Red Hawks Battle Broncos to the Finish
COOPERSVILLE — The Cedar Springs Red Hawks flew into a tough setting Friday night, facing Coopersville on the Broncos’ homecoming night, and showed early they had no plans of being just another part of the celebration.
With the home crowd energized and the Broncos looking to defend their field, Cedar Springs brought a determined effort from the opening whistle. The Red Hawks traded scores with Coopersville throughout the first half, made a late fourth-quarter push and forced the Broncos to earn a 42-33 win.
Coopersville received the opening kickoff, but Cedar Springs came up with an early defensive stop. Henry Metiva made key tackles on the Broncos’ first possession, and the Red Hawks forced a turnover on downs to take over near midfield.
Cedar Springs took advantage right away. Behind hard running from Spencer Schoenborn and Deegan Pike, the Red Hawks moved down the field and struck first when Pike powered into the end zone for a short touchdown. The two-point conversion was stopped, but Cedar Springs had an early 6-0 lead.
Coopersville answered late in the first quarter with a touchdown drive and extra point to move in front 7-6, but the Red Hawks quickly punched back. Early in the second quarter, Schoenborn broke through the middle of the Bronco defense for a rushing touchdown, putting Cedar Springs back on top 12-7.
The back-and-forth first half continued. Coopersville reclaimed the lead with a long touchdown run to go ahead 14-12, but Cedar Springs responded with another sustained drive. The Red Hawks leaned on their ground game and took advantage of Coopersville penalties to move into scoring position. Pike finished the drive with his second touchdown run of the half, giving Cedar Springs an 18-14 lead.
The Broncos had the final answer before halftime, completing a touchdown pass in the final minute to take a 21-18 lead into the break.
Rain moved in for the second half, but Cedar Springs continued to battle. The Red Hawks opened the half with the ball and moved the chains before eventually punting. The punt pinned Coopersville at its own 1-yard line, and although the Broncos worked their way out of danger and drove into Cedar Springs territory, the Red Hawk defense held firm and forced a turnover on downs.
Coopersville found momentum late in the third quarter, breaking loose for a 64-yard touchdown run to extend its lead to 28-18. The Broncos added another score early in the fourth quarter on a touchdown pass, pushing the advantage to 35-18 with 8:46 left in the game.
That's when Nick Robinson led the Hawks on their big push.
After a long Schoenborn run was called back by a holding penalty, the Red Hawks regrouped and kept driving. Schoenborn helped move the ball into scoring position, and Pike finished the possession with another touchdown. Cedar Springs converted its first successful two-point attempt of the night, cutting the deficit to 35-26 with 4:50 remaining.
The Red Hawks then needed a stop, and they got one. After Coopersville recovered the onside kick, the Cedar Springs defense forced a punt, giving the offense the ball back at its own 27-yard line.
Pike quickly delivered, breaking free for another touchdown to pull Cedar Springs within 35-33 with 2:03 left to play.
Cedar Springs attempted another onside kick, but Coopersville recovered. The Red Hawks nearly gave themselves one final chance, forcing the Broncos into a fourth-and-5 situation with 29 seconds remaining. But Coopersville kept the ball on the ground and broke through for a game-sealing touchdown. The extra point brought the final score to 42-33.
The loss dropped Cedar Springs to 1-3 on the season, but head coach Gus Kapolka said he was proud of his team’s effort.
“That I’m proud of them,” Kapolka said of his message to the team after the game. “They fought hard for four quarters. Had an opportunity there at the end. We got a stop, got the ball and got the score.”
Kapolka also praised Schoenborn’s performance.
“Spencer Schoenborn was very impressive tonight,” he said. “He’s been impressive all season. We’ve got the right 11 guys on offense.”
Still, Kapolka said the Red Hawks need to continue improving defensively.
“Defensively, we have to get better at basic football,” he said. “We have to tackle, we have to pursue, we have to set an edge and turn the ball inside.”
While Coopersville protected its home field on homecoming night, Cedar Springs made the Broncos earn it. The Red Hawks showed fight from start to finish, pushing the game deep into the fourth quarter and giving themselves a chance late before coming up short.
