High School

Carr rallies Saline in 4th to beat Rockford in Michigan high school football opener: Live score recap

Hornets score 16 points in 2:34 span in 4th to rally for a 38-27 victory on Thursday night

Cody Thorn

Belleville defensive back Charles Britton III tackles Saline's Nolan Klein during the first half of district final at Belleville High School in Belleville on Friday, Nov. 8, 2024.
Belleville defensive back Charles Britton III tackles Saline's Nolan Klein during the first half of district final at Belleville High School in Belleville on Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

No. 5-ranked Saline will play No. 15-ranked Rockford on Thursday in the season opener for both teams.

The game is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. ET

Saline is 3-2 in the series with wins in 2015, 2016 and 2018. Rockford won in 2021 and 2017. 

The Rockford Rams went 7-3 last year and lost in the first round of the Division 1 playoffs last season. 

Saline went 7-4 last year and that includes 3 games they had to forfeit due to a self-reported MHSAAA violation, according to previous reporting.

The Hornets beat Brighton, Dexter and Ann Arbor Pioneer, but those turned into losses for the first 3 weeks of last season. 

Saline made the second round of the Division 1 playoffs last year, falling to the Bryce Underwood-led Bellville, 42-7.

What to Know

Saline had 4 players on the Michigan Preseason All-State team. That includes: 

QB Tommy Carr, sr.

Carr had 2,510 passing yards,  27 passing touchdowns and six rushing touchdowns. He is committed to Miami (OH). He is the younger brother of Notre Dame quarterback C.J. Carr and the grandson of former Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr.

TE Lincoln Keyes, sr.

Keyes, a Georgia commit, caught 39 passes for 821 yards and eight touchdowns, according to 247sports.com.

DE — Isaiah Harris, sr.

Harris is a speedy edge rusher committed to Miami (OH). 

OL — Louis Esposito, jr.

The 3-star recruit has committed to Michigan. He’s the No. 11-ranked recruit in Michigan in his class. 

High School On SI Michigan High School Football Top 25 Preseason Rankings

Pick 'Em

Play High School On SI's Pick 'Em! Choose who you think will win the game.

How to watch

Watch this game live on the NFHS Network 

Saline vs. Rockford: Live score updates of Michigan high school football top-15 opener — August 28, 2025

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

FINAL

ROCK

7

7

14

0

28

SALINE

14

7

0

16

37

Saline will get the ball first

Carr is hit by Spensor Munson and the Rams recover. Looks like DT Drew Ramm recovered the ball. Rams ball at the 10-yard line.

TOUCHDOWN! Brayden Daniels with 5-yard run on 3rd and goal. 7-0 Rockford

Carr with a 17-yard run to the 5-yard line. He throws a pass to Keyes, who is pushed out of back of end zone.

TOUCHDOWN: LB Bryce Barbarino with a 5-yard run. Tied 7-7 with 2:48 left in 1st

Rockford fumbles and Patrick Williams Jr. picks it up at the Rockford 35-yard line. 2:20 left in 1st

TOUCHDOWN! Carr to Austin Abbate for 32 yards with 1:32 to go. 14-7 in favor of Saline

A bad snap leads to a fumble by Rockford. Allen Saidov picks it up for the Hornets at the 20-yard line. 51 seconds left.

4th and 8 and the Hornets are going for it. Abbate makes the catch for 1st down

End of 1st: Saline 14, Rockford 7

2nd quarter

Another 4th down. This time 4th and goal from the 4.

TOUCHDOWN! Barbarino gets the wildcat snap and scores his 2nd TD. 8:36 to go. 21-7 in favor of Saline.

TOUCHDOWN! Hayden Peoples with a 1-yard touchdown run with 3:21. Rockford pulls within 21-14.

A handoff gets tossed to WR Cruz Hanson, who runs 15 yards. Ball at the 35.

Princeton pledge James Rush with a 36-yard gain. Ball at the Rockford 37-yard line.

Chase Pitsch with a big hit to snuff out a screen by Saline. Saline facing 4th and 10 with 40 seconds left. The Hornets call a timeout

Mason Plain with tackle on 4th down and we have a turnover with 33 seconds left.

Rockford has the ball at the 39-yard line

Daniels with a 14-yard run. First and 10 at Saline's 47-yard line. 25 seconds

Saidov with a sack and Rockford calls a timeout with 19 seconds left

Barbarino with a sack to end the first half.

End of 2nd: Saline 21, Rockord 14

TOUCHDOWN: Rams get the ball first and march down and Daniels scores with 5:19 left. 21-21

Rockford's offensive coordinator is Jason Vander Laan, a two-time Harlon Hill winner, given to the best Division II player in the country. He was a QB at Ferris State.

Saline's offense forced to punt on its first drive

TOUCHDOWN! The punt is blocked by Sam Cumnings. He takes in and scores. Rockford on top 28-21. 4:21 left in 3rd

Carr connects with Keyes for a first down. Holding on the defense the next play has the ball near midfield

Carr with a run to the 30-yard line of Rockford. That was the final play of the 3rd.

After 3: Rockford 28, Saline 21

4th Quarter

Carr to Keyes and Saline has 1st and G from the 7

Quickly 4th and goal for the Hornets. 6:42 left

TOUCHDOWN! Carr runs the ball, gets stopped at the 5. Stays alive. Runs back to the 15-yard line and then throws a strike to Lucas Fidh for a TD. 6:28 left. 28-28

A fumble by Rockford on the first play on the next drive makes it 2nd-and-15 right away.

SAFETY: A bad snap on a punt turns into safety. Hayden Uphaus will be given credit for the tackle in the end zone. 5:37 left. Saline 30, Rockford 28

Abbate with a nice return on the free kick. Saline takes over at Rockford's 45-yard line. 5:30 left.

Carr hands off to Rush, who pitches it back. The flea flicker pass goes to Abbate down to the 1-yard line.

TOUCHDOWN! Carr with 1-yard run. Hornets 37, Rockford 28: 3:54 left.

Daniels with another big run for the Rams. He's to the 41, but he is limping going back to the huddle.

TURNOVER: Rush with an INT with 3:39 left. That should seal it for the Hornets.

Hornets running the clock now. Rush has gotten back-to-back carries. Ball at the Rockford 19.

Saline takes a knee at the 8-yard line. That'll do it.

FINAL: Saline 37, Rockford 28

POSTGAME RECAP

Tommy Carr came up big when it mattered.

The Miami of Ohio pledge threw a touchdown and ran for another to help Saline rally for a 37-28 win over Rockford on the road Thursday night.

The game featured big runs by both teams, with the home Rams scoring first before the Hornets scored 21 straight.

The Rams then followed that same pattern by scoring three straight and took a 28-21 lead. 

The last of that was a blocked punt by Sam Cummings. The block and TD broke the tie and gave the Rams the lead for the first time since the first quarter.

Up 28-21 after three quarters, the Rams were leading the No. 5-ranked team with 12 minutes to play.

Carr only needed about 2 1/2 minutes to turn the tide of the game.

He guided the Hornets down the field and on 4th down, he scrambled, escaped a tackle and ultimately ran back 10 yards. He then found Lucas Fidh for a touchdown. 

A PAT tied the game.

Then, another miscue hurt Rockford. After having a bad snap and a fumble recovered on the first play, another bad snap came on fourth down.

That led to a safety in the end zone.

Three plays later, the Hornets extended the lead to 9 points.

A short run was followed by a flea flicker where Carr hit Austin Abbate for 32 yards. That put the ball at the 1-yard line with less than 4 minutes to play. 

The next play, Carr scored on a keeper. The Hornets rattled off 16 points in 2 minutes, 34 seconds.

Recommended Articles

• USA Baseball Finalizes 18U National Team Roster; Top Prospect Grady Emerson Headlines Lineup

• High School on SI Top 25 Girls Volleyball National Rankings - Aug. 27, 2025

• 2025-26 National High School Wrestling Preseason Rankings - Aug. 26, 2025

• Vote: Who should be High School on SI National Boys Athlete of the Week? (8/25/2025)

Published |Modified
Cody Thorn
CODY THORN

Cody Thorn is a veteran journalist who covers high school sports across the state of Texas and Missouri. He is based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and has covered sports and news since 1999.

Home/Michigan