Video by Scott DeCamp; edit by Zach Zweigle | CatchMark
DIVISION 3
Muskegon (9-1) hosts Cedar Springs (8-2) on Saturday afternoon in a Division 3 district final at Hackley Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
This is the fourth straight season in which the Big Reds and Red Hawks are meeting in the playoffs. Muskegon is 4-0 all-time vs. Cedar Springs.
DIVISION 5
Oakridge 58, Howard City Tri County 22
While Montague was taking care of Central State Activities Association Gold Division champion Reed City on the road, visiting Oakridge was steamrolling CSAA Gold runner-up Tri County in a Division 5 district championship game.
Oakridge (9-2) overwhelmed Tri County (9-2) with a powerful running game. The Eagles outrushed the Vikings, 389-112. They averaged a whopping 11.1 yards per carry.
Corey Vanderputte led the way again for Oakridge with 206 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries, plus he caught a TD pass. Trever Jones had a big night as well for the Eagles with 163 yards and three TDs on just eight attempts.
Matt Danicek was 2-of-3 passing for 68 yards with one TD and no interceptions. Noah McFadyen paced Oakridge defensively with 11 tackles, while Jones notched 10 stops and Brody Jennings seven.
For Tri County, Tyler Tompkins finished 16-of-33 passing for 206 yards with two TDs and no picks. Nate Lovell had 10 tackles for the Vikings, while Mike Stout made seven stops.
Oakridge’s season continues next week, as the Eagles will face powerhouse Grand Rapids Catholic Central in the regional finals for the second-straight season. GRCC, which has won state titles four of the last five years, rolled past Grand Rapids West Catholic on Friday, 44-6.
DIVISION 7
Muskegon Catholic Central 50, Ravenna 14
In a Division 7 district final pitting friends and former teammates, Steve Czerwon’s MCC squad overpowered Justin Ego’s Ravenna team with a strong rushing attack. The Crusaders piled up 385 rushing yards to 61 for the Bulldogs, as the hosts captured their first district title in five years.
MCC’s David Hill ran for a game-high 187 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. Shane Powell had 82 yards on eight carries, while Joe Waller added 76 yards and two TDs on eight attempts. Elliot Riegler and Dane Rutz also had rushing TDs for the Crusaders.
Riegler went 3-for-4 passing for 60 yards with a TD toss to Chase Willer. Sam Kartes paced the MCC defense with seven tackles, while Bryan Convertini made five stops and Hill had an interception.
For Ravenna, Kyle Beebe finished 21-of-29 passing for 226 yards with no TDs and one pick. Drew Mabrito (89 receiving yards) and Grant Becklin (64) each caught six passes for the Bulldogs. Hunter Hogan and Dayton Thomas scored rushing TDs for the ’Dogs, who were led defensively by Cam Hodyna and Brandon McFarren with seven tackles apiece.
MCC (10-1) advances to next week’s regional finals and will host Lawton (11-0), which was a 35-6 winner over Union City on Friday.
Ravenna finishes the season with a 7-4 record. The Bulldogs were playing with heavy hearts, as they learned this week that junior teammate Keigen Swan has been diagnosed with leukemia.
DIVISION 8
Carson City-Crystal 35, Muskegon Heights Academy 26
Visiting Muskegon Heights battled throughout the game, but fell short in a Division 8 district final at Carson City-Crystal. Three weeks earlier on the same field, the Tigers lost to the Eagles, 41-14.
Ja’Kari Edwards was 18-of-36 passing for 303 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions for Muskegon Heights. Ashton Smith caught seven passes for 148 yards and a TD for the Tigers, while Anthony Floyd ran 13 times for 71 yards and a score.
Floyd led Heights defensively with five tackles.
No stats or details were submitted for Carson City-Crystal (10-1), which will visit Beal City (10-1) in next week’s regional finals.
Muskegon Heights finishes its turnaround season with a 6-5 record. After not having a season last year out of COVID-19 precautions, the Tigers bounced back with their first playoff season since and first postseason win since 2010.
Heights was 1-8 in 2019 and 0-9 in 2018. This was the Tigers’ first winning season since 2010.
