TEAM OUTLOOK

Zeeland East enters their fourth season under veteran coach Joe Woodruff this season, as the Chix also prepare to play in a tough new OK-Gold conference that features two schools that played at Ford Field last year (FHC, South Christian), another that was there in 2021 (Unity Christian) and a cross-town rival (Zeeland West) that has several state titles to their name over the past few decades.

The team will go to a sophomore to lead the offense this year at quarterback with Will Drenk taking the controls of the offense, Drenk a multi-sport athlete will be one of a lot of young pieces on this team. Eli Walcott will be called on as the starting tailback and Will VerSteeg is expected to be the team’s leading wideout. Up front, Quincy Thome and Jonah Heyboet will anchor the offensive line.

The linebacker core will be called upon to lead the defense this season. Will Stehower, Peyton Davis, and Ben DeLost are all players that coach Woodruff points to as key leaders on the defensive side of the football.

As always, the Chix will have September 20th, circled, as they take on Zeeland West in their opener for their newly aligned conference season – the Dux defeated the Chix twice in 2023, and East will be looking for their revenge in the midst of a short five game conference season that will pack a punch, with those four championship-caliber teams packed in.