Evart Slips Past Houghton Lake in District Opener

EVART – Evart recorded its program second playoff victory with a 23-18 win over Highland Conference foe Houghton in a Division 7 district opener for our Sports Overtime Game of the Week on Friday.

The Wildcats (5-2) took a 3-0 lead to the second quarter and extended their lead to 13-6 at the half en route to their fifth straight win.

“We had to stop the run,” Evart coach Pat Craven said. “We knew they were going to run, run, run and that was going to be a difficult task for us tonight. They’re a physical team, that Brian Morgan is an outstanding running back, a tough kid. Jake Hamp, their linebacker and full back, he’s an outstanding football player, kind of their key to offensive success, just tough kids. And we really had to stop the run. We did just enough from that standpoint, I thought we played tough defense. And to be honest with you, Reese Ransom’s field goals were huge for us.”

With the loss, Houghton Lake concludes its 2020 campaign at 4-3.

Evart will travel to McBain (7-0) in a district semifinal next week.