WHITE PIGEON — The White Pigeon Chiefs kept their unbeaten record spotless, and tied a school record for points scored, in a 72-6 runaway win Friday against Greenwood (Ind.) Christian Academy. The Chiefs piled up 72 points in a shutout victory over Colon in 1987.
White Pigeon’s rushing attack was the story of the night, gaining 510 yards on only 23 attempts, which figures out to a little more than 22 yards per run. John Bontrager led the way with 158 yards and two touchdowns, while Taylor Stewart added 127 yards rushing. Stewart also collected two touchdowns. Caleb Lane broke the century mark, as he gained 127 yards on the ground, and added two scores. Brody Block contributed to the Chiefs as well, rushing for one score.
“We’ve got seven good backs, and we try to spread the running attack around,” commented head coach Shawn Strawser. “They really got after it tonight.” Strawser also added that “Our JV players can’t get into a game until the fourth quarter, but they moved the ball right down the field. That’s a good experience for them.”
White Pigeon’s defense proved to be stout, picking off 4 GCA passes. Jordan Pisco and Mekhi Singleton both came away with two interceptions each. Singleton’s picks were both returned for touchdowns. The leading tacklers for the Chiefs were James Chaney, who had 4.5 stops, while Bontrager, Singleton and Drew Kobryn were credited with 3.5 tackles a piece.
The victory puts White Pigeon atop the Southwest 10 with an impressive 8-0 record, and the Chiefs will see their next action Friday, Oct. 20, travelling to White Cloud, to face the 4-4 Indians. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Centreville shut out by Muskegon Catholic Central
MUSKEGON — The Centreville Bulldogs ran into a defensive-minded Muskegon Catholic Central team on Friday evening and came out on the short end of the score, 20-0.
Both teams played evenly in the first half, with the Bulldogs and Crusaders unable to put the ball in the endzone. Entering the third quarter, the game was deadlocked 0-0. Muskegon Catholic finally scored its first touchdown in that stanza and moved out to a 7-0 lead. A Centreville fumble led to the go ahead score for MCC, as a few plays after the recovery, Bryan Covertini took the ball into the endzone for the Crusaders. The point after was good, and that completed the scoring in the third quarter.
The score remained at 7-0 entering the final period, so the game was not out of reach for the Bulldogs to mount a comeback. Muskegon’s defense had other ideas and held Centreville scoreless the rest of the way.
The wet and windy weather contributed to the lack of scoring, but the Crusaders were able to punch the ball in two more times as Neil Szymanski scored on runs of 11 and 6 yards, and the visitors were able to return home with the 20-0 win.
Centreville’s Kam Wells completed 4 passes in 8 attempts, totaling 33 yards, while Carter Cartier picked up 65 yards rushing on 7 attempts. Kam Wells gained 28 yards on 13 rushing attempts, Kaeden Wells added 14 yards, Xander Frederick had 9 yards, and Garrison Bunning notched 4 yards. The leading receivers for the Bulldogs were Cartier and Frederick, each with one catch for 15 yards. Bunning had 2 grabs for 13 yards. In all, Centreville gained 120 on the ground, and 43 yards through the air.
The 3-4 Bulldogs will head east on US-12 Friday evening, travelling to Quincy to face off against the 2-6 Orioles. The game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
Colon drops game to unbeaten Climax-Scotts
CLIMAX-SCOTTS — The Colon Magi took the field Friday night against the host and undefeated Climax-Scotts Panthers and returned home on the short end of the final score, 55-6. The first half saw six Colon starters go off with injuries, and according to head coach Kevin Bennett, the Magi just couldn’t find their rhythm after that.
Senior quarterback Maverick Downs once again had a strong night running the football for Colon, as he picked up 125 yards and scored one touchdown. He also completed passes good for another 40 yards, ending with 165 yards of total offense.
The Panthers put 20 points up against Colon in the first quarter, and never looked back. The Magi scored their lone touchdown in the second quarter, while Climax-Scotts also found the endzone, making the score at the half 26-6. The Panthers continued to pile up the points, as they scored 17 points in the third quarter, and finished off the game by tacking on 12 more points in the final frame. The Panthers defense played a strong second half and shut Colon out the rest of the way.
Downs led the Magi defense with 15 tackles, followed by Ayden Delp, Owen Wilson, and Johnny Greenwald with six tackles each. Colon [4-4] will be on the road Friday to take on the undefeated Bridgman Bees, who come into the game at 10-0. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
Burr Oak blasted by Bellevue
BURR OAK — The Burr Oak Bobcats saw their record drop to 1-7 Friday night, as they dropped a home contest to the Bellevue Broncos, 64-6. The opening quarter saw the visitors ring up 28 quick points on Burr Oak and followed that with 22 more in the second stanza. The Bobcats were held scoreless in the first half. During halftime, Burr Oak honored it’s players and cheerleaders during Parent/Senior night.
Bellevue added another score in the third quarter, and after a successful two-point conversion, led 58-0. Burr Oak’s Austin Cole finally gave the home crowd something to cheer about, as he returned a kickoff 95 yards to paydirt, giving the Bobcats their lone touchdown of the game. With that TD, Burr Oak surpassed its total in points scored the previous two seasons. The Broncos scored their final touchdown in the fourth quarter to end the game at 64-6.
Vince Royer, head coach for the Bobcats, had this to say after the game. “A football season is long, and even longer when you struggle. Our young players continue to get better as they learn individual skills, gain experience, and discover what it takes to be successful. Overcoming adversity will be a necessary attribute to possess. With one game left in our season, we’ll need to have four good practices to be prepared for Friday night under the lights and practice the way we want to play.”
Burr Oak will close out its season on the road, taking on the 3-5 Tekonsha Indians Friday evening. Game time is 7 p.m.
Constantine guaranteed share of SAC Lakeshore title with win
SOUTH HAVEN — Constantine clinched at least a share of the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s Lakeshore Division title with a 20-0 shutout win over South Haven Friday night.
No stats were reported by press time for either team.
With the win, Constantine moves to 7-1 overall and 4-0 in the Lakeshore Division. The Falcons play Parchment Friday on the road at 7 p.m. to wrap up the regular season, and a win would clinch an outright division title.
Marcellus drops close game to Martin
MARTIN — Marcellus made it close, but ultimately could not slow down the Martin Clippers in a Thursday night matchup Oct. 12 on the road, 28-14.
Dawsen Lehew had 194 yards rushing with one touchdown, while on defense Brock McWilliams had 11 tackles and Beau Ferguson had eight tackles.
Marcellus plays their regular season finale Friday night on the road against Eau Claire. Game time is 7 p.m.