Holland Christian football erupts for second-most points in school history

HOLLAND - Ryder Gravenhof loves to hit anyone in an opposing jersey. The Holland Christian linebacker hit someone so hard on Friday night that his helmet popped off.

“I lost it on a hit,” he said with a smile. “It’s pretty fun. It’s exciting and it gets the guys excited. Although you have to come out after that play and that’s not fun. But coming out after getting your helmet ripped off is pretty fun.”

The Holland Christian football team had a lot of fun on Friday night. The Maroons beat Fruitport 64-27 on homecoming in front of a packed house. The 64 points is the second most points scored in school history. The record is an 84-18 win over Wyoming Rogers in 2008, the year the Maroons won the state title.

“That’s pretty cool to do on a homecoming night,” first year coach Dave Abberger said. “The boys fought really hard and I’m really proud of them.”

Gravenhof, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound senior had more than 20 tackles on Friday.

“His motor doesn’t stop and he’s learning to play under control,” Abberger said. “He’s saving his energy for between the whistles. He’s getting lower as he plays, so as he hits, he’s got so much more power now. Technically, he’s really sound.”

Gravenhof has college offers from Grand Valley State, Davenport, Ohio Northern and Dort College.

“Ryder is just a meathead and an animal 24/7,” teammate Meta Hoekstra said with a laugh. “He brings that intensity during practice and it causes everyone else to get fired up.”

Gravenhof said he realized last season that he had the talent to play in college.

“I always knew that was a possibility,” he said. “I had Coach (Tyler) Pike, who was our defensive coordinator at the time, he believed in me. I’d like to thank him for being a mentor for me.”

Holland Christian (2-2) got two touchdowns each from Hoekstra, Ethan Abberger and Eli Boyce.

Big homecoming crowd sees new facility

A sold-out filed past a brand-new ticket booth at Holland Christian’s football facility on Friday night. The school renovated the football field last year with new field turf. This summer, the rest of the stadium got a facelift. There’s a new ticket booth, expanded concessions stand, and new fencing.

“After greatly enjoying the newly turfed stadium field this past year,” said Stacey Hollebeek, Holland Christian’s Communications Manager. “We realized it was important to improve the Holland Christian stadium entry, and widened it this summer to make it a more gracious and welcoming community gathering spot.”

Maroons kicker has become a valuable part of offense

Caden VanHuis didn’t play a down on offense or defense, but he accounted for eight points on Friday.

The junior kicker had eight extra points. But he didn’t get a shot to kick a field goal.

“We were going to go for three (a field goal) at least three times,” Coach Abberger said. “But we ended up picking up a first down. We thought we were going to try it from 50 yards and watch him blast that sucker through the uprights. Early in the season, he was a little bit timid. Tell me you can make it from 80 and I’ll put you in.”

VanHuis has only attempted one field goal this year, but it missed after a botched hold.

VanHuis, who played soccer as a freshman, said he’s hit from 57-yards in practice. He also plays baseball.

Hoekstra’s speed is a big weapon

Meta Hoekstra, a senior running back, turned on the afterburners and scored on a 43-yard run to open the scoring in the first quarter, which got the team fired up.

“After the first touchdown, I knew we were going to have a good game,” Hoekstra said.

Hoekstra scored twice and now has four touchdowns this season.

“His vision tonight was fantastic,” Abberger said. “When he got in the open field, he just turned the jets on.”

Scoring plays

In the first quarter, Hoekstra scored on a 43-yard run with 3:55 left. Just 14 seconds later, Ethan Abberger picked up a fumble and ran it back 17 yards for a touchdown.

“Tonight, when we had that fumble and we scored on it … when you can flip a field like that and get some points on defense, that’s huge,” Coach Abberger said of his son’s play.

In the second quarter, quarterback Eli Boyce scored on a 1-yard run with 11:31 left. Luke Michmerhuizen picked off a pass at the 9 minute mark and on the next series, Hoekstra scored on a 19-yard run. On the PAT, a botched snap led the holder - Boyce - pick up the ball and run it in for two points and a 29-0 lead.

Fruitport’s Bobby Canfield caught a 20-yard pass to make it 29-7 with 2:38 left in the half.

Michmerhuizen, a 6-foot-8 receiver, caught a 22-yard pass from Boyce to make it 36-7 with 2:10 to go in the half. Fruitport’s Kayden Beardley scored on a 2-yard run with 59 seconds left to make it 36-14 at halftime.

In the third quarter, Canfield had a 21-yard catch with 9:19 to go in the third to make it 36-12. Ethan Abberger had a 52-yard catch from Boyce to make it 43-21 with 8:03 left. Boyce had another touchdown run, this time on a 4-yard run with 3:53 left to make it 50-21.

In the fourth quarter, the starters sat and the bench got a chance to shine. Gabriel Konfara, a junior, scored on a 15-yard run with 11:51 on the clock to make it 57-21. Fruitport’s Rickey Wiggins scored on a 45-yard run with 8:41 left. The kick failed and the score was 57-21. Holland Christian got its final score when Senior Patrick Tait scored on a 1-yard run with 14:41 left.

Boyce, a senior quarterback, was 11-of-19 passing for 217 yards. Hoekstra led the team with eight carries for 117 yards and Ethan Abberger had a team-best five catches for 113 yards.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Holland Christian football erupts for second-most points in history