Zeeland West defensive coordinator Gregg Hoogland poses with the Broyles Award he received recently as the top assistant high school football coach in the state of Michigan.
Photo courtesy Zeeland West Athletics
By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
Longtime Zeeland West assistant football coach Gregg Hoogland recently received one of the top honors a high school assistant coach can receive.
Hoogland, who has been the Dux defensive coordinator since the West football program began in 2005, was named Michigan’s recipient of the Broyles Award. The award honors the top assistant coach in college football and top assistant coaches in high school football from 33 states each year.
Hoogland received his honor Feb. 13 at a ceremony in Hot Springs, Ark. The award was given for the 2024 season, Hoogland said.
The Broyles Award is named for Frank Broyles, the legendary football coach and athletic director at the University of Arkansas. In 19 seasons coaching the Razorbacks from 1958 to 1976, Broyles led his teams to a record of 149-62-6, won seven Southwest Conference championships and won the 1964 college football national championship.
“I’m very grateful for the opportunities and experiences I have been lucky enough to have,” Hoogland wrote in an email to the Zeeland Record. “It is a reflection on the great head coaches and staff members that I have learned from and worked with, and the players and families that have fully invested in what we do.”
Hoogland began his coaching career as a varsity assistant at Zeeland High School in 1987. From there, he went to East Kentwood High School, where he coached in a variety of roles from 1988 to 2004. The last 12 years at EK, he was defensive coordinator for the Falcons’ varsity team under head coach John Shillito.
In 2004, Hoogland encouraged Shillito to consider applying for head coach of the then-fledgling West football program. Shillito was hired, and Hoogland joined him as defensive coordinator for the Dux.
Two years later, in just the program’s second year, West won the first of its five state championships with a 22-0 victory over Coopersville in the Division 4 state final at Ford Field in Detroit. West then added state titles in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2024.
After Shillito retired as West head coach in January of last year, Hoogland stayed on as defensive coordinator for the Dux under new head coach Jeff Bolhouse. West posted an 8-4 record last year and reached the regional round of the state playoffs before losing to Lowell. Hoogland plans to be back on the sidelines again this fall.
In his email, Hoogland wrote that what he enjoys most about coaching is “the relationships you develop with coaches and players, the competition, but mostly the development and growth of young people and watching them buy into the discipline and unselfishness it takes to be successful.”
Zeeland Record
Longtime Zeeland West assistant football coach Gregg Hoogland recently received one of the top honors a high school assistant coach can receive.
Hoogland, who has been the Dux defensive coordinator since the West football program began in 2005, was named Michigan’s recipient of the Broyles Award. The award honors the top assistant coach in college football and top assistant coaches in high school football from 33 states each year.
Hoogland received his honor Feb. 13 at a ceremony in Hot Springs, Ark. The award was given for the 2024 season, Hoogland said.
The Broyles Award is named for Frank Broyles, the legendary football coach and athletic director at the University of Arkansas. In 19 seasons coaching the Razorbacks from 1958 to 1976, Broyles led his teams to a record of 149-62-6, won seven Southwest Conference championships and won the 1964 college football national championship.
“I’m very grateful for the opportunities and experiences I have been lucky enough to have,” Hoogland wrote in an email to the Zeeland Record. “It is a reflection on the great head coaches and staff members that I have learned from and worked with, and the players and families that have fully invested in what we do.”
Hoogland began his coaching career as a varsity assistant at Zeeland High School in 1987. From there, he went to East Kentwood High School, where he coached in a variety of roles from 1988 to 2004. The last 12 years at EK, he was defensive coordinator for the Falcons’ varsity team under head coach John Shillito.
In 2004, Hoogland encouraged Shillito to consider applying for head coach of the then-fledgling West football program. Shillito was hired, and Hoogland joined him as defensive coordinator for the Dux.
Two years later, in just the program’s second year, West won the first of its five state championships with a 22-0 victory over Coopersville in the Division 4 state final at Ford Field in Detroit. West then added state titles in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2024.
After Shillito retired as West head coach in January of last year, Hoogland stayed on as defensive coordinator for the Dux under new head coach Jeff Bolhouse. West posted an 8-4 record last year and reached the regional round of the state playoffs before losing to Lowell. Hoogland plans to be back on the sidelines again this fall.
In his email, Hoogland wrote that what he enjoys most about coaching is “the relationships you develop with coaches and players, the competition, but mostly the development and growth of young people and watching them buy into the discipline and unselfishness it takes to be successful.”
Mulder Steps Down as Zeeland East Volleyball Coach
By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
Zeeland East is looking for a new varsity volleyball coach.
Sara Mulder, who led the Chix for the past 11 seasons, announced her resignation recently to devote more time to her family.
“We just had our fourth child late this summer, so the sole reason for me stepping away is for my kids and family,” Mulder wrote in an email to the Zeeland Record. “We are busy in the best kind of way, and I am embracing this chapter of life we are in.”
East is coming off one of its winningest seasons in school history last fall, as the Chix went 31-5, finished second in the O-K Black Conference and reached the Division 1 district final before falling to Byron Center.
“Coaching at Zeeland East the last 11 years has really been a huge blessing,” Mulder wrote. “The young girls I was able to coach and mentor, the families and community that supported us along the way, and building a positive culture really have made it such a memorable experience for me. I’m going to miss it for sure, but I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity I had to lead and guide the ZEVB program. It will always hold a special place in my heart.”
During Mulder’s tenure, the Chix posted a record of 254-166, won three conference championships (2015, 2021, 2022) and a district title in 2016. East finished either first or second in the conference each of the last six seasons.
Among the players Mulder coached who went to compete at the collegiate level included Reilly Zegunis (Wright State) and Sophie Riemersma (Miami of Ohio/Jacksonville State). Two members of last year’s East team, Elyse Smith and Lizzie Risdon, have declared their college commitments – Smith to Marietta College, a Division III school in southern Ohio, and Risdon to Ohio University, a Division I school that competes in the Mid-American Conference, after she graduates from East next year.
East Athletic Director Josh Glerum said that Mulder has left a lasting mark on the Chix volleyball program.
“Zeeland East Athletics is thankful for her deep commitment towards our student-athletes and appreciate her year-round efforts to pursue a complete program vision,” Glerum wrote in an email to the Zeeland Record. “We commend her on making a decision that was best for her family.”
Zeeland Record
Zeeland East is looking for a new varsity volleyball coach.
Sara Mulder, who led the Chix for the past 11 seasons, announced her resignation recently to devote more time to her family.
“We just had our fourth child late this summer, so the sole reason for me stepping away is for my kids and family,” Mulder wrote in an email to the Zeeland Record. “We are busy in the best kind of way, and I am embracing this chapter of life we are in.”
East is coming off one of its winningest seasons in school history last fall, as the Chix went 31-5, finished second in the O-K Black Conference and reached the Division 1 district final before falling to Byron Center.
“Coaching at Zeeland East the last 11 years has really been a huge blessing,” Mulder wrote. “The young girls I was able to coach and mentor, the families and community that supported us along the way, and building a positive culture really have made it such a memorable experience for me. I’m going to miss it for sure, but I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity I had to lead and guide the ZEVB program. It will always hold a special place in my heart.”
During Mulder’s tenure, the Chix posted a record of 254-166, won three conference championships (2015, 2021, 2022) and a district title in 2016. East finished either first or second in the conference each of the last six seasons.
Among the players Mulder coached who went to compete at the collegiate level included Reilly Zegunis (Wright State) and Sophie Riemersma (Miami of Ohio/Jacksonville State). Two members of last year’s East team, Elyse Smith and Lizzie Risdon, have declared their college commitments – Smith to Marietta College, a Division III school in southern Ohio, and Risdon to Ohio University, a Division I school that competes in the Mid-American Conference, after she graduates from East next year.
East Athletic Director Josh Glerum said that Mulder has left a lasting mark on the Chix volleyball program.
“Zeeland East Athletics is thankful for her deep commitment towards our student-athletes and appreciate her year-round efforts to pursue a complete program vision,” Glerum wrote in an email to the Zeeland Record. “We commend her on making a decision that was best for her family.”
West Stuns HC in Girls Hoops
The Zeeland West varsity girls basketball team split two games last week, upsetting Holland Christian 51-35 on Feb. 17 but falling to Unity Christian 42-31 last Friday.
The Dux used a strong defensive effort and outstanding play from their backcourt in handing the Maroons their first conference loss of the season. They built a 22-16 halftime lead, then pulled away in the second half for their 15th win of the season.
West was led by the 1-2 punch of junior guards Jenna Hendricks and Sadie Kragt, who each scored 18 points.
Against the Crusaders, West fell behind 21-12 at the half and could not catch up in the second half. Kragt led the Dux with 14 points.
West, which finished 9-3 in conference play, was to play Hudsonville at home Tuesday and will travel to Jenison for its regular-season finale tonight. The Dux will host district tournament play next week, taking on West Ottawa Wednesday night at 7 p.m. in a semifinal game.
The Dux used a strong defensive effort and outstanding play from their backcourt in handing the Maroons their first conference loss of the season. They built a 22-16 halftime lead, then pulled away in the second half for their 15th win of the season.
West was led by the 1-2 punch of junior guards Jenna Hendricks and Sadie Kragt, who each scored 18 points.
Against the Crusaders, West fell behind 21-12 at the half and could not catch up in the second half. Kragt led the Dux with 14 points.
West, which finished 9-3 in conference play, was to play Hudsonville at home Tuesday and will travel to Jenison for its regular-season finale tonight. The Dux will host district tournament play next week, taking on West Ottawa Wednesday night at 7 p.m. in a semifinal game.
East Boys Hoops Down Hawkeyes
The Zeeland East varsity boys basketball team defeated Hamilton last Friday, 66-51, in its final regular-season game heading into districts this week.
The Chix jumped out to an 18-12 lead after one quarter, then extended the advantage to 35-22 at halftime.
Four players scored in double figures for East, led by senior Caleb Claerbaut with 21 points and five blocked shots. Junior Will Drnek added 16 points. Junior Isaiah Boonstra and sophomore Isaiah Beckum contributed 10 points each, and junior Josiah Norman led the Chix in rebounding with six boards.
East finished 7-5 in the O-K Black Conference and took a 14-7 record into a district semifinal game Wednesday night against West Ottawa at Grand Haven High School.
The Chix jumped out to an 18-12 lead after one quarter, then extended the advantage to 35-22 at halftime.
Four players scored in double figures for East, led by senior Caleb Claerbaut with 21 points and five blocked shots. Junior Will Drnek added 16 points. Junior Isaiah Boonstra and sophomore Isaiah Beckum contributed 10 points each, and junior Josiah Norman led the Chix in rebounding with six boards.
East finished 7-5 in the O-K Black Conference and took a 14-7 record into a district semifinal game Wednesday night against West Ottawa at Grand Haven High School.
Claerbaut Sets CMU Blocked Shot Record
By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
Nathan Claerbaut staged his own personal block party for the Central Michigan men’s basketball team on Saturday against archrival Western Michigan.
The Chippewas’ 7-foot senior center and Zeeland East High School graduate set a school record for blocked shots in a game with 11, and also scored 12 points in helping CMU defeat the Broncos 83-70 in front of 2,888 fans at McGuirk Arena on Senior Day in Mount Pleasant.
Claerbaut erased a record that had been held by two former CMU players who went on to star in the NBA – Dan Roundfield, who had eight blocked shots in a game against Bowling Green in 1975, and Chris Kaman, who had eight rejections in a 2003 game against Toledo. His 11 blocks also tied for the most by an NCAA Division I player this season, tying N'famara Dabo of Brown University.
“Eleven blocks for Nate is a lot, he probably altered three or four more,” CMU head coach Andy Bronkema said after the game. “A lot of the credit goes to our coaches, who put him in position to be there.”
Claerbaut transferred to CMU this season from Ferris State University, where he had played three seasons for Bronkema. He went into this week leading the Mid-American Conference in blocked shots with 58 in 27 games – 15 more than his nearest competitor.
On the season, Claerbaut entered the week averaging 12.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. He is shooting 57 percent from the field.
Zeeland Record
Nathan Claerbaut staged his own personal block party for the Central Michigan men’s basketball team on Saturday against archrival Western Michigan.
The Chippewas’ 7-foot senior center and Zeeland East High School graduate set a school record for blocked shots in a game with 11, and also scored 12 points in helping CMU defeat the Broncos 83-70 in front of 2,888 fans at McGuirk Arena on Senior Day in Mount Pleasant.
Claerbaut erased a record that had been held by two former CMU players who went on to star in the NBA – Dan Roundfield, who had eight blocked shots in a game against Bowling Green in 1975, and Chris Kaman, who had eight rejections in a 2003 game against Toledo. His 11 blocks also tied for the most by an NCAA Division I player this season, tying N'famara Dabo of Brown University.
“Eleven blocks for Nate is a lot, he probably altered three or four more,” CMU head coach Andy Bronkema said after the game. “A lot of the credit goes to our coaches, who put him in position to be there.”
Claerbaut transferred to CMU this season from Ferris State University, where he had played three seasons for Bronkema. He went into this week leading the Mid-American Conference in blocked shots with 58 in 27 games – 15 more than his nearest competitor.
On the season, Claerbaut entered the week averaging 12.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. He is shooting 57 percent from the field.
On the Record
Dux Boys Hoops Season Ends With District Loss
The varsity boys basketball season for Zeeland West came to an end Monday night as the Dux fell to Holland, 49-33, in a first-round district tournament game at Grand Haven High School.
West struggled with its shooting most of the night, trailing 6-4 after one quarter. The Dutch went on an 11-0 run in the second quarter to open up a 19-6 lead.
The Dux battled back to cut the Holland lead to 21-18 midway through the third quarter, but that would be as close as West would get. Holland ran off 11 unanswered points to put the game out of reach.
The Dux, who finished their season at 5-18, were led by senior Gabe Bouwens with 10 points, while sophomore Maverick Jipping added eight.
Three Wrestlers Reach State Finals
Three Zeeland wrestlers have qualified to compete in the Division 2 Michigan high school individual wrestling finals to be held March 6-7 at Ford Field in Detroit.
JJ Ledford of Zeeland East and Austin Ulberg of Zeeland West qualified for the boys state finals after finishing in the top four at last Saturday’s individual regional at Lowell, while West’s Emmaline Kouw punched her ticket to the girls state finals with a third-place finish at Sunday’s individual regional at Portage Northern.
Ledford, who finished third in the state last year at 120 pounds, finished second Saturday at 132, needing just 32 seconds to pin Stevensville Lakeshore’s Bryson Coyer in his first-round match, then taking an 11-1 major decision over Richland Gull Lake’s Kaius Juusela in the semifinals. Ledford dropped a narrow 5-3 decision to Gull Lake’s Rasler Warner in the finals.
Ulberg took fourth place at 138 pounds. He pinned Coldwater’s Ruben Torres in just 43 seconds in his opening-round match, but was pinned in the semifinals. He clinched a spot at state with a 1-0 consolation round decision over Niles’ William Turnbull.
Kouw posted a 3-1 record in the 120-pound division at the girls regional, with all three of her wins coming by pin. After being pinned in her semifinal match, Kouw pinned Hamilton’s Makayla Provance and Niles’ Tess Brawley in the consolation round to claim third place.
West senior Aidan Chavez fell one match short of qualifying for state for the second straight year, falling in the blood round at 113 pounds. Chavez, who finished eighth in the state last year at 106 pounds, finished his career with 107 victories.
Dux Competitive Cheer Sets School Record at Districts
The Zeeland West competitive cheer team set a school record for highest score in a meet as it qualified for regional competition during last Saturday’s Division 2 district meet at Gull Lake High School in Richland.
The O-K Black/White Conference champion Dux finished fourth among 14 teams at the meet with a team score of 766.18. Plainwell won the meet with a team score of 777.28, followed by Middleville Thornapple Kellogg (773.94) and host Gull Lake (768.36). Zeeland East finished seventh with a score of 706.37.
West will now compete in the Division 2 regional this Saturday at Forest Hills Northern. The meet begins at 10 a.m.
The varsity boys basketball season for Zeeland West came to an end Monday night as the Dux fell to Holland, 49-33, in a first-round district tournament game at Grand Haven High School.
West struggled with its shooting most of the night, trailing 6-4 after one quarter. The Dutch went on an 11-0 run in the second quarter to open up a 19-6 lead.
The Dux battled back to cut the Holland lead to 21-18 midway through the third quarter, but that would be as close as West would get. Holland ran off 11 unanswered points to put the game out of reach.
The Dux, who finished their season at 5-18, were led by senior Gabe Bouwens with 10 points, while sophomore Maverick Jipping added eight.
Three Wrestlers Reach State Finals
Three Zeeland wrestlers have qualified to compete in the Division 2 Michigan high school individual wrestling finals to be held March 6-7 at Ford Field in Detroit.
JJ Ledford of Zeeland East and Austin Ulberg of Zeeland West qualified for the boys state finals after finishing in the top four at last Saturday’s individual regional at Lowell, while West’s Emmaline Kouw punched her ticket to the girls state finals with a third-place finish at Sunday’s individual regional at Portage Northern.
Ledford, who finished third in the state last year at 120 pounds, finished second Saturday at 132, needing just 32 seconds to pin Stevensville Lakeshore’s Bryson Coyer in his first-round match, then taking an 11-1 major decision over Richland Gull Lake’s Kaius Juusela in the semifinals. Ledford dropped a narrow 5-3 decision to Gull Lake’s Rasler Warner in the finals.
Ulberg took fourth place at 138 pounds. He pinned Coldwater’s Ruben Torres in just 43 seconds in his opening-round match, but was pinned in the semifinals. He clinched a spot at state with a 1-0 consolation round decision over Niles’ William Turnbull.
Kouw posted a 3-1 record in the 120-pound division at the girls regional, with all three of her wins coming by pin. After being pinned in her semifinal match, Kouw pinned Hamilton’s Makayla Provance and Niles’ Tess Brawley in the consolation round to claim third place.
West senior Aidan Chavez fell one match short of qualifying for state for the second straight year, falling in the blood round at 113 pounds. Chavez, who finished eighth in the state last year at 106 pounds, finished his career with 107 victories.
Dux Competitive Cheer Sets School Record at Districts
The Zeeland West competitive cheer team set a school record for highest score in a meet as it qualified for regional competition during last Saturday’s Division 2 district meet at Gull Lake High School in Richland.
The O-K Black/White Conference champion Dux finished fourth among 14 teams at the meet with a team score of 766.18. Plainwell won the meet with a team score of 777.28, followed by Middleville Thornapple Kellogg (773.94) and host Gull Lake (768.36). Zeeland East finished seventh with a score of 706.37.
West will now compete in the Division 2 regional this Saturday at Forest Hills Northern. The meet begins at 10 a.m.
