Note: Story has been updated from a previous version with more details
Anyone who watched Pinckney’s football this the first four weeks could tell the Pirates were vastly improved from a year ago.
Now Pinckney has the “W” to prove it.
The Pirates ended a 13-game losing streak Friday night with a 24-18 homecoming victory over Tecumseh.
Pinckney’s last victory was 41-20 over Ann Arbor Pioneer in the final game of the 2022 season. The Pirates went 0-9 last year, getting outscored 295-58, and began this season 0-4 with losses to teams that had a combined record of 14-2 entering Friday’s games.
The Pirates led at halftime in two of those losses, including the previous week in an 18-7 loss to then-unbeaten Jackson .
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“I’m really proud of our seniors,” Pinckney coach Jason Carpenter said. “They could have folded, they could have tucked it in after last week. We were all brokenhearted from last week, but they didn’t. We gave them the weekend off to kind of re-center themselves. They came in on Monday ready to rock and roll and game-plan against Tecumseh. I’m super proud of our senior leadership, because that’s been amazing this year.”
Sophomore quarterback Jax Raymond was 9-for-15 for 141 yards and three touchdowns in the first half before leaving the game with an injury. Junior Jace Carlson played quarterback in the second half. Carpenter said the injury to Raymond doesn't appear to be serious.
Raymond threw touchdown passes of 35 and 19 yards to Nolan Carruthers and 44 yards to Hayden Beaver. Carruthers’ interception late in the game ended Tecumseh’s bid for a winning drive.
Carruthers had five catches for 56 yards, while Beaver had four catches for 66 yards and an interception.
Henry Taube ran 30 times for 163 yards and kicked a 24-yard field goal to give Pinckney a 24-12 lead.
“We ran the ball really well,” Carpenter said. “We ran the ball for over 180 yards. We completed the balls we needed to. The second half, Jax was out, so we ran the ball and threw two passes. The pressure was on the offensive line, knowing we had our backup quarterback in.”
Pinckney has an opportunity to string together more than one victory over the final half of the season. The four teams the Pirates play are a combined 7-13.
“This is more for our seniors,” Carpenter said. “I absolutely love those kids. It’s just a relief that what we’re doing are the right things around here in Pinckney. The seniors have never lost hope in the W.E.A.L.T.H. — the work ethic, the accountability, the loyalty, the toughness and honor.”
Howell 27, Northville 12
Howell senior Justin Jones ran 26 times for 204 yards and four touchdowns. He's run for four touchdowns twice in the last three weeks and three times in his career, boosting his season total to 10 rushing touchdowns.
"It was incredible," Howell coach Brian Lewis said. "He just does it all. You've got to give him his props. He's a Howell kid through and through. The kid is just special. He's just different."
The Highlanders racked up 293 yards on the ground to knock off the defending KLAA West champion.
Howell is 5-0 for only the second time since 1978. The 2021 team also started 5-0. The Highlanders will host Hartland at 7 p.m. Friday.
"We're excited for the next challenge, because the authenticity of the games we've played, they've all been hard-fought games and earned games," Lewis said. "We're trying to get battle-tested. Our guys are showing they're excited for those games."
Grant Stewart had an interception and Bryce Kish ran 16 times for 74 yards for Howell.
Haslett 44, Fowlerville 7
Wyatt Soli thew a 30-yard touchdown pass to Dylan Soli in the second quarter for Fowlerville’s only touchdown.
Erik Helminen ran seven times for 53 yards for the Gladiators (1-4), who have lost three in a row.
Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on X @BillKhan
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Football roundup: Pinckney snaps 13-game losing streak; Howell stays unbeaten
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