As the GR Christian community filed into Eagles Stadium to take in some high school football on a beautiful fall homecoming evening, the Eagle football team prepared to face OK-White foe Northview. Despite falling behind, the boys in Blue and Black showed great toughness and heart all through the game - coming up exactly 8 yards short at the end of the night, leaving the visiting Wildcats as the victors this time by a score of 27-35.

The Eagles used a dynamic 11-play drive on their first possession to take the lead on a beauty of a throw by senior QB Zay Caviness to receiver Jude Klunder. Northview was able to answer in short order with a TD of their own. Keeping pace, GRC marched another 73 yards over 8 plays and used a short Caviness run to retake the lead. A frenzied first quarter was then capped off in dramatic fashion as Northview returned the ensuing kickoff for a TD. Eagle miscues were answered by another two Northview scores, which gave the visitors a 28-13 lead at halftime.

In the midst of a difficult season, and facing a halftime deficit, the Block C Boys had every reason in the world to quit... but they dug in and showed the type of grit and toughness we have come to expect from our Eagles. After conceding another score to start the 3rd, the boys got to work. A 9-play drive covering 64 yards was capped by an acrobatic TD catch by Klunder, then a Ben Toly onside kick was dramatically recovered by senior Ben Geers (after an Aaron Gholston extreme head-over-heels effort). Another 9-play drive was punctuated by Zeke Heerema with the catch of the year over the top of two Northview defenders in the end zone. The Eagle defense then came up huge with a fumble recovery to give the offense a chance. 11 plays later, GRC had moved all the way down to the 8 yard line and was facing 4th down... the final heave from Caviness fell incomplete and the Eagles fell just short of a miraculous comeback.

Offensively, the Eagles were led by the entire offensive line of Henry Jackson, JR Jones, Davis Hutt, Cam Morgan, and Dane Fitzgibbon. GR Christian attempted 28 passes on the night without a single sack and averaged nearly 5 yards per carry on the ground as well. Other offensive leaders included Caviness (108 rush yards and a TD, 175 passing yards and 3 TDs), Klunder (6 catches for 83 yards and 2 TDs), Heerema and senior Ethan Ogle who both registered 3 catches, and junior Tony Phillips who contributed with both great catches and strong runs. 

Defensively, senior DeWayne Goree set the pace with 8 tackles, while Geers had 5.5 tackles (2 of them for a loss), and Phillips added the fumble recovery.

GR Christian heads to East Grand Rapids High School next Friday to play in a rivalry game vs. the Pioneers at 7:00 PM. Go Eagles!