THE BEARS SCHEDULE 08/29 Coldwater (W 33-14) 09/06 @ Harper Creek (W 14-9) 09/13 Lakeshore* (W 32-20) 09/20 Port. Northern* (W 17-10) 09/27 Niles* (W 55-26) 10/04 @ Kal. Central* (W 20-3) 10/11 @ B. Harbor* (W 30-21) 10/18 Port. Central* (L 28-49) 10/25 @ Mattawan* (W 38-27) 11/01 Sturgis All Games Start at 7:00 *Big 16 West Division Game TABLE OF CONTENTS Game Day Information The Bears Quick Facts/Series History 4 Coaches Info Sturgis Roster Last meeting Big 16 Update Division 3 Playoffs St. Joe record book Season Summaries The Last Time St. Joe Underclassmen Dickinson Stadium Info Press Clippings Statistics 1 2-3 5 6 7 8 9 10-11 12-20 21 22 23 24-26 appx. STURGISS TROJANS AT #7 ST. JOSEPH BEARS Week 10 Friday, November 1, 2013 7:000 p.m. ET MHSAA Division 3 Region 2 District 2 Pre District Game Dickinson Stadium, St. Joseph, Mich. STURGIS TROJANS #7 ST. JOSEPH BEARS 5-4 (4-3 Big 16 East) 8-1 (6-1 Big 16 West) Radio: WSJM-AM 1400 (SJ), Phil McDonald (play-by-play), Bret Witkowski (Analyst) Radio: WBET-AM 1230 (STG), Tom Duke (play-by-play), Dick Messner (Analyst) Internet: www.wsjmsports.com www.espnsturgis.com Live Stats: scoreboard.stjoefootball.com Newspaper: Herald Palladium (heraldpalladium.com) Sturgis Journall (http://www.sturgisjournal.com) Team Websites: www.stjoefootball.com (SJ) Series History: Sturgis leads 2-0 (1.000) Last Meeting: 9/24/04 Sturgis 41, St. Joseph 26 (at St. Joseph) BEARS AND TROJANS The Bears and Trojans meet for the first time since 2004. It s been nine years since the two teams last met on the football field. The last game was here at Dickinson Stadium with Sturgis coming away with a 41-26 win. The two teams have only played twice with Sturgis winning both games in 2003 and 2004. www.mhsaa.com ABOUT THE BEARS St. Joe closed out the 2013 regular season onn the road with a 38-27 win at Mattawan. Jack Turak ran the ball 27 times for 198 yards and three touchdowns as the Bears closed the regular season at 8-1 and 6-1 in West Divisional play. Derek Burton added a rushingg score and AJ Montoya had a passing throw to Mason Shinrock. ABOUT THE TROJANS Battle Creek Lakeview outscored Sturgis 20-0 in the second quarter which helped the Spartans defeat the Trojans 48-21 in the regular season finale. Chance Stewart was 28 of 49 for 397 yards and three touchdownss in the loss. Kalvyn Bowdish had two TD receptions while Jackk Scheske had the other. QUICK HITS St. Joe has had three school records broken or tied this past year. Jack Turak s 40 carries against Portage Central tied the St. Joe record set by Henry Steele back in 1996. Cullen Hoffman also tied a record with nine field goals this season, tying Mike Gillette s record set in 1994. Hoffman also broke the school record for kickoff average of 57.5, breaking Brad Shushman ss record of 53.555 set in 1999. Sturgis isn t a program that is unfamiliar to St. Joseph coach Gandalf Church. Prior to coming to St. Joseph under coach John Van Wagoner., Church spent six seasons as an assistant (defensive coordinator/defensive backs) with the Trojans under coach Ron Reardon. Tonight s two teams are making a reappearance in the playoffs after missing out last year with 5-4 records. Sturgis and St. Joe both lost in the t first round in 2011 and missed the playoffs in 2012. Facebook: facebook.com/sjfootball Twitter: @stjoefootball ST. JOSEPH BEARS FOOTBALLL GAMEDAY PAGEE 1
STURGIS TROJANS AT #7 ST. JOSEPH BEARS DICKINSON STADIUM 2013 MHSAA PLAYOFFS 11/1/13 YOUR 2013 ST. JOSEPH BEARS NO. NAME OFF DEF YR. NO. NAME OFF DEF YR. 1 DANIEL CARRICK WR DB SR 56 LOGAN ROCK OL DL SR 2 TERRILL WILBURN WR DB SR 57 EVAN WILSON OL DL SO 3 JACK TURAK RB LB SR 58 NATHAN ROCK OL DL SR 4 MASON SHINROCK WR DB SR 60 KEITH EBERHARDT OL DL SR 5 CONNOR MYERS RB DL JR 62 DARIUS POWELL OL DL SO 7 CULLEN HOFFMAN QB DB JR 63 KORY MCLAUGHLIN OL LB SO 8 JULIAN PAULSON RB LB SR 64 RICO HARDY OL DL SO 9 ZACK LEAR RB LB SR 65 LOGAN JONES OL DL SR 10 HAMZE ELKHOZAI WR DB JR 69 NICK WALSH OL DL JR 12 MARTE' ROBINSON RB LB SR 70 NATHAN GRIESBAUM OL DL FR 15 KRIS URREA TE DL SR 72 WESLEY FRENCH OL DL JR 16 GRIFFIN BEAUDETTE QB DB FR 73 BIRCH BRADFORD OL DL SR 17 AJ MONTOYA QB LB SR 75 AUSTIN SANDERS OL DL SO 18 JORGE CANTU K P JR 76 MARC TUTHILL OL DL FR 19 JAKE SHAFER QB LB SO 77 HENRY CLAYTON OL DL SO 20 DOMONEKE MITCHELL WR DB JR 78 BEN BABCOCK OL DL JR 21 WARREN CLARK WR DB SR 81 JORDAN BREWER WR DB SO 23 HUNTER WANING WR DB JR 84 CHARLIE WHITE TE DL JR 24 MJ HOLOWASKO WR DB JR 85 MATTHEW BORRE WR DB JR 25 CARTER HALL RB LB FR 87 CONNOR HUBBLE TE DL SR 28 AARON BOGAN RB DB JR 88 ROBBIE THOMAS WR DB SO 30 DEREK BURTON RB DB JR 90 DERYK ATKINS WR DB FR 32 SAM TURAK RB LB SO CLAYTON BERTOG 33 ZACK MARSH RB LB JR TERRANCE BRUNN 34 JASON SERVICE RB LB SO JOSH CASE 40 SEAN AKINS RB LB SO JACK CHURCHILL 41 JAKE SREMBA RB DB FR JORDAN DORRY 42 IAN DONOHO WR DB SO ERIC ENGEL 43 COREY HATCHER TE DL FR SPENCER HOFFMAN 44 JUSTIN GAMBRELL RB LB SR SOLOMON JOHNSON 45 COLLIN MORROW TE LB SO ADAM KENNEDY 50 JAKE RYNBERG OL LB JR SAM MCCOY 52 DALEON ROBINSON OL DL JR JAMES O'NIEL 53 NICK MORAUSKE OL DL SO JOE O'NIEL 54 NICK REICH OL DL JR TROY SIMPSON COACHING STAFF: GANDALF CHURCH HEAD COACH (DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR QUARTERBACKS, SAFETIES) (3 RD SEASON, 20-8,.714) ASSISTANTS: LYLE HAYDEN BEN JAGER JASON CATANIA BEN ILIFF ORLANDO MALONE OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR/OFFENSIVE LINE TIGHT ENDS/DEFENSIVE LINE WIDE RECEIVERS/CORNERBACKS RUNNING BACKS/LINEBACKERS SCOUT TEAMS EQUIPMENT STAFF: DAN STRINE, KEITH STRINE, KEVIN STRINE, DREW WELHAM MEDICAL STAFF: DR. CHRIS TRIGGER MATT MABRY GAME DAY STAFF: DAVE WOLF JOSH WEAVER TEAM PHYSICIAN (LAKELAND REGIONAL HEALTH SYSTEMS) ATHLETIC TRAINER (LAKELAND ORTHOPEDIC PHYSICAL THERAPY) WEBMASTER/STATS STATS ST. JOE BEARS GAMEDAY PAGE 2
STURGIS TROJANS AT #7 ST. JOSEPH BEARS DICKINSON STADIUM 2013 MHSAA PLAYOFFS 11/1/13 YOUR 2013 ST. JOSEPH BEARS (continued) HEAD COACH Gandalf Church (3 rd season 20-8,.714) ASSISTANT COACHES Jason Catania, Ben Iliff, Lyle Hayden, Ben Jager, Orlando Malone JUNIOR VARSITY FRESHMAN JV Head Coach: Richard Hughey Assistants: Bob Yack, Larry Jackson Freshman Head Coach: Bob Baumgartner Assistants: Ryan Garton, Josh Weaver, Matt Mattox ST. JOE BEARS GAMEDAY PAGE 3
STURGIS TROJANS AT #7 ST. JOSEPH BEARS DICKINSON STADIUM 2013 MHSAA PLAYOFFS 11/1/13 QUICK FACTS Series History: Sturgis leads 2-0 (1.000) St. Joseph points: 43 Portage Central points: 83 Games Decided by 3 Points or Less: TIED 0-0 Games Decided by 7 Points or Less: TIED 0-0 Games Decided by 10 Points or More: STG 2-0 St. Joseph s Longest Winning Streak: none none St. Joseph Longest Losing Streak: 2 2003-2004 Current St. Joseph Streak: Lost 2 Biggest St. Joseph Win: none Biggest St. Joseph Loss: 25 2003 (STG 42, SJ 17) Last St. Joseph Home Win: none Last St. Joseph Road Win: none Last Sturgis Home Win: 2003 (STG 42, SJ 17) Last Sturgis Road Win: 2004 (STG 41, SJ 26) Enrollment: 974 (Class A) School Type: Public Superintendent: Ann Cardon Principal: Jeff Runser Athletic Director: Kevin Guzzo Nickname: Bears Colors: Maize and Blue Fight Song: St. Joseph Fight Song Conference: Southwest Michigan Athletic Conference (Big 16), Charter member since 1931 First Year of Competition: 1913 All-Time Record: 501-343-34 (98 th season*) *(No teams in 1916-18, influenza and WWI) State Titles: 0 Runner Up: 1, 1988 (Class B) S.M.A.C. Conference/Division Championships (Last): 35 (2009) Undefeated Seasons: (10) (1938, 71, 73, 80, 84, 86, 87, 88, 07, 08) Longest regular season winning streak: 37-9/26/86-9/30/89 Playoff Appearances: (15) B:80,84,86,87,88; BB:90,96,97; 3:99,06,07,08,09,10,11 Retired Jersey s: 82 Rob Fredrickson (Class of 1989) Jersey retired on January 5, 1999 THE SERIES During the long histories of these two programs, the Bears and Trojans have only met twice. The first game took place at Sturgis in 2003, with the Trojans winning 42-17. The game took two days to play after playing only a few minutes of the first quarter, a severe thunderstorm rolled through the area, the lightning and heavy rain made the game unable to be completed on Friday. The second meeting took place at St. Joseph a year later with Sturgis winning on the Bears homecoming 41-26. THE BEARS WHEN Overall Record: 8-1 (1.000) Home Record: 4-1 (0.800) Road Record: 4-0 (1.000) Neutral Site Record: 0-0 (0.000) Division Record: 6-1 (0.857) Against Eastern Division Teams: 2-0 (1.000) St. Joseph scores first: 6-0 (1.000) Opponent scores first: 2-1 (0.667) Scoring 21 points or more: 5-1 (0.833) Scoring 20 points or less: 3-0 (1.000) Allowing 21 points or more: 3-1 (0.750) Allowing 20 points or less: 5-0 (1.000)) Leading at the half: 6-0 (1.000) Tied at the half: 1-0 (1.000) Trailing at the half: 1-1 (0.500) Leading after 3 quarters: 6-0 (1.000) Tied after 3 quarters: 1-0 (1.000) Trailing after 3 quarters: 1-1 (0.500) Giveaways/Takeaways: 20/22 (+2) Points scored off turnovers: 73 Points allowed off turnovers: 47 IT BEARS MENTIONING Gandalf Church was an assistant at Sturgis under coach Ron Reardon. After leaving Sturgis to go to St. Joe, Sturgis coach Jimmy Lamb was hired as Church s replacement. THE OPPOSITION Coldwater: 5-4 (0.556) Battle Creek Harper Creek: 7-2 (0.778) Lakeshore: 6-3 (0.667 Portage Northern: 7-2 (0.778) Niles: 2-7 (0.222) Kalamazoo Central: 3-6 (0.333) Benton Harbor: 0-9 (0.000) Portage Central: 9-0 (1.000) Mattawan: 4-5 (0.444) Sturgis: 5-4 (0.556) Opponents overall record: 48-42 (0.533) St. Joseph Record: 8-1 (0.889) BEARS 2014 SCHEDULE 08/28/14 KALAMAZOO CENTRAL 09/05/14 at Gull Lake 09/12/14 PORTAGE NORTHERN 09/19/14 at Lakeshore 09/26/14 BATTLE CREEK CENTRAL 10/03/14 at Benton Harbor 10/10/14 at Niles 10/17/14 at Battle Creek Lakeview 10/24/14 PORTAGE CENTRAL ST. JOE BEARS GAMEDAY PAGE 4
STURGIS TROJANS AT #7 ST. JOSEPH BEARS DICKINSON STADIUM 2013 MHSAA PLAYOFFS 11/1/13 ON THE SIDELINES Year Coach Record Head Coach: Gandalf Church 1913 Whitehead 3-4 1914 Berry 2-6 1915 Gardner 0-6-1 Gandalf Church is the 17 th head 1916-1918 No Teams coach in St. Joe s 98-year history. 1919-1920 Gordon Gabal 12-6-1 Coach Church has spent 16 years 1921-1931 Henry Howe 50-39-11 as a Varsity Assistant at Paw Paw, 1932 Fred Harrsen 1-7-1 1933 Henry Howe 4-3-1 (54-42-12) Kalamazoo Christian, Sturgis, and 1934-1935 Ronald Finch 12-3-2 eight at St. Joseph. Five years 1936-1946 Harry Lee 53-31-5 serving as Defensive Coordinator under Elliot Uzelac. Church 1947-1948 Jack Petosky 7-5-3 has 18 years of teaching experience, with the last eleven at St. 1949-1950 Jay Eldred 8-8 1951-1953 Walt Gephart 10-13-1 Joe, teaching Social Studies. Church has a Bachelor s Degree 1954-1963 Dick Higgs 43-31-7 from Western Michigan, Teaching Credential from Michigan 1964-1967 Willis Koontz 13-22 State, and a Master s Degree in Educational Leadership from 1968-2001 Ivan "Ike" Muhlenkamp 211-110-1 Western Michigan. Church is married to his wife Melissa, and 2002-2005 John Van Wagoner 7-29 2006-2010 Elliot Uzelac 45-13 they have two children, Henry, and Samuel. 2011- Gandalf Church 20-8 Assistant Coaches: Lyle Hayden (Offensive Coordinator, Offensive Line), Ben Jager (Tight Ends/Def. Line), Orlando Malone (Scout Teams), Ben Iliff (Running Backs/Linebackers), Jason Catania (Wide Receivers/Defensive Backs) JV: Richard Hughey, Bob Yack, Larry Jackson Freshman: Bob Baumgartner, Ryan Garton, Josh Weaver, Matt Mattox ST. JOSEPH BEARS FOOTBALL COACHING HISTORY Equipment Staff: Athletic Trainer: Team Physician: Dan Strine, Kevin Strine, Keith Strine, Drew Welham Matt Mabry (Lakeland Regional Health Systems) Dr. Christopher Trigger (Lakeland Regional Health Systems) THE GAME OPERATIONS PEOPLE Public Address Announcer: Dave Durr Clock Operators: Fred Alten, David Foster Message Board/Audio: Dave Wolf Game Stats: (Home) Josh Weaver Game Film: (Press Box View) Matt Mattox Dickinson Stadium Manager: Joe Jones THE BOOSTERS Co-Presidents: Vice-Presidents: Treasurer: Spotter: Phil Cole 25-Second Clock: Gary Etter (Road): Dave Wolf (Endzone) Bob Baumgartner Andy and Marcy Shinrock (boosters@stjoefootball.com) Craig and Jill Hubble Carl and Beth Mosher Sean and Teri Sue Winter Kristi Bradford BEARS ALUMNI IN COLLEGE Andrew Nowak Central Michigan University Devonte Jones Grand Valley State University Jamaal Jackson Ferris State University Micael Carter Hillsdale College Sean Guinane Wayne State University Adam Lalley Elmhurst College Marcus Valentine Elmhurst College Logan Mosher Elmhurst College Zach Weisser Elmhurst College Kam Stortz Adrian College Dakota Weiffenbach Hope College Booby Symonds Olivet College SAINT JOSEPH FIGHT SONG Fight on to victory, As we shout our battle cry! Fight on, old Varsity, As the Bears go marching by. We'll sing a toast or two, For every loyal son, Raise high our maize and blue, Until the fight is won! F-I, F-I-T-E, Fight! So, Bears, fight with all your might! We're right, so fight, we're conquerors tonight! Fight on to victory, As we shout our battle cry! Fight on, oh Varsity, As the Bears go marching by. We'll sing a toast or two, For every loyal son, Raise high the maize and blue, Until the fight is won! ST. JOE BEARS GAMEDAY PAGE 5
STURGIS TROJANS AT #7 ST. JOSEPH BEARS DICKINSON STADIUM 2013 MHSAA PLAYOFFS 11/1/13 THE TROJANS ## NAME YEAR HT WT 1 CORE BALDWIN SR 5'9" 165 2 JACK CAYWOOD JR 5'10" 165 3 MATTHEW PHILLIPS SR 5'11" 235 4 OAKLEY STEVENS JR 6'0" 195 5 AUSTIN LAYMAN SR 5'9" 165 7 CHANCE STEWART SR 6'6" 225 9 KALVYN BOWDISH SR 5'7" 155 10 TRISTEN STEWART SO 6'2" 175 11 JACOB CLINE JR 5'11" 165 12 AUSTIN SMITH SR 5'7" 150 13 J.D. BOWDISH JR 5'9" 130 14 LIBRADO VASQUEZ SR 5'9" 155 20 JACK SCHESKE JR 6'0" 175 23 MAX MAHER SR 5'9" 165 25 TYLER CAIN SO 5'8" 165 30 ZACHARY MATHEWS JR 5'11" 145 35 DERRICK WILLIAMS SR 5'10" 165 44 JACOB HAAS JR 5'9" 200 45 LUKE SUMMEY SR 6'1" 195 50 JAKE STEVENS SO 5'10" 255 51 LUKE KINSEY SR 5'9" 160 52 DANIEL ARROYO SR 5'9" 205 56 JUAN ESPINOZA-BIRRUETE JR 5'10" 155 61 ADAM YUNKER SR 5'11" 225 62 COLE D'HAESE JR 5'8" 240 63 RAUL LOPEZ JR 6'0" 215 64 RICKY STILES SR 5'10" 160 65 MATTHEW DAVIS SR 5'8" 230 70 COLLIN FIELDS SR 6'2" 175 73 MORGAN SAHLI JR 6'4" 305 74 TAYLOR MAYO SR 6'2" 270 76 BREVIN JANDREAU JR 5'10" 240 81 DAKOTA SMITH JR 5'10" 125 83 MICHAEL MANGA SR 6'3" 205 88 LIAM ADAMS SO 6'0" 175 Head Coach: Jimmy Lamb (2 nd season, 7-6, 0.538) Assistant Coaches: Dave Northrop Chris Pulver Sam Watson Brian Beebe Ryan Banaszak Keith Lang Eric Anderson Noah Hahn Jeff Cary Charlie Patrick Brian Duffy Athletic Trainer: Jim Lioy THE TROJANS SCHEDULE 08/29 Portage Central L 0-55 09/06 at Niles W 34-33 09/13 at Gull Lake W 28-21 09/20 Marshall W 28-25 09/27 at Coldwater L 14-34 10/04 Harper Creek L 14-35 10/11 at BC Central W 17-14 10/18 at Loy Norrix W 41-27 10/25 BC Lakeview L 21-48 11/01 at St. Joseph ST. JOE BEARS GAMEDAY PAGE 6
STURGIS TROJANS AT #7 ST. JOSEPH BEARS DICKINSON STADIUM 2013 MHSAA PLAYOFFS 11/1/13 THE LAST MEETING 9/24/2004 STURGIS AT ST. JOSEPH DICKINSON STADIUM Bears' homecoming spoiled by Sturgis James Robbins H-P Sports Writer ST. JOSEPH -- St. Joseph was looking to cap a week of Homecoming festivities on a high, but Zach Gentile didn't care. The Sturgis quarterback passed for 187 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 139 yards and another score, helping the Trojans crash the Bears' party, 41-26. "We knew coming it that we had to contain that guy," said St. Joseph coach John VanWagoner. "He might be the best athlete that we've faced all year." On the Trojans' opening drive, Raju Armster caught a short swing pass from Gentile and ran for a 68-yard touchdown. The Bears (1-4) battled back as Joe Cleveland found Daniel Harbison for a 9-yard score in the back of the end zone with 2:30 to go in the first quarter. Sturgis (3-2) responded with 17 second-quarter points, however, as Gentile and Jose Esparza ran for touchdowns and Kyle Zable hit a 22-yard field goal. Armster then silenced the St. Joseph crowd by making a 25-yard diving catch on the Trojans' opening drive of the second half, but life returned to Dickinson Stadium as Cleveland connected with Harbison for a 10-yard score. But Sturgis put the game away in the fourth, scoring 10 points. Cleveland finished with 101 yards rushing on 17 carries but was just six of 16 passing for 79 yards as the St. Joe receivers had difficulty against Sturgis' secondary. "(The Sturgis defensive backs) made their cuts and we weren't aggressive enough," Cleveland said. "We just have to pick it back up against Lakeshore next week." David Allen had four receptions for 67 yards for the Bears, and Graham Gentry rushed 17 times for 60 yards. St. Joseph finished with 324 yards of total offense, including 245 on the ground. Sturgis amassed 434 yards of offense. Armster made 10 catches for 158 yards and two touchdowns, and eight of those grabs came off swing or screen passes. "They packed it in tight and basically forced us to pass," said Sturgis coach Greg Brooks. "We're happy; we're running inside, we're running outside and we're passing. That's pretty much all you can ask for." "We're just going to regroup and try and work back at the fundamentals and really work on our tackling and blocking," VanWagoner said. "The fortunate thing is we're going into the big rivalry (with Lakeshore) and our kids are going to pick it up." ST. JOE BEARS GAMEDAY PAGE 7
STURGIS TROJANS AT #7 ST. JOSEPH BEARS DICKINSON STADIUM 2013 MHSAA PLAYOFFS 11/1/13 THE BIG 16 NEWSWIRE Lakeshore 35, Kalamazoo Central 9 Thomas Stadium, Kalamazoo Mike Adams had two rushing touchdowns in the first quarter as Lakeshore beat Kalamazoo Central 35-9. The win gives Lakeshore their 16 th consecutive playofff appearance. ON THE AIR Portage Central 61, Benton Harborr 14 McCamley Field, Portage Radio/Internet Jerrod Davis ran for three touchdowns, Jacob Allen ran for two more as Portage Central -Sturgiss at St. Joseph clinched their first perfect 9-0 season since 1993 with a 61-14 win over Benton Harbor. WSJM-AM 1400, wsjmsports.com WBET-AM 1230, espnsturgis.com Portage Northern 49, Niles 6 Viking Field, Niles Portage Northern quarterback Josh Leiter ran for five touchdowns in the Huskies 49-6 win -Coldwater at Lakeshore at Niles. Northern improves to 7-2 while Niles falls to 2-7. WSJM-FM 94.9, wsjmsports.com WTVB-AM 1590/FM 95.5, wtvbam.com Kalamazoo Loy Norrix 28, Battle Creek Central 14 Griffith Stadium, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix won their first game of the season in the final week as the Knights beat Battle -Portage Northern at Battle Creek Lakeivew Creek Central 28-14. Traver Parlato had two passing scores and one rushing in the win. WBCK-FM 95.3, wbckfm.com Coldwater 54, Marshall 27 Redhawk Stadium, Marshall Coldwater had 479 yards rushing, led by Cooper Murphy s 261 yards on 27 carries andd 5 touchdowns at Coldwater beat Marshall 54-27. The win gives Coldwater their first winning season since 1989 and Coldwater s first ever MHSAA playoff appearance. Battle Creek Harperr Creek 25, Gulll Lake 0 Harper Creek Stadium, Battle Creek Harper Creek got touchdowns from four different senior players as the Beavers beat Gull Lake 25-0 FINAL 2013 BIG 16 CONFERENCE STANDINGS THE WEST THE EAST Team Rec Div. Team Recc Div. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Portage Central St. Joseph Portage Northern Lakeshore Mattawan Niles Kal. Central Benton Harbor 9-0 8-1 7-2 6-3 4-5 2-7 3-6 0-9 7-0 6-1 5-2 4-3 3-4 2-5 1-6 0-7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 BC Lakeview Harper Creek Coldwater Sturgis Gull Lake Marshall Loy Norrix BC Central 9-00 7-2 5-44 5-44 3-66 2-77 1-88 1-88 7-0 6-1 5-3 4-3 3-4 2-5 1-6 0-7 BIG 16 PLAYOFF GAMES -Sturgis at St. Joseph -Coldwater at Lakeshore -Portage Northern at Battle Creek Lakeview -Lansing Everett at Portage Central -Byron Center at Harper Creek CARDINALS ACHIEVE FIRST WINNING SEASON IN 24 YEARS In their final season as members of the Big 16, the 2013 Coldwater Cardinals did something that hasn tt happened since 1989, finishing a regular season above.500. The Cardinals after an 0-2 start won 5 of their last 7 games to finish the year at 5-4 and ass an added bonus, Coldwater was selected to the 2013 MHSAA Playoffs. It s the first playoff appearance in Coldwater s school history. Coldwater s 4 losses are all to playoff teams. ST. JOE BEARS GAMEDAY PAGEE 8
STURGIS TROJANS AT #7 ST. JOSEPH BEARS DICKINSON STADIUM 2013 MHSAA PLAYOFFS 11/1/13 2013 MHSAA FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS DIVISION III PAIRINGS R1-D1: Sparta (5-4) 54.194 at Mt Pleasant (8-1) 99.556 - S 1:00 PM R1-D1: Ionia (7-2) 64.667 at Sault Ste Marie (6-3) 65.103 - F 7:00 PM R1-D2: Zeeland East (5-4) 62.778 at Zeeland West (8-1) 91.111 - F 7:00 PM R1-D2: Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern (7-2) 76.889 at Grand Rapids Christian (7-2) 90.556 - S 12:00 PM R2-D1: Wayland Union (5-4) 58.778 at Plainwell (8-1) 81.667 - F 7:00 PM R2-D1: Byron Center (6-3) 63.778 at Battle Creek Harper Creek (7-2) 77.222 - F 7:00 PM R2-D2: Sturgis (5-4) 53.556 at St Joseph (8-1) 95.111 - F 7:00 PM R2-D2: Coldwater (5-4) 54.556 at Stevensville Lakeshore (6-3) 64.556 - F 7:00 PM R3-D1: Haslett (6-3) 63.944 at DeWitt (9-0) 112.016 - F 7:00 PM R3-D1: Linden (6-3) 68.556 at Lapeer West (8-1) 100.778 - F 7:00 PM R3-D2: Eaton Rapids (5-4) 52.778 at Charlotte (7-2) 80.444 - F 7:00 PM R3-D2: Tecumseh (7-2) 72.889 at Mason (7-2) 75.333 - F 7:00 PM R4-D1: Detroit Old Redford (6-2) 60.556 at St Clair (8-1) 90.333 - F 7:00 PM R4-D1: Detroit Denby (7-2) 68.861 at Detroit Mumford (7-2) 75.417 - S 1:00 PM R4-D2: Redford Thurston (6-3) 68.222 at Milan (9-0) 104.889 - F 7:00 PM R4-D2: Riverview (7-2) 71.000 at Melvindale (7-2) 83.333 - F 7:00 PM 2013 MHSAA FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS OTHER AREA PAIRINGS Division 2 R2-D1: Lansing Everett (6-3) 64.778 at Portage Central (9-0) 106.667 - F 7:00 PM R2-D1: Portage Northern (7-2) 79.000 at Battle Creek Lakeview (9-0) 94.222 - F 7:00 PM Division 4 R2-D2: Dowagiac (6-3) 59.111 at Edwardsburg (9-0) 96.000 - F 7:00 PM R2-D2: Battle Creek Pennfield (8-1) 74.556 at Paw Paw (8-1) 80.889 - F 7:00 PM Division 6 R3-D2: Hartford (6-3) 45.222 at Watervliet (9-0) 76.444 - F 7:00 PM R3-D2: Schoolcraft (8-1) 74.556 at Niles Brandywine (8-1) 75.111 - F 7:00 PM Division 7 R3-D1: St Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic (6-2) 47.889 at Cassopolis (6-3) 55.810 - F 7:00 PM R3-D1: Bridgman (6-3) 48.403 at Decatur (6-3) 49.333 - F 7:00 PM Division 8 R3-D2: Eau Claire (4-4) 27.403 at Mendon (9-0) 78.841 - S 1:00 PM R3-D2: Bellevue (6-3) 42.667 at Climax-Scotts (8-1) 59.111 - F 7:00 PM ST. JOE BEARS GAMEDAY PAGE 9
STURGIS TROJANS AT #7 ST. JOSEPH BEARS DICKINSON STADIUM 2013 MHSAA PLAYOFFS 11/1/13 THE RECORD BOOK Victories Consecutive, Regular Season only, No Ties 37-9/26/86-9/30/89 Consecutive Shutouts, No Ties 4 9/14-10/5/73 (Lakeshore, Muskegon Catholic Central, Dowagiac, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix) 3 10/16-10/30/87 (Portage Northern, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix, South Haven) 3 9/26-10/10/86 (Benton Harbor, Portage Central, Niles) Consecutive Winning Seasons 11-1982-1992 6-1994-1999 Ties Lowest Scoring Tie Game 0-9/30/55 vs. Grand Haven (0-0) 10/4/68 vs. K. Loy Norrix (0-0) Highest Scoring Tie Game 40- October 11, 1963 vs. Niles (20-20) Season 2-1963, 9/20 vs. Buchanan (6-6), 10/11 vs. Niles (20-20) 2-1963, 9/21 vs. Buchanan (13-13), 9/28 vs. Dowagiac (6-6) Consecutive Ties 2-1963, 9/21 vs. Buchanan (13-13), 9/28 vs. Dowagiac (6-6) Last Tie Game 10/4/68 SJ 0, KLN 0 Scoring Game 67 SJ 67, BCC 35 9/19/08 61 SJ 61, KLN 14-10/25/85 58 SJ 58, SH 0-10/30/87 57 SJ 57, SH 0-9/5/97 56 SJ 56, GL 13 10/30/09 (playoffs) 55 SJ 55, NIL 26 9/27/13*** 55 SJ 55, KLN 7 9/17/10 55 SJ 55, PN 0-10/16/87 55 SJ 55, MAT 7 10/9/09 52 SJ 52, BUC 7-11/7/58 49 SJ 49, MAT 7 10/12/07 49 SJ 49, LKS 14 10/26/07 (playoffs) 49 SJ 49, PC 22-10/25/74 48 SJ 48, KLN 0-10/26/84 48 SJ 48, PN 0-9/12/97 48 SJ 48, PN 7-9/15/95 48 SJ 48, NIL 0 9/11/09 47 SJ 47, PC 13-10/30/70 47 SJ 47, SH 6-9/6/91 46 SJ 46, SH 19-10/28/88 46 SJ 46, MAT 6-10/17/08 45 SJ 45, BH 0 10/10/08 45 SJ 45, CHI Luther South 6-9/18/59 45 SJ 45, NIL 21-10/11/96 Lowest Scoring Win 2 SJ 2, PC 0 10/4/85 Safeties in a game 2 SJ 37, MAR 7 8/27/10 Points Season (Min. 300) 377 1997 344 2008 336 1984 329 1987 327 1988 Fewest Points Allowed Regular Season (under 80) 43 1986 59 1961 62 1971, 2007 64 1973 65 1974 71 1980 77 1962 79 1960 Fewest Points Allowed On Defense 43-1986 First Downs 171-2007 Rushing Yards 2,272 2008 2,169 1987 Rushing Attempts 334 2008 333 2013*** Passing Yards 1984-1984 Passing Attempts 232-2003 Passes Completed 102-1984 Fewest Yards Penalized 186-1978 Defense vs. Punt Return -2-1987 Defense vs. Rush 484-1984 Defense vs. Pass 369-1995 Average Punt Return (Total Attemps) 20.0 (12) - 1994 Interceptions Allowed 18-1983 Fewest Interceptions by Opponents 1 (5 times) - 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 2010 Interceptions by St. Joseph 19 (2 times) - 1968, 1969 Most Fumbles Lost 23-1969 Fewest Fumbles Lost 3 2002 4 2010 Most Punts 54-2003 Fewest Punts 16 2008 17 2007 Most Blocked Punts 6 1983, 2008 High Punt Average 42.8-1988 Kickoff Average 53.55-1999 Most Shutouts 4 (3 times) - 1984, 1985, 1986 INDIVIDUAL RECORDS Passing Attempts 231-Andy Schueneman (2003) Completed 98- Ethan Schweir (2007) Yards 1793-Mike Gillette (1984) Yards per completion 22.8- Patzer (1970) Fewest Interceptions 1-Ebon Sanders (1988)/Phelan (1991) Touchdown Passes 19-Ethan Schweir (2007) Longest Touchdown Pass 84-Wright (2001) Receptions 45-Steve Preston (1984) Receptions (Game) 11-Dan Lafond (2003) Reception Yards 909-Steve Preston (1984) Average Per Reception 34.5-Gibeau (1987) Touchdown Receptions 14 ST. JOE BEARS GAMEDAY PAGE 10
STURGIS TROJANS AT #7 ST. JOSEPH BEARS DICKINSON STADIUM 2013 MHSAA PLAYOFFS 11/1/13 RECORD BOOK (cont) Special Teams PAT Percentage 100.0-Brett Virgil (2005) 100.0-Ryan Kitron (2011) 95.8-Mike Gillette (1984) 95.0-Josh Akins (2009) 93.3-Brett Virgil (2006) Most PAT's 38-Josh Akins (2009) 35-Mike Gillette (1984)/Brett Virgil (2007) Longest PAT Run (2 point conversion) 24-Nisbet (1971) Field Goals (season) 9-Mike Gillette (1984) 9-Cullen Hoffman (2013)*** Longest Field Goal 48-Brad Shushman (1999) Kickoff Average 57.50-Cullen Hoffman*** 53.55-Brad Shushman (1999) Punt Average 42.8-Gary Layton Field Goal Percentage 100-Phelan (1990)/Smith (1996)/Schweir (2006), Akins (2009) Longest Kickoff Return for Touchdown 94-Ryan (1974) Longest Punt Return for Touchdown 96-Keith Demchinski (1994) Blocked Punts For Touchdown 1-Johnston (1973) Jones (1973) Kubicki (1989) Hobbs (1999) Radde(1999) Ty Taylor (2010) Most Blocked Punts (season) 4-Kubizna (1983), Josh Weaver (2008) Rushing Yards 1,289-Jamaal Jackson (2009) 1,215-Anthony Dunning (2002) Attempts (Season) 235-Anthony Dunning (2002) Attempts (Game) 40-Henry Steele (1996) 40-Jack Turak (2013)*** Yards Per Carry Average 9.5 Jamaal Jackson (2008) 7.5 Justin Gambrell (2013)*** 7.5 T. Golba (1987) Rushing Touchdowns 21-Jamaal Jackson (2009) 18-Alex Smith (1980)/ Jason Sandusky (1992) Rushing TD s (game) 6-Drake Smith (2008) Offense Total yards (rush/receiving) 1573-Gary Layton (1990) Total Touchdowns (run/rec) 21-Jamaal Jackson (2009) 18-Alex Smith (1980)/ Jason Sandusky (1992) Scoring Points (season) 139-Alex Smith (1980) Defense Tackles (season) 104-Brown (1978) Tackles (game) 22-Baske (1997) Sacks (game) 13-Jeff Morris (1982) Solo Tackles (season) 70-Radde (1999) Interceptions (season) 8-Ebon Sanders (1989) Interceptions for Touchdown 2-Olson (1973)/ Lincoln(1973) CAREER RECORDS Total Yards 3533-M. Ryan (1972-1974) Total Rushing Yards 2985-Alex Rutherford (2009-12) 2366-Mike Ryan (1972-1974) Rushing Touchdowns 35-Alex Rutherford (2009-12) Total Rushing Attempts 530-Alex Rutherford (2009-2012) 440-Gary Layton (1988-1990) Total Passing Yards 3,055-Mike Gillette (1982-1984) Total Passing Touchdowns 29-Mike Gillette (1982-84) 28-Ethan Schweir (2004-07) Receptions 72-Steve Preston (1983-1984) Touchdown Receptions 14-Steve Preston (1983-84)/ Scott Blasko (1995-96) Reception Yards 1368-Steve Preston (1983-1984) Passes Attempted 376-Andy Schueneman (2002-2003) Passing Percentage 63.5-Sean Guinane (2007-09) 60.4-Ethan Schweir (2004-07) Interceptions 12-Ryan (1972-1974) Tackles 214-Brown (1977-1979) PAT's Kicked 79-Brett Virgil (2005-2007) Field Goals 19-Mike Gillette (1982-1984) Scoring 216-Alex Rutherford (2009-12) 212-M. Ryan (1972-1974) All records listed are regular season games only, playoff games do not count in record book, unless specified ***New record established in 2013 ST. JOE BEARS GAMEDAY PAGE 11
STURGIS TROJANS AT #7 ST. JOSEPH BEARS DICKINSON STADIUM 2013 MHSAA PLAYOFFS 11/1/13 SEASON SUMMARIES 8/29/13 COLDWATER AT ST. JOSEPH DICKINSON STADIUM Justin Gambrell runs for a huge gain in the Bears 33-14 win against Coldwater photo: Herald Palladium (ST. JOSEPH) -- In two previous trips to St. Joseph, Coldwater had never won a game against the Bears, let alone scoring a single point. One of those streaks came to an end Thursday at Dickinson Stadium, but not the streak Coldwater was hoping a for. St. Joe beat Coldwater 33-14, thanks to 4 unanswered touchdowns by the Bears, including 19 poinst in the fourth quarter. St. Joe got on the board first late in the opening quarter as Jack Turak scored on a 45 yard touchdown with 1:22 left in the first quarter to give the Bears a 7-0 lead. Coldwater would end their scoreless streak in St. Joe when Cooper Murphy scored on a 1 yard run with 9:58 left in the first half to tie the game at 7-7. The Bears would turn the ball over on downs on the following possession, and Coldwater didn't take long gaining their first ever lead in St. Joe when Murphy scored on a 66 yard pass from Luke Beckhusen to give Coldwater a 14-7 lead. St. Joe would tie the game at 14-14 with just over 2 minutes left in the half on Justin Gambrell's 27 yard touchdown run. Both teams did not add to the scoreboard in the third quarter, setting the stage for a final quarter that would decide the winner. After forcing a Coldwater fumble midway in the fourth quarter, St. Joe found the endzone just 4 plays later when AJ Montoya threw his first touchdown pass of the season to Connor Hubble from 18 yards out to give the Bears the lead once again at 21-14. The Bear defense stopped a potential game tying drive with an interception by Warren Clark. Julian Paulson provided some insurance on a 2 yard touchdown run, putting the Bears up 27-14 with 2:06. Still with 3 time outs, Coldwater still attempted to get back in the game, but the Bear defense put the final nail in the Cardinals coffin when Justin Gambrell had his second interception of the game, this one he returned 70 yards for a touchdown to provide the final margin of 33-14. St. Joe's win in the third in three games between the two schools at both the old and new Dickinson Stadiums. For Coldwater it marked their 30th consecutive loss in season opening games. Coldwater's last win in week 1 came in 1983, a 14-7 win over Dowagiac. St. Joe heads on the road this week to face Battle Creek Harper Creek. Harper Creek defeated Mattawan 27-7 to begin their final season in the Big 16. Harper Creek, Coldwater, Marshall, and Sturgis are leaving the conference at the end of the school year. ST. JOE BEARS GAMEDAY PAGE 12
STURGIS TROJANS AT #7 ST. JOSEPH BEARS DICKINSON STADIUM 2013 MHSAA PLAYOFFS 11/1/13 SEASON SUMMARIES 9/6/13 ST. JOSEPH AT HAPER CREEK HARPER CREEK STADIUM BATTLE CREEK -- The Beavers offense scored on their first play from scrimmage but the following 62 plays run by the Beavers offense, St. Joe's defense kept the home team off the scoreboard. The final play ended at the 17 yard line and time ran out for Harper Creek as St. Joe held on for a 14-9 road win at two-time semifinalist, and 3 time Big 16 East Champion Harper Creek. Harper Creek grabbed the lead 13 seconds into the game as Anthony McNichols ran for an 80 yard touchdown. The St. Joe defense would be called on a short time later as the Beavers intercepted an A.J. Montoya pass at the Bear 35 yard line. Harper Creek went three and out and lost yardage taking them out of field goal range and punting instead, giving the Bears the ball at their own 3 yard line. Jack Turak crosses the goal line to tie the score in the Bears 14-9 win at Battle Creek Harper Creek photo: Ted Leemaster St. Joe would tie the game, thanks to a 7 play 97 yard drive, ending with a 4 yard touchdown run to even the game at 7-7. Harper Creek would punt on their next drive, giving the ball to St. Joe who couldn't gain a first down, and on the punt attempt the snap went over punter Cullen Hoffman's head and out of the back of the endzone for a safety for Harper Creek who took a 9-7 lead. After the free kick. Harper Creek drove near midfield, but on the first play of the second quarter, Julian Paulson intercepted Harper Creek's Trevor Johnson and returned it 47 yards for the St. Joe touchdown. Hoffman provided both extra points, and the Bears had the lead for the first time at 14-9, which is how the second and third quarters ended. Neither team was able to change the score the rest of the way, but Harper Creek's final drive had a few close calls in the final minute. Two incomplete passes into the endzone by Harper Creek's Trevor Johnson on first and second down, but the third down play was where the Bear defense came up with their biggest stop of the night. Johnson threw a quick screen pass to McNichols, after changing directions multiple times to avoid being tackled in bounds, Julian Paulson and Zack Lear brought him down for a 3 yard loss with 5 seconds left, but Harper Creek had already used all of their time outs, and could set up a play on fourth down, Time ran out giving the Bears the win. ST. JOE BEARS GAMEDAY PAGE 13
STURGIS TROJANS AT #7 ST. JOSEPH BEARS DICKINSON STADIUM 2013 MHSAA PLAYOFFS 11/1/13 SEASON SUMMARIES 9/13/13 LAKESHORE AT ST. JOSEPH DICKINSON STADIUM Justin Gambrell runs for one of his two touchdowns in the Bears 32-20 win over the Lakeshore Lancers. Photo Ted Leemaster ST. JOSEPH It took four tries, but the Anchor Trophy has finally found a home in St. Joseph as the Bears used a dominating second quarter and the Bears defeated rival Lakeshore 32-20 in front of an over capacity crowd in excess of 6,000 fans at Dickinson Stadium. The game didn't start the way the Bears had hoped for after holding Lakeshore's opening drive. St. Joe turned the ball over on the punt after it was ruled that the ball had touched a St. Joseph player, it was recovered by Lakeshore. But the Bear defense once again kept the red and white from scoring. The first quarter ended with both teams failing to score. The score changed very quickly to start the second quarter, in fact it was the first play in the period as Justin Gambrell had a a 38 yard touchdown run to give the Bears a 7-0 lead. After the Lancers punted on the next possession, St. Joe went on an 83 yard scoring drive, ending with a 9 yard touchdown by Gambrell. Jorge Cantu' from the soccer team had his first PAT attempt blocked, but the Bears had the 13-0 lead. St. Joe's dominating defense forced Lakeshore to a 3 and out on the following drive which resulted in another short punt from the Lancers. The Bears had the ball just short of midfield and didn't take long to give the Bears another score. St. Joe made it 20-0 on a drive that featured, 3 rushes by Jack Turak, and a 20 yard touchdown pass from AJ Montoya to Mason Shinrock. Shinrock was wide open in the endzone with no defender nearby, Shinrock grabbed the ball and tapped both feet in the endzone to send the Bear crowd into a frenzy. However, Lakeshore responded very quickly, scoring two plays later on a 59 yard touchdown pass from Michael Adams to Sam Effa to cut the Bears lead to 20-6 after Terrill Wilburn blocked the PAT attempt. With 1:22 left in the first half, instead of just going into halftime, St. Joe decided to try to wrestle the momentum away from the visitors and did just that. On a third and 14, at the St. Joe 33 yard line, Montoya threw a pass to a wide open Turak and darted down the field for a huge gain. St. Joe would make the score 23-6 a few plays later as Cullen Hoffman hit a career long 37 yard field goal. In the second half. St. Joe's opening two drives of the second half were stopped by turnovers, Lakeshore was only take advantage of the second and cut the lead to 23-13 late in the third quarter. Just like the second quarter. The Bears scored quickly to begin the fourth quarter as Cullen Hoffman hit his second field goal of the game, this one from 24 yards out to put St. Joe in front 26-13. Lakeshore following drive started well, with a 41 yard gain on a trick play that set the Lancers up at the St. Joe 37 yard line. But a sack, penalty, and two incompletions on long pass attempts turned the ball over on down back to the Bears. St. Joe then kept running time of the clock with a steady diet of Turak runs and Montoya passes. The Bear drive ended with Shinrock catching another 20 yard touchdown reception from Montoya. Shinrock stretched the ball over the goalline while being tackled by a Lancer defender. St. Joe was unsuccessfull on the two point conversion attempt, but had a 32-13 lead. Down 19, Lakeshore didn't take long to make the game interesting again. Just like the week prior, the opponent scored on an 80 yard run on the opening play of a drive as Sam Effa scored on the long run to trim the lead to 32-20. St. Joe killed another 3 minutes off the clock and ended Lakeshore's chances when Mason Shinrock intercepted Michael Adams desperation 4th down pass at the 8 yard line. Lakeshore personal foul penalty on the interception moved the ball away from the Bear endzone. St. Joe ran out the clock and the Maize Craze flooded the field to celebrate the 32-20 win over Lakeshore. After the handshake line. St. Joe's team came back to the sideline with some hardware, the Anchor Trophy. For the game, St. Joe had 25 first downs, compared to Lakeshore's 9. The Bears also outgained Lakeshore 426-285, and possesed the ball nearly 10 minutes more than Lakeshore. St. Joe, who came into the game ranked 10th in Division 3, improves to 3-0 on the season and 1-0 in Big 16 West Division play. The 5th ranked Lancers fall to 2-1, and 0-1 in the Division. ST. JOE BEARS GAMEDAY PAGE 14
STURGIS TROJANS AT #7 ST. JOSEPH BEARS DICKINSON STADIUM 2013 MHSAA PLAYOFFS 11/1/13 SEASON SUMMARIES 9/20/13 PORTAGE NORTHERN AT ST. JOSEPH DICKINSON STADIUM ST. JOSEPH For the second time this season, St. Joe had to use a 4th quarter scoring burst to give the Bears a win over previously unbeaten Portage Northern 17-10. The stats for each team show that the defenses clearly were in control of the team, St. Joe had 237 yards of total offense, while Northern had 190. St. Joe had 13 first downs compared to 12 for Northern. Northern ran 50 plays, 48 for St. Joe. The two defenses didn't allow anything in the first quarter. But Northern got on the board early in the second quarter when, Preston Simon ran for a 4 yard touchdown to give the Huskies a 7-0 lead. Cullen Hoffman got the Bears on the board three minutes later on a 33 yard field goal, cutting the lead to 7-3. St. Joe s defense swarms the Northern ball carrier in St. Joe s 17-10 win at Dickinson Stadium. Photo: Ted Leemaster The Huskies got the 7 point lead back before halftime on a 29 yard field goal, making it 10-3 for the visitors. Neither team was able to put a drive longer than 4 plays during the third quarter, but St. Joe broke the trend early in the fourth quarter. St. Joe tied the game at 10-10 when the Bears completed a 7 play 64 yard drive with a one yard AJ Montoya touchdown run. A long time consuming drive that resulted in no points for Northern gave the Bears the ball with just under 5 minutes to play in a tie ballgame. St. Joe went on their longest drive of the night, going 70 yards in 8 plays, ending with a 2 yard touchdown run from Jack Turak with 1:18 left in the game. St. Joe turned the ball over 4 times but Northern's first and only turnover of the game sealed the win on the following kickoff. Northern's Brent Watts was fighting for a few more yards when the Bears Hamze Elkozai knocked the ball loose from Watts. The ball was picked up by Connor Myers, giving St. Joe the ball. The Bears then ran out the clock and St. Joe walked away with the win. St. Joe is now in a three way tie for the lead in the Big 16 West Division, both St. Joe and Portage Central sit at 4-0 and 2-0 in the division are tied with 2-2 Niles, whom are also 2-0 in divisional play. The Vikings visit St. Joe on Friday while Portage Central faces Portage Northern. ST. JOE BEARS GAMEDAY PAGE 15
STURGIS TROJANS AT #7 ST. JOSEPH BEARS DICKINSON STADIUM 2013 MHSAA PLAYOFFS 11/1/13 SEASON SUMMARIES 9/27/13 NILES AT ST. JOSEPH DICKINSON STADIUM ST. JOSEPH During the first 4 games of the season, the St. Joe defense has grabbed most of the headlines, but this time, both the Bear offense and defense made headlines in a 55-26 win over Niles. The Bear offense opened the scoring with 3:54 remaining in the first quarter as St. Joe went on an 8 play 55 yard drive, scoring on a 5 yard touchdown run by Jack Turak. Cullen Hoffman made the extra point and the Bears had a 7-0 lead. St. Joe made in 14-0 in what would be a high scoring second quarter for the Bears. Justin Gambrell burst through the Niles defense for a 41 yard touchdown run, Hoffman again had the PAT. St. Joe s defense came up with 5 interceptions in the Bears 55-26 win over Niles. Photo: Vicki Johnson Connor Hubble would grab an 8 yard touchdown pass from AJ Montoya to make it 21-0. Just 1:14 after Hubble s touchdown reception from Montoya, Montoya ran for a 54 yard score on a 1 play drive, and St. Joe had a 27-0 lead. Niles would get on the scoreboard with 2:29 left in the first half on a 7 yard pass to Darek Bullock-Mills from Sean Craig. St. Joe would not let Niles keep any momentum as Terrill Wilburn scored on a 17 yard run with 1:09 left in the half, and St. Joe had a 34-7 lead. On the Vikings opening possession of the second half, the Bear defense came up with the third interception return for a touchdown of the season as Mason Shinrock took back Craig s pass from 31 yards out to up the lead to 41-7. After playing in close games all season long, the Bears finally were able to start playing some of the backups and reserves who saw little if any action, Derek Burton, playing in his first varsity game scored on a 37 yard touchdown run. Jorge Cantu added the point after, giving the Bears a 48-7 lead which started the MHSAA Mercy Rule. Niles would score on their first drive of the 4 th quarter as Darek Bullock-Mills threw a 9 yard TD pass to Warren Smith. Cutting the lead to 48-14. Ra Quon Glenn added another Niles touchdown, on a 77 yard run, making it 48-20. Burton scored his second career touchdown for the Bears, this one coming from 27 yards out, Logan Jones, who kicked as an underclassman, made the extra point and St. Joe had a 55-20 lead. Niles would close out the scoring on Bullock-Mills second TD pass to Smith, providing the final margin of 55-26. St. Joe has now won 8 straight games vs. the Vikings. Niles falls to 2-3 on the season and 2-1 in the Big 16 West, while St. Joe improves to 5-0 and 3-0 in West Division play. Niles will return home next week to face Portage Central, the Bears are on the road for only the second time this season at Kalamazoo Central. ST. JOE BEARS GAMEDAY PAGE 16
STURGIS TROJANS AT #7 ST. JOSEPH BEARS DICKINSON STADIUM 2013 MHSAA PLAYOFFS 11/1/13 SEASON SUMMARIES 10/4/13 ST. JOSEPH AT KALAMAZOO CENTRAL THOMAS STADIUM KALAMAZOO During the pregame warmups, St. Joe kickers were practicing hitting the scoreboard at Thomas Stadium in Kalamazoo, They succeeded in not only hitting the scoreboard but kicking it over it as well. The Bears kicking game, did not allow any Kalamazoo Central kickoff or punt returns and the St. Joe special teams also had a pair of field goals in the 20-3 win at Kalamazoo Central. St. Joe started the scoring with 3:17 left in the first quarter as AJ Montoya kept the ball himself on the quarterback run and ran down the sideline for the touchdown, Cullen Hoffman made the PAT and the Bears had a 7-0 lead. The game stayed that way until the third quarter as Kalamazoo Central took the second half kickoff down to the St. Joe 19 before stalling and kicked a 36 yard field goal to cut the lead to 7-3. St. Joe would get that score back on the next drive, thanks to a 34 yard field goal from Cullen Hoffman. St. Joe led 10-3. The Bears would push the lead up to 10 points early in the fourth quarter on Hoffman's second field goal of the game. The second coming from 33 yards out and St. Joe's lead was up to 13-3. With the Bears defense keeping the potent Maroon Giants ground game bottled up, the Bears passing defense came up with four interceptions. The Bears allowed only 37 yards rushing on 30 carries. St. Joe would finally put the game away when Justin Gambrell scored on a 4 yard run with 36 seconds left. Hoffman again with the extra point pushed the lead to 20-3. Hoffman had two field goals of 34 and 33 yards, had six punts totalling 279 yards, including one of 50+ yards, and also had 5 kickoffs, all of which sailed into the endzone for touchbacks, totalling 300 yards. With the win St. Joe improved to 6-0 and clinched a berth in the 2013 playoffs after missing the postseason a year ago. St. Joe will be on the road again for the next game at crosstown rival Benton Harbor at historic Filstrup Field at 7:00. ST. JOE BEARS GAMEDAY PAGE 17
STURGIS TROJANS AT #7 ST. JOSEPH BEARS DICKINSON STADIUM 2013 MHSAA PLAYOFFS 11/1/13 SEASON SUMMARIES 10/11/13 ST. JOSEPH AT BENTON HARBOR FILSTRUP FIELD St. Joe s defense came up with 5 interceptions in the Bears 55-26 win over Niles. Photo: Vicki Johnson Dashawn Perry and returned it 25 yards for the touchdown, giving the Bears a 6-0 lead. BENTON HARBOR With a big game coming up next week, St. Joe was trying to avoid looking past the upset minded Tigers who were playing the Bears on their homecoming and final home game of the season. The Bears jumped out to a 27-0 lead at the half and held on for a 30-21 win at Filstrup Field over the Benton Harbor Tigers. The Bear victory was the 500th win in the St. Joe's program history, it was also the 8th straight victory over the Tigers. The two teams were scoreless after the first quarter with the Tigers pulling out all the stops, but the Bear defense kept the Tiger offense at bay. Sophomore Sean Akins, in his first varsity game started the scoring while playing defense. Akins intercepted Tiger quarterback After forcing the Tigers to punt on their next drive St. Joe found the endzone again on a 5 play drive going 60 yards. When Jack Turak ran for a 17 yard touchdown, giving the Bears a 13-0 lead. St. Joe would make it 20-0 after another Tiger pun. When AJ Montoya threw two long passes to Terrill Wilburn. A 36 yard passing play gave the Bears the ball at the Tigers 28 yard line, which set up Wilburn's diving catch in the endzone for the touchdown. Benton Harbor fumbled on the next drive, giving the Bears the ball at the Tiger 27 yard line. Three plays later, Jack Turak scored his second touchdown of the game, a 9 yard run giving the Bears a 27-0 lead at the half. The third quarter passed with no scoring. Benton Harbor got on the board with 9:27 left in the game on a 17 yard touchdown run from Edward Headspeth. St. Joe pushed the lead to 30-7 when Cullen Hoffman hit a career long 40 yard field goal. Benton Harbor would finish the game with two more touchdowns in the final four minutes for the final score of 30-21. Benton Harbor falls to 0-7 and 0-5 in the division, while the Bears are now 7-0 and 5-0 in West Division play. St. Joe returns home for the final regular season home game against 7-0 Portage Central in a battle for the West Division title. ST. JOE BEARS GAMEDAY PAGE 18
STURGIS TROJANS AT #7 ST. JOSEPH BEARS DICKINSON STADIUM 2013 MHSAA PLAYOFFS 11/1/13 SEASON SUMMARIES 10/18/13 PORTAGE CENTRAL AT ST. JOSEPH DICKINSON STADIUM ST. JOSEPH Earlier in the season St. Joe regularly lost the turnover battle, but the Bear defense was able to limit the opposing team from turning those miscues into points. However, against the undefeated and 10 th ranked Mustangs, four St. Joe turnovers were turned into four Central touchdowns in the Bears 49-28 loss at Dickinson Stadium. St. Joe turned the ball over on their first drive on an interception by Central s Mickey Losey. Losey returned the ball down to the Bears 14 yard and the next play Centrals Jerrod Davis ran virtually untouched to the endzone for a 7-0 Portage lead. The Bears responded on the following drive, going 92 yards in 6 plays, capped off by a 6 yard touchdown run from Jack Turak. The drive was helped by AJ Montoya s 65 yard run on the first play of the drive. The Bears Jack Turak carries for one of his school record 40 carries in the Bears 49-28 loss to Portage Central. Photo: Vicki Johnson Central would grab the lead on the ensuing kickoff. Jerrod Davis returned the kickoff 95 yards for the touchdown and Central once again had the lead at 14-7. St. Joe s offense went back to work on the next drive, going 63 yards in 16 plays, but the drive stalled inside the Mustangs 20 yard line and Cullen Hoffman made a 33 yard field goal to cut the lead to 14-10. St. Joe s defense then forced a turnover on downs, and drove the ball down to the Mustang 3 yard line, but Losey again intercepted a Montoya pass in the endzone. Mustang quarterback Ryan Mergener ran for an 80 yard touchdown on the next play for a 21-10 lead. St. Joe would again get points on the next drive, but instead of a touchdown St. Joe got a 40 yard field goal from Cullen Hoffman. Portage Central would score the next four touchdowns in the second and third quarters. Mergener threw a 39 yard touchdown pass to Matt Capasso, Davis had two more rushing scores, and one more running score from Mergener. St. Joe would get closer in the fourth quarter when Jack Turak scored his second touchdown of the game to close the gap to 49-20. The Bears would recover the onside kick and score less than two minutes later on Turak s third touchdown of the game. St. Joe would get the 2 point conversion on a deflected pass from Montoya to Hunter Waning. Waning who was the long snapper on the play was able to catch the ball and dive into the endzone after Montoya s pass was deflected off of two Portage defenders. St. Joe would make the score 49-28 but could get no closer as the Mustangs ran out the final minutes and went on to the win which guaranteed at least a share of the Big 16 West Division title. Turak finished the game with 184 yards rushing on 40 carries, and three touchdowns. The 40 rushing attempts tie the St. Joe high school record set in 1996 by Henry Steele. Montoya had 144 yards rushing on 10 carries. St. Joe falls to 7-1 on the season and 5-1 in divisional play and will travel to Mattawan to close out the regular season against the 4-4 Wildcats. ST. JOE BEARS GAMEDAY PAGE 19
STURGIS TROJANS AT #7 ST. JOSEPH BEARS DICKINSON STADIUM 2013 MHSAA PLAYOFFS 11/1/13 SEASON SUMMARIES 10/25/13 ST. JOSEPH AT MATTAWAN WILDCAT STADIUM MATTAWAN Before the game, the staff of Mattawan schools had to physically plow the snow off the field at Wildcat Stadium. By the end of the game it was the St. Joe ground game led by Jack Turak who plowed the Mattawan defense in the Bears 38-27 win over the Wildcats to end the 2013 regular season. Turak, who tied a school record for rushing attempts in a game the week before against Portage Central, carried the ball 27 times, for 198 yards and three touchdowns. St. Joe would open the scoring with 2:29 left in the first quarter as Turak scored on a 1 yard run, completing a 9 play, 77 yard drive, giving St. Joe a 7-0 lead. Mattawan would fumble the ball on the second play of the following drive. St. Joe would expand the lead to 10-0 on a Cullen Hoffman 31 yard field goal with 15 second left in the first quarter. Mattawan would get on the board midway through the second quarter, when the Wildcats were set up inside the Bears 5 yard line after going for a fake punt. Parker Curtis ran for the touchdown from 2 yards out and the Bears lead was 10-7. St. Joe pushed the lead back to 10 on the next drive. Mason Shinrock returned the kickoff 53 yards to the Mattawan 32 yard line. Four plays later, Derek Burton scored on an 8 yard run for the score. Mattawan again pulled within three on their next drive. The Wildcats drove 80 yards on 14 plays, ending with a Logan Buchler 1 yard run. The two teams went to the half with a 17-14 lead for the Bears. Again St. Joe pushed the lead back to 10 when St. Joe drove 72 yards in 12 plays, ending with Turak s second score of the game, this from 3 yards away, giving the Bears a 24-14 lead. Mattawan would pull within three again scoring on the next play from scrimmage on an 80 yard run from Logan Buchler. St. Joe would got the lead back to 10 on the next drive, ending with Turak s third score of the game, again coming from 3 yards out. St. Joe had a 31-21 lead. Mattawan would again score to close the gap, but a high snap on the PAT after Alec VandeWeerd s 2 yard touchdown run, cause the try to fail and St. Joe had the 31-27 lead. The Bears would close out the scoring for the game on the next drive as AJ Montoya threw a 6 yard touchdown pass to Mason Shinrock. Like the other five St. Joe touchdowns, Cullen Hoffman s extra point was good. St. Joe led 38-27, which was the final score. St. Joe finished the regular season at 8-1 and 6-1 in the Big 16 West. Mattawan s season comes to a close at 4-5 and 3-4. St. Joe advances to the 2013 MHSAA Division 3 playoffs where the Bears will host the 5-4 Sturgis Trojans, who were able to secure an at-large bid with their playoff point total. ST. JOE BEARS GAMEDAY PAGE 20
STURGIS TROJANS AT #7 ST. JOSEPH BEARS DICKINSON STADIUM 2013 MHSAA PLAYOFFS 11/1/13 WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME St. Joe scored first and won 10/28/13 at Mattawan Won 38-27 and lost 10/5/12 at Lakeshore Lost 24-28 St. Joe got scored on first and won 9/20/13 vs. Portage Northern Won 17-10 and lost 10/18/13 VS. Portage Central Lost 28-49 St. Joe scored at least six TD s in a game 9/27/13 vs. Niles Won 55-26 St. Joe allowed at least six TD s in a game 10/18/13 VS. Portage Central Lost 28-49 St. Joe kicked a field goal in a game Cullen Hoffman (31 yards) 10/28/13 at Mattawan Won 38-27 St. Joe scored a safety 9/7/12 vs. Benton Harbor Won 37-0 Team Safety (Benton Harbor takes a knee in the endzone instead of punting) St. Joe gave up a safety 9/6/13 at Battle Creek Harper Creek Won 14-9 St. Joe returned a kickoff for a touchdown Jalen Holmes 86 yard kickoff return TD 8/26/11 vs. Marshall Won 44-13 St. Joe returned a punt for a touchdown Bobby Symonds 44 yard punt return TD 10/8/10 vs. Mattawan Won 38-3 St. Joe scored a 2 point conversion AJ Montoya pass to Hunter Waning 10/18/13 VS. Portage Central Lost 28-49 St. Joe allowed a 2 point conversion Devontae Jones rush 10/11/13 at Benton Harbor Won 30-21 St. Joe scored a defensive touchdown by fumble Ethan Schweir 2 yards 11/10/07 vs. Lansing Sexton (regionals) Won 42-27 by interception Sean Akins 25 yards 10/11/13 at Benton Harbor Won 30-21 St. Joe blocked an extra point Terrill Wilburn 9/13/13 vs. Lakeshore Won 32-20 a field goal Robbie Schuler 9/28/07 vs. Lakeshore Won 21-3 a punt Ty Taylor (also returned for TD) 10/1/10 at Portage Central Won 35-28 St. Joe shut out an opponent 9/7/12 vs. Benton Harbor Won 37-0 St. Joe was shut out by an opponent 9/14/12 at Portage Northern Lost 0-7 St. Joe played an overtime game and won 10/31/08 vs. Wayland (pre-districts) Won 32-31 and lost 9/9/05 at Coldwater Lost 28-36 at home 10/31/08 vs. Wayland (pre-districts) Won 32-31 on the road 9/9/05 at Coldwater Lost 28-36 that went into 2 or more overtimes 10/28/01 vs. Benton Harbor Lost 27-28 2 OT St. Joe played on turf and won 9/6/13 at Battle Creek Harper Creek Won 14-9 and lost 10/5/12 at Lakeshore Lost 24-28 total record 6 wins 8 losses (.429) St. Joe played a team ranked in the AP Poll and won 9/13/13 vs. Lakeshore (D3 #5) Won 32-20 and lost 10/18/13 VS. Portage Centrall (D2#10) Lost 28-49 ST. JOE BEARS GAMEDAY PAGE 21
STURGIS TROJANS AT #7 ST. JOSEPH BEARS DICKINSON STADIUM 2013 MHSAA PLAYOFFS 11/1/13 THE UNDERCLASSMEN 2013 St. Joseph Junior Varsity Head Coach: Richard Hughey Date Opponent Location Time/Result 8/28 Coldwater Cardinal Field WIN 30-26 9/5 Battle Creek Harper Creek Dickinson Stadium TIE 20-20 9/12 Lakeshore Al Stockman Stadium WIN 6-0 9/19 Portage Northern McCamley Field WIN 37-18 9/26 OPEN DATE (Niles does not have a JV team 10/3 Kalamazoo Central Dickinson Stadium WIN 29-0 10/10 Cassopolis Dickinson Stadium WIN 58-6 10/17 Portage Central McCamley Field LOSS 0-49 10/24 Mattawan Dickinson Stadium LOSS 22-48** ** Freshman and JV each played a half of a combined JV/Freshman game, JV scoring MAT 40, SJ 0 2013 St. Joseph Freshman Head Coach: Bob Baumgartner Date Opponent Location Time/Result 8/28 Coldwater Cardinal Field WIN 32-12 9/5 Battle Creek Harper Creek Dickinson Stadium LOSS 26-27 9/12 Lakeshore Al Stockman Stadium LOSS 20-21 9/19 Portage Northern McCamley Field WIN 47-18 9/26 Niles Viking Field WIN 33-22 10/3 Kalamazoo Central Dickinson Stadium LOSS 3-13 10/10 Benton Harbor Dickinson Stadium WIN 21-0 10/17 Portage Central McCamley Field LOSS 7-31 10/24 Mattawan Dickinson Stadium LOSS 22-49** ** Freshman and JV each played a half of a combined JV/Freshman game, Freshman scoring SJ 22, MAT 8 2013 Upton Middle School 8 th Grade - Head Coach: Chad Sharkey Date Opponent Location Time/Result 9/11 South Haven-Baseline Koontz Field WIN 33-0 9/18 Benton Harbor Filstrup Field WIN 34-12 9/25 Paw Paw Koontz Field WIN 27-12 10/9 Niles-Ring Lardner Koontz Field WIN 34-0 10/16 Lakeshore Al Stockman Stadium WIN 30-20 10/22 Edwardsburg Dickinson Stadium WIN 30-6 2013 Upton Middle School 7 th Grade Head Coach: Ron Hart Date Opponent Location Time/Result 9/11 South Haven-Baseline Koontz Field WIN 14-6 9/18 Benton Harbor Filstrup Field WIN 30-26 9/25 Paw Paw Koontz Field LOSS 6-20 10/9 Niles-Ring Lardner Koontz Field WIN 42-21 10/16 Lakeshore Al Stockman Stadium LOSS 7-12 10/22 Edwardsburg Dickinson Stadium LOSS 14-20 HIGH SCHOOL HOME GAMES ARE PLAYED AT DICKINSON STADIUM AT ST. JOE HIGH SCHOOL. MIDDLE SCHOOL HOME GAMES ARE PLAYED AT KOONTZ FIELD AT UPTON MIDDLE SCHOOL, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE FINAL HOME GAMES OF THE SEASON WHICH ARE PLAYED AT DICKINSON STADIUM. ST. JOE BEARS GAMEDAY PAGE 22
STURGIS TROJANS AT #7 ST. JOSEPH BEARS DICKINSON STADIUM 2013 MHSAA PLAYOFFS 11/1/13 THE HOME OF THE BEARS Completed: 2003 (11th season) Seating Capacity: 5,300 (3,500 home stands - 1,800 visitor stands) Record Attendance: 7,500 (9/28/07 St. Joseph vs. Lakeshore) (SJ won 21-3) Surface: Natural Grass Record at Dickinson Stadium: 42-17 (.712) First game: September 12, 2003 St. Joseph 34, Kalamazoo Central 13 Press Box Phone: (269) 926-3396 The first Dickinson Stadium In the mid 1940's the St. Joseph School system acquired the title to a 40 acre parcel of f land known as the Dickinson Estate. The areaa is where the current high school now stands. Around that same time the citizens of St. Joseph recognized the needd for a new athletic and recreation area. The St. Joe football team played their games att Wells field (where Jefferson elementary currently sits). There was no parking for the fans, except on the neighboring streets, and the wooden grandstands were in danger of collapse. It was then that the St. Joe residents got the ball rolling for a new facility. After receiving numerous recommendations by various experts, the planning committee, commissioned architect Robert V. Knox to develop the sketches and conceptual drawings of the stadium. The Board of Education would take these plans to the various service clubs around St. Joseph to rally the community involvement in the project, Every group that were presented the plans went on record as supporting it. The voters overwhelmingly passed the $170,000 bond proposal on July 25, 1949 for the new stadium and track. A little over a year later, on September 22, 1950, the original Dickinson Stadium opened. Dickinson Stadium held it's last event on October 19, 2001. In the 51 yearr history of the stadium it was the home to thousands of events, including football games, track meets, soccer games, band competitions, and commencement ceremonies. The new Dickinson Stadium The idea for a new stadium came aboutt when a commission was charged with reviewing and making recommendations on the future of the facilities of the St. Joseph Public School system for the next 30-40 years. After a review of the old stadium it was determined that to bring the stadium's aging and deteriorating steel support and infrastructure up to code would be a very expensive project. The commission visited newly constructed high schools around the Midwest and made recommendation ns for the St. Joe schools, including a new football stadium. In March of 2001 a plan for a bond proposal was presented to the St. Joe taxpayers, which not only included the new stadium, but also a new athletic fieldhouse and other various projects att the high school, and a new auxiliary gym, offices, library and orchestra room at Upton Middle School. The bond issue passed on September 25, 2001, less than a month later, the last game at the old Dickinson Stadium was played and demolition begun. W BATTLE CREEK CENTRAL 2 BATTLE CREEK HARPER CREEK 2 BATTLE CREEK LAKEVIEW 2 BENTON HARBOR 3 COLDWATER 2 DOWAGIAC 1 GRAND RAPIDS CHRISTIAN 1 GULL LAKE 1 JACKSON LUMEN CHRISTI 0 KALAMAZOO CENTRAL 3 KALAMAZOO LOY NORRIX 1 LAKESHORE 5 LANSING SEXTON 1 MARSHALL 3 MATTAWAN 2 NILESS 5 3 4 0 1 Total 42 L TTL PCT 0 2 1.000 1 3 0.667 0 2 1.000 2 5 0.600 0 2 1.000 1 2 0.500 0 1 1.000 0 1 1.000 1 1 0.000 0 2 1.000 0 1 1.000 5 9 0.500 0 1 1.000 1 4 0.750 2 3 0.500 1 6 0.833 1 4 0.750 1 4 0.800 1 1 0.000 0 1 1.000 17 59 0.712 While construction continued during the 2002 football season the varsity team played their PORTAGE CENTRAL "Home" games at Lakeshore's Al Stockman Stadium, Benton Harbor's Filstrup Field and at PORTAGE NORTHERN Bridgman High School. Upton Middle School was the home site for the JV and Freshmen STURGIS teams. The new stadium still has one feature from the old stadium, and that is the electronic WAYLAND-UNION scoreboard/message center that was installed prior to the 1998 season. The scoreboard was dismantled and moved from its previous location to where it currently stands. The stadium now also has an 8 lane running track, the old stadium had 7 and only 6 were useable. The first games were played on Thursday, Septemberr 4th, by the Freshman and JV teams who gave the stadium its first shakedown before the t Grand Opening a week later. The official dedication was prior to the game between St. Joseph and Kalamazoo Central, which St. Joe won 34-13. The pregamee ceremony included a fly-over by a US Air Force A-10 fighter jet. Less than a year after the opening, the new Dickinson Stadium had the honor of hostingg country musicc and TV star Reba McIntyre for a performance benefiting Harbor Habitat for Humanity, The concert was part of Reba's 2004 tour which was sponsored by Whirlpool Corporation. The concert was held in front of a sold out crowd of over 6,500 on July 20, 2004. ST. JOE BEARS GAMEDAY PAGE 232