Battle Creek Game of the Week: BC Central @ Lakeview
For the Week 3 Battle Creek Game of the Week, we stop by at Lakeview for another cross-city rivalry contest between the Battle Creek Central Bearcats and the Lakeview Spartans.
On Friday the 13th, both teams are looking to reverse their fortunes after beginning the season 0-2. The Bearcats are looking to get out of a 13-game losing streak that extends back to 2022. BCC's most recent win came against Lakeview on October 14, 2022.
Both teams have more talent than their record and scoreboards would indicate. Both teams opened the season with games against programs with more recent success and clearer post-season goals, including Harper Creek which shut out both teams this season.
Battle Creek's Youth Plays with Confidence
Led by freshman quarterback Lee Campbell, Jr., the Bearcats have shown their youth and inexperience can be a benefit as easily as a hindrance. Campbell has been proven to be smart with the football in his hands and is growing into his leadership role as the signal caller.
Campbell told us at practice Tuesday that he's taking this game just like any other but is looking forward to the opportunity to get back on the field against the rival Spartans.
While the Bearcats will look to establish a ground game with sophomore Koran Gupton and junior Hector Sanchez, the perimeter talents of sophomore Gregory Williams and Marice Shuford-Mandoka could combine for some explosive games.
Of course, Kalifornia Bey can wreck the game on both sides of the ball, and Central will be looking for him to do just that. Lakeview is aware of the unbalanced tight end role Bey has played on offense and the type of chaos it creates in the game plan. Despite his eye-catching #0 jersey, the tactic has allowed him to sneak through defense for impressive gains.
Defensively, the Bearcats started incredibly strong against the Harper Creek Beavers. While the damn eventually broke in that game, the same type of attention to detail and grit Central played with in Week 2 could be all the difference against the Spartans wide-open offense.
Spartan's Offense Getting Back on Track
Offensively, the Spartans are a tad more polished, especially with the connection between quarterback Jack Darland and tight end Spencer Shotwell. Shotwell told us he was happy to be more involved as a pass-catcher against Grand Ledge, a game where the offense was a bit more productive than in Week 1 against Harper Creek.
Kalifornia Bey looks to be playing a bit more off-ball backer this week to combat Shotwell. They provide one of the more interesting matchups on the field we've seen in this young season.
Checking out Lakeview's practice on Wednesday, it was clear the defense understands its assignments and is ready for what Central has prepared. While not overlooking their otherwise unpredictable rival, the Spartans are confident in picking up their first win of the season.
The largest factor for Lakeview on defense will be discipline. The Bearcats are hoping to catch them out of position to capitalize on its speed on offense. If Lakeview holds off on the mental errors that have cropped up in the past, they could hand BCC a tough hand to play with.
How to Listen
Tune into WBCK at 6:30 p.m. for the Battle Creek Game of the Week. The pre-game hosted by Mike Miller will air for 30 minutes prior to kickoff at 7 p.m. Myself (Jacob Harrison) and Da'Jzon Hughes will be on the call providing play-by-play and color commentary respectively. Mike Miller will follow the game with a postgame show recapping the game and the action from around the area.
The broadcast can be heard on the radio dial at 95.3 or streaming on the 95.3 WBCK App or at wbckfm.com.
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