Photos by Tim Jones for CatchMark
Whitehall’s football team wasted no time getting comfortable Friday night at Ferris State University’s Top Taggart Field.
The Vikings scored 26 first-quarter points and 44 in the opening half en route to a 50-0 nonconference victory over Alpena.
Whitehall improves to 3-0 and now sets its sights on the “Battle for the Bell” matchup next Friday at home against neighboring rival Montague.
Against Alpena (1-2), junior quarterback Kyle Stratton set the tone again for the Vikings. Stratton completed 10 of 13 passes for 197 yards and five touchdowns. He also ran nine times for a game-high 114 yards and one TD.
Three of Stratton’s passes connected with Trannon Aylor for 83 yards, two of those for TDs. Jackson Cook added 42 rushing yards and a TD on seven carries for Whitehall. Nate Bolley, Camden Thompson and Malcolm Earvin also caught TD passes for the Vikings.
Whitehall outgained Alpena, 384-141, despite the fact that the Wildcats possessed the football 32:48 compared to only 15:07 for the Vikings.
Jaiden Altgilbers paced Whitehall’s defense with 6.5 tackles, including 1.5 for lost yardage. Bolley, Thompson, Wyatt Jenkins and Lukas Palmer had three stops apiece.
Next Friday’s Whitehall-Montague game kicks off at 7 p.m. It will be the North Grove Brewers West Michigan Conference Game of the Week and livestreamed on the CatchMark SportsNet YouTube channel.
OAKRIDGE 46, MANISTEE 19: Visiting Oakridge used a balanced offensive attack and cruised past Manistee in the teams’ WMC Lakes Division opener.
Trever Jones rushed for a game-high 140 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries to lead the Eagles’ ground attack, while Matt Danicek completed 9 of 10 passes for 227 yards with two TDs and no picks.
Chris Knapp made three receptions for 118 yards and a TD for Oakridge, while Jones also caught a scoring pass covering 52 yards.
Oakridge (3-0 overall) outgained Manistee (2-1) in total offense, 420-276.
Brody Jennings paced the Eagles defensively with nine tackles, including one stop for lost yardage. Riley Bean had eight tackles, while Kyle Weaver had seven.
Trevor Spencer led Manistee with 106 rushing yards and a TD on seven carries. The Chippewas outrushed the Eagles, 250-180.
Braydon Sorenson led Manistee defensively with six tackles, followed by Caden VanSickle with five.
Next Friday, Oakridge hosts Ludington in a battle of early-season unbeatens, while Manistee hosts Orchard View.
NORTH MUSKEGON 41, MASON COUNTY CENTRAL 6: Host North Muskegon featured a strong rushing attack led by Denny Belmonte to complement its passing game as the Norsemen cruised to the WMC Rivers Division victory.
Belmonte ran 10 times for a season-high 134 yards with two touchdowns to power the Norse (2-1 overall). His 65-yard TD run just 11 seconds into the second half gave North Muskegon a 41-0 lead.
James Young completed 11 of 19 passes for 169 yards and four TDs with no picks for the Norsemen. TJ Byard caught three of those passes for 70 yards, two of those receptions going for TDs. Alec Newville also hauled in a scoring pass, as did Belmonte.
Sam Gallo anchored North Muskegon’s defense at the point of attack with eight tackles, including two sacks. Kyle Huff notched 6.5 tackles, while Drew Bartos had 4.5 stops.
Will Chye completed 4 of 15 passes for 109 yards with one TD and no interceptions for Mason County Central (0-3). Chye also led the way defensively with four tackles. Peyton Merz led the Spartans in rushing with 64 yards on 20 carries.
Next Friday, North Muskegon visits Hesperia, while Mason County Central heads to Holton.
RAVENNA 61, HOLTON 8: Hunter Hogan scored on a punt return, kickoff return and two rushing touchdowns, plus he led Ravenna defensively in powering the visiting Bulldogs past Holton in this WMC Rivers Division opener.
Hogan scored on a 40-yard punt return, 85-yard kickoff return and TD runs of 11 and 9 yards as Ravenna improved to 2-1 overall. He also notched a team-high five tackles.
Clay Schullo scored two rushing TDs for the Bulldogs, plus he returned a kickoff 70 yards for a score. Drew Mabrito scored on a blocked punt. Nathan Kooiman led Ravenna in rushing with 57 yards and a TD on only three carries.
Carter Schullo and Brenna Buskirk contributed 4.5 tackles apiece for Ravenna.
Riley Pierce got Holton (0-3) on the board early in the fourth quarter with a 7-yard TD run.
Next Friday, Ravenna hosts Shelby, while Holton welcomes Mason County Central.
WHITE CLOUD 26, HESPERIA 14: Host White Cloud defeated Hesperia in a nonconference matchup pitting former Central State Activities Association Silver Division foes.
No details were submitted for this game.
Hesperia slips to 1-2 overall, while White Cloud improves to 2-1. Hesperia hosts North Muskegon next Friday, while White Cloud heads to Kent City.
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