East Grand Rapids wins 4th straight

Pioneers and Eaglets kept fans guessing until the thrilling end

BY WRIGHT WILSON -- DETROIT FREE PRESS

DETROIT-- In the past two season-opening games, East Grand Rapids has handled Orchard Lake St. Mary's fairly easily. But whenever the two squads meet at Ford Field for a state championship, they just can't seem to settle things early.

The Pioneers-Eaglets' five-overtime contest two years ago remains the stuff of legends. While Saturday night's 24-21 East Grand Rapids victory didn't last quite so long, it did keep fans guessing right up until the end of regulation.

“It was two good teams, two classy programs slugging it out — a real heavyweight fight,” said East Grand Rapids coach Peter Stuursma. “The kids were playing hard, not making mistakes, and our seniors made sure they finished it the way they wanted to.”

With just 1:14 to play, East Grand Rapids quarterback Ryan Elble found Deon Jobe open in the end zone from 15 yards out, and the touchdown proved the difference in the Pioneers' 24-21 victory over the Eaglets.

“It's out of our play-action look,” Stuursma said of the winning touchdown. “Ryan made a great read with Deon.”

Trailing by four points, East Grand Rapids (14-0) had to travel 87 yards in the final 5 minutes, and did so in nine plays, which included a desperation fourth-and-14 play when running back Kirk Spencer made a game-saving catch on a tipped pass.

“I just dove for the ball, and everyone was screaming when I got up,” Spencer said. “It was just luck; I couldn't say any other way.”

St. Mary's mounted a late drive down the stretch, but Joshua Laarman hit quarterback Robert Bolden and caused a fumble, and Spencer recovered.

Those were just two of the many thrills.

St. Mary's (8-5) struck first, 2 minutes into the second quarter, when Bolden kept the ball, broke two tackles, and scored on a 13-yard run. The play was set up by a Bolden-to-Gary Hunter pass completion three plays earlier that covered 49 yards.

East Grand Rapids knotted the score with 30 seconds to go in the half. The Pioneers moved 59 yards in 13 plays — aided by Eaglets penalties for pass interference and a face mask — before tight end Colin Voss caught a pass 5 yards out and twisted his way to the goal line.

The Eaglets threatened to score in the remaining time, set up after a long kick return by Hunter, but the Pioneers' defense stuffed Bolden on a quarterback sneak from the 1-yard line on the final play of the half.

After the break, East took a 10-7 lead on a 23-yard Bobby Aardema field goal, but St. Mary's grabbed the lead back 12 seconds later when Bolden scampered 83 yards on the Eaglets' next play from scrimmage.

East Grand Rapids took a 17-14 lead on another big play. On third-and-5 from the Pioneers' 32, Elble found A.J. McEwen on a cross-pattern near midfield, and zig-zagged between Eaglets defenders to go the rest of the way to the end zone.

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