STURGIS — It was nearly perfect weather in Sturgis Thursday evening, as the Trojans kicked off their 2024 varsity football season. Unfortunately, the visiting Coldwater Cardinals put a damper on the night’s festivities, stopping Sturgis, 35-8 in the 99th meeting of the storied rivalry.
Before the opening kickoff, the new state-of-the-art video scoreboard was unveiled, as well as honoring the area’s military veterans.
The visitors put six points on the board in the first quarter, connecting on a 62-yard swing pass from Draycyn Foster to Dayton Ennis that went for the game’s first touchdown. The point after was no good, and Coldwater led 6-0 with 4:52 left in the stanza. Neither team was able to dent the endzone after that, and the Cardinals held a six-point advantage entering the second quarter.
Using a mixture of runs and passes, Coldwater crossed the goal line again at the 10:59 mark via the air, hitting on a 35-yard scoring strike. The two-point conversion failed, leaving the score at 12-0. Sturgis tried to get things going with its passing game, but couldn’t covert on a first down, and after punting the ball back to the Cardinals, they again used an effective mixture of passing and a strong running attack to hit paydirt again. A 14-yard run by Kayden Robey put the ball in the endzone, and with a successful point after kick, led 19-0. The Trojans again couldn’t mount an offensive drive, and after a punt, Coldwater came out slinging the ball down the field, and connected again on a 34-yard pitch and catch from Foster to Evan Lewis for the score. With the extra point kick, the Cards held a 26-0 lead with 4:41 left in the half.
After receiving the kickoff, Sturgis faced a fourth and one, tried a run for the first down, but a solid Coldwater front line stopped the Trojans for no gain. The Cardinals again flexed their muscles on the ground, moving the ball to the Sturgis 9-yard line. On first and goal, Lewis took it in for the score at the 1:48 mark, The point after was no good, and after another series where the Trojans couldn’t mount an effective drive, the half ended with Coldwater leading 32-0.
“We missed some early passes where we could have built some momentum in the first half, but Beckett Lamb is going to make those throws moving forward. He’s going to get better, and we’re going to get better,” Sturgis coach Chance Stewart said.
The offense for both teams stalled for the better part of the second half, however a 25-yard field goal put three more points on the board for the Cardinals in the third quarter. It wasn’t until late in the game that the Trojans avoided the shutout. Dawson Miller came up with a nifty, diving catch in the endzone off of a deflected pass to give Sturgis its first touchdown of the season. With three seconds left in the game, Lamb’s pass hit Miller in the shoulder pads, bounced off of a defensive back, and settled into Miller’s outstretched hands as he hit the ground. Lamb ran the ball in for the two-point conversion, making the final score 35-8.
“They executed, that’s the thing. They made plays when they had to, and we had some miscues early on. We just never got into a rhythm, added Stewart. “I like how some of our younger guys played in the second half. They battled, and maybe that will help us moving forward. We’ll see how it all works out.”
Coldwater dominated in total offense, piling up 461 yards to the Trojans 94. Joel Smith paced the Sturgis ground game with 69 yards rushing, while Roby led the Cardinals with 95. Foster completed only six passes, but they were good for 216 yards.
The Trojans, 0-1, will hit the road to play the Kalamazoo Central Maroon Giants on Friday, Sept. 6.
Constantine wins opener in rout
CONSTANTINE — The Constantine Falcons showcased a strong ground game in their season opener, as they rumbled for 420 yards in a 50-8 dismantling of Delton Kellogg last Thursday night.
Constantine found the endzone three times in the first quarter on a 13-yard scamper from Brody Jones, a 38-yard run by Brody Godfrey, and a 26-yard TD run by Cooper McGee. The Falcons upped the advantage to 35-0 at the half on touchdown runs by Jones (32 yards), and Godfrey, from two yards out.
Constantine scored in both the third and fourth quarters, with the first TD coming on a 3-yard run by McGee and a 1-yard plunge by Seth Wright. Delton scored its lone touchdown in the third quarter, and was successful on the two-point conversion. Godfrey gained 138 yards on the ground for the winners in only six carries, while Bear Geibe rushed 10 times, picking up 112 yards.
Next up for the Falcons will be Benton Harbor, who lost to Lawton 56-0 last Friday. Kickoff at Sweetland Stadium is scheduled for 7 p.m.
White Pigeon off to hot start with win over Reading
WHITE PIGEON — The White Pigeon Chiefs got their season off to a winning start last week, as they stopped Reading by the score of 52-14.
Always a threat to run the football, the Chiefs did just that, gaining 340 yards on 26 carries. They put the ball in the air once, as Josh Davidson completed a 19-yard toss to Brody Block.
Taylor Stewart carried the ball 14 times, good for 124 yards and four touchdowns, while Jordan Pisco piled up 155 yards on only four carries. He crossed the goal line three times. Mekhi Singleton gained 45 yards to add to the White Pigeon attack. Maddiz Jancaz, Singleton and Stewart all notched six tackles, while Jarred Luna added five.
The Chiefs (1-0) will travel to Buchanan to play the Bucks Friday evening, with the game slated to begin at 7 p.m. Buchanan is 1-0, defeating Saugatuck last Friday night, 32-6.
Mendon blows out New Buffalo in opener
NEW BUFFALO — Mendon traveled to New Buffalo for its opening game of the 2024 football season, and picked up a convincing 60-0 victory.
The Hornets dominated from start to finish, as they scored in all four quarters, jumping out to a 46-0 halftime lead, scoring 22 points in the first quarter, and 24 in the second. A strong ground game piled up 322 yards in the win.
Owen Gorham paced the Mendon offense with five rushing touchdowns, gaining 65 yards on eight carries, while JT Lux led the Hornets in rushing with 118 yards. Ryan Gorham added 93 rushing yards for the winners. Mendon piled up 19 first downs in the game, while holding the Bison to only four.
Nic Stiver also tallied a score for Mendon, as he grabbed a New Buffalo fumble and ran it back 87 yards for a touchdown in the opening quarter. Defensively, Stiver and O. Gorham had seven tackles each, while Grant Crotser notched five tackles and also blocked a punt attempt. The Hornets also displayed a strong pass defense, allowing only one completion in 13 attempts.
The winners will host Britton Deerfield Friday night, with the game scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. The Patriots enter the game with a 1-0 record, as they stopped Pittsford 68-58 last Friday night.
Colon falls in opener
COLON — The 2024 football season got off to a rocky start for the Colon Magi, as the Gobles Tigers pitched the shutout, 53-0.
Gobles outgained the Magi to the tune of 358 total yards to 90 for Colon. Leading the Magi in rushing yards was Garry Lord, who gained 43 yards, while Jeremiah West hit on five passes for 47 yards. Owen Wilson snagged four of those completions, good for 39 yards. Parker Nystrom grabbed one for an 8-yard completion.
Defensively, Wyatt Downs had seven tackles, while Jonny Greenwald and Wilson both totaled five stops.
Next up for the Magi will be a Friday night game against the Morenci Bulldogs. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff in Colon.
Burr Oak wins big to open season
BURR OAK — Ethan Boyles threw for a pair of touchdowns and ran for two others to lead Burr Oak to a 60-0 thrashing of Athens last Thursday evening.
Caleb Greene crossed the goal line for the Bobcats’ first touchdown and Kaje Root added the conversion enroute to the win. Austin Cole paced the ground game with three rushing scores, while Coen Miller caught two touchdown passes from Boyles. Miller also added an interception, and Joshua Greene recovered a fumble, good for another Burr Oak score.
The Bobcats will be on the road for a game at Pittsford on Friday night. The Wildcats dropped their opening game last week to Britton Deerfield, 68-58.
