Blue Water Area football: week 4 scores, stats, standings
And then there were three.
Croswell-Lexington, North Branch, and Port Huron Northern each remain undefeated on the season after North Branch handed Almont its first loss of the year. Cros-Lex took a bye week with a forfeit from Algonac, and Northern continues to roll through the MAC-Blue after defeating Sterling Heights.
It was an exciting night for the Bulldogs who earned their first conference win of the season over Richmond, improving to 2-2 overall.
Junior quarterback Connor Jakubiak was responsible for three of Yale’s touchdowns, running the first one in on the opening drive and then finding juniors Jeremy Griffith and Ty LaForest for two more. He totalled 166 passing yards with an 8-for-15 performance and added 25 more yards on the ground.
Griffith had 62 total yards of offense while senior James Bahr had 55 rushing yards and one touchdown. Junior Ryan Monarch led the receivers with three receptions for 70 yards.
Senior Josh Craig had two interceptions on the night, returning one 30 yards for a touchdown to start the third quarter. Bahr had seven tackles (two sacks, two tackles for loss) and senior Timothy McClelland added six solo and one assist.
The Blue Devils scored their lone touchdown late in the fourth on a five-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Anthony Bonnetti to sophomore Trey Graham. Graham finished the night with 98 receiving yards on 10 receptions.
Senior Joey Polio led the Richmond defense with eight tackes (four for loss) and fellow senoir Noah Harris added six. Junior Wyatt Peters had five tackles and one sack as well.
Yale will host Cros-Lex (4-0, 3-0 BWAC) this week for a battle for the rivalry helmet trophy while Richmond (2-2, 0-2 BWAC) will return home to host Imlay City (0-4, 0-3 BWAC).
Marysville 38, Lamphere 24
The Vikings improved to 2-2 on the season in front of a home crowd Friday night with a MAC-Silver win over Lamphere.
Senior quarterback Noah LaValley led his team with a 3-for-6 performance and 53 yards in the air along with one rushing touchdown. Junior running back Carter Saccucci recorded two touchdowns and 155 yards, while senior Mitchell Donaldson had 92 yards and one touchdown.
Senior Tyler McKenney recorded the other Viking touchdown on a 1-yard run along with 21 receiving yards.
Marysville is now in a four-way tie within the league and will play Marine City at East China Stadium this Friday.
Marine City 53, South Lake 36
South Lake kept pace with the Mariners through the first half tied 12-12, but Marine City pulled away with a 13-0 fourth quarter to secure the No. 1 spot in the MAC-Silver. The Mariners now stand 2-0 in league play with four other teams tied at 1-1.
Four different Mariners made their way into the end zone on the night, led by senior running back Zach Tetler with three touchdowns on 80 rushing yards. Sophomore Paul Muscat led 139 yards on 15 carries for one touchdown, senior Anothony Ruffino added 107 yards and two touchdowns, and junior Cameron Milewski added one more touchdown on seven yards.
Junior Bodie Ramsey led the Mariner defense with 13 tackles, while seniors Cole O’Kroy and Brock Osterland added 12 and nine, respectivley.
The Mariners are now 3-1 overall on the season and are averaging 42 points per game. They’ll host Marysville this Friday.
North Branch 34, Almont 14
Almont’s record may have one blemish now, but the Raiders’ performance Friday night was certainly a notable one. They not only managed to hold the Broncos scoreless through the first quarter, but they also kept a team that was averaging 56 points per game to just 34 on the night.
The Raider defense was led by junior Ayden Ferqueron and senior Tyler Filinger who each recorded 11 tackles. Senior Bryce Ferman added four with one for loss, and sophomore Jacob Fuller forced one fumble.
Offensivley, sophomore Chase Battani led the way on the ground with 142 yards on seven carries and Ferman added 55 more with one touchdown. Senior quarterback Trenton Kruse threw 6-for-12, totalling 67 yards and one touchdown to senior Matthew Measel (49 receiving yards).
The Broncos maintained their efficient running game as four different athletes combined for five rushing touchdowns on the night. Senior quarterback Will Damaska went 2-for-2 with 77 yards in the air while rushing for 78 yards and one touchdown.
Seniors Aiden Swoish added 72 yards and two touchdowns, Ryan Henne led with 108 yards and one touchdown, and Lucas Schapman added 26 yards and one touchdown.
Swoish led the North Branch defense with 11 tackles on the night and senior Mason Haken added five with two for loss.
Almont now stands 3-1 overall (1-1 BWAC) and North Branch improves to (4-0, 3-0 BWAC). The Raiders will hit the road to play Armada this Friday in another highly-anticipated conference matchup as Armada is also 3-1 and 2-1 in the BWAC. North Branch will return home to play Hamtramck.
Port Huron Northern 43, Sterling Heights 8
Northern put together a solid performance against Sterling Heights to maintain its spotless record. Senior quarterback Dylan Bloink threw for two touchdowns – both to senior receiver Jacob Kerrigan who totalled 137 yards on the night – and ran for two. Bloink managed a 7-for-13 performance with 99 yards.
Senior Hayden Prone led the Huskies on the ground with 88 yards on nine carries and one touchdown. Senior Kanye Cole scored the other Northern touchdown after junior Jacob O’Hare blocked a Stallion punt.
The Huskies will play Port Huron High in the Crosstown Showdown this Friday. Both teams are undefeated in league play (2-0 MAC-Blue) and will be playing not only for a rivalry win, but also sole ownership of the No. 1 spot in the league.
Northern has beaten its last four opponents 39-8 on average, while Port Huron has won 46-17 on average against its last three, giving the Huskies just a 2-point advantage when comparing their margins of victory.
St. Clair 12, Clintondale 6
The Saints evened their season record to 2-2 with an overtime victory over Clintondale. St. Clair scored early in the game when senior Logan Ellis found the end zone on a 17-yard carry. Both teams remained scoreless through the next two quarters until Clintodale scored in the fourth. The Saints managed to stop the 2-point conversion, tying the game at 6-6.
This time it was sophomore Peyton Ellis’ turn to score on a 10-yard run, good enough to give his team the 12-6 win. He totalled 25 rushing yards, Logan Ellis had 32, and junior Luke Gabriel led the offense with 82 yards on 22 carries.
Gabriel also led the defense with five tackles on the night, including one for loss. Fellow junior William Schroeder chipped in with four (one for loss).
St. Clair (2-2, 1-1 MAC-Silver) will play on the road against Lamphere (3-1, 1-1 MAC-Silver) this Friday.
OTHER AREA SCORES:
Armada 48, Imlay City 0
Port Huron 49, Fraser 13
Cardinal Mooney 42, Shrine 0
Peck 42, Ashley 26
Deckerville 56, Genesee 8
Marlette 28, Sandusky 14
Cass City 70, Memphis 0
Ubly 42, Harbor Beach 0
Bad Axe 52, Reese 0
Port Huron 49, Fraser 13
BWAC STANDINGS:
1t. Cros-Lex (4-0, 3-0 BWAC)
1t. North Branch (4-0, 3-0 BWAC)
3. Armada (3-1, 2-1 BWAC)
4. Almont (3-1, 1-1 BWAC)
5. Yale (2-2, 1-2 BWAC)
6. Richmond (2-2, 0-2 BWAC)
7. Imlay City (0-4, 0-3 BWAC)
For in-game updates and other news, follow Calli on Twitter @ newberry_calli
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