Advertisement

Prep Roundup: Gaylord victorious over Jackson Lumen Christi in battle of unbeatens; Traverse City West pitches shutout ahead of TC Patriot Game

brendan quealy, the record-eagle, traverse city, mich.
·7 min read

Oct. 13—GAYLORD — If Friday's game against Jackson Lumen Christi was a measuring stick, the Gaylord Blue Devils proved they were tall enough for the ride.

In a battle of unbeaten teams ranked in the top five of their respective divisions, the Blue Devils — No. 4 in Division 3 — outlasted the Division 7 top-ranked Titans en route to a 24-21 victory at home.

Leading up to their matchup with Lumen Christi, the Blue Devils' high-octane offense ran through their last three opponents to the tune of 123 points while their defense allowed just 28 points in that span. The Titans weren't too bad in those departments either over their last three contests, scoring 112 points and allowing just a baker's dozen.

Both teams were also coming off big wins as Jackson Lumen Christi (7-1, 3-0 CHSL-AA) won a rematch of the 2022 state championship game over Traverse City St. Francis, 35-0, and Gaylord (8-0, Big North 5-0) flew by Escanaba, 38-8.

Gaylord built a 21-7 lead on rushing touchdowns from Ty Bensinger and Riley Hush along with a 16-yard TD catch by Noah Vanderveer from Caleb Aungst.

But that two-score cushion was in question late in the first half as a botched snap put the Blue Devils in a 3rd-and-30 situation with under two minutes to play. A Gaylord punt two plays later gave the Titans the ball around midfield with 43 seconds left, and Lumen Christi quickly moved into the red zone.

Facing a first-and-goal opportunity from the Gaylord 7-yard line, Lumen Christi opted for three rollout pass plays to the right. The only one close to a catch was the final play of the half, but that ball still sailed well over the Titan receiver's outstretched arms.

Gaylord threatened to score as the Blue Devils opened the second half with the ball, but they could not convert on a 4th-and-20 to keep the prolonged drive alive. The Titans quickly took advantage of the momentum swing, scoring from nine yards out on 3rd-and-1 to cut the deficit to 21-14 with 2:58 left in the third quarter.

Bensinger, who finished with 101 yards on 22 carries, converted on a big 3rd-and-1 to put the Blue Devils at the Lumen Christi 15-yard line in the early minutes of the fourth quarter, but disaster nearly struck on the next play. Gaylord fumbled the snap but managed to recover the ball, and Connor Byram connected on a 28-yard field goal two plays later to give the Blue Devils a 10-point lead at 24-14 with 8:41 left in the game.

Lumen Christi needed to score quickly, and that's just what the Titans did. They started the drive in Blue Devil territory and found the end zone in just over four minutes, climbing within three points at 24-21.

The Blue Devils couldn't risk giving the ball back to Lumen Christi, which meant they needed to eat up the final 4:21 left in the game.

Russell Hush ate 15 seconds on a 29-yard run to midfield, but the clock stopped when he ran out of bounds. Hush picked up another first down on a 3rd-and-5, this time sliding to stay in bounds and keep the clock running. The Titans were forced to burn both of their remaining timeouts on the next two plays, and a quarterback sneak on a 4th-and-2 from Aungst secured the win and kept Gaylord's record unblemished.

With a perfect regular season on the line, Gaylord moves from a battle of the unbeatens to a battle of the Blue Devils at Sault Area on Friday.

FOOTBALL

TC West 35

BC Central 0

UP NEXT: The Titans (3-5, 3-2 Saginaw Valley Blue) take on crosstown rival Traverse City Central in the annual TC Patriot Game on Friday at Thirlby Field.

Benzie Central 28

Glen Lake 14

Benzie Central: Dan Wallington 18 carries, 106 yards; Jaxon Childers 11 carries, 56 yards, TD, 11-yard TD catch; Jacob Gillison 6 carries, 34 yards; Michael Pfeiffer 6 tackles, fumble rec; Grayson Converse 4 tackles; Tyrone Brouillet 95-yard kick return TD.

UP NEXT: The Huskies (5-3, 4-1 NMFC-Leaders) end the regular season at Cheboygan on Friday. The Lakers (4-4, 2-2 NMFC-Legacy) travel to Mancelona for the regular-season finale Friday.

Kingsley 65

Comstock Park 12

Kinglsey: Eli Graves 11 carries, 157 yards, 1 TD, 67-yard punt return TD; Max Goethals 12 tackles, 1 tackle for loss; Gavyn Merchant 5-for-6 passing for 72 yards, 2 TDs, 1-yard TD run; Skylar Workman 49-yard rush TD, 13-yard receiving TD; Kolsen Orton 2-yard TD run; Isaiah Cosgrove 8-yard TD run; Bode Bielas 2 TD runs (1, 7 yards), 27-yard TD catch; Stags led 52-6 at half, at which point they had run the ball 23 times for 308 yards.

UP NEXT: The Stags (6-2, 3-1 NMFC-Legacy) end the regular season hosting Sparta on Friday.

Mancelona 30

Joburg 12

Mancelona: Ryan Naumcheff 8 of 14 passing, 86 yards, TD, 15 carries, 65 yards, TD, 2 2PATs; Tavin Morgan 11 carries, 87 yards, TD; Aiden Dixon 4 catches, 52 yards, TD; Elijah Westcott 2PAT.

UP NEXT: The Ironmen (3-5, 2-2 NMFC-Legacy) host Glen Lake in the regular-season finale Friday. The Cardinals (2-5, 1-4 NMFC-Legacy) end the regular season at Manton on Friday.

Boyne City 28

Oscoda 0

Boyne City: Drew Neer 9 of 15 passing, 99 yards, 2 TDs; Ryan Spate 18 carries, 188 yards, 2 TDs; Owen Hewitt 63-yard TD catch; Brady Snyder 3-yard TD catch; Joey McHugh 10 tackles.

UP NEXT: The Ramblers (4-4, 2-2 NMFC-Leaders) welcome Tawas to end the regular season Friday.

Grayling 42

Cheboygan 0

Grayling: Ethan Kucharek 10 of 18 passing, 109 yards, 2 TDs; Jake Huspen 11 carries, 153 yards, 2 TDs, 4.5 tackles, fumble recovery; Corbin Allen 8 carries, 40 yards, TD; Daniel Hunter 5 catches, 40 yards, TD; Maddox Mead 3 catches, 35 yards, TD; Gavin Cvitkovich 6 tackles.

UP NEXT: The Vikings (5-3, 1-3 NMFC-Legends) head to Lake City for their regular-season finale on Friday.

Elk Rapids 55

Harbor Springs 14

UP NEXT: The Elks (4-4, 2-3 NMFC-Leaders) host East Jordan to end the regular season Friday. The Rams (0-8, 0-5 NMFC-Legacy) end the regular season at Charlevoix on Friday.

Kent City 24

Kalkaska 6

UP NEXT: The Blazers (3-5) host Roscommon to end the regular season Friday.

McBain 30

Pine River 7

UP NEXT: The Ramblers (5-3, 5-3 Highland) travel to Pine River on Friday to end the regular season.

Montague 24

Manistee 22

UP NEXT: The Mariners (6-2, 3-2 West Michigan Lakes) host Fremont in the regular-season finale Friday.

Petoskey 27

Sault Area 7

UP NEXT: The Northmen (4-3, 3-2 Big North) end the regular season with a home game against Clare on Friday.

Manton 1

Beal City 0

Manton: Loss via forfeit.

UP NEXT: The Rangers (0-8, 0-7 Highland) welcome Johannesburg-Lewiston to end the regular season Friday.

8-PLAYER FOOTBALL

Inland Lakes 52

Bellaire 6

Bellaire: Kaden Battershell 45-yard TD pass to Carson Battershell; Ethan Lamber fumble recovery; Keegan Lopardo-Lovett fumble recovery; Owen Lamber blocked PAT; Damon Fox 6 tackles; Ben Landis 6 tackles; Carson Battershell 6 tackles.

UP NEXT: The Bulldogs (7-1, 4-0 Ski Valley) travel to Gaylord St. Mary to end the regular season Saturday, Oct. 21. The Eagles (1-7, 0-5 Ski Valley) end the regular season with a home game against Marion on Saturday, Oct. 21.

Rudyard 58

Gaylord SM 32

UP NEXT: The Snowbirds (6-2, 4-0 Ski Valley) host Inland Lakes in their regular-season finale Saturday, Oct. 21.

Marion 68

Brethren 12

UP NEXT: The Bobcats (5-3, 3-2 West Michigan D) head to Onekama for their regular-season finale Friday.

VOLLEYBALL

Harbor Light 2-0 at Alba tri

Harbor Light def. Alba 25-21, 29-25, 16-14; def. Vanderbilt 25-17, 25-13.

Harbor Light: Anna Zielinski 13 kills, 3 aces; Anne Chamberlin 4 aces, 2 kills, 35 digs; Lydia Goldsborough 5 kills; Molly Ogden 30 assists, 26 digs; Ava Kenwabikise 7 kills; Charlotte Gagnon 28 digs.

UP NEXT: Harbor Light hosts Mackinaw City and Ellsworth on Friday.