Hard work pays off for Caro, Noah Carr in Tigers victory over Pinconning
By: Mike Gallagher
Sports Editor
CARO — Caro Tiger football is back!
The Tigers were back in front of the home crowd at Stamats Field Friday night for their matchup with Pinconning, and they put on a show, earning a comeback victory 26-24.
“It’s very refreshing,” said Caro head coach Todd Topham. “The kids worked hard all summer, and it showed in that fourth quarter how we came back and took care of business.”
“”It feels amazing,” said an emotional senior Tyler Deming, who had gone through the rough season last year with the Tigers. “I can’t even describe it. We’ve been working so hard all summer, and this is exactly what we talked about when we ended the season last year. This was exactly what we wanted to do.”
Caro opened the scoring in the first quarter on a 35-yard pass from Deven Hodder to Michael Graves, to put the Tigers up 6-0 with 5:13 left in the first quarter. Pinconning answered with a 24-yard run by Jacob Rittenberg, also in the first quarter to tie the game 6-6.
Rittenberg scored again in the second, on a15-yard run, the only score of the second quarter, putting the score at 12-6 going into the half.
Caro came back in the second half, scoring on a Noah Carr 2-yard run. Graves scored the two-point conversion, to give the Tigers a 13-12 lead. Pinconning put together a nice drive at the end of the third quarter, resulting in another Rittenberg touchdown, this time from 1-yard out, to give the Spartans a 18-13 lead with 20 seconds remaining in the third, and it seemed like Pinconning would take all of the momentum into the fourth.
Caro was unfased however, as they scored on their first drive of the fourth quarter, on a Noah Carr 9-yard run, to retake the lead 19-18.
Carr, who finished the game with 21 carries for 116 yards and two touchdowns, was the go-to running back for coach Topham all evening.
“He’s got to be our horse,” said Topham. “He has put himself in position to be our go-to guy with all of his hard work this ofseason, and it stepped it up on both sides of the ball tonight.”
Pinconning responded with a score of their own, a 15-yard run by Jared Fiebke to give the Spartans a 24-19 advantage.
Caro would not be denied, and on first and twenty two, Hodder threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Keaton Zimmerman to give the Tigers their final score of the game.
Once Pinconning got the ball, they fumbled thier last posession, and Graves recovered to seal the Tigers victory.
Hodder finished with 118 yards passing, and two touchdowns.
“We finally have a quarterback and a line in front of him, and Deven had a great game, and he’s got a great arm.”
Caro (1-0) will travel to Millington (1-0) next week, for their first Tri-Valley Conference matchup.
“We’re not very big, but we have got a lot of heart and quickness, and our guys rely on their technique, and they did a great job tonight on both sides of the ball.”
“We wanted to to come back and win a game, and we worked for every point on the board tonight,” said Deming. “Now we want to keep winning.”
Sherman, Wascher, Roehl, lead Millington to victory over Vassar
By: Mike Gallagher
Sports Editor
VASSAR — Records were broken, names were made, and flags were thrown. Millington and Vassar were back on the field again, and the game was a great one.
The Cardinals topped the Vulcans 42-28, and Millington, led by some strong performances by their underclassman, and some key senior leadership, took home the David J. Hecht Memorial Trophy.
“We scouted Vassar, and we were concerned with our youth, especially on the defense, with only one senior starting,” said Millington coach Roger Bearss. “But I think to be honest we were able to tire them out since they had guys going both ways.”
Millington opened the scoring in the first quarter, on a three play drive, that was capped off by a Caleb Wascher 37-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Cody Hill, to put the Cardinals up 8-0.
Vassar quickly answered, scoring on four plays, when Tyler Humpert bombed a 73-yard pass to Lamont Morrison to tie the game at 8-8.
On the kickoff after the Vassar score, Morrison delivered an onside kick, that Kane Millikin of Vassar recovered, giving the Vulcans a chance to take the lead. Vassar moved the ball to the one yard line, after a Morrison catch for 26-yards. Humpert was denied twice by the Millington defense, before Morrison took the snap, and drove it into the endzone to give Vassar a 14-8 lead.
Millington scored on their very next drive, on a 54-yard touchdown pass on a wide receiver pass from sophomore Bryce Bearss to Jared Roehl. Roehl ran in the 2-point conversion, to give Millington the lead 16-14.
The Cardinals forced a turnover on downs, on the next Vassar posession, and sophomore Kohlton Sherman scored on a a 14-yard scamper.
“I really didn’t think I had anything going,” said Sherman. “But I got some nice blocking from Cam Henderson, and I got in.”
Millington forced a three-and-out on the next Vassar drive, but Vassar answered by forcing a three-and-out of their own. However, the Vulcans drive would be cut short, when, on second and ten, Sherman picked off a Humpert pass to end a Vulcan threat.
Millington was forced to punt, and Vassar moved to ball into Millington territory, and Humpert finished the drive with a one-yard touchdown run to cut the Millington lead to 23-22.
Vassar stopped the Cardinals on their next drive, and with 1:55 left in the second quarter the Vulcans started started their drive from their own 44.
The Vulcans moved the ball to the Millington 43-yard line, and on third and ten, Alex Hertel took a Humpert pass all the way down to the three.
The Vulcans were on the three yard line, with 5.8 seconds left in the half, and called two timeouts to get the play right.
Humpert took the snap, rolled left, and threw the ball, right into the hands of Sherman, who took the ball 97-yards back for the score as time expired.
“I just knew I had to concentrate, and once I had it in my hands, I knew I could outrun them all,” Sherman said.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Sherman added. “After I was in the endzone after the pick-six, my jaw literally dropped, but it was all possible thanks to God. I was almost in tears.”
Millington took a 30-22 lead into halftime, and received the ball first in the second half. The Cardinals scored on a Roehl 15-yard run, his second score of the night to put the score at 36-22.
“The key play was that interception,” said Bearss. “Scoring after the half, that was a real momentum breaker.
“I was really impressed with Sherman and Roehl, tonight, and our offensive line did a great job. I think our line with Baker, Gould, Eickhoff, and Dean really stepped up in the second half.”
Vassar scored in on a 23-yard pass to Morrison with 1:16 left in the third to move the score to 36-28, but that was as close as Millington would let it get.
Caleb Wascher finished off the Cardinal scoring, with a five yard run with 8:18 left in the fourth. Wascher finished the game with 111 yards rushing on only 13 attempts.
“Caleb Wascher showed great poise and great leadership tonight,” said Bearss “He kept asking for the ball, he wanted to run the ball.”
Jared Roehl finished the game with 70 yard on 11 carries, and racked up nine tackles on defense. Sherman finished with two interceptions, four tackles, and one rushing touchdown. Lukas Selich recorded six tackles, and Wascher added seven.
The game was a record breaking performance for Vassar’s Tyler Humpert, as he broke the school record for passing yards in a game with 401. Humpert went 27-46, and threw two touchdowns, both to Morrison, who had seven catches for 173 yards.
Vassar (0-1) travels to Harbor Beach (0-1) next week, and Millington (1-0) hosts Caro (1-0).
“Sherman is a great kid, and he did a great job,” said Bearss. “I think that it helps that we have some pretty smart kids on the team this year.”
“A lot of people say that we are to young to do it,” said Sherman. “But tonight we showed we can hang with the best of them.”
Wildcats run past Westside Christian Academy
By Mike Gallagher
Sports Editor
MAYVILLE — The Wildcats weren’t able to stick to their original gameplan, and the game didn’t start the way they wanted, but Mayville rallied, and knocked off Detroit Westside Christian Academy 44-6 at home Saturday afternoon.
On the Wildcats first drive of the day, they moved the ball all the way down to the Warriors goal line. On the next play however, a Wildcat pass was intercepted, and returned for a touchdown, giving Westside Academy an early 6-0 lead.
That would be the only score the Warriors would muster, and they didn’t come close to the Wildcat endzone for the rest of the game.
The Mayville defense held the Warriors to negative total yards on offense, and offensively, rushed for over 300 yards against Westside Academy.
“It felt good to get the win,” said Mayville head coach Mike Campbell. “We rebounded after an awful start, and we held them out the rest of the game. It was nice to see the boys step up after facing adversity early.”
The rainy, cold weather changed up the Wildcat gameplan slightly, but Mayville responded very well.
“We wanted to throw the ball about 15-20 times, but with this weather today, we decided to pound it off tackle, and it was there,” said Campbell. “It wasn’t broke, so we didn’t fix it. Andrew Morrison, Brandon Blasius, and Christain Lefler did a great job going off tackle, and then with quarterback Cole Coutcher coming back on the other side, it worked out well.”
Morrison carried the ball 12 times for 85 yards, and scored three touchdowns. Blasius added 85 yards of his own, on only six carries, and Coutcher ran for 60 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, the Wildcats were led by Zach Lefler who had six tackles and a score on a fumble recovery, Jared Hoag who had five tackles, and Morrison who had five tackles, an interception, and two pass breakups.
“After that first big play, with penalties, and sacks, I think we negated everything else,” Campbell said. “Our defensive backs played great, and our defensive line put pressure on the quarterback.
“Andrew is going to be our playmaker,” added Campbell. “Offensively we need to get him the ball, there is no secret there. Defensively, when he brings his game, he’s a heck of a ball player.
“On pass coverage we saw him come from about 20 yards to make a play, and on another play he put one of the best hits I’ve seen on a swing pass. Perfect hit, low, shoulder pads right to the ribs, just the way you teach it.
“He is our one guy that could be very special.”
Mayville (1-0) will be on the road against Westland Lutheran (0-1) this Thursday at 4:30
Akron-Fairgrove 30, Caseville 14:
The Vikings avenged a 52-12 loss suffered in last season’s opener against the Eagles by defeating Caseville on their own turf Friday night. Akron-Fairgrove was led by quarterback Austin Carter, who threw for 155 yards and a touchdown, and ran for 105 yards. Jarod Ruiz ran for 109 yards and a touchdown, and Martin Wade added a score and 55 yards rushing. John Killian caught only one pass, but it was for 95-yards and a touchdown. Wade led the team defensively with 15 tackles, and Connor Cetas added 13. The Vikings (1-0) will host the Flint School for the Deaf, Thursday night.
Cass City 28, Brown City 14:
The Red Hawks took down the Green Devils, and their “fly” offense, in a Greater Thumb Conference crossover game to start the season. “It was a tough game, and very hard fought,” said Cass City coach Scott Cuthrell. “Our kids stuck it out, and I was very pleased with our play in the second half.” Cass City led 20-7 at the half, and added another touchdown in the second half to seal the victory. Sawyer Cuthrell led the Red Hawk offensive attack, rushing for 176 yards and two touchdowns, on 24 carries. Nick Perry added 71 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Mason Erla completed four passes, including a touchdown pass to Parker Haire. Haire added eight tackles on defense, and Brad Hacker had eight as well. Cass City (1-0) travels to Memphis on Thursday.
Frankenmuth 35, Hemlock 20:
The Eagles jumped out to an early 21-6 first quarter lead, en route to their second straight victory over Hemlock. Jack Veitengruber opened the scoring for Frankenmuth on a 39-yard interception that he returned for a touchdown. Brady Wood caught a 16-yard pass from Jack Tagget to put the Eagles up 14-6, and a 1-yard run by Josh Szczepanski made the score 21-6. In the second quarter Tagget threw his second touchdown on the night, connecting with Jared Davis for a 15-yard score, and in the fourth quarter Veitengruber ran in a score from 11 yards out. Frankenmuth, led by Szczepanski’s 131 running yards, outrushed Hemlock 281-30. The Eagles (1-0) travel to Birch Run this Thursday, to start Tri-Valley Conference play.
Marlette 29, Merrill 15:
The Red Raider’s relied on their defense on a night where their offense wasn’t quite playing up to par. “It was an ugly game,” said Marlette coach Dennis Lester. “We turned the ball over way to much tonight. Our defense bailed us out time after time.” Jarod Lentz opened the scoring with a 3-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, and the score remained 7-6 until the fourth quarter when Hunter McGinnis ran one in from 3-yards out. Lentz finished the game with four interceptions, but backup Ethan McKenney threw for a touchdown, and 100 yards on four completions. Zach Chappel led the Marlette defense with nine tackles, one sack, and 3.5 tackles for loss, while McGinnis and Tyler Ladd both had two interceptions. “I was proud of the way that we never quit,” said Lester. “We have a lot of work to do but we really improved from the scrimmage so I know the kids will come back to work and we will improve this week too.” Marlette (1-0) hosts Bad Axe Thursday.
Owen-Gage 72, New Haven Merritt 42:
The Bulldogs got the season started off right, scoring 72 points, and getting touches to multiple players on the offensive side of the ball. “Merritt is a much improved team, with many returning players, especially at the skill positions,” said Owen-Gage coach Jim Wencel. “They hung with us for a while, but then we pulled away.” A trio of Bulldog ball carriers went over 100 yards rushing: Dylan Fritz (162), Jake Warack (155), and David Binder (108), while quarterback Jacob Wright threw for 174 yards on 6-of-9 passing. Dan Good had five catches for 137 yards, and he also had 12 tackles on defense. Warack added seven tackles, and one interception. Owen-Gage (1-0) travels to Burton Madison Academy Thursday.
Montrose 53, Reese 22: Jacob Hartman 201 rushing yards, 102 passing yards.
Sandusky 28, USA 22: Koltyn Sebert 103 total yards, two touchdowns, Aaron Saenz 90 rushing yards
North Branch 37, Saginaw 14
Deckerville 42, Kingston 0
Advertiser Area Power 5
1. Millington (1-0) – The young Cardinal squad proved that they were for real in week one, topping a strong Vassar team 42-28. If they can continue to improve every week like coach Roger Bearss preaches, this will be a very dangerous team in the Tri-Valley East Conference.
2. Frankenmuth (1-0) – The Eagles took care of business in the first week, handling a tough Hemlock team with ease. Frankenmuth will be tested early, as they will have to face Birch Run, a team they shared the TVC East title with last season, in week two.
3. Cass City (1-0) – The Red Hawks showed that their running game is one of the top in the Greater Thumb Conference in week one, as they ran all over a stout Brown City defense. Cass City will travel to Memphis this week, and will look to continue to dominate the ground attack.
4. Owen-Gage (1-0) – The Bulldogs showed that not only do they have some big offensive stars in Jacob Wright, David Binder, and Dan Good, but also have a strong supporting cast, as Dylan Fritz, and Jake Warack both went for over 100 yards rushing in week one. The Bulldogs will get their first look at new conference foe Burton Madison this week, a team that defeated Hale 72-22 this past week.
5. Caro (1-0) – The Tiger football team came back in a strong way, earning a comeback victory over Pinconning in week one. Their lineman proved that they can hang with bigger teams, and Noah Carr showed that he is the Tiger’s feature back. They will travel to Millington this week, and they where they will really figure out what kind of team they are.
Advertiser Statistical Leaderboard
Top 5 passers
1. Tyler Humpert Vassar 401 yards
2. Jacob Wright Owen-Gage 174 yards
3. Austin Carter Akron-Fairgrove 155 yards
4. Deven Hodder Caro 118 yards
5. Jacob Hartman Reese 102 yards
Top 10 rushers
1. Jacob Hartman Reese 210 yards
2. Sawyer Cuthrell Cass City 176 yards
3. Dylan Fritz Owen-Gage 162 yards
4. Jake Warack Owen-Gage 155 yards
5. Josh Szczepanski Frankenmuth 131 yards
6. Noah Carr Caro 116 yards
7. Caleb Wascher Millington 111 yards
8. Jarod Ruiz Akron-Fairgrove 109 yards
9. David Binder Owen-Gage 108 yards
10. Austin Carter Akron-Fairgrove 105 yards
Top 5 receivers
1. Lamont Morrison Vassar 173 yards
2. Dan Good Owen-Gage 137 yards
3. John Killian Akron-Fairgrove 95 yards
4. Tyler Ladd Marlette 85 yards
5. Michael Graves Caro 77 yards
Top 5 tacklers
1. Martin Wade Akron-Fairgrove 15 tackles
2. Matt Bringard Caro 14 tackles
3. Connor Cetas Akron-Fairgrove 13 tackles
4. Dan Good Owen-Gage 12 tackles
5. Kane Millikin Vassar 10 tackles
The 2015 Advertiser Football contest kicked off this week, and over 50 entries were received. Only one submitted entry was the winner — Wally Prusi’s. With a 12-1 record in the first week, Prusi took home the $25 prize, slipping only on the Marlette – Merrill game. Eight people went 11-2 this week, including Ed Kolacz, Curt Henderson, David Barrien, James Simmet, Dawn Currie, Garrett Green, Diane Fritz, and Robert Rockefeller. Michael Seaman of Kingston snuck into the Top 10, as he went 10-3, and had the closest prediction in the tiebreaker, guessing 51 total points in the Sandusky and USA matchup.
Top 10 Football Predictors
1. Wally Prusi (12-1) Fairgrove
2. Ed Kolacz (11-2) Caro
3. Curt Henderson (11-2) Fostoria
4. David Barren (11-2) Cass City
5. James Simmet (11-2) Sebewaing
6. Dawn Currie (11-2) Millington
7. Garrett Green (11-2) Kingston
8. Diane Fritz (11-2) Unionville
9. Robert Rockefeller (11-2) Croswell
10. Michael Seaman (10-3) Kingston
Week 2 Football Schedule
Flint School for the Deaf @ Akron-Fairgrove
Millington @ Caro
Cass City @ Memphis
Frankenmuth @ Birch Run
North Huron @ Kingston
Mayville @ Westland Lutheran
Bad Axe @ Marlette
North Branch @ Garber
Owen-Gage @ Burton Madison Academy
Reese @ Sandusky
USA @ Ubly
Vassar @ Harbor Beach
