With the Mackinac Bridge closed last Friday, players were ferried across the Straits on Arnold Line
ST. IGNACE, MI -- Last Friday, 7&4 News told you about a deadly accident on the Mackinac Bridge. A semi driver had a heart attack causing a crash that shut down the bridge.
During this moment of tragedy, there was an amazing show of community spirit.
The Glen Lake football team, set to play St. Ignace, was trapped in traffic on the south side of the bridge.
But that's when a local business stepped up to get them to their game.
"I had just woke up, I thought for sure they'd have to cancel the game," said one Glen Lake player.
Glen Lake players and coaches prepared for the worst. The Mackinac Bridge was closed and traffic was backed up for miles. The team was capping off a three hour road trip to take on St. Ignace.
"St. Ignace has always been a community full of helpful people," said St. Ignace La Salle Athletic Director and Football Coach Marty Spencer.
Rather than turning around, a community full of “Saints” spirit wanted the game to go on. Spencer got an idea from the band director, who knew the perfect call.
"He said there's a football team stuck in Mackinaw City, and we need to get them over here, and I said not a problem," explained Lora Brown, who works for Arnold Line Ferry.
"It's fitting for us, coming across on a boat because we're the Lakers," laughed Jerry Angers, the Glen Lake Football Coach.
The team loaded onto an Arnold Line Ferry from Mackinaw City, stopped on the island, and made it to St. Ignace the old-fashioned way, amid more than 10 foot swells. Angers says it was almost symbolic boating into St. Ignace and unloading onto land.
“One of my kids said heck or high water, we're going to play! They went in as Private Ryan, they were storming the beach in Normandy," laughed Angers.
The varsity game got started about an hour and a half late, but if you went to the game, you would have got your money's worth. The Lakers score first in a battle of defense. The Saints would strike back. Glen Lake would take the lead again, but with a minute and thirty seconds left, the Saints scored and capped it off with an extra point, winning what may now be known as "The Battle of the Bridge" by one, 14-to-13 over the Lakers. It could be a long time before a battle like this happens again, considering...
"Before the bridge was built was probably the last time," said Spencer.
This instance is likely a reminder of the importance of the bridge that connects the Lower Peninsula to the Upper Peninsula. Some of us may take it for granted. But community support helped make that football game happen last Friday, and it's definitely going to be a memory that both teams will have for a very long time.
