Mendon rallied in Friday night’s regional football championship at Colon as the Hornets upset the unbeaten Magi 46-44. It’s the first eight-player regional title for Mendon and their first regional football crown overall since 2017. Friday was the first football meeting between the Hornets and Magi since 2014 and continues the Mendon winning streak against their former rival that runs back to 1976.
Photos by Nicci Plummer
Like many of their games, Colon struck first and had a 14-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. The Magi lead was 28-14 at halftime, although an injury late in the half to stud receiver Justin Wickey would deal a significant blow. The Hornets scored twice in the third to get their first lead at 30-28, but Colon had it back up 36-30 to end the third
Mendon went ahead again with 9:49 left on a touchdown pass to Gabe Haigh from Luke Schinker, but in less than two minutes, the Magi matched for a 44-38 advantage on a Blake Vanderstraaten from Simon Vinson toss.
On what would be the winning drive, Mendon drove 77 yards on 13 plays in just over four minutes. Jack McCaw scored on a seven-yard rush with 3:39 left to tie the game at 44-44 and the two-point conversion rush by Evan Lukeman put the Hornets ahead 46-44. Mendon’s defense would then force a turnover on downs to seal the win.
Now 9-2, the Hornets await Saturday’s regional final result between Morrice and Au Gres-Sims to find out their semifinal opponent. Mendon would travel if Au Gres-Sims win, but be the host if Morrice advances based on playoff points. Colon closes the year at 10-1
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | F | |
| Mendon | 0 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 46 |
| Colon | 14 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 44 |
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
CO: 25 yard rush Simon Vinson, Alessandro Vanalli PAT (10:05)
CO: 2 yard rush Tucker Lafler, Vanalli PAT (3:57)
Second Quarter
ME: 78 yard pass Gabe Haigh from Luke Schinker, 2PT rush Evan Lukeman (7:11)
CO: 8 yard rush Simon Vinson, 2PT Fail (5:55)
ME: 15 yard rush Jack McCaw, 2PT Fail (1:27)
CO: 6 yard rush Tucker Lafler, 2PT rush Vinson (0:58)
Third Quarter
ME: 5 yard rush Evan Lukeman, 2PT rush Schinker (6:34)
ME: 1 yard rush Luke Schinker, 2PT pass McCaw from Schinker (3:27)
CO: 2 yard rush Simon Vinson, 2PT pass Kyle Muntian from Vinson (0:23)
Fourth Quarter
ME: 10 yard pass Gabe Haigh from Luke Schinker, 2PT rush Lukeman (9:49)
CO: 47 yard pass Blake Vanderstraaten from Simon Vinson, 2PT rush Vinson (8:02)
ME: 7 yard rush Jack McCaw, 2PT rush Lukeman (3:39)
Total Yards: Mendon 442, Colon 441
Passing: Mendon 129, Colon 222
Rushing: Mendon 313, Colon 219
Turnovers: Mendon 1, Colon 0
First Downs: Mendon 21, Colon 16
Penalties: Mendon 5-30, Colon 12-82
Mendon Passing: Luke Schinker 2-3, 88 yards, 2 TD; Jack McCaw 2-4, 41 yards
Colon Passing: Simon Vinson 12-28, 222 yards, 1 TD
Mendon Rushing: Evan Lukeman 177, 1 TD; Jack McCaw 104, 2 TD; Luke Schinker 36, 1 TD
Colon Rushing: Simon Vinson 150, 3 TD; Tucker Lafler 69, 2 TD
Mendon Receiving: Gabe Haigh 2-88, 2 TD; Luke Schinker 1-27, Noah Iobe 1-14
Colon Receiving: Justin Wickey 3-85, Blake Vanderstraaten 1-47, 1 TD; Kyle Muntian 1-40, Conner Hetman 3-21, Owen Wilson 2-16, Maverick Downs 1-8, Tucker Lafler 1-5
Mendon Defense: Nic Stiver 9 tck, Dylan Cupp 8 tck, Evan Lukeman 6 tck, Grant Crotser 6 tck, Khayvien Brown 6 tck, Luke Schinker 5 tck, Nathan Vergauwen 4 tck, Gabe Haigh 4 tck, 1 TFL; Jack McCaw 3 tck, 1 TFL
Colon Defense: Maverick Downs 17 tck, 1 TFL, 1 FR; Tucker Lafler 17 tck, 1 TFL, 1 FF; Kaleb Thaxton 14 tck, Simon Vinson 9 tck, Blake Vanderstraaten 6 tck, 1 TFL; Kyle Muntian 3 tck, Owen Wilson 3 tck, Justin Wickey 2 tck, 1 TFL; Conner Hetman 2 tck, Jacob Bower 2 tck, Dane Borgert 1 tck
Records: Mendon 9-2, Colon 10-1