Bay City area Big Thumb roundup Week 4: Fourth-quarter frenzy at Sugar Bowl

Sometimes rivalry games can get wild, and this one was all kinds of crazy.

With sugar on top.

Reese and Unionville-Sebewaing waged an epic battle in their 31st annual Sugar Bowl, complete with an off-the-rails final quarter, before Reese pulled off a 50-38 victory.

Fans were riveted to the end as the neighboring foes put seven touchdowns on the board in the fourth quarter, making for a head-spinning fight to the finish. USA (1-3, 0-2) led the Big Thumb Conference Black clash 18-14 at the half before Reese (3-1, 2-0) took a 22-18 edge into the final stanza.

: Bay City area Week 4 scoreboard

Then it turned into a back-and-forth shootout as the two squads put up the most points in the Sugar Bowl since lighting it up for 97 in 2012. The win was Reese's fourth in a row in the rivalry and diced USA's all-time advantage to 16-15 in the Sugar Bowl era.

Deegan Carter provided plenty of fireworks for the Rockets, rushing for 126 yards and four touchdowns on 21 carries while backfield mate Tre Johnson rolled up 118 yards and a touchdown on 10 attempts. Quarterback Brady Benson rushed for two TDs and 144 yards on just five carries and finished 4 of 9 passing for 110 yards.

Johnson, Benson and Mason Weiss fronted the Reese defense with six tackles apiece.

USA countered with an explosive performance from Brady Green. The workhorse back carried the ball 37 times for 270 yards, getting in the end zone four times. Ryan Wiederhold rushed for 52 yards and a touchdown and turned two receptions into 83 yards.

Davis Peters was 8 of 18 passing for 158 yards, hitting Reid Vermeersch with a TD toss. Wiederhold led the USA defense with six stops while Vermeersch added five and Owen Kauffold four.

A game that featured 600 yards of rushing – and just one pass completion – turned into a battle of wits and wills.

And No. 3-ranked Millington was in it for the long haul.

Cass City was the first to wear down, giving up three long touchdown runs in the ground-dominated battle in a 34-6 loss to the Cardinals in Big Thumb Conference White action.

Cass City got a touchdown run from Ryker Wallace to draw within 7-6 at 10:04 of the second quarter. But the Red Hawks (2-2, 1-1) would not score the rest of the way.

Instead, it was Millington (4-0, 2-0) that got it rolling, tallying 401 rushing yards in the win. Most notably, Landon Russell broke an 85-yard touchdown run, Bryce Martin dashed in from 76 yards out and Truk Terbush scored a 54-yard TD for the Cardinals.

Cass City, which was edged by Millington 21-20 in the district final a season ago, was led by Wallace with 86 yards on 16 carries. Will Perry added 61 yards on 10 attempts. Jackson Anthony led the defense with nine tackles and a fumble recover while Mason Gniewek had six tackles and an interception. Trent Patrick added a fumble recovery for the Red Hawks.

LAKER 43, CARO 0

The Laker defense refused to budge, posting a shutout in a 43-0 victory over Caro in Big Thumb Conference White action.

Darick Karr registered seven tackles and Oliver Haley had three tackles for loss with a sack to spearhead the dominant performance for the Lakers (2-2, 1-1). Lucas Lesoski and Dayton Lesoski each added five tackles in the win.

Colt Talaski ignited the offense with a 216-yard, three-touchdown effort on 17 carries, including scoring jaunts of 66 and 62 yards.

Carson McCain rushed for 119 yards and one touchdown on 13 carries and was 4 of 9 passing for 25 yards and a score. Lucas Wehner hauled in a touchdown toss and Ben LeVasseur scored on a 61-yard run.

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