The Central Montcalm Hornets and Kent City Eagles squared off on Friday night tied in the CSAA White standings. Preseason expectations would indicate that the winner of this game would take the inside track toward the league title. Central Montcalm delivered a statement in securing a 36-8 victory.
Central Montcalm was able to take the lead late in the first quarter. Emmett Lingeman found Zayne Cooper on a 35-yard touchdown strike to get on the board. A successful two-point try gave them an 8-0 lead after the first quarter of action.
The Hornets slowly extended their lead in the second quarter. Just one drive resulted in points, but Central Montcalm again came away with seven points. Lingeman found Jamison Johns on a 57-yard touchdown pass, a dynamic offensive play that allowed Central Montcalm to lead 14-0 entering the locker room.
In the third quarter, Central Montcalm doubled their lead. On their first drive of the half, Emmett Lingeman used his legs for a 27-yard keeper that crossed the goal line. On the ensuing Kent City drive, the special teams unit got the Hornets a larger lead. McCoy Wernholm blocked the Eagles’ punt and Asher Johnson recovered it in the end zone for a score.
Ahead 28-0, the victors would extend their lead once more with a touchdown run by Lingeman with just over five minutes to play. Kent City would prevent the shutout on a short touchdown run by Logan Thompson.
With the victory, Central Montcalm is now 5-1 on the season and 2-0 in the CSAA-White. A victory over Lakeview next week would give the Hornets at least a share of the league title. Kent City slides to 3-3 with this defeat. They will look to rebound next week against White Cloud.
