**ARTICLE BY MICHAEL MARKOCH**
Muskegon (2-1) at Zeeland East (0-3)
The Muskegon Big Reds recovered nicely after suffering their first loss of the season in week two, as the Big Reds defeated the upstart Reeths-Puffer Rockets in week three, 28-20. The Rockets gave the Big Reds all that they could handle, but a late rushing touchdown from Muskegon’s Wanyai Johnson put the icing on the cake in the Big Reds’ win.
M’Khi Guy rushed for a touchdown in the game and had another solid outing in his first season as the starting quarterback. Muskegon got their first win in conference play, but it’s only going to get tougher for the Big Reds in the next few weeks.
However, this may not be the start of the challenge, as the Big Reds will hit the road to take on Zeeland East in week four. To say the Chix have underperformed would be an understatement. After a shutout loss in the “Bird Bowl” to their rivals Zeeland West, 38-0, the Chix fell to 0-3 on the season. And after making the playoffs a year ago, the Chix will certainly need to begin racking up wins and points if they want any chance of getting back this season.
Offense has been at a premium early on for the Chix and quarterback Austin Keur, who has had a solid season, will have to help guide that Chix offense to some more points against a sound Big Red defense. Kickoff is Friday night at 7 p.m.
Mona Shores (2-1) at Wyoming (0-3)
This will be a battle of two teams trending in opposite directions. The Sailors of Mona Shores are coming off a 69-0 thumping of the Holland Dutch, who are ending their varsity season after this week, while Wyoming got worn down by the surprising Union Red Hawks.
Mona Shores needed a lay-up after their heartbreaking loss to Rockford in week two, and that’s exactly what the Sailors got. The Sailors were sound in all phases of the game against the Dutch and will look to build on that performance this week before their next test next week against Union.
Wyoming is simply looking for any sort of momentum. Despite losing 48-20 to Union last week, the Wolves did outscore the Red Hawks 20-13 in the second half. The offense was able to move the ball effectively in the running and passing game against a very good Union defense and even get a few defensive stops of their own.
The Wolves offense was at its best when Ja’Quari Hayes was under center on Friday night, as he led the Wolves on a couple of touchdown drives in the second half. It will be interesting to see how the Wolves handle their offense while facing a very tall task in Mona Shores.
Union (3-0) at Reeths-Puffer (2-1)
The Union Red Hawks are during their best season in over 20 years. The Red Hawks defeated the Wyoming Wolves 48-20 in week three to move to 3-0 for the first time since 1998. They will be truly tested for the first time this week, when they head up to Muskegon to take on Reeths-Puffer. Last year, these two teams were involved in an absolute thriller, a game in which the Red Hawks skated by, 43-42.
Red Hawks’ running back Elijah Taylor will try to have another performance like he had in week three, when the senior ran for 218 yards and scored three total touchdowns. Quarterback Tommy Stevens has also been playing very well, leading the Red Hawks on both offense and defense. He has certainly fueled the Red Hawks’ hot start. The defense had a few lapses in the second half against Wyoming, and they will want to get those under control before Friday night.
The Reeths-Puffer Rockets have been fun to watch early on in 2022. After taking off to a 2-0 start, the Rockets stumbled last week against Muskegon, 28-20. It certainly wasn’t due to a lack of offense, as quarterback Brody Ross completed 13 of 19 passes for 123 yards passing and Brody Johnson had over 100 yards and two touchdowns in the rushing game.
For both teams, this is an important game, as both teams are trying to get back to the playoffs, and some of the more difficult games on each team’s schedule come later in the season.
Zeeland West (3-0) at Holland (0-3)
The Holland Dutch will be moving away from varsity football after this game against Zeeland West and playing only JV football the rest of the season, due to their youth on the roster. The Dutch have struggled mightily this season in varsity play, being outscored 190-8 in just three games.
It’s hard to imagine anything will change against the Dux. Zeeland West is off to a great start this season, coming off a rivalry win over Zeeland East, 38-0 in the annual “Bird Bowl.” The Dux continue to be dominant in the run game, and are a very difficult team to beat when they get a lead.
Led by seniors Trevor Wallar, Parker Holman and Skyler Geurink in the backfield, expect the Dux to lean on their running game once again, get out to a very early lead and coast to a week four victory.
MSR WEEK 4 PREVIEWS
