Strong USA Run Game Outpaces Nouvel Passing Attack, Patriots Move on to District Championship
October 30, 2026 — MHSAA Division 08 Playoffs — Sebewaing, MI
It was a game of two different styles: running versus passing, with the victor being the ground attack of the USA Patriots. USA defeated Nouvel Catholic Central, 36-22 on Friday, October 30, 2026 to advance to their second straight district championship game in the MHSAA Playoffs.
The game began with Nouvel moving the ball well, but their drive stalled at midfield when the Patriot defense stopped the Panthers on fourth down, which quickly turned into USA points. Grady Bolzman ran in the first score for the Patriots from one yard out while Drake Hamilton ran in the two-point conversion to give USA an 8-0 lead with three minutes left in the first quarter. Nouvel’s second drive ended the same way; the Pathers marched all the way to USA’s 20-yard line before another fourth down stop gave the ball back to the Patriots with 9:49 left in the first half. USA wasted no time, moving the ball 80 yards on seven plays, scoring three and a half minutes later when Bolzman punched in his second score, a 13-yard run, halfway through the second quarter. The two-point try was stopped giving USA a 14-0 advantage. Nouvel was unable to do anything on their ensuing drive, punting away the ball after just three plays and three gained yards. USA scored their third touchdown of the night as time expired when Carter Maturo’s eight-yard pass was brought in by Hamilton to push the halftime lead to a 20-0 score.
After some halftime adjustments, Nouvel’s defense was able to stop USA’s strong running game, forcing a three-and-out on the first drive of the third quarter. 38 seconds later, Nouvel found the end zone with an Owen Vance six-yard score. Parker Kingsbury kicked the extra point to cut into USA’s lead, 20-7. That score began four straight possessions between the two teams that resulted in touchdowns. The Patriots would respond with an eight-yard run for six points. Bolzman would run in the two-point conversion to push USA out to a 28-7 lead. Then, on a fourth-and-long, Nouvel quarterback Jacob Kusowski found Drake Fox on a 50-yard touchdown pass for their second score of the night. Kingsbury’s kick brought the score to USA 28, Nouvel 14 with a minute left in the third quarter.
USA then marched 80 yards down the field on the very next drive in just three minutes, capped off by a Noah Howard five-yard run. Hamilton ran in the two-point conversion for the Patriots to extend their lead to 36-14 with 9:55 remaining in regulation. USA’s defense held strong on the next possession, stopping the scoring blitz when Nouvel was stopped on fourth down at the Patriot 37-yard line. USA was unable to do much on the next drive, having to punt the ball away with 3:36 remaining in the game, but still up by 22 points. On Nouvel’s final drive of the night, Vance brought in a 22-yard catch that he ran in for a touchdown with 23 seconds left. Vance also ran in the two-point conversion to bring the Panthers with 14 points, 36-22.
Grady Bolzman led the Patriots on both sides of the stat sheet, rushing for 173 yards on 19 carries for two scores. He now surpasses the 1,000-yard mark on the season with 1,169 rushing yards in 10 games. He also led the team in tackles with eight and one pass break-up. Bolzman was named the Ameriprise Financial Player of the Game for his efforts. Drake Hamilton also finished the game with over 100 yards, running the ball 20 times for 136 yards and one touchdown. Hamilton brought in the only Patriot catch of the night, an eight-yard touchdown reception from Carter Maturo.
USA has now won seven games in a row. After a 1-2 start to the season, the Patriots enter the district championship game with an 8-2 record. They face off with a familiar foe, the Ubly Bearcats on Friday, November 6 at Herp Field in Ubly, Michigan. Nouvel finishes the 2026 season with a 5-5 record.
