Whitehall turns the tables on Big Rapids, captures Division 4 district football title

 

BIG RAPIDS – It’s said that defense wins championships, and that certainly proved true Friday night when the Whitehall football team frustrated the Big Rapids offense all night in recording a 17-7 victory.

 

The Division 4 district title game was played at the Cardinals’ home field.

 

The Cardinals came in with a nine-game winning streak, and following a nail-biting 28-21 win over Ludington in the district semifinal a week before.

 

It also was a bit of a payback after Big Rapids strolled into town a year ago and beat the undefeated Vikings 28-27 in a district title game.

 

Whitehall made sure the Cardinals weren’t going to escape this time by limiting them to just 185 yards of total offense … just 74 of it coming on the ground as the Vikings stuffed the Big Rapids running game.

 

On the flip side of the coin, Whitehall had a balanced offense that produced 139 yards rushing and 142 passing, for a total offense of 287 yards.

 

But it was close throughout.

 

A fumble on their first offensive series after they pushed deep into Cardinal territory, the Vikings gave the ball back to Big Rapids on a lost fumble at the Big Rapids 5.

 

Fortunately, the Vikings were able to shake off that early miscue, breaking the ice when they got close enough for Judd Musk to kick a 28-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead at the half.

 

The Cardinal defense enjoyed some success in the first half, limiting Big Rapids to just 59 yards on the ground.

 

Whitehall quarterback Camden Thompson was 5-of-6 passing for 103 yards in the first 24 minutes, but the Vikings couldn’t reach the end zone.

 

Big Rapids started to move the ball in the third quarter, knocking on the door deep in Viking territory before Whitehall thwarted the effort by forcing a fumble that they recovered at their own 25.

 

Thompson finished off the Cardinals’ possession at the start of the fourth quarter, scrambling out of the pocket to avoid the Cardinal pass rush and hitting Hunter Osborne, who had broken free in the clear, with a 26-yard touchdown pass.

 

It gave the Vikings a 10-0 lead.

 

Thompson intercepted a Big Rapids pass at the Cardinal 32 as time was growing short for the home team.

 

Staring at a fourth-and-11, Osborne went wide left and raced 11 yards to the end zone for the final Whitehall touchdown.

 

Big Rapids snapped the shutout in the latter stages of the game.

 

Gavin Craner led the Vikings with 79 yards on 19 carries, while Nathan Betz added 36 on seven attempts and Thompson picked up 23 on 14 tries.

 

Thompson finished 7-of-8 passing for 142 yards and a touchdown.

 

Osborne caught three passes for 84 yards and Corde Anderson had two receptions for 38.

 

Anderson topped the defensive charts with nine tackles and one sack, Craner had seven stops and Jack Ambrose five.

 

Whitehall improved to 8-3 and will host Grand Rapids South Christian in the regional finals next Friday.

 

The Vikings lost to South Christian, 28-21, in the 2022 regional final.