Unity Strikes Again in Division 2 Final
November 3, 2012
By Dean Holzwarth
Special to Second Half
KENTWOOD – Less than two minutes into the second half of Saturday's MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 2 championship game, Unity Christian senior goalkeeper Nick Woldyk saw Petoskey's Adam Bayer racing toward him on a breakaway.
Woldyk didn't flinch at the challenge, as he rushed out of the box and slapped away the attempt to preserve Unity's one-goal lead at the time.
The pivotal stop proved big for the third-ranked Crusaders, who went on to beat the Northmen 3-0 and win the title at Pat Patterson Athletic Field.
“I saw him coming at me, and pretty much what you have to do is come out and make the goal smaller and make your body big,” Woldyk said. “You hope to get a piece of it, and I did. It was pretty big because they were getting the momentum there.”
Unity led 1-0 when Woldyk came up big, and Petoskey coach Zach Jonker pointed to the play as a turning point.
“That save their keeper made two minutes into the second half was probably the play of the game,” Jonker said.
Junior forward Joe Honderd, who tallied Unity's second goal of the game, said Woldyk's effort was key.
“Nick came out and made a great save that had to be made,” he said. “That really helped us out, and if they would've scored, I think it could've been a different outcome.”
The victory capped off another remarkable season for the state's perennial powerhouse, which finished 25-2.
It wrapped up the Crusaders' third MHSAA crown in the last six years after they also won in 2007 and 2009.
It was their fifth Finals appearance in the past eight years. They finished runner-up in 2005 and 2011 (Division 3).
“As a coach, you want to be peaking come tournament time, and that's exactly what this team did,” Unity coach Randy Heethuis said. “We were playing our best soccer as a team, and we defended very well. We really came along defensively and played a lot better together.”
Unity got on a roll after losing 3-1 to Holland last month.
It ripped off 10 straight wins, including upsets of No. 1 Spring Lake and No. 2 Ada Forest Hills Eastern in Regional play, and outscored opponents 37-5.
“I think that was the toughest region in the state for Division 2, and that was huge,” Heethuis said. “The entire tournament, we gave up one goal over the run of play, and we really came along and played a lot better together defensively.
“It took a lot of work to get through that region, and I'm happy to finish it off with the exclamation point today.”
Petoskey (17-9-2), which lost to Unity in the 2009 Final, 3-0, played well after allowing an early goal in the first half.
The second half was much different, however, as Unity used its size and speed to pepper the goal.
The Crusaders had eight shots on goal in the second half, compared to only two during the first 20 minutes.
“I thought once we absorbed the pressure, we settled in and looked OK,” Jonker said. “We knew (we) could not possess the ball, and maybe we should've played more direct, but it is the most imposing team we've played all season. We had a couple of breakdowns, and they converted.”
Unity senior Jake Love put the final touches on Unity's championship run with a beautiful goal in the right corner from 20 yards out.
“We really stepped it up in the tournament, and I'm proud of my boys,” Love said. “We had much more intensity than during the (regular) season, and going out like this my senior year is wonderful. I wouldn't want to leave any other way than winning a state championship. It's great.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Hudsonville Unity Christian players huddle around their newly-won Division 2 championship trophy. (Middle) Unity Christian's Jake Love (left) works the ball past Petoskey's Eric Hoffman (blue 7).
Amid Challenges, Union Enjoys Trophy Run
December 2, 2016
By Ryan Portenga
Muskegon Mona Shores athletic director
The last time Grand Rapids Union High School hoisted a postseason tournament trophy was Saturday, June 4, 2002 – when the Red Hawks' baseball team clinched a Michigan High School Athletic Association District championship.
Despite fielding more than 20 varsity sports, the school – nestled among the northwestern city neighborhoods of Grand Rapids – had since struggled in varsity competition more than it succeeded as the seasons passed by.
When the historic City League of Grand Rapids (founded in 1928) folded following the 2007-08 school year – leading to Union's entrance into the larger Ottawa-Kent Conference of West Michigan – there was reason for optimism within the school's extra-curricular programming. Regardless of how loyalists and stakeholders felt about changes to issues such as organizational bylaws, conference leadership and divisional alignment, the conference shift triggered something of a fresh start.
Yet, since then, the number of eligible athletes within Grand Rapids Public Schools' senior highs has shrunk from 4,500+ (2008-09) to 3,000+ (2016-17), and two of the city's public high schools which joined the Ottawa-Kent Conference with Union (Central and Creston) have ceased traditional operations and nixed athletic programming. Furthermore, Union's football program – the sport traditionally drawing the most community support – has sported a record of 6-74 since the switch in leagues.
Describing such lack of athletic success as a "drought" might be an understatement.
To therefore face a second-half deficit of two goals against five-time reigning District champion Grand Haven in this year's Division 1 District tournament seemed more ordinary than extraordinary. However, with Juan Zavala – the team's fiery first-year head coach – and senior goalkeeper Jesus Ramirez encouraging the Red Hawks from opposite ends of the pitch, the extraordinary happened.
The game's box score would show that Union's comeback began in the 52nd minute when forward Gustavo Lopez netted a rebound to cut the Buccaneers' lead in half. Yet, it was easy to sense a shift in momentum each time the Red Hawks gained possession – driving deeper into Grand Haven's defense with each touch. Then, with just a handful of minutes left in the tilt – after each team whiffed on a barrage of scoring opportunities – midfielder Serge Mwembo converted a free kick ricochet sent in from more than 20 yards out from teammate Cristian Madrigal to tie the match ... and jubilation ensued. Goliath had not yet fallen, but more than enough had been done to challenge the impossible.
See, even if their rally fell short and the boys were to lose, Union's resilience and transformation was inspiring. Unlike most schools they play, the Red Hawks' players are divided during the school day – with 13 attending Union High School and seven attending City High a few miles away downtown – making practices difficult to organize and administer. Then consider the fact that 19 of their 21 athletes are native Spanish-speaking student-athletes – making communication tough between opponents and officials at times.
Finally, while once plagued by an egregious episode from just a few short years before – when one of its players struck an official in the face after receiving a red card – this season’s team had amassed only a handful of yellow cards all season and no red cards. Sure, Union enjoyed a nice following of fans, but there also were plenty of others (perhaps unbeknownst to the team) rooting them on.
"Sure, our team faces challenges," Zavala admits, "but their approach has been nothing short of inspiring. Just like we enjoy maintaining possession and attacking our opponents on the field, we like to attack obstacles off of the field as well."
Although plenty was overcome off of the field and within the culture of the program, an on-field obstacle reared its head as the season came to a close ... the team was having trouble scoring. During the final week of regular-season play, Union dropped a game 2-0 to league foe Muskegon Mona Shores and then lost to eventual conference champion Jenison, 3-0.
Although some of the offensive woes were due to injuries, there was plenty to worry about heading into the District tournament.
"Our kids are resilient," the rookie head coach explained. "They know that our program has fallen short in past years, but they also understand their potential and capabilities. Even though we faltered a bit at the end of the season, we entered the tournament with high expectations."
High expectations that had now come down to penalty kicks after two scoreless 10-minute overtime sessions against a program from Grand Haven that hadn't lost a District championship game in half a decade.
"Unlike past years where heads have dropped and attitudes would get the better of us in such situations, our kids embraced the opportunity," Zavala continued.
Rafa Paz (the team's incredible talented junior midfielder), Luis Madrigal, and Gustavo Perez each scored to open the penalty kick session. Then, not only did goalie Jesus Ramirez make a save, but the senior buried his shot in the back of the net to send the contest into a sudden-death shootout.
"I've walked our hallways," says Zavala, who played at both Union and nearby Kenowa Hills High School more than a decade ago when he was in school. "I know what our kids face, what they've gone through, facing the seemingly impossible at times. I wasn't even sure we would have a team or a program just a few months before – and here we are in a sudden-death shootout to win a District championship against a program like Grand Haven has. Win or lose, it had been an incredible journey with these boys."
Following an uncharacteristic Buccaneers miss in the sixth shot of the shootout, Union sophomore Wilson Rodas approached the ball amid an eerie silence surrounding the field – a silence that erupted into triumphant jubilation a split-second later as the soccer ball met the back of the net. After more than a decade without an addition, Union High School would now have a new "Mitten" for its trophy case back home on Tremont Boulevard.
"I'm still not sure what to think or how to react," concluded Zavala. "It is so difficult to describe that moment – when Rodas' shot slipped through to the net. I'm just so incredibly proud of our kids and happy for our community. This is why we do what we do... it's all for them. There is no substitute for high school sports."
Slaying Goliath does not happen every day or even very often – especially in high school sports. More often than not, the game within our games features the haves versus the have-nots. Yet, every so often – especially when David slays Goliath – we are reminded of all that is good and pure within our business ... the business of school communities, togetherness and defying overwhelming odds.
Union went on to fall, 4-0, to Traverse City West in their Division 1 Regional Semifinal.
PHOTO: Grand Rapids Union celebrates the school’s first District championship in any sport since 2002. (Photo courtesy of Ryan Portenga.)