Will week 3 bring much-needed wins for local prep football teams? Our picks for each game
HILLSDALE COUNTY — Week two of the 2023 prep football season brought a lot of questions surrounding all but two teams in the county. Only Pittsford and Camden-Frontier managed to escape the wrath of Thursday night football.
Week 2: County prep football teams leave with more questions than answers after week 2
Heading into week three, each team will look to earn much-needed wins against conference opponents. It will be a tough task for several teams and a much easier road to travel for a few programs.
This is our Week 3 breakdown of each prep football matchup in the area and our picks for each game.
Reading at Union City
7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8
After opening the season with two tough losses at home against White Pigeon and Quincy, coach Rick Bailey and the Rangers make their first road trip of the season. They will play the 2-0 Union City Chargers.
The Chargers got a 18-16 win over the Rangers in 2022 to secure a shot (and eventually earn) a Big 8 championship. So far, Union City opened with an impressive victory over Centreville and then destroyed Springport in a 41-0 victory.
The Chargers are a dangerous team this season, and they should be favorites to defeat Reading on Friday night. They will be led by quarterback Eli Payne, running backs Dylon MacDonald and Riley Laird, and wide receiver Rick Austin.
Reading will look to have their core playmakers healthy and ready for their shot at an upset this Friday. A win would go a long way to sending the team back on track for a run at the playoffs.
The Chargers appear to be the team-to-beat in the smaller Big 8, and the Rangers may have to wait another week before bringing home their first victory of the season.
Union City 35 - Reading 20
Recap: Week 2 prep sports top performers help their teams earn early season wins
Lenawee Christian at Camden-Frontier
7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8
Camden-Frontier and coach Rob Wickham bounced back after a disappointing loss to open their season with a dominating win over Battle Creek St. Phillip.
Athletes Logan Leggett and Worm Wickham found their footing in their 48-34 win over St. Phil. They were supported by another impressive performance from Week 1 Football Player of the Week Brayden Miller.
Lenawee Christian put up 60-plus on the Litchfield football team in week two to defeat their first potential opponent for a division title in 2023. The next Hillsdale County team on their road to a title will be Camden-Frontier.
Camden-Frontier has the size, speed and numbers to compete to be the best 8-player football team in Hillsdale County. The question is: have they gained enough experience over the course of two weeks to put up a better fight against the Cougars than the Litchfield Terriers?
CF will have home field advantage to help their efforts, but until proven otherwise, the Cougars will remain king of the SCAA/SMFL-East this football season.
LCS 56 - Camden-Frontier 24
Grass Lake at Jonesville
7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8
Coach Frank Keller and the Comet varsity football team head back home to take on another Cascades East opponent in Grass Lake. The Comets showed improvement in their week two contest against Michigan Center, but Michigan Center proved to be the better team last Thursday night.
The Warrior offense is led by junior signal caller Brayden Lape, who helped take Grass Lake to a week two 32-22 victory over Hanover-Horton. Before that, they blasted Shrine for a 50-0 win.
Lape went 20-for-26 with 328 passing yards and four touchdowns in their win over Hanover-Horton. Liam Metheringham added 75 yards on the ground. Bryant Cook is the team's top target at receiver.
The Comets will lean on their ground attack, and if John Milks, Carson Playford and Austin Bowers can help open things up for quarterback Connor VanBuskirk, the Comets will have a shot to compete for their first win of the season.
Jonesville 38 - Grass Lake 32
Vote: Week 2 Football Player of the Week Voting Ballot
Hillsdale at Hudson
7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8
Beckett McCaskey led the Hudson Tiger rushing attack with 112 yards in their 20-14 win over Benzie Central in week two. Hudson is 2-0 entering the matchup with Hillsdale. Hudson has won the past two matchups against the Hornets and coach Marc Lemerand.
In those matchups, Hillsdale has been shut out on offense and given up 48 points to the T-offense of the Tigers. It's safe to say that Hillsdale is a much better team than in 2021 and 2022, thanks to a strong defense that is led by linebacker seniors Declan Flannery and Stephen Petersen.
On the line, Wyatt Costhatt, Wyatt Wahtola and John Petersen will look to disrupt life for the Tigers in the same manner they did against Jonesville in week one.
Hillsdale's matchup with the Tigers will be just as tough as Lake Fenton, but their path to victory will be considerably easier against a more straight-forward offensive attack from the Tigers.
Hillsdale will still have a tough outing in their first road matchup of the season. It will be a true test for how well the Hornets will hold up against the best the LCAA has to offer. We will ride with Hornet country one more week in our predictions.
Hillsdale 28 - Hudson 22
Tekonsha at Pittsford
7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8
Coach Mike Burger and the Pittsford varsity football team have kept their foot on the gas through the first two weeks of the season. Their offense, led by senior QB Gavyn Carden, has outscored their opponents 94-16 to start the season.
Week 2: Pittsford football QB Gavyn Carden showcases talents in win over North Adams-Jerome
This will be the first meeting between Pittsford and Tekonsha since 2007, back when both schools were Division 8 11-player programs. Tekonsha manages to hold off Waldron for a week two victory at home. They will be tested in their week three trip to Pittsford.
We still haven't seen the full potential of the Pittsford offense and defense this season, and glimpses of it may come against Tekonsha.
Pittsford 48 - Tekonsha 12
Burr Oak at Waldron
7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8
The Waldron Spartans fell in their road contest to Tekonsha in a 14-22 final. Injury concerns aside, the Spartans should be the more experienced and talented squad when they take the field for their first home game of the season against Burr Oak.
Collin Williams, Sam Williams and Alec Shamplo will be some of the players to watch for the Spartans.
Waldron 38 - Burr Oak 20
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Litchfield at North Adams-Jerome
7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8
The Terriers' road trip to North Adams-Jerome has been selected as the Week 3 Game of the Week. Read our Game of the Week breakdown for more about this matchup and its significance for both teams.
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This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Week 3 picks and predictions for local prep football teams
