CHARLEVOIX — Charlevoix Coach Don Jess believed in his team at opening kickoff of the Rayders’ Division 7 playoff opener Friday night against McBain.
That belief held throughout the night, including following a Charlevoix touchdown with 19.5 seconds left that brought his team within one on the Ramblers.
Rather than kick the extra point as originally planned, Jess made a change out of a McBain timeout, electing to put his trust into his team’s confidence and go for two.
“I had my mind made up that we were going to kick it, then we got in the huddle and it changed my mind,” Jess said. “If they’re feeling it, they’re the ones playing, so we went for it.”
Unfortunately for the Rayders, nothing is guaranteed in the postseason. Not an extra point, not a two-point conversion and certainly not a win.
Mcbain stopped Charlevoix on the try, then followed with victory formation in a 28-27 win, ending Charlevoix’s season on Kipke Field.
“The play was there, we just had one slip through on us,” Jess said. “I was proud of the kids to battle back at the end. We had a chance to win it there. It was a back and forth game, but they’re a good football team. Give them credit. Our kids played well, they played hard.”
It closed out an 8-2 season for the Rayders, while McBain (8-2) advances within the Division 7 postseason to travel to Menominee (10-0) in a district final.
Friday’s matchup between the Ramblers and Rayders was about as teeter-totter of a night as one can be.
The Rayders opened up a 14-10 lead on a pair of Collin Jess to Carter Greenacre touchdowns, then McBain took an 18-14 lead into halftime, getting there on a score inside a minute to play in the half.
Charlevoix’s Ian Moran delivered a 16-yard score for Charlevoix to put the Rayders up in the third, which was later tied up on a 44-yard field goal by the Ramblers.
After a Charlevoix fumble on their own five-yard line that was recored by McBain inside three minutes, the Ramblers took advantage and took a 28-21 lead.
It was the kind of gift McBain needed in the second half that Charlevoix didn’t give much ground up.
“I thought defensively we had a really good second half,” Jess said.
The passing game, and a couple penalties on McBain, on the final drive for Charlevoix led the Rayders down the field, until Jess found Garrison Sterrett for the game’s final touchdown.
While it might be looked at as such, Jess doesn’t want his team believing the game only came down to that final two-point play. There were certainly others, but not many.
“It was just a couple plays here or there,” he said. “I thought we had them, then they got a big play on us at the end. They’ve got a heck of a field goal kicker obviously too. They had some big boys. We struggled blocking them a bit. That’s probably the largest team I’ve ever coached against.”
While the fans dressed up on Halloween night in the stands, Moran had an Ironman-like showing on the field, with the senior churning out 179 yards and the score on 21 carries, then added seven tackles defensively.
“He’s a special athlete,” Jess said. “There’s a reason he was the MVP of our conference. He can do it all. He runs hard, can catch the ball, on defense too, you don’t want to run his way. He played a heck of a team and had just a tremendous season.”
Greenacre finished with five grabs for 36 yards and the two scores, Collin Jess went 12 of 20 passing for 105 yards and three scores, then Sterrett caught a touchdown and had six tackles, one for a loss. Greyson Warchol also had five tackles, three for a loss.
The Rayders have 10 seniors exit the program, many of which exceeded outside expectations in another Charlevoix playoff season.
“I don’t think a lot of people thought we were going to win eight games this year,” Jess added. “Credit to the seniors and everyone. They really meshed well as a team and unit. As a coach, it’s heartbreaking for it to end with these seniors.”
Contact or send game stats/info to Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DrewKochanny, and Instagram, @drewkochanny