Takin’ Care of Business

Ionia Stats(opens in new tab)

By Dan Ward

A week after learning to fly, the St. Johns Redwings came home and got down to business.

The first home game of the season had all the usual signs that football was back in town. Youth football players lined the sidelines to open the night; the stands were packed, and the student section turned into a full-blown neon paint war. Plenty was going on before kickoff.

Once the ball was in the air, though, it was back to work.

The Redwings cleaned up the mistakes that cost them a week ago and took care of business against rival Ionia, rolling to a 35-6 victory over the Bulldogs. Rivalry game or not, when the work was finished, the Redwings let the scoreboard speak for itself.

Hot Dog Report

It’s time for this week’s hot dog ranking.

St. Johns grills their dogs and gets them just the right amount of burnt—enough to give them character without turning them into charcoal. They also get bonus points for using individual ketchup and mustard packets instead of a pump. That means you can get an even amount of toppings without playing condiment roulette.

Dog Rating: 5/5

Dog: 5/5

Bun: N/A — I don’t eat bread

Toppings: 5/5 — Ketchup and mustard

Value: 5/5 — Average price

Game-Day Factor: 5/5

Overall: “Five stars, two hands, zero regrets.”

OK, enough silliness. Let’s get to business.

After last week’s loss to Hamilton, the Redwings came home with a short list of things to clean up: eliminate the turnovers, dominate the line of scrimmage, cut down on the mental mistakes, and get back on the winning track.

They took the clipboard, looked at the list, and started checking things off.

St. Johns won the toss and elected to receive. The Ionia kickoff went out of bounds, giving the Redwings the ball at their own 43-yard line to start the night.

A big run by Archer Gurski got things moving. And what would a St. Johns-Ionia game be without a few unsportsmanlike penalties? Ionia provided the first one of the night, moving the ball to the Bulldogs’ 30.

Two plays later, facing second-and-5 from the 25, Lucas McCastle broke down the sideline for a 25-yard touchdown. Myles Jones added the extra point, and with less than a minute off the clock, the hometown Redwings were up 7-0.

Jones’ kickoff boomed into the end zone for a touchback, and Ionia started at its own 20.

The Bulldogs didn’t get much done from there. Maddox Munger, Cody Carn, Conner Barber and Brody Pratl helped make sure of that, as the Redwing defense dug in and shut down the drive.

Ionia tried to draw St. Johns offsides on fourth-and-2 but jumped instead, forcing the Bulldogs to punt from deep in their own territory.

The punt traveled to around the St. Johns 45, and the Redwings went back to work.

Conner Kurncz connected with Gurski to move the chains, and on fourth-and-1, Gurski lowered his shoulder and dove ahead to keep the drive alive. Kurncz and Gurski continued to move the offense, and on second-and-8, McCastle carried the ball down to the 15.

Two plays later, Kurncz found Ian Smith for a touchdown that was every bit as good as it was unexpected. Jones added the extra point, and with 4:46 still on the clock in the first quarter, St. Johns had opened up a 14-0 lead.

Jones sent another kickoff into the end zone, and Ionia once again started at its own 20.

This time, St. Johns helped the Bulldogs out a little. A pass interference penalty and a facemask penalty extended the drive and gave Ionia some life.

The Redwing defense wasn’t having it.

On third-and-11, Ionia tried a reverse, but Ian Smith wasn’t fooled. He tracked down the runner in the backfield and brought him down, setting up fourth-and-15 and another Ionia punt.

The St. Johns offense stalled early in the second quarter after a holding penalty and a couple of incompletions, forcing the Redwings to punt.

Ionia took over at its own 25, managed just two yards on three plays and punted right back.

St. Johns went back to work.

With 4:53 remaining in the half, Gurski pounded the ball into the end zone from three yards out. A false start moved the extra point back, but the added distance didn’t bother Jones, who drilled the kick to make it 21-0.

Ionia still couldn’t find much room to operate and was forced to punt again.

The Redwings took over at their own 45. Facing third-and-10 with 2:01 remaining in the half, Kurncz found McCastle, who did the rest, turning the play into a 55-yard touchdown.

Jones added the extra point, and St. Johns had a 28-0 lead.

Ionia’s final drive of the half went nowhere, and the teams headed to the locker room with the Redwings firmly in control.

Halftime Notes

The St. Johns Marching Band never disappoints when it comes to classic rock, and this year is no different. Unfortunately, I only managed to remember Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire” from the halftime selections.

So, marching band, I promise I’ll actually write the songs down next time.

Halftime also brought the induction of the 2026-27 St. Johns Hall of Fame class.

This year’s class included the 2015-16 State Champion Golf Team, the 2016-17 State Champion Golf Team, 2016 Golf State Runner-Up Eric Nunn, 2017 Golf State Champion Zach Rosendale, and 2009 Wrestling State Runner-Up Travis Dickenson.

Congratulations to all of them on their outstanding athletic careers and accomplishments.

Second Half

St. Johns had to kick off to start the second half, and Jones promptly blasted another one through the end zone.

Ionia started at its own 20, put the bus in reverse, and eventually found itself punting from the 15.

The punt was partially blocked, rolled out of bounds at the St. Johns 33, and the Redwings took over from there.

They needed one play.

Gurski took the handoff and went 67 yards to the house. Jones added the extra point, and just over a minute into the second half, St. Johns had pushed the lead to 35-0.

Ionia eventually moved the ball downfield and scored late in the third quarter, avoiding the shutout. The Bulldogs failed to convert the two-point attempt, making the score 35-6.

Johnny Infante put together a few good runs to close out the third quarter, as did Roman Berkhousen, but the Redwings were forced to punt to start the fourth.

The defense took over from there.

Strong defensive work from Nick McGillis, Gabe Osborne, and Bridger Haviland forced Ionia to punt back to St. Johns.

Hunter Swift got into the action with a nice scamper of his own, although an unsportsmanlike penalty against St. Johns ultimately negated the run.

By then, the outcome was no longer in much doubt.

The fourth quarter wound down. The clock hit zero.

And the Redwings punched the clock.

Workday complete.

St. Johns 35, Ionia 6.

Coach Schmitt summed up the night simply:

“Our guys came out ready to play from the start. We talked all week about controlling the line of scrimmage, and we were able to do that. Our defense played great assignment football, and we had many explosive plays on offense. It was a great team win for our program!”

It was exactly that — a team win and a good response after a tough opening week. The Redwings cleaned up the mistakes, controlled the line of scrimmage, and took care of business against their rival.

No need to make it more complicated than that.

Around the Program

The JV A Redwings also took care of business against Ionia, shutting out the Bulldogs 43-0.

JV B picked up a 26-6 win over Bay City Western.

Middle school football held scrimmages, while the youth football teams haven’t started their regular-season games yet. That changes next week, when football gets rolling from top to bottom.

Wednesday:

7th and 8th Grade vs. Mason — Home

Thursday:

JV B vs. Portland — Home

JV A vs. Lansing Eastern — Home

Friday:

Varsity at Lansing Eastern — 6:00 p.m. kickoff

Note the early start time for the varsity game due to curfew.

Saturday:

4th, 5th, and 6th Grade vs. Mason — Home