Spring Lake V Fruitport, 42 – 14
Covered by Luke Westerlund (shotbyluke.pixieset.com)
Fruitport came out swinging in the Battle of the Bayou. The Trojans forced a fumble on the opening drive and marched all the way down to the 6-yard line. But that early spark was about all they’d get.
Once Spring Lake got the ball back, the Lakers hit the gas. They rattled off 21 unanswered before halftime, then wasted no time in the second half—housing a punt return and tacking on three more scores. Fruitport managed to punch in a couple late touchdowns, but the hole was already too deep.
Spring Lake handled business and walked away with the Bayou bragging rights.
Next up, the Lakers host Gladwin in nonconference play, while Fruitport heads on the road to take on Big Rapids.
Forest Hills Eastern V Montague, 26 – 14
Covered by Jay Courtland
Montague came into Thursday night with a lot of questions. What kind of team would they be? What’s their identity? Who are the dudes that can step up? By the final whistle, the Wildcats had some answers.
Yes, they fell to Forest Hills Eastern, but Montague looked like Montague again. Facing a school much larger in size, a win was always going to be a tall task for a rebuilding squad — but the Cats absolutely proved they’re back on track. Even without RB Devlin Dean and with Fletcher Thommen gutting it out on a banged-up leg, Montague showed fight.
Quarterback Peterson stood out, going 4-of-9 through the air while rushing for a team-high 77 yards and a touchdown. On the defensive side, Dylan Bailey led the charge with 9 tackles.
Next up, Montague hits the road to clash with the Eagles in WMC Lakes play.
Grand Blanc V Mona Shores, 35 – 20
Covered by Kaiden Webster
This one came as a bit of a surprise for the Sailors. A lot of people expected to see the same Mona Shores team as last year, but something felt different under the lights Friday night.
Grand Blanc came in and spoiled the home opener, handing Shores a tough loss. Both sides of the ball struggled early, and the Bobcats built a 28-7 lead by halftime. The Sailors tried to rally late, but the hole was too deep.
Shores will look to bounce back next week when they host River Rouge.
Hudsonville Unity Christian V Whitehall, 55 – 14
Covered by Jake McLouth
Whitehall finds itself in a spot not unlike Montague — reloading after losing a lot of key pieces from the 2024 season. And just like their rivals, the Vikings answered some questions in their opener.
For the fourth straight year, Whitehall opened with Unity Christian. The two have split the series overall, but the Crusaders are on a roll, winning the last two meetings by a combined 63 points. This year, Unity’s depth again proved tough to match, but Whitehall broke through for a pair of scores. Corde Anderson and Judd Musk each found the end zone to get the Vikings on the board.
Whitehall will try to rebound this week in WMC Lakes play when they host Orchard View.
Pewamo-Westphalia V North Muskegon, 35 – 6
Covered by Mia Milner
This rivalry runs deep. North Muskegon and Pewamo-Westphalia have seen plenty of battles, you can read about those here (North Muskegon – Pewamo-Westphalia Rivalry and North Muskegon Closes out Season in Loss To Pewamo-Westphalia). The last two seasons both opened against each other. Each time, the Pirates edged out the Norse — last year by just a single point and a gutsy 2-point conversion.
This time around, Pewamo wasn’t leaving anything to chance. The Pirates found their rhythm early and never let up, holding one of last year’s most explosive offenses to just 6 points. On the flip side, North Muskegon’s defense couldn’t get off the field, giving up 21 points through three quarters and two more scores down the stretch.
The Norsemen will try to regroup and bounce back in WMC Rivers play when they take on Shelby next week.
Oakridge V Orchard View, 29 – 14
Covered by our Anonymous SportsNut
The Battle of the Birds lived up to its name. Oakridge came in looking to set the tone with an opening win, and they got it — taking care of business by two scores.
But the real storyline? Orchard View. Just a year removed from a 36-point loss to these same Eagles, OV showed massive improvement and gave their rivals a real fight. This group looks like it’s starting to turn a corner.
Oakridge, though, is Oakridge. The Eagles put up 29 points before the end of the third quarter, then slammed the door by holding OV scoreless in the fourth. That’s how you open a season.
Next week, Oakridge hosts Montague in a WMC Lakes showdown, while Orchard View travels to Whitehall for another big conference matchup.
Forest Hills Central V Reeths-Puffer, 18 – 12
Covered by Jeff Burel
According to Jeff Burel, this one was built on pure grit. Nothing summed it up better than Coach Kater’s sweatshirt: “RP Against Everyone.”
A year removed from an 11-point loss, the Rockets showed just how much they’ve leveled up, falling by only six this time around. A big piece of that growth? The position switch for Mason Darke. The national champion hurdler is settling in nicely and giving RP’s offense some extra juice in moving the ball.
Next up, the Rockets hit the road for a tough conference test at Caledonia.
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