Photo Credit: Lou Murray
**ARTICLE BY MICHAEL MARKOCH**
Mona Shores (1-0) at Rockford (1-0)
Mona Shores is coming off an impressive 48-20 victory over Manitowoc Lincoln in week one in the inaugural Battle of the Badger. The victory was head coach Matt Koziak’s 100th at Mona Shores.
Sophomore Jonathan Pittman got his first start at quarterback for the Sailors and did not disappoint with a couple touchdown passes. Dahmir Farnum added two scores on the ground, both which came in the first half.
The Rockford Rams began their season with a 48-7 thumping of East Grand Rapids. The class of the OK Red saw a change at quarterback, but that didn’t mean there was a change in the play on the field. Mac VandenHout replaced Zak Ahren with an impressive outing, throwing for 324 yards and six touchdowns while also leading the team on the ground.
This will be both teams’ last opportunity to build significant non-conference points before each team hops into conference play next week. This game is a monumental early season showdown between two powerhouse teams in the state of Michigan and will certainly help set the tone down the road when playoff time comes around.
Muskegon (1-0) at Warren De La Salle (1-0)
Muskegon got a little bit of a scare last week when the Big Reds slipped past East Kentwood, 20-14. The Big Reds played unusually sloppy football in the first half and trailed the Falcons 14-6 at the break before squeaking out the victory in the fourth quarter.
M’Khi Guy struggled with turnovers in the first half but was able to come through when he rushed for the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Big Reds defense really stepped up when it mattered the most, halting the Falcon’s drives in the second half to keep them off the scoreboard.
The Big Reds will certainly have to play better if they want to win this week against Warren De La Salle. The defending Division 2 State Champions are riding a 14-game winning streak after their 41-13 victory over Renaissance in week one.
Reeths Puffer (1-0) at St. Johns (0-1)
The Rockets of Reeths-Puffer started off the Cody Kater era with a strong 32-20 victory over the Grand Haven Buccaneers in week one. The Rockets scored the first 19 points of the game and never looked back.
Quarterback Bryce Ross scored four touchdowns in the game, Brody Johnson had 96 rushing yards and wide receiver Tayte Vanderleest had 106 yards and a touchdown reception.
The Rockets will look to build on their early season momentum as they travel to the capital area in week two to take on the Redwings of St. Johns. The Redwings fell to Parma Western last week, 27-22.
Wyoming (0-1) vs. Northview (0-1)
Wyoming’s first game of the season did not go as planned, as the Wolves lost to Forest Hills Northern 48-7. The Wolves scored on their first possession of the game but wouldn’t put any more points up the rest of the night.
The Wolves are certainly in a rebuilding stage, only in their second year under head coach Carlton Brewster, and an experienced Forest Hills Northern team simply outplayed them.
Wyoming will be going for their first win of 2022 in their home opener against Northview. The Wildcats lost to West Ottawa in week one, 27-16. The win for the Panthers snapped their 26-game losing streak, so expect the Wildcats to come out ready to bounce back in a big way.
Zeeland East (0-1) vs. Spring Lake (0-1)
The Zeeland East Chix come into their home opener looking for some redemption after struggling in their week one matchup against Williamston, a game the Chix lost 30-12.
The Chix will welcome the Spring Lake Lakers to Zeeland. Last week, the Lakers lost a close battle to Montague, 20-17. Lakers’ quarterback Reid Grimmer picked up a touchdown with his legs in the opener and Alex Lee broke off a 70-yard touchdown run of his own. Some might say the Lakers didn’t do anything poorly enough to lose, they simply ran out of time, as kicker Carter Ball left a game-tying 50-yard field goal attempt a little short in the final seconds.
Kickoff for this game is set for 7 p.m. on Thursday night.
Zeeland West (1-0) at Cedar Springs (0-1)
Zeeland West started 2022 with a resounding 66-15 victory over Stevensville Lakeshore in week one. The Dux and their “Wing-T” formation ran all over the Lancers, scoring all nine touchdowns on the ground, including four from fullback Parker Holman.
The Dux also were helped by converting on six 2-point conversions, and if the Dux can continue to put up numbers like that, this will be a very difficult offense to stop once again.
Cedar Springs will look to recover from a shutout loss to River Rouge at Wayne State University last week. The Red Hawks held serve for nearly three quarters, before a strong finish by the Panthers. Cedar Springs was outgained by nearly 100 yards. Both Carter Falan and Ryan West got over 70 yards on the ground for the Red Hawks.
Expect to see the running game in full force from both teams, and because of that, expect a quick game in Cedar Springs this weekend.
Union (1-0) at Godwin Heights (1-0)
The Union Red Hawks will head out on the road after thumping their rivals, Ottawa Hills, on Saturday, 59-12. The Red Hawks will look to build off their early momentum and get off to their second consecutive 2-0 start.
The Red Hawks were led by quarterback Tommy Stevens, who paced the team with two rushing touchdowns. Najeh Thornton, Elijah Taylor and Jersey Brown all found the end zone as well. However, it was the Red Hawks defense that truly starred in the win over Ottawa Hills. They consistently did their job and set up the Red Hawk offense with prime field position, leading to a second-half avalanche of points.
The Red Hawks will be challenged by the Wolverines of Godwin Heights in week two. The Wolverines defeated Muskegon Heights 44-6 in their first game. Despite a very late summer head coaching change, the Wolverines were able to come together for a big opening win.
Wolverine quarterback Jamarion Collins passed for two touchdowns and added three more on the ground. Tellios Moore caught one of those touchdowns and had another touchdown rushing as well. The Wolverines have an electric offense that will certainly test Union’s stingy defense.
With these two teams facing off due cancellations of regularly scheduled games, it will certainly be interesting to see how these teams come out against each other with limited preparation. Kickoff will be at 5 p.m. on Thursday.
Holland (0-1) at Comstock Park (1-0)
The Holland Dutch have not won more than one game in a season since 2018 and in 2022, Holland will have to wait at least one more week to get their first win of the season. Last week, the Dutch were beaten down by their cross-town rivals, Holland Christian, 58-0.
The Dutch will look to get on the right track on the road at Comstock Park this weekend. The Panthers got a 24-14 home victory over Grant in week one. The Dutch will certainly have their hands full with Panthers’ running back Easton Hood, who ran for three scores in the win.
Other Week 2 Previews
