Calvin University

SMUGMUG PHOTO GALLERY

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – This time there were no Blue and Orange fireworks, just Maroon and Gold joy.

Behind an effort of connection, intention and grit, the Calvin University football team defeated rival Hope 38-24 in front of a 3,786 fans at Knight Stadium.

Ranked 20^th in the AFCA Division III Coaches Poll and 25^th in the D3football.com Top 25 poll, Calvin (9-0 overall, 6-0 MIAA) clinches a share of the MIAA regular season title with the win and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA III Playoffs. The Knights have their regular season finale to play next Saturday at Alma but have clinched a playoff bid due to a head-to-head tiebreaker edge over Hope and Trine.

Ranked eighth in the AFCA Coaches poll and ninth in the D3football.com Top 25 poll, Hope slips to 8-1 overall with the loss and into a tie for second place in the league standings with Trine at 5-1.

Calvin overcame a pair of first half turnovers and used two fourth quarter touchdown passes from senior quarterback Thomas Vaccaro (Franklin, Tenn./Christ Presbyterian) to junior wide receiver Luke Michmerhuizen (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian HS) to gain the win.

Vaccaro connected with Michmerhuizen on a 39-yard touchdown toss up the right sideline with 6:59 left to play to break a 24-24 tie. The point-after by junior Sal Ruffino (Shelby Twp., Mich./Eisenhower HS) was good to give the Knights a 31-24 lead.

Calvin attempted a pooch kick on the ensuing kickoff but the Knights were whistled for a fair catch interference penalty on the play, giving Hope the ball near midfield. The Knight defense dug in and forced the Flying Dutch into a three-and-out with Calvin receiving the ball on the punt at its own 15-yard line.

Three plays later, Vaccaro went to the same well again, dialing up Michmerhuizen down the right sideline, this time from 64 yards out for an electrifying touchdown. Ruffino drilled the point-after and the Knights had a 38-24 lead with just 4:08 left to play.

Hope drove the ball down to the Calvin 32-yard line but had its drive stall, allowing the Knights to take over possession and ultimately run out the clock for their first win in the rivalry.

Michmerhuizen finished the game with three receiving touchdowns as he caught six ball for a career-high 155 yards. Vaccaro finished with a Calvin single-game record 413 all purpose yards as he was 21 of 29 passing for 357 yards and ran 12 times for 56 yards and a touchdown. Junior running back Hayden Slegers (Ontario, Ca./Ontario Christian HS) was superb, running for a career-high 107 yards while junior Nick Earles (Greenville, Mich./Greenville HS) had 27 yards on the ground and a touchdown.

Calvin started out Saturday's rivalry game playing from behind as Vaccaro fumbled on a rushing attempt two plays in. Hope recovered and five plays later cashed in with a five-yard touchdown run by freshman Brody Schuiteman and a 7-0 Hope lead.

Calvin answered with a 14-play, 71-yard touchdown drive capped off by a four-yard touchdown burst by Earles that helped tie the game 7-7. Hope responded with a 65-yard drive, concluded by a 30-yard field goal by Avery Umphrey that gave the Flying Dutch a 10-7 first quarter lead.

Hope had a golden opportunity to build on its lead when sophomore linebacker Nolan Vis intercepted Vaccaro at the Calvin 35 and returned it to the 8-yard line. The Knights mounted a defensive stand, forcing the Flying Dutch into a fourth-and-goal from the two. Schuiteman received the ball on fourth down and his plunge up the middle was ruled inches short of the goal-line, turning the ball over on downs to the Knights.

Calvin then mounted the longest touchdown drive in program history, moving 99 yards in nine plays with Vaccaro completing the drive with an 18-yard back-shoulder pass to Michmerhuizen inside the right pylon. Ruffino's point-after kick was good and Calvin had a 14-10 lead.

Hope regained the lead on a 43-yard touchdown pass by senior quarterback Alex Thole to Trevor Griffiths with Griffiths breaking free through the middle and outracing the Calvin secondary for the score and a 17-14 lead.

Calvin came up with an 11-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to retake the lead with Vaccaro finishing out the drive with a five-yard touchdown run up the middle, helping Calvin take a 21-17 lead it carried into halftime.

In the third quarter, Ruffino connected on a 41-yard field goal to put the Knights up 24-17. Hope tied the game up late in the quarter on a six-yard touchdown run by Thole.

The teams traded punts and field position in the fourth quarter with Hope punting for the second time in the quarter with 8:28 remaining with Calvin taking over on its own 28.

Five plays later, Vaccaro connected with Michmerhuizen on the 39-yard touchdown toss, setting up Calvin's furious fourth quarter finish.

Calvin finished with 540 yards of offense including 183 yards on the ground. Hope had 368 yards of offense but just 114 yards on the ground as the Flying Dutch entered Saturday's game ranked 10^th nationally in rushing offense (270.5).

Thole was 20 of 32 passing for 254 yards and a touchdown for Hope. He was sacked four times. AJ Martel led the Hope rushing attack with 51 yards. Griffith had 117 receiving yards on eight catches for the Flying Dutch.
 

Junior linebacker Carson Schnurstein came up with 16 tackles and two sacks to lead the Calvin defense. Sophomore cornerback Amari Powell (Howell, Mich./Howell HS) posted a career-high tackles and had a key pass break-up on a deep pass by Thole in the fourth quarter. Junior linebacker Kaden McCullogh (Allendale, Mich./Allendale HS) had nine tackles including one for loss. Freshman defensive back Nolan Bloomquist (Portage, Mich./Portage Central HS) had eight tackles, 2.5 for loss and one sack. Free safety Caden Kolanowski (Goodrich, Mich./Goodrich HS) had eight tackles and one pass break-up. Junior defensive end Caiden Bolduc (Muskegon, Mich./Reeths Puffer HS) had six tackles, one sack and one pass break-up.

In addition to his 107 rushing yards, Slegers had four catches for 50 yards. Junior Hunter Hogan had three catches for 75 yards, junior Jude Klunder (Ada, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian HS) two catches for 40 yards and junior Drake Irwin (Rockford, Mich./Rockford HS) four catches for 29 yards.

Hope was paced on defense by Mike Murphy with 14 tackles while Trenton Bolhouse had 11 tackles and Nolan Vis 10.  

Ruffino was 5-of-5 on point-after tries and connected on his lone field goal attempt.

COACHES COMMENT: "Today was an incredible day, for a whole bunch of reasons," said Calvin head football coach Trent Figg. "This is an unbelievable football team we have here Yes because of the final score, but also because of the story that is being written. We've prayed from day one with this program that God would bring the right young men into this program. Not from wins and losses but for the right reason to build this program the right way. Today was a culmination of a whole bunch of people coming here for the right reasons and busting their tails and doing things the right way."

NEXT UP: Calvin will travel to Alma for a 1 p.m. contest next Saturday in its regular season finale.

MLIVE.COM GAME RECAP AND MULTIMEDIA GALLERY / MLIVE.COM VIDEO MONTAGE / HOLLAND SENTINEL STORY AND PHOTO RECAP  / WZZM-TV 13 HIGHLIGHTS / CALVIN CHIMES VIDEO RECAP (FACEBOOK) / CALVIN CHIMES STORY