Spenski and the Raiders speed past Olivet

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Friday night was a much-anticipated matchup between the Portland Raiders and the Olivet Eagles. The game started with a memorial, as yesterday was the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on 9/11. It started with two bugle players who did an amazing job playing “Taps,” followed by a moment of silence for the lives that were lost on 9/11. There was also a group of local first responders lined up by our nation’s stars and stripes for the national anthem.

The Raiders ran out with American flags, with seniors Carson Spenski and Kehyan Page leading the way. Friday night lights were a great way to bring everyone together on the 25th anniversary of a national tragedy.

Overall, this game was a must-watch. These are the games that football fans dream about every Friday night. The first half was an absolute dogfight, with Olivet striking first late in the first quarter. The Raiders didn’t take long to respond, scoring a touchdown of their own early in the second quarter. Carson Simon completed a passing touchdown to Alex Atwell, getting the fans into the game early. Following a made extra point by Chase Fullet, the game was tied 7-7.

Midway through the second quarter, Olivet’s Caleb Frazier found his way to the end zone, taking the lead 13-7 with 4:46 left in the half. With 1:33 left to go in the half, Brady Crowley fought his way to the end zone, and with a made extra point by Fullet, Portland had a one-point lead heading into halftime, 14-13.

Carson Spenski made his presence known to start the third quarter with a one-way ticket to the end zone, making the score 21-13. Olivet went scoreless in the third quarter, as it seemed the Portland defense came out with a different kind of fire.

In the fourth quarter, the Raiders put together one of the hardest-fought drives I’ve seen all year. With a hard-fought carry from Brady Crowley, he put his offense into scoring position. The offensive line, as well as the backs, set up junior QB Carson Simon for the “Tush Push” touchdown.

The final score was 28-21, with the Raiders advancing to 3-0. Don’t let the score fool you—it was all Raiders in the second half, as Olivet found the end zone late in the fourth quarter to make it 28-21.

Defensively, senior DB Kehyan Page tallied two interceptions, setting up the Raiders’ offense to score two touchdowns. The Raiders’ defense held the Eagles’ offense to a total of 195 rushing yards on 34 carries. The Eagles thrived in the passing game, completing 15 of 22 passing attempts for 171 yards, but only one of those completions resulted in a touchdown.

After the game, I had the opportunity to speak with senior RB Carson Spenski, who has really taken this offense by storm. I asked Carson if being the face of this offense is something that excites him.

Spenski responded, “Being the face of this offense is definitely something that excites me because Portland has a great history of elite running backs, and me being the next one is amazing.”

I asked Spenski, after a back-and-forth first half, what the message was to the team in order to take over the game.

“The message coming out of half was just play how we’re coached. We made some mistakes that cost us, but being up 14-13 with those mistakes only meant that once we fix those little things, we will have our way.”

I followed up with, “Do you feel an extra responsibility to step up and lead this team?”

“Yes, as a senior as well as captain of this team, I was making sure the guys were staying positive and never hanging their heads because we were still winning, and they can always improve on those mistakes.”

With the way you’ve been running the ball through these first three games, what do you want to carry with you for the rest of the season?

“What I wanna carry from these first three games is this is our identity at Portland. We are a run-first team, and the O-line has been doing an amazing job. We have only been improving through the weeks in practice, and if we keep things up, we will keep having positive results the remainder of the season.”

Spenski had 93 yards on the ground on 14 carries and a touchdown Friday night against Olivet, as well as 294 yards and four touchdowns through the three-game stretch. It’s safe to say that we can expect nothing but greatness from this senior leader this season.

Portland will now make the short trip to Ionia to face the 0-3 Bulldogs. Don’t want to speak too soon, but the game to mark on your calendar will be Portland vs. Lakewood in Week 5, as they are tied for the No. 1 spot in the CAAC White standings.

Editors Note: Please visit The Portland Beacon Facebook page to see an album of photos and videos from this game including the pre-game activities.