By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
Six different players scored touchdowns last Friday as the Zeeland East varsity football team broke a two-game losing streak with a 44-12 road victory over Wyoming.
The win was the first for the Chix in O-K Gold Conference play in three games and raised East’s overall record to 4-2. It also strengthened their position in the playoff points race – East is now 15th in Division 3. The top 32 teams in playoff points in each division qualify for the playoffs.
The Chix host Grand Rapids South Christian for their homecoming game at 7 p.m. Friday.
East jumped out in front late in the first quarter on a 13-yard touchdown run by senior Kolter Rotman, his first touchdown of the season. Senior Peyton Davis ran in the two-point conversion to give the Chix an 8-0 lead after 12 minutes of play.
East added two more touchdowns and a pair of two-point conversions in the second quarter. First, junior quarterback Will Drnek scored on a 4-yard touchdown run, then hit senior Caleb Clearbaut with a two-point conversion pass.
Then, with just over a minute left in the first half, senior Isaiah Strom went 12 yards on an end around for his first touchdown of the season. Drnek connected with Rotman for the two-point conversion, and the Chix led 24-0 at halftime.
The East defense completely throttled the Wolves’ offense in the first half, limiting Wyoming to 26 total yards and recording six quarterback sacks.
After Wyoming got on the board early in the third quarter, East came right back down the field to score again. Drnek hooked up with junior wideout Isaiah Boonstra on a 36-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown, Boonstra’s seventh receiving touchdown of the year.
The Chix tacked on two more touchdowns in the final quarter. Senior Ben DeLost scored on a 3-yard run, and junior Payton Sackett dashed 23 yards to the house for East’s final score of the night.
East compiled 236 yards of total offense for the game, including a season-high 154 yards on the ground. Rotman led the ground attack with 65 yards on nine carries.
Drnek completed 6-of-7 passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. Junior Coby Miller caught three passes for 34 yards while Boonstra had two grabs for 46 yards.
The East defense was relentless all night long, recording a season-high eight sacks. Senior lineman Isaiah Jones picked up two sacks, while DeLost and senior linebacker Bennett Bing were each credited with 1.5 sacks. DeLost and Jones each made 11 tackles, while senior Bryce Tien had 10.
Zeeland Record
Six different players scored touchdowns last Friday as the Zeeland East varsity football team broke a two-game losing streak with a 44-12 road victory over Wyoming.
The win was the first for the Chix in O-K Gold Conference play in three games and raised East’s overall record to 4-2. It also strengthened their position in the playoff points race – East is now 15th in Division 3. The top 32 teams in playoff points in each division qualify for the playoffs.
The Chix host Grand Rapids South Christian for their homecoming game at 7 p.m. Friday.
East jumped out in front late in the first quarter on a 13-yard touchdown run by senior Kolter Rotman, his first touchdown of the season. Senior Peyton Davis ran in the two-point conversion to give the Chix an 8-0 lead after 12 minutes of play.
East added two more touchdowns and a pair of two-point conversions in the second quarter. First, junior quarterback Will Drnek scored on a 4-yard touchdown run, then hit senior Caleb Clearbaut with a two-point conversion pass.
Then, with just over a minute left in the first half, senior Isaiah Strom went 12 yards on an end around for his first touchdown of the season. Drnek connected with Rotman for the two-point conversion, and the Chix led 24-0 at halftime.
The East defense completely throttled the Wolves’ offense in the first half, limiting Wyoming to 26 total yards and recording six quarterback sacks.
After Wyoming got on the board early in the third quarter, East came right back down the field to score again. Drnek hooked up with junior wideout Isaiah Boonstra on a 36-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown, Boonstra’s seventh receiving touchdown of the year.
The Chix tacked on two more touchdowns in the final quarter. Senior Ben DeLost scored on a 3-yard run, and junior Payton Sackett dashed 23 yards to the house for East’s final score of the night.
East compiled 236 yards of total offense for the game, including a season-high 154 yards on the ground. Rotman led the ground attack with 65 yards on nine carries.
Drnek completed 6-of-7 passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. Junior Coby Miller caught three passes for 34 yards while Boonstra had two grabs for 46 yards.
The East defense was relentless all night long, recording a season-high eight sacks. Senior lineman Isaiah Jones picked up two sacks, while DeLost and senior linebacker Bennett Bing were each credited with 1.5 sacks. DeLost and Jones each made 11 tackles, while senior Bryce Tien had 10.
Zeeland East sophomore lineman Maximus Gomez (58) leads a pack of Chix defenders in stopping a Wyoming running back during last Friday’s 44-12 win over the Wolves. Sophomore Brennan Bazan (27) assists on the stop.
Photo credit Andrea Brink Photography
Photo credit Andrea Brink Photography
East Spikers Win Portage Central Invitational, Downs Unity
The Zeeland East varsity volleyball team won five consecutive matches last Saturday to take the Mustang Invite tournament at Portage Central.
The Chix finished off the tournament with a thrilling three-set victory over Livonia Stevenson in the championship match, defeating the Spartans 25-18, 21-25, 16-14 with junior outside hitter Lizzie Risdon delivering a thunderous kill for the match-clinching point.
Earlier in the tournament, East defeated host Portage Central 25-18, 25-15; Marshall 25-15, 25-14; Grand Ledge 25-13, 25-17; and Kalamazoo Christian 25-16, 25-23. The Chix entered the week with a 21-3 overall record.
Last Thursday, the Chix remained in the chase for the O-K Black Conference title with a four-set victory over Unity Christian, 25-23, 24-26, 25-16, 25-17.
Risdon led East in the win over Unity with 14 kills and nine digs. Senior middle hitter Savannah Byker slammed 10 kills. Senior setter Elyse Smith dished out 28 assists and also had nine digs. Senior defensive specialist Jordan Inosencio led the Chix in digs with 14 and served up five aces.
East Boys Netters 3rd, West 4th at O-K Black Tournament
The Zeeland East varsity boys tennis team finished third while Zeeland West took fourth place at last Friday’s O-K Black Conference tournament.
East finished with 32 points, nosing out West by one point for third place. Holland Christian won the tournament with 54 points to clinch the overall league championship. The Chix and Dux finished the season tied for third in the final overall standings.
East’s Andrew Colasanti finished runnerup at No. 4 singles, winning two matches before falling to Holland Christian’s Zeke DeYoung in the flight final, 6-1, 6-4.
West’s No. 1 doubles team of Trey and Carter Meeuwsen reached the finals in their flight by winning two matches. They were defeated by Holland Christian’s Graham Tanis and Michael Gorno in the finals, 6-2, 6-2.
East got third-place finishes from Payton Ott at No. 3 singles, Pierson Kolean and Gavin Sullivan at No. 3 doubles, and Lukas Hafeman and Tanner Reynolds at No. 4 doubles. West’s No. 2 doubles team of Caleb Levandovski and Jackson Zeedyk finished third in their flight.
East No. 1 singles player Seth VanTimmeren and West No. 1 singles player Mikey Fuller were named to the all-conference team.
West Boys 8th at Portage Cross Country Meet
The Zeeland West boys cross country team finished eighth among 32 teams last Saturday at the Portage Invitational meet.
The Dux finished with a team score of 243, while Zeeland East was 28th with a score of 801. Ann Arbor Pioneer won the meet with a score of 99.
In the Portage girls meet, Zeeland East finished in 12th place among 32 teams with a score of 355, while Zeeland West was 15th with 404 points. Ann Arbor Pioneer ran away with the title with a team score of 56.
In the boys’ meet, Zeeland West placed three runners in the top 40, led by senior Keagan Smith in 25th place in 16:26.5. Senior Rob Dodd was 31st in 16:32.1 and freshman Tanner Smith took 36th in 16:41.
East was led by junior Nate Davis, who took 94th in 17:31.3.
East sophomore Adalyn Raab was the top local runner in the girls’ meet, finishing 12th in 18:37.3. Senior Caralyn Elkins led West with a time of 19:37.8, finishing 42nd.
The Dux finished with a team score of 243, while Zeeland East was 28th with a score of 801. Ann Arbor Pioneer won the meet with a score of 99.
In the Portage girls meet, Zeeland East finished in 12th place among 32 teams with a score of 355, while Zeeland West was 15th with 404 points. Ann Arbor Pioneer ran away with the title with a team score of 56.
In the boys’ meet, Zeeland West placed three runners in the top 40, led by senior Keagan Smith in 25th place in 16:26.5. Senior Rob Dodd was 31st in 16:32.1 and freshman Tanner Smith took 36th in 16:41.
East was led by junior Nate Davis, who took 94th in 17:31.3.
East sophomore Adalyn Raab was the top local runner in the girls’ meet, finishing 12th in 18:37.3. Senior Caralyn Elkins led West with a time of 19:37.8, finishing 42nd.
West Falls to Unity in Homecoming Battle
By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
It was an old-fashioned defensive struggle at Zeeland Stadium last Friday as Zeeland West sought to deal Unity Christian its first loss of the season.
The Crusaders scored two second-quarter touchdowns, and their defense made that lead stand up through a scoreless second half to deal the Dux a 14-6 homecoming loss.
West fell to 2-2 in the O-K Gold Conference and 4-2 overall with the loss, while Unity solidified its hold on first place in the Gold, now 4-0 in the conference and 6-0 overall.
The Dux took the opening kickoff and put together a methodical drive that included two fourth-down conversions, moving from their own 30 to the Crusaders’ 35. However, on third-and-8, Max Barager intercepted a Drew Albrecht pass to give Unity its first possession of the game.
The Crusaders capitalized on that turnover, driving 80 yards in 10 plays for the game’s first score. On fourth-and-11, Justin Febus found Carter Scholten in the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown pass. Jared DeVries ran in the two-point conversion to give Unity an 8-0 lead 56 seconds into the second quarter.
West answered with a 75-yard, eight-play drive. Junior halfback Brandon Holman took the direct snap out of a single-wing formation and bolted 34 yards for his 13th touchdown of the season. The two-point conversion failed, leaving West behind 8-6.
A short punt gave Unity the ball at the West 39 late in the first half. The Crusaders needed just 57 seconds and six plays to extend their lead. With 24 seconds left in the half, DeVries scored on a 4-yard run to give Unity a 14-6 lead, but the Dux blocked the extra-point kick to keep it a one-possession game.
The West defense forced two turnovers in the third quarter to give the offense a chance at a tying score. First, junior Logan Nash recovered a mishandled snap on Unity’s opening possession. But West went three-and-out on the ensuing drive.
Later, junior Niko Moungkhoun picked off a Crusader pass. Following the turnover, the Dux drove to the Unity 26-yard-line. However, Unity forced a fumble on third-and-8 that resulted in a 10-yard loss, then broke up a fourth-down pass to take over possession on downs with 8:44 remaining.
The Dux would never get the ball back. The Crusaders picked up four first downs, including one on a roughing-the-passer penalty, in driving to the West 6, where they took a knee to seal the victory.
The game was as close statistically as the final score. The Dux outgained Unity 200-196, while the Crusaders had 13 first downs to 11 for West. Holman rushed for 120 yards on 23 carries and caught three passes for 45 more yards to lead the Dux. He also made nine tackles on defense while Albrecht was in on 10 stops.
West goes on the road Friday night for an O-K Gold clash with Forest Hills Central. Game time is 7 p.m.
Zeeland Record
It was an old-fashioned defensive struggle at Zeeland Stadium last Friday as Zeeland West sought to deal Unity Christian its first loss of the season.
The Crusaders scored two second-quarter touchdowns, and their defense made that lead stand up through a scoreless second half to deal the Dux a 14-6 homecoming loss.
West fell to 2-2 in the O-K Gold Conference and 4-2 overall with the loss, while Unity solidified its hold on first place in the Gold, now 4-0 in the conference and 6-0 overall.
The Dux took the opening kickoff and put together a methodical drive that included two fourth-down conversions, moving from their own 30 to the Crusaders’ 35. However, on third-and-8, Max Barager intercepted a Drew Albrecht pass to give Unity its first possession of the game.
The Crusaders capitalized on that turnover, driving 80 yards in 10 plays for the game’s first score. On fourth-and-11, Justin Febus found Carter Scholten in the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown pass. Jared DeVries ran in the two-point conversion to give Unity an 8-0 lead 56 seconds into the second quarter.
West answered with a 75-yard, eight-play drive. Junior halfback Brandon Holman took the direct snap out of a single-wing formation and bolted 34 yards for his 13th touchdown of the season. The two-point conversion failed, leaving West behind 8-6.
A short punt gave Unity the ball at the West 39 late in the first half. The Crusaders needed just 57 seconds and six plays to extend their lead. With 24 seconds left in the half, DeVries scored on a 4-yard run to give Unity a 14-6 lead, but the Dux blocked the extra-point kick to keep it a one-possession game.
The West defense forced two turnovers in the third quarter to give the offense a chance at a tying score. First, junior Logan Nash recovered a mishandled snap on Unity’s opening possession. But West went three-and-out on the ensuing drive.
Later, junior Niko Moungkhoun picked off a Crusader pass. Following the turnover, the Dux drove to the Unity 26-yard-line. However, Unity forced a fumble on third-and-8 that resulted in a 10-yard loss, then broke up a fourth-down pass to take over possession on downs with 8:44 remaining.
The Dux would never get the ball back. The Crusaders picked up four first downs, including one on a roughing-the-passer penalty, in driving to the West 6, where they took a knee to seal the victory.
The game was as close statistically as the final score. The Dux outgained Unity 200-196, while the Crusaders had 13 first downs to 11 for West. Holman rushed for 120 yards on 23 carries and caught three passes for 45 more yards to lead the Dux. He also made nine tackles on defense while Albrecht was in on 10 stops.
West goes on the road Friday night for an O-K Gold clash with Forest Hills Central. Game time is 7 p.m.
