Lowell coach Noel Dean

This is the week Lowell’s Red Arrows become Pink Arrows.

For the ninth consecutive year, Lowell will host a Pink Arrow event, which raises money to help cancer victims and their families. Lowell football coach Noel Dean said money raised this year could help the nine-year total surpass $1.5 million.

This year’s event will hit home even more closely for the football team. Ten players on the team have a parent who has been a cancer patient.

“I knew there were a couple, but I didn’t realize how many,” Dean said. “It’s a heck of a message for people to really see what kids are going through. There’s just a lot going on here. We’re talking about specifically parents. That’s not even siblings or grandparents, aunts or uncles. It’s amazing.”

Lowell is believed to be the first program in the country to play a game in which the players wear pink jerseys. On the back of each jersey is the name of a person who has dealt with cancer.

This has turned into more than just a football game. At 3:30, the Lowell soccer team plays Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills and the volleyball team plays a match against Ottawa Hills on a sports court located at the track’s high-jump pit.

• McCabe: Lowell rolling under Kruse control

Local restaurants set up a food court, and the proceeds go to the Pink Arrow fund.

At 6:30, the football players are introduced along with either the person whose name is on the back of their jersey or a representative from that family before the game against Ottawa Hills.

Pink T-shirts are available at the gate for $15, and they serve as a ticket to the game. Regular admission is $5.

This has evolved into an event supported by more than just the football program.

“It’s unbelievable,” Dean said. “Our whole downtown is pink. They have banners hanging from everywhere. Everyone in this community will be wearing a pink shirt.”

Victory Day on Saturday

The South Lyon football field will be turned over to special members of the community Saturday when the football program hosts its Victory Day, a game-day experience for children 6 through 21 with cognitive and/or physical impairments. In addition to getting an opportunity to play football, children also can march with the school band and cheer with the cheerleaders. The event begins at 10:30 a.m.

Irish’s Kizer a shining multisport example

If you need another reason your kid should not specialize in one sport, meet Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer, who will play against Michigan State on Saturday night. In an opening 50-47 double-overtime loss to Texas, he completed 15 of 24 passes for 215 yards with five touchdowns and added 77 yards rushing on 13 carries. According to footballscoop.com, he had an efficiency rating of 206.5, the highest Week 1 rating for any quarterback facing a Power 5 team.

Kizer, who attended Toledo Central Catholic, is a terrific athlete who attributes that to playing football, basketball and baseball in high school.

“I think that was one of the best things that ever happened to me, to play three sports,” Kizer told footballscoop.com. “It allowed me, 1) to create athletic ability that it takes to be able to adjust on the fly when you’re playing at this high level. And 2) I’m learning more about the quarterback position every day than I ever have. To go through all three sports in high school, I never really locked into one, so there’s a lot of stuff I wasn’t able to learn in high school where people have preached it since they’ve been 8 years old.”

To end the debate on specialization, footballscoop.com pointed out that 224 of 256 players chosen in last year’s NFL draft were multisport athletes in high school.

Coach of the Week

Millington’s Roger Bearss is this week’s Detroit Lions/Farm Bureau Insurance Michigan High School Coach of the Week. Millington is 3-0 and ranked No. 1 in Division 6. This is Bearss’ seventh season at Millington, where he has a 59-12 record. He also has been a head coached at Bad Axe, Frankfort, Newberry and Frankenmuth. He is 128-79 in 21 years as a head coach.

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.

Footballs on the field before a game.

Suttons Bay pulled the plug on its football season last week, and it is perfectly understandable.

The school has only 85 students, and when injuries hit through the first two games, there weren’t enough healthy bodies to continue.

But the week before Suttons Bay threw in the towel, Benzie Central canceled the remainder of its season after one week, and that is another matter.

Only 11 juniors and seniors came out for football at Benzie Central, an alarmingly small number.

Benzie Central, located in the northwest part of the Lower Peninsula, is a Class B school with 500 students.

Is this the beginning of an antifootball revolution? Have safety concerns over concussions taken their toll on parents?

On the surface, it looks that way but may not be the case.

“Benzie football is not dead, it really isn’t,” coach Jason Katt said. “The immediate reaction is that it is, and it’s not.”

This is the third season for Katt, 43 a former assistant at Lowell, and right away he knew the program was headed for tough times when he noticed how few freshmen and sophomores, who are now juniors and seniors, were in the program.

“I’m telling you, I’ve tried everything from tryout camps to meet the program events to one-on-one home visits to lollipops and suckers,” Katt said. “I’ve done all that stuff, and nothing has taken.”

The stunning side of this is that there are 51 senior boys and 54 junior boys at Benzie, and surely more than 11 should be interested in playing football.

Benzie is amid a rough stretch as far as winning and losing games. The Huskies won one game the year before Katt took over and promptly went 0-9 and 1-8.

Losing makes selling your program difficult, but this is football we’re talking about.

That is why Katt began building a foundation for the program at the lowest level, a pre-K through sixth grade flag football program.

When only 11 upperclassmen showed up for the beginning of practice this fall, Katt reached down to the sophomore class and brought up six to the varsity.

“To a family, I talked to every one of the parents and promised them they would go one way going into the game,” he said. “You can’t control things after the first play.”

In the first quarter, two upperclassmen were injured, and by the end of the game, all six of the sophomores were going both ways in what turned into a 43-8 loss to Scottville Mason County Central, which helped convince Katt there was no reason to go forward.

Benzie Central is continuing its JV program, which has 30 players, and Katt is convinced the varsity program will return next fall and be strong in future years.

“There is some serious hope,” he said. “If it was a (grade) 7-12 antifootball establishment, I don’t know that any of us coaches would be hanging around. We would just go out and fish and hunt.

“But it’s a football town, and there’s so much potential. Our current sophomores, our current freshmen, current eighth-graders, current seventh-graders, they just love football. And I’m not going to lie to you, that’s why I’m still here.”

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.

Utica Eisenhower coach Chris Smith addressed his team after a 26-13 win at Macomb Dakota on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016.

It clicked for John Stroble near the end of his junior season.

Utica Eisenhower’s safety John Stroble.

The Utica Eisenhower coaches could see it. Stroble knew it himself and his play took a step in the right direction.

“At the beginning of the season I started off a little rocky,” said the senior safety. “I was new to the program, especially the varsity. The previous year I was on JV and it was my first year ever at Eisenhower. Playing early I was a little hard-headed, but later in the season I got myself together and started making plays on the field.

“Everybody was proud of me. I want to continue that this year.”

Ike’s Max Wittwer stars while Dakota’s star RB sits

He has.

Stroble took that work ethic and dedication into winter conditioning and the spring. Coach Chris Smith said it was evident that Stroble was buying into the system and gave himself a chance to have a big senior year.

That’s happening.

In the team’s first two games against Plymouth and Macomb Dakota he intercepted four passes, actually five, but one late in the Plymouth game was ruled a trap.

As a safety and leader of the secondary the 5-foot-11 Stroble has gotten off to an All-MAC kind of start.

“Confidence is the key,” he said. “We know what we’re doing back there. We have to keep executing. We have to keep playing smart and not make dumb decisions on or off the field.”

He wants to be a three-way player: offense, defense and special teams.

“I want to play on the offensive side of the ball, but I haven’t gotten a chance yet. They’re calling me a secret weapon.”

He wants to be a secret no longer.

Mike Sawchuk’s Hall of Fame night ruined by Utica Eisenhower

Through two games and less than a half against Roseville in a 49-0 victory Stroble has broken up six passes. He has 17 tackles, 10 solos and has returned six punts for 100 yards.

“I think I’m being under recruited right now because a lot of people didn’t know about me after my junior year,” he said. “I want to play college football real bad.”

If he keeps making plays that could be in his future.

“He’s a two-year starter and I’ve seen changes, especially in his leadership and especially this year,” said Smith. “He’s a complete team player. When a guy does something well he’s the first guy over to congratulate him. He’s a tough kid. He tackles well. His leadership as far as being a team player is outstanding.”

Defensive coordinator Dave Brzezinski said Stroble is as gifted an athlete that he has coached in Ike’s secondary.

“You saw in the first two games that’s he’s a player,” said Brzezinski. “He plays one side of the ball, but he plays on all special teams. We’re able to do that because we have a lot of athletes on our team. We kind of keep him fresh. He does practice on the offensive side of the ball, but we haven’t had the need to use him.

“He’s gifted. Some kids are just gifted and you don’t want to coach them too much because you don’t want to make him confused. If you have the right kid in the right position you don’t want to coach him too much. Back there we try to get our kids to read and react to what’s happening. As soon as they start thinking too much they’re done. I coach the details and I tell them their technique will take them to the ball.”

Being a former quarterback helped Stroble.

“I watch a lot of film,” said Stroble. “I look at what the quarterback is looking at pre-snap and if we switch on defense and the quarterback makes an adjustment then I know what he’s doing. When he drops back I see where his eyes are. I want to see if he’s trying to look somebody off or not looking off. Because I played quarterback I know exactly right where they are going to throw just before they throw. The hand starts to jiggle a little bit and his feet start chopping. His eyes get real wide. When his eyes get real wide it’s like let me start going over there. Once he opens up and throws it….It’s like yes.”

Contact Perry A. Farrell: 313-222-2555 or pafarrell@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @farrellperry.

Katherine Ristola, a junior, is the backup kicker on Livonia Churchill’s varsity football team and kicked an extra point in the opener. She also is a backup wide receiver and defensive back. “We’re all out here working as hard as we can, and she works just as hard,” senior Brett Stern said.

Katherine Ristola had a plan.

It was a plan conceived in middle school when her older brother, Jonathan, suffered injuries before his junior and senior seasons at Livonia Churchill and never played varsity football.

Ristola’s plan was to become a football player. Well, she was going to kick for Churchill’s team.

An outstanding soccer goalie, she knew could become an effective kicker and showed up for the freshman team’s first practice where she encountered then-freshman coach Mark Grenier.

“So,” Grenier said. “I hear you’re going to be a kicker.”

“That’s the plan,” Ristola said.

Grenier looked at the other players on the field and counted only 17.

“Well, I might need you to do a few other things for us,” he told her. “We’re a little small.”

Ristola didn’t flinch.

“I can do anything you need me to do, Coach,” she said.

That’s when Ristola went from a soccer player kicking for a football team to a full-fledged football player.

Ristola, a junior, is the backup kicker on Churchill’s varsity team and kicked an extra point in the opener. She also is a backup wide receiver and defensive back.

It might surprise others that she is on the football team, but it doesn’t surprise Jonathan, who is his sister’s inspiration for playing football.

“She’s a lady boss; I’d put it simply like that,” he said. “She’s not willing to conform to any normal type of societal norm to make other people happy. She’s definitely out to make herself happy and find her place in the universe, discover her passion to find her purpose.”

Right now, Ristola’s purpose and passion is to be a part of Churchill’s football team.

• Ticker: Lowell football turning pink for cause for Year 9

And make no mistake about it, Ristola is a genuine member of the team. This is no publicity stunt.

“We’re all out here working as hard as we can, and she works just as hard,” senior slot receiver/defensive back Brett Stern said. “Maybe harder than some guys here.”

The work Ristola puts into football doesn’t begin Aug. 8, the first day of practice. It begins the day the season ends.

There have been countless hours spent in the weight room over the winter and through the spring and summer, and the countless sprints she has run alongside her teammates.

“If I hadn’t done everything I’ve done the past three years, I wouldn’t be where I am,” she said. “If I just walked in and said: ‘Hey, guys, I’m just here for the season,’ I’d feel awful. I wouldn’t have trained as much as them. I wouldn’t have worked as much as them. I wouldn’t deserve a spot.”

Livonia Churchill kicker Katherine Ristola practices Tuesday.

But she has worked hard with her teammates, and they notice. They have seen her in the weight room, doing everything they do.

They also have learned not to mess with her place in the lifting line.

“We’ll be in weight training, and as a joke I’ll ask if I can take her reps, but she says no, she wants all her reps,” senior linebacker/fullback Yul Snell said. “Some of the guys actually let me take their reps because they’re lazy, but she shows no sign of weakness, no sign of laziness. That’s what I like about her.”

There is much to like about Ristola, who’s 5 feet 8 with a 4.1 grade-point average and a class schedule filled with advanced placement classes.

Her teammates liked the fact that on the freshman team she called out her teammates who weren’t going all-out against her in blocking or tackling drills.

“They go all-out now,” she said. “I told them: ‘If you guys are going to take it easy on me, I’m going to crush you.’ They said it wasn’t going to happen. Their pride stepped up for me.”

Livonia Churchill kicker Katherine Ristola is 5 feet 8 with a 4.1 grade-point average and a class schedule filled with AP classes.

They also like that they don’t have to keep an eye on her when she gets in a game.

“She doesn’t need protection,” senior center Connor Drake said. “She’s tough. She can handle herself. We don’t worry about her.”

But it is entirely possible a brawl would erupt if an opposing player tries to take her out.

“They told me if anyone on the other team targets me or takes a cheap shot at me, they’re going to have to answer to them,” she said. “They’re not going to let that stand. They have my back, and I appreciate it.”

Ristola grew up a football fan. She has watched college football with her dad, and she loved going to her brother’s games as far back as when he played youth football for the Livonia Eagles.

That partly explains why she was devastated when her brother suffered injuries as a junior and senior.

“I hurt for my brother,” she said. “It crushed me because I was so excited. I knew he’d missed his junior year, and he was so excited to play with his brothers, which is what he called them.”

The announcement that she was going to play football brought mixed results from her parents. Naturally, her father, Patrick, worried about her being hurt.

Her mother, Margaret, had other concerns she raised with her daughter.

Basically, her message was that it was OK for her teammates to hit her, but they couldn’t hit on her.

“When we started this journey, I told her she has to be their little sister because they need a way to relate to her that’s nonsexual,” her mother said. “Because there’s sex in high school no matter which way you turn, and you don’t want that. I told her she was going to have to make a commitment that she can’t go beyond friends or that sisterly relationship with anybody on that football team.”

• Numbers low, but Benzie Central football still fights on

That concept has worked just fine for the three years she has been a football player.

“They told me it’s hard for them to decipher,” she said of her teammates. “On the field, I’m a brother. In school and out of pads, I’m a sister.”

But the important part for Ristola is that she is just one of the guys on the field.

“She’s really good to have on the team,” Stern said. “She’s really positive. She keeps the atmosphere loose. We all enjoy having her on the team. She’s a good teammate. She’s like a member of the family.”

Livonia Churchill kicker Katherine Ristola practices Tuesday.

Above everything else, there is a respect for Ristola. It is something that began when she was on the freshman team and has flourished through all of the off-season work she has put into being a member of the team.

“She’s an amazing person,” Snell said. “She actually puts her body through so much just to come out here on a Friday night to kick for us. I think that’s amazing.”

Ristola was in the seventh grade when she began telling Churchill varsity coach Bill DeFillippo, who was her gym teacher at the time, she was going to kick for his team one day.

DeFillippo appeared to laugh her off every time she brought it up, but deep down he knew she was serious, and he was certain she would become a part of the team.

“She’s been incredible,” he said. “She’s there every day. She works just like the rest of our kids. She’s kind of taken it and run with it. She’s got a big fan club, so every time she goes into the game, the crowd goes crazy.”

Also going crazy is her brother, who in a way is completing his injury-plagued career through his little sister.

“I really support it, and it excites me,” he said. “My biggest thing was even though this may have started for me, I wanted her to make sure she was doing this for her and it’s what makes her happy. It’s definitely super heartwarming.”

Livonia Churchill kicker Katherine Ristola practices Tuesday.

That is precisely what happened. Ristola began this football adventure because of her brother, and in the process found out she had become part of something she never knew existed.

She has played on a variety of soccer teams, but this football experience has been unique.

“I used to say I liked the sport, I liked the concept of it, but now that I’m in it, I love the family part of it,” she said. “My team is such a giant family. They all care for one another. They all respect each other. They respect me a lot.

“The chemistry you can see on the field, it never leaves. It’s always there. When school starts, you can see it in the hallways. Those boys are brothers, and they treat me like one of them. It’s insane.”

The Churchill players respect Ristola and treat her as one of them because she has done everything all of them have done through the course of high school.

“I’ve worked with my graduating class since we were all freshmen,” she said. “I’ve competed against them, I’ve won games and lost games with them, so I don’t feel left out of anything, and I don’t feel like I’m invading anything. I’ve earned my spot as much as they have.”

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.

Farmington Hills Harrison Hawks’s Cam Cooley, right, celebrates his touchdown with Theo Lucas against West Bloomfield on Friday in Farmington Hills.

Adrian Madison 33, Britton-Deerfield 0

Allen Park 29, Southgate Anderson 7

Allendale 53, Comstock Park 46

Ann Arbor Pioneer 44, Ann Arbor Huron 0

• Pioneers blank crosstown rivals for first win of season

Ann Arbor Skyline 35, Monroe 22

Armada 35, Imlay City 24

Battle Creek Harper Creek 56, Hastings 25

Battle Creek Lakeview 35, Mattawan 0

Bay City Central 49, Saginaw Arthur Hill 0

Bay City Western 7, Saginaw 6

Beal City 43, Lake City 7

Belding 26, Charlotte 7

Bellaire def. Brimley, forfeit

Belleville 38, Redford Union 0

Bellevue 28, Adrian Lenawee Christian 12

Benton Harbor 64, Muskegon Orchard View 0

Big Rapids 27, Fremont 0

Birmingham Brother Rice 13, Warren De La Salle 3

Birmingham Detroit Country Day 47, Detroit Consortium 0

Birmingham Groves 45, North Farmington 0

Birmingham Seaholm 29, Farmington 28

Blissfield 12, Onsted 0

Bloomfield Hills 23, Ferndale 20

Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood 36, Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes 21

Boyne City 33, Kingsley 0

Breckenridge 56, Blanchard Montabella 6

Brighton 24, Pinckney 20

Brownstown Woodhaven 42, Gibraltar Carlson 24

Buchanan 47, Mendon 0

Byron 34, Burton Atherton 8

Cadillac 14, Alpena 13

Calumet 40, Houghton 6

Canton 34, Livonia Franklin 21

Carrollton 46, Standish-Sterling 7

Carson City-Crystal 34, Coleman 18

Caseville 40, Carsonville-Port Sanilac 36

Cedarville 34, Onaway 14

Charlevoix def. Suttons Bay, forfeit

Chelsea 38, Ypsilanti Lincoln 16

Chesaning 34, Midland Bullock Creek 12

Clare 20, Harrison 12

Sept. 16 Michigan high school football scores, stats

Clarkston 30, Rochester Hills Stoney Creek 0

Clarkston Everest Collegiate 10, Madison Heights Bishop Foley 0

Climax-Scotts 63, North Adams-Jerome 0

Clinton 61, Whitmore Lake 25

Coldwater 28, Parma Western 14

Comstock 26, Bronson 16

Constantine 68, Coloma 35

Corunna 37, Goodrich 0

Croswell-Lexington 48, Almont 28

Davison 42, Flint Southwestern 6

Dearborn 42, Dearborn Heights Crestwood 6

Dearborn Divine Child 44, Center Line 0

Dearborn Edsel Ford 68, Dearborn Heights Annapolis 22

Dearborn Fordson 49, Garden City 6

Decatur 26, Bloomingdale 0

Deckerville 38, Peck 0

Delton Kellogg 48, Fennville 28

Detroit Cass Tech 48, Detroit Southeastern 0

Detroit Cody 54, DCP-Northwestern 6

Detroit East English 48, Detroit Denby 18

Detroit King 59, Detroit Western International 0

Detroit Mumford 61, Detroit Communication & Media Arts 0

Detroit Old Redford 13, Romulus Summit Academy 0

Detroit Osborn 16, Detroit Collegiate 12

Detroit Pershing 16, Detroit Douglass 8

Detroit Renaissance 27, Detroit Ford 0

DeWitt 47, Mason 0

Dowagiac Union 53, Allegan 7

Durand 35, Burton Bentley 8

East Grand Rapids 42, Middleville Thornapple Kellogg 0

East Lansing 39, Lansing Eastern 0

Edwardsburg 30, Paw Paw 3

Elkton-Pigeon Bay Port Laker 26, Reese 20

Engadine 68, Pellston 0

Essexville Garber 28, Otisville Lakeville 20

Farmington Hills Harrison 28, West Bloomfield 0

• Hawks’ defense bends, but doesn’t break all game

Fenton 42, Flint Kearsley 21

Flint Carman-Ainsworth 41, Flint Powers 7

Flint International 44, Akron-Fairgrove 0

Fowler 44, Fulton-Middleton 19

Fowlerville 14, Eaton Rapids 0

Frankenmuth 43, Bridgeport 6

Freeland 12, Alma 6

Gaylord 51, West Branch Ogemaw Heights 0

Gaylord St. Mary 46, Mesick 7

Gladwin 33, Farwell 7

Gobles 57, Hartford 7

Grand Blanc 41, Milford 14

Grand Haven 42, Holland West Ottawa 23

Grand Ledge 28, Okemos 21

Grand Rapids Catholic Central 44, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Eastern 7

Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern 24, East Kentwood 23

Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills 42, Fruitport 20

Grand Rapids South Christian 52, Grand Rapids Christian 42

Grandville 36, Hudsonville 6

Grass Lake 26, Manchester 0

Grayling 38, Cheboygan 14

Greenville 35, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central 34

Grosse Ile 49, Flat Rock 20

Grosse Pointe North 35, Port Huron 28

Grosse Pointe South 48, Utica Ford 14

Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett 50, Southfield Christian 12

Harbor Beach 34, Marlette 32

Harbor Springs 42, Indian River-Inland Lakes 0

Hemlock 37, St. Louis 19

Hesperia 54, Holton 6

Hillman 26, Rogers City 14

Hillsdale 52, Erie-Mason 0

Holly 28, Clio 24

Holt 28, Lansing Everett 21

Homer 59, Jonesville 30

Houghton Lake 54, Sanford-Meridian 12

Howell 21, Hartland 13

Hudson 28, Dundee 6

Hudsonville Unity Christian 24, Zeeland West 22, OT

Ida 58, Brooklyn Columbia Central 34

Ithaca 45, Pinconning 0

Jackson Lumen Christi 33, Jackson Northwest 0

Jenison 42, Grand Rapids Union 12

Johannesburg-Lewiston 47, Central Lake 14

Kalamazoo Central 31, Battle Creek Central 22

Kent City 52, White Cloud 0

Kingsford 36, Sault Ste Marie 14

Laingsburg 56, Potterville 0

Lake Fenton 42, Mount Morris 21

Lake Odessa Lakewood 51, Vermontville Maple Valley 21

Lake Orion 52, Oxford 35

Lansing Sexton 41, Jackson 28

Lansing Waverly 55, Owosso 21

Lapeer 48, Saginaw Heritage 13

Lawton 54, Galesburg-Augusta 6

Lincoln-Alcona 58, Au Gres-Sims 20

Livonia Churchill 54, Plymouth 28

Lowell 41, Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills 6

Macomb L’Anse Creuse North 42, Fraser 26

Macomb Lutheran North 42, Harper Woods 6

Manistee 14, Muskegon Heights 12

Marcellus 38, Eau Claire 24

Marion 34, Traverse City Christian 6

Marshall 24, Battle Creek Pennfield 21

Marysville 56, Marine City 32

Menominee 35, Gladstone 6

Merritt Academy 36, Hale 32

Michigan Center 48, Jackson East Jackson 6

Midland 31, Mount Pleasant 28

Midland Dow 56, Flint Northwestern 6

Milan 35, Monroe Jefferson 31

Millington 47, Birch Run 6

Montague 34, Mason County Central 0

Montrose 29, Flint Beecher 15

Morley-Stanwood 13, Lakeview 7

Morrice 42, Kinde-North Huron 20

Muskegon 49, Byron Center 14

Muskegon Catholic Central 42, Ludington 12

Muskegon Oakridge def. Shelby, forfeit

Napoleon 50, Addison 8

Negaunee 35, Iron Mountain 13

New Boston Huron 7, Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central 6

New Lothrop 51, Flint Hamady 16

Newberry 22, Iron Mountain North Dickinson 20

North Branch 33, Caro 15

Northville 31, Canton Salem 21

Norway 50, Manistique 13

Novi 42, South Lyon East 14

Novi Detroit Catholic Central 28, Cleveland St. Ignatius 21 (OT)

Oak Park 44, Rochester Adams 43 (OT)

Olivet 42, Perry 24

Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 33, U-D Jesuit 10

Ortonville Brandon 49, Swartz Creek 8

Oscoda 40, Mio 6

Otsego 30, South Haven 25

Ottawa Lake Whiteford 34, Petersburg Summerfield 28

Owendale-Gagetown 43, Burton Madison 32

Parchment 32, Niles Brandywine 14

Pewamo-Westphalia 76, Bath 0

Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 26, Berkley 3

Port Huron Northern 30, St. Clair 19

Portage Northern 24, Niles 21

Portland 36, Lansing Catholic 35

Portland St. Patrick 39, Tekonsha 0

Rapid River 48, Ontonagon 36

Ravenna 28, North Muskegon 20

Redford Thurston 38, Dearborn Heights Robichaud 0

Remus Chippewa Hills 40, Howard City Tri-County 0

Richmond 27, Yale 20

River Rouge 42, Hamtramck 0

Riverview 30, Carleton Airport 14

Riverview Gabriel Richard 29, Allen Park Cabrini 7

Rochester 29, Auburn Hills Avondale 28

Rockford 31, Caledonia 6

Romeo 28, Sterling Heights Stevenson 7

Romulus 35, Livonia Clarenceville 0

Roscommon 20, Beaverton 14

Royal Oak 28, Troy 21

Rudyard 68, Posen 28

Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary 31, Ovid-Elsie 24

Saginaw Nouvel 24, Bay City John Glenn 17

Saginaw Swan Valley 56, Shepherd 27

Saline 24, Temperance Bedford 23

• Patteri boots winning FG after missing PAT earlier

Sand Creek 38, Morenci 36

Sandusky 52, Memphis 0

Saugatuck 60, Martin 0

Schoolcraft 50, Bangor 0

South Lyon 27, Livonia Stevenson 21

Southfield 38, Troy Athens 14

Sparta 27, Coopersville 16

St. Charles 27, Saginaw Valley Lutheran 7

St. Clair Shores Lakeview 26, Madison Heights Madison 21

St. Ignace LaSalle 46, East Jordan 8

St. Johns 27, Haslett 7

Stephenson 42, Lena/St. Thomas Aquinas, Wis. 24

Sterling Heights 48, Roseville 12

Sterling Heights Parkway Christian 22, Auburn Hills Oakland Christian 14

Stevensville Lakeshore 31, St. Joseph 12

Stockbridge 70, Leslie 32

Tecumseh 20, Adrian 14

Three Rivers 28, Sturgis 14

Tol. Waite, Ohio 49, Ecorse 20

Traverse City West 22, Petoskey 20

Ubly 28, Brown City 6

Unionville-Sebewaing 24, Cass City 22

Utica 35, Fair Haven-Anchor Bay 34

Utica Eisenhower 42, Clinton Township Chippewa Valley 0

Vandercook Lake 14, Hanover-Horton 12

Vassar 24, Bad Axe 20

Vestaburg 41, Ashley 12

Vicksburg 24, Plainwell 8

Waldron 42, St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran 7

Walled Lake Northern 48, Waterford Kettering 6

Walled Lake Western 43, Walled Lake Central 8

Warren Cousino 56, Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse 14

Warren Fitzgerald 24, St. Clair Shores South Lake 20

Warren Lincoln 28, Clinton Township Clintondale 16

Warren Michigan Collegiate 28, Southfield Bradford Academy 0

Warren Mott 27, Macomb Dakota 20

• Mott erases 20-7 deficit in second half

Warren Woods Tower 56, St. Clair Shores Lake Shore 14

Watervliet 34, Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Central 19

Webberville 55, Litchfield 0

West Iron County 48, Ironwood 16

Westland John Glenn 26, Wayne Memorial 19

White Lake Lakeland 37, Waterford Mott 32

Whitehall 52, Hart 14

Williamston 42, Ionia 17

Wyandotte Roosevelt 34, Lincoln Park 14

Wyoming Godwin Heights 42, Hopkins 6

Wyoming Kelloggsville 26, Wyoming Lee 0

Wyoming Tri-unity Christian 58, Manistee Catholic Central 0

Ypsilanti 50, Dexter 20

Postponements and cancellations

Leroy Pine River vs. McBain, susp.

Grant vs. Reed City, susp.

Elk Rapids vs. Kalkaska, susp.

Ann Arbor Pioneer

Until Friday night, it had been a frustrating season for Ann Arbor Pioneer.

Expected to be one of Division 1’s top teams, the Pioneers were blown out by powerful Muskegon in the opening week and suffered close losses to Detroit-Jesuit and Temperance Bedford.

But Pioneer was able to take out its frustrations Friday against crosstown rival Ann Arbor Huron. The Pioneers jumped all over the River Rats from the get-go, coasting to a much-needed 44-0 win.

“It was kind of tough (to lose the first three games),” said Dexter Ferrell, who had three long runs for touchdowns. “We just came together as a team and started playing ball. This one was on our offensive line, and we depended on them to carry us through the game.”

• More scores from Friday night

Quick-strike plays were the story throughout the game. On Pioneer’s second play from scrimmage, Ferrell took the ball on a sweep right, hit a dead-end and reversed direction to cover 37 yards into the end zone. Ferrell also had scoring runs of 63 and 37 yards after the halftime break.

Following Ferrell’s first score, Huron (0-4, 0-2) had the ball for only two plays until Pioneer’s Antjuan Simmons, an Ohio State commit, stepped in front of a pass and returned it 36 yards for another score.

More Huron miscues enabled Pioneer (1-3, 1-1) to pad its lead. Punting from their own 14, the River Rats got a bad snap that the punter had to fall on in the end zone for a safety. In the second quarter, Jaden Lamberti intercepted a pass at the River Rat 26, and Cedric Benton dashed into the end zone on the first play after the turnover.

It wasn’t just Pioneer’s offense making the statement. On defense, the Pioneers had the two interceptions and limited Huron to minus-5 yards total offense in the first half.

Huron, which suffered through a winless season last year, hasn’t beaten its nemesis since 2002.

“It’s always good to win against a rival team,” coach Jari Brown said.

Warren Mott coach Tom Milanov addresses his team after the win over Macomb Dakota Friday.

Four games into the season, Macomb Area Conference Red Division favorite Macomb Dakota couldn’t afford another loss with two teams still undefeated.

Warren Mott was one of those teams and, with two offensive starters out, Dakota went out and used its next-man-up mentality to take a 13-point lead in the second half.

But Mott kept making plays, forced a couple of turnovers, benefited from a couple of penalties and pulled out a 27-20 victory.

Key sacks from James Warner and the final one from Liam Fogerty secured the victory, improving the Marauders to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the Red.

“That last sack was amazing,” said Mott’s Cortland Cross, who finished with 118 yards on 19 carries and the winning score. “The defense wouldn’t give up.”

• More scores from Friday

Mott entered the game having allowed just 21 points, and the Marauders were without star defensive back/running back Jayvon Wilson, who was out for disciplinary reasons.

Dakota was still missing star running back Kaiser Carelton, who has a stint issue in his knee, and wide receiver Evan Sivec, who got hurt in the Utica Eisenhower loss.

“It was an undisclosed issue and he’ll be back next week,’’ Mott coach Tom Milanov said of Wilson. “It feels great. It was a heck of a battle in the MAC Red. We have a great team and we believe in ourselves.’’

The Cougars fell to 0-2 in the Red and 2-2 overall.

“I told them we blew it,” Dakota coach Greg Baur said. “It wasn’t anything they did. It was on us. We got down to the 1-yard line and scored and got a penalty, which took us out of that drive. We didn’t recover an on-sides kick. We faked a punt inside our one and got good field position. We had a holding penalty, and then we had some unreal penalty where the officials said our kids were taunting an official somehow, which is unbelievable.”

The Cougars struck first on a 20-yard pass from Brett Droski to 6-foot-4 Jaylen Hall with 4:26 left in the first quarter to make it 7-0.

Dakota’s speed was evident as Droski hit Ronye Walker with a 32-yard catch-and run, and Hall’s 19-yard run on a reverse set up the Cougars with a first down at the Mott 1 to start the second quarter.

Dawson Sloan plowed his way through to start the second, giving the visitors a 14-0 lead.

Mott found an offensive spark with reserve Onyeka Ojinaka in the backfield, who rushed for 118 yards.

He gained 40 yards on four carries, including a one-yard TD run with 8:58 left in the half to cut the deficit to 14-7.

Contact Perry A. Farrell: 313-222-2555 or pafarrell@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @farrellperry.

Farmington Hills Harrison’s Guam Lee Jr. runs the ball during the win over West Bloomfield on Friday in Farmington Hills.

It’s a good indicator you’re having a prosperous night when even a blocked field goal attempt goes your way.

Farmington Hills Harrison was leading, 21-0, in the first half Friday night over visiting West Bloomfield when the Hawks brought in kicker Carl Hanpeter to try a 50-yard field goal on the Hawks’ fourth drive of the game.

The attempt started out low and was blocked by the Lakers’ line, but the ball kept traveling well behind the line of scrimmage, where a West Bloomfield player tried to return it.

He fumbled on the tackle and, after a lengthy scrum, Harrison was awarded the recovery on the Lakers’ 12-yard line.

On the next play, Cam Cooley scampered around the left end for a touchdown and a 28-0 Harrison lead just halfway through the second quarter, making the Oakland Activities Association crossover outcome seem certain even without knowing the final score.

Well, turns out that was it.

• More scores from Friday

After a very lackluster second half by both teams, nothing changed on the scoreboard except the clock.

“I was happy with the way the offense played early,” said Harrison coach John Herrington. “We got a little bit out of sync in the second half, but overall we played well.”

The Hawks’ defense set the standard, keeping a talented core of West Bloomfield wide receivers out of the end zone despite some big plays by quarterback Bryce Veasley.

The Lakers junior was 16-for-42 passing, but connected on big plays of 39, 32, 31 and 29 yards. He totaled 204 yards throwing, but the Hawks’ defensive backs kept everything in front of them.

“The defense was excellent all game,” said defensive back Trey Walker, who grabbed an interception on West Bloomfield’s final drive. “They were good with the pass, but we stopped them.

“I got beat deep, but my teammate, Cam Cooley, helped me out deep,” Walker said about the interception. “Then I saw the ball and reacted, caught it and just tried to keep my feet in bounds to seal the game.”

• Warren Mott pulls off comeback vs. Macomb Dakota
• Saline’s Patteri boots FG to beat Bedford
• Ann Arbor Pioneer blanks rival Huron

Herrington had similar praise of the defensive unit, which held West Bloomfield (2-2) to minus-13 yards rushing.

“The defensive backs are good and when they make plays, and they played like it,” he said. “They stayed on some excellent receivers. We played East Kentwood and they had the same kind of receivers and they kept them down, too. I’m just proud of the way they played. And we only rushed three guys a lot of times, and they were able to put a little pressure on him (Veasley). Overall, a very good defensive effort.”

On the third play of the game, Harrison (323 yards total offense) scored on a 30-yard pass play from Jimmy O’Connor to Devon Pressley for a 7-0 edge.

Harrison (3-1) scored again on its second drive, when Brendann Brown rushed 9 yards for the score.

The Hawks’ third possession was capped by a 10-yard reception by Jeremy Cooper from Noah Hendricks, who replaced an injured O’Connor.

Saline QB Zach Schwartzenberger

Wes Doxsie’s 27-yard field goal had given Temperance Bedford a one-point lead with 1:42 left and Saline’s Vinnie Patteri was nervously pacing the sidelines.

Saline was trailing by one because Patteri had missed an extra point in the third quarter.

“I knew my team was going to bring it down to near the end zone, and I was going to get a second chance,” Patteri said. “If not, they were going to score a touchdown. But I was ready to do it.”

He had to be ready because quarterback Zach Schwartzenberger heroically led the Hornets down the field, all the way to the Bedford 3-yard line with seven seconds to play.

Patteri had his chance, but before he could attempt the field goal, Bedford called a time-out.

“This is a chip shot,” Schwartzenberger, the holder, told him. “This is a kick you warm up with before every practice. You’ve done it a million times. Just do it again.”

Patteri did it again.

Patteri’s 22-yard field goal Friday night gave Saline a 26-24 victory.

This was an offensive explosion.

• More scores from Friday

Each team punted only once and when Saline (4-0, 2-0 in the SEC Red, No. 9 in Division 1) punted with 10:21 left in the fourth quarter, it didn’t see the ball again until after Doxsie’s field goal.

Following a penalty on the first play of the series, Saline was on its 8-yard line. On fourth-and-10 from its 20, Schwartzenberger scrambled, looking for Bryce Wolma, and then completed a pass to Andrew Diuble, who took off for a 44-yard gain.

“We got a matchup,” Schwartzenberger said. “We had our two best receivers running up the middle of the field — Wolma and Diuble. Diuble was wide open, made the catch and made guys miss, got up field and got a huge gain for a first down.”

Schwartzenberger gained 15 yards on the next play and running back Connor Hibbard (133 yards, 20 carries) had a key 10-yard gain to set up Patteri’s attempt.

“Of course, I was a little bit nervous,” Patteri said. “But the job had to be done. God gave me a second chance.”

• Ann Arbor Pioneer blanks crosstown rival Huron

Saline coach Joe Palka thought it was appropriate that Patteri had the opportunity to redeem himself.

“After the extra point miss, we thought it was important, and we have confidence in him,” Palka said. “He does it every day in practice. It was good to get him back on the field and let him win the game.”

Bedford (3-1, 1-1, No. 6 in Division 2) was penalized 15 yards on the field goal, which was assessed on the kickoff. Patteri squibbed the kickoff and recovered it himself so Bedford never got to run another play.

“That was just sealing the deal,” Patteri said. “It felt amazing.”

“Amazing” is a good way to describe Schwartzenberger, who completed his first 12 passes before receivers dropped the next two. He finished 16 of 20 for 241 yards and two touchdowns.

“I was really fired up for this game,” he said. “Bedford is a great team, it’s a great rivalry. You’ve got to play your best game against them.”

In addition to his passing, Schwartzenberger added another 73 yards on 11 carries in only his fourth game as a starter.

“He’s just a kid that’s been in the program four years, kind of waited his turn to make plays and that’s what it’s all about — patience,” Palka said. “He’s just a competitor — a great baseball player, a scholarship player to Toledo. He’s just a competitor and that’s what you look for in your quarterback.”

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.

Northville’s Nicholas Prystash against Walled Lake Western on Monday, Sept. 9, 2016, at Warriors Stadium in Walled Lake, MI.

Allen Park 29, Southgate Anderson 7: Antonio Mangiapane was 8-for-20 for 105 yards passing and two touchdowns to go along with a 12-yard TD on the ground for Allen Park (4-0). Tyler Marsee had a big game on both sides of the football, as he caught a 40-yard TD and recorded eight tackles as well as two sacks, a forced fumble and a 24-yard interception return for touchdown. Mike Tenerowicz logged nine tackles.

Belleville 38, Redford Union 0: Julian Barnett caught four passes for 54 yards and one touchdown for Belleville (2-2). Matthew Ransome threw for 149 yards and three touchdowns on 9-of-19 passing. Jordan Ulmer secured 11 tackles.

Birmingham Brother Rice 13, Warren De La Salle 3: Jack Moran rushed 45 yards for the only touchdown of the night. Quinton Kulak’s two field goals were integral for Brother Rice (3-1, 1-0 Catholic). Also, Jack Saylor secured eight tackles and three sacks.

Birmingham Groves 45, North Farmington 0: Quaadir Ali rushed five times for 96 yards and a touchdown for Groves (4-0, 3-0 OAA White). Collin Heard had two interceptions, one of which he returned 59 yards for a touchdown. North Farmington slips to 0-4 (0-3).

Carson City-Crystal 34, Coleman 18: Drew Stout went 27-for-48 passing for 264 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Stout also rushed 21 times for 170 yards and three touchdowns. Bretten Stanley caught eight passes for 135 yards and a touchdown, and Ryan Argersinger caught seven passes for 51 yards and a touchdown.

Dearborn 42, Dearborn Heights Crestwood 6: Michael Phillips passed 18-for-26 for 291 yards and three scores for Dearborn (3-1). Hussein Hannawi recorded 120 total yards, and Adam Elder had four catches for 111 yards and a touchdown. Youseph Saad caught five passes for 65 yards and one touchdown.

Dearborn Divine Child 44, Center Line 0: Theo Day had 160 yards on 11-of-21 passing and two touchdowns, as well as rushing for another score for Divine Child (4-0).

Dearborn Edsel Ford 68, Dearborn Heights Annapolis 22: Will Marano had six carries for 107 yards and four touchdowns for Edsel Ford (2-2, 1-1 Western Wayne Red). Also, Michael Bates rushed four times for 114 yards and a TD while Jonte Dorsey carried it five times for 150 yards and two TDs.

Dearborn Fordson 49, Garden City 6: Hamze Elzayat passed for 150 yards and two touchdowns, and he also rushed four times for 80 yards and another score. Aziz Hanek rushed 12 times for 130 yards and a touchdown. Fordson improves to 3-0.

Detroit Cody 54, Detroit Collegiate Prep 6: Zyaire Gardner rushed eight times for 125 yards and two touchdowns for Cody (3-1). Levi Fielder returned a punt 84 yards for a touchdown. Rashod Baker secured 10 tackles, one sack, a forced fumble, and a 40-yard fumble recovery for touchdown. Jaysaar Ball secured eight tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble, and a 20-yard fumble recovery for touchdown. Northwestern slips to 0-4.

• FH Harrison shuts down West Bloomfield
• Warren Mott pulls off comeback vs. Macomb Dakota
• Saline’s Patteri boots FG to beat Bedford
• Ann Arbor Pioneer blanks rival Huron

Detroit East English Village 48, Detroit Denby 18: Delvin Washington passed for five touchdowns and 230 yards on 10-for-16 passing for East English Village (3-1). Sammy Womack caught four of those five touchdown passes, and he also had one interception. For Denby (3-1), Adonte Calhoun rushed 29 times for 158 yards and three touchdowns.

Detroit King 58, Detroit Western 0: King’s Dequan Finn passed 8-for-10 for 167 yards, three touchdowns, as well as a 30-yard rushing touchdown. Lamar Hill secured 10 tackles, and Jalen Bell recorded two sacks. King remains undefeated at 4-0 (3-0 PSL). Western moves to 3-1.

Detroit Mumford 61, Detroit CMA 0: Omar Pagan passed 8-for-10 for 261 yards, three touchdowns, and he also carried the ball four times for 76 yards and another touchdown. Gary Statford caught two passes for 76 yards and one touchdown, and defensively, he secured four tackles and one sack. Keontae Streeter secured ten tackles, two sacks, and a 47-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown. Brandon Green caught three passes for 186 yards, two touchdowns, and an 82-yard kickoff return for touchdown. Mumford improves to 3-1, and CMA slips to 1-3.

Detroit Old Redford 13, Romulus Summit Academy 0: Lee’quez Oliver had a 30-yard touchdown run for Old Redford (2-2, 1-0 Charter School).

Detroit Osborn 16, Detroit Central 12: Allen Houser returned an interception 60 yards for a touchdown for Osborn (3-1). Maurice McCloud secured 11 tackles and two sacks. Kenneth Holloway secured 11 tackles, one sack and one forced fumble. Mandel Berryman passed 5-for-8 for 125 yards and one touchdown. Raymon Gates caught a 55-yard touchdown pass. Central falls to 1-3.

Grand Rapids Catholic Central 44, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Eastern 7: Catholic Central out-gained Forest Hills, 469-161, in total yardage.

Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern 28, East Kentwood 23 (OT): Chase Morello led Forest Hills Northern with three touchdowns through the air and another one on the ground in overtime. Will Hawkins caught two of Morello’s three touchdown passes.

Grandville Calvin Christian 36, Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian 33: Jake Bouma kicked the game-winning field goal with 15 seconds left.

Grosse Pointe North 35, Port Huron 28: Jared Jordan rushed the ball 32 times for 247 yards and four touchdowns while Peter Ciaravino caught a TD from Bjorn Bjornsson for North (2-0, 3-1 MAC Blue).

Grosse Pointe South 48, Utica Ford 14: Logan Mico passed 7-of-16 for 143 yards and a touchdown, as well as 58 yards rushing and two more touchdowns. Jhordan Rush carried the ball 20 times for 178 yards and three touchdowns. South improves to 4-0 (3-0 MAC White). For Utica (0-4, 0-3), Noah Heide threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Kenyatta Bryon, and Elijah Graham had a 72-yard touchdown run. Sam Kowalski secured six tackles, two for a loss, and one sack.

Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett 50, Southfield Christian 12: David Robinson rushed 13 times for 163 yards and two touchdowns for Southfield (1-3).

Holly 28, Clio 24: Paris Partee caught the game-winning touchdown with 24 seconds left, and he also recorded 105 yards rushing on 22 attempts and a rushing touchdown. Kyle Staple returned a kick 85 yards for a touchdown. Bryce Jacopec secured 10 tackles. Holly improves to 3-1 (2-0 Flint Metro).

• More scores from Friday

Lake Orion 52, Oxford 35: Max Horneffer finished with five touchdowns for Lake Orion (2-2). For Oxford (1-3), Ethan Williams and Trent Myre finished with two scores each, and Williams had 155 yards on 25 carries.

Livonia Churchill 54, Plymouth 28: Evan Cummins was 15 of 23 for 284 yards and three touchdowns while Michael Hill hauled in 11 balls for 228 yards and three scores for Churchill (3-1, 1-0 KLAA South). Carson Miller had 15 rushes for 187 yards and two scores while Darius Timmons carried the rock 18 times for 112 yards and two touchdowns for Plymouth (1-3, 0-1).

Millington 47, Birch Run 6: Bryce Bearss passed 17 of 28 for 275 yards and three touchdowns. Brady Payne rushed 11 times for 108 yards and a touchdown. Shane Horton caught five passes for 106 yards and a touchdown. Cameron Henderson and Kohlton Sherman each also caught five passes and scored touchdowns.

Novi 42, South Lyon East 14: Nathan Hankerson rushed 20 times for a team-record 276 yards and three touchdowns for Novi (2-2, 1-0 KLAA Central). Anthony D’Annibale recorded six catches for 79 yards and two touchdowns. Chris Kaminski passed 10-for-23 for 121 yards and a touchdown for East (0-4, 0-1).

Novi Detroit Catholic Central 28, Cleveland St. Ignatius 21 (OT): The winning touchdown was scored by Cameron Ryan, who finished with 59 yards on 12 carries. Additionally, Nicholas Capatina compiled 59 yards rushing on 18 carries and scored the first TD of the game while Chris Jakubik and Jack Morris hauled in a TD pass.

Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 33, Detroit U-D Jesuit 10: RaShawn Allen rushed 17 times for a career-high 283 yards and two touchdowns for St. Mary’s (2-2, 1-0 Catholic). Also, Richard Bowens returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown as well as recorded one interception and secured five tackles. U-D moves to 3-1 (0-1).

Quincy 34, Union City 22: Ryan Gibson led the Quincy attack with 23 rushes for 115 yards and three touchdowns. Nathan Karney and Bryce Ruhl connected for two touchdowns.

Riverview 30, Carleton Airport 14: Zach Guthrie carried the ball 15 times for 129 yards and a touchdown for Riverview (1-3, 1-2 Huron ). Kyle Naif rushed nine times for 44 yards and two touchdowns. Michael Foor rushed 21 times for 129 and two touchdowns for Airport (1-3, 1-2).

Romulus 35, Livonia Clarenceville 0: For Romulus (4-0), Earl Holliman secured six tackles and a fumble recovery. Jaylin Tatum passed for 193 yards and three touchdowns, and he also rushed for 46 yards. Treylarenz Anderson-Armstrong caught four passes for 136 yards and one touchdown, and he also rushed for 113 yards and another score. Peirre Brown caught two touchdown and recorded 100 yards, and he also rushed for another score.

Royal Oak 28, Troy 21: Bobby Green passed for 120 yards and a touchdown for Royal Oak (2-2, 2-0 OAA Blue). Brian Barge rushed for 80 yards and two touchdowns. Darryl Davenport had 91 yards receiving and a touchdown. For Troy, Connor Wilson had two kick returns for touchdowns — one for 90 yards and the other for 92 yards.

Sterling Heights Parkway Christian 22, Auburn Hills Oakland Christian 14: Jackson Allen caught two passes for 54 yards and a touchdown as well as recorded 15 carries for 119 yards and another score for Sterling Heights (2-2, 2-0 MIAC). Maurice Hutchinson secured 12 tackles defensively, and he also carried the ball six times for 42 yards and a touchdown. Bryce Perko secured three tackles for loss. Oakland Christian slips to 2-1.

Trenton 40, Taylor Truman 21: Dontel Hampton rushed for 68 yards and two touchdowns. Connor Charping carried the ball seven times for 95 yards and a touchdown while also passing for another. Trenton improves to 4-0.

Utica 35, New Baltimore Anchor Bay 34: Nathan Ayers had 17 carries for 176 yards and a touchdown for Utica (2-2, 2-1 MAC White). Patrick O’Connor was 13-for-21 for 152 yards and two TDs while Dominic Cariera recorded three receptions for 86 yards and a score.

Utica Eisenhower 42, Clinton Township Chippewa Valley 0: Max Wittwer was 7-for-8 in the first half for 146 yards and five touchdowns. Jacob Albrecht caught two touchdown passes and rushed for another score. Assad Bujaidar, Jack Morris and Henry Janeway each caught touchdown passes for Utica (4-0, 2-0 MAC Red).

Walled Lake Western 43, Walled Lake Central 8: John Tracy passed 18-for-28 for 299 yards and four touchdowns. Cody White caught seven passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns. Kam Ford had five catches for 84 yards and a touchdown. Jack Dodge and Jalon Marshall each scored touchdowns as well. Western improves to 4-0.

White Pigeon 57, Centreville 0: Hunter Rummler rushed 17 times for 148 yards and three touchdowns. Sebastian Castro rushed 12 times for 111 yards and two touchdowns. Kyle Black scored two touchdowns — one on the ground and one through the air.

Oak Park’s Dwan Mathis (17) runs the ball by a Cass Tech player during the first half of the Detroit Prep KickOff Classic Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016 at Wayne State University’s Tom Adams football field. Regina H. Boone/Detroit Free Press

Battle Creek St. Philip 28, Burr Oak 18

Camden-Frontier 50, Elyria (Ohio) Open Door 0

Colon 36, Bay City All Saints 35

Crystal Falls Forest Park 54, Eben Junction Superior Central 20

Detroit Loyola 22, Ann Arbor Richard 0

• More scores, stats from this weekend’s action
• Friday’s scorelist

Evart 38, Manton 27

Kalkaska 40, Elk Rapids 21

Kingston 57, Big Rapids Crossroads Charter Academy 0

Leroy Pine River 36, McBain 20

Melvindale Academy for Business And Tech 48, Detroit Public Safety 0

Pittsford 41, Munising 12

Reed City 28, Grant 7

Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest 43, Westland Lutheran 22

Royal Oak Shrine 56, Marine City Cardinal Mooney 13

Traverse City St. Francis def. Benzonia Benzie Central, forfeit

Ann Arbor Pioneer’s Antjuan Simmons.

The Big House is literally a few first downs away from Ann Arbor Pioneer’s Hollway Field. In fact, Pioneer followers who want to attend a home game often have to sidestep maize-and-blue faithful who park their campers on school grounds the night before a Wolverines’ contest.

So, why then, has Antjuan Simmons, the Pioneers’ best college prospect, given his verbal commitment to Ohio State? He wasted no time tweeting his choice out last March 1, and hasn’t wavered from his dedication to the Scarlet and Grey.

“Everything’s real good with them,” Simmons said after Pioneer’s 44-0 victory over cross-town rival Huron Friday night. “I’m looking to get down there and visit (officially) in the next few weeks.”

Does that mean other schools – namely Michigan, and Michigan State – have backed off?

“Of course (they’re still after me), it’s a recruiting process. A lot of schools are still going to recruit me, and that’s it, really,” he said.

Novi senior Heil gets his special TD

He doesn’t feel slighted because nobody wearing a block M and khakis has been sleeping on his couch, though.

“I don’t really have anything to say about that,” Simmons said. “It’s a recruiting process; they wanted their guys early on and it just went from there. I don’t have anything bad to say about their coaches; I have the utmost respect for those guys, and we’ll just go from there.”

A Free Press Dream Team running back from last fall, the Buckeyes will look to use the 6-foot-1, 215-pound Simmons primarily at linebacker. When he carries the ball, it takes several tacklers to bring him down. But Simmons also leads the Pioneer defense from the middle, where he hits hard, can get in the backfield quickly and is adept at pass coverage, too.

Ann Arbor Pioneer’s Antjuan Simmons.

Friday, he helped set the tone for the blowout win by stepping in front of a Huron pass and returning it 36 yards for a touchdown. On offense, he carried the ball 5 times for 47 yards, and had one would-be 39-yard scoring sprint called back due to a penalty.

Friday, Sept. 16 Michigan high school football scores

The Pioneers’ really didn’t need to give Simmons the ball much, given that teammate Dexter Ferrell scored on outside runs of 37, 63 and 37 yards. But that was fine with Simmons, who said it was more of a lift for his team to beat a cross-town rival after the Pioneers underwhelmed in their first three games.

“We were real hungry to get our first win and get this thing turned around. We’re in a playoff atmosphere right now, so we’ve just got to play hard, play with an attitude and come to play,” he said.

The Pioneers’ were expected to be one of the top Division 1 teams in the state – and still may be – so Simmons said the Pioneers were surprised to reach week four while still looking for their first W.

“I’m not even going to lie to you,” he said. “We had real, real high expectations and the talent level is there. It was a good learning experience for us; it showed us that we can’t just have talent to win games. We’re really coming together as a team right now.”

After losing big to a powerful Muskegon team in the season opener, the Pioneers dropped closer games to University of Detroit-Jesuit and Southeastern Conference foe Temperance Bedford.

Ann Arbor Pioneer’s Antjuan Simmons.

Pioneer coach Jari Brown said the Muskegon loss affected his team’s performances in the second and third games.

“I don’t think our kids knew the magnitude of who we were playing, and I think we had a hangover from that game,” he said. “Week two was a short turnaround, playing Thursday after Saturday, and I don’t think we really had time to heal and move on.”

Brown and Simmons both say the team is gradually putting things together, and the Huron win brought confidence back.

“We executed; it was a lot better than the past few weeks,” Simmons said. “We came out on defense first and set the tone, got a three-and-out, hit a few guys. We spent all of our practices working hard and getting our base stuff right and it really showed. It’s not where we wanted to be, but it’s a lot better than what it was last week.”

The Pioneers hopes to continue the momentum with league rivals Monroe and Saline coming up. “I really want to get to the level that I want to play at, keeping it real humble, making me play for my brothers, play with my heart and play with a chip on my shoulder. A lot of people are still doubting us and I want to prove them wrong.”

Be sure to follow Freep Sports on Twitter (@freepsports) and Instagram and like us on on Facebook.

Novi Detroit Catholic Central Head Coach Tom Mach talks to other coaches before the start of the football game against Orchard Lake St. Mary’s at Catholic Central in Novi, Mich. on Friday, Oct. 9, 2015.

Novi Detroit Catholic Central football coach Tom Mach isn’t easily impressed.

Nor is it often that he genuinely questions his team’s ability to beat opponents.

But as the Cleveland St. Ignatius players warmed up on the CC field Friday night, Mach counted what seemed like 85 and couldn’t help but notice their size.

“I would say, out of those guys, 30 of them were linemen that were over 260 or 270 pounds,” Mach said. “They come out, and you look at them, and you go: ‘Holy crap! What did we do here?’ ”

It appeared that CC might have bitten off more than it could chew when it scheduled 11-time state champ St. Ignatius.

Breaking down Catholic league football

And when St. Ignatius took a 21-14 lead into the fourth quarter, Mach would have understood had the Shamrocks accepted their fate as victims of the No. 7 team in football-rich Ohio.

But Catholic Central has won 10 state championships under Mach.

“I think that was a defining moment for us,” Mach said Saturday. “Down to a team like St. Ignatius, and you’re in the fourth quarter and what are you going to do? They had a lot of opportunities to say: ‘Oh, well, these guys are pretty damn good.’

“Instead, they said: ‘We’re going to beat these guys.’ And they did.”

Friday, Sept. 16 Michigan high school football scores

Catholic Central registered what Mach called one of the best victories in CC history, beating St. Ignatius, 28-21, in overtime.

And Mach, in his 41st season at CC, might know a thing or two about CC history.

Trailing by seven, quarterback Austin Brown capped a long drive with a 16-yard TD pass to Jack Morris to force overtime.

St. Ignatius won the coin flip and elected to go on defense first. It wasn’t on defense long: Cameron Ryan scored on a 10-yard run on first down.

“It was just a pitch,” Mach said. “It was a pitch-type that we used before, but not the same. If they’d seen it before, they wouldn’t have recognized it.”

Then it was CC’s turn on defense, and Mach wasn’t sure how the Shamrocks could stop powerful St. Ignatius for four straight plays.

The CC defense forced a fourth-and-goal from the 5-yard line. Junior linebacker Matt Young made a leaping interception in the end zone to give CC its fourth straight victory.

St. Ignatius also was unbeaten, but struggled to consistently move the ball against the Shamrocks.

“Our defensive coordinator, Dan Anderson, had a good package that he put together with the other coaches this week,” Mach said. “We did some different things than we’d done before and probably some different things that other people have done to them in the past.”

The victory was No. 361 for Mach, tying him with former Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes coach Mike Boyd for third on the list of the state’s winningest coaches.

To allow Mach (361-96) to take sole possession of No. 3, all CC has to do this week is beat … Birmingham Brother Rice on Saturday at Berkley.

This is the third season as head coach for Dave Sofran, a longtime Rice assistant, who has the Warriors at 3-1 following Rice’s crucial 13-3 victory Friday over Warren De La Salle.

It is a vast improvement over a year ago, when Rice finished 2-7.

There could be a natural letdown for the CC players following the emotional victory over St. Ignatius, but Mach said that would be impossible with the Orange and Black Warriors as the next opponent.

“Like I always tell people: You can wear purple, you can wear red, you can wear maroon around our school, but you cannot wear orange. Never!” Mach said. “You don’t wear orange to our school. And if you do, you’re going to hear about it from everybody.”

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.

McCabe: Numbers low, but Benzie Central football still fights on

Farmington Hills Harrison’s Guam Lee Jr. runs the ball against West Bloomfield on September 16, 2016. Harrison won, 28-0.

The only movement in the Division 1 rankings was Hudsonville losing soundly to Grandville, opening a spot for defending state champ Romeo to work its way back into the rankings after its Week 1 one-point loss at Oxford.

Midland and Farmington Hills Harrison both moved into the Division 2 rankings thanks to losses by Portage Central and U-D Jesuit. The Cubs were clobbered by Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, showing why St. Mary’s is ranked despite two losses. If you saw the Saline-Temperance Bedford game you understand why Bedford is still ranked despite the loss.

Trenton and DeWitt moved into the Division 3 rankings after bad losses by St. Joseph and Mason. Hudsonville Unity Christian’s win over Zeeland West earned it a spot in the Division 4 rankings, along with Grosse Ile as Benton Harbor moves up to No. 6.

►Related: Detroit Catholic Central, Tom Mach get ‘defining’ win
►Related: Week 4 results

Lansing Catholic was the only Division 5 ranked team to lose last week, but the loss came to another ranked team, Portland by a point, so no one new moves into the rankings.

Madison Heights Madison dropped out of the Division 6 ratings, making room for LeRoy Pine River, which beat McBain, which was ranked in Division 7.

Iron Mountain moved down a couple of notches in Division 7 after losing to Negaunee, No. 3 in Division 6. Ubly moved into the D-7 rankings as McBain moved out.

Division 8 is usually where there is a lot of movement that occurs as schools in the state’s smallest division frequently play larger schools. But the only D-8 team to lose this week was Mendon, which lost to Buchanan, a Division 5 school. That opens a spot for once-beaten Saginaw Nouvel, which could certainly be a factor in the D-8 playoffs.

Mick McCabe’s rankings

Super 10

Rank, School, Record, Division

1. Detroit Cass Tech, 4-0, 1

Should be tested this week by East English Village

2. Walled Lake Western, 4-0, 2

Johnny Tracy finally at QB and Cody White at receiver

3.Novi Detroit Catholic Central, 4-0, 1

Excellent win against Cleveland St. Ignatius; Rice is next

4.Muskegon, 3-1, 3

Kalil Pimpleton is effective from a variety of spots

5.Detroit King, 4-0, 2

The romp through the PSL continues

6.Lowell, 4-0, 2

Another big Pink Arrow victory

7.Utica Eisenhower, 4-0, 1

Shutting out Chippewa Valley was remarkable

8.Dearborn Fordson, 4-0, 1

Another strong defensive performance against Garden City

9.Davison, 4-0, 1

Running back Tariq Reid is difficult to stop

10.River Rouge, 3-1, 4

Another game, another rout

Division 1

Rank, School, Record, Last week

 1. Detroit Cass Tech, 4-0, 1

 2. Novi Detroit Catholic Central, 4-0, 2

 3. Utica Eisenhower, 4-0, 4

 4. Dearborn Fordson, 4-0, 5

 5. Davison, 4-0, 6

 6. Grandville, 4-0, 7

 7. Grand Blanc, 4-0, 8

 8. Warren Mott, 4-0, 10

 9. Saline, 4-0, 9

10. Romeo, 3-1, —

Division 2

 1. Walled Lake Western, 4-0, 1

 2. Detroit King, 4-0, 2

 3. Lowell, 4-0, 3

 4. Midland Dow, 4-0, 4

 5. Traverse City Central, 4-0, 7

 6. Birmingham Groves, 4-0, 8

 7. Grosse Pointe South, 4-0, 9

 8. Midland, 3-1, —

 9. Farmington Hills Harrison, 3-1, —

10. Temperance Bedford, 3-1, 6

Division 3

 1. Muskegon, 3-1, 1

 2. Grand Rapids Christian, 4-0, 2

 3. Allen Park, 4-0, 4

 4. Chelsea, 4-0, 7

 5. Edwardsburg, 4-0, 8

 6. Battle Creek Harper Creek, 4-0, 9

 7. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, 2-2, 10

 8. DeWitt, 3-1, —

 9. Trenton, 4-0, —

10. Zeeland West, 3-1, 5

Division 4

 1. River Rouge, 3-1, 1

 2. Birmingham Detroit Country Day, 4-0, 2

 3. Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 4-0, 3

 4. Corunna, 4-0, 5

 5. Marysville, 4-0, 6

 6. Benton Harbor, 4-0, 9

 7. Escanaba, 4-0, 8

 8. Hamilton, 4-0, 10

 9. Hudsonville Unity Christian, 4-0, —

10. Grosse Ile, 4-0, —

Division 5

 1. Grand Rapids West Catholic, 3-1, 1

 2. Menominee, 4-0, 2

 3. Ithaca, 4-0, 4

 4. Frankenmuth, 4-0, 5

 5. Montague, 4-0, 6

 6. Portland, 4-0, 7

 7. Ida, 4-0, 8

 8. Lansing Catholic, 3-1, 3

 9. Freeland, 4-0, 9

10. Algonac, 4-0, 10

Division 6

 1. Millington, 4-0, 1

 2. Charlevoix, 4-0, 2

 3. Negaunee, 4-0, 3

 4. Laingsburg, 4-0, 4

 5. Grass Lake, 4-0, 6

 6. Schoolcraft, 4-0, 7

 7. Roscommon, 4-0, 8

 8. Quincy, 4-0, 9

 9. Maple City Glen Lake, 3-1, 10

10. LeRoy Pine River, 3-1, —

Division 7

 1. Detroit Loyola, 3-1, 1

 2. Traverse City St. Francis, 4-0, 2

 3. Pewamo-Westphalia, 4-0, 3

 4. New Lothrop, 4-0, 4

 5. Saugatuck, 4-0, 5

 6. Clinton, 4-0, 7

 7. Hudson, 4-0, 9

 8. Sand Creek, 4-0, 10

 9. Iron Mountain, 3-1, 6

10. Ubly, 4-0, —

Division 8

 1. Muskegon Catholic Central, 4-0, 1

 2. Climax-Scotts, 4-0, 2

 3. Frankfort, 4-0, 3

 4. Ishpeming, 2-1, 4

 5. St. Ignace, 3-1, 6

 6. Gaylord St Mary, 4-0, 7

 7. Ottawa Lake Whiteford, 4-0, 8

 8. Saginaw Nouvel, 3-1, —

 9. Lake Linden-Hubbell, 4-0, 9

10. Norway, 4-0, 10

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.

Detroit King’s Ambry Thomas celebrates his touchdown against Southfield A&T during King’s 39-0 win Saturday at Wayne State.

Most of the top football players in metro Detroit didn’t play in the second half because of blowouts — but did enough to merit some mention this weekend.

Here’s a look at some of the top teams and their players:

■ Ambry Thomas and Detroit King keep rolling toward their showdown with Detroit Cass Tech. The senior wide receiver/defensive back hasn’t lost since he was a sophomore, and King improved to 4-0 with a 59-0 victory over Detroit Western.

Thomas had a 53-yard TD reception and a 50-yard punt return called back because of a penalty. He finished with five tackles.

“He did pretty well,” coach Tyrone Spencer said. “Western was kind of down. He’s doing it both offensively and defensively. Our senior linebacker, Cepeda Phillips, has been strong. He’s going to Kent State. He’s averaging about nine tackles a game. I like how our sophomore quarterback (Dequan Finn) has been playing. He has three passing TDs and one rushing.”

Sept. 16 Michigan high school football scores, stats

■ Cass Tech (4-0) had a running clock in the second half of its 48-0 victory over Detroit Southeastern.

Defensive back Jaylen Kelly-Powell had four tackles and three receptions for 30 yards.

Senior wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones had two TD receptions, one for 20 yards and one for 30. “He’s been seeing a lot of double teams, but they didn’t double him,’’ coach Thomas Wilcher said.

Senior Donovan Johnson made his two carries work, covering 60 yards with a rushing TD.

Senior wide receiver Donovan Parker had an 8-yard TD pass, and senior quarterback Rodney Hall had three TD passes and 189 yards through the air.

“The game just went fast in the second half,’’ Wilcher said. “It didn’t seem like we were out there long.’’

■ Warren Fitzgerald (4-0, 3-0) is dominating the Macomb Area Conference Silver Division with a 24-20 victory over previous unbeaten St. Clair Shores South Lake.

Running back Najon Moore, 5 feet 9 and 175 pounds, carried 46 times for 291 yards. “He’s on pace for 4,000 yards for his career,’’ coach Gary Skop said. “He had 2,600 his first two years, and he has 800 this season. Our offensive line was dominant.”

Quarterback Chris Eddy ran for 110 yards and two TDs and threw for another. Senior defensive end Mike Kizer set a school record with 41/2 sacks.

“He’s a freak of nature,’’ Skop said of the 6-3, 235-pounder. “He had nine sacks last year and blocked five or six punts.’’

■ Junior quarterback Max Wittwer made his first half count for Utica Eisenhower in a 42-0 victory over Clinton Township Chippewa Valley.

Wittwer was 12 of 13 for 195 yards and five TDs in the first half. Slot receiver Jacob Albrecht had TD catches of 28 and 13 yards and ran in another.

The Eagles are 4-0, 2-0 in the MAC Red, with games in the next two weeks against defending Division 1 champ Romeo, undefeated L’Anse Creuse North and Warren Mott on Oct. 14.

Football

These five prep football players turned in outstanding performances to lead their teams to victory:

Anthony Ruth, Constantine: The senior running back/linebacker gained 236 yards on nine carries and scored touchdowns on runs of 25, 47, 24, 62 and 56 yards in a 68-35 victory over Coloma.

Najone Moore, Warren Fitzgerald: The 5-foot-9, 175-pound senior running back carried the ball 46 times and gained 291 yards, putting him over 800 yards rushing this season, in a 24-20 victory over St. Clair Shores South Lake.

McCabe: Eric Stiegel works magic yet again, this time at Grandville

Michael Hill, Livonia Churchill: The 5-9, 160-pound senior wide receiver/cornerback caught 11 passes for 228 yards and touchdowns of 42 and 18 yards in a 54-28 win over Plymouth.

Carter Staley, Breckenridge: The 6-1, 195-pound sophomore quarterback/linebacker completed 13 of 15 passes for 242 yards and four touchdowns. He also carried six times for 58 yards and a touchdown in a 56-6 victory over Montabella.

Jared Davis, Frankenmuth: The 6-foot, 185-pound senior quarterback/defensive back was 9-for-17 for 120 yards and touchdowns of 26, 3 and 17 yards. He also intercepted three passes in a 43-6 victory over Bridgeport.

Mick McCabe’s Week 4 Michigan high school football rankings

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.

Grandville

Eric Stiegel is the fixer.

In 2010, he took over a 1-8 Taylor Truman program that had only two winning seasons in the previous 17 years and in his third and fourth seasons went 9-2 and 8-3 with playoff appearances.

In 2014, Stiegel inherited a Grandville program that had suffered through seven consecutive losing seasons and immediately went 5-5 and made the playoffs.

Last season, the Bulldogs were 6-4 and in the playoffs again, and now they want more.

Grandville is 4-0 for the first time since 2001 after thumping previously unbeaten and No. 3 in Division 1 Hudsonville, 36-6, in an OK Red game.

Stiegel has no magic potion for turning around programs. He does have the full-house, tight-T formation offense, just like the one employed at powerhouses Zeeland West and Canton.

“The biggest thing is, it’s a speed offense,” Stiegel said. “And when you get out there on defense against us, it comes at you so fast, it’s tough to react.”

It is a speed offense partly because of the way the running backs are aligned. Instead of being 7 or 8 yards behind the line of scrimmage, the Grandville backs are only 41/2 yards back.

“So, everything hits quick whether it’s a trap, whether it’s a sweep, whether it’s an off-tackle play,” Stiegel said. “We just try to be very fast and, obviously, very physical. The faking part of it comes in because when you can wear some people down a little bit, the fakes really start to happen — they start chasing.”

• McCabe’s Week 4 Michigan high school football rankings

The alignment gives defenders less time to figure out who has the ball and, in football, getting a step on the defense can be the difference between a big gain and a short gain.

“From the time the ball is snapped to the time the defense knows where it’s at, before the linebacker can react, I think there’s an advantage,” Stiegel said. “Linebackers can’t play up that close on us. We can get to the hole faster and get our guards there and get our blocking backs there probably faster than most offenses can.”

In the victory against Hudsonville, Josh Atwell gained 118 yards on 14 carries and had help from Shane Baker (93 yards, 19 carries) and Jake Tipton (78 yards, eight carries).

“Josh was a kid last year that did not play a lot; he had a few big runs,” Stiegel said. “He kind of waited for his opportunity and he’s really seized it. We’re not a team where you can point and say you’ve got to stop Atwell or you’ve got to stop our quarterback. We have guys that step up when it’s their turn to step up.”

Last season, the Bulldogs shared the OK Red title with Rockford, and before they start celebrating too much, the Bulldogs will be tested this week by East Kentwood and Rockford the following week.

But, so far so good for a team that isn’t surprised to be unbeaten. Grandville’s defense, led by two-way lineman Ian Hall, has allowed only 28 points.

“I said coming into this season I thought this was a really, really good team,” Stiegel said. “One of the things is we don’t have anybody on our team with a scholarship offer yet, so it’s a true team thing. We have a lot of guys that are very selfless and buy into the role, whether you’re a blocking tight end or a defensive lineman that’s going to take on blocks.”

■Notebook: Stockbridge senior quarterback Mason Gee-Montgomery set the state record with his 105th career passing touchdown in a 70-32 victory over Leslie. He broke the record of former Ithaca all-stater Travis Smith. Against Leslie, Gee-Montgomery passed for 280 yards and eight touchdowns. …

Negaunee turned a 14-13 fourth-quarter lead into a 35-13 victory over Iron Mountain in the biggest game in the Upper Peninsula. Neal Violetta (116, 17 carries) had touchdown runs of 13 and 41 yards to lead the fourth-quarter charge. Negaunee (4-0) was aided by five turnovers. …

Johnny Tracy made his much-anticipated debut at quarterback in Walled Lake Western’s 43-8 victory over Walled Lake Central, and he didn’t disappoint. After missing three games with an injury, Tracy scorched Central for 299 yards, completing 18 of 28 passes.

When Tracy was out, Cody White was forced to play quarterback and performed admirably, leading Western to three straight wins. With Tracy back, White, who committed to Michigan State, returned to his receiver spot, catching seven passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns.

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.

Nico Collins at Elite 11 camp in Beaverton, Ore., Wednesday, July 6, 2016.

With one of the weaker home schedules in recent memory, Michigan’s in-season football recruiting efforts are focused mostly on Saturday’s game against Penn State (3:30 p.m., ABC) and the following weekend against Wisconsin.

The tussle with the Badgers is going to bring in more of the big prospects, but this weekend’s game against Penn State also has some of the staff’s top targets slated to visit:

Five-star wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones: Michigan’s top target in the 2017 class, Peoples-Jones will make his first visit to a U-M game this year. Florida, Florida State, Tennessee and Ohio State are among the programs also pushing for official visits, and he took his first one to Nebraska a couple of weeks ago. Spending this weekend in Ann Arbor is another sign that the Wolverines appear to be in good shape for the Detroit Cass Tech star.

Four-star wide receiver Nico Collins: Collins will make his fourth visit in five months to Ann Arbor. Within that time frame, he has seen only one other school (Alabama). Michigan has made the Pinson (Ala.) Clay-Chalkville native a major priority, and the Wolverines have been named a public leader for his services multiple times. Anytime you can get a top target on campus unofficially in the middle of the season, it’s usually a good sign for your chances. Georgia recently has emerged as the main competition for Collins, with Alabama sticking around, as well.

Four-star wide receiver Oliver Martin: There are conflicting reports as to whether Martin (Iowa City West) will visit Michigan or Notre Dame this weekend. If he visits Michigan, it will be his second visit in three months, as he was one of many who came up for the BBQ at the Big House in August. Martin is a mercurial recruit who has kept things mostly to himself, but all indications are that he will take all five of his official visits before deciding. Michigan State, which offered him a scholarship after watching him camp for 15 minutes, has been Michigan’s main competition, along with Oregon, Iowa and the Irish.

Three-star offensive tackle Toryque Bateman: Bateman is another prospect who will be making his third visit to campus in four months. The Gadsden City, Ala., tackle is a legitimate 6-feet-8 and weighs around 340 pounds. He’s a high-ceiling prospect who has caught the attention of U-M offensive coordinator Tim Drevno and company. Michigan most likely leads for him, with Tennessee and Miami (Fla.) also chasing him.

Oliver Martin update: Four-star WR visits Iowa, expert says Michigan leads
Recruiting: Michigan football trying to flip multiple elite prospects

Steve Lorenz is the editor and publisher of Wolverine247 of the 247Sports Network. You can follow him on Twitter @TremendousUM and sign up for our FREE newsletter today! 

Curtis Blackwell, left, coordinates recruiting for MSU coach Mark Dantonio. The process has changed since Blackwell went through it.

This weekend, over 50 recruits from the classes of 2017, 2018 and 2019 will be in East Lansing for the Michigan State-Wisconsin game. Many of the players that will be on campus attended camp this summer and are solidly on the MSU recruiting board.

The Spartans were initially looking to host several class of 2017 prospects on official recruiting trips this weekend, but opted to push visits back with home games against Michigan and Ohio State still on tap.

MSU coach Mark Dantonio and his staff prefer to use official visits during game day weekends for uncommitted prospects from outside of the Midwest. It is always risky having recruits from Florida and Georgia traveling to Michigan during January.

►Related: Dantonio modeled MSU success after Iowa, Wisconsin
►Sharp: Michigan State football keeps confounding experts

A player that is expected to be on campus that is traveling from down south is Carrollton (Ga.) defensive tackle Josh Walker. The 6-foot-2, 285-pound prospect was visited by the MSU staff during the bye week. Walker will be one of the top defensive line prospect out of Georgia for 2018.

The players that have already committed to MSU usually take their official visit all together so they can build more rapport. The staff prefers that weekend to be after the season so they can spend more time with the players and their respective families. Many of the committed player will be on campus in an unofficial capacity.

A player of note that plans on being on campus is Pickerington (Ohio) Central tight end Trenton Gillison. The 6-5, 220-pound Gillison is the top rated prospect in Ohio at his position and is a Rivals.com top 100 recruit. He already holds offers from MSU and Wisconsin. Ohio State has not offered him a scholarship.

Gillison is teammates with the Spartans’ first 2018 commitment, defensive back Xavier Henderson. The fellow Rivals.com four-star will certainly look to have his teammate join him in Green and White.

Another player expected in East Lansing is Rockford quarterback Jason Whittaker. He is the No. 5 prospect in the state for 2018 by Rivals.com. The 6-5, 195-pounder will challenge with Dearborn Divine Child’s Theo Day to see who is the top pro-style quarterback in Michigan. Both Whittaker and Day distinguished themselves at the Spartan’s Elite Player Camp in June.

Under the lead of MSU director of advancement & performance Curtis Blackwell and recruiting coordinator Butler Benton, the MSU staff does an outstanding job of identifying prospects early and getting them on campus for a variety of functions.

Solid to Michigan State

This past weekend it was reported that MSU quarterback commit Rocky Lombardi (West Des Moines Valley) was in Iowa City to see the Hawkeyes take on North Dakota State. Lombardi took the visit with fellow teammates and he is solid in his commitment to the Spartans.

Matt Dorsey is a recruiting analyst for SpartanMag.com and Rivals.com.

West Bloomfield’s Nick Seidel misses a catch against Farmington Hills Harrison on Friday, Sept. 16, 2016.

Week 5 of the Michigan high school football season, which means it’s getting serious out there (if it weren’t already).

We’re live-blogging tonight’s action around the state, pulling in tweets from our reporters out in the field. Chris Allen will be moderating the chat and conversing with fans. You can contribute score updates by tweeting them with the #mipreps hash tag.

Click here to join the live blog