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EDWARDSBURG — Vicksburg’s passing attack gave host Edwardsburg fits to say the least in Friday’s 43-30 Division 4 playoff win at Leo Hoffman Stadium. 

The Bulldogs, who also topped the Eddies 38-35 in the regular-season matchup between the two Wolverine Conference foes, improved to 6-4 and advanced to host Three Rivers (6-4) in next Friday’s district championship at 7 p.m.

Edwardsburg sophomore halfback Giovanni Orue scored twice in the third quarter on runs of five and one yard to help the Eddies (6-4) erase a 21-8 halftime deficit and grab a 22-21 lead with 5:23 left in the period. Sophomore place-kicker Logan Kovach was successful on both of the Eddies’ PATs. 

The Eddies’ momentum was short-lived, however, as Vicksburg went back in front 29-22 on Easton Moughton’s 11-yard scoring toss to Maguire Bowles with 3:11 left in the third. 

Vicksburg increased its advantage to 36-22 with 11:21 left in the fourth quarter on Moughton’s seven-yard TD pass to Travis Hostetler. Senior Mitchell Beyer booted both PATs for the Bulldogs after each of those scores. 

“We couldn’t sustain that lead due to the same kind of lack of consistency that we’ve shown all season. There have been moments this year that we have looked really good and at other times we stall out. This team just couldn’t afford to not play with great effort all the time,” Edwardsburg head coach Dan Purlee said. 

The Bulldogs would find the endzone one more time with 5:22 to go in  the contest on Moughton’s 34-yard scoring toss to Hostetler. Beyer added the final PAT. 

Edwardsburg’s final score of the contest came on senior fullback Alex Rudolph’s four-yard blast. Myers added the conversion run.

Vicksburg got a pair of first-quarter TDs to build themselves an early 14-0 advantage. Moughton hooked up twice on scoring tosses of 10 and 33 yards to Hostetler. Beyer booted both PATs. 

Cameron Hayden raced 15 yards to score for the Eddies and junior quarterback Ryland Savoie added the two-point conversion run to lessen his team’s deficit to 14-8 with 0:27 left in the second quarter. 

Vicksburg quickly went to the air and scored as time expired in the half with Moughton, who ended the night with five TD throws and over 300 yards passing, perfectly threading a 53-yard scoring pass into the hands of his junior receiver Graham Kubiak. Beyer added the PAT to give his team a 13-point halftime cushion. 

Vicksburg head coach Tom Marchese was elated to get this latest win over Edwardsburg.

“We trust our quarterback and three top receivers a great deal. Our receivers made some catches that were unbelievable tonight. Getting an early 14-0 lead on them (Eddies) was very important for us,” Marchese said. “That TD catch at the end of the half was critical for us and kept up our momentum entering halftime. Then Edwardsburg came out and took it too us a bit in that third quarter, but our kids rose up and responded well the remainder of the game. We just regrouped and made some big plays to get the lead back,” Marchese said.  

Purlee praised the effectiveness of Moughton and the Bulldogs’ passing attack.

“I tip my cap to Vicksburg. They are a challenging passing team to defend. They just outcoached and outplayed us tonight,” Purlee added. 

Edwardsburg gained 233 yards on the ground with Cale Myers churning out 88 on 12 carries. Orue added 70 yards in 19 attempts for the Eddies. 

Savoie completed 3-of-6 passes worth 69 yards. 

Edwardsburg was led defensively by Caden DeHart with eight tackles and one pass deflection. Ian Hanson added seven stops for the Eddies while Chase Bessinger racked up four tackles and a pass deflection. Luke Harman had a quarterback sack for Edwardsburg. 

The Eddies, who will return 38 players off its 42-man roster, bid goodbye to four seniors in Rudolph, Myers, Cody Heidt and Adam Wright.

“It was a small group of seniors. I give those guys credit for sticking it out these four years. They really grew up this year and showed a lot of leadership. I appreciate everyone on this team for coming out here and working hard. Football is difficult and we have high expectations for our program. It’s not an easy sport to play so I’m just proud of our seniors for continuing to put in that hard work,” Purlee said. 

Edwardsburg battled several injuries throughout the season with a roster that was thinner than the Eddies are used to. Purlee refused to use that as an excuse though. 

“We have lots of guys returning next season and should be a heavy junior-senior team but we have a great deal of work to do and things to fix. There are a lot of improvements that need to be made,” Purlee said.