The South Christian Sailors and Grand Rapids Catholic Central Cougars are two of the state’s premier football programs. They have met eighteen times on the gridiron, dating back to their thrilling 1986 Class B regional, a 6-3 slugfest.
Though these teams often have the talent to make deep postseason runs, in fact both played at F0rd Field last November, this season they have fallen on tougher times. South Christian entered this game at 4-4, losers of four straight. Grand Rapids Catholic Central 5-3, with a two-game slide. Both teams were looking for momentum heading into the playoffs, with South Christian being able to find that in a 26-20 victory.
After forcing a turnover on downs, South Christian the first touchdown on their next offensive play. Chuck DeHaan and Owen Burgess paired up for a 34-yard touchdown toss.
Grand Rapids Catholic Central would respond with an Odin Spencer touchdown toss to Raef Goosen, a drive that was carried by a 39-yard carry by Kamall Hillard.
Before the first quarter drew to a close, South Christian regained the lead. Wyatt Sall booted a 31-yard field goal, giving the Sailors a 10-7 edge.
Three minutes into the second quarter, GRCC took the lead. Spencer used his legs for a 1-yard quarterback keeper to cross the goal line. On their next drive, the Cougars pushed their lead to ten points when Spencer and Ace Natte connected on a 39-yard touchdown connection. They would hold this 20-10 lead as the teams broke for halftime.
In the second half, all of the scoring came from South Christian. Their defense buckled down, keeping the Cougars off the scoreboard. This gave Carson Vis and the offense enough time to put together two scoring drives, which would lift them to victory.
With just twelve seconds left in the third quarter, South Christian found the end zone. Vis and Bryce Kenyon paired up for a 26-yard touchdown toss. Vis would then find Tyler Brinks for the two-point conversion, bringing the score to 20-18 in favor of GRCC.
Early in the fourth quarter, the combination of Vis and Brinks provided that final push for the Sailors. They completed an octopus, first a 1-yard touchdown pass, and secondly a short conversion completion. This would give South Christian their 26-20 lead they would not relinquish.
Both South Christian (5-4) and Grand Rapids Catholic Central (5-4) will qualify for the postseason. Their foes, and the path that lies ahead for each to return to Ford Field, will be announced Sunday.
