The Hope College football team took a giant step toward a MIAA championship Saturday afternoon by defeating Albion College, 41-14, on Senior Day at Ray and Sue Smith Stadium on Senior Day.
Unbeaten and ranked No. 16 in the country in NCAA Division III by d3football.com and No. 17 by the American Football Coaches Association, the Flying Dutchmen can clinch a share of the MIAA championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs on Saturday, Nov. 9, when they meet Calvin University.
Kickoff for the first-ever rivalry football game between the two schools is 1 p.m. at Grand Rapids Christian High School.
"It was a really big team win (for us), but it's also a team win for our seniors," head coach Peter Stuursma said after the game.
Hope 8-0, 5-0 MIAA) honored 23 seniors and five fifth-year players prior to the game. Many of those seniors were major contributors on Saturday.
"They got a game ball, because they have given so much to this program. They went through some tough times in '20 and '21 … The fact that they stayed here and five fifth-year guys made a big decision to come back, that's unbelievable," Stuursma said.
Now, Hope turns its attention to its initial meeting with Calvin.
"It's arguably the best rivalry in college, all athletics," Stuursma said. "It's in the top five, at least, all divisions, when you look at it. We're honored to be a part of it. After 24 hours we get done enjoying this, we go to work. They've done a nice job of getting their program going."
As it has done all season long, Hope set the tone for the game early against Albion. The Flying Dutchmen took the opening kickoff, grinding out a 70-yard drive that took 16 plays and more than seven minutes off the clock. Hope, which came into the game leading all Division III teams in third-down conversion percentage, converted five straight third downs on the drive.
Senior running back Chance Strickland (Mason, Michigan / Mason HS) finished the drive off with a 2-yard plunge, and Hope led 7-0. That opening drive gave the Flying Dutchmen's nationally-ranked defense an opportunity to get energized to face Albion's high-powered offense.
"{Defensive coordinator} Jacob Pardonnet loves {long drives} because he can send those guys out fresh," Stuursma said.
It was the defense that came up with a couple of critical plays early in the second quarter that would go a long way toward Hope seizing control of the game. The Britons drove to the Hope 12-yard-line and threatened for a tying score.
However, senior defensive end Carter Strong (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Wyoming) and junior defensive end Liam Danitz (West Branch, Michigan / Ogemaw Heights) teamed up to sack Albion quarterback Luke Lovell for an 11-yard loss, setting up a third-and-long.
On the next play, pressure from Hope's defensive front resulted in Lovell throwing behind his intended receiver, and sophomore linebacker Brad Raredon (Hudsonville, Michigan / Hudsonville) picked off the errant pass, his fourth interception of the season.
The Flying Dutchmen capitalized on the turnover, driving 85 yards in eight plays. Senior Tyler Amos (Portage, Michigan / Portage Northern) dashed 13 yards up the middle to the end zone to finish off the drive, and Hope led 14-0.
Late in the first half, Hope drove 95 yards in six plays, with the big play being a 42-yard pass from senior quarterback Ben Wellman (Bloomington, Illinois/Bloomington) to fifth-year wide receiver Grant Holtzer (Okemos, Michigan/Okemos) to put the ball in Albion territory.
Two plays later, with an Albion rusher bearing down on him, Wellman found Strickland wide open in the left flat for an 18-yard touchdown pass, Strickland's 18th touchdown of the season and 42nd of his career. The Flying Dutchmen led 21-0 at halftime.
After Albion scored on its opening drive in the third quarter, Hope responded with a quick-strike drive of 65 yards, with Wellman finding sophomore wide receiver Eli VanderVeen (Hudsonville, Michigan/Hudsonville) for a 21-yard touchdown pass to make it a three-touchdown lead for the Dutchmen again.
Wellman then added two more touchdown passes in the fourth quarter – 31 yards to VanderVeen and 13 yards to Holtzer – to put the exclamation mark on Hope's third straight win over Albion.
Wellman started slowly in the game, completing only one of his first six passes. But he closed the game out on a hot streak, completing 14 of his last 15 throws. He threw for 262 yards and four touchdowns, the most by a Hope quarterback since Mason Opple threw five TD passes in September 2019 against Defiance (Ohio) College.
Hope, the nation's leader in total offense, outgained Albion 465-300 for the contest. Strickland rushed for 128 yards on 22 carries to go over the 2,000-yard mark for his career. Holtzer led the Dutchmen receiving corps with five catches for 117 yards.
Meanwhile, the Hope defense limited Albion to 42 rushing yards and sacked Lovell five times. Two of Hope's seniors, linebacker Cole Luhmann (Rochester, Michigan/Stoney Creek) and safety Tyler Stezowski (Holland, Michigan/Hamilton) led the defense with nine tackles apiece. Junior defensive tackle Caleb Paarlberg (Alto, Michigan/Caledonia) recorded 2.5 tackles for loss.