Fulton at Kingston – – Football – – The Bleacher Denizen – – November 1, 2024 – – by Chuck Krafft

In the first round of the Eight Man football plays, the Pirates from Fulton are visiting the Cardinals from Kingston! The Cardinals finished third in the Big Thumb conference – Blue Division and had a 7-2 overall record. The Pirates finished in a three way tie for first in the Mid-State Athletic Conference – Red Division and had an 8-1 overall record.

Your Bleacher Denizen made the trip from Lansing to Kingston. While Kingston is some distance away, Carl Nicol, the Athletic Director and Jay Green, the Girls Basketball Coach always are welcoming and I really enjoy coming to Kingston. It was great to have a chance to talk with them before the game. (Kingston’s girls basketball team is coming off an appearance in the State Final at the Breslin Center. They will lose five of their six top players, but will still be a force in this coming season. For those of you who may be curious, here is the play by play of the Cardinals’ state basketball final!)

https://thebleacherdenizen.com/2024/03/23/ishpeming-vs-kingston-mhsaa-division-4-girls-basketball-state-championship-the-bleacher-denizen-march-23-2024-by-chuck-krafft/

Scott Bolsby from the Tuscola County Advertiser and Chris Wilcox are here to broadcast the game on 92.1 FM WIDL. It looks like your Bleacher Denizen will have to be extra careful with his notes now that he is not the only play by play person in the press box!

Also, your Bleacher Denizen drove off without his cell phone after the game, but Mr. Bolsby saw I had left it in the press box and brought it to me when I returned to the field. I owe you a big time “Thank you!!”

Let us now look at the events of this game through the occasionally clear eyes of an Aging Bleacher Denizen whose football career never got off the ground. He was showing some progress as a punishing runner, but when the Football Powers that Be ruled he could no longer use his jet pack to help propel him when he ran the ball, he had to cool his jets!

Parker Billings’ opening kickoff was fielded by Nicholas Cummings near the Kingston 10 yard line. He gained thirty-four yards before Chandler Toth tackled him. Kingston started its first series of the game from its own 44 yard line.

Nicholas Cummings took the ball up the middle for a ten yard gain and earned a first down for the Cardinals.

Nicholas Cummings went to the left for a first down nine yard gain before he ran into Tanner Villalobos. Nicholas Cummings’ second down run gained five yards; Tanner Villalobos again made the Fulton tackle.

Kingston had a first down on the Fulton 33 yard line.

Quarterback Tanner James went up the middle for a four yard first down gain. Parker Hungerford made the Pirate tackle. Kaiden Oliver stopped the Kingston second down run for no gain. Nicholas Cummings gained four yards on a third down run up the middle; Connor Cunningham made the tackle for Fulton. On the next play, Fulton recovered a fumble (I believe it was Jared Akin who got it; it can be hard to tell exactly who recovers a fumble with everyone diving into the scrum.)

Anyway, Fulton had a first down on its own 23 yard line.

Kaiden Oliver gained one yard on a run to the left before Tanner James tackled him. Tanner Colin Corlis stopped the Pirate second down run for no gain. Nicholas Cummings and Colin Corlis got into the Pirate backfield on third down and forced a four yard loss. Kaiden Oliver punted on fourth down. Peyton Reynolds downed the ball on the Cardinal 47 yard line; Kingston started its next series from there.

Nicholas Cummings pounded his way through the Pirate line for a ten yard gain and a first down.

Nicholas Cummings gained three yards on a first down run. Peyton Reynolds stopped the Cardinal second down run for no gain. Parker Billings stopped the Kingston third down run around the right end for no gain. Peyton Reynolds sacked the Cardinal Quarterback for a seven yard fourth down loss.

Fulton took over the ball on downs on its own 17 yard line.

Bradley Scott and Michael Jenkins teamed up to stop Fulton’s first down run to the left for one yard gain. Tanner Villalobos went to the right for a two yard second down gain. Nicholas Cummings made the Cardinal tackle. On third down, Tanner Villalobos passed to Jared Akin for a sixty-three yard third down gain. Nicholas Cummings chased him down and made the Cardinal tackle to prevent a touchdown.

On the next play, Wyatt King took the ball through the middle for seventeen yard touchdown run. Tanner James made a tackle to foil Fulton’s two point extra point attempt.

With 2:07 left in the first quarter, Fulton had a 6-0 lead.

Coltin Kus kicked the ball off to the Cardinal 20 yard line where Nicholas Cummings caught it and made a nice return, but a facemask penalty brought the ball back to the 50 yard line where the Cardinals started their series.

Tanner James went up the middle for a four yard first down gain. Coltin Kus stopped the Cardinal second down run for a one yard gain. Nicholas Cummings gained two yards up the middle on third down. Connor Cunningham made the Fulton tackle. Tanner James completed a fourth down pass to Peyton Herrington for a five yard gain and a first down.

That was the final play of the first quarter. After one quarter, Fulton held a 6-0 lead. Kingston had a first down on the Fulton 38 yard line.

Parker Billings stopped the Kingston first down run for a one yard gain. Nicholas Cummings went up the middle for a four yard second down gain. Nicholas Cummings gained two yards on a third down pitch to the right; Peyton Reynolds got the stop for the Pirates. On fourth down, Nicholas Cummings took a pitch to the left for a seven yard gain and a first down. Coltin Kus made the Pirate tackle.

Tanner James passed to Peyton Harrington for a four yard first down gain; Tanner Villalobos got the tackle for Fulton. A boatload of Pirates teamed up to stop the Cardinal second down run for a one yard gain. A false start penalty pushed the Pirates back five yards. Wyatt King and Connor Cunningham covered on Kingston’s incomplete third down pass. Connor Cunningham covered on Kingston’s long, incomplete fourth down pass.

Fulton took over the ball on downs on their own 35 yard line.

Peyton Harrington stopped Fulton’s first down run for no gain. Tanner Villalobos earned six yards on his second down run up the middle; Payton Harrington made the Cardinal stop. Austin DeRoseau sacked the Pirate quarterback for a six yard third down loss. Fulton punted on fourth down; the punt went out of bounds at the Pirate 38 yard line and Kingston started its next series there.

A first down offsides penalty gave Kingston five yards. Tanner James took the ball to the left for a four yard first down gain. Nicholas Cummings’ second down run to the right earned four yards and a first down before Wyatt King tackled him.

Tanner James charged through the line and broke several tackles on his way to an eighteen yard gain to give the Cardinals a first down on the Pirate 7 yard line.

A fast start penalty moved Kingston back five yards. Nicholas Cummings took the ball to the left for a six yard first down gain; Coltin Kus got the tackle for the Pirates. Tanner James went to the left for a two yard second down gain. Connor Cunningham made the Pirate tackle. Tanner James went to the middle for a three yard third down gain; Connor Cunningham got another tackle for Fulton.

Kingston had a fourth down and needed one yard to score a touchdown. The Pirate line hung tough and stopped the Cardinal run short of the goal line. Fulton took over the ball on downs on its own 1 yard line.

Fulton gained four yards up the middle on first down. (This was a really fast-paced game. Unfortunately, your aging Bleacher Denizen was still finishing up his notes from the last play and did not record who ran or made the tackle. I guess I need to pack some Geritol for the next time I do a game!)

Peyton Harrington forced the second down runner out of bounds for no gain. Tanner Villalobos went to the left and gained ten yards to earn a first down before a flock of Cardinals forced him out of bounds. Fulton had a first down on its own 15 yard line.

Peyton Reynolds passed the ball to Wyatt King for a fifteen yard gain.

Peyton Reynolds then tossed the ball to Parker Billings for a fifteen yard gain to give the Pirates a first down on their own 45 yard line.

Austin DeRoseau stopped Fulton’s first down run for a three yard loss. Tanner Villalobos passed to Parker Billings for a three yard second down gain. Bradley Scott covered for Kingston on Fulton’s incomplete third down pass. Kaiden Oliver punted for Fulton on fourth down. Nicholas Cummings fielded it on the Cardinal 30 yard line and returned it eighteen yards to give Kingston a first down on its own 48 yard line.

On the final play of the first half, Parker Billings stopped the Cardinal runner for a three yard loss.

Fulton had a 6-0 lead at halftime.

Both bands played at halftime. As your Bleacher Denizen is also a profession musician, he loves reporting on band musical performances.

Kingston’s band is led on the field by drum major Carson Zyrowski. The Cardinal band played a rock-infused performance. They did an excellent job with Aerosmith’s “Dude Looks Like a Lady” and Kansas’ “Carry On My Wayward Son.” They finished up with the Cardinal fight song, “Hail to the Victors”! (Yes, it has the same melody as the one that they play in Ann Arbor!)

Fulton’s band then went took the field. They are led by Drum Major Lillian Reynolds. The Pirate band played “Break My Heart” by Due Lipa and “Save Our Tears” by the Weekend.

Both bands did nice jobs on their music! I enjoyed listening to them.

The third quarter began and Fulton still had its 6-0 lead. Your Bleacher Denizen is starting to notice that the third quarter beginning score is always the same as the halftime score. The mind boggles!!

Colin Corlis kicked off to open the third quarter for the Cardinals. The Pirates dove on the onside kick on their own 41 yard line and started their opening second half series there.

Tanner Villalobos appeared to make a long gain, but stepped on the sideline after nineteen yards to give Fulton a first down in Kingston territory on the 40 yard line.

Kaiden Oliver alertly dove on a first down fumble to prevent a Pirate turnover; Fulton lost one yard on the play. Bradley Scott and Michael Jenkins teamed up to stop the Pirate second down run for a three yard loss. Tanner Villalobos went to the right on third down and gained five yards before Peyton Harrington stopped him. Peyton Harrington knocked Fulton’s fourth down pass out of the air.

Kingston had a first down on their own 39 yard line.

Nicholas Cummings took the ball to the left for a three yard first down gain. Parker Billings and Coltin Kus stopped the Cardinal second down run for no gain. Peyton Reynolds covered on Kingston’s incomplete third down pass. On fourth down, Kingston attempted a punt, but a high snap caused a broken play. Coltin Kus tackled the punter for a seven yard loss.

Fulton took over the ball on downs on Kingston’s 35 yard line.

Tanner James stopped Fulton’s first down run to the left for a two yard loss. Tanner Villalobos gained four yards on second down before running into Bradley Scott. Peyton Reynolds passed to Bryson Sattler for an eleven yard first down gain to give the Pirates a first down. Bradley Scott and Michael Jenkins made the Cardinal tackle.

Tanner Villalobos gained two yards on a first down run; Bradley Scott and Michael Jenkins got the Cardinal stop. Peyton Reynolds threw a screen pass to Tanner Villalobos, who gained six yards before Bradley Scott and Michael Jenkins tackled him. Wyatt King ran up the middle for two yards on third down; it took a nest full of Cardinals to take him down.

Fulton had a first down on the Kingston 12 yard line.

Tanner Villalobos went to the right on first down and gained two yards before he ran into Colin Corlis. Tanner Villalobos went to the right for a five yard second down gain; Peyton Harrington got the Cardinal tackle. Bradley Scott and Michael Jenkins worked together to stop the Pirate third down run for a one yard gain. On fourth down, Tanner Villalobos ran over the right tackle for a four yard touchdown.

Peyton Reynolds was chased out of the pocket on the attempted point after pass, but he was able to run into the end zone to earn the two points for the Pirates. With 2:52 to play in the third quarter, Fulton had a 14-0 lead.

Austin DeRoseau dove on Fulton’s onside kick on Kingston’s 49 yard line; the Cardinals started their next series there.

Peyton Reynolds and Parker Hungerford teamed up to stop Kingston’s first down run for a one yard loss. Nicholas Cummings took the ball to the right for a two yard second down gain. Tanner James passed to Peyton Harrington on the right side for an eleven yard third down gain and a first down. Tanner Villalobos made the tackle for Fulton.

Chandler Toth covered for Fulton on Kingston’s long but incomplete first down pass attempt. Tanner James gained two yards on a second down run to the right before he ran into Wyatt King, Jared Akin and Peyton Reynolds. Tanner James’ third down pass was completed to Colin Corlis, who caught the ball in stride and gained seventeen yards before Bryson Sattler tackled him.

Kingston had a first down on Fulton’s 20 yard line.

Colin Corlis went up the middle for a five yard first down gain before Wyatt King took him down. On the final play of the third quarter, Colin Corliss fought his way to a six yard gain and a first down before Coltin Kus and Wyatt King teamed up to stop him.

The third quarter ended with Fulton holding a 14-0 lead. Kingston had a first down on the Fulton 9 yard line.

Coltin Kus and Jared Akin teamed up to sack the Kingston quarterback for a three yard first down loss. Nicholas Cummings zigged, zagged, twisted his turn on his way to an eleven yard second down run to put his Cardinals on the one yard line. On the next play, Nicholas Cummings went to the left for a one yard touchdown run. Michael Jenkins successfully ran for the two point conversion.

With 10:29 remaining in the game, Kingston trimmed the Fulton lead to 14-8.

Michael Jenkins recovered Kingston’s onside kick on the 50 yard line to get possession for the Cardinals.

Kingston appeared to break through for a nice first down gain, but Connor Cunningham recovered a fumble for Fulton at the Pirate 34 yard line.

Michael Jenkins stopped the Pirate first down run for a one yard gain. Logan Wilcox got into the Pirate backfield and stopped their run for a three yard loss. Peyton Harrington’s timely hit caused Fulton to drop its third down pass. Fulton’s fourth down punt went out of bounds on the Kingston 38 yard line where the Cardinals started their next series.

Nicholas Cummings gained seven yards on a first down run up the middle; Bryson Sattler made the tackle for Fulton. Bryson Sattler led a crew of Pirates in stopping the Kingston second down run up the middle for no gain. Nicholas Cummings ran to the left for a four yard third down gain and a Cardinal first down.

Nicholas Cummings went around the right and and gained twenty-eight yards before Bryson Sattler took him down. Kingston had a first down on Fulton’s 23 yard line.

Nicholas Cummings went up the middle and earned five yards before Connor Cunningham took him down. Nicholas Cummings earned nine yards and a first down on Fulton’s 9 yard line on his second down run before Tanner Villalobos stopped him.

Peyton Reynolds stopped Kingston’s first down run for no gain. A holding penalty on second down moved Kingston back to the 17 yard line. A pass interference penalty on the next play brought Kingston back to the 9 yard line. On the third second down play, Nicholas Cummings went to the right for a two yard gain; Peyton Reynolds made the Fulton tackle. Nicholas Cummings went into the middle for a three yard third down gain before the Pirate line stopped him.

With Kingston having a fourth down and goal on the Fulton 4 yard line, each team called a timeout. When play resumed, Nicholas Cummings took a handoff from Quarterback Austin James, faked a run and passed to Michael Jenkins for a four yard touchdown to tie the game. Michael Jenkins made the successful extra point run to give Kingston a 16-14 lead with 3:46 left on the clock.

Colin Corlis attempted an onside kick for Fulton, but Parker Billings was there to catch the ball on Kingston’s 48 yard line; Fulton started its next series there.

A pass interference penalty gave Fulton a first down on Kingston’s 38 yard line.

Tanner Villalobos went to the right for a four yard first down gain; Michael Jenkins made the tackle for Kingston. Tanner Villalobos went to the left for a three yard second down gain; Logan Wilcox led a flock of Cardinals in making the tackle. Peyton Reynolds went up the middle for a three yard gain that gave the Pirates a first down on the Cardinal 28 yard line.

Kaiden Oliver went to the right on first down; he gained four yards before Peyton Harrington halted his progress. Wyatt King went through the middle for a four yard second down gain. Peyton Harrington also made this tackle. On third down, Fulton ran to the right for a two yard gain. (Unfortunately, I was not able to get the runner or tackler into my notes. My apologies.)

Fulton had a first down on Kingston’s 18 yard line as time was starting to wind down.

Kaiden Oliver went to the right for a four yard first down gain; Colin Corlis made the Cardinal tackle. Fulton’s second down pass fell incomplete. Fulton suffered a broken play on third down; this resulted in a holding penalty that moved Fulton back to Kingston’s 23 yard line. Kingston called time out.

Fulton’s pass fell incomplete on the third down replay.

Kingston recovered a fourth down fumble with 13 seconds left in the game. They took over the ball on downs and took a knee for the final play of the game.

Kingston won the game by the final score of 16-14 and will play Deckerville in the second round next week.

Congratulations to Fulton on a strong 8-2 season!!