The Hudsonville Eagles returned to Ford Field on Saturday night for their first State Championship game since 2005. This is their fourth trip all-time to the Finals, and Hudsonville was still looking for their first State Championship. A slow start doomed the Eagles, as they suffered a 42-20 defeat.
After forcing a punt on the opening drive, Cass Tech got moving down field quickly. They took just nine plays to cover 81 plays and find the end zone. On the final play of the drive, Jaylen Spates punched it in from five yards out to give the Technicians a 7-0 lead.
Hudsonville again suffered a three-and-out, and an errant punt gave Cass Tech the football at the Hudsonville 18 yard line. With a short field, the Technicians scored in just two plays. Donald Tabron took to the air, finding Corey Sadler on a 16-yard touchdown strike to double their lead after one quarter of play.
On the first play of the second quarter, Hudsonville coughed up the football. Cass Tech took over at the Hudsonville 39 yard line, and they needed just eight plays to extend the lead further. Once again, the combination of Tabron and Sadler linked up for a touchdown pass. This 6-yard toss gave them a 21-0 lead.
Later in the second quarter, Cass Tech got an interception from Alex Graham to provide their offense with another short field. On the first play of the drive, Tabron found Will Sykes on a 19-yard touchdown pass to give the Technicians a 27-0 lead. Cass Tech took this commanding lead into the locker room.
As the second half began, the Technicians had another quick touchdown drive. An explosive 54-yard touchdown run by Alex Graham set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Carson Lovett. This gave Cass Tech a 35-0 lead that triggered the running clock.
Hudsonville would finally find the scoreboard on their opening drive of the third quarter. A couple of penalties springboarded the Eagles downfield, which led Griffin Baker to a 1-yard touchdown carry. Later in the third, Bryce Fox toted the football on a 14-yard touchdown carry, trimming the deficit to 22, 35-13.
Each team would score one more touchdown in the fourth quarter, First, Cass Tech’s De’Mari Hendrix ran 24 yards to conclude a 93-yard touchdown march. Finally, Griffin Baker found Carson Dykstra on a 15-yard touchdown pass to move the game to its final tally of 42-20.
Turnovers and miscues were the key to Cass Tech’s runaway lead early in this game. By the game’s end, the Technicians only held a 345-303 advantage in total yardage. With short fields, Cass Tech was able to turn their yards into points, giving them their fourth State Championship in five trips to Ford Field (2024, 2016, 2012, 2011).
