HILLSDALE COUNTY — Week 2 of the high school football season featured breakthrough wins, rivalry games and one of the biggest individual performances in Hillsdale County history.
More: How a career night for Milks led Jonesville to a 3OT victory at Leslie
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Before getting to this week’s standouts, three seniors earned the first Player of the Week honors of the 2026 season.
Jonesville running back John Milks was named the Hillsdale Daily News Player of the Week after rushing for 265 yards and three touchdowns in the Comets’ 34-28 win over Hillsdale. Camden-Frontier quarterback Hunter Sigler won the 8-player Readers’ Choice award after throwing for 126 yards and four touchdowns against Holgate, while Reading quarterback Carter Bassage earned the 11-player Readers’ Choice honor after completing all eight of his passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns in a 48-0 win over East Jackson.
Week 2 brought another deep group of performances, led by Milks putting together a night that will have a place in the Michigan record books. The following list is based on statistics reported to the Daily News before Labor Day on Monday. Some individual statistics were unavailable at publication time.
Hillsdale
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Evan Towne, Hillsdale 2027 QB/DB: Towne again showed why he is one of the top returning quarterbacks in the Lenawee County Athletic Association. The senior completed 12-of-26 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown while rushing 15 times for 168 yards and three touchdowns against Ida. His 53-yard touchdown run helped Hillsdale retake the lead in the third quarter before the defending regional runner-up Bluestreaks eventually escaped with a 44-33 win.
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Cam Arnold, Hillsdale 2027 WR/LB: Arnold was Towne’s leading receiver against Ida, catching seven passes for 84 yards and a touchdown. His production accounted for more than half of Hillsdale’s passing yardage.
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Brody Arnold, Hillsdale 2027 RB/LB: Arnold provided another explosive piece of Hillsdale’s rushing attack, turning three carries into 55 yards and a touchdown as the Hornets pushed Ida considerably harder than they did in last season’s matchup.
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Laredo Ruffin, Hillsdale 2027 LB: Laredo Ruffin had 28 tackles and two forced fumbles to lead the Hornet defensive effort against Ida.
Jonesville
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John Milks, Jonesville 2027 RB/DB: There may not be another performance in Hillsdale County this season capable of topping this one. Milks rushed for a reported 423 yards and six touchdowns as Jonesville survived Leslie 64-62 in triple overtime. It was the best rushing performance of his career and a total that would rank among the top 25 single-game rushing performances in MHSAA record books. Milks also surpassed 4,000 career rushing yards, increased his career touchdown total to 47 and recorded his 20th career 100-yard rushing game. He scored in each of the first two overtime periods as Jonesville repeatedly answered Leslie late.
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Reece Rundquist, Jonesville 2027 ATH: Rundquist made the biggest reception of the night when it mattered most. The senior finished with three receptions for 40 yards and two touchdowns, including a third-and-8 touchdown catch from Carson Young in the third overtime. Young’s ensuing 2-point conversion gave Jonesville a 64-56 advantage before the defense made the game-winning stop.
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Carson Young, Jonesville 2027 QB: Young helped steer the Comets through three overtimes at quarterback and also led Jonesville defensively with seven tackles. His third-overtime touchdown pass to Rundquist and ensuing 2-point keeper ultimately provided the winning points.
Reading
Reading fell to Union City 41-8 in its first home game of the season. Individual stats will be updated when available.
Camden-Frontier
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Eryck Flores, Camden-Frontier 2027 RB/LB: Flores helped Camden-Frontier pick up its first victory of the season, beating Tekonsha with a huge two-way performance. He rushed eight times for 68 yards and two touchdowns, then added four total tackles and returned an interception 72 yards for a touchdown.
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Colt Woodard, Camden-Frontier 2028 RB: Woodard led the RedHawks on the ground with 118 yards on only seven carries, an average of nearly 17 yards per attempt, and scored twice. Defensively, he totaled eight tackles and three pass deflections.
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Dominic Kurtz, Camden-Frontier 2027 TE/DL: Kurtz caught three passes for 58 yards and a touchdown while also making five total tackles, recording two sacks and recovering a fumble on defense.
Litchfield
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Logan Perkins, Litchfield 2028 RB/DB: Perkins needed just eight carries to rush for 167 yards and two touchdowns in Litchfield’s 36-24 rivalry win over Waldron. He also contributed defensively with 5.5 tackles and an interception as the Terriers improved to 2-0.
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Ayden Gutting, Litchfield 2029 ATH: Gutting filled the stat sheet on defense with 9.5 tackles, an interception, forced fumble and pass defended. He also supplied Litchfield’s longest reception of the night with a 44-yard catch.
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Gavin Gutting, Litchfield 2028 WR/DB: Gutting made an impact on both sides of the football. He caught four passes for 22 yards and a touchdown, then added 3.5 tackles and returned an interception for a defensive touchdown.
Pittsford
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Hunter Peiffer, Pittsford 2027 QB/LB: Peiffer delivered one of the county’s biggest quarterback performances of Week 2. The senior completed 10-of-16 passes for 308 yards and six touchdowns without an interception, then added 101 rushing yards and another touchdown as Pittsford piled up 64 points against Burr Oak in a hard-fought win.
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Ethan Pickford, Pittsford 2027 RB/LB: Pickford was everywhere for the Wildcats. He rushed 12 times for 114 yards and two touchdowns, caught four passes for 79 yards and two more scores and led the defensive effort with 7.5 tackles and two interceptions. That gave Pickford 193 yards from scrimmage and four offensive touchdowns.
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Brendan Nave, Pittsford 2027 WR/DB: Nave turned just two receptions into 131 yards and two touchdowns, scoring from 35 and 96 yards as Pittsford erased an early deficit and took control before halftime.
Waldron
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Carter Kurtz, Waldron 2030 RB/DB: Carter Kurtz broke the 100-yard mark despite Waldron playing from behind for much of the game, rushing 13 times for 102 yards. Kurtz also finished with 10 tackles and a tackle for loss on defense.
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Isaac Fether, Waldron 2028 LB/RB: Fether scored Waldron’s first touchdown on a 2-yard run and finished with 42 rushing yards on 11 carries. His biggest contribution came defensively, where he led the Spartans with 12 total tackles.
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Eli Winchell, Waldron 2027 QB/LB: Winchell accounted for two Waldron touchdowns, rushing for one and throwing another. He completed 6-of-14 passes for 86 yards and a touchdown and added 47 rushing yards and a score on 11 carries.
Vote for the Week 2 Readers’ Choice Players of the Week
Now it is time for readers to decide which Week 2 performances stood above the rest.
Visit hillsdale.net to vote in the 11-player and 8-player Readers’ Choice Player of the Week polls. Voting closes Thursday at 11:59 p.m. Readers can vote multiple times by refreshing the page.
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Vote for the Hillsdale County ISD Week 2 football player of the week
