Gladwin Flying G’s football, district champions after defeating Kingsford

GLADWIN

The sidelines exploded Saturday afternoon with commotion. Screaming fans rattled the metal bleachers as they cheered the Flying G’s to victory over the Kingsford Flivvers 59-25, Gladwin’s first district title in over 20 years.

The clouds loomed over the field, blocking the sun. The wind gusted at a steady rate, affecting the ball, on an otherwise unusually warm day for this time of the year.

Pandemonium erupted, the stands rumbled, and the noise gave Kingsford difficulty communicating, often taking the play clock to its final ticks before getting the snap off. Kingsford found limited success, finding themselves down early in the game, 14-0.

Kingsford’s first score came off a run to the left side of the line by running back Cole Myllyla; a touchdown many thought should have not counted.

“It was just a good time for us to emphasize that you have to play through the whistle,” Gladwin coach Marc Jarstfer said about the play. “Don’t just assume one guy can get him to the ground,” Jarstfer continued.

Wrapped up and taken to the turf by Gladwin linebacker Braden Ritchie at the 13-yard line, many assumed Myllyla was down; however, no whistles sounded to declare the play dead. The Kingsford rusher sprung back to his feet, sprinting 87 yards down the sideline to the end zone.

“I was proud by the way our guys responded to that, marching right down the field and scoring,” coach Jarstfer stated, praising his boys for staying strong. “It would have been easy to hang their heads on that sort of play,” Jarstfer proceeded.

Kingsford continued to pass throughout the remaining three quarters,

finding some success in the air.

“We really have a lot of trust in those guys and put them in one on one situations,” coach Jarstfer stated, praising the talents of his secondary. “More times than not, they will come up and make a play on it,” Jarstfer proclaimed. “That allows us to be pretty firm against the run,” Jarstfer finished.

Gladwin’s defense was sensational against the run. Kingsford rushers failed on several, if not most runs, to produce any sustainable yardage on the ground. The Flying G’s smothered running lanes, closing up gaps quickly.

The Flivvers scored on four of their 10 possessions, attempting two-point conversions on their first three touchdowns. After failing all three times on the two-point conversions, Kingsford opted for a PAT on their final score.

Last week the Flying G’s moved the ball methodically down the field, relying on short gains. That was not the case this week, gaining yardage in chunks with electrifying runs and remarkable passes.

“They were down big last week”.

Coaches echoed those words, consistently reminding their players of Kingsford’s miraculous come from behind victory last week against Kingsley, a game that Kingsford trailed at halftime 30-14.

Gladwin refused to allow Kingsford a second straight victory from behind, returning from halftime leading 41-12. Gladwin received the ball first in the second half, scoring on a one-play drive off an 80-yard run up the middle by Earl Esiline. The Flying G’s scored on three of their four possessions in the second half, outscoring Kingsford 18-13. The only possession Gladwin’s offense did not score any points was their final drive, scoring on the ten straight drives before that. The victory earned Gladwin their first district title since 2000. “There’s a lot of work that went into it. These guys have put in a thousand hours, or more, over the course of four years to put themselves in this position and to have the kind of season they’ve had,” coach Jarstfer replied when asked about winning districts. Gladwin will travel to Muskegon Saturday to face the Muskegon Oakridge Eagles and a chance to return home as regional champions. Gladwin last held the regional trophy in 1998, their first and only regional title in school history.