Four weeks of the 2023 high school football season are in the books for West Michigan Conference teams.
Here is a roundup of Week 4 games that took place Friday, Sept. 15.
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.
WMC LAKES
WHITEHALL 35, MONTAGUE 0: Whitehall’s defense dominated, while Kyle Stratton ran for two touchdowns, passed for a TD, and scored on a pick-6 as the Vikings kept the bell for the third straight year.
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OAKRIDGE 29, LUDINGTON 21: Visiting Oakridge snapped a rare two-game losing streak by getting defensive stops at key moments. Ludington was stopped on three first-and-goal situations, including being denied at the 1-yard line twice.
Trever Jones’ 7-yard TD run and ensuing two-point conversion with 3:14 remaining proved the winning points. Jones finished the game with 213 yards and two TDs on 21 carries. Bryson Stephenson and Bryce Bisson also scored rushing TDs for Oakridge (2-2, 1-1 WMC Lakes). Brody Jennings led the Eagles defensively with 15 tackles, including a sack and two for lost yardage. Jullian Primmer had 11 tackles, while Jones notched 10.
For Ludington (2-2, 1-1), Cameron Gunsell turned in another big game. The sophomore ran 32 times for 170 yards and three TDs, plus he went 11-of-20 passing for 201 yards. David Shillinger ran 10 times for 74 yards. Gage Jones made five receptions for 55 yards, plus he led the Orioles with 12 tackles. Deric Duncil recorded nine tackles.
MANISTEE 38, ORCHARD VIEW 12: Visiting Manistee rallied from a 12-8 halftime deficit with 30 unanswered points in the second half. The Mariners stay unbeaten at 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the WMC Lakes. They host Whitehall next Friday in a battle of unbeatens.
Kaden Kott rushed for 147 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries to pace Manistee. Trevor Haag and Nick Hornkohl also had rushing TDs for the Mariners. Dayvion Neal-Berry completed 2 of 3 passes for 71 yards, including a 28-yard TD to Kanon Petzak. Defensively, Caius Johns led Manistee with 13 tackles, while Isaiah Davis and Braydon Sorenson notched 11 each.
Stephon Oakes scored on runs of 3 and 2 yards in the second quarter to give Orchard View (2-2, 0-2) a 12-8 lead at the break. Oakes finished with 96 yards on 20 carries to pace OV. Oakes and Alex Theile led the Cardinals’ defense with three solo tackles each.
WMC RIVERS
NORTH MUSKEGON 69, HESPERIA 7: Host North Muskegon improved to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the WMC Rivers with the runaway win over Hesperia. The Norsemen visit Hart next Friday in a battle of unbeatens.
Tristan Thomas scored four rushing touchdowns for North Muskegon, totaling 88 yards on just six carries. Also scoring rushing TDs for the Norse were Cullen Bartos with two and Alec Newville, Hunter Wilder, and Chuck Meyers with one apiece. James Young was 6-of-6 passing for 153 yards and three TDs, connecting with Landon Christensen, TJ Byard, and Thomas.
Owen Booth was 6-for-6 on PATs for North Muskegon. Newville and Chuck Meyers had seven tackles apiece, while AJ Larkin notched six tackles and an interception.
No stats or details were submitted for Hesperia (1-3, 0-1).
RAVENNA 42, SHELBY 0: Visiting Ravenna posted its second straight shutout while Blake Homoly passed for three TDs, two of them to Chase Thomas.
Homoly finished 13-of-22 passing for 182 yards with the three scores and two picks for the Bulldogs (2-2, 2-0 WMC Rivers). Thomas caught six passes for 100 yards. Nick Mabrito and Caleb Forsythe also had receiving TDs, while Derek Finlay scored a rushing TD. Finlay led Ravenna’s defense with eight tackles, while Wyatt Young and Isaac Korson made five stops apiece.
No stats or details were submitted for Shelby (0-4, 0-2).
MASON COUNTY CENTRAL 64, HOLTON 6: Peyton Merz scored six touchdowns, including returning the game’s opening kickoff 84 yards for a TD, to carry the host Spartans to the runaway victory. Merz finished with 231 rushing yards and five TDs on 14 carries. Pierce Bladzik passed for a pair of TDs for MCC (2-2, 1-1), one to Quentin Lange and one to Eathen Huffman.
Host Mason County Central jumped out to a 36-0 first-quarter lead. For the game, MCC outgained Holton in total offense, 437-103. Ethan Domin paced the Spartans defensively with eight solo tackles, including two sacks and three tackles for loss.
No stats or details were submitted for Holton (0-4, 0-2).
NONCONFERENCE
HART 54, STOCKBRIDGE 41: Hart stayed unbeaten on the season with a wild neutral-site win in nonconference action at Olivet College, the alma mater of Pirates head coach Joe Tanis. The Pirates used a big third quarter in which they scored 24 points and recovered three onside kicks to rally from a 27-16 deficit.
Joseluis Andaverde rushed for 322 yards and four touchdowns on 30 carries plus he had a pair of two-point conversions. Connor Edwards added 86 rushing yards and two TDs on 14 carries. As a team, Hart rushed for 483 yards on 62 attempts. Defensively, Chase Gale led Hart with nine tackles, a sack, and a fumble recovery.
Next Friday, Hart hosts North Muskegon in a battle of unbeatens and key WMC Rivers matchup. Both teams are ranked in the top 10 of their respective divisions.
Stockbridge slips to 1-3 overall.
FREMONT 20, GRANT 0: Host Fremont used a balanced attack to post a nonleague win over familiar foe Grant.
Three players scored rushing touchdowns for the Packers (2-2): Owen Hertel, Khai Noordyk, and Kyler DeKuiper. Hertel ran seven times for 82 yards, plus he caught six passes for 49 yards. Karter Frens rushed 11 times for 69 yards. Noordyk ran 16 times for 61 yards. Talen Reichert-Slater completed 11 of 18 passes for 68 yards.
Defensively, Connor Pettis paced Fremont with 11 tackles, while Trentyn Corley made six stops. Hertel had five tackles and an interception.
Grant falls to 1-3 on the season.
