08/28/2024
CLIO – High School football will kick off Thursday night, and the Greater Flint Area will be treated to several notable matchups, including a big one at Clio High School.
The Mustangs will play host to their neighborhood rival, Mt. Morris, in one of the area’s most-played rivalry games.
Thursday’s contest will be the 74th meeting between Mt. Morris and Clio, and it will mark the second straight year the Maginn Trophy will go to the winner.
Former Genesee County Herald owner/publisher Don Maginn awarded a traveling trophy to the winner of the Mt. Morris-Clio football game from 1931-47.
After a 76-year absence, the Maginn Trophy was reintroduced to the rivalry in 2023, and Mt. Morris took possession of it, courtesy of a 7-0 victory over Clio on Aug. 24, 2023 at Atwood Stadium in Flint.
The Mustangs haven’t beaten the Pantheres since they fashioned a 30-18 triumph on Aug. 27, 2015 at Mt. Morris.
The Panthers lead the overall series 41-30-2.
Both programs will be hoping to get their seasons off to a positive start on Thursday. Clio fashioned a 3-6 overall record and Mt. Morris ended 2-7 last year.
The Mustangs and Panthers are hoping a win over their archrival will catapult them to a winning season.
Clio has not boasted an above .500 mark since it ended 5-4 in 2001. Mt. Morris’ last winning record was a 7-4 slate in 2008.
Thursday’s game will start at 7 p.m. at Clio’s Pride Stadium.
Check out next week’s Mt. Morris-Clio Hearld newspaper to get the results and inside information from this year’s Mt. Morris-Clio contest.
Flint-Area All-time winningest football coaches
(Wins at Flint Area schools only)
Name, School(s), Years W-L-T Pct.
Jack Pratt, FL St. Matt, GB, KE, PC, 1958-2006 304-129-7 .699
Dennis Reinhart, Montrose 1995- 242-79 .754
Bob Buckel, BR, FL, LV, PC 1983-2015 214-114 .652
Tim Furno, Millington, 1978-2009 208-111 .652
Tom Alward, Goodrich, 1993- 194-118 .622
Jeff Setzke, Bendle, Fenton, 1996- 191-93 .673
Mike Smith, LW, Lapeer, 1998-2023 186-81 .697
Jeff Putnam, LW, DA, KE,1985-97, ‘99-2008, ‘14-15 163-91 .642
Dennis Hopkins, Linden, 1998-2021 161-82 .663
Jim Masserang, Genesee, 977-2006 160-121 .669
Roger Bashore, Byron, 1973-2000 157-99 .613
Clint Galvas, HAM, NL, 2006- 155-32 .829
Guy Houston, Flint Northern, 1928-51 148-41-13 .765
Gary Lee, FN, FL SW, HAM, 1993-02, 2004-07, 2012- 142-104 .577
Nick Annese, NL, Corunna, 1952-76 139-54 .710
Joe Eufinger, Flint Central, 1976-2001 138-102 .575
Joe Delaney, SC, GB, 1992-2016 137-108 .559
Mark Covert, Fenton, 1971-91 131-61-1 .681
Bill Tucker, Powers Catholic,. 1979-1998 128-61 .677
Jerry Hughes, Goodrich, 1955-81 122-97-5 .556
Earl Roberts, Flint MSD, 1943-71 115-106-11 .519
Russ Reynolds, Beecher, 1939-61 113-77 .591
Tom Smith, Flint St. Michael, 1933-60 112-76-17 .588
Bob Hayes, NL, Montrose, 1967-86 110-71 .608
Paul Smarks, Lapeer, 1929-41, 1946-48 108-31-5 .767
Fred Rademacher, Holy Red. PC, 1964-78 104-30-1 .774
Pat Fields, St. Michael, Car. High, 1962-82 104-75-1 .581
Chris Gilliam, Birch Run, 1998-2016 104-79 .568
Frank Garofalo, Mt. Morris, '74-84, '90-01 104-105 .497
Ron Bigelow, Mt. Morris, 1933-50 103-46-5 .690
Jim Watkins, IC, Brandon, 1986-2002 102-60 .629
Mert Wallace, Bentley, 1951-70 101-57-7 .633
Key: Kea - Kearsley, Flint SW - Flint Southwestern, CAR - Carman High, IC - Imlay City, Holy Red - Flint Holy Redeemer; MSD - Michigan School for the Deaf; NL - New Lothrop; PC - Powers Catholic; FN - Flint Northern; HAM - Hamady; LW - Lapeer West; BR - Birch Run; FL - Flushing; LV - LakeVille.
Notes
1. Jim Watkins has an overall record of 143-76 (.652), having gone 41-16 at Brown City from 1980-85.
2. Jeff Putnam started coaching at UD Jesuit in 2009. He led the Cubs to a 12-15 mark from 2009-12, giving him an overall coaching record of 175-106 (.623). He retired from U-D Jesuit in July of 2012. Putnum returned to the Flint area, taking over Kearsley’s program at the beginning of the 2014 season. He resigned as Kearsley’s coach at the end of the 2015 season.
3. Chris Gilliam has an overall coaching record of 106-101 (.512), having gone 2-22 at Adrian from 2019-21. His Adrian teams went 0-9 2019, 0-6 in 2020, and 2-7 in 2021.
4. Gary Lee has an overall record of 145-119 (.549), having gone 3-15 at Saginaw High School from 2009-10.