HOPKINS, Mich. — The Division 5 district opener brought us a rematch of OK Silver foes as Hopkins looked for a season sweep against Belding in the four-five matchup.
And the Vikings would get off to a hot start as Colin Weber found the endzone twice in the opening quarter to make it 12-0 Hopkins.
From there, Belding would get going as Ethan Hodges, Ethan Milanowski and Reed Willimore all found the endzone for the Black Knights and we'd be tied 18-18 in the third quarter.
The Belding defense would stiffen and force a Hopkins fumble which would turn into an Ethan Hodges touchdown run to seal a 32-18 victory, avenging the 34-28 loss to the Vikings back in week four.
While Black Knights head coach Monty Price was thrilled with the victory, he was also very emotional after the passing of longtime Hopkins assistant coach, Mick Francis earlier in the week.
"It's kind of bittersweet, I want to feel happy for our program with the win but we just lost a great man over there this week," Price explained, "that's what makes it bitter, I wish Mick could have been a part of this, win or lose. He's just a great man, my thoughts and prayers go out to Cody [Francis], their family and the Hopkins football program."
The Black Knights improve to 6-1 on the season and will travel to top-seed Grand Rapids Catholic Central for round two next week.
"We beat a state-ranked Hopkins football team that has had a great deal of success," Price said, "we're just very pleased for our seniors taking our program to the next level."
