The second season is underway for 2023 high school football.
Here is a roundup of West Michigan Conference games that took place Friday (Oct. 27) in the first round of the MHSAA playoffs.
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DIVISION 4
WHITEHALL 28, ALLENDALE 7: Top-ranked rode its defense once again until the offense got going in the second half in this playoff opener at Whitehall.
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DIVISION 5
OAKRIDGE 13, BELDING 7: Visiting Oakridge banked on stingy defense to shut down high-scoring Belding and Trever Jones did his usual thing in the Eagles’ first-round win.
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Photo by Courtney Jimison | CatchMark
DIVISION 6
HART 44, KENT CITY 22: In its first-ever playoff game, and at home to boot, Hart found itself in a back-and-forth battle with Kent City before the Pirates turned it on and ran away with the victory.
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REED CITY 41, MONTAGUE 13: Montague took a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter on Adam Baird’s 77-yard TD run, but Reed City responded and never trailed again in this playoff opener.
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Photo by Courtney Jimison | CatchMark
MANISTEE 44, LAKE CITY 6: Host Manistee rolled to a first-round playoff victory over Lake City behind a balanced rushing attack.
Isaiah Davis and Dayvion Neal-Berry each ran for two touchdowns, while Nick Hornkohl and Kaden Kott also scored rushing TDs. Davis scored on runs of 3 and 35 yards, while Neal-Berry scored on runs of 7 and 5 yards.
Hornkohl opened the game’s scoring in the first quarter with a 6-yard run. He also had a pair of two-point conversion runs in the game. Kott busted loose for a 72-yard scoring run in the second quarter as the Mariners built a 36-0 halftime lead.
Manistee (8-2) advances to next week’s district final at Kingsley (8-2), which defeated Mason County Central 61-12.
Photo by Courtney Jimison | CatchMark
KINGSLEY 61, MASON COUNTY CENTRAL 12: In its first playoff appearance since 2015, Mason County Central ran into a buzzsaw at Kingsley in this first-round matchup. The Stags led 33-0 after the first quarter.
Kingsley outgained MCC in total offense, 467-194. The Stags passed for 282 yards and rushed for 185. The Spartans ran for 159 yards and passed for 35.
Peyton Merz scored both TDs for MCC, first on a 60-yard run in the second quarter, then on a 33-yard run in the fourth quarter. He finished with 160 yards on 17 carries.
Ethan Domin paced the Spartans defensively with 12 tackles, while Merz made six stops.
Mason County Central closes its seasons with a 5-5 record.
Kingsley (8-2) hosts Manistee (8-2) in next week’s district finals.
