Saline Moves One Step Closer to SEC Red Title

A large 2023 Homecoming crowd saw the Saline football team move one step closer to another SEC Red title after a 43-7 rout of Ann Arbor Huron Friday night.

The win kept the Hornets perfect in the SEC Red with a 5-0 conference record. They have a one game lead over Dexter and Monroe with road matchups with Ypsilanti Lincoln and Ann Arbor Skyline left in league play.

The Hornets once again relied heavily on the passing game as CJ Carr passed for 329 yards and four scores on the night.

Saline did not have much of a running game with just 26 yards on the ground on 19 carries.

Carr got the Hornets going in the first quarter when he hit Caid Fox with a 32-yard scoring pass for a 7-0 lead after one quarter.

It would not be the last time that Carr and Fox hooked up on the night as Fox caught 12 passes from Carr for 211 yards and three scores.

Saline opened the second when Dylan Mesman caught a 16-yard TD pass from Carr for a 14-0 lead.

A short time later, Carr hit Fox with a slant pass, and he sprinted through the River Rat defense for a 31-yard touchdown for a 21-0 lead.

Jacob Piniatoglou hit a 28-yard field goal to close out the half for the Hornets to give Saline a 24-0 halftime lead.

The third quarter started with James Rush bursting through the line for an eight-yard scoring run to make it 31-0 and the rout was on.

Carr then connected with Fox for a touchdown for the third time on the night with a 20-yard scoring pass and a 37-0 lead.

Huron would find the endzone late in the third to make it 37-7, but the Hornets would finish the rout with a 22-yard scoring pass from Tommy Carr to Lincoln Keyes to make it a 43-7 final.

Mesman caught seven passes for 52 yards and a score, while Keyes caught two for 37 and a TD.

LaDanian Wood caught one pass for 23 yards, Jarell Marshall two for 20, and Rush two for 15. Miller Grambau caught one for eight yards, Cole Kreuzer two for six, and Noah Bonner one for six.

Tommy Carr was six for seven passing for 49 yards and a score and led Saline with 16 yards rushing.

The Hornets improved to 6-0 overall on the season.

Photos by Dawn McCann