**ARTICLE BY LIEN VELDBOOM**
With the start of school approaching, high school football is back in action under the Friday night lights. The OK blue teams will be participating in the following games:
Allendale v Greenville (Thursday)
The Falcons will enter their home opener with a new face at the helm. Darren Geraghty is coming in as head coach off a successful five-year run with his former team. The Greenville Yellow Jackets are currently on a losing streak of 18 games and are looking to snap this streak. Last season, Kam Cooper was named to the OK White All-Conference First Team and he is expected to make a difference on the field once again this fall.
Fruitport v Kenowa Hills (Thursday)
The Trojans and the Knights are set to face off this Thursday for their season opener. Fruitport is coming off a season that saw they lose in a tightly contested playoff opener against Cadillac. They are set to have a strong offense with lead scorer Cody Nash returning for his senior year. Kenowa Hills looks to improve their offensive attack with Andrew Bradley at QB and Nolan Thayer, the Knights’ top receiver last year, back to be a key target.
Unity Christian v Whitehall (Thursday)
The Crusaders made history last season by setting a new MHSAA single-season scoring record. Even with their offensive success all season, Unity Christian failed to complete their undefeated season in the final quarter at Ford Field. They open 2022 at home against the Vikings, who went 5-1 in conference play last year. Both the Crusaders and Vikings were playoff teams last fall, and expect to be playoff teams this fall, creating a tough week one matchup for both sides.
Hamilton v Otisville LakeVille (Thursday)
A ‘Battle of the Birds’ will be taking place this Thursday as the Hawkeyes and the Falcons are set to face off. This will be the first time that these programs, separated by 164 miles, will ever faceoff on the gridiron. Hamilton (3-6) and Otisville LakeVille (1-8) each struggled a season ago. They both enter the 2022 season hungry for a turnaround from last year.
Holland Christian v Holland (Thursday)
This Thursday night, Holland Christian and Holland will take part in the 16th edition of the Tulip Town Throwdown. Formerly in the same OK Green conference, the Maroons and Dutch have had a fierce rivalry for years. They are both coming in with new quarterbacks as Reeves Taylor (Holland Christian) transferred and Zach Hop (Holland) graduated this past offseason.
Spring Lake v Montague (Thursday)
The Lakers are set to face the Wildcats for their home opener. Both teams are coming off playoff appearances with Spring Lake losing in their opener and Montague losing in the regional finals. This will be Coach Mallory’s first game with the Lakers who will be rebuilding since only two starters return offensively.
West Catholic v Edwardsburg (Friday)
A battle between two very dominant teams is scheduled to take place this Thursday. Last season, the Eddies were #1 in their conference with an 8-0 record, making it all the way to the state semifinals. They are set to have a promising season with 27 experienced seniors returning. West Catholic will look to Tim Kloska this year who posted an outstanding 29 touchdowns in the 2021 season.
**Note: For the Coopersville and Big Rapids contest, please visit the CSAA preview (article link below).**
2022 MSR FOOTBALL SEASON PREVIEWS
2022 MSR WEEK 1 PREVIEWS
