St Joseph has been one of the most impressive teams early this season, and they continued that on Friday with a 29-13 victory over Kalamazoo Central. The Bears remain undefeated at 4-0 this fall.
In the final minute of the first quarter, Kalamazoo Central got on the scoreboard. Travion Farris reeled off a 16-yard touchdown run for the Maroon Giants, capping off a 7-play, 50-yard drive. Their extra point was blocked, leaving their lead at 6-0. Neither team would score in the second quarter, leaving Kalamazoo Central ahead at the half by the same margin.
As the third quarter came to an end, St Joseph finally got into the end zone. Trey McGinnis powered across the goal line from two yards out, finishing an impressive drive that went lasted 17 plays and five minutes of game time, covering 80 yards. Max Taylor booted the extra point to give the Bears a 7-6 lead.
The fourth quarter saw the Bears strike for a trio of touchdowns to create an insurmountable lead. First, Joron Brown powered across the goal line from a yard out. On the ensuing Kalamazoo Central drive, McGinnis stepped in front of a pass and raced 60 yards to the end zone. Thomas Moore added the two-point conversion. With just under two minutes to go, Andrew Barlow joined the touchdown party with a 3-yard plunge.
Kalamazoo Central would get a late touchdown on a 12-yard run by Cincear Lewis, but it would not be enough. The Bears were actually outgained by the Maroon Giants 273-191.
Next week, the Bears will step out of SMAC play for a game against Okemos. Kalamazoo Central will have another tall task in their Friday night battle against Stevensville Lakeshore.
