By David Fleet
dfleet@mihomepaper.com
Stan Koon, Goodrich Class of 1966 and starting guard on the Martian Varsity Football team recalls playing the Blackhawks in a snowstorm.
“It was a semi-blizzard,” recalls Koon, 76, who remains a Goodrich resident. “That Brandon game sticks in my mind when the other lineman Terry Gillette and I made a cross-block which opened a hole for our running back who took it to the house for a touchdown. We beat the Blackhawks that night.”
“I knew a lot of the guys in Ortonville,” recalled Koon. “It was always a smashed-face football game. But it was pretty clean, never a fight that I can remember. But our teams never lost to Brandon, it was a true rivalry game.”
Koon’s memories more than 60 years later of the fierce battle between the two schools will soon be reignited.
At 7 p.m., Oct. 11, the Martians will make the six mile trek down M-15 to square off with the Blackhawks for the 52st time in the cross-county rivalry for a Backyard Brawl, an autumn tradition that will establish bragging rights for the year.
While plenty has changed since facemask-less leather helmets ruled —today the Brandon-Goodrich game is a yearly event as the Martians are now part of the 12 Flint Metro League teams which include the Blackhawks. The expanded Flint Metro League will crown a champion later this fall.
Last year in a heavy cold rain soaked game at the Goodrich Homecoming festivities the Martian’s blanked their Blackhawk neighbors on the field 48-0 keeping the Milk Can Cup trophy awarded to the winner. The trophy has been in Goodrich since 2021.
The can was donated by Brandon Township’s Cook’s Farm Dairy and is a symbol of both communities’ rich farming tradition. Each year the score and date are etched on the cup, with the winning team keeping the cup until the next season.
“Goodrich is playing great football,” said Blackhawk Head Coach Brad Zube. “They have a solid lineup of players coming through that match the mindset of Coach Alward and his staff. This game is always the most challenging game on our schedule. It’s going to take our best efforts to win the Milk Jug back, it does not take much to get motivated for this game.”
Goodrich Head Coach Tom Alward is in his 31st year at the helm. The Martians are coming off a stellar 2023 12-2 season which included a trip to the state semi-finals. The 2024 campaign appears to be picking up where it left off with a 4-1 start as of Oct. 3.
“It’s one of those games where the team records really don’t matter,” said Coach Alward. “Everyone is going to show up to play, it’s bragging rights for another year and we’re playing for the Milk Jug. We got a lot of incentives to get after them. They are very well coached with outstanding athletes.”
According to the Michigan High School Historical Game-by-Game results, the Brandon-Goodrich rivalry dates back to 1952 and continued until 1992. In 2014 the rivalry was rekindled as the Martians won 33-7. Then in 2015 Zach Clements hit the game winning 37 yard field goal propelling the Blackhawks to an 11-10 victory over the Martians. It was the first win for the Blackhawks since 1986 and narrowed the overall series to 30-12 in favor of Goodrich. Then in 2016 Blackhawk Kevin Bickett raced for four touchdowns as the Blackhawks topped the Martins 35-14 at a packed Roy U Stacey Stadium in Goodrich. The win was the second straight for the Blackhawks over the Martians and was the debut for then new coach Brad Zube.
After not playing in 2017 the battle heated back up in 2018 as the Blackhawks victory streak continued over the Martians with a 26-7 win at Blackhawk Stadium. Then in 2019 the Martians won at home 32-26. In 2020, despite a global pandemic, abbreviated pre-season and only a handful of fans in attendance—the Martian-Blackhawk football rivalry got just a smidge feisty as the Blackhawks topped the Martians 41-28. On Sept. 30, 2021 the Martians fought back and defeated Brandon 48-21 at Goodrich.