Tag Archives: tri-unity football

Tri-unity uses opportune defense to edge Legends 28-24

City of Wyoming, Sports, West Michigan, , ,
  • (Courtesy, Becky Rillema)
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By Ty Marzean

WKTV Contributor



The Tri-Unity Defenders forced multiple turnovers and stood stout on a late fourth quarter drive to give Lee their first loss of the season in a 28-24 nail-biter on Friday night.

The Legends got off to an early 18-0 lead before the Defenders put up their first score shortly before halftime.


Lee controlled the Defender’s defense with the run game as Clarence Lewis rushed for 201 yards and two touchdowns. Lewis also caught two balls for 80 yards.

A week after throwing a school-record seven touchdown passes, Legends quarterback Anthony Blok threw for 143 yards and one touchdown and added 77 and a score on the ground. 

The key turning points in the game were two costly interceptions by Blok. The first one was caught by Tri-unity’s Zach Tuinstra as he dragged a host of Legends for a couple of yards afterward. Trey Rillema would add the second interception later on.



Tri-unity Coach Tim Heath noted though they came in with an 0-2 record, he has a good football team. 

“We believe that we are a good football team,” Heath said. “We played a great Marcellus team and a NorthPointe Christian team that is almost four times our size. We just needed to keep the faith and execute. It was shaky at first, but a great night for our team.”
 

Quarterback Vergel Heath led the Defenders.

“It really starts with our QB Vergel Heath,” Coach Heath said. “He came out determined towards the end of the second quarter and started to run physically. This sparked us.”

The Defenders also used a fourth-quarter fumble to score what would be the game-winning touchdown. The touchdown drive was led by Defenders backup quarterback Clayton Rowlader as he relieved starter Heath after an injury.

Game ends with Defenders stopping Lee near goal line

The game’s final drive started at the Lee 27-yard line with over six minutes left. The Legends controlled the clock and got to the Defenders 8-yard line with less than a minute remaining to set up the game’s final play. On fourth-and-4, the Legends came up a yard short to end the game.

“Mistakes killed us tonight,” said Lee Coach Lamar Marshall. “Penalties, two interceptions, mental mistakes. Ball security and execution. We had a bad week of practice; a few guys were dinged up. We lost our starting safety Jaden Potts to a concussion.”

Coach Heath: “Hats off to Lee”

“They are greatly improved and played tough,” added Heath, who also coached at Lee from 2008-09. “They were great. We just made plays down the stretch.”

Tri-unity (1-2) hosts St. Joseph Our Lady of the Lake Catholic next week, while the Legends (2-1) host Grand Rapids Sacred Heart in the WKTV Game of the Week. 

Gobles beat host Tri-unity Christian 43-22 in 8-player football Friday

Citizen Journalism, City of Wyoming, Sports, West Michigan, ,


Tri-unity beat Godfrey-Lee 50-30 in the Oct. 14 WKTV Game of the Week (WKTV)



By Zach Fanko, WKTV Contributor

Gobles beat Tri-unity 43-22 in Friday night football to further solidify its 8-player ranking at No.9 in 8-player Division 1.

“Offensively, we had a little bit of trouble getting our run game going, but defensively we were playing really well in the first half; bending but not breaking,” said Gobles Coach Greg Eichler, whose team improved to 7-2 overall. “We have some nice athletes; kept leaning on them.

“Regardless of who we play, we’re excited for a big playoff matchup, and not worried about our opponent, but about getting better.”

(Image Courtesy, Tri-unity Christian)

Tri-unity dropped to 4-5 overall with the loss.

“The announcement of the qualifiers and first-round pairings for both the 11 and 8-player playoffs will take place at 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23, on the “Selection Sunday Show” on Bally Sports Detroit and its website. The playoff qualifiers and pairings will be posted to the MHSAA Website following the Selection Sunday Show.” (MHSAA.)



WKTV Game of the Week

Our Game of the Week airs every Friday night on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 & AT&T U-Verse Channel 99 at 11 p.m. with a rebroadcast on Saturday at 11 a.m. If you don’t have cable, visit our website at WKTV.org to watch the livestream. Watch at home on your Smart TV in brilliant HD.

Tri-unity runs past Godfrey-Lee 50-30 in WKTV Game of the Week

City of Wyoming, Sports, West Michigan, WKTV Featured sports, ,

By Zach Fanko, WKTV Contributor



Tri-unity and Godfrey-Lee lit up the scoreboard on Friday night, as the Defenders scored 22 unanswered points in the second half to pull away for a 50-30 win.



The Legends, seeking their first win of the season, trailed 24-16 at the half and later found themselves down 38-30 before a kickoff return touchdown pushed the Tri-unity lead to double digits for good.



“Had a chance to go up in the first half,” Lee coach Lamar Marshall said. “Ended up throwing an interception into the end zone.



“A couple of drive killers were really the difference in the game.”

Braiden Luurtsema scores one of his three rushing touchdowns. (WKTV)



Braiden Luurtsema and Vergel Heath combined for five rushing touchdowns for the Defenders.



Lee celebrated senior night for its lone senior Elijah Beckwith, who gave the Legends a stirring speech before the game.



“We decided to do something different and let Elijah give the pre-game speech,” Marshall said. “He really lit a fire under our team and they played hard the entire game.”



Beckwith also scored a 65-yard receiving touchdown where he proceeded to break multiple tackles on the way to the end zone.



Anthony Blok added two passing touchdowns and a rushing one to lead Lee.



Tri-unity (4-4) closes the season at home against Gobles.



Lee (0-8) hosts Fennville in its season finale.


WKTV Game of the Week

Our Game of the Week airs every Friday night on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 & AT&T U-Verse Channel 99 at 11 p.m. with a rebroadcast on Saturday at 11 a.m. If you don’t have cable, visit our website at WKTV.org to watch the livestream. Watch at home on your Smart TV in brilliant HD.