By Greg Chrapek
Wyoming-Kentwood News Today Contributor
greer@wktv.org
South Christian put up some big numbers on offense in the final weeks of the regular season, but the opening week of playoffs saw the Sailors hit overdrive in a 63-27 win over Marshall.
With the win, the Sailors advance to a Division 4 District Championship Friday at Stevensville Lakeshore.
South Christian scored at least two touchdowns in each quarter of Friday’s game against Marshall, accumulating 569 total yards.
“All phases of the offense were working,” said South Christian Coach Danny Brown. “We ran the ball really well and if they (Marshall) geared up for the run, our quarterbacks did a good job of reading what they were doing and getting the ball to our receivers who did a good job of catching the ball.”
Sailors jump out to quick lead
South Christian jumped out to a quick lead with a pair of touchdowns in the first quarter. Brody Shilts scored on a one-yard run for the first points of the game and added a two-yard touchdown run later in the quarter. Hudson Kerstetter kicked both extra points as the Sailors took a 14-0 lead late in the opening quarter.
The game turned into an offensive festival during the second quarter as South Christian totaled three touchdowns and Marshall reached the endzone twice in the second quarter.
Shilts scored his third touchdown of the game midway through the second quarter on a two-yard run giving the Sailors a 21-7 lead.
South up 35-14 at halftime
After Marshall trimmed the lead to 21-14, South Christian closed out the first half with a pair of touchdowns in the final three minutes. Quarterback Houston Wildeboer tossed a 19-yard touchdown pass to Easton Raak for the fourth South touchdown of the game. With less than a minute remaining in the first half, Wildeboer threw another touchdown pass, this time hooking up with Charlie VerMaas on a seven-yard scoring strike to put them up 35-14 at the half.
“We put together one of our best performances of the season,” Brown said. “Everything was clicking. Our run and our passing games had some really, really good rhythm and it was a ton of fun to be a part of.”
Marshall cuts lead, but Sailors have big answer
Marshall cut the Sailor lead to 35-20 early in the second half, but that was as close as it would get. The Sailors responded with a pair of touchdowns to close out the third quarter. Raak broke loose for a 73-yard touchdown run midway through the quarter, followed by a 19-yard touchdown pass from Austin Burgess to Charlie VerMass to cap the scoring in the third.
South Christian tacked on two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to close out the scoring. Jesse VanderGriend broke free for a 64-yard touchdown run in the final quarter, while the final touchdown came on a 24-yard run by Brandon Lutke.
Sailors get 369 yards on the ground, 200 via air
The ground game was a big part of the Sailors’ offense. South Christian totaled 369 yards on the ground with a pair of running backs rushing for over 100 yards. VanderGriend led the way with 126 yards on nine carries, while Raak added 107 yards. Lutke totaled 50 yards rushing and Houston Wildeboer, 43.
South Christian’s passing game added 200 yards of offense. Wildeboer led the way connecting on nine-of-11 passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns, while Austin Burgess completed three-of-six passes for 47 yards and a touchdown.
VerMaas led with five catches for 73 yards, followed by Raak, two catches for 36 yards; Carson Buist, one for 35 and VanderGriend, three for 31.
Jack Buist leads with seven tackles
Jack Buist led South with seven tackles, followed by Gavin Bouma, six; Shilts, Jared Geelhoed and Cody Jones, five each; Cole Tibbe and Shilts, one interception apiece and Jacob Lobbezoo, one sack.
“Defensively, I thought we did a good job in the second half,” Brown said. “Their quarterback was really electric. He was able to run around and make plays with his legs. I was really proud of how our defense responded to him, especially in the second half.”
The Sailors (9-1) head to Stevensville Lakeshore to face the 9-1 Lancers. Lakeshore enters the game with a 29.4 points-per-game average, while its defense is allowing 17.7 points per game. Lakeshore opened the playoffs with a 49-44 win over Hastings on Friday. Lakeshore opened the season with a 36-13 win over Wayland.
“We didn’t play a common opponent, but we have watched a lot of film on them,” Brown said. “Defensively, they are really confident. They are really good at what they do. They attack and they play fast. It’s going to be a physical game. Offensively, they do a lot of different things schematically. Defensively, we have to make sure that we communicate.”