Pickford's season ends in MHSAA 8-player semifinal loss to Deckerville

CADILLAC — Things looked good for the Pickford Panthers, who led 8-0 early in the second quarter of their MHSAA 8-Player Division 1 football state semifinal against Deckerville in Cadillac.

But as the Eagles of Deckerville have shown all season, they're capable of exploding offensively at any moment.

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Despite trailing, the Eagles erupted with a 30-point outburst in the second quarter, built a lead 30-14 halftime lead, and rolled to a 42-28 victory over the Panthers on Saturday, Nov. 14.  

After a 49-yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Carter Rye helped the Panthers (9-3) go up 8-0 in the second quarter, the Eagles (11-1) responded immediately when Ashton Wedge broke loose for a 67-yard TD dash, followed by a successful two-point conversion attempt that tied the game with 7:54 left before halftime.  

Pickford took the lead back at 14-8 when senior Mason Andrzejak capped a drive with a one-yard TD run, but Wedge got loose again and raced 92 yards for a TD, while another successful two-point attempt gave Deckerville its first lead of the game at 16-14.  

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Wedge wasn't the only Deckerville star who delivered on Saturday.

On the Eagles' next possession, Brandon Salowitz went 56 yards for a TD, helping Deckerville extend its advantage to 24-14. Disaster struck right before the half for the Panthers, who saw a fumble recovered by Salowitz, who went 60 yards for another score, pushing Deckerville's lead to 30-14 with only five seconds before the break.  

Deckerville took full control in the third, using a time-consuming drive that was finished off by Salowitz, who scored on a one-yard TD plunge to give the Eagles a 36-14 lead with 1:55 remaining in the quarter.  

While Pickford trimmed the deficit to 36-22 with a TD run and successful two-point conversion from Andrzejak, but the Eagles punched back quickly as Salowitz scored again from 16 yards out, which made it 42-22 with 6:36 left.  

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Rye delivered a 15-yard TD strike to Rye late, but it wasn't enough as Deckerville punched its ticket to the Superior Dome in Marquette. Two years ago, Deckerville beat Pickford 30-28 in the 8-Player Division 1 title game.  

Deckerville now faces Blanchard Montabella (11-0), which beat Colon 56-21 in its semifinal at Greenville on Saturday. Montabella suffered a 52-8 defeat to Martin in the 2025 8-Player state title game.

The Deckerville-Montabella showdown will be an 11 a.m. start on Saturday, Nov. 21, at the Superior Dome.  

Meanwhile, it was a tough end to another successful season for Pickford, which won a third regional title in four seasons and were outright champions in the Bridge Alliance Straits Division.  

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Pickford senior stars playing their final game were Rye, Andrzejak, Carter Yiirs, Caden Chromy and Dane Rouble.   

Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf at jgreenleaf@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @sportsCDT

This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Pickford's season ends in MHSAA 8-player semifinal loss to Deckerville