Michigan High School Football: It's Week Two...Did Your Team Improve?
It’s time to rock and roll! A wise man once told me that teams make the biggest improvement between the first and second game. There are plenty of teams that need to make that jump this week because games get no easier in conference play. It should be another exciting week of football. Next week, most games will be played on the traditional night for high school games, Friday nights (cue Katy Perry’s “Last Friday Night†or Rebecca Black’s “Friday,†you are welcome for getting those stuck in your head!)  Now that I’ve got some terrible songs stuck in your head, let’s get into the games!
Dearborn Fordson (1-0) at Redford Thurston (1-0) (Thursday August 30, 7pm)
Some of you may remember Dearborn Fordson as the team that practices at night because of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. This year, the holy month ended before the first game. Last week, they defeated Macomb Dakota 27-17. Quarterback Kamel Faraj threw three touchdowns. One of those passes went to Ali Faraj just before halftime. Dakota struck first, but Michael Berry returned the ensuing kickoff for an 86 yard touchdown. Faraj also found Ali Farran for an 18 yard touchdown strike and Jamil Sabbagh for a 24 yard touchdown. Dakota coach Mike Giannone said that Fordson was faster than them, very disciplined, and has a lot of talent. This is traditionally a running team, but they showed this week that they can also attack through the air.
Here is an interesting fact about Redford Thurston’s 41-28 victory over Detroit Douglass; the Eagles took a halftime lead of 21-6, despite only gaining 18 yards. The defense forced five first half turnovers. Quarterback Shakeer Williams, who did not play in the first half (toe injury during their scrimmage the previous week), scored on a 55 yard run and finished with 108 yards on 12 carries and also found Chris Broxton for a 14 yard touchdown pass. Kevin Williams rushed 13 times for 45 yards and nailed five of six extra points. The spread offense that the Eagles play can be very tough to defend. This team has a lot of younger players who are trying to figure out how to play varsity football. If they get it figured out, watch out!
Leslie (1-0) at Stockbridge (1-0) (Thursday August 30, 7pm)
The Black Hawks of Leslie had a nice victory over Eaton Rapids last week, 50-28. John Baughan ran for 202 yards and two scores on 14 rushes. With less than a minute to go before halftime, Baughan returned the kickoff 98 yards for a score. Greg Davis also went over the century mark with 106 yards on 12 attempts but scored three times. He also had eight tackles. Joey Kobus ran 19 times for 104 yards and two scores. The defense will need to step it up because the offense seems to be clicking right now.
This is a rivalry game, so you know that both teams will be jacked up and ready to go. After cruising to a 67-20 victory over Whitmore Lake, Stockbridge is gearing up for a battle. Quarterback Kaleb Grammer completed 21 of his 30 passes for 311 yards and four touchdowns and ran for another 55 yards and a score. Receiver Devin Allen caught eight passes for 209 yards and all four receiving scores. Lucas Showerman caught nine passes for 80 yards. When they ran the ball, they were led by Josh Ensine with 12 runs for 100 yards and three touchdowns. He also had 10 tackles and two sacks. Last year, Leslie came in and beat them up 49-7. The Panthers already have as many wins as they had last season. Now they need to keep rolling toward that magical number of six wins.
Ovid-Elsie (0-1) at Freeland (1-0) (Thursday August 30, 7pm)
These two teams have won or shared the last four TVC-Central titles. That’s no easy feat, considering that the TVC-Central, in my opinion, is the best Class B/Division 4-5-6 conference in the state. Last week, O-E wasn’t able to pound it. Heck, they couldn’t get a third down conversion (0-13). They lost to Portland 39-14. Quarterback Jacob Helms went 6-17 for 50 yards, a score, and an interception. He also booted both PATs. Jacob Micka scored on a 22 yard run, but finished the game with 22 yards on nine attempts. Trevor Keo caught two passes for 14 yards and a score. This was a pretty bad game for the Marauders. They need to iron out the problems and get ready for TVC play. Freeland should be a big challenge for them.
Freeland on the other hand, battled a close game with rival Clare. In the 10-7 win, it came down to the wire with Clare missing a game tying field goal with 17 ticks left. Their quarterback, Shane Flattery, completed two of his four passes for nine yards and also scored on a four yard run. Running back Mitch Noack paced the team with 20 carries for 100 yards. He also made seven tackles. The Falcons lost running back Matthew Schauman to a torn ACL, but he should be back with a brace, possibly this week.
Zeeland West (0-1) at Zeeland East (1-0) (Thursday August 30, 7pm)
It took me a while to find this game…I couldn’t figure out what other game to profile. Then, I saw that Zeeland was playing Zeeland. For those who have followed my columns, you know that I enjoy rivalries. Last week, The Dux of Zeeland West played Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central. Little did they know that it wasn’t going to be a football game, it was a track meet. Or maybe it was just that both teams forgot to install the defense. Either way, the Dux lost 59-58. Quarterback Jordan Lambert completed three of his eight passes for 73 yards and two scores. He also ran four times for another 24 yards. Marcus Lambert led the Wing T rushing attack with 25 carries for 160 yards and four scores. He also caught one pass for five yards. Braden Werley toted the rock 20 times for 134 yards and a score. Jon Pung also chipped in a score on 12 carries for 53 yards. Ryan Arndt caught one pass for 48 yards and a score wile Jordan VanDort caught one from 21 yards out and scored. They better get the pass defense shored up or they might not have bragging rights this year.
Zeeland East had a prolific offensive day as well. They scored 64 points in their victory over Holland Christian (64-28). That happens when you explode for 30 points in the third quarter. Quarterback Michael Custer completed eight of his 13 passes for 143 yards and scored twice on runs. The big name was Josh Blauwkamp, who only ran nine times, but gained 239 yards and scored twice (89 yards, 74 yards, both in the third quarter). Spencer Veining ran 15 times for 160 yards and four scores. Levi VanOrman caught three passes for 70 yards. If it goes the way the last handful have gone, Zeeland East will win. They seem to trade the bragging rights every season.
