The Reed City Coyotes continued their run as the cream of the crop in the CSAA-Gold. For the ninth time in ten seasons, the Coyotes captured the league title, a feat that coach Scott Shankel said he is extremely proud of. They clinched this year’s title in outright fashion after beating Grant 36-20.
Things started slow in this game, as Grant scored the lone touchdown in the first quarter. Reed City was able to respond with a touchdown and conversion in the second quarter to take an 8-7 edge into the locker room.
Coming out of the half, Reed City began to find its groove and make explosive plays to put points on the board. This started on the opening kickoff, where Landon Tomaski returned the football ninety yards for a touchdown.
Tomaski would add another touchdown run in the second half, while Noah Jones found the end zone twice on the ground. Jones finished the day with thirteen carries for 132 to pace a Reed City rushing attack that finished with 280 yards on 44 carries.
Defensively, Alex Wirgau led the way with eleven tackles, while Teddy Cross added six. Seth Jackson was the impact player in the defensive backfield, as he hauled in two interceptions. One of those interceptions he ran fifty-five yards for a touchdown to help Reed City expand on their lead.
Coach Shankel paid Grant’s team many compliments afterwards, calling the bunch “very physical”, “well coached” and “a tremendous team to play in preparation for the playoffs”.
Next week, both of these teams will start their playoff journeys. Their matchups will be announced on Sunday, and shortly after the MHSAA releases them, you can find all of the insight on MSR.
