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EDWARDSBURG — The turnover bug bit Edwardsburg’s football team in a 21-14 Wolverine Conference loss Friday to visiting Niles at Leo Hoffman Stadium.

The loss is the second straight for Dan Purlee’s Eddies, now 4-3 overall and 3-2 in the league. Niles, meanwhile, won its sixth consecutive game and improved to 6-1 overall while staying unbeaten in conference play at 5-0.

After surrendering three first-half scores, Edwardsburg put the defensive clamps on Niles’ flexbone offense in the second half.

After winning the coin toss and getting the ball to start the final half, Edwardsburg used its deceptive Wing-T attack and drove down to the Niles’ 13 but Bryce Young’s fumble recovery for the Vikings stymied the Eddies’ scoring bid.

The Eddies forced a Vikings’ punt late in the third quarter and took over possession. Edwardsburg came onto the field and ran three plays before being faced with a fourth and one situation at its own 34. A face-masking penalty on Niles, however, gave Edwardsburg a first down at the 50. The Eddies’ Grant Griffin, Joe Lundgren and Brody Schimpa all carried for short gains to move the ball down to the Vikings’ 36-yard line. 

Schimpa, the Eddies’ top ground gainer with 16 rushes for 82 yards and one TD, hauled in a 36-yard scoring pass from Lundgren with  11:09 left in the fourth quarter. Houseworth added the PAT and the Eddies were back within one score. 

Houseworth’s onside kick was recovered by teammate Cale Myers giving the Eddies the ball back at midfield. 

A jubilant celebration by Edwardsburg fans was short lived after the Eddies turned the ball over two plays later with Alex Anderson recovering the fumble for Niles.

Niles’ offense came on the field and Talen Bennett attempted a pass on first down that was intercepted by Edwardsburg’s Cameron Hayden at the Eddies’ 41. 

Niles’ defense then stiffened and held Edwardsburg on yet another fourth-down conversion attempt. 

The Vikings’ offense ran three plays before Rucker tried a fake punt on fourth down and was stopped short of the marker. 

Edwardsburg’s offense drove into Niles territory but the drive stalled after the Eddies were whistled for a holding penalty and were forced to punt.

The Eddies then held the Vikings in check for four downs and gave its offense one more chance with the football. Edwardsburg began its final series at its own 43 and drove down to Niles’ 24 but Lundgren was intercepted on fourth down by Niles’ 6-foot-7 junior Brendan Olsen.

“Our defense was on its heels a couple times near the end but it worked out. We couldn’t get much going offensively in that second half and our defense was on the field way too long,” said a relieved Niles head coach Scot Shaw afterwards. 

“We figured they might run a trap or put the ball in the air there on that final play and their quarterback does a nice job with their offense. I thought Edwardsburg was one of the toughest teams  we’ve seen up front this year. Both teams got tired in the second half and looked like they had just ran a marathon. Maybe it was a little bit warm tonight. I thought our kids played well, but we have to get better.”

The loss was a bitter pill to swallow, especially considering that Edwardsburg won the rushing battle against Niles 300-174.

Lundgren added seven carries for 67 yards for Edwardsburg and completed 1-of-5 passes for 36 yards with two interceptions.

“Our mistakes we made on offense tonight absolutely killed us. I thought we got off to a slow start defensively but we played a great second half on that side of the ball. I love the way our kids competed in the final half, but we have to get healthy and clean things up these last couple weeks,” Purlee said.

Rucker piled up 91 yards rushing for Niles on 11 touches and one TD. Paul Hess added 13 carries for 64 and Peyton Gordon lugged the pigskin five times for 21. 

Niles quarterback Talen Bennett completed 1-of-4 passes for 18 yards.

Rucker also stood out on the defensive side of the football where he led the Vikings with 12 tackles. Hess added nine tackles, Anderson and Gordon had eight apiece, RJ Fielder six, Cheney five and Olsen contributed four.

Edwardsburg was led defensively by Griffin with seven tackles, while Oscar Morris racked up five and Tyris Yoder had four.

Hess, the Vikings’ senior halfback, capped off a 10-play 65-yard touchdown drive with a two-yard plunge into the endzone to put Niles up 7-0 after Ben Bruckner’s PAT with 7:31 left in the first quarter.

Four plays into its first drive, Edwardsburg senior quarterback Lundgren scored on a 52-yard scamper and Carter Houseworth toed the PAT at 4:07, knotting the score up at 7-7.

Niles started its ensuing possession at Edwardsburg 48. Hess carried the ball 11 yards for a Vikings’ first down before Rucker found a hole and scampered 37 yards to paydirt with 3:30 left in the period. Bruckner booted the PAT for a 14-7 Vikings’ advantage.

Ward Cheney of Niles intercepted a Lundgren pass to set up what would be the Vikings’ final TD of the night. Peyton Gordon galloped 28 yards on his team’s first play from scrimmage and scored at 8:03. Bruckner’s PAT was successful and put the Eddies up 21-7 at halftime.

The Niles defensive unit came up big in the second quarter by forcing Edwardsburg to turn the ball over on downs twice.

“Edwardsburg doesn’t turn the ball over that much but they gave us a couple tonight. Those two fourth down stops by our defense were huge in that first half,” Shaw noted.

Both teams return to action next Friday at 7 p.m. Niles entertains Plainwell and Edwardsburg visits Vicksburg.