Tigers blank Fowler for district title

HUDSON — The Fowler offense entered its game against Hudson averaging 36.9 points per game, while the Hudson defense had recorded three shutouts in its last four games.

Something had to give on Nov. 6, and it did as Hudson earned its fourth shutout in five games with a 35-0 win over Fowler in the Division 8 district final at Thompson Field.

“Number one, your best defense is a good offense, right? And we have that,” Hudson coach Dan Rogers said. “Number two, our kids love playing defense.”

Hudson improved to 10-1 and earned a chance to compete for a Division 8 regional championship against Springport, while Fowler ended its season at 7-4.

“It’s a lot of time in the film room,” Hudson junior linebacker Lucian Hepker said. “You’ve just got to run to the ball. We’ve got to work hard, be fast, and physical.”

Rogers said his players take pride in playing defense for Hudson, and they do not worry about what it reads on the scoreboard or the shutouts.

“We just want to play good defense,” Rogers said. “We want to try not to give up the big play and do the best we can. I’m very proud that’s what we do each week.”

Fowler coach Jeremy Stephens said he expected a battle with Hudson, and he said it would be tough for his team to move the football. He thought his team had them late in the first half, but the Tigers stymied Fowler’s scoring attempt, and it turned the tide of the game.

“But they’re a really good team,” Stephens said. “I don’t see any team beating these guys. They are a class act; their coach’s great. It’s just a really tough team to beat. You can’t make any mistakes, and we made those mistakes tonight, but the better team won.”

As Hudson senior linebacker Owen Loop said, his teammates have been working harder and been more determined since Madison surprised Hudson on its own turf; that drive has sparked the Hudson defense to become the best version of itself.

“We knew they were fast, physical, and they were tall,” Loop said of the Fowler program. “We knew we were coming into a war pretty much, but we just had to fight through adversity, keep our heads up, and keep going.”

On the flip side, Hudson managed five plays of 25 or more yards against the Fowler defense and gained just under 400 total yards, including 301 rushing.

Beckett Campbell scored on a 49-yard touchdown run in the opening quarter, and Royce Beal’s extra-point kick gave Hudson an early 7-0 lead.

Owen Loop added a 2-yard run in the second quarter, but Beal’s kick sailed wide, and Hudson held a 13-0 lead. Later in the quarter, Bronson Butts caught a 47-yard touchdown pass from Beal, and Loop’s 2-point run gave Hudson a 21-0 halftime lead.

Campbell, who led Hudson with 249 yards on 16 attempts, ran 45 yards for his second touchdown, and Beal’s PAT extended the lead to 28-0. Campbell’s third score came after Loop’s 43-yard run. After a Campbell run, two Hudson penalties moved the ball to the 25-yard line, where Beal hit a wide-open Campbell for the game’s final score on third-and-goal, as Beal’s PAT initiated the running clock.

After Campbell, Loop finished with 56 yards on 11 attempts. Grayson Godfrey added 10 yards on 2 carries. Butts had 9 yards on 4 attempts.

Beal went 4-of-5 for 95 yards, while Campbell caught 2 passes for 35 yards, and Braden Jedele added a 13-yard catch for Hudson.

Defensively, Carter Vanlerberg led Hudson with 10 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 2 quarterback sacks. Wyatt Kimble had 7 tackles, 2 TFLs, and a fumble recovery. Hepker managed 7 tackles, a quarterback sack, and a TFL. Koen Hinzman had 4 tackles and a TFL. Campbell also recorded a TFL for the Tigers.

The win puts Hudson in the regional championship against Springport, a rematch from last year, which Hudson won, 68-22. But Rogers does not expect the same outcome on Nov. 13.

“They’re very athletic,” Rogers said of Springport. “We played them last year. They’ve got a lot back. They’re extremely well coached at what they do. They stress you out in many ways with their offense, and they play good defense. So, they do a tremendous job. We know we’re going to have our hands full.”

Patriots blitz Bay City All Saints

BAY CITY — Britton Deerfield senior Trevor Karpinski and junior Chase Stetler each scored twice, and senior Cayden Allshouse returned the opening kickoff for 77 yards in the Patriots’ impressive 36-8 Division 2, eight-man regional title win over Bay City All Saints Central at St. Stan’s Field.

“We played a tough, physical game on Friday night at Bay City All Saints,” Britton Deerfield coach Erik Johnson said. “We controlled the line of scrimmage and were able to churn out yards and ‘eat up’ the clock while scoring and keeping their offense off the field.”

Britton Deerfield improved to 9-2, while Bay City All Saints finished its season at 9-2.

Allshouse took the opening kickoff and eventually outraced the pack to the end zone as Britton Deerfield jumped out to an early lead. Jake Hatfield’s 2-point conversion run opened an 8-0 lead. But it was short-lived as All Saints answered when Jeffrey Hartman went 4 yards for the touchdown and added the 2-point conversion run, knotting the game at 8-all.

After that, though, Britton Deerfield dominated the Cougars.

Karpinski had a 10-yard touchdown run later in the first quarter, and Allshouse’s 2-point run extended the Britton Deerfield lead, 16-8.

Stetler scored his first touchdown in the second quarter on a 1-yard run as BD took a 22-8 halftime lead as rain challenged the Patriots as much as All Saints did throughout.

“Our O-Line played well,” Johnson said, whose team handled the worsening conditions of rain and cold as well as they handled the Cougars. “All Saints was a tough and proud football team that played hard until the very end.”

Britton Deerfield had an important defensive stop against the Cougars that changed the course of the game. The Patriots held their ground against All Saints, which had 1st-and-10 from BD’s 11-yard line at the end of the third quarter; when the fourth quarter started, the Cougars had moved closer and faced 4th-and-goal on the BD 3-yard line. The Patriots stopped the Cougars, then went on a 96-yard drive that took 7 minutes, as Karpinski’s 12-yard run extended the lead and Carson Roe added the 2-point run. Stetler’s second touchdown capped the night for BD with a 3-yard run.

“Our defense has been playing very well since the midpoint of the season,” Johnson said of the Britton Deerfield defense, which held All Saints to 144 yards of total offense, including a mere 6 yards passing.

Karpinski led the Patriots with 9 tackles, while Nick Bagby added 5½ tackles. John Johnson had 5, and Zach Gonzalez managed 4 tackles. Allshouse and Hazlett each had 2 tackles, and Allshouse added an interception.

Karpinski led Britton Deerfield with 149 yards on 22 attempts, while Allshouse had 74 yards on 12 carries. Hatfield managed 35 yards on five attempts. Stetler added 30 yards on 11 carries, while Roe managed 24 yards on 5 attempts. Edgar Hazlett had 11 yards on two attempts.

Stetler went 3-of-7 for 10 yards as Karpinski caught two passes for 10 yards.

The Patriots square off with Mendon in the eight-man semifinals on Nov. 14 with a trip to the state championship game on the line. Britton Deerfield will travel to Ypsilanti and play at Lincoln High School with a 1 p.m. start.

“Mendon is one of the best small school football programs in the state,” Johnson said of the Hornets. “They have a tremendous coaching staff and players. It will be a great challenge. I expect a highly physical game.”

Adrian falls to Dearborn Divine Child

DEARBORN — The No. 2-ranked Dearborn Divine Child contained Adrian junior Luke Bruggeman and capitalized on special teams and defensive touchdowns to win 49-14 over the Maples in the Division 4 district championship game at the Divine Child Alumni Athletic Complex on Nov. 6.

Bruggeman led Adrian in rushing but managed only 43 yards on 15 attempts against Divine Child, the defending Division 4 state champion.

“Divine Child did a great job getting off blocks and getting multiple hats to the ball against our run game,” Adrian coach Joel Przygodski said.

“They did not do anything special or anything we did not prepare for; they simply executed at a higher level last night against us,” he added.

Adrian ended its season at 9-2, while Divine Child improved to 10-1 and will move on to play Goodrich for the Division 4 regional championship.

The Falcons’ Giani Gojanic blocked Ryder Borton’s punt attempt at the 8-yard line and recovered it in the end zone for a first-quarter touchdown. Divine Child defensive lineman Gage Bevins stepped in front of a Jaxon Dowling pass attempt and returned the pass 36 yards for a score, giving his team a 49-0 lead after Joseph Dinnell’s seventh extra-point kick.

“The blocked punt really hurt, especially being that it was early in the game,” Przygodski said. “They got a defender free off the edge that we didn’t react to until it was too late. The interception return came from pressure in our quarterback’s face as he rolled out. He attempted to throw it away; he just couldn’t get it over the defender and out of bounds.”

Divine Child quarterback Drew Sheridan scored a 1-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal for the first score of the game. After the blocked punt, Andre Davis Jr. later added a 5-yard touchdown run as Divine Child opened a 21-0 first-quarter lead.

Sheridan connected with receiver RaySean Thomas on back-to-back scores in the second quarter, a 15-yard strike and later a 10-yard pass. Sheridan completed his third touchdown pass, a 36-yard pass to Michael DiSalvo, giving his team a 42-0 halftime lead.

The Falcons’ defense hampered Adrian’s offense during the opening half as Divine Child controlled the flow of the game.

“Divine Child was solid at all three levels of their defense,” Przygodski said. “They played fast and physical, like you would expect from a great team.”

Adrian finally reached the end zone in the fourth quarter. Romus Wyche scored on a 6-yard touchdown run, and Owen Salenbien made the extra point kick. Later, Jacob Fraser scored on a 4-yard run, and Salenbien connected on the PAT.

“While it stings now, I think we will be able to look back and be proud of the 2026 season,” Przygodski said. “We had a lot of successes over the course of the season, and I feel fortunate that I was able to work with a great group of guys – coaches and players – that make coaching and practices fun.”

Malachi Gay added 20 yards on 4 attempts, while Wyche added 10 yards on 2 carries. Fraser went 3-of-5 for 53 yards in relief of Dowling, who went 5-of-10 for 32 yards and two interceptions. Wyatt Snyder caught 5 passes for 68 yards, while Frankie Pechaitis added 15 yards with 2 catches. Prince Russell added a 3-yard reception.

Noah Yatzek had an interception late in the game for Adrian, and Przygodski said he thought Liam Martinez stood out among the defensive linemen.

“While we are not looking at next season at this point, we do have a lot of returning players on both sides of the ball for next season,” Przygodski said. “We do have some positions to fill, and we have to continue to work hard and develop in the offseason to give ourselves a chance at a successful 2027 season.”

Edison Academy beats Redwolves

DETROIT — Clinton reclaimed the lead in the fourth quarter against Detroit Edison Academy, only to watch the host Pioneers score midway through the quarter and earn a hard-fought 26-24 win in the Division 6 district championship at the Detroit Edison Public School Academy on Nov. 7.

Clinton ended its season at 9-2, while Edison improved to 10-1 and will play Ecorse at 2 p.m. on Saturday for the regional championship.

Bronson Whelan scored on a 10-yard run, but the conversion failed as Clinton pulled ahead, 24-20. However, Edison answered late when Jai’Von Plowden scored on an 81-yard touchdown run to take the lead.

“We had the momentum, and we were playing tough after scoring three unanswered TDs, but Edison ripped off an 81-yard run for a touchdown to go up 26-24,” Clinton coach Casey Randolph said.

After Plowden’s score, the Redwolves had a chance. A couple of first downs moved Clinton toward the Edison side of the field, but back-to-back quarterback sacks and an incompletion ended the drive as Edison took over on downs.

“It was a game where their athleticism made several big plays on offense, and their speed and aggressiveness on defense hurt us offensively,” Randolph said of Edison.

After a scoreless opening quarter in which the Redwolves drove into Edison territory but turned it over on downs, Clinton struck first in the second quarter when Gradyn Whelan scored on a 63-yard touchdown run. After Edison stopped the 2-point attempt, Clinton led 6-0.

But the Pioneers’ Mekhi James-Davis caught the first of two touchdown passes from Myles Matlock, a 73-yard strike that tied the game, and Plowden added the 2-point conversion run for an 8-6 lead. Later in the quarter, Matlock connected with Andre Neal Jr. for a 10-yard touchdown, but the conversion failed as Edison took a 14-6 halftime lead.

Neal Jr. caught an 82-yard pass from Matlock as Edison extended its lead, but the conversion failed, and the Pioneers held a 20-6 lead early in the third quarter.

“Coming out of halftime, we gave up a huge pass play for a touchdown; then, they seemed to take over the momentum of the game for a while,” Randolph said.

But back-to-back Clinton scores pulled them back into the game. Braxton Randolph went 11 yards for a touchdown, and later Jaxon Phillip added a 4-yard touchdown run. Each 2-point attempt failed, but Clinton had narrowed the gap and trailed 20-18 after three quarters.

“We put together several scoring drives and several defensive stops to pull ahead, 24-20,” said Randolph, whose team unfortunately dealt with several injuries to players that limited what Clinton could do offensively. “But we missed a field goal and missed all of our 2-point conversions.”

Randolph led Clinton with a team-best 111 yards on 23 attempts, while Bronson Whelan added 58 yards on 12 carries. Gradyn Whelan had 49 yards on 14 attempts, and Phillip added 6 yards on 2 carries.

Gradyn Whelan completed 2 of his 7 passes for 15 yards, while Bronson Whelan caught each pass for Clinton.

Bronson Whelan led Clinton with 4 tackles, while Jake Halchishak added 2 tackles. Jacob Pope recorded 1½ tackles.

Despite the loss, Clinton won nine games and shared the Lenawee County Athletic Association championship. The Redwolves recorded impressive wins over strong programs such as Olivet, Ida, Madison, and Monroe Jefferson, all playoff teams.

“It was a good season, but very heartbreaking,” Randolph admitted. “This team found ways to come together and battle in all situations.”

The Clinton seniors left a mark on the program, Randolph said, especially on the juniors, the soon-to-be senior class. Those student-athletes must take the reins for their future, along with the sophomores and freshmen, who also learned from their senior teammates.

“I love the seniors, and they transformed a lot from their freshman season until their senior year,” Randolph said. “They have always been a small group, but have developed and matured well through the program. I am proud of our seniors and this team.”