Double Header, Double Winners

The Sault High Blue Devils Football program started their season with a pair of non-conference home games against the Lake Shore Shorians from St. Clair Shores.

The JV teams took the field in the afternoon with both teams picking up plenty of yards in the first quarter, but not enough to hit the scoreboard. In the second quarter, sophomore quarterback Wyatt Peabody found sophomore Caleb Klier in the end zone for the first touchdown of the game. The two-point conversion handoff to sophomore Isaac Niebuhr put the Blue Devils up 8-0. The Shorians returned with a touchdown and two-point conversion. The Blue Devils marched their way back down the field and scored again when Peabody found freshman Sam Kiekhaefer near the end zone with Kiekhaefer running the rest of the way to put another six points on the scoreboard. The two-point attempt was no good. Head Coach Herb Maloney complimented the team’s offense. “We had precision offense we could count on, and zero turnovers. Peabody had a great game, he led the offense and did the right things. Klier also had a great game. You can tell he’s had a year of high school football under his belt.”

At the start of the third quarter, a severe storm warning and subsequent downpour delayed the game for roughly 30 minutes. Both teams returned to a saturated field and finished the game on a running clock, with no additional points added to the board. Kiekhaefer had an interception in the fourth quarter, when the Shorians were getting a bit too close to the goal line. “Kiekhaefer had a great game. He did the right thing at the right time.” That clutch play helped the young JV team capture the win as the clock ran down. “Our team came out ready to play, and played hard from the beginning.”

Maloney noted “We played well on defense. Lakeshore had a lot of speed. We were lucky to have played well on the outside. Freshman Nick Causley and sophomore Trevon Johnson had a great game on the line. Sophomore Marc DeWildt was great in the middle. Klier was cleaning up tackles left and right, and that’s what we needed him to do. Peabody also played well on defense, forcing all of the play back to his help. The boys were excited to win, but they realize they have some work to do.” The Blue Devils JV Team (1-0) will welcome the Cheboygan Chiefs to Van Citters Field this Thursday for another non-conference home game. “They’re a tough squad. If we play our game, I feel like we have a fighting chance to win.”

The Varsity Blue Devils (1-0) hit the soggy field after the JV game ended and stomped all over the Shorians (0-1) with a 49-0 victory in their home opener. They had a commanding lead at the half, up 22-0. The Blue Devils had a strong rushing game with junior Cale Bell leading the way with 11 rushes for 91 yards, including one touchdown. Senior Ryver Ryckeghem had 18 rushes for 74 yards, a touchdown, and a two-point conversion. Senior Kaydin Lujan had 5 rushes for 55 yards, and a touchdown. Senior Will Ohman had 3 rushes for 33 yards, and two touchdowns. Sophomore Tristan Walcher had 4 rushes for 26 yards. Senior quarterback Callen Campbell was 5 of 6 passes, throwing a total of 51 yards, with one touchdown and one two-point conversion. Senior receiver Cam Labadie had two catches on the night for 43 yards, and a two-point conversion. Senior Joey Gravelle caught the ball twice for 8 yards, including a touchdown. Junior kicker Jordan Doghmi completed 3 of 4 extra point opportunities to add to the score.

The Blue Devils defensemen had a number of players that helped keep the Shorians off the scoreboard. Senior Chris Kiekhaefer had 5 tackles, 2 sacks and 1 fumble recovery. Lujan, Ohman and senior Ryan TenEyck also had 5 tackles apiece. Campbell had 2 tackles, each causing a loss of yards for the Shorians, and 3 pass deflections.

The Varsity Blue Devils (1-0) head across the bridge to Cheboygan Friday night for a non-conference matchup against the Chiefs (0-1).