Hope football shows resiliency in face of adversity
HOLLAND — Jeremiah Purnell broke the lighthearted mood at Cook Dining Hall Wednesday as he sat with the three other Hope football captains and their head coach.
"I'm worried about Saturday," Purnell said. "I'm worried about the energy of the team and how we're going to respond."
Just four days earlier, the Flying Dutchmen lost a heartbreaking game to Albion College to wipe out the team's perfect record in MIAA play. Hope had controlled their own destiny in their efforts to earn an outright conference championship, but the loss took that away from them. Even still, with a win over Trine on Saturday in the regular season finale, they have a chance to finish with a share of the conference title and defend their 2019 crown.
Their loss to the Britons was really the first time all season the Flying Dutch defense looked out of sorts. The secondary, which had been a highlight of the team over the first eight weeks of the season, allowed four touchdowns through the air. They had real trouble containing one receiver, Justin Thomas, who went for 235 yards and three scores.
While that could shake most people's confidence, defensive backs aren't afforded that luxury. For the most part, they play out on an island and even the slightest doubt in their ability or delayed reaction can result in a touchdown for the other team. Even after the group's toughest game of the season, they've exhibited attention to detail and trust in themselves ever since the first team meeting of the week on Monday.
"They're confident young men and you have to be to play that position," head coach Peter Stuursma said. "I have seen them respond very well and I don't expect one bit of drop off this week."
Stuursma said ever since that loss Saturday, he's seen a bit of sluggishness in his team, but for the most part, they've done their best to wipe it from their head.
But the unit is already looking forward to the Thunder, meticulously analyzing Tuesday's practice reps on video before hitting the field Wednesday. Spending time to make sure their technique is perfect and they get back to their shut-down ways they've exhibited over the vast majority of the season.
"I think it was a tough one," said defensive coordinator Mike Ricketts. "We knew [Thomas] was going to be a good player, but it's just one of those things where we have to bounce back."
Bouncing back is something the Flying Dutchmen have shown they have the ability to do all year. The resiliency of the group was on full display when 12 out of 16 seniors decided to forego graduation and come back for a fifth season after the COVID pandemic wiped out the 2020 season. It was evident after a seven-point loss to Coe College in week two, as Hope went on to rattle off six straight wins in commanding fashion.
That grit was even clear even last Saturday in their loss to Albion. Stuursma's crew was down 21-3 early in the second quarter but clawed their way back to take the lead early in the second half before eventually falling 41-38.
"It still stings, it still hurts, but we don't give our guys enough credit for being resilient," Stuursma said. "We came in and had a really good practice Tuesday and I fully expect our guys to have a really good practice [Wednesday]."
That expectation wasn't met, though. After a solid start to their midweek practice, things slowed down rapidly. Lazy route running, sloppy blocking and poor attention to detail ran rampant. It felt like the Flying Dutchmen were just going through the motions. To Stuursma, it seemed like his guys weren't taking the situation, that there's a championship in the balance, seriously enough.
It prompted him to do something he rarely does. He stopped practice and got after his team. For a full minute or so the only sound on the field was Stuursma's booming voice, carrying all 120 yards of turf at Ray and Sue Smith Stadium. The message was received loud and clear too. The next minute or so was the quietest most of the team had ever heard a football field, silent enough to hear an athletic trainer's phone vibrate 10 yards away.
"That really just shows us to really keep pushing it," said sophomore safety and Holland Christian grad Brady Howe. "A conference championship is a conference championship if it's outright or a share, so we just need to bounce back like we did after the Coe game."
Purnell, a senior linebacker, was glad their coach lit into them in the middle of the sluggish performance. It helped bring a level of perspective to the team that maybe wasn't there when they stepped onto the field that afternoon.
Whether or not they were still hung up on the Albion game could've been questioned in the middle of Wednesday's practice. But when the final horn sounded and the guys headed off to position meetings, it was clear their eyes were looking nowhere but forward.
"After a practice like today and coach getting on us, it really sunk into a lot of the younger guys that we're playing for a conference championship," Purnell said. "I believe in this team that we're going to turn it around and we're going to go full tilt from here on."
The senior said that the doubts he raised six hours earlier at the weekly captain's lunch were alleviated after seeing the way the team reacted to Stuursma's mid-practice monologue. He knows that on Saturday the Flying Dutchmen are going to leave it all on the field.
As for Stuursma, he was no doubt disappointed in the team's performance at practice Wednesday. But even right after the team left the field he sat in his coach's meeting room dissecting film and knew that his message was received in a resounding fashion. Come Saturday afternoon, there's nobody else he'd rather compete with for a conference title with.
"I know very well, the character of this football team," Stuursma said. "I think our guys will respond in a way that will leave a lasting memory for them, I know that."
—Contact Assistant Sports Editor Will Kennedy at Will.Kennedy@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter @ByWillKennedy and Facebook @Holland Sentinel Sports.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Hope football shows resiliency in face of adversity
