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The full text of “Muskegon High School - Michigan” by Tom Kendra, from the Vol 3 — Fall 2024 issue.
Page 10Muskegon High School Muskegon High School Muskegon High School hasn’t made it Muskegon High School hasn’t made it to the Michigan High School Football to the Michigan High School Football State Championship game 9 times in State Championship game 9 times in the past 12 years on talent alone. the past 12 years on talent alone. Shane Fairfield Shane Fairfield 15 Year Muskegon 15 Year Muskegon Head Coach Head Coach
Page 1111 “It seems like everyone “It seems like everyone else has gone to so else has gone to so much inside and much inside and outside zone block - outside zone block - ing,” said Fairfield, ing,” said Fairfield, whose main assis - whose main assis - tants on offense are tants on offense are coordinator Montrell coordinator Montrell Dockery and Matt Dockery and Matt Bolles (run game) and Bolles (run game) and Tony Williams (passing Tony Williams (passing game). game).
Page 12By Tom Kendra Muskegon High School hasn’t made it to the Michigan high school football state championship game 9 times in the past 12 years on talent alone. There’s someting deeper going on at the 150-year-old, inner-city school in Western Michigan - intan - gibles which keep the Big Reds consistently at the top and enabled them to come back from a 21-7 halftime deficit and stun powerhouse Warren DeLaSalle in last year’s Division 2 title game at Ford Field.
Shane Fairfield, entering his 15th year as Muskegon’s head coach, said the first key to his program’s success is that no player sees the field until he has proven himself in the classroom, the community, the weight room and the practice field. “Only after I know that I can trust you in all of those places, will I trust you on the field on Friday night,” Fairfield explained. The first pillar of his program’s consistent on-field success is a commitment to old-school offensive line play.
“It seems like everyone else has gone to so much inside and outside zone blocking,” said Fairfield, whose main assistants on offense are coordinator Montrell Dockery and Matt Bolles (run game) and Tony Williams (passing game).
“I still believe that if you are committed to attack and knock back off the ball - rather than constantly adjusting to all the slants, folds, bubbles and twists that defenses are doing these days - you will catch people guessing or stunting and you’ll get your share of big runs.” Those big and dominant offensive lines (the Big Reds averaged 290 pounds up front last fall), which are known for firing out with flat backs and heavy hands, are born in the weight room - where Muskegon arguably spends more time than any school in Michigan.
The Big Reds pick their captains based on weight room work ethic and hold testing and competitions every six months.
