Detroit Catholic Central Starts Fast, Holds Off Hudsonville Rally to Reign Again
By
Drew Ellis
Special for MHSAA.com
June 6, 2026
HOWELL – Playing in its first boys lacrosse state championship game, Hudsonville looked a bit overwhelmed to start Saturday’s Division 1 Final against Detroit Catholic Central.
The Shamrocks jumped out to a 6-0 lead, and eventually led by eight goals during the second quarter.
However, the Eagles would fight back and eventually get the Shamrocks’ lead down to two goals before Catholic Central put the game away with a pair of late scores to prevail 14-10 and claim the program’s third Finals championship.
“Coach (Gunnar) Elder, they did a great job. They were very resilient. They hung in there and could have folded, but they did not,” Catholic Central coach Dave Wilson said of Hudsonville. “Things got real sticky, and I’m just proud of our guys for hanging in there and battling a tough team.”
The start to the game at Howell Parker ultimately became the deciding factor in the outcome. The Shamrocks (17-5) scored the first six goals over the opening seven minutes of play. That included a pair of goals from senior Ryan Dye scored over nine seconds.
“We knew one of the advantages we had was that we had a lot of players who have played in a state championship game before,” Dye said. “We wanted to use that to our advantage. We felt like we could jump out quick and early on them.”
The Shamrocks built that lead to 10-2 midway through the second quarter before Hudsonville (21-2) started to build momentum. The Eagles would score four of the final six goals in the half to give themselves a fighting chance during the second, down 12-6.
“It’s one of those things where you hop on the field, sometimes you need to get hit,” Elder said of the slow start. “Unfortunately, we spotted them too many and it kind of hit us like a ton of bricks.”
Hudsonville turned up the defensive pressure, keeping the Shamrocks scoreless in the third quarter while Dom Moliterno, Will Zuiderveen, and Andrew McAleece each found the net to make the score 12-9 entering the final quarter.
“The defense played out of their minds today. They did a great job. Catholic Central’s got a lot of firepower and we stuck with them, gave them a lot of fits, and created a lot of turnovers to give our offense a chance,” Elder said. “To be able to lean on those guys, it’s just a testament to all of their character.”
Early in the fourth quarter, Hudsonville’s Zaidan Dykstra scored to get the lead down to two goals at 12-10. Catholic Central used a time out to try and regroup, which it managed to do.
“This group was tough. They had a tough stretch and played some really good teams, but that’s why we do that. You always hope that stuff kind of pays off so they can endure moments like this,” Wilson said. “Anybody can draw anything on a whiteboard for a perfect scenario, but it’s what are we going to do when the wheels fall (off) and everything catches on fire? They’re teenagers, so it’s going to happen, but we found a way to straighten it out and hang on.”
Junior Peyton Sofran came through with his fourth goal of the game with eight minutes to play to end the Hudsonville run. Dye then put home his third goal with 2:46 to play, on an assist from Nick Edwards, to put the game out of reach.
“It was crunch time,” Dye said of his insurance goal. “It felt really good (to score). It was a great cut and a wonderful pass by Luke Kramer. It was just a really special play. It was the last shot of my high school career and my last goal, and it came from one of my closest friends.”
Dye added two assists to go with his three goals, while Kramer put home four goals for the Shamrocks.
Zuiderveen and Carson Campbell each had three goals to lead Hudsonville.
Elder had a message for each of his players after accepting the runner-up trophy, and that was to be proud of their historic season.
“There’s nothing to hang their heads about. Hudsonville has never made it this far in boys lacrosse,” Elder said. “We have had a lot of firsts this year. Winning the first Regional championship and our first Semifinal, and our first appearance in a state championship. My message this whole time was to just enjoy all this, no matter what happened. There’s absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. I have a whole community that is just so proud of these guys and what they’ve done all season. I can’t say enough good things about them.”
PHOTOS (Top) Detroit Catholic Central’s Luke Kramer (22) and Peyton Sofran (3) celebrate during their team’s Division 1 championship game Saturday. (Middle) Kramer (22) follows through on a shot. (Below) Hudsonville’s Mason Weber looks to pass.
Pioneers Find Winning Way Again, Edge Forest Hills Eastern
By
Jason Schmitt
Special for MHSAA.com
June 12, 2021
HOWELL — If East Grand Rapids senior Ted Campbell was the difference-maker for the Pioneers during the MHSAA Division 2 Final on Saturday, junior Jack Higgins had to be the answer.
Campbell scored three early goals to help East Grand Rapids build a 4-1 lead, and Higgins scored two key goals to help his team fend off comeback attempts by Ada Forest Hills Eastern during the Pioneers’ 12-10 victory.
“I think I was just in the right spot at the right time,” Higgins said. “The coaches had us going through our offense, and the ball came to me and the opportunity presented itself. I just finished.”
The first of his two goals came in the opening minutes of the second half. Forest Hills Eastern had trimmed the lead to 4-3 thanks to scores by seniors John Morgan and Kevin Sprague. Higgins scored unassisted to build the lead back to two.
Late in the third quarter, with the Hawks again applying pressure after cutting the lead to 8-6 on a goal by senior Nicholas Mesler, it was Higgins who once again stepped up and scored to make it a three-goal game.
“The coaches drill it into our minds that there are going to be ups and downs throughout the game and we just need to keep our composure, play our game and we’ll come out on top,” Higgins said after the game.
The Pioneers weathered a couple more Hawks rallies in the fourth quarter. This time it was Campbell who answered the call. He scored the first two goals of the final period — giving him six for the game. Forest Hills Eastern would not get within two goals after that point.
“I just try to get everyone fired up to play every day and make things as fun as possible,” said Campbell, who finished the day with six goals. “If helping the team win means scoring goals, that’s what I’m going to do.”
The state championship was the Pioneers’ third since the 2017 season, but the first for Campbell, who was on the junior varsity team the last time his school won a title in 2018.
“It feels amazing. It was an underwhelming season in 2019 — to say the least,” he said. “We thought we had a chance last year, then the season got canceled. We had no chance, so to even just be out here on this field — let alone win it — feels so great. This is the best way to bounce back.”
Morgan finished with a team-high three goals for Eastern (15-6), which also finished runner-up in 2019. Mesler and Sprague finished with two goals apiece for the Hawks, while Samuel Bowen, Kaden Dietrich and Preston Hoexum scored one. Senior George Hoexum made six saves in goal.
Mason Margherio had three goals and two assists for East Grand Rapids, which finished the season (20-2). Kase Vandermolen also scored for the Pioneers. Junior goalie Adam Hall made 10 saves to get the win for EGR, which also beat Eastern 7-6 in their early-season matchup.
“They’re a different team. We’re a different team,” EGR interim head coach Adam Brant said. “We’ve made changes since we watched that film from a month and a half ago. I’m pretty pleased with our overall effort. I think that’s what it came down to, hustle.
“This team is just so resilient. They’re just an incredible group of guys. This is a testament to the players. I’m just so happy for them. I can’t think of a group of guys who deserve it more.”
PHOTOS: (Top) East Grand Rapids players celebrate during Saturday’s Division 2 championship game. (Middle) A pair of players work to gain possession.