State football roundup: Grand Valley State wins GLIAC, Alma carries MIAA

GLIAC

Grand Valley State 49, Davenport 7: The Lakers (11-0, 6-0 GLIAC), No. 1 in Region 3 of Division II, had no trouble as they clinched the conference championship, thanks to 90 rushing yards and two touchdowns from Tariq Reid. Grant Hart returned a blocked field goal 45 yards for a touchdown to take a 21-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. Caleef Jenkins had 36 yards rushing and a touchdown for Davenport (8-2, 4-2), ranked fifth in the region. Both teams will learn their fates for the Division II playoffs at 5:30 p.m. Sunday.

Ferris State 40, Wayne State 14: The visiting Bulldogs, No. 2 in Region 3, amassed 545 yards of total offense, thanks to 189 yards rushing and three touchdowns from quarterback Carson Gulker. He also was 9-for-17 passing for 197 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Ferris State (9-1, 5-1) was 8 of 13 on third downs while Wayne State (1-9, 0-6) was 1 of 14. Myren Harris had 39 yards rushing and a touchdowns for the Warriors.

Northern Michigan 33, Lake Erie 11: Zach Keen was 15-for-24 passing for 260 yards and three touchdowns for the visiting Wildcats (4-7), who shook off 13 penalties for 97 yards. Tyshon King added 21 carries for 124 yards and a TD. Xeavier Bullock had 50 yards rushing and a touchdown for Lake Erie (3-8).

Saginaw Valley State 35, Michigan Tech 30: Andrew Brito was 27-for-36 for 324 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions for the host Cardinals (8-3, 3-3). Derrick Hinton Jr. had 13 catches for 203 yards and that one touchdowns. Tyler Amos added 39 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Will Ark was 27-for-41 for 353 yards passing and three touchdowns and a pick for Michigan Tech (4-7, 2-4). Darius Willis had 198 yards of that passing on 13 catches and two of those scores.

MIAA

Alma 34, Albion 31: Carter St. John’s 26-yard pass to Cole Thomas early in the fourth quarter locked up the MIAA title for the Scots (10-0, 6-0) at home as they handed the Britons their first loss of the season. Albion (9-1, 5-1) took a 21-14 lead into the half, thanks to a trio of TD passes from Luke Lovell (two of which went to Brendan Teal), but Alma scored twice in the first 5:31 of the second half to take the lead. St. John connected with Ja’Martae Hogan for a 34-yard score 2:18 after the half, then found Ty Lotterman for a 41-yard score a little over three minutes later. St. John finished 22-for-33 for 298 yards and four TDs and added 10 rushes for 32 yards. Eddie Williams boosted the Scots’ offense with 31 carries for 105 yards and a TD. Lovell completed 30 of 40 passes for 370 yards and four TDs for the Britons, but also gave the Scots the ball three times on interceptions. Teal caught eight passes from Lovell for 148 yards. As MIAA champs, the Scots are assured of a berth in the 32-team NCAA playoffs, with the field announced at 5 p.m. Sunday. The Britons have a shot at the tournament as an at-large squad, too; they entered Saturday as the No. 2 team in Region IV, ahead of the Scots.

Adrian 28, Olivet 0: The host Bulldogs (6-4, 3-3 MIAA) kept the ball on the ground to hand the Comets (5-5, 1-5) their fifth straight loss. Quarterback Aaron Jenkins needed just 14 carries to pick up 124 yards on the ground, with three rushing TDs. In all, Adrian outrushed Olivet, 276-79, and held the ball for 36:38. Jenkins completed six of 10 passes for 91 yards. Evan Ormsby went 15-for-26 passing for 137 yards and two interceptions for the Comets.

Trine 42, Kalamazoo 19: Alex Price had two TD passes and Dominic Crowder unleashed a 99-yard run as the visiting Thunder (7-3, 3-3) built a 35-0 halftime lead. The Hornets scored 19 points in the final 10 minutes to make the score respectable, led by quarterback Josh Nichols, who went 15-for-34 for 107 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Dawson Skupin came in for Nichols and went 6-for-14 for 105 yards and a touchdown for Kalamazoo.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: State football roundup: Grand Valley wins GLIAC, Alma carries MIAA