By Judy Reed

Cedar Springs has never won a varsity football game against South Christian. Last Friday’s homecoming game was no exception. Instead, they suffered a humbling 32-14 loss.

“We did not play well Friday night,” said Cedar Springs Coach Gus Kapolka. “It was an uncharacteristic game for us. We were undisciplined and committed 9 penalties. Hats off to the South Christian players and coaches for playing well and out executing us in every aspect of the game.”

Kapolka expects to see more from his team this week. “We have a lot to work on for this week, but I have no doubt that we will approach Friday’s game with a positive mindset and a desire to improve,” he remarked.

South Christian scored three times before Cedar Springs ever hit the board. They scored two touchdowns in the first quarter (one a 3-yard run and one a 43-yard touchdown pass) and then again on a 32-yard field goal by Jeff Herrema with 7:20 left in the second quarter. That made the score 17-0.

Cedar Springs then scored with 4:52 in the second on a 58-yard touchdown run by Da’Montae Barnett. Antwuan Nicholls then ran it into the endzone to add two more points, to make it 17-8.

South Christian came right back and scored again with 1:30 left in the second, on a Ty Rynbrandt pass to Eli Smith for a 26-yard touchdown. The extra point was good. The score was SC 24, CS 8 at halftime.

South Christian scored again with 6:38 left in the third quarter on another pass to Smith, this one a 7-yard touchdown. Rynbrandt then passed to Daniel Possett for two more points.

Cedar Springs scored once more with 4:29 left in the fourth quarter, on a 15-yard touchdown run by quarterback Jeremy Campione. The extra point run by Nicholls was no good. The final score was South Christian 32, Cedar Springs 14.

Cedar Springs had 207 yards rushing. Barnett led the Red Hawks with 80 yards on the ground. He was followed by Nicholls with 64; Alex Ream with 31; and Campione with 29. Nathan Elliston, Kyle Hoort, and David DiPiazza also contributed net yardage of one each.

Campione completed 2 of 5 passes for 18 yards, and threw one interception to South Christian’s Will Fennema. Josh Kriekaard led in pass receiving with 13, and Dylan Greenland had one yard.

South Christian rushed for 37 yards but had 270 in the air. Rynbrandt completed 24 of 32 passes, three for touchdowns.

Defensively, Alex Ream led in tackles for Cedar Springs with 11; Elliston and Greenland both  had 7; Hoort and Mitchell Metiva had 5 each; Nicholls had 4; the rest of the team had 3 and below, for a total of 50.

South Christian had 54 tackles, with Evan Roedema leading with 9; Connor Dykema with 7; Ike Northouse, Jace Demann and Sam Meengs all had 6.

The Red Hawks are now 2-2 in the OK Gold and South Christian improved to 4-0. This week, Cedar Springs travels to Ottawa Hills, who is 0-4 on the season.

The standings for the OK Gold are: Catholic Central and South Christian (both 4-0) are tied for first place; followed by Forest Hills Eastern (3-1); Cedar Springs and Thornapple Kellogg (both 2-2); Kenowa Hills (1-3); and then Ottawa Hills and Wayland (both 0-4).

By Judy Reed

Two of the toughest teams in the OK Gold went head to head last Friday evening: Catholic Central—the reigning Division 4 state champs, and Cedar Springs—conference champs in the OK White two years in a row. Both teams were 2-0 on the season. 

But another win for Cedar Springs just wasn’t in the cards Friday night. They took it on the chin 42-28, in spite of a rally in the second half that brought them within a touchdown of the Falcons.

“We obviously ran the ball extremely well and controlled time of possession, but we gave up too many big plays on defense and couldn’t get off the field on 3rd down,” explained Cedar Springs Coach Gus Kapolka. “I’m proud of the fight our kids showed in the second half, scoring on three consecutive drives and recovering an onside kick.”  

Catholic Central scored first at the 2:10 mark in the first quarter when Joey Silveri completed a pass to Danny Mikolay for a 21-yard touchdown. The kick by Jack Barlow was good for the extra point. 

At 9:56 in the second quarter, Silveri completed another pass, this time to Jace Williams for a 5-yard touchdown. The extra point kick was good.

With 7:16 left in the second, the Red Hawks scored when Alex Ream ran to the left and into the endzone for a 3-yard touchdown. Quarterback Jeremy Campione then ran the ball in for the two-point conversion. 

Just seconds later, Catholic Central came back and scored again with 6:59 left in the half on another pass from Silveri, this time to Nolan Zeigler, for a 49-yard touchdown. The extra point kick by Barlow was good. At the end of the half, the score was CC 21, CS 8.

Cedar Springs came out in the second half determined to make up for lost opportunities.

Catholic Central scored first, with 10:29 on the clock, on a one-yard run by Nick Hollern. The extra point kick was good.

Cedar Springs then scored with 5:01 left on the clock in the third when Aiden Brunin ran for an 18-yard touchdown. Alex Ream’s two-point conversion was good, making the score 28-16.

CC scored again when Silveri passed to Hollern for a 48-yard touchdown. The extra point kick was good, making the score 35-16.

Cedar Springs rallied and scored twice in the fourth quarter, for 12 more points. The first was on a run by Brunin for a 7-yard touchdown, and the second on a one-yard run by Campione. Extra points were no good. The score was now 35-28.

Catholic Central sealed the victory with 1:28 left in the game on a 28-yard run up the middle by Silveri. The extra point kick was good, making the final score CC 42, CS 28.

Cedar Springs had 383 yards on the ground. Leading the charge was Aiden Brunin with 151; Antwuan Nicholls with 88; Alex Ream with 87; Jeremy Campione with 28; Nathan Elliston with 20; Kyle Hoort with 6; and Da’Montae Barnett with 3.

Catholic Central had 191 yards rushing. Joey Silveri had 110, and Nick Hollern had 81. Silveri also completed 7 out of 8 passes for 191 yards on the air.

Defensively, Cedar Springs had 21 tackles, and Catholic Central had 73.

Cedar Springs (2-1) hosts South Christian (3-0) this Friday for homecoming. What does Coach Kapolka think they need to do win that game?

“We need to repeat our success on the ground against South Christian and limit the big plays on defense,” he said. “Those are our goals this week.”

While fans can buy tickets to the freshman and JV games this week, none are being sold at the gate for the Varsity Friday night, as it would exceed the 1,000 person cap. Three tickets to the game are being made available to participants (football, cheer, band) and extras to students.t

For others to watch, you will need to stream the game at https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/cedar-springs-high-school-cedar-springs-mi/game2f253c198. According to a post by teacher Justin Harnden, their crew will be filming the game, not using the automated camera.

The cost for the streaming subscription to nfhsnetwork.com is $10.99 per month and less for a year’s subscription. A subscription allows you to watch games from all over the state of Michigan.

By Judy Reed

An early game time, a storm delay at halftime, and a lot of points on the board in the first two quarters made for an interesting game between the Cedar Springs Red Hawks and the Allendale Falcons last Friday night, September 27.

Both teams entered the nonconference game with a 3-1 record overall. The game started at 5 p.m. instead of 7 p.m., due to the threat of storms. And both teams hit the gridiron running, scoring a total of six touchdowns in the first quarter.

“It was a crazy game, with the early start, long delay at half time for weather, and all the first half scoring, but I was proud of how we kept our composure and closed the game out. It was a tough win on the road,” remarked Cedar Springs Coach Gus Kapolka.

The Red Hawks got things going early, when less than a minute into the first quarter Ben Shaw ran up the middle for a 39-yard touchdown. QB Jeremy Campione then passed to Nathan Elliston for the 2-point conversion. 

Allendale came back and scored with 8:58 on the clock in the first quarter when Owen Burk ran 43-yards for a touchdown. His run for extra points was no good. The score was now CS 8, Allendale 7.

The Red Hawks scored again just a few seconds later with 8:39 left on the clock on a 63-yard touchdown by Aiden Brunin. Elliston then ran in the extra points. The score was now 16-7.

With 5:23 left in the first, Allendale scored again on a 3-yard touchdown run by Cole Dipiazza. Burks run for extra points was no good. The score was now 16-13.

Cedar Springs scored one more time in the first quarter with 3:20 left when Nathan Male ran up the middle 41-yards for a touchdown. Aiden Brunin then ran in the extra points. The score was now 24-13.

With 58 seconds left in the quarter, Allendale struck again, this time when Adam Hotovy passed to Ross Mango for a 43-yard touchdown. Burk’s run for extra points was no good, making the score Cedar Springs 24, Allendale 18, at the end of the first quarter.

There were four more touchdowns in the second quarter, two by each team. With 8:27 on the clock in the second, Red Hawk Aiden Brunin ran in to the end zone for a two-yard touchdown. Campione’s run for extra points was no good.

Cedar Springs then kicked off to Allendale, and Owen Burk caught the ball on the Allendale 15 yard line and returned it to the Cedar Springs endzone for a touchdown. Kaiden Anderson then kicked the extra point.

The Red Hawks scored again with 4:41 left in the second when Ben Shaw ran up the middle for a 7-yard touchdown.  Brunin’s run for extra points was no good.

Allendale then scored late with 23 seconds left in the half when Owen Burk ran up the middle for a two-yard touchdown. Burk then passed to Sabastian Wells for the extra points. The score at the end of the first half was Cedar Springs 36, Allendale 33.

The teams came back after a long weather delay, and Cedar Springs then held Allendale to only one more touchdown, while they scored two more. Cedar scored first in the third with 5:38 left, when Campione ran up the middle for a two-yard touchdown. Elliston’s run for extra points was no good.

Allendale then scored one final time. With 3:49 left in the third, Burn ran up the middle for a one-yard touchdown. His run for extra points was no good. The score was CS 42, Allendale 39, at the end of the third quarter.

The Red Hawks scored one last time in the 4^th, with 11:09 left on the clock, when Da’montae Barnett ran left for a 36-yard touchdown. Shaw’s run for extra points was no good. The final score was Cedar Springs 48, Allendale 39.

“Our offensive line controlled the game from start to finish. We controlled the clock, rushed for 516 yards, and had a school record 29 first downs,” remarked Kapolka.

Kapolka said that he felt the rain delay was beneficial for the team. “It gave us time to make adjustments on defense that ultimately held them to 6 points in the second half,” he explained.

Aiden  Brunin and Ben Shaw accounted for over half the rushing yardage, with Brunin netting 161 on 20 carries, and Shaw 164 on 12. Barnett had 49 yards, Elliston 46, Campione 42, and Male 41. Zak Schmid added another 13 yards. 

Allendale had 275 yards on the ground, with Burk getting 169 on 20 carries, Wells getting 80 on 5 carries, Dipiazza 24 on 6, and Hotovy added another 2 yards.

The Red Hawks face off against conference rival Forest Hills Central this Friday at 5 p.m. at Red Hawk Stadium as things heat up in the OK White. Both teams are 4-1 and 2-0 in conference, along with Lowell. The Post asked Coach Kapolka what the Red Hawks need to do to defeat FHC.

“FHC is a very athletic , well coached team.  We will need to execute all three phases of the game (Offense, Defense, Special Teams) in order to beat them,” he said.

There was no stopping the Red Hawks in their 46-7 win over Gaylord in the pre-district home game last Friday. Photo by Kelly and Rob LaLone.

STORY BY JUDY REED

The Cedar Springs Red Hawks were a force to be reckoned with in last Friday’s pre-district win at home over Gaylord. The Red Hawks racked up 410 yards rushing and 49 yards passing in their 46-7 win over the Blue Devils, and upped their record to 9-1.

“Home playoff games are very special,” noted Red Hawk Coach Gus Kapolka. “We’ve only had four in the history of Cedar Springs, so Friday night was a great experience for our team. Our guys were energized by the big crowd and went out and played a sharp game. I was pleased with the physicality that we brought, and our execution in all three phases of the game was good.”

The win means they will face the Mount Pleasant Oilers (10-0) at Mount Pleasant this Friday for the District Championship. They won 35-6 over Petoskey last Friday.

“Mt. Pleasant is an undefeated team that has only given up 75 points the entire season,” said Kapolka. “This will be our toughest test of the season so far. I believe that the game will come down to turnovers, explosive plays, and special teams.”

The Red Hawks controlled the game from the beginning kickoff. They went 70 yards on just six plays and scored when quarterback Kolby Swank ran to the right for a 17-yard touchdown. Sage Serbenta then ran in the extra points.

Their next scoring drive was set in motion when Serbenta intercepted a pass from Gaylord QB Ryan Stefanski at the Cedar Springs 10 yard line and ran it back to the 26. They scored with 1:27 left in the first when Ryan Ringler ran up the middle for an 11-yard touchdown. Serbenta ran in the extra points, and the score at the end of the first quarter was Cedar Springs 16, Gaylord 0.

Cedar Springs scored two more touchdowns in the second quarter. About a minute into the quarter, Gaylord punted and Cedar took over on their own 12-yard line. Several plays later it was 3^rd and 11 at their own 39, when Serbenta threw a 43-yard pass to Nate Webb to make it first and 10 on the Gaylord 18. Ethan West made two runs of 7 and 8 yards, before Ringler ran in a 3-yard touchdown. Swank then passed to West for the extra points.

Ringler scored again on an 11-yard run with just 56 seconds left on the clock in the second, and West ran in the extra points. They then kicked off to Gaylord, and the Blue Devils got the ball on their own 35-yard line. With seven seconds remaining, Stefanski attempted a pass from the Cedar Springs 43 to Cade Foster, but Red Hawk Lucas Pienton intercepted it at the 2-yard line, ending their attempt to score in the first half.

The Red Hawks went into half time leading 32-0.

Cedar Springs scored again in the third quarter with 7:50 left when Landon Totten ran to the left for a 20-yard touchdown. Swank’s pass to Kaden Liggett was good for the extra points.

The Red Hawks scored one last time in the fourth quarter, when Jeremy Campione ran left for an 8-yard touchdown. The extra point run was no good.

Gaylord finally got on the board in the fourth quarter with 6:22 left when Cade Foster ran left for a 16-yard touchdown. The extra point kick by Joey Kotsko was good.

The District 3 Region 1 District 1 playoff game ended with a score of Cedar Springs 46, Gaylord 7.

Leading rushers for Cedar Springs were Serbenta with 109 yards; Ringler with 95; Totten with 54; West with 30; Ben Shaw with 27; Swank with 26; Zack Schmid with 23; Campione with 18; Lucas Pienton with 17; Elliston with 10; and Brunin with 1.

On defense, Ringler led in tackles with 8; Gage Gardner had 6; Totten had 5; Shaw 4; Serbenta and Xavier Anderson 3; and 11 others had 2 or less.

The Red Hawks will travel to Mount Pleasant High School this Friday, November 2, for the District Championship. Game time is 7 p.m., and tickets are $6. You can buy them at the gate, or purchase them at Cedar Springs High School on Thursday and Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. High School students will also be in the circle drive at Cedar Springs High School from 3-4 p.m. to decorate/paint your car if you’d like, and you can then caravan with others drivers from there at 4 p.m. The dress theme for fans is a black out, so fans are being asked to wear a black coat if you can. Check out the Cedar Springs Athletic Boosters Facebook page for updates.

If you cannot make the trip to Mount Pleasant, the game will also be streamed on MHSAA TV. For subscription options just go to https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/mhsaa-mi/gam9e380a9742.

The winner of the Cedar Springs vs Mount Pleasant game will move on to face the winner of the Muskegon vs Grand Rapids Christian game.

The Red Hawks scored their 8th straight win of the season Friday against Forest Hills Northern. Courtesy photo.

Red Hawks win OK White championship

By Judy Reed

The Cedar Springs Red Hawks Varsity football team accomplished three feats on Friday night—and two of them hadn’t been done in Cedar Springs for 60-plus years.

The biggest and most important feat was that they won their first ever OK White Conference championship, and they won it outright—they were undefeated in conference play, and finished 6-0 in conference, and 8-1 overall in the regular season. It was their first conference championship since they shared the OK Bronze conference championship with Forest Hills Eastern in 2015.

“It is a great accomplishment for our team,” said Coach Gus Kapolka. “Winning the OK White was one of our goals from the very beginning of the season. I’m proud of how dedicated all of our kids were in winning Cedar Springs’ first ever OK White Championship. We need to continue with our dedication and preparation moving forward throughout the playoffs.”

The second feat they accomplished was three straight shut outs in a row, which they hadn’t done since 1956, when they were part of the Newaygo-Cnty league and had five in a row. 

The third accomplishment was that they won eight straight games—something that had not occurred since 1954, as part of the Newaygo-Cnty league. That year they went 9-0, winning every game on their schedule. This year’s only loss was the first game of the season to Saginaw Swan Valley, the 2017 Division 5 state runner up. 

The game last Friday against Forest Hills Northern was cold and wet, but the Red Hawks pulled off another great performance. They scored once in the first quarter on a 33-yard touchdown run by Lucas Pienton, and quarterback Kolby Swank passed to Ethan West for the extra two points. 

They scored three times in the second quarter. With 9:48 on the clock, Kolby Swank ran in a 7-yard touchdown, and Ryan Ringler ran in the extra points. With 1:32 left, Sage Serbenta ran right for a 5-yard touchdown, and Ringler ran in the extra points. Then with 39 seconds left til half, Serbenta returned a punt 50 yards for a touchdown, and Swank’s pass to Ringler was good for the extra points.

In the third quarter, Ringler scored on an 8-yard touchdown run, and Serbenta ran in the extra points.

The Huskies got close to scoring in the fourth quarter after a fumbled punt put them within five yards of the goal line. But the Red Hawks gave no quarter, and and the Huskies were stopped on the one-yard line, by Red Hawks Xavier Anderson and Zak Schmid, and Cedar Springs took over the ball.

The Red Hawks rushed for 333 yards, with Serbenta getting 109; Ringler 78; Pienton 44; Ethan West 41; Landon Totten 33; and Swank 24.

Ringler led in tackles with 12; the rest of the team had four or less.

This Friday Cedar Springs will host Gaylord (6-3) in the Division 3 (region 1, district 1) pre-district playoffs. Ticket prices are $6. Come on out and cheer on your Red Hawks!

Cedar Springs ran away with the game against Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills last Friday, 48-0. Courtesy photo.

By Judy Reed

The Cedar Springs Red Hawks varsity football team won their seventh straight game last Friday, October 12, when they traveled to Houseman Field to take on GR Ottawa Hills Bengals.

The Red Hawks controlled the game from the very first quarter, limiting the Bengals to only 47 yards and one first down the entire game. 

“I was pleased with the way our guys went out and took care of business,” said Red Hawks Coach Gus Kapolka. “We were focused and executed well, which sometimes is hard to do when you are playing an opponent who has a 1-6 record.”

Cedar scored early in the first quarter when Ryan Ringler ran up the middle for a 49-yard touchdown with 11:32 left on the clock. Ethan West’s run into the endzone for the two-point conversion was good.

The Red Hawks scored again in the first quarter with 4:43 left when Sage Serbenta ran left for a one-yard touchdown, and Kolby Swank then ran in the extra points.

They scored again with 2:09 left in the first when Ryan Ringler blocked a punt from Ottawa Hills, and Cedar scored a safety. The score at the end of the first was Cedar Springs 18, Ottawa Hills 0.

The Red Hawks scored three times in the second quarter. With 10:07 left on the clock, Ben Shaw ran up the middle for a 23-yard touchdown and Kolby Swank ran in the extra points. Three minutes later they scored again when Sage Serbenta ran one yard into the endzone for the touchdown and then Ethan West ran in the two-point conversion. They scored again at the 2:20 mark when Landon Totten ran left for a 10-yard touchdown, and took the ball into the endzone again for the two-point conversion. The score at the end of the half was Cedar Springs 42, Ottawa Hills 0.

Neither team scored during the third quarter, but the Red Hawks scored one more time in the fourth. With 2:11 left on the clock, Jeremy Campione ran up the middle for a 2-yard touchdown, then Campione attempted a pass to Zack Shmid for the extra points, but it was no good.

The Red Hawks accumulated 380 yards rushing, with Ryan Ringler (92), Sage Serbenta (77), and Landon Totten (63) leading the way. Ben Shaw added 44, Jeremy Campione 30, Lucus Pienton 21, Gage Gardner 16, and Zack Schmid 14. Swank added 4 yards rushing, and 4 yards passing.

On defense, Kaden Liggett led in tackles with 6 and Miles Cartwright had 5. The rest of the team had 3 or less each.

The Red Hawks sealed at least a share of the conference title with the win, and as they are now only one game away from the playoffs, Kapolka was happy to give some of the younger players a chance to get some experience on the gridiron.

“We were able to play a lot of young guys in the second half, and those game reps are invaluable for them moving forward,” he said.

This Friday Cedar Springs (7-1, 5-0) hosts Forest Hills Northern (5-3, 3-2) in their last regular season game. Come on out and cheer them on!

Please note that according to Cedar Springs Athletic Director John Norton, the MHSAA has raised District Ticket prices to $6 moving forward. So be prepared as you head off to post-season events. This will include all playoff football games as well. And remember, even if the event is at Cedar Springs, no passes are accepted during post-season play.

The Cedar Springs Red Hawks earned their fifth straight victory last Friday, September 28, when they took the win over Forest Hills Central at the Rangers’ homecoming. Photo by Kelly and Rob LaLone.

By Judy Reed

The Cedar Springs Red Hawks kept their winning streak alive last Friday, September 28, when they upset Forest Hills Central 24-14, on the Rangers’ home turf. However, it was a bit of a nail biter for Red Hawk fans, when the Rangers defense did something no other teams’ defense has been able to do this year: they kept the Red Hawks scoreless in the first half.

“This was a big win for us,” said Coach Gus Kapolka. “Being down at the half and fighting our way back really makes me proud as a coach. Our guys hung tough together and found a way to get it done.”  

The first score of the game came with :36 seconds left on the clock in the second quarter, when Forest Hills Central’s Cameron Deines ran right for a 4-yard touchdown, and the extra point kick was good. So Cedar Springs went into the locker room at half down 0-7.

The Red Hawks came out with renewed vigor in the second half, and scored with 7:08 left in the second quarter, when QB Kolby Swank passed to Kaden Liggett for a 10-yard touchdown, and then passed again to Sage Serbenta for another two. They led 8-7 at the end of the third quarter.

The Red Hawks scored again in the fourth, with 8:28 left, when Serbenta ran to the right for a 5-yard touchdown, and then he ran it into the end zone again for the extra two points. 

The Rangers hit the scoreboard again just a couple of minutes later (6:53 left) when Cameron Deines ran to the left for a 19-yard touchdown. The extra point kick was good. The score was now 16-14, Red Hawks, and plenty of time for it to go either way.

Cedar Springs sealed the win with 2:04 left on the clock when Lucas Pienton ran left for a 1-yard touchdown, and then Swank passed to Serbenta for the extra two points.

“We really controlled time of possession in the second half (20 minutes – 4 minutes), and we converted all three of our two-point conversions in the second half,” noted Kapolka. “I felt that was the difference in the game.”

The Red Hawks rushed for a net total of 295 yards, with Serbenta running for 99 on 14 carries; Pienton had 89 on 17 carries; Ringler 77 on 19 carries; and Swank had 23 on 5 carries. Ethan West and Zach Schmid also contributed. 

Cedar Springs also garnered some passing yardage, with Swank completing 5 out of 8 passes for 47 yards. Receivers included Pienton, Serbenta, West, Liggett, and Nate Webb.

FHC had a total of 75 yards rushing, with Deines getting 39 yards on 7 carries; and Jimmy Scholler 30 yards on 12 carries. 

Ranger QB Jimmy Scholler racked up 148 yards on 14 of 20 passes. 

On defense, Ryan Ringler led with 8 tackles; Pienton had 7; Schmid had 6; Gage Gardner and Xavier Anderson both had 5. Pienton also had an interception. 

The Red Hawks lead the OK White Conference with a record of 3-0 in conference and 5-1 overall. One more win will guarantee them a spot in the playoffs. On Friday, the Red Hawks will host Lowell (1-2, 1-5 overall) in their annual pink game at Red Hawk Stadium at 7 p.m. 

Cedar Springs took a 21-12 loss at Saginaw Swan Valley in their non-conference opener last week. Photo by Kelly and Rob LaLone.

By Judy Reed

The Cedar Springs Red Hawks varsity football team went on the road last Thursday, August 23, for their first ever game against the Saginaw Swan Valley Vikings, the 2017 state runner-ups in Division 5. 

Cedar Springs kicked off to Swan Valley to start the game, but the Vikings fumbled the ball and the Red Hawks recovered. They didn’t score, however, and Swan Valley took over on their own 39-yard line. On their second play, Deon Danders ran up the middle for a 61-yard touchdown, and the extra point was good, making the score 7-0, Swan Valley, with 9:29 left in the quarter.

In the second quarter, the Red Hawks scored with 2:33 left when quarterbank Kolby Swank ran right for three yards into the end zone. His pass to Kaden Liggett for extra points was no good. The score was now Swan Valley 7, Cedar Springs 6.

Swan Valley scored again in the third quarter with 3:38 left, when Alex Fries ran up the middle for a 1-yard touchdown. Their extra kick was good, making the score 14-6.

The Red Hawks rallied and came back and scored again before the quarter was over. With :33 left on the clock, Swank ran up the middle for a 1-yard touchdown. Ryan Ringler attempted a run into the end zone for a two-point conversion but it was no good. The score was now Swan Valley 14, Cedar Springs 12.

The Red Hawks would not score again, but Swan Valley put one more into the end zone to seal the victory. With 4:46 left on the clock, Fries passed to Ethan Champney for a 10-yard touchdown. The after kick was good, and Swan Valley took a 21-12 victory over Cedar Springs.

Cedar Springs rushed for 179 yards, on 54 attempts. Leading rushers were Ryan Ringler with 65 yards on 19 attempts, and Ethan West with 49 yards on 15 attempts. Kolby Swank contributed 23 yards on six attempts, and Sage Serbenta had 21 on 6 attempts. Ben Shaw added 16 yards on three attempts, and Zack Schmid added 5 yards on 5 attempts.

Swan Valley rushed for 208 yards, with Deon Danders leading the way with 102 yards on 9 attempts, and quarterback Alex Fries coming in second with 43 yards on 12 attempts.

Ringler led the Red Hawks in tackles with 7, followed closely by Sage Serbenta with 6 and Zach Schmid with 5. 

Mitchel Boehler led the Vikings in tackles with 16.

Cedar Springs Coach Gus Kapolka thought his team did some things well against a tough team.

“I thought we played well in the kicking game and defense against Swan Valley, but we were just not able to generate enough offense to win the game. I thought our kids played a very tough opponent on the road and acquitted themselves very well. We need to improve in many areas before our next game, but we especially need to improve our offensive line play. I have every confidence that will happen,” he said.

Kapolka was also pleased by an email they received from Swan Valley after the game. “We were forwarded an email from Swan Valley’s Athletic Director commenting on our player’s and fans sportsmanship at the game, and complimenting us on how we handled ourselves. It makes me as a coach very appreciative of our parents and fans, and proud of our players for handling themselves with poise under difficult circumstances. It is one of the core values of our program, and one of the things that makes Cedar Springs a great place.”

The Red Hawks play their first home game of the season tonight, Thursday, August 31, when they host Caledonia at 7 p.m. at Red Hawk Stadium.

Red Hawk Jacob Hooker runs with the ball. Photo by K. Alvesteffer/R. LaLone.

By Maddie Nichols

After playing the Sparta Spartans 65 times in the last 66 years (and probably even longer) the Cedar Springs Red Hawks faced the Spartans for the last time this past Thursday. Sparta had asked to end their contract with Cedar Springs, saying the matchup was not “favorable to Sparta.” In this final rivalry game, Cedar ended the game with a significant 35-7 win.

The Hawks started the game off strong and held off the Spartans. With 4 minutes and 34 seconds left of the first quarter, Red Hawk junior John Todd made a run down the middle and scored Cedar’s first touchdown. After a successful two-point conversion pass from senior quarterback Collin Alvesteffer to another senior, Austin Basso, the Hawks were up 8-0. Cedar kept the lead on the Spartans with some great defensive efforts by sophomore Ryan Ringler and John Todd.

Early in the second quarter, senior Jacob Hooker made a long run in for a touchdown with 10 minutes and 31 seconds left. After a successful extra point, the Hawks were up 15-0. Cedar continued to shut down any of Sparta’s attempts with great tackles by Collin Alvesteffer, John Todd, and Austin Basso. At the end of the first half, the score remained 15-0.

The combined efforts of the offense and defense kept the Red Hawk momentum going in the third quarter. Tackles by junior Nathan Patin, senior Dustin Shaw, sophomore Lucas Pienton, senior Jaron Spencer and senior Thomas Hill kept the Spartans at bay. Runs by Jacob Hooker and pass deflections by Dustin Shaw and Lucas Pienton kept both the team and the fans energized. Ryan Ringler’s incredible 65-yard touchdown and Cedar’s successful point after at the end of third quarter made the score 22-0.

Cedar marched downfield in the fourth quarter with runs by Ryan Ringler, Jacob Hooker, and Collin Alvesteffer. Alvesteffer made a four-yard touchdown run with nine minutes left in the game. The two-point conversion was no good, but Cedar remained on top 28-0. Sparta snuck in a long run and a touchdown with six minutes 44 seconds left in the game, making the game 28-7. Cedar continued to push and Dustin Shaw got a touchdown and point after in with four minutes left, making it 35-7. The Hawks weren’t letting another touchdown go past them and they shut down the Spartans’ offense for the rest of the game.

Coach Gus Kapolka knows the Red Hawks still have some things to work on.

“After a sluggish start, I thought we played much better in the second half,” he said. “I’m disappointed in the number of penalties that we had, so it’s something that we will have to clean up for this week.”

The Red Hawks head to  Greenville to take on the Greenville Yellow Jackets this Friday, September 9, and then will host Northview on Friday, September 16, the first home game of the season.

Red Hawk quarterback Collin Alvesteffer runs with the ball.

By Judy Reed

The Cedar Springs Red Hawks Varsity football team showed everyone last Thursday night that they won’t back down from a challenge. They needed someone to play the first week, and state champion Zeeland West needed an opponent. So they said yes. And come game time, they surprised a lot of people with how well they kept the Dux at bay. In fact, the Red Hawks did something no other team has done in two years—they kept them scoreless in the first half, and only allowed 14 points the whole game. And that’s on a team that generally scores 30-70 points each game. The Red Hawks went into half leading 3-0, but ultimately lost the game 14-9.

“I couldn’t be happier with the effort of our team, but obviously we are disappointed in the result,” said Head Coach Gus Kapolka. “We had opportunities to win the game and just came up a little short. This game will make us stronger moving forward, and we will be a better team for having played a team the caliber of Zeeland West.”

Click here for an article on the game by student reporter Maddie Nichols.

Red Hawk senior Isaiah McDonald (10) scored both a 24-yard touchdown and a 73-yard touch down in the 35-0 win over Sparta. Photo by K. Alvesteffer and R. LaLone.

The Cedar Springs Red Hawks came out on the offensive Thursday, September 3, against the Sparta Spartans, at Red Hawk Stadium. The boys played their hearts out that game to honor a recently passed student, Evan Kobayashi. With this mindset and determination to win, the Hawks dominated throughout the game, ending with a final score of 35-0.

“We played this game with heavy hearts, but our guys stayed really focused on the task at hand, and went out and played extremely well,” said Red Hawk Coach Gus Kapolka.

The Red Hawks never let the Spartans score Thursday night, in their home opener at Red Hawk Stadium. Photo by K. Alvesteffer and R. LaLone.

Junior Troy Patin put the Hawks on the board with a 3-yard touchdown with eight minutes and six seconds on the clock in the first quarter. Senior Cameron Umphrey also ran a 17-yard touchdown shortly after. However, the crowd wasn’t really energized until junior Jacob Hooker intercepted a Spartan pass and returned it for a touchdown. Following that play, senior Isaiah MacDonald was able to make the two-point conversion to end the first quarter.

The Hawks kept up their intensity on offense in the following quarter. MacDonald managed to score first a 24-yard touchdown, and then a 73-yard touchdown for his team. He also made a two-point conversion in the second quarter.

“We were given a lift [in the game] by Jacob Hooker, John Todd, and Thomas Hill, who all stepped in as quarterback for the injured Collin Alvesteffer,” commented Kapolka.

The boys worked together as a team offensively and defensively to achieve their win Thursday night. Juniors Jordan Ringler and Christian Twichell both led the team with four tackles, followed by Jordan Andrus, Ryan Ringler, Dustin Shaw and Taylor VanDyke with three.

The Red Hawks are now 1-1, and their next game is a non-conference match against the Belding Redskins (o-2), on Friday, September 11. They play at Belding at 7:00 p.m.

Kaden Myers attempting to block an extra point.
Photo by K. Alvesteffer.

The Cedar Springs Red Hawks Varsity football team had a phenomenal season, but it ended Saturday, November 8, when they faced the Muskegon Big Reds. Fans had a lot to cheer about this year, especially the team winning the OK Bronze championship—something the team hadn’t done since 1978. Great job, guys! We all look forward to seeing what the team has in store next year under Coach Gus Kapolka and staff.

Click here for highlights from Saturday’s game.