Since 1998, Mount Michael has never won a football playoff game. For years, the football program consistently found itself playing in uncompetitive matches, failing to secure more than three wins throughout most of the 2000s and 2010s. Bad rosters and a losing mindset caused the program to fill much of its schedule with losses. Except for 2018 (6-4) and 2019 (7-3), Mount Michael has finished with a losing record every year since 2004. However, the program is taking a U-turn. The team is 7-2 with multiple ranked wins and has made its first playoff appearance since 2022.
Heading into the 2025 season, Mount Michael was projected to be near the bottom of the Class C standings, with expectations of winning only about 2 or 3 games. This was reasonable to say at the time, since the team had a similar roster and faced the same opponents as the previous year’s team, which finished 2-7. However, things would prove to be different right from the start.
In a home matchup against Auburn, which was ranked in the top ten, Mount Michael shocked the Bulldogs, winning 35–0. Part of the credit for the win was given to the rushing duo of seniors Brady Quinlivan and Jedd Ramold. The two would combine for 148 rushing yards against Auburn. The defense was also a significant factor in the win, limiting Auburn’s rushing attack to only 40 yards and intercepting the starting quarterback’s pass.
The story would be the same throughout the rest of the season. Mount Michael suffered two all-season losses to then third-ranked Columbus Lakeview and number-one Wahoo.
Much of the team’s success was due to its rushing attack. With seniors Jedd Ramold, Brady Quinlivan, and Charlie L’Heureux as their top three running backs, the team would have 2,125 rushing yards, averaging 6.4 rushing yards per carry, and 236.1 rushing yards per game. This offense became an unstoppable force for any team to face. To help reach this milestone, Ramold credited the offensive line, noting that they “put their life on the line every play,” which motivated him and allowed him to gain over a thousand rushing yards.
The defense would also be stellar. The team would rack up 52.5 tackles for loss, well above the national average at 37.7. The team would also record nine interceptions, averaging ten yards per interception, with Quinlivan leading the team with five. The defense also recorded eight fumble recoveries and blocked one punt.
The new success the program has achieved has brought a great deal of hope for its future and the impact it will have. Years of failure built up to frustration that the entire senior class would take out on their opponents. “I would say a big motivator was being bad,” Quinlivan said. “Being bad was not fun at all.”
All the seniors on the roster shared the mindset represented by Quinlivan. This is part of what allowed the team to be much more physical and have much more fight in them compared to their opponents. Another part of this is the leadership under senior captains Jedd Ramold, Brady Quinlivan, and Tennyson Kelsey. Ramold and Quinlivan explained that all the captains took their roles much more seriously than in years past, which included holding the team accountable for their mistakes and encouraging everyone, regardless of age, to become significantly stronger and more athletic during the offseason.
Quinlivan stated that “it feels good to know that I am leaving a lasting impact on the team, something the freshmen could look up to.” Both players have already etched their names in the program’s history book. But both players also want to show the younger players how to lead a team and what kind of leadership is needed to succeed.
Ramold and Quinlivan believe that the blueprint for a future Mount Michael football dynasty is laid out for them.
