What we learned from Week 5 of the high school football season
If the 2022 regular season was a gridiron, we'd be marching across midfield.
Week 5 is plopped right in the middle of the schedule. But it's behind us now. And there isn't much time to look back.
Here's what we learned this week in the Blue Water Area.
Don't count Armada out of the BWAC title race just yet
The Tigers kept their conference championship hopes alive with a 14-10 victory over Almont. Running back Zac Dykes finished with two rushing touchdowns as Armada improved to 4-1 overall and 3-1 in league play. Additionally, the result all but knocked Almont (3-2) out of the race with its second conference loss.
Entering Week 6, the top of the BWAC standings look like this — 1. (tie) Croswell-Lexington 5-0 (3-0), 1. (tie) North Branch 5-0 (3-0), 3. Armada 4-1 (3-1). The Tigers will likely need to win out in order to have a chance at the title. Remember, they already lost to the Pioneers 34-12 on Sept. 10 and will host the Broncos on Oct 7.
Cros-Lex and North Branch will meet Oct. 14 in a game that could very well determine the BWAC championship. The fact that one of those teams will suffer a loss benefits Armada, assuming it won't be too late. But the Tigers must first upset the Broncos next week to remain in the hunt.
Port Huron Northern is the best football team in Port Huron
The Crosstown Showdown answers the same question every year — which football team is the best in Port Huron? Granted, there are only two. But Friday gave us the answer when the Huskies slipped past the Big Reds, 14-7.
While Northern's offense has been the story for most of the season, it was the Huskies' defense that made the difference.
"Our defense did a tremendous job (Friday) night," Northern coach Larry Roelens said. "We jumped out and got a 14-point lead and then we kind of stalled offensively. But our defense took over and did a tremendous job in the second half."
The victory in this one didn't come with the MAC Blue championship as it usually does. But it brought the Huskies one step closer to accomplishing that goal. They now own the tiebreaker over Port Huron and have a one-game lead on the Big Reds in the MAC Blue standings.
Northern can clinch a league title outright with wins in its next two games. The Huskies host Fraser on Friday and will visit Warren Mott on Oct. 7 to close conference play.
Richmond's Drew Matyunas is flirting with a school record
The senior kicker had a superb outing in the Blue Devils' 20-0 victory over Imlay City at home. Matyunas made both of his field-goal attempts as he connected from 38 and 45 yards, the latter of which was two yards shy of the school record.
He's 2-of-3 on field-goal attempts this season, which is a small sample size. But Matyunas is also 10-of-10 on point-after attempts. That kind of consistency isn't abundant at this level. Heck, some teams routinely opt to go for two.
With at least four more games remaining in his career, there's still a chance for Matyunas to break the record. His best opportunity will come Oct. 14, when Richmond hosts Armada on the artificial turf at Ben Boldt Stadium. It's the only home game left on the schedule.
Contact Brenden Welper at bwelper@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendenWelper.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: What we learned from Week 5 of the high school football season
