MENDON — The second-ranked Mendon Hornets will play host to another Top 10 opponent on Friday evening.
It will also be a rivalry tilt between teams who are in opposite divisions in 8-player football action. Mendon finds itself in Division 2 this year while the Panthers are in D1, both are securely in the playoffs if they were to start today. Mendon is No. 2 in the latest Michigan Sports Writers Rankings for D2 while the Panthers find themselves ranked ninth in D1.
Mendon has been steam-rolling opponents this year to a 7-0 record. The Hornets have scored no fewer than 28 in any game and have a score differential of 385-69.
Climax enters Friday’s game winners of six straight contests. The season-opener saw the Panthers fall to Gobles 54-32, but they have responded in impressive fashion, averaging better than 57 points per game in the win streak.
Both teams love to run the football and Friday’s game should be no different. The squads split games last year, Climax won during the regular season but the Hornets picked up a 58-50 win in the playoffs.
Colon at Bellevue
Colon will look to extend its winning streak on Friday night with a road trip to Bellevue. The Magi are hoping to pick up a win to help improve playoff chances as they have won consecutive games over Battle Creek St. Philip and Athens by a combined score of 115-0. Colon is 4-3 with a playoff point score of 22.429, which ranks 21st overall while Bellevue is 3-4 and 17.464, which is 29th.
In each division for 8-player, there are 16 teams which qualify for the playoffs. The Magi will have to win each of their remaining games — they play North-Adams Jerome next week — to have a chance.
Marcellus at Eau Claire
Marcellus is aiming to win its fourth consecutive game this week when the Wildcats host Eau Claire. Each of these teams are fighting to make. post season spot and are 4-3 on the year.
The Wildcats sit with 23.429 playoff points compared to 21.571 for Eau Claire. The difference in points is only three spots, but they both neither team will be able to afford a loss the rest of the season.
Burr Oak at Britton-Deerfield
Burr Oak travels to Britton on Friday night aiming to stop a three-game skid. The Bobcats have fallen to 3-4 on the season and have 17.143 playoff points, which ranks 30th in Division 2. Britton-Deerfield has 33.000 playoff points entering the game, that ranks fifth-best of any 8-player team in the state, but fourth-best in Division 2.
Mendon is the only team to beat Britton-Deerfield so far this year and the Patriots are averaging nearly 52 points per game.
Sturgis at Otsego
Sturgis hits the road for the final time this season with a trip to Otsego on Friday. The Trojans will be looking to get into the win column for the first time this year as well. Otsego heads into the contest with a record of 2-5, the Bulldogs fell to Paw Paw 34-20 last week.
White Pigeon at Decatur
Sneaky-good game here. White Pigeon is coming off its first off of the season to Bronson last week while Decatur has pieced together an impressive four-game-win streak. The Raiders beat Hartford, Cass, Centreville and Comstock by a combined score of 199-7. Three of those victories were shutouts, obviously
The Chiefs, at 6-1, have 33.857 playoff points. That ranks ninth-best in Division 8. Decatur (5-2) currently has 31.571 playoff points, which ranks 12th in Division 8, making this a big game for both schools.
White Pigeon allowed 32 points in a loss last week to Bronson, which was nearly three times the points they had given up to date, only Cass had scored on the Chiefs in Week 3 matchup.
Bronson at Reading
Bronson beat White Pigeon last week, 32-6, giving the Chiefs their only defeat to date. Bronson’s only loss on the year came at Decatur in the second week, 26-20, in double overtime. Since then, the Vikings have piled up five straight wins with the defense playing a big role.
Bronson ranks 17th in Division 7 in the playoff points currently. Reading is 3-4 on the year and ranks 35th in playoff points as the Rangers will attempt to keep their season alive here.
Watervliet at Constantine
Constantine hosts Watervliet on Friday, looking to continue its momentum from a 60-29 win over Parchment last week. The Falcons find themselves with 37.143 playoff points, that ranks 10th-best in Division 7.
Watervliet has struggled to this point in the season with a record of 2-5. The Panthers have just 16.143 playoff points and have dropped four consecutive games with their opponents averaging almost 48 points per game during that span.
Paw Paw at Three Rivers
Three Rivers has dropped three straight games after starting the year at 4-0. The good news for the Wildcats is they still find themselves in the playoff pool if it were to start immediately. The Wildcats cannot afford another loss, however.
Friday’s game against Paw Paw will see the Cats attempt to end Paw Paw’s four-game win streak. The Red Wolves scored wins over Edwardsburg, Plainwell, Sturgis and Otsego in that stretch and are looking to make their own playoff push.
Centreville at Cassopolis
The Centreville Bulldogs hit the road on Friday, traveling to take on a Cassopolis team that won by forfeit over Sand Creek a week ago. Centreville, even at 3-4, is squarely in the playoff hunt. The Bulldogs rank 27th currently in Division 7 with 24.143 points.
That means the Bulldogs probably still have some work to do in order to find a way into the playoffs. Sounds odd, but Centreville would certainly help itself with a win over the Rangers and next week in the crossover game as well.
Contact Sports Editor Brandon Watson at bwatson@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @BwatsonSJ.
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