GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Showing up to the stadium 10 minutes before kickoff isn’t a good precursor to a quarterback’s first varsity start, but South Christian’s Carson Vis had a good reason for his late arrival to the Sailors Week 1 game at Grand Rapids Christian on Friday.
The junior signal caller delivered the best man speech for his newly wedded brother, Peyton, shortly before kickoff, then bolted from the reception, changed into his compression gear in the car, threw on his pads in the locker room and made it on the field just in time for South Christian to start the game’s first series.
“He literally got here to the game as I was given our pregame speech,” South Christian head coach Danny Brown said. “He said before the game, ‘Hey, coach, don’t worry about me. We’re going to go out and score.’”
In his first start at quarterback since freshman football, Vis delivered on that promise guiding South Christian on a methodical march that spanned much of the first quarter, capped with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Jake Vermaas.
“It wasn’t a pretty first drive, but we found a way, and if anybody can handle that, Carson would be the guy,” Brown said.
That opening sequence continued an unforgettable day for Vis and sparked a record-setting performance from South Christian, which set a school record for points in a game with its 66-42 win over GR Christian.
PHOTOS: See our gallery from the South Christian at GR Christian game
Vis accounted for six total touchdowns – five through the air and one on the ground – and finished with 326 yards on 12 of 14 passing, while adding 57 yards on 11 carries.
Not bad for a guy that barely arrived on time for his first varsity quarterback start.
“It was crazy, but I didn’t want to miss the game,” Vis said. “It’s obviously a family thing with my brother’s wedding, and I love my family, so I was there all day, gave my speech, then left.
“It’s hard to not be there for my brothers and my friends here. It’s such a close team, and I just love to be around them.”
Brown said he learned of his quarterback’s schedule conflict in February, and after he earned the starting spot over senior Noah Funk and sophomore Kayd Coffman, it was a matter of coming up with plan to ensure Vis could be there for his family, while also arriving at Eagles Stadium in enough time to have an impact in the rivalry game.
“We knew it was coming, and obviously, family is important, and being the best man in his brother’s wedding is a unique thing, so ultimately, he had to make a decision if he was going to sit or not,” Brown said. “He decided to do his due diligence there, then came to play football and hang out with his buddies. We prepared for that all week, and it was definitely a unique situation.”
As a sophomore, the 6-foot-3 Vis caught 47 passes for 573 yards and 14 touchdowns during South Christian’s run to the Division 4 state title, then played a big role in the Sailors reaching the Division 2 basketball championship game.
Those experiences convinced Brown that his junior quarterback could handle such a hectic day.
“He has played in big games, obviously with that run last year, and then him being the basketball player he is,” he said. “The kid is competing year-round. I think some kids, you’d get nervous about that, but honestly, it was never a question about whether he could handle it. I just knew once he got out here and the lights were on, he’d be fine. Him being Carson would just take over.”
Vermaas was Vis’ top target, finishing with four catches for 113 yards and two touchdowns, while James VanderArk added three grabs for 114 yards and two more scores. Austin Tiesma (2 catches for 53 yards) and Tanner Raak (1 for 33) also found the end zone once apiece.
Charlie Schreur led South Christian’s ground game with 71 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries, and Jackson Haik added eight totes for 45 yards.
Vermaas also made a big special teams play with a 46-yard punt return touchdown that gave South Christian an 18-0 second-quarter lead.
GR Christian responded to Vermaas’ punt return with a touchdown return by Ben Toly on South Christian’s ensuing kickoff to make it an 18-7 game, but the Sailors extended their lead to 30-7 thanks to a pair of Vis scoring strikes.
GR Christian appeared ready to take some momentum into the halftime locker room, when quarterback Isaiah Caviness found Jude Klunder for an 18-yard touchdown with 25 seconds left in the second quarter, but South Christian responded with a long pass from Vis to Vermaas, followed by a 5-yard quarterback sneak into the end zone on the last play of the first half to give the Sailors a 36-14 advantage.
South Christian extended its lead to as many as 29 points in the second half, but GR Christian refused to go quietly into the night, as Caviness threw two touchdown passes and ran for two more after the break.
“We came out here, and we didn’t go away, so I’m proud of them for responding and having a second half where we didn’t just lay down,” GR Christian coach Rueben Riley said. “As a coach, as much as I want to fix, I’ve got to be proud of my boys for not going away. The score kind of reflects a thrashing, and respectfully so, because that’s a good football team, but they didn’t go away, and I’m proud of them for that.”
Caviness, who started at running back in 2022 before missing much of the season with an injury, finished with 230 yards and three touchdowns on 16 of 24 passing, while adding 98 yards and two scores on 13 carries. Jude Klunder caught seven passes for 77 yards and two scores, while Malachi Hooser made three grabs for 92 yards, including a 77-yard touchdown.
“I’m proud of Zay,” Riley said. “That’s my starting running back from last year, and for him to take on the challenge after losing a couple quarterbacks (to transfer) and say, ‘I’ll be whatever my team needs me to be,’ I couldn’t be more proud of him, and I’m just hoping for a very successful season for him, regardless of our win-loss total because that’s a man that has great character, and I just want to see him play football for a long time.”
South Christian looks to keep things rolling next week against East Grand Rapids, while GR Christian tries to get back on track at Fruitport.
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