No. 9 Armada extends shutout streak, crushing Richmond to remain undefeated

There’s nothing glamorous about the countless hours high school football players spend in the weight room preparing for the next season.

The glamour comes as the team opens the season with four straight wins and begins the Blue Water Area Conference with three straight shutouts.

That’s the story for Armada, who improved to 4-0 on Friday night with a 42-0 win over arch-rival Richmond.

“We work hard,” senior linebacker Kaleb Vanhoeck said. “Defense is the heart of our program. You can’t lose if you don’t let them score.”

“We put in a lot of work in the offseason and it all paid off. The practices. We just have to push ourselves. We believe in getting stronger and getting bigger. We have great coaches – coach (Clint) Conard and coach (Dan) Walker. Our defence can’t get much better. We just have to keep it up.”

The Tigers’ defence is quick on the ball. As soon as a Richmond player gets his hands on the ball, he is mobbed by two or three Armada defenders.

“We call them the dogs for a reason,” coach Kyle Rowley said. “They fly all over the field. We have great schemes, great coaches that prepare these kids every day, all week. It’s a pretty good defense.”

Vanhoeck is one of the key pieces of that defense. He missed last week’s game with an ankle injury.

Armada defensive players congratulate Kaleb Vanhoeck (35) on his interception late in the second quarter as No. 9 Armada remained undefeated with a 42-0 victory over Richmond in BWAC football on Friday, September 20, 2024. (GEORGE SPITERI — For MediaNews Group)

“He’s the leader of the defense,” Rowley said. “He gives the orders and gets everybody in position. We’re a lot better when he’s on the field.”

Vanhoeck and TJ Seiler each had interceptions in the game.

“I had a six-point interception, but it was negated (by an obstruction penalty),” Vanhoeck said. “But it doesn’t matter. We still won.”

Armada showed its depth on offense as five different players scored touchdowns. Fullback Logan Chunn scored twice on short runs, while Jackson Malburg, Evan Kanniainen, quarterback Lucas Pratt and Kenny Goike also scored.

Malburg rushed for 85 yards on six carries, all in the first quarter, including a 25-yard touchdown run.

“He twisted his ankle,” Rowley said. “It was a precautionary measure. We were ahead. We were safe. We had to keep him out. Evan Kanniainen came in and did a good job.”

“The good thing about this team is we don’t have to just run the ball. We have great receivers and that’s a real advantage for us. We try to find the open spaces and we have good receivers that understand the game. They understand spacing, so when we need them, we can count on them and I know they’re going to make the big play.”

It’s also a plus to have an experienced quarterback like Pratt who can pass the ball to them.

It was a tough start to the season for Richmond, who fell to 1-3.

“It’s one of those years,” coach Sean Misko said. “We started with 10 seniors and six injuries later, you have to find a way to get through it. We showed some promise tonight, but Armada is an experienced team. They have 15 or 16 seniors and they showed their experience tonight. They’re very consistent and disciplined. We have to take what we can from it and grow.”

Photo Gallery of Armada #9 in Richmond in Action BWAC

Misko mentioned several players who played well and most of them are freshmen.

“Our senior quarterback, Anthony Bonnetti, is doing really well and our receivers, Dominic Bonnetti and JJ Hollister, have done a good job as well,” Misko said. “Our defense is slowly improving. We have great defensive linemen like Logan Evans and Brody Mayer. Our linebacking corps is coming up big with Gage Towner and Joey Joudi.

“Kolton Bartels is one of the best specialists in the state. He’s an incredible punter. You love having him but you hate using him. Unfortunately, we missed a block on the edge and he got blocked (by Chunn). It was a bummer for him.”

Friday Football Scoreboard for Week 4 of the 2024 Season