With the third week behind us, we will now turn to a thrilling fourth week of MHSAA football. Still curious about last week? Check out our Recaps, Power Poll, Standings, and Core Power Performance Players of the Week.
Now onto Week 4, where we have fourteen games LIVE this Friday night. A brief preview of these games:
Hudsonville (2-1) at Caledonia (1-2): The Fighting Scots will return home after suffering a defeat against Jenison, as the Hudsonville Eagles come to town. Last week, the Eagles were also taken down, as they lost to Grandville in the closing seconds. These two played a thrilling game last fall where Hudsonville won 27-20. It was the second time in three years that the game was within a touchdown, but it ended up being the fifth straight victory in the series for Hudsonville dating back to 1993.
Jenison (2-1) at East Kentwood (1-2): The Jenison Wildcats are on a bit of a roll, as they have won their last two contests. They are an overtime period away from sitting at a perfect 3-0, losing their opener to Rockford 16-13. This week, they will travel to Kentwood to take on the Falcons. East Kentwood finally got into the win column last week with a blowout victory over Grand Haven. These two schools were both members of the OK Red for years, but they have not played since 2015. In that last meeting, Jenison won 28-7, but EK holds the all-time series lead at 28-14.
Holland Christian (0-3) at West Catholic (2-1): Already accumulating more wins in three games than in all of last season, the West Catholic Falcons will look to improve their record even more as they host Holland Christian. The Maroons are 0-3 for the first time in six years, and they are hoping to avoid their first 0-4 start since their first season back in 2003. These two have only met once, and that was back in the 2009 Division 4 district finals, a game that Holland Christian won 16-9.
Hamilton (2-1) at Coopersville (0-3): Hard times have fallen on the Broncos, as the team has lost twelve of their last thirteen games. They will take on Hamilton on Friday night in an annual series dating back to 2008. Coopersville has struggled to get going offensively this year, and this Hamilton team will be a tough bunch to find their footing against. Hamilton is 2-1, and their offense is averaging over 29 points per game. Last year, Hamilton won 42-28.
South Christian (3-0) at Cedar Springs (2-1): The South Christian Sailors, who hope to keep pace in the conference alongside GR Catholic Central, have an important league contest on the road against Cedar Springs. The Red Hawks lost last week to those Cougars, but they are still in play in the league title race if they can win this contest. These two teams have played nineteen times, most recently in 2002, and the Sailors have won all nineteen meetings.
Middleville (1-2) at Ottawa Hills (0-3): The Ottawa Hills Bengals will look to capture some of that Houseman Field magic when they host Middleville on Friday night. The Trojans finally got in the win column last week when they scored early and often in their win against Wayland. Ottawa Hills has fallen on some tough times, as they have lost thirty straight conference games, and thirty seven of their last thirty-nine contests (two wins over Union), but they should take some solace in the fact that their most recent victory was over the Middleville Trojans, an 18-9 victory back in 2015.
East Grand Rapids (2-1) at Forest Hills Central (2-1): Two teams in the OK White that have suffered an early loss, the Pioneers to Lowell and the Rangers to Byron Center, square off in conference play on Friday night. These two teams are finally back in the same conference after a four-year hiatus. These two teams have played 41 times on the gridiron, and East Grand Rapids has won 31 of those contests. The last of these was back in 2015 when East Grand Rapids won 28-0.
Northview (1-2) at Grand Rapids Christian (0-3): Two teams that are looking to get things rolling here in 2020 will square off in Grand Rapids. The Eagles have struggled in their first three games, only scraping together 19 total points. They will go up against a Northview team that is allowing over 30 per contest, hoping that this will be their chance to right the ship. Northview, meanwhile, will look to snap a three-game skid in this series, their last win coming back in 2009.
Muskegon (2-1) at Zeeland East (2-1): A pair of teams that suffered league losses against crosstown rivals square off in Zeeland in an OK Green showdown. With such a talented top four, this game still will have conference title implications. Both teams have scored nearly the same amount of points (112 for Zeeland East and 111 for Muskegon), but the Big Reds defense has been better (42-61 edge). These two teams last met in the 2018 Division 3 semifinals, when Muskegon beat the Chix 45-22. In fact, Muskegon has won eight of nine meetings, the lone Zeeland East victory came back in 2012, a 40-39 contest.
Newaygo (2-1) at Reed City (3-0): The Newaygo Lions were off last week, as Grant had to forfeit because of COVID concerns. This moved Newaygo into a three-way tie for second in the CSAA-Gold, and the Lions have a shot at the top dog this week. Reed City is firing on all cylinders, as they beat Central Montcalm 36-20 last week. The Coyotes are averaging 34 points per game, so they will be a tough task for Newaygo’s defense on Friday night. Last fall, Newaygo outlasted Reed City in a 41-38 shootout victory.
Tri-County (2-1) at Central Montcalm (2-1): The other teams in the three-way tie for second place in the CSAA-Gold square off in Stanton on Friday. Tri-County enters this game after beating Fremont 20-12 last week. The Vikings were carried by John Nelson last week as he filled in at quarterback. Central Montcalm, meanwhile, suffered their first defeat against Reed City. Last fall, the Hornets’ win over Tri-County was a nail-biting 20-17 contest that sealed the Hornets’ outright conference championship.
Swan Valley (2-1) at Freeland (2-1): The Tri-Valley Central championship is on the line in Freeland. The Vikings are playing their final divisional game, and they enter with a 2-0 record. Freeland will still take on Bay City Glenn, but the Bobcats are winless in league play. The Vikings will win the league outright with a victory, while Freeland can claim at least a share of the title with a victory. Both teams suffered early season losses to Frankenmuth, Swan Valley falling 35-6 while Freeland lost 41-3. Their other common opponent was Alma, who lost to Swan Valley 25-0 and Freeland 14-10. Last year, Swan Valley dominated Freeland 45-6, their fourth straight victory in the series.
Livonia Stevenson (2-1) at Livonia Franklin (1-2): MSR will feature its second straight week of rivalry football in Livonia as the Patriots host Livonia Stevenson. Separated by six miles, these two schools have played every season since 1973, and the Stevenson Spartans hold a 30-21 advantage. Last year, Franklin won this game 47-25, their second straight win in the series. Franklin is coming in with two losses in a row, both of which they held leads deep into the fourth quarter. Stevenson, on the contrary, has won their last two games after a narrow loss against Belleville in their season opener.
