The Central Montcalm Hornets and Ravenna Bulldogs both entered Week 9 of the regular season with a comfortable positioning in the playoff standings. Ravenna seized a blowout victory, boosting the team’s confidence in a 55-19 game.
Midway through the first quarter, Thomas McCullough rushed for a 7-yard touchdown to give Ravenna the lead. Mitch Herald answered with a 27-yard carry, evening the count at seven after the first quarter.
The second quarter was all Ravenna, with the team scoring 21 unanswered points. Seven seconds into the frame, McCullough returned to the end zone with a 26-yard rush. Two minutes later, the Bulldogs blocked a punt. Carter Schullo scooped up the football in the end zone for a score. Finally, Dayton Thomas bolted past the Central Montcalm defenders, racing to the end zone on a 72-yard touchdown sprint.
Ravenna’s run continued in the third quarter with two more touchdowns. First, it was Dayton Thomas on a 7-yard carry. Later, Thomas McCullough added a 91-yard burst. Central Montcalm would finally score on a 59-yard carry by Isaac Johnson in the closing seconds of the third frame.
The Hornets started the fourth quarter by scoring first, as Kaleb Crooks kept the football on a 3-yard quarterback run. Ravenna rounded out the scoring with a pair of touchdowns. Dayton Thomas found his way to the end zone a third time, registering a 2-yard carry. Owen Scott scooped up a loose fumble and ran 35 yards for the final points in this game.
The yardage in this game was surprisingly close, as Ravenna outgained Central Montcalm by only 21 yards, 334-313. Two turnovers and ten penalties proved to be the death-blow for the Hornets in this game.
Isaac Johnson had 166 rushing yards for Central Montcalm on 19 carries. Thomas McCullough led Ravenna with 168 yards on the ground, registering 8 carries. Dayton Thomas just missed out on the century mark with 94 rushing yards.
Ravenna concludes the regular season at 6-3, while Central Montcalm posts a 5-4 record. Both teams will learn their playoff matchups on Sunday evening.
