Brandon Holman took the very first snap for Zeeland West and ripped off a 65-yard touchdown run, setting the tone for a flat-out stunning 38-0 rout over Unity Christian on Friday night. The Dux, ranked No. 9 in Division 3, didn’t just win, they absolutely crushed Unity Christian, No. 7 in Division 4, making a statement that echoed through Jenison High School.
No More Second-Half Team: The Dux Came Out FIRING
If you’ve been watching Zeeland West, you know their coach, Ethan Albrecht, was getting pretty fed up with slow starts. Before this game, it felt like they were always a second-half team, taking forever to get rolling. But man, did they flip the script tonight. Albrecht said it himself: “We were just a second-half team before, but we turned that around. We came out hot and put it all together tonight.” Holman backed that up, too. He talked about how they didn’t come out hot against South Christian in their 19-16 Week 5 loss. But after a great week of practice, Holman felt like the team came together, declaring, “I feel like no one can stop us.” When you drop 38 points and give up zero, it’s tough to argue with that kind of confidence.
Revenge Is a 38-0 Dish Best Served COLD
This wasn’t just any win, folks. This was personal. Zeeland West had suffered tough losses to Unity Christian each of the past two seasons, a fact senior lineman Ethan Malec didn’t forget. “We’ve been trying to beat Unity because the past two years we’ve had tough losses to them,” Malec said, and boy did they get their revenge. After Holman’s opening bomb, the Dux just kept pouring it on, leading 20-0 at halftime. Holman credited Malec, number 55, with a “great block” on that opening score, saying Malec “got up on the safety and I just kinda jumped outside and then back inside and it set that run up.” Coach Jeff Bolhouse knew they had to loosen Unity up defensively and grab those “big chunk plays.” They got ’em. Holman later caught a 50-yard pass from Albrecht, setting up Albrecht for a 1-yard score. Cam Brouwer, Kenny Howe, and Niko Moungkhoun all got in on the touchdown party, too. It was total domination.
A Night Unity Christian Needs to FORGET
For Unity Christian (4-3), this was a brutal night from start to finish. Senior Josh Bremer didn’t mince words, admitting, “That was by far not our best performance. That was surprising. We have to keep our heads up. We’re better than that. It’s tough seeing that score on the scoreboard.” Adding injury to insult, defensive back Neal Nikkel went down hard in the second quarter, appearing to injure his arm or shoulder. There was a 15-minute delay as he was carted off the field. It’s a tough pill to swallow, especially against a rival that just had their number for two years straight. The Crusaders have some serious regrouping to do, while Zeeland West (6-1) looks absolutely red-hot right now.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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