Balanced attack leads Bears over Knights
Jackson, Jones, and Rush contribute to Bears win

(Kalamazoo) – Thanks to a long layoff in the series with Loy Norrix, the Bears gained their first victory at Kalamazoo Loy Norrix since 1996 as the Bears defeated  the Knights 42-0 on Friday Night.  The realigned Big 16 schedule provided a 7 season layoff between games between the two former Big 8 Conference rivals.  St. Joe had not played a game against Norrix since 2002 and had not won since 1996.  

The game started out sloppy for both teams, St. Joe drove into Norrix territory but Jeremy Rush's pass attempt was intercepted, by Norrix's Terrance Carver, however the Bears quickly got back and caused Carver to fumble the ball and the Bears got the ball back on the same play.  The Bears would then complete what they started as Jamaal Jackson scored on a 5 yard run to put the Bears up 7-0.

Norrix would get into St. Joe territory on their next drive but were forced to punt the ball away.  The Bears would cap off another TD drive when Rush threw a 25 yard touchdown pass to a diving DeVonte Jones in the end zone, which gave the Bears a 14-0 lead.

St. Joe's defense would set up the offense after Mike Case intercepted Norrix QB Zack Rickli. Five plays later Jamaal Jackson ran for a 61 yard touchdown to put the Bears up 21-0 going into halftime.

The Bears would take a 28-0 lead on the first possession of the second half as Jackson scored his third touchdown of the game from 5 yards out.

Norrix's offense would continue to struggle to move the ball and were forced to punt once again, but after fumbling and losing a punt earlier in the game, returner Devonte Jones redeemed himself by returning the punt 70 yards for a touchdown.  With the Bears now up 35-0, the rest of the game would be played with the MHSAA mercy rule in place.

Loy Norrix Coach Sean Bergan's team was not giving up and trying to get back into the ball game, but the Bears provided the nail in the coffin on the Knights.  After Sean Guinane took over as quarterback in the second quarter, reserve quarterback Jeremy Rush would get playing time on defense.  Rush would intercept a pass from Rickli and return it 55 yards for a touchdown.  Rush became the first St. Joe player to return an interception for a touchdown since Tim Hand's 44 yard interception return in the 1997 playoffs against Grand Rapids Catholic Central.

Rush also became the first St. Joe player to throw for a touchdown pass and return an interception for a touchdown in the same game.

In all, the Knights' turned the ball over five times, with four of them coming by way of interceptions (Mike Case, DeVonte Jones, Jeremy Rush, Ty Taylor)

Because two of the Bears scores came on defense or special teams, the Bears were only able to compile 281 yards of total offense, but the Bear defense limited the Knights to just 126 yards.  The Bears also did not have to punt during the game.

The Bears are on the road for the fourth time in five weeks as the Bears visit Filstrup Field on Friday for a game with the Benton Harbor Tigers.  The Bears will face former St. Joe assistant coach Larry Jackson, who served three seasons on the Bears staff.  He also is the father of St. Joe running back Jamaal Jackson.


SCORING SUMMARY

St. Joseph    7 14 21 0 – 42
Loy Norrix    0  0  0 0 –  0

SJ – Jamaal Jackson 5 run (Josh Akins kick)
SJ – Devonte Jones 25 pass from Jeremy Rush (Josh Akins kick)
SJ – Jamaal Jackson 61 run (Josh Akins kick)
SJ – Jamaal Jackson 5 run (Josh Akins kick)
SJ - Devonte Jones 70 yard punt return (Josh Akins kick)
SJ – Jeremy Rush 55 yard interception return (Josh Akins kick)

Elsewhere around the Big 16

Lakeshore 44, Benton Harbor 6 - Filstrup Field, Benton Harbor
Lakeshore jumped out to a 21-0 lead after the first quarter thanks to two interceptions that gave the potent Lakeshore offense with a short field while quarterback Eric Lemon threw for four touchdown passes in Lakeshore's 44-6 road win at Benton Harbor
Portage Central 43, Niles 8 - Viking Field, Niles
Portage Central's Spencer Munson had 137 yards rushing with three touchdowns, he also intercepted three passes, and ran one of those three back for a touchdown as Portage Central defeated Niles 43-8.
Portage Northern 46, Mattawan 23 - McCamley Field, Portage
Ben Hutchins had 307 all-purpose yards, including 120 yards rushing and a touchdown. While his brother Antonio had two TD's of his own as the Huskies beat Mattawan 46-23
Jackson Lumen Christi 42, Battle Creek Central 7 - Withington Stadium, Jackson
Rafe Bellers had two touchdowns, Maurice Jones added three TD's, and Michael Cremeans contributed a 48-yard run as the Titans built a 42-0 lead at halftime and coasted to a 42-7 over Battle Creek Central.  Chris Ridley scored Battle Creek Central’s lone touchdown.
Marshall 45, Battle Creek Lakeview 16 - Marshall Stadium, Marshall
Jamar Wimberly had 259 yards rushing and three touchdowns while the Redhawks defense limited Lakeview to just 28 net rushing yards in Marshall's 45-16 win over Battle Creek Lakeview. Lakeview quarterback Joe Adamson passed 8-of-11 for 155 yards and two touchdowns.
Battle Creek Harper Creek 53, Sturgis 0 - Trojan Field, Sturgis
Harper Creek scored eight unanswered touchdowns including 3 touchdown passes from Jeremy Mann to Mike McKenzinie in Harper Creek's 53-0 win at Sturgis. The Beavers scored on eight of nine possessions in the lopsided win
Kalamazoo Central 40, Coldwater 14 - Thomas Stadium, Kalamazoo
Jordan Zwart threw two touchdown passes, had a rushing touchdown, and had a touchdown reception in the Maroon Giants 40-14 win over Coldwater.  Robert White had a touchdown run and reception for Coldwater

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