Mendon, Centreville football teams start off seasons with road wins

MARLETTE — Both Centreville and Mendon were able to win this past week, earning 1-0 records as they each started the season.

The Mendon Hornets hit the road on Friday night, making the lengthy trip up to the Thumb and coming home with a 46-8 win over the Red Raiders.

"Solid Week 1 performance for us," Mendon coach Bobby Kretschman said. "Played a very clean game offensively and took care of the ball and outside of one long TD run, we played sound defense."

The Hornets scored first in the game, it came during the opening quarter. Zak Iobe found the end zone, this came on a 17-yard scamper to get on the board first.

Iobe would score three more times in the game — a 25-yard run and a 4-yard run in the second quarter plus a 51-yard run in the third quarter. Xavior Zinsmaster scored on a 35-yard TD run late in the contest as well.

Also in the game was a touchdown pass from Owen Klingler to Jaiden Moyer, it went for 47 yards to the house.

Mendon totaled 311 yards on the ground with 37 carries. In total yardage, Mendon posted 200-plus more than Marlette at 358-154.

Iobe pounded out 187 yards on the ground with his 15 carries, Zinsmaster ran for 98 on 14 carries.

Defensively, Iobe led the way with 10 stops while Zinsmaster was in on eight tackles and a sack. Bryce Zagon totaled seven stops, Graycen Haigh made five while Logan Stuart recovered a fumble.

Mendon will play host to Morenci this coming Thursday in the home-opener.

Centreville takes out Comstock

Centreville played on the road Thursday, traveling to beat Comstock 21-8. It may not have been the prettiest game on record, but the Bulldogs were pleased to pick up a win on the road to get things underway in 2026.

The defense was huge for Centreville, especially early in the contest. Bo Riley had a lot to say about that.

He recovered a fumble and had an interception return for a touchdown in the first quarter. Oh, he also scored on Centreville's first drive with a 4-yard plunge into the end zone. The Dogs led 14-0 after one quarter of action.

Comstock was able to score its only points of the game in the second quarter. There, Donovan Rankins Jr. crossed the goal line on a 6-yard run, the conversion success made it 14-8. That would be the score until the fourth quarter.

Centreville pushed its lead back to two scores on a touchdown pass. Brayden Swanwick was able to connect with Nolan Rarick on a 4-yard strike, the extra point put the game at 21-8. The pass completion was the only one of the night for Swanwick, but it was a positive one.

Colton Hartong led the ground game for the Bulldogs, he finished with 87 yards on 17 carries. Riley rushed for 50 yards on his 16 totes.

Centreville hits the road again this coming week with a trip to Decatur on Thursday.

Contact Sports Editor Brandon Watson at bwatson@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @BwatsonSJ.

This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: Mendon, Centreville football teams start off seasons with road wins