Red Hawks Search for Rhythm After Physical Loss to Dux
- Jake Watson
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
The atmosphere at Red Hawk Stadium was tense from the opening kickoff Friday night as Cedar Springs fought hard for every inch of turf in a physical season opener against Zeeland West.
On Community Night, the Red Hawks delivered early energy and late fight, but the Dux used a powerful rushing attack and several big plays to pull away for a 46-20 win.
Cedar Springs started fast, receiving the opening kickoff and returning the ball to the Zeeland West 48-yard line. The Red Hawks moved quickly behind Spencer Schoenborn, Nick Robinson and Deegan Pike. Schoenborn opened with a short gain, Robinson followed with seven yards, and Pike later broke a 13-yard run to help push Cedar Springs deep into Dux territory.
Facing fourth-and-two, Cedar Springs went back to Schoenborn, who powered up the middle for the game’s first touchdown. The two-point conversion was stopped, but the Red Hawks led 6-0 with 9:09 left in the first quarter.
Zeeland West’s first drive was met with resistance. Kolin Brott made the first stop of the game, and Cedar Springs held the Dux to a punt after allowing little room on the ground. The physical tone was clear early, with both teams trading hard contact at the line of scrimmage.
After Cedar Springs’ next drive stalled, a big Zeeland West punt return flipped the field to the Red Hawk 27-yard line. Two plays later, the Dux scored and converted the two-point try to take an 8-6 lead with 1:49 left in the first quarter.
The Red Hawks answered by continuing to fight for field position. Jakson Bravata returned the kickoff to the 37-yard line, and Cedar Springs moved near midfield behind Schoenborn, Robinson and Brott. Schoenborn closed the first quarter with another strong carry, but the Red Hawks trailed 8-6 after one.
Early in the second quarter, Cedar Springs pushed into Zeeland West territory again. Pike converted a first down with a run around the left side, moving the ball to the Dux 36-yard line. But the drive stalled after stopped runs and incomplete passes, giving the ball back to Zeeland West on downs.
The Dux then settled into their Wing-T style rushing attack, a look similar to Cedar Springs’ own offensive identity. Zeeland West converted a key fourth down with a pass over the top, moving deep into Red Hawk territory. On the next play, the Dux broke a 28-yard touchdown run and added the two-point conversion to extend the lead to 16-6 with 5:28 left in the half.
Cedar Springs was forced to punt on its next possession, but the Red Hawk defense kept the game within reach before halftime. Spencer Rosenberger, Deegan Pike, Ryan Larkin, Cody Greenland and Aiden Johnson were among those involved in stops as Zeeland West tried to control the clock. Pike also broke up a pass late in the half and later fielded a punt near the goal line, returning it to the Cedar Springs 32-yard line with 13 seconds remaining.
At halftime, Zeeland West led 16-6.
The second half opened with a major swing. Zeeland West received the kickoff and broke a 65-yard touchdown run on its first offensive play of the half. The Dux added the two-point conversion to push the lead to 24-6 with 11:42 left in the third quarter.
Still, Cedar Springs answered with one of its strongest drives of the night. Schoenborn, Pike and Robinson helped move the ball downfield despite a holding penalty. Robinson broke loose around the right side for a first down, and Schoenborn continued to grind out yards into Zeeland West territory.
On fourth down, Schoenborn gained enough to move the chains, and a Zeeland West offsides penalty moved Cedar Springs closer. Robinson then connected on a deep pass, aided by Dux penalties for holding and a personal foul, to help set up first-and-goal at the 4-yard line.
Schoenborn pushed the ball near the goal line and later finished the drive with his second touchdown of the night. The two-point conversion was no good, but it would cut the Zeeland West lead to 24-12 with 4:12 left in the third quarter.
The momentum did not last long. After Rosenberger made a strong stop on kickoff coverage, Zeeland West broke another long rushing touchdown, this one for more than 50 yards. The two-point try failed, but the Dux led 30-12 with 2:47 left in the third.
Cedar Springs suffered another setback on its next possession when Robinson went down after a long run to midfield and had to be assisted off the field. After the game, head coach Gus Kapolka said the extent of the injury was not yet known.
“I don’t know,” Kapolka said. “We’ll find out later.”
Bravata stepped in at quarterback, but the Red Hawks were unable to extend the drive. Early in the fourth quarter, Zeeland West intercepted a pass intended for Schoenborn, then scored three plays later. With the two-point conversion, the Dux stretched the lead to 38-12.
Cedar Springs fumbled the ensuing kickoff return, and Zeeland West recovered at the Red Hawk 39-yard line. The Dux turned that possession into another touchdown, extending the lead to 46-12 with 6:34 left in the game.
Even with the game slipping away, the Red Hawks kept battling. Malick Traore helped convert a third down, and Brott followed with another key gain deep into Dux territory. A pass to William Dickinson moved Cedar Springs to the 4-yard line, and Brott finished the drive with a late touchdown. The Red Hawks added the two-point conversion to make it 46-20 with 25 seconds left.
Zeeland West took the final kickoff and ran out the clock.
After the game, Kapolka took responsibility when asked about Zeeland West’s execution compared to Cedar Springs’ own Wing-T system.
“Not good. And that’s on me,” Kapolka said. “As a head coach I’m accountable. We had a year to get ready for this game. We had a year to plan for it, and we did not come out and execute well. But at the end of the day, I’m going to wear it and own it. It starts with me and I have to be better.”
Kapolka said his postgame message to the team was brief because the staff needed to review the film.
“I didn’t want to say too much because I really want to look at the film to understand where exactly we were deficient and where we were not good,” Kapolka said. “It’s like we talk about in every game, if it’s a win, it’s one, if we lose, it’s one. We’re 0 and 1, not 0 and ten, 0 and eleven. There are obviously things we need to fix to get better.”
