The Traverse City West Titans hosted Grand Rapids Union in their playoff opener on Saturday afternoon. It was the first playoff game since 1993 for the Red Hawks. An explosive first half for Traverse City West allowed them to build a large lead and ultimately coast to a 65-13 victory.
Christian Boivin got the scoring started with a fourteen yard touchdown. On the next drive, Boivin took a handoff seventeen yards to the end zone. Before the first quarter ended, the Titans expanded their lead to 21 points. Patrick O’Connor burst through the defense for a fifty-seven yard touchdown run.
In the second quarter, the Titans exploded on the scoreboard. O’Connor started the scoring with a touchdown run of nine yards. On the ensuing Union series, TC West was able to record a safety. Quarterback Brandon Konchek tossed a fifteen yard pass to Mel Frechette to expand their lead further.
Traverse City West still had three touchdowns to score in the second quarter. Christian Boivin rushed for his third touchdown of the half, a six-yarder. Patrick O’Connor joined the three-touchdown party with a run that covered eleven yards. On the final play of the first half, Aiden Lewandowski scored on a thirteen yard touchdown run. The Titans took their 58-0 lead to the locker room.
After neither team scored in the third quarter, Union got on the scoreboard. Tommy Stevens and Twanyea Smith connected for a forty-nine yard touchdown pass for the Red Hawks’ first touchdown of the night. Remington Schultz fielded the ensuing kickoff and ran it eighty-three yards to the endzone for the Titans’ final touchdown.
As the game was winding down, Tommy Stevens kept the football and ran sixty-five yards to the end zone. This touchdown brought the game to its final tally of 65-13.
Next week, the Titans will travel down the interstate to take on the Grandville Bulldogs. The Bulldogs dominated Grand Haven in their playoff opener. This will be the eighth meeting between the two schools, and the first since 2008. Grandville have won all seven previous matchups.
