Fans who showed up for the Cedar Springs Red Hawks/Coopersville Broncos last Friday got a real treat. The Red Hawks not only won the contest for the first time in 31 years, they did it by a shut out 30-0. And it tasted sweet.

Cedar Springs has played Coopersville 38 times since 1950, and only won 8 times, including last Friday. Before that, the last time Cedar Springs won was in 1979, when they won 43-16 as part of the Tri River Conference. Other years were 1950, 1969, 1974, 1976, 1977, and 1978.

Coopersville has always been a fly in the ointment for Cedar Springs. They are the team that stood in the Red Hawks’ way when making their march to the state championship in 2000.  They beat them in a heavy snowfall at Houseman field on November 17, 2000, 38-0, ending what had been a perfect season for the Red Hawks. Cedar went 12-1 that season. Coopersville lost the next week in the state championship to Detroit Orchard Mary.