CASSOPOLIS — Four fourth-quarter miscues led to 17 points as Cassopolis won the Division V district championship with a 31-16 come-from-behind victory over Reading on Friday night.

Cassopolis (10-1) will host Saugatuck (8-3) in the regional finals next Friday night.

Trailing 7-0 after a 69-yard interception return for a touchdown by Cassopolis’ Hunter Parsons, Ethan Lopresto got the Rangers on the board with a 6-yard touchdown run. He also scored on the 2-point conversion as Reading took an 8-7 lead at halftime.

With 5:51 left in the third quarter, Lopresto capped a Reading drive that started at the Cassopolis 48-yard line following a blocked punt. His 2-point conversion run made it 16-7.

Cassopolis’ comeback started in the final minute of the third quarter when Tyrese Hunt-Thompson scored on a 4-yard run with 56 seconds remaining to cut the Rangers’ lead to 16-14.

Everything unraveled from there for the Rangers, who muffed a punt early in the fourth quarter that Cassopolis recovered at the Reading 5-yard line.

The Ranger defense stiffened and held Cassopolis to a 22-yard Anderson field goal, giving the hosts a 17-16 lead with nine minutes remaining in the contest.

A Cassopolis fumble recovery led to a Hunt-Thompson 34-yard touchdown pass reception from Xander Smith, who replaced starting quarterback Dylan Green and gave Cassopolis a spark offensively.

Another Cassopolis fumble recovery, this time at the Reading 2-yard line led to a quarterback keeper by Green to the Rangers the 31-16 lead with 3:42 remaining.

“That certainly was not the team we are accustomed to closing things out,” said Reading coach Rick Bailey.

“The ball got slippery. Credit them. We went up 16-7 and they made the change at quarterback and changed what they were doing. Not that it caught us off guard, but it changed the momentum for them.”

A Hunt-Thompson interception sealed the victory for Cassopolis.

“We had a dogfight tonight,” said Cassopolis coach Dan Purlee. “Our kids played with great emotion and energy in the fourth quarter. We went back to our base defense and that was the adjustment we made. The kids are comfortable with that and they just flat-out flew around and played football.”

Reading finished the game with 118 yards rushing, including 98 by Lopresto on 25 carries. Alex Price was 2-of-5 for 28 yards and a pair of interceptions.

CASSOPOLIS 31, READING 16

At Cassopolis

Reading 0 8 8 0 – 16

Cassopolis 7 0 7 17 – 31

C – Hunter Parsons 69 interception return (Brandon Anderson kick).

R – Ethan Lopresto 6 run (Lopresto run).

R – Lopresto 37 run (Lopresto run).

C – Tyrese Hunt-Thompson 4 run (Anderson kick).

C – Anderson 22 field goal.

C – Hunt-Thompson 34 pass from Xander Smith (Anderson kick).

C – Dylan Green 2 run (Anderson kick).

Varsity records: Reading 8-3, Cassopolis 10-1.