What was projected to be a gritty conference championship winning game certainly followed the mantra through the first half. What happened in the second half? The Cardinals seized their trophy outright in their most dominant second half performance of the season, outscoring Tri-County 28-0 in the second half to secure a 35-6 victory.
The Cardinals scoring started behind a strong first drive, capped off by a Jack Bollman 18-yard touchdown run three minutes into the game. Big Rapids would force a Viking punt but would come up short on their next possession, missing a 34-yard field goal on the heels of the first quarter ending.
Tri-County would answer following a long 16-play, 86-yard drive with their own 18-yard touchdown run by Chase Keller. A missed extra point would keep the Cardinal lead at one. An exchange of interceptions, a Cardinal punt, and a Viking fumble on the next four possessions would take the teams into the half with a one-point different on the scoreboard.
In th
Jacob Montgomery had the odds stacked against him going into Saturday’s Division 2 state track finals at Forest Hills Eastern’s Hawk Stadium. While Montgomery, an Ionia junior, was the No. 10 seed in the 800-meter run, he literally had people stacked against him at the start of his race.
Stuart Gould is going to get his wish in one of his final track events at Tri County. The Vikings’ standout senior sprinter wanted to bring teammates with him to the MHSAA state track finals before the season began. He had big dreams to bring more than one person wearing Tri County running gear to Forest Hills Eastern’s Hawk Stadium for the Division 2 finals.