Glendening - Seven touchdowns - IN THE FIRST HALF!?!?

Huh?

Is that a typo?

Sounds like one of my classic cut-and-past errors!

OK - I watched East Grand Rapids tailback Joe Glendening a couple of times last year. You had to be impressed with his four touchdown performance against Orchard Lake St. Mary in last year's classic five-overtime affair, hosted late on a Saturday night in Detroit's Ford Field. You remember, that one that ended three hours and 25 minutes after kickoff. The one that decided the Division 3 state championship. Truly one of the state's all-time classics!

Well - I have to admit that I thought I might have had my contacts in backward when I read about Glendening's latest exploits in this past Saturday's Grand Rapids Press.

Until Friday night, the only time Joe Glendening scored seven touchdowns in a game was on his PlayStation.

Glendening, East Grand Rapids' 5-foot-10, 180-pound senior tailback rushed for 398 yards and seven touchdowns against Mount Pleasant Friday night - all in the first half. The Pioneers beat the Oilers 61-19 in the Division 3 district final at Memorial Field.

Guess it's time for a new category in the MHSAA State Record book.

Touchdowns Scored
Quarter (Minimum 5)
5 - Chris Zablocki, Lake Linden-Hubbell vs. Baraga (1st Qtr.) (10-10-1997)
5 - Marcus Ewing, Johannesburg-Lewiston vs. Bellaire (1st Qtr.) (9-17-1999)
5 - Lawrence Kimble, Muskegon Mona Shores vs. Zeeland East (1st Qtr.) (10-7-2005)
Game (Minimum 7)
11 - Cecil Hardy, Flint Central (Flint Central 106, Lapeer 0) (9-26-1914)
10 - Herb Dunphy, Lansing Central (Lansing Central 111, Lapeer 0) (1917)
10 - Floyd Brown, Saginaw (Saginaw 82, Alma 0) (1918)
10 - Duke Christie, Escanaba (Escanaba 102, Ishpeming 0) (1920)
9 - Fred Jacks, Muskegon (Muskegon 216, Hastings 0) (1912)
9 - Francis Tallent, Menominee (Menominee 150, Kingsford 0) (1929)
8 - Earl O'Shaughnessy, Keego Harbor (Keego Harbor 55, Saginaw SS Peter & Paul 19) (11-1950)
8 - Mike Golden, Frankenmuth (Frankenmuth 62, North Branch 6) (9-1-2005)
7 - Paul Smith, Saginaw (Saginaw 77, Marquette 0) (11-18-1922)
7 - Jim Mishler, Chesaning (Chesaning 71, St. Charles 0) (11-10-1967)
7 - Tony Ceccacci, Rudyard (Rudyard 62, Newberry 12) (1982)
7 - Tony Ceccacci, Rudyard (Rudyard 52, Cheboygan Catholic 0) (1982)
7 - Jordan Herrick, Birmingham Seaholm (Birmingham Seaholm 49, Birmingham Groves 17) (10-27-1995)
7 - Noel Aleman, East Kentwood (East Kentwood 48, Jenison 34) (10-11-2002)
7 - Charles Stewart, Farmington Hills Harrison, (Farmington Hills Harrison 65, Chelsea 64 2 OT) (11-1-2003)
7 - Trent Way, Midland Bullock Creek (Midland Bullock Creek 70, Bridgeport 32) (10-22-2004)
7 - Jason Plummer, Wyoming Lee (Wyoming Lee 69, Waterford Mt. Zion Christian 24) (10-22-2004)
7 - John Lewis, Three Rivers (Three Rivers 46, Byron Center 33 ) (8-26-2005)
7 - Lawrence Kimble, Muskegon Mona Shores (Mona Shores 49, Zeeland East 16) (10-7-2005)

Looks like we need to add a "Touchdowns scored in a half" entry.

And it might be time to add a Yards Rushing in a half category as well. Glendening's total of 398 yards doesn't crack the list for rushing in a game, which has a minimum of 400.

Now, I didn't catch the Pioneer's 61-19 blowout of Mt. Pleasant, and have yet to see EGR so far this year. With only a single loss to Lowell, it's quite possible I'll be checking them out again in downtown Detroit on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.