Shea Ruddy has watched the Ottawa Lake-Whiteford State Championship game at least five times since his Bobcats won the Division 8 title. He’s still amazed.
“At the time, I didn’t realize how much we needed to do on this ride,” Ruddy said. “I don’t even think I realized we had a fourth there. I think I was just thinking at the time and playing. I wasn’t following anything. I was just trying to win the game.
Ruddy led the Bobcats on a remarkable 17-game drive that fell almost eight minutes behind, ending with his touchdown run to put Whiteford ahead of Ubly 26-20 with less than two minutes left. He then teamed up with his brother, Ryin, to knock down Ubly’s fourth pass in the ensuing practice to secure the win.
“It still seems surreal that we’re state champions,” he said.
The state championship season helped Ruddy earn Michigan Associated Press Player of the Year honors for the 7-8 division.
On the championship-winning run, Ruddy completed two passes and ran the ball seven times himself. He had a 6-yard run on a fourth-and-4 from the Whiteford 46 midway through and his touchdown converted a third-and-7.
Ruddy is Whiteford’s first starter in four years at quarterback. He played a school record 45 games and holds just about every passing record. He threw a school-record five touchdown passes in Week 7, set another mark with 19 touchdown passes in a season and holds the career-high with 4,461 passing yards.
The Bobcats have won 35 of his 45 career starts, including five wins when he was a 15-year-old freshman. He is a 4.0 student and is still weighing his university options.
“Most importantly, he’s a great leader and a nice guy,” Whiteford coach Todd Thieken said.
Ruddy is joined on the All-State roster by teammate Jake Iott at linebacker and lineman Brayden Luse.
Division 7 champion Jackson Lumen Christi has running back Derrick Walker and head coach Herb Brogan.
Wyatt Nausadis of Traverse City St. Francis was on the team at quarterback while teammate Joey Donahue is first-team linebacker. Joining Walker at running back are Eklton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker’s Ethan Wissner, Napoleon’s Bart Laretz and Marine City Cardinal Mooney’s Brenden Haisenleder.
Ethan Hull of Ithaca, Dakobe White of Evart, Jaxon Childers of Benzonia Benzie Central and Jaylin Townsend of Flint Beecher are the receivers.
Linemen include Tristin Duncan of Detroit Central; Hunter Nysen of Sterling Heights Parkway Christian; Jon Brzezinski of Clarkston Everest Collegiate; Sam Gall of North Muskegon; Lawton’s Nolan Collins; Zac Affholter of Reading; Michael Stevenson of Montrose; Jaden Curry of New Lothrop; Canden Peruski and Parker Peruski of Division 8 runner-up Ubly; Ben Straus of Beal City; Napoleon’s Mike Humphreys and McBain’s Mack Bontekoe.
Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker’s Mikel Good, Schoolcraft’s Tagg Gott and Hudson’s Easten Strodtman are the other linebackers. The all-state defensive backs are Detroit Central’s Dontez Hicks, Iron Mountain’s Luke Wolfe and Reading’s Jacob Hamilton.
Ravenna’s Hunter Hogan is the first-team specialist with Perry’s Rease Teel the first-team kicker and Pewamo-Westphalia’s Troy Wertman the punter.
The All-State team was selected by a panel of sportswriters from across the state.
Doug Donnelly, Associated Press