5 takeaways from high school football season in Holland area
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
The high school football season has come to an end in the Holland area.
We had three playoff teams, several turnarounds, injuries alter seasons and more.
Here are the takeaways from the season:
No doubting Dux transition
It is easy to look lightly at what the Zeeland West Dux did this year.
After all, the Dux were coming off of a Division 3 state championship, so getting to the regional final this year doesn’t seem quite as monumental.
But for so many reasons, it was.
The Dux had a new coach. Yes, Jeff Bolhouse was on the staff for years, but it is still a transition, especially with some of the offensive scheming he added to the wing- and power-T offense with a single wing direct snap play.
The biggest thing that made the season so impressive is that the Dux were two points from reaching the state semifinals after graduating more than 75% of their starters from last year’s title team.
Sure, the offensive players knew the system, but that makes what the defense was able to do – like hold Unity Christian to 14 points – even more impressive.
Brandon Holman and a bunch of starters will be back next year, so look for more of the same.
Injuries keep Chix from full potential
Zeeland East had a season full of potential with 18 returning starters from a playoff team.
But one by one, injuries took a toll on the Chix. Most notably, the season finale saw four knee injuries in the third quarter alone.
Star receiver Isaiah Boonstra and linebacker Ben DeLost missed the playoff game against St. Joseph, and in the close loss, who knows what would have happened had their top playmakers on each side of the ball been in the lineup?
It is a shame because Zeeland East was building to something special and they weren’t able to quite get there.
Dutch future is extremely bright
After its first winning season in a while, the Holland Dutch took a step back record-wise with just two victories.
But they took a huge step forward in growth.
Part of the reason for the losses was that sophomore quarterback Eli Wolters was injured for three weeks.
He threw for more than 500 yards in a game this year, tied for the 11th most in MHSAA history. In the same game, sophomore receiver Finn Galloway scored seven touchdowns, also tied for 11th all time in the MHSAA.
Those two will hook up for two more years, meaning the Dutch are going to score a lot of points.
The goal for the Dutch in the offseason will be to build that kind of success on defense.
Hamilton, the state’s best two-win team
It is easy to dismiss Hamilton’s two-win season as a disappointment.
Record-wise, it was. But the Hawkeyes were so close to a winning season.
Hamilton lost two games by a single point. Once going for two and the win against Grand Rapids Christian, and once where a team went for two against them. Another loss was in single digits.
Hamilton nearly upset Grand Rapids Christian and hung with Zeeland East.
It was a really impressive first year for coach Zach Harbison, even if the record doesn’t quite show it.
Blackhawks on the rise
Fennville had its first winning season since 2021 when star quarterback Ben Peterson was dominating defenses in the early days of the Blackhawks transition to 8-player football.
But two years ago, Fennville was winless and last year, just three wins – one against a decent opponent.
Everything changed this year. The team saw a plethora of players step into leadership roles and thrive.
It was a benchmark for the Blackhawks that they will look to continue to build on.
Playoff coverage
Week 9 coverage
Week 8 coverage
Week 7 coverage
Week 6 coverage
Week 5 coverage
Week 4 coverage
Week 3 coverage
Week 2 coverage
Week 1 coverage
Preseason coverage
Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: High school football five takeaways from Holland-area season
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos