Picked to win the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship this year, the Hope College football team found itself at a crossroads after dropping its first three conference games after a 3-1 start in nonconference play.
It could have been easy to give up on the season. But out of their adversity, the Flying Dutchmen found a new resolve and closed out the season on a three-game winning streak where they averaged 39 points per game and more than 200 yards in rushing offense.
Hope finished off the 2022 season Saturday afternoon with a gutsy 28-21 victory over Trine University under blustery conditions where winds exceeded 40 miles per hour. It was the Flying Dutchmen's third consecutive victory over the Thunder at Zollner Stadium in Angola, Indiana, which included a season-ending win in 2021 that gave Hope a share of the MIAA title.
The Flying Dutchmen finished 6-4 on the season and 3-3 in the MIAA. Trine fell to 2-3 in the conference and 6-3 overall.
"It's a credit to our players. I say it so often, but I'm proud of them," head coach Peter Stuursma said after the game. "I don't take those words lightly. I am very proud of them. Yeah, we made mistakes. As coaches, we made a lot of mistakes too. There was that middle part of the season where we felt like we were just reeling a little bit.
"But to come back and answer - we beat a good football team today, and I think we beat them in a way that was kind of fun, running the football."
Running back Daniel Romano (Royal Oak, Michigan / Shrine Catholic) led the way. The senior powered his way through the Trine defense for 224 rushing yards on 26 carries in his final game. It was the second 200-yard rushing performance of his career.
"We really wanted this win," Romano said. "It was awesome that we were able to move the ball really well. Props to the (offensive) line for making the holes big, especially our H-back Lou (Baechler, a senior from Plymouth, Michigan /Canton). It's all on them to get the blocks. I had the easy part of running the ball."
Junior left tackle Luke Marsh of Montague, Michigan (Montague), junior left guard Dylan Clem of Stevensville, Michigan (Lakeshore), senior center Cole Harger of Muskegon, Michigan (Oakridge), senior right guard Andrew Schollett of Traverse City, Michigan (Traverse City West) and junior right tackle Alex Weber of Lake Orion, Michigan (Orchard Lake Saint Mary's) were the primary blockers up front.
"Being my last time playing football, I wanted to make it a good one," Romano said. "I knew I had to leave it all out on the field, and I think I did that ... But this is a team win. It took everybody to get this win. I'm just really proud of our team today."
Romano opened the scoring on Hope's first possession, rambling 21 yards for his eighth touchdown of the season to cap off a 69-yard, seven-play drive. Senior placekicker Dylan Hillger of Holly, Michigan (Lake Fenton) added the first of his four extra points on the day and Hope led 7-0 less than five minutes into the game.
Moments later, the The Dutchmen got the ball back on an interception by sophomore linebacker Cole Luhmann of Rochester, Michigan (Stoney Creek), his second pick in as many weeks, setting Hope up at the Trine 25-yard-line. Three plays later, sophomore quarterback Chance Strickland of Mason, Michigan (Mason) walked in untouched for a 4-yard touchdown, and Hope led 14-0.
Trine came back with a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter to tie the game as the Thunder took advantage of the strong southerly wind. But Hope responded with the go-ahead score just before halftime.
Senior quarterback Chase Brown of Comstock Park, Michigan (Comstock Park) completed six of nine passes on the drive, including a 25-yard connection to senior wide receiver Carter Nofziger of Pandora, Ohio (Pandora Gilboa) to put the ball in Trine territory.
Brown finished the drive by finding senior wide receiver TJ McKenzie Jr. of Muskegon, Michigan (North Muskegon) in the left corner of the end zone for a 22-yard touchdown strike, putting the Flying Dutchmen ahead to stay 21-14.
Hope then drove into the wind in the third quarter and came up with a big play to extend the lead.
With the ball at Hope's 45-yard-line, Brown faked a quarterback draw, then lobbed a pass to a wide-open Elijah Smith behind the Trine secondary, and the junior from Hastings, Michigan (Hastings) took it the rest of the way for a 55-yard touchdown, the first receiving touchdown of Smith's career, extending the lead for the Dutchmen to 28-14.
"It was a great call by (offensive coordinator Andrew Hawken). I think Chase made a great read. It was a (run-pass option)," Stuursma said. "We'd been practicing it all week. In the middle of the week I told Hawk ... 'We really like that play," and he brought it at a great time.'"
Trine cut the lead to 28-21 on a 16-yard quarterback scramble by Alex Price with 4:53 remaining.
The Flying Dutchmen would not let the Thunder get the ball back. Romano ripped off a 41-yard run on a third-and-4, then converted another third down with a short run as Hope ran out the clock to preserve the win.
Hope finished with 419 yards of total offense, 221 on the ground. Brown completed 15 of 25 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns.
McKenzie finished with 67 yards on four receptions for the game and ended the season with career-highs in receiving yards (900), receptions (58) and touchdown receptions (6).
Junior wide receiver Terrell Harris of Whitehall, Michigan (Whitehall) caught five passes for 25 yards.
Defensively, senior cornerback Adam VanderKooy of Indianapolis, Indiana (Brebeuf Jesuit Prep) led Hope with nine tackles and junior linebacker Mohamed Kamara of Kalamazoo, Michigan made six stops.
Junior defensive end Matthew Anderson of Cassopolis, Michigan (Ross Beatty) recorded two tackles for loss.