Blinding Lights

By Dan Ward

It was a cold October night in St. Johns, with the leaves changing colors and a few light showers passing through. The student section brought some color to the stands with its neon theme, but the Redwings stole the show on the field. St. Johns dominated the Gaylord Blue Devils 55-7, getting a little payback for last year’s 32-28 loss. This time, there was no last-minute drama. The Redwings controlled the game from the start and sent Gaylord home seeing Blinding Lights.

Gaylord Stats

Hot Dog Report

I was planning to try something different from the concession stand this week, especially after three straight home games. But I really do like the hot dogs at St. Johns, so I went with what I know. Another 5 out of 5!

First Half

I arrived a little late and missed the coin toss, but Gaylord kicked off to St. Johns, and the ball sailed into the end zone for a touchback. The Redwings started at their own 20 and went to work on the ground. Lucas McCastle and Archer Gurski gained yards on the ground, and St. Johns didn’t face a third down until they reached the Gaylord 11. On third-and-2, McCastle finished the drive with a touchdown run with 7:30 left in the first quarter. Myles Jones added the extra point, putting St. Johns up 7-0.

Gaylord mishandled the kickoff and was pinned at its own 21. Cody Carn made a tackle for loss, pushing the Blue Devils back to the 15. They couldn’t get anything going and were forced to punt. The kick rolled about 20 yards before St. Johns downed it at the Redwings’ 39.

St. Johns made the most of the good field position. Gurski picked up a couple of runs before Conner Kurncz connected with Brody Pratl for a 41-yard gain down to the Gaylord 8. On the next play, Kurncz found Alex Oberlin in the end zone for another touchdown. Jones hit the extra point, and with 3:45 left in the first quarter, St. Johns led 14-0.

The next Gaylord possession looked like something out of a horror movie, with the Redwings defense playing the role of Michael Myers. St. Johns squib-kicked to the Gaylord 17, and Jeremiah Goben opened the series with a tackle for loss. Maddox Munger followed with a sack, leaving Gaylord facing third-and-14 at its own 13. The Blue Devils looked rattled and had to burn a timeout to avoid a delay-of-game penalty. They eventually punted on fourth down, and the ball went out of bounds at the St. Johns 27.

The Redwings took over, and Gurski picked up 11 yards. On first-and-10 from the St. Johns 38, the offensive line opened a huge hole, and McCastle took full advantage. He broke free for a 62-yard touchdown run, leaving the Gaylord defense behind. Jones added the extra point, and St. Johns led 21-0 with just 19 seconds left in the first quarter.

Jones sent a line-drive kickoff back into play, and Gaylord returned it to its own 35. The Blue Devils went backward on the drive and ended up punting from their 24. The kick hung in the wind before going out of bounds at the St. Johns 40 as the second quarter got underway.

Kurncz found Myles Jones on second down to start the drive. He then connected with Ian Smith, who lowered his shoulder and fought for the first down. On the next play, Kurncz found McCastle, but the ball came loose as McCastle fought for extra yards. Gaylord recovered at its own 7.

The Blue Devils couldn’t do much with the possession and punted from their own 3. The kick didn’t travel far, settling at the Gaylord 32 and giving St. Johns another short field.

Gurski took a second-down handoff up the middle to the Gaylord 18. Kurncz then connected with McCastle to move the ball closer before finding him again for a touchdown. The extra point was good, and St. Johns led 28-0 with 7:19 remaining in the half.

Jones drove the kickoff through the end zone, giving Gaylord the ball at its own 20. Goben sacked the quarterback, pushing the Blue Devils back to the 14, and Munger followed with a tackle for loss to make it third-and-long again. Gaylord eventually punted on fourth-and-4 from its own 26. McCastle returned the kick to the Gaylord 38.

It took just three plays for St. Johns to find the end zone again. Kurncz connected with McCastle, then Smith, before finding Jones for the touchdown. Jones made an outstanding catch to finish the drive with 3:44 left in the half. The extra point was good, and the Redwings were up 35-0.

Jones sent another kickoff through the end zone, and Gaylord started at its own 20. The Redwings defense kept the pressure on and forced another three-and-out. The punt went out of bounds at the Gaylord 43.

St. Johns had a chance to add to the lead before halftime. Kurncz connected with McCastle, Gurski, and Smith to move the ball into field-goal range. A false-start penalty pushed the Redwings back to the 30, though, and Jones’ field-goal attempt was no good.

Gaylord tried to put together one last drive before the break, knowing it would receive the second-half kickoff. The Redwings defense held, and the teams headed to the locker room with St. Johns comfortably ahead, 35-0.

Halftime

The St. Johns Marching Band performed its Classic Rock Tribute Show at halftime. The band followed its 41st consecutive MBSOA straight-1s performance on Monday with another outstanding accomplishment.

Congratulations to Mr. Davis and the entire marching band! The halftime show is always a highlight of the night, and this group continues to give the crowd plenty to enjoy.

Second Half

Jones kicked off to start the second half, and Gaylord returned the ball to its own 20. The Blue Devils didn’t get far. On their first play, McCastle stepped in front of a Gaylord receiver, intercepted the pass, and returned it for a touchdown.

Less than a minute into the third quarter, St. Johns had added another score and led 42-0.

Jones sent another kickoff into the end zone for a touchback, putting Gaylord back at its own 20. This time, the Blue Devils found some room and broke loose for an 80-yard touchdown. With less than two minutes gone in the third quarter, Gaylord was finally on the board, making it 42-7.

Gaylord kicked off for the first time in the game, and Conner Barber returned the ball to the St. Johns 25. The Redwings went back to work through the air. Kurncz connected with McCastle four times and Jones once to move the ball downfield.

Unfortunately, Jones was injured during the drive. Wishing Myles a speedy recovery.

After the injury delay, Kurncz found Tyler Priest in the end zone for another Redwings touchdown. With Jones out, St. Johns went for two but couldn’t convert. With 6:23 left in the third quarter, the Redwings led 48-7.

Priest took over kickoff duties, and Gaylord returned the ball to its own 24. The Redwings defense once again pushed the Blue Devils backward, forcing a punt from the Gaylord 19. St. Johns called for a fair catch at the Gaylord 42.

The Redwings turned to Johnny Infante and Roman Berkhousen to move the ball on the ground. A false-start penalty stalled the drive, and St. Johns eventually turned the ball over on downs at the Gaylord 43.

Gaylord couldn’t get much going on its next possession. The Blue Devils fumbled, and St. Johns recovered.

Hunter Swift carried the ball down to the Gaylord 15, and Infante moved it to the 12. A personal foul and a couple of short runs made it tough to finish the drive, though, and St. Johns turned the ball over on downs at the Gaylord 9.

The Redwings defense took over again and kept Gaylord from building any momentum. Gage Rajewski made a stop, Infante tipped a pass, and Gavin Monroe came up with a stop to force yet another punt from deep in Gaylord territory.

St. Johns started its next drive at its own 48, with Infante and Berkhousen carrying the ball. Lockwood also got a carry as the Redwings worked their way toward the end zone. On second-and-3 from the Gaylord 9, Berkhousen punched it in for another touchdown.

Jeremiah Goben came on for the extra point and drilled it through the uprights, making the score 55-7 with 2:39 remaining.

Priest kicked off, and the ball skipped out of bounds. Berkhousen, Corwin Scheidler, and Swift all made stops as the game wound down. Gaylord’s final possession ended with a fumbled snap.

The final score was St. Johns 55, Gaylord 7. St. Johns’ defense only allowed 101 yards of offense, and 80 of it came on one play.

With the win, the Redwings improved to 6-2 and secured a playoff spot. After last year’s four-point loss, St. Johns couldn’t have asked for a much better response.

Coach Schmitt was pleased with how his team prepared and performed.

“Our guys played extremely well tonight,” Coach Schmitt said. “This was a big week for us after losing to them last year. We had a great week of preparation, and it showed in our execution. Proud of how hard we played again, and how we executed.”

Next Up

The Redwings return home next Friday to host the Ypsilanti Lincoln Railsplitters, who enter the game at 0-8.

It’s also Senior Night, so come out and support the team as we recognize our seniors and send them into the playoffs with a great home crowd behind them!

Around the Program

Here’s how the rest of the St. Johns football teams did this week.

• 7th Grade: Finished the season undefeated at 6-0 with a 46-6 win over Ionia.

Coach Miller had plenty to say about the team’s accomplishment:

“What an incredible season! From our first scrimmage to the final whistle, these young men showed up, worked hard, played together, and NEVER QUIT! I couldn’t be prouder of this group of young men! A huge THANK YOU to our parents, families, coaches, and everyone who supported us along the way. This undefeated season was a TEAM effort, both on and off the field! More than football, we built friendships, character, discipline, and memories that will last a lifetime!”

• 8th Grade: Defeated Ionia 35-12.
• JV B: Beat Gaylord 28-3.
• JV A: Defeated Gaylord 36-23.
• 4th Grade: Stayed undefeated, beating Waverly 48-0.
• 5th Grade: Beat Charlotte 22-21 on a last-second touchdown and extra point.
• 6th Grade: Fell to DeWitt B, 24-0.

Congratulations to all the teams on another week of hard work and competition!

This Week’s Schedule

• JV B and JV A: On the road at Lincoln.
• SJYAA 4th Grade: Looks to finish the season undefeated against Grand Ledge.
• SJYAA 4th, 5th, and 6th Grades: Take on DeWitt.

It’s a big week for the program, with the varsity team trying to secure a home playoff game and several teams finishing up their seasons. Come out, support the players, and help keep the Redwing spirit going!