By Zach Fanko

WKTV Contributor

Led by senior do-it-all quarterback Jake DeHaan, South Christian triumphed over Hudsonville Unity Christian 35-20 to claim its third-consecutive Division 4 district title Friday night.

The Sailors wasted no time on the game’s opening drive as DeHaan connected with junior wide receiver Nate Brinks on a 15-yard scoring strike to seize a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter.

The Crusaders responded with a drive of their own as Mitch Tibbe found the end zone on a 6-yard quarterback-keeper, followed by a 2-point conversion to jump ahead 8-7 at the 2:10 mark in the opening quarter.

Both teams traded touchdowns on their next drives, knotting the game at 14-14 with 7:34 left in the half.

With halftime approaching, South Christian continued to move the ball against Unity Christian’s defense as DeHaan ran in a touchdown from 2 yards out to give the Sailors a 21-14 advantage at the half.

Following a scoreless third quarter, South Christian grabbed its first double-digit lead of the night on another DeHann TD run, one of his three rushing scores in the game.

Sailors coach Danny Brown commended his defense for the way they played in the second half.

“We knew they were going to come out swinging and it was one of those games where you have to dig deep,” Brown said. “I think our defense really stepped up in the second half and it ended up making the difference.”

The Crusaders tried to mount a comeback as Tibbe found his tight end Carl Bylsma for a 10-yard touchdown to make it 28-20 with 6:18 left.

However, a DeHann 37-yard touchdown run sealed the victory for the Sailors with 1:59 left. The senior signal-caller added five more touchdowns for an impressive 42 total touchdowns on the season.

DeHaan finished the game with 209 yards passing, as well as 155 yards on the ground.

“You need your best players to shine in these moments,” Brown said. “Any big game we’ve had he’s done it.”

South Christian (11-0) returns to the D-4 regional final for the third-straight season. A year ago, the Sailors lost a battle with Edwardsburg 28-14.

This year, they will host another team with an unblemished record at 11-0. Whitehall, coming off a 51-26 win over Fruitport, stands in the way of a trip to the state semifinals.

The Sailors are seeking their first state title since 2014. The two undefeated squads battle next Friday at 7 p.m. at Falcon Stadium.

“We expect when you get to this point in the season you gotta play good teams,” Brown said. “If you’re chasing a state championship you want to beat good teams to get there.

“I haven’t watched much film on them. I know they have some athletes and are pretty big up front. It should be fun. We get another week to prepare and there’s nothing better than that.”