Eagles, Trojans, Panthers all 3-0 To Start Gridiron Season
Engadine Hosts Cedarville in First League Showdown

Kris Kerbersky Engadine

Three Eastern Upper Peninsula Conference (EUPC) teams, Engadine, Cedarville, and Pickford, are all 3-0 on the season after the Eagles defeated Pellston 48-24, the Trojans upended Rapid River 22-8, and the Panthers posted a come-from-behind 28-22 win over Posen Friday, September 9.

Veteran coaches Howard Hood of Engadine and Randy Schaedig of Cedarville could not recall another instance of three league teams with perfect records after the third game of the season.

Eagles Sting Hornets

Engadine tallied 464 yards in the win over Pellston, led by Kris Kerbersky with 162 yards on 18 carries. Todd Midgyett added 105 yards on eight rushing attempts, Brad Visser chipped in 86 yards on 21 carries, and Sung Hart notched 21 yards on one attempt.

Paul Converse Engadine

Stefen Albright completed three of six passes for 94 yards, while Midgyett caught one pass for 75 yards and Grayson Hood notched two receptions for 19 yards.

On the defensive side of the football, Jacob Swider (two sacks), Kerbersky, and Hood led the way with nine tackles. Paul Converse (interception) and Albright added five, J.J. Troyer (two sacks) and Midgyett (interception) chipped in four, Scott Butkovich tallied three with two sacks and one fumble recovery, and Dylan Duflo charted three stops.

Alex Smith Cedarville

"I felt with our size and speed we wore them down," said Eagles Coach Howard Hood. "The offensive line did a good job of opening the holes and when we needed a stop the defense came through."

Kerbersky scored two first quarter touchdowns on a 10-yard run at 6:45 and dashed 44 yards at 3:09, but the Hornets answered with two scores for a 12-12 count after the opening 12 minutes.

The Eagles’ passing attack jump-started the offense in the second quarter as Albright completed a 75-yard scoring pass to Midgyett and Kerbersky added the two-point conversion for a 20-12 advantage.

Devon Wilson Cedarville

Kerbersky scored his third touchdown on a 16-yard run and Midgyett chipped in the two-point conversion to increase the lead to 28-12 at the 6:30 mark.

Midgyett rambled 60 yards with 2:37 left in the first half to extend the Eagles’ lead to 34-12 before the Hornets scored with no time on the clock for a 34-18 halftime score.

Engadine added two second-half touchdown as Visser scored from three yards out and Paul Converse intercepted the Pellston pass and returned the pigskin 40 yards for the score. Pellston closed out the scoring with a third quarter touchdown.

Allen Orr Pickford

The Eagles will entertain Cedarville in a EUPC contest Friday, September 16.

Trojans Down Rockets

"The entire team played huge in the road win at Rapid River after a few starters suffered little injuries," said Trojans Coach Randy Schaedig. "The reserves stepped up in crucial spots."

Justin Baker led the Trojans’ balanced offense with 94 yards on 13 carries. Gary Kott added 37 yards on nine rushing attempts, Alex Smith chipped in 27 yards on four carries, and Matt Manley and Cory Wellnitz tallied 12 yards.

Joe Jenkins Pickford

Peter Treleaven completed three of seven passes for 56 yards and rushed for 18 yards, while James Eberts caught two passes for 56 yards and Wellnitz one reception for 20 yards.

Kott led the Cedarville defense with 14 tackles, Aaron Bright added 12, Devon Wilson chipped in 11, Keith Foster and Smith tallied eight, Joe Currie and Baker (interception) charted six, Matt Hansen (sack), Lucas Izzard, and Eberts (interception) notched four stops each, and Wellnitz recovered a fumble.

Baker scored on the Trojans first possession from 35 yards out at 9:34 and a Treleaven-to-Eberts pass completion tallied the two-point conversion for an 8-0 lead.

A Treleaven-to-Wellnitz 20-yard pass completion set up a Baker 14-yard touchdown run at the 4:30 mark of the second quarter for a 14-0 halftime advantage.

The host Rockets scored at 2:05 of the third quarter for a 14-6 count and at 10:32 of the fourth quarter registered a two-point safety to cut the Cedarville lead to 14-8.

The Trojans answered with a six-play drive as Baker scored his third touchdown on a 14-yard run and Kott added the two-point conversion. Treleaven to Eberts 33-yard pass play set up the final touchdown.

Cedarville will travel to Engadine to face the Eagles in a EUPC showdown Friday, September 16.

Panthers Score Winning TD

in Final Two Minutes

Allen Orr dashed 34 yards with 1:59 remaining in the game to lift Pickford to a six-point win over Posen.

The Vikings scored with 3:38 on the clock and added the crucial two-point conversion to notch the score at 22. On the ensuing kickoff, Posen attempted an onside kick, but the Panthers recovered the ball and four plays later scored the winning touchdown.

Caleb Rader rushed for 240 yards on 16 carries. Orr added 50 yards on five rushing attempts and Jon Clegg completed two of four passes for 22 yards. Richie Boal had one reception for 15 yards and Rader one catch for seven yards.

Jason King led the Panthers defense with 17 tackles. Rader added 16 stops, Orr chipped in 15, Joe Jenkins notched 12, Jon Snider tallied 10 with a pass interception, Boal charted seven with a pass interception, Al King marked seven, Jordan Potter and Jordan Hatfield counted five, Toby Kibble recorded four, Nick Curtis registered three, and Scott Coullard, Nate Rader, and Clegg tallied two stops each.

Posen scored first for a 6-0 lead at 5:19 of the first quarter, but three minutes later Rader answered with his first of three touchdowns on a 35-yard run and the junior added the two-point conversion for an 8-6 margin.

The Vikings took a 14-8 lead after a second quarter touchdown and two-point conversion at the 10:42 mark.

Rader dashed in from 57 yards out and Kibble chipped in the conversion run for a 16-14 halftime advantage.

The Panthers extended the lead to 22-14 as Rader scored from five yards out at the 6:39 mark of the third quarter before the closing minutes of play.

Pickford will host White Pine of Ontario Friday, September 16.