by Austin Marsman
Both Holton and Martin hadn’t seen a playoff berth since 2007 and their meeting Friday night resulted in the visiting Red Devils squeaking by on a 25 -24 note.
Holton’s Drew Trygstad found the end zone first for a touchdown. Along with an extra point, Holton led 7-0 halfway through the first quarter. Cayden Curry managed to add a touchdown for Martin before the end of the first and teammate Carter Hilton added a conversion. After the first quarter, Martin was ahead 8 to 7.
Derek Pouch, a senior, opened the second quarter with a touchdown. The attempt at a field goal was botched, but the Red Devils held a 13 to 8 advantage all the way until halftime.
In fourth down trouble, Holton QB Trygstad made a last-ditch pass, which was intercepted by Martin. The Clippers were in great position mid-field, but a series of incomplete passes hampered efforts to score.
After some back and forth, Clayton Geerlings wrangled a Clipper TD. Alex Hardy contributed a successful conversion. Red Devil Aaron Herron responded quickly with a touchdown to take back the lead over Martin, 19-16, with 2:07 in the third quarter. Red Devil Junior Kaleb Kitchka rang in a touchdown to cement Holton’s lead at 25-16 with 6:48 left in the game.
Not giving up, the Clippers kept driving. Alex Hardy took a nice pass straight to the end zone and Hunter Kershaw added a conversion to narrow Holton’s lead to just one point. Unfortunately for the Clippers, time ran out and their playoff run was cut short as Holton won 25 -24. The Red Devils will play at Decatur next week for district finals.
This was the last season of 11-man football that Martin will play for the foreseeable future. Starting next fall, the Clippers will join the 8-man MHSAA Football League. Martin, like other school districts, has consistently struggled with numbers to fill both varsity and JV teams
Athletic Director Robert Vandenberg said, in an August newsletter, “Another factor is that by 2019-20, it is estimated that there will only be a handful of truly Division 8 eleven-man football teams left in the state. There will be approximately eighty 8-man football teams in the MHSAA next season. Also, when the MHSAA divides the 11-man football teams evenly, the lower Division 7 teams will be included in Division 8. Some of those schools have an enrollment of 200 students more than Martin, making it difficult for schools like Martin to compete in the state playoffs.”
(Photos: Austin Marsman)
Martin alumnus Austin Marsman is a GVSU student studying multimedia journalism and political science. Marsman will return, as opportunities arise, to the TownBroadcast staff as a contributing writer.