The East Grand Rapids Pioneers delivered a statement on Friday night, taking down their rival Grand Rapids Christian. EGR got out to a quick start, powering their way to a 42-14 victory.
Preston Bergstrom got the Pioneers started, when he broke free for an 11-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter. With mere seconds left in the first quarter, Bergstrom aired it out and found Nick Collins for a 13-yard touchdown run.
Ahead 13-0, East Grand Rapids would hold the lead throughout the second quarter. The Pioneers added to their lead with a 3-yard run by Drew Caswell in the final seconds of the first half.
Grand Rapids Christian would finally counter with a 13-yard touchdown toss from Alek Wickstrom to Jude Klunder, trimming the deficit to 19-7. The Eagles would cough up two points later in the third quarter, when they got called for intentional grounding in the end zone.
Drew Caswell return to the end zone midway through the fourth frame. His 1-yard plunge gave the Pioneers a 21-point lead. Wickstrom and the Eagles responded with another touchdown pass to Klunder.
Two touchdowns in the final three minutes allowed East Grand Rapids to ice this game. Scotty Millman found the end zone twice. First, he broke free on a 45-yard sprint to the end zone. With a minute to go, Millman ran in a 4-yard score.
East Grand Rapids improves to 2-3 with this victory. They will look to get back to .500 when they take on Byron Center next week.
Grand Rapids Christian saw a solid game out of Alek Wickstrom. He completed 18/27 passes for 235 yards and two scores. Two interceptions were costly, however. Dewayne Goree had 7 tackles, two for loss, on defense. The Eagles, now 2-3, will face Greenville next week.
