Northview, making its first ever high school football playoff appearance, got harassed and pushed around by the physical playoff savvy Red Arrows Friday night on Bob Perry Field before departing with a bruising 21-0 defeat at the hands of Lowell.

“We like to bring pressure and keep our opponents out of rhythm,” said Lowell defensive end Pierce Watson. The senior authored one of three Lowell touchdowns with a third-quarter block of a Northview punt at the Wildcat 15 yard line. He recovered the ball inside the 10 yard line before picking it up and racing into the end zone.

“Their kid came off the ball slow and I was able to get around and get a clean strike of the ball,” Watson explained.

For Lowell’s it was its 13th straight first-round playoff win. “We’re excited about the win and a chance to maintain a rivalry (Northview),” said Lowell football coach Noel Dean.

Kyler Shurlow was undeFrida    Kyler Shurlow was under center Friday night in Lowell’s 21-0 shutout over Northview in the opening round of the playoffs high splayoffs. Lowell advances to play Muskegon on Friday. The Big Reds defeated Kenowa Hills 34-14.

And while the Red Arrow defense was exciting to watch if you were a Lowell fan, offensively the Red Arrows continued to stumble over itself.

Lowell committed three turnovers in the red zone – at Northview’s three, 16 and 21 yard lines.

Turnovers will again be critical in Friday’s district championship game when Lowell travels to Muskegon to play the Big Reds in a playoff atmosphere. The meeting will mark the fourth consecutive year the two clubs will meet in the post season, with Lowell having won the last three. The Red Arrows however, dropped a 36-21 regular season tilt earlier this year at Muskegon. The Big Reds defeated Kenowa Hills 34-21 Friday night.

The Red Arrows scored the game’s first touchdown in the first quarter on a 40-yard touchdown scamper by quarterback Kyler Shurlow.

Lowell made it 14-0 earlier in the second quarter when Titan Anderson busted through the line for a 28-yard touchdown romp.

Northview was held to a negative 49 yards rushing while throwing for 108 yards. Chad Watson caught five passes for 72 yards.

“Lowell was just too physical for us. That’s the bottom line,” said Northview coach Greg Ganfield. “They (their defense) brings seven at you and you must be able to execute against that pressure. We haven’t been a good blocking team all year.”

Contrarily, the Northview coach felt his defense played well. “Defensively, we played a hell of a game, however our offense did nothing.”

Lowell ran the ball for 255 yards and threw for 88. Anderson rushed for 102 while Shurlow amassed 92 on the ground.

Through the air, Shurlow was 6-of-11 for 88 yards in his first start as a varsity quarterback.
Dean said he club had been struggling on offense over the last six quarters and thus the decision for a change.

Category: General | Comments Off on Lowell defense stifles Northview, 21-0; Red Arrows advance to play Muskegon

A quick-hitting, fleet-footed Grand Rapids Christian football team claimed its second consecutive O-K White Conference Championship Friday night with a 21-7 win over Lowell.

The top ranked team in Division 3 needed just six plays to score three first-quarter touchdowns in under four minutes en route to its eighth win of the season.

Lowell’s defense which was victimized by the big plays in the opening eight minutes, settled in and shut down the high powered Eagle offense the rest of the way.

The defense, however, received little help from the Red Arrow offense. Costly penalties, turnovers and the inability to sustain much of an offense against a strong and equally quick defensive Eagle unit.

Lowell’s only score of the evening came early in the second quarter on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Titan Anderson to Kyle Shurlow. The touchdown reception capped an 11-play, 71-yard scoring drive.

The Red Arrows furthest penetration into Eagle territory in the second half was the Christian 15-yard line. The drive ended on a missed 33-yard field gaol attempt.

Grand Rapids Christian opened the scoring with 7:47 to play in the first quarter when Michigan State Bound Drake Harris got around the right end from the Eagle 27 and raced 73 yards for a touchdown.

Two minutes later, following an interception of a Lowell pass, Zeth McIntosh broke through the Lowell line for a 32-yard touchdown romp.

After a four-and-out Lowell possession, Christian needed three plays to drive 83 yards fro its third and final touchdown of the night. The big play was 78-yard pitch and catch from Alex VanDeVusse to Seth McIntosh.

Lowell finishes the regular season at 7-2 overall and 4-1 in conference play.

Christian enters the post season at 8-1 overall and 5-0 in league play.

Both teams now await the announcement Sunday evening of their first round playoff opponent.

Category: General | Comments Off on Quick scores, strong defensive play leads Grand Rapids Christian to 21-7 win over Lowell

No where in the definition of a “pretty win” can one find five turnovers.

Then again, nowhere in post season statistics are wins defined by pretty and ugly.

So, while Lowell’s 14-7 win over Caledonia Friday night wasn’t how Coach Noel Dean would have drawn it up, the result was a victory which will send the Red Arrows into the final game of the season against Grand Rapids Christian with a chance to win the O-K White Conference Championship.

Lowell tallied two first-half touchdowns and then leaned on its defense to hold onto a victory against the home-standing Fighting Scots.

“It was a good win, against a quality opponent, coaching staff and football program,” Dean said.

The Red Arrows got on the board late in the first quarter on a Titan Anderson nine-yard touchdown pass to Zach Huver.
Anderson then added a second touchdown in the second quarter on a seven-yard run from scrimmage, giving Lowell a 14-0 halftime advantage.

“Defensively, we played outstanding. We have played great defense all year. But whenever you play a team like Lowell, you have to figure out how to get first downs and sustain drives. We weren’t very fortunate to do that tonight,” Caledonia football coach Steve Uyl said.

Caledonia was unable to muster a scoring drive against the Red Arrow defense. It’s third-quarter score was provided by the defense on a 10-yard interception return by Heath Hoogerhyde.

“I’m so proud of the kids and the effort they gave,” Uyl explained. “Lowell is a very good football team. Its defense was very physical, fast, and it was hard for us to sustain drives and get anything going offensively.”

Anderson led all Lowell runners with 68 yards on the ground. Jeff Houston led on receivers with three receptions for 32 yards.
Anderson was 10-of-17 for 99 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.

Lowell (7-1, 4-0) has outscored its O-K White opponents through four games 144-66. The Red Arrows have averaged 36 points a game in O-K White play while giving up 16.5 points a game.

Category: General | Comments Off on Lowell overcomes five turnovers in 14-7 win against Caledonia

Some picked Caledonia to finish last in its return to the O-K White in 2012.

Nobody… picked the Fighting Scots to contend for a conference championship.

The scenario sound somewhat familiar? Beckon back to 2007’s realignment. It brought the Scot’s into a league to battle with football titans Lowell and East Grand Rapids.

Caledonia beat Division 3 state champion East Grand Rapids 21-20 and lost to Lowell 35-23, giving it a share of the O-K White title.

Caledonia enters Friday night’s game with Lowell at 6-1 overall and 2-1 in the White. A Scot win against the 6-1 Red Arrows with a Lowell win in week nine against Grand Rapids Christian could once again create a three-way conference title split in the O-K White.

Now, that’s provided Christian defeats Forest Hills Central in week eight and Caledonia takes care of business against East (2-5) in the season finale.

Those are a lot of provisions but the Scots believe and their 7-2 overall record in O-K White play shows they can make it happen.

“This group of players have great team chemistry. We’re fortunate to have gotten off to a good start and that has carried us into the the White,” said Caledonia coach Steve Uyl.

Caledonia’s winning football formula has been good defense, a very efficient offense and time of possession.

“That has helped us keep people out of the end zone,” Uyl explained. “This week we face a big challenge, but the boys view it as an opportunity.”

The challenge is the physical, big play of the Red Arrows. “Lowell is very good. It is one of the best programs in the state. It’s a physical football team on both sides of the ball that comes after you,”Uyl said.

Caledonia is coming off a 28-6 win over Forest Hills Central. Lowell defeated the Rangers a week earlier 42-24.

Jenison is the two club’s other common opponent. The Scots beat the ‘Cats 42-21 while Lowell won 43-7.

“In the White you have to play your best every week. It has some of the best teams in the state let a lone in the area,” Uyl concluded.

Category: General | Comments Off on Caledonia looks to extend success in O-K White while keeping league title hopes alive with win over Lowell

Lowell football coach Noel Dean couldn’t help but smile about Zach Huver’s fourth-quarter game-changing interception.

“I told him to quit smiling that he hadn’t showed me anything yet,” Dean said with his wry smile following Lowell’s 42-24 O-K White Conference win against Forest Hills Central Friday night on Bob Perry Field in Lowell.

Dean not only knew better, but his counterpart, Ranger coach Tim Rogers called it a tide turner.

“The running back leaked out and the quarterback pumped. So I broke toward the back and he threw the football and I was able to get it,” explained Huver. “This was a big win for us. It was a good win.”

The victory was Lowell’s fifth in six tries, improving its league mark to 2-0 with a home date against East Grand Rapids Friday night. The Pioneers suffered their fourth defeat of season against Grand Rapids Christian, 43-24.

Lowell defenders stifle this running attempt by Central’s Zach Walker.

For the upstart Rangers, they are now 4-2 and 1-1 in the league.

“These are 16-18 year old kids and they lost it (poise). The tide turned and they tried to get it all back at once,” Rogers said afterwards. “This was a learning experience against a good football team. We will be back.”

Even Dean agreed with that. “He told me afterwards that they’d see us in a couple of weeks (playoffs),” Rogers said.

Huver’s tide-turning pick came with the Red Arrows trailing 24-21 with 10:47 to play in the fourth quarter. The Red Arrow returned the interception to the Ranger 24 yard line. Two plays later Kanon Dean muscled his way in from the seven yard line, giving

Lowell a 28-24 lead, one it would not relinquish.

Within 30 seconds of the go-ahead score, Kyler Shurlow grabbed a tipped Justin Chopp pass out of the air and raced to the Ranger 31 yard line. This time it too the Red Arrows six plays before Dean blasted it over the goal line from the three, exgtending the Lowell lead to fourat 28-24.

Shurlow did it again a couple minutes later, this time grabbing a tipped Justin Chopp pass out of the air and racing to the Ranger 31 yard line. It took the Red Arrows six plays before Dean balsted it over the goal line from the three, ballooning the Lowell lead to 11 at at 35-24.

“Our defense stuck together and played strong. We were able to stiffen up a couple of things there in the second half,” Huver concluded.

Lowell’s final score of the night was delivered by the defense on a Reed Stormzand 50- yard interception return.

His coach found satisfaction in his clubs poise.

“Our defense played extremely well. “The boys played with enthusiasm and showed great poise out there. I was very impressed,” Dean said.

The Chopp-led Ranger offense started fast, scoring on its opening two,possessions of the game. The first score came on a 20-yard hook-up with Hunter Folkertsma. The second touchdown went 25 yards to Nicholas Guerre.

Lowell matched FHC’ start with a Dean nine-yard scoring burst and the junior later scored on a two yard run, with under two minutes to play in the first quarter.

The Red Arrows took their first lead of the evening in the second quarter when Titan Anderson raced in from 15 yards out, giving the Red Arrows a 21-14 advantage.

Central fought back late in the first half when Guerre scored again. Chopp connected with the FHC receiver on a 16-yard touchdown pass.

Central regained the lead in the third quarter on a 19-yard field goal. It came after having the ball first and goal at the two and not being able to find the end zone.

Category: General | Comments Off on Lowell intercepts Forest Hills Central’s upset bid