Western, Lumen Christi Win District Football Titles
By Jeff Steers
JTV Sports
One program is moving up the ranks while another just keeps winning in Jackson area football.
Western High School won its third district title in six seasons with a 38-20 win over Stevensville Lakeshore while Lumen Christi blanked Napoleon 26-0 for its 10th consecutive district title.
The two former Interstate-8 Conference opponents now host regional finals next week.
Lumen Christi will host Clinton in the Division 7 regional final. The time and date are yet to be determined.
Western hosts Zeeland West thanks to higher playoff points in Division 3.
Here is a rundown of the big wins by the Titans and Panthers.
Division 7 District Final at Lumen Christi Catholic High School
Lumen Christi 26, Napoleon 0: The Titans started to gain momentum going into the second quarter of the defensive battle. A 10-yard catch by Isaac Rehberg set up a three yard Lundon Hampton touchdown to give the Titans a 7-0 lead. Napoleon had the momentum going into the locker room at halftime as Holden Van Poppel intercepted a pass to keep it 7-0. Lumen Christi turned it on coming out of the locker room. On the opening kickoff Gabe King made a stellar 96-yard return for a touchdown to make it 13-0. The Titans scored on runs by Xavier Gallant and Rehberg to close out the scoring. Gallant led Lumen with 94 rushing yards and Luke Smith added nine tackles on defense. Napoleon finished with 60 yards of total offense including 46 yards from Mason Roth. “We moved the ball a little more consistently in the second half but entirely too many mistakes,” said LCCHS Coach Herb Brogan. “Penalties and missed assignments are what kept us from getting a flow going. I have to give Napoleon tons of respect, they played hard out there tonight, but our defense stepped up and forced a shutout.” Lumen Christi is 10-1 on the season while Napoleon finishes the season with a 9-2 record.
Division 3 District Final at Western High School
Western 38, Stevensville Lakeshore 20: Western High School started slowly in the Division 3 district final at home Friday. But once the Panthers got it going, the results were pleasing for Western. Alex Trudell scored the first touchdown for Western on a 13-yard run for a 7-0 lead. The Panthers scored twice in the final 150 seconds of the first half on a 15-yard pass from Reed Myers to Ben Parrott. Gibson French made it 21-0 with a pick-6 defensive touchdown late in the second quarter. His 30-yard return and score gave the Panthers momentum going into halftime. Noah Berdiner finished with eight points on 5-for-5 in extra points and a 38-yard field goal in the third quarter. Landon Heavy gave the Panthers its second pick-6 defensive score with just over three minutes remaining in the third quarter. Maverick Hammond caught a 20-yard touchdown pass to finish the scoring for Western midway through the fourth quarter. Lakeshore scored twice in the final three minutes to make the contest closer. Myers threw for more than 150 yards for Western with two touchdown passes and Trudell ran for more than 100 yards for Western (10-1).
David Rice contributed to this Saturday Sideline Report.