HASTINGS ― If Harper Creek wanted to win a second straight Interstate 8 Conference football championship, the Beavers knew they had to first beat Hastings in Week 7.

Mission accomplished.

Harper Creek defeated Hastings 29-15 in a battle of first-place teams on Friday, Oct. 10.

Both came into the game undefeated in league play. The defending champion Beavers remain in first place, now 4-0 in the conference and 6-1 overall. Hastings falls to 5-2 overall and 4-1 in the league.

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"It was a championship heavyweight battle," Harper Creek coach Mason Converse said. "We knew it would be. They are ranked, we are ranked. We knew it would be a slugfest."

Harper Creek, ranked No. 9 in Division 4 in the Detroit Free Press, still has two confere

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