The Grand Rapids Catholic Central Cougars and Cedar Springs Red Hawks met on Friday night with the outright lead in the OK Gold on the line. In an epic battle, Cedar Springs finished a point shy, falling 41-40.
Cedar Springs struck first in this game. Ryan Mitchell ran to the left side, and 10 yards later, he was in the end zone. John Passinault responded for the Cougars, with a 4-yard quarterback keeper. An extra point by John Meyer gave GRCC a 7-6 edge.
The Red Hawks roared back, as Antwaun Nicholls fielded the opening kickoff. He ran eighty yards through the oncoming Cougars coverage team, returning his first kickoff for a touchdown this year. Alex Ream added a two-point conversion for Cedar.
Passinault and GRCC responded with a 14-yard touchdown to Nolan Zeigler, adding to the area leader’s touchdown count. A missed conversion, as a result of a botched snap, left GRCC behind 14-13 after a quarter of play.
Cedar Springs expanded their lead early in the second quarter. Aiden Brunin used his legs for a 10-yard touchdown run. On the ensuing GRCC drive, Passinault took back to the skies, finding Devin Fridley-Bell on a 25-yard touchdown play. After a blocked extra point try, Cedar Springs’ Alex Ream added to the Red Hawks’ lead. He powered across the goal line from a yard out, giving the Red Hawks a 28-23 lead at halftime.
The third quarter success was vital for the Cougars in this victory. Passinault was the star of the show, as he was involved in all three scoring plays. First, he used his legs on a 1-yard quarterback keeper. On their next scoring drive, Passinault sprinted downfield, a 67-yard dash past Cedar Springs’ oncoming tacklers. Finally, with forty seconds to go in the quarter, Passinault tossed a 7-yard score to Devin Fridley-Bell. This gave the Cougars a 41-28 lead with twelve minutes to go.
Cedar Springs would not go away quietly in this contest. Aiden Brunin had another quarterback keeper, plowing his way through the middle of the line for a 2-yard score. A failed two-point try left the Red Hawks within seven.
After a defensive stop, Cedar Springs got the football back with 3:14 to go on their own 33 yard line. A big run of 39 yards by Ryan Mitchell moved the Red Hawks down to the GRCC 12. On third and one, Mitchell powered across the goal line from three yards out, pulling Cedar Springs within a point.
Coach Gus Kapolka sent his offense back out on the field for a two-point conversion try. The Red Hawks ran a bootleg with Aiden Brunin pursuing the goal line. GRCC’s defense stepped up, stopping Brunin short of the goal line. An onside kick recovery by Joe Mullet sealed the victory for the Cougars.
Cedar Springs gained all 327 yards on the ground. Aiden Brunin led the way with 98 yards, while Ryan Mitchell (72), Carter Falan (57) and Antwuan Nicholls (52) topped the 50-yard mark. GRCC had a more balanced attack with 256 passing yards from Passinault and a trio of ball-carriers registering 170 yards. Passinault led that category as well, with 104 yards on 14 carries. Ronin Russell-Dixon led the Cougars with 125 receiving yards.
Next week, Cedar Springs will take on South Christian in their regular season finale. Catholic Central will look to finish the regular season unbeaten once more with a matchup against Kenowa Hills.
