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The Cass City Red Hawks gave it their all and only trailed by one point at halftime to the 9-time state champions, but Beecher pulled away in the second half to win 57-33 in the Region 24 Semi-Final game. Despite a slow start, it was a low-scoring affair benefiting Cass City with the Red Hawks actually taking the lead 15-14 less than two minutes before the end of the second quarter. Beecher blew the game open in the second half, going on a 12-0 run in less than two minutes and the Bucs never looked back, getting back to the Regional Championship game for their 14th straight season. Cass City was led by Carter Patrick with 13 points and Mike Fernald added 7 points. Trent Patrick made two three-pointers for 6 points, Riley Swiderski 3 points and Cohen Sherman and Evan Clark each finishing with two points. The Red Hawks finish the season 21-3 with their first district title since 2000 and co-champions of the Greater Thumb West, the first divisional title in a decade.

The Red Hawks entered the game laser-focused and came away with their first district championship in 24 years, defeating Sandusky 49-30. Senior Mike Fernald finished with a season-high 24 points and season-long pacer, Carter Patrick completed the district championship with 19 points. Cass City had only two other scorers in the book for the night: Riley Swiderski with 4 made free throws on 6 attempts and Evan Clark with one made basket for two points. Sandusky was led by their big man, Jackson Kartanys with 13 points and Caleb Minard at 8, Brenden Long with 5 and Kyle Guibord with 4 points. All scorers for Sandusky on Friday were seniors. Cass City now advances to the Region 24 Semi-Final to take on Flint Beecher at USA High School on Monday, March 13 at 7pm. Beecher has won nine state championships in its school history.

For the second time in six days, the Sandusky Wolves knocked off the EPBP Lakers to advance to the District 96 Championship, winning 50-46. Lakers led at the end of the 1st quarter by 5 points and by three points at halftime. Sandusky outscored Lakers 19-13 in the 3rd quarter to take the lead, 38-33. Lakers would tie the game with 1:10 left, before the Wolves tacked on 4 more points for the district semi-final victory.Sandusky's scoring attack was led by senior Kyle Guibord with 18 points and Caleb Minard at 13 points. Jackson Kartanys added 9 points, including two three-pointers. Lakers were paced by Mikel Good with 15 points, who fouled out in the last minutes of the game, followed by Hunter Krohn at 12 points. Freshman Caden Carriveau finished with 8 points, mostly on offensive rebounds and putbacks. Ethan Wissner finished his final Laker basketball game with 7 total points.With the Wolves' victory, they advanced to the District 96 Championship to take on the #1 seed and host, Cass City on Friday, March 10, 2023.

Cass City won the rubber match with Bad Axe for the 2023 season, defeating the Hatchets 54-45. Carter Patrick tied his second-highest scoring total for the season, dropping 27 points, including going 11-15 from the free throw line. Riley Swiderski chipped in 12 points, while Mike Fernald added 7 and Evan Clark 5. Trent Patrick hit one three-pointer on the night.Bad Axe finished the season with their leading scorer Keaton Braun pacing the Hatchets with 21 points. Chase Walker added 11 points and Michael Janssen scored 7 in the loss.With the win, Cass City advanced to the District Championship against the Sandusky Wolves, played on Friday, March 10, 2023.

Sandusky survived multiple runs, but held off the winless Patriots for long enough to defeat USA 41-36. The Wolves were led by senior Kyle Guibord with 13 points, Braden Bender at 9, Caleb Minard at 7 points and Jackson Kartanys with 6 points.USA was led by freshman Justin Jacobs with 11 points and Landon Bursick at 10. Dirk Rierson and Brady Wiederhold each finished the night scoring 6 points. Unionville-Sebewaing finished the season with a 0-22 record. Sandusky advanced to play the EPBP Lakers on Wednesday in the District 96 Semi-Finals.

Bad Axe used a big second half to pull away from Harbor Beach to secure their first victory of the postseason, defeating the Pirates 50-35.The Hatchets were led by their big man, Jake MacPhee with 14 points in Monday's action, while Chase Walker added 11 points. Keaton Braun chipped in 9 points, Griffin Meinhold who came off the bench finished with 7 points and Michael Janssen, 6 points. Harbor Beach was once again paced in scoring by their freshman, Benson Harper with 11 points and senior Jace Knoblock at 10 points.With the win, Bad Axe advanced to take on the #1 seed of District 96, Cass City. Harbor Beach finished the 2023 campaign with an 8-12 record.

Lakers needed a win over Cass City to remain in the Greater Thumb West race and they did just that, and a whole lot more with a commanding 49-35 victory on Friday in Cass City. Now, the Lakers need just one more win at Vassar on Tuesday to force a split in the league title with the Red Hawks. The Green Machine came out and were leading 13-0 to start the game before Cass City's Trent Patrick scored the lone points in the first quarter on a three-pointer with just 52 seconds left. At halftime, Lakers led by nine points, maintaining an approximate 10-point lead for the majority of the game. Cass City would make a run to start the second and actually tie the game 29-29 with two minutes remaining in the third quarter, but Lakers would finish the quarter on a 5-0 run to lead 34-29 entering the fourth. In the final quarter, the green and white would outscore Cass City 15-6, making 5 of their 8 free throw attempts in the waning moments.Lakers were led by Mikel Good with 20 points and Hunter Krohn with 16. Caden Carriveau came off the bench to score 7 points, while Layton Krohn added 4 and each Logan Carr and Ethan Wissner with one made free throw. Lakers shot 44% for the game, including 66% (10-15) in the second half. Rebounding was also heavily in favor of Lakers, outrebounding Cass City 37-21.The Red Hawks' scoring attack was hampered by poor shooting as well as Lakers' defense and height, making just 17% of shots on their home floor in the first half and 27% for the entire night. Cass City's offense was paced by Carter Patrick with 11 points, Michael Fernald 7 points, Riley Swiderski and Cohen Sherman each at 5, Evan Clark with 4 points and Trent Patrick 3.The last conference title for the Elkton Pigeon Bay Port Lakers came 25 years ago in 1998. Their game against Vassar was originally scheduled for Wednesday, February 25, but was moved to this coming Tuesday due to weather.

The Brown City Green Devils staved off multiple attacks to remain in first place in the Greater Thumb East with a 53-33 over the Ubly Bearcats. Brown City can clinch the GTE title outright with a win on Wednesday against Sandusky.For the majority of the game, Brown City led by nearly 10 points. The Bearcats would put together a number of runs to bring it down to one possession, but never had enough firepower to take the lead. The Green Devils outscore Ubly in the fourth quarter 15-4 to take the 20-point victory at home. Brown City's 6'4" guard, Gaden Muxlow led all scorers with 22 points with Callen Hagey adding 17 and Clint Ford 8 points. Brandon Kohler and Ethan Worrell rounded out the scoring each with three points. Ubly's offense was paced by Brayden Franzel who finished the night with 16 points, 14 of them coming before halftime. All other Bearcats scored four points or less: Austin Gentner 4, Caden Osentoski 4, Mitchell Foote 3, Luke Volmering 2, Aiden Mackowiak 2 and Canden Peruski 2. Despite just two weeks remaining in the regular season, Ubly has six games remaining before the MHSAA Tournament. Brown City has three games to complete, including hosting Sandusky on Wednesday, February 22 to clinch the Greater Thumb East title.

Lakers came out of the gates firing on all cylinders and had to fight off a pesky Bad Axe squad that forced overtime, but eventually, the Green Machine hung on to win 66-64 and remain in the Greater Thumb West race. The Lakers led 18-3 at the end of the first quarter and extended their lead out to 18 halfway through the 2nd quarter, before Bad Axe would put together a 21-4 rally to finish the first half and make it just a one-point lead for the Lakers at halftime, 27-26. The Green & White led at the end of the third quarter 42-38. The Hatchets would erase that deficit in a matter of just 2:09 with a 12-0 run to take the lead with five seconds left in regulation, leading 56-53 after a pair of free throws from Keaton Braun on a technical foul and a Michael Janssen three-pointer. Lakers fed the ball up the court to Ethan Wissner who hit a three as time expired to force overtime at 56 points, a piece. Overtime would see three lead changes and one tie. Lakers went ahead, 66-64 with a pair of free throws from Layton Krohn with 10 seconds left. Bad Axe had one more chance in the waning seconds but failed to get a shot off before time expired.Ethan Wissner pumped in 6 of Lakers' 10 points in the extra four minutes on a night he led the team with 18 points. Hunter Krohn and Mikel Good each added 12 points, Layton Krohn chipped in 11 and Caden Carriveau with 10 points. Logan Carr made his only points, a three-pointer to start the second half.Bad Axe was led by Keaton Braun with 28 points, 19 of which came after halftime. Micahel Janssen fired for 15 points, including the go-ahead score in regulation with five seconds left. Griffin Meinhold added nine with Grady Seltz and Jake MacPhee each with six points. With the win, Lakers remains just one game out of first place in the Greater Thumb WEst behind Cass City and improves to 12-3 on the season (7-2 GTW). Bad Axe falls to 13-3 and 7-3 in divisional play.

The Reese Rockets led for all but 92 seconds of the game, but it was the Bad Axe Hatchets who came away with the win, 60-53 on Friday, February 03, 2023. Bad Axe used a 14-0 run in the final 2:51 of the game to erase a 7-point deficit and win by seven over their Greater Thumb West nemesis.Reese led by four at the end of the first quarter, six at halftime and eight after three quarters, but the Hatchets outscored the Rockets 26-11 in the 4th quarter, including a 14-0 run in the final 2:51 of the game. Bad Axe's sophomore, Grady Seltz scored 9 of his 12 points in the 4th quarter to lead the charge back.Bad Axe was led in scoring by Keaton Braun with 22 points. Grady Seltz scored 12, while Chase Walker and Jake MacPhee each chipped in 9. Michael Janssen rounded out the scoring with 8 points. Reese was paced by Beck Shores with 18 points, Konner Kratz at 12, Mitchell Stricker 9 points, Luke Foco added 8 and Brady Benson pumped in 6 points.There were roughly 30 turnovers between the two teams in a scrappy and fast-paced game. Bad Axe shot just 32%, but made up for it by attempting 67 shots over the course of 32 minutes of play (2pt: 13/37 - 35% | 3pt: 9/30 - 30%). Reese finished with a 42% shooting rate (2pt: 19/35 - 54% | 3pt: 3/18 - 17%).With the win, Bad Axe improves to 12-2 overall and 6-2 in divisional play, remaining in second place with Lakers, both just one game behind the Cass City Red Hawks. Reese falls to 9-6 overall and 5-3 in the GTW.

In a game that did not see a lead change until the fourth quarter, it certainly finished in a flurry with Cass City walking away with a 44-43 victory over Lakers. Red Hawk sophomore Trent Patrick hit a half-court shot as time expired to put Cass City up for good. Cass City began the game on a 15-2 run before Lakers started to claw its way back into the game. The Red Hawks led through the third quarter of the game; Lakers tied the game for the first time in the 4th quarter and exchanged blows for the remaining four minutes. Lakers' Ethan Wissner was fouled with just three seconds left and made both free throws to put the green and white ahead 43-41. Cass City inbounded the pass to Cohen Sherman who was able to get it over to Trent Patrick just across mid-court and he let the ball fly just before time expired. The half-court shot banked off the backboard and through the net for the Red Hawk victory. Carter Patrick led Cass City in scoring with 16 points (four 3-pointers, 2 field goals) and Michael Fernald added 12 points, mostly in the first half. Riley Swiderski finished with 8 points and Trent Patrick made two three-point shots, including the game-winner for 6 points.Lakers' leading scorer was once again their big man, Hunter Krohn who compiled 16 points and Ethan Wissner chipped in 13, including going 7-7 from the free throw line. Freshman Caden Carriveau added 9 points, all in the second half and Mikel Good scored 5 points. With Cass City's win, they remain tied for first place in the Greater Thumb West with the Bad Axe Hatchets, their only loss this season. CC Lk Q1 18 6 CC: 18-6Q2 5 13 CC: 23-19Q3 11 10 CC: 34-29 Q4 10 14 CC: 44-43

The Lakers snapped an 11-game losing streak to GTW rival Bad Axe on Wednesday, January 18, 2022 with a 61-53 road victory. The Green Machine was able to cut an eight-point first quarter deficit to just four points at halftime, before turning the tide in the 3rd quarter. Lakers shot 56% in the second half , compared to Bad Axe's 22%. Laker's Hunter Krohn led all scorers with 23 points (11 baskets and 1-1 free throws) and freshman Caden Carriveau chipped in a critical 12 points, mostly on offensive rebound putbacks. The Hatchets were led by sophomore Michael Janssen's 20 points and Keaton Braun who finished with 18 points. With the Laker victory, there is now a 4-way tie for first in the Greater Thumb West standings between Bad Axe, Cass City, Lakers and Reese, each with just one loss in divisional play.

The Ubly Bearcats erased a nine-point halftime deficit to take a 47-40 victory over Greater Thumb East rival, Harbor Beach. Ubly was paced by junior Evan Peruski with 22 points, including six three-pointers. Brayden Franzel was the next highest scorer at seven points. Canden Peruski scored 8 points, all in the 3rd quarter, to lead the charge back for the Bearcats. Harbor Beach's freshman Benson Harper impressed everyone in attendance with smooth shooting, compiling 19 points in the first three quarters of the game. Jack Bischer chipped in 11 points for the Pirates, as well.With the win, Ubly improves to 3-2 on the season and 3-0 in divisional play. Harbor Beach has lost four straight games and currently stands with a 2-6 record.

Cass City controlled the game's tempo through the first half, but the Bad Axe Hatchets used a 16-0 in just over 4 minutes to take the lead entering the 4th quarter and didn't look back. The Hatchets defeated the Red Hawks 50-41 for their 7th victory of the season and are now 1-0 in divisional play.

It was a 14-week-long collision course between the top two teams in Division 08 and it came down to the last two minutes for the game to be decided. Whiteford would take a 12-0 lead in the first quarter before the Ubly Bearcats rallied back to tie the game 20-20 in the 4th quarter. However, the Whiteford Bobcats hung on to win 26-20 over Ubly for their second state championship in school history.Whiteford's 4-year starting quarterback Shea Ruddy would finish with 17 carries for 68 yards and 2 scores; while through the air, he was 9-13 for 115 yards and 1 interception. Ruddy converted on a 4th down from midfield to continue their 4th quarter drive for Whiteford, which resulted in the go-ahead and game-winning score with 1:59 remaining in regulation. Ubly was led by Seth Maurer with 128 yards and 2 touchdowns on just 15 carries. Mark Heilig ran in the other score for the Bearcats on a day in which he ran for 82 yards on 18 totes. Ubly finishes the season with a 13-1 record and the State Runner-Up in the MHSAA Division 08 Playoffs.

In a setting that resembled a snow globe more than a football stadium, the Ubly Bearcats scored on the very first play of offense and never looked back, defeating Iron Mountain 41-14 in the state semi-finals and punching their ticket to the state championship game. Mark Heilig rumbled 65 yards into the snow-filled endzone on the very first play for his first of three scores and led the Bearcats with 202 yards on just 18 carries. Aiden Mackowiak had the other three touchdowns for Ubly with 11 carries for 144 yards. Heilig averaged 11 yards per carry while Mackowiak posted a 13-yard per carry average.With the win, Ubly advances to the State Championship for the third time in school history to face off with Whiteford High School of Ottawa Lake. Petoskey, Michigan received 23" of snow in the two days leading up to the state semi-final and had another 6-10 inches fall before the game began.

If last week was the Mark Heilig Show, this week featured Evan Peruski who led the team in rushing, en route to a 49-7 victory for Ubly's fourth straight regional championship. Peruski carried the ball just 10 times, but accounted for 267 yards and four touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, Peruski also intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown. With their 12th victory of the season, Ubly advances to the state semi-finals to take on Iron Mountain, which will be hosted by Petoskey High School on Saturday, November 19 at 1:00pm.

Mark Heilig led the Bearcats with 13 carries for 193 yards and 5 touchdowns in a dominating 49-14 victory over Michigan Lutheran Seminary. Ubly would not even attempt a pass in a game that saw a running clock for nearly the entire second half of the game. With the win, Ubly now advances to the Regional Championship where they will host Fowler on Saturday, November 12 at 1:00pm. The Eagles defeated Beal City 28-27 -- with the Fowler victory, Ubly retains home-field advantage for another game.

In the first week of the postseason, the EPBP Lakers defeated Bad Axe for the second time this season with a hard-fought 21-14 victory. Lakers' Ethan Wissner led the way with 29 carries for 143 yards and all three scores for the Green Machine. Wissner had to assume quarterback duties after starting play-caller Connor McCain went down with a lower leg injury. Bad Axe led through the first three quarters 14-6, but Lakers scored two unanswered touchdowns in the 4th for the playoff victory. Lakers now advance to the District Championship at Montrose.

Harbor Beach's freshman quarterback, Caden Bucholtz commanded the Pirates to a victory over Vassar, 51-12 to end the regular season. Bucholtz led the team in rushing with 159 yards and 2 touchdowns on just 8 carries, averaging nearly 20 yards per carry. Through the air, Bucholtz completed 80% of his passes (4-5-0) for 85 yards and another score, brought in by fellow freshman classmate, Benson Harper (3 receptions, 59 yards, 1 touchdown).

Harbor Beach scored early and never looked back, defeating the Bad Axe Hatchets 28-7. The Pirates saw their senior quarterback Tanton Babcock go down with a non-contact injury, making way for freshman Caden Bucholtz, who would lead the team for another two scores. Bucholtz ended the game with 10 carries, 30 yards and 1 rushing touchdown. He also threw the ball twice with one completion for 60 yards. On defense, he finished with 7 tackles including one for a loss and two interceptions.

Laker clinched the outright Greater Thumb West championship with a tough-nosed performance over the Bad Axe, winning 32-14. Ethan Wissner led the Lakers with 28 carries for 179 yards and 2 touchdowns. Wissner also threw for a touchdown on 1-3-1 passing. With the win, Lakers improves to 7-0 on the season.

The Kingston Cardinals snapped an 18-game, 35-year losing streak to the Deckerville Eagles with a 54-20 victory on the road. Kingston's Junior quarterback Owen Corlis ran for 248 yards and 3 scores on just 21 carries, in addition to 145 yards through the air and two more touchdowns. With the win, Kingston improves to 6-0 on the season.

It was never more than a one-possession game as Cass City wins on the road 20-14 against Sandusky. No scoring in the 1st quarter led to two scores in the 2nd to make it an 8-8 game at halftime. Cass City would connect on a 4th and long with a Carter Patrick to Mason Gniewek 31-yard pass for the go-ahead score.

It was all Ubly early and often en route to a 42-0 victory over Harbor Beach. Evan Peruski led the Bearcats with 136 yards and 2 touchdowns, all on just 12 carries. Mark Heilig brought in two interceptions, including one for a 95-yard touchdown return. With the victory, Ubly improves to 4-0 and is in the driver's seat for their second-straight GTE title.

The Harbor Beach Pirates entered Week #3 with a lot of questions regarding their strength of schedule, but showed their strength as a team claiming their third victory in three tries, 30-16. The Pirates struck first against the Cass City Red Hawks and held serve for the remainder of the game. Jacob Booms led Harbor Beach with 13 carries for 110 yards and 2 touchdowns. Cass City's freshman, Ryker Wallace led the team with 23 totes for 135 yards and a score. With the win, Harbor Beach improves to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in GTE play, setting up an undefeated showdown with the 3-0 Ubly Bearcats the following week. Cass City falls to 1-2 on the season and 0-1 in divisional play.

Cass City struck first, but the Lakers wore the Red Hawks down and won 39-12. It was a 4-point lead for the green and white at halftime, but the Lakers scored 23 points while blanking Cass City in the final 24 minutes. Lakers' Ethan Wissner did all of the scoring on 26 carries, accumulating 199 yards and 5 touchdowns.

Cass City struck first, but the Lakers wore the Red Hawks down and won 39-12. It was a 4-point lead for the green and white at halftime, but the Lakers scored 23 points while blanking Cass City in the final 24 minutes. Lakers' Ethan Wissner did all of the scoring on 26 carries, accumulating 199 yards and 5 touchdowns.

The Ubly Bearcats wasted no time getting back into mid-season form as they defeated the Bad Axe Hatchets 41-7. Before the first quarter was complete, it was already 21-0 Ubly and 28-0 at halftime. Bad Axe would not get on the board until 3:06 remaining in the 4th quarter to make the final score of Ubly 41, Bad Axe 7.

The year is 1979 and the Elkton Pigeon Bay Port Lakers have already rolled through the local district and regional, but now face off with the state's number one team: Redford St Mary in the State Quarterfinals. In a packed gymnasium at Troy Athens High School, Tom Meyer was on hand to call the game that saw the Lakers trailing by multiple possessions with only a minute to go. Aaron Deering would make a hook shot as time expired to put the Lakers ahead by just one point, 56-55. A special thank you goes out to Dwight Gascho, who was at home that evening and for unknown reasons had the intuition to press record on a cassette tape for the final 90 seconds of the ball game. Lakers would go on to defeat Lansing Catholic Central 67-60 at Crisler Arena in the State Semi-Final game, before falling in the state championship to Three Oaks River Valley, 59-54.

It was tied at the end of the first quarter and tied at halftime, but the Marlette Red Raiders would erase a double-digit deficit in the 3rd quarter to eventually win by one point over Bad Axe, 47-46 in the regional semi-final game. Grant Roberson would pour in 9 of his 15 points in the final quarter, while Collin Miller made the basket with 10 seconds remaining to put Marlette ahead for good. With the win, Marlette advances to the Regional Championship to face the #1 team in Division 03 basketball, the Flint Beecher Bucs.

Bad Axe defended their district title with a 64-47 victory on their home court. Lakers' defense held Aaron Sowles to just 7 points, but D'Carlos Sageman (18pts), Keaton Braun (16pts) and Jake MacPhee (15pts) filled the void to lead the Hatchets to victory. With the win, Bad Axe advanced to the Region 24 semi-finals to face the Marlette Red Raiders.

The Elkton Pigeon Bay Port Lakers left nothing in question as they came out strong against the Cass City Red Hawks, eventually winning 49-27. Laker big man Hunter Krohn finished with 18 points leading all scorers while Dylan Wehner chipped in 14. With the win, Lakers advanced to the District 95 Championship against the Bad Axe Hatchets

The Pirates threw everything they had at Bad Axe, but the Hatchets slowly pulled away, winning by 14 points, 57-43. Aaron Sowles would lead the Hatchets with 14 points to punch Bad Axe's ticket to the district championship against the Lakers of Elkton Pigeon Bay Port in District 95 hosted by the Bad Axe Hatchets.

Cass City was led by their sophomore-junior tandem of Carter Patrick and Mike Fernald, each going for 17 points against the Caro Tigers in part of their 56-39 victory. With the win, Cass City advanced to the District 95 Semi-Final game against Lakers.

The Pirates were firing on all cylinders and held USA to just 19 points the entire game, en route to a 56-19 victory over the Patriots. With the win, Harbor Beach advanced to play Bad Axe in the semi-final round of District 95, hosted by Bad Axe.

In a final tune-up before the MHSAA Tournament, the Elkton Pigeon Bay Port Lakers used their length and defensive pressure to disrupt the Ubly Bearcats, winning by 11 points, 61-50.

Eight lead changes in the last 17 minutes of the game led to a wild finish and victory for the Lakers on Coming Home night against Cass City. The green and white led at halftime, but Cass City would take the lead at the end of the third, before Lakers snagged the win, 52-45. Bill McLellan Jr's Lakers would go on a 16-2 run in just 3:19 to regain the lead.

It seems that any time a team travels to Brown City for a basketball game, two things are bound to happen: a snowstorm and a barn burner, in no particular order. The Ubly Bearcats would have to sustain multiple Brown City surges to claim a two-point victory, 38-36, clinching a share of the GTE title and claiming it outright in their next game.

The previous five meetings between Ubly and Harbor Beach resulted in a game of two points or less. The Bearcats put that to rest quickly, as they throttled the Pirates winning by 17 points, 52-35. Evan Peruski would lead Ubly with 15 points, Matt Brandel at 14 and Kyle Sweeney chipping in 12 points. With the victory, Ubly has won 5 of the last 6 games against their rival, Harbor Beach.

A blistering first few minutes for Reese combined with a sluggish start for the Bad Axe Hatchets would result in a 73-53 victory for the Reese Rockets on a cold and wintry Friday night. Bad Axe would start to shake off their sluggish start before halftime, cutting the deficit down to 11 but Reese would continue to roll in the second half outscoring the Hatchets 40-31 in the final two quarters. Bad Axe's Aaron Sowles would lead all scorers with 21 points, Reese was led by Tanner TerBush's 20 points and 17 from Levi Foco. With the win, Reese takes a two-game lead in the Greater Thumb West.

Cass City jumped out early, but Lakers would respond in ten-fold, leading after the first quarter 19-11 and 33-22 at the half. The Red Hawks held Lakers to two field goals in the 3rd quarter, but the deficit was too much to overcome, coupled with a strong 4th quarter from the green and white. Lakers was led by Junior Hunter Krohn with 18 points and Dylan Wehner at 11 points. Cass City's Mike Fernald led the Red Hawks with 13 points.

After a close 1st quarter, Lakers used a 17-0 run in the 2nd to blow the game wide open while holding USA to a single point in the quarter. Elkton Pigeon Bay Port Lakers led at halftime 41-13 and 50-21 after the 3rd quarter. Final score: Lakers 73, USA 39. The Lakers improve to 5-2 overall, USA at 0-7.

Harbor Beach led early in the game, but Ubly's defensive pressure caused havoc on the Pirates, forcing countless turnovers and resulting in a lead that the Bearcats never relinquished for the remainder of the game.

Bad Axe and Cass City stayed tight through the first two quarters, making for a 4-point ball game at halftime, but Bad Axe's defense and press proved to be too much to handle for the Red Hawks. The Hatchets won 43-32 to grab a divisional win on the road.

Two staunch defenses were on display in the Division 08 Semi-Finals with the Beal City Aggies and Ubly Bearcats going head-to-head for the second time in three years. Ubly was leading at halftime 7-6, despite missing a 30yd field goal by just inches on their first drive. Beal City scored the only touchdown of the second half with just 2:28 remaining. On the ensuing drive, the Bearcats were unable to convert on 4th down, giving the ball back to the Aggies to run out the clock. Beal City returns to the state title game for their ninth time, going for their third state championship in school history as they take on Hudson on Friday, Nov 26 at 10am.

Clark Ramsey, Dave Hanson and Paul P. Adams break down and discuss the Regional Championship round of the MHSAA Playoffs. The Lakers fell to the powerhouse, Pewamo-Westphalia but gave the Pirates all that they could handle; final score PW 20, EPBP 0. The Ubly Bearcats rolled the Breckenridge Huskies 65-6 in a game that had a running clock by halftime. The Bearcats now face off with the Beal City Aggies in the State Semi-Finals.

The Ubly Bearcats won the toss, elected to receive and never looked back, scoring on every single possession of the game. It was 50-0 before halftime and even the JV players jumped in the scoring mix into the second half. Breckenridge only found the endzone once, on the very last play of the game, to make the final score 65-6. Ubly's third-straight regional championship sets up a rematch with the Beal City Aggies in the state semi-finals. The two teams met in 2019 with the Ubly Bearcats losing by just one point, 21-20 when they were unable to convert on a two-point conversion.

On this week's episode of The Strong Side, Clark Ramsey, Dave Hanson and Paul P. Adams recap the second week of the postseason. The Lakers and Ubly Bearcats both took care of business, securing district championships in Division 07 and 08, respectively. The EPBP Lakers continue their journey on the road as they advance to take on Division 07 powerhouse, Pewamo-Westphalia. Ubly hosts Breckenridge in the Division 08 Regional Championship.

The Ubly Bearcats left nothing to question in a dominating 42-0 performance over the Marlette Red Raiders for their third straight Division 08 District Championship. Sophomore quarterback Evan Peruski was involved in four touchdowns, running and throwing for two touchdowns each. Ubly now advances to the Regional Championship as they host the Breckenridge Huskies, who defeated Fowler.

It's the return of the Strong Side after the first week of the postseason with Clark Ramsey, Dave Hanson and Paul P. Adams.