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BAY CITY, MI – Set the stage for week 6 of the 2021 high school football season in the MLive Bay City coverage area on October 1-2.
Game Day Bay City
NEWS AND NOTES
* Essexville Garber can take a big step forward tonight in Alma to claim the 300th win of all time. The Dukes have a university record of 299-229-3 in their history.
* Cade Coquillard makes his first college start as Garber’s quarterback, replacing injured Tommy Szczepanski. Coquillard is one of Garber’s best tackles as a middle linebacker and now has huge responsibilities both ways.
* Midland at Bay City Western is a virtual elimination game on the Saginaw Valley League North title stage. The winner carries his championship hopes in the running while the loser is probably eliminated.
* Reese travels to Bad Ax for a showdown for first place in the Big Thumb West. Both teams are undefeated and ranked in the top 10 in the state.
* This is the game of the year in the North Star League when Hale hosts Au Gres. Au Gres clinches at least a share of the league title with a win as Hale tries to forge a tie for first place and start the title race wide open.
* Bay City Central tries to avoid its first 0-6 start since 1949 when it travels to first-place Mount Pleasant for an SVL North clash.
* Clare makes the six hour trip to Marquette for a game that was added to the schedule last week. The game has a special kick-off at 6 p.m.
* It’s back to basics for Akron-Fairgrove, Beaverton and Standish-Sterling.
Bay City Central senior running back Jamario Harris, 26, kicks the ball in a 28-21 loss to Saginaw Heritage on Friday, September 24, 2021 at Heritage High School in Saginaw. (Isaac Ritchey | MLive.com)Isaac Ritchey | MLive.com
MLive Bay Town Area
Week 6 program
FRIDAY, OCT. 1
Hale to Au Gres *
Bay City All Saints at Akron-Fairgrove *
Bay City Central in Mount Pleasant *
Carrollton to Standish-Sterling *
Cass City to Harbor Beach
Claire in Marquette
Essexville Garber to Alma *
Gladwin to the shepherd *
Houghton Lake to Lake City *
John Glenn at Freeland *
Laquier in Unionville-Sebewaing *
Manton to Roscommon *
Midland to Bay City Western *
Mio in Atlanta *
Ogemaw Heights to Benzie Central *
Oscoda at Harbor Springs *
Pinconning in Beaverton *
Reese in Bad Ax *
Meridian from Sanford to Harrison *
SATURDAY, OCT. 2
Tawas to Traverse City St. Francis *
Whittemore-Prescott to Indian River Inland Lakes
* League match
Garber’s Alex VanSumeren (21) celebrates after a tackle from Freeland’s offense in a game on Friday, September 17, 2021 (Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com)Boomer Kaytie | MLive.com
MLive Bay City
Player of the week
ALEX VANSUMER, ESSEXVILLE GARBER
When Alex VanSumeren gets carried away, he’s like a freight train in shoulder pads.
And at the decisive moment of his Week 5 game, Essexville Garber realized that there was no better person to deliver the mail.
The Dukes handed the ball to VanSumeren in three straight overtime games and the 6-3, 300-pounder produced the winning touchdown in a 26-20 victory over Birch Run.
“How would you like to be a linebacker facing a 300-pound going through the hole at this speed?” Garber coach Jake Coquillard said. “It will get old after a while.”
VanSumeren’s OT exploits help him land MLive Bay City Player of the Week honor in an online reader survey. It received 8,260 votes, or 25.8% of the 31,985 votes cast. Austin Fox of Mio, Damien Torres of Bay City All Saints, Noah Crumm of Unionville-Sebewaing, Keagan Bender of Au Gres and Conner Kirby of Harrison all garnered strong support with over 2,700 votes in the poll.
VanSumeren was at the forefront, just as he did at the end of Garber’s spectacular victory over Birch Run. The engagement from Michigan State University, which is one of the nation’s top-rated university prospects on the defensive line, jumped at its chance for a strong offensive moment.
An offensive H-back, who is normally relegated to blocking duties, VanSumeren got the call to carry the ball into overtime.
“He loves it,” Coquillard said. “He looked at me at the end and said, ‘Coach, I got it.’ He wanted the ball and everyone was like ‘Yeah, give it to him.’ “
Needing to get 10 yards in four plays, Garber didn’t bother to get fanciful. Running back Caleb Christe had done his part by rolling 205 yards on 36 carries and center linebacker Cade Coquillard had done his part with 13 tackles. But both converted to block in front of VanSumeren in overtime.
The Dukes gave the big guy the ball three times in a row and let him into the end zone.
“And he was also going to finish fourth,” said Jake Coquillard.
“Not a lot of guys can take it down or are going to want to do it. We put blockers there and gave it to the caboose. Caleb was so selfless. After running all these meters, he threw huge blocks. The players were all about it. They just said ‘let’s go get him.’ “
VanSumeren also posted five tackles and a sack in defense, overcoming a consistent double team to impact both sides of the ball.
John Glenn, sophomore Logan Demarest is tackled by Clio senior Daniel Hanson, 5, as John Glenn greets Clio in the season opener of the high school football season on Thursday August 25, 2021 at Albert E. Johnson Stadium in Bay City. (Isaac Ritchey | MLive.com)Isaac Ritchey | MLive.com
How to watch
Bay City Central in Mount Pleasant
Carrollton to Standish-Sterling
Cass City to Harbor Beach
Claire in Marquette
Essexville Garber to Alma
Gladwin to the shepherd
John Glenn at Freeland
Laquier in Unionville-Sebewaing
Midland to Bay City Western
Ogemaw Heights to Benzie Central
Oscoda at Harbor Springs
Reese at Bad Ax
Meridian from Sanford to Harrison
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