St. Joseph held off a furious late rally from Mattawan to earn a thrilling 39–37 victory Friday night at Dickinson Stadium. The Bears jumped out to a 12–0 first-quarter lead as Ish Dixon scored from a yard out and Caden LeClear connected with James Atterbery for a 72-yard touchdown strike. The Wildcats clawed back to take brief momentum in the second quarter, but LeClear answered with a 40-yard touchdown pass to Nate Schmitt, giving St. Joe a 20–17 edge at halftime.

In the third quarter, St. Joe’s ground game took control. Dixon and LeClear each added rushing scores on long, clock-chewing drives that stretched the Bears’ advantage to 32–17. Mattawan’s passing attack responded with a 61-yard touchdown, but St. Joe’s offense continued to move the chains, finishing with 388 rushing yards on

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