Lumen Christi’s Kadale Williams (5) grabs one of his two interceptions and gained 57 return yards in the District Final against Hudson.
Titans Hold Hudson Scoreless in D-7 District Final
By Jeff Steers
JTV Sports
(November 5, 2022 7:00 AM) For a second consecutive week, the Lumen Christi Catholic High School faced a high-scoring offense.
For the second week in a row, their opponents left scratching their heads wondering how to score against the Titans.
Lumen Christi defeated Hudson 35-0 at home on Friday, advancing to the regional final against Lawton. The Titans will host the game in a yet-to-be-determined time and date.
Hudson had scored 44 or more points in six of its first 10 games of the season heading into the district final. The Tigers finish the season with a 9-2 record.
In the district opener the Titans held Homer to seven points.
Lumen Christi took a 21-0 halftime lead thanks to a pair of touchdowns by Derrick Walker (10 and 5 yard runs) and a 26-yard touchdown run by quarterback Joe Lathers.
Short-yardage specialist Devian Franklin scored on a 2-yard run in the third quarter and Lathers added his second touchdown on a 3-yard run to start the running clock.
Walker finished with 99 yards rushing and Lathers added 96 rushing yards for the Titans.
Lathers and Franklin were also defensive leaders for the Titans. Lathers tallied seven tackles and intercepted a pass. Franklin and Conor Smith also recorded seven tackles apiece. Kadale Williams had two interceptions and 57 return yards for Lumen Christi.
Lawton defeated Lumen Christi 21-20 in a Division 7 state semifinal last year.
Napoleon 42, Manchester 13
Napoleon High School won its first district title since 2016 with a home victory against Cascades Conference foes at home on Friday. The Pirates will face Monroe St. Mary in the regional final in a yet-to-be-determined time, place, and date.
Both teams have the same number of playoff points and may come down to a coin flip. The host school decides the date and time. Napoleon High School Athletic Director Tom Johns said Napoleon would prefer Friday night at 7 p.m.
The Pirates looked comfortable at home on Friday taking a 14-7 halftime lead on two Grant Bradley touchdown passes.
He hit Trent Jester for a 29-yard touchdown pass and Brendan Helfrich on a 42-yard touchdown.
Manchester returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a score by Gunner Carson.
It only took Napoleon three plays to score opening the second half. Two long runs by Bart Laretz, a personal foul by Manchester and a 2-yard run by Bradley gave Napoleon a 21-7 led.
Napoleon scored on its next possession on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Bradley to Holden Van Poppel.
The Pirates led 28-7 at the end of the third quarter.
An interception by Laretz set up Napoleon’s next touchdown.
Bradley and Van Poppel hooked up on a 39-yard touchdown pass at the 7:35 mark of the fourth quarter. Bradley threw the ball up and Van Poppel made a good adjustment to the ball and ran past his defender for the score.
Manchester scored on a 15-yard run by Gunner Carson at the 4:18 mark of the fourth quarter. Carson appeared to fumble the football, but an official said he crossed the goal line before the fumble.
Jester scored the final touchdown for Napoleon on a pick-six late in the fourth quarter. He returned the interception 18 yards for a score.
Cooper Wyers converted on all six extra points for Napoleon.
Laretz was one of the stars of the game for Napoleon with 203 yards rushing on 28 carries. He has nearly 1,800 yards rushing in 11 games this season.
Bradley finished with 200 passing yards and four touchdowns.
Napoleon sets a school record with its 11th win of the season.
Defensively, Sam Jennings finished with seven tackles to lead Napoleon.
Manchester was led by Blake Sloan and Jaxon McGuigan with 6.5 tackles apiece in the contest.
Manchester finishes the season with a 6-5 record.
Mason 34, Jackson 12
Jackson High School held Mason out of the end zone to begin the game. The Bulldogs drove the length of the field on a nice eight-plus minute drive in the first quarter. But Jackson stopped Mason four times inside the 2-yard line in an outstanding goal line stand.
Jackson trailed 7-6 at halftime before the Bulldogs opened up the contest with 27 points in the second half.
Jackson finishes the season with a 6-5 record and its fifth consecutive playoff appearance.
Mason is 11-0 on the season and finished ranked No. 3 in Division 3 in the final regular season rankings.