Zeeland West linebacker Westen Headley (57) sends South Christian quarterback Houston Wildeboer (14) flying with this hit during the fourth quarter of last Friday’s game.
Photo courtesy Angela Howe Creations
Photo courtesy Angela Howe Creations
By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
A last-second field goal nullified a valiant second-half comeback by the Zeeland West varsity football team and sent the Dux to their first loss of the season last Friday.
Hudson Kerstetter booted a 19-yard field goal with two seconds remaining to lift Grand Rapids South Christian to a 19-16 victory over the Dux in a battle of state-ranked teams at Eagle Stadium in Hudsonville.
The Dux, who entered the game ranked No. 6 in the state in Division 3 by the Associated Press, fell to 1-1 in the O-K Gold Conference and 4-1 overall heading into its Bird Bowl showdown with Zeeland East this Friday at Zeeland Stadium. The Sailors, who came in ranked fourth in the state in Division 4, are 4-1 overall and 1-1 in league play.
South Christian opened the scoring on its first drive, moving 47 yards in seven plays, capped off by a 2-yard touchdown run out of a wildcat formation by Brody Shilts. Dux senior Brandon Holman blocked the point-after kick, but the Sailors led 6-0.
West put together a methodical 14-play drive in the second quarter, reaching the South Christian 19, but the Sailors held and took over possession on downs. They then drove 80 yards for their second score, with backup quarterback Houston Wildeboer rushing for 47 yards during the drive. Wildeboer then connected with Jesse VanderGriend on a 19-yard touchdown pass, giving South Christian a 13-0 lead, a lead they took into halftime.
Kerstetter added to the Sailors’ lead on the first drive of the third quarter with a 25-yard field goal, but then West came back with a vengeance. Holman ripped off a 25-yard run to start a 12-play, 80-yard drive. Senior quarterback Drew Albrecht put West on the board with a 4-yard sweep around right end for the touchdown.
Then, Albrecht escaped the South Christian rush and found junior Kenny Howe III wide open in the end zone for the two-point conversion, making it a one-score game at 16-8 late in the third quarter.
The Dux defense then dug in and forced a South Christian punt. West took over at its own 33, then marched down the field again. Holman swept around right end for the final three yards of the 67-yard, 10-play drive for his 12th touchdown of the season.
Then, on a run-pass option, Albrecht kept the ball and bowled over a Sailor defender at the goal line for the game-tying two-point conversion. With 6:34 remaining, the game was tied, 16-16.
However, the Sailors were able to put together one final drive, converting a critical fourth down inside the West 40, and eventually reaching the 2-yard-line before Kerstetter booted the winning field goal.
The Dux finished with 258 yards total offense in the game, including 231 on the ground. Holman churned out 88 hard-earned yards on 21 carries to lead the ground game. Howe added 64 yards on 11 rushes. Albrecht chipped in 44 yards rushing on seven carries, and completed 3 of 5 passes for 27 yards.
Zeeland Record
A last-second field goal nullified a valiant second-half comeback by the Zeeland West varsity football team and sent the Dux to their first loss of the season last Friday.
Hudson Kerstetter booted a 19-yard field goal with two seconds remaining to lift Grand Rapids South Christian to a 19-16 victory over the Dux in a battle of state-ranked teams at Eagle Stadium in Hudsonville.
The Dux, who entered the game ranked No. 6 in the state in Division 3 by the Associated Press, fell to 1-1 in the O-K Gold Conference and 4-1 overall heading into its Bird Bowl showdown with Zeeland East this Friday at Zeeland Stadium. The Sailors, who came in ranked fourth in the state in Division 4, are 4-1 overall and 1-1 in league play.
South Christian opened the scoring on its first drive, moving 47 yards in seven plays, capped off by a 2-yard touchdown run out of a wildcat formation by Brody Shilts. Dux senior Brandon Holman blocked the point-after kick, but the Sailors led 6-0.
West put together a methodical 14-play drive in the second quarter, reaching the South Christian 19, but the Sailors held and took over possession on downs. They then drove 80 yards for their second score, with backup quarterback Houston Wildeboer rushing for 47 yards during the drive. Wildeboer then connected with Jesse VanderGriend on a 19-yard touchdown pass, giving South Christian a 13-0 lead, a lead they took into halftime.
Kerstetter added to the Sailors’ lead on the first drive of the third quarter with a 25-yard field goal, but then West came back with a vengeance. Holman ripped off a 25-yard run to start a 12-play, 80-yard drive. Senior quarterback Drew Albrecht put West on the board with a 4-yard sweep around right end for the touchdown.
Then, Albrecht escaped the South Christian rush and found junior Kenny Howe III wide open in the end zone for the two-point conversion, making it a one-score game at 16-8 late in the third quarter.
The Dux defense then dug in and forced a South Christian punt. West took over at its own 33, then marched down the field again. Holman swept around right end for the final three yards of the 67-yard, 10-play drive for his 12th touchdown of the season.
Then, on a run-pass option, Albrecht kept the ball and bowled over a Sailor defender at the goal line for the game-tying two-point conversion. With 6:34 remaining, the game was tied, 16-16.
However, the Sailors were able to put together one final drive, converting a critical fourth down inside the West 40, and eventually reaching the 2-yard-line before Kerstetter booted the winning field goal.
The Dux finished with 258 yards total offense in the game, including 231 on the ground. Holman churned out 88 hard-earned yards on 21 carries to lead the ground game. Howe added 64 yards on 11 rushes. Albrecht chipped in 44 yards rushing on seven carries, and completed 3 of 5 passes for 27 yards.
Chix Bounce Back, Roll Over Garden City, 43-7
Zeeland East senior Payton Sackett (10) finds the end zone for a second-quarter touchdown during last Friday’s win over Garden City.
Photo courtesy Andrea Brink Photography
By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
The Zeeland East varsity football team enters this week’s Bird Bowl rivalry game with Zeeland West with momentum on their side.
The Chix broke a two-game losing streak last Friday in East Lansing, defeating Garden City from the Detroit area 43-7. East improved to 3-2 with the win heading into Friday’s 7 p.m. kickoff at Zeeland Stadium.
The Chix took the opening kickoff and drove to Garden City 1-yard-line, but the Cougars defense stuffed East short of the goal line on fourth down and took over possession on downs. Moments later, a Garden City back broke free for a 90-yard touchdown run for the game’s first points. East would not allow another point the rest of the way.
The Chix answered with a seven-play, 65-yard drive, capped by a 24-yard touchdown run by senior Isaiah Boonstra. Senior Will Drnek then connected with senior Josiah Norman on the two-point conversion to give East an 8-7 lead.
The Chix added two more touchdowns in the second quarter – an 11-yard run by senior Payton Sackett and a 1-yard plunge by senior Zeek Ramadhani – to take a 22-7 halftime lead.
East then erased any hope of a Garden City comeback in the third quarter. Ramadhani ran four yards for one touchdown while Drnek added a 1-yard touchdown run.
Meanwhile, the Chix defense forced the Cougars into punts on six consecutive possessions. Garden City was held to 184 yards of total offense for the game.
East’s reserves added the final score of the night in the fourth quarter as sophomore Hudson Lamer threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to junior Jackson Musch.
East piled up 398 yards of total offense, including 289 on the ground. Drnek led the Chix with 183 total yards – 93 rushing (on 14 carries) and 90 passing (seven completions in nine attempts). Sackett rushed for 93 yards on 13 carries. Senior Coby Miller caught four passes for 61 yards.
Defensively, sophomore Chase Shults led East with 10 tackles, including one tackle for loss, while Ramadhani matched his two touchdowns on offense with two sacks on defense. Junior Ethan McCabe had 1.5 tackles for loss, while junior Crew Dykstra and sophomore Everett Hunsberger each recorded a sack.
Zeeland Record
The Zeeland East varsity football team enters this week’s Bird Bowl rivalry game with Zeeland West with momentum on their side.
The Chix broke a two-game losing streak last Friday in East Lansing, defeating Garden City from the Detroit area 43-7. East improved to 3-2 with the win heading into Friday’s 7 p.m. kickoff at Zeeland Stadium.
The Chix took the opening kickoff and drove to Garden City 1-yard-line, but the Cougars defense stuffed East short of the goal line on fourth down and took over possession on downs. Moments later, a Garden City back broke free for a 90-yard touchdown run for the game’s first points. East would not allow another point the rest of the way.
The Chix answered with a seven-play, 65-yard drive, capped by a 24-yard touchdown run by senior Isaiah Boonstra. Senior Will Drnek then connected with senior Josiah Norman on the two-point conversion to give East an 8-7 lead.
The Chix added two more touchdowns in the second quarter – an 11-yard run by senior Payton Sackett and a 1-yard plunge by senior Zeek Ramadhani – to take a 22-7 halftime lead.
East then erased any hope of a Garden City comeback in the third quarter. Ramadhani ran four yards for one touchdown while Drnek added a 1-yard touchdown run.
Meanwhile, the Chix defense forced the Cougars into punts on six consecutive possessions. Garden City was held to 184 yards of total offense for the game.
East’s reserves added the final score of the night in the fourth quarter as sophomore Hudson Lamer threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to junior Jackson Musch.
East piled up 398 yards of total offense, including 289 on the ground. Drnek led the Chix with 183 total yards – 93 rushing (on 14 carries) and 90 passing (seven completions in nine attempts). Sackett rushed for 93 yards on 13 carries. Senior Coby Miller caught four passes for 61 yards.
Defensively, sophomore Chase Shults led East with 10 tackles, including one tackle for loss, while Ramadhani matched his two touchdowns on offense with two sacks on defense. Junior Ethan McCabe had 1.5 tackles for loss, while junior Crew Dykstra and sophomore Everett Hunsberger each recorded a sack.
East in First Place in O-K Black Volleyball
The Zeeland East varsity volleyball team entered the week in sole possession of first place in the O-K Black Conference, following a sweep of Hamilton Sept. 22, 25-14, 25-19, 25-17.
The Hawkeyes had entered the match in a first-place tie with the Chix, but were no match for the brown-and-gold in this showdown.
East entered the week at 5-0 in the O-K Black and 19-2 overall. The Chix hosted rival Zeeland West Tuesday night in the Pink Out cancer awareness match and will travel to Holland tonight for the start of the second round of conference play.
Five different East players had hitting percentages of over .400 in the victory over Hamilton, led by junior opposite hitter Ava Geerlings with an eye-popping .636 kill percentage. Senior middle hitter Bri Cole hit .538 and notched her 101st kill on the season, a career high. Junior setter Kyla Kuiper hit .500, while senior outside hitter Lizzie Risdon (.455) and freshman middle hitter Elise Hoeksema (.429) also went over .400.
Sophomore setter Samantha Murphy provided a spark off the bench in the second set for the Chix, and East got strong defensive play from Zone 6 defenders Camille Louwerse and Jordyn Grassmid.
East then followed up with a hard-fought five-set victory last Thursday, downing Grand Rapids Catholic Central 25-21, 20-25, 25-17, 15-25, 15-12.
The Hawkeyes had entered the match in a first-place tie with the Chix, but were no match for the brown-and-gold in this showdown.
East entered the week at 5-0 in the O-K Black and 19-2 overall. The Chix hosted rival Zeeland West Tuesday night in the Pink Out cancer awareness match and will travel to Holland tonight for the start of the second round of conference play.
Five different East players had hitting percentages of over .400 in the victory over Hamilton, led by junior opposite hitter Ava Geerlings with an eye-popping .636 kill percentage. Senior middle hitter Bri Cole hit .538 and notched her 101st kill on the season, a career high. Junior setter Kyla Kuiper hit .500, while senior outside hitter Lizzie Risdon (.455) and freshman middle hitter Elise Hoeksema (.429) also went over .400.
Sophomore setter Samantha Murphy provided a spark off the bench in the second set for the Chix, and East got strong defensive play from Zone 6 defenders Camille Louwerse and Jordyn Grassmid.
East then followed up with a hard-fought five-set victory last Thursday, downing Grand Rapids Catholic Central 25-21, 20-25, 25-17, 15-25, 15-12.
Dux Volleyball Battles Hard at EGR Quad
The Zeeland West varsity volleyball team posted a 1-2 record against some tough competition last Saturday at the East Grand Rapids Quad.
The Dux opened against the host Pioneers, taking EGR to the limit in the first set before falling 25-23. EGR completed the sweep with a 25-14 win in the second set.
West then went three sets with Mount Pleasant, dropping the first set 27-25 and bouncing back to take the second 25-18. However, the Oilers were just a little better in the deciding set, taking the match with a 25-22 win.
The Dux came back in the final match of the day, defeating Grand Rapids West Catholic 25-15, 25-16.
West entered Tuesday’s rivalry match with Zeeland East with an 8-9 overall record. The Dux visit Unity Christian tonight as they begin the second half of O-K Black Conference action.
The Dux opened against the host Pioneers, taking EGR to the limit in the first set before falling 25-23. EGR completed the sweep with a 25-14 win in the second set.
West then went three sets with Mount Pleasant, dropping the first set 27-25 and bouncing back to take the second 25-18. However, the Oilers were just a little better in the deciding set, taking the match with a 25-22 win.
The Dux came back in the final match of the day, defeating Grand Rapids West Catholic 25-15, 25-16.
West entered Tuesday’s rivalry match with Zeeland East with an 8-9 overall record. The Dux visit Unity Christian tonight as they begin the second half of O-K Black Conference action.
Chix 2nd, Dux 4th at Wooden Shoe Invite
Zeeland East finished second and Zeeland West fourth among six teams Monday at the annual Wooden Shoe Invitational girls golf tournament at Macatawa Golf Club.
The Chix finished with an 18-hole team score of 394, while the Dux had a score of 432. Holland Christian won the tournament with a team score of 375.
East senior Ashleigh Pomeroy finished second among the tournament’s 32 individual golfers with an 89. Rounding out the top four golfers for the Chix were seniors Carli Stepka (100), Ximena Knittel (101) and Taylor Bouws (104).
West’s Allison Purtee placed fifth among individual golfers as she shot a 97. Caroline Miller shot a 108, Aaliyah Le a 109, while Brynlee DeYoung and Lily Troost each shot 118.
East and West were scheduled to play today in the O-K Black Conference Tournament at The Ravines in Saugatuck.
The Chix finished with an 18-hole team score of 394, while the Dux had a score of 432. Holland Christian won the tournament with a team score of 375.
East senior Ashleigh Pomeroy finished second among the tournament’s 32 individual golfers with an 89. Rounding out the top four golfers for the Chix were seniors Carli Stepka (100), Ximena Knittel (101) and Taylor Bouws (104).
West’s Allison Purtee placed fifth among individual golfers as she shot a 97. Caroline Miller shot a 108, Aaliyah Le a 109, while Brynlee DeYoung and Lily Troost each shot 118.
East and West were scheduled to play today in the O-K Black Conference Tournament at The Ravines in Saugatuck.
Local Runners Win at Conference Jamboree
Zeeland runners took individual honors during the first O-K Black Conference cross country jamboree, hosted by Zeeland East, at Helder Park Sept. 23.
West sophomore Tanner Smith outdueled two Holland Christian runners to take the boys’ individual title in a time of 16 minutes, 30.5 seconds, while East junior Adalyn Raab was the girls’ individual winner by more than 40 seconds over her nearest challenger, breaking the tape in 18:18.7.
Holland Christian won both meets. On the boys’ side, the Maroons took four of the top six places to finish with a team score of 27 points. West was second with 53 points, while East was fourth with 107.
On the girls’ side, Holland Christian finished with a team score of 32, while East finished second (73) and West third (87).
West placed five runners in the top 20 in the boys’ meet, led by Smith’s winning time. Sophomore Bryson Hassevoort finished fourth in 16:40.8, followed by junior Michael Ensing (12th, 17:36.7), junior Weston Grewell (18th, 17:48.8) and junior Brett Raak (20th, 17:50).
Senior Nate Davis led East with seventh-place finish in 17:10.4, followed by freshman Micah Chen (16th, 17:47.2), junior Nico DiLaura (25th, 18:00.3), senior Tristen Hinson (32nd, 18:38.8) and freshman Karlson Raab (39th, 18:51.6).
In the girls’ meet, East and West placed three runners each in the top 20. While Adalyn Raab won for the Chix, sophomore Tessa Albrecht led the Dux with a sixth-place finish in 19:47.6. East freshman Charlie Vonk was eighth in 20:01.1, while junior teammate Alivia Schnakenberg came in 11th in 20:16.5. West freshman Ava Hoffer placed 15th in 20:35.1 while junior teammate Caralyn Elkins crossed the finish line in 20th (21:05.5).
Rounding out East’s top five runners were sophomore Tenley DeWitt (24th, 21:35.8) and senior Haley Green (36th, 22:24.6). Senior Samantha Koppenol (25th, 21:42.3) and classmate Kaila Keeler (26th, 21:47.8) rounded out West’s top five.
West sophomore Tanner Smith outdueled two Holland Christian runners to take the boys’ individual title in a time of 16 minutes, 30.5 seconds, while East junior Adalyn Raab was the girls’ individual winner by more than 40 seconds over her nearest challenger, breaking the tape in 18:18.7.
Holland Christian won both meets. On the boys’ side, the Maroons took four of the top six places to finish with a team score of 27 points. West was second with 53 points, while East was fourth with 107.
On the girls’ side, Holland Christian finished with a team score of 32, while East finished second (73) and West third (87).
West placed five runners in the top 20 in the boys’ meet, led by Smith’s winning time. Sophomore Bryson Hassevoort finished fourth in 16:40.8, followed by junior Michael Ensing (12th, 17:36.7), junior Weston Grewell (18th, 17:48.8) and junior Brett Raak (20th, 17:50).
Senior Nate Davis led East with seventh-place finish in 17:10.4, followed by freshman Micah Chen (16th, 17:47.2), junior Nico DiLaura (25th, 18:00.3), senior Tristen Hinson (32nd, 18:38.8) and freshman Karlson Raab (39th, 18:51.6).
In the girls’ meet, East and West placed three runners each in the top 20. While Adalyn Raab won for the Chix, sophomore Tessa Albrecht led the Dux with a sixth-place finish in 19:47.6. East freshman Charlie Vonk was eighth in 20:01.1, while junior teammate Alivia Schnakenberg came in 11th in 20:16.5. West freshman Ava Hoffer placed 15th in 20:35.1 while junior teammate Caralyn Elkins crossed the finish line in 20th (21:05.5).
Rounding out East’s top five runners were sophomore Tenley DeWitt (24th, 21:35.8) and senior Haley Green (36th, 22:24.6). Senior Samantha Koppenol (25th, 21:42.3) and classmate Kaila Keeler (26th, 21:47.8) rounded out West’s top five.
