The fourth week of the season opened of league play for pretty much every team in the area if they didn’t start their conference clashes in week three… And it delivered some classic games and big results that could determine conference and playoff races for the rest of the season. Here are my four biggest stories from Week 4 of the 2026 season!
FIRST DOWN: An OK-Gold Classic
Unity Christian and South Christian are each of course going to be very much in the mix for a loaded OK-Gold title chase this season (like every year). And their week four game at Grandville’s Bulldog Stadium may have provided the game of the year, as a furious SC comeback gave them the early upper hand in their race for the Gold, as they were able to pocket a win over another one of the conference’s top contenders.
The ‘Saders were all over things early, as coach Tibbe’s team went up 27-7 at the break before the Sailor swould wildy come all the way back to lead 34-33 in the dying moments, where Brody Shiltz came up with an INT of Crusader QB Isaiah Williams to seal a one-point comeback Sailor victory.
Offense – and especially the passing game were key in this one. SC’s Austin Burgess threw for over 200 yards and a pair of TDs. And WIlliams threw for 138 yards and a pair of scores out of the UC Power T offense. Both of these teams still (rightly) have big conference and playoff dreams, but the first salvo in wild fashion went to Coach Danny Brown’s squad.
SECOND DOWN: Eagles Not Going Away
East Kentwood has been the talk of the area and viewed as the clear favorite in the OK-Red to start the season. And they’ve deserved that praise, and added on to it as the took down Grand Haven in big fashion, piling up 63 points in a road win on the lakeshore. But, Hudsonville proved in a rivalry contest vs Grandville on Friday night that they aren’t quite ready to give up the OK-Red crown they have worn the past two seasons.
Hudsonville’s defense was stifiling against a Bulldogs offense that had scored 5 touchdowns a week prior vs Kentwood. Holding the dogs to 2 scores and 15 total points in a 33-15 win. There may be a lot of new pieces to the 2026, but their physical idenity and strong defense is still there in Coach Sandee’s program. The OK-Red may not be the runaway that some had been envisioning after the way EK started the year and Hudsonville will be one of the team’s right in the middle of that.
Hudsonville plays Caledonia next week… In a massive battle that could determine what team will be the one that will be in position to challenge the Falcons for the top spot later in the season.
THIRD DOWN: Big Reds Ship Righted?
Muskegon suffered a pair of very tough losses to open their season against OK-Red foes Grandville and Rockford and started at an 0-2 start that would make it tougher for even their battle-tested to recover for solid playoff seeding. But coasch fairfield’s team has found a bit of health and has started to find their groove. Theytook down River Rouge in dominant fashion in week three before starting out OK-Green play vs Reeths Puffer last Friday.
The Big Reds dominated the very solid and previously 2-1 Rockets 45-14 on R.P. homecoming.
It may have been a rough start for the Big Reds that left me and others scratching their heads at how slow their start was, but this is a veteran team with a lot of talent (led by Recarder Kitchen) that I think could make a huge turnaround by season’s end. The league title and maybe even much more is still in front of them… (Still easier said than done in an OK-Green with Byron Center and Mona Shores in their way).
FOURTH DOWN: The Trojans are for Real
A team I don’t think I have discussed in four downs before is Thornapple Kellogg. But the Trojans deserve some serious praise, they beat Holland Christian in week four to move to 4-0 on the season! Coach Jeff Dock has had the team building over the past couple years – going from 3-6 in 2024, to a 7-4 season and trip to the playoffs last year before this perfect start through the first month.
They play Ottawa Hills next week with a good shot to move to 5-0, before things will get real for them as they’ll see the OK-Black’s gauntlet with C.C., Northview and EGR all in a row before ending the year with Byron Center. If they are able to make the playoffs, they will sure be a battle tested team after that stretch…
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We already are to the midway point of the season and have some huge live games coming up again this week as the playoff and conference title race will really start to come into view! So be sure to tune in on Friday, and check in all week for the power poll, features from Scott DeCamp and more!
