Sep 11, 2025
Houghton quarterback Jay Halonen (10) celebrates a landing with two of his teammates throughout final season’s Copper Bowl sport at McAfee Subject in Hancock. The Gremlins received Copper Bowl for simply the twenty sixth time at school historical past. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)
HOUGHTON — Rising up a Houghton-Portage Township faculties child, present Houghton Gremlins hockey coach Micah Stipech discovered of the rivalry between his beloved Gremlins and the Hancock Bulldogs in highschool soccer at a younger age. By the point he was in highschool, he couldn’t await his alternative to play an element within the annual conflict.
Not solely did Stipech get to play within the sport twice, he additionally had the prospect to teach the Gremlins within the sport twice.
“It’s one thing that you simply sit up for and dream of enjoying in,” he stated. “I feel it’s one of many nice issues a couple of youth sports activities expertise in small cities that you simply sit up for enjoying on your highschool group and in a rivalry sport. The youngsters on the opposite facet of the bridge are doing the identical factor.
“So, these are particular moments if you’re a younger man rising up. Then with the ability to be part of it as a coach was enjoyable as properly.”
For Stipech, getting to teach the sport was truly extra nerve-wracking than enjoying in it.
“I felt extra stress as a coach than a participant,” he stated. “I did, since you need to do your greatest for the gamers. You might have such an affect on the sport. You need to do it for the mother and father and alumni. You are feeling such as you need to put your greatest foot ahead and provides them an opportunity to succeed.”
In Stipech’s opinion, if you find yourself the athlete enjoying within the sport, the main focus is extra on merely enjoying the sport, or making the massive play, versus the skin issues you may need as a coach.
“If you’re a participant, you’re dreaming about making the massive play,” he stated. “You’re dreaming about what you probably did on the playground, within the yard. You’re like, ‘I need to be the man.’ No less than for me, that’s what it was.”
If he needed to sum up his experiences within the Copper Bowl over time, Stipech feels that he has seen a number of the spectrum.
“If I may sum up, I used to be interested by this, my Copper Bowl expertise, as a participant and a coach, it could be highs and lows and horrible climate,” he stated. “A few of my largest highs had been when issues went properly on your group, and your largest lows as a participant, and a coach, is once they didn’t. That’s additionally what I feel makes rivalry nice, are these highs and lows.”
The Copper Bowl has historically been performed because the final sport of the common season for each faculties, in late October, so a playoff look could possibly be on the road. Nevertheless with that date comes a variety of climate circumstances.
A rainstorm simply two seasons in the past involves thoughts for Stipech, whose group was on the verge of among the finest seasons at school historical past, solely to wrestle to regulate the soccer in a sport that noticed as many Gremlins turnovers as there have been raindrops within the air.
“There’s reality to all of the cliches,” he stated. “Youngsters may have their greatest performances, another children will make large errors, all of the issues that hold you on the sting of your seat. So, we’ve seen that two years in the past. We turned the ball over 9 instances in a rainstorm. That was a low for me, and it was a excessive for the Hancock gamers.”
The loss value the Gremlins a playoff spot. It was the kind of expertise that retains a coach up at night time for days after.
“In order a coach, that one, man, that’s simply such a tricky reminiscence,” he stated. “It was so disappointing, so disappointing. I simply keep in mind waking up in the midst of the night time considering, ‘What may you’ve finished in a different way?’ What’s the distinction between teaching and enjoying as a child? The subsequent day you go and hang around together with your buddies, or a girlfriend. Coaches, they don’t sleep for 2 weeks.”
Whereas that rainstorm was onerous to take care of, Stipech remembers some even worse climate when he was a junior and a senior at Houghton Excessive Faculty, enjoying on the varsity group.
“After I was in highschool, our junior 12 months, they’d talked about enjoying it within the dome,” he stated. “It most likely ought to have been. Youngsters had been getting hypothermia. We kicked an additional level and it got here again and landed behind the kicker on our area in Houghton. It was that chilly. That was simply (about) surviving the weather.”
Rising up and attending Copper Bowl video games as a baby, Stipech remembers a number of the greatest moments he noticed included when Brady Schaefer broke the state dashing file in 1985. In 1989, the sport went to extra time, and the 2 groups performed possessions from the ten yard line to attempt to discover a winner.
When he lastly had his probability to play in his junior 12 months, he was so excited to play, however the climate was so terrible, he was upset that they might not fill the stands at dwelling because of the chilly and rain.
“I didn’t get the prospect as a sophomore,” he stated. “I actually wished to. So, when my junior 12 months lastly acquired there, it was actually thrilling. I keep in mind it by no means matches as much as what you dreamed of as a child. It was so chilly, no one may even be within the stands.
“(There have been) like three folks on the stands, the sleet was going sideways, and (you had been) simply freezing your butt off. We received that sport. That was a blast.”
The subsequent season the 2 groups met within the snow at Condon Subject in Hancock, and Hancock received 10-0. The sensation after that sport was devastating for Stipech.
“I keep in mind feeling so defeated, like, ‘I don’t assume I ever need to play once more. I’m finished with soccer,’ sort of a factor,” he stated. “The bus experience again from Hancock after shedding 10-0, you’re devastated.”
Whereas his profession, not like a lot of his teammates and pals, didn’t finish that day, the Copper Bowl usually has been the ultimate sport within the careers of Gremlins and Bulldogs alike.
“I ended up going to Northern, as a freshman, to play soccer the following 12 months, however at that second in time, I simply didn’t even need something to do with soccer, as a result of it was simply such a letdown,” he stated. “You set a lot into it, and it was the top of, now that it’s again on Week 9, it’s additionally the top of highschool careers for teenagers. The final time, you don’t ever get 11 buddies collectively and play deal with soccer once more. So, that’s a part of it too, being the final sport, is that there’s a bunch of youngsters that aren’t going to get to play once more.”
In recent times, the Copper Bowl has been performed as early as Week 5, and the most important constructive about that date, based on Stipech, was the climate. This 12 months, it was initially set as the primary week of the season, however after a lot dialogue, a number of which included Stipech earlier than he stepped down as Houghton’s coach to take the identical place for hockey, the sport was returned to Week 9.
“Anyplace between weeks 5 and 9, I feel, could be good,” he stated. “There’s something particular about enjoying at Week 9 although, and I feel the nostalgia piece for folks is there like Michigan/Ohio State, it’s simply a part of it. It’s most likely the place it belongs.”
Having the sport on the finish of the season makes these particular moments even larger, as a result of these reminiscences are those that burned in for all times.
“Is it additionally onerous, since you grew up with these children although they’re Hancock, you’re Houghton, you grew up collectively, you play hockey collectively, all of those various things,” he stated.
“Then, to need to both take care of having overwhelmed them, or having misplaced them in that final sport of the season, that needs to be somewhat irritating earlier than you get to hockey season, or one thing else, the place you bought an opportunity to sort of redeem your self somewhat bit.
“These bragging rights are for all times. There’s factors the place you look again and say, ‘Oh, that’s foolish.’ However, truly, that’s what makes it nice, these rivalries. I hope we by no means lose that. I hope it’s all the time bragging rights for all times. I hope that there’s folks that may rub it in and say, ‘We beat you,’ since you’re part of one thing.”
Moments like 2022’s sport will persist with Stipech endlessly.
“(The 2022) reminiscence would positively be Gabrik Carlson,” stated Stipech. “He stole the present final 12 months, and so I feel anyone strolling away from that sport (in 2022) was speaking about him.
“You’ll see some particular person performances over time that I feel have been fairly particular.”
For Stipech, the highs and lows and the climate all make Copper Bowl one thing actually particular.
“I simply keep in mind having frostbite on my palms, frostbite on my palms, and I keep in mind simply a number of the weather piece of that,” he stated. “All people hits somewhat bit tougher, and there’s just a bit bit extra concerned. You had the highs, lows and the horrible climate are my largest reminiscences.”
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