All the way down near the Indiana border, Niles is one of the least-covered teams in Michigan. Not near a big city, not in a well-known conference, and not a ton of historical success. Really, up until the Semifinals, very few people considered Niles a State Championship contender.
Well, Niles defied the odds, pulled off a few “upsets,” and made it to Ford Field. Today, I’ll recap the storied season through a look at their preseason expectations, regular season performance, postseason performance, and a look forward to 2025.
Preseason
Niles was expected to be a good team. Most would look at their 2023 season (10-2 record) plus returning talent and say
“Hey, that’s probably a District Finals team, but they’ll eventually run into a true contender and get bounced.”
After all, most teams without historic success tend to go back to baseline after one super successful season. Few outsiders can have repeat 10-win seasons. Well, Niles was confident they’d defy the odds.
Regular Season
Just like three other state Championship teams (Hudsonville, Cass Tech, Goodrich), Niles began their season with a loss. A big loss, in fact. Against St. Joseph, a team that only won 6 games in 2023, Niles had a bad outing, losing 30-7.
After a deflating week one loss, here’s how the next five weeks played out
Week 2: 46-0 W vs. Lakeshore
Week 3: 56-6 W vs. Three Rivers
Week 4: 56-0 W vs. Ostego
Week 5: 62-0 W vs. Sturgis
Week 6: 49-7 W vs. Vicksburg
That’s right- after a deflating Week 1 loss, Niles went on to beat their next five opponents by a combined score of 220-13. All of a sudden, Niles had a ton of momentum, but they still hadn’t beat any great programs.
Well, Week 7 was an opportunity to do just that. The Eddies of Edwardsburg served as a perfect late-season measuring stick. Against a much-improved Edwardsburg team, Niles played great defense, winning a close 21-14 game.
Week 8, Niles destroyed Plainwell 56-0. Week 9 was a completely different story—a lot more pressure, facing then-undefeated Paw Paw. Considering Paw Paw beat Edwardsburg by 35 while Niles only beat them by 7, it’s safe to say that Niles headed into Week 8 as the underdog.
How does a 21-0 W sound?
It was at this point that Niles entered my state championship radar. But still, seeing they had to compete with teams like Portland, South Christian, Whitehall, Unity Christian to make it to Ford Field, I didn’t love their odds.
Playoffs
Niles’ positioning in the bracket was pretty favorable. Unlike the Grand Rapids area teams, Niles had a much easier path to a Regional Championship, facing Paw Paw first, then either Edwardsburg or Harper Creek.
As expected, Niles rolled through the first two rounds, defeating Paw Paw 42-14 then Edwardsburg 21-0.
Next up, their biggest test of the season. In order to be crowned Regional Champions, they’d have to get through 11-0 Portland- a team that BEAT UP on good playoff teams, and the team that ended Niles’ 2023 season.
The game kicked off, and Sam Rucker immediately put the team on his back, scoring two early TDs. Niles then gave up just one touchdown and scored again with just under 2:00 remaining in the half. Things looked great until Portland returned the ensuing kickoff for a TD, then claimed an interception, capping that short field with a TD. 21-21 heading into the half.
Portland looked like the better team throughout most of the second half, leading 34-29 late in the 4th quarter. But Niles had a game-winning drive opportunity, and they took advantage. On a game-defining 4th and 12, none other than Sam Rucker came up with a clutch 20-yard catch. The Vikings then scored, sealing the game.
The Regional win versus Portland marked the biggest win in Niles Football history.
Next, Niles had to go up against a team that won the State Championship in 2022 and narrowly lost the State Title in 2023- Grand Rapids South Christian.
Long story short, Niles left zero doubt. Yeah, South Christian scored some points, but Niles proved unstoppable. A 62-30 statement victory against an elite program sends Niles to their first-ever State Championship appearance.
State Championship
Niles came in and played well at times, but at the end of the day, Goodrich was, unfortunately, the better team. Guys like Paul Hess and Sam Rucker still played great, but the all-around blocking, especially on the outside, was not good enough.
Still, what a season for Niles. Nobody expected the Vikings to get past the District Finals, let alone make it to Ford Field. Do they have a chance to return in 2025? Well, let’s take a look, starting with their notable departures.
2025 Outlook
Notable Class of 2025 Seniors
LB/RB – Paul Hess
ATH – Sam Rucker
QB – Talen Bennett
Notable Returners
OL/LB – Brandon Hamilton
DB/WR – Brenden Olsen
ATH – Sheldon Cornelius
ATH – Max Rucker
DL – Malachi Burris
Obviously, some extremely notable positions are to be replaced. Niles’ three biggest superstars graduate, but they return a ton of great, underrated players. I think they’ll be just as physically dominant next season as they were this season. I also think they’ll be solid at DB, S, and WR.
The question is- who’ll step up and be that star player?
I’ll finish with a way-too-early 2025 prediction.
Prediction: 10-1, Regional Finals L