If High School Football fans didn’t get enough action two weeks ago in the epic 50-49 Grand Rapids Christian double overtime victory at East Grand Rapids they will get another full helping this Friday night at Eagles Stadium. East Grand Rapids head coach Peter Stuursma will lead his 7-3 Pioneers into a second round playoff battle with the Eagles after notching a 49-28 victory last week over Fruitport. The Trojans from Fruitport who entered the game with a 6-3 record, gave the Pioneers all they could handle early as the Pioneers still seemed to be shell shocked from the double overtime loss the week before. However, the Pioneers were able to put up 3 touchdowns in less than 3 minutes right before half time to take a 28-21 advantage into the locker room. The story of the second half was the Pioneer defense which managed to hold the Trojans to only one second half touchdown. The Pioneers scored on their only two possessions of the third quarter to make it 42-21 entering the 4th. The Pioneer defense stepped up again and allowed only one touchdown in the fourth quarter as Fruitport frantically tried to mount a comeback to no avail as EGR took the victory 49-28. The Pioneers were paced by Quarterback Travis Palmer who completed 11 of 14 pass attempts for 140 yards and 2 touchdowns as well as a backfield duo that the Trojan defense could not handle. David Drummond and Jahaan Brown ran for 136 and 119 yards and 4 touchdowns combined.
This week a hungry group of Eagles lie in wait as the Pioneers try to invade the nest at Eagles Stadium. A rematch of two weeks ago which again will feature two of the top teams in the state. The 10-0 Eagles are coming off a 48-21 drubbing of Kenowa Hills a game which saw the Eagles stumble out of the gate as well going scoreless on their first 3 possessions of the game. The Eagles, however, maintained their composure and easily took control of the game by halftime carrying a 34-7 lead into the locker room. The Knights from Kenowa Hills were able to score 2 late fourth quarter touchdowns to make the score look a little more respectable as they continued to fight until the very last play. The Eagles were led by Quarterback Alex VandeVusse who took over the reigns early for starter Travis Kraai who struggled with his accuracy. VandeVusse stepped in and completed 11 of his 16 tosses for 220 yards and 3 touchdowns. Kraai showed some poise as he reentered the game in the second half and wowed the crowd with some nifty runs as he scampered for 2 second half touchdowns. Senior running back Kavon Frazier also had a 79 yard touchdown run and finished with 7 carries for 119 yards.
The 7-3 Pioneers will come into Friday night looking to avenge their loss and prove to their fans that they are still the Pioneers of old. The Eagles on the other hand will be primed and focused to prove that their victory at East Grand Rapids was no fluke. The Eagles look to go 11-0 and continue their record setting season with their 2nd victory over East Grand Rapids something that has been unheard of over the course of the last decade.
That brings us to Friday night. A battle of epic proportions. A game that every young football player dreams about. A game that not only features city bragging rights for the two schools that are separated by less than 5 miles, but is also a game that will catapult one team a step closer to Ford Field while sending one team home to watch.
The crowd will be rocking. The smell of bratwurst and burgers will fill the air. The news cameras will litter the field and the lights will seem to shine brighter than ever off the players helmets. The temperatures will drop and the coin will be flipped.
The ball will be kicked off and the game will be on…
It’s Playoff football on Friday night in West Michigan. Does it get any better than this?
Go Eagles!
