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Hope College

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#BeStrongBeTrue
Hope football seniors pose together for a group photo holding the Wooden Shoes traveling trophy.
Alan Babbitt
Hope football seniors hold the Wooden Shoes traveling trophy.
20
Kalamazoo KZO 3-6 , 0-5
66
Winner Hope HPE 5-4 , 2-3
Kalamazoo KZO
3-6 , 0-5
20
Final
66
Hope HPE
5-4 , 2-3
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
KZO Kalamazoo 14 0 0 6 20
HPE Hope 14 28 10 14 66

Game Recap: Football | | Greg Chandler

Football Savors Senior Day Victory against Kalamazoo

Leadership from Hope College's senior class provided the spark on Senior Day Saturday afternoon at Ray and Sue Smith Stadium, as the Flying Dutchmen romped to a 66-20 victory over Kalamazoo College in the annual battle for the Wooden Shoes.

The win, Hope's sixth in a row over Kalamazoo in the rivalry, moved the Flying Dutchmen over the .500 mark on the season at 5-4. Hope is 2-3 in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Kalamazoo dropped its sixth straight game after a 3-0 start, and is now 0-5 in the MIAA.

The 66 points marked the second-most Hope has scored in the Wooden Shoe Rivalry, one behind the 67 the Dutchmen put on the board last year in defeating the Hornets.

Senior quarterback Chase Brown of Comstock Park, Michigan (Comstock Park) completed 23 of 31 passes for 382 yards and two touchdowns. 

Meanwhile, fellow senior Daniel Romano of Royal Oak, Michigan (Royal Oak Shrine Catholic) led the ground game with 51 yards and two touchdowns, including a 7-yard scoring run that put the Flying Dutchmen ahead to stay at 21-14 and marked the start of a 28-point second quarter that broke the game open.

Another senior, TJ McKenzie Jr. of Muskegon, Michigan (North Muskegon), caught eight passes for 122 yards, including a spectacular 50-yard catch and run of a Brown pass during that second quarter explosion.

But there were plenty of other contributions from Hope seniors that did not necessarily show up in the box score.

"It's hard to put into words, because they've meant so much to our program," head coach Peter Stuursma said after the game. "I said to our guys this week, they led us through COVID, and we canceled our season. We chose not to play in the spring (of 2021). Those guys kept hanging in there with us. They're such good human beings. Obviously, they're really good football players … what a way to send them out. We're not done yet. We've got one more (game) to send them out the right way."

Kalamazoo's quick-strike passing attack gave Hope problems early. The Hornets needed just four plays after the opening kickoff to score a touchdown.

But the Flying Dutchmen took advantage of a fumbled punt return, as junior wide receiver Brad Rohen-Blanton of Byron Center, Michigan (Rockford) recovered at the Hornets' 23. That led to Romano's first touchdown, a 5-yard run that tied the score at 7-7.

Sophomore quarterback Chance Strickland of Mason, Michigan (Mason) gave Hope the lead with a 1-yard touchdown plunge before the Hornets scored on another pass to tie the game at 14-14 after one quarter.

In the second quarter, Romano capped a 66-yard drive with his second touchdown of the day and seventh TD of the season.

"Dan is one of those guys who came back from shoulder surgery," Stuursma said. "He had major shoulder surgery where he could not move his arm for about six months … To have him come back like this, it's unbelievable."

Kalamazoo drove into Hope territory on its next possession, but sophomore linebacker Cole Luhmann of Rochester, Michigan (Stoney Creek) made a diving interception to get the ball back. Moments later, Brown and McKenzie hooked up on the electrifying catch-and-run along the far sideline.

Before the first half was over, junior wide receiver Terrell Harris of Whitehall, Michigan (Whitehall) scored on a 2-yard sweep and Strickland ran six yards for another score, and Hope led 42-14 at the half.

The Flying Dutchmen added to their lead in the third quarter on a 23-yard field goal by senior placekicker Dylan Hillger of Holly, Michigan (Lake Fenton) and a 13-yard touchdown pass from Brown to senior wide receiver Carter Nofziger of Pandora, Ohio (Pandora Gilboa). 

In the fourth quarter, junior running back Tiovanni Knight of Muskegon, Michigan (Muskegon Catholic Central) scored twice on runs of 3 and 9 yards.

Hope piled up a season-high 604 yards of total offense – 382 through the air and 222 on the ground. The Flying Dutchmen caused three Kalamazoo turnovers – two fumbles and an interception – and turned them into 21 points.

Junior wide receiver Kareen Williams of Kalamazoo, Michigan (Portage Northern) had a career day with 110 receiving yards on four catches, while Harris caught five passes for 72 yards and Nofziger had four grabs for 49 yards.

Sophomore running back Ja'Kaurie Kirkland of Grand Rapids, Michigan (Northview) rushed for 51 yards on nine carries.

Freshman safety Nick Flegler of DeWitt, Michigan (DeWitt) made seven tackles to lead the defense, including four solo stops. 

Junior cornerback Trevor Hansen of Wyoming, Michigan (Grand Rapids South Christian) made six tackles in his first collegiate start.

Hillger's nine PATs tied for the second-most by a Flying Dutchmen kicker in a single game.

The Flying Dutchmen close out the 2022 season on Saturday, Nov. 5 against Trine University at Zollner Stadium in Angola, Indiana. Kickoff is 1 p.m.
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