One of the biggest weeks of the year, that when it is all said-and-done may be the critical week we point to in determining a ton of conference title races and the now increasingly clear chase for the playoffs. Let’s take a look at my four biggest stories from week 6 of the 2025 season!
1st DOWN: Eagles ‘Catch’ a Win
Hudsonville travelled to Rockford with the fate of the OK-Red on the line last week, and Hudsonville started with a pretty stunning statement, leading the Rams 28-0 at the halftime break and controlling the game in a way that surprised probably everyone, even many of those wearing blue and gold in the stands.
Rockford tried to put together a spirited 2nd half comeback, in the end closing the gap to a 35-28 final. The only Hudsonville score of that second half came on what is already locked up as the play of the year in west Michigan (any beyond) for Eagles senior Wideout Lawsyn Weber – who skied at the back of the end zone and one-hand snagged a TD catch, somehow contorted himself in bounds and made the winning grab… and for it, he earned Sports Center’s #1 play on their top 10 top plays on their Saturday.
Hudsonville will still have to take on East Kentwood and Grandville within their final three weeks of the season, but the unbeaten Eagles have now established themselves as the frontrunners to go back-to-back in the OK-Red.
2nd DOWN: Crusaders Control Their Destiny
Another game that may have very well determined the course of a conference was in the OK-Gold last Friday, where the reigning D3 state champion Zeeland West Dux hosted the unbeaten Unity Christian Crusaders. A power T vs power T rematch of a game that the Crusaders were able to win at home last year en-route to a perfect regular season and conference championship.
It’s been the offense for most of the season that has powered the ‘Saders, but it would be a defensive slugfest on Friday, and Unity proved their ability to win in that type of game also, as they hung on to a hard-fought 14-6 triumph over the Dux on the road.
Unity now has a win in hand vs FHC, Zeeland East, and Zeeland West with South Christian and Wyoming their two remaining league games. They are the only unbeaten team within the conference and now fully control their own destiny in the last 2 weeks of league play before they then will tune up for the playoffs week nine vs Pontiac Notre Dame Prep.
3rd DOWN: Homecoming Chaos in Grandville
There may have been bigger games in terms of the stakes, but with my normal role covering the ‘Dawgs, I had a particular interest in this one. For the only time this year, I had to miss covering a game at another event I was out of town broadcasting – So, I was locked in to this one from my hotel on Friday night.
Grandville continues to try to find their footing again with Jayden Terry, who remains out after injuring his leg vs Caledonia two weeks ago. The Bulldogs were able to jump out to a pretty consistent two-score lead over Jenison in what was a lower scoring game. A Josh Crater pick-6 for the Bulldogs would put them back up 2 TDs. but a missed XP made it 25-12 with 6:00 to go in the game (this will be important in a second).
Jenison would then score back to back TDs with a made XP to take a 26-25 lead with less than two minutes to go. Grandville and their power T offense, them (of course) went to the air where on the first play of the ensuring drive Jeffrey Fogelsonger found RB DJ Hardiman for an 80 yard TD pitch and catch on a winding run down the field after the grab in the flat. A second INT of the night from Grandville RB Braylen Haney would seal the critical fourth win of the season for the Bulldogs in their playoff fight, in pretty typically insane HS football fashion…
4th DOWN: Big Reds are (Big) Back
After an 0-2 start with losses to Grandville and Rockford, fresh of missing the playoffs in 2024, there was some early concern possibly building over at Hackley Stadium about the fate of the state’s winningest team in history in 2025. All of those questions are now gone, a rivalry win over Mona Shores 28-12 on the road last week has fully cemented the Big Reds in the lead for the conference title race, but maybe puts them back in a spot to chase
Senior QB Lamar Bradford accounted for all four of those TDs on Friday, and his presence as a traditional standout runner of the football within the Big Red Pistol run-first option attack has been critical for getting the team back on track after dealing with some injuries early in the season.
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