Red Hawk Kaden Myers returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in last Thursday’s game against the Otsego Bulldogs. Photo by R. Klompstra.
The Red Hawks JV team traveled to Wayland Thursday night to face Otsego due to the cancellation of the Wayland JV team. The Red Hawks improved the season to 3-0 as they beat a very tough Otsego team 26-20.
It was a great team effort once again and the Red Hawks started out strong with a kick off return for a touchdown by Kaden Myers. However, Otsego responded by driving right down the field and tying the game 6-6. Both teams struggled offensively throughout the remainder of the first quarter, until Cedar was able to punch in another touchdown by Kaden Myers, to take a 12-6 lead. The Red Hawks held back the Bulldogs, and Jesse VanHemert, of Cedar Springs, scored again to make it 18-6. The Bulldogs responded by driving the ball down the field and connected on a 3rd and long for a touch down, cutting the score to 18-14, with about 2 minutes left in the half. Cedar quickly made up for that score, as Kaden Myers returned his 2nd kick off of the night for a touchdown and Mavrick Cotton made good on a 2 point conversion bringing the first half to a close at 26-14.
The 2nd half of the game was very much a defensive battle. The Bulldogs put together a drive early in the 4th quarter and scored on a deflected pass on 4th and goal. The Red Hawks put together a drive of their own and had 1st and goal with 3 minutes left in the game. Cedar was not able to punch it in the end zone in the first 3 attempts, so they lined up for a field goal to clinch the game, with 2 minutes remaining, however the attempt was wide left. Otsego took over on their own 20-yard line. Two plays later, Red Hawk Hunter Larsen intercepted the ball to clinch the victory for Cedar Springs
“Otsego was a pretty good team and I am happy with how the guys responded to some adversity,” noted Coach Dave Bowers. “We were able to give our offense a boost with 2 kick off returns, and that really proved to be the difference in the game. We also took advantage of several Otsego turnovers, however the biggest turnover of the night was the interception by Hunter to seal the victory.”
Come out Thursday night (September 13) and support the Freshmen and JV as they play Zeeland West at Red Hawk Stadium. The Freshmen begin at 4:30 and the JV will play 20 minutes after the completion of the Freshmen game. The Hawks will travel to Greenville on Thursday, September 20.
