By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
A fourth-quarter touchdown by Zeeland West High School graduate Skye VanderKuyl was not enough for the Hope College football team last Saturday as the Flying Dutchmen were defeated by the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, 9-7, in an NCAA Division III second-round playoff game at Ray & Sue Smith Stadium in Holland.
The Flying Dutchmen, who finished runnerup in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association standings this season, ended their season with a 9-2 record. The game was played in snowy conditions.
VanderKuyl, a senior tight end and H-back, put Hope on the board as he caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Alex Thole with 3:49 remaining in the game, cutting the UW-La Crosse lead to 9-7. It was VanderKuyl’s second touchdown catch of the season.
Hope drove to the Eagles’ 31-yard-line in the final minute, but an incomplete pass on fourth down ended the Flying Dutchmen’s chances.
After a scoreless first half in the snow, UW-La Crosse broke through midway through the third quarter on Gabe Lynch’s 4-yard touchdown run. The extra-point kick was blocked.
The Eagles then added a 25-yard Michael Stack field goal later in the quarter to extend their lead to 9-0.
Hope finished the game with 250 yards total offense, limiting UW-La Crosse to 210 yards. Thole completed 22 of 36 passes for 185 yards to lead the Flying Dutchmen offense, with Jonny Rohen-Blanton catching seven passes for 66 yards.
Senior linebacker Colton Schruer led the Hope defense with 15 tackles. The Flying Dutchmen also got a strong performance defensively from freshman Keaton Hendricks, as the Zeeland West graduate made a season-high five tackles and broke up a pass.
"Congratulations to Wisconsin-La Crosse. Very good team, well-coached, very disciplined. They're big and strong," Hope coach Peter Stuursma said after the game. "I'm super proud of my guys. At the end, I thought we had a really good shot to drive down the field and either kick a field goal or score. That also says a lot about the players that I have the luxury of coaching. They don't quit. It's not in their DNA."
It was the last game for 21 Hope senior players. They led Hope to its first back-to-back seasons with at least nine wins — and first back-to-back postseason appearances — in program history.
Zeeland Record
A fourth-quarter touchdown by Zeeland West High School graduate Skye VanderKuyl was not enough for the Hope College football team last Saturday as the Flying Dutchmen were defeated by the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, 9-7, in an NCAA Division III second-round playoff game at Ray & Sue Smith Stadium in Holland.
The Flying Dutchmen, who finished runnerup in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association standings this season, ended their season with a 9-2 record. The game was played in snowy conditions.
VanderKuyl, a senior tight end and H-back, put Hope on the board as he caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Alex Thole with 3:49 remaining in the game, cutting the UW-La Crosse lead to 9-7. It was VanderKuyl’s second touchdown catch of the season.
Hope drove to the Eagles’ 31-yard-line in the final minute, but an incomplete pass on fourth down ended the Flying Dutchmen’s chances.
After a scoreless first half in the snow, UW-La Crosse broke through midway through the third quarter on Gabe Lynch’s 4-yard touchdown run. The extra-point kick was blocked.
The Eagles then added a 25-yard Michael Stack field goal later in the quarter to extend their lead to 9-0.
Hope finished the game with 250 yards total offense, limiting UW-La Crosse to 210 yards. Thole completed 22 of 36 passes for 185 yards to lead the Flying Dutchmen offense, with Jonny Rohen-Blanton catching seven passes for 66 yards.
Senior linebacker Colton Schruer led the Hope defense with 15 tackles. The Flying Dutchmen also got a strong performance defensively from freshman Keaton Hendricks, as the Zeeland West graduate made a season-high five tackles and broke up a pass.
"Congratulations to Wisconsin-La Crosse. Very good team, well-coached, very disciplined. They're big and strong," Hope coach Peter Stuursma said after the game. "I'm super proud of my guys. At the end, I thought we had a really good shot to drive down the field and either kick a field goal or score. That also says a lot about the players that I have the luxury of coaching. They don't quit. It's not in their DNA."
It was the last game for 21 Hope senior players. They led Hope to its first back-to-back seasons with at least nine wins — and first back-to-back postseason appearances — in program history.
Unity Christian Nipped by Divine Child in MHSAA Finals
By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
Hudsonville Unity Christian fell one point short in its bid for a second state high school football championship last Friday at Ford Field in Detroit, falling to Dearborn Divine Child 23-22 in the Division 4 championship game.
The Crusaders, who finished their season with a 12-2 record, reached the state finals for the third time in school history. Unity won the 2018 Division 5 championship and was runnerup for the Division 4 title in 2021.
Unity opened the scoring in the second quarter with an 86-yard, 15-play drive, capped off by a 4-yard touchdown run by Jared DeVries, who then ran in the two-point conversion. But a pair of touchdown passes by Divine Child gave the Falcons a 15-8 halftime lead.
The Crusaders regained the lead early in the fourth quarter on Justin Febus’ 4-yard touchdown run. DeVries ran in the two-point conversion to give Unity a 16-15 lead.
However, the Crusaders’ lead lasted only for a minute and seven seconds. Marcello Vitti’s 5-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion pass gave Divine Child a 23-16 lead.
Unity pulled within one on DeVries’ second touchdown, a 2-yard run with 6:44 remaining. But the two-point conversion pass failed.
Josh Bremer recovered a fumble moments later to give the Crusaders a chance at a game-winning score. But Divine Child forced a turnover on downs, then picked up two first downs to run out the clock.
Unity gained 359 yards of total offense, 332 on the ground, while Divine Child had 241 yards passing and 97 on the ground for 338 yards of total offense. Lucas Elliott led the Crusaders with 115 yards on 17 carries while DeVries added 90 yards on 18 carries.
Zeeland Record
Hudsonville Unity Christian fell one point short in its bid for a second state high school football championship last Friday at Ford Field in Detroit, falling to Dearborn Divine Child 23-22 in the Division 4 championship game.
The Crusaders, who finished their season with a 12-2 record, reached the state finals for the third time in school history. Unity won the 2018 Division 5 championship and was runnerup for the Division 4 title in 2021.
Unity opened the scoring in the second quarter with an 86-yard, 15-play drive, capped off by a 4-yard touchdown run by Jared DeVries, who then ran in the two-point conversion. But a pair of touchdown passes by Divine Child gave the Falcons a 15-8 halftime lead.
The Crusaders regained the lead early in the fourth quarter on Justin Febus’ 4-yard touchdown run. DeVries ran in the two-point conversion to give Unity a 16-15 lead.
However, the Crusaders’ lead lasted only for a minute and seven seconds. Marcello Vitti’s 5-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion pass gave Divine Child a 23-16 lead.
Unity pulled within one on DeVries’ second touchdown, a 2-yard run with 6:44 remaining. But the two-point conversion pass failed.
Josh Bremer recovered a fumble moments later to give the Crusaders a chance at a game-winning score. But Divine Child forced a turnover on downs, then picked up two first downs to run out the clock.
Unity gained 359 yards of total offense, 332 on the ground, while Divine Child had 241 yards passing and 97 on the ground for 338 yards of total offense. Lucas Elliott led the Crusaders with 115 yards on 17 carries while DeVries added 90 yards on 18 carries.
Gulker Scores in Ferris Playoff Rout
Zeeland West High School graduate Carson Gulker again played a prominent role for the Ferris State University football team on Saturday as the Bulldogs continued their drive to repeat as NCAA Division II national champions with a 56-24 victory over Ashland (Ohio) University at Top Taggart Field in Big Rapids.
After the Eagles jumped on Ferris early with a pair of touchdowns to take a 14-0 lead, the Bulldogs responded with a scoring drive of their own. Gulker carried the ball five times for 23 yards, finishing the drive off with a 2-yard touchdown run, his ninth touchdown of the season and 54th of his career, cutting the Ashland lead to 14-7.
Ferris took the lead for good midway through the second quarter on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Chase Carter to Cam Underwood. That score started a run of 35 consecutive points for the Bulldogs as they built a 49-17 lead after three quarters.
Gulker rushed for 79 yards on 10 carries in the game, helping Ferris pile up 348 yards on the ground and 483 yards in total offense. He also caught one pass for 12 yards.
Ferris will host Minnesota State University in a Division II national quarterfinal game Saturday in Big Rapids. Game time is 1 p.m.
After the Eagles jumped on Ferris early with a pair of touchdowns to take a 14-0 lead, the Bulldogs responded with a scoring drive of their own. Gulker carried the ball five times for 23 yards, finishing the drive off with a 2-yard touchdown run, his ninth touchdown of the season and 54th of his career, cutting the Ashland lead to 14-7.
Ferris took the lead for good midway through the second quarter on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Chase Carter to Cam Underwood. That score started a run of 35 consecutive points for the Bulldogs as they built a 49-17 lead after three quarters.
Gulker rushed for 79 yards on 10 carries in the game, helping Ferris pile up 348 yards on the ground and 483 yards in total offense. He also caught one pass for 12 yards.
Ferris will host Minnesota State University in a Division II national quarterfinal game Saturday in Big Rapids. Game time is 1 p.m.
