The Cedar Springs Red Hawks and Forest Hills Eastern Hawks embarked on a shootout path on Friday night. In the end, 88 points were scored between the teams. Cedar Springs used a strong second quarter to capture a 53-35 victory.
Forest Hills Eastern started the game with a pair of unanswered touchdowns. First, the Hawks got a 1-yard touchdown run from Bryson Kuzdzal. They followed that up with a defensive touchdown, a fumble recovery by Max Ferrick. Seven minutes into the game, it was 14-0 FHE.
Cedar Springs would bounce back, as Ryan Mitchell capped off an 80-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. The final score of the quarter came from Bryson Kuzdzal, who broke free on the first play from scrimmage on a 79-yard touchdown sprint.
The second quarter was all Cedar Springs. The Red Hawks scored three touchdowns without an answer from FHE. Ryan Mitchell (41 yards and 53 yards) and Ryan West (1 yard) were able to find the end zone to give Cedar Springs a 31-21 halftime lead.
In the third quarter, Cedar got started with a 19-yard touchdown run by Mitchell, his fourth of the night. FHE would end the 29-0 run with a 35 yard scoring pass from Brendan Thompson to Drew Patten. These teams would exchange touchdowns late in the quarter on runs by Carter Falan and Bryson Kuzdzal.
Ahead by ten early in the fourth quarter, Cedar Springs got their icing on the cake. Ryan Mitchell’s fifth and final touchdown run delivered a big win for Cedar Springs.
Ryan Mitchell turned 24 carries into 267 yards for the victors. Carter Falan added 108 yards on 17 carries. In defeat, Bryson Kuzdzal rushed 20 times for 208 yards.
Next week, Cedar Springs will take on Middleville. Forest Hills Eastern will square off with Ottawa Hills.
