Alma College Football defeats Hope in dramatic fashion 30-28
The Alma Football team, who led most of the way, had to ultimately come from behind and use a furious defensive stand to defeat Hope College in dramatic fashion Saturday afternoon. The Scots defeated the Flying Dutchmen, 30-28, at a sun swept Bahlke Field, improving their 2009 record to 3-2 in the MIAA and 5-4 overall. Hope is now 2-3 in the league and 2-7 on the season.
Senior Day 2009 honored 18 Alma College student athletes playing their final collegiate home football game. They wanted nothing more than to go out with a win over MIAA foe, Hope College. The rivalry lived up to its billing as these two teams battled to the final seconds in an expected hard fought contest.
After the two teams exchanged punts on their first possessions, the Scots struck first, when Sr. QB Mackenzie McGrady (Portland, MI/Portland) connected with fellow Sr. WR Brad Gray (Orchard Lake, MI/W. Bloomfield) on a five-yard touchdown pass giving the Scots a 7-0 lead just three minutes into the game.
After another Hope punt, the Flying Dutchmen caught a break when they intercepted a McGrady pass on the first play of the drive which gave them the ball on the Alma 29-yard line. Hope marched down to the Scots' nine-yard line, where the drive stalled, calling for a field goal attempt. K Steve Hazekamp's 26-yard kick was good, and the score became 7-3 in favor of Alma.
The back and forth scoring was a precursor of what was to come in the rest of the contest. Alma went ahead 13-3 (missed extra point), when Sr. RB Tyler Periard (Birch Run, MI/Birch Run) scampered four yards for a touchdown.
The Scots increased the lead to 20-3, when McGrady ran 13 yards for a score with 5:29 remaining in the half. Hope answered before the end of the half with a six-play, 30-yard drive (after an Alma fumble), capped by a two-yard touchdown by RB Tim Elzinga that sent the teams into halftime with a 20-10 Alma advantage.
The game got interesting in the third quarter. Hope RB Josh Echtinaw ran 11-yards for a score 4:11 into the frame. After a missed extra point, the Alma lead was 20-16. The Scots responded immediately as McGray hit Jr. WR Andrew Schaar on a 93-yard touchdown pass just 38 seconds later for a 27-16 advantage. The connection between McGrady and Schaar was the longest pass completion in school history.
Hope was not done however, and they cut the lead to 27-22 (pass failed) about five minutes later, when QB Chris Feys dove one-yard for a score. The score remained that way until the Flying Dutchmen drove 62 yards in six plays in the final frame, and took a 28-27 lead (pass failed), when Echtinaw plunged three-yards for a touchdown.
With 6:31 remaining in the game, Alma embarked on a methodical drive which proved to be both challenging and productive. After 13 plays and 60 yards, the Scots decided to try a 23-yard field goal on fourth down. Fr. K Mike Deel (Alma, MI/Alma) was on task and booted it straight through the uprights for a 30-28 lead with 1:19 to go in the game.
Freshman Kicker Mike Deel kicked the game-winner on Saturday
After a short kickoff and a pass interference penalty, Hope found themselves at the Alma 30-yard line facing a fourth-and-one situation. Deciding against a long field goal with a warm swirling wind, the Flying Dutchmen lined up in shot-gun.
Feys attempted to keep it himself but was hammered by Alma So. DL Ed Raby, Jr. (Reed City, MI/Reed City) and a host of other Scots defenders, as Alma stopped the threat and came away with the two-point victory.
Posted: Sat, November 7th, 2009 at 4:29PM
