Whitehall pulled away late behind another terrific performance from its running game Friday night and dispatched Ludington 47-10, ensuring at least a share of the West Michigan Conference Lakes title, the fourth straight conference crown for the program.
The Vikings (5-2, 5-0 WMC Lakes) wore the Orioles down over the course of the game, mostly with Gavin Craner. The senior running back tore through the Ludington defense for 238 yards on 20 carries, with four touchdowns.
Coach Tony Sigmon said Craner's game Friday was "more workmanlike" than his similarly gaudy numbers from a week prior against Oakridge, where two huge carries of well over 150 yards beefed up his total.
"Credit to our offensive line, we had holes to run through and we were getting anything between 5-20 yards a carry," Sigmon said. "After the first couple of drives, it was obvious that would be a strength for us, so we leaned into it."
The game remained somewhat close early, and Whitehall led just 13-3 at halftime. The Orioles were able to steal a possession by recovering a pooch kickoff, and holding penalties submarined a Viking drive late in the second quarter.
However, Whitehall knew it could command the lines of scrimmage, and continued to do so throughout the second half.
"They had a lot of guys on the perimeter and throwing windows were tight," Sigmon said. "We were able to take advantage of our offensive and defensive lines."
A short touchdown run by Camden Thompson to open the second half made it 20-3 Vikings, and it was smooth sailing from there as Whitehall rang up 459 yards of total offense. Thompson passed for a touchdown and ran for two, accounting for 149 yards in all. Hunter Osborne had a 44-yard touchdown catch.
Defensively, Thompson and Blake English led a balanced effort with five tackles each. Jack Ambrose and Colton Kyser each had a tackle for loss and Doug Verberkmoes recovered a fumble.
Whitehall has two regular-season games left, and while the first is against another WMC Lakes foe (Fremont) the Vikings will be heavily favored to beat, Sigmon said the team can't afford to be unfocused due to its current playoff position.
"We're in that playoff mode right now," Sigmon said. "We have to be. Next week is a really big deal because it gives us a chance to get more playoff points, win the conference outright and get that sixth win. We want to set ourselves up for week 9, but also week 10."
The coach added that he's proud of his varsity team's performance this year but also the growth he's seen from the underclassmen in the program, setting the team up for future successes.
"I knew we could have a good year as a varsity football team this year, but we're also excited for the growth of our entire program," Sigmon said. "We're excited for the success of our team in the coming years. As a head coach, it makes all the difference."
