KALAMAZOO, MI – The leaves are changing colors and the intensity is ramping up on high school football fields around Michigan.

With just three games left, teams don’t have much time to turn their seasons around, but some squads have already begun their ascent heading into the home stretch.

With that in mind, we’re looking at five Kalamazoo-area teams that are on the rise heading into Week 7.

Some of them have endured early-season struggles, while others are establishing themselves as contenders for district, regional and even state championship hardware.

Follow along to see which local squads are trending up after six weeks.

Three Rivers (4-2, 4-1 Wolverine)

When Richland Gull Lake stunned Three Rivers in Week 5, the Wildcats learned the hard way that they can’t just show up and expect to win, and they made sure to play with a lot of fire from the opening snap in Week 6′s rivalry win over Vicksburg.

With quarterback Caleb Quake slinging the ball out to Andrew Brown and Angelo Hausmanis, Three Rivers has one of the area’s most potent passing attacks, and while the Wildcats don’t have a workhorse running back to put teams away in the fourth quarter, Quake has been more than capable of picking up chunks on the ground, including a 71-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage against Vicksburg.

Three Rivers’ swarming defense knocked Vicksburg starting quarterback Caden Bowling out of the game on the Bulldogs’ first drive, and they continued to get into the backfield throughout the rest of the contest, which made life difficult for backup Drew Habel.

The Wildcats have a tough schedule the rest of the way, starting with Sturgis in Week 7 and ending with Plainwell and undefeated North Branch, but the way they’ve taken care of business and gave Edwardsburg such a close game in Week 2 makes it seem like the Wildcats are a team that could do some damage in the postseason.

Richland Gull Lake (2-4)

The Blue Devils avoided a letdown after the big upset over Three Rivers in Week 5 by throttling Otsego, 41-7, on Friday.

Quarterback Noah Blake threw a pair of touchdown passes to Julian Harris and ran for another score, while Nolan Greenwood added a 47-yard touchdown run. Gull Lake’s defense also forced a pair of turnovers on interceptions from Aidan Howard and Cam Miller, and when the Blue Devils can get big plays from that unit, it makes life so much easier for an offense that struggled to move the ball during its four-game losing streak to open the season.

Last year, Gull Lake also sat at 1-4 and rallied to win its final four games of the regular season and clinch a playoff berth. The Blue Devils will probably need to do that again, and they’ll have a tough test this week against Kingsley (4-2).

Gobles (4-2, 3-2 Southwest Michigan 8-man Football League)

After barely fielding enough kids to play a varsity schedule last year, Gobles has been on the rise for most of this season, but the Tigers took it up another level by defeating Concord, 40-12, on the road Friday.

The Yellow Jackets entered that contest winners of their last four, but they couldn’t contain Gobles quarterback Eli DeYoung, who accounted for 269 total yards and six touchdowns. The Tigers defense also held its own against a Concord offense that put up 70 points the week before, as Mason Mansfield led the way with eight tackles, a forced fumble and an interception, while Tristan Harbaugh added 10 stops, a sack and a fumble recovery.

The offseason transfer of starting quarterback Nick Lopez appeared to be a big blow to the Tigers’ chances, but they haven’t missed a beat with DeYoung, an incoming transfer from Paw Paw, under center.

Gobles wraps up the season with three winnable games against Bloomingdale, Eau Claire and Wyoming Tri-unity Christian, who have a combined record of 7-11, putting the Tigers in good shape to clinch their first non-COVID playoff berth since 2016.

Centreville (6-1, 4-0 Southwest 10)

Centreville celebrated a program milestone last week, when it set a school record for points in a game in an 80-0 win over Cassopolis.

Eight different players scored touchdowns, and the Bulldogs got points in all three phases by returning a punt and an interception to the house.

Though six wins no longer guarantee a playoff spot in Michigan high school football, No. 6 was still significant for Centreville because it wrapped up a third consecutive Southwest 10 title, when Comstock forfeited the upcoming contest due to injuries and lack of eligible players.

The Bulldogs, now winners of five in a row, were unable to find a replacement opponent, so they’ll turn their attention to a solid Muskegon Catholic Central squad in Week 8.

Constantine (5-1, 3-0 SAC Lakeshore)

The Falcons won their fourth straight game in dominant fashion by running for more than 500 yards in a 60-13 victory over an upstart Allegan team.

Seven different Constantine running backs found the end zone, and the Falcons even added a touchdown pass from Dean Topolski to Carter McGee early on. A Week 2 loss, in which Constantine coughed up a 20-point lead to Hudson, is the Falcons’ only blemish, and given that the defending state champ Tigers are currently undefeated, Constantine’s résumé is looking pretty good heading into the home stretch.

This week, the Falcons will visit a Kalamazoo United team that is better than its 3-3 record suggests.

More high school sports coverage

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Associated Press high school football state rankings through Week 6 in Michigan

Michigan prep football playoff picture includes coin-flip scenario heading into Week 7

Game Balls: Standout Michigan high school football players from Week 6

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