In last week’s article, we mentioned that Traverse City Central and Muskegon have played 45 times since 1950, as longtime member of the Lake Michigan Athletic Conference. We also mentioned that of any opponent with at least 14 games against Muskegon since 1950, they have the best winning percentage (27-18 record). The old-time mojo that was buried under the old turf at Hackley Stadium must have been left in place after the reservations, as the Trojans stunned Muskegon 16-14 for their first win in this series in 30 years.
Traverse City Central started the scoring late in the first quarter, as Carter Gle reversed field and darted toward the right pylon on a 4-yard run that covered far more yardage than the statsheet reflects. After the first stanza, they maintained their 7-0 edge.
Midway through the second quarter, the Big Reds got their equalizer. Lamar Bradford found Demetrius Rainey-Brown for a 34-yard touchdown strike. A successful PAT brought the teams back to even, 7-7.
The Trojans wasted no time finding an answer, as they put together a scoring drive in less than three minutes. Isaac Turnwald powered across the goal line on a quarterback sneak, needing a second effort to break the plane. A failed kick on the PAT left TCC ahead by just six.
Muskegon found their speedy response, as they scored in just 110 seconds. Lamar Bradford took to the air again, finding Rainey-Brown for a 25-yard touchdown. Aron Briseno made his extra point kick, and the Big Reds took their 14-13 lead into the half.
Neither defense yielded a touchdown in the third quarter. With seventeen seconds to go in the third frame, the Trojans would manage three points, as Carter Gle booted a 20-yard field goal. This put the Trojans ahead by two with twelve minutes to go.
Both defenses kept strong in the fourth quarter. Finally, with 38 seconds to play, Traverse City Central was defending on the Muskegon 35 yard line when they secured an interception to end this game.
Traverse City Central secures their first District Championship sine 2021, when they made a run to the Division 2 State Championship game. They will now face Portage Central next week, after the Mustangs dominated Byron Center.
