By Ty Marzean
WKTV Contributor
The Division 4 playoffs began where the regular season left off: South Christian vs. Wayland at East Kentwood’s Falcon Stadium.
The rematch of the regular season finale, which saw both teams combine for nearly 1,000 yards and 89 total points, looked a lot different Friday night as South Christian controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball to cruise to a 34-7 playoff victory.
South Christian struggled out of the gate
The Sailors elected to receive the opening kickoff and proceeded on a 15-play drive that saw junior quarterback Carson Vis struggle to pass the ball. Vis went 1-4 and took a sack before turning the ball over on downs.
Wayland started its first drive at the 25-yard line. On the second play, Wildcat running back Cameron Bogart burst out of the backfield and streaked down the sideline for a 74-yard touchdown run.
South Christian Coach Danny Brown had flashbacks of the week prior.
“That was not how we anticipated it starting,” said Brown, whose team improved to 7-3.”We envisioned coming out getting a defensive stop and scoring.
“We knew that if we could all come together and trust each other and do what we’re supposed to do, we would have a chance.”
Sailors grind it out on offense
Vis finished off a 14-play, 70-yard drive that took over seven minutes off the game clock with a 4-yard dart to Jake Vermaas that tied the game at 7.
Vis threw an interception to Wayland’s Kaharrie Pureifoy on the next drive.
South Christian grabs lead for good
The final drive of the first half was capped off by an 8-yard touchdown run by Vis to give South Christian a 14-7 lead at the half.
“All year, we have been scoring in a hurry; this game, we had to grind it out,” Brown explained.
A week after giving up 453 yards, South Christian stood stout and gave up the lone touchdown on the opening drive.
“We took it personal”
Senior defensive lineman Cam VanSolkema has been an anchor on the Sailor defensive front since he’s been a freshman.
“I think the energy at practice changed the whole game,” VanSolkema said. “We all trust each other and love each other, and that was the topic we worked on during practice this week.
“We took it personal and we got it done on defense.”
South Christian controlled the second half as Vis went a perfect 6-for-6 with another touchdown pass to Vermaas while adding a second running score.
“He was a little off schedule to start the game,” Brown said. I don’t know if he was just excited. We went up to him and said settle down and get back to basics.”
Vis completed 11-of-16 passes for 188 yards and two scores, including an interception. He also ran for 96 yards and two touchdowns.
His favorite target, Vermaas, had six catches for 129 yards and two touchdowns.
South Christian advanced to the district finals against Forest Hills Eastern next Friday.
Last meeting, the Sailors beat Forest Hills Eastern 32-29 in Week 4.
“They’re a good team up front they’ve got some really good linemen, and their backs run hard, so we’re going to have a challenge,” Brown explained. “We’re going to need another great week of practice like we had this week.”
The winner of that matchup faces the winner of Whitehall vs. Big Rapids on November 10 in the regional finals.
The Sailors hope to continue their winning playoff ways from last year, where they finished a perfect 14-0 season with a D-4 state title with a 28-0 win over Goodrich. It was South Christian’s fourth state championship in football.
