What Happened: 

The Buccaneers fought a war last night at Hudsonville’s Eagle Stadium. They battled through bitterly cold weather conditions, poor management and sportsmanship, which sparked several heated scenes throughout the game. Unfortunately, the Bucs lost the advantage at the critical start, setting them behind offensively for the remainder of the game. Though Grand Haven fought strongly on defense to keep Hudsonville’s offense from gaining yardage, they couldn’t surpass the Eagle’s ball carriers. In addition, with several injuries connecting from the game, the Buccaneers couldn’t manage to defeat Hudsonville, losing at a devasting score of 35-7.  

Key Players:

• Quarterback Alex Kapala threw for a total of 75-yards, one of the passes lead to the only touchdown of the night. He also had several breakaways from Hudsonville’s defense that were major factors in the Bucs’ offense. 
• Running back Connor Worthington’s intensity driven offense led to a total of 55 rush yards during the night’s match.
• Wide receiver Brayden Franz had a total of 59 receiving yards, one catch in particular thrown by Kapala lead him to score the only touchdown last night. 

Key Moment: 

Like all endings, the goodbyes are the hardest, and tonight was no exception. For the Buccaneer players to walk off the Hudsonville field after the seconds of the game ticked down was a tear-jerking moment for all Grand Haven residents. However, observing team captain Connor Worthington hugging and shaking the hand of every teammate before retreating to the locker room is a moment of leadership that will stay with the players whether they won or lost. 

They Said It:

“We played through it, played strong, and that’s all you can ask for,” senior Will McWatters said.  “It was emotional for sure. My brothers. Sad to see it go, but, you know, I’m glad it happen, for sure. We fought to the end, and we still kept going, and that just shows you the type of players we have, type of people we have at Grand Haven.”