Zeeland East linebacker Hunter Vanzyll (32) recovers a Flushing fumble during the first overtime of last Thursday’s game. The Chix scored in the second OT to win the game, 29-21.
Photo by Andrea Brink Photography
By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
The Zeeland East varsity football team needed extra time to pull out a hard-fought victory last Thursday night in its home opener.
Senior Isaiah Boonstra’s 10-yard touchdown run in the second overtime lifted the Chix to a 29-21 victory over Flushing, raising East’s record to 2-0 heading into the start of O-K Gold Conference play this Friday at home against Unity Christian.
“We are very proud of the toughness our team showed fighting back throughout the game,” Chix coach Joe Woodruff said.
It was the third straight year that East and Flushing went down to the wire to decide the game. The Raiders beat East on an 80-yard Hail Mary pass in the final seconds two years ago, and a missed extra point with 30 seconds left last year allowed the Chix to come away with a one-point win.
It was the first double overtime game for East since the 2012 Bird Bowl regular season contest between the Chix and Zeeland West, which East won 60-52.
East seemed to have the game in hand with four minutes remaining in regulation after senior Zeek Ramadhani rambled 33 yards for a touchdown, followed by a two-point conversion, to extend the Chix lead to 21-7.
But the Raiders came back, returning the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown. Then after Flushing held on East’s next possession, a 66-yard punt return put the Raiders in scoring position. A 9-yard touchdown pass with 1:03 remaining, following by an extra-point kick, tied the game at 21-all.
Still, the Chix had a chance to pull it out in regulation, driving to the Flushing 9-yard-line, but a 26-yard field goal try went wide left, sending the contest to overtime.
Flushing fumbled on its possession in the first OT, and Hunter Vanzyll recovered for the Chix. But East missed a 22-yard field goal on its possession, and the game continued.
Boonstra put East ahead with his first touchdown of the season, then ran in the two-point conversion. The Chix defense held from there to secure the victory.
The Chix opened the scoring on their first possession after forcing a Flushing punt. Senior quarterback Will Drnek scored on a 1-yard run, and sophomore John Jeffries kicked the point after for a 7-0 East lead.
Flushing tied the score late in the first half on an 11-yard touchdown run, and the half ended with the teams even at 7-all.
The Chix regained the lead in the third quarter with a methodical 64-yard, 11-play drive. Senior Payton Sackett powered his way to paydirt from three yards out, and East led 13-7.
The Chix rolled up 307 yards on the ground on 57 attempts, with both Sackett and Ramadhani going over the 100-yard mark for the contest. Sackett rushed for 129 yards on 22 carries, and Ramadhani added 101 yards on 13 carries.
Ramadhani also had another strong performance on defense, with 10 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, four quarterback pressures and a fumble recovery. Senior Coby Miller caught three passes on offense and came up with a couple of pass breakups on defense late in the game. Senior Kalob Willis made 11 tackles.
Friday’s East-Unity game will be the nightcap of an unusual doubleheader at Zeeland Stadium that will have Zeeland West playing a 5 p.m. contest against Huron Heights Secondary School of Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. Kickoff for the Chix and Crusaders is 7:30 p.m.
By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
The Zeeland East varsity football team needed extra time to pull out a hard-fought victory last Thursday night in its home opener.
Senior Isaiah Boonstra’s 10-yard touchdown run in the second overtime lifted the Chix to a 29-21 victory over Flushing, raising East’s record to 2-0 heading into the start of O-K Gold Conference play this Friday at home against Unity Christian.
“We are very proud of the toughness our team showed fighting back throughout the game,” Chix coach Joe Woodruff said.
It was the third straight year that East and Flushing went down to the wire to decide the game. The Raiders beat East on an 80-yard Hail Mary pass in the final seconds two years ago, and a missed extra point with 30 seconds left last year allowed the Chix to come away with a one-point win.
It was the first double overtime game for East since the 2012 Bird Bowl regular season contest between the Chix and Zeeland West, which East won 60-52.
East seemed to have the game in hand with four minutes remaining in regulation after senior Zeek Ramadhani rambled 33 yards for a touchdown, followed by a two-point conversion, to extend the Chix lead to 21-7.
But the Raiders came back, returning the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown. Then after Flushing held on East’s next possession, a 66-yard punt return put the Raiders in scoring position. A 9-yard touchdown pass with 1:03 remaining, following by an extra-point kick, tied the game at 21-all.
Still, the Chix had a chance to pull it out in regulation, driving to the Flushing 9-yard-line, but a 26-yard field goal try went wide left, sending the contest to overtime.
Flushing fumbled on its possession in the first OT, and Hunter Vanzyll recovered for the Chix. But East missed a 22-yard field goal on its possession, and the game continued.
Boonstra put East ahead with his first touchdown of the season, then ran in the two-point conversion. The Chix defense held from there to secure the victory.
The Chix opened the scoring on their first possession after forcing a Flushing punt. Senior quarterback Will Drnek scored on a 1-yard run, and sophomore John Jeffries kicked the point after for a 7-0 East lead.
Flushing tied the score late in the first half on an 11-yard touchdown run, and the half ended with the teams even at 7-all.
The Chix regained the lead in the third quarter with a methodical 64-yard, 11-play drive. Senior Payton Sackett powered his way to paydirt from three yards out, and East led 13-7.
The Chix rolled up 307 yards on the ground on 57 attempts, with both Sackett and Ramadhani going over the 100-yard mark for the contest. Sackett rushed for 129 yards on 22 carries, and Ramadhani added 101 yards on 13 carries.
Ramadhani also had another strong performance on defense, with 10 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, four quarterback pressures and a fumble recovery. Senior Coby Miller caught three passes on offense and came up with a couple of pass breakups on defense late in the game. Senior Kalob Willis made 11 tackles.
Friday’s East-Unity game will be the nightcap of an unusual doubleheader at Zeeland Stadium that will have Zeeland West playing a 5 p.m. contest against Huron Heights Secondary School of Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. Kickoff for the Chix and Crusaders is 7:30 p.m.
Dux Douse Chemics as Holman Runs Wild, Scoring Four TDs
Zeeland West senior Brandon Holman (6) makes a cutback move toward the center of the field, following the blocking of teammates Cam Brouwer (2) and Luke Walters (70) as he returns an interception 66 yards for a touchdown to put the Dux ahead to stay in last Friday’s win over Midland.
Photo by Angela Howe Creations
By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
About the only thing that was able to stop Zeeland West senior halfback Brandon Holman last Friday was Brandon Holman himself.
Holman seemed headed for his fifth touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter – until his legs gave out due to cramps at the Midland High 1-yard-line after a 47-yard gallop.
Senior teammate Kye Chayer scored on the next play, capping a big second half for the Dux that propelled West to a 50-20 victory over the Chemics.
The Dux will bring a 2-0 record into a late Friday afternoon game at Zeeland Stadium against Huron Heights Secondary School from Newmarket, Ontario, Canada – about 30 miles north of Toronto. The game will kick off at 5 p.m. as part of a home doubleheader, with Zeeland East to play Unity Christian in the nightcap.
Holman scored four touchdowns and accounted for 377 yards in the contest – rushing for 213 yards on 17 carries, catching a 53-yard touchdown pass on the game’s first possession, and intercepting two passes, returning them for a combined 111 yards, including a pick-6 that put West ahead to stay.
“Brandon’s such a special player,” West coach Jeff Bolhouse said. “I pull him out, and he says ‘this is not a good time to take me out, I’m not tired.’ I said, ‘I know, but I gotta get other guys in.’
“How fast he is, the vision he runs with, and the yards after contact – he gets hit at the line of scrimmage a lot and bounces off (tacklers) and all of a sudden it’s a 4-yard run.”
Early on, Midland went toe-to-toe with West, as Chemics quarterback Taber Benner confounded the Dux defense with his mobility and his arm.
After Holman’s long touchdown catch opened the scoring, Benner scrambled 18 yards for one touchdown and hit LJ Gallihugh with a 16-yard scoring strike as Midland took a 14-6 lead early in the second quarter.
But West responded with an 80-yard, eight-play drive, with Holman finishing the drive with a 14-yard touchdown run. Drew Albrecht then hit Cam Brouwer for the two-point conversion to tie the game.
About two minutes later, a heavy West pass rush forced Benner to throw the ball up for grabs. Holman intercepted the pass at the Dux 34, made a couple of Midland players miss, then picked up several blocks downfield as he went 66 yards for the go-ahead score.
“That’s just an experience play,” Holman said. “Jace Henry came flying down the field from defensive end and throwing that block for me – that was just an incredible effort, and that’s what wins ball games right there.”
Bolhouse spoke of a drill in practice earlier in the week that paid off in the pass rush that led to the interception.
“We did some pursuit drills this week of trying to contain (Benner). We used Logan Nash and Drew a little bit to scramble around, to work with defensive ends and defensive tackles, to keep him in the pocket,” he said.
Kenny Howe III’s two-point conversion gave West a 22-14 lead with 3:44 left in the half.
Midland pulled to within two just before halftime on a 43-yard touchdown pass. The Dux blocked the extra point, and West went into halftime with a 22-20 lead.
The Dux put the game away in the second half, exploding for four touchdowns in span of just over seven minutes. Senior Niko Moungkhoun started the outburst with a 15-yard touchdown run. Then, just 23 seconds later, after an Ethan Huyser interception, Holman dashed 57 yards for his fourth touchdown.
Howe ran 19 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, and after the Dux recovered the ensuing kickoff, Chayer closed out the scoring with his touchdown.
West finished the game with 509 yards total offense, 440 of it rushing. Besides Holman’s 213-yard effort, Howe rushed for 98 yards on eight carries. Albrecht completed two of his three passes for 69 yards.
On the Record
Zeeland Swims Past West Ottawa
The Zeeland High girls swimming team took first place in 10 of 12 events last Thursday in defeating West Ottawa, 117-69.
Senior Ariyah Gettings and junior Natalie Lauritzen each won two individual events to lead the way for Zeeland.
Gettings won the 200-yard individual medley in 2 minutes, 17.41 seconds, and the 100-yard breaststroke in a state-qualifying time of 1:07.73. Lauritzen, meanwhile, won the 200-yard freestyle in a state-qualifying time of 1:53.95, and took the 500-yard freestyle with a personal best and state-qualifying time of 5:14.46 – nearly 40 seconds faster than the runnerup finisher.
Zeeland swept all three relays. The team of Mariam Norman, Gettings, Mallory Ensing and Elsie Kapenga won the 200 medley relay in 1:57.46. In the 200 free relay, the foursome of Gettings, Norman, Lauritzen and Molly Meyering finished first in 1:44.90. Zeeland closed the meet out as the 400 free relay team of Ensing, Kapenga, Meyering and Lauritzen won in 3:53.72.
Ensing won the 100-yard butterfly in 1:07.36, while Mady Greene took the 100 backstroke in 1:11.22.
East Bests West in Boys Tennis
Zeeland East defeated Zeeland West in the first-ever boys tennis matchup at the new Janssen Tennis Courts Sept. 2, 7-1.
The Chix won all four doubles matches and took three of four singles flights in improving its season record to 11-1-1. The Dux fell to 4-6-1.
The lone point for West came at No. 1 singles, where Caleb Levandoski held off Daniel Steenwyk 6-4, 7-5. East answered quickly behind Gavin Sullivan, who powered past Levi Stob 6-2, 6-0 at No. 2 singles.
At No. 3 singles, Andrew Colasanti survived the day’s tightest match, dropping the first set to Jackson Zeedyk before coming back to win the match, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
East’s Oliver Reese won 6-4, 6-1 at No. 4 singles, and the doubles teams of Jacob Guerriero and Luke Hathaway, Jace Velderman and Payton Ott, Lukas Hafeman and Pierson Kolean, and Ben Slotman and Max Lewis all posted straight-set victories.
The Zeeland High girls swimming team took first place in 10 of 12 events last Thursday in defeating West Ottawa, 117-69.
Senior Ariyah Gettings and junior Natalie Lauritzen each won two individual events to lead the way for Zeeland.
Gettings won the 200-yard individual medley in 2 minutes, 17.41 seconds, and the 100-yard breaststroke in a state-qualifying time of 1:07.73. Lauritzen, meanwhile, won the 200-yard freestyle in a state-qualifying time of 1:53.95, and took the 500-yard freestyle with a personal best and state-qualifying time of 5:14.46 – nearly 40 seconds faster than the runnerup finisher.
Zeeland swept all three relays. The team of Mariam Norman, Gettings, Mallory Ensing and Elsie Kapenga won the 200 medley relay in 1:57.46. In the 200 free relay, the foursome of Gettings, Norman, Lauritzen and Molly Meyering finished first in 1:44.90. Zeeland closed the meet out as the 400 free relay team of Ensing, Kapenga, Meyering and Lauritzen won in 3:53.72.
Ensing won the 100-yard butterfly in 1:07.36, while Mady Greene took the 100 backstroke in 1:11.22.
East Bests West in Boys Tennis
Zeeland East defeated Zeeland West in the first-ever boys tennis matchup at the new Janssen Tennis Courts Sept. 2, 7-1.
The Chix won all four doubles matches and took three of four singles flights in improving its season record to 11-1-1. The Dux fell to 4-6-1.
The lone point for West came at No. 1 singles, where Caleb Levandoski held off Daniel Steenwyk 6-4, 7-5. East answered quickly behind Gavin Sullivan, who powered past Levi Stob 6-2, 6-0 at No. 2 singles.
At No. 3 singles, Andrew Colasanti survived the day’s tightest match, dropping the first set to Jackson Zeedyk before coming back to win the match, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
East’s Oliver Reese won 6-4, 6-1 at No. 4 singles, and the doubles teams of Jacob Guerriero and Luke Hathaway, Jace Velderman and Payton Ott, Lukas Hafeman and Pierson Kolean, and Ben Slotman and Max Lewis all posted straight-set victories.
