Kick It Forward Scores for North Kent Connect

Rain may have dampened Red Hawk Stadium on Saturday, but it did little to dampen the spirit of the Cedar Springs community during the Kick It Forward fundraiser.

The event featured a charity soccer game between the Kent County Sheriff’s Office and the Red Hawk Alumni soccer team, along with a dunk tank, food, and raffle prizes.

By the end of the day, the event raised over $1600 for North Kent Connect.

The main event delivered plenty of action on the field, with KCSO and the Red Hawk Alumni trading momentum throughout the match. Both goalies made strong stops early as the game went back and forth through much of the first half.

KCSO broke through first when Everardo Magallan scored with just over two minutes left before halftime. The Alumni answered with a push of their own, but the chance was stopped by KCSO's goalie Jerimie Fuller, who was quick to intercept the momentum before a shot could be taken. With only 30 seconds left in the half, Kendall Johnson added another goal for KCSO, sending the deputies into halftime with a 2-0 lead.

KCSO kept the momentum going early in the second half, scoring almost immediately to make it 3-0.

The Red Hawk Alumni, however, was undeterred. They got on the board with a penalty kick, cutting into the deficit and shifting energy back toward their favor. KCSO answered again, however, scoring with 28 minutes left in the game to extend the lead to 4-1.

From there, the Red Hawk Alumni began to rally.

The Hawks scored again to stay within reach, and scored another goal off a free kick on the very next drive. With 11:03 left in the game, the Red Hawks completed the comeback and tied the match at 4-4.

A penalty kick from Pike then gave the Alumni their first lead of the game at 5-4. KCSO responded by driving the ball deep into Hawks territory and keeping pressure on the defense for nearly three minutes, sending shot after shot toward the goal. But the Alumni held strong and kept the deputies from increasing their lead.

In the final minutes of the game, the Alumni scored on two more penalty kicks to extend the lead to the final score of 7-4.

While the Red Hawks came away with the victory, the night was won for the community. The game brought together deputies, former and current Red Hawk athletes, families and community members for a lighthearted afternoon that still featured plenty of competitive spirit.

"It was fun seeing people come out," said Sgt. Paulson after the game. "It was fun to see so many people donate to the cause," he said.

Off the field, school board member Brent Willett donated his time in the dunk tank, giving event-goers a chance to test their aim while helping raise money for a good cause.

The event also included raffle prizes, donated by Wesco, KCSO, Red Flannel Coffee Co., and several others, helping support the cause.

The Kick It Forward event was organized by Sergeant Paulson and Deputy Puckett of the Kent County Sheriff’s Office, both assigned to Cedar Springs. Their efforts helped create an event that mixed friendly competition with community service.

Between the soccer match, dunk tank, raffle prizes and community support, the first Kick It Forward event gave Cedar Springs plenty to cheer about. Organizers hope Saturday’s fundraiser was the beginning of a new annual tradition at Red Hawk Stadium.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with a revised fundraising total. More than $1600 was raised. An earlier version reported the amount as $1040 based on information provided at the conclusion of the event.