by Nate Ball
The Martin football squad reached the 5-0 mark for the third time in the last four years by taking out a visiting undefeated team from Brown City Saturday.
The Clippers jumped out to 28-0 lead the half en route to a 49-6 victory in the first-ever non-league meeting between the two schools.
Senior quarterback J.R. Hildebrand was credited with four scores – two on the ground (28 and eight yards) and two through the air (both from 38 yards). Junior Taegan Harris grabbed one of the scores with an acrobatic dive in the first quarter. Senior back Karter Ribble snagged the other score in the fourth quarter.
Senior Braedan Shanley was a terror on both sides of the ball. He scampered for a seven-yard score in the third. He also grabbed an interception and returned it 23 yards for a TD. He had another interception in the final quarter, two of four forced turnovers.
The Clippers, who remain unbeaten on the gridiron since they switched to eight-man football in 2019, will be shooting for their sixth straight win this season next Friday evening when they travel to Grandville Middle School to take on NorthPointe Christian, which is fresh off a shellacking of Maple Valley.
COVER PHOTO courtesy of Nate Ball
