By: Izzy Friedriechsen
This football season was thrilling, full of intense games, jaw dropping plays, and unexpected upsets. The team showed their skill and there were some incredible plays from star players. It was a rollercoaster of emotions for fans, and the season definitely was a fun one to watch! Our record this season was 4-5 finishing us 7th in the conference.
One of our toughest matchups was when the Hawkeyes traveled to West Catholic. Hamilton lost 49-0. Even though this game was a rough loss, the players had fun in the rainy weather spent under the lights with their team! Another rough game was when the Hawkeyes faced off against Coopersville. Hamilton lost 42-6. This game just brought the team closer together through finishing out the season. One of the best moments in the season was the St. Johns game where we traveled to their stadium and won 36-29. This was close throughout the whole game and finally the Hawkeyes pulled through with an ending touchdown for the win by Justin McIllwain, this moment was also considered to be some of the players’ favorite moments this season, it was also made for the running for play of the week! Another one of our best games was when the Hawkeyes took down Holland Christian. We won this game 44-38. This game was a great win, also being the first time we beat our rival at home. This game was also considered to be a favorite memory of some of the football players, bringing the whole community together to celebrate and watch!
The three senior captains were asked to share a quote about the season and how they felt about it. Justin McIllwain said, “Being a senior on last seasons team was a great experience, I’ll never forget all the memories made with the guys and the relationships we’ve formed.” Benjamin Boehm said, “The football season of 2023 is one that I will never forget. To be a captain and lead a team through ups and downs is something that most people will never experience in one’s lifetime. I am extremely grateful for a team that I made many memories with and teammates I can call family.” And Keaton Haverdink said, “I was very fortunate with my experience on the 2023 varsity football squad. It was a season to remember, and I will remember the guys I did it with for the rest of my life!”
As you can see, the Hamilton Football program means a lot to the players not only because they like the sport, but the relationships they have with each other are meaningful and memorable! The football team is very close with each other but also brings the whole community together as well. The goals that the team set were important but not as important as the relationships and memories these players have shared. The seniors will definitely be missed considering the emotion felt and shown after their last game. Coach Phil Koops was asked to share a quote also, he said, “We might not have met some of our goals, but this group worked hard, overcame a lot of adversity, and stuck together through all 9 games and for that they will forever be remembered fondly by me and our coaching staff.”
Thank you to the seniors: Keaton Haverdink #4, Justin Mcillwain #7, Austin Vanderkamp #11, Ben Boehm #24, Noah Collier #52, Hoyt Ferguson #54, Justin Eding #57, Gabe Mast #58, Ben Sharp #63, Brady Thompson #65, Max Brink #71, Lucas Veenstra #72, Joey Klein #75, Brendan Peters #78