Tigers have huge 32-8 upset win

By Bill Mullaly

You have got to be kidding me! Three weeks ago people were counting the Hudson Tigers out for the season and nobody was mentioning anything about the playoffs as Hudson was setting at 2-3 with three straight losses. Suddenly the team has caught fire and has won three straight games but none was as big as the win last Saturday at Ferris State University over Kingsley. Hudson rolled to an impressive 32-8 win over the bigger school that is tied for first place in its Northwest Conference. The Tigers, against all odds, pulled off a huge upset win against the Stags to improve to 5-3 with one big game left. Well, let’s make that one very huge game left tomorrow (Friday) at Addison but more on that later. Kingsley, a division 6 team two years removed from winning a state title in 2005, was no match for Hudson on this day. The Tigers jumped out to a commanding 26-0 lead after three periods and cruised home with a 24-point win over the favored Stags who also wore orange and black but not as brightly as the orange looked on Hudson last Saturday. What were the Tigers doing playing on a Saturday this late in the year and at a neutral site? Well, Clinton left our schedule so a game was needed and Kingsley was the only opponent available close to our size so the two teams agreed to meet at FSU and play a game. It will be a game that Hudson fans will be talking about for a long time. This was a must-win game for the Tigers and win it they did. “We played our best game of the season,” said Hudson head coach Chris Luma, who has regrouped his team and has them focused after the mid-season slump. “This was a huge win for the boys as we knew we were playing a team that needed a win just like us to reach the playoffs. We just played great defense and our offense moved the ball and we finished our drives.”

Hudson took the opening drive and reached the Stag one-foot line only to be denied a score. However, field position was key as the Tigers forced a punt from the Stags own end zone and got the ball back on the Kingsley side of the field setting up the first Tiger score. Senior halfback Gannon Curtis got the first score on a nice 23-yard run with just under three minutes left in the opening stanza at the 2:59 mark. The point after kick failed but the Tigers led 6-0 and would never trail from that point on. Up 6-0 the Tigers padded their lead on a run of two yards by Kyle Benschoter with 9:11 left in the second period and when the run for two failed it was Hudson up 12-0. The knockout punch was delivered in the way of a 22-yard scoring pass from backup quarterback Taylor Milligan to sophomore speedster Mitchell Webb with just 44 ticks left until halftime. Milligan then hit the point after and the Tigers were up 19-0 and in total control of the game.

You don’t win games by playing well in just one half so the Tigers continued its dominance of the Stags by scoring first in the second half on a short run by Curtis from two yards out at the 7:31 mark of the third quarter. Hudson now led 26-0 after Milligan hit the point after. The Stags didn’t want to go home totally embarrassed so they finally scored a touchdown on a 18-yard scoring pass with 8:15 left to play making it 26-8 as they ran for the two-pointer. The Tigers were far from done as they added the game’s final points on a touchdown by Joe Rodriguez from 10 yards out with 3:20 left in the game and the kick failed for the final score of 32-8. “This was such a big win and now we are still alive for the playoffs this Friday against Addison,” said Luma, who had his team go up and stay the night on Friday before Saturday’s game. "We now have something really important to play for against Addison. We still have a great chance to make the playoffs but we need a win against a very good team."

A look back at the Kingsley win shows that the Tigers ran the ball 62 times for 307 yards against a quality team in the Stags. Kingsley ran for only 83 yards on 34 tries against a very stout Tiger defense that appears to be getting better and better each time out after shutting out Ida the week before. Hudson hit three of five passes for 48 yards, while Kingsley passed for 61 yards on a four of ten effort. Kingsley killed itself by fumbling away the ball four times compared to one lost fumble for Hudson. Hudson punted just twice and Kingsley booted it away three times. Hudson was hit with five penalties for 61 lost yards to just two five-yard penalties for the Stags. Hudson doubled up the Stags in first downs with 16 to only eight for the Stags. Leading the Hudson ground game was Curtis with yet another 100-yard effort as he gained 104 on 19 carries as the Tiger workhorse.

Rodriguez ran for 65 on 10 tries, while Benschoter had 58 on 14 attempts. Warner ran eight times for 58 yards and Milligan added 15 on five tries averaging three yards and a cloud of dust. Milligan hit two of four passes for 34 yards and Warner was one of one for 14 yards. Webb had two catches for 34 yards and Curtis had the other reception for 14 yards and neither team tossed an interception in the game played on the college field.

Getting the four fumble recoveries for the opportunistic Tiger defense were Johnny Monahan, Gabe Elliott, Garrett Schoonover and Benschoter. Nick Hart, Colin Wollet and Caleb Ely were other standouts on defense for the Tigers who now are playing its best defense at the most important time of the year.

Panthers Next

This game is not big it is huge! Hudson must win to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2004. A loss leaves the Tigers out of the big dance for the third straight year. Yes, there is remote shot at making the playoffs at 5-4 but don't count on it. Hudson needs this win for several reasons. First, it puts them in the playoffs where they will be a team many won't want to face. Second, it ends a two-game skid against the Panthers after losses in 2005-06 when the series was resumed. Third, it gives them a four-game winning streak heading into playoffs where they will face division 7 teams instead of the steady diet of division 5 and 6 teams they saw from weeks three-nine. In games one and two Hudson beat both Homer and Morenci two division 7 teams. The win over Kingsley was key in assuring a winning season after two losing seasons in 2005-06. The Tigers must stop Addison standout runner Jaron Butts who is capable of running for over 200 yards on any given Friday night.

Look for the Tiger defense to keep Butts in check and under control and look for the Tigers to get a huge win. They must win this game and it will have a playoff atmosphere to it and basically the playoffs start Friday night at Addison at Bellinger Field at 7:00. Don't miss this rivalry game and it won't be anything like the two blowouts wins the Panthers recorded over Hudson in 2005-06. This game will be decided late as the Panthers are tough sporting a 6-2 mark and a Cascades Conference championship going 6-1 in league play. Comparing scores shows that Onsted beat Addison handily in week one 29-14 and the Cats' whipped Hudson in week three 35-13. Those scores mean little now but the fact Hudson is in a must-win situation gives them the motivation for a win. This game will be a classic and with slight rain in the forecast look for lots of excitement in one of the greatest football rivalries in the state of Michigan.

Prediction: Hudson wins a thriller edging the Panthers 22-20 in a game that fans will be talking about for years to come. Get ready for the playoffs as in all reality they start Friday at Addison and for real next Sunday when the selection show tells us who the Tigers will meet in the MHSAA post-season tournament. The MHSAA pigskin playoff preview program will be shown on cable TV on FOX sports at 6:30 Sunday evening so check it out to see who the Tigers play after they nip the Panthers in Lenawee County's real game-of-the-year.

Runners nearly win county title

By Bill Mullaly 

The middle of October saw all four Hudson High School fall sports teams in action. The golf team is done for the year as they competed in the annual regional golfing event. The boys and girls cross country teams were in Tecumseh for the annual county meet with the boys taking second and the girls getting sixth place. The volleyball team was in action during the past week also but failed to pick up its first win of the season. Here is a look at how the week went for Hudson’s four fall sports that are competing during the autumn season.

Boys run well

Hudson lost in its bid to win the county race as they fell to Lenawee Christian School (LCS) by just 13 points in the meet held at Gerber Hill Park in Tecumseh. The Tigers had just beaten LCS the week before at the Hudson Booster Invitational but on Saturday the Cougars wanted things just a little bit more in getting the payback win. Hudson’s top three finishers were ahead of those of LCS but the cougars were stronger at the number four and five spots. Tiger Stephen Tennis was third overall at the county meet as he ran a time of 16:42. The first guy for LCS was fifth. Then it was Hudson’s Zach Pearce in eighth at 17:16, while the second LCS runner was ninth. Sabin Enerson was next for Hudson in 11th in 17:38 and number three for LCS was 12 thus Hudson was on top at this point 22 to 26. The fourth LCS runner was 17th and the fourth Tiger was Derick Clark at 22nd in 18:02. Now LCS was up 43-44. Hudson’s fifth runner was Brett Merillat in 31st in 18:28, while the LCS fifth runner was 19th giving them the 13-point win.  Hudson ran well but LCS was just a little bit better on this day to claim the county championship.

Girls compete

Hudson's girls were sixth as a team with 159 points far behind first place Tecumseh with 18 total team points in a truly dominating performance. Senior standout Emily Austin was the top Hudson runner coming in 12th in 21:36, while Jennifer Adams was next in 27th at 23:08. The third Hudson runner was Liz Austin who was 46th in 24:48 and fourth for the Tigers was Chelsea DeSeranno at 57th in 25:22 and the final Hudson runner to count in the team standings was Mara Lyons in 75th at 28:05. Blissfield was the team runner-up scoring 51 points.

Golfers finish season

The Lady Tiger linksters competed at the division 4 regional meet last Friday at the Marshall Country Club and Hudson struggled against some very good competition. Junior Aubrey Laughlin had the best score for the 18-hole event with a 117 on rounds of 58 and 59. Samantha Stern was next at 129 on a course that Tiger coach Drew Gambill said was very fast. "This was a tough course to play and the greens were very fast as the girls would get shots on them but the balls were rolling off into the bunkers and that caused some real problems for the girls," said Gambill, about his team that finished the dual meet season with a mark of 4-5. Lauren Stanley and Janet Verdon were the next two finishers for Hudson both with scores of 140. Freshman Emily Frantz was the fifth Tiger golfer that competed in the regional and she scored a round of 150.

Stephanie Jackson was also on the team this season but didn't play in the regional event. In the team's final dual match of the season last Monday at Shaffer's Evergreen Golf Course it was Hudson winning over Summerfield 228-249. Leading the way for Hudson was Stern who was the medalist with a round of 53. Next, was Frantz with a 56, Laughlin a 57 and Stanley had a 62.

Volleyball team plays in tournament

The Hudson squad was at the annual county tournament held last Saturday at Adrian High School and they did fairly well against some very good competition. Hudson played and lost to Onsted 16-25, 18-25 and 7-25. Next, they played tournament champion Lenawee Christian School (LCS) and lost 21-25, 7-25 and 17-25. Hudson advanced out of pool play to the single elimination bracket where they fell to Blissfield the tournament runner-up in two games by scores of 9-25 and 11-25. Mykahla Frayer had nine kills and 10 digs on defense. Frayer also served 22 points with four aces and she added four blocks. Kellee Wonders had six kills, while Jessica Varney had 15 digs and Varney added 20 points serving with six aces.

Hudson also had one league dual match last week with a loss at Erie Mason over in Monroe County. The scores were 6-25, 14-25 and 6-25. "We didn't play well and it was horrible," said coach Varney. Tasha Waltz had six points serving with one ace, while Wonders had five points serving with one ace and Varney had five points with an ace. Frayer added four blocks to the cause. Hudson will continue to battle for its first league win of the season despite some tough competition.

Overall, the team is in last place in the LCAA and they desperately need a win to stay out of the bottom of the standings. Check your local schedules for the time and date of the event nearest to you.

ZACHARY PEARCE runs hard at the county meet. He finished eighth overall. The Post-Gazette had the wrong photo in last week's paper; Zach was one of the athletes of the week. Photo by Jeffrey Steers.

JVs eke out 42-22 win over Kingsley

By Bill Mulllaly

The Hudson High School junior varsity football team went on the road and made the long trip and then got up out of bed early to win a huge game 24-22 over Kingsley last Saturday at Ferris State University. Unofficially this is the earliest time ever for a JV win during a game as they had business taken care of just before high noon up there in Big Rapids. The win improves the little Tigers overall mark to 7-1 and they were 5-1 in the LCAA where they were the league champions for 2007. The Tigers started strong and held on for the win that pretty much set the tone for the entire day as Hudson let Kingsley know they were there for business at both the junior varsity and varsity levels. “We faced adversity in eye and never blinked,” said Tiger head JV coach Scott “Scooter” Marry about his team’s big win. “We had a great first half and things were looking good and then we started to make some mistakes. The miscues with the ball led to a pair of key fumbles and Kingsley capitalized on them to get back in the game. I felt like we went from having true control of the game to being on the edge of letting it slip away.”

The Tigers looked real good in the first half as they controlled the ball and put together some drives and had no mental mistakes according to Marry.

Hudson jumped on Kingsley right from the start and took a lead due to the running of freshman Drew Milligan who was a real workhorse in this game running the ball 37 times for 180 yards. "We decided he was going to be the one to run the ball and we got the ball into his hands in a variety of ways," said Marry about the small but tough runner. "He is dangerous any time he has the ball and he had quite a game for us." Hudson led right from the get go and it was 24-8 at halftime with one of the touchdowns being a well-executed screen pass from Zeb Hilyard to Milligan that went for a touchdown. "Zeb made a nice pass and Drew finished the play with his run and he got some great blocking," said Marry. Things look real promising as the second half started but the Tigers got careless with the football and then a couple of fumbles turned the momentum to Kingsley. A Tiger fumble at the Hudson 30-yard line led to a score by the Stags who also wore orange and black. That made it 24-16. Then a fumble at its own 20-yard line led to another Kingsley touchdown and suddenly with just over 3:00 to play the Tiger lead was down to 24-22 and Kingsley had a chance to tie the game on a successful two-point conversion. The Stags went to the same play that had been working all game and they tried a sweep around the end. The play look like it was going to work but sophomore linebacker Derrik Marry came up quick to shut down the runner just inches from the goal line. "Derrik made the big play and when I saw him make the tackle I was a happy coach and also a proud dad," said coach Marry, about the key play by his son. "We battled hard the whole game and had a couple of mistakes but we overcame the adversity and got a big win for the kids and the program."

The win was big and the game this evening (Thursday) will also be big as Addison led by its feisty coach George Ames, a true and former Tiger, will come to Thompson Field to take on the little Tigers. This should be a classic confrontation between two very good teams and two great programs. "Hudson-Addison games are always great and the respect for both teams is always there and it's intense but when the game is over it's all about sportsmanship and friendship," said Marry, who is looking forward to the rubber match of this recently revived series. Addison won the JV game in 2005 and Hudson won it last year so the 2007 meeting is big. Kickoff is set for 6:00 in Hudson. Don't miss this one as it sets the stage and gets everyone revved up for Friday night's huge game at Addison's Bellinger Field. Go Tigers!

Pop Warner Football sixth week results

By Bill Mullaly

The sixth week of Pop Warner football is finished and what a great day it was with a lot more football like temperatures. The Adrian Blue team won the first game beating the Pittsford squad 35-6. The Blues moved to 4-2 on the year, while the Wildcats are still searching for that first win. Matt Clark hit Matt Sheppard for a touchdown pass covering 40 yards to start the scoring. Then Caleb Copeland went 77 yards for a long scoring jaunt making it 13-0 as David Thompson ran in the extra point with 9:00 until halftime. Pittsford got on the board as Trent Brackman scored on a nice eight-yard run with one minute until intermission. The score at halftime was 13-6 in favor of the Blues. Right away to start the second half Copeland went 70 yards with a kickoff return and the rout was on. Thompson added the point after and it was 20-6. Nate Fisher tackled the Wildcat punter for a safety as he got him down in the end zone making it 22-6. Thompson then scored on the first play of the fourth quarter and he added the point after for a score of 29-6. Then Clark ran in a touchdown from two yards away and he hit Zebb Ruple for an extra point making it 35-6 with six minutes to play. Ruple then intercepted a pass and took it in from 40 yards for the score but Pop Warner rules don’t allow the points to be added after a team is up 28 points. Ruple then intercepted another pass on the next series of plays. Thompson added a fumble recovery for the Blues. Ryan Collar had an interception for Pittsford as did teammate Garrett Adams. Hunner Mravec had a hard hit for the Wildcat defense.

The second game was a classic as it pitted the Adrian Maples against Madison in a battle for bragging rights over in that area. Madison won a thriller 15-12. A safety was scored by Colin Slates in the Maple end zone as he tackled Adrian runner Kody Galvan for the two-pointer. Then Trojan quarterback Nolan Anschuetz scored on a sneak making it 8-0 in favor of Madison with 9:00 until halftime. Galvan answered with a run of 17 yards to put the Maples on the scoreboard with 2:00 until halftime as the score stood at 8-6 Madison. In the third quarter Galvan got free for a touchdown run of 18 yards and Adrian led 12-8 midway through the period. Madison came right back scoring on a nice hookup from Anschuetz to Tito Cabellero for a 38-yard scoring strike through the air. Zach Fisher ran in the point making it 15-12 and that is how the game ended. The final score came with 5:20 left in the third quarter and nobody could score after that. Maple kicker Austin Garcia made a sweet kick that teammate Trace Wilber recovered for a successful onside kick. Getting fumble recoveries for Adrian were Tyler Probst, Auggie Rodella and Danny Coleman. Maple Jonn Dotson had a nice 30-yard punt return but he couldn't quite reach the end zone. Saltes had the lone turnover for Madison as he intercepted a pass. Madison is now 3-2 and the Maples of Adrian are 4-2. In the third game it was Hudson winning 32-0 over North Adams.

Hudson is now 6-0 and the Rams are 3-2. Hudson scored first on a 13-yard run by Cole Weaver making it 6-0 just two minutes into the game. Cody Nelson then scored for the Tigers on a run of five yards and Dustin Mattison scored the point after for a lead of 13-0. Tyler Woody found paydirt from two yards out and it was 19-0 at halftime. Tiger quarterback J.D. Waters scored on a one-yard run making it 25-0 in period three. Woody added the point for a 26-0 game. The final Tiger score came on a pass from Waters to Daniel Komarynski covering 15 yards with five minutes left in the game for the 32-0 final. Kyle Adams and Jacob Morgan had fumble recoveries for Hudson and Zach Felax had an interception. Chris Thomsen had some hard hits for the Rams and Josh Cramer made a nice pass reception for a good gain for North Adams. Hannah Webb played well on both sides of the line for the Rams.

In the last game of the afternoon the Addison White team won 38-6 against Waldron. Drew DeFay had the type of game that fans will be talking about for years when Pop Warner football is discussed. DeFay scored five touchdowns on the day. The first was a run of 47 yards to put Addison ahead 6-0. Then on a reverse DeFay took it in from nine yards out and Trevor Maynard added the point after for a lead of 13-0 on the first play of the second quarter. DeFay then picked up a bouncing punt and returned it 40 yards for his third score of the game and it was 19-0 with two minutes until halftime. Bryce Glazier added the point after for a score of 20-0. DeFay then opened the second half by picking off a Spartan pass and going 35 yards for the score making it 26-0. Waldron didn't quit as fullback Keith Lindeman busted up the middle untouched for a score making it 26-6 with 3:00 left in period three. DeFay then found the end zone once again this time on a 68-yard reverse play that his coach thinks is the team's favorite play. With one minute left in period three it was 32-6 in favor of Addison Red. The final score of the game was a nice run down the sideline by Glazier as he went 50 yards for the touchdown as Addison now led 38-6 with six minutes to play. For Waldron the highlights were a Jimmy Champion fumbler recovery and Levi Long had a fumble recovery that he pounced on. Elijah Emens, Shane Baldwin, Cainan Lindeman and Long all had hard-hit tackles for the Spartans. Cody Jameson had a good run for the Waldron offense. For the Addison team Nate Webb recovered a fumble that Maynard could with a hard hit. Blaze Valdez and Tyler Corbin fell on fumble to get recoveries for Addison. The Red team of Addison is now 2-3 and Waldron is still looking for its first win.

In the flag game it was the Addison Patriots winning 14-0 over Waldron. In the second game it was a classic battle between two great teams but the Adrian Maples won 19-18 over Madison in a real thriller. Adrian is now unbeaten at 6-0 on the year. Madison is now 4-2. Had Madison won the two teams both would have been 5-1. The Hudson Tigers beat the Rams of North Adams 12-6 in the third game. In game four it was Pittsford winning 18-0 over the Hudson Buccaneers. The final game saw the Adrian Bears win 20-6 over the Addison Gladiators. The Bears are now 4-2. Get up to Addison on Friday night and watch the varsity team of Hudson take on Addison but the real games that mean the most will be on Saturday as the stars of tomorrow play the day after the big boys in high school. Action starts at 9:00 each Saturday morning.

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