Addison, Napoleon to meet for Cascades Conference Football Title
By Jeff Steers
JTV Sports
(October 7, 2023 8:22 AM ET) Addison and Napoleon High School are on a collision course to meet in the Cascades Conference championship game in two weeks.
Both teams won Friday earning titles in their respective divisions.
Addison finishes undefeated in the Western Division and Napoleon is undefeated in the Eastern Division. The only thing that can change is Manchester tying for the division with a win over Michigan Center and a loss by Napoleon to East Jackson next Friday.
The Pirates hold the tiebreaker against Manchester with a win earlier in the season.
Western falls from the ranks of undefeated with a one-point loss to Hastings at Olivet College.
Lumen Christi puts its 6-0 record on the road today at Traverse City St. Francis. The game is a rematch of last year’s Division 7 state title game … and a budding rivalry between the two schools.
Here are reports from Friday’s games – a cold and rainy night in which several schools still celebrated homecoming.
Columbia Central 24, Homer 13: The Golden Eagles won its first Cascades Conference game of the season with a victory on the road at Homer. CCHS is 3-4 overall while Homer falls to 0-7 for the season. Braden Ellison ran for 118 yards and a touchdown and Blake Evans finished with 135 rushing yards for CCHS. Blake Hoskins recorded eight tacks and returned a fumble 75 yards for a touchdown and Shane Taylor added two sacks and a forced fumble for Columbia Central. Homer will host Jonesville next Friday at 7 p.m. and Columbia Central hosts Hanover-Horton at the same time.
Concord 52, Morenci 14: The Yellow Jackets led 22-0 at halftime and poured it on in the second half. Concord celebrated homecoming on the rainy night. Collin Thompson scored three touchdowns on a 35-yard punt return and runs of 8 and 40 yards. Gavin Riske was 13-for-15 passing of 235 yards and two touchdowns. Riske went over the 2,000-yard mark in passing for the season with at least two games remaining. Mekhi Wingfield caught six passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns. Wingfield now has 70 receptions for the season – six away from the state record. Tylend Allen scored one touchdown and two 2-point conversions and Levi Raymond ran for 97 yards for the Yellow Jackets. Concord is 4-3 overall while Morenci is 2-4. Concord will host Britton-Deerfield next Friday at 7 p.m.
Leslie 35, East Jackson 8: The Blackhawks won a battle of 2-4 teams at home Friday. Brogan Dodge ran for 171 yards and two touchdowns for Leslie in the win. Jayden Colby, Braedon Romero, and Christian Reed also scored for the Blackhawks. Colby and Tanner Craft each finished with 10 tackles for Leslie (3-4 overall). The Trojans were led by Austin Tingley with 216 passing yards and one touchdown and Caleb Weaver with 125 yards rushing and 129 yards receiving. Deangelo Alexander caught the touchdown pass from Tingley for EJ’s only score. Dustin Poole led the defensive charge for East Jackson with 14 tackles and Weaver added 13 stops. East Jackson will travel to Napoleon next Friday for a 7 p.m. kickoff. Leslie travels to Grass Lake on Friday.
Manchester 21, Grass Lake 20: The Flying Dutchmen stay alive for a possible Cascades Conference Eastern Division title with the victory. They will need a win against Michigan Center at home and a Napoleon loss against East Jackson to tie for the title. The Pirates hold the tiebreaker against Manchester with a win earlier in the season. Blake Sloan had another huge night for the Flying Dutchmen. A week after scoring six touchdowns in a game, Sloan ran for 286 yards and two scores for Manchester Friday night. Brayden Lape finished with 219 passing yards and one touchdown pass to Robert Anderson – who finished with 104 receiving yards. Anderson also scored on a 97-yard kickoff return for the Warriors. Bryant Cook and Jack Reid each registered 13 tackles in the game for GLHS. Grass Lake (4-3) hosts Leslie next Friday at 7 p.m. Manchester is 6-1 on the season with the victory.
Addison 42, Hanover-Horton 8: The Panthers claimed the Cascades Conference Western Division with the win. They are the first team to claim one of the Cascades Conference’s two divisions. The Panthers are now 7-0 overall while Hanover-Horton is 2-5. Graham Gumper scored the only touchdown for the Comets who scored first for an 8-0 lead. The Panthers rushed for 355 yards in the contest. Addison hosts Springport at 7 p.m. next Friday while the Comets travel to Columbia Central.
Chelsea 21, Jackson 14: The two teams were tied 14-all at halftime. Jackson is now 4-3 while Chelsea improves to 6-1 overall and 5-0 in the SEC White Division on the season. Cyron Stamper rushed for 125 yards and one score and Semaj Gatewood added 118 yards and one touchdown for Jackson. The Vikings finished with 283 total yards on the night. The Vikings host Belding next Friday at 7 p.m.
Napoleon 44, Michigan Center 34: Mason Roth ran for three touchdowns and 333 rushing yards for Napoleon in the road win. The Pirates are now 7-0 overall and earn the Cascades Conference Eastern Division outright title with a win against East Jackson next Friday at home beginning at 7 p.m. Haydn Hinkle threw for three touchdowns and ran for another for Michigan Center. The Cardinals travel to Manchester Friday at 7 p.m. Napoleon will play in the Cascades Conference championship game in two weeks against Addison. Holden Van Poppel scored twice and Grant Bradley added one touchdown for Napoleon. The Pirates ran for 538 yards in the contest on a rainy night. Zack Bamm led the Pirates with 14 tackles on the night. Michigan Center is 5-2 overall for the season.
Northwest 7, Coldwater 6: The Mounties keep their playoff hopes alive with a 1-point win at Coldwater. The Mounties are now 4-3 overall while Coldwater is 0-7 on the season. Maddox Grimes converted the extra point kick for NWHS – the difference in the contest. Northwest travels to Hastings next Friday for an Interstate-8 Conference matchup at 7 p.m.
Sand Creek 28, Springport 14: The two-game winning streak is over for the Spartans with a home loss Friday. Rylinn Hale finished with 10 tackles defensively for the Spartans. Gavin Lightner finished with 86 passing yards and one touchdown to Caleb Kregel and Thomas Scott scored one touchdown on the ground. Springport (2-5) travels to Addison next Friday for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
Hastings 20, Western 19: The Panthers lost its first game of the season in an Interstate-8 Conference contest at Olivet College. The game was moved to Olivet due to poor conditions at Western. The Panthers were down 12-0 going into the fourth quarter. Western scored three times in the final eight minutes but failed on a 2-point conversion to possibly win the contest. Reed Myers threw for 131 yards and two touchdowns for Western. Caleb Rudd-Jones caught one touchdown pass for 20 yards and Alex Trudell scored on a 5-yard run for the Panthers. Trudell finished with 90 yards running the football. Gibson French led the defense with 13 tackles on the night for Western. The Panthers are now 6-1 overall and travel to Marshall next Friday for a 7 p.m. kickoff. Hastings is now 5-2 overall.
Dundee 15, Hillsdale 14: The Hornets lost by one point on the road in Lenawee County Athletic Association play. Hillsdale is now 2-5 while Dundee is 4-3 overall for the season. Dundee scored all 15 of its points in the fourth quarter. Jace Lennox ran for 127 yards for Hillsdale and one touchdown. Stephen Petersen had a big day on defense with 18 tackles for the Hornets.
It doesn’t get easier for the Hornets as Hillsdale travels to Clinton next Friday for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
Perry 14, Stockbridge 13: Stockbridge scored twice in the first quarter but was shut out the remainder of the game. The Panthers are now 2-5 while Perry is 5-2. Drew Robinson scored on a 42-yard run and Zac Rogozinski added a 3-yard run for Stockbridge. Rogozinski finished with 220 rushing yards on offense and eight tackles on defense for Stockbridge. The Panthers will host Whitmore Lake next Friday at 7 p.m.
Pewamo-Westphalia 48, Jonesville 6: Jonesville will travel to Homer next Friday for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
On Deck for Oct. 7, 2023
Football
Lumen Christi (6-0) at St. Francis (3-3) 3 p.m.