LocalSportsJournal.com

The first 28 minutes of Spring Lake’s football opener against Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian went great for the Lakers. LSJ Logo incert

They used big plays on both sides of the ball to build a 27-0 lead midway through the third quarter on Thursday night.Sport Clips 2016 football ad

But NorthPointe responded with 28 unanswered points to steal a 28-27 win in front of a shocked crowd at Grabinski Field.

The Lakers appeared to have the game on ice with a 27-21 lead with 1:21 left to play. They faced a third-and-nine at their own 45-yard line and a first down probably would have iced the victory.

But an incomplete pass and a low snap on the ensuing punt attempt gave NorthPointe the ball in Spring Lake territory with more than a minute left in the game.

The Mustangs completed three straight passes, including a hook-and- ladder trick play, to get within 10 yards of the end zone with 42 seconds left.

A quick slant for a touchdown on the next play tied the game at 27-27 with 37 seconds left, and the extra point gave the visitors the lead for good.

Spring Lake got the ball back with one last chance, and completed two straight pass plays. But a sack with 10 seconds left forced the Lakers, who were out of time outs, to helplessly watch the closing seconds tick off the clock.

Senior quarterback Cam Ball led the Lakers offense, accounting for two touchdowns. One came on a pass to junior wideout Griffin Lorimer from 20 yards out, and the other came on a 23-yard scoring run of his own in the second quarter.

Spring Lake junior running back Gavin Paul started the scoring with a four-yard touchdown plunge at the end of the first quarter.

Senior defensive end Zach Bennick returned an inception 60 yard for a score in the third quarter that gave the Lakers what seemed like an insurmountable 27-0 lead.