Scenes from the Gladwin football scrimmage at Bay City Central in preparation for the 2022 high school season.
BAY CITY, MI – A look at high school football highlights from MLive Bay City’s 23-school coverage area for Oct. 7, 2022. Bay City area coaches are asked to submit results, highlights and comments the night of each game by emailing lthomps2@mlive.com.
Bay City area Week 7 football scores
No. 4-ranked Gladwin earned real-deal status.
Taking on the big boys of Pontiac Notre Dame, the Flying G’s backed their claim as one of the top Division 5 teams in Michigan with a 33-27 victory.
Gladwin (7-0) wasn’t able to add to its collection of five shutouts this season, but it held the upper hand on honorable mention Notre Dame throughout the rare matchup. The Jack Pine Conference champion saw the Irish dice the margin to a one-score game then drive into the red zone with a chance to snare the lead.
But the Flying G’s rose to the moment, stopping the drive and preserving the monumental victory.
“This is a great win for our program,” Gladwin coach Marc Jarstfer said. “To go on the road into a big-time environment, face all sorts of adversity and still be able to close the game out late with a defensive stand says a lot about or guys’ heart and resolve.”
Gladwin led 19-13 at the half and 25-20 through three quarters, piling up 468 yards of total offense for the game.
Nick Wheeler finished 9 of 15 passing for 175 yards and two TDs while rushing for 56 yards on 16 carries. He also snared two interceptions on defense in a clutch performance.
Lucas Mead also came up big with four receptions for 110 yards and two scores and fired a 66-yard touchdown to Jhace Massey to launch the scoring.
Earl Esiline rushed for 94 yards and touchdown while Logan Kokotovich tallied 71 yards and a touchdown for the G’s. Kokotovich had a busy night defensively with 13 stops.
Bay City Central’s Benjamin Sporman (22) runs the ball during a high school football game at Bay City Central High School on Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022. Ortonville Brandon won the game over Bay City Central, 49-35. (Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com)Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com
TRAVERSE CITY CENTRAL 35, BAY CITY CENTRAL 7
Bay City Central was looking for an encore performance.
But Traverse City Central removed the drama with a dominant second half.
Looking to build on its upset of No. 2-ranked Mount Pleasant a week ago, Central competed with returning state runner-up Traverse City Central until the final quarter in a 35-7 loss in Saginaw Valley League North action.
Central (2-5, 1-3) got a 1-yard touchdown plunge from quarterback Cade Sowinski just 1:31 before halftime to knot the score at 7-7 at the midway point. But TCC put up 28 unanswered points in the second half to pull away.
The game stood at 21-7 heading into the final stanza, but Central couldn’t muster any offense.
“We made too many mistakes,” BCC coach Kevin Frederick said. “We operated behind the chains all night. Credit to TCC for coming out of half and executing their gameplan.”
Sowinski was 8 of 16 passing for 106 yards for BCC and led in rushing with 45 yards on 10 carries. L.J. McCullough caught two passes for 44 yards and Jamario Harris added 23 rushing yards on eight carries.
Reed Seabase rushed for 147 yards and four touchdowns for TCC (3-4, 2-2) and Brayden Halliday rolled up 112 yards on the ground.
Bay City Western's Jackson Clark (6) attempts a pass to a teammate during a game against Midland Dow Friday, Sept. 16, 2022 at Western High School.Katy Kildee | for MLive.com
One year after handing Midland its most lopsided loss in 70 years, Bay City Western felt the retribution as Midland powered to a 51-8 victory.
In a game that had first place in the Saginaw Valley League North in the balance, the Chemics (6-1, 4-1) looked title-ready while rolling to a 29-0 lead by halftime.
“They’re a good football team and it’s pretty simple, we couldn’t move the ball and they could – and we couldn’t stop them,” Western coach Chris Willertz said. “The kids battled, played hard the whole game and were able to get a touchdown in the second half, so that was good.”
Western (4-3, 2-2) saw its title hopes dashed after tallying just 100 yards of total offense. Jackson Clark was 2 of 8 passing for 34 yards while Aidan Robinson rushed for 39 yards on 12 carries. Braylin Olgac caught two passes for 34 yards and scored on a 5-yard touchdown run to get Western on the board. Clark ran in the two-point conversion.
The Essexville Garber football captains keep an eye on the coin flip prior to their game at John Glenn.
Garber scored four touchdowns in the span of 4:51, breaking open the game en route to a 38-0 shutout of John Glenn in the TVC 8 clash. The Dukes have won five in a row in the Cross-River Rivalry, three straight by shutout.
READ Lee Thompson’s full story
Chris Pope of the All Saints football team for 2022.
Bay City All Saints has shifted into must-win mode.
And the Cougars know they have to keep the pedal to the metal.
With a 28-22 victory over Ashley, the Cougars (4-3, 4-2) climbed back onto the plus side and kept their postseason hopes intact.
All Saints raced to a 20-0 lead in the second quarter only to see Ashley (2-5, 2-4) scratch its way back into contention. The Bears twice drew within one score, including making it a six-point game with 2:37 to play.
The Cougars put it away, feeding fullback Chris Pope for 12 carries and 62 tough yards to help seal the deal.
“Pope came in and kept the ball and clock moving,” All Saints coach Eric Gust said. “He ran like a tank.”
Freshman quarterback Jack Wetters enjoyed another strong performance, completing 22 of 29 passes for 180 yards and three touchdowns. He hit Bo Williams nine times for 90 yards and a score while Charles Warren and Antonio Salinas also hauled in TD tosses. Wetters also ran for one score.
Luke Dengler fronted the defense with eight tackles and a fumble recovery while Williams nabbed an interception and joined Levi Johnson with six tackles.
Standish-Sterling's Brayden Sullivan churns out some yardage during a win over Saginaw Nouvel in Week 7. (Provided by Erica Quick)
No. 3-ranked Standish-Sterling continues to impress, thriving in all aspects of the game en route to a 61-7 victory over Saginaw Nouvel.
The Panthers are 7-0 for the first time since winning their first 12 games in 2008. The defense dominated, keeping its opponent to one score or less for the fifth time in seven contests.
“Just a tremendous effort put in by my linebackers tonight,” SSC coach Marty Malcolm said. “The D-line did an awesome job to allow the linebackers to get to the ball.”
Gabe Morley led the charge with 12 tackles while Nick Niernberg added nine. Ty Yorton picked off a pass and joined Hunter Strawn with six tackles.
Truman King was on point at quarterback, completing 7 of 10 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns while running for a third.
Brayden Sullivan caught three balls for 75 yards and two scores while Jacob Bartlett came up big with 154 yards and three TDs on 19 carries.
Connor McCain passed for two scores and Ethan Wissner ran for two as Laker downed Bad Axe 32-14 in the Greater Thumb West’s winner-take-all championship game. It marks Laker’s second straight title after sharing the crown with Bad Axe and Reese a year ago.
READ Lee Thompson’s full story
First-year Tawas Area coach Zack Blanchard stands with players Jake Hazen, Granite Barringer, Dylan Edmonds, Will Collier, Evan Mochty, Kadin Bellinger and Eric Noeker.
TAWAS 44, MAPLE CITY GLEN LAKE 14
All of a sudden, Tawas Area is on another streak.
After shedding its 20-game losing streak a week ago, Tawas came through with its second consecutive victory, stunning Maple City Glen Lake 44-14 in a non-league matchup.
Evan Mochty ran for 257 yards on 39 carries and scored four touchdowns to give the Braves a mighty spark with the ground game. Granite Barringer also rushed for a touchdown and got the defense on the board with a pick six.
Tawas (2-5) had not won since Oct. 18, 2019 prior to last week’s breakthrough win over Mancelona. Now the Braves are enjoying back-to-back success under first-year coach Zack Blanchard.
Pinconning broke a three-week point drought, but there weren’t many other bright spots for the Spartans in a 54-7 loss to Shepherd.
Pinconning (0-7, 0-5) got on the board in the Jack Pine Conference contest as Darrius Cooper scored on a rushing touchdown, the team’s first points after three straight shutout losses. Landon Enciso booted the PAT.
The Spartans are now caught in a 13-game losing streak dating back to Week 3 of last season.
Beaverton jumped at its chance to shine on homecoming, rolling to a 35-0 victory over Harrison in the Jack Pine Conference tilt.
It was the third straight strong showing from Beaverton (2-5, 2-3), which nearly upset Sanford Meridian a week ago and carried that momentum into homecoming.
“Great effort by our young men from beginning to end,” Beaverton coach Aaron Seiser said. “Our defense really prepared well and did a good job holding up against what Harrison is good at.”
Harrison (2-5, 1-5) is good at running the football, but uncharacteristically struggled on the ground. Nathan Mass was the team’s top rusher with just 39 yards. He also completed 3 of 11 passes for 61 yards.
But the Beaverton defense dominated for its second shutout of the season. Logan Love led the way with nine tackles while William Warner and Russell Longstreth each added eight. Warner and Justin Wood each had two tackles for loss and Landon Love nabbed an interception.
Al Pahl was 6 of 10 passing for 91 yards for Beaverton, hitting Reese Longstreth, Russell Longstreth and Colton Compton for touchdowns. Travis Ficek rushed for 95 yards and a touchdown on nine carries while Landon Love had nine carries for 62 yards and a score in the win.
The Harrison defense was led by Fabian Coon with 10 tackles and Christopher Beniott with six.
Clare’s offensive line prepares for a play during a game at Freeland on Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022. Zachary Clingenpeel | ZClingenpeel@mlive.com
In a battle for second place in the Jack Pine Conference, Clare took charge early and rolled to a 46-20 victory over Sanford Meridian.
The Pioneers (5-2, 4-1) reached the five-win mark for the 17th consecutive year and lined themselves up for a playoff berth. They led 33-7 by halftime while defeating Meridian (4-3, 3-2) for the seventh straight season.
Jayden Arthur delivered another strong performance at quarterback, completing 14 of 16 attempts for 184 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 84 yards and three TDs on 15 carries.
Chase Randall caught five passes for 74 yards and two scores while Westyn Bryant rushed for 51 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. Ryan Louch turned four receptions into 90 yards and a score while Carter Smedley tallied 34 rushing yards, 42 receiving yards and fired a 44-yard touchdown pass.
Ogemaw Heights rattled off its fourth consecutive victory, powering to a 40-14 win over Benzie Central in its NMFL Legends finale.
The Falcons (5-2, 4-2) led 26-0 by halftime and didn’t allow a point until Benzie punched in two scores in the final 1:06 of the game. Konner Lauria notched eight tackles to front the Ogemaw defense while Gabe Courtemanche and Bryce Berdan had seven apiece. Xander Kartes intercepted two passes and Karter Schmitt picked off one in the dominating performance.
The Ogemaw offense rolled up 355 rushing yards, running behind the likes of guard Mason Dunn and tackle Joey Bak. Berdan finished with 158 yards and two TDs on 17 carries while Schmitt added 72 yards and two scores and Robbie Hock 71 yards and a touchdown. Schmitt also caught a 9-yard TD toss from Kartes.
In a battle of a pair of state-ranked teams, Au Gres showed it was ready to move into the upper echelon of eight-player football with a 50-34 victory over Alcona.
Ranked No. 8 in Division 2, Au Gres (6-1) looked the part while putting up 50 against the No. 8-ranked team in Division 1. Keagan Bender set the tone, rambling for 194 yards and five touchdowns on 20 carries for the Wolverines. He also caught three balls for 44 yards and a score.
Carter Zeien was 14 of 24 passing for 257 ayrds and two touchdowns while rushing for 87 yards.
“It was a really tough game from both teams, we both played physical,” Au Gres coach Brian Sanchez said. “Offensively, we were able to move the ball. Defensively, we had some tough stands and were able to cause four turnovers.”
Bender notched 14 tackles to front the defense while Monte Wenkel had seven stops and two interceptions.
Six different players scored a touchdown for Alcona, which got a 15-tackle performance on defense from Hayden Johnston.
2022 high school football helmet of the Hale Eagles.
In a clash of winless team, it was Hale that came away with the much-needed celebration, working its way to a 38-20 victory over St. Helen Heston.
Hale (1-6) had scored 30 points through six games this season before cranking up its attack in Week 7 for the win. The Eagles rushed for 369 yards on the night, led by Jeff Guoan’s 125-yard, two-touchdown performance.
Sam Patten added 86 yards, Seth Gibson 82 and Dalton Jaremba 78 and all three got in the end zone for touchdown. Patten also threw to Quinton Coleman for an 11-yard score.
Guoan also led the defense with 9.5 tackles while Coleman tallied eight tackles with three sacks and Kenny Carpenter added two sacks. Patten had 8.5 tackles and a fumble recovery and Gibson nabbed an interception in the win.
Heston (0-7) saw its losing streak extended to 25 games.
Whittemore-Prescott had no answer for Michael Nunn and the Farwell rushing attack as the Eagles soared to a 60-24 victory in eight-player football.
Nunn broke loose for a 316-yard, four-touchdown performance to keep Farwell (7-0) undefeated on the year. Nunn has churned out 1,638 yards and 30 touchdowns on the season. Rylee Carncross also came up big with 122 yards and two touchdowns on the ground as Farwell rolled up 550 rushing yards.
Whittemore-Prescott (2-5) hung within 16-8 at halftime before Farwell erupted for 44 second-half points.
Sam Vyner carried a heavy load for the Cardinals, running the ball 43 times for 178 yards and two touchdowns. He also returned a kickoff 75 yards to the house.
Vyner notched 12 tackles on defense and Hunter Cicalo added seven.
Reese got the two touchdowns it needed to stay in contention but couldn’t get the one conversion it needed to win.
Caro made two stops on Reese’s two-point conversion attempts and held on for a 13-12 victory in Greater Thumb West action. The win put the Tigers (1-6, 1-4) in the win column for the first time this season.
Reese (2-5,2-3) got a 71-yard touchdown toss from Luke Foco to Mitchell Stricker in the third quarter. Stricker came up with a pick-six with about eight minutes left in the game, putting the Rockets on the doorstep of victory. But Caro stuffed the two-point conversion bid that would loom large in a one-point ballgame.
Foco finished 7 of 14 passing for 65 yards while Carter DeLong rushed for 44 yards on 14 carries for the Rockets. Corbin Bouvy and Beck Shores led the defense with 13 tackles apiece and Caden Blossom added 11.
Unionville-Sebewaing Area got in the win column for the second straight week, shaking off a bad start en route to a 38-14 victory over Vassar in Greater Thumb West action.
After an 0-5 start that included a pair of forfeits due to low numbers, the Patriots (2-5, 2-3) have reversed the flow with back-to-back triumphs. Vassar scored on its opening possession only to see USA rattle off 38 unanswered points.
The USA defense clamped down to turn the tide, as Landon Russell put an exclamation point on the victory with a 95-yard pick six in the fourth quarter. Kameron Schlund and Keydan Reinke each registered six tackles in the win while Dirk Rierson added five with a forced fumble and Ryan Weiderhold snared an interception.
Russell and Carson Holland formed a formidable 1-2 punch, producing near-identical numbers in the running game. Russell had 138 yards and two TDs on 12 carries and Holland tallied 139 yards and two scores on 13 carries to confound Vassar (3-4, 1-4).
Landyn Schott of the Cass City football team for 2022.
It was a back-and-forth game, until Cass City stopped giving back.
After dueling to a 20-20 tie near the end of the first half, the Red Hawks took all the scoring for themselves for a 56-20 victory over Marlette in Greater Thumb East action. Cass City scored the final 36 points of the game to pull away.
Landyn Schott delivered a monstrous performance, rushing for 254 yards and five touchdowns on just 11 carries as Cass City produced 424 yards on the ground. Ryker Wallace tallied 150 yards and a TD on eight carries. The twosome averaged 21.3 yards per carry.
Tyler Cumper and Carter Patrick also ran for touchdowns in the win. Ethan Kampo led Cass City (4-3, 3-2) with 11 tackles on defense and Kellen Leavine added 10. Cumper nabbed an interception in the win.
Colton Karpovich, Whyatt Erdody and Griffin Johnson each scored touchdowns, but it wasn’t quite enough for Akron-Fairgrove in NCTL Stripes loss to North Huron.
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