Swan Valley at Frankenmuth – – Football – – MHSAA Division 5 District Final – – The Bleacher Denizen – – November 5, 2021 – – by Chuck Krafft

It’s a beautiful day for a drive to Frankenmuth and a beautiful night for football. Tonight, the Eagles from my Alma Mater, Frankenmuth High, will face the Vikings from Swan Valley. Swan Valley has a 6-4 record entering this game.

I’d like to give a special shoutout to Matthew Kelley, one of Frankenmuth’s starting offensive lineman who is out for the season with a knee injury.

After having a great Kern’s bratwurst at the concession stand, I found my was to the pressbox. Frankenmuth has a nice facility. Also, their press box people are really great at providing complete information about runners, passers and tacklers that makes my notes a lot more complete.

After the Frankenmuth Band played the Eagle Fight song, it was time for the National Anthem. The band did an excellent job playing both the fight song and the anthem.

Mason Horwath kicked the ball off to open the game. Sam Barger fielded the kickoff around the 10 yard line and returned it about 24 yards. Frankenmuth started its opening series on its own 34 yard line.

On the games first play from scrimmage, Cole Lindow went around the left end for a big forty-two yard gain before he was stopped by Mark Adams and Travor Grandy. Frankenmuth had a first down in Swan Valley territory on the 24 yard line.

Cole Jankowski took the ball to the left side for a six yard first down gain; Mason Ferrier made the tackle for the Vikings. Cole Lindow took a pitch to the right side for a sixteen yard gain. Frankenmuth had a first down on the 2 yard line.

Cole Jankowski took the ball the final two yards into the end zone for a touchdown. The extra point kick failed. With 10:22 to play in the first quarter, Frankenmuth had a 6-0 lead.

Travis Brenner kicked the ball off to the 10 yard line where Thomas Dezmen fielded it and returned it six yards before Nate Jackson tackled him. Swan Valley started its series on their own 16 yard line.

Dalton DeBeau stopped the Viking first down play for no gain. Lucionno Finley went to the left for a twelve yard second down gain before he ran into Jack Rich and Brenden Marker. Swan Valley had a first down.

Dalton DeBeau and Drew Titsworth stopped the Swan Valley first down run for no gain. Floyd Atwood covered on the Viking incomplete second down pass. Freshman Quarterback Colton Klein passed to Payton Guilbeaux on the left side for a seven yard third down gain. Travis Brenner made the tackle for the Eagles. Drew Kaeckmeister’s fourth down punt was downed by Viking teammate Payton Guilbeaux on the Frankenmuth 39 yard line. Frankenmuth started its next series there.

Cole Jankowski flipped a pass to Hunter Leddy for a sixteen yard gain. Trevor Grandy made the tackle for Swan Valley. Frankenmuth had a first down on the Swan Valley 45 yard line.

Kaidon Achtabowski stopped the Eagle first down run for a three yard loss. On second down, Cole Jankowski faked a handoff and gained twenty-one yards. Payton Guilbeaux made the Viking tackle.

A false start penalty on first down pushed the Eagles back five yards. On the first down replay, Cole Jankowski threw the ball to Hunter Leddy for a seven yard gain. Payton Guilbeaux got the stop for Swan Valley. Cole Lindow went over the left tackle on second down and gained seven yards before he ran into Cody Ueberroth. On the next play, Cole Jankowski broke through several tackles on a nineteen yard touchdown run. Jake Andrews centered the ball, Travis Brenner held the ball and Seth Malmo booted it through the uprights to give Frankenmuth a 13-0 lead with 6:02 remaining in the first quarter.

Travis Brenner kicked the ball off to the 6 yard line where Matthew Stark grabbed it and returned it up the right side for about eighteen yards before Brenden Marker tackled him. Swan Valley started its possession on its own 24 yard line.

Colton Klein we t over the right tackle for a seven yard first down gain. Dalton DeBeau and Michael Carter made the tackle for the Eagles. Lucionno Finley went to the left on second down and gained the three yards his Vikings needed for a first down. Jake Andrews and Cole Jankowski teamed up to make the tackle for Frankenmuth.

Ashton Benkert stopped the Viking first down run for a two yard loss. Floyd Atwood covered on Frankenmuth’s incomplete second down pass. On a third down flea flicker play, Mark Adams threw the ball to Trevor Grandy for a twenty-four yard gain that gave the Vikings a first down in Frankenmuth territory on the 44 yard line. Jake Andrews and Jack Rich made the tackle for the Eagles.

Jake Andrews and Ashton Benkert stopped the Viking first down run up the middle for no gain. Brenden Marker stopped the second down run for a two yard loss. On third down, the Eagles’ Michael Carter recovered a fumble on the Frankenmuth 47 yard line.

On the next play, Sam Barger got past the line and sprinted to the end zone for a 53 yard touchdown. Jake Andrews hiked the ball, Travis Brenner held the ball and Seth Malmo kicked the successful extra point to give Frankenmuth a 20-0 lead with 1:44 to play in the first quarter.

Travis Brenner kicked the ball off to the 9 yard line where Matthew Stark grabbed it and returned the ball about sixteen yards before he ran into Dalton DeBeau and Brenden Marker. Swan Valley started its series on its own 25 yard line.

Travis Brenner covered on Swan Valley’s incomplete first down pass. A delay of game penalty moved the Vikings back five yards and a false start penalty pushed them back another five yards. Cole Jankowski’s timely hit caused a Swan Valley dropped second down pass. Colton Klein completed a pass to Drew Kaeckmeister for an apparent gain, but he was not able to stay in bounds. Drew Kaeckmeister’s fourth down punt was downed by his teammate, Cody Ueberroth, at the Frankenmuth 39 yard line. This was a forty-six yard punt.

Brandon Brandt covered on Frankenmuth’s long, but incomplete first down pass. Carson Knoll earned two yards on a second down run to the right before Trevor Grandy took him down. Frankenmuth completed a third down pass; the ball was fumbled and recovered by Swan Valley’s Drew Kaeckmeister. Swan Valley took over the ball on their own 41 yard line.

On the final play of the first quarter, Ryan Tutt stopped Swan Valley’s first down run for a five yard loss.

After one quarter, Frankenmuth had a 20-0 lead. Swan Valley had a second down with fifteen yards to go on their own 36 yard line.

Jack Rich defended on Swan Valley’s incomplete second down pass. Swan Valley’s third down pass broke down; Sean Coughlin tackled the quarterback for a four yard loss. Drew Kaeckmeister’s fourth down punt was downed by his teammate, Cameron Rankin, at the Eagle 49 yard line.

Cole Lindow gained two yards on a first down run; Brandon Brandt made the Viking tackle. Trevor Grandy and Cameron Rankin stopped the Frankenmuth second down run up the middle for a one yard gain. Cole Jankowski went to the left for a three yard third down gain before Jacob Brocht took him down. Cole Lindow earned five yards on a fourth down pitch to the right to earn a first down. Cameron Rankin made the tackle for Swan Valley.

Cole Jankowski faked a handoff and gained 24 yard before Drew Kaeckmeister stopped him on the Viking 11 yard line.

Cole Lindow spun his way to a two yard first down gain before running into a boatload of Vikings. On the second down play, Payton Guilbeaux and Brandon Brandt forced the Eagle runner out of bounds after a one yard gain. Hunter Leddy gained seven yards on third down; Mason Ferrier tackled him just one yard short of a touchdown.

Cole Jankowski gained the yard Frankenmuth needed for a touchdown on the next play. Jake Andrews centered the ball, Trevis Brenner held it and Seth Malmo kicked it through the goal post for the extra point. With 7:35 to play in the first half, the Frankenmuth lead was at 27-0.

Travis Brenner kicked the ball off to Swan Valley’s Mark Adams, who had to go to a knee to catch the ball on the Viking 18 yard line. Swan Valley started its series there.

Michael CArter and Drew Titsworth stopped the Viking first down run for a one yard gain. Jake Andrews and Dayne Reif stopped the second down run for no gain. Travis Brenner covered on the Viking third down incomplete pass. Drew Kaeckmeister punted the ball on fourth down; Viking teammate Sam Wickham downed the ball on Frankenmuth’s 48 yard line.

Brandon Brandt stopped the Eagle first down pitch to the right for a five yard loss. Cole Jankowski went to the right on second down for a forty-seven yard gain. Tyler DuRussell tackled him on the Viking 6 yard line to prevent a touchdown.

Trevor Grandy stopped the Eagle first down run for no gain. Frankenmuth’s second down run to the right resulted in a one yard loss. Frankenmuth’s third down run earned five yards; however, Eagle Carter Weiss had to dive on a fumble on the one yard line to prevent a turnover. Swan Valley’s line forced Frankenmuth into a one down loss on fourth down. Swan Valley took over the ball on downs on its own 2 yard line.

Cole Jankowski and Brenden Marker teamed up to stop the Viking first down run for a one yard gain. On the next play, Lucionno Finley got throw the line and spun through a tackle to gain twenty-two yards. Michael Carter made the tackle for the Eagles; Swan VAlley was out to their own 25 yard line.

Lucionno Finley gained two first down yards up the middle before Dalton DeBeau stopped him. Michael Carter and Drew Titsworth put a lot of pressure on the Viking quarterback to force an incomplete second down pass. Colton Klein completed a third down pass to Brandon Brandt, but Sean Coughlin, Dalton DeBeau and Cole Jankowski were there to stop the play for no gain. After a holding penalty pushed the Vikings back to their own 10 yard line, Drew Kaeckmeister punted the ball to the Viking 48 yard line where Sam Barger fielded it and returned it seventeen yards before running out of bounds. Frankenmuth had a first down on the Swan Valley 31 yard line.

Frankenmuth’s first down pass fell incomplete. Cole Lindow gained four yards on a second down run up the middle. Trevor Grandy made the tackle for Swan Valley. Frankenmuth suffered a broken pass play on third down; Maxwell Kerby chased the Frankenmuth quarterback out of bounds for a four yard loss. Frankenmuth attempted a forty-eight yard field goal on fourth down, but it missed. Payton Guilbeaux fielded the ball on the Viking 2 yard line. He gained about seventeen yards before Drew Titsworth and Dalton DeBeau tackled him. With 25 seconds remaining in the second quarter, Swan Valley had a first down on its own nineteen yard line.

Lucionno Finley gained six yards on a first down run up the middle. Dalton DeBeau and Brenden Marker teamed up for the Eagle tackle. On the final play of the first half, Payton Guilbeaux gained seven yards. Jake Andrews and Drew Titsworth teamed up to make the tackle for the Eagles.

At halftime, Frankenmuth had a 27-0 lead.

Frankenmuth’s band came out to entertain at halftime. Under the direction of drum majors Olivia Borsenik and Michael Carter (who took a bit of time off from an active role on the Frankenmuth Defense), they performed their 2021 Marching Show entitled “Queens.” They played “Think” by Aretha Franklin, “Your Song” by Elton John, “Crazy in Love” by Beyonce and “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen. “Your Song” featured a solo by Grant Conger.

Congratulations to the Frankenmuth High School Marching Band on a strong halftime performance! As your Bleacher Denizen is also a professional musician, it’s great to have a chance to salute young people performing music well.

For those of you who may be curious about my music, here is a link to a recent original song I have put on You Tube.

To open the second half, Frankenmuth’s Travis Brenner kicked the ball off to the 10 yard line; Matthew Stark fielded the ball and returned it about eighteen yards before Nate Jackson stopped him. Swan Valley started its series on their own 28 yard line.

Ryan Tutt and Cole Jankowski teamed up to stop the Viking first down run for a one yard gain. Lucionno Finley gained two yards on second down before Jake Andrews and Cole Jankowski teamed up to take him down. Travis Brenner and Ryan Tutt stopped the third down play for a one yard gain. Drew Kaeckmeister punted the ball to the Frankenmuth 38 yard line where it was fielded by Jack Rich and returned about eleven yards before Maxwell Kerby tackled him. Frankenmuth started its series on its own 49 yard line.

Cole Jankowski went up the left tackle and gained eleven yards; Payton Guilbeaux made the Viking tackle. Frankenmuth had a first down in Swan Valley territory on the 40 yard line.

Carson Knoll’s first down run gained two yards; Cody Ueberroth got the tackle for Swan Valley. Cole Jankowski’s second down run up the middle was good for seven yards before he was halted by Mason Ferrier. Sam Barger gained the three yards the Eagles needed for a first down on the next play. Daniel Pangborn made the tackle for Swan Valley.

Cole Jankowski went to the left for twelve yards and another Frankenmuth first down. Payton Guilbeaux made the tackle for Swan Valley.

Cole Lindow gained four yards around the right end on first down; Maxwell Kerby made the tackle for Swan Valley. Cole Lindow went to the left for eight yards to give Frankenmuth a first down on the Swan Valley 4 yard line. Payton Guilbeaux made the tackle for the Vikings to prevent an Eagle touchdown.

Cole Lindow got into the end zone on first down, but an Eagle holding penalty pushed the ball back to the 14 yard line. Drew Kaeckmeister’s hard, timely hit caused a dropped Eagle pass on the first down replay. Cody Ueberroth stopped the Frankenmuth second down run for a one yard loss. Hunter Leddy took the ball to the right and made a great cut to the middle for a nine yard gain; Mason Ferrier made the tackle for Swan Valley. On fourth down, Seth Malmo kicked a twenty-eight yard field goal to give the Eagles a 30-0 lead with 4:50 to play in the third quarter.

Travis Brenner kicked the ball off to the 16 yard line where Matthew Stark gained about six yards before Jake Andrews and Nate Jackson tackled him. Swan Valley started its series on its own 22 yard line.

Floyd Atwood covered on the Viking incomplete first down pass. Lucionno Finley went to the left for a seven yard second down gain. Dalton DeBeau made the tackle for Frankenmuth. Michael Carter sacked the Viking quarterback for a six yard third down loss. On fourth down, Drew Kaeckmeister’s punt was downed by Cody Ueberroth on the Frankenmuth 22 yard line. This was a thirty-nine yard punt.

On the next play, Cole Lindow got past the line of scrimmage and outraced everyone for a seventy-eight yard touchdown. After Seth Malmo booted the extra point, Frankenmuth had a 37-0 lead with 2:35 remaining in the third quarter.

The Frankenmuth kickoff went out of bounds. Swan Valley was awarded the ball on their own 35 yard line.

Colton Klein went to the right side for an eight yard first down gain. Jake Andrews got the tackle for the Eagles. Tyler Drain gained first yards on a second down run through the middle. A false start penalty cost the Vikings five yards. On the final play of the third quarter, Drew Kaeckmeister’s punt was fielded by Sam Barger, who fielded the ball and got out to the Eagle 31 yard line before Sam Wickham stopped him.

After three quarters, Frankenmuth had a 37-0 lead. Frankenmuth had the ball and a first down on their own 31 yard line.

Aidan Hoard gained two yards on a Frankenmuth first down run to the left. Trevor Grandy made the tackle for Swan Valley. Aidan Hoard dragged a number of tacklers nineteen yards on second down before Drew Kaeckmeister and Brandon Brandt stopped him. Frankenmuth had a first down on the Swan Valley 48 yard line.

On the next play, Mason Ferrier recovered a fumbled Eagle pitch on the 50 yard line.

Tyler Drain’s first down run gained two yards before he ran into Travis Brenner and Ryan Tutt. Matthew Stark ran to the right for a five yard second down gain before Hunter Bernthal stopped him. Griffin Barker and Barrett Rowden stopped the Viking third down run for no gain. Matthew Stark gained six yards on fourth down before Hunter Bernthal tackled him. Swan Valley had a first down on the Eagle 37 yard line.

Matthew Stark gained five yards on a first down run to the right. Hunter Bernthal and Colin Main made the tackle for Frankenmuth. Hunter Bernthal and Darren Agans collaborated to stop the Swan Valley second down run for a one yard loss. Barrett Rowden and Griffin Barker teamed up to stop the Viking third down run for a two yard loss. Colton Klein completed a fourth down pass to Drew Kaeckmeister on the right for a twenty-two yard gain to give Swan Valley a first down on the Frankenmuth 13 yard line. Jared Watchhorn made the tackle for the Eagles.

Matthew Stark went to the left for a five yard first down gain. Griffin Barker and Colin Main made the tackle for Frankenmuth. Matthew Stark went to the left for a four yard second down gain; Carson Knoll got the stop for the Eagles. On the next play, Tyler Drain went to the left for a four yard touchdown. After Ethan Brooks made the successful extra point kick, Frankenmuth’s lead was at 37-7 with 3:35 left on the game clock.

Mason Horwath boomed his kickoff into the end zone. Frankenmuth got the ball on its own 20 yard line.

Jonah Sholten took a pitch to the right side for a two yard first down gain. Payton Guilbeaux made the Viking tackle. Tyler DuRussel stopped Frankenmuth’s second down run for a two yard loss. Aidan Hoard ran through the middle for an eleven yard third down gain to earn a first down for his Eagles. Sam Wickham made the tackle for Swan Valley.

Aidan Hoard gained two yards on first down; Jack LaDouce got the tackle for Swan Valley. Frankenmuth suffered a bad snap on second down; Mason Ferrier stopped the play for a three down loss. On the final play of the game, Frankenmuth gained six yards.

Frankenmuth won the game 37-7 and will play Kingsley in next weekend’s Regional Final.