A Look Back at Year 2:  2005

By Paul Rosenbrook

We returned to the practice field in August 2005 with a good deal of excitement.  We had gained a lot of experience in our first year and returned every player from the previous season.  We also added some talent in the form of some JV call-ups, the transfer of Sophomore Eric Fish from Waterford Mott HS, and Sophomore Eric Parks joined the team after spending the previous Fall playing for his club team.

We began our season with the christening of our beautiful new stadium on August 27, 2010 in a 13-0 win over Hart High School. 

The first half of the season was a roller-coaster ride as we struggled with consistency.  We would occasionally over-achieve in a game, only to follow that performance with an equally uninspired match and lose to a weaker team.  Through the first 12 games of the season, we had compiled a disappointing 3-7-2 record.

After four consecutive wins against lower-level teams, we travelled to Portage Central for a match that was truly David vs. Goliath.  PC was a top-10 Division 1 team with the player who would go on to win the Gatorade National Player of the Year that season, and we were a second-year Division 3 program with a losing record.  We decided to play a compact 5-4-1 formation to limit space and attacking opportunities for the Mustangs.  Eric Parks was dynamic as the lone striker, counter-attacking at every opportunity, effectively attacking in 1v2 or even 1v3 situations.  Shots on goal were even at two for the half, as both teams went into halftime scoreless.  Though we were spending much time in our defensive third under fire (corner kicks were 10-0 for the game), we still managed to limit their shots, and the game was still scoreless when Parks pinged one off the goalpost with just minutes remaining.  The game ended in a 0-0 tie.  At that moment, we walked off the field having built an incredible amount of chemistry and confidence, and the feeling that we could play with any team in the state.

After a heart-breaking 1-0 conference loss a few days later to Calvin Christian, despite having out-played them, we finished our regular season with three consecutive victories.  We finished the regular season with a 10-8-3 record, a great accomplishment considering we began the season just 3-7-2.  We were on a roll, with State Playoffs just around the corner.

We hosted our first-round Districts game with Northpointe Christian, who at 17-3-0 were ranked #4 in the state.  They had dominated us earlier in the season in a 6-3 game at their home field, but now they walked in to face a different team.  The FHE crowd was large and loud as a fog settled in just above the turf.  The game was an absolute battle, back-and-forth, highly-skilled, but with neither team able to gain an edge.  Finally, it was Eric Parks who broke the scoreless tie on a rebound inside the 18 with just 6:48 remaining in the game.  However, Northpointe equalized just 43 seconds later on a goal scored from a long throw-in.  Both teams continued to battle through the overtimes, but when the dust settled, the flow of play ended in a 1-1 tie and would move into a PK shootout.  After Northpointe scored their final PK to even the penalties at 3-3, Senior Josh Quador stepped up to the spot and buried a perfectly-placed shot to earn us the victory. 

We moved on to play Otsego in our 2^nd Round Districts match, a team who had defeated us in PKs at the beginning of the season.  We came out with energy and confidence, peppering their goal, but were held scoreless until Eric Parks scored in the 27^th minute.  After Otsego was reduced to 10 men following a red card, we played a bit more conservatively, looking to limit their attacking opportunities while we counter-attacked.  The game would end in a 1-0 FHE win, and we were moving on to the District Final.

The District Final game saw us matched with Calvin Christian, a talented team with whom we had built an almost bitter rivalry over the course of just two seasons.  They had edged us out for the OK Silver Conference Championship that season after a defeating us in a pair of 1-0 games.  In another rematch in which both teams played with every ounce of determination, it was FHE who would score the first goal this time around:  Eric Parks scored in the 27^th minute off a free kick into the 18.  Sophomore Ross Peterson, a converted field player who had become our starting goalkeeper, kept Calvin off the board by making 4 saves for the game.  As the time expired, we celebrated our first Districts Championship—one that was well-deserved as we were forced to play the top 3 teams in the draw and had overcome the odds by beating them all.

Our first Regional game was against Dowagiac at Calvin Christian, a field without lights.  The Regional game the day before (Comstock Park v. Parchment) had gone into overtime, and due to the lack of light, the teams had to return to the field prior to our game to play the 2^nd Overtime.  It appeared that light wouldn’t be a factor in this one, as FHE scored twice in the first 22 minutes on goals from Scott Howard and Eric Fish.  However, Dowagiac scored twice in the final 18 minutes to equal the halftime score at 2 goals apiece.  Neither team was able to find the net in the 2^nd Half, and as we played toward the end of the 1^st OT, it began to get very dark.  MHSAA representatives told us that if neither team scored a sudden-death goal by the end of the 1^st OT, both teams would again have to return the following day to finish the game.  As the seconds wound down, Eric Parks struck volley from the touchline, a high-arcing shot from 35 or 40 yards away…the goalkeeper struggled to track it in the near-dark conditions, and it fell neatly into the goal with just 0:02 seconds remaining in the game.  Needless to say, we all went a little crazy as we moved on to the next round with a 3-2 overtime victory.

The Regional Final at Calvin Christian saw us face Parchment.  We raced out of the gate as Eric Parks scored a hat-trick in the first 16 minutes of the match.  Senior Zak Zeoli put us up 4-0 with a goal in the 43^rd minute.  We began to take our foot off the gas as we lost focus and began to look toward our next match.  As a result, Parchment came roaring back with 3 goals, bringing the score back to 4-3 with 6 minutes remaining.  Reeling, we managed to hold them off as we won our first Regional Championship and tried to comprehend how we went from such a horrible beginning to the Final Four, all in one season.

The State Semifinal was played on November 9 at Shelby High School on a night in which the wind chill was near zero.  The winds gusted and occasionally the snow fell.  Our opponent was Elk Rapids, who at 18-5-2, were one of the finest teams around.  They pummeled us early, controlling possession and creating dangerous opportunities.  ER scored the first goal of the game in just the 6^th minute.  We were now faced with trying to come back against one of the state’s top teams and had to do so without our leading scorer, Eric Parks, who sustained a training injury.  We were barely clinging to that one-goal deficit when our offense came from an unlikely source:  Senior sweeper Rob Saliers struck a brilliant 35-yard volley in the 33^rd minute to equalize before the halftime break.  In the 2^nd half, Elk Rapids continued to pummel our goal mercilessly as we just tried desperately to stay in the game.  With 10 minutes left in regulation, it was Saliers again who settled the ball, attacked the open space in front of him as he crossed the center line, and hit a shot from 30 yards that very clearly was going to go well over the goal…the opposing goalkeeper was well off his line and didn’t even move, as he read the ball clearly going over his crossbar, but with one of the night’s frequent 40 mph gusts, the win knocked the ball nearly straight down and into the empty net.  We held on for dear life to our lead and the final whistle sounded, sending us into the State Championship game.  Following the game, the despondent Elk Rapids coach would state in an interview with the Grand Rapids Press:  “We out-everythinged them and they beat us”.

The State Final was played on November 12 at East Kentwood on a beautiful Fall day.  The stands were packed with the Forest Hills faithful as people from all of the district’s schools came to watch the Cinderella Story play out.  The opponent was Detroit Country Day, the perennial powerhouse who were the defending State Champs, and had laid claim to 10 other state championships at that time in their program’s history.  Despite being a bundle of nerves, our guys played their guts out.  The game was scoreless at halftime and the shots were even.  The 2^nd half was another story as DCD ratcheted up the pressure on our defense…Senior Zak Zeoli, normally a substitute, never came off the field in the 2^nd half, as he could strike a goal kick 60+ yards in the air and that was the only way we could release the pressure on our defense.  Time after time, they came at us and we turned them away repeatedly until they were finally able to get on the board with just 6:39 remaining in regulation.  The score remained 1-0 and we had a fantastic scoring chance with 0:10 seconds remaining as Scott Howard found Eric Parks’ head with a free kick, but the shot went just inches wide of the far post.

The clock had struck midnight, but it was a fabulous ride.  Our loss in the State Final was just our 2^nd in a string of 16 games.  This team was the perfect example of what can be accomplished when you have the right mix of chemistry, guts, confidence, and luck.  I still feel that sense of pride every time I walk past the banner hanging in the gym at FHE. 

In the days to follow our final game of 2005, several members of our team were recognized by the state.  Eric Parks, Rob Saliers, and Andrew Kelly were named to the All-State teams.  Coach Matt Roberts was named the Michigan Public High School Coach of the Year for Division 3.  And our team achieved our first state ranking, a #2 Final Ranking for the season.

This is the second in a series about our program's history.  I hope this helps the current players and families understand how we got to where we are and link our present to our past...

A Look Back at Year 3:  2006

By Paul Rosenbrook

Fresh off a State Championship appearance the previous season, we were ready to take on the world in 2006.  We had graduated some talented Seniors:  Rob Saliers, Andrew Kelly, Peter Wilder, Adam Kimo, Josh Quador, Zak Zeoli, Ian Hall, and Nathan Ritchie.  Coach Matt Roberts, the 2005 State Coach of the Year, moved on to become an assistant at Aquinas College.  This would be my first season as the Men’s Varsity Head Coach at FHE.

We were set to return seven starters from the ’05 team along with several key reserves.  However, in the weeks leading up to the season, we lost three key players to suspension for the season, meaning that we would be leaning on our outstanding incoming freshman class to get over the learning curve quickly.

We started 5 freshmen that season:  goalkeeper Graham Wallace, defenders Kyle Haverkate and Lawrence Murray, midfielder Freddy Smyser, and forward Ben Thomas.  A 6^th freshman, Brandyn Hockstra, was one of the first players off the bench.  We were very young in that aspect, but Juniors Scott Howard, Andy Engle, Zac Tolsma, and Sophomores Josh Schultz and Zach Myers were battle-tested and, along with our lone Senior Pat McManus, provided a foundation of leadership and confidence.

We opened the season with an 8-0 win over Byron Center, but would lose two of our next three games to begin the season at 2-2-0.  After a 1-1 tie with a talented EGR team, we found our stride.  We went 10-1-0 over our next 11 games, including two big wins over league rival Calvin Christian, to secure our first OK Conference Championship.

At this point in the season, we began to wear down.  We were looking a step slow as many players dealt with injury and fatigue.  We lost 2-0 to Portage Central, gave up a late goal in a 3-2 loss at Godwin Heights, and narrowly defeated Comstock Park before going into our final regular season game at South Haven.

South Haven was a talented team, ranked #3 in the state at 15-3-1, which had beaten us 6-0 the season before.  They had many talented players, including 5 who would be named All-State that season, and they had great team speed.  They scored 2 goals in the first 22 minutes and looked to be poised to open the floodgates, until Freshman Brandyn Hockstra entered the game as a substitute forward.  Hockstra scored in the 26^th minute off a pass from Josh Schultz to bring us within a goal at halftime.  In the second half, it was Hockstra again, as he buried a shot in the 46^th minute following a Zac Tolsma through-ball.  The score deadlocked, the game became a physical grind, as both teams racked up over 20 fouls apiece.  After two overtimes, the game ended in a 2-2 tie.

Our regular season ended at 14-5-2, and we had earned ourselves a #5 ranking in Division 3. 

Our first Districts game was hosted by our first-round opponent, Saranac.  We took a 4-0 lead into halftime, then proceeded to score four goals in the first 10 minutes of the 2^nd half to complete the mercy rule.  Scott Howard scored four of the team’s first six goals in the win.

In the District Semifinal, we met up with Godwin Heights, who had beaten us late in the season.  This time, we were ready to play:  we outshot them 13-4 in the first half, capitalizing on goals by Scott Howard and Zac Tolsma in the first 12 minutes.  However, it was Godwin’s hero form the last matchup, Carlos Esquivel, who tallied the next goal in the 34^th minute, to bring the halftime score to 2-1.  As Godwin looked to continue its momentum, it was FHE freshman Freddy Smyser who would change the course of the match with goals in the 44^th and 54^th minutes, giving us a comfortable 4-1 lead.  Scott Howard would round out the scoring in the 63^rd minute, capitalizing on a free kick opportunity.  We were on to the District Championship.

The District Final was a matchup of two teams who had gotten to know each other very well.  Calvin Christian and FHE had quickly established a rivalry, with this game being the 8^th matchup in our first 3 seasons.  The 2005 team had lost to Calvin in our two conference games, then beat them in the District Championship as part of our remarkable state tournament run.  This season, 2006, had us beating Calvin in our two conference games, and were again matched-up with them in the District Championship.

The District Final had to be moved from Calvin Christian’s home field to Grand View Elementary, due to an excessive amount of rain and flooding.  In another deadlocked, fierce battle, both teams went into halftime at 0-0, with shots even at 5 and corner kicks at 2 apiece.  In the second half, we brought our level of play up considerably, led by Junior Scott Howard, whose 9 shots equaled Calvin’s total for team shots at the end of regulation.  Still, both teams remained scoreless, and headed for sudden-death overtime.  With 2:53 remaining in the first overtime, a Calvin central midfielder received a ball and turned, striking a seemingly-harmless shot toward the far post:  however, in the wet conditions, the ball took an odd skip and found the net to end our 2006 tournament in heartbreaking fashion.

We finished our season at 16-6-2, earning our first conference championship (OK Silver) and a #4 final state ranking in Division 3.  Scott Howard led the team with a then-school record of 24 goals, earning 2^nd Team All-State.  Juniors Andy Engle and Zac Tolsma would be named All-State Honorable Mention, along with Freshman goalkeeper Graham Wallace, who finished the season with 12 shutouts and a 0.85 goals against average.

This is the third in a series about our program's history.  I hope this helps the current players and families understand how we got to where we are and link our present to our past...

A Look Back at Year 4:  2007

By Paul Rosenbrook

We approached 2007 with a great deal of optimism.  We were returning all 11 starters from the 2006 team, along with 2005 starting forwards Eric Parks and Eric Fish.  Our Senior class was very strong and the Freshman players who had played such a prominent role the prior season now had a year under their belts.

Our starting lineup consisted of 5 players who had previously been named All-Staters:  Goalkeeper Graham Wallace, defender Andy Engle, central midfielders Scott Howard and Zac Tolsma, and forward Eric Parks.  Super Sophs Lawrence Murray, Kyle Haverkate, and Ben Thomas again filled starting spots, along with Junior standouts Zach Myers and Josh Schultz, and Senior Eric Fish.  Prominent reserves were Brandyn Hockstra, Fred Smyser, Mitchal Rosendall, Tyler Tooley, Zach Retterath, Miles Vincent, Alex Zuhl, and Adam Hoffhines.

We began our schedule in impressive fashion , winning our first 6 games by an average of 7 goals as we defeated Middleville TK (5-0), Byron Center (7-0), Otsego (6-1), Cedar Springs (9-1), Comstock Park (8-0), and Coopersville (9-0).  In that stretch, we outscored our opponents 44-2.

Our next game was with rival East Grand Rapids in a cold, rainy night at EGR.  Everything that could have possibly gone wrong, did.  We gave up two early goals before Eric Parks scored on a free kick, sending us into halftime down 2-1.  We played very poorly in the second half, still struggling to adjust to the wet conditions, and EGR ran all over us.  When the smoke cleared, we had been beaten 4-1.

We rebounded the next day with a 6-0 conference win over Wyoming Park, followed that with a 6-0 win over Wyoming Rogers, a pair of 8-0 victories over Sparta and Cedar Springs, and a 9-0 win over Comstock Park.

We played our last game in September 2007 in a game versus in-district rival Forest Hills Central.  FHC’s Potter scored on a service to the far post 16:28 into the game.  In the ensuing kickoff, Eric Parks touched the ball to Scott Howard, who proceeded to beat 4 of 5 FHC defenders on a direct run right up the middle of the park, scoring the equalizer just 11 seconds later.  To this day, it remains one of my favorite moments in FHE soccer, seeing Scottie’s emotion and determination take over, and watching it make its mark on the game.  Scott would score the game-winner on a header with just 3:49 left in the match, to send us off with a 2-1 victory.

Our next stretch of games included wins over Coopersville (8-0), Wyoming Park (6-1), a tie versus Portage Central (1-1), and wins versus Wyoming Rogers (8-0), Sparta (8-0), and South Haven (5-1).  We finished our regular season at 17-1-1 and had claimed the OK Blue title.

Our first Districts game was an 8-0win over Greenville, which included a Brandyn Hockstra hat-trick in a 15-minute span in the first half.

Our second Districts game was with Forest Hills Northern, a good team who packed the box defensively and looked to counter-attack, something they were quite adept at.  We went into the half 1-0 after Eric Parks scored on a free kick in the 33^rd minute.  Our midfield transitioned wonderfully from attack to defense, allowing us to continue our attacks and limit the number of FHN counters.  We outshot them 16-2 for the game, but the score stood at 1-0 until Scott Howard scored in the 62^nd minute and Miles Vincent on a backheel in the 80^th minute, ending the game with a 3-0 result.

The District Final was a memorable one.  It was a re-match versus East Grand Rapids, who had thoroughly taken us apart earlier in the season.  EGR struck first, 10:15 into the game, to take a 1-0 lead.  The two teams were toe-to-toe in an intense midfield battle of 50-50 balls.  Freshman Mitchal Rosendall went up for a 50-50 ball and EGR’s Sam Joyce came through his back in an attempt to win the ball:  as the two players went up, they clashed heads, resulting in a gash to Joyce’s eyebrow and a large gash in the back of Mitch’s head.  Mitch left the facility to be attended to as the teams fought on.  Zach Myers scored in the 36^th minute to send the teams into halftime deadlocked at 1.  The second half was scoreless, despite both teams opening up their style of play and creating numerous scoring opportunities.  I will never forget:  with about 10 minutes left in the game, I felt a tap on my shoulder:  I turned around and Mitchal Rosendall was standing there, telling me he was ready to play.  He showed me the staples up the back of his head to close his wound and his father confirmed that the doctors had given him medical clearance.  I debated putting him back into the game after his injury, but finally sent him back onto the field, where he promptly proceeded to score the game-winning goal on a beautiful side-volley with just 1:57 left to play.  Storybook moment.

In our first Regional game versus Fruitport, we came out sluggish.  I could see it in warmups, the guys looked a little bit spent, perhaps from the emotional win we eked out against EGR last game.  Though we possessed the ball pretty well, we looked very reactive and lost the battle of 50-50 balls.  The halftime score was 0-0 and during the break, the guys and I implored each other to dig in and pick up our energy level for the second half.  We did just that and Brandyn Hockstra opened the scoring for us 6 minutes into the second.  8 minutes later, Fred Smyser capitalized on a 1v1 chance with the Fruitport goalkeeper.  Scott Howard rounded out the scoring 4 minutes after that, ripping a shot that caromed off the bottom of the crossbar and into the net.  In the first 18 minutes, we had put ourselves up 3-0, a score that would stand, and we were off to the Regional Final.  Here’s the MLive article on the game:  http://blog.mlive.com/advancenewspapers_news/2007/10/hawks_overcome_slow_start_to_b.html.

We met up with Northview in the Regional  Final at Cedar Springs.  They were a solid team, but we wasted no time in coming out with a sense of urgency this time.  We outshot them 11-1 in the first half, with a goal coming from Scott Howard, and went into halftime up 1-0.  Northview came out determined in the second half and outshot us for the half, but our defense stood tall, holding them off until Eric Fish would score in the 68^th minute to give us a 2-0 lead.  That’s the way the game ended and we reveled in the win.  We were on to our second Final Four in three years.

We entered the State Semi game on Halloween night with a 22-1-1 record and would face off with #1-ranked Unity Christian, who was 23-0-1.  A combined 45-1-1, the two teams definitely showed their quality in this one:  it is one of the best games I have ever coached.  Unity got on the board first after a tremendous volley by Travis Vegter from the top of the 18, just a beautiful goal.  Following the goal, Unity put loads of pressure on us, and it took awhile to regain our composure:  their attack came in waves, but we managed to hang on to the 1-0 deficit.  We played an absolutely brilliant second half, locking Unity in their defensive third of the field, but we just couldn’t find the net.  We went from our 4-4-2 formation to a 3-4-3, then to a 2-4-4 as we were desperate to score the equalizer.  Finally, with 1:36 left in the match, Scott Howard turned at the top right-corner of the 18 and lofted a shot into the far upper 90 to tie the game with his 22^nd goal of the season.  We carried the momentum into overtime, again trapping Unity in their defensive third, and peppered their goal with shots.  After one such attack, Unity played an outlet pass up its left flank, where it was carried into our end on a quick counter-attack:  the ball was served across the mouth of the goal, where Unity wing midfielder Robbie Schrier scored the golden goal on a beautiful diving header.  It was a heartbreaking defeat.  Here’s the newspaper article on the game:  http://blog.mlive.com/advancenewspapers_news/2007/11/unity_booters_turn_back_fhe_in.html.

What a season!  We finished 22-2-1 and scored the fourth-most goals in state history (139).  We allowed just 13 goals in those 25 games and totaled 16 shutouts.  Eric Parks set school season records in goals (28), assists (19), and points (75), and was named 1^st Team All-State.  Scott Howard was named 2^nd Team All-State and Zach Myers received Honorable Mention.

This is the fourth in a series about our program's history.  I hope this helps the current players and families understand how we got to where we are and link our present to our past...

A Look Back at Year 5:  2008

By Paul Rosenbrook

Fresh off a trip to the 2007 State Semifinals, where we lost a heartbreaker in overtime, the players worked hard through the off-season to prepare for the 2008 campaign.

We had graduated a wealth of talent from the year before.  With only four seniors, the team was young, but not inexperienced.  Returning starters Josh Schultz and Zach Myers stepped into captains roles for their Senior seasons and Alex Zuhl and Andrew Nesselroad (transfer from Creston) rounded out the fourth-year group.

The Junior class was especially strong, as returning starters included:  Ben Thomas, Brandyn Hockstra, Lawrence Murray, Kyle Haverkate, Fred Smyser, and Graham Wallace.  Adam Hoffhines, Zach Retterath, Miles Vincent, and Alex Stuart would play prominent roles in the 2008 team, along with Sophomores Mitchal Rosendall and Brandon Underwood.

Our opening match was at Rockford and was as frustrating a game as I can recall.  We outshot them 8-3 in the first half, but found ourselves trailing 2-0.  Zach Retterath scored in the 57^th minute, but we surrendered another goal three minutes later.  Brandyn Hockstra scored in the 70^th minute to get us within one, then we proceeded to bombard the Rockford goal.  We ended up losing 3-2, despite owning an 18-6 shots at goal advantage.

We had nearly a week off to stew about our opening game, then came out firing against Catholic Central in our conference opener.  We had no trouble finishing in this game, as we were up 4-0 in the first 16 minutes on two goals by Ben Thomas, one by Brandyn Hockstra, and one by Zach Myers.  Ben Thomas completed his hat-trick in the second half and Alex Stuart rounded out the scoring in our 6-0 win.

We continued our momentum in a conference game at Caledonia, where we played a fantastic match, winning 4-0.  We followed that with wins over Hastings (3-1), Wayland (9-1), and Ottawa Hills (9-0).

We met up with South Christian on September 11, 2008 for an epic home game.  South’s Joe Broekhuizen scored just 1:13 into the game, then sat back and defended for the most- part.  The strategy worked as they went into halftime with a 1-0 lead.  In the 56^th minute, Brandon Underwood served a ball into the 6-yard box and Mitchal Rosendall would finish to equal the score at 1-1.  The game remained tied, despite our relentless attacks on their goal, and we went to overtime.  Josh Schultz was fouled on the wing in the 107^th minute, set the ball for a quick free kick, and drove a beautiful ball across the box to the far post, where Zach Retterath was waiting to head in the game winner.  Fantastic finish.

After a couple of sub-par wins versus Middleville TK (5-2) and Catholic Central (2-0), we entered a particularly tough part of our schedule.  First up was Portage Central, always a solid team.  Brandyn Hockstra put us up on a ball slotted from the endline by Josh Schultz in the 6^th minute, but PC would equalize in the 34^th minute on a header from a corner kick.  The game remained a stalemate until Zach Retterath would again score a clutch goal:  Lawrence Murray lofted a free kick into the box that Retterath struck, on the volley, with the outside of his right foot to the lower right corner to win the game with 39 seconds left.

Our next game was at East Kentwood, the defending 2007 Division 1 State Champs and eventual 2008 State Champion.  We were very motivated for this game and wanted to use it as a measuring stick to see where we stood.  We exhausted every bit of energy in our bodies that night:  we won the transition game, won the 50-50 game, even held the edge in shots on goal (3-2).  It ended in a 0-0 tie, and we walked off knowing that on any given day, we had the talent to play with anyone.

Emotionally-spent from the previous night, we had our rematch with Caledonia.  We outshot them 36-11, but settled for a 2-2 tie, in which Scots goalkeeper Blake Higley tallied 14 saves.

Following wins over Hastings (5-1), Wayland (9-1), and Ottawa Hills (9-0), we again met up with South Christian.  We carried a 12-1-2 record into the game and had been ranked #1 in the state for the first time.  South Christian was also ranked #1 in the state for Division 3 that night.  It was a game that lived up to its billing and the atmosphere was fantastic.  South scored on a through ball in the 11^th minute and Zach Retterath equalized on a pass from Brandyn Hockstra in the 17^th minute.  South scored in the 54^th minute to take the lead and we sent the house at their goal for the remainder of the second half in an attempt to tie it up again.  But, it was South who would put the game on ice with 7:41 remaining on a counter-attack.  The final was 3-1.

Our final regular season game was an 8-0 win over Middleville TK and carried a 13-2-2 record into MHSAA tournament play.

We met up with Middleville TK again just five days later for our first District game.  Ben Thomas scored four of our first six goals that day and we won by a score of 8-1.

In our second District game, we outshot Lakewood 44-0 and finished the game 8-0, with eight different players scoring the goals.

We met up with Grand Rapids Christian in the District Final, the first meeting between the two teams.  We found ourselves in big trouble at halftime, down 2-0 after goals in the 11^th and 31^st minutes that came from long throw-ins, the trademark of that year’s GRCHS team.  We spent the week preparing ourselves to defend those throw-ins, but still managed to give up a goal on the first one!  Our Seniors were determined that their careers would not end here:  Zach Myers scored in the 47^th minute, Josh Schultz in the 65^th minute, and again in the 68^th minute as we took the lead on a long throw-in of our own from Brandyn Hockstra.  But the lead would last just 3:27 as GRCHS equalized in the 71^st minute to send the game to overtime.  The score remained tied through the overtimes and we went to penalties.  I recall turning to Assistant Coach Chris Barlow and telling him that we were sending up a ‘murderers-row of penalty takers’.  GRCHS made two of their first four PKs, and meanwhile, our guys continued to step to the penalty spot and calmly put their shots into the side-netting with cool finishes.  Lawrence Murray, Fred Smyser, Mitchal Rosendall, and Zach Myers all made their shots and we walked off District Champs after a 4-2 PK shootout result.

In our Regional game at Cedar Springs, we met up with Petoskey.  They were a hard-working group who prided themselves on winning in transition and owning the 50-50 balls.  They did just that, scoring in transition on a beautiful 1-2 combination to walk in 1v1 and finish past goalkeeper Graham Wallace.  We put a great deal of pressure on them in the second half, but were unable to muster many good scoring chances.  Petoskey would go on to win 1-0 and become state champs that season in Division 2.

We finished our season at 16-3-2 and a #4 final state ranking.  Zach Myers was named 1^st Team All-State and was voted MVP by his teammates after being 2^nd in team scoring despite playing the stopper position.  Juniors Ben Thomas and Lawrence Murray were named 2^nd Team All-State.

This is the fifth in a series about our program's history.  I hope this helps the current players and families understand how we got to where we are and link our present to our past...

A Look Back at Year 6:  2009

By Paul Rosenbrook

The 2009 team boasted a wealth of experienced and talented players, headed by a fantastic senior group.  Among the returning seniors were Graham Wallace, Kyle Haverkate, Lawrence Murray, Adam Hoffhines, Brandyn Hockstra, Fred Smyser, Miles Vincent, Zach Retterath, Ben Thomas, and Alex Stuart.

Juniors Brandon Underwood and Mitchal Rosendall would reprise their roles as starting players, while fellow Juniors Lucas Fix, Nick Richard, Jon DeVries, Kip Forness, Grant Young, and Ryan Austin played supporting roles.  Newcomers Matt DeVries and Mitchell Suing, and Ryan Scott would round out the roster.

We were coming off a successful 2008 campaign that included a #1 state ranking and a second-consecutive trip to the Regionals, where we fell to eventual state champ Petoskey.

We graduated standouts Josh Schultz, Zach Myers, and Andrew Nesselroad, so there were a few holes to fill, but we returned most of our starting lineup.

Our season started with a bang:  we hosted perennial state champ East Kentwood to start the year.  After our JV played to an inspired 1-1 tie, the Varsity team took the field determined to apply pressure with a quick start.  In the 13^th minute, Lucas Fix served up a corner kick to the head of Freddy Smyser, who buried it for a 1-0 lead.  We proceeded to allow just 3 shots on goal the rest of the way, despite giving up 7 corners to EK.  After a stellar 80 minutes, we finished with a 1-0 shutout win, again earning us the #1 ranking in Division 2. 

Following a 6-1 win at Hastings to open the OK Gold season, we fell to Rockford 2-1 in OT, despite holding the lead until the 72^nd minute and having a huge advantage in scoring opportunities.

Just two days later, we resumed OK Gold play with a match versus Caledonia, which again went to OT.  With the score 0-0, despite having taken 27 shots in regulation, it wasn’t until the 100^th minute that Ben Thomas would walk in on the Caledonia goalkeeper and finish a golden goal strike for the win.

We followed up the Cal game with three wins over Wayland (3-0), Ottawa Hills (9-0) and Forest Hills Northern (4-0).

Next up was rival South Christian in an important OK Conference game.  In the 20^th minute, South Christian struck first after a diagonal ball behind the FHE defense that resulted in a 1v1 with keeper Graham Wallace.  However, just 4 minutes later, Lucas Fix played a ball across the 18 for a Ben Thomas equalizer.  The speed of play remained high and both teams continued to attack and create chances.  Again, it was the Sailors who finished their opportunity on a chip over the head of Wallace in the 36^th minute.  The second half became a defensive struggle, with neither team able to create much, and the game ended in a 2-1 loss for FHE, dropping our record to 6-2.

Determined, we reeled off a string of 7 straight wins, including a 3-1 result at Portage Central and 1-0 at Caledonia.  We then were ready to go toe-to-toe with South Christian for the conference title.  We were #1 in Division 2 and they were #1 in Division 3, so the crowd was large and raucous on a foggy night at South.  It was a stalemate, another defensive struggle in a physical, fast game.  South finally capitalized in the 74^th minute to take a 1-0 lead.  We poured all of resources into a relentless attack, which paid off with just 7 seconds left in regulation, where Lawrence Murray served a ball to Mitchal Rosendall for a clutch finish.  We had all of the momentum going into OT, but it was South who would score the golden goal in the 89^th minute on a counter-attack for the win.

We were pretty devastated by the loss, but set our sights on the upcoming state tournament, following wins over Middleville TK and Catholic Central.

We drew Creston first and earned a 7-0 win at FHE.  Our second Districts game was a rematch with Forest Hills Northern at FHN on a cold rainy night.  Brandon Underwood (4^th minute), Fred Smyser (25^th minute), and Brandyn Hockstra (57^th minute) scored goals in the 3-0 win to send us into the District Final.

The Final, at FHN, had us matched up with a scrappy, but talented, team from Spring Lake.  They played a defensive style, packing the center of the field and looking to counter-attack.  We took a lot of shots, but mostly from distance, and it wasn’t until the 61^st minute that Freddy Smyser would finish a freekick by Ben Thomas.  We did a good job in closing down their opportunities and took away a District Championship with a 1-0 win.

Our Regional game at Unity Christian was versus GR Christian, who we defeated in PKs in the previous year’s District Final.  It had rained and the grass field was soggy, resulting in a very slow playing surface.  It was a frustrating game, but we defended well, allowing just 1 shot on goal for the game.  However, Christian also defended well, shutting us out until the 76^th minute, when Ben Thomas finished his 22^nd goal of the season on a throw-in from Freddy Smyser.  With the 1-0 win, we were on to the Regional Final.

We entered the Regional Final ranked #2 in the state and were pitted with Unity Christian, the #1 team in the state.  It had rained buckets every day all week and the field was nearly underwater.  Also a result of the rain, the field hadn’t been mowed in quite some time.  If we thought the previous game was a slow surface, it was like playing on turf compared to the field for the Final.  After a slow 0-0 first half, which ended with a 3-2 advantage in shots for Unity, the second half started quickly.  57 seconds into the 2^nd Half, Unity converted a corner kick.   We played hard to equalize, but Unity’s midfield was outstanding and controlled play with their transitions.  With 9 minutes remaining and FHE in all-out attack mode, Kyle Haverkate received a questionable yellow card on a tackle and Lawrence Murray was yellow-carded for dissent.  With two of our top players sent to the bench for the 10-minute cool-down rule following a caution, Unity put the game on ice with a goal just 35 seconds later.

We ended our season ranked #4 in Division 2 with a 19-4-0 record.  We scored 92 goals and allowed just 12 (a school record), to go with 15 shutouts.  Ben Thomas would finish his career as our #2 scorer in school history and a place on the All-State’s 1^st Team.  Lawrence Murray and Kyle Haverkate were named 2^nd Team All-State, despite the disadvantage of being defenders and not having high scoring statistics.  Goalkeeper Graham Wallace was named All-State Honorable Mention.  9 of our 11 starting players would be named to the All-District team.

This is the sixth in a series about our program's history.  I hope this helps the current players and families understand how we got to where we are and link our present to our past...

FHE Soccer will be honoring its Seniors and foreign exchange students at a ceremony on Wednesday, October 5 at 6:30pm.

The Hawk Seniors include Jesse Aronoff, Yewhanes Frezghi, Alex Harrison, Spencer Hansen, Tyler Suing, and Nick VanderMyde.  Also being recognized are foreign exchange students Carlos Arranz (Spain) and Robin Rose (Germany).

Following the pre-game ceremony, the Hawks will kick off the first round of the OK Gold Conference tournament with a game versus Catholic Central.  FHE finished the regular season in a tie for 2nd place.

Zac Tolsma (’08), Senior at Cornerstone University (NAIA) 

Zac's Golden Eagles have posted a 2-3-0 overall record.  He has started 4 games and has tallied 3 shots at goal.  Cornerstone plays a home game on Tuesday, Sept 13.

Here's a link to a spotlight on Zac:  http://www.cugoldeneagles.com/article/757.php

Here's a link to Zac's schedule:  http://www.cugoldeneagles.com/schedule/0/5.php

Heidi DeVries (’08), Senior at Cornerstone University (NAIA)

Heidi's team has started the season at 1-3-1.  Cornerstone plays its next home game on Saturday, Sept 17.

Here's a link to Heidi's schedule:  http://www.cugoldeneagles.com/schedule/0/10.php

Zach Myers (’09) and Ben Thomas (’10), Saginaw Valley State University (NCAA Division II)

Zach and Ben's squad has started its season at 3-0-0.  Zach has been playing center back and has tallied 2 shots.  Ben scored his first goal for SVSU in their match v. Marygrove.  They return to Grand Rapids on Sunday, Sept 25 for a game at Davenport University.

Here's a link to Zach & Ben's schedule:  http://athletics.svsu.edu/sports/msoc/2011-12/schedule

Caitlin McCarthy (’09), Junior at Kalamazoo College (NCAA Division III)

Ceejay's Hornets team have begun their season at 1-2-0.  After a roadtrip, K-Zoo plays home games on Wednesday, Sept 14 and Saturday, Sept 17.

Here's a link to Ceejay's schedule:  http://www.kzoo.edu/sports/ws/ws11/wsschd11.html

Kyle Haverkate (’10), Sophomore at Aquinas College (NAIA)

Kyle's Saints have begun the season 5-1-0.  Kyle has started all 6 games and has recorded 1 assist from his defensive position.  Aquinas plays home games this week on Wednesday, Sept 14 and Sunday, Sept 18.

Here's a link to Kyle's schedule:  http://www.aquinas.edu/athletics/mens_soccer.html

Ann Kennedy (’10), Sophomore at Alma College (NCAA Division III)

Ann's Scots have put together a 4-0-0 start to the season.  Ann had a great week last week, being honored as the MIAA Conference's Defensive Player of the Week.  Alma will play in Grand Rapids, at Calvin College, on Tuesday, Sept 20.

Here's a link to Ann's schedule:  http://www.alma.edu/athletics/wsoccer/schedule

Lawrence Murray (’10), Sophomore at Calvin College (NCAA Division III)

Lawrence's Knights are off to a 2-2-0 start to their season and he has started all 4 games.  Lawrence plays three home games this week:  Tuesday (Sept 13), Friday (Sept 16), and Saturday (Sept 17).

Here's a link to Lawrence's schedule:  http://www.calvin.edu/sports/mens/soccer/schedule.htm

Fred Smyser (’10), Sophomore at Olivet College (NCAA Division III)

Fred's Comets team are off to a 3-0-1 start.  Fred has been named one of the team captains and has recorded a goal and an assist in his 4 starts.

Here's a link to Fred's schedule:  http://www.olivetcomets.com/sports/msoc/2011-12/schedule

Michelle Marcus (’10), Sophomore at Grand Valley State University (NCAA Division II)   

Meesh is the backup goalkeeper for the Lakers, who have begun their National Title defense with a 1-0-2 record.  The Lakers play home games in Allendale on Friday, Sept 16 and Sunday, Sept 18. 

Here's a link to Michelle's schedule:  http://www.gvsulakers.com/sports/w-soccer/sched/grva-w-soccer-sched.html

Graham Wallace (’10), Sophomore at Alma College (NCAA Division III) 

The Scots have begun their season with a 2-1-0 record and Graham has started 2 games, recording 1 shutout.

Here's a link to Graham's schedule:  http://www.alma.edu/athletics/msoccer/schedule 

Kaitlin Teichman (’10), Sophomore at Saint Mary’s College (NCAA Division III)

Teich's Belles have started quickly, compiling a 4-0-0 record.  She has been starting the majority of games and has recorded one assist.  The Belles come to Grand Rapids for a game on Wednesday, Sept 28 at Calvin College.

Here's a link to Teich's schedule:  http://www3.saintmarys.edu/soccer-schedule

Jon DeVries (’11) and Brandon Underwood (’11), Freshmen at Hope College (NCAA Division III)

The Flying Dutchmen have started with a 2-1-1 record.  Brandon has appeared in all 4 matches and had 2 shots on goal in those appearances.  Jon is in a developmental role with the team.  Jon and Brandon will travel to Calvin on Wednesday, Sept 21 to face-off with Lawrence and his Knights in the long-running rivalry.

Here's a link to Jon & Undy's schedule:  http://www.hope.edu/pr/athletics/fall.html#msoc

Bailey Henderson (’11) and current FHE JV Girls Coach Cat Howard are teammates at Davenport University (NAIA).  

Bailey & Cat's Davenport team has begun the season at 5-2-0.  Cat has played the bulk of the team's minutes in the role of starting goalkeeper, including having been named the WHAC Conference Defensive Player of the Week last week.  Bailey has been redshirted for her Freshman year.

Here's a link to Cat's press release:  http://www.whac.net/article/1946.php

Here's a link to Cat and Bailey's schedule:  http://www.dupanthers.com/index.aspx?path=wsoc

Mitchal Rosendall (’11) , Freshman at Western Michigan University (NCAA Division I)

Mitch's Broncos have gotten off to a 1-4-1 start to the season.  WMU plays home games in Kalamazoo this Friday, Sept 16 and Sunday, Sept 18.

Here's a link to Mitchal's schedule:  http://www.wmubroncos.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=4600&SPID=1912&SPSID=24073

Past FHE Soccer Alumni who have played collegiately include Heather Edwards ’08 (Aquinas College), Carisa Quador ’08 (Davenport University), Andy Engle ’08 (Alma College), Eric Parks ’08 (Cornerstone University), and Scott Howard ’08 (Hope College).

Zac Tolsma (’08), Senior at Cornerstone University (NAIA) 

Zac's Golden Eagles have posted a 4-5-0 overall record.  He has started 6 games and has tallied 4 shots at goal.  Cornerstone plays a home game this Saturday 10/1 in which each $6 admission fee will purchase an insecticide-treated bed net that will aid in the prevention of the spread of malaria in some of the places globally most affected by one of the world's great health pandemics.

Here's a link to a spotlight on Zac:  http://www.cugoldeneagles.com/article/757.php

Here's a link to Zac's schedule:  http://www.cugoldeneagles.com/schedule/0/5.php

Heidi DeVries (’08), Senior at Cornerstone University (NAIA)

After a slow start, Heidi's team has put together a record of 4-4-1.  Cornerstone plays its next home game this Saturday, 10/1 as part of the Night of Nets benefit (see info in Zac's update above.  Heidi's game starts at Noon and Zac's at 2:30pm).

Here's a link to Heidi's schedule:  http://www.cugoldeneagles.com/schedule/0/10.php

Zach Myers (’09) and Ben Thomas (’10), Saginaw Valley State University (NCAA Division II)

Zach and Ben's squad is 5-1-1 and ranked #5 in the Regional polls.  Zach has started each game at center back and has 1 assist.  Ben scored also has 1 assist and has played in 6 games. 

Here's a link to Zach & Ben's schedule:  http://athletics.svsu.edu/sports/msoc/2011-12/schedule

Caitlin McCarthy (’09), Junior at Kalamazoo College (NCAA Division III)

Ceejay's Hornets team is currently 5-3-0.  The team is currently on a roadtrip and will return home for a game on Thursday 10/6.

Here's a link to Ceejay's schedule:  http://www.kzoo.edu/sports/ws/ws11/wsschd11.html

Kyle Haverkate (’10), Sophomore at Aquinas College (NAIA)

Kyle's Saints have put together a 8-2-0 record.  Kyle has started all 10 games and has recorded 1 assist from his defensive position.  Aquinas plays a home games on Wednesday 10/5 and will travel to Cornerstone on 10/12 for a run-in with Tolsma's Golden Eagles.

Here's a link to Kyle's schedule:  http://www.aquinas.edu/athletics/mens_soccer.html

Ann Kennedy (’10), Sophomore at Alma College (NCAA Division III)

Ann's Scots currently stand at 8-1-0 and atop the MIAA standings.  Ann has started all 9 games at center back and has recorded 1 assist.  The Scots are ranked #5 in their region.

Here's a link to Ann's schedule:  http://www.alma.edu/athletics/wsoccer/schedule

Lawrence Murray (’10), Sophomore at Calvin College (NCAA Division III)

The Knights are currently 7-3-0 and ranked #3 in their region.  Lawrence scored his first goal of the season on 9/16 vs Wheaton College.  He faces a host of former FHE players in the next couple of weeks (10/5 at Olivet, 10/8 vs Alma, and 10/15 at Hope). 

Here's a link to Lawrence's schedule:  http://www.calvin.edu/sports/mens/soccer/schedule.htm

Fred Smyser (’10), Sophomore at Olivet College (NCAA Division III)

Fred's Comets team is 8-1-1 and in first place in the MIAA.  Fred has been named one of the team captains and has recorded a goal and 2 assists in his 10 starts.  Fred's team pulled out a thriller last night: down by a goal to Hope, the Comets tied it up with 2:17 left and then won it in OT.

Here's a link to Fred's schedule:  http://www.olivetcomets.com/sports/msoc/2011-12/schedule

Michelle Marcus (’10), Sophomore at Grand Valley State University (NCAA Division II)   

Meesh is the backup goalkeeper for the Lakers, who have begun their National Title defense with a 6-0-2 record and a #5 National Ranking in NCAA II.  The Lakers play home games in Allendale on Wednesday 9/28 and Friday 9/30. 

Here's a link to Michelle's schedule:  http://www.gvsulakers.com/sports/w-soccer/sched/grva-w-soccer-sched.html

Graham Wallace (’10), Sophomore at Alma College (NCAA Division III) 

The Scots stand at 4-5-0 including last night's 3-1 decision over Adrian College in which Graham recorded 9 saves for the win.

Here's a link to Graham's schedule:  http://www.alma.edu/athletics/msoccer/schedule 

Kaitlin Teichman (’10), Sophomore at Saint Mary’s College (NCAA Division III)

Teich's Belles have put together a 6-2-0 record.  She has been starting the majority of games and has recorded one assist.  The Belles come to Grand Rapids for a game today at 4pm at Calvin College.

Here's a link to Teich's schedule:  http://www3.saintmarys.edu/soccer-schedule

Jon DeVries (’11) and Brandon Underwood (’11), Freshmen at Hope College (NCAA Division III)

The Flying Dutchmen are 4-3-3.  Brandon has appeared in all 10 matches and has 1 goal.  Jon has appeared in 3 games.  The team is ranked #6 in its region and begins a four-game homestand on Wednesday 10/5. 

Here's a link to Jon & Undy's schedule:  http://www.hope.edu/pr/athletics/fall.html#msoc

Bailey Henderson (’11) and current FHE JV Girls Coach Cat Howard are teammates at Davenport University (NAIA).  

Bailey & Cat's Davenport team sits at 7-4-0.  Cat has played the bulk of the team's minutes in the role of starting goalkeeper, compiling a 1.33 goals against average, 60 saves, and 3 shutouts in 10 starts.  Bailey has been redshirted for her Freshman year.

Here's a link to Cat and Bailey's schedule:  http://www.dupanthers.com/index.aspx?path=wsoc

Mitchal Rosendall (’11) , Freshman at Western Michigan University (NCAA Division I)

Mitch's Broncos are 3-5-1.  WMU plays at home this Saturday, 10/1 at 1pm.

Here's a link to Mitchal's schedule:  http://www.wmubroncos.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=4600&SPID=1912&SPSID=24073

Past FHE Soccer Alumni who have played collegiately include Heather Edwards ’08 (Aquinas College), Carisa Quador ’08 (Davenport University), Andy Engle ’08 (Alma College), Eric Parks ’08 (Cornerstone University), and Scott Howard ’08 (Hope College).