In 1970, the Hamilton Hawkeyes achieved what many high school football teams hope for: winning their division. Although it might not seem like a very big thing, this Hamilton team made their season a statement.
By: Brennan Brouwer
10-27-2026
The Hawkeyes’ first game of the 1970 season was against the Zeeland Chix. This was Hamilton’s second time playing the Chix ever. The year before, the Chix had a dominant win, beating Hamilton 27-6.
In the 1970 rematch, the Hawkeyes tied the Chix 20-20. Ted Yoak completed two touchdown passes to Randy Busscher, with the second touchdown tying the game. This result was a big deal because it showed that Hamilton was a team to compete with.
After the strong showing against Zeeland, Hamilton had three statement wins over Byron Center, Wyoming Lee, and Wayland.
The next matchup against the Caledonia Fighting Scots was especially significant. Caledonia, known for its strong program, struck first with a two-yard run by Mike McCormick and added another touchdown, leading 16-0.
Hamilton fought back. Roger Boerigter scored a two-yard touchdown just before halftime. In a quiet second half, Boerigter scored again on a 30-yard run in the fourth quarter, narrowing the gap to 16-12. Caledonia sealed the win with a final touchdown, ending the game 22-12. Although Hamilton didn’t win, they competed with a really good team and would use this loss as motivation for the rest of the season.
After the loss to Caledonia, Hamilton bounced back to beat Wyoming Kellogsville 44-0 and Comstock Park 22-6.
The final game of the season was against Middleville, their rivals. Going into it, everyone thought it could go either way. Hamilton was 5-1 in the conference, and Middleville was 4-0-1, looking for their eighth straight football crown.
Hamilton started the game with slow but controlled football. They scored their first touchdown after a 20-play drive that drained 9 minutes and 30 seconds off the clock. The touchdown came on a five-yard pass from Ted Yoak to John Zoet, taking the lead.
Before the half ended, Hamilton scored again on a defensive play. Doug Koopman forced a fumble, and Carl Slotman scooped up the ball at the 40-yard line, running it all the way back for a touchdown.
With the win over Middleville, Hamilton became a contender for the conference title. To win the division, they needed Wayland to beat Caledonia; otherwise, they would share the title, both teams being 5-1 in the conference.
Caledonia beat Wayland 22-14, meaning that Caledonia and Hamilton shared the same conference record. The season ended with Hamilton and Caledonia sharing the title of the O-K Blue Division. This made them both the division champions.
Following the season, some of Hamilton’s players got recognition for their hard work and play on the field. Many offensive and defensive players got awards from the conference, and some got even higher recognition.
Hamilton had five players make the O-K Blue Division All-League First Team. Some other players got all-area and All-State honors too, which just shows how much talent this team had.
Randy Busscher was one of the most recognized players. He made first-team All-League as a split end. He also made the Sentinel’s all-area offensive team. Plus, he got All-State honorable mention, which really showed how much he helped the Hawkeyes this season.
Dan Dubbink got first-team All-League at tackle for his work on the offensive line. He got honorable mention for All-State too. Being noticed in both the league and state was a big deal and showed how important he was for Hamilton’s offense.
Steve Van Doornik was picked for the O-K Blue Division All-League first team as a guard. That means he was a big part of Hamilton’s offensive line and helped them do so well this year.
Carl Slotman got first-team All-League as a defensive end. He also made the Sentinel’s all-area offensive team. Getting picked for both league and area teams showed how valuable he was to the Hawkeyes.
Roger Boerigter made first-team All-League as a running back. He was also on the Sentinel’s all-area defensive team and got All-State honorable mention. He was one of the most recognized players in all the newspaper reports.
Dick Lampen also helped the team a lot. He got honorable mention as a linebacker in the O-K Blue Division All-League picks.
The team didn’t just have great players; they also had a great coach. Head coach Wayne Tanis was named the area’s top football coach after leading Hamilton to the O-K Blue Division championship. He took over as head football coach in 1969 after Larry Campbell became athletic director. With Coach Tanis, the Hawks finished off their amazing season 6–1 and shared the division title with Caledonia.
Hamilton’s awesome season happened because of the players and coaches working hard together. With five players on the first-team All-League, a bunch of other honors, and a coach who was recognized as the best around, the Hawkeyes proved they were one of the top teams in the O-K Blue Division that year.