Hatchets vs. Yellowjackets

Courtesy Huron Daily Tribune

BAD AXE — Prior to the announcement of the MHSAA’s football playoff pairings last Sunday evening, Bad Axe was uncertain if it had played its last game of the season just a few days prior. 

The Hatchets sat at 5-4 on the year, missing automatically qualifying for the playoffs by a game. 

However, the team garnered enough playoff points during the course of the regular season to earn its way into postseason play. 

The playoff berth was the first for the program since 2001, snapping a streak of 13 consecutive seasons without making the postseason. 

“It should be exciting,” said Bad Axe coach Mark Manenti. “It should be exciting for everybody. For the kids, for the coaching staff, for the community — for all of us.”

While the Hatchets had a streak they were happy to break, their opponent Ithaca has one it would like to keep intact. 

The Yellowjackets (9-0) are currently riding the nation’s longest active win streak at 65 games. They are also the four-time defending Division 6 state champions. 

“It’s great for our program,” Manenti said of the chance to play Ithaca. “You’ve got to look at something — these kids can achieve something that nobody else can achieve right now. They have a chance to go to the playoffs and have a chance to go beat a team that’s been undefeated pretty much for five years.”

Bad Axe will try to tackle that task beginning at 7 p.m. Friday at Ithaca in its Division 6 district opener. 

Despite the nearly two-and-a-half hour distance between the two schools, they do have something in common, which started with a chance encounter at a football coaching clinic in the offseason. 

Manenti said he and offensive coordinator Kelly Durr went to the clinic, with Manenti handling the defensive duties and Durr taking in some offensive presentations. One that happened to resonate with Durr was on the spread offense, put on by Ithaca coaches. 

Manenti said he gave Durr the thumbs-up to explore it further, which eventually led to a meeting with the Ithaca staff earlier this year. 

“They were willing to sit down and talk to us and show us what they do, how they do it, and why they do it,” Manenti said. “They invited us to come down and they were very good to us, treated us with respect, and showed us everything they did.”

Bad Axe took that valuable experience and ran with it, literally. Spearheaded by Durr, the Hatchets installed a spread option attack that has really taken off this season. 

“It’s been successful,” Manenti said. 

While Bad Axe focuses more on running out of the spread, the Yellowjackets tend to throw the ball a little more.

“We’re both going to be similar offensively,” Manenti said. “What they do real well that we haven’t tapped into this year yet is they can pass the ball. They pass the ball very well.”

Manenti said that is a concern his team will look to address this week leading up to Friday. 

“If you watch film on them, even when they are in the playoffs, people really don’t know how to defend them,” he said of the difficult task his defense will face. 

Aside from the opportunity to face a perennial state powerhouse, simply taking the next step into the playoffs is big for a program that hadn’t won more than three games in a season since that 2001 playoff year. 

Things started out bad for the Hatchets this season after they were shutout by Harbor Beach. Despite losing a heartbreaking 34-32 contest to playoff-bound Marlette, the game proved to be the one that turned around the season. 

“I think the kids at that point finally realized that they were able to stick with a team that was supposed to be a playoff contender and compete for their division,” Manenti said. “Then it all just snowballed from there. They started believing in themselves.”

Added Manenti on the turnaround: “The No. 1 reason is the kids. Their work ethic has been very good this year.”