Wayland High School’s football team scored its most lopsided victory in a long time at Houseman Field in Grand Rapids Friday and assured itself of its first winning season since 2013.
The Wildcats steamrolled winless Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills 56-0 to lift their overall season record to 5-3 and 3-3 in the O-K Gold Conference. They took control early with a 41-0 advantage by intermission and coasted the rest of the way.
Wayland scored 54 points in 2016 against Grand Rapids Union, but there is no indication the ‘Cats scored more than 56 since 2008.
It is common for teams with at least five victories to earn a spot on the post-season playoffs, regardless of how Wayland does in its regular campaign finale next Friday against powerhouse South Christian, which will be out to finish second in the O-K Gold Conference after a 21-12 loss to GR Catholic Central.
The first round of the playoffs will be Friday or Saturday, Oct. 27 or 28.
Decatur 20 Hopkins 13
Both teams went into the non-league game with 2-5 records Friday night and both failed to dent the scoreboard in the first half.
However, the homestanding Raiders drew first blood in the third quarter and took an 8-0 lead. The Vikings answered with a touchdown, but failed to score the PAT and trailed 8-6.
Decatur scored two unanswered touchdown without conversions early in the fourth period before Hopkins was able to score six and a kicked extra point with 54 seconds left on the clock.
The Vikings will conclude their season next Friday with another non-league contest, against Benton Harbor.
