Cass City 34, Harbor Beach 0
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Red Hawks Control Every Game Phase, Shutout Pirates to Begin 2026
August 27, 2026 — Week 01 — Cass City, Michigan
Cass City stuck to their game plan and dominated the Harbor Beach Pirates in every facet, securing a shutout victory, 34-0 in the first week of the 2026 MHSAA football season. It was the first time that Harbor Beach had been held scoreless since 2022 — a span of 44 games.
The Red Hawks began the game forcing a quick three-and-out punt for the Pirates and followed it up less than a minute later for the first score of the night. Charlie Hempton run in the first touchdown from five yards out; the extra point was pushed wide right to make the score 6-0, just three and a half minutes into the game. Harbor Beach’s second drive saw the Pirates start to move the ball, but the Red Hawk defense stalled any forward progress at the Cass City 31-yard line, turning the ball over on downs. Now into the second quarter, the Red Hawks moved the ball quickly down the field yet again, covering 69 yards in nine plays, capped off by Hempton’s second touchdown of the evening. A two-point conversion from quarterback Preston Dorland put Cass City ahead, 14-0 with 10:26 left in the half. The next three combined drives ended with punts before Cass City was able to put together another scoring drive as time wound down in the first half. The play of the game kept the drive alive for the Red Hawks when Dorland connected with Braxton Kolacz for a 34-yard catch, converting on third down. Dorland would run in the touchdown with 47 seconds remaining in the second quarter and after a Brody Schefka extra point, Cass City led 21-0 at halftime.
Cass City received the ball to begin the third quarter and methodically marched down the field in five minutes, running the ball nine times for 72 yards. Dorland secured his second touchdown with another quarterback dive from one yard out. Schefka’s point-after pushed the lead for the Red Hawks to 28-0, halfway through the third quarter. Later, Harbor Beach would fumble on just their second play of the drive, giving the ball back to Cass City and subsequently turning it into points to start the fourth quarter. Aiden Brinkman finished the drive with a two-yard dive for the final score of the night, 34-0. The remainder of the game saw another Harbor Beach fumble, a Cass City turnover on downs and a Pirate punt before the game would finish, capping off 48 minutes of a Red Hawk domination.
Player of the Game
Braxton Kolacz
8 carries, 84 yards (10yd/carry)
1 reception, 34 yards
3 tackles, 1 Tackle-for-Loss
Cass City finished with 304 yards of offense on 50 plays, with all but 34 coming on the ground. Kolacz led the way for the Red Hawks with 84 yards on just eight carries. Along with his reception and three tackles on defense, he was named the Ameriprise Financial Player of the Game. Hempton was close behind with 71 yards on 12 carries for two scores. The lone bright spot for Harbor Beach was Kason Volmering who found himself in open space on various occasions, finishing with 54 yards. Altogether, the Pirates finished with 97 total yards and two turnovers.
Harbor Beach (0-1) continues its road trip, traveling to Caro (1-) on Thursday, September 03 (game time confirmed to be 7pm). Cass City heads to Vassar (1-0), also playing on Thursday.
