By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
The Zeeland West varsity football team rolled up more than 300 yards on the ground and intercepted three passes last Friday as the Dux rolled to a 38-24 victory over Forest Hills Central.
West improved to 5-2 on the season, 3-1 in the O-K Gold Conference, heading into a road game this Friday at Wyoming. Kickoff from the home of the Wolves is 7 p.m.
The Dux are tied for 18th with Mason in the Division 3 playoff points standings, with the top 32 teams qualifying for the playoffs.
The homestanding Rangers took the opening kickoff and drove inside the West 5-yard-line. But the Dux stiffened, and FHC settled for a 20-yard Lucas Moeller field goal for an early 3-0 lead.
West responded with a 65-yard, seven-play drive on its first possession. Senior Jonah Leslie dashed 30 yards for the first of his three touchdowns on the night. The two-point conversion pass failed, but the Dux led 6-3.
FHC came back with a 76-yard drive that took up nearly five minutes of the clock. Nick Williams went the final yard for the score, giving the Rangers a 10-6 lead early in the second quarter.
Junior Niko Moungkhoun came up a game-changing play later in the second quarter, picking off a Williams pass to give West the football at the FHC 22. Two plays later, junior Brandon Holman scored his 14th touchdown of the season on a 9-yard run. Leslie ran in the two-point conversion to give the Dux a 14-10 lead.
Moments later, Holman intercepted a pass to give the Dux the ball back. Moungkhoun then broke off a 54-yard run to put West in the red zone. Junior Kye Chayer capped the drive with his first touchdown of the season, a 6-yard run. Quarterback Drew Albrecht connected with Holman on a two-point conversion pass, and the Dux led 22-10 at halftime.
West put the game away in the second half with a pair of quintessential grind-it-out drives, first of 60 yards and then of 73 yards, both taking up more than five minutes of clock. Leslie finished off both drives with touchdown runs of three and one yards, followed by a pair of two-point conversion runs by Holman. The Dux led 38-10 early in the fourth quarter.
The Rangers scored a pair of touchdowns in the final five minutes to make the score closer.
West pounded out 322 yards on 38 rushing attempts, an average of 8.5 yards per carry, and 18 passing yards for 340 yards of total offense. FHC had 161 yards rushing and 123 yards through the air.
Holman led a balanced Dux ground attack with 108 yards on 12 carries, while Leslie added 89 yards on 14 carries and Moungkhoun 58 yards on just two carries. Holman led the defense with nine tackles, while junior Taoufik Semia made six solo tackles.
Zeeland Record
The Zeeland West varsity football team rolled up more than 300 yards on the ground and intercepted three passes last Friday as the Dux rolled to a 38-24 victory over Forest Hills Central.
West improved to 5-2 on the season, 3-1 in the O-K Gold Conference, heading into a road game this Friday at Wyoming. Kickoff from the home of the Wolves is 7 p.m.
The Dux are tied for 18th with Mason in the Division 3 playoff points standings, with the top 32 teams qualifying for the playoffs.
The homestanding Rangers took the opening kickoff and drove inside the West 5-yard-line. But the Dux stiffened, and FHC settled for a 20-yard Lucas Moeller field goal for an early 3-0 lead.
West responded with a 65-yard, seven-play drive on its first possession. Senior Jonah Leslie dashed 30 yards for the first of his three touchdowns on the night. The two-point conversion pass failed, but the Dux led 6-3.
FHC came back with a 76-yard drive that took up nearly five minutes of the clock. Nick Williams went the final yard for the score, giving the Rangers a 10-6 lead early in the second quarter.
Junior Niko Moungkhoun came up a game-changing play later in the second quarter, picking off a Williams pass to give West the football at the FHC 22. Two plays later, junior Brandon Holman scored his 14th touchdown of the season on a 9-yard run. Leslie ran in the two-point conversion to give the Dux a 14-10 lead.
Moments later, Holman intercepted a pass to give the Dux the ball back. Moungkhoun then broke off a 54-yard run to put West in the red zone. Junior Kye Chayer capped the drive with his first touchdown of the season, a 6-yard run. Quarterback Drew Albrecht connected with Holman on a two-point conversion pass, and the Dux led 22-10 at halftime.
West put the game away in the second half with a pair of quintessential grind-it-out drives, first of 60 yards and then of 73 yards, both taking up more than five minutes of clock. Leslie finished off both drives with touchdown runs of three and one yards, followed by a pair of two-point conversion runs by Holman. The Dux led 38-10 early in the fourth quarter.
The Rangers scored a pair of touchdowns in the final five minutes to make the score closer.
West pounded out 322 yards on 38 rushing attempts, an average of 8.5 yards per carry, and 18 passing yards for 340 yards of total offense. FHC had 161 yards rushing and 123 yards through the air.
Holman led a balanced Dux ground attack with 108 yards on 12 carries, while Leslie added 89 yards on 14 carries and Moungkhoun 58 yards on just two carries. Holman led the defense with nine tackles, while junior Taoufik Semia made six solo tackles.
Zeeland West senior Jonah Leslie (1) breaks free for the first of his three touchdowns, a 30-yard run, during last Friday’s victory over Forest Hills Central. Senior tight end Marshall Johnson (8) supplies a key block.
Photo credit Angela Howe Creations
Photo credit Angela Howe Creations
Chix Fall to South Christian in Homecoming Game
By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
The Zeeland East varsity football team hung in there for the first half of last Friday’s homecoming game at Zeeland Stadium, but visiting South Christian dominated the second half in going on to a 41-12 victory.
The loss dropped the Chix to 4-3 overall, 1-3 in the O-K Gold Conference.
The Sailors scored on their first two possessions, on drives of 64 and 91 yards. Quarterback Brody Shilts scored on runs of one and nine yards as South Christian took a 14-0 lead with a little more than three minutes remaining in the first quarter.
The Chix responded with a drive to the South Christian 2-yard-line, but a bad snap from center resulted in an 18-yard loss. However, on third-and-goal from the Sailors’ 17, junior quarterback Will Drnek escaped the South Christian rush and found junior wide receiver Isaiah Boonstra in the end zone for his 11th touchdown pass of the season. The extra-point kick hit the upright and bounded away, leaving the score at 14-6 with 7:19 left in the first half.
Moments later, the East defense gave the offense a golden opportunity, stopping the Sailors on a fourth down at their own 36. Two plays after the change of possession, Drnek ran 22 yards for a touchdown. The two-point conversion failed, but the Chix were in the game at 14-12 with 3:42 remaining before halftime.
The Sailors came back with a 73-yard, eight-play drive just before the end of the half. Shilts went up top to freshman Dax Blackport for a 33-yard touchdown strike with 47 seconds remaining, and South Christian led 21-12. East drove to the Sailors’ 14 in the final seconds but ran out of time.
The Sailors used their powerful rushing attack to put the game away in the second half, scoring two touchdowns in the third quarter and one in the fourth. South Christian piled up 308 yards on the ground and 389 yards of total offense for the game.
East finished with 339 yards of total offense for the contest, led by Drnek with a 17-for-26 performance through the air for a season-high 268 yards and a touchdown. Junior wide receiver Coby Miller caught four passes for 134 yards, including a 62-yard reception. Boonstra hauled in five receptions for 64 yards. Senior Kolter Rotman led the Chix with 31 yards on eight carries on the ground, and caught three passes for 27 yards.
Senior defensive back Cameron Jaworowski led the East defense with 12 tackles, including five solo stops. Senior linebacker Peyton Davis was in on 10 tackles, including five solos.
The loss left the Chix tied for 22nd with Trenton in the Division 3 playoff points standings with the top 32 teams in the division qualifying for the state tournament.
East will play its final regular-season home game Friday night against Forest Hills Central, which is coming off a loss to Zeeland West last Friday. Kickoff from Zeeland Stadium is 7 p.m.
Zeeland Record
The Zeeland East varsity football team hung in there for the first half of last Friday’s homecoming game at Zeeland Stadium, but visiting South Christian dominated the second half in going on to a 41-12 victory.
The loss dropped the Chix to 4-3 overall, 1-3 in the O-K Gold Conference.
The Sailors scored on their first two possessions, on drives of 64 and 91 yards. Quarterback Brody Shilts scored on runs of one and nine yards as South Christian took a 14-0 lead with a little more than three minutes remaining in the first quarter.
The Chix responded with a drive to the South Christian 2-yard-line, but a bad snap from center resulted in an 18-yard loss. However, on third-and-goal from the Sailors’ 17, junior quarterback Will Drnek escaped the South Christian rush and found junior wide receiver Isaiah Boonstra in the end zone for his 11th touchdown pass of the season. The extra-point kick hit the upright and bounded away, leaving the score at 14-6 with 7:19 left in the first half.
Moments later, the East defense gave the offense a golden opportunity, stopping the Sailors on a fourth down at their own 36. Two plays after the change of possession, Drnek ran 22 yards for a touchdown. The two-point conversion failed, but the Chix were in the game at 14-12 with 3:42 remaining before halftime.
The Sailors came back with a 73-yard, eight-play drive just before the end of the half. Shilts went up top to freshman Dax Blackport for a 33-yard touchdown strike with 47 seconds remaining, and South Christian led 21-12. East drove to the Sailors’ 14 in the final seconds but ran out of time.
The Sailors used their powerful rushing attack to put the game away in the second half, scoring two touchdowns in the third quarter and one in the fourth. South Christian piled up 308 yards on the ground and 389 yards of total offense for the game.
East finished with 339 yards of total offense for the contest, led by Drnek with a 17-for-26 performance through the air for a season-high 268 yards and a touchdown. Junior wide receiver Coby Miller caught four passes for 134 yards, including a 62-yard reception. Boonstra hauled in five receptions for 64 yards. Senior Kolter Rotman led the Chix with 31 yards on eight carries on the ground, and caught three passes for 27 yards.
Senior defensive back Cameron Jaworowski led the East defense with 12 tackles, including five solo stops. Senior linebacker Peyton Davis was in on 10 tackles, including five solos.
The loss left the Chix tied for 22nd with Trenton in the Division 3 playoff points standings with the top 32 teams in the division qualifying for the state tournament.
East will play its final regular-season home game Friday night against Forest Hills Central, which is coming off a loss to Zeeland West last Friday. Kickoff from Zeeland Stadium is 7 p.m.
Zeeland East, West Meet in Volleyball Showdown
The Zeeland East and Zeeland West varsity volleyball teams meet for the second time this season tonight on West’s home court.
First serve is set for 6 p.m.
The Chix bring a nine-match winning streak into the contest. They are 6-1 in conference play and 22-3 overall. The Dux, meanwhile, have won their last three matches, including a pair of three-set victories last Thursday at Cedar Springs, defeating Hart 25-17, 20-25, 25-15, and the host Red Hawks 25-6, 17-25, 25-15. West is 3-5 in conference play and 11-14 overall.
East won the first meeting between the two teams Sept. 16 in four sets, 23-25, 25-22, 25-14, 25-19. West won the first set and had a 20-13 lead in the second before the Chix rallied to win the set and take control of the match.
Junior Lizzie Risdon led East in the first match with 12 kills and 21 digs, while senior Gracyn Huizenga added 10 kills. Junior Sadie Kragt led West with five kills in the first match, while senior Evie Elenbaas had four blocks.
First serve is set for 6 p.m.
The Chix bring a nine-match winning streak into the contest. They are 6-1 in conference play and 22-3 overall. The Dux, meanwhile, have won their last three matches, including a pair of three-set victories last Thursday at Cedar Springs, defeating Hart 25-17, 20-25, 25-15, and the host Red Hawks 25-6, 17-25, 25-15. West is 3-5 in conference play and 11-14 overall.
East won the first meeting between the two teams Sept. 16 in four sets, 23-25, 25-22, 25-14, 25-19. West won the first set and had a 20-13 lead in the second before the Chix rallied to win the set and take control of the match.
Junior Lizzie Risdon led East in the first match with 12 kills and 21 digs, while senior Gracyn Huizenga added 10 kills. Junior Sadie Kragt led West with five kills in the first match, while senior Evie Elenbaas had four blocks.
East, West Golfers Finish Season
Zeeland East finished ninth and Zeeland West placed 12th at the Division 1 girls golf regional Oct. 7 at Lincoln Golf Club in Muskegon.
The Chix finished with an 18-hole total of 410 while the Dux had a team score of 479.
Spring Lake won the regional with a team score of 362, and will be joined at the state finals by Sparta (374) and Greenville (383).
Junior Lucy Ehinger led East with a 98. Junior Ximena Knittel carded a 102, junior Ashleigh Pomeroy shot a 104 and senior Taya Schanski a 106.
Junior Aaliyah Le was West’s low scorer with a 112. Sophomore Brynlee DeYoung shot a 120, while senior Gabby Hoekwater carded a 123 and sophomore Allison Purtee a 124.
The Chix finished with an 18-hole total of 410 while the Dux had a team score of 479.
Spring Lake won the regional with a team score of 362, and will be joined at the state finals by Sparta (374) and Greenville (383).
Junior Lucy Ehinger led East with a 98. Junior Ximena Knittel carded a 102, junior Ashleigh Pomeroy shot a 104 and senior Taya Schanski a 106.
Junior Aaliyah Le was West’s low scorer with a 112. Sophomore Brynlee DeYoung shot a 120, while senior Gabby Hoekwater carded a 123 and sophomore Allison Purtee a 124.
Chix, Dux Fall in Soccer Districts
The boys soccer season for Zeeland East and Zeeland West came to an end in district tournament play last week.
East was defeated by Grand Rapids South Christian 3-1 Oct. 8 at South Christian, while West dropped a 1-0 decision to Holland Oct. 9 on the Dutch’s home pitch.
West finished its season with a record of 7-10-3 while East wrapped up its season at 1-17-2.
East was defeated by Grand Rapids South Christian 3-1 Oct. 8 at South Christian, while West dropped a 1-0 decision to Holland Oct. 9 on the Dutch’s home pitch.
West finished its season with a record of 7-10-3 while East wrapped up its season at 1-17-2.
