Napoleon Wins Outright Title in Cascades East on Wild Night
By Jeff Steers
JTV Sports
(October 14, 2023 7:04 AM ET) High school football offenses didn’t let the rain stop them during week eight play in Jackson area football.
The winning teams averaged nearly 40 points per game this week.
Napoleon earned an outright Cascades Conference East Division with a 40-0 win over East Jackson.
The Pirates and Addison are both undefeated heading into the Cascades Conference championship game next Saturday at noon. All crossover games will be played at East Division schools.
Stay tuned for matchups at JTV.tv.
Here are some of the highlights from Friday night.
Jonesville 32, Homer 18: Jonesville earns a road win in the Cascades Conference and is now 3-5. Carson Playford ran for 185 yards and two touchdowns for Jonesville. John Milks added 115 yards and Austin Bowers scored twice for the Comets. On defense, Bowers finished with eight tackles and one sack for Jonesville. Homer is 0-8 and both teams will participate in the yet-to-be-determined Cascades Conference Crossover football games next week.
Columbia Central 41, Hanover-Horton 26: Columbia Central got its run game going against the Comets. Braden Ellison ran the ball 33 times for 209 yards and three touchdowns and Ben O’Neil ran for 79 yards and two scores for CCHS. Jackson Pierse finished with nine tackles for the Golden Eagles. Hanover-Horton was led by Lukas NaDell with a 95-yard kickoff return and a 65-yard run helping the Comets get back into the game. Jack Wooster threw for 137 yards and one score for Hanover-Horton. Both teams will participate in the yet-to-be-determined Cascades Conference Crossover football games next week. Columbia Central is now 4-4 while the Comets are 2-6.
Concord 38, Britton-Deerfield 16: After a slow start to the season, the Yellow Jackets are now 5-3. Gavin Riske accounted for nearly 300 yards of offense and two touchdowns for Concord. Mekhi Wingfield caught eight passes for more than 100 yards to set a state record for most catches in a season. Tylend Allen finished with 13 tackles for the Yellow Jackets. Concord will host Athens Friday for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
Napoleon 40, East Jackson 0: Napoleon completes its Cascades Conference regular season undefeated. The Pirates are now 8-0 while East Jackson is 2-6. Napoleon plays Addison at home next Saturday at noon for the Cascades Conference championship. East Jackson will play a yet-to-be determined crossover game. Grant Bradley set a school record for touchdown passes in a season with 17 and Holden Van Poppel broke the school record for receiving yards with more than 700 through eight games. Mason Roth scored twice and ran for nearly 100 yards for the Pirates.
Grass Lake 32, Leslie 6: The Warriors are now 5-3 breaking a three-game losing streak in the process. Brayden Lape threw for 262 yards and three touchdowns and Liam Metheringham ran for 153 yards and one score for Grass Lake. Bryant Cook led the Warriors with 10 tackles in the contest. Leslie is 3-5 and both teams will participate in the yet-to-be-determined Cascades Conference Crossover football games next week. Jayden Colby finished with 86 rushing yards and a touchdown and Justin Hoffbauer tallied nine tackles for the Blackhawks.
Michigan Center 42, Manchester 27: The Cardinals earned a road win in the Cascades Conference over Manchester. The Cardinals broke the game wide open with 28 points in the second quarter. Blake Sloan of Manchester had another monster game with 302 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Kannon Duffing threw for 125 yards for the Flying Dutchmen. Both teams will participate in the yet-to-be-determined crossover football games next week. Hadyn Hinkle threw for 186 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score. Brennan Forward caught two of those touchdown passes and ran a 50-yard kickoff for another score. MC kicker Spencer Berkeypile was 7-for-7 on extra points and had five touchbacks on kickoffs.
Addison 84, Springport 26: Defense was optional in this non-conference game at Addison. The Panthers are now 8-0 and heading to the Cascades Conference championship next Saturday at Napoleon with a head of steam. Springport is 2-6 overall for the season and will play a yet-to-be-determined crossover game next week. Rylinn Hale threw for 277 yards and four touchdowns for the Spartans. Jake Kregel caught two passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns. Spencer Brown finished with 193 rushing yards, three touchdowns rushing and one receiving for Addison. Byron Creech also scored twice for the Panthers.
Belding 49, Jackson 0: Belding ran for more than 300 yards – in the first half – against the Vikings. Jackson moved the ball having chances to score in the first half but turned the ball over. Jackson (4-4) will travel to Haslett next Friday for a 7 p.m. kickoff. A playoff spot might be on the line for the Vikings.
Hastings 51, Northwest 14: The Mounties (4-4) trailed 38-0 at halftime but fought back in the second half. Northwest will host Marshall Friday for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
Western 56, Marshall 7: Western High School bounced back after its first loss of the season last week. Reed Myers was 7-for-10 passing for 82 yards, one throwing touchdown and two rushing scores for Western. Alex Trudell ran for 121 yards on only seven attempts and two scores, Gibson French ran for 88 yards and one score, Mitchell Williams rushed for 42 yards and one score, and Ben Parrott had three catches for 49 yards and one score. Jack LaPorte returned a 60-yard punt and Landon Heavy finished with 10 tackles for the Panthers. Western (7-1) hosts Coldwater Friday at 7 p.m. in the last regular-season game of the 2023 season.
Clinton 36, Hillsdale 0: The Hornets fell on the road in Lenawee County Athletic Association play. Hillsdale was limited to 59 rushing yards in the game against Clinton with Jace Lennox running for 44 yards for the Hornets. Stephen Petersen tallied 13 tackles and Wyatt Wahtola added 11 stops on defense for the Hornets. Hillsdale (2-6) will host Onsted next Friday in an LCAA matchup beginning at 7 p.m.
Stockbridge 26, Whitmore Lake 22: The Panthers win a battle of 2-5 teams. Whitmore Lake took a 16-0 lead over Stockbridge before the Panthers fought back. Drew Robinson scored on touchdown passes from Jalen Rogozinski of 74 and 31 yards and he also ran for a score. Rogozinski threw for nearly 200 yards for Stockbridge in the win. Stockbridge hosts Dansville Friday at 7 p.m. in the last regular-season game of the season.
Gaylord 24, Lumen Christi 21: The Titans fell behind 21-7 but fought back. Kadale Williams scored twice, and Gabe King scored on a 27-yard touchdown pass from Tim Crowley. Defensively, Cassius Griffin finished with 13 tackles and Aiden Pastoriza made nine tackles with a sack for the Titans. Lumen Christi (7-1) will travel to Ford Field to face Harper Creek next Saturday at 1:30. Gaylord is 8-0 on the season, taking advantage of a couple of turnovers by the Titans.