By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
STURGIS—Something had to give when the Plainwell football team traveled to Sturgis for a Wolverine Conference clash on Friday, Sept. 20, with both teams sporting 0-3 records.
As it turned out, it was Plainwell who did the giving … as in giving their fans plenty to cheer about.
Plainwell scored early and often in securing the 42-6 victory.
Understandably, the win put a smile on the face of Plainwell coach Brian Huberty.
“It’s great to see the kids put a game like this ,” Huberty said. “These kids have been great at staying focused without the results and they have seen improvement every week.”
The win was a true team effort, with multiple players finding their way into the end zone.
Marco Vega led the way with two touchdown runs as part of his 31-yard, six-carry effort. Easton Healy (60 yards on nine carries) and Abel Jorgensen (12 yards on two carries) each added one rushing touchdown.
Carter Monette, meanwhile, got into the scoring action on special teams, as he returned a kickoff to the end zone.
“I think the fact that the kids have stayed focused on the process in spite of not getting the results we wanted the first three weeks was the key for us,” Huberty said. “We try to have fun at practice, but also maintain the focus needed to keep improving every day.”
Quarterback Luke Filkins finished with a team-best 106 rushing yards on 11 carries in addition to passing for 82 yards on 5-of-8 accuracy.
Cohen Redder led Plainwell’s defensive effort with 6.5 tackles. Jorgensen with five and tackle and Vega with four followed.
“We were able to play fast and not really think out there,” Huberty said of Plainwell’s success on defense. “Sometimes we are so worried about not being in the right place that we play slow.
“It was nice to see our kids just go out and play the game and not overthink. Minus a couple of defensive penalties, we played a pretty clean game.”
Plainwell will stay on the road for its next game, traveling to Paw Paw on Friday, Sept. 27.
“I told our guys we need to stay focused on getting better every day,” Huberty said. “Yes, enjoy the outcome of this game, but enjoy getting back to work on Monday as well.”
