The Whitehall Vikings travelled to Zeeland Stadium on Friday night, visiting the host Dux. It was a second straight week of thrilling football on the lakeshore, but this time, the result flipped. A touchdown with 23 seconds to play would give Whitehall a narrow 35-28 win.
Early on in this contest, it was all Whitehall. They struck first on a 33-yard touchdown run from Liam Leeke. Early in the second quarter, Leeke returned to the end zone with a 4-yard carry. On the final play of the first half, the Vikings got a 4-yard touchdown run from Cole Essebaggers to give them a 21-0 halftime lead.
Zeeland West was set to receive the opening kickoff of the second half, and they immediately seized some momentum. Brandon Holman secured the kick, racing 83 yards through the oncoming tacklers for a return touchdown. Drew Albrecht added the two-point run, and suddenly it was 21-8.
As the third quarter drew to a close, Nico Moungkhoun got the Dux back within five. His 27-yard touchdown run with just under a minute to go, paired with a conversion run from Albrecht, had Zeeland West in prime position down 21-16.
Whitehall responded to the second Dux score with a lengthy touchdown drive. They took six minutes and eleven plays to cover 71 yards, with Essebaggers finally powering across the goal line from five yards out. It was just seconds later when the Dux would reduce the lead back to six. Once again, it was Moungkhoun, who shot like a cannon out of the Dux backfield, past the Vikings defense and 70 yards later, he was standing in the end zone. With 6:34 to go, it was suddenly 28-22 in favor of Whitehall.
After a quick defensive stop, Zeeland West got the football back. Much like in Week 2, a clutch pass provided vital for the Dux. Brandon Holman was wide open for a 40-yard strike from Drew Albrecht, and suddenly the game was knotted up at 28 with 2:33 to go.
Whitehall took over at their own 41 yard line, and they took two minutes to move down the field. With just 23 seconds to go, Essebaggers found Ayden Mendoza for a 26-yard touchdown toss. This would be the game winner, lifting Whitehall to a 35-28 win.
With the victory, Whitehall improves to 2-1. They will return to WMC-Lakes play next week, as they will face Montague. Zeeland West slides to 2-1 with this narrow defeat. OK Gold play begins next week for the Dux, as they face South Christian.
