Leaping Joe Lathers jumped over a would-be-tackler on a 9-yard touchdown run for Lumen Christi Catholic High School in the Division 7 state semifinal on Saturday at Chelsea High School.
Football
Division 7 State Semifinals
At Chelsea High School
Lumen Christi 20, Napoleon 7: What looked like a rugby scrum turned on one play in the second quarter for Lumen Christi Catholic High School. Derrick Walker ran 81 yards for nearly a touchdown midway through the second quarter to break open a close game in the MHSAA Division 7 state semifinal game at Chelsea High School. Devian Franklin scored on the next play on a 2-yard run. The extra point by Andrew Salazar gave Lumen Christi a 7-0 halftime lead. Walker went over the 1,000-yard mark for the season on the run. “My line and receivers blocked great and I took advantage of it,” Walker said after the win. “I wouldn’t be able to get it (1,000 yards) without my line and my coaches.” The Titans came out and scored twice in the third quarter with touchdown runs of 1 and 9 yards for quarterback Joe Lathers. Napoleon scored late in the game on an odd play. NHS quarterback Grant Bradley was stood up on a sneak, so he pitched it to Trent Jester who scored on the play. Maggie VanWagnen kicked the extra point for the Pirates. Walker finished with 191 rushing yards on 19 carries for LCCHS. Garrett Slider and Lathers finished with nine tackles apiece and Isaac Rehberg created eight tackles for the Titans. Bart Laretz ran for 77 yards on 21 carries for the Pirates. That puts him over 2,000 rushing yards for the season. Napoleon finishes the season with a 12-1 – the most wins in school history. Lumen Christi is on a 10-game winning streak heading into the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 7 state finals next Saturday against Traverse City St. Francis beginning at 10 a.m. “They are a great football team … we have our work cut out for us,” LCCHS Coach Herb Brogan said after the game. “I think they are capable of winning it (a state title) in four divisions.” The Titans are 10-3 overall for the season.
Hockey
Jackson United 4, Eastside 0: Jackson United goalie Nick Nau stopped 31 shots to earn the save. Goals were scored by Maddox Grimes, Aiden Chappell, and two goals by Nick Baumgardner for JU (1-0).
Lumen Christi 9, Kalamazoo United 0: The Titans scored six times in the first period as Kalamazoo was foul happy. First-period goals were scored by Luke Sexton, Daniel Brady, Isaiah Dinverno, Nolan Varner, Josh Baker, and Brett Terry. Terry scored his second goal of the game and Jake King added a pair of goals in the second period. Zach Jaakkola earned the shutout in goal for Lumen Christi (1-0).
Gymnastics
Lakeland Huron Valley Invitational: Jackson Area Gymnastics finished first on the vault, bars, beam, and floor to win the 11-team meet with 134 points.