BENZONIA — No baseballs were used in Friday’s battle between the Elks and Huskies and Benzie Central. But the final score seemed more appropriate for the diamond than the gridiron.
Elk Rapids’ and Benzie Central’s defenses played a part in making it a low-scoring game as the Huskies emerged victorious by a 7-2 final.
The Huskies (0-1) and Elks (1-0) combined for five turnovers in the first half with a halftime score of 7-2. In the second half, neither team had any home run plays, but the Elks walked away with the victory with the help of their defense.
Friday’s win was the first win for the Elks over the Huskies since their 20-14 win in 2017. Despite the win, the Huskies have a 14-10 lead in the head-to-head.
“I brought in a new defensive coordinator this year, and he’s been working the boys,” Elk Rapids head coach Nate Brutte said. “We also brought in some new additional coaches to support him, and we’ve been dialed in and ready to compete.”
The Elks came ready to compete at the start of the whistle, besides having some bumps and bruises in the first half. On the second play of the quarter, the Huskies forced a fumble and would capitalize on the turnover.
After a brief exchange of possessions, neither team reached the end zone in the first quarter, but the Elks left the quarter forcing a fumble on junior running back Mason Childs after he ran for a big gain.
The Elks started the second quarter with possession at their 5-yard line. Senior running back Domenico Fortuna ran for 3 yards to put the Elks’ at the 3-yard line, but senior quarterback and first-time starter Braden Fluty was sacked to push his team back to the 11-yard line.
Fluty pulled off a nifty pitch to senior Joel Darin on 4th-and-10 for the only touchdown of the game to put the Elks ahead 7-0 with 10:13 remaining in the half.
Benzie Central had chances to score in the first half, but miscommunication and turnovers played a role.
Elk Rapids wasn’t perfect either. After forcing the Huskies to punt that pinned them deep inside the 10-yard line with less than 3:30 remaining, the Elks couldn’t get any positive yardage after two tries. By the third down, the Huskies drilled Fluty into the end zone for two points.
“The kids played hard on that side of the ball,” Benzie Central head coach Jason Katt said. “They pursued on that side of the ball.”
Despite forcing a safety, the Huskies couldn’t punch it in for a score before going into halftime.
The Huskies’ offense showed some splash plays throughout the second half, but they were dominated by the Elks’ defensive line stood their ground and made Huskies’ quarterback Rowan Zickert’s first start at the position difficult.
“Like anything, it’s a breakdown. One player here and one player missed an assignment there,” Katt said. “We collectively are taking the blame for this. All of us as coaches and players.”
Elk Rapids didn’t show much promise on the offensive side of the ball in the second half. Anytime the Elks’ moved the ball down the field, it would result in a punt and the Huskies would do the same.
In the fourth quarter, the Huskies gained a little momentum with under two minutes remaining. The Huskies were granted a pass interference penalty at their 36-yard line, and after several miscommunications that set the Huskies for a 4th-and-24, Zickert threw a Hail Mary close enough for a first down.
With momentum swinging in Benzie Central’s favor after throwing another incomplete pass, he followed up with an interception that sealed the game for the Elks.
“We made it hard for Central to move the ball,” Darin said.
Darin went as far as giving the Huskies credit for having a solid team last season but added if the team last year were in this position and saw the Huskies score, the game would’ve had a different outcome.
“This year, we have a new team and we understand what it takes and we were ready to keep doing whatever it took to get that win,” the sophomore middle linebacker said.
The Elks’ defense looks to continue their success at home against Boyne City on Friday.
The Huskies look to turn their season around in Week Two when Lansing Eastern comes to town on Sept 7.