A pair of underclassmen made the most of their time in the spotlight for the Milan High School football team, playing key roles in the second half of a 25-13 home win over Monroe Jefferson.

Sophomore quarterback Robert Kanitz got the start in place of injured Justin Aceves and scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, including a 65-yard bootleg.

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"The first 20 yards was the line and a good play call,” Milan coach Jesse Hoskins said. “The next 20 were because (wide receiver) Tory Martinsen threw a great down field block and the last 25 was just Robert being fast and making a guy miss. It was an impressive run."

Kanitz added a 5-yard keeper on an option play as Milan (1-1, 1-0) outscored its Huron League rivals 12-0 in the fourth quarter.

Running back Shawn Beaton, a junior varsity call-up, gained 94 yards - mostly in the second half after starter Arthur Dukes was pulled from the game because of cramping.

Dukes also finished with 94 yards and a touchdown. Luke Carr scored Milan’s other TD.

Jefferson (1-1, 0-1) scored on its first offensive possession, but the Milan defense settled in after that.

"On the first dive they ran right through us and I think our guys were kind of shocked,” Hoskins said. “But they did a great job and settled into the physicality of the game."

East Lansing 20, Chelsea 7

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Three of the four touchdowns scored at Jerry Niehaus Field came on interception returns. Chelsea had the first one - a 74-yarder by Tyler Geiger in the first quarter - but East Lansing had two of them in the non-conference win.

"East Lansing is a very good team and we just made too many errors at critical junctions in the game to beat a good team," Chelsea coach Brad Bush said. "I thought the defense played great. We held them to less than 150 yards of total offense. The frustrating part is we just shot ourselves in the foot with penalties and turnovers."

The Trojans’ Elijah Hamilton-Wray, who rushed for a team-high 50 yards, returned on interception 36 yards for a score late in the third quarter and Efe Scott-Emuakpor put the icing on the win with a 54-yarder in the game’s closing seconds.

Berkley Edwards rushed 29 times for 131 yards for the Bulldogs (1-1).

Akron-Fairgrove 50, E.W.M.A. 20

Yaser Farha threw for 85 yards and a touchdown and Dorian Gray ran for two touchdowns as Eastern Wastenaw Multicultural Academy lost its season-opening, 8-man football game on Thursday night.

Leading EWMA defensively were Adam and Ahmed Farha, who had eight tackles apiece. Gray was the Chargers’ leading rusher with 90 yards.