Ottawa Hills high school

Sam Medendorp led the Sailors with 20 points in the win. (Courtesy, Eric Walstra)

By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

After a 73-51 win over Ottawa Hills Tuesday, South Christian boys Coach Taylor Johnson was happy with how his Sailors handled the pressure.

“It was a great matchup with a team that can give you a lot of problems with their style of play,” said Johnson, whose Sailors improved to 13-3 overall, 8-1 (second place) in the OK Gold. “It took time, but once we got settled in I liked how we played together and passed through the pressure.

“It was an important game for us and we knew it would not be easy. Coach King does a nice job and we had to keep fighting. We made a big push late into the third quarter that really helped us pull away in the fourth.”

Jake DeHaan scored 17 points for the Sailors. (Courtesy, Eric Walstra)

Sam Medendorp led the Sailors with 20 points, while Jake DeHaan added 17.

“Sam was so important for us and played great,” Johnson said. “His defensive presence is unlike anyone else in the league; he impacts the game on both sides of the ball. He showed off his athleticism last night with over five blocks and four dunks. It was fun to watch.

“DeHaan just continues to flourish of lately, finding his rhythm being able to hit the three and drive it to two feet and find ways to create angles and score. He also had some huge off rebounds for us that sparked important second chance points.”

Ottawa Hills fell to 10-7 overall, 6-3 in the Gold.

The Sailors beat Ottawa Hills 51-12 Friday at East Kentwood’s stadium. (WKTV/Ty Marzean)

By Cris Greer, WKTV Managing Editor

A solid ground game combined with sparkling special teams play kept South Christian undefeated with a 51-12 win over Ottawa Hills Friday at East Kentwood’s stadium.

“Special teams definitely played a big outcome in the game; that was what sparked our scoring,” said South Christian coach Danny Brown, whose team improved to 3-0 overall, 1-0 in the OK Gold. “The special teams made a difference.

“We started the game with a kickoff return by Charlie Schreur, so that was huge.”

A quick score

Schreur ran 70 yards to pay dirt to give the Sailors a 7-0 lead immediately. Schreur scored two TDs in the win.

Soon after, South Christian’s Cam VanSolkema blocked a punt that Ben Mulder recovered in the end zone for a TD.

(Image courtesy of South Christian)

The Sailors tallied 356 yards in total offense as senior Nate Brinks led with 62 yards rushing and two TDs.

Quarterback Jake DeHaan was 12 of 17 for 177 yards passing.

Brown was very happy with his team’s defensive performance.

“Our defense was great; flying to the ball,” he said. “They played well at the line of scrimmage, getting a lot of guys to the ball.”

Ottawa Hills coach Christian Verley said South Christian is solid and technically sound, but his special teams broke down.

“If we don’t give up 25 points on special teams it’s a different game; that is unacceptable,” said Verley, whose team fell to 0-3 overall. “If we can clean up those things it’s really a solid game.”

Ottawa Hills junior quarterback Tyreez Buchanan was 5 for 12 for 36 yards passing and one TD and rushed 12 times for 68 yards. Junior Willie Duke had 36 yards receiving.

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