EAST JORDAN — East Jordan cruised to 34-6 victory against Frankfort in the first round of the Division 8 tournament Friday night at Boswell Stadium.
Both teams struggled find their groove during the first quarter after a series of bad snaps.
The first quarter ended 0-0.
East Jordan’s William Webb intercepted the ball to start the second quarter. Then carried the ball twice before punching it in for the Red Devils’ first score of the game. The extra point was no good for a 6-0 lead.
“Our coach just gets us in position and we make plays,” Webb said. “We just pounded the ball and let our line do the work.”
Frankfort was in good scoring position several times in the second quarter, but turnovers thwarted the Panthers. Max Beal, Thomas Mayhew and Trace Wynkoop each had fumble recoveries for East Jordan.
All told, the Panthers had five turnovers in the first half.
“We struggled with penalties and turnovers,” Panthers coach Ed Schindler said. “East Jordan is a good team and they are healthy, which they haven’t been all year. They are playing their best ball right now.”
Beal ran in the Red Devils’ second touchdown take make it 12-0 in the second quarter. Webb found Hunter Whiteford in the corner of the end zone for the two-point conversion to make it 14-0.
Late in the second quarter, Webb connected with Wynkoop on an over-the-shoulder catch for a touchdown. The two-point conversion attempt was no good, and the first half ended 20-0.
During Frankfort’s first series in the second half, Wynkoop intercepted the ball and Webb ran in a 21-yard touchdown on the next play. The extra point was good for a 27-0 score.
Frankfort’s Rylan Lewis scored a 63-yard, third-quarter touchdown on a pass from quarterback Jayden Carver for the Panthers’ only score. The extra point kick was blocked.
Beal scored early in the fourth quarter on a touchdown run inside the 10-yard line. The extra point was good for a 34-6 margin.
Frankfort’s quarterback Carver completed 8 for 16 passes for 105 yards.
The Panthers’ Eli Lietaert and Lewis each had three receptions.
Owen Mills led the Panthers with 14 tackles and Carson Gillison had nine tackles in the loss.
“This is really big for us,” Webb said. “We started off 3-3 after week six and then we started coming together and clicking. We ended our season with three wins in a row.”
Both teams came into the contest with 6-3 records. East Jordan (3-2) finished third in the Northern Michigan Football Conference-Legacy followed by Frankfort (2-3).
East Jordan bested the Panthers 25-14 during the eighth week of the regular season at home.
East Jordan faces Glen Lake (8-1) in the next round. The Lakers defeated Mancelona 35-0.