Week 1 of the 2023 high school football season is in the books for West Michigan Conference teams.
Here is a roundup of the action that took place Thursday, Aug. 24, and Friday, Aug. 25.
If your team has only a score listed, then it’s because your stats and details were not reported to CatchMark. Please report scores, stats, and details by emailing sports@catchmarkit.com.
THURSDAY, AUG. 24
Whitehall 34, Hudsonville Unity Christian 28: Whitehall battled a tough Unity Christian team as well as cramps to key players en route to a season-opening win in the heat at Whitehall.
Orchard View 52, Holton 6: Host Orchard View raced out to a 22-0 lead after one quarter and 38-0 advantage at halftime in this WMC nondivisional matchup. The Cardinals outgained the Red Devils in total yards, 354-96. OV’s Alex Theile was 2-of-3 passing for 68 yards and a TD, plus he ran four times for 40 yards and two TDs. Stephon Oakes ran six times for 74 yards and a TD for OV. Korson Bowen and Mason Tuttle also scored rushing TDs for the Cardinals, who got a receiving TD from Curtis Scott. Bowen led OV defensively with five solo tackles, including four tackles for loss. For Holton, David Addison had 75 rushing yards and Rylee Pierce had 42 receiving yards.
Manistee 45, Kalkaska 0: Host Manistee rushed for 310 yards and five TDs in rolling to the win. Nick Hornkohl led the way with 136 yards and two TDs on 14 carries. Isaiah Davis also rushed for two TDs while carrying the ball seven times for 61 yards. Austen Halcome scored a rushing TD for the Mariners. Dayvion Neal-Berry was 4-of-5 passing for 69 yards and two TDs, both of them to Kaden Kott. Nathan Doremus paced the Manistee defense with eight tackles, while Brayden Sorenson had six stops.
Petoskey 32, Ludington 14: Ludington lost its first game on the new turf at Oriole Field. Cameron Gunsell ran 13 times for 101 yards and a TD, plus he went 11-of-22 passing for 151 yards and a score. Ludington’s Gage Jones had five receptions for 61 yards, plus he made a team-high 13 tackles. Joe Bentz ran seven times for 51 yards. Darric Duncil and Connor Such registered seven and six tackles, respectively, for the Orioles.
Mason County Central 27, Wyoming Godwin Heights 7: No stats or details were submitted.
FRIDAY, AUG. 25
North Muskegon 17, Pewamo-Westphalia 14: Owen Booth’s 24-yard field goal with 3 seconds remaining lifted the host Norse to a big season-opening victory over powerhouse P-W.
Oakridge 27, Sparta 15: In the resumption of a game postponed by storms Thursday night, Oakridge took care of business at Sparta. The Eagles outrushed the Spartans by a 260-78 margin, led by Trever Jones’ 140 yards and one TD on 22 carries. Bryson Stephenson added 50 yards on 15 carries for Oakridge, while Evan Miller and Brayden Cunningham had rushing TDs for the Eagles. Brody Jennings led the Oakridge defense with eight tackles, while Zac Cribbins made seven stops. Oakridge next hosts Unity Christian on Thursday (Aug. 31).
Hart 8, Fremont 6: Visiting Hart pulled out a hard-earned WMC nondivisional win in a defensive battle. Fremont totaled 263 yards of offense, 184 on the ground. Fremont’s Owen Hertel ran 11 times for 49 yards and a TD, plus he caught four passes for 57 yards and notched eight tackles. Asa Barnhard had eight tackles for the Packers, while Connor Pettis and Kyle Nagel made six stops apiece. No stats or details were submitted for Hart.
Beal City 32, Ravenna 14: No stats or details submitted.
White Cloud 13, Shelby 12: No stats or details submitted.
Hesperia at Muskegon Heights Academy: No score reported.
