It was the same old story for the Martin eight-man football team Friday night.
The Clippers won their sixth game in a row, but this time the count was 70-6. The high-scoring juggernaut now has compiled an eye-popping 343 points in six contests, averaging a little more than 57 points per game. They’ve yielded 54 points, for an average of 9 per game.
Martin has enjoyed terrific success since opting for eight- rather than 11-man football, winning two state championships, back to back and qualifying every year for the post-season playoffs.
Hopkins 47 Comstock Park 20
Hopkins certainly has had a strange season.
The Vikings lost by just one point, 8-7, to runaway O-K Silver Conference leader Belding, but lost to the resurgent former doormats Wyoming Godwin Heights and Kelloggsville before righting the ship with a smashing 47-20 triumph over Comstock Park, kicking the offense into high gear. They led 21-13 at the half and extended their advantage to 41-20 at the end of three periods.
Hopkins resurrected its long-standing tradition of smash mouth football, rushing for 561 yards
Vincente Garza scored two of the touchdowns and kicked four extra points. Justin VanWagner tallied two TDS on runs of 23 and 35 years. QB Merek Zapolink sneaked in one six-pointer and Austin Schaendorf scored from 12 yards out and Cruz Hitzler from two.
VanWagner ate up 152 yards in 14 carries, Garza added 138, B Schwartz 104 yards and Hitzler 96.
Clayton Kerber led the Vikings defensively with three tackles and four assists. G. Ingle returned one kickoff for 62 yards.
Comstock Park did manage to rack up 230 yards in its passing game, but the Panthers were limited to three touchdowns.
The Vikings started this fall’s campaign with two victories, but then dropped three in a row. However, with a 3-3 overall record now, they have to be considered a contender for a post-season playoff slot.
Comstock Park, with the loss, fell to 1-5 overall.
Spring Lake 35 Wayland 14
It was a somewhat surprising verdict in which new O-K White Conference entry Spring Lake jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first half and then finished the job over the last two quarters.
The Lakers sported an unremarkable record of 2-3 going into the contest and now Wayland has fallen to 2-4 overall and 1-3 in league play. It doesn’t get any easier for the ‘Cats, who still have to play league front-runners GR West Catholic and GR Christian.
Wayland’s only win in league play came at the expense of Hamilton, which rebounded Friday night to beat Forest Hills Eastern.
