In Branch County high school sports, in Friday night football, undefeated Coldwater takes over sole possession of first place in the Interstate Eight, Quincy knocks off cross county rival Union City in the Big Eight and make it back-to-back wins for Bronson. In the I-8, in the game we had on the radio last night, Coldwater travelled to winless Jackson Northwest and the Cardinals rushed past the Mounties to win 55-21. Coldwater improved to 5-0 and 4-0 in the conference and finds itself alone atop the league standings thanks to Marshall. The Redhawks last night defeated previously unbeaten Jackson Lumen Christi 21-14 with the loss leaving the Titans to share second place in the Interstate Eight with Marshall and Harper Creek. Next Friday, Lumen Christi will be in Coldwater where it will be homecoming for the Cardinals. Last night, it was homecoming for Jackson Northwest but Coldwater put a damper on the Mounties’ festivities, rushing for 509 yards. The Cardinals attempted only one pass, which was incomplete, and instead ground out the victory led by our McDonald’s Player of the Game Sam DeMeester, who piled up 218 yards rushing with two touchdowns and on defense, had two interceptions. DeMeester’s first touchdown on a 75 yard run and the PAT kick by Sean Delaney put the Cardinals up 35-7 with 4 and a half minutes remaining in the first half. Coldwater trailed 7-0 when the Mounties scored first midway through the opening quarter but by the end of the period, the Cardinals had moved ahead 14-7 and it was 35-14 at halftime. The Coldwater lead grew to 48-14 in the second half before the night ended with a 32-point Cardinal’s victory. Connor Covert also had a big evening on the ground for Coldwater with 119 yards rushing on just 8 carries with 3 touchdowns, including the Cardinal’s first score from 56 yards out. Coldwater’s 5-0 start this season matches their record after 5 games last year with their first defeat coming the following week in a 35-24 loss at Lumen Christi, a setback, the Cardinals look to avenge next Friday.
The Branch County Big 8 battle last night ended in Quincy’s favor as the host Orioles downed Union City 20-14. The game was tied 14-14 at the half and following a scoreless third quarter, the Orioles scored the winning touchdown on an 8-yard run by Quenton Gripman. Quincy’s Mason Harbaugh had a game-high 168 yards rushing and a touchdown while Elijah Way led Union City with 93 yards rushing. The outcome left both teams at 2-2 in the Big 8 and 3-2 overall.
Bronson made it two straight wins as the Vikings soundly beat visiting Centreville 48-13. Kyle Roberts rushed for a pair of touchdowns for Bronson and gained 156 yards on the night to help the Vikings capture their BCS conference opener and improve to 2-3 overall.
In 8-Man Football, Tekonsha was a winner at home 56-6 over Litchfield with the victory giving the Indians a 2-3 record.
Today in high school sports, in Volleyball, Class-C top-ranked Bronson is at the Holt Invitational. In Cross Country, it’s Coldwater at the Jackson Invitational while Quincy, Bronson, and Union City run at the Pittsford Invitational. In Girls Golf, Coldwater plays at the Island Hills Invitational hosted by Sturgis. In Girls Swimming, Coldwater is at the Sturgis Relays. In Boys Junior Varsity soccer, it’s the first annual Coldwater JV Soccer Tournament with a 9 a.m. start at Cardinal Field.
