Sacred Heart, Fulton-Middleton, Mt. Pleasant advance; Ubly upset
MT. PLEASANT -- A glorious present mingled with a promising future Saturday night at Kelly/Shorts Stadium in Mt. Pleasant, as current Ithaca quarterback and future CMU Chippewa Alex Niznak led the Yellowjackets past Montrose in a Division Six state quarterfinal matchup.
Niznak sprinted for an 85-yard score prior to engineering a 97-yard touchdown drive to set the tone in a resounding 28-6 victory over the Rams. The 'Jackets will now face Iron Mountain up in Marquette next Saturday, with the winner advancing to the state championship game at Ford Field.
Earlier in the day at Kelly/Shorts Stadium, Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart barely broke a sweat in their Division Eight battle against Mio. A 7-6 affair early on, Irish quarterback Bennett Myler scored on a quarterback keeper to spark what would turn into a lopsided affair, as Sacred Heart ran away with a 56-14 victory. The Irish will meet last year's Division Eight runner-up, Crystal Hills Forest Park, next Saturday in the semi-finals.
Just a little ways up the road, Mt. Pleasant recovered from a brutal start to eventually sneak past Cadillac by a 17-7 final in Division Three. Next up for the Oilers is a tough test against perennial powerhouse East Grand Rapids.
In Division Eight, Fulton-Middleton continued their rather stunning post-season run, with a 20-13 victory at Deckerville. The Pirates, who finished just 5-4 in the regular season, will now face Saugatuck next weekend with an unlikely trip to Ford Field there for the taking.
The upset of the day took place in Division Seven, as Ravenna went into Ubly and stunned the previously-unbeaten Bearcats, 24-12. The Bulldogs' post-season run might be every bit as surprising as Fulton-Middleton's, as they came back from a 23-6, third-quarter deficit last week at Merrill to earn a trip to Ubly. The road certainly gets no easier for Ravenna, who must now get past 11-0 Ishpeming in next weekend's semi-finals to keep their season alive.
