Brandon’s varsity football team was knocking on the door in the opening minutes of their Sept. 15 game against visiting Corunna.
The Blackhawks were on the Corunna six-yard line with 7:53 left in the first quarter, but a fumble on the center-quarterback exchange led to a Cavaliers fumble recovery and, ultimately, control of the game. The Cavaliers went on to defeat the Blackhawks 21-0, improving to 2-2 on the season while Brandon fell to 1-3.
That fumble was one of eight turnovers the Blackhawks committed during the game, a trend which perplexed Coach Ron Gill.
‘If I knew the answer to that, we would certainly prevent it,? he said. ‘That was very disheartening. We made some mistakes on our part. We obviously can’t make those mistakes.?
Later in the first, Corunna senior tailback Brandon Youngston would run to daylight, scoring a 65-yard touchdown with 2:59 left in the first quarter as the Cavaliers took a 7-0 lead.
The Blackhawks would have trouble holding onto the football throughout the game, as they lost another fumble at the Cavaliers? 34-yard line with eight seconds left in the period. Neither team scored in the second quarter, meaning the Cavaliers maintained their 7-0 lead at halftime.
Corunna scored two more touchdowns in the second half, one on a one-yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Brendan Birchmeier and the other on a 14-yard touchdown run by Youngston.
Gill said the Blackhawks will work to correct the problem in practice.
‘It’s one of those situations where it hasn’t happened in the past,? he said. ‘We continue to move forward.?
With three losses in the season, the Blackhawks face the prospect of having to win their remaining games in order to earn the six victories which would automatically qualify them for the state playoffs. Gill said the team will focus on each week as it comes, starting with the Blackhawks? scheduled Sept. 22 game against Lapeer West, which is 3-1 overall and 3-0 in the Flint Metro League as of press time.
‘Certainly, Lapeer West will be a great challenge and an opportunity for us,? he said.
After that game, the Blackhawks are scheduled to travel to neighboring Oxford Sept. 29 for a game against the Wildcats.
The Wildcats have been a consistent winner for some time, having posted an above-.500 record each season since 1982. Last year, the Wildcats went 5-4.
Currently, Oxford is 2-2 overall and 2-1 in the Flint Metro League, with their most recent game a 10-7 loss to Lapeer West. Last year, the Wildcats defeated the Blackhawks 30-20.