By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
It was a clash of the titans when 7-0 Saugatuck hosted 6-1 Lawton on Friday, Oct. 13, with sole possession of first place in the SAC Valley up for grabs.
And on a cold, wet, windy evening, it was the visiting Blue Devils who secured the 21-0 victory to knock the Trailblazers from the ranks of the unbeaten.
With the win, Lawton wrapped up the divisional title with a perfect 4-0 record. Saugatuck, meanwhile, slipped into a second-place tie with Schoolcraft at 2-1.
The Trailblazers host Schoolcraft in the regular-season finale on Friday, Oct. 20, to determine who will finish in the runner-up spot and who will place third.
“Lawton is a very, very good football team,” Saugatuck coach Bill Dunn said. “We knew coming in they were physical up front and had great size.
“I told the guys coming in we have to be perfect to have a chance against these guys and, unfortunately for us, we didn’t play perfect.”
While obviously hoping for a different outcome, Dunn wasn’t overly concerned about the game’s final score. Rather, he viewed the game as a learning experience for his players.
“That’s a good, well-disciplined team that’s been to the finals a few years ago,” Dunn said of Lawton. “So, this was a good test for us to see where we’re at.
“Losing is never fun, but we can use this to learn and to grow. Lawton’s in Division 7. We’re in Division 8. So this provided some good experience as we prepare for Schoolcraft next week and for the playoffs in two weeks.”
Saugatuck’s normally reliable running attack was largely contained by the Lawton defense. The Trailblazers finished with 144 rushing yards on 33 carries for an average of 4.4 yards per carry.
“We have to be able to run the football to be successful,” Dunn said. “That always been our bread and butter. The times we threw the ball we didn’t execute very well. Yeah, it was bad weather, but that’s part of it.
“And at this time of year with the playoffs coming up, you’ve got to be able to run the ball, you’ve got to play great defense and you can’t turn it over. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to do those things and we had some penalties early that really hurt us.”
The Trailblazers were able to put together a few extended drives and threated to score. But it wasn’t to be.
“We just couldn’t sustain anything,” Dunn said. “We’d make some good plays and get into their territory, then we’d turn it over or have an inopportune penalty that made us change what we wanted to do. We just didn’t execute up front, as their size really challenged us.”
Will Doucette played well in the losing cause, finishing with 92 yards on 12 carries. Cass Stanberry added 28 yards on six carries, with Bradley Moorer going for 14 yards on five carries.
Matt Hartgerink, who was unable to complete any of his three passing attempts, led the Saugatuck defense with 15 tackles.
Stanberry added 13 tackles, while Norm Bos, Landon Miller and Chris Foley added eight stops each.
Saturday, October 05, 2024
