Troy Caps Undefeated Season with First Finals Championship Since 2003
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
November 7, 2026
GRAND LEDGE — For as many powerhouse teams as Troy has had in boys soccer over the years, it’s hard to believe that going into Saturday’s Division 1 Final, the Colts had won only one state championship.
Well, now make that two.
Troy claimed its first championship since 2003 and became the 20th undefeated champion in MHSAA boys soccer history as it rode two first-half goals to a 2-1 victory over Livonia Stevenson.
In the process, the Colts (19-0-2) completed an unbeaten season and impressive tournament run that saw them win all six of their playoff games in regulation and outscore opponents by a combined 22-7.
“First one in 23 years, and it was a big goal of ours at the beginning of the year,” Troy head coach Adam Spinks said. “To do it in unbelievable style, going undefeated, it was crazy.”
Troy opened the scoring just 5:46 into the game on a goal by senior Faris Ibrahim off a set piece. Senior Ryan Wind fired a free kick from about 40 yards out into the box, where Ibrahim got off a shot that went inside the far post.
“From the set pieces, we’ve been doing it all year,” Wind said. “Just trying to get the ball in the middle of the box. We’ve got two giants in there, so I was trying to get in there, help them muck it up and try to get the finish. I knew we had to start quick. We’ve been doing that all year. I knew if we got the first goal, we could control the rest of the game.”
With 16:36 remaining in the half, Troy took a 2-0 lead on a goal by sophomore and leading scorer Connor Hotts, who put home a loose ball in the box created on a flicked header by senior Cole Cusmano following a corner kick by senior Kevin Garay.
Stevenson got on the board with 13:05 remaining in the first half, making it 2-1 on a penalty kick goal by senior Niko Zhuli after a Stevenson player was taken down in the Troy box.
Troy definitely didn’t sit on its lead during the second half, continuing to provide pressure and possession on the Stevenson side of the field.
The Colts couldn’t get the third goal, but it ultimately didn’t matter because Stevenson couldn’t generate a serious threat for an equalizer.
Making its first championship game appearance since 2008, Stevenson fell short of winning a seventh title and first since 1996, but could rightfully bask in bringing pride back to a historically powerful program this fall.
“Two early (goals) and I think we were just kind of late waking up and reacting, which obviously at the end of the day is something that we can’t do,” Stevenson head coach Louis Sala said. “In terms of the fight after, I’m proud of the guys. I wish we could have gotten our line a little bit higher up the field as well as a little more hole to play. But it’s hard to come back from two.
“Give all credit to them. We got a goal back, but credit to Troy. They’re a really talented team. They’re hard to play against, and all the spoils to them. I’m super proud of my guys to be back here for the first time since 2008. I’m not sure any of them had been born yet.”
PHOTOS (Top) Troy celebrates its Division 1 championship Saturday night at Grand Ledge. (Middle) Troy’s Cole Cusmano (10) winds up for a shot attempt with Stevenson’s Kouta Cawood defending. (Photos by Adam Sheehan/Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
Undefeated Fruitport Eying Historic Opportunities as Postseason Begins
By
Tom Kendra
Special for MHSAA.com
October 10, 2024
The hardest thing for Dan Hazekamp is trying to single out individual players on his top-ranked Fruitport soccer team.
“The truth is, what we have here in Fruitport are a bunch of blue-collar guys that go out and play for each other and sacrifice for each other,” explained Hazekamp, whose team wrapped up the outright Ottawa-Kent Conference Silver title on Monday with a 2-0 win over visiting Grandville Calvin Christian.
“We have 24 great individuals. I’m more proud of that than any record.”
Nowhere is that blue-collar mentality more apparent that on the Trojans’ defensive line.
Fruitport, 17-0-1 and ranked No. 1 in the latest Division 2 coaches association poll, had a string of nine straight games without surrendering a goal and is yielding a meager 0.44 per game.
The final line of defense is senior keeper Logan Werschem, whose instincts and experience give the team confidence in pressure situations.
He would be the first to tell you that his defenders excel at limiting scoring chances, making his job much easier. Isaiah Packard, Braxton Ward and Sam Krueger are all seniors and returning defensive starters, along with junior Nathaniel Cribley-Cotto – who has used his 6-foot-2 size to fill the shoes of departed all-stater and four-year starter Brady Brown.
“We carry a lot of pride back there,” said Packard, who hopes to play soccer next year at Muskegon Community College and pursue a career in welding. “We don’t let balls past us very often. Nate is the new guy and he’s done great, but otherwise, it’s basically a two-year starting backline.”
Last year, Werschem and the Trojans defense set a school record with 15 shutouts, including 13 in a row before a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to eventual Division 2 champion Grand Rapids Christian in a Regional Final.
This year, the Trojans have 12 shutouts and would love to get at least four more to earn a coveted spot on the soccer record board which hangs at the Ken Erny Memorial Soccer Field.
“I love playing with those guys,” said Ward, who plans to play college baseball next year. “We have so much chemistry on our backline that we are able to play as one unit. Right now, we are just so locked in, every game.”
Fruitport’s defense has been so good that opponents are often forced to gamble and commit additional resources on offense, opening up counter opportunities for speedy junior Jorge Burgos-Yack (16 goals), 6-5 senior Isaac “Big Country” VanderMolen (13 goals) and senior midfielder Grade Anspach (10 assists).
That is exactly what happened at the end of Fruitport’s tight win over Calvin Christian in Monday’s O-K Silver Tournament title game.
With Fruitport clinging to a 1-0 lead into the final minute, the Squires pulled their keeper and put on the pressure. Werschem responded with a big save and then got the ball out quickly to a streaking Burgos-Yack, who guided a shot into an empty net with 13 seconds remaining.
The Trojans are a combined 35-3-4 over the past two seasons, with 27 shutouts. Two of those three losses were to eventual state champions – Hudsonville Unity Christian (Division 3) and Grand Rapids Christian (Division 2).
Fruitport now has an awkward eight days off before opening District play Oct. 15, an idle stretch that could be an issue for many teams, but not as much for a team as deep as the Trojans.
“Our practices are super intense, sometimes more than the games,” said Packard. “Our second in line is just as good as our first, so there’s really not a big drop-off. We have 24 guys, so we run hard 11s at practice.”
While shutouts in a season would be a good school record to have, this year’s team – which consists of seven seniors, 13 juniors, two sophomores and two foreign-exchange students – is focused on a more prestigious record: most wins in a season.
The Trojans won 20 games in 2008, and this team would break that record if it is able to win its two District games and then win two Regional games for the first time. Fruitport has reached Regional Finals four times, but has never won a Regional title or played in the Semifinals or Finals.
Fruitport will likely face bitter rival Spring Lake – which provided the only blemish on the Trojans’ record this fall with a 1-1 tie Sept. 28 – in the District opener, and then it could be another rival, Muskegon Reeths-Puffer, in the District Final.
And then it only gets tougher from there.
“We talk all the time about the thin margins between winning and losing in the tournament, and how tiny details make all the difference,” said Hazekamp, a 2003 Fruitport graduate who coaches with his brother Steve. “We’ve embraced the expectations, and we’re not running from anything anymore.
“We have some guys who are hungry to get back to that point we reached last year – and then try to get a little more.”
Tom Kendra worked 23 years at The Muskegon Chronicle, including five as assistant sports editor and the final six as sports editor through 2011. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Muskegon, Oceana, Mason, Lake, Oceola, Mecosta and Newaygo counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Carter Gregor (12) celebrates his goal Oct. 3 against Wyoming Godwin Heights with teammates including Isaiah Packard, Jyles Smith and Carlos Cruz. (Middle) Packard battles a Godwin Heights player for possession as Jayden Booker looks on. (Below) Fruitport boys soccer coach Dan Hazekamp keeps a close eye on the action. (Photos by Colleen Merkins.)