**ARTICLE BY MICHAEL MARKOCH**
Reeths Puffer (2-0) at Muskegon (1-1)
Reeths-Puffer continues to perform well under first year head coach Cody Kater, dispatching of the St. John’s Redwings 38-14 in week two. Rockets’ quarterback Brody Ross ran for four touchdowns and running back Brody Johnson added two more. This week, the Rockets will face their toughest test yet, when they travel across town to take on the Muskegon Big Reds.
Muskegon had a tough week in week two, falling to powerhouse Warren De La Salle Collegiate 49-16. Obviously, there is no shame in losing to a team as good as the Pilots, who are the reigning Division 2 State Champions, but the Big Reds certainly will be looking to bounce back against a surprising Puffer team.
Deston Piggee comes into this week as the Big Reds’ leading scorer, with two touchdowns. Quarterback M’Khi Guy has been inconsistent early in the season, and it will be interesting to see how he and the rest of the Big Reds respond after their first loss of the year.
Mona Shores (1-1) at Holland (0-2)
The Mona Shores Sailors should be 2-0, there’s no other way around it. After jumping out to a 20-0 lead on the road at Rockford, the Sailors collapsed in the fourth quarter, allowing 27 unanswered points in a 31-27 defeat to the Rams.
The Sailors love to spread the wealth on offense. Quarterback Jonathan Pittman has three touchdown passes to three different receivers. Brandon Bankard and Dahmir Farnum have helped in the back field with a couple of touchdowns each as well. The Sailors need to prove that what happened last week was simply a one-time occurrence on defense, but a lot of questions certainly have arisen on that side of the ball.
The Sailors will have a great opportunity to bounce back on the road against a lowly Holland squad. The Dutch come into this game winless and have been outscored 121-8 so far this season. Holland announced on Tuesday that their varsity season will end after Week 4, as a result of the youth of their program. Dutch quarterback Amari Powell and wide receiver Julian Segovia connected last week for the only touchdown of the year. It would be safe to except a lopsided affair this weekend.
Union (2-0) at Wyoming (0-2)
The Union Red Hawks are soaring. A week after a dominant victory over their rivals, Ottawa Hills, the Red Hawks went out on the road and beat the Godwin Heights Fighting Wolverines 48-18 in week two.
Red Hawks’ quarterback Tommy Stevens continues to look fantastic early in the season, as he found the end zone another three times against the Wolverines. Elijah Taylor also continues to be a force in the backfield, with four touchdowns in the Red Hawks’ first two games.
However, the story of the season for Union to this point has to be its defense. The Red Hawks have become a turnover machine early on in the season, flying all over the field and creating a lot of havoc. Stevens even had two athletic interceptions last week from the safety spot. If the Red Hawks continue to play defense at a high level, they’ll certainly be hard to beat.
The Red Hawks come into week three with a favorable matchup against the Wyoming Wolves. The Wolves have struggled once again out of the gates this season, falling in week two to Northview 42-14. And with games against Reeths-Puffer, Mona Shores and Muskegon lurking for Union, they will have to be careful not to overlook a Wyoming team on the hunt for their first win on Friday night.
Zeeland East (0-2) at Zeeland West (2-0)
It’s a big week in Zeeland as the Chix and the Dux will renew their unique, long-standing rivalry in the “Bird Bowl.” However, so far this season, the two teams have been going in opposite directions.
The Dux are off to a very good start once again with wins over Stevensville Lakeshore and then Cedar Springs in week two. Parker Holman continues his dominant start to his senior season, as he has now scored seven touchdowns in the Dux first two games. The Dux are an exclusively running football team, and so far, no team has been able to crack the code for coach John Shillito’s offense.
On the other side of this battle, the Zeeland East Chix have not found much success early on, falling to 0-2 last week when they were defeated by Spring Lake 21-14. First year full-time starting quarterback Austin Keur is off to a decent start, with three touchdowns so far. The Chix have also found success in other phases, collecting both a defensive and special teams touchdown this season.
Last year, the Dux dominated the Chix, 48-21, but when it comes to rivalries, it’s hard not to throw records out of the window. In the first conference matchup for both sides, expect a hard-fought battle at Zeeland Stadium.
Other Week 3 Previews
