COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – The 2016 Michigan High School Athletic Association Football Playoffs kicked off Friday night, with the Coldwater Cardinals getting both a win and a rematch with the team that ended their postseason run last year.
Both the Cardinal offensive and defensive units were clicking in Coldwater’s 35-14 win against Harper Creek in a Division 3 Pre-District contest at Cardinal Field. Harper Creek was held to 180 rushing and 41 passing yards, while the defense forced Beaver quarterback AJ Mitchell to throw three interceptions.
Coldwater finished with 296 yards of offense, 224 rushing and 72 passing. Connor Covert had a pair of first half touchdowns and finished with 60 yards on 11 carries. Sam DeMeester had a pair of third quarter scores and led the Cardinals with 77 yards on 12 carries. Oliver Winter capped the Coldwater scoring with a late fourth-quarter touchdown. Eric Bach was 2-for-3 passing for 72 yards, both to Collin Torrey; Torrey also had 5 carries for 49 yards. Defensively, Jordan Weaver led Coldwater with 9 tackles, Nathan Spray added 8, and 3 players had 7 tackles apiece: Colin Klein, Brady Beckhusen, and our McDonald’s Player of the Game, Zach Gipple.
Harper Creek’s season ends at 7-3. Coldwater improves to 8-2 and will travel to Chelsea next weekend to play for a Division 3 District Championship. Chelsea eliminated Vicksburg 37-7 in their Pre-District opener. Last year, Chelsea ended Coldwater’s playoff run in the Division 3 Semifinals 35-7. Date and time for next weekend’s game will be finalized by this coming Monday.
In some other area Pre-District games:
DIVISION 2
- R1-D2 Portage Central 21, Portage Northern 17
- R1-D2 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central 52, Battle Creek Lakeview 7
DIVISION 3
- R2-D1 Edwardsburg 30, Hamilton 8
- R2-D1 Stevensville Lakeshore 30, St Joseph 7
- R2-D2 Chelsea 37, Vicksburg 7
- R2-D2 Coldwater 35, Battle Creek Harper Creek 14
DIVISION 4
- R2-D1 Benton Harbor 48, Grand Rapids South Christian 28
- R2-D1 Hudsonville Unity Christian 24, Three Rivers 6
- R2-D2 Lake Odessa Lakewood 38, Battle Creek Pennfield 32
DIVISION 5
- R3-D2 Berrien Springs 61, Olivet 7
- R3-D2 Dowagiac 28, Buchanan 25
DIVISION 6
- R4-D1 Schoolcraft 40, Constantine 28
- R4-D1 Jackson Lumen Christi 55, Watervliet 28
- R4-D2 Grass Lake 27, Manchester 7
- R4-D2 Napoleon 25, Michigan Center 24
DIVISION 7
- R3-D1 Cassopolis 48, Bridgman 14
- R3-D1 Gobles 50, Lawton 12
- R3-D2 Homer 45, Dansville 14
- R3-D2 Concord 21, Springport 14
- R4-D1 Hudson 43, Detroit Delta Prep 0
- R4-D1 Sand Creek 12, Clinton 7
DIVISION 8
- R4-D1 Climax-Scotts 52, Colon 7
- R4-D1 Mendon 39, St Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic 12
- R4-D2 Ottawa Lake Whiteford 50, Petersburg-Summerfield 28
- R4-D2 Morenci 27, Pittsford 24 (1 OT)
Regular season-ending volleyball tournaments and MHSAA Cross Country Regionals are on the docket for today’s high school sports schedule. In volleyball, Coldwater competes at the Interstate 8 Tournament at Pennfield, while Union City hosts Quincy and the other Big 8 schools in the Big 8 Tournament. In cross country, Coldwater runs at the Division 2 Regional hosted by Buchanan at Redbud MX, while Bronson, Quincy, and Union City are at the Division 3 Regional hosted by Vandercook Lake at Jackson’s Ella Sharp Park.
