Raiders Beat the Odds

The Raiders traveled to Edwardsburg to face the No. 1-seeded Eddies, with the odds heavily stacked against them. The majority of the media expected Edwardsburg to cruise past the Raiders in the District Final and advance to the Regional Final. Oh boy, were they wrong!

The Raiders stormed into Edwardsburg once again, silencing everyone who doubted them and continuing their undefeated season, improving to 11-0.

The game got off to a fast start, with Edwardsburg returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown to take an early lead. The Raiders responded midway through the first quarter, putting together a nice drive that ended with Brady Crowley punching it into the end zone to tie the game at 7-7. Shortly after, the Raiders' leading rusher, Carson Spenski, scored the team's second touchdown of the night, giving Portland a 14-7 lead.

At the beginning of the second quarter, Edwardsburg's Giovani Orue found the end zone to even the score at 14-14. To close out the first half, Eddies kicker Logan Kovach drilled a long field goal, sending Edwardsburg into halftime with a 17-14 lead.

The third quarter belonged entirely to the Raiders. Carson Simon found the end zone on a rushing touchdown before connecting with Jerred Russman for a passing touchdown. Another touchdown from Alex Atwell capped off the scoring, bringing the final score to 35-17 and securing a District Championship for the Raiders!

Leading the team in rushing was Carson Spenski, who finished with 19 carries for 93 yards and one touchdown. Brady Crowley also had a strong night on the ground, recording 15 carries for 65 yards and a touchdown.

Through the air, Carson Simon completed 6 of 10 passes for 93 yards and one touchdown. Leading the receiving effort was Jerred Russman, who hauled in one reception for 37 yards and a touchdown.

After the game, I spoke with Portland's Brady Crowley and asked him about his overall thoughts and feelings on winning the District Championship.

"I feel great. We all played well together. We came together as a team, worked hard all week, and beat them to bring the District Title home."

With the 35-17 victory, the Raiders have officially captured the District Championship, improved to 11-0, and continued their incredible undefeated run. They'll now turn their attention to the Regional Final as they look to keep their season alive.

Photo by: Carson Pung