Onaway travels to Central Lake for football playoff Friday night

The Onaway High School varsity football team got some welcome news Sunday, when it learned that had earned enough playoff points to qualify for the MHSAA postseason with a record of 5-4.

Teams that win six games automatically qualify for the playoffs. Remaining spots in the field are filled with five-win teams that qualify through a point system that takes into account who you’ve defeated.

Last year, the Cardinals finished 5-4 but failed to qualify. This year’s identical win-loss mark was good enough to get the Red Birds in. Onaway opened the season with four straight wins, but has since dropped four of five.

The Cards open postseason play with a familiar foe – fellow Ski Valley Conference school Central Lake, which will host Onaway tonight (Friday). Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

The Trojans defeated the Cardinals, 45-14, just two weeks ago, behind 195 rushing yards and four touchdowns from Will Brockman. But Onaway was without key players in that one.

OHS defeated Central Lake at both the varsity and JV levels a year ago, and looking at the team’s scores against like opponents this year suggests a closer game the second time around.

To win, though, the Cards will have to rediscover the form they showed during the early-season winning streak. Onaway dropped its final three games of the season, including Friday’s 30-2 homecoming loss to visiting Pickford.

The Cardinals took a 2-0 lead in that one when Chae Whitsitt brought down the Panther punter in the end zone for a safety with 8:05 left in the first quarter. It was all Pickford after that.

Danny Babinsky scored on a 69-yard touchdown run, and Jarred Lavigne ran in the two-point conversion, to put the Panthers up 8-2 with 1:44 left in the opening quarter.

Lavigne then scored on a one-yard TD run, capping a 12-play, 67-yard drive that ate almost six minutes of clock. Babinsky ran in the conversion, and the lead was 16-2 with 45 seconds left in quarter two.

Pickford received the second-half kickoff and ate six-plus minutes of clock, driving 84 yards on 12 plays. Babinsky capped the drive with a one-yard run. Lavigne ran in the conversion and the score was 24-3 with 5:43 left in the third.

L

avigne finished the scoring when he ran the ball in from 34 yards out, putting the Panthers up 30-2 with 11:04 left in the game. The conversion attempt was stopped by the Cards.

Babinski finished the day with 165 yards rushing on 17 carries. Lavigne gained 111 yards on 15 carries. Whitsitt ran the ball eight times for 90 yards for Onaway, while Jason Sigsby had 12 carries for 51 yards.

Whitsitt paced the OHS defense with 15 tackles. Matt Tollini had 14 tackles, Chris Cleaver had 12, Justin Gedda had nine, and Tommy Auger had six. Blake Kaufman had 10 tackles for Pickford.