Jenison loses conference opener vs. Caledonia, 48-0

Kaden Brady, Staff Writer|October 6, 2022

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Jenison falls to Caledonia in its conference opener, 48-0, on Friday, September 9, dropping the Wildcats’ record to 1-2.
Jenison came out to a very slow start, allowing all 48 points in the first half. They looked outmatched in the first half against the number 5 team in the state. It wasn’t all bad though, as the Wildcats showed some bright spots in this game, and that is what you will be reading about.

 The Game

This game was the kid cat game for Jenison. Meaning kids from all the elementary schools in the district would be there. The players, earlier in the day, had visited those schools to be with those kids. They did it to try and make a greater connection throughout the district. In the stands, you could see signs of players made by those kids. And before the game, the kids made a tunnel for the players to run through to get out to the field.
 

One of the first positive things to happen for the Wildcats was a great hit and pass breakup by Leo Vandentoorn. Caledonia quarterback Mason McKenzie took a shot to the endzone. Where it looked like he would have an easy touchdown. But Vandentoorn made sure that wasn’t going to happen. He hit his receiver and left him on the ground for a few seconds.
 
After Caledonia’s second touchdown, they were attempting their extra point. Wildcats’ defensive lineman Dane Devries got through the line and blocked it. This got the team and crowd fired up. When asked what his favorite play was, student Malakhi Harris chose this play, and I’m sure he was not alone.
 
In the second quarter, when things were looking dim for Jenison, running back Sam Morales broke off a 30-yard run to put some life back into the team. He went up the middle at first but his hole got clogged. So he bounced it out and was able to go for 30 yards before he got pushed out of bounds.
 

By the second half, the game was out of reach, the score was already 48-0. But Jenison did not give up. They managed to keep Caledonia scoreless for the rest of the game. Some good defensive drives needed to happen big time to keep the game from getting worse. And that’s exactly what we got. The biggest play by the Scots was a 22-yard pass play. They never even got into the red zone during the second half.
The difference in score allowed some players who might not usually get a chance to play, to get their chance on the field. Like JV quarter back Eli Zeitman. He came in in the 4th quarter and was able to lead the Wildcats to one first down. Will Calderwood, another JV player, joined Zietman on the field. These would be the first varsity snaps for these players as they look forward to getting more this year.
 
This game did not turn out the way Jenison wanted it to. But they hope to bounce back on September 16, against East Kentwood. When asked if he thought they would be able to do it, Junior defensive back Matthew Gauck said, “I think we are because we faced adversity against Caledonia and we’re going to learn and get better.”