Friday, October 25, 2013

2013 Boys Varsity Football October 25 @ Unity Christian

Holland Christian played their last game of the season on Friday night, as they took on the Unity Christian Crusaders. In the first quarter, Unity fumbled a punt return and the Maroons were there to jump on the ball at the 31 yard line. Immediately after that, Caleb VanderLugt connected with Kyle Steigenga for a 31 yard touchdown pass. Bryce Eggers tacked on the extra point making the score 7-0 Maroons. Unity was able to string together multiple runs to score a touchdown of their own to make the score 7-7 at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, Unity Christian was able to score an 87 yard touchdown run making the score 14-7. After a Holland Christian punt, Unity was able to score another touchdown, extending their lead to 21-7. With a minute left in the first half, the Maroons were able to battle back to score a 32 yard VanderLugt-Steigenga touchdown. Holland Christian decided to go for a trick play 2-point conversion. With both the offensive and defensive lines on the side of the field, only the snapper, the holder, and the kicker were in the middle of the field for the Maroons. For Unity, there were only a couple defenders in the middle of the field. Holland Christian snapped the ball to Steigenga, the holder, who came up with the ball and threw a short pass to a wide-open Casey Meyaard to make the score 21-15. With only seconds left in the first half, Unity Christian missed a short field goal attempt, making the halftime score 21-15.
Towards the end of the second half, Unity was able to score a touchdown, and they were able to capitalize on the 2-point conversion giving them the 29-15 lead. After a couple of possession changes, Unity was able to score another touchdown making the score 36-15. On the next Holland Christian drive, Caleb VanderLugt connected with Jake Kalkman for a touchdown. Eggers added the extra-point to make the score 36-22. The game would end with that score of 36-22 in favor of Unity Christian.
With this, the Maroons season comes to a close with a record of 4-5. Holland Christian would like to thank all of this year's seniors for contributing their efforts on the field: Caleb VanderLugt, Kyle Steigenga, Justin Dykgraaf, Isaac Boes, Matt DeKock, Cody Machiela, Seth VanAst, Austin Hossink, Austin Shoemaker, Carter Gethin, Tyler VandenHeuvel, Cam Rotman, Josiah Coleman, Tyler Windemuller, and Justin VanNuil. Go Maroons!


Friday, October 18, 2013

2013 Boys Varsity Football October 18 @ Byron Center

 The Maroons traveled to Byron Center on Friday night, as they took on the Byron Center Bulldogs. In the first quarter, Brandon Riemersma recovered a Byron Center fumble to put the Maroons in scoring position. That drive ended in a 32 yard field goal by Bryce Eggers to put the Maroons up 3-0. Byron Center fought back in the second quarter to score a touchdown. However, the Maroons' defense was able to prevent the Bulldogs from scoring the 2-point conversion. The half ended with a score of 6-3 in favor of the Byron Center.
In the third quarter, Byron Center was able to capitalize with a touchdown to make the score 13-3. Byron Center tacked on a field goal in the final minutes of the fourth quarter to make the score 16-3. With only two seconds remaining in the game, Caleb VanderLugt completed an 18 yard touchdown pass to Kyle Steigenga to make the final score 16-9. Steigenga finished with 113 yards on six receptions. Caleb VanderLugt threw for 211 yards on 17 completions.
Holland Christian is an even 4-4 on the season heading into their final game of the season. Holland Christian will play their last game against Unity (at Jenison High School) on Friday, October 25. 

Thursday, October 17, 2013

2013 Boys' Varsity Soccer October 17 VS. Unity

 Holland Christian faced off against Unity Christian in the district semifinals on Thursday night. The muddy field took its toll on both teams over the course of the night. Unity Christian struck first, as they scored two minutes into the game off of a header that found its way past the diving Luke Schepers. After the first half of action, the score remained 1-0 in favor of Unity. The second half also began with an early Unity goal. This time Unity scored off of a loose ball in front of Schepers. Holland Christian fought back with determination and managed a couple more quality scoring chances. With 20 minutes left. A ball rolled right on the Unity goal line, but a sliding Unity Christian defender was able to clear the ball at the last second. A minute later, Marcus Hoekstra hammered a ball past the Unity Goalie, however the goal was later called off because of an offsides call against the Maroons. The game ended in a 2-0 Unity Christian win. With this, the Maroons season comes to a close. “I wanna say thanks to everybody. A soccer season is a journey, there are times where you are going to be higher than high and there are going to be times where you are lower than low” said Coach DeBoer to his team. Holland Christian finished this season with a record of 11-5-4.

 Holland Christian would like to thank all of this year's seniors for their great careers as soccer players representing the Maroons. This year's seniors are Abe Wierda, Isaac Brace, Marcus Hoekstra, Alex Keizer, Evan Leppink, Rilee Bouwkamp, Devan Hoekstra, and Cody Machiela. Coach DeBoer says about this senior class; “As a program, we strive for excellence, both as soccer players and individuals. This Senior class has done that and has set a model for classes to come at Holland Christian.”

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

2013 Boys Varsity Soccer Playoffs October 15 @ Zeeland East

The Maroons played their first postseason match on Tuesday, as they took on the Zeeland East Chix. During the regular season, the Maroons and the Chix tied their matchup 0-0. Tonight's game was another evenly matched game. Both teams had many offensive opportunities in the first half. Led by goalie Luke Schepers, the Maroons defense was unbeatable. Schepers had a great save toward the end of the first half when he was able to block a Chix breakaway opportunity. By the end of the first, neither team found the back of the net.

 With 15 minutes remaining in the game, the Maroons were able to capitalize. Abe Wierda placed a corner kick right in front of the Zeeland goal, where Micah Bieri was there to head the ball into the net giving the Maroons the 1-0 lead. The Maroons were able to finish out the game with that 1-0 victory. With tonight's win, the Maroons advance to the next stage of the postseason. Their next game will be against Unity Christian at 7pm, and the game will also be held at Zeeland East's field.  

Friday, October 11, 2013

2013 Boys Varsity Football October 11 VS. Holland

Holland Christian played their final home game of the season on Friday in search of their 4th consecutive victory. Holland Christian began the game with great offense. The Maroons finished their first offensive drive with a short touchdown pass from Caleb VanderLugt to Kyle Steigenga to put the Maroons up by a score of 7-0. Holland fought back on their next drive to score a touchdown of their own to tie the game up at 7-7. The Maroons immediately responded with another touchdown on their next drive. VanderLugt once again connected with Steigenga for a 53 yard touchdown pass to put the Maroons up 14-7. Holland's next offensive drive ended a touchdown, but the Dutch failed on the extra point to make the score 14-13. The Maroons responded immediately with an 80 yard touchdown pass from VanderLugt to Isaac Boes, who fought his way past multiple defenders to get into the end zone making the score 21-13 at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter began with another successful Holland Christian drive. VanderLugt connected with Steigenga once again for another touchdown to extend the Maroons lead to 28-13. Holland Christian added another touchdown at the end of the first quarter, as VanderLugt threw a short pass to freshman Caleb Brink to make the score 35-13 Maroons at halftime.
Holland managed to score an 8-point touchdown towards the end of the third quarter, cutting the Maroons' lead to 35-21. In the 4th quarter, VanderLugt threw two 20-yard touchdowns: The first was to Jake Kalkman, and the second was to Steigenga, making the score 49-21. In the final minute, quarterback Jared Stygstra ran the ball into the end zone sealing the victory for the Maroons by a score of 56-21.
Bryce Eggers had an excellent performance, as he was 8/8 on extra point attempts. The duo of Caleb VanderLugt and Kyle Steigenga also had an incredible game, as they connected with a total of four touchdowns.

 “We came out inconsistent in the first half but once we got going we played a lot better...I'm also happy that we were able to get everyone in the game again tonight!” said Coach Caserta following the Maroons' 4th consecutive victory. With tonight's win, the Maroons improve to 4-3 on the season. Holland Christian will be back in action on Friday, October 18, as they travel to the home of the Byron Center Bulldogs.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

2013 Girls Varsity Golf Regionals October 9


The Maroons traveled to Byron Center on Wednesday, to participate in the Regional tournament. Despite the stiff competition, the Maroons were able to score well. Bre Luurtsema lead the Maroons with a score of 98. Lydia Wiersema shot a 101 on the day. Nola Tolsma, Sarah Vroon, and Candace Hoitenga rounded out the scoring with 106 apiece. In the end, the Maroons finished in 6th place out of a total of 13 teams. South Christian finished in first place, followed by Lakewood in 2nd, and Grand Rapids Christian in 3rd place. With this, Holland Christian's stellar season came to a finish. Seniors Nola Tolsma, Kate Ellens, Candace Hoitenga, Sarah Vroon, and Bre Luurtsema all concluded their careers at Holland Christian with an amazing season!

2013 Boys Varsity Soccer October 9 @ Unity


The Maroons played their last game of the regular season on Wednesday, as they traveled to the home of the #1 ranked Unity Christian Crusaders. Both teams had decent opportunities throughout the game. The first half was spent primarily with the Maroons playing defense. Holland Christian goalie Luke Schepers did not allow any goals throughout the first half of play. Offensively, the Maroons were not able to capitalize on any of their scoring chances. The second half began with a Unity Christian goal two minutes into the half, making the score 1-0 Unity. Despite the great effort, Holland Christian was not able to tie the game up, and the game ended in a score of 1-0. “This team has done a tremendous job of getting better everyday...they are continuing on their journey to set a new standard for HC soccer!” said Coach DeBoer following the game. With this loss, the Maroons finish their season with a 10-5-4 record heading into the postseason. “We're looking forward to a tough district that has two of the top teams in the state in it (Holland and Unity)” says Coach DeBoer. Holland Christian will begin their postseason on Tuesday, October 15, as take on the Zeeland East Chix. The game will be held at Zeeland East, and kickoff will be at 6pm.  

Monday, October 7, 2013

2013 Boys Varsity Soccer October 7 VS. Byron Center

Holland Christian played their final home game of their season on Monday night, as they hosted the Byron Center Bulldogs. Before the match, Holland Christian honored this year's seniors: Rilee Bouwkamp, Isaac Brace, Devan Hoekstra, Marcus Hoekstra, Alex Keizer, Evan Leppink, Cody Machiela, Levi Snoeyink, and Abe Wierda.
The Seniors got the Maroons on the board first. Isaac Brace fed Marcus Hoekstra with a perfect feed, where Hoekstra was able to finish it past the Byron Center goalie to put Holland Christian up 1-0. The Maroons added another goal when Allyn Anthony was able to head a ball into the back of the net off of a Cody Machiela throw in to make it 2-0 Holland Christian. The Maroons added a third goal when Jake Kammeraad had a fired a beautiful shot past the Byron Center goalie in the final minutes of the first half to make the halftime score 3-0.
The second half was the same as the first; in complete Holland Christian control. After numerous great shots at the Byron Center net, Holland Christian was able to capitalize. Abe Wierda fired a bullet at the Byron Center goalie who could not control the ball, and Kyle Wassink was there to tap in the rebound making the score 4-0.

 With this victory, the Maroons improve to 10-4-4 on the season. Holland Christian will play their last game of the season on Wednesday, October 9, as they travel to the home of the Crusaders of Unity Christian.

Friday, October 4, 2013

2013 Boys Varsity Football October 4 @ Hamilton

Coming off of a spectacular victory in their previous game, the Maroons returned to action on Friday night as they took on the Hamilton Hawkeyes. The Hawkeyes began the game with a long kickoff return all the way to the Maroons' 17 yard line. However the Maroon defense was able to prevent any more damage, as they forced a turnover after a failed 4th down attempt. The first Maroons drive consisted of many short runs, most of which by quarterback Caleb VanderLugt. That drive ended in a short pass from VanderLugt to Jake Kalkman to put the Maroons up 7-0. After a great effort by the Maroons defense, Holland Christian regained possession of the ball. After a few short runs by VanderLugt, Kyle Steigenga was able to come down with the ball in the end zone to put Holland Christian up 14-0. Hamilton's next drive forced them to punt the ball away. But when the ball was snapped, the ball found its way to the end zone over the punter's head, where Holland Christian was able to dive on the punter to get a safety to put them up 16-0. Holland Christian's next drive consisted of a string of passes, which ended with Isaac Boes taking a short pass into the end zone to make it 23-0 in favor of the Maroons at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter began with Jared Stygstra in for the Maroons at quarterback. Stygstra had multiple long passes in his first drive, primarily to Kyle Steigenga and Isaac Boes. Stygstra was able to finish that drive with a short touchdown run to put the Maroons up by a score of 29-0. Shortly thereafter, the Maroons were able to string together a series of passes, which ultimately ended in a short touchdown run by VanderLugt to put the Maroons up 36-0 at the half.
Hamilton was able to strike first in the second half, as they threw a 50 yard touchdown pass to cut the score down to 36-6. The next Maroons drive, quarterback Jared Stygstra was able to complete a couple long passes. The first was a 40 yard pass up the middle to Kyle Steigenga to put the Maroons in striking distance. The second was also to Steigenga who was interfered with in the end zone, but still came down with the ball to give Holland Christian the touchdown to add to the Maroons lead of 43-6.
In the fourth quarter, Hamilton was able to score a total of three touchdowns to cut the lead to 43-27, however the Maroons were able to hold on and finish the game with a final of 43-27.

Coach Caserta said following his team's victory, “The first half was great, I was excited to get everyone in the game tonight...That will help us down the road! We just have to take it one week at a time, and we have to come out ready to play against Holland” The Maroons improve to 3-3 on the season. The Maroons will seek their 4th consecutive victory on Friday, October 11, as they host the Holland Dutch. 

2013 Girls Varsity Golf Conference October 4


Holland Christian participated in the OK Green Conference meet on Friday morning, on what was a beautiful day for golf. Holland Christian was one of six teams playing in the match. Lydia Wiersema led the Maroons with her personal best score of 89 on the day. Behind Wiersema was Bre Luurtsema with a 90, and Candace Hoitenga with a 91. Sarah Vroon, Kate Ellens, and Nola Tolsma each finished with a score in the upper 90s. Wiersema was able to sink six pars, and had a total of 37 putts on the day making her the top medalist on the day. Nola Tolsma also had a couple amazing rounds, as she shot two birdies on the day. Luurtsema, Hoitenga, and Tolsma all represented Holland Christian in the top ten on the day. Because of the girls' stellar performances, Holland Christian was able to come out on top, winning the OK Green Conference Championship. Behind Holland Christian was Holland in 2nd place and Byron Center in third place. Following the meet, Coach Velthouse said, “I'm proud of these girls for what they accomplished today!...we are playing well heading into regionals, we're hoping to finish in the top three so we can go back to State!!” Regionals will take place at Railside Golf Course on Wednesday, October 9.  

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

2013 Boys' Varsity Soccer October 2 @ Holland

The Maroons took on their cross-town rivals of the Holland Dutch on Wednesday, on what was sure to be an intense match. In the last Holland Christian-Holland match the game went into overtime and ended in a 1-1 tie. Holland came into tonight's game with a #2 ranking in the state, behind only Unity Christian.
Tonight's game was back and forth a lot, both teams were able to have multiple scoring opportunities. The Dutch were the first on the board, as they were able to capitalize on a corner kick 15 minutes into the game to put them up by a score of 1-0. The Maroons had their fair share of opportunities as well. Marcus Hoekstra had a shot that drilled the crossbar with 18 minutes remaining in the game. Joe Spoelhof also had a great opportunity late in the game, Spoelhof had a great shot but it was blocked by the diving Holland keeper. With five minutes remaining in the game, the Maroons were able to get on the board. Rilee Bouwkamp was able to get a head on a ball off of a long Cody Machiela throw in, which ended up in the back of the net to tie the game up 1-1. At the end of regulation, Holland Christian was tied with Holland 1-1.
In overtime, Devan Hoekstra had a perfect cross to the front of the net, where Marcus Hoekstra was able to tap it in to the goal. However, the referee called the goal off due to (Marcus) Hoekstra being offsides. The Dutch were able to capitalize off of a shot with four minutes remaining in overtime, to give the Dutch the 2-1 advantage. The time ran out, and the Dutch finished on top by a score of 2-1.

 “I'm proud of the way that you are resilient...We just need to continue to build upon the things that we've worked on. ” said Coach DeBoer to his team following the 2-1 loss to Holland. “Except for the first few minutes, we dictated the tempo of the game in terms of style of play and possessing the ball.” added DeBoer. The Maroons will be back in action on Monday, October 7, as they play Byron Center in their last home game of the season.  

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

2013 Girls' Varsity Golf Jamboree September 30 @ Hamilton


The Maroons traveled to the home of the Hamilton Hawkeyes to compete in the Hamilton Jamboree on Tueday. Six teams, including HC, were involved in the jamboree. Altogether, the girls did a good job golfing on the day. Bre Luurtsema led Holland Christian on the day with a score of 46. Following Luurtsema were Kate Ellens and Lydia Wiersema each scoring a 48. Sarah Vroon shot a 50, and Nola Tolsma and Candace Hoitenga each shot a 52. According to Coach Velthouse, “Our score was a little higher than I would have liked it to be”. But Holland Christian played well enough to earn 1st place on the day. Following Holland Christian was Unity, Holland, Hamilton, Zeeland West, and Byron Center respectively. Holland Christian will be back in action on Friday as they play in the Conference match at West Ottawa.