The Central Montcalm Hornets welcomed Houghton Lake to town to open the 2024 season. For the fifth straight season-opener, the Hornets’ faithful went home happy, as they won 55-26.
In the first quarter, Central Montcalm scored on each of their first two drives. First, Anthony Schultz powered across the goal line from three yards out. On the ensuing drive, Brayden Peak was the recipient of a 25-yard touchdown pass from Emmett Lingeman. Houghton Lake would answer on the final play of the frame, but Central Montcalm led 13-6 after the first stanza.
The Hornets then rallied off 28 unanswered points in the second quarter to blow this game wide open. On the opening kickoff of the quarter, Central Montcalm’s Asher Johnson fielded the football and returned it 48 yards for a score. Later on, Schultz had a pair of touchdown runs, scores of 10 and 15 yards respectively. Sandwiched in between, McCoy Wernholm bowled into the end zone from three yards out. This attack put Central Montcalm ahead 41-6 at the break.
In the second half, Wernholm added two additional scores to finish the game with a hat trick, one being an 80-yard kickoff return. Houghton Lake clawed back with scores of their own, but they would not do nearly enough to catch up, instead merely stopping the running clock late in the contest.
Anthony Schultz finished the night with 127 yards on the ground and three touchdowns. Brayden Peak’s 25 yard touchdown catch was the highlight for Emmett Lingeman, who passed for 68 yards. On defense, Asher Johnson had 7 tackles and a sack.
Next week, Central Montcalm will take on Newaygo in a non-league matchup. These two have met in each of the past 12 seasons as members of the CSAA. This fall, Central Montcalm moved from the CSAA Gold to the Silver. They will look to win their sixth straight against the Lions in Week 2.
