Minimal movement
St. Joseph held to 88 yards of offense in loss to Portage Northern
By Ben Sanders – HP Sports Writer

ST. JOSEPH — St. Joseph couldn’t get its offense going Friday night in a 16-7 loss to Portage Northern in a Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference West Division football game. The Bears managed just 88 net yards of offense, and had only three at halftime.

“We’ve got to find an answer on offense,” St. Joseph coach Gandalf Church said.

St. Joseph (3-2 SMAC West, 5-4) will have to wait to see if it has another game to find that answer.

The Bears missed out on their opportunity to clinch a share of the SMAC West title and an automatic playoff berth, and will find out Sunday if they are an atlarge selection.

“Now we’ve got to watch scores,” Church said. “Get these guys rallied back, and hopefully have an opportunity to play Week 10.”

St. Joseph fell behind early when Derek Holowasko fumbled on the Bears’ second possession and Torian Jackson recovered for Portage Northern (4-1, 7-2).

A play later, Tyler Amos went eight yards for the touchdown and the Huskies had a quick 7-0 lead.
“You can’t give them seven,” Church said.

St. Joseph had a second-quarter goalline stand, stopping Anthony Tyus at the 1-yard line on fourth-and-goal from the 3. But a play later, the Bears’ Jeremiah Sterling was stuffed in the end zone for a safety, and Northern took the 9-0 lead to halftime.
The Bears looked better offensively on their first drive of the second half. Holowasko carried three times for 27 yards and Sterling rushed four times for 23 yards, setting up a 19-yard touchdown toss from Andy Blomgren to Eric White.

“We had a nice drive there, but you’ve got to have more than one,” Church said. “We’ve got to find a way to move the ball consistently.”

St. Joseph attempted a fake punt on its next possession, with upback Konner Lavanway taking the snap on fourthand- 19. He ran for 18 yards but was stopped short of the first down. The Bears were also called for holding on the play, which Portage Northern declined.

The Huskies then drove 64 yards for a game-clinching touchdown as Amos went in from 12 yards out for the score.

Amos finished with 23 carries for 101 yards and Tyus added nine runs for 62 yards.

“Both those kids are really good football players and they’re underclassmen,” Portage Northern coach Pete Schermerhorn said. “We’re really excited about their future and they’re playing really well for us right now.”

Holowasko led St. Joseph in rushing with 46 yards on 16 attempts. Sterling ran 7 times for 30 yards.

“Our defense played great,” Schermerhorn said. “Holding them to three yards and putting some points on the board was huge in the first half. I thought they responded after St. Joe’s first drive in the second half again, buckled down and played some dominant football.”