LocalSportsJournal.com

Orchard View’s ground game proved too much for Ludington Friday in Lakes 8 Conference action.

Edmari Mitchell and Jayden Day combined 349 rushing yards, as the Cardianls cruised to a 54-14 victory.

Day started the scoring off for the Cardinals with an 11-yard touchdown run and Mitchell added a score on the ground and though the air to give OV an 18-0 lead after one quarter.

Orchard View kept the scoring going with two early touchdown runs in the second quarter from Mitchell and Day to go up 32-0.

Ludington got on the board shortly after when Garret Meeker found Calvin Irelan in the end zone for a touchdown, slimming the lead to 32-7.

Michael Grinnel powered in from six yards out for a 39-7 Cardinals lead but the Orioles responded on the ensuing kickoff, as Shemar Jennings returned it to cut the lead to 39-14.

Orchard View quarterback Owen Swanson connected with Dayton Rose on a 10-yard score for a 47-14 lead at halftime. Day added a fourth quarter touchdown to finish the OV scoring.

Mitchell was a workhorse for the Cardinals, totaling 196 yards on the ground with two touchdowns while adding 83 yards on two catches and a score. Day finished with 153 rushing yards on 14 attempts and three scores.

The Cardinals defense had two interceptions and improved their record to 2-4 on the season and 2-1 in the Lakes 8 conference.

Ludington falls to 2-4 overall on the season and 0-4 in conference.

http://www.wzzm13.com/mobile/article/sports/high-school/football/orchard-view-pulls-away-for-big-win-over-manistee/478046642

LocalSportsJournal.com

Edmari Mitchell accounted for six touchdowns to lead Orchard View to its first win of the season, 50-28, over Manistee on Friday in a Lakes 8 contest.

The Cardinals sophomore running back finished with over 300 total yards, rushing for four touchdowns, catching a TD pass and throwing for another.

OV led 21-14 after one quarter, with Mikey Grinell (8-yard run) and Mitchell (2 yards) scoring on the ground, and Mitchell hitting Devin Doss on a 47-yard halfback pass.

After a scoreless second quarter, Manistee tied the game at 21-21 in the third before the Cardinals scored 21 straight points.

Mitchell added a 68 yard TD run and caught a 16-yard scoring pass from Owen Swanson in the third quarter, and had touchdown runs of 49 and 50 yards in the fourth.

Orchard View improved to 1-4 on the season and 1-1 in Lakes 8 Conference action.

LocalSportsJournal.com

The Orchard View football team suffered a tough 42-12 loss Friday at Belding.

The Cardinals’ defense started out the game strong, holding Belding’s offense to eight points in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Orchard View gave up a touchdown on a 92 yard Belding drive and trailed 14-0 at halftime.

Orchard View running back Edmari Mitchell scored a rushing touchdown to open the third quarter, before Belding answered with three straight touchdowns to take a 35-6 lead going into the fourth.

Edmari Mitchell scored another touchdown for the Cardinals in the fourth quarter, making the score 35-12. Belding answered with a final touchdown.

Orchard View amassed 245 total yards, 196 rushing and 49 passing. Mitchell led the Cardinals with 117 yards on 10 carries while Jayden Day rushed for 62 yards on 11 carries. Quarterback Owen Swanson was 2 of 7 passing for 49 yards.

Defensively, Jayden Day led the Cardinals with nine tackles, three for losses, while Mikey Grinell added seven tackles for Orchard View.

Orchard View is now 0-4 overall and remains 0-1. The Cardinals will face Manistee next week.

http://www.foxsports.com/detroit/story/earning-the-letter-lead-running-back-video-090817

LocalSportsJournal.com

August 30, 2017

The Reeths-Puffer football team improved to 2-0 on the season with a 49-21 victory over Orchard View on Thursday in non-league action.

Quarterback Evan Moskwa punched in rushing touchdowns of five and 15 yards in the first quarter to give the Rockets a 14-0 lead at the first break.

Moskwa then found Garrett Reames for a 22-yard passing touchdown in the second quarter to give Reeths-Puffer a 20-0 lead at halftime.

Jayden Day opened up the second half scoring with a 40-yard rushing touchdown to cut the Cardinal deficit to 20-7.

Reeths-Puffer responded with a three-yard Nicholas Dailey touchdown run to increase the Rocket lead to 28-7.

Orchard View closed out the third quarter scoring with a one-yard scoring burst by Edmari Mitchell. The Rockets led 28-14 after three quarters.

Moskwa opened the fourth quarter scoring  with a 51-yard touchdown run to increase the Rockets’ lead to 35-14.

The Cardinals responded with a 40-yard touchdown pass from Owen Swanson to Dayton Rose.

Reeths-Puffer scored the final 14 points of the contest on a 26-yard run by Moskwa and 20-yard rush by Bubba Farwig.

Moskwa led the Rockets with 169 yards and four touchdowns on 12 carries while also throwing for 188 yards and one touchdown on 9-of-15 passing.

Carter Fulton had 106 yards receiving on two catches while Gino Romanelli led the defense with eight tackles and an interception.

Orchard View was led by Day with 132 yards and one touchdown on 27 carries while Mitchell added 70 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.

Reeths-Puffer will travel to Grand Rapids Union next week. Orchard View, now 0-2, will travel to Muskegon Catholic.

LocalSportsJournal.com

The Orchard View football team opened up with a tough 41-13 defeat at the hands of Sparta on Thursday.

Sparta opened the scoring on a nine-yard touchdown run by quarterback Jake Davis and led 6-0 going into the second quarter.

Davis struck two more times in the second quarter, rambling in from 32 yards out and throwing a 65-yard TD strike to Grant Kelley.

The Spartans led 20-0 at halftime.

Christopher Barnett had two touchdown runs for Sparta in the third quarter and one in the fourth.

Orchard View scored both of its touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Jayden Day scored from 19 yards out and Jekhi Flowers added an 11-yard scoring burst.

Davis rushed for 179 yards and threw for 170 for Sparta.

Day had 72 yards on the ground for Orchard View on 15 carries.

The Cardinals will play Reeths-Puffer next week in another non-conference game.

http://localsportsjournal.com/2017/08/ovs-jayden-day-ready-to-kick-off-the-final-season-of-a-four-year-varsity-career/

By Nate Thompson
LocalSportsJournal.com

MUSKEGON TOWNSHIP – When it comes to academics, Orchard View’s Jayden Day said the keys to success are planning, keeping a schedule, and focusing on the task at hand.

That sound strategy has obviously worked wonders for the Cardinals’ soon-to-be-senior. He carries a grade point average over 3.9 and is considering going to college at one of several elite Ivy League schools.

“My schedule has definitely been hectic at times,” Day said. “But what it boils down to, if I want to get work done at a high level, I need to organize as much as possible and have it planned out.”

Day’s varsity football career was also designed for that kind of success, but injuries and disappointing results on the field have taken their toll.

Yet Day’s tremendous talent has never been in doubt, and he’s ready to roll into his senior season. The Cardinals open their 2017 campaign at home Thursday night in a non-league clash with Sparta.

Orchard View running back Jayden Day. Photo/Jason Goorman

Day’s varsity football career began with a great deal of promise. He was named the Cardinals’ starting quarterback as a freshman, and promptly led his team to a stunning upset of powerful Montague in his first game in 2014.

Day sealed that big victory when he threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to teammate Mike Parker with four seconds left on the clock.

He had other big games that year, throwing touchdown passes of 85 yards and 66 yards against Ludington, and rushing for two touchdowns, including a 66-yard romp, against Manistee.

Orchard View finished 5-4 in 2014, its first winning season in five years.

“His very first game, he was named the player of the week by (WZZM) Channel 13,” said Orchard View head coach Joe Tanis. “That set the stage pretty high for him.”

Day’s unusual maturity as a ninth-grader made the coaches comfortable about handing him the keys to the offense so early.

“It 100 percent had to do with his leadership and his work ethic, which are two things I value the most in a player,” Tanis said. “For a 14-year-old to earn the trust of his teammates in such a short time, that says a lot.”

Orchard View coaches recognized Day’s versatility on the gridiron, and began to use him as a running back and receiver in his sophomore year. After posting five wins in 2014, Day and the Cardinals seemed set for even bigger accomplishments in 2015.

But they turned in a disappointing 3-6 record, and things got even tougher last season when Orchard View went 2-7 and Day limped through most of his junior campaign with a hamstring injury.

Despite the problems, Day has been a Lakes 8 All-Conference selection at various positions throughout his career. Now his senior season has arrived, and he’s determined to make the most of it.

The 5-foot-9, 185-pounder could line up all over the field offensively, but will mostly play running back and see a lot of snaps at linebacker on defense.

Jayden Day on the Orchard View rush against Montague during the 2015 season. Photo/Tim Reilly

Day enters the season with a few nagging injuries, but is expected to play in the opening game.

“He’s a tough, physical runner,” Tanis said. “He’s got deceptive speed. I don’t know if there’s one area where I can say ‘wow,’ but he’s really good across the board. He catches the ball well, he’s just a complete running back.”

Orchard View will be facing a lot of challenges again this season, due to overall inexperience. Five sophomores and a freshman are expected to play prominent roles for the team.

But Day is optimistic about the Cardinals’ chances to gain more wins this season.

“We haven’t got the wins we’ve wanted these last couple years, but we’ve made tremendous gains with our program, things that can’t be valued by just wins and losses,” he said. “The culture is changing around here. The coaches have done a great job of getting kids to buy in.

“We’ve got more kids than ever coming in the offseason in the weight room. We’re building relationships throughout the school and with our teachers, and helping with community development. We’re getting more people excited about this program again. With all the positive changes, I feel the wins will translate onto the field soon enough.”

Day said he’s excited to line up behind sophomore quarterback Edmari Mitchell, whom he calls a “cerebral player.”

No. 7  Jayden Day stands with coach Joe Tanis and the rest of the Orchard View team before a game last season. Photo/Leo Valdez

“Smart with the ball,” Day said of Mitchell. “He really developed a trust this offseason, with his dedication and the work he put in to get better.”

Day has taken a lot of the Cardinals’ underclassmen under his wing. He tells the younger players that unlike middle school or junior varsity football, they won’t be able to rely on pure athleticism to excel.

“You have to pay attention and mentally be locked in,” he said.

As for his future plans, Day is definitely locked in. He visited Cornell University in New York City this summer, and is considering other Ivy League schools for academics and football.

“He’ll get a scholarship academically wherever he goes, so he has a lot of options to go play this sport that he loves,” Tanis said.

http://www.wzzm13.com/sports/high-school/football/two-a-days/two-a-days-orchard-view/464442939

Congratulations to Jourden Sharps for signing her letter of intent to continues her education and to play soccer at Muskegon Community College next year.

Here is the current lifting and football workout schedule.