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2008 Schedule
| Date | Home | Opponent | W/L | Score | |||
| 8/28/2008 | 7:00 PM | H | Orchard Lake St Mary's | W | 49-14 | ||
| 9/5/2008 | 7:00 PM | A | Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central at FHC | W | 49-21 | ||
| 9/12/2008 | 7:00 PM | H | Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills | W | 21-7 | ||
| 9/19/2008 | 7:00 PM | A | Muskegon Reeths-Puffer | W | 41-3 | ||
| 9/26/2008 | 7:00 PM | A | * | Grand Rapids Creston | W | 42-6 | |
| 10/3/2008 | 7:00 PM | H | * | Grand Rapids Northview | W | 56-17 | |
| 10/10/2008 | 7:00 PM | A | * | Grand Rapids Christian | |||
| 10/17/2008 | 7:00 PM | H | * | Greenville | |||
| 10/24/2008 | 7:00 PM | A | * | Lowell |
Playoff Points Worksheet
Last updated on 10/7/2008 10:43:26 AM Click Here for Legend
| Class | Opponent | W/L | PlayPts | OppW | OppL | OppT | AdjOppW | Multiplier | Bonus Pts | OppGms | BP Avg |
| A | Orchard Lake St Mary's | W | 80 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 24 | 6 | 4.000 |
| A | Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central | W | 80 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 16 | 6 | 2.667 |
| A | Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills | W | 80 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 40 | 6 | 6.667 |
| A | Muskegon Reeths-Puffer | W | 80 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 1.333 |
| A | Grand Rapids Creston | W | 80 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 16 | 6 | 2.667 |
| A | Grand Rapids Northview | W | 80 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 1.333 |
| B | Grand Rapids Christian |
|
0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0.000 |
| A | Greenville |
|
0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0.000 |
| A | Lowell |
|
0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0.000 |
| Totals | 6-0 | 480 | 18.667 |
Playoff Points Calculation
|
Playoff Points
|
480 |
|
÷ Games Played
|
6 |
|
= Playoff Point Avg
|
80.000 |
|
+ Total Bonus Points:
|
18.667 |
|
= Total Playoff Points:
|
98.667 |
October 4, 2008
Three straight games against relatively weak competition. At least they were all blowouts as expected. East had been playing without a couple of playmakers through this stretch due to injury. Chris Blair came back to the field against Northview and made a couple of fine catches. Joe Glendenning, despite playing with a mild shoulder separation, rushed for over 300 yards and 5 TD's IN THE FIRST HALF against Northview. All in all, East scored 8 TD's in the first half on 16 offensive plays. From there on out it was the second and third teamers.
This week should be a stiffer test as East travels to GR Christian and their beautiful facilities to take on a potent Eagle team. After an early loss to South Christian, The Eagles have been pouring it on people and keeping opponents out of the end zone. They are 5-1 and the atmosphere at their place should be great. The interesting part of this game is that neither coach is going to want to show the entire playbook as the two are likely Round 1 or 2 playoff foes.
Septembr 12, 2008
Well, East finally had a tough game against a very worthy opponent. Kenowa Hills doesn't have the football pedigree that others in the area enjoy but they are a very solid team this year. Led by QB VanEssen (who I believe is a 3 year starter - and the coaches son) and a 6-4 225lb WR with good hands, they move the ball well with an option attack. But, the best part about their team is their defense. They are big, strong, and fast with excellent LB play. The secondary is so-so and a prolific passing team could make them pay but they are very stout against the run. Their previous scores of 32-0 and 42-7, albeit against lesser opponents, were no fluke. I would not be surprised to see them win out. Then once the payoffs come around we will all find out how solid they are as they are likely to draw Musky, Lowel, or Hudsy in the 2nd (if not the 1st) round.
The game was very physical and the hits, at times, were bordering on dirty (late, punching in the pile, etc.). That said, I think it is simply likely that the KH coach told his players to use their size advantage to smack East in mouth and see if they could take it. Take it they did but not without a cost. Chris Blair (TE and DE), who has been getting some D1 looks, injured his shoulder on a hard hit near the sidelines (clean). He left the game, did not return, and was taken to the hospital for precautionary x-rays. Posters on MLive have indicated that he may be out 2-3 weeks but that would be better than a broken collar bone, which would likely have ended his season. Robert Bell (FB and DE) also was injured, went out for a bit and came back in to finish the game but played with an obvious limp. Starting center (Alex Staal) also got his ankle rolled and I wouldn't be surprised to see him miss a game or two.
Fortunately, (or unfortunately from a fans perspective) the next three weeks are not likely to be a great challenge for East, so it will be used as a learning experience for some young guys.
Props gout to....
1) Joe Glendenning, who fought hard for every yard in this one
2) Robert Bell who played through obvious pain with great emotion
3) AJ McEwen who finally made his presence felt with a beautiful over-the-shoulder bomb for TD as well as a diving INT
4) Josh Drummond with some nice defensive work on their big WR
5) The defensive line for a gut-check goal-line stand and forced fumble inside the 1.
and lastly to QB Andrew Thompson who for the third straight week made some nice throws and has yet to commit an obvious error that has cost his team this season.
BTW, the possession/TD streak ended at 15 as East stalled inside the 20 on their second possession. Full credit to KH on that one.
September 5, 2008
Another one sided affair that had East up 42-6 before the subs came in. Building on last weeks game, the first string offense has now scored on every possession it has had the ball in the first two games. 14 possessions...14 TD's. The second teamers have not fared as well but that's to be expected. Here's a report from the GRPress....
GRAND RAPIDS -- East Grand Rapids experienced a lull after last week's win against Orchard Lake St. Mary's in the rematch of last year's five-overtime state championship game.
But it ended with Thursday's practice.
The Pioneers' excitement returned Friday night, as they trounced Forest Hills Central 49-21. Senior running back Joe Glendening led East Grand Rapids with 211 yards on 20 carries and four touchdowns.
"We struggled a little at practice this week because we were so hyped up last week," East Grand Rapids coach Peter Stuursma said. "This is a huge win for us coming off last weekend. Last week was a historical game. We came into this week knowing we needed a good week of practice, but we struggled."
The Pioneers did not struggle in the first half against Forest Hills Central, scoring on every possession for a 42-13 halftime lead. East Grand Rapids scored its first touchdown on a fourth-down pass from Andrew Thompson to Kirk Spencer.
After Forest Hills Central quarterback Alex Chopp found Nick Rodriguez open in the middle for a 76-yard scoring play, East Grand Rapids' Glendening scored his first touchdown on a 13-yard run. Robert Bell made it 21-6 at the end of the first quarter as he scored from 1 yard out on the final play of the quarter.
Spencer scored from 6-yard line yards on East Grand Rapids' first possession of the second quarter. Later, Glendening scored twice with runs of 15 and 52 yards to give East Grand Rapids a 42-6 lead.
After a 78-yard run by Forest Hills Central's Matt Bir, Chopp scored on a 2-yard run with 18 seconds left in the first half.
"Our offensive line opened up huge holes," Glendening said. "When we got in some sticky situations, Andrew Thompson stepped up. I felt like we played pretty well in the first have, but we still have some things to work on, like being more disciplined."
East Grand Rapids junior Dominic Brown scored the lone third-quarter touchdown, with a 21-yard run. Forest Hills Central's Adrian Heneveld scored from 13 yards out in the fourth quarter, sealing the score.
"Stopping the run didn't seem to be an issue for us, but East is a superior team from top to bottom," said Forest Hills Central coach Rusty Erander. "They are a better team than we are. We have hard-working, athletic guys on the field, but man-for-man they were better than us."
East Grand Rapids totaled 315 yards rushing, while Thompson completed 7-of-7 passes for 111 yards. Bir handed in 106 rushing yards for Forest Hills Central.
East Grand Rapids is scheduled to host Kenowa Hills next week while Forest Hills Central (1-1) is scheduled to play at Greenville.
August 29, 2008
Not much to report since the game between OLSM and EGR has been well documented. Huge disappointment for those expecting an encore!....
August 21, 2008: Scrimmage @ Home against Dewitt.
This was just a scrimmage but a few things can be learned from a scrimmage and they are.......
1) It looks like Andrew Thompson will be the starting QB and he actually looked solid. Ainsworth will likely back him up. McEwen may as yet play some QB, but they didn't show that at this scrimmage. Sophomore Ryan Elble has been left to lead the JV.
2) Glendenning is raring to go. He scored several times on runs over 30 yards
3) Robert Bell will likely see significant time at fullback
4) Kirk Spencer will split his time at RB and WR
5) McEwen will play mostly WR on offense and can be a real playmaker. He and Spencer give East more speed at the wideout position than I can remember
6) Voss and Blair both played TE and when on the field at the same time they are an awesome pair
As far as the scrimmage itself...East scored multiple times (maybe 7) and drove the field seemingly at will. Several long runs and some good hook ups in the passing game. When DeWitt had the ball they really couldn't mount much. I'm not sure they had more than one first down and didn't score at all. I'm speaking of the first teamers. The second teamers for each squad played each other pretty evenly and Dewitt finally got one in the end zone with their 2nd's.
You never know with scrimmages. Is EGR that good? Is DeWitt that bad? Who knows, but this scrimmage was certainly a one-sided affair and if you were to judge by this scrimmage, East looks ready for OLSM. Should be a good one.
August 19, 2008
The 2008 Pioneers start the season ranked #5 on the Searn32 coming off another Division 3 Title
in what was arguably the most exciting game of the year - a 5 OT thriller over Orchard Lake St. Mary's. This was the 4th title in the last 6
years and the first in a while that didn't feature a "Grady" in the lineup.
The Championship was a bit of a surprise to the EGR faithful as that senior group was not expected to be as good as they turned out
to be. It was a true testament to their work ethic and their ability to come together as a team and prove to not only the rest of the state but even their own
fans that they could indeed get the job done.
The game also proved to be confirmation of Peter Stuursma's coaching ability. Before the season there were many on the west side
of the state who thought that he had built his coaching career on the legs of Kevin and Kelvin Grady. Last year was supposed to vindicate the naysayers.
Instead, they were silenced as Coach Stuursma proved he is indeed one of the best coaches in the state. He's also aided by a solid defensive coordinator in
Jim Voss - whose son should make a splash this year.
As always, in high school ball, there were significant contributors lost to graduation:
NOTABLE OFFENSIVE LOSSES…..
QB: Cal Blair
Cal had a "good" season, but he had a GREAT Championship game in his only season as the EGR QB. He parlayed that
into a scholarship to Butler University and it turns out that his shoes will be difficult to fill.
K: Michael Wilson
This guy was Mister Automatic for the Pioneers for the past several years and ended up setting the state record for extra
points in a career. He's headed to the Naval Aacademy on a football scholarship where he's expected to compete for the kicking job. He will also be
hard to replace.
Other Offensive Lossess:
RB Evan Ankney was a quick-hitting, slashing back that more or less took the job from Josh Drummond on a 4TD outing early
in the season. He also had good receiving hands and his versatility will have to be replaced. WR Kelly Brown didn't show up in the stats too often but his
downfield speed kept the safeties honest. On the line, EGR will have to replace the core down the middle as LG James Armstrong, C Michael Blauw, and RG Matt
Ellis all graduated. Of the three, Matt Ellis will likely be missed the most as running over his side was usually a guaranteed 3+.
NOTABLE DEFENSIVE LOSSES:
NG John Noreen had a knack for plugging up the middle. DE Casey Strauss provided a consistent outside rush. Trevor Mason
and Jacob Ormes were solid LB's with speed and DB Patrick Teets would often provide an outside pass rush the opponents had a hard time matching up with.
Also, DB Evan Ankney's speed in secondary will be missed (it was Ankney who shoved the OLSM WR out of bounds on the last play in the title
game).
KEY RETURNERS:
OFFENSE:
RB Joe Glendenning: Although not possessing the size or overall speed that gets Div 1 coaches excited, Joe
is a very good high school RB and a fantastic all-around athlete. He will be the workhorse back but East will have to have someone else step up and share the
load if Joe is to be his most effective. Both OT's: Nick Wilson and Matt Reilly return for their
senior year and provide solid bookends on the offensive line
DEFENSE:
Both DT's: Chris Blair and Alex Luke will anchor a solid inside rush and
DE Robert Bell gives speed and pressure from the outside. LB Josh Drummond was only a
sophomore last year and performed admirably and, of course, Joe Glendenning does double duty in the secondary.
2008 OUTLOOK
East should once again field a very competitive team, although, as is usually the case, they have some holes to fill,
starting with QB. It would seem the job is Andrew Thompson's to lose. He backed up Cal Blair nicely last season and even played a couple of complete games
when Cal went down with a foot injury. He didn't do anything spectacular during that time but he made no glaring mistakes either. He has size (6-1) and
experience and a decent arm although was a little slow of foot last year. However, there are a few challengers. Murphy Ainsworth was the JV QB but there has
been considerable talk of bringing the sophomore QB Ryan Elble all the way up to challenge for the spot. To make it even more crowded, junior transfer AJ
McEwen, who started for East Kentwood last year, may be vying for the starting spot. AJ is a very athletic QB who can hurt you with his legs almost more than
his arm. Thus, they may be more inclined to put AJ at WR and platoon him at QB for special sets. As you can see there will be no shortage of competition for
the spot.
Joining Glendenning in the backfield is likely to be Jr. Kirk Spencer who is a hard hitter or, at times, maybe Robert Bell will move
back to his old position as fullback.
Expect also to see the TE's involved heavily in the passing game as both Chris Blair and Colin Voss are big, strong, and have
excellent hands, with both of them being mentioned as early D1 prospects.
Defensively, along with several key returners, they also get some excellent size coming up from JV along with 6-5 Peter Baxter who
missed much of last year with injury. I expect to see Kirk Spencer and AJ McEwen in the defensive backfield adding both size and speed.
The JV team coming up was very good with several excellent players and very good size. Still, one never knows how that pans out from
one year to the next.
East should be fighting with Lowell for the OK White Conference Championship and another deep run in the playoffs seems very possible.
KEY GAMES:
Game 1: vs. Orchard Lake St. Mary's (at East). Obviously, this is a rematch of the State Championship
game and arguably will be the one the most anticipated games of the season. OLSM comes back loaded with at least 2 D1 prospects in Bouldin and Sims and most
people have the Eaglets favored to not only beat EGR but to win D3 this year. The game being at East makes this a close call. Unfortunately, all of the
construction on the new facilities will not be finished by game time (more on that later) so we won't be able to put on our best face but it should still
be a dandy way to start the season. Don't be surprised if we see a re-re-match on Thanksgiving weekend!
Game 9: Lowell (at Lowell). This game has become an event all unto itself in the past 7 years. The crowds have become huge and the local TV and radio coverage is phenomenal. If you discount the losses that these two squads have inflicted on each other they are a combined 160-9 in that 7 year span!! This has resulted in a healthy hatred and, as long as they fall in different Divisions at the end of the year, a mutual admiration. It wasn't always this way. During the 90's, EGR's main rival was Forest Hills Central. In fact, in 1995 EGR and FHC played a game where each was ranked #1 in Class B and A respectively. East fielded perhaps their best team ever that year and FHC was undefeated and coming off a season where they narrowly lost to FH Harrison in the dome. It rained heavy the day of the game and by game time the field was so wet that a helicopter was hired to hover over the field in an attempt to dry it off for the nearly 7,000 in attendance. Until Noel Dean came along, Lowell was an average team at best and East enjoyed a very lopsided edge in victories. Not so since. It should be for the Conference Championship and many are giving Lowell the edge in this one as well as they return many starters from last year's semifinal squad and also have an excellent JV squad coming up.
