**ARTICLE BY NICK TUORI AND JOSH LONGSTRETH**
Zeeland West @ Zeeland East
It’s been a big start to the season for the Zeeland West Dux. For the second season in a row West has now started the season at 4-0. Things have been quite easy for the Dux at times but they would be faced with some resistance last week against Grand Rapids Union. West held just a 12-7 lead the half but would put together a big second half to cruise the rest of the way ending in a 48-7 win. The Dux did it on both sides of the ball by piling up 425 yards of total offense and creating 3 turnovers on the defensive side. This week, they’ll be in for their biggest test to date facing rival Zeeland East in a big time showdown.
The Zeeland East Chix are off to their best start since the 2017 season and they don’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. It has been a somewhat favorable schedule early on for East as they have only faced one team who sits at .500 on the year. The Chix offense has been running on all cylinders all season, last week the defense would put together their best performance to date. This week they will be in for an entirely different test. They know what they’re up against and they’ll look to see if what they have put together so far will be enough in taking on their rival. This is a game that will only booster both teams morale. A game that could catapult the momentum for both teams to the point where there’s no looking back the rest of the way. East welcomes in West this Friday night in a big time rivalry showdown.
Comstock Park vs Godwin Heights
It was a tough one to swallow last week for Comstock Park. After picking up two wins in a row the Panthers were riding high with momentum. That would be all taken away at the hands of Belding in week four. Comstock Park was able to hang around for much of the first half before a big third quarter from the Black Knights left the Panthers reeling. The Comstock Park offense rolled again as they piled up nearly 400 yards of total offense led by a balanced attack. It was, however, not the same for the defense as the Belding offense rattled off nearly 500 yards on the night. A big bounce back could be in store this week as they take on a Godwin Heights team who starts the season at 0-4.
For Godwin Heights, the season could be a lot different right now outside of a couple games. Last week the Wolverines lost a tough battle with Hopkins, 6-20. The Wolverines gave themselves a chance thanks to their defense but they could just never get over the hump. They will have a big test in front of them this week by taking on a Panthers team that is looking to bounce back. It shouldn’t be anything new for Godwin Heights as they have faced tough teams to begin the 2023 season. The two will square off at Comstock Park High School in a game that both would like to put in the win column in the OK-Silver.
Coopersville vs Unity Christian
The Broncos have suffered consecutive heartbreaks, resulting in an overall record of 2-2. Both losses, against undefeated West Catholic and unbeaten Spring Lake, came late in the fourth quarter. This week, they will look to get back in the win column against Unity Christian. The ‘Saders have been a state power as of late, but they have struggled early in 2023. This will be another tall task for Coopersville, but the Broncs will be ready for a battle on Friday night that carries heavy playoff implications. Unity has won all three prior meetings, including a 28-27 victory last fall.
South Christian vs Ottawa Hills
The Sailors were able to withstand a tough challenge last week, narrowly defeating Forest Hills Eastern 32-29. This week, they go up against the Bengals of Ottawa Hills. It has been a tough start to the year for Ottawa Hills, as they have been outscored 212-47 in four defeats. South has dominated this series with 10 wins in 12 games, with the last Bengals victory coming in 2015.
Grand Rapids Catholic Central vs Cedar Springs
The Cougars have been able to bounce back from their season-opening defeat with a trio of victories. This week, they will look to continue that streak when they face Cedar Springs. The Red Hawks are on their own 2-game win streak, posting a perfect league record to this point. GRCC has won all seven meetings in this series, but there have been a fair share of thrillers. Last fall, it was 21-20 Cougars, following up a 41-40 shootout in 2021.
East Kentwood vs Grand Haven
Playoff prognosticators around the state will be tuned in to this defacto elimination game. East Kentwood has lost three straight since their opening win against Hartland. Grand Haven, meanwhile, has struggled in their two OK Red contests. The Bucs defense looked sharp last week, allowing just 17 to Hudsonville, but the offense only mustered 7 points. In each of the past three years, East Kentwood defeated Grand Haven. Last fall, it was a 42-0 Falcons shutout.
Grandville vs Hudsonville
The Bulldogs and Eagles are back for another chapter of their annual rivalry. These neighboring foes have me in each season since 1997, and the series is a thriller on the local football calendar each season. Grandville has grasped control on this rivalry as of late however, winning three straight including 40-29 last year.
Rockford vs West Ottawa
Newaygo @ Grant
After grabbing their first win in week three, the Newaygo Lions were hoping to put together another big time performance last week. That wouldn’t come to fruition as Newaygo would struggle throughout much of the game. Tri-County would build a 28-0 lead over the Lions and that was all they wrote. One of the high notes on the night was the fact that Newaygo had several opportunities to stick around in the game. They created three turnovers on the night but could never really do anything with it. The Lions defense held a very good Vikings offense in check for a lot of the night but they couldn’t take advantage, however. This week could go a long way in the mindset that the Lions have to this point in the season. They will have a great opportunity to put some of that to rest by taking on a Grant team that has struggled the last three weeks.
The Grant Tigers were able to put together a dominant performance in week one of the 2023 season. But the last three weeks, have been a bit of a nightmare for Grant. They have been outscored by a total of 29-109 in that span. This week will be big for them as they look to put some momentum together at the midway point of the season. Expect them to compete in a big way against Newaygo. These two will square off this Friday night at 7:00 at Grant High School.
Tri County @ Morley Stanwood
It’s been a start to the 2023 season that most teams would dream of. But with a team that has high expectations, the Tri County Vikings put in the work in the off season so that of just wanting it, they could expect it. That work continues to pay off. Last week the Vikings were able to jump on top of Newaygo early and stay on top throughout the entire game. This week they’ll have a chance to continue that dominance that they’ve seen for much of the season. They’ll look to do that against a Morley Stanwood team that has been outscored at a 28-127 clip.
Morley Stanwood would get off to a slow start against Lakeview last week. It would be a hold that the Mohawks could never climb out of. The Morley offense wouldn’t break 100 yards on the night. The Mohawks also had a heck of a time limiting the Wildcat run game. This week, it’ll be another “tough row to hoe”. They take on a Tri County Vikings team who looks the part of a team that could make a deep playoff run. These two will square off with a 7:00 start time this Friday night.
Central Montcalm @ Reed City
It was a big week for the Central Montcalm Hornets. Central Montcalm was able to get off and running early on in their meeting with Chippewa Hills. The Hornets were able to put together a big second quarter to take a 16-0 lead at the half over the Warriors. It was a night where Central Montcalm had everything working as they cruised to over 300 yards of total offense while limiting Chippewa Hills to just 122 yards of their own. The Hornets will need that same output this week as they take on a Reed City team that is hungry for a win.
It hasn’t been a typical start to the season that the Reed City Coyotes are used to. Last week was another wake up call for Reed City as they faced a Big Rapids team that was able to limit the Coyotes on both sides of the ball. Reed City has now been outscored 83-105 on the season. The offense has been up and down through four weeks and the defense hasn’t been able to build much momentum. They need that to change this week as they face a Hornets team who has the weapons to make things ugly for them. Expect this to be one heck of a football game as both teams need it with being at the midway point of the season. The two will get after it this Friday night in Reed City.
Freeland @ Alma
There might not be a hotter team in the state outside of the Freeland Falcons at the moment. After being tested on several occasions already throughout the 2023 season, the Falcons put together their best performance last week against Bridgeport. The Falcons held a 48-0 lead at the half over the Bearcats after a dominant first half on both sides of the ball. Freeland is led by their ground game that has racked up over 300 yards per game through the course of four weeks. That attack is led by Sam Talaga who has rushed for 316 yards and 6 touchdowns on the season. The ground game can also feature speedsters Ty Fournier and Brayden Petre who are hard to contain. It’s a pass game that is still under construction but when the Falcons are at their best they will use the run game to open up the pass. Look for that to be vital as the season goes on. Talaga leads a defense that is humming at the moment. They’ll look to see if they can keep it up against an Alma team that has now dropped three in a row.
After winning their first game of the year, things have been a harder for the Alma Panthers than they would like. Looking to bounce back after a close loss to Brich Run in week three, things wouldn’t be any better for Alma in week four. Falling to a John Glenn team, 7-25, it wasn’t anything that the Panthers expected from their team. It was never really a game that the Panthers could gain much momentum as they at one point found themselves in a 0-18 hole. The defense certainly held its own against the Bobcats led by Caleb Calhoun who finished with 7 tackles and 3 sacks on the night. They will need their offense to get something going this week against a stout Freeland team. The Falcons head over to Alma for a Friday night showdown with the Panthers this Friday night.
Gladwin @ Sanford Meridian
When you’re a defending State Champion, you find a DNA within your program that allows you to go through gauntlet after gauntlet each week. And it surely has been just that for Gladwin. Through three weeks of the season the Flying G’s were met with teams that clearly wanted to dethrone them. It wouldn’t be much easier last week and week four was surely the biggest test yet. Facing the Clare Pioneers, Gladwin found themselves down 3-21 with just minutes remaining in the first half. But, when you have that championship pedigree, there’s never a point when you’re out of a game. Gladwin showed just that by completely flipping the game just before half. Yet, it was Clare who drew first blood in the second half. Gladwin would continue to not go away. And from that point, led by Jhace Massey at quarterback, the Flying G’s took complete control of the game going on to win, 44-28. Big turnovers on the defensive side only helped and Gladwin showed why people shouldn’t be handing over the crown anytime soon. This week they’ll look to get off to a quicker start against a Mustangs team who has dropped a couple tough ones early in the season.
After a rough start to the season the Sanford Meridian Mustangs have been able to go out and compete on a weekly basis. But it hasn’t been met in the win column like they had hoped for by starting the season at 1-3. Through much of the 2023 season, the Mustangs offense hasn’t been able to get on track much of the season. The defense hasn’t been able to get their yet either outside of one game. They will need to be much better on both sides of the ball this week if they hope to compete against a great Gladwin team. Gladwin looks to keep doing what they do. If the Mustangs hope to have a shot on Friday night they’ll need a quick start. The Jack Pine showdown will be at Sanford Meridian High School when Gladwin storms in.
Clare @ Harrison
The Clare Pioneers have shown that they can go toe to toe with anyone and everyone this season. So much so that Clare could potentially be undefeated on the season. Unfortunately after a week one loss to Freeland, that wouldn’t be the case. It was a game in which Clare dominated much of the game. Last week, they would suffer a similar fate. The Pioneers got off to a big start over defending State Champion, Gladwin. Clare got off to a 21-3 start over the Flying G’s but it wouldn’t be able to hold on as Gladwin stormed back to control much of the second half. The Pioneers went toe to toe with them by nearly matching the total yards on the night but three costly turnovers would derail them on the night. So here they are again, looking to pick up the pieces and move on. After their week one loss Clare went on to outscore their next two opponents, 99-7. Harrison, have mercy on the Hornets this week if that same Pioneers team shows up.
Over in Harrison, it has been a bit of a mixed bag for the Hornets. After putting together an impressive performance over Sanford Meridian last week, Harrison now sits at 2-2 on the season. When the Hornets have it going, both the offense and defense are on par with each other. But when either side is struggling it takes a toll on the other unit. This will be one of the bigger tests for the Hornets this season. If they can find a way to upset Clare, it could be a turning point for their team. Clare has dominated the past three meetings between the two. If Harrison can limit the Pioneers on the offensive side, they might just find themselves in a ball game late. Clare rolls into Harrison this Friday night for what could be a great matchup between two teams hoping to get hot at midseason.
Frankenmuth vs Swan Valley
The Frankenmuth Eagles came into last week facing a Birch Run team that was riding high with momentum. It was a Panthers team that truly had upset on the mind last Friday night. That would quickly be derailed as Frankenmuth made a big time statement, 61-0. The Eagles have been cruising the last three weeks and couldn’t be any hotter at the midpoint of the season. This isn’t unexpected, it’s what Frankenmuth does on a yearly basis with their program. This week they’ll have a chance to face a team that has found themselves over the past two weeks. Frankenmuth will look to see if they can shed more light on who truly is the top dog in the conference.
After starting the season on the wrong side of things, the Swan Valley Vikings have put together two straight weeks of dominant performances. In weeks two and three, Swan Valley has outscored opponents 96-13. Last week couldn’t have been any better to the Vikings as they cruised to a 40-7 lead at the half. The Swan Valley offense was on display by putting up 476 yards of total offense on the night. It was a balanced attack that got it done through the air and by the ground. The defense helped in a big way by forcing four Garber turnovers in the game. This week they’ll need all of that and more as they face a team that has been able to bully them in their last five meetings. Frankenmuth welcomes them in this Friday night at 7:00.
