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Coopersville v West Catholic (Preview by Lien Veldboom): The West Catholic Falcons will look to rebound after an upset loss to the Fruitport Trojans a week ago. The Falcons looked unstoppable with a strong run and pass game, however, Fruitport found a way. Coopersville will need to repeat what the Trojans did if they want to knock off the Falcons on Friday night. They are currently in playoff contention with a 3-2 record but have to face West Catholic and Unity Christian and their season closers.

Rockford v Jenison (Preview by Randy Gregory): The Rams are looking to move to 8-0 prior to their showdown with Caledonia in week 9. Randy Gregory has the entire preview here.

Grand Rapids Catholic Central v Wayland: The Wildcats nearly upset South Christian last week. This week, they will get another shot at slaying a giant in Grand Rapids Christian. The Cougars bounced back from a stunner in Week 6 by taking down rival Ottawa Hills last Friday. Wayland is currently 4-3, and another victory would secure their first winning season since 2013.

Grandville v Grand Haven: The Bulldogs are in pursuit of a playoff spot, with their eyes on improving their seed. They will take on conference foe Grand Haven on Friday. Two wins in the regular season would give Grandville their fourth straight seven-win season. Grand Haven has struggled, with five straight defeats. The Bucs offense has stalled recently, with no more than 14 points in any of those defeats.

East Grand Rapids v Lowell: One of the state’s best rivalries is ready to renew itself with another chapter on Friday. East Grand Rapids is 2-5 on the year, but they are 36th in the Division 3 playoff race. A victory over the Red Arrows may be able to propel them onto the right side of the bubble. Lowell is up to 5-2 on the year, and they will fight for playoff positioning these final two weeks.

Grand Rapids Christian v Forest Hills Central: The Eagles slid to 3-4 with their lost to Lowell last Friday. This week, they enter play as the final team in the playoff field. They will look to score an upset and solidify their spot within the cut line when they take on undefeated Forest Hills Central. Tim Rogers’ Rangers have looked dominant this fall, and they will look to keep their perfect streak alive and capture another OK White title.

South Christian v Kenowa Hills: The Sailors suffered a bit of a scare in Week 7, narrowly escaping the Wayland Wildcats with a 21-14 victory. They remain unbeaten as they enter the eighth week of play against Kenowa Hills. The Knights were able to slip past Middleville for their first win of the season, 29-28, last Friday.

Union v Zeeland East (Preview by Michael Markoch): The Union Red Hawks are well rested coming off a week in which they improved to 4-3 with a forfeit victory over Holland. It’s safe to say that the Red Hawks needed the rest more than any other team in the conference, having lost the last three games they have played to Reeths-Puffer, Mona Shores and Muskegon.

Union quarterback Tommy Stevens will look to bounce back in what are likely his final two games of high school football. After a strong 3-0 start, the Red Hawks now find themselves outside of the playoff picture. In the first few games of the season, the Red Hawks relied on their strong running game to propel them to wins, but recently, against better opponents, they’ve become more one-dimensional on offense and haven’t take care of the football. To end the year on a high note, the Red Hawks simply must go back to what was successful early on.

On the other side of this matchup, Zeeland East has not had the season they envisioned having back in August. The Chix come into this matchup at 1-6 on the year, but still have an opportunity to grab a couple of wins and momentum for next season. Quarterback Austin Keur has done a nice job of spreading the ball around on offense, completing touchdown passes to three different receivers this season, but overall, the Chix have struggled on both sides of the ball and the results show exactly that.

This should be a very competitive game, possibly the best game of the week in the OK Green. And although this game isn’t going to impact the standings much, if at all, there are plenty of things for both teams to play for this weekend.

Newaygo v Central Montcalm (Preview by Hudson Harkness)

Central Montcalm tries to get their first conference win against Newaygo. Newaygo did not have the showing they wanted against Chippewa Hills last week. The Lions could not stop the run, the Warriors got chunk play after chunk play on the ground. The Newaygo offensive line allowed a ton of pressure and made the ball get out quick before plays had developed. This week, Newaygo is facing off against another struggling team in the CSAA Gold. If the Lions want a shot to end conference play with a win, they must work on their defensive presence. They must create pressure in the backfield and disrupt the play.

The Hornets are coming off their 1st conference win against Grant and their 2nd win of the season. Central Montcalm was hitting on all cylinders, they scored by passing, rushing, and special teams. The Hornets must do more of the same this week. Newaygo has some of the best athletes in the conference and can run with any team. Central Montcalm has to take advantage of any opportunity they get because the Lions can score at any moment. I would expect for Central Montcalm to keep the ball on the ground for the majority of the game, especially against a struggling Newaygo defense. This should be a close game and could come down to the end of a game and be determined by whoever wins the turnover margin.

Tri-County v Chippewa Hills (Preview by Hudson Harkness)

Tri-County looks to rebound following first loss of the season, as they travel to Chippewa Hills. In the Vikings loss to Big Rapids a week ago, they made uncharacteristic mistakes, there were turnovers and missed opportunities on defense. Throughout the season, we have seen Tri-County take care of the ball and step up in the big moment, but against the Cardinals, they were unable to. Tri-County should come out this week with a new sense of motivation and focus. If they can take care of the ball and get back to the Tri-County of the first six weeks, they will be fine and secure a share of the CSAA Gold title.

Chippewa Hills is coming off a big win over Newaygo. The Warriors moved the ball on the ground throughout the game and on defense contained the playmakers on the Newaygo offense. This game for the Warriors will be a lot more difficult than last week. Chippewa Hills has to play with the same intensity as last week but must limit the penalties. Last week they were flagged nine times. Those flags this week will hurt the Warriors because of the small number of mistakes the Vikings make. The Warriors can put a nail in the Vikings season with an upset in week eight. Tri-County is clearly the better team, but coming off a loss, who knows what we are going to see. Tri-County knows what is at stake in this game, the question is can they live up to the importance of this game?

Freeland v Birch Run (Preview by Josh Longstreth):

Before falling to Frankenmuth in week 5, the Freeland Falcons had been rolling teams on a weekly basis. What did Freeland take from the Frankenmuth loss? They have grabbed two wins in a row since that time. Beating John Gleen 52-0 in week 6, before being tested from the start against a solid Swan Valley team. Freeland would go on to beat the Vikings, 28-21 last Friday. It was truly a gritty win from the Falcons. After getting up by two TD’s early, Swan Valley came back to make it a game, including being knotted at 21 apiece heading into the 4th quarter. The Freeland defense would come up with a fumble TD with the Vikings backs against the wall nearly halfway through the quarter. Swan Valley would seem to be destined for points on the ensuing drive before the Falcon defense came up with a big stand deep in the redzone. Nick Harrington led the charge for the Falcon offense on the ground rushing for 74 yards in the win. Daniel Duley came up with two big INT’s for Freeland stalling momentum for Swan Valley. Freeland will head into week 8 at #9 in Division 4 while posting a 6-1 overall record and are 5-1 in TVC play. They face another tough test this week.

The Birch Run Panthers would come up with a much-needed win in week 7. The Panthers were able to grab their 4th win of the season at the hands of Bridgeport, 46-12. It was a win in which will keep the Panthers 2022 playoff hopes alive. After being held to just 28 points total over the last two weeks, the Panthers finally jump started their offense to cruise against the Bearcats. The Panthers have been led by standout RB Kahleel Brown who had over 1,100 yards rushing, and 16 TD’s through just six weeks of action. Birch Run will look to see if they can grab quite possibly their biggest win of the season in week 7.

This one will be one to keep an eye on Friday night. Freeland comes in looking to stay hot to head into the playoffs. Birch Run is hungry for a playoff shot. We’ll see if Freeland can keep them at bay when they head into Birch Run for a 7:00 showdown with the Panthers.

 

 

BEST OF THE WEST (OTHER GAMES WITH MSR ARTICLES TO FOLLOW)

Unity Christian v Spring Lake (Preview by Lien Veldboom): Unity Christian enters this week as the lone undefeated team in the OK Blue as West Catholic was defeated last week. They are scheduled to face the Lakers of Spring Lake who currently sit 2-3 in the conference. Although playoffs look bleak for Spring Lake this season and a demanding remaining schedule they could play spoilers for the Crusaders and Broncos in their final game of the 2022 season. The Crusaders look to continue their winning ways and enter the playoff undefeated just like the 2021 campaign.

Fruitport v Hamilton (Preview by Lien Veldboom): The Fruitport Trojans pulled off a big upset last Friday night as they defeated the very dominate West Catholic Falcons. The Jolman brothers led the Trojans above the Falcons 28-20. They were able to hold Tim Kloska to only one touchdown for the night. They are set to battle the winless Hawkeyes. Hamilton will look to pull of an upset of their own and gain for their conference win of the 2022 season.

Allendale v Holland Christian (Preview by Lien Veldboom): Both the Maroons and Falcons will look to bounce back after experiencing tough losses a week ago. Holland Christian is now 2-3 and will need to win out if they want a chance to make a playoff run. The Maroons seemed to have built from last year, but the past few weeks have not represented that progress. The Falcons seem to be out of contentions but could get in the way of the Maroons plan to advance. They currently are 1-4 in the OK Blue.

Zeeland West v Wyoming (Preview by Michael Markoch): The Dux of Zeeland West easily disposed of the Reeths-Puffer Rockets last week and now will need the Rockets’ help against Mona Shores this weekend in their battle at the top of the OK Green standings. Zeeland West’s loss two weeks ago to the Sailors looms large and the Dux no longer control their own destiny at the top.

The Dux are still led by their three-headed monster in the backfield in quarterback Trevor Waller, running back Skyler Geurink and fullback Parker Holman. Rolando Robelin has even got in the action with several touchdowns this season as well. The strong rushing attack should have no issues scoring early and often against a clearly rebuilding Wyoming team that is in year two under head coach Carlton Brewster.

The Wolves are still winless on the season and are simply just looking for positive takeaways going into 2023. There are a lot of seniors playing out their final games for the Wolves and next year’s team will look a lot different at key positions. Being competitive with the Dux would be a way to do just that, it’s just hard to see it happening.

This game should move quite quickly and not be particularly close and the Dux should maintain their status as firmly in the mix for an OK Green title in 2022.

Mona Shores v Reeths-Puffer (Preview by Michael Markoch):

The Mona Shores Sailors are almost there. After a brutal loss to Rockford in week two, the Sailors have not lost since, and no game has been particularly close either. With a win this week, the Sailors would only need one more win next week against a rested Muskegon team to clinch the conference crown.

The Sailors are led by a strong rushing attack, as are most teams in the OK Green. First-year starting quarterback Johnathan Pittman has certainly had his lumps but has played great football in the last few weeks. It helps when your quarterback can turn to some of the best options in the state at the running back position. This attack is led by the Farnum brothers, Dahmir and Ke’Waun, and Brandon Bankard and followed by the handful of other players who have found the end zone with their legs this season.

Since the loss to Rockford, the Sailors have not given up more than 14 points in a single game and their defense has been at the top of their game, especially when it comes to forcing turnovers.

This week, the Sailors will be challenged by an upstart Reeths-Puffer squad that just lost a tough game last week to Zeeland West, 30-12. So far this season, Puffer has beaten all the teams you would say they should beat but haven’t beaten anyone you would say they shouldn’t have. This is their final opportunity to do exactly that. Beating the Sailors would drastically upgrade the Rockets’ playoff résumé and put them firmly in the conversation.

The Rockets have the players to compete, both running back Brody Johnson and quarterback Brady Ross are among the area leaders in rushing touchdowns and Ross has no fear when it comes to throwing the ball downfield either. The Rockets should not be lacking in confidence and should feel they can compete with the Sailors at home in what is now their most important game of the season.

Kickoff for this one is set for 7 p.m. on Friday night.

Big Rapids v Morley-Stanwood (Preview by Hudson Harkness):

Big Rapids looks to stay hot as they take the 13-mile bus ride south to face Morley-Stanwood. The Cardinals are coming off a big win against Tri-County, that secured them at least of share of the CSAA Gold title. Big Rapids looked nearly flawless in that win over the Vikings, their offense was able to move the ball on the ground and in the air. Their defense slowed that powerful Tri-County run game down. The Cardinals showed they had ice in their veins with their last second touchdown and 2-point conversion to win the game in the closing seconds. This week’s game will be against a Mohawks team that has no identity on either side of the ball and has had no success this season. Big Rapids needs to play with the same fire they did last week and not take this as a pushover game.

Morley-Stanwood is trying to provide an upset in this week eight matchup. Last week, they were able to avoid another shutout as they fell to White Cloud 30-8. As we have seen all season from the Mohawks, they were not able to move the ball on offense and their defense was not able to stop anything. Morley-Stanwood, this week, must come out and play like they have nothing to lose, because they don’t! The Mohawks can play spoiler on a good season for the Cardinals.  I would expect for the Cardinals to come out with the same fire they had against Tri-County and get a big win this week. Morley-Stanwood is going to try something different in this game to get a win, it should be interesting.

Grant v Reed City (Preview by Hudson Harkness)

Reed City tries to get a share of the CSAA Gold title, for the 11th time in 12 years, as they face off against Grant. Grant is coming off a loss to Central Montcalm and their 5th loss in a row. The Tigers struggled on defense in week seven. They had no answer for the run game that Central Montcalm brought to the table. Late in the game, Grant picked the pace up on defense, but it was too little, too late. This week they face a team that’s run game is more explosive than Central Montcalm. If the Tigers want to play a close game they must score on offense with every opportunity because their defense is going to have trouble stopping the Reed City offense.

The Coyotes defeated Kent City last week in dominate fashion, 52-0. Reed City completely shut down the Kent City offense that has been scoring in bunches all season. Their offense did classic Reed City things, run the ball down the throat of the defense. This game for the Coyotes is one that they should win easily but has to come out with the same energy they did against Kent City. Their offense has to stick with the run game and get up big quick, their defense has to send pressure and create issues in the Tiger backfield. Reed City should have no problem coming out with the win in this game and securing a share of the Gold title for another year. I will be looking at Grant and seeing if they play with energy and excitement or if they have given up on the season and just go through the motions.

White Pigeon v Kent City (Preview by Hudson Harkness)

Kent City hosts White Pigeon in non-conference battle. White Pigeon takes the nearly two-hour bus trip north to visit Kent City. The Chiefs come into this matchup with a 4-3 record and had a dominate win over Beatty last week, 59-0. All four of White Pigeon’s wins have come against teams that combined have five wins. So even though the Chiefs have a winning record, their wins have come against teams that have struggled this season. White Pigeon’s defense will be tested this week. The Eagles will be a run first team and as they get the defense drawn in, they will take the top off the defense, so the Chiefs will have to stay true to their keys.

The Eagles are coming off a devasting loss to Reed City. In that game, Kent City was unable to get any traction on offense and defense. The Coyotes ran all over the Eagles and made the Kent City offense operate in shambles. This game is a great opportunity for the Eagles to bounce back and get on the right track before the playoffs begin. Kent City must get back to their basics. They must run the ball with the same hardnose they did in the first six games. Their defense has to make adjustments to how they stop a power run team, but that shouldn’t be an issue for this game. I expect for Kent City to come out on top of this game. Even though, the Eagles are coming off an ugly loss, they have had more success than the Chiefs against stronger teams.

White Cloud v Lakeview (Preview by Hudson Harkness)

White Cloud travels to Lakeview in the 2nd place game in the CSAA Silver. The Indians took a 30-8 win over Morley-Stanwood in week seven and ended a 13-game losing streak to the Mohawks. White Cloud did what they have done all season in their win. They spread the ball out to multiple players, on the ground and in the air. Their defense forced turnovers and created mistakes for the offense. This week, I would expect more of the game for the Indians. They are facing a Wildcat team that turnovers the ball over and makes mistakes in the small aspects of the game. White Cloud needs to keep finding their athletes on offense and pushing the ball down the field.

Lakeview defeated St. Charles last week, 40-28. On offense, the Wildcats looked as dominate as they have all season. Their defense was able to contain a Bulldogs offense that has had some success this season. This game for Lakeview will not be easy. The Indians like to push the ball down the field and move at a quick pace. Their defense has to find a way to contain the White Cloud run game and force them to pass in running situations. Their offense must hold onto the ball, early in the season, Lakeview turned the ball over multiple times a game, as the season as progressed the Wildcats have improved but White Cloud will be hunting for the ball and trying to get the ball out of the offense’s hands. This is game that White Cloud should win just based of the fact they are more athletic and make less mistakes than Lakeview. However, if the Wildcats play like they did last week they can provide an upset and secure the 2nd place finish in the CSAA Silver.

 

JOSH’S SAGINAW-AREA SPOTLIGHT

Frankenmuth v Essexville Garber

Frankenmuth’s perfect season continued last week. The Eagles have been dominant all season through seven weeks. This time it would be the Alma Panthers who would fall to the hands of the Eagles, 42-7. Frankenmuth had another strong start in that one as they led 21-0 after one half of play. The Eagles now sit at 7-0 overall and 6-0 in TVC play. Although the Eagles have been tested this year, Freeland was able to put some pressure on them until late in week 5, Frankenmuth has had an average scoring margin of 40.1 to 5.2 on the year. It’s shown how dominant their season has been. Frankenmuth now sits at #2 in Division 5. Four of the teams they’ve played, all have playoff hopes in mind. They shift their focus to a week 7 matchup playing another team with playoff hopes.

Essexville Garber comes into week 7 as one of the hottest teams in the Tri Valley. The Dukes have completely dominated in their last three matchups outscoring opponents, 134-13. Two of those matchups their defense has posted two shutouts. The last two games of the year will be true battles for the Dukes as they face two teams that have yet to have a loss in 2022. They’ll know that it’s one game at a time when they face one of the best teams in Michigan this year on Friday night. Over the last 12 seasons, Garber has been unable to notch a win over Frankenmuth. However, they have stood toe to toe and taken the Eagles deep into games a handful of times. They’ll have a chance to turn their fate in what would be their biggest win of the year in 2022.

Garber will look to see if they can keep this one close throughout to pull off the upset in week 8. Frankenmuth will look to wreck their plans when they head into Garber High School for a 7:00 showdown with the Dukes.

Gladwin v Beaverton

The Gladwin Flying G’s have cruised through the Michigan High School Football season as a team on a mission. Coming into week 7 at 6-0 overall and 5-0 in Jack Pine Conference play, they would be faced with their toughest test to date in week 7. In a back-and-forth game, they would remain undefeated. Traveling the distance to Pontiac, Gladwin would come out on top in a win over Notre Dame Prep at historic William Kozyra Alumni Field. In a game that came down to the wire, they would hold on, 33-27. A long trip at that, but a lasting one. As Head Coach Marc Jarstfer put it, “This is a great win for our program. To go on the road in a big-time environment, face all sorts of adversity, and still be able to close the game out late with a defensive stand in the redzone. It says a lot about our guys heart and resolve”. Still, the Gladwin offense piled up nearly 500 yards of total offense on the night while holding the Irish to 295. QB Nick Wheeler led a balanced attack with 175 yards passing for 2 TD’s on the night. That wasn’t it, he would pitch in 56 yards on the ground to go with 2 big INT’s on the defensive side. Earl Esiline helped pave the way with 11 carries for 94 yards, and 1 TD. Logan Kokotovich helped with 71 yards rushing and a TD. Kokotovich also led the way for the Gladwin defense with 11 tackles on the night. Lucas Mead would be the biggest beneficiary through the air hauling in 4 catches for 110 yards and 2 TD’s. Kaden McDonald helped out with 4 catches of his own to go with 58 yards. The Gladwin defense came up with 3 INT’s on the night, no easy task against a solid QB in Jacob Tuttle. Gladwin was ready and they showed it. The G’s will now sit at 7-0 overall, and 5-0 in conference play. They stand tall at #3 in Division 5 heading into week 8.

The Beaverton Beavers come in playing some of their best football on the season. The Beavers have won 2 of their last 3, with the lone loss coming by just 3 points to a tough Meridian team. They’ll come into this one at 2-5 on the year but are getting better at the right time. Over their last 3 games, Beaverton leads in scoring margin output at 91-10. They now have a chance to face a Gladwin team coming off a week with high emotions. In this rivalry game, they’ll hope to catch Gladwin coming off that high. In a series that has gone back and forth for much of a decade, they know they’ll be in for a battle against a focused Gladwin team.

This would be the biggest win of the year for the Beavers if up to the task. In a rivalry game, throw the records out the window. This week, Gladwin will make the short trek over to Beaverton High School. This one is slated to start at 7:00 this Friday when the Beavers welcome them in.

Croswell-Lexington v North Branch

The Cros-Lex Pioneers were able to bounce back in a big way against Imlay City in week 7, grabbing a 39-7 win over the Spartans. The Pioneers would hold a 25-0 lead after one quarter of play and would take a 39-0 lead into the half all but putting the game away early. Gavin Espinoza and Nick Monzo would combine to go 7 of 14 passing for 149 yards and 3 TD’s. They helped on the ground carrying 5 times for 51 yards. John Herman and Landon Butler would add a TD apiece on the ground to help the Pioneers. Herman grabbed 5 tackles on defense. Trevor Soule had a big night receiving catching 3 passes for 57 yards and 2 TD’s. He added 5 tackles on the defensive side to go with an INT. Nolan Moore would add a a receiving TD. The Pioneers will turn face quickly in a big matchup this week. They sit at 6-1 overall, and 4-1 in the BWAC heading in.

Things have been very interesting in the BWAC this year. The North Branch Broncos would fall fate of that last week when they were ousted at the hands of Armada, 28-37. The Broncos went into the first half of play down 7-16. They would hang around against the Tigers but it just wouldn’t be enough as North Branch would go on to lose their first game of the year putting them at 6-1 overall, and 4-1 in league play. Before the matchup with Armada, the Broncos were taking care of business rather decisively. Heading in they were outscoring teams on an average of 56.1 to 6.1. They will look to bounce back this week in what will be another tough test.

The BWAC has been wide open this year. At one point it looked like the team to beat was Cros-Lex. The next it would be North Branch. Now, it looks like Armada will look to have a say in who takes the BWAC as all three teams sit at 4-1 in league play while being 6-1 overall. Cros-Lex was able to handle Armada quite handily in week 3, 34-12. Armada will take on Richmond this week, a team that Cros-Lex and North Branch have already taken care of. Keep an eye on the BWAC as the playoff race heats up.

This is a series that has been intense and competitive over the last three seasons with the teams meeting six times over that span. This will be one to buckle up for in week 7 when the Pioneers head into North Branch for a battle with much on the line. The two are slated for a 7:00 kickoff.

St. Louis v Hemlock

The St. Louis Sharks were able to grab their 1st win of 2022 last week in a 28-21 thriller over Valley Lutheran. In a back-and-forth game, the Sharks wouldn’t be denied. The Shark offense finally got going as they had their best output on the year led by QB Thomas Zacharko. St. Louis would be down 12-14 at the half but showed their gull in the 2nd en route to the victory. It hasn’t been the season they’ve hoped for, but they have a chance to get some momentum heading into 2023. They have another great shot in week 8.

Coming off 6 playoff berths in a row, 2022 hasn’t been favorable to the Hemlock Huskies. They would drop a tough one last week at the hands of Carrollton. It was the first time in nearly two decades that the Cavaliers were able to come away with a win over the Huskies. Hemlock wasn’t able to shut down the ground game all night of Carrollton. They have now been outscored 85 to 285 on the year. Young QB Chad Brown was still solid in the loss. The Sophomore went 14 of 29 for 161 yards and a TD to go with just 1 INT. He would add a TD on the ground in what was a tough night for the Huskies running the ball. Zach Seidel had himself a nice night receiving with 5 catches for 74 yards. He would 11 tackles on the defensive side.  Caiden Larkin caught the lone receiving TD for the Huskies Larkin would add 5 tackles on defense. Liam Zastrow paced the Husky defense with 13 tackles. Luke McGregor helped with 10 tackles. They’ll face a stiff test against a team that was able to grab some momentum last week.

Hemlock has had their way with the Sharks in previous meetings adding a little more fuel to the fire for St. Louis. The Sharks will look to build on their most impressive game of the season. This one is up for grabs when St. Louis welcomes in the visiting Huskies for a 7:00 Friday night tilt.

Clare v Shepherd

After no game in week 6, the Clare Pioneers didn’t show any signs of rust in week 7. The Pioneers would go on to defeat a very good Meridian team, 46-20. This would give the Pioneers their 3rd win in a row, their longest of the season. When the Pioneers are at their best, it’s been all-around performances by multiple contributors. Last week was no different. Young QB Jayden Arthur had another big night. The Sophomore went 14 of 16 passing for 184 yards and 2 TD’s. On the ground he pitched in with another 84 yards and 3 TD’s on 15 carries. Chase Randall caught 5 passes for 74 yards and 2 scores. Ryan Louch got in on the action with 4 catches for 90 yards and a score. Carter Smedley was “Mr. Dynamic” on the night. Smedley came up with 34 rushing yards, 42 receiving yards, and threw for a 44-yard TD. Westyn Bryant helped his teams cause with 1 TD on the night. Clare looks to keep building their momentum in week 8 where they’ll be faced with another tough test.

In what has been a welcome sign in 2022, the Shepherd Bluejays have put themselves in a position where they have a chance to grab their most wins in a season since 2005. A program that has been building the right way after the last couple of years, they have now seen it come to fruition this season. After starting the season 1-2, the Bluejays have delivered strong performances on a weekly basis since. Their latest win coming in a 54-7 win over Pinconning in week 7. Shepherd was able to dominant the Spartans en route to their 5th win of the season. They’ll now be faced with a week 8 matchup against a perennial power in the JPC.

Clare has stifled the Bluejays in their matchups since 2018, outscoring Shepherd 184-13 during that span. An improving Shepherd program will look to show this is a different season when they welcome in the Pioneers for an intriguing JPC matchup. The action gets started at 7:00 this Friday night.