Week 11 District Finals - People Get Ready

People get ready, there’s a train a-coming! That train is headed straight to Ford Field. All Aboard! This trip will take a few more weeks, but with the District Finals completed, there are two more wins needed to punch the ticket for 2000 Brush Street Detroit, Michigan (that's the address of Ford Field, if you were wondering). Will your team be there? Better yet, will YOU be there? It’s an awfully good time to take in the beautiful field and cheer some of our youngsters in what is probably the biggest event of their young lives. People Get Ready! All Aboard!

North

Iron Mountain 21 Negaunee 6 (Division 6)

Interesting enough, there was no scoring in the first half. On the second play from scrimmage after the break, the big junior, Joe Wender, plowed through the left side and ran 71 yards for a score. That was his first carry of the game. He finished with 168 yards and two touchdowns (the other being a 66 yarder) on six carries. Quarterback Alex Herman was impressed with his running back, saying “He’s a train and he can move too. He’s fast.” Herman completed three of his seven passes for 25 yards. Running back Josh Pender ran 14 times for 75 yards. Negaunee’s sophomore quarterback, Tanner Uren, completed 10 of his 21 passes for 109 yards and a touchdowns. He was also picked off twice by Nik Flood. Tyler Beaumont ran for 87 yards. Next, Iron Mountain will take on Suttons Bay (Friday, 7pm).

Capital Area

Howell 29 Holt 7

Football coaches know that in order to win football games, they must win the battles on the line of scrimmage. Howell controlled that and the game. The only score Holt could come by was a 97 yard touchdown return in the first quarter. Quarterback Jake Gallimore completed two of his 13 passes for 16 yards and ran for another 13. Curtis Nick ran the ball 11 times for 18 yards. Daniel Middleton caught both passes from Gallimore. It was a great night for Howell though. Quarterback Gregory Cauley completed six of his eight passes for 65 yards and ran in two scores. Running back Derrick Palma rushed for 109 yards on 16 carries. Howell will play at Rockford this Saturday, 1pm.

Mid Michigan

Fulton-Middleton 34 New Lothrop 27

The Pirates knew they would need to play a virtually flawless game to beat previously undefeated New Lothrop. They got what they needed and will play another game. Quarterback Zach Baker completed all five of his passes for 215 yards and four touchdowns. Halfback Jared Barton caught three of the passes for 184 yards and three scores while also running 133 rushing yards. For the Hornets, Tyler Bennett completed six of his eight passes for 87 yards. Cody Peterman ran the ball five times and gained 77 yards. His only score was a 70 yarder in the second quarter. Fulton-Middleton will play at Deckerville at 2pm Saturday.

Detroit

Temperance Bedford 34 Wyandotte Roosevelt 23

The Kicking Mules of Temperance Bedford have a new fan. The offense I learned as a high school student, the triple option, is what they run. If executed properly, it is nearly impossible to defend…as Wyandotte Roosevelt found out. Quarterback Jared Kujawa ran the ball 34 times for 240 yards and scored three times. With rushing numbers like that, who needs to pass? Kujawa only attempted two passes of which one was complete for 13 yards. Erik Jones caught that pass and also rushed for 73 yards. For the Bears of Wyandotte Roosevelt, it wasn’t the night they wanted. Running back Avery Kleist ran 12 times for 88 yards. Quarterback Mitchell Kell completed eight of his 14 passes for 131 yards and two scores. Tyler Dunn caught a pass and ran for a 58 yard touchdown. Temperance Bedford will play Gross Pointe South at 7pm Friday.

West Coast

Muskegon Oakridge 34 Muskegon Heights 14

The question I posed in the preview column was if Muskegon Heights could win three games over Oakridge. The answer? No...thanks to their quarterback. Jamie Potts, the man under center for Oakridge, put up a lot of points. Actually, he had his hand in ever score of the game. Potts carried 14 times for 170 yards and two scores while also completing for of his six passes for 73 yards and another score. Not only that, he also kicked two field goals. Running backs Nick Eely and Jacob Ferguson each rushed for 48 yards. On the Muskegon Heights side, quarterback Willie Snead IV had a good game. He completed 21 of his 31 passes for 218 yards and ran 19 times for another 55. Running back Maurice Day ran for 72 yards on seven carries. Receiver Daryl Terrell caught five passes for 82 yards. Friday night at 7pm Muskegon Oakridge will take on Grand Rapids West Catholic.