Hudsonville welcomed East Lansing to the west side on Friday in a typical OK/CAAC crossover battle. This contest saw defensive prowess on full display, as just four touchdowns were scored in total. Missed extra points would turn out to be the difference here, as the Trojans fell two points short in a 14-12 defeat.
Early on, defense set the tone for Hudsonville. After recovering a fumble, Bryce Fox turned good field position into six Hudsonville points. His 10-yard touchdown run, aided by an Ian Jenkins extra point boot, gave the Eagles a 7-0 advantage. After two punts, the Eagles’ defense stepped up late in the half forcing a turnover on downs. Hudsonville looked to capitalize again on a strong positioning, but Jenkins’ 32-yard field goal attempt was unsuccessful.
As the second half began, Hudsonville started with the football. Griffin Baker aired out the football. finding Carson Dykstra for a 30-yard strike, setting up a short touchdown run by Dykstra just moments later. Again, Jenkins toed the football through the uprights, giving the Eagles a 14-0 lead they would not relinquish.
East Lansing began to respond with an early fourth quarter touchdown pass from Benjamin Fletcher to Darryle Geter of 12 yards. After a gutsy onside kick call early in the fourth quarter was successful, East Lansing maintained the momentum with another score. On the first play following that recovery, Jace Clarizio sprinted past all eleven Eagles on his way to a 50-yard touchdown. Again, East Lansing’s inability to convert a point after left them behind by two points.
The Trojans would get the ball once more, but could not convert that attack into points, turning it over on downs inside their own territory.
Hudsonville now sits at 1-1 on the year. They will square off with crosstown foe Jenison next week.
