East Grand Rapids outlasts Orchard Lake St. Mary's with late touchdown for Division 3 title

Kelly Hill | The Grand Rapids Press

DETROIT -- East Grand Rapids now has its own version of “The Catch.”

With less than three minutes remaining in Saturday night's Division 3 state championship game at Ford Field, and EGR trailing Orchard Lake St. Mary's 21-17, the Pioneers faced fourth-and-14 from their own 47-yard line.

Quarterback Ryan Elble rolled slightly right and threw to tight end Colin Voss. The high pass was tipped by Voss and an Eaglets defender.

Behind the play, tailback Kirk Spencer dove and cradled the ball just before it hit the turf. The play went for 27 yards and a first down.

Four plays later, Elble found junior Deon Jobe open in the right corner of the end zone for the decisive touchdown in the Pioneers' 24-21 victory.

The win was EGR's 20th consecutive playoff win and marked the
Pioneers' fourth consecutive Division 3 state championship.

“It was unbelievable,” Spencer said of his only reception of the game. “As I left the huddle I told (Elble) to look for me running the post. He said he was going to look for Voss. When I saw it I just dove for it and caught it. I thought I could get to the ball and there is no doubt that I caught it. I had both hands under it and I cradled it.

“We said that this was our time. This ranks right up there with the five-overtime game.”

EGR beat Orchard Lake St. Mary's in five overtimes in the Division 3 state championship game two years ago.

Orchard Lake St. Mary's (8-5) grabbed a 7-0 lead in the second quarter on a 13-yard TD run by senior quarterback Robert Bolden, who will play his football at Penn State next year.

East Grand Rapids tied the game with 30 seconds left in the first half on a 7-yard TD pass from Elble to Voss. The Eaglets, however, answered by driving the ball down to the Pioneers' 1-yard line with 8 seconds remaining in the half.

On first and goal Bolden tried to dive in and was stopped by senior Josh Drummond. On second and goal with 3 second left, Bolden tried to dive in but was stopped by senior Josh Laarman and junior Trent Voss.

EGR took a 10-7 lead in the third quarter on a 23-yard field goal by Bobby Aardema, but St. Mary's made it 14-10 on an 83-yard Bolden run. Senior A.J. McEwen caught a 68-yard TD pass from Elble to give EGR a 17-14 lead at the end of three.

The Eaglets took their 21-17 lead with 9:21 left to play when Cortez Riley scored from three yards out.

“That ball hung in the air and, for a second, time stood still,“ EGR coach Peter Stuursma said of the tipped pass caught by Spencer. “We made the play and then the guys finished it. Our guys are going to find a way to get it done. It is not in their makeup to quit. Fortunately, this time it wet our way. Don't count our kids out. They will find a way.”

EGR has now beaten Orchard Lake St. Mary's four times in a row.

“We came up a few points short,” Eaglets coach George Parrett said. “This was a great football game, though.”

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