Week 4 - Friday Night Flashback

Omari Humes and Arthur Hill escape Flint with a nail-biting win.

Big Nine -  After another week against a big conference rival, Davison again stood out from the pack.  The Cards took care of the Bobcats with a 18-7 victory and claimed first place all to themselves.  The Bobcats were averaging 38 points a game before their struggles on Friday night.  Davison is now halfway to their 7th straight conference championship.  Flushing gave Carman-Ainsworth their first loss in a 22-20 nailbiter.  With the win, both teams are now a game behind Davison.  Flushing has had a great start to the season with their only bad outing coming against Davison.  Powers didn’t make up any ground in the conference race but they sure got an uplifting win by topping Country Day for the 2nd straight season.  The 1 point thrilling victory gets Powers back to 2-2 and back on track towards the post-season.

If I Had To Pick A Champion Now - Davison
#1 Contender - Flushing

Capital Area Blue -  What a turnaround it has been for Grand Ledge.  The tradional power had failed to live up to their own expectations over the past two years but are totally back on track after knocking off conference favorite and state ranked Everett.  The win pushes Grand Ledge into sole possession of first place.  Everett may have stumbled but they might not lose another game during the regualar season and aren’t finished by any means in the title chase.  East Lansing won a defensive grudge match with Holt, making them both 2-1 in conference play.  The Trojans have been winning with defense, their lone loss coming against Everett.  Holt, even in the loss has seemed to recover nicely from their week 1 lopsided loss to Sexton.  I expect the Rams to get stronger as the year progresses.  Jackson edged Lansing Eastern by two to go to 2-2 and keep their playoff pushing, moving the right direction while Okemos dominated Waverly, keeping their slim hopes for a playoff berth alive by avoiding loss #4. 

If I Had To Pick A Champion Now - Grand Ledge
#1 Contender - Everett

Capital Area Red -  It was a big week for the Red, with the top 4 teams squaring off against one another.  Mason not only continued their impressive turn around, they shell shocked St. Johns, beating the Red Wings by 4 TDs.  Mason’s only loss this season has come at the hands of Grand Ledge and we now see how good the boys from the Blue are.  Mason has assumed full control of first place which was helped by Jackson NW’s lost to Sexton.  Their’s now a logjam after first place mason with Sexton, Jackson NW and St. Johns all with 1 loss in conference play.  Both Owosso and Waverly suffered losses in non-conference play.

If I Had To Pick A Champion Now - Mason
#1 Contender - Sexton

Capital Area Gold -  Charlotte took a big step towards ending DeWitt’s two year reign on the Capital Area Gold/III by beating the Panthers 36-28.  Charlotte is yet another Lansing area team that has reversed their fortunes from a year ago.  The Orioles are now tied with Haslett atop the Gold, the Vikings shutout and shutdown Folwerville for a 2nd straight win.  Haslett sputtered out of the gates with an 0-2 record but are now riding a new wave of momentum.  Ionia moved to 3-1 and 1-1 in conference play by taking out Eaton Rapids in a close 20-14 ballgame.  The Bulldogs are tied with DeWitt, just 1 game back of the Gold leaders.

If I Had To Pick A Champion Now - Charlotte
#1 Contender - Haslett

Capital Area White-  Like Haslett in the Gold, Lakewood has reeled off two straight wins to go to 2-0 after starting the season 0-2.  The Vikings topped Corunna in a classic, 30-28.  Lakewood’s win kept them atop the standings with Portland who won easily over Perry.  Williamston added to Lansing CC’s misery by taking their own frustrations out on them.  Williamston is now tied for 2nd place with Corunna.  Lansing CC is still recovering from a series of pre-season injuries and slowing adapting to a new offense.  Their’s a lot of youth on that club, so the future is bright. 

If I Had To Pick A Champion Now - Portland
#1 Contender - Williamston

Flint Metro League - Linden stayed alone atop the FML standings by easily dispatching Holly but 2nd place got a lot more interesting and a lot more crowded.  Fenton bounced back from the Linden loss last week to top previously unbeaten Oxford.  That along with Lapeer East’s dominating win over Kearsley created a three way tie for 2nd place, sitting one game back of Linden.  Lapeer West stopped a 2 game losing streak by handling Brandon, which tied them up in the standings at 2-2.  Brandon was my pre-season conference champion pick and they have lost their last two games and will need to regain traction fast to not only stay alive for a remote shot at the title but to keep their playoff hopes headed in the right direction.  Clio took out Swartz Creek last Friday to gain their first win of the ’08 campaign and keep the Creek winless so far. 

If I Had To Pick A Champion Now - Linden
#1 Contender - Fenton

Central Michigan Athletic - While the CMAC may not have that true, 1 dominate team yet, the league as a whole, is as strong as ever.  Fulton and Pewamo-Westphalia sit atop the standings after wins on Friday night.  Fulton took care of business against Carson City-Crystal while Pewamo-Westphalia met up with previously unbeaten Laingsburg and came out with a 1 point victory.  Potterville dominated Folwer 29-6, staying tied in the standings with Laingsburg.  Dansville picked up their first win against Bath in a battle of two teams looking for a positive direction.  Saranac fell to Montabella by a point in out of conference play. 

If I Had To Pick A Champion Now - Pewamo-Westphalia
#1 Contender - Fulton

Genesee Area Blue - In the most important game of the still young season in the Blue, Bentley took out New Lothrop by 9 points, moving into first place with Geneseee who also won on Friday against Hamady 28-26. Bentley has been on a terror after droping the season opener to Montrose.  Genesee’s lone loss also came in week 1 and have been on a roll as well.  Hamady just can’t seem to get a break yet and seemed to never have recovered from their season opening loss to Nouvel.  In what may have been an elmination game in terms of the race for the title, Byron took out Bendle and held on to second place.  Atherton picked up their first win of the season in out of conference play with a win over Buena Vista. 

If I Had To Pick A Champion Now - Bentley
#1 Contender - New Lothrop

Genesee Area Red - It was an all conference weekend in the Red as all 6 teams met up with each other and none of them being real close.  In what was supposed to be ’the game, Goodrich beat Montrose by 41 points to claim first place for the Martians along with Mount Morris who also won on Friday night against Durand.  In the conference’s other game, Lake Fenton powered over LakeVille.  Right now Goodrich and Mt. Morris are on a collision course but Lake Fenton also could play a major role in this race because they still play both teams.  The Blue Devils lost an early season game to Montrose but have the tools to get back to the top.  Right now Mt. Morris is playing some pretty good football and they will need to because of how many cylinders Goodrich is hitting on right now.  The Martians offense is turning into an elite force, not only in the Red but in the state. 

If I Had To Pick A Champion Now - Goodrich
#1 Contender - Mt. Morris

Greater Thumb East - Deckerville and Ubly stayed undefeated on Friday night but had two very different challenges.  Ubly won rather easily vs. Harbor Beach while Deckerville escaped with a 10 point win over the West’s Laker High.  Marlette squeaked by Sandusky 8-7 to stay a game back of the lead.  Mayville picked up their first win of the season by beating Brown City.  Right now the conference is split between the haves and the have nots, which is a big gap right now after Ubly, Deckerville and Marlette. 

If I Had To Pick A Champion Now - Ubly
#1 Contender - Deckerville

Greater Thumb West - Cass City and Reese picked up some big wins on Friday night to stay undefeated in conference play which brings us to next Friday where the two first place teams will square off against one another.  Last Friday Reese had a good fight vs. Vassar while Cass City rolled over big rival USA.   All Saints continued their fine season with a 30 point win over Bad Axe.  The Cougars have been a great story this season with another team that sits around 15-18 players.  While Reese may have been the overwhelming pre-season favorite, Cass City may now be in the drivers seat but none of that hype will matter on the field come Friday which is where it will be decided.

If I Had To Pick A Champion Now - Reese
#1 Contender - Cass City

Independents - Flint Northwestern proved again, even with 2 losses why they just might be the best team in the city of flint after dismantling previously undefeated Whittemore-Prescott, 36-0.  Nouvel stayed unbeaten with a big win over a good Divine Child ballclub.  Beecher also kept their playoff push moving in the right direction with a shutout win over Owosso.

Jack Pine Conference - Houghton Lake won a thriller over Gladwin, 21-20 to stay unbeaten in conference play and winning their second straight game after dropping the first two of the season.  Clare, the conference’s top team, held suit and stayed tied with the Bobcats with a 49-0 domination over Beaveton.  Harrison got their first win of the season over Farwell while Meridian got just what the doctor ordered in a one-sided 48 point win over Roscommon.  While Clare stands out as the team that could make the most noise in the playoffs, the highly regarded Mustangs have lots of time to right the ship and do the same.  Meridian had high expectations coming into the year but were soured a little bit after falling to 1-2.  We’ll see if the Mustangs continue to stay on the path towards success.

If I Had To Pick A Champion Now - Clare
#1 Contender - Meridian

North Central Thumb League - Just as in the Greater Thumb East, the NCTL seems to be split right down the middle with the haves and have nots.  Dryden and Memphis continued their dominance and unbeaten seasons on Friday night with wins over Peck and KIngston.  Dryden’s 42-26 win over Peck was Peck’s first lost of the year.  North Huron took care of Owen-Gage to tie up Peck for third place in the league.  Akron-Fairgrove got their first win of the year at the expense of Carsonville-Port Sanilac.  The Memphis-Dryden showdown is two weeks away.

If I Had To Pick A Champion Now - Memphis
#1 Contender - Dryden

North Star League - 5 of the conference’s 7 teams are 2-2 overall and 3 are tied for third at 1-1 in the conference play.  Hillman and Mio sit atop the standings after Hillman’s shutout win over Arenac Eastern on Friday night.  Mio dropped their game to Alcona but that was in non-conference play.  Atlanta played a big part in the logjam by beating Hale to make them both 1-1 in the standings.  Au Gres stayed right up there with them, with their big win over Posen.

If I Had To Pick A Champion Now - Mio
#1 Contender - Hillman

Northeast Michigan Conference - In Friday’s big conference game, Ogemaw Heights proved that they were far from done in their win over previously unbeaten Tawas.  The game sent them both into a tie for third.  John Glenn took care of business against a fiesty Pinconning squad that only has 1 win but has been giving teams all they can handle.  Standish-Sterling went out of conference and smashed Connor Creek, 42-0.  The upcoming week showcases some big conference matchups with John Glenn vs. Ogemaw Heights and Standish-Sterling vs. Tawas. 

If I Had To Pick A Champion Now - Standish-Sterling
#1 Contender - John Glenn

Saginaw Valley League - The ‘Big 3′ for 2008 still remain unbeaten but that wasn’t almost the case.  Arthur Hill survived a near major upset by a well coached Flint Northern ball club.  Arthur Hill repeatedly reach the redzone, only to come away with zero points in the first half.  Both teams struck for 6 in the third and the Flint Northern took the lead on a 99 yard fumble recovery for a score.  The Lumberjacks sucked it up though and scored 13 unanswered after that to save their undefeated season.  Omari Humes, who has had to fill in for Jerrell Wilson in the backfield has been nothing less than spectactular.  The Jacks hope to fully recover by week 6 when they head to Mt. Pleasant.  Midland High and Bay City Western, although having their struggles, came away with comfortable wins.  Mt. Pleasant stayed just one step behind, winning their third in a row.  MTP’s only loss came in the opener to Midland High.  Midland Dow evened up to 2-2 after their win over Flint Central and Heritage dropped a tight on up in Alpena, 26-24. 

If I Had To Pick A Champion Now - Midland High/Arthur Hill
#1 Contender - Bay City Western

Tri-Valley Central - Freeland needed overtime to get past undefeated Chesaning which left the conference left with just two teams tied atop the standings.  The Falcons gave up 20 first half points to the Indians and were down 6 at the break but held them scoreless in the 2nd half and in overtime.  The Falcons scored the tying TD in the 4th and the winner in the 2nd OT.  Undefeated Ovid-Elsie continued their buzzsaw through the conference by topping Alma by 5 scores.   Bullock Creek notched their first win of the game by getting past Hemlock by 6 points, keeping their slim playoff hopes alive.  Swan Valley stayed 1 game back of the lead by shutting out Shepherd 21-0.

If I Had To Pick A Champion Now - Ovid-Elsie
#1 Contender - Freeland

Tri-Valley East - Caro did it again.  The Tigers knocked off another team that they weren’t supposed to beat and now have to be considered a challenger in the East.  Caro has always been well coached but the numbers have been low.  This year, they are taking advantage of all of their opportunities and cashing in.  This season will be a good foundation to build on for them.  For Birch Run, the loss to Caro puts them on the brink.  1 more loss and they will be staying home in week 10.  In the heated rivalry game between Frankenmuth and Millington, the Cardinals stayed undefeated by topping Muth 7-0.  That win along with Garber’s over North Branch has set up a 1st place showdown this Friday in Millington.  Bridgeport rolled over Gabriel Richard to even their record at 2-2.

If I Had To Pick A Champion Now - Millington
#1 Contender - Garber

Tri-Valley West - Carrollton keeps winning but so does Merrill and St. Charles.  The top three in the West are all still unbeaten.  This Friday that will change however as Carrollton will square off against Merrill.  Carrrolton took care of MLS on Friday, while Merrill got a big win over one of the pre-season favorites, Ithaca.  Ithaca suffered their 2nd straight loss but have a less difficult path left besides St. Charles.  St. Charles continued their overall dominance as they overwhelmed Breckenridge.  In conferences’ other game, Valley Lutheran edged St. Louis 28-21, giving Valley their first win of the year.

If I Had To Pick A Champion Now - St. Charles
#1 Contender - Merrill

Week 4 - This Week On The Gridiron

The Hottest Ticket In Town -Davison @ Grand Blanc, After starting the season 0-2 again, Davison once again proved that they will be the team to beat in the Big Nine until someone proves otherwise. Year after year, it’s supposed to be someone else’s turn to take the torch in the Big Nine and run with it. The Cardinals have defended their title for 5 seasons now and are determined to make it 6 defenses and 7 titles in a row. Enter Grand Blanc, the team who is faced with the task this week. The Bobcats also started 0-2 but in much different fashion. Davison failed to score 20 points in their first two games while Grand Blanc was setting the field on fire but also had problems stopping the other team’s offense. Last week the Bobcats got win #1 as the offense continued to shine and the defense was much improved. Friday night’s game should be a treat as the scoreboard on both sides is more likely to get a good workout vs. the game being a defensive struggle. Having said that, defense is going to win this game however. Both teams can run, they can pass, so it will be up to the defenses to create turnovers and to get just one more stop than the opponent.

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Capital Area Blue - Holt was humbled in week 1 by Sexton but since then, the Rams have reeled off two straight wins and sit at 2-0 in league play. East Lansing is just 1 game behind after losing to Everett two weeks ago and then coming back with a big confidence building win last week against Jackson. Both teams are still very much in the race but this game will have more of a sense of urgency for East Lansing. Another conference loss will most likely eliminate the Trojans from league title contention. Jackson and Lansing Eastern square off in search of their first league win. Both teams have a lot of talent but will need to limit the mistakes and keep their heads held high after a disappointing start. A win here by either team could be a nice building block to the rest of the season. Needless to say, it’s also been a disappointing start for Okemos and Waverly who will be looking for win #1. Okemos is coming off of a playoff year while Waverly figured to be improved although a little short on depth. A loss here eliminates one of these teams from post-season contention.

The Hottest Ticket In Town -Grand Ledge @ Everett, This game should be a dandy and cold go either way in terms of low scoring or high octane. Both teams boast a pretty good signal caller and veteran in the huddle and both teams have Gamebreakers that could make the difference in the game. Everett will definitely have the edge in overall team speed but Grand Ledge is solid along both lines and hope to use that advantage to wear Everett down on Friday night. Contain, Contain…. Grand Ledge doesn’t need to stop QB Reggie Williams but they sure need to prevent him from going wild. ‘08 has been a redemption tour for Grand Ledge and that motivation will play in their favor throughout the season, especially if they keep building up Ws. This game could very well decide, who is the best in not only the Blue but in the Greater Lansing Area, for now anyway.

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Capital Area Red - Sexton dropped a heartbreaker to St. Johns last week in a battle for first place. This week the Big Reds take on another first place CAAC Red team in Jackson NW. The Mounties are 3-0 to the surprise of most outside of the Jackson area. They lost a bevy of talent to graduation but have seemed to fill in the ranks quite nicely as they haven’t missed a beat and are off to their first 3-0 start since 1974. Sexton has the skill but they will continue to have to find a way to at least partially make up for the loss of their star QB, which happened in week 1. Owosso will have a good shot at making it two in a row and getting to 2-2 as they host Beecher on Friday. Owosso can use their big win over Waverly last week as a starting point for a revival.

The Hottest Ticket In Town -St. Johns @ Mason, The Redwings have proved to be the class of the Red so far but they face another team from atop the standings this week, Mason. Mason is a team that has rebounded really well from last year’s disappointing 1-8 season. They must rebound from a close loss to Grand Ledge last week and do it fast. St. Johns has had three tough games so far this season and have come up on top in all three and all three by 3 points or less. Both teams will be solid and well rounded in almost every aspect of the game, which will make this a fun one to take in. The winner keeps a slot in first.

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Capital Area Gold - Haslett got their first win last week and it could not have come at a better time as the season started anew with conference play. The Vikings shook off two disappointing losses to open the season with a 31-20 win over previously unbeaten Ionia. This week Haslett takes on conference rival Fowlerville. The Glads were handled by Charlotte last week after a 2-0 start to the season. A win by Haslett keeps them on pace with the Charlotte-DeWitt winner, while a win by Fowlerville keeps them in the hunt, should someone stumble along the way. Ionia hosts Eaton Rapids this week. The ‘dogfight’ between the Greyhounds and Bulldogs has two teams going in opposite directions. Ionia lost last week but still are a much improved team over ‘07. Eaton Rapids is still looking for their first win. The Greyounds are looking to avoid 0-4 for the 2nd straight season.

The Hottest Ticket In Town -Charlotte @ DeWitt, Both these teams dropped their opener but have been on a terror ever since. Both teams have had a lot of questions marks early in the year but the answers that they are coming up with lately are good news to the faithful. Charlotte is looking a lot more like the team that went 11-1 in 2004 vs. the last couple of years’ teams that went 3-6. The winner of this game will undoubtedly be in the driver’s seat to bring home the gold in the Gold. Revenge will also be on the minds of Charlotte as DeWitt came to town and left with a 35-6 win.

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Capital Area White - Both Lansing CC and Williamston had high hopes going into this year’s campaign. After three games, both teams are 1-2 and are looking to avoid being sent to the brink. A loss here not only takes a conference title virtually off the table, it also puts the playoffs in serious jeopardy. Lansing CC is still working on getting their newly revamped offense going while Williamston was supposed to be equipped with a cupboard full of talent. Fresh off of a big win over Williamston, Portland hosts winless Perry. The Red Raiders are in the driver’s seat for the White title, while Perry is again, struggling to stay above water. A win here against a power like Portland would be a season changer.

The Hottest Ticket In Town -Corunna @ Lakewood, both the Cavaliers and the Vikings are coming off of impressive wins last week. Lakewood got victory #1, while Corunna advanced to 2-1 with an eye on first place in the White. A win here puts that team into a great position and would setup a big game against Portland for first place down the road.

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Flint Metro League - Both Lapeer West and Brandon will be in a foul mood come Friday night. Lapeer West has dropped two straight while Brandon was upset by Kearsley last week. A win by Brandon would most likely put them back into the thick of the race while a loss could send them headed in the wrong direction as we approach the halfway point to the regular season. A win by Lapeer West would keep them off of the brink and get them headed back towards the direction of their pre-season expectations. Both Kearsley and Lapeer East got huge wins last week. A win here may be the key ingredient to a playoff push. With 2 losses, Kearsley will need the win a little bit more. This could be the best and most exciting game in the conference. Holly topped Swartz Creek last week to get their first win but now have the honor of facing 1st place Linden. Linden’s offense was tamed by weather and a feisty Fenton defense last week but besides that haven’t had much holding them back. It could be a long evening if Cody Marks has time to throw and make decisions vs. being forced into them. Clio and Swartz Creek meet up in Week 4 searching for their first win. A win keeps the slim hopes of the the post-season alive. It’s about more than a record right now for them, it’s going to be about pride and for those seniors making some good memories.

The Hottest Ticket In Town -Oxford @ Fenton, What a stretch it has been for Fenton. Oxford will end a run of playing the three pre-season favorites for the Metro for Fenton. They topped Lapeer West while slipping against Linden last week. A 2-2 record after that run would be nice but a 3-1 record with an easier path ahead would be a tremendous boost. Don’t get me wrong, their are still some teams on Fenton’s schedule that will be a major challenge but the three game stretch will be the toughest they face. Oxford topped Lapeer West last week and still have a perfect season alive. A win here for Oxford would also set them up for a great run this season, Linden still lurks for the Wildcats. If you are a fan of the run with passing games that are complimentery, this will be the game for you as they slug it out on the ground.

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Genesee Area Blue - Atherton and Hamady are in search of their first wins of the season. Atherton will get a good shot as any when they take on Buena Vista on Friday while Hamady faces 2-1 Genesee in a conference matchup. In what should be a dandy, Byron takes on Bendle. Both teams have high hopes for this season and a win here could be big, setting the tone for the rest of the season. Byron needs this game after falling 1-2 in a thriller last week to Bentley. Bendle is continuing their revival after their dismal season of ‘06 where they went 0-9. A win by either teams keeps them right in the thick of the hunt for a league title, while a loss sends them reeling and focusing on the post-season.

The Hottest Ticket In Town - New Lothrop @ Bentley, For the 2nd straight season, New Lothrop is up against some stiff competiton in the Blue. The Hornets had won every conference title in the GAC Blue’s existence until Hamady took away the crown last year. This year the focus is on getting that ‘belt’ back but teams like Bentley are ready and equipped to take it for themselves. New Lothrop will rely on a handful of skill players to get the job done but depth will be of concern with their roster being even smaller this year. A win here for Bentley would be a big win for Parity in the Blue, a movement that started last year.

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Genesee Area Red - Mt. Morris has been a pleasant surprise this year with their only loss coming at the hands of unbeaten Millington in a nail-biter. Durand sits at 1-2 but they have played better than most 1-2 teams, losing by 2 points in the opener to Chesaning. The winner of this game will keep pace with the winner of Goodrich vs. Montrose and would set up a big showdown between the winners later on this season. LakeVille is still in search of their first win and it won’t be easy against a tough and well-coached Lake Fenton club that scored a big victory last week over a talented Flint NW ballclub.

The Hottest Ticket In Town - Goodrich @ Montrose, The marquee matchup lost a little of its luster last Friday when Montrose’s star tailback went down but the rivalry remains and the fight for first place in the GAC Red hangs in the balance. The Martians have only beaten Montrose twice since 1981 and both of those wins came in the same year led by Mr. Everything Kirk Elsworth. This year the Martian attack is led by a core of skill players and a solid front. QB Joe Boisture had gotten a lot of attention for his skill and attraction from colleges abound but more importantly for his play on the field. Montrose will be against the wall to start just because of the void that was left in the running game. The Rams have history on their side but they will need to make a little of their own to stay atop the Red standings.

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Greater Thumb West - All Saints will try to continue their run at the playoffs and a third win against Bad Axe on Friday night. The Cougars once again have a roster that’s near 15 players but that doesn’t seem to have a major effect on them. The dedication by the kids that show up everyday and the coaching staff that has done wonders with the squad deserve lots of credit for putting good teams on the field every Friday night against teams that will usually have much more depth. Another team big on heart but short on depth is USA. The Patriots face one heck of a matchup with undefeated Cass City this week. The Redhawks will be out break a 35 year drought to the Pats. With a win, Cass City will continue to be one of the front runners to challenge Reese for the title this year.

Hottest Ticket In Town - Vassar @ Reese, Both teams are in a bit of a bad mood this week as they suffered their first defeats of the season. Vassar was stunned by All Saints while Reese found the same fate against Marlette from the East. It’s going to be one of those old fashioned slugfests with two teams that love to run the ball and pass when the opportunity presents itself. Vassar needs this game even more since their lone loss came in conference.

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Independents - Nouvel CC is once again on the hunt for an undefeated season and making their early push towards the post-season in what could be another banner year for them. The Panthers take on a talented Divine Child ballclub from Dearborn, a school double the size of NCC. At this point in the season vs. last year at the same time, the Panthers are definitely ahead of themselves playing with an offense that seems to be a lot more explosive with the guys from last year that are a year older and a very talented JV team that has contributed in bunches to this year’s team.

Hottest Ticket In Town - Flint Northwestern @ Whittemore-Prescott, Two Independents square off in a game that could bring fireworks. A vastly improved Flint NW club bring an offense that can beat you in so many ways but needs to pick up the W to avoid getting a third straight loss. W-P is off to their best start since ‘02, the year that they reached the state semi-finals. This game could come down to the last possession or down for that matter.

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Jack Pine Conference - It’s been a year to forget for the jPC…..so far. Three weeks into the season, not one JPC team is undefeated and most are looking at the short end of the W column, with only Clare having a winning record. At this point it looks as if Clare is going to have to carry the JPC torch. The Pioneers take on Beaverton who picked up their 1st W last week. Meridian has dropped two straight but they have the talent to regroup and make a run during the regular and post-seasons. Meridian takes on winless Roscommon this week while Farwell hopes to break even at 2-2 against Harrison.

Hottest Ticket In Town - Houghton Lake @ Gladwin, Both teams are sitting at 1-2 and both won last week after two tough weeks to start the season. The winner will move to 2-2, while the loser will be 1 loss away from having their playoff dreams end. It’s games like this that bring out the best in the players.

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Northeast Michigan Conference - While the Jack Pine has been struggling, the NEMC has been surging. Three teams are still undefeated out of only 5 and the other two can still make some noise. Standish-Sterling will get a tune-up from Connor Creek as they prepare for a showdown next week against Tawas. Standish was the pre-season favorite and is living up to that expectation thus far. John Glenn takes on a scrappy Pinconning team this week. Since getting dominated in week 1, the Spartans upset Meridian and then gave Tawas all that they could handle last week. John Glenn is looking more and more like the Bobcats that we are use to see, in taking charge of their own destiny in the championship race.

Hottest Ticket In Town - Tawas @ Ogemaw Heights, While Tawas stands 3-0 and Ogemaw at 1-2, this one should still be pretty even up. Tawas has really impressed everyone with their play, losing so much to graduation but having guys step right in and win. Ogemaw Heights on the other hand, has played well but also played a monster schedule. That schedule will most likely help the Falcons as the move on throughout the season. The winner stays right in the thick of the race. If Tawas wins, that would set up a pretty big matchup against Standish next week. Ogemaw feel to SSC by just 4 points last week.

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Saginaw Valley League - The contenders are still building their case while the league’s elite distance themselves. Of the three unbeatens, Midland High will most likely face the toughest task as they go head to head with Saginaw High on Friday night. THe Trojans proved that they could score with anybody last week but need to shore up on defense in order to have a chance with defending Co-Champ Midland High. Arthur Hill will head to Flint along with Bay City Western to take on Flint Northern and Flint SWA, who only have 1 win between them right now. Dow will head down to Flint as well to take on a Flint Central team that has shown some explosiveness in a game where the winner would move to 2-2. Struggling Bay City Central heads to Mt. Pleasant on Friday to try and get their first W. The Wolves have had a tough go of it this year. They were expected to be a little down this year due to the large amount of starters they lost to graduation. Mt. Pleasant seems to be the team that will be the most likely to make the playoffs outside of the top three but I expect Central to give them a game. Central is not as bad as their record shows but Mt. Pleasant is one of those teams that are getting better as the weeks go by. In a non-conference matchup, Heritage takes on Alpena in hopes of reaching 2-2. Heritage is in the midst of a rebuilding year and struggling to get points on the board but this will be a great learning experience and will teach a lot of character to the newcomers as the season progresses and on to next season.

The Hottest Ticket In Town - Saginaw High @ Midland High, For the 2nd straight week Saginaw High faces a team from atop the SVL standings. The Trojans cannot afford the start that they had last week or they will indeed get buried by a deep, talented and fundamentally sound Chemic ballclub. That being said, Saginaw High has the talent to stick with these guys, especially at the skill positions. The battle upfront is where the Trojans must come together to avoid getting run by. It’s no secret that Saginaw High will have to play a near perfect game, that’s what you have to do against the conference’s top dog as of right now.

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Tri-Valley Central - Both Swan Valley and Shepherd are having improved seasons and to different degrees. Swan Valley missed the post-season last year for the first time in 6 seasons, while Shepherd is making steps to get back to the form that they showed for so many years. The Blue Jays haven’t had a winning season since ‘05 but are headed back in that direction. Alma and Bullock Creek are having an off year and it’s hard to explain why. They have faced some pretty good teams to start the year and it’s not going to get much easier as the season progresses. The Creek takes on a rejuvenated Hemlock team who already has two more wins now than they did all of last season, they will have to improve upon their ball handling however after running into the buzz saw that is Ovid-Elsie. Alma will take on Ovid-Elsie this week in what looks to be a mismatch records wise but the boys in Alma still have talent. It’s going to take a Panther’s effort but this could be a game that could turn their season entirely around. On the other hand, Ovid-Elsie could continue their steamroll and move on to the next victim.

The Hottest Ticket In Town -Chesaning @ Freeland, How about Chesaning, they lose arguably the best player to run onto the gridiron in recent memory and they haven’t missed a beat, going 3-0 for the 2nd season in a row. The Indians fell at home to Freeland last year 14-12 and will be looking for a little bit of revenge. For Freeland, this was supposed to be their year and it still has the makings of that. The Falcons dropped a heart breaker in the opener to Clare after losing a big lead but have bounced back with two impressive wins. Both teams will display a lot of athleticism but Freeland will definitely have the edge in terms of depth which could be a factor as the game wears on.

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Tri-Valley East - Garber had a lot of questions coming into the season with a fairly inexperienced team but they have answered quickly with a 3-0 start. The Dukes take on an improved North Branch team that is 1-2 but has the tools to compete with just about everyone in the conference. Caro scored a huge upset win over rival Frankenmuth last week in thrilling fashion. This week Caro travels to Birch Run in an attempt to create a 2 game winning streak, which would be their first since ‘03. Bridgeport heads out of conference to face 2-1 Gabriel Richard in what should be a big challenge for the Bearcats.

The Hottest Ticket In Town - Millington @ Frankenmuth, While it may be a rebuilding year for Frankenmuth, this week’s game at home against Millington wouldn’t make a difference on what either teams’ record is. These two have a built-in rivalry and passion for playing each other. Frankenmuth has beaten Millington the last two years, both in games where they were underdogs. While this has a little less hype than last year’s showdown between two undefeated teams, late in the season, it’s still has bragging rights and early conference positioning on the line.

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Tri-Valley West - Carrollton heads to Michigan Lutheran Seminary in search of a 4-0 start while MLS has plans of their own to get to 3-1, both terrific starts for the TV-West ballclubs in any respect. MLS, with solid coaching and great team dedication, has been able to combat low depth with success. Carrollton on the other hand may be one of the best stories in the state this young season. The Cavs, a program that’s not used to racking up the Ws, is proving everyone wrong this season on their way not only to respectability but to a chance at a conference title and the post-season. Carrollton hasn’t started 4-0 since 1992. Breckenridge will have their hands full this weekend with conference front runner, St. Charles. The Bulldogs have not lost a step this year and are bulldozing the competition. Breckenridge needs to pull off the major upset in order to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. Valley Lutheran heads to St. Louis with both teams looking for their first win. A loss knocks 1 team from playoff contention while a win could spark the other to turn their season around.

The Hottest Ticket In Town - Ithaca @ Merrill, Ithaca dropped their first game of the season last week but are determined to get back into the thick of the race for the conference title, which they can do with a win over undefeated Merrill. Merrill looks really good right now and appears to be firing on all cylinders offensively. For Merrill, this is their chance at payback. The Yellow Jackets have dominated the first two meetings between these two since both teams joined the newly aligned Tri-Valley West. If the skies stay dry, this is one of those games that could see the scoreboard burn out from activity.

Week 3 - Friday Night Flashback

Friday night saw football fields across the state get doused with large amounts of rain.  It’s always interesting to see how teams react in conditions that may alter their style of play or gameplan, especially the teams that rely on a lot of passing and spread the field out.  It’s in these conditions that we see those teams separate themselves from conditional success to unconditional powerhouses.  Let’s get right into it.

Big Nine - 4 teams went head to head with Davison beating Flushing 29-10 and Carman-Ainsworth winning 14-6 over Powers.  Both Davison and C-A now sit atop the Big Nine standings at 1-0.  After a 2-0 start by Flushing and the opposite for Davison, many thought that this indeed may be the year that Davison will not be atop the standings once the regular season ends.  The thoughts seem to come up every year and then Davison proves the conference doubters wrong, as they have again.  Carman-Ainsworth’s 8 point win is another big step for that program in the right direction.  For Powers, they have dropped their 2nd straight game by less than 8 points.  With the schedule and the loss to some pretty big names over the past two years to graduation, the signs are pointing to a rebuilding year for Powers.  In the conference’s other game, Grand Blanc posted a big win vs. U-D Jesuit to get their first W of the season.  Grand Blanc sits at 1-2 but must might have the  most explosive offense in the conference and maybe greater Flint. 

If I Had To Pick A Champion Now - Davison
#1 Contender - Grand Blanc

Week 3 The Gamebreakers - (Davison QB) Jake Thompson, 312 Total Yards and 2 TDs, (Carman-Ainsworth RB) Terrance Stocker 2 TDs, (Grand Blanc QB) Ryan Morley 154 Passing Yards and 3 TDs, (Grand Blanc RB) Justice Hayes, 211 Rushing Yards and 2 TDs

Capital Area Blue - Everett and Holt moved to 2-0 in conference play after wins Friday night.  Everett blanked Lansing Eastern, continuing their plow through ‘08 while Holt edged Okemos 21-14.  Grand Ledge, the only other un-defeated team in conference play, beat Mason by 4 in a CAAC cross-over game.  In what was considered to be an early make or break game in terms of who stayed in the championship contention saw East Lansing get by Jackson 18-15.  The win by East Lansing keeps them in the hunt and in good position for a playoff spot while Jackson’s conference aspirations most likely took a devastating toll.  Jackson must now focus on getting 5 more wins, so that they can participate in the 2nd season.  Grand Ledge and Everett take center stage next Friday in an early showdown for first place.

If I Had To Pick A Champion Now - Everett
#1 Contender - Grand Ledge

Week 3 The Gamebreakers - (East Lansing RB) Temwa Phiri, 167 Rushing Yards and 2 TDs

Capital Area Red - Perhaps the game of the week in Mid-Michigan did not disappoint with St. Johns getting a big win over Sexton in a battle for first place in the Red.  St. Johns now sits atop the standings with surprise teams Mason and Jackson NW at 1-0 in the conference.  Jackson NW stayed unbeaten by beating a hard running Tecumseh club 28-20 while Mason dropped their game against Grand Ledge 14-10, however in non-league play which won’t affect the conference standings.  Owosso and Waverly squared off looking for their first win, with Owosso topping the Warriors 24-6.  Owosso stays in the conference hunt with the win and lies in the middle of the race with a 1-1 league record.

If I Had To Pick A Champion Now - St. Johns
#1 Contender - Sexton

Week 3 The Gamebreakers - (Sexton QB) 225 Passing Yards and 2 TDs, (Everett RB) 136 Yards Rushing and 2 TDs

Capital Area Gold - The Gold has a lot more parity this year.  Followed closely by Fowlerville, DeWitt was head and shoulders above the pack last year, this year we have some new blood at the head table.  After seeing how well St. Johns is playing right now, Charlotte’s week 1 loss to them by only 3 points says a lot about them.  The Orioles took that close loss and turned it into motivation to continue their climb to success.  They took care of Fowlerville in impressive fashion to keep pace with Haslett and DeWitt, who won against Ionia and Eaton Rapids.  All three are now 1-0 in conference play but surprisingly we don’t have an undefeated team overall, just three weeks into the season.  Upstart Charlotte and conference power DeWitt go head to head next Friday night.

If I Had To Pick A Champion Now - DeWitt
#1 Contender - Charlotte

Week 3 The Gamebreakers - (Haslett) Austin Nelson, 200 Rushing Yards and A TD, (DeWitt QB) Brandon Wegenke, 187 Passing Yards, 3 TDs, (Charlotte RB) Jake Hoose, 110 Rushing Yards

Capital Area White - Just as in the Red, my two picks for the conference favorite squared off and it was Portland topping Williamston 26-14.  Portland has won two straight, while Williamston has dropped two in a row and that Portland loss to Ovid-Elsie to open the season doesn’t look nearly as bad, seeing how dominant the Mauraders are in the Tri-Valley this year.  Corunna dismantled Perry and Lakewood got their first win of the season by handling Lansing CC. 

If I Had To Pick A Champion Now - Portland
#1 Contender - Williamston

Week 3 The Gamebreakers - (Lakewood) 185 Yards Rushing and 2 TDs, (Portland RB) Alex Dalman-Moore, 179 Yards and 3 TDs

Flint Metro League - The FML had two monster matchups last Friday with Linden staying undefeated by topping Fenton who was also ‘loss free’ at the time.  While that game was going on Oxford kept pace at 3-0 with Linden by knocking off Lapeer West.  Both games were extremely tight and showed how competitive the entire league is this year.  My conference favorite Brandon was knocked off by Kearsley who most of us knew were better than their 0-2 mark.  Lapeer East improved to 2-1 in dominating fashion by taking care of Clio 41-0.  Holly got past Swartz Creek 14-7 in a game that saw both teams fighting for their first win. 

If I Had To Pick A Champion Now - Linden
#1 Contender - Oxford

Week 3 The Gamebreakers - (Lapeer East QB) Ryan Springsteen, 151 Yards Rushing and 3 TDs, (Linden QB) Cody Marks, 249 Passing Yards, TD, (Fenton QB) Tyler Hamilton, 252 Total Yards, TD, (Linden RB) Nate Armstrong 109 Rushing Yards, TD, (Brandon QB) Quinn McNally, 3 TDs, (Brandon) Juan Rodriguez, 11 Tackles and 3 Sacks, (Swartz Creek RB) Romulus Logan, 111 Yards Rushing, (Oxford) A.J. Logan 184 Yards Rushing, (Lapeer West QB) Nate Smith, 222 Passing Yards, (Lapeer West) Blake Swan, 8 Receptions For 159 Yards

Genesee Area Blue - Last Friday was round1 of separation Saturday as Bendle went head to head with Hamady and Bentley head to head with Byron.  When the dust cleared, New Lothrop, Bentley and Genesee stood atop the GACB, undefeated in conference play.  Bentley got past Byron by just a point while Bendle topped hamady 14-0.  New Lothrop took care of business against Atherton and Genesee had an out of conference meeting with Buena Vista.  More smoke will be cleared next week when Bentley and New Lothrop hook up in what may decide the conference title.

If I Had To Pick A Champion Now - New Lothrop
#1 Contender - Bentley

Week 3 The Gamebreakers - (Bendle) Chris Joslin, 4 Catches for 103 Yards, (New Lothrop) Jeremy Emmendorfer, 4 Catches for 137 Yards and 2 TDs

Genesee Area Red - Goodrich and Mt. Morris piled up the points in their first week of conference play against Durand and LakeVille.  Montrose and Lake Fenton went out of conference in week 3 with two big time matchups against bigger schools.  Lake Fenton surprised some with their win over a fast and athletic Flint NW team who had been making some noise this year while Montrose ran into a Cadillac buzz-saw.  The Rams were stung twice, once with the loss and the other, perhaps more important loss of their starting tailback, who was a large part of their offensive output this year.

If I Had To Pick A Champion Now - Goodrich
#1 Contender - Mt. Morris

Week 3 The Gamebreakers - (Goodrich RB) Jake Bourassa, 110 Yards Rushing and 2 TDs, (Lake Fenton RB) Scott Williamson, 167 Yards Rushing and 3 TDs, (Montrose QB) Blake Hitchcock, 176 Passng Yards, (Mt. Morris RB) Morris Collins, 162 Rushing Yards and 3 TDs, (Mt. Morris RB) Mike Kamen, 148 Rushing Yards and A TD

Greater Thumb East - Ubly and Deckerville have been tearing up the competition, which has led to a 3-0 start and it continued on Friday with lopsided wins over Sandusky and Mayville.  Marlette bounced back from a devastating loss last week to Ubly with a huge eye opening 21-6 win over GTW juggernaught, Reese.  Brown City knocked off Harbor Beach to get their first win of the season, pushing both teams’ records to 1-2. 

If I Had To Pick A Champion Now - Ubly
#1 Contender - Deckerville

Week 3 The Gamebreakers -

Greater Thumb West - Reese took one on the chin to Marlette last week but the good news for the Rockets, is that it is a cross-over game and has no bearing on the GTW standings.  Cass City stayed perfect as they demolished Bad Axe, moving up to 3-0.  Perhaps the most surprising contest was the way that All Saints took care of Vassar.  The Cougars rolled up 38 points in their 38-20 win over Vassar.  Laker High notched their first win of the season against USA.  For USA, they are fighting hard to stay above water because of numbers concerns.  The Laker’s depth and experience were too much for USA, picking up win #1 on the way.

If I Had To Pick A Champion Now - Reese
#1 Contender - Cass City

Week 3 The Gamebreakers - (All Saints) Kevin Bisel, 149 Yards Rushing & 3 TDs, (Cass City) Austin Babich, 76 Yards Rushing and 3 TDs, (Laker High) Chris Rowe, 150 Yards Rushing, TD

Independents - Nouvel CC and Whittemore-Prescott are the area Independent headliners as they steamrolled over the competition Friday night.  Both teams sit at 3-0 with Nouvel stirring up thoughts of a possible three-peat come Thanksgiving weekend.  Whittemore-Prescott would like to see themselves making plans for that weekend as well.  Beecher and St. Patrick were also winners last Friday, now 2-1 and now 4 wins away from an automatic playoff berth.  Flint Northwestern dropped a close one to Lake Fenton but the potential of this team remains to be seen but I’m sure that won’t be the question 6 weeks from now.

Week 3 The Gamebreakers - (Nouvel CC QB) Ryan Henris, 3 TD Passes, (Whittemore-Prescott RB) Matt Ackerman, 168 Rushing Yards and 2 TDs

Jack Pine Conference - It’s been a rough start to JPC season for the teams and fans alike.  Only Clare at 2-1 has a record of .500 ball or more.  The Pioneers took care of Meridian last week in what was supposed to be a clash of the JPC Titans.  With Meridian and Roscommon reeling, the JPC will look for others to pick up the past in the last 2/3’s of the season.  Beaveton and Houghton Lake got their first wins of the season last Friday night.

If I Had To Pick A Champion Now - Clare
#1 Contender - Meridian

Week 3 The Gamebreakers - (Clare) Kris English, 159 Passing Yards and 2 TDs, (Clare) Ryan Sersaw, 106 Receiving Yards and a TD, (Clare) Jon Crawford, 15 Tackles

Northeast Michigan Conference - With only 5 teams, I’d say the NEMC is doing pretty well with three of them 3-0.  John Glenn has been taking care of business out of conference, knocking off Muskegon Heights last Friday in a shootout.  Tawas has been a pleasant surprise after they lost so much to graduation, they are neck and neck with John Glenn and Standish-Sterling.  Tawas topped a pesky Pinconning team 27-21 last week while Standish took out Ogemaw Heights 19-15 in a heated battle between the two best teams from last year.  The conference is filled with some great matchups over the few weeks which will help sort out or complicate the race even further between the three un-defeateds.  Don’t count out the other two just yet either.  Ogemaw has the firepower and Pinconning has really improved since week 1’s blowout loss.

If I Had To Pick A Champion Now - Standish-Sterling
#1 Contender - John Glenn

Week 3 The Gamebreakers - (John Glenn) Tyler Clemons, 141 Yards Rushing and 4 TDs, (Standish QB) Austin Collier, 102 Rushing Yards and 2 TDs

Saginaw Valley League - The major showdowns are still a few weeks away but the games are still being played and we seeing the favorites separate themselves from the pack while the rest of the Valley has been real fun to watch.  Arthur Hill needed a late touchdown to top Bay City Central, their first win over the Wolves since the ‘95 season and their first 3-0 start since ‘93.  The Jacks were without 5 starters, including All-Conference running back Jerrell Wilson.  MIdland High cruised over Heritage and Bay City Western did the same but not after the clock totally ran out.  The Warriors went up 21-0 on the Saginaw High only to see the Trojans storm back before holding them off 40-28.  Midland Dow got their first win of the season over Flint Northern in a defensive struggle while Flint SWA went down to Orchard Lake and suffered a 35-0 defeat.  The game of the week was Mt. Pleasant’s thrilling 35-28 win over Flint Central.  Both teams are part of a handful of squads with a shot at qualifying for the playoffs outside of the top thee.

If I Had To Pick A Champion Now - Midland High/Arthur Hill (Do not play each other)
#1 Contender - Bay City Western

Week 3 The Gamebreakers - (Bay City Western QB) Matt Grew, 142 Yards Passing and 3 TDs, (Bay City Western) Corey Arnold, 92 Yards Receiving and 3 TDs, (Saginaw High QB) Ayinde Ashford, 192 Yards Passing and 4 TDs, (Saginaw High WR) Mike Green, 99 Yards Receiving and A TD, (Saginaw High WR) Jimmie Davis, 49 Receiving Yards and 3 TDs, (Midland High) Michael Albrect, 4 TDs

Tri-Valley Central - Ovid-Elsie continued their dominance over anything that gets in their way with a 54-0 shutout over previously unbeaten Hemlock.  The Marauders are on fire and look to be head and shoulders above the rest.  However, Freeland and Chesaning might have something to say abou that.  Freeland dropped the opener, surrendering a big lead but have responded with wins over Alma and Shepherd.  Chesaning has been a big surprise considering the losses they suffered due to graduation.  It’s like they haven’t missed a beat.  Chesaning and Freeland will face each other Friday.  Swan Valley went  to 2-1 and stayed just one game back of the leaders with a win over winless Bullock Creek.  The Creekers have had some bad luck during the first three weeks but still have the talent to right the ship, although it will be one heck of a task as they will need to win their final 6 to make the post-season. 

If I Had To Pick A Champion Now - Ovid-Elsie
#1 Contender - Freeland

Week 3 The Gamebreakers - (Chesaning QB) Joe Devota, 178 Yards Passing, 2 TDs, (Chesaning RB) Justin Sweeney, 100 Rushing Yards, 8 Tackles, (Chesaning) Cody Hunt, 3 Interceptions, (Alma RB) Derrek Priest, 117 Yards, TD, (Freeland QB) Joe Ruhlman, 3 TDs, (Freeland RB) Alex Fisher, 144 Rushing Yards, 2 TDs, (Freeland RB) Justin Pettenger, 118 Rushing  Yards, (Shepherd) Mike Carson 130 Rushing Yards, TD (Ovid-Elsie RB) Chris Robinson, 4 TDs

Tri-Valley East - Millington stayed hot last week against Bridgeport and Garber picked up a forfeit victory to push both teams to 3-0.  In the do or die game, Birch Run topped North Branch to avoid a 2nd conference loss and stay just a game behind the leaders.  Caro pulled off a stunner last Friday night by topping defending champ Frankenmuth 22-19 and sending them to 1-2.  It’s not going to get any easier for Muth or North Branch as they have to take on undefeated Millington and Garber.

If I Had To Pick A Champion Now - Millington
#1 Contender - Garber

Week 3 The Gamebreakers - (Birch Run QB) Tony Grant, 175 Total Yards and 4 TDs, (Birch Run RB) Ryan Kohloff, 100 Rushing Yards, (Frankenmuth) Matt McMeans, 182 Rushing Yards, TD, (Millington QB) Tyler Reinert, 342 Total Yards and 4 TDs, (Millington RB) Kyle Hemmingway, 105 Rushing Yards

Tri-Valley West - Carrollton went from one of those borderline teams that could be for real or not into a true contender in one week.  We already knew the Cavs were light years ahead of where they were for the past several but their win over Ithaca on Friday night put them into title contention with Merrill and favorite St. Charles.  They have a good mixture of speed and size and maybe most important of all, they have been playing fundalmentally sound football.  While Ithaca stumbled in week 3, Merrill and St. Charles rolled to lopsided wins over Breckenridge and Valley Lutheran.  Michigan Lutheran Seminary, a team that can still do some damage, pulled to 2-1 after a nice hard fought win over St. Louis.

If I Had To Pick A Champion Now - St. Charles
#1 Contender - Merrill

Week 3 The Gamebreakers - (Merrill QB) Jason Pratt, 353 Total Yards and 5 TDs, (MLS RB) Aaron Lindloff, 116 Rushing Yards and 3 TDs, (MLS QB) Lucas Proeber, 122 Passing Yards and 2 TDs, (MLS) Mark Voss, 109 Receiving Yards, TD, (St. Charles RB) Marshall Davenport, 100 Rushing Yards and 3 TDs, (St. Charles) Matt Schalow, 2 TDs off of interceptions, ( Valley Lutheran) Jeff Brady, 14 Tackles

Week 3 - This Week On The Gridiron

This is a huge week for every team in the Big Nine.  4 of the 5 teams will meet up, which will create an early roadmap for how the rest of the conference season will play out.  All three contests could be really competitive as well.  Davison heads to Flushing in search of their first win and a continued handle on the conference that they have won for the past 6 seasons.  Flushing won big last week over Beecher but much more impressive was their 21-7 win over Lansing area power DeWitt in week 1.  This could very well be the year that Davison is knocked from their perch, at least temporarily.  Davison with the murderer’s row schedule has played two teams in the state’s top 10, getting beat up in week 1 vs. Lowell but coming back in week two and almost knocking off Rockford.  The Cardinals were a two point conversion away from pulling the upset.  The week 2 improvement showed a lot about Davison’s character and how their youth is steadily improving.  Davison will have an advantage upfront in the trenches while Flushing will rely on their overall team quickness and momentum.

In the other conference matchup, Carman-Ainsworth goes to Powers.  Both teams are even at 1-1, with Powers dropping a heartbreaker last week to St. Johns.  The Chargers topped a very good Crockett team in week 1, so to be .500 at this point with their schedule is a good foundation.  Carman-Ainsworth was handled by state power De La Salle last week after their big week 1 opening win vs. Belleville.  Like Davison, it’s so hard to get a read on the Big Nine teams because they are playing a monster of a schedule.  Because of this, it’s really hard to predict who will come out on top in the conference games until we get later into the season, even more reason to go and check out the games.

Grand Blanc is in a tough situation.  The Bobcats are chucked with talent but again, like the others have faced some pretty stiff competition.  Grand Blanc has lost both games by a score a piece and have put up over 30 points in each contest.  This week they host 1-1 Detroit Jesuit.  The Bobcats have a good shot at picking up win #1 here.  A lot of pressure will be on the home team because a loss means they would have to win their last 6 games in a row to reach the post-season. 

The Hottest Ticket In Town - Davison at Flushing.  This game was a classic during the regular season last year but the playoff meeting between the two turned into a one sided affair with Davison knocked them off for the second time and advancing to the next round.  This year the competition should be even tighter which brings attention from around the conference to see if indeed this year Davison hands the crown off to another conference foe.

The Capital Area Blue

The most important conference matchup this week pits Jackson at East Lansing.  Both teams dropped league games last week and sit at 0-1.  Another league loss would put the conference championship almost out of reach, even this early in the season, especially with how dominate Everett looks right now.  Jackson and EL got off to big week 1 opening wins and look to get back on track this week.  Jackson is an improved team from last year with East Lansing still strong but missing Isaac Harper, the area’s best RB from a year ago, who wouldn’t.  Like most games, mistakes will play a major factor in this one.  EL must hang onto the ball against a very athletic Viking club in order to stay at their pace.

Okemos heads to Holt this week looking for their first win.  Holt was drubbed in week 1 but rebounded very nicely last week with their win over Jackson.  League leading Everett stays on the road to take on a shell shocked Lansing Eastern ballclub.  The Quakers were shook up last week for off the field issues which is a shame since this team looked to be headed in the right direction with a big win to start the season, a win they had to forfeit.  Eastern, now winless faces the daunting task of trying to pick up their first win against one of the area’s hottest teams right now in Everett, led by a bevy of speedsters and dual threat QB, Reggie Williams.  Grand Ledge hosts Mason, which is shaping up to be a heck of a game, one that didn’t look nearly as attactive before the season began.  Grand Ledge was set for a rebound this year but after a dismal season, Mason has also jumped on the 2-0 bandwagon.  Both teams feature terrific signal callers and of course the Comets have the Gamebreaker James Jackson, who could be a game changer at any moment.

The Hottest Ticket In Town - Jackson at East Lansing.  The winner stays in the thick of the league race, the other will then have to shift their focus to getting 6 wins.

Capital Area Red

The leagues’ pre-season favorites meet up in a week three showdown that could shape the rest of the season in the Red.  Sexton goes to St. Johns in a battle of unbeatens and a battle of league supremacy.  The Big Reds will come in with a load of speed and talent but St. Johns will boast some speed of their own and a hard nosed approach to the game that has served them well over the past decade. 

Jackson Northwest at 2-0 has been a pleasant surprise and they look to continue their momentum against one of the state’s most potent rushing offenses.  If you like slugfests and a game that will be won in the trenches more than any other, the Tecumseh vs. NW game will be for you.  Waverly heads to Owosso in a matchup between two teams that are looking for their first win.  Both teams have gone through growing pains over the past few seasons, installing a new system that bodes well for the future but still has room for improvement.  Both teams will try to spread the field out with Waverly having the edge in terms of athleticism.  Owosso will need to contain Waverly’s speed and keep the mistakes to a minimum on their own end in order to get win #1. 

The Hottest Ticket In Town - Sexton at St. Johns.  LIke I had mentioned earlier, this is the one that could eventually decide the whole race.  The winner will be in the driver’s seat, the team that falls short will still be in good shape and will most likely keep the same goals intact even in defeat. 

Capital Area Gold

The Gold has been turned upside down in the early going.  DeWitt lost their opener, which was only their second regular season loss in three seasons but got back on track last week with a win over Perry.  Haslett had high hopes coming into the season but have dropped two straight CAAC crossover games to East Lansing and Portland.  They now face a team on the rise in Ionia, who at 2-0 is already on track to be a much better team than last season.  Even with opposite records, both teams sit at 0-0 in league play which makes the game as important as it would be if both teams were 2-0.  Charlotte dropped a heartbreaker to St. Johns in week 1 but came back in week 2 and absolutely dominated a highly touted Williamston team.  Charlotte takes on 2-0 Fowlerville who came up just short in the league race last year.  This one should be a hard hitting affair.  DeWitt heads to Eaton Rapids in the league’s third matchup.  The young Panthers look to continue their improvement against the Greyhounds who are still trying to gain traction in the fairly new allignement of the CAAC.

The Hottest Ticket In Town - Charlotte at Fowlerville.  This is the time for Charlotte to make a statement and to say thaty they are back after a few mediocre years by their standards.  Fowlerville will be out to prove that the league is still top heavy. 

Capital Area White

Just as in the Red, my top two picks in the White go at it in Williamston this week.  Portland heads to Hornet country as both teams sit at 1-1 overall and look to take a big step into the White conference’s driver seat.  Williamston, the defending champs, beat Portland last year 7-6.  You have to believe we are in for another slugfest and back and forth contest this season.  Lakewood travels to Lansing CC looking for their first win while the Cougars look to build off of a close win last week over Eaton Rapids.  Lansing CC was surprised by a good Jackson NW team in week one but rallied the troops in week 2 to right the ship.  Corunna heads to Perry in the league’s third game.  Perry has struggled over the past few seasons with regime changes and open enrollment.  Corunna’s is improved from last year and figures to be a darkhorse in the conference race.

The Hottest Ticket In Town - Portland at Williamston.  This one could come down to the final play, it’s going to be a good one.  Portland has the horses in trenches while Williamston will rely on a good core of skill players and a highly touted QB.

The Flint Metro League

Two games headline the FML this week with defending Co-Champs, Lapeer West headed to Oxford and the battle of unbeatens with upstart Fenton traveling to Linden in what should be a shootout.  Last year, Oxford knocked off Linden and Lapeer West but didn’t capture the crown by themselves becase they fell to Lapeer East earlier in the year.  This year the teams want to establish early bragging rights.  LW boasts a potent ground game a core of skill players while Oxford is steady and solid always, even with the graduation of a great senior class which included Zach Line and All-Stater.  Fenton has been the talk of the league as they are back on the upswing after being near the bottom for the past several years.  The program has been headed in the right direction since they hired Coach Jeff Setzke a few seasons ago.  That an a good barrell of talent doesn’t hurt either, it was putting that talent to good use that was the issue.  Linden has been the class of the league for the past three years, though surrendering their crown last year after two straight unbeaten regular seasons.  The Eagles are out to prove that last year was a blip on the radar and are back to re-claim the league title.  They are led by returning QB Cody Marks along with a talented group of skill players.  Coach Denny Hopkins in never afraid to play underclassmen and that stragtegy pays off each year as it sets up a strong class for the next year and year after that. 

Lapeer East lost their opener to LInden but took their frustrations out on Holly last week in week in Coach Jake Weingertz’s first win as a head coach.  The Eagles will host a Clio team that hasn’t won this season but has improved leaps and bounds over last year, dropping extremely close games in the first two weeks.  This one should be another nailbiter between two teams on the rise.  Kearsley is 0-2 it’s been against the league’s best.  Unfortunately for the Hornets, they face another FML title contender this week in Brandon.  The Blackhawks were saddled with high expectations this year and have come through so far.  This will be a good test for both teams.  Kearsley will face a tough road to the playoffs if they can’t square away their first win, needed to win the final 6 games with Linden and Fenton still ahead.  Swartz Creek and Holly go at it looking for their first win.  The teams both started the year with a new Coach and programs looking to stay in the right direction but have found the going tough.  A win here could be a big boost and momentum builder while a loss could all but eliminate a team from playoff contention.  I expect this to be a close hard fought game.

The Hottest Ticket In Town - Fenton at Linden.  For Fenton it’s a chance to prove that they are amongst the elite already, regardless they are a team that will be reckoned with now and in the future.  The spread depends on a good QB to have success and they are getting exactly that and then some from Tyler Hamilton.  Coach Setzke challenged his team to be more physical in the off-season and it is paying off.  Physical and spread don’t usually go hand and in hand but they need to in order to compete with a variety of teams.  Linden is out to prove that it’s business as usual.  Their has been talk of Linden being a program that might be in for a dip after some hugely successful seasons but the Eagles have the talent and the motivation to make sure they stay on the pech amongst the elite, they just might have to make more room at the top with some new powers emerging.

The Genesee Area Blue

The Hottest Ticket In Town - Hamady @ Bendle.  Hamady, one of the favorites to compete for the league title are in the battle of their lives to stay afloat.  The Hawks at 0-2 however have had their two losses come at the hands of defending state champion Nouvel and GAC Blue juggernaut New Lothrop.  This week they face another team that was picked to be a contender for the conference crown.  After a blowout win in week 1, the Tigers were dropped by rival Bentley.  Both teams are 0-1 in conference play and could see their hopes of  GAC Blue title fall by the wayside with another stumble which adds to the suspense of the game.  Bentley bounced back from a week 1 loss to Montrose with a big win against Bendle, they now face another Blue title contender in Byron.  The Eagles have good numbers this season and are getting back to what they do best in running the football.  A win here by either team keeps them on pace with New Lothrop.

The Genesee Area Red

The Hottest Ticket In Town - Durand at Goodrich.  Goodrich finally has QB Joe Boisture healthy and it’s paying huge dividends as he is also surrounded by a solid ballclub.  The Martians are 2-0 and are on a collision course for a much anticipated matchup with Montrose on the 19th.  Not so fast though, enter Durand an improved Railroader team that also has its sights set on the GAC Red title.  Durand dropped a 2 point decision to Chesaning in week 1 but rebounded quite nicely against Byron in week 2.  This game has the makings of a pretty good contest and a piece of the Red Championship puzzle. 

Lake Fenton at Flint Northwestern also has the makings of a pretty good game.  Flint NW is one of the most improved teams in the entire state.  They sit at 1-1 but lost by only 8 points to a top 10 Arthur Hill team.  They dominated Flint Northern in the opener and are riding high with an electrifying passing game to go along with a great group of skill players.  Lake Fenton, one of the most solid teams in the conference over the past 5 years will need to be on their A game to keep the speed and athleticism in check from the Wildcats.  Montrose hosts Cadillac, while Mt. Morris travels to LakeVille.  Montrose is living up to expectations, especially after a huge win over conference rival Lake Fenton last week.  Mt. Morris on the other hand is exceeding expectations in what was supposed to be a re-building year by beating Birch Run in week 1 and dropping a close one to a very good Millington team in week 2.

Greater Thumb Conference

The Hottest Ticket In Town - Vassar at All Saints.  All Saints, no matter how small in team size, has been able to put up the good fight year after year with some pretty good seasons mixed in.  This year, new conference member Vassar has done well so far, chalking up a 2-0 record and now enters there 2nd GTC game.  Vassar will have the numbers and the size but they will also need to have the heart to put the Cougars down.  The class of the West, Reese, takes on Marlette, a playoff team from a year ago in a pretty interesting cross-division matchup.  The Rockets haven’t skipped a beat from ‘07.

Jack Pine Conference

The Hottest Ticket In Town - Clare at Meridian.  This is the date that many JPC fans circled as soon as the schedules came out.  Both teams have the potential to do some special things during and after the regular season.  Both teams also dropped tight decisions last week.  Meridian was upset by Pinconning last week in OT while Clare lost to Beal City by 9.  Both teams will have to regroup quickly because the conference race starts now and what might be their toughest game, comes in week 3.

Northeast Michigan Conference

All three games in the NEMC have the potential to be dandies.  John Glenn is on a roll but faces another tough opponent at home against Muskegon Heights and a rejuvinated Pinconning club travels to Tawas in what should be a slugfest.  Pinconning pulled off a stunner last week, beating highly regarded Meridian in OT.  The Spartans were looked upon by the doubters as a team with a rough road ahead, maybe that light at the end of the tunnel is closer than what they thought.  Back to John Glenn, they have absolutely dominated two solid team and look to go to 3-0 before entering the meat of their NEMC slate.

The Hottest Ticket In Town - Standish-Sterling at Ogemaw Heights.  Standish burst onto the scene last year.  They started hot with four wins but got even hotter after they dropped a nailbiter to Tawas, reeling off 6 straight before falling to eventual state champion Menominee in the Regional Final.  Standish also topped Ogemaw Heights for the first time in nearly two decades last year and they did it in impressive fashion.  Ogemaw Heights gets the Panthers at home now and they will be looking for revenge.  Standish has a big group of veterans which will lead the way against a lot of new but talented faces in Ogemaw Heights.  This game is only 1 piece but a large piece of the Northeast puzzle.

The Saginaw Valley League

This has been the perfect year for the teams expected to be at the top this year.  Most of the so called ‘big’ games will take place in the later half of the season but that hasn’t stopped the contenders and a few upset minded teams for making plans to take over near the top, should one faulter.  Midland High, Arthur Hill, Bay City Western, the teams that from the get go were the favorites are all 2-0 and won’t see each other till later on like mentioned earlier.  Arthur Hill and Midland High won’t even face each other during the regular season but both face Bay City Western. 

This could very well be payback year from Arthur Hill.  They topped Heritage for the first time in a decade and now look to avenge some very close losses to Bay City Central on Friday.  The Jacks travel to BCC in search of a 3-0 start, their first since 1993.  Bay City Central will have upset on their mind as they look for their first win of the season and what a better place to attempt it, in the friendly confines of Engel Stadium.  The other Saginaw-Bay City matchup could have the makings of a shootout with Saginaw High hosting Bay City Western.  The Trojans are playing their best ball in last four years and look to use their outstanding speed and gamebreaking passing game to get past a very good Western club.  Coach Eurick will be coaching against his Alma Mater and former Assistant Coach, Bob Collins.  I’m sure the two buddies will probably pass on hanging out this week until the final horn sounds. 

Heritage will be looking to upset the balance of the league as well as they take on top dog, Midland High.  The Chemics have been a thorn in the Hawks side over the past couple of years and this year, like so many others they have the weapons to do it.  There’s lot of new faces on the Hawks team but the mentality and teamwork remain.  Coach Bruce Bendix has been able to make so many parts interchange over the past several years after he loses vital component after component, this may be his hardest challenge yet in Saginaw Township.  New Head Coach, Eric Methner will be working towards a 3-0 start with his team, with a focus on a week by week philosophy but a much larger goal of hanging on to the Valley title and making their way back to a nice Thanksgiving weekend outing. 

In other action, Flint Northern and Midland Dow hook up in a battle of teams looking for win #1.  It’s been a rough going for both ballclubs and they aren’t at 0-2 for lack of effort.  Both teams are working with lower numbers and some new faces but the season is still young.  3 teams will actually hit the grid on Saturday, as Mt. Pleasant will host Flint Central and Flint SWA travels to Orchard Lake St. Marys which will be a heck of a task.  Both Flint Central and Mt. Pleasant are coming off of big wins and another may just send them in the right direction back into the thick of the conference race.

The Hottest Ticket In Town - Bay City Western at Saginaw High.  Not a lot needs to be said about this one.  Two very talented teams, two Head Coaches that are very familiar with each other and an important game that will be part of the big picture in solving the Valley puzzle.

Tri-Valley Central

Chesaning is 2-0 and Alma 0-2.  Wait, is that right?  Sure is, in what was supposed to be a major rebuilding year for Chesaning and another strong year from the Panthers minus Adam Follett, has 2008 going the total opposite direction.  Chesaning squeaked by Durand but then blasted Bullock Creek while Alma lost a tough one to Millington and were handled by Freeland.  Despite their records, this should be a pretty good game, both teams have weapons, Chesaning may be faster but Alma is deeper, we’ll see how it plays out.  Hemlock has rebounded from a dismal 0-9 season, starting off with two big wins but now must face the hottest team in the Central in Ovid-Elsie.  The Marauders just got done ripping Swan Valley last week after their big win in week one over a strong Portland team.  OE looks to continue their rise to the top while Hemlock plans to stand in their way on the road to redemption.

Before the season began, many circled Bullock Creek vs. Swan Valley as game that would have major implications on the Central race.  It still will, but for the loser however, it may turn into a long season.  Bullock Creek is coming off of two uncharacteristic losses while Swan Valley will try to rebound from a devastating loss at the hands of Ovid-Elsie, just one week after their emotional win over Frankenmuth in OT.  A second conference loss for either team will put serious doubts into their run back to the top.  In the other conference game, an upstart Shepherd team with a new coach and a new offense are on their way back towards being a fine football team.  They must however, face what may be the league’s most talented team this year in Freeland.  The Falcons have a ton of Senior leadership, guys who are playing their third year of varsity football.  This wil be a measuring stick of how good Freeland is vs. how far Shepherd has come.

The Hottest Ticket In Town - Hemlock at Ovid-Elsie.  The conference’s only game with 2-0 teams square off in an early contest for league superiority.  Hemlock has gotten back to what made their offense tick under Head Coach Adam Clark, while Ovid-Elsie has been in the thick of things for going on a decade.  Another measuring stick game for both programs.

Tri-Valley East

We knew from the get go that the East was going to be unpredictable and all in all, fun to watch.  It’s been just that.  Garber has gotten off to the best start along with Millington while Birch Run has dropped two pretty tough decisions, including one to Garber.  Millington has beaten the likes of Alma and Mt. Morris, schools with a fairly big cushion in enrollment of the Cards, while Garber topped Pinconning and got a huge rivarly win over Birch Run.  North Branch has improved a lot but dropped a close one to Frankenmuth last week.  This week Birch Run is in search of win #1 and will play North Branch.  The winner here, stays in prime contention for a title run.  If Birch Run happened to fall, they would be looking at winning out, just to make the playoffs.  Bridgeport got a win last week so momentum is high but the must now face Millington on the road.  It’s going to take a monster effort to pull off that upset.  Caro is in search of their first win but must face one of the conference favorites in Frankenmuth.  The Eagles will have a significant depth edge on Caro but that’s always been the case with the Tigers, which have had some pretty good teams in the past.  Garber is off this week because their game with Canada’s Sarnia St. Christopher was canceled due to several issues on the Canadian side.

The Hottest Ticket In Town - Birch Run @ North Branch.  North Branch is on their way up the ladder while Birch Run must find a way to stop it from sinking.  I expect this to be every bit as good as their meeting two seasons ago.

Tri-Valley West

As expected the ‘Big 3′ are 2-0 and rolling.  It’s not till next week where two of the three have to face off.  This week Merrill hosts Breckenridge, Ithaca hosts Carrollton and St. Charles goes to Valley Lutheran.  While St. Charles and Merrill will face off against 0-2 teams looking for a rebound, Ithaca takes on a team on the rise in Carrollton.  The Cavs, under a new regime have taken a winning attitude that stems from total dedication over the summer and pre-season practices.  While Carrollton may be a little ways from the ‘Big 3′, they don’t believe that and they are going to give Ithaca all they have on Friday. 

In the other West matchup, St. Louis heads over to Michigan Lutheran Seminary.  MLS has been one of the most steady programs in the area but would like to go from steady to elite.  The Cards once again have a strong core of players but will need their role players to step up if they want to make it to week 10.  St. Louis is a team that has been moving in the right direction and a win over MLS would be big for the program, as they both strive to finish past the .500 mark by season’s end.

The Hottest Ticket In Town - Carrollton @ Ithaca.  I have to give the Cavs a lot of credit for the effort that they have put forth, thus far this season.  Ithaca will be favored in this game but they must not take Carrollton lightly, they are coming to play and too hit.  With Ithaca’s high powered offense, the weather may also be a key factor in how this goes one way or the other.

Nouvel over St. Charles in OT Thriller

In a tale of two halves, it was the third one that made the difference in Nouvel Catholic Central’s overtime victory over the St. Charles Bulldogs.

In the first half, the Bulldogs could do no wrong.  Senior Ryan Humpert put the Bulldogs on the board early with an 80 yard touchdown run.  The 2-point conversion attempt failed; this would become an unfortunate habit for the ‘Dogs.

On the ensuing drive, Nouvel runningback Christian Miller fumbled the ball and St. Charles found themselves with quality field position.  They ran an efficient drive downfield and Humpert capped it with an 14 yard scoring run.

Early in the second quarter, the Bulldog defense came up big again, this time on an interception by sophomore Dugan Roosa, his second of the game.  On the very next play, Humpert scurried 14 yards to paydirt to give his team a big 18-0 advantage.

The Panthers came roaring back as time began to run low on the first half.  Quarterback David Kazmierski led his team downfield, and his long run gave Nouvel 1st and goal.  The St. Charles defense made a valient goal line stand.  On 4th down, Bo Themm’s field goal attempt went wide right with less than a minute in the half. The score as the teams entered the locker rooms was St. Charles 18, Nouvel 0.

The Panthers entered the field for the 2nd half invigorated, and it didn’t take long for them to get started on the comeback.  Miller took a run to the 1 yard line, and Kazmierski followed it up with a touchdown dive on the very next play.

On the Bulldogs’ next drive, Halas dropped back to pass but was sacked and stripped of the ball by a host of blue pass rushers.  The Panthers failed to convert the turnover into points, but the message was clear; this would be a different ball game in the 2nd half.

Early in the 4th quarter, the Bulldog faithful finally found a reason to be nervous.  Nouvel first converted a 3rd and 17, then pulled a trick out of their hat with a halfback pass to Tony Awrey from Kyle Barankski for a touchdown.  After a successful PAT kick by Themm, the Panthers were only down by 3 points. 

With time becoming a factor, the Nouvel offense didn’t lose their composure.  Kazmierski completed a long pass to give his squad 1st and goal from the St. Charles 8 yard line.  Pushed to the edge, the Bulldog defense stepped up in a big way, but still permitted Themm to kick a short field goal to tie the game with less than 4 minutes remaining.

With the clock running low, St. Charles began to drive down the field for a potentially game-winning score.  They came close, but a penalty and a stingy Panther defense kept the Bulldogs from winning the game.

And so to overtime we go.

St. Charles won the coin toss and chose to defend first.  On the very first play from scrimmage, Christian Miller scored his first touchdown of the game with a 10 yard scamper.

That left the Bulldogs with a lot of pressure.  A Nouvel defensive linemen blew through the St. Charles blockers and put the ‘Dawgs in a precarious position; 2nd down, 14 yards from the end zone, and having to score to keep their season alive.  Unfortunately for them, Halas’ pass attempt on 3rd down fell short.  On 4th down, they attempted a swing pass to Ryan Humpert, but he was eaten up before sniffing the goal line.

The Nouvel faithful flooded the field as their players celebrated wildly; the final score was Nouvel Catholic Central 24, St. Charles 18.

The key to the game was Nouvel’s resilience.  They entered the 2nd half with a large deficit to overcome, but they were able to leave with a victory.  Also worth mentioning was their ability to stop St. Charles on extra point attempts.  The Bulldogs attempted three two-point conversions, all of which were stuffed by the Panthers.  Had Nouvel allowed even one of those, perhaps they would have left Bulldog Stadium with a different taste in their mouths.

In the end, it was a battle between two teams with the passion and dedication that make high school football such an amazing game.  The Bulldogs’ season ends at 10-1, but they have nothing to hang their head over; they created a great season and took one of the state’s toughest perennial powerhouses to overtime. 

Nouvel will host Sanford-Meridian in a battle between 3-loss teams for the regional championship. Meridian upset Clare (9-2) in their district match-up.

St. Charles escapes Marlette

The St. Charles Bulldogs entered their first play-off game with an undefeated record and ranked 2nd in the final Associated Press Division 6 poll.Marlette wasn’t intimidated. Their big-play offense was able to keep pace with the vaunted Bulldog run game, but the Red Raiders still fell in a heart-wrenching 36-34 loss.After a scoreless first quarter, it was Marlette’s senior quarterback Austin Comment that ignited the scoring with a deep touchdown pass to Dan Gymomory. From here on out, the touchdowns would come in droves; the two squads combined for 50 points in the 2nd quarter.

Ryan Humpert’s carry put the Bulldogs on the board, but a failed 2-point conversion left Marlette ahead 8-6. On the Red Raiders’ next drive, a fumble was picked up by St. Charles defender and returned 25 yards to the 1 yard line. On the next play, Brian Halas called his own number up the middle to give the Bulldogs a 14-8 advantage.

It wasn’t long before the home team made another big play. A host of defenders was able to penetrate the Red Raiders’ line and block a punt. They recovered the ball deep in enemy territory and quickly put it in the end zone for a 22-8 lead.

Comment, however, led his team back into the game with a flawless pass to Jon Bishop for a 71 yard touchdown.

St. Charles took the ball over with only a few minutes remaining in the half, and ran a perfect drive that both added 8 points to their total and left almost no time on the game clock.

Unfortunately for them, almost no time was enough for the Red Raiders to create some momentum of their own. In a huge game-changing play, Comment took the ensuing kick-off back for a touchdown. Suddenly the game was back in reach at half-time with the score at 30-20, St. Charles ahead.

A bit of momentum was all that it took. Marlette took charge in the 2nd half, this time relying on their running attack. Hayward and Comment were able to find running room against the normally-stingy St. Charles defensive front, especially off tackle. A few explosive runs by Comment gave them a 34-30 lead with only half of the 4th quarter left to play.

St. Charles had not trailed for even 1 second at any point during the regular season, so the Bulldogs were entering unfamiliar territory as they took over possession. They kept their composure and, a few minutes of game time later, found themselves with a 4th and 2 situation 30 yards from paydirt.

If you ran the wing T and had 4th and 2, you’d probably go with a Fullback dive. A halfback trap. Maybe, if you’re feeling a bit adventurous, a QB sweep.

You’ve got to admire the St. Charles coaching staff’s boldness. Brian Halas attempted his first pass of the night on 4th and 2. Marshall Davenport, who had spent the entire first half on the sideline with an injured shoulder, caught the pass and ran it into the end zone.A block in the back penalty negated the score, but the first down remained. Ryan Humpert finished the drive with the game’s final score, a 2 yard plunge that gave his team the 36-34 edge.

Marlette managed to make a heroic effort of their own, but were stopped on 4th down when Brad Saunders blew through the offensive line and thwarted the reverse attempt in the backfield.

With Davenport out of the game, Humpert carried the load for St. Charles to the tune of 189 yards and 3 touchdowns. Austin Comment led the Red Raiders with 240 total yards (94 rushing and 146 passing) and all 5 of Marlette’s touchdowns.

The Red Raiders bowed out at 6-4, while the Bulldogs remain undefeated at 10-0 and are looking at a rematch with Nouvel Catholic Central (6-3) in the second round. Last season, the Panthers blew through the Bulldogs 52-0 in the 3rd round en route to their State Championship.

St. Charles handles Hemlock

The St. Charles Bulldogs wrapped up their first undefeated regular season since 1999, but Hemlock made sure that it didn’t come easy.  The winless Huskies were able to stay in the game and even threaten a late-game rally, however a comeback never materialized.

It was St. Charles’ senior quarterback Brian Halas who opened the scoring with a pass, uncharacteristic of the Bulldogs’ wing T offense.  Marshall Davenport made the reception and sprinted uncontested into the end zone to give the ‘Dogs an 8-0 lead.

Hemlock returned the favor - almost.  The Huskies found a way to drive all the way to inside their opponents’ 5-yard line.  Senior runningback Mitch Wagoner took a hand-off and sprinted off tackle into the end zone.

Unfortunately, a holding penalty negated the score.  Hemlock went on to turn the ball over on downs.

Like the first half, junior runningback Marshall Davenport accounted for the first touchdown of the second half, this time on a simple trap play.  Dugan Roosa ran the 2-point conversion in to give the Bulldogs a 16-0 advantage.

The Huskies retaliated.  Mitch Wagoner carried his squad on an efficient drive, then capped it with a 4-yard run.  The Huskies failed in their attempt to keep pace with a 2-point conversion, but had finally entered the scoreboard.

Only a couple plays later, though, Davenport found room to run around the left side and answered with his third touchdown of the night.  The points-after pass attempt failed.

The scoring stalled early in the fourth quarter until Brad Saunders, St. Charles’ stand-out defensive end, lived every big man’s dream. Hemlock quarterback Justin Herline dropped back and attempted to complete a pass.  Saunders, who was applying a pass rush, stretched out his arm, caught the ball one-handed, and sprinted as fast as he could into the end zone.

With the score at 28-6 halfway through the final quarter, it appeared as if the St. Charles players were ready to enter cruise control.

Hemlock didn’t give them the chance.

St. Charles’ back-up punter, positioned near his own end zone, fumbled a snap in the rain and Hemlock recovered the ball at the Bulldog 2-yard line.  Three plays later, Herline rushed for a touchdown.  Once again, the conversion attempt failed, leaving the score at 28-12.

They weren’t done.  The Huskies successfully recovered their own onside kick, and appeared to be garnering momentum.  Unfortunately for them, though, the drive stalled out and Hemlock was forced to turnover on downs.  St. Charles executed every coach’s favorite play - the knee - to leave the field with a hard-earned victory.

The difference in the game was the well-rounded St. Charles rushing attack.  Ryan Humpert led the way with 13 rushes for 136 yards.  Marshall Davenport accumulated 115 yards and 2 touchdowns on 12 carries to accompany his touchdown reception, and quarterback Brian Halas added 93 yards on 11 attempts.  Hemlock’s Mitch Wagoner led the Huskies with 85 rushing yards, including one touchdown.

The Bulldogs will be preparing for their first-round play-off game next week.  Hemlock’s season is over, but they should congradulate themselves on a great year.  Despite a lack of victories, the Huskies played close games with a variety of very tough teams and should be proud of the way they handled themselves.

Knights Slip by Chemics

The Midland Chemics dominated the first half and kept Mark Ingram, Flint Southwestern Academy’s star runningback, contained to 77 yards.  However, that wasn’t enough to prevent from Midland dropping a 1-point decision to the visiting Knights.

The game started out as well as Midland might have hoped.  Michael Albrecht put the first touchdown on the board after a 6:00+ drive to start the game.  After completely shutting down Southwestern’s offense, including a failed fake punt attempt by Mark Ingram, the Chemic offense returned to the field.  Once again, they found themselves effectively and efficiently moving the ball with solid running from Colter Roberson.

After switching sides of the field to start the second quarter, the Knight defense finally stiffened up.  They stopped Midland’sadvance in the red zone for the first time in the game and the Chemics were forced to settle for a field goal.  

Down 10-0, Flint SWA finally created some offense of their own.  The Chemics did a great job on stopping the vaunted Southwestern run game, so the Knights went to the air.  Quarterback Anthony Kemp led his team on a methodical drive that culminated on a touchdown reception by Tyrone Ward. After a sucessful PAT, the score was 10-7 Midland.

Once again, though, SWA found themselves unable to solve the Midland running game.  For the third consecutive time, the Chemics drove deep into their opponent’s territory.  Also once again, the Knights were not able to hold ground until backed against their own end zone. 

Midland found themselves in a 4th down situation from the red zone.  Instead of attempting a field goal like the previous drive, coach Wilczek put some confidence in his offense.  Andrew Maxwell’s pass fell through his receivers hands, and SWA took over until the first half was over.

The key to the game may have been that, despite being within smelling distance of the red zone in every drive, Midland only scored 10 points in the first half. 

In the second half, the Knights took over.  They received the opening kick-off and were hitting on all cylinders. Kemp completed two clutch fourth-down passes, the second of which was Tyrone Ward’s second touchdown of the night.

Midland’s Andrew Cox blocked the extra point attempt, so the score was set at 13-10: SWA’s first lead of the night.

The Chemics answered.  Roberson carried his team down the field, but the Knights held tight in the red zone yet another time.  Catlin Porter’s second field goal of the night tied the game.

The enviroment in the stadium was electric by the time the fourth quarter rolled around.

Southwestern got the ball to begin the quarter, and they made the most of it.  Mark Ingram found his only running room of the night, but it couldn’t have come in a more timely manner.  Kemp completed yet another fourth-down conversion, and Ingram finished the drive with a 2 yard touchdown run.

With the score 20-13 halfway through the final period, Midland responded the way a team against the ropes should.  Albrecht hauled in a Andrew Maxwell bomb to put the Chemics in scoring position.

The series that occurred next will go down among the most thrilling this season has seen.

Midland drove until they reached fourth and goal from the 1 yard line.  With the game on the line and both teams squashed in the same small area, it appeared as if we’d reached the climax of the contest.

Maxwell handed the ball to Colter Roberson, who lowered his shoulders and collided with a massive pile of blue and white jerseys.  When the dust settled, the visiting stands erupted: there was no touchdown.

Their elation was short-lived, though.  A few plays after their dramatic stand, the Knights fumbled the ball still close to their own end zone.  Midland recovered, and Roberson rushed for a touchdown 2 plays later.

The score was tied.

Or was it?

The automatic point-after attempt was anything but automatic; Porter’s kick was errant, and suddenly the Chemics found themselves losing by 1 point despite their fortuitous score.

 The Midland team was not about to relent, though.  With time running low, they recovered their own onside kick and began an urgent march downfield to earn a victory.

For a moment, it looked as if they’d done exactly that.  Unfortunately for them, a fumbled rush attempt ended up in their opponent’s hands.  The Knights ran the clock out and left Midland with a hard-earned victory and their outside shot of a play-off berth in tact.

The Knights will travel to Heritage next week.  They hope to win in order to end the season at 5-4 and have a shot to make the state play-offs with an at-large bid.  Midland travels across the city to take on the Dow Chargers in each team’s biggest rivalry game.