Bring The Noise!

By Dan Ward

“Black is back, all in, we’re gonna win. Check it out, here we go again. Turn it up. Bring the noise.”

And that’s exactly what the St. Johns Redwings did Friday night.

St. Johns beat the Haslett Vikings 28-14 in a physical game that was decided in the trenches. It was the Redwings’ first win over Haslett since 2020, and they earned it the hard way—running the football, controlling the line of scrimmage, and standing up to a Vikings defensive line that features several Division 1 college prospects.

The game came down to a handful of big plays, especially on defense. St. Johns stopped Haslett twice inside the red zone, including a sack on third-and-goal from the 1-yard line and another stand at the 1 late in the third quarter. The Redwings also came up with an interception return for a touchdown and a strip-sack that helped seal the win.

After seven straight losses to the Vikings, St. Johns finally had its night.

Hot Dog Report

Dog: 4/5 — Pretty good.

Bun: N/A — I don’t eat bread.

Toppings: 5/5 — Ketchup, mustard, and relish in packets.

Value: 5/5 — Average price.

Game-Day Factor: 5/5 — Bonus because they put them in bags.

Overall: 4.5/5 — “Not a St. Johns hot dog, but in a pinch, it’s passable.”

First Half

St. Johns lost the coin toss, and Haslett deferred, giving the Redwings the ball to start.

The Vikings tried a little trickery with a squib kick, but St. Johns recovered at its own 31-yard line. From there, the Redwings went right to work doing what they do best: controlling the line of scrimmage.

Games are won up front, and this one was no different.

Lucas McCastle picked up two yards on the first carry. Cody Carn followed with a first-down run, then added nine more yards on his next carry. McCastle moved the chains again on the following play.

On third-and-12, Connor Kurncz lowered his shoulder and powered ahead. McCastle continued to handle the workload, grinding out yards and keeping the Vikings defense on its heels.

With St. Johns facing first-and-10 from the Haslett 24, the Redwings ran a counter to Ian Smith, who found the end zone. Myles Jones split the uprights, and with 6:55 left in the first quarter, St. Johns led 7-0.

Jones sent the kickoff through the end zone for a touchback, and Haslett started at its own 20.

The Vikings entered the game at 1-4 and needed a win to stay in the playoff hunt. They weren’t going to go quietly. Haslett drove all the way to the St. Johns 19, but after the teams traded timeouts, the Vikings missed the field goal.

St. Johns took over and went back to work.

McCastle bounced his first carry outside for 12 yards, moving the ball to the St. Johns 31. Kurncz connected with McCastle for another first down at the 41. On second-and-8, Kurncz found Tyler Priest for six yards, then picked up the first down himself with a hard run.

The Redwings eventually moved the ball to the Haslett 10. A horse-collar tackle on McCastle gave St. Johns first-and-goal from the 2, and Smith scored a few plays later.

Jones added the extra point, and with 1:13 left in the half, St. Johns led 14-0.

Jones kicked off to the Haslett 1, and the Vikings returned it to the 24 before Logan Finn put the brakes on the return with a big hit.

Haslett completed a big pass to its own 47, but the Redwing defense settled in. The Vikings quarterback was forced to scramble and throw the ball away. With nine seconds left, the defense pushed the running back out of bounds.

St. Johns took over and took a knee, carrying a 14-0 lead into halftime.

Second Half

Jones kicked off to start the second half, and Haslett returned the ball to their 28.

The Vikings quickly marched down the field and eventually reached the St. Johns 1-yard line. On third-and-goal from the 1, the Redwings made one of the biggest defensive plays of the night, sacking Haslett. The next pass fell incomplete, and St. Johns took over on downs at its own 1.

The Redwings couldn’t get much breathing room from there and eventually punted from the 11.

Haslett returned the punt to its 46 and went right back to work. A big run put the Vikings in scoring position, but Ian Smith chased down the ball carrier and made the tackle at the St. Johns 18.

Haslett continued to move the ball and eventually reached the Redwing 3. Once again, the St. Johns defense refused to give up the touchdown, stopping the Vikings at the 1.

Officials and the Haslett coaching staff had a lengthy discussion about whether the ball carrier had crossed the goal line. The call stood, and with no replay review in high school football, St. Johns kept the ball.

With their backs against their own goal line, the Redwings did what they needed to do and got the ball out of danger before punting.

Tyler Priest’s punt was returned to the Haslett 46. On second-and-4 from the St. Johns 47, the Vikings finally broke through, scoring with 1:03 left in the third quarter.

The score was 14-7, and suddenly, it was anybody’s game.

Haslett’s kicker followed with a textbook onside kick. The ball bounced around 12 yards before the Vikings recovered at the St. Johns 48.

Haslett had beaten St. Johns seven straight times—five times between 2020 and 2024 and twice last season. Some of those losses were blowouts. Others came down to the final minutes. This one could have been another heartbreak.

Then came the Friday Night Hero.

On first-and-10 from the St. Johns 48, the Haslett quarterback dropped back to pass. Ian Smith stepped in front of the throw, grabbed the interception, and found nothing but open field.

Forty-eight yards later, Smith was in the end zone.

Jones added the extra point, and St. Johns pushed the lead back to 14, 21-7.

Haslett answered quickly with a long touchdown pass with less than a second remaining in the quarter. The score was 21-14 heading into the fourth.

Whenever I talk to Coach Schmitt about this team, one word keeps coming up: gritty.

They’re not a Corvette. They’re not a Mustang.

They’re a Jeep Wrangler—mud on the fenders, a dent in the door, a roll bar, and built to keep going when the road gets rough.

St. Johns took the kickoff at its own 26. A holding penalty backed the Redwings up to second-and-17 from the 18—an incomplete pass brought up third-and-17.

That’s when Kurncz found Jones, who made a big play to move the ball to the Haslett 46.

On second-and-9 from the Haslett 45, Kurncz connected with Smith for another big gain, moving the ball to the Vikings’ 19.

Two plays later, Smith broke free again, dodging tacklers and taking the ball to the Haslett 6.

On third-and-6 from the 6, Smith finished the drive and found the end zone.

Jones was perfect again on the extra point, and St. Johns led 28-14.

The Vikings got one more possession, but the Redwing defense had one more big play left.

On second-and-10 from the Haslett 46, Cody Carn came off the edge and delivered a strip-sack. Smith recovered the fumble, and St. Johns ran out the clock.

Final score: St. Johns 28, Haslett 14.

After six years without a win over the Vikings, the Redwings finally got one.

Coach Schmitt summed up the night this way:

“Another great performance tonight by our guys! This group is tough, and they embody everything you want in a football team. We had two goal-line stands, and an incredibly strong effort from all of our guys tonight. We haven’t beaten Haslett in six years, so it was great to come out on top again.”

Next Up

With four wins and three home games left in the regular season, things look good for another postseason run.

Next up is the final CAAC Red Division game against Fowlerville. If you’ve followed St. Johns football the last few years, you know this matchup usually delivers.

St. Johns won 26-23 in 2023, 21-14 in 2024, and 27-26 last year.

Fowlerville is currently 2-4, but that record doesn’t mean much when these two teams get together. The Gladiators always come ready to play.

So come on out, fill the seats, grab a hot dog, and cheer on the Friday Night Heroes.

Around the Program

Here’s what else is happening around the St. Johns football program:

• 7th Grade: Remains undefeated after dominating Haslett 51-6.
• 8th Grade: Lost to Haslett 35-14.
• JV B: Beat Freeland 12-8.
• JV A: Beat Haslett 30-14.
• 4th Grade: Remains undefeated after beating DeWitt 36-0.
• 5th Grade: Beat DeWitt 28-6.
• 6th Grade: Lost to DeWitt 32-8.

This week, the 7th- and 8th-grade teams travel to Williamston.

JV B takes on Grand Ledge, while JV A plays Fowlerville.

SJYAA 4th, 5th, and 6th grades take on Springport.