The Forest Hills Eastern Hawks began their season on Thursday night with a road trip to center state, where they would face the Adrian Maples. After 34 unanswered points to start the game, the Hawks would return home with a 34-7 victory.
In the first quarter, Bryson Kuzdal got FHE on the scoreboard. He broke free on a 58-yard touchdown sprint. Midway through the second quarter, Kuzdal would return to the end zone with an 18-yard carry. Just fourteen seconds before the halftime break, Brendan Thompson and Collin Fridsma linked up on a 9-yard touchdown toss. A pair of extra points from Clune VanAndel put the Hawks ahead 20-0 as they went to the locker room.
Forest Hills Eastern wasted no time in scoring on the opening series of the third quarter. Again, it was Kuzdal who shot like a cannon through the Maples defense. This time, he reeled off a 56-yard dash for a score. Max Ferrick scored the fifth and final FHE touchdown, as he carried the football nine yards for a score. The earlier missed extra point by VanAndel left the lead at only 34-0, a point shy of the running clock.
With ninety seconds to play, Adrian was able to stave off the shutout. They got a 44-yard touchdown pass from Sean Parker to Thomas Dayharsh that resulted in seven points.
Despite the lopsided score, the total yardage was nearly identical. FHE only outgained Adrian 293-264. Bryson Kuzdal paced the victors with 147 rushing yards on five carries. Brendan Thompson completed 6 of 12 passes for 140 yards, while Kuzdal (51 yards) was the leading receiver. Defensively, Collin Fridsma (7.5) and Matt Stotts (6) led the Hawks in tackles. Drew Patten also forced a key interception.
Next week, FHE will look to move to 2-0 when they square off with South Haven. Adrian will look to find its first win when they face Brooklyn Columbia Central.
