Recap by Mr. Harding's Journalism & Yearbook newsroom
Onekama football kicked off its season on August 29 against Whittmore-Prescott and continued its season this past Saturday, September 7, against #1 Marion. The Portagers got off to a 1-0 start on the season with a 30-8 victory against Whittmore-Prescott, and outperformed expectations in the first half against Marion before falling 44-8 to the back-to-back state finalists. Today, we'll break down each game, and look ahead to the team's week three matchup.
Game 1: Onekama 30 (1-0), Whittmore-Prescott 8 (0-1)
The Portagers began their season facing the Whittmore-Prescott Cardinals, who traveled 127 miles and over 2.5 hours to play Onekama. The team was greeted by a dynamic Portager attack; junior Nathaniel Barnett, joining the team following the closure of Manistee Catholic Central, led the team in rushing attempts with 10 rushes for 61 yards. Junior Tyler Hart, meanwhile, lead the team in total rushing yards, going for 81 on the ground on just five attempts, including a 39-yard rush and a touchdown. Junior quarterback Luke Bradford threw for just 39 yards on the day as the team prioritized the rushing attack, but did complete a touchdown pass to senior Hunter Niesen late in the game.
Whittmore-Prescott struggled to get going on offense, not scoring until the fourth quarter when the game had already gotten out of hand. Onekama's defense was led by senior Arden Bradford, who contributed six total tackles, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. Junior Brandon Brindle, new to Onekama from Manistee Catholic Central, contributed six total tackles, as did senior Tommy Marcoux, who also added a sack. Freshman Camden Ickes and senior Davin Sibo each contributed a half-sack on the day, as well.
Game 2: Marion 44 (2-0), Onekama 8 (1-1)
Onekama faced a tall task this past Saturday at their Warrior game, taking on #1-ranked Marion Eagles. Marion, coming off of back-to-back state title game appearances, The Portagers held tight with the reigning state runner-ups in the first half, allowing an early touchdown but stuffing the two-point conversion to leave the score at 6-0, Marion. The Eagles scored again in the second quarter to extend their lead to 14-0, but Onekama responded with the highlight of their game, a 70-yard pass from junior quarterback Luke Bradford to junior wide receiver Andrew Potter, who also came to Onekama from Manistee Catholic Central.
From there, unfortunately, the game got out of hand in the second-half. The Portagers were only able to combine for 6 combined rushing yards against the stout Marion defense, but managed 159 total yards through the air to Potter, Barnett, Arden Bradford (his second two-point conversion in two weeks), Luke Bradford, and Hunter Niesen. On defense, Junior Tyler Hart contributed his second interception of the year, junior Nathaniel Barnett accumulated an impressive 15 tackles, and senior Tommy Marcoux contributed 12 tackles of his own.
Onekama ultimately lost 44-8, but their efforts dropped Marion in this week's rankings to #4 in the state.
Week 3 Matchup: @ Brethren (Friday, September 13 @ 7 PM)
The Portagers will take on their rival Brethren Bobcats in their in-conference matchup of 2024 this Friday. The Bobcats are 0-2 on the season, having lost their first two games to Muskegeon Heights (48-16) and Sacred Heart Academy (43-26).