The Cedar Springs Red Hawks concluded their regular season on Friday with a home date against Coopersville. Both teams were likely headed to the postseason regardless of result, but Coopersville had entered with wins in four of its last five games, hoping to secure a winning record in the regular season. The teams traded touchdowns throughout, before the Red Hawks secured a win in overtime, 27-21.
Midway through the first quarter, Kaiden Dreyer got Cedar Springs on the board with a 3-yard touchdown plunge. Coopersville would respond late in the second quarter, when Leland Noel scored on his own 4-yard touchdown carry. The Red Hawks took a 14-7 lead to the locker room with a Luke Egan 25-yard touchdown strike.
As was the case on the first touchdown, Coopersville began the second half with an answer. Again, late in the third quarter, Leland Noel found the end zone. The Broncos’ back scored this time on a 2-yard jaunt, suddenly evening the count at 14.
Kaiden Dreyer returned to the end zone with his second rushing touchdown, this time bowling in from a yard out in the early stages of the fourth quarter. As they had done twice before, Coopersville mustered enough gumption to field a response. Brooks Hadden, one of the state’s best wide receivers, was Champ Kelly‘s target on a 24-yard touchdown pass. This equalizer brought the game to a 21-21 draw with five minutes to play.
Neither team was able to find the end zone the rest of the way, so this game went to overtime. In the extra stanza, Coopersville was unable to score. This left Cedar Springs needing any points to capture the victory. Noah Malory would be the hero for Cedar Springs, as he took the football and carried it all ten yards for the winning score.
As of Saturday morning, with just a few games left to play, it appears both Cedar Springs and Coopersville will be playing in the postseason. The Red Hawks are going to be playing at home with their #8 ranking, while Coopersville currently has a two-point cushion before the final bonus point adjustment, so they should be on the road next Friday.
