HOLTON — Whitehall suffered a stunning upset loss to Big Rapids Friday night in the district championship game, 28-27.
The Vikings' 32-yard field goal attempt in the final seconds was blocked, ending their state championship dreams.
After
Whitehall finished the first half of the game holding a 21-14 lead
thanks to a touchdown run by Malcolm Earvin, Big Rapids scored a tying
touchdown in the third quarter. The Vikings retook the lead in the
fourth quarter, but missed the PAT.
Whitehall
scored their final touchdown during the fourth quarter when senior
quarterback Kyle Stratton found Earvin in the end zone. The Cardinals
responded with the winning drive. The Vikings were able to work their
way into field goal position before the blocked kick.
“I’m
proud of them and I love them,” said Whitehall coach Tony Sigmon of his
team. “That’s the number one thing. There’s nothing else I can really
tell them to make them feel better right now. Ultimately, we fell short
in a playoff game against a really good football team and that’s the
bottom line. That doesn’t change the way I feel about these kids, it
won’t change the fact that they're frustrated, they’re upset and they
can feel upset. We care about them and we love them, and we’ll be OK.”
Although
the Vikings are again losing a slew of talented senior players,
including Stratton, Trannon Aylor, Earvin and many others, Sigmon looks
forward to next season and has promise in the future of Whitehall
football.
“It’s going to
be positive all the time,” Sigmon said. “We have a lot of great kids in
our program and we’re excited for our future. We’re going to be able to
stand on the shoulders of the seniors.”
