Unbeaten East Kentwood wins 49-27 at Caledonia to take sole first place in the OK Red

KENTWOOD, Mich. — First place in the OK Red was on the line Friday night, Oct. 9, in Caledonia. East Kentwood, 6-0, played at Caledonia, and they were the only two teams in the conference without a league loss. Both were 4-0 in OK Red play, according to the standings kept by michigan-football.com.

The Falcons come in off a win they had waited years for. Their 31-10 home victory over Rockford on Oct. 2 was East Kentwood’s first against the Rams since a 2019 playoff game, WKTV Journal reported.

Senior Stephan Jones was the difference. He ran 72 yards for a touchdown on a jet sweep in the first quarter, then caught a 23-yard scoring pass from quarterback Colin O’Connor with nine seconds left before halftime. O’Connor threw for 197 yards and also led the team with 78 rushing yards. Rockford scored only a touchdown and a field goal.

“Offensively, we were able to make explosive plays and that was the difference in the game,” East Kentwood coach Tyrone Spencer told WKTV.

Caledonia’s 5-1 record comes with an asterisk. The Fighting Scots beat Portage Northern 48-12 on opening night, but the win was changed to a forfeit loss after Caledonia was found to have played an ineligible athlete, according to WKTV. They have won every game since.

On paper, East Kentwood had the edge. The Falcons have outscored opponents 284-88 this season, while Caledonia stands at 213-97, according to michigan-football.com. MaxPreps’ statewide rankings put East Kentwood fifth and Caledonia 10th going into the week.

Hudsonville sat one game back at 3-1. With two regular-season games left after Friday, the winner would take sole possession of first place.

Updated Oct. 12, 2026: East Kentwood won 49-27 at Caledonia, MaxPreps results show, and is alone in first place in the OK Red at 5-0 (7-0 overall). Caledonia and Hudsonville, which beat Jenison 63-0, are each 4-1 in the league. East Kentwood plays Hudsonville on Oct. 23. Records above are as of the week of the games.

Updated Oct. 13, 2026: The headline and summary were changed to report the result of the game this story previewed.

Sources:
MaxPreps, Caledonia Fighting Scots 2026 football schedule and results, https://www.maxpreps.com/mi/caledonia/caledonia-fighting-scots/football/schedule/
MaxPreps, East Kentwood Falcons 2026 football schedule and results, https://www.maxpreps.com/mi/kentwood/east-kentwood-falcons/football/schedule/
WKTV Journal (Wyoming-Kentwood News Today), “East Kentwood turns back Rockford to keep record a perfect 6-0,” Oct. 5, 2026, https://www.wktvjournal.org/east-kentwood-turns-back-rockford-to-keep-record-a-perfect-6-0/
michigan-football.com, 2026 Ottawa-Kent Conference Red standings, https://michigan-football.com/s/2026/okred.htm
MaxPreps, “Michigan high school football: MHSAA Week 7 schedule, live broadcasts, scores, state rankings and statewide statistical leaders,” Oct. 6, 2026, https://www.maxpreps.com/news/sTiFAtXJdESW6l_dceT9jg/michigan-high-school-football-mhsaa-week-7-schedule%2C-live-broadcasts%2C-scores%2C-state-rankings-and-statewide-statistical-leaders.htm
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Tags: Grand Rapids · Sports · East Kentwood · Caledonia · High School Football