Listen live online Saturday at 1 p.m. on the Slocum Sports Network to a MHSAA Division 8 Pre-District football game between the Mendon Hornets and Lake Michigan Catholic Lakers. It’s a rematch of last year’s Pre-District, a game Mendon won 39-12.
Mendon enters the playoffs at 9-0 with only 45 points allowed this season, the lowest in the entire state. They’re also averaging an impressive 45.1 per game offensively. Apart from their 34-24 week eight win over Cassopolis, the Hornets dominated the competition in the first year of the Southwest 10 Conference, including six shutouts.
Ranked third in the final Associated Press Division 8 poll, Mendon is in the postseason for the 11th consecutive season. In that stretch, they’ve made it to the Regional round in all but the last two seasons, falling in last year’s district final to Climax-Scotts. In 2011, the Hornets claimed their most recent state championship.
Lake Michigan Catholic (who co-ops with Countryside Academy) enters at 7-2 and won all four of their games within the BCS Blue Division. The Laker defense is allowing a solid 17.1 points per game while scoring 32.4 per contest. Their two losses came in week four and five to a much larger Parchment (30-0) and defending Division 8 champion and top-ranked Muskegon Catholic Central (55-13). The last Pre-District victory for LMC came in 2002.
Briefly conference rivals, Mendon and Lake Michigan Catholic have met 12 times before, seven times in the playoffs. In all 12, the Hornets were the winner. The winner advances to the District final against either defending champion Muskegon Catholic Central or Decatur.
