By TOM NYHUIS
Niles Daily Star

BRIDGMAN – Senior leadership gave the Buchanan Bucks varsity football team its first win of the season Friday evening at Bridgman with a 26-0 Lakeland Conference shutout.
Senior Adam Byrdak, in his first start of the year after having surgery just four days before the season’s first game, scored the Bucks’ first touchdown of the night.

Byrdak punched it in the end zone on the team’s opening 50-yard drive, capped off by a 20-yard burst up the middle breaking through the clutches of the Bee defense.

It was the first of his two scores in the game.

Senior Tyler Ganus picked up a Bee fumble for a 66-yard return score in the third quarter and he also pulled in a 15-yard pass from Bryan Kuntz for his second score of the night in the final seconds of the third quarter.

The Bucks finished the night with 340 total offense led by junior Cordel Johnson’s 149 rushing yards and Byrdak’s 146.

Bridgman was held to just 170 total yards as the Buck defense held the Bee’s out of the end zone.

‘He had some great moves,” Buchanan coach Joe Austin said of his senior running back. “It’s good to have him back with us. He does a nice job running the trap for us. We wanted to use him on defense too but we wanted to ease him in after that surgery. He did a great job and did what we expected out of our captain.”

Buchanan’s fourth touchdown of the night came after senior David Sokolowski intercepted a Bridgman pass setting up the drive at the 23.

Kuntz finished the night 2-for-8 with an interception for the Bucks (1-2, 1-0) and will host Berrien Springs next week in another Lakeland clash.

Buchanan 7 0 19 0 – 26
Bridgman 0 0 0 0 – 0
BU – Adam Byrdak 20 run (Ryan Catalano kick)
BU – Byrdak 11 run (kick failed)
BU – Tyler Ganus 66 run fumble return (run failed)
BU – Bryan Kuntz 15 pass to Ganus (Catalano kick)