LocalSportsJournal.com

Through one half, Oakridge had what looked to be a comfortable lead on West Michigan Conference rival Ravenna.

The Eagles led by 29 points at the half, but then the Bulldogs got ornery and a comfortable victory turned into a nail-biter.

Ravenna reeled off 29 unanswered points to tie the game, including Hunter Hogan’s 54-yard touchdown run to tie the contest at tied it with 5:17 left.

But Oakridge regained its momentum, turning in a game-winning drive that saw Brenden Raymond score on a 3-yard touchdown run with 54 seconds remaining, lifting the Eagles to a wild 43-36 win over Ravenna.

Oakridge (7-1, 5-1 WMC) jumped out to a 22-0 lead after one quarter, thanks to big plays. The Eagles received an 89-yard kickoff return from Raymond and a 73-yard touchdown run by Trevor Jones.

Senior standout running back Corey Vanderputte also had a 5-yard touchdown run in the quarter.

Ravenna (5-3, 3-3 WMC).got on the board with a 6-yard run by Kyle Beebe with 2 seconds left in the first.

But Oakridge kept rolling into the half, as Vanderputte added scoring runs of 46 and 1 yard to keep the Eagles soaring. He finished the contest with 199 yards on 22 carries.

Ravenna stormed back, in part, due to Hogan’s big-play ability. He scored on a 21-yard run to start the third, then completed a halfback pass for a touchdown to Grant Becklin, making the score 36-21 after three quarters.

Clay Schullo drew the Bulldogs closer with a 5-yard touchdown run early in the fourth, then three minutes later Hogan tied the game with a spectacular 54-yard scamper. He finished the contest with 11 carries for 236 yards.

Beebe completed 15-of-24 passes for 102 yards, but he was picked off twice by the Eagles.

Raymond led Oakridge’s defense with 10 tackles, while Ethan Jozsa had nine tackles and a sack.

Becklin finished with nine catches for 91 yards for Ravenna, while the Bulldogs’ defense was paced by Brandon McFarren, who had 13 tackles.

Ravenna will host Central Montcalm on Friday to finish the regular season while Oakridge will host Muskegon Catholic Central.

Check out photos shot by Bethany McCullough.