St. Joseph held off a furious late rally from Mattawan to earn a thrilling 39–37 victory Friday night at Dickinson Stadium. The Bears jumped out to a 12–0 first-quarter lead as Ish Dixon scored from a yard out and Caden LeClear connected with James Atterbery for a 72-yard touchdown strike. The Wildcats clawed back to take brief momentum in the second quarter, but LeClear answered with a 40-yard touchdown pass to Nate Schmitt, giving St. Joe a 20–17 edge at halftime.

In the third quarter, St. Joe’s ground game took control. Dixon and LeClear each added rushing scores on long, clock-chewing drives that stretched the Bears’ advantage to 32–17. Mattawan’s passing attack responded with a 61-yard touchdown, but St. Joe’s offense continued to move the chains, finishing with 388 rushing yards on 61 carries and 530 total yards. Dixon led the way with 168 yards and two touchdowns, while LeClear added 96 rushing yards, two passing touchdowns, and a 19-yard scoring run.

Mattawan closed within two points in the final minutes, but St. Joe’s offense ran out the clock with a determined final drive, converting key third downs to secure the win. Nate Schmitt led the defense with 11 tackles, and Wes Hudson added an interception that set up the Bears’ first score. The victory improves St. Joseph to 4–3 overall and 2–1 in the SMAC-West, as the Bears look to build on the momentum next Friday when they travel to Battle Creek Central (4-3), who are coming off a 31-12 home loss to rival Kalamazoo Central.