BIG RAPIDS – Two national championship football teams.
But so different in one key way: offense vs. defense.
Ferris State Coach Tony Annese acknowledged this during the press conference when his team defeated Colorado Mines 41-14 in the national championship game last Saturday.
“Somebody in DII put the score that we averaged wins in the playoffs at 54 to 17 in points last year,” he said. “I read this in a D2 column yesterday. But this season, are you kidding me? Against Davenport, they’re coached by Sparky (McEwen) who’s a former (Ferris) assistant and did a great job and made the playoffs.
“We were down to them 7-6 with about four minutes to go in the half. Then we played Pittsburg State and they’re a superstar team. Then we played our rival Grand Valley, super star team, then West Florida, super star team and (Colorado) Mines super star team.
“It was a grind all the way through. The Super Region 3 we play in is out of control tough. We played the conference champs, super teams. Not only did we have to win Super Region 3, which we did, amazingly, I’m like ‘wow.’ We just won Super Region 3. I’m very proud of our team. I’m not a guy who shows emotion a lot, but this year, ‘wow,’ I’m overwhelmed with great feelings of what we were able to achieve.”
Annese acknowledged it was a challenging year.
“It was a long year, and toward the end a dominant year which is crazy to me,” he said.
But when the press conference moderator said “we hope to see you again coach Annese,” at the end of the press conference, Annese couldn’t help but add: “hopefully next year.”
Being able to make the playoffs, Annese said back in November, was amazing enough. But getting to McKinney for the third time in four seasons was special. But leaving with a win was the ultimate high feeling.
“You play so hard to get here and you don’t know if you can, if ever,” he said the Thursday before the game. “To be here once is a dream come true and to be here twice and win a national title is beyond comprehension. A third time? Unbelievable. We’re excited about our opportunity.”
Offseason work by his players continues to pay off, Annese said.
“They did it,” Annese said. “They grinded through and showed extraordinary grit working during the offseason. If you came to our spring game and practices, you could see these guys don’t take anything for granted. They’re working every day to be the best they can be. It’s amazing.
“The Central Washington game, going way back (to the season opener) on Labor Day weekend, I was thinking after the game, ‘man, we’re not that good. We struggled. To compete for a national championship is amazing.”
Annese praised defensive end Caleb Murphy, who set a national season record for sacks, but fell short in the Harlon Hill trophy balloting.
“In my opinion, he’s been the most dominating player in Division II,” Annese said. “With the Harlon Hill, a lot of times it’s the quarterback. Caleb has been a dominant player. I can’t believe there’s a player more deserving.”
But Annese, despite graduating many players next year, is heartened at the prospects considering other potential players.
“Now they’ve raised their game up, “ Annese said. “A kid like Bryce George (offensive lineman) who is a red shirt freshman, is a starter virtually every game. Then there’s Brady Rose (wide receiver) and Carson Gulker (quarterback) being a key factor. There’s others.
“It’s been amazing. That’s how cultures are built. You have leaders and you have senior leaders. Looking back we had (Justin) Zimmer and Jason Vander Laan, now you speed forward and it’s Olalere Oladipo and Brandon Childress and all these guys. It’s awesome. It’s all about developing a consistent program, not for four to five years but 10 to 15 years. It’s an unbelievable culture.”
