Football Roundup Week 9: Lions Earn Automatic Invite

​Newaygo 14 Muskegon CC 7
The Lions scored twice in the first half and it was all they needed to punch their ticket to the playoffs.
The Newaygo defense held the Crusaders in check through most of the game In the fourth quarter MCC qb Nolan Convertini launched a pass to Dawson Steigman who went 79 yards and pulled the Crusaders within a touchdown but the Lions held on for the win and the chance to play beyond 9 for the second straight season.
Sunday’s selection show will provide the Lions with the where when and who they will play. The 7pm broadcast will be carried on the Fox Sports Detroit channel.

McBain 33 Fremont 22
Zane Stroven fired off a pair of long touchdown runs then powered it in once more from a yard out but the playoff bound Ramblers kept the Pack at enough of a distance to secure the  win.
The progress of a team is not always measured in wins and losses though admittedly  for some fans the Vince Lombardi quote “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” rings true.
This Packer team went to battle against a McBain team heading for the postseason. A team with only two losses to a pair of powerhouse teams by a total of 6 points. The Ramblers were at home for the first time in three weeks and their fans came ready to cheer them into the playoff season. It clearly looked like a game with blowout potential.
And Fremont  held their own. They let McBain know they were in a game. Each time it looked like the contest was well in hand the Pack clawed their way back.
This team has made progress since opening the season with three losses. They stopped the 30 game streak with a win at Central Montcalm and came within two points of a tough Tri County squad. Last season the defense yielded over 50 points 7 times. This year it happened just twice.
They’re not in the playoffs. Not even close. But there are teams that pretty much punch it in at this point of a long and not always fruitful season.
The Packers didn't. They came out in week 9 ready to play and gave the Ramblers a good deal more than they might have expected.
Nice job, gentlemen.
Stroven finished with 141 yards on the ground and caught a Cody Andree pass for 35 yards. Kane Widing added 61 rushing yards. Cody Moon was the recipient of the other 2 Andree completions and the leading tacklers on defense were Austin Kukal, Courtland Carson, and Christian Kennedy. Kennedy also ran in a two point conversion and Wyatt Kaastra went 2-2 on extra points.

Hesperia 28 Shelby 0
“This was a huge win for is tonight,” said Head Coach Doug Bolles after his team capped off a tough season by shutting down Shelby for win number 2 .
“We lost to them last year and it hasn’t sit with us very well, it left a bad taste in our mouths so it’s nice to get a little redemption.”
The Panthers clawed their way to a 6-0 lead at the half then scored twice more in the third before senior Cameron Follett scored the final touchdown of the season in the fourth quarter with a 7 yard run. Earlier in the game senior Owen Kowalski  broke free fand scampered 48 yards for a score
Freshman Brandon Quinn gave the Panther faithful a peek at their future as he tallied a pair of TDs while piling up 112 yards in his varsity debut.
Junior Logan Balkema led the defense with 13 tackles with Connor VanBuskirk and Gabe Prado collecting 7 apiece. Follett picked off a Shelby pass attempt and the Hesperia defense jumped on a quartet of Shelby fumbles as the defense notched 5 turnovers.
“We’ve battled through some adversity with injuries and low numbers but we fought through it and never quit and tonight that paid off," added Coach Bolles. “Shelby moved the ball on us the first half, we bent but didn’t break... our defense stepped up when we needed to and made some key stops and got some key turnovers.”
“It’s a nice send off for our seniors and it sends our underclassmen into the offseason on a positive note.”


Tri County 48 Holton 16
The Vikings victory gave them their first winning season (5-4) since 2005 and in doing so rocked the Red Devil hopes for an extended season.
Tanner Ching found the end zone 4 times as the Devils could not stop the TC ground game. The Vikes had three players tally over 100 yards  rushing led by Ching who finished with 151. Bryce Halliman pounded out 123 yards and a pair of TDs while Nicholas Braunschneider raced for 109.
“It was great as a program to get over the hump and get a winning season,” said Viking Coach Phil Butler. “ I'm proud of these guys.”
“ It was a great night, honoring 15 seniors and all they have done for our program.”
“Not our night,’ said Holton Head Coach Jack Nummerdor. “  Tri County did a great job of finding the match ups. Obviously not the output we were looking for.  We need to do a better job of bringing the emotion out on the first play.
“Our seniors gave a great shot in the second half but it just wasn't enough.  We needed to limit the turnovers and 3 and outs to keep our defense off of the field.  We will get back to the drawing board pending the playoff look out.”
“We know we let the automatic qualifier piece for playoffs slip, but now we will wait to see what happens,” he added. “ We are right on the bubble. “
Aaron Herron and Austin Hawkins each ran for touchdowns while Herron (17)  and Draven Wyant(9) paced the team in tackles.


Kent City 26 Grant 6
The Eagles shook off last week’s loss to Lake City and finished their season on a high note taming the Tiger offense for win number 8.
Grant tumbled to their third loss in a row to finish  the season 4-5.
Kent City likely locked up a home game with the win and come Sunday they will know the details.

Hart 36 White Cloud 0
With a team composed of Junior Varsity and Varsity players,missing 3 starters from last week, the Indians played some of their best football of the year. They played hard for all four quarters never giving up despite what the scoreboard displayed.
Steven Holt scored White Cloud's only touchdown on a broken play where Alex Doke, while being tackled, pitched the ball back to Holt who then scampered around the left end to reach the end zone.
Adrian Rodriguez pulled in 3 passes for 27yds, and Hunter Ciolk grabbed 2 for 33yds.
Alex Doke rushed for 64yds on 9 carries and Adrian Rodriguez added 43 yds on 8 attempts.
Tucker Kooman grabbed 10 tackles and Alex Doke had 9 tackles. 

Alma 55 Big Rapids 12
The Cardinals needed everything to fall their way to have a shot against the Panthers and gain an automatic spot in the playoffs.
It didn’t. Alma rolled out a potent offense and took control early to finish at 8-1. The Cards complete their first winning record in three years at 5-4

Reed City 46 Pine River 0
The Coyotes haven’t slowed down a bit. Could a possible rematch with Swan Valley be looming ahead?

Morley Stanwood 35 Beal City 0
​The Mohawks move on to the postseason after shutting out the Aggies.

Lakeview 38 Central Montcalm 8
The Hornets finish 0-9, the ‘Cats 4-5.