Photo: Aleisha Blauvelt

The Martin Clippers began their SWMFL-I slate against the Fennville Blackhawks. It’s a long-standing rivalry between the two schools, as this week’s game was the 49th meeting since 1950. It had been a lopsided rivalry, with the Blackhawks winning eleven straight in the series. Martin finally snapped that streak, earning their first win over Fennville since 2007 with a 64-12 thrashing.

As usual, the Martin rushing attack set the tone in this victory. Juniors Braeden Shanley, JR Hildebrand and Karter Ribble all rushed for over 100 yards. Shanley rushed 10 times for 164 and 2 TDs. He started the opening drive off with a bang, as he reeled off a 95 yard touchdown run. JR Hildebrand ran 13 times for 124 yards and 3 TDs he also completed 8 of 12 passes for 115 yards. Two of his completions went for scores, as he found Charley Martin and Karter Ribble. Ribble also ran 8 times for 118 yards, adding a rushing touchdown to his scoring tally. Freshman Gavin Meyers added a 33 yard touchdown run. The team rushed for 477 yards in this victory, accumulating a total offensive yardage mark of 592.

For the second straight week Junior Tanner Bird and Sophomore Jackson Robinson led the defense in tackles. Tanner Bird accounted for 7, while Robinson had 6. JR Hildebrand, JT Krick and Javan Lowe each had a fumble recovery.

Coach Brad Blauvelt was once again pleased with his team’s play this week. “Overall we are happy with the win, it’s been a while since we’ve beat Fennville. Our offensive line did a better job staying on blocks this week. We ran the ball well which we know we are capable of. A big point of emphasis was establishing our passing game, and I think JR and the team did a good job in meeting that expectation. We need to polish up a few areas on defense, and we will look to have a good week of practice heading into the Gobles game. They are another old SAC team we are very familiar with.”

Martin has now won the last fifteen regular season contests in which the game was actually played (a forfeit win and forfeit loss due to COVID in 2020 not included). League play will continue for them next week, as they face the Gobles Tigers. Fennville, who slides to 0-2 to this defeat, has been outscored 20-124 in eight quarters. Their schedule remains challenging next week, as they will face Mendon.