Game Photo Album by Papa Razzi Sports Photography

The Grand Valley Christian Patriots began their season on the road two weeks ago, taking a tough loss to Landmark Christian. After a bye week to practice and improve, Coach Brian Shafer’s Patriots were back on the field this Saturday, as they welcomed Middletown Christian over to Skinner Field for their home opener.

Amidst the rain on Saturday evening, the Patriots were able to pull out a 12-6 victory, evening their season mark at 1-1. It was a gutsy team performance that saw players in all facets of the game step up to secure the win.

Lex Underhill, the Patriots’ signal-caller, was coming off a game in which he threw for 251 yards and two touchdowns. He responded with another pair of touchdowns in this game, though he showed his dual-threat ability on Saturday. After using his legs for the first touchdown, Underhill tossed a bubble screen to Jaeshawn Hughes who danced through the defense for an explosive touchdown run (Video here)

The defense kept Middletown Christian’s attack at bay, as they hauled in five interceptions. A sixth interception was called back for a penalty, but the Patriots’ secondary blanketed Middletown Christian receivers all game long.

Next week, the Patriots will travel to Aurora, Illinois to take on the Illinois Crusaders. This will be a Saturday kickoff slated for 6:00 PM. Grand Valley Christian will return home to Skinner Field on September 18, when they host the Washtenaw Saints.