St. Joseph nearly pulled off a dramatic comeback Friday night at Dickinson Stadium, but Edwardsburg held on for a 40-37 victory in a game that saw explosive plays from both sides. The Eddies built a 20-7 halftime lead behind the rushing of Giovanni Orue, who broke loose for a 51-yard touchdown and added a short score before the break. St. Joe managed just one first-half touchdown, a 70-yard strike from Hudson Corning to Caden LeClear, but struggled with turnovers and possession time as Edwardsburg controlled the pace

The second half turned into a shootout. Edwardsburg stretched its lead to 29-7 midway through the third quarter, but the Bears came storming back with two quick touchdowns from Ish Dixon, who finished with 107 rushing yards and three scores. Corning also found Nate Schmitt for a 58-yard touchdown in the fourth, and Dixon punched in another late score to pull St. Joe within three points with under a minute to play. The rally came up just short when the onside kick was recovered by Edwardsburg

Despite outgaining the Eddies through the air and showing big-play ability, St. Joe couldn’t overcome Edwardsburg’s punishing ground game, which piled up 369 rushing yards. The loss drops the Bears to 0-2 on the season, while Edwardsburg improves to 2-0. St. Joseph will look to rebound next Friday when they travel to face Kalamazoo Loy Norrix