The 20th-ranked Hope College football team reaped the fruits of 3 ½ weeks of camp on Saturday, sprouting a record-setting performance in a 62-0 victory at Loras College.
Behind six different touchdown producers, Hope sowed a new program record for points against a collegiate opponent, surpassing the 55 tallied against DePauw (Ind.) in 1977. The Flying Dutchmen once produced 81 points against Grand Rapids Catholic Central High in the 1913 season opener.
Hope's defense stood tall in the field as well, shutting out Loras for the second consecutive season. It marked the first time the Flying Dutchmen harvested back-to-back shutouts against the same foe since 1978 and 1979, when they blanked Maranatha (Wis.) 28-0 and 64-0.
A bumper crop of performances was a lot of fun to watch, head coach Peter Stuursma said.
"We had a lot of guys deliver in different ways on offense: a lot of different running backs, four quarterbacks and eight receivers. A lot of guys on defense found a way to get on the field, and they performed," Stuursma said. "We only had two penalties, and one was on the dumb head coach. We didn't make a ton of mistakes, and the mistakes we did make are correctable. I am really proud."
Junior transfer quarterback Alex Thole (Schoolcraft, Mich. / Schoolcraft) planted the first big drive, marching Hope 64 yards on the opening possession. Senior H-back Billy Sternberg (Highland, Mich. / Milford) capped it by pouncing on a fumble in the end zone for a 7-0 lead.
Thole cultivated five more scoring drives in the first half, growing the lead to 41-0 by halftime. His 28-yard toss to senior Travis Myers (Ada, Mich. / Forest Hills Eastern) with seven seconds left capped a dominant 30 minutes in which Hope outgained Loras 409-67.
Thole, who rested midway through the third quarter, finished 15-of-27 for 305 yards. Myers harvested four receptions for 121 yards.
Hope, with three new offensive linemen sowing fresh protection, piled up 688 yards of total offense—388 through the air and 270 on the ground.
Freshman running back Trey Goike (White Lake, Mich. / Orchard Lake St. Mary's) broke loose for a game-high 94 yards on five carries, including a 55-yard sprint that bloomed into a third-quarter touchdown. Sophomore AJ Martel (Mason, Mich. / Mason) carried 14 times for 88 yards and two scores, bursting into the end zone from 15 and 17 yards in the first half.
Sophomore Mike Murphy (Grand Rapids, Mich. / West Catholic) added fruitful runs of 27 and 24 yards for touchdowns. Sophomore Kal Motter (Lawton, Mich. / Lawton) contributed a 1-yard plunge, and freshman quarterback Jonathan Pittman (Norton Shores, Mich. / Mona Shores) sowed a 4-yard scoring run.
On defense, 25 Flying Dutchmen registered tackles. Freshman linebacker Nolan Vis (Hudsonville, Mich. / Unity Christian) led the harvest with five.
Hope forced three turnovers while limiting Loras to just 163 yards—126 passing and only 37 rushing. Senior linebacker Bryce Debri (DeWitt, Mich. / DeWitt) and sophomore Easton Phipps (Goodrich, Mich. / Goodrich) each picked off passes, while senior Micah Bush (Hudsonville, Mich. / Unity Christian) recovered a fumble.
The Flying Dutchmen now turn their attention to another field, traveling to Franklin College (Ind.) for a 1 p.m. kickoff on Saturday, Sept. 13.
No. 20 Hope scores program-best 62 points for a season opener at Loraa
/seasons/2025/boxscores/20250906_35p9.xml
2025
Hope
62
Loras
0
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 18 Hope (1-0) | 20 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 62 |
| Loras (0-1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Sep 06, 2025