The Zeeland East Chix and Forest Hills Central Rangers both entered Friday night with struggles in league play, each compiling a 1-3 league mark. These two teams played extremely close for three quarters, before two late scores allowed the Chix to walk away with a 28-14 victory, their fifth of the season.
Midway through the opening frame, the Chix struck first. Will Drnek paired up with Isaiah Boonstra for a 9-yard touchdown toss. The Chix took a 7-0 lead they would hold throughout the rest of the quarter.
With just seventy-five seconds to play before halftime, FHC found their response. Nick Williams found Miles Pell on a 31-yard touchdown strike, evening the count at seven as the teams trotted to the locker room.
Nick Williams helped the Rangers seize the lead early in the third quarter, as he kept the football for a 9-yard run. A successful PAT gave them a 14-7 edge. That would unfortunately be the last scoring play of the night for Forest Hills Central, as they yielded the final 21 points in this contest.
Boonstra and Drnek linked up for the equalizer in the closing moments of the third quarter. This dynamic duo paired up on a 46-yard strike to even the count at 14. Midway through the fourth quarter, Drnek found a new target, Coby Miller on a go-ahead 5-yard touchdown pass. Finally, Jack Kamphuis iced the win with his 2-yard touchdown run, bowling through the FHC defensive front.
Will Drnek finished 12/16 passing for the victors, racking up 202 yards and three scores. Isaiah Boonstra hauled in six of those passes for 111 yards and two scores, while Miller caught the other six for 91 yards and one touchdown. In defeat, Nick Williams was 16/29 passing for 210 yards and a score, while also rushing 20 times for 73 yards and a touchdown. Henry McNamara led the FHC defense with 9 tackles.
Zeeland East improves to 5-3 on the season. They now comfortably sit inside the playoff picture as they head to Week 9 against Hamilton. Forest Hills Central slides to 2-6, their most losses in a season since 2015. It is very unlikely that they qualify for the postseason, even with a win over East Grand Rapids, but they will certainly fight to give themselves the best chance possible in Week 9.
