Friday, October 24, 2014

2014 Boys Soccer October 23 @ Regional Finals Mason

Holland Christian played in the Regional Finals on Thursday night against the top-ranked Mason Bulldogs. The game was scoreless until Mason found the back of the net with just under two minutes remaining in the first half of regulation. Mason took a 1-0 lead and a lot of momentum into the second half.
In the second half, the Maroons countered that momentum by scoring a goal of their own. With the ball placed along the sideline 20 yards from the goal, Bryce Eggers found Brandt VanHeest, who headed the ball off the crossbar and into the back of the net. With 27 minutes left in the game, a Mason player earned a red card, giving the Maroons a man advantage for the remainder of the game. After the second half of regulation, the scoreboard said 1-1, forcing two 10-minute overtime halves.
Mason scored on a breakaway with 5:12 remaining in the first half of overtime. The Holland Christian fans, student section, and players did not give up, however. In the final minutes of the second half of overtime, Jake Kammeraad used his left foot to set up Andrew Keizer's strike that found its way past the keeper. 100 minutes of play didn't determine the winners of this game. The teams headed into the five-round shootout.
Jake Kammeraad, Mitch DePree, and Bryce Eggers scored for the Maroons as the first, fourth, and fifth shooters, respectively. Mason missed the first two shots, but made the next three. In the sixth round of the shootout, Mason put away the game winner.
The Holland Christian boys soccer team finished the 2014 season with a 19-4-1 overall record, a 12-1-1 home record, and a district championship.


Thursday, October 23, 2014

2014 Boys Soccer--Season Summary and Keys to Success

The Holland Christian boys soccer team finished the 2014 season with a 19-4-1 overall record, a 12-1-1 home record, a district championship, and various other achievements.
At the core of every good team is a good coach. Coach DeBoer challenged his players to be the best they could be both on and off the field.
The Maroons also boasted two of the best goalkeepers in the greater West Michigan area, Luke Schepers and Cody VanderLaan. Luke and Cody combined for an impressive 13 shutouts this season.
Another key to success was the talent and depth of the HC defense. Along with the three solid senior defenders, talented juniors Josh Busscher and Ben Stump rotated at the center defensive-mid position, providing a solid defensive presence throughout the season.
Allyn Anthony and Andrew Keizer, both three year varsity players, provided strong transitions from defense to offense at the two center-midfield positions. Jake Kammeraad and Micah Bieri gave the Maroons some speed and efficiency on the wings.
Mitch DePree and Bryce Eggers combined for 16 goals and 10 assists at the two starting forward positions.
Most importantly, Holland Christian had an extremely talented bench that was able to substitute any player at the call of Coach DeBoer.
Luke Schepers, Allyn Anthony, Bryce Eggers, and Andrew Keizer were given all-conference honors.

The Maroons will lose eleven very talented seniors, but there is a lot of potential for the future of Holland Christian Boys Soccer!
 

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

2014 Boys Soccer October 21 @ Plainwell Regionals

Holland Christian played against Plainwell in the first game of the Regional tournament at Gull Lake High School. At halftime, the scoreboard said 0-0. The Maroons, however, dominated in every other aspect of the game. Holland Christian had 5 corners in the first half, while Plainwell never tallied a corner kick in the entire game.
Holland Christian had multiple possessions that consisted of multiple scoring chances. With less than six minutes remaining in the game, Allyn Anthony assisted Micah Bieri, who found the back of the net from 20 yards out. Holland Christian fended off Plainwell for the remainder of the game. The Maroons went home with the 1-0 victory. Holland Christian has been on fire as of late, outscoring their opponents 18-1 since the Night of Nets game that took place on September 29.
The next round of Regionals will be on Thursday, October 23. Holland Christian will play against Mason High School.  

2014 Cross Country October 18 @ Spring Lake Invite

The cross country team ran at the Spring Lake Invite on Saturday. Nathan Schloff led the boys to a second place finish by running a 16:57. Luke Peterson ran a 17:31 and Nate Mulder ran a 17:48, a personal best. Ryan VanAppledorn and Drew Duncan finished together at the 18:27 mark. For Duncan, a sophomore, today's race was also a personal best. Aidan Edmunds rounded out the boys' times with a 19:06. Sparta earned first place overall with 42 points. Holland Christian snuck into second place by one point, beating third place Whitehall 85 to 86.

Senior Maria Kuiper led the girls with a 19:40, a personal best. Kayla Windemuller followed with a 19:42. Margaret VanWylen finished with a 21:17, also a personal best. Tessa VanDeWalker ran a 21:18, Katelyn DeWitt ran a 21:23. Tessa and Katelyn both ran season bests. Alyssa Boeve ended with a 21:46. Holland Christian took third place with 71 points. Whitehall finished in second place with 51 points. Spring Lake, the host, took home the girls' first place trophy with a score of 49.

Holland Christian will run in regionals on Saturday, October 25.



Saturday, October 18, 2014

2014 Boys Soccer October 18 District Finals vs. Byron Center

The District 18 championship game took place on Saturday morning between Holland Christian and Byron Center. The Maroons outplayed the Bulldogs from the first whistle, but it took awhile to get on the board against a team that they had beaten 4-1 and 5-0 this season. With seven minutes remaining in the first half, Bryce Eggers slammed home the first goal of the game after the goalie failed to hold on to a shot from Mitch DePree. Two minutes later, Jake Kammeraad found the back of the net after he ripped a shot off of a Byron Center defender. The first half came to a close with a comfortable 2-0 Holland Christian lead.
The Maroons spent the majority of the second half in the attacking zone. By the end of the game, Holland Christian had nine corner kicks; Byron Center had none. The game ended with the Maroons on top 2-0, making them the 2014 District 18 champions.

 With a phenomenal 18-3-1 record, Holland Christian will travel to Richland Gull Lake HS for the regional tournament. The first game will be at 7:00 on October 21 against Plainwell. 

2014 Football October 17 vs. Unity Christian

Holland Christian hosted Unity Christian on Friday night. Being the last home game of the season, all eleven seniors were honored before the game: Jake Kalkman, Jared Stygstra, Ben Conklin, Carter VanderKolk, Josiah Yonker, Tyler VanderWall, Nico Maldonado, Gerry Tamez, Alex Hoffman, Kody Rigterink, and Stefan Burke.
Unity scored a touchdown on their first play from the line of scrimmage. The first quarter ended with the Crusaders on top 21-0. Their lead maxed out at 27-0 after another touchdown in the second quarter. Caleb Brink ran the ball for a 15 yard touchdown with four minutes remaining in the half. Backup kicker Alex Bosch added the extra point to make the score 27-7 in favor of Unity.
Jared Stygstra opened the second half scoring by keeping the ball for a seven yard touchdown. After three quarters of play, the Crusaders led the Maroons 34-13. Lukas Bruxvoort's 14 yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter put Holland Christian within two scores of Unity. After another Crusader touchdown, the Maroons pulled a trick play to score a touchdown on a 4th-and-6 from the 18 yard line. Jared Stygstra handed the ball off to running back Caleb Brink, who then threw the ball to a wide open Alex Bosch in the corner of the end zone. After that touchdown, Unity had the 41-25 lead. The Crusaders scored another touchdown shortly thereafter. Jared Stygstra wrapped up the scoring by running in a two yard touchdown, and then running in the two point conversion. In the end, Unity Christian defeated Holland Christian 48-33.

 Holland Christian (3-5) will face the Dux of Zeeland West next week Friday in the last game of the season. 

2014 Boys Soccer October 16 @ District Semifinals vs. Zeeland East

Holland Christian hosted Zeeland East on Thursday in the district semifinals. The Maroons had many scoring chances in the first half. Andrew Keizer almost put them ahead early by striking the left post from thirty yards out. Despite these chances, the teams headed into halftime scoreless.
The Maroons maintained the pressure in the second half by taking advantage of all opportunities that came their way.
When these two teams met earlier in the season, Brandt VanHeest scored twice with his head in the Maroons' 4-1 victory. Tonight, VanHeest, a middle defender, scored again with his head. Bryce Eggers placed a free kick to the middle, where VanHeest headed the ball into the net to give the Maroons the 1-0 lead with ten minutes left in regulation. Holland Christian fought off Zeeland East's last minute surge and won 1-0. The Maroons will host the District 18 championship game against either Byron Center or Allegan on Saturday at 10:00 AM.


2014 Cross Country October 15 @ Conference Helder Park

The cross country team ran at Helder Park in Zeeland on Wednesday afternoon. Nathan Schloff and Luke Peterson both ran all conference times of 17:04 and 17:41, respectively. Nate Mulder earned an honorable mention by running an 18:01. Nolan VanderZwaag and Drew Duncan both finished just under 19 minutes. Holland Christian finished in third place with 70 points; Hamilton finished in second with 65 points. Zeeland West took home the conference trophy with a score of 33.
Kayla Windemuller, Maria Kuiper, and Tessa VandeWalker earned all conference honors. Windemuller ran a 19:47, Kuiper ran a 20:15, and VandeWalker finished with a time of 21:36. Alyssa Boeve earned an honorable mention by running a 21:52. Margaret VanWylen and Saskia Praamsma rounded out the varsity scores for the Maroons. Holland Christian and Hamilton both earned the same score of 47, but Praamsma's sixth place finish was better than that of Hamilton, therefore giving HC the conference victory. Hamilton finished in second place and Byron Center earned third place with a 77.

Cross Country will run again on Saturday, October 18 at the Spring Lake Invite. 

2014 Boys Soccer October 14 District Quarterfinals vs. Holland

Holland Christian began district play on Tuesday night against their rivals from Holland High. In the two regular season matches, the Maroons defeated the Dutch 3-2 and then 3-0.
Both teams came out with a lot of energy, as both of their postseason lives relied on this match. The Dutch had four corner kicks in the first half, but the tough Maroon defense was able to keep the game scoreless heading into halftime.
Holland Christian scored the first goal of the game three minutes into the second half. Bryce Eggers sprinted to save the ball from going out of bounds on the Dutch end line, Jake Kammeraad received the sliding pass from Eggers and kicked it past the Dutch keeper. After 35 minutes of consistent pressure and tough defense, the Maroons finished with the 1-0 victory.

 The District semifinals will also be played at the HC turf on Thursday. Holland Christian will play against Zeeland East at 5:30; Byron Center will play against Allegan at 7:30. The finals will be played at 10:00 AM on Saturday, October 18. 

Saturday, October 11, 2014

2014 Football October 10 vs. Byron Center

Holland Christian continued their season on Friday night against their conference rivals from Byron Center. The Bulldogs scored four touchdowns over the course of the first quarter, giving them a commanding 27-0 lead after the first quarter. They extended their lead to 34-0 after another touchdown drive early in the second quarter. Holland Christian countered that touchdown with a touchdown of their own: Jared Stygstra found Alex Bosch from 33 yards out, making the score 34-7 at halftime.

 Byron Center added two more touchdowns over the course of the second half. Jared Stygstra scrambled for a 15 yard rushing touchdown with two minutes remaining in the game. Byron Center finished the game on top 48-14. Holland Christian's record currently sits at 3-4 overall; 2-1 Conference. The Maroons will play their last home game of the season against Unity Christian on October 17.

2014 Boys Soccer October 8 @ Zeeland West

Holland Christian traveled to Zeeland to take on the Dux in the final game of the regular season on Wednesday. Bryce Eggers got the Maroons on the board by sneaking a ball past the goalie from inside the box. Twenty minutes later, Eggers dribbled it to the corner and centered the ball the Mitch DePree, who was there to put the ball in the back of the net. Matt VanderZwaag rounded out the first half scoring by tapping in a loose ball past the Zeeland West goalie. The Maroons took a commanding 3-0 lead into halftime.
Andrew Keizer extended the Maroons' lead to 4-0 after he scored the rebound from his own corner kick. Shortly thereafter, Dylan Busscher assisted Josue Nuñez in the fifth goal of the game. Holland Christian came out on top against the Dux 5-0.
The Maroons finish the regular season with a 15-3-1 overall, 8-2 conference record. They will begin district play on Tuesday, October 14 against Holland. The winner of the Holland-HC game will move on the play the winner of Zeeland East and Zeeland West on October 16. The winner of that game will play either Hamilton, Byron Center, or Allegan for the district championship on October 18.  

2014 Cross Country October 8 @ Ridgepoint

Holland Christian ran at Ridgepoint on Wednesday against Byron Center. The Maroons topped the charts in the boys' races with three seniors: Nathan Schloff, Luke Peterson, and Nate Mulder. Schloff ran a 17:42, Peterson ran an 18:00, and Mulder ran an 18:25. Nolan VanderZwaag finished in sixth place with 19:13. Ryan VanAppledorn ran a 19:29 for seventh place.
Freshman Kayla Windemuller ran a 19:47 for the girls. That time earned her first place overall by almost 30 seconds. Maria Kuiper followed with a 20:37. Tessa VandeWalker and Alyssa Boeve finished together at 21:40 and 21:44. Saskia Praamsma ran a 22:19 and Margaret VanWylen finished with a 22:22.

 Both boys and girls finished over Byron Center. Holland Christian will run at Helder Park on Wednesday afternoon.  

2014 Girls Golf October 8 @ Diamond Springs Regional Tournament

Holland Christian girls played at the regional tournament on Wednesday at Hamilton's Diamond Springs golf course. Abby Karsten earned seventh place overall by shooting an 89. Lydia Wiersema rounded out her career at Holland Christian with a 97. Brittney Statema followed her with a 98. Brooke Statema rounded out the scoring for the Maroons with a 114. Overall, the girls shot a 398, good enough to earn fifth place. South Christian finished in first place despite the passing of their coach Rod VanDyke just a day before the tournament.


Holland Christian's eventful season comes to a close after the outcome of this tournament. Lydia Wiersema took her last strokes as a Maroon. In conference play this year, Wiersema finished with an average score of 48 (9 holes). 

2014 Boys Soccer October 6 vs. Unity Christian

The Maroons played their last home game of the regular season on Monday night against the Unity Christian Crusaders. Before the game, Holland Christian had the chance to honor its 11 seniors: Luke Schepers, Micah Bieri, Colin Bennett, Jake Kammeraad, Mitch DePree, Joe Spoelhof, Andy Edstrom, Brandt VanHeest, Allyn Anthony, and Kyle Wassink.

Currently, MHSAA has Holland Christian as the 8th-best team in Division 2; Unity is ranked 1st-in Division 3. When the two teams clashed earlier this season, Unity ran away with a 6-0 victory. That wasn't quite the story on Monday night. The game remained scoreless for more than 95 minutes of play: Two 40 minute halves of regulation and one and a half 10-minute halves of overtime. Both teams made a lot of great passes and attempts at the net but both goalies were on top of their game. Luke Schepers made countless game saving stops in net for the Maroons. Unity eventually broke the tie with just under five minutes remaining in the second half of overtime. After 100 minutes of play, Unity came out on top 1-0. Despite the loss, Coach DeBoer still acknowledged his team's ability to “compete well and to compete together”. Holland Christian's record currently sits at 14-3-1 going into the last game of the regular season. The Maroons will take on Zeeland West on Wednesday, October 8.  

2014 Girls Golf October 6 @ West Ottawa Conference Meet

Holland Christian participated in a conference tournament at West Ottawa on Monday after it was rained out on Friday. Lydia Wiersema scored an 81, the best score of any of the 35 players involved. Brittney Statema followed with an 84. Abby Karsten also shot a great game of 88. Ali Swets, Brooke Statema, and Jocelyn Kacekowski rounded out the scoring for the Maroons. Holland Christian finished in first place with 356. Hamilton came in second place with 394 after winning the tiebreaker against Unity, who also had 394. Overall, this was the best 18 hole match of the entire season for the Maroons. Holland Christian will participate in the regional tournament on October 8 at Diamond Springs.

Sunday, October 5, 2014

2014 Cross Country October 4 @ Portage

Holland Christian ran at the Portage invite on Saturday afternoon against more than forty schools from across the state. Nathan Schloff ran a 16:47, the 32nd-best time of anyone in the division. Luke Peterson followed Schloff with a 17:16. Nate Mulder finished with a time of 17:56. Ryan VanAppledorn, Nolan Vanderzwaag, Aidan Edmunds, and Jacob Bol all finished about one minute after Mulder. The boys finished 21st-overall with 588 points. Six of the seven varsity runners set personal records.
Freshman Kayla Windemuller earned the 23rd-fastest time of any girl in Division 2 by running a 19:35. Maria Kuiper also ran a great race and finished with a 19:45. Alyssa Boeve ran a 20:43, Tessa VandeWalker ran a 21:36. Saskia Praamsma, Margaret VanWylen, and Katelyn DeWitt all ended their runs just under 22 minutes. The girls finished in 13th-place with 424 points.

Holland Christian will run at Ridgepoint against Byron Center on Wednesday, October 8.  

Friday, October 3, 2014

2014 Football October 3 @ Holland

The Maroons endured cool temperatures and a late game rainstorm against the Holland Dutch on Friday night. The Dutch began the game with a five minute drive that resulted in a touchdown. The Maroons, however, were able to stop the two point conversion attempt, keeping the score at 6-0. Holland Christian recovered a fumble on defense early in the second quarter. Jared Stygstra finished that possession by putting both teams on his back as he fought his way to the end zone for a 15 yard touchdown run. The Dutch threatened at the end of the second quarter, but Lukas Bruxvoort put their hopes to an end with a last minute interception. The teams went into halftime knotted up at 6-6.
Holland Christian took the lead in the third quarter by converting 4th-and 4 to a 39 yard passing touchdown from Stygstra to sophomore standout Caleb Brink. Bryce Eggers added the extra point to put to the Maroons up 13-6 at the end of the third quarter.
After a key stop on defense, Holland Christian took it down the field all the way to Holland's 43 yard line. From there, Alex Bosch ran the ball to the end zone. Eggers made the score 20-6 by adding the point after.

 Holland Christian improves to an even 3-3 record with tonight's win. They will host Byron Center on Friday, October 10, in search of their fourth consecutive victory. 

2014 Girls Golf October 2 @ Forest Hills Northern

After sealing first place in the OK Green Conference just two days prior, Holland Christian traveled to Forest Hills Northern for a non-conference match. Abby Karsten once again led the team with a 44. Lydia Wiersema also finished with an amazing score of 45. Brittney Statema shot a 50 and Ali Swets shot a 53. Every stroke was valuable for the Maroons today. Statema saved a few of those strokes by hitting a birdie on a very tough hole. The girls finished on top by a score of 192-195. Holland Christian will play in a conference meet on Friday morning at West Ottawa.

2014 Boys Soccer October 1 @ Byron Center

Holland Christian played against Byron Center on Wednesday night. The Maroons took a demanding 2-0 lead into the half thanks to two goals by Allyn Anthony. Josh Busscher began the second half with a strike that found its way past the Byron Center goalie to make the score 3-0. Busscher later assisted Andrew Keizer's goal off of a beautiful set piece. Caleb Rozeboom added the last goal of the game on a penalty kick. The Maroons finished the game on top 5-0. Holland Christian will host their rivals from Unity Christian on Monday night in a game that potentially determines the outcome of the OK Green Conference.  

2014 Cross Country October 1 @ Holland


Holland Christian ran against Holland on Wednesday afternoon. Nathan Schloff (17:32) finished in second place for the boys. Luke Peterson (17:58) finished in fourth place, and Nate Mulder (18:10) followed in fifth place. Nolan VanderZwaag, Ryan VanAppledorn, and Aidan Edmunds rounded out the scoring for the Maroons. Overall, Holland Christian came out on top 27-30. Kayla 
Windemuller led the girls with a time of 20:26. Maria Kuiper followed Windemuller with 20:40. Tessa VanDeWalker ran a 21:45. Saskia Praamsma, Alyssa Boeve, and Margaret VanWylen all ran great races as well. The lady Maroons finished with a dominant 15-50 victory.Holland Christian will run at Portage on Saturday, October 4.

2014 Girls Golf September 30 @ Holland Jamboree

The Maroons took their talents to Holland's course on Friday for the last conference jamboree of the season. Abby Karsten and Brittney Statema kept the score low by shooting a 47 and a 49, respectively. Lydia Wiersema came out with another great performance and earned herself a 50. Ali Swets shot a 60, Brooke Statema followed with a 61, and Jocelyn Kacekowski earned a 66. Holland Christian fought hard enough to outscore Byron Center by two points, 206-208. The Maroons also finished on top of the conference with 34 points and a nine point cushion. Byron Center finished in second place with a total of 25 points, followed by Zeeland West with 22. In order, Hamilton, Unity, and Holland rounded out the conference. Holland Christian will continue their season on Thursday at Forest Hills Northern. 

2014 Boys Soccer September 29 vs. Holland

Holland Christian hosted their crosstown rivals from Holland on Monday night. Earlier this season, Bryce Eggers' late goal pushed the Maroons past the Dutch. Tonight, Eggers found the back of the net again from about 25 yards out. The Maroons went into halftime with a 1-0 lead, along with a lot of momentum.
With about 22 minutes remaining in the second half, Andrew Keizer extended the lead to 2-0 after ripping a 30-yard shot past the Dutch goalie. Joe Spoelhof earned the third goal of the game by heading a bouncing ball into the cage with about seven minutes left to play. Holland Christian finished the game on top 3-0.

Holland Christian's record improves to 13-2-1 overall. The Maroons have three games left in the regular season—all of which are conference matches. Their next game will be at Byron Center on October 1.