By Chad Wingert (Contact / Staff Bio)

Originally published October 24, 2009, 12:45 a.m. EST. Updated October 24, 2009, 12:45 a.m. EST

By Chad Wingert and Emily Martin

Sports Writers

KINGSTON — In the cold, rain, and mud that covered the Thumb area Friday night, the Mayville Wildcats ran past Kingston for their first and final victory of the 2009 season, 20-7.

In a defensive battle, the Wildcats forced two key turnovers in the Cardinals red-zone, limiting Kingston to just one touchdown on the night. This included forcing the Cardinals to fumble after Kingston blocked a Mayville punt to give themselves great field position.

“This is a very disappointing loss for us,” Kingston head coach Lane Walker said. “It was pouring all night and not much offense was generated by either team. I was just hoping to pull off a 7-6 win, but, that is a game we should have won.”

Kingston’s lone score came right before the end of the first half when running back Joe Stroll hit Taylor Nicol on a 60 yard pass play.

On the other sideline, Mayville forced four total turnovers in their season closing victory, a stat that stood out to Wildcats coach Mike Campbell.

“It was nice to score on our opening drive, but we had some big defensive stops tonight,” Campbell said. “Our defensive backs made a lot of nice tackles. Really, both teams played great defense tonight.”

Kyle Perkins led the Wildcats with 121 yards rushing on 18 carries while Aaron Mercer rumbled for 107 yards on 15 carries.

Mercer also completed nine passes for 85 yards and a score while Caleb Pritchard hauled in three catches for 33 yards.

Defensively, Keith Whitaker led Mayville with 11 tackles.

Despite posting only one win in his first season as head coach of Kingston, Walker says this group will be one he remembers for a very long time.

“I’m going to miss this group of seniors,” Walker said. “These are some great kids who worked hard every week and never quit on the team.”

Kingston was led by Strauel who ran the ball 17 times for 105 yards and threw a TD pass. Sophomore QB Evan Bootz completed eight passes for 35 yards while Nicol snagged seven passes for 97 yards and a score.

The Cardinals defense was led by Dustin Pennington, gathering 23 tackles while Ryan Burrows added six tackles and a forced fumble. Ish Morell had seven tackles and an assist alongside Vinnie Lanava, who blocked two kicks and chipped in with five tackles.

Both Kingston and Mayville end the season at 1-8 overall.

Vassar 48, Frankenmuth 22

VASSAR — Earning a bid into the playoffs with six season wins, Vassar triumphed over Frankenmuth to continue their season with a 48-22 win over the Eagles.

The Vulcans were seen in the endzone in every quarter as they cruised to a W. Senior Troy Hecht was the man of the night on both ends of the ball for Vassar. Hecht rushed for 124 yards on 10 carries while scoring twice. On four receptions for 74 yards, Hecht also chalked up three receiving touchdowns. On the opposite side of the football, the side that is said to win championships, Hecht sure played like a champion with 10 tackles.

Vulcan quarterback Kyle Auernhamer went 9-of-15 passing for 157 yards and one interception.

Vassar finishes the regular season 5-1 in the GTW, 6-3 overall.

North Branch 21, Yale 20

YALE — In a wet, soggy, thriller for the record books, North Branch edged out Yale in an overtime battle to capture a spot in Selection Sunday for only the second time in school history. On a Dennis Natke 10 yard run in overtime, the Broncos had tied the game at 20. Only one person had the fate of the entire football team in his foot: Senior kicker Kyle Cline.

“He had the chance to win it for us last year against Yale. It just wasn’t in the cards,” noted North Branch head coach Pat Forster. “He got a second chance this year, his senior year, and made it count. What a win! Our community is behind us and everyone is just really excited to be a part of this and cannot wait for next week.”

Doug Griffin carried the football 16 times for 60 yards and one TD. Griffin also led the aerial pursuit going 7-of-13 for 83 yards and a score. Natke had two catches for 44 yards and a touchdown.

The Bronco defense came through big with contributions from Mitch Brusie with 11 tackles, 10 as solos, and Bryan Gray with five solo tackles and a forced fumble.

North Branch ends their regular season 4-2 in the TVC-East, 6-3 overall.

Caro 46, Cass City 20

CASS CITY — The rivalry is reborn. The clash sounds again. M-81 is reopened for business. Beginning in 1955, this rivalry football has lost life over the years. The last series contest was in 2001, a game where Caro cruised to a 40-0 victory. After eight straight Cass City wins to start the rivalry, the Tigers now lead the M-81 clash with an overall of 29-17-2.

Traveling just down the road, Caro came to play in whatever weather conditions Mother Nature had in store, making it look easy in Cass City Friday night. The Tigers played a very consistent game offensively, scoring 16 in the first, 16 in the second, and 14 in the third.

Austin Osentoski led the Red Hawk attack on the ground with 142 yards on 17 carries and one touchdown. Alex Varney also was a force for Cass City with 117 rushing yards on a similar 17 carries. Through the air, Justin Ketterer went 5-of-14 for 95 yards.

Defensively for the Red Hawks, Josh Jensen and Alex Varney stepped up to make big stops with ten tackles and six tackles, respectively.

“We were starting five sophomores and just two seniors. We knew coming in to the season that a lot of learning was going to go on,” added Cass City head coach Scott Cuthrell. “In that respect, we did have a good season. The team was always learning and looking to improve along the way. We just need to continue to get better in the off season. If we keep working hard, we will be just fine.”

Caro ends the regular season with a record of 2-4 in the TVC-East, 5-4 overall.

The Red Hawks conclude their 2009 season finishing 1-4 in the GTW, 3-6 overall.

Mount, Morris 14, Reese 6

MT. MORRIS — In what Reese head coach Bob Saylor described as a mud bowl, the Rockets fell to Mt. Morris in a regular season-closing loss. Mt. Morris came out and got on the scoreboard in the first quarter, but didn’t show extreme dominance over the football game.

“We had our chances. We had a few turnovers, some fumbles, but we just never had enough the reach the endzone,” commented Saylor. “We’re looking forward to the playoffs, as we always do. It’s an exciting time in the football season, so we’ll see how we do.”

Cody Somerville led the rush for the Rockets with 16 carries for 61 yards. Jared Bender also hulled in one reception for 40 yards.

Per usual, Kevin Kinasz was at the helm of the defensive attack for Reese with 11 stops. Andrew Mendyk was right behind with seven.

The Rockets finish the regular season with a 5-1 record in the GTW, 7-2 overall.

Millington 42, LakeVille 0

MILLINGTON — In a record setting night for Cardinal senior Justin Stutler, Millington dominated Friday’s contest with LakeVille in high fashion. The Cardinals tallied 21 points in the first quarter alone to easily walk away with a regular season-closing victory.

Millington’s record boards will need to be updated Monday morning as Stutler carried the football 15 times for 255 yards. Last night’s performance earned the senior runningback the title of mostß yards rushed in a single season, 1,521 yards, which is not a bad way to go out.

The Cardinal offense had a total of 328 yards rushing on the night. However, senior Matthew Harrington led the defensive attack with the shut-out for Millington with seven tackles.

The Cardinals finish 5-1 in the TVC-East, 8-1 overall.

USA 33, Harbor Beach 22

SEBEWAING — USA was able to close out its season with a victory, thanks to breakout night had by running back Tyler Masse in the Patriots 33-22 win.

Masse stomped all over the Pirates defense, totaling up 273 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries while Jon Slack was not far behind with 117 yards and a score on 14 carries.

“It’s nice for these kids to walk off the field with a win in their heads because that is the thought that will stick with them until the next year when they put on those pads,” USA head coach Jason Beagle said. “We are not happy with the outcome of our season. But, I am very happy with the attitudes of these kids. They practiced hard and never gave up all the way through the season.”

USA shot out to a 26-8 lead before the Pirates began to battle back in the second half. But by then, it was too little too late.

Defensively, the Patriots were led by Dakotah Gangler with seven tackles and a fumble recovery while Derek Kundinger wrapped up eight tackles.

USA closes out the season at 2-7 overall.

Marlette 17, Peck 6

PECK — Marlette bounced back from two-straight losses to close out their 2009 season with a 17-6 win over Peck Friday night.

The Raiders got on the board first thanks to a 75 yard kickoff return by Dee Sanchez. Sanchez ended the night with 42 yards rushing on 20 carries along with the kickoff return for six.

Defensively, Marlette also did their job by limiting Deckerville to just two first downs and forced five fumbles. Jacob Wiley had eight tackles and two assists while Sanchez picked off an Eagles pass. Donnie Thomas also had an INT on the night and Joey Volz gathered six tackles.

“This was a great way to end our season. We are very proud of our seniors,” Marlette head coach Denny Lester said. “They played such a big part in getting us three consecutive winning seasons for the first time in school history.”

Marlette closes out the season with a 5-4 overall record, 3-3 in the GTE.