Scott Keyes
Sports Scene
Brock Notter is a jack of all trades for the Swan Valley football team. Whether it is a big catch going over the middle against a linebacker, or tackling for a loss on defense, Notter seems to find himself in the right place at the right time for the Vikings.
In a game early in the season, Notter caught three touchdown passes from quarterback Nick Call, and he also intercepted a pass for a score.
“Brock is a senior, and he is one of our go-to guys,” coach Ken Bourbina said. “Brock knows what we expect from him, and he goes out and does his job every time he hits the field.”
Notter takes every game in stride. “As you get deeper into the season, every game you play is critical.” he said. “We are starting to click on both sides of the football, but we know we still have a lot of work to do.”
Alex Grace has picked up where he left off a year ago. The Michigan High School Athletic Association single-season rushing leader has rushed for nearly 1,000 yards through five games.
Grace put the team on his back in the 27-13 victory over Ovid-Elsie on Sept. 26. It was just another day at the office for Grace.
“Alex really broke out in the fourth quarter,” Bourbina said after the Ovid-Elsie victory. “It was our first real test this year, where Alex had to earn some tough yards.” Grace finished the game with 215 yards and two touchdowns on 39 carries.
It’s those types of games that Notter believes will keep the team reaching for its ultimate goal of making the playoffs and advancing farther than they did a year ago. “Everyone knows Alex is going to get his yards, but the rest of us need to do our jobs and continue to win games,” Notter said.
Bourbina said the O-E game was a great test for the team heading into its biggest contest of the year against Freeland on Oct. 3. “We were a little erratic in the first half, but we were able to execute some big plays in the second half to make the difference,” he said. “They played us tough. I think we’ve got a lot of good leadership this year, and that is critical for us.”