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Evart Football Playing for Regional Title for First Time in Program History

EVART – For the first time in program history, Evart will play for a regional championship on Saturday afternoon against Iron Mountain.

The Wildcats won the program’s first ever district title with a 35-7 victory over East Jordan last week. The Wildcats will face Iron Mountain in regionals, a team that’s no stranger to this stage of the playoffs.

This is the third time in the last four years that Iron Mountain has made it this deep into the playoffs.

Evart will have to make the 365 mile trip to Iron Mountain for the game on Saturday afternoon.

The football team’s playoff run is a continuation of what’s been a banner year for the Evart athletic department as a whole.

Cole Hopkins, a senior on the football team, won an individual wrestling state championship this past winter. The Evart softball team also reached the state championship game this spring.

Head football coach Pat Craven said seeing the success of the school as a whole elevates the confidence level for his players.

“We were really proud of them and excited to see it,” said Craven. “And yeah, it did give us confidence that ‘hey we can do that too’ and so that’s what we’ve been pushing for.

It’s nice to have the girls walking through the halls kind of smacking the boys saying ‘hey, it’s not that big of a deal. Just make it happen, get it done.'”

Iron Mountain plays a tough-nose style of football that’s quite common among upper peninsula teams.

“They’re a pretty run-heavy team so if our [defensive backs] fill in and make the right plays and our defensive line and linebackers are there we’ll be alright,” said Evart senior Jacob Ladd.

“What makes us successful is our depth on our offense and how hard it is for defenses to plan against us,” added junior Preston Wallace.

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