Harbor Beach 43, Whiteford 14
Pirates Punch Above Their Weight Class, Defeat Second-Straight Division 07 Opponent
September 06, 2025 — Week 02 — Davison, Michigan
Whiteford may have scored first, taking advantage of a turnover, but the Harbor Beach Pirates controlled the day, scoring six times and defeating the Bobcats 43-14 on Saturday, September 06, 2025 from Davison High School.
After the Pirates forced a punt on Whiteford’s first drive of the day, Caden Bucholtz was caught in his endzone and threw an interception, giving the ball to the Bobcats who scored two plays later to lead 8-0 halfway through the first quarter. Harbor Beach would respond to the adversity well, scoring on their next two possessions to go ahead 20-8 and wouldn’t give up the lead again on the day.
Whiteford’s second and final score of the day would come just nine seconds before halftime from Brek Ruddy to bring the game back within one possession, 20-14 in favor of the Pirates after two quarters. Harbor Beach received the second-half kick and marched down the field in 13 plays with the drive capped off by Caden Bucholtz’s third rushing touchdown to lead 28-14. Whiteford was stopped on fourth down at the HB 18-yard-line on the next drive, which the Pirates again took the ball down the entire field to tack on their fifth score, a four-yard run from Andrew Kabban. Sophomore Ty Winkel punched in the final touchdown of the day and a successful point-after kick from Skiler Kruse made it 43-14 in the fourth quarter.
Saturday’s game marked Harbor Beach head coach Troy Schelke’s 300th coached game and his 210th victory. After the win, Schelke was pleased with how his team responded to the early adversity, “We started right behind the eight-ball (after the interception) and we played some good ball after that. It was nice to come out in the second half, control the ball, pound the ball and play good defense.”
One of the questions entering the 2025 season for the Pirates was being battle-tested before it was too late. Two wins in two weeks against Division 07 opponents has the Harbor Beach program motivated to continue driving forward as the season progresses toward the playoffs. Schelke added, “It was just a really great test for us. Both coaching staffs thought this was going to make us better one way or another, whether we liked it or not.”
Bucholtz led the Pirate rushing attack for the second week in a row from the quarterback position, carrying the ball 15 times for 147 yards and three scores. He now has 286 yards and five touchdowns for the season on just 21 carries. Through the air, Bucholtz connected on seven of his 11 pass attempts for 100 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Benson Harper led the receiving corp for the Pirates with three catches for 44 yards and the lone receiving score of the day.
The Pirates (2-0) now begin divisional play in the Big Thumb Conference’s Black division as they travel to Ubly (1-1) on Friday, September 12. Whiteford falls to 1-1 to start the 2025 season before beginning conference play in the Toledo Area Athletic Conference. Due to their proximity to the state line (their township line shares a border with Ohio), they play a predominantly Ohio schedule, starting with West Unity Hilltop High School next week.
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