The Coopersville Broncos suffered a heartbreaking defeat last Friday. They battled West Catholic to the brink, ultimately falling on a last-second field goal. On Friday night, they found themselves ahead in the fourth quarter once again. Unfortunately for Coopersville, the end result was the same. Though it was with five minutes to play, the game-winning score lifted Spring Lake to a 20-19 win.
On their opening drive, Coopersville found the end zone. Ben Harris capped off the scoring drive with a 6-yard touchdown plunge, putting the Broncos up by 6. At the end of thq quarter, Spring Lake jumped in from with a 1-yard touchdown run by Wren Dephouse. An extra point brought the Lakers in front, 7-6.
Isaac Lemieux pushed Coopersville back ahead with his two-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter. Once again, the lead would not hold. Spring Lake’s Reid Grimmer responded with a quarterback keeper. Another successful PAT gave Spring Lake a 14-13 lead. Coopersville would seize control right before the half, however, on Lemieux’s second touchdown run. Coopersville could not nail the 2-point try, but they went into the locker room ahead 19-14.
After a scoreless third quarter, and a scoreless start to the fourth quarter, Coopersville’s defense hoped to hold off the Lakers’ charge. With 5:30 to play, Spring Lake was able to snap the scoring drought. A 1-yard keeper by Grimmer, his second score of the night, lifted Spring Lake ahead. Over the remained of the game, Coopersville had opportunities to come back, but they were unfruitful. As a result, Spring Lake took home a narrow conference victory.
Coopersville slides to 0-2 in league play and 2-2 overall, a frustrating slide after the start of the year. Next week, they will take on Unity Christian in another tough league contest. Spring Lake remains undefeated with a 4-0 record, and a 2-0 mark in league play. The Lakers have their own tall test next week, taking on defending State Champion West Catholic.
