The ticker

Where'd everybody go?

The attendance for last weekend's football finals -- 56,446 -- was down over 11,000 from a year ago and was the lowest total since 1990, the first year of eight divisions or classes. The biggest reason for the overall downward trend is that most people can watch all of the games on television without leaving home.

People unfamiliar with Detroit might be hesitant to make the drive. Another problem could be the policy not allowing people to leave and re-enter Ford Field, a policy that should be changed. Part of the appeal of having the finals at Ford Field is allowing people to enjoy the revitalized downtown area, but that is difficult to do if you have to cough up another $10 to get back into the stadium.

Farewell, friend

Farmington Hills Harrison's 42-17 loss to East Grand Rapids wasn't the worst part of Harrison coach John Herrington's day.

That came earlier Saturday when Herrington attended the funeral of former Plymouth Salem football coach Tom Moshimer, who was 71.

Moshimer coached for decades in Plymouth and had some outstanding players like Rich Hewlett. Harrison used to play Salem in non-league games before the schools became members of the Western Lakes (Harrison has since become a member of the Oakland Activities Association).

"At first we really didn't like each other, but the more we were around each other, we became good friends," Herrington said. "He stood up for all of the principles you want in coaching."

Moshimer was the state's master of the wishbone offense and had some terrific teams. Because of his ties to the wishbone, Moshimer had ties to college coaches all over the country. His favorite story was about the time Bo Schembechler was speaking at a clinic.

"Bo was talking about their goal line offense," Herrington said. "They used the wishbone in that situation. Bo looked into the audience and saw Tom and said: 'Shoot, Moshimer, you get up here and explain it. You know more about this than I do.' "

Sexton coach suspended

Former Michigan State basketball player Carlton Valentine has been suspended for one year as Lansing Sexton boys basketball coach for several violations, including the undue influence rule.

Over the last year, Sexton had an uncommon number of high-profile athletes transfer to the school, which resulted in an investigation.

"Our report to Sexton agreed with their findings," said Jack Roberts, executive director of the Michigan High School Athletic Association. "There was a violation of undue influence with three or four players involved. In addition, there was a violation of the amateur standing rule in three more cases. And there was an out-of-season coaching violation."

Valentine is said to have paid the way for some of the players to attend a summer camp. Those players must make restitution before they regain their eligibility.

The school has been placed on probation until Aug. 1, 2008, but no limitations or loss of tournament privileges have been applied.

They'll settle this off the court

Detroit Cass Tech is contesting the transfer of 6-foot-11 sophomore DaShonte Riley to Birmingham Detroit Country Day. Cass Tech officials claim the transfer is athletically motivated, which means he would have to sit out two semesters instead of one. Roberts is reviewing the matter and said he hopes to have a decision early this month.

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