CHARLEVOIX — The season opener is always a mystery.
To many in the stands of course, but also to the coaches who spend every day with the players who ultimately bring in the final result.
So, when Charlevoix head coach Don Jess saw his team come out against East Jordan lacking energy, then fall into a 14-0 hole and later a 22-6 deficit before the half, it was a surprise to say the least.
But at the half, Jess didn’t get after his guys in the locker room, he just asked for one thing.
“I’m not a big yeller or anything like that,” Jess said. “I just wanted to see energy.”
In the second half, the Rayders delivered for their head coach right from the start, going blow for blow with the Red Devils before eventually taking a 36-30 victory.
“I knew it was going to be a close game,” Jess said. “Usually, when we play East Jordan, it is. Give them credit. They came out ready to play and we didn’t play well in the first half.
“It was a good win. I was super happy with how our kids bounced back in the second half. They showed a lot of resiliency.”
For East Jordan coach Adam Grybauskas, watching a 16-point lead vanish in the second half was a tough one to swallow, though he’s no stranger to the rivalry and how things go on the field.
“I’m proud of our kids, proud of how we played,” Grybauskas said. “When you have a tough rivalry game to open the season, it’s going to be like this and it could go either way.”
Here’s where the two got to the final score and what stood out.
Webb plays big earlyPart of the shock to Charlevoix came in the form of returning all-state quarterback William Webb early.
Before the half, Webb racked up three touchdowns and constantly found running room with his vision and toughness.
One of his scores came from around 35 yards out, weaving through the Rayder defense to the end zone.
“The Webb kid is a stud,” Jess said. “He’s tough and he sets up a lot of his runs.”
While he made a few plays in the passing game, his tendency to never give up on a play caught up to him a couple times in the game.
Charlevoix’s Talen Jacobs made a diving interception on a ball thrown into heavy coverage and tipped, then Landon Whisler delivered an impressive second half play, intercepting a short Webb pass that later set up a score and started the comeback.
“I thought our kids gave great effort, obviously if you put 30 points up on the board against a good team, but there were just a few things we didn’t do well,” Grybauskas added.
Charlevoix settles inWhile Webb and the East Jordan offense made plays in the first half, a quiet Charlevoix crowd matched that of the energy along the Rayder sideline.
From Jess’ view, there was too much freelancing from his group early.
“We got away from our fundamentals. We were just trying to do other people’s jobs rather than our own job,” Jess said. “That’s really what we focused on.”
The interception by Whisler set up a Kalen Titus touchdown run that brought the game to 22-20.
East Jordan responded to go up 10 again, but back came Charlevoix, with Collin Jess connecting with Carter Greenacre on a 30-yard touchdown.
After another stop by the Rayder defense, Collin Jess ran in a 32-yard touchdown, leaving EJ defenders in his wake.
“We missed a lot of tackles,” Grybauskas added. “I don’t want to take anything away from their kids because they’re a couple of the better runners we’ll see all year, but we had our chances and missed a lot.”
Jess finished the night with 11 carries for 100 yards and two scores, then competed 7-of-14 passes for 145 yards and a score.
Greyson Warchol added 16 carries for 86 yards and a score, Connor Vondra combined for 96 yards and Titus had 32 yards and a score.
Victory formationWhile he finished the night with just those 32 yards and the score, Titus helped the Rayders bring on victory formation late, picking up a fourth and two inside EJ territory with 2:44 left on the clock.
Titus ran for a tough five yards and the Rayders could kill the clock from there.
“If feels amazing,” Titus said. “The first win always feels amazing. We’ve just got to keep moving on and keep winning.”
Charlevoix (1-0) will next welcome in Boyne City (0-1) on Friday, Sept. 4, while East Jordan (0-1) travels to Oscoda (0-1).
Check back for more on a Rayder player from Friday night.
Reach Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com and follow him on X @DrewKochanny and Instagram @drewkochanny
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Charlevoix erases 16-point deficit to stun East Jordan in second half
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