By David Fleet
Editor
Goodrich — On Oct. 27, the Goodrich Martians Varsity football team would start slow by rally late in the second half to defeat the Brandon Blackhawks 35-6 in a Division 4 district semi-finals.
“Hats off to Goodrich they are playing great ball right now,” said Blackhawk Head Coach Brad Zube. “The game was closer than the score might indicate and our boys battled hard but with an opponent as good as they are your margin for error becomes razor thin.”
The Martians (9-1) were up 21-6 at halftime but pulled away in the third quarter with a pair of touchdowns. The Martians rolled up 415 yards of offense with 184 yards in the air and 231 on the ground. The Blackhawks (5-5) had 301 total yards with an aerial attack of 248 yards.BHS Jr. #9 Lance Briolat threw for 239 yards, BHS Sr. #20 Drew Hickmott caught three passes for 70 yards and BHS Soph. # 2 Luke Hanson caught five passes for 100 yards, scoring the lone Blackhawk touchdown on a 10 yard run.
GHS Sr. #2 Easton Phipps went 12 for 23 attempts good for 184 yards and three touchdowns. GHS Jr. #25 Chase Burnett had 17 carries for 121 yards and one touchdown. GHS Jr. #9 Max Macklem caught eight passes for 122 and one touchdown.
On Nov. 3, the Martians will play host to the Freeland Falcons (9-1) the two Division 4 playoffs for the third straight season. The series is tied 1-1.
Goodrich defeated Freeland for the 2022 district crown with a 10-9 victory, ending the Falcons’ chances at a return trip to the state semifinals.