Marquette, MI – Perfection for the Lenawee Christian Football team, and a third state championship in four years. The Cougars travelled nearly 500 miles north to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to battle Marion for the Division 2 8-Player State Championship. The game took place on the campus of Northern Michigan University, in the Superior Dome.
LCS quarterback Sam Lutz was spectacular in the senior’s final game as a Cougar. He threw for 350 yards, completing 20-23 passes and three touchdowns. Lutz also ran in two scores for the state’s top-ranked team.
The 36-18 win for Lenawee Christian did not start the way they wanted…as Marion’s Gavin Prielipp returned the opening kickoff 76 yards for a touchdown. A failed 2-point conversion kept the score 6-0 just 9 seconds into the game. The Cougars offense took the field for the first time, making quick work of tying the game. 1-minute 41-seconds after the Marion score, Sam Lutz found Easton Boggs on a 15-yard TD pass. The Eli Brainard extra point made it 7-6 LCS.
That score opened up the flood gates, as the Cougar defense did not allow a single Marion point until the 9:21 mark of the 4th quarter…while the offense put-up 29 straight points. Sam Lutz ran in two scores…one in the first quarter from 7 yards away, the second one in the second quarter from 1 yard away. Max Stamats kicked an extra point on the first TD run, while Eli Brainard was unsuccessful on his PAT attempt. With 6:07 left in the third quarter, Lutz connected with Boggs for his second score of the afternoon from 12 yards away. LCS was unsuccessful on the 2-point conversion. The Boggs TD made it 26-6 Cougars.
With 20 seconds left in the first half, Coach Bill Wilharms decided that on fourth down and long he would send out his field goal unit to try from 32 yards away. The decision turned out to be a good one…as Max Stamats easily split the uprights. LCS went to the locker room up 29-6.
The Cougars only scored once in the second half, a 57-yard touchdown pass from Sam Lutz to Easton Boggs…their third connection on the afternoon. The Eli Brainard extra point made it 36-6 LCS. Boggs lead all receivers in the game, catching 9 passes for 210 yards and three touchdowns. Blake Drogowski had 6 catches for 77 yards.
Marion scored their first offensive touchdown at the 9:21 mark of the fourth quarter…a 30 yard pass from Collin McCrimmon to James Williams. The Eagles scored the final points of the game with 3:51 left. A failed two-point conversion was unsuccessful, making the score 36-18. Lenawee Christian recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock…preserving their perfect season, and their third title in four seasons.
Sam Lutz, Jessie Miller, Paul Towler, Tyler Salenbien, and Easton Boggs anchored a solid Lenawee Christian defense. Miller pulled-down and interception, and Lutz lead LCS with 8 solo and 2 assisted tackles.