Mama Said Knock You Out

By Dan Ward

Explosion, overpowering, and over the competition, we’re towering. The St. Johns Redwings came out Friday night ready to make a statement, and the Ortonville Brandon Blackhawks took the first hit. In the playoffs, there’s no time to feel your way into a game. You either show up ready or risk seeing your season come to an end.

The Redwings were ready. They scored 42 unanswered points in the first half and never looked back, rolling to a 49-21 win. Brandon fought back after halftime, but St. Johns had already built a lead too big to overcome. The win was more than a trip to the next round. It was the program’s first playoff victory since 2019 and a chance to keep this season rolling. Friday night, the Redwings landed the first punch—and they made it count.

Ortinville Brandon Stats

Hot Dog Report

This was the last home-field Hot Dog Report of the season, and St. Johns finished strong. I went with a brat and a hot dog, and both hit the spot.

Rating: 5/5. Hard to ask for a better way to close out the season.

First Half

St. Johns received the opening kickoff, but Brandon tried to catch the Redwings off guard with a squib kick. Tyler Priest wasn’t fooled. He returned it to the 37-yard line, and before some fans had even settled into their seats, Ian Smith took the next handoff all the way to the end zone.

With 11:42 left in the first quarter, St. Johns was already up 7-0.

Corwin Scheidler handled kickoff duties and sent a line-drive kick downfield. Brandon returned it to its own 35, but the Redwing defense was ready. Three incomplete passes later, the Blackhawks punted. The ball was downed at the St. Johns 33.

The Redwings couldn’t get much going on their next possession and punted from their own 36. Brandon returned the kick to the St. Johns 40, but the defense came through again, forcing another punt. This one was downed at the St. Johns 8.

Starting deep in their own territory, the Redwings needed a few big plays to move the ball. The offensive line opened a hole for Archer Gurski, who carried the ball to the 22. Lucas McCastle followed with a run to the Brandon 35, and Gurski kept the drive alive by pounding his way to the 5.

McCastle finished the job with a five-yard touchdown run. The extra point was good, and St. Johns led 14-0 with seven minutes left in the first quarter.

Scheidler’s next kickoff was returned to the Brandon 33. The Blackhawks put together their best drive of the night to that point, marching down to the St. Johns 7. They appeared to score on third-and-goal, but a holding penalty wiped out the touchdown and pushed them back to the 18. Two incomplete passes later, the Redwings took over on downs.

St. Johns went back to work. Gurski carried to the 24 to set up third-and-four, and Conner Kurncz found Ian Smith for a first down at the 47. On the next play, Kurncz spotted Alex Oberlin wide open. Oberlin caught the pass and had nothing but open field in front of him as he raced into the end zone.

The extra point made it 21-0, with 3:23 still left in the first quarter.

Brandon’s next possession started at its own 43 after a facemask penalty on the Redwings. The Blackhawks moved the ball to the St. Johns 49, but on third-and-nine from the 42, McCastle read the play perfectly and intercepted the pass.

He didn’t stop there. McCastle returned the interception to the end zone for another Redwing touchdown. The extra point pushed the lead to 28-0 with just 56 seconds left in the quarter.

Brandon returned the ensuing kickoff to its own 22 and tried a flea-flicker on the first play. The pass found a receiver with plenty of room, but Gurski chased him down at the St. Johns 5 before he could score.

The Redwing defense had another chance to make a stand, and it delivered. Ian Smith came up with a huge sack on second-and-goal, pushing Brandon back to the 21. Johnny Infante made the stop on third down, and the Blackhawks came away empty-handed, turning the ball over on downs.

The Redwings took over and Kurncz connected with Brody Pratl, who made a terrific catch while falling to the ground. On first-and-10 from the Brandon 49, Kurncz found Oberlin again, this time moving the ball down to the 9. A holding penalty pushed St. Johns back to the 19, but Kurncz found Gurski on the next pass to get the ball back to the 9.

Then Smith took it in for another touchdown. The extra point was good, and the Redwings led 35-0.

Brandon’s next kickoff went out of bounds, and the Blackhawks elected to make St. Johns kick again. The re-kick gave Brandon the ball at its own 45. The Blackhawks moved the ball but couldn’t reach the end zone, turning it over on downs at the St. Johns 36.

The Redwings needed just two plays to strike again. On second-and-10, Cody Carn broke loose and ran all the way to the end zone. With the extra point, St. Johns led 42-0.

Brandon couldn’t get anything going on its next possession and punted to McCastle. St. Johns worked in Roman Berkhousen, Logan Finn, and Kurncz on the ground, but the drive stalled, and the Redwings punted.

The Blackhawks ran out the remaining time in the half, heading to the locker room down 42-0.

Halftime

The Redwing Marching Band got one more chance to perform its Classic Rock Rewind show, and it was a fitting way to close out the season. The band entertained crowds all year, and Friday night was no different.

Thanks to the band and Mr. Davis for putting in the work and giving the community something to enjoy year after year.

Second Half

For the second week in a row, the Redwings came out of halftime with a running clock. With a 42-point lead, the game moved quickly, but plenty of football remained.

St. Johns kicked deep, and the Redwing special teams unit made sure the Brandon returner didn’t get far. The Blackhawks started at their own 10 and moved the ball to the 30 with a couple of completions. Bridger Haviland then made a tackle for a four-yard loss.

A pass interference penalty helped Brandon move the ball to the St. Johns 43, but the Redwings forced a fumble on second-and-six and recovered it.

The next St. Johns possession got off to a strange start, with Brandon being flagged first for a sideline warning and then for unsportsmanlike conduct. Once the penalties were sorted out, the Redwings had first-and-10 at the Brandon 37.

Berkhousen carried to the 34, and Truman Davis got the ball. Brody Kurncz connected with Gavin Monroe for a first down, but the drive ended when St. Johns fumbled at the Brandon 22. The Blackhawks recovered.

Brandon wasted no time taking advantage. On the very next play, the Blackhawks connected on a 78-yard touchdown pass. The extra point was good, and with 54 seconds left in the third quarter, the score was 42-7.

Sam Schafer returned the Brandon kickoff to the St. Johns 35. As the fourth quarter got underway, Chase Lockwood and Berkhousen carried the ball, but the Redwings fumbled again, and Brandon recovered.

The Blackhawks found the end zone on the ensuing possession to make it 42-14.

Brandon’s kickoff sailed out of bounds, giving St. Johns the ball at its own 45. Davis picked up four yards, then the Redwings fumbled again on second down. This time, Hunter Swift recovered the ball.

On third-and-four from the 49, Brody Kurncz found Berkhousen for a first down at the Brandon 30. A few plays later, with the ball at the Brandon 2, Davis broke loose and ran it in for a touchdown. The extra point made it 49-14 with 5:28 left.

Brandon added another touchdown on a long pass on its next possession, bringing the score to 49-21.

St. Johns took over and focused on running out the clock. The Redwings kept the ball on the ground and closed out the game with a 49-21 win, earning their first playoff victory since 2019.

After the game, Coach Schmitt was pleased with how his team started and what the win meant for the program.

“I’m very proud of how our guys came ready to play tonight! Our guys were incredibly focused and prepared for this game! It was great to see us execute at such a high level from the start!

This is the 8th team to make it past the first round of the playoffs in our history! So it was a big win for us as a program! These guys have worked hard for this moment, and we are ready to keep competing next week.”

Next Up: District Championship

The Redwings are moving on to the District Championship, where they’ll travel to Goodrich on Friday to face the undefeated Martians.

Goodrich enters the game at 10-0 and has already beaten several quality opponents, including Frankenmuth (9-1), Ortonville Brandon (6-4), Fenton (8-3), and Gladwin (6-4). The Martians also knocked Williamston out in last Friday’s pre-district game. Since Goodrich and Brandon play in the same conference, the teams have faced some familiar opponents.

St. Johns will have its hands full, but the Redwings have earned their place in this game. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned covering Redwing sports, it’s that St. Johns fans travel well. I’m always proud to see how many people turn out to support these teams, home or away.

The Redwings are chasing a district championship, and they’ll need that support on Friday night. Let’s get the town behind them and make the trip to Goodrich.

I’ll see you at the game.

Around the Program

The rest of the St. Johns football teams have wrapped up their seasons, but the sixth graders got one more chance to make a memory. They traveled to the Big House to scrimmage Holt under the lights at Michigan Stadium.

Sixth-grade coach Jordan Schneider shared his thoughts after the game:

“The 6th grade football team made some lifelong memories at the Big House under the lights. They played their best football of the season, showing great improvement over the season. They are a great group of boys, and that’s due to the coaches who helped and even more because of the great families they come from. I see them having a lot of success on the field in the future and will be great young men to have in the community”

It’s a great way to wrap up a season, and an experience these players won’t soon forget. Thanks to the coaches and families who helped make it happen.