Week 5 Greater Lansing roundup: East Lansing, Olivet and Sexton pick up conference wins
The short version
- East Lansing, Sexton and Olivet all recorded conference victories in Week 5.
- Pewamo-Westphalia, Leslie, Portland St. Patrick and Ithaca remained undefeated at 5-0, 4-1, 5-0 and 5-0 respectively.
- Baylor Schanski rushed for 251 yards and three touchdowns and intercepted two passes in East Lansing's win over Okemos.
- DeWitt beat Trenton 49-26 behind Griffin Braman's 9-for-10, 173-yard passing night.
- Eastern and Alma both fell in Week 5, to Fowlerville and Saginaw Swan Valley respectively.
Area high school football teams wrapped up Week 5 with a slate of league and nonleague games across the Greater Lansing region, headlined by big performances from several unbeaten programs.
East Lansing improved to 2-3 overall and 2-1 in the CAAC Blue by defeating Okemos 33-12. Baylor Schanski topped all runners with 251 yards and three touchdowns on the ground and also came away with two interceptions. Rodney Green scored on a 98-yard kickoff return, Jeremiah Fry added 40 rushing yards and a touchdown, and Anthony Green paced the defense with eight tackles. Okemos (3-2, 1-2) got 255 passing yards and a touchdown from Blake Burke, nine catches for 79 yards from Brett Burak, and 66 receiving yards plus a score from Gavin Gerhardt.
Sexton handled Charlotte 30-6 in a CAAC White matchup behind a big night from Abdual Carter Foreman, who passed for 169 yards and two touchdowns while running for 111 more. Willie Brown contributed five catches for 73 yards and a receiving touchdown to go with an interception, and Jalen Maxwell took a fumble back 42 yards for a score for the J-Dubbs.
Olivet moved to 3-2 overall and 3-1 in league play with a 58-16 home win over Ionia in the CAAC White. Koal Burkett rushed for a team-leading 97 yards and a score, Caleb Waffle reached the end zone both rushing and on a 20-yard touchdown pass, Ethan Myers posted three catches for 95 yards and a touchdown, and Caleb Frazier and Kellen Rabakon each added scores. Rabakon also led the defense with eight tackles. Ethan Wenzel finished with 115 rushing yards and a touchdown for the Bulldogs, who fell to 0-5 and 0-3.
Two area unbeatens stayed perfect in Week 5. Pewamo-Westphalia moved to 5-0 with a 59-14 nonleague win over Bark River-Harris (4-1), as Carter Thelen ran for a team-high 111 yards and two touchdowns, Andrew Kriss scored three times on the ground plus once on a kick return, Luke Nurenberg hit Alex Drysdale for a 14-yard touchdown, and Kevin Hafner returned an interception 71 yards for a score. Ithaca ran its record to 5-0 (3-0) with a 67-0 rout of Carrollton (1-4, 0-3) in TVC Blue play behind Gibson Rondy's 132 passing yards and two touchdowns.
Leslie also kept its Cascades North record unblemished at 3-0 with a 41-22 home victory over Grass Lake (0-5, 0-2), improving to 4-1 overall. Joel Cranmore completed 11 of 19 passes for 236 yards and two scores, added 79 rushing yards and a touchdown, and returned a fumble 53 yards for another touchdown. Braydin Johnson caught nine passes for two touchdowns and ran for a 21-yard score, Patrick Freese rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown, and Tucker Newland intercepted a pass. Portland St. Patrick moved to 5-0 by blanking Flint Cultural Center Academy 43-0, scoring 30 first-quarter points along the way; Emmet Fandel and Tyler Thelen hooked up on a 90-yard touchdown, Tyler Schneider ran for 50 yards and a score, Kaeden Brown added 43 yards and two touchdowns, and Maximus Schellberg punched one in.
DeWitt (4-1) traveled to Trenton and came home with a 49-26 nonleague win. Griffin Braman completed 9 of 10 throws for 173 yards and a touchdown and added 63 rushing yards and another score, Donovan Hill ran for 119 yards and two touchdowns, Caedin Martin-Seymour added 93 yards and a score, Landon Kurncz piled up 136 receiving yards and a touchdown on five catches, and Lucius Cappelletti and Caleb Nolen each found the end zone for the Panthers.
In other action, Ovid-Elsie edged Durand 30-27 at home to reach 3-2 overall and 3-1 in the MMAC. Chase Fabus rushed for a team-best 107 yards, Brody Howard combined 71 rushing yards and two touchdowns with 58 passing yards and a score, Joie Fabus added 62 yards and a touchdown, and Julian Medina caught a 40-yard touchdown. Corunna (2-3, 2-1) beat Owosso 28-7 in the Flint Metro League as Ruger Zeeman racked up 275 yards and three touchdowns on 33 carries, Blake Cesar scored on the ground, and Jackson Griffin notched seven tackles, a sack and an interception; Owosso's Braden Reed threw for 157 yards and a touchdown, Evan Krawczyk caught six passes for 65 yards and a score, and Talon Newell led the team with 82 rushing yards.
Week 5 also brought road losses for Eastern and Alma. Fowlerville beat Eastern 34-6 in a CAAC Red contest, dropping Eastern to 0-5 and 0-3, despite Jordan Castellano's 132 passing yards and a touchdown, six catches for 88 yards and a score from Marcel Crenshaw, and a touchdown grab by Zaiden Harris. Saginaw Swan Valley (5-0, 3-0) defeated Alma 48-28 in TVC Red play, with Penn Seeley accounting for 249 rushing yards, 108 passing yards and four total touchdowns for the Panthers (1-4, 1-3), while Ethan McConnell and Karson Legeman each caught a touchdown pass.
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