MHSAA Playoffs - Pre District Results

First of all, I want to apologize for not getting this up yesterday. I had gone home sick on Monday afternoon, and as I was crawling into bed, my wife called

First of all, I want to apologize for not getting this up yesterday. I had gone home sick on Monday afternoon, and as I was crawling into bed, my wife called and told me I needed to pick up our sick daughter. Yesterday was spent in various states of sleeping and watching movies. One of the movies we watched was Bambi. “Daddy, whata happen ah Bambi mommy? Uhh…she had to move to the big city to get a job. The thicket is expensive!” (Seriously, she asked and that was my answer.) Now that I’ve gotten my apology out of the way, let’s look at the games from last week.

Flint Hamady 39 Burton Bendle 33

It was a close game. Burton Bendle had closed the lead to 33-27 with 3:50 left in the game. Both teams ended up scoring again. One of the biggest plays of the game was when Hamady’s Russell Wright picked off the pass and returned it 53 yards for a score in the third quarter. Quarterback Erick Layton completed seven of his 12 passes for 138 yards and two scores and also rushed for 48 yards. Wright caught one pass and raced 53 yards for a score (interesting that both of his scores were from 53 yards away.) Jomontae Wheeler caught five passes for 88 yards and a score. Tyree Watson rushed for 44 yards and two scores while also coming up with 10 tackles on defense. On the Burton side, quarterback Jared Garner completed six of his 16 passes for 82 yards and a score. When he ran the ball, which he did nine times, he gained 33 yards and scored twice. Dion Reed caught that one touchdown pass and finished with three receptions for 70 yards and also rushed for 66 yards on nine attempts. David Younger-Dean ran 21 times for 180 yards and a score. Josh Mikesell also came up with a score on his six rushes for 23 yards. This was Flint Hamady’s first playoff victory. This week they will play Flint Beecher.

Newaygo 20 Grant 7

These rivals got another chance to play, even after Newaygo moved from the Lakes-Eight conference to the Central State Activities Association. Newaygo Quarterback Weston Butler only attempted two passes, completed one of them which went for 30 yards. Max Harrington caught that pass. Max also ran 10 times for 30 yards and returned an interception 20 yards to pay dirt. Heath Harrington ran nine times for 34 yard and a score. Zach Knight led his team in rushing with 11 attempts for 35 yards and a touchdown. For Grant, quarterback Garrett Bomay completed eight of his 25 passes for 117 yards and a score. The lone touchdown was caught on his only reception by Brennan Bonter. Cody Atwood ran 11 times for 76 yards while Riley Foster chipped in nine rushes for 42 yards. Newaygo will play Reed City this week, a team they lost to 35-7 back on September 14th.

Grass Lake 35 Michigan Center 14

It was a close game in the first half. Grass Lake got a touchdown to tie it up at 14 going into halftime. The second half belonged to Grass Lake. They avenged the lone loss on the season and beat a fellow conference team. Grass Lake quarterback Logan Konopka completed 13 of his 18 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown. Frank Voucolo played a huge role in the win, running 19 times for 116 yards which included the 44 yard scamper to put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter. He also caught two balls for 29 yards and grabbed an important interception (which set up his 44 yard run to ice the game.) Justin Wright chipped in 11 runs for 89 yards and three scores. Jared Lazarz caught seven balls for 70 yards and a score. For Michigan Center, quarterback Dylan Zaborowski completed 10 of his 23 passes for 167 yards and a score. The lone touchdown pass was caught by Josh Padelt, who finished with five catches for 103 yards and that score. Nate Poole ran the ball the most for his team with 10 runs for 39 yards and a score. Drew Dowding ran six times for 41 yards. The win sets up another rematch. Again this time it’s between league foes, Grass Lake and Manchester.

Detroit Country Day 35 Clinton Township Clintondale 0

Though Clintondale came in with an undefeated record, Country Day out-muscled them and got the dreaded running clock in the third quarter. Quarterback Tyler Wiegers completed 12 of his 17 passes for 194 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Gianmarco Rea ran 12 times for 64 yards and a score while also hauling in two passes for 29 additional yards. Khalil Rivers ran seven times for 39 yards and a score. Receiver Moe Ways made four grabs for 111 yards and a touchdown. Tristin Wiegers caught two passes for 11 yards and two scores. I couldn’t find any stats for Clintondale. They had a great season and should be proud of what they accomplished, which included a conference crown. Country Day will take on Pontiac Notre Dame Prep this week.