The Belding football team faced a tough challenge on Friday night at Rudness Field, competing in the Division 6 district final against the undefeated Kent City Eagles. In a closely contested match, the Black Knights ultimately fell short, losing 24-16.
The No. 7 ranked Black Knights, with a season record of 9-2, made their second consecutive appearance in the district finals after a solid 28-14 victory over Ovid-Elsie the previous week. This time, they had the advantage of playing on their home turf, hoping to secure their second championship trophy of the season.
Both teams engaged in a defensive battle that kept scoring opportunities limited. The Eagles managed to secure the win with a crucial late-game score in the fourth quarter. “We were playing a very, very good and athletic Kent City team, who”s obviously undefeated,” said Black Knights head coach Monty Price. “Winning isn”t easy, and they were everything we thought they were going to be. Our goal coming into it was to play at a high level and execute at a high level. Unfortunately, we fell a little bit short in that category compared to Kent City.”
This season marked Belding”s first year competing in Division 6 after previously being in Division 5 due to their smaller enrollment numbers. They finished the regular season third in playoff points, accumulating a total of 57.222 points against a schedule that included teams from higher divisions. Coach Price noted that while the division change did not significantly affect their regular season performance, it provided them with a fresh perspective for the postseason. “Division 5 or Division 6, there”s still a lot of good football teams out there,” he commented. “Regardless, you”ve got to play well and you”ve still got to execute.”
Despite the loss, the Black Knights had a remarkable season, winning their fourth consecutive OK Silver title. They finished the regular season with an impressive 8-1 record, with seven of those victories coming by margins of 21 points or more. The team”s dominance in the conference was a highlight for Price, who emphasized the importance of winning the conference championship. “That”s our number one goal is to win the conference championship,” he stated. “We”ve won 23 straight in the OK Silver, and we don”t take that lightly.”
The game began dramatically as Belding senior Jonah Hummel returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, giving his team an early 8-0 lead. However, the Eagles quickly countered, scoring a safety followed by a touchdown to tie the game. The first half concluded with a missed field goal attempt by the Knights.
After halftime, Kent City scored first, taking a lead with a successful two-point conversion. In a thrilling moment in the fourth quarter, Belding”s senior Teegan VanDyken found the end zone, tying the game again at 16 after a successful two-point conversion. However, the Eagles managed to score another eight points in the final minutes of the game, leaving Belding with one last chance to equalize. Unfortunately, a turnover on downs deep in Kent City territory ended their hopes.
Throughout the match, VanDyken totaled 80 rushing yards, and the Knights” defense held the Eagles to just over 200 total yards. “It was a great football game,” Price reflected. “I think our spectators got their money”s worth, and it came down to the last second.” He acknowledged that like most championship games, it came down to a few key plays where execution was crucial, and his team came up just short.
Although the postseason run did not extend as far as they hoped, the Black Knights are optimistic about the future. With a solid group of returning players, including a talented junior class, Coach Price is eager to build on this year”s success. “Our juniors, we”ve got a lot of team speed in that class,” he noted. “Our JV team was 8-1 as well, so we”ve got some young kids down there that have experienced some success. We”re certainly going to have to focus on offseason development in terms of strength and conditioning because they could be pretty dangerous next year.”
