By Cris Greer, WKTV Managing Editor
Ionia senior Ethan Bowen made the most of his first varsity start at quarterback as he threw two touchdowns and ran for two more in the Bulldogs 44-8 win over home team Kelloggsville Thursday.
Bowen, who filled in for the injured Travis Tucker, Jr., had 101 yards in the air and 82 on the ground.
“He’s one of our captains, a wide receiver and the backup quarterback,” said Ionia coach Chad Rhynard, whose team improved to 1-1. “He did a great job and the kids rallied behind him tonight. I was surprised, but not really surprised. He’s a great leader for us and does what we ask of him.
“I think he was pretty excited for the opportunity.”
Rhynard said once they took a 14-0 lead his team settled in offensively.
“I was happy with the way we ground it out,” said Ryhnard, whose Bulldogs led 28-8 at the half. “We want to possess the ball and gain first downs. Overall, not too many complaints for us.”
Receiver Mason Doty scored two touchdowns for 88 yards total.
Kelloggsville coach Brandon Branch said his team came out and played hard all night long.
“Their mentality, aggressiveness and willingness was all there,” said Branch, whose Rockets fell to 0-2. “Early on, our defense held tough. We fumbled on our first possession and our defense stopped them. If we capitalized on the first two drives it could have gone a different way.
“I’m proud of their effort; they played together and they got after it.”
Cam Townsend scored the lone touchdown for Kelloggsville in the first quarter on an 80-yard pass from senior quarterback Zach Zerfas. Townsend led with 113 yards receiving on four catches.
Despite Kelloggsville’s offensive struggles, Zerfas ended up with 188 yards passing. As a junior last year, Zerfas passed for over 2,400 yards and threw 24 touchdowns.
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