Byron Center outlasts Mona Shores, wins district title

NORTON SHORES, Mich. (WOOD) — These teams knew coming into Friday’s game what was at stake.

Both the Mona Shores Sailors and Byron Center Bulldogs went 9-1 in the regular season, with the Bulldogs’ only loss coming to the Sailors in week four in a 14-12 defensive grudge match.

The Michigan High School Athletic Association ranked both teams on top of Division 2, with the winner of Friday’s contest looking to be a favorite by many to make it to Ford Field.

Ups and downs surrounded the night for the Bulldogs, but in the end, they were able to find a way to score a game-winning touchdown from Landon Tungate in the fourth quarter to hang on and defeat the Sailors 30-23.

Three key turnovers and scoring 17 unanswered points in the first half proved to be too much for the Sailors to overcome as the Bulldogs earned the district title, their fifth in school history.

No turnover was bigger than Will Lake’s interception as Mona Shores was driving to tie or take the lead late in the game.

“There wasn’t a lot of emotion. I think our kids expected the game to be like that,” Byron Center head coach Marc Cisco said. “It’s tough on high school kids to stay cool and calm and make plays. Our kids did a great job of that.”

Things started well for the Sailors, as they were able to force a punt from Byron Center on their opening drive. However, things would quickly go south for them.

The Bulldogs got an interception to set them up in good field position, and the Bulldogs didn’t waste time to take a shot deep down field. Landon Tungate threw a pretty ball to a wide open Will Lake, who bobbled the ball but was ruled in bounds for the 21-yard touchdown reception.

After a drive resulting in a field goal, the Bulldog defense would force a turnover on downs and continue to take advantage of the chances they got on offense.

Tungate and company put together a long 12-play drive that ended in a 5-yard Luke Laska touchdown run and gave them a 17-0 lead at halftime.

Mona Shores’ home faithful were stunned, and it sounded like a home game for the Bulldogs as the well-traveled fans let out cheers. The Bulldogs couldn’t have imagined a better start.

“We knew the score wasn’t going to stay that way and it would be a close game,” Cisco said. “Keep doing what we do and no matter what happened, to keep responding. Events happen, and how you respond is going to determine the outcome of it.”

Just when it seemed the unthinkable was achieved, the Bulldogs had more plays go their way. The Bulldogs had a short kick where no Sailors were and they pounced on the ball, taking the first possession away from the Sailors and back in their hands.

Byron Center wasn’t done attacking yet, as on the first play of the drive, Tungate went deep to Laska for a 27-yard touchdown to make it 23-0. The missed extra point was the only Bulldog mistake up to that point.

However, the events that Cisco mentioned began to go against the Bulldogs as the game moved along, and the Sailors would make it more than interesting.

On their first two chances on offense in the third quarter, the Sailors scored two touchdowns and two 2-point conversions to make it a one-score game at 23-16. Sailors quarterback Jonathan Pittman scored the second touchdown on a 17-yard scramble, then powered his way across the goal line for the 2-point conversion to send the home crowd into a frenzy.

Pittman didn’t stop his special second half there, as he would score the 5-yard touchdown for his second of the game to tie it at 23 apiece.

It felt like the game was getting away from Byron Center, and the Bulldogs needed an answer. Tungate said the team never let their emotions get the best of them.

“It got a little scary there for a second, but luckily, we’ve been in games like this before,” Tungate said. “We know what we got to do, and that’s just execute. We found a way to play a good last four minutes, I’d say.”

The Bulldogs’ first play of that key possession started with a large 34-yard completion to Lake to set the Bulldogs up for Tungate’s game-winning touchdown.

Then, Lake proved to make a huge difference on defense as well, with an interception that essentially sealed the victory.

“We always talk about how important our backup guys are on plays out there,” Cisco said. “Third safety, third linebacker, third cornerback, that interception was our third cornerback in on that play.”

It proved to be a winning play.

The Bulldogs will now move on to play Portage Central. The game will be played on Nov. 15 or 16.