The Lee Legends travelled up to Suttons Bay on Saturday for a contest against the Norsemen. Suttons Bay is one of the best in the state in 8-Man football, with a 30-2 record since the start of 2019. Both of those losses came in the Division 1 State Championship Game. Given the strength of this year’s Suttons Bay team, off to an 8-0 start, it was a resilient showing by the young Lee Legends in a 51-16 defeat.
Starting two freshman and first-year playing sophomores against the #2 team in 8-man football is a tall task, but Lee battled. Furthermore, the young Legends have two freshmen and a sophomore starting on the offensive side. Suttons Bay, on the contrary, has just 14 players, so the Norsemen had no choice but to play their starters the entire game. Despite these facts, Lee’s 16 points are tied for the most that Suttons Bay has yielded this season. It’s just the third time the Norsemen had given up double figures this fall.
Elijah Beckwith, one of the Legends’ juniors, had a fantastic ballgame. He turned nine carries into 256 yards and two scores, tallying a remarkable 28.4 yards per carry. Beckwith leads the Legends with three rushing touchdowns in their two games.
With the loss, Lee’s record on the field slides to 1-1. Their MHSAA recognized record is a confusing 1-7, with a 1-2 8-man mark and a 0-5 11-man mark. This was the final scheduled game of the year for the Legends at the varsity level.
Suttons Bay will continue their march back to the playoffs, with their eyes set on a State Championship. The Norsemen will face the Mesick Bulldogs in their regular season finale.
