The St Joseph Bears stepped out of SMAC play for a non-conference date with Okemos. On paper, the 4-0 Bears appeared to be overwhelming favorites against the 0-4 Chiefs. The match-up lived up to its billing, as St Joseph won 75-0.
Just twenty-four seconds into the game, the Bears took the lead. Trey McGinnis reeled off a 74-yard run, giving the team an early lead. St Joseph would score sixteen seconds of game time later, as Preston Nichols ripped off a 22-yard score. With 10:29 left in the first quarter, Cole Toney and Matthew Lanier connected on a 9-yard touchdown pass.
St Joseph would add two more scores in the quarter, a 1-yard run by Joron Brown and a 2-yard run by Andrew Barlow, giving St Joseph a commanding 35-0 lead after one quarter.
In the second quarter, Thomas Moore provided the offense for the Bears. He had a pair of rushing touchdowns, scoring from 20 yards in the opening minute, and from a yard out with 3 minutes to go in the half. This gave the Bears a 49-point advantage.
With the running clock in effect, the Bears were able to score four more times. Caleb Garey provided the first defensive touchdown with a 43-yard interception return. In the closing seconds of the third, Hunter Hall joined the touchdown party with a 5-yard plunge. Jackson Lane (3o-yard run) and MacGuire Lange (69-yard interception return) rounded out the scoring for St. Joe.
The Bears set a new school record for points, margin of victory and touchdowns scored (11). They racked up 332 yards of offense, with 323 coming on the ground. It was a team effort, with Trey McGinnis carrying the ball for 74 yards, and six others finishing with at least 25 yards on the ground.
Defensively, St Joseph held Okemos scoreless, and to zero total yards of offense. Colten Roach threw for 26 yards for St Joseph, but the rushing attack was held to (-26) yards. This was just a continuation of offensive woes for the Chiefs, who have scored just seven points this year, and have now been shutout for the fourth game in a row.
Next week, St Joseph will take on Portage Central in a SMAC showdown. Okemos will return to action against reigning Division 3 State Championship DeWitt.
