(Ben Murphy photo) North Central’s Luke Gorzinski finds the end zone after eluding defenders along the sideline during Saturday’s 36-12 Division 2 eight-player state semifinal game in Marion.

It may be true that the back-to-back state champion Powers North Central eight-player football team is well known for its high-scoring blowout victories. However, it was their gritty 36-12 Division 2 semi-final victory over Marion on Saturday that was — believe it or not — in doubt at times, that will give the Jets a shot at their third straight championship trophy.

“It feels a heck of a lot better than it does had it gone the other direction,” head coach Leo Gorzinski said.

Of course, with 13 seniors and coming off back-to-back state championship runs, the fact that his team was able to make the plays late to secure the win over Marion, wasn’t at all surprising to Gorzinski.

“This has been their expectations,” he said. “This is just what they do, this is what they believe in, this is what they know. This is what they work for. The goal has been to get here for the entire season.”

The No. 1-ranked Jets (12-0) will take on fifth ranked Mendon (10-2) at the Superior Dome at Northern Michigan University on Saturday, at 2 p.m. Eastern time.

It is a venue they’ve gotten to know quite well, winning the 2021 state championship game there, and they also had a semi-final victory there over Marion in the 2020 season.

Now, they’ll have a chance at the three-peat.

“It feels great, as kids we dreamed of being in this position, to go three straight times to the state championship,” senior Dylan Plunger said. “We just put in the hard work and we are here now.”

And the fact that they faced a rare challenge against Marion should only help matters when they take on Mendon with even more on the line.

“We never got tested like that during the regular season, so it is great to be in this position,” Plunger said. “We struggled a little bit at the start, but we just dug in together… No one can play for four quarters with us, so we went and got it.”

To take on Marion, the Jets had to voyage on a long five-hour trip each way. They played on a natural grass surface that was in less than desirable condition, after a rainy, mud-soaked game tore it up eight days earlier. A steady wind and snow flurries only made things more challenging.

They’ll gladly trade those conditions for a turf playing field and a roof over their heads.

“Five hours, that was a long bus ride, but we got the job done,” Jordan Messenger, another senior on the team said. “The cold weather and sloppy field killed us. We need turf.”

That is exactly what Messenger and the 13 seniors who will play in their final high school football game will get on Saturday. They are hoping to make some history, too, as no team has ever won three straight 8-man state titles.

“God has blessed us with two state championships, and now we are going for a third,” Messenger said. “We just have to take advantage of it.”

Whether it comes in blowout fashion or another hard-fought contest, it really doesn’t matter to the Jets; as long as they are the ones hoisting the trophy at the end.

“Let’s just go win the championship, baby,” Plunger said.