it the state championship for northern Michigan.

If you want to see a winner, you take a look at Neil Callaway and see how many championship teams he's been involved with. He's one of my favorite people. He's never forgotten where he came from. He could call me anytime, and I'd do anything for him, and I think that goes the same way.