On a busy opening night of the 2023 high school football postseason, our cameras were on the sidelines for six key matchups.
REED CITY 41, MONTAGUE 13
The Reed City Coyotes continued their hot run of play, rolling to a 41-13 district semifinal victory over visiting Montague. The Coyotes held a 21-13 lead at the half, and shut down the Wildcats in the second half. Reed City (7-3) advances to the District Championship game, where they will play host to Hart.
MUSKEGON CATHOLIC CENTRAL 21, EVART 19
The Evart Wildcats saw their season come to a heart-breaking conclusion on their home turf on Friday night, falling to Muskegon Catholic Central 21-19. Evart finishes the season with a 7-3 record. The Crusaders (6-4) will travel to Beal City next week to play for a district title.
MT. PLEASANT 31, GRAND RAPIDS NORTHVIEW 17
The Mt. Pleasant Oilers shook off a slow start, pulling away to defeat visiting Grand Rapids Northview 31-17 in a district opening contest on Friday evening. The Wildcats scored a touchdown on their first possession, and held a 10-7 lead on Mt. Pleasant late in the first quarter. The Oilers (9-1) will host Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central next week.
BEAL CITY 42, FRANKFORT 7
The Beal City Aggies bounced back from a tough week nine loss, racking up an impressive 42-7 district-opening win over Frankfort. The Aggies built a 28-7 halftime lead, and were able to hold the Panthers in check for the remainder of the game. Jack Fussman threw for three touchdowns and ran for another to pace the Aggie offense. Jamisen Latham caught two of the touchdown passes and ran for one more score. Beal City (9-1) plays host to Muskegon Catholic Central in the district final round of play next week.
PICKFORD 38, RUDYARD 16
The Pickford Panthers defeated rival Rudyard for the second time this season, notching a 38-16 win in the opening round of 8-player football regional play. The Panthers won the earlier meeting this season by just two points. Pickford (9-1) will host Norway in a regional final next week.
MIDLAND BULLOCK CREEK 22, CLARE 19
The Midland Bullock Creek Lancers scored twice in the fourth quarter, including the go-ahead touchdown with 0:18 remaining to complete a dramatic comeback victory over Clare on Friday night. The Pioneers held a 19-7 lead at the start of the fourth quarter. Bo Schwartz connected with Zane Schwartz on a halfback option pass to give the Lancers a 20-19 lead. Clare had one last chance to re-take the lead, but after returning the kickoff into Lancer territory, the Pioneers could not complete a pass to set up either a tying field goal attempt, or a go-ahead touchdown. Clare sees their season come to a close with a 7-3 overall record. Bullock Creek advances to face Chesaning next week.
