Justin Barnes scores six touchdowns against Skyline to highlight Friday football action
Step aside, Ann Arbor. Justin Barnes is coming through.
One week after the Saline High School running back ran over Huron for a school-record 355 yards and five touchdowns, he took aim at another of the city's public high school football teams.
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Barnes scored all six Hornets touchdowns - giving him 14 scores in Saline’s past three games - and rushed for 226 yards in a 42-21 win over the visiting Skyline on Friday night.
Playing its first full game without injured quarterback Andrew Copp, Skyline (3-5, 1-5 SEC Red) was still able to take a quick lead when Nelson Hansen connected with Jordan Woods on an 85-yard touchdown pass on the Eagles’ first possession. The same duo would later hook up for a 67-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
Meanwhile, Barnes got rolling. He scored first-half touchdown runs of 6, 3, 2 and 1 yards to give the Hornets (4-4, 3-3 SEC Red) a 28-14 halftime lead.
After Hansen hit Jack Clark with an 8-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to pull Skyline within 28-21, Barnes put the game away with fourth-quarter touchdown runs of 15 and 3 yards.
Hansen finished 17 of 37 passing for 334 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. Woods caught nine passes for 242 yards.
CHELSEA 31, DEXTER 15
The Bulldogs’ 16th consecutive win over their neighbors to the east took a significant turn in their favor in the final minutes of the first half.
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First Berkley Edwards capped a 15-play, 85-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run with 2:46 remaining that gave Chelsea a 21-7 lead. Dexter drove the ensuing possession to the Bulldogs 1-yard line with 10 seconds remaining, but failed to convert on its final play and time ran out on the half.
"Very disappointing play," said Dexter coach Brian Baird of the goal-line stand. "It was a turning point."
Chelsea quarterback Jarred Scheese pushed the Bulldogs ahead 14-0 with first-quarter touchdown passes to Jake Steinhauer (28 yards) and Cody Ellyson (46 yards).
Scheese finished the night 16 of 24 passing for 214 yards.
"(Dexter) made a huge commitment to stack in the box," Chelsea coach Brad Bush said. "I think that our passing game has definitely improved each week. I feel like we're at the point now where if people make that type of commitment to stop the run, we can pass the ball."
Dexter limited Edwards to 34 yards on 21 carries, but the junior would add a 2-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to put the Bulldogs ahead 31-7. Zach Rabbitt kicked a 32-yard field goal and was perfect on four PAT kicks for Chelsea (7-1, 6-0 SEC White).
"I think our guys wanted to end up undefeated in the league," Bush said. "It was a goal of ours and our guys are excited about it."
Michael Mioduszewski ran for a touchdown and threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Jay Lewis for Dexter (3-5, 2-4). Mioduszewski finished with 132 yards rushing on 24 carries and completed 12 of 26 passes for 171 yards.
"Kids have worked incredibly hard. The little things have cost us," Baird said.
WILLOW RUN 27, DETROIT ALLEN ACADEMY 8
Deshawn Gohl ran for touchdowns of 36 and 50 yards and caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from Martez Freeman for the big-play Flyers.
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An overmatched Allen Academy team tried to slow down the pace of the game and earned a large time of possession advantage. But Willow Run’s quick strikes had a little to do with that.
“We dominated the game for the most part,” Willow Run coach Rufus Pipkins said. “We had more big plays today, so I was excited about that.”
The Flyers’ other score was a 13-yard pass from Kareem Lovelace to Johnny Brown.
Willow Run’s most proficient offensive player didn’t score. NyShaun Marks led the Flyers (4-4, 3-2 MMAC) with 147 rushing yards on 12 carries. Gohl finished with 116 yards on nine attempts and Freeman competed 8 of 16 passes for 122 yards.
With the win, the Flyers secured third place in the newly formed MIchigan Metro Athletic Conference.
MANCHESTER 37, MICHIGAN CENTER 19
Manchester’s lead was 16-6 before Nate Bossory completed a 4-yard touchdown pass to Jake Osborne with eight seconds left in the first half. Those two hooked up again for the two-point conversion and a 24-6 halftime lead.
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Manchester (7-1, 6-1 Cascades Conference) then scored the first touchdown of the third quarter for a comfortable 30-6 lead.
Jimmy Kurasz rushed 14 times for 172 yards and two touchdowns to lead Manchester, which got a 87-yard touchdown run from Nick Cozart with four seconds left. Devin Jose caught six passes for 102 yards.
The Jackson Citizen-Patriot contributed to this report.
FATHER GABRIEL RICHARD 35, STANDISH STERLING 25
Despite locking up playoff and Catholic High School League Prep Bowl berths last week and a lengthy two-and-a-half hour bus ride north, the Father Gabriel Richard football team avoided a letdown and won its seventh game of the season.
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After a scoreless first quarter, the Fighting Irish (7-1) jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the second. Sterling (4-4) made the score 14-7 before half.
Richard struck first in the second half, but the Panthers responded when Jacob LeClair tossed a 34-yard touchdown to Clay Walderzak.
"Once we got a little confidence going, we started going to work and making plays," Sterling coach Paul Walderzak said. "It came down to us making a few too many mistakes and that hurt us."
Both teams scored a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but Sterling's inability to convert on its point-point after on all three of its second half touchdowns made it a two-score deficit to try and overcome.
The Bay City Times contributed to this report.
CARLETON AIRPORT 48, MILAN 14
Milan lost its sixth consecutive game to fall to 1-8 on the season. With the loss and only one game remaining, the Big Reds are guaranteed their worst season since going 2-7 in 1987. Milan was last 1-8 in 1983.
Milan finished last in the Huron League for the first time since joining he conference in 2000.
Statistics not available
MORE FOOTBALL COVERAGE:
Lincoln 27, Ypsilanti 12: Railsplitters secure first-ever playoff berth one year after going 0-9. (Story | Photo Gallery)
Pioneer 50, Huron 7: Pioneer clinches playoff berth and SEC Red title with cross-town beatdown of the River Rats. (Story | Photo Gallery)
Whitmore Lake 20, Adrian Madison 14: The Trojans snap a 20-game losing streak, the state's tenth longest. (Story | Photo Gallery)
MHSAA STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Boys tennis: Huron leads after Day 1 in D1, Greenhills near top in D4. (Story)
Girls golf: Saline sixth, Pioneer 11th in D1 after first round and more from D2 and D4. (Story)