And just like that, opening night 2010 is behind us (well, except for Ashley's game Saturday). Lots of lessons were learned, and already there will likely be some shaking up in rankings and league predictions.
THREE-POINTER
1. Sexton 35, Holt 9 -- Wow. For a variety of reasons I'll discuss below, the Big Reds showed why this might just be that special season.
2. East Lansing 21, Haslett 13 -- Another slugfest between rivals who this season both returned a ton of starters.
3. Fowler 26, Laingsburg 13 -- Could this be the start of the Eagles' return to CMAC contender status? Sure seems like it.
Game Ball -- Sexton's offensive line. In 2009, Onaje Miller ran for 27 yards against Holt. On Friday, he ran for 143 and three touchdowns. Special recognition goes to tackle DaMarco Bisbee, who played with a broken right fibula. It's not a weight-bearing bone, but he did get carted off when all was said and done -- and after showing tons of heart.
WOW Factor -- DeWitt 56, Eastern 34. This game was 28-21 DeWitt in the second half before the big plays really started going off. Panthers quarterback Caleb Higbie is indeed the next QB star on DeWitt's block. But Eastern hung tough for a while, and could be part of some exciting shootouts over the next eight weeks. Honorable mention to Ithaca scoring 69 points and Stockbridge putting up 75.
Upset Alert -- Highland Park 7, Everett 6. Nope, the Vikings didn't get the upset. But I have a feeling no one outside Lansing considered Everett might keep this one this close against a playoff team from last year. It was a big performance, even in a loss.
Three more that caught my eye:
1. Grand Ledge 41, Grandville 7 -- The Comets avenged an opening-night loss from last season, and really look good in the Blue.
2. Portland 35, Ovid-Elsie 21 -- The Raiders now own a one-game edge in an opening-night rivalry going back more than four decades.
3. Okemos 22, Waverly 20 -- The Warriors almost got all the way back after trailing bigger early, but the Chieftains got a much-needed bit of momentum.
Final Five on the game I covered: Sexton 35, Holt 9
1. The Big Reds showed a tremendous amount of heart. They felt slighted by all the talk of Holt being the favorite and reminders of last year's loss. And then they came out and beat a team with twice as many players, from a school nearly three times as big, with a beloved assistant coach not with them for the first time in decades and a player battling with a broken bone in his leg. And on a night known for sloppy games as teams dust off the cob webs, the Big Reds looked polished in a lot of areas.
2. I'm glad we put Greg Scott on the preseason all-area team. He had two interceptions and returned one for a touchdown, and just looks like a college player out there. But he's not alone. I remembered Kyren Kemp from last season. I think a lot of people will become familiar with the junior linebacker this fall.
3. Onaje Miller is Onaje Miller. He's fast, he's strong, and he's a threat to hit the home run any time he touches the ball. We knew all of this. But the one thing I noticed tonight was how he kept emerging from piles at the line. He'll be one of those backs who gains a lot of yards after first contact.
4. The Holt player who really stuck out to me most was senior defensive end Justin Madar. He's 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, and he was a factor. He looks good for a big season. Senior Curtis Nick also was solid running the ball.
5. We knew Holt's Evan Fischer was one of the area's best kickers. But add Sexton senior Nick Spearman to that list. He drilled extra points, and his kickoffs were blasting out of the back of the end zone on the fly. He also dropped a 54-yard punt.
What did I miss? Fill us in on your opening-night impressions of any game below. And follow us for in-game updates on Twitter @lsj_hssports. Tonight we had them from Holt/Sexton, Okemos/Waverly, Williamston/Eaton Rapids, Haslett/East Lansing, Fowler/Laingsburg, Potterville/Carson City-Crystal and DeWitt/Eastern, thanks to some great help at those sites.
High school sports editor 
