For four straight weeks, Hesperia football has been trying to recapture the spark that got them out to a 2-0 start. For four straight weeks, the Panthers have found themselves on the losing end, with the latest coming at the hands of Ravenna, Friday, Oct. 4.
In a 42-10 loss to the Bulldogs on the road, Hesperia was unable to find consistency enough to take down one of the best teams in the West Michigan Conference (WMC) Rivers.
Ravenna was able to do what they wanted offensively, which has been a theme for the Bulldogs this season. The absence of Hesperia’s starting safety Eli Edens only helped in that respect, as he recovered from a shoulder injury sustained in the Panthers’ loss to Shelby a week prior.
Hesperia’s run game is what usually opens up space for senior quarterback Blake Sayer to make big plays. Against Ravenna, there wasn’t much room to run for the Panthers. Senior running back Skyler Stalbaum took 14 carries for 35 yards while Sayer had five carries for 33 yards.
Sayer went 11-for-21 through the air with a touchdown to boot, but struggled keeping the ball out of the Bulldogs’ hands. Ravenna snagged two interceptions on the night.
Panther senior Ian Fox had a big night at receiver, hauling in nine catches for 127 yards and a touchdown. Thor Klaus followed behind with two catches for 15 yards.
Stalbaum led Hesperia with nine tackles while Klaus had eight. Ryan Fuentes, Dom Rivera and Sayer all had four tackles and Zach Loughridge came down with an interception.
The Panthers fell to 2-4 overall with the loss and are now 1-3 in the WMC Rivers. Hesperia will be on the road again this week as they take on Mason County Central in Scottville, Friday, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m.
