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November 16, 2004Suttons Bay football semifinal setNorsemen play at Ferris State SaturdayByRecord-Eagle staff writer SUTTONS BAY - It's taken 37 seasons of football for Suttons Bay to reach the state semifinals. So it's understandable the Norsemen would get a jump on Saturday's game. Suttons Bay (11-1) faces Reese (9-3) at 12:30 p.m. Saturday in the Division 6 state semifinals. The game will be played at Top Taggart Field on the campus of Ferris State University. The 12:30 p.m. start - the only semifinal not being played at 1 p.m. - was dictated by the fact that Ferris hosts a men's basketball game on Saturday night. Both teams are coming off thrilling victories in Saturday's regional finals. Suttons Bay edged Negaunee 21-20 at the Superior Dome in Marquette while Reese downed Whittemore-Prescott 28-24. Suttons Bay athletic director Cody Inglis said the victory over Negaunee in the team's first trip to the regional finals has the town buzzing. "The bandwagon is growing, which is good," Suttons Bay athletic director Cody Inglis said. "It's a great thing. I can't tell you how many people I talked to that said the same thing. It truly was one of the best high school football games I've ever seen. "It gets everybody pumped up. It's wonderful for the community and especially a small community because everybody gets on board and everybody is supportive." Inglis estimated about 1,000 Suttons Bay fans made the 300-mile trip to Marquette for last Saturday's game. He expects even more to make the 100-mile trek to Big Rapids. "The more the merrier," Inglis said. "We hope we can bring a lot of red and white down there." Tickets for Saturday's semifinal are $5 and are on sale after 10 a.m. at the school athletic office every day this week. A spectator bus leaving at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday will also be offered for a $5 charge. Spectators can sign up at school or by calling the athletic office at (231) 271-8661. Suttons Bay has qualified for the playoffs in each of the last five seasons under coach Joe Trudeau. The Norsemen are 50-23 in seven seasons under Trudeau, who earlier this season became Suttons Bay's all-time-winningest football coach. Reese is in the playoffs for the eighth time, the last six in a row. While Suttons Bay is making its first appearance in the semifinals, it's the second for the Rockets. Reese lost 42-14 to McBain in the 2001 semifinals. Suttons Bay, which has outscored the opposition 398-123 this season, has won eight straight games. The lone loss for the Norsemen was 7-0 to Division 8 regional finalist Frankfort in week four. Reese, which holds a 326-261 scoring advantage, lost two of its three regular-season games to playoff teams. The Rockets lost 21-7 to Hemlock in the season opener before falling later in the season to playoff-bound Unionville-Sebawaing (55-7) and Cass City (53-21). Even though Suttons Bay and Reese have never met on the football field, there is a connection between the two squads. Reese is coached by Bob Saylor, who formerly coached at Frankfort. Suttons Bay's principal Sue Rummel used to live in Reese with her husband, Dr. Mike Rummel, a graduate of Reese. The Rummels' son, Kegan, is a sophomore who starts on the defensive line for the Norsemen.
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