If the 2022 regular season was a gridiron, we’d be walking midfield.
Week 5 is right in the middle of the program. But that’s behind us now. And there’s not much time to look back.
Here’s what we learned this week in the Blue Water zone.
Don’t count Armada out of BWAC title contention just yet
The Tigers kept their conference championship hopes alive with a 14-10 win over Almont. Running back Zac Dykes finished with two rushing touchdowns as Armada improved to 4-1 overall and 3-1 in the league. Additionally, the result virtually eliminated Almont (3-2) from the race with its second conference loss.
Going into Week 6, the top of the BWAC standings looks like this – 1. (tie) Croswell-Lexington 5-0 (3-0), 1. (tie) North Branch 5-0 (3-0), 3 Armada 4-1 (3-1). The Tigers will likely have to win to have a shot at the title. Remember, they already lost to the Pioneers 34-12 on Sept. 10 and will host the Broncos on Friday.
Cros-Lex and North Branch will meet on October 14 in a match that could very well determine the BWAC Championship. The fact that one of these teams suffers a loss benefits Armada, assuming that it will not be too late. But the Tigers must first upset the Broncos this week to stay in the chase.
Port Huron Northern is the best football team in Port Huron
The Crosstown Showdown answers the same question every year: Which football team is the best in Port Huron? Admittedly, there are only two. But Friday gave us the answer when the Huskies outscored the Big Reds, 14-7.
While Northern’s offense was history for most of the season, it was the Huskies’ defense that made the difference.
“Our defense did a terrific job (Friday) night,” North coach Larry Roelens said. “We jumped up and took a 14-point lead and then kind of stalled offensively. But our defense took over and did a terrific job in the second half.”
Victory in this one didn’t come with the MAC Blue Championship like it usually does. But it brought the Huskies closer to achieving that goal. They now own the tiebreaker over Port Huron and have a one-game lead over the Big Reds in the MAC Blue standings.
Northern can clinch a league title with wins in their next two games. The Huskies host Fraser on Friday and visit Warren Mott on Oct. 7 to close out the conference game.
Richmond’s Drew Matyunas flirts with school record
The senior kicker produced a superb outing in the Blue Devils’ 20-0 win over Imlay City at home. Matyunas made his two field goal attempts as he connected at 38 and 45 yards, the latter two yards off the school record.
He’s 2 of 3 on field goal attempts this season, which is a small sample. But Matyunas is also 10 of 10 on point attempts after. That kind of consistency isn’t abundant at this level. Heck, some teams regularly opt for two.
With at least four more games to play in his career, Matyunas still has a shot at breaking the record. His best opportunity will come on October 14, when Richmond host Armada on the artificial turf at Ben Boldt Stadium. It’s the only home game left on the schedule.
Contact Brenden Welper at [email protected] Follow him on Twitter @BrendenWelper.