**ARTICLE BY JOSH LONGSTRETH**
It hasn’t been the season that St. Louis has hoped for in 2022. A very young team has been faced with ups and downs. The Sharks would have a chance and grabbing their 1st win of the season over Valley Lutheran in week 7. Valley Lutheran battling their own adversity on the year would, too, be looking for their 1st win. Both teams would come out chomping at the bit in this one. It would be the Sharks that would have the last bite.
Valley Lutheran would hold the lead early in this one at 7-6, returning St Louis’ kickoff for a touchdown. The Sharks, who got their first score on a Thomas Zacharko pass, would grab the lead late in the 1st on an 80-yard TD run from Teagan Inbody. A failed two-point try would give St. Louis a 12-7 lead after one.
The Chargers of Valley Lutheran would jump right back on top early in the 2nd. A TD pass and good PAT would give the Chargers a 14-12 lead to that point. That’s where it would stand after one half of play.
St. Louis would come out of the half and show their fortitude. They jump back on top midway through the 3rd quarter on a TD run by Zacharko. He completed the Octopus with a successful two-point run, which would make this a 20-14 Sharks lead. That lead wouldn’t stand for long when Valley Lutheran would grab the lead back on a TD run of their own. The Chargers would lead heading into the 4th at 21-20.
Early in the 4th St. Louis would find their way into the endzone again. This time it was on the ground as Zacharko broke free on an 80-yard sprint to the end zone to give the Sharks a 26-21 lead. A pivotal two-point try would be successful and would make it a 28-21 game. The St.Louis defense would stand tall the rest of the 4th quarter helping them hold on and grab their 1st win of the year in this one, 28-21.
The young Sharks showed their grit again in week 7. They move to 1-6 overall on the year, and 1-3 in TVC West II play. They’ll have a chance to grab their second win in a row next week when they take on Hemlock. Hemlock comes into that one at 1-6 overall and 0-4 in the TVC West I. The Huskies are coming off a tough loss to Carrollton in week 7. The Sharks will look to see if they can add another tough one in week 8 when they welcome in the Huskies next Friday at 7:00.
Valley Lutheran will move on from a tough one. They now move to 0-7 overall and 0-4 in the TVC West II. They’ll look to move on quickly to face a Parkway Christian team that is coming off a solid performance in week 7. The Eagles come into that one at 2-5 overall and 1-2 in the Michigan Independent Athletic Conference. The Chargers will make way when they welcome them in for a 7:00 showdown next Friday.
