Football Notebook: New coach leads Marshall to win in season opener

MARSHALL - A new chapter for Marshall football started off with a good story as the Redhawks came away with a win.

In his first game as head coach for the Redhawks, Scott Farley led Marshall to a 38-6 win over Gull Lake in non-conference high school football action at Marshall on Thursday.

"A new team, a new season. You never really know how it's going to go. You just go out and hope for the best," Farley said. "Usually, it doesn't come easy, so it's good to get that first win out of the way. Get some momentum for the team and the program."

Marshall scored twice in the second quarter to lead 16-0 by halftime. The Redhawks had a shutout going into the fourth quarter with a 24-0 lead after three quarters.

Marshall quarterback Austin Miller had three touchdown passes for the Redhawks, with all three going Jace Saunders for 22, 19 and 59 yards. Miller also had a quarterback keeper for a score from four yards out. Marshall added a late touchdown on a 10-yard scoring run by Akin Olapade.

Miller finished 7-of-15 passing for 131 yards. Olapade dominated on the ground with 244 yards rushing on 27 carries.

Matthew Hackworth had seven tackles to lead Marshall in the win.

Gull Lake's lone score came on a touchdown run by Ryder Martinson from a yard out.

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Byron Center 42, Battle Creek Central 6

Byron Center led 35-0 at halftime and cruised to its third straight win over Battle Creek Central in this non-conference season opener for both teams.

Sir Paris scored the lone touchdown for Battle Creek Central on a 17-yard pass from Lee Campbell.

"We had the opportunity to play on a big stage against a team that is very good. If you want to be great, you have to play great teams. We took our lumps and we have to learn from our mistakes and try to do better next week," BCC coach Lorin Granger said.

Lakewood Lake Odessa 27, Pennfield 6

A Lakewood team that went 1-8 a year ago, looked much improved as it earned a win over Pennfield in the season opener.

Isaiah Gray had 60 yards rushing to lead Pennfield with Calvin Paesens throwing for 116 yards. Gavin May led the Panther defense with 10 tackles with Brevin Bailey adding seven stops.

Olivet 43, Chippewa Hills 20

Olivet led 14-6 at halftime and then rolled to 29 more points in the second half in this non-conference win. Ty Evert had two touchdown runs and rushed for 159 yards on 14 carries to lead Olivet. Patrick Priesman and Ethan Schaefer added scoring runs for the Eagles.

GR NorthPointe Christian 32, Climax-Scotts 24

After going undefeated in the regular season a year ago, Climax-Scotts lost its season opener on the road in a non-conference clash with state-power Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian. NorthPointe led 16-8 at halftime and remained on top 24-16 after three quarters. Jackson Bagwell led C-S with 135 yards on 21 carries and a score with Luke Lawrence adding 83 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Lawrence also had nine tackles to pace the defense with Gabe Walliczek also adding nine stops and Bagwell getting eight.

Bellevue 57, Tekonsha 0

Bellevue earned a mercy-rule victory over Tekonsha in 8-player division football. Seth Keson had 91 yards rushing and three scores on the ground, and added a interception return for a score as well. Bronco quarterback Aaron Golomski had a touchdown run and a scoring pass.

More Scores

Gobles 53, Colon 0

Grass Lake 32, Homer 14

Coldwater 35, Sturgis 8

Constantine 50, Delton Kellogg 8

Maple Valley 9, Potterville 8

Loy Norrix 51, Quincy 8

Union City 27, Centreville 0

Decatur 53, Galesburg-Augusta 19

Bill Broderick can be reached at bbroderi@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow him on X/Twitter: @billbroderick.

This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Football Notebook: New coach leads Marshall to win in season opener