A pair of 8-player battles took wins on Friday thanks to their dominance in the ground game
MORENCI — In the land of 8-player football, one thing is certain when all 16 players take the field: Nothing is certain. Friday night was no different as the Lenawee Christian Panthers made the trip to Morenci to face the Bulldogs.
The game between county rivals was extremely high scoring and full of excitement from the opening whistle as Lenawee Christian pulled out the victory, defeating Morenci 62-28.
What Happened?
The teams traded scores to start, but from there it was all Lenawee Christian as the Cougars managed to build a 40-14 lead at the half, one they would only expand on with a quick touchdown in the second half.
Top Performances (Scoring plays for Morenci were not reported)
Drew Kirkendall, WR, Lenawee Christian – Kirkendall led all receivers on the night, pulling in four catches for 98 yards and a 40-yard touchdown.
James Reatherford, QB/DB, Lenawee Christian – Reatherford had a big game on Friday as the Cougars explored their passing game. Reatherford finished 14 of 20 passing for 270 yards and two touchdowns. Reatherford also ran the ball 10 times for 53 yards and two touchdowns.
Jaxon Salenbien, WR/DB, LCS – Salenbien had a big night, pulling in six catches for 87 yards to go with one touchdown. Salenbien also rushed the ball two times for 27 yards and two touchdowns. Salenbien also had two kick returns for touchdowns, taking back a 34-yard punt for a touchdown and a 64-yard kick return for a touchdown.
Talan Kruse, RB/LB, Morenci – Kruse was the definition of a “work horse” for Morenci on Friday night, rushing the ball 27 times for 245 yards while also bringing in six catches for 97 yards.
Britton Deerfield rules the run game, cruises past Holton
BRITTON — The Britton Deerfield Patriots improved to 5-1 on the season with a dominant win over Holton on Saturday. Deerfield absolutely dominated the ground game on Saturday, outrushing Holton 421-4 enroute to the 56-21 win.
Holton did win the air game, outpassing Deerfield 167-42, however the grinding efforts of the ground game, not to mention 10 penalties for 149 yards and an 0-for-6 effort on third down more than doomed Holton.
What Happened?
Britton Deerfield controlled the game from the opening kick and never wavered, dominating from the first snap before building an insurmountable 48-0 lead at half.
Deerfield added a pair of touchdowns out of the half only to see Holton score three straight touchdowns through the air to end it, with the final score of 56-21.
The three-headed monster of Cayden Allshouse, Kaiden Lidster and Trevor Karpinski once again paced Deerfield, accounting for all seven of the Patriots scores on the day.
Allshouse scored first with an 18-yard touchdown run and went on to add scores of 74 and 41 yards while Lidster scored on runs of 13, 19 and 15 yards. Karpinski added his own points to the board, scoring on 16-yard run.
Top Performances
Cayden Allshouse, RB/LB, Britton Deerfield – Allshouse was unstoppable on Saturday, carrying the ball 12 times for 224 yards and three touchdowns while also adding one pass for 30 yards. Allshouse also notched four tackles on defense.
Kaiden Lidster, RB/LB/DB, Britton Deerfield – Lidster once again was electric for Deerfield, rushing the ball nine times for 90 yards and three touchdowns. Lidster also hauled in three catches for 30 yards and two tackles.
Trevor Karpinski, Ath., Britton Deerfield – Karpinski had 11 carries for 80 yards and a touchdown for Britton Deerfield in the win.
What's Next?
Britton Deerfield is now 5-1 on the year and will return to action Friday when they travel to Morenci.
For more information on this, or any story, please contact sports editor Troy Tennyson via email a [email protected].
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Lenawee Christian, Britton Deerfield use suffocating ground games in win
Category: General Sports
