OK Giants: Previewing the Ottawa-Kent Conference's Largest Schools

Photo by Josh Boland via MLive.com

As summer approaches, we take a quick look at the Ottawa-Kent Red Conference. This league holds schools with the largest total student enrollment amongst OK Conference members. Ranging from over 2,900 to slightly above 1,400 students, this is home to 8 Division One MHSAA schools. Here is a brief offseason overview of each team, descending by their record in 2024.

Hudsonville Eagles: Last Season (12-2) Student Enrollment: 2,003

The 2024 OK Red champions took a trip all the way to Ford Field last season. After over doubling their win total of 5 from the previous season, the Eagles battled against east side machine, Cass Tech, in the Division One state finals. Ultimately coming short of a state title, Hudsonville has nothing to hang their heads at. They will look to repeat as OK Red champions next season with a new quarterback.

Last season's starter, Griffin Baker, will be graduating in May, leaving the Eagles to resort to a new QB for the 2025 season. Along with Baker, they will also be losing First Team All-State, linebacker, Jalen Oosting and Davenport commit, linebacker, Ethan Carter. While these are big departures, Hudsonville will be returning key players like Luke Brodnicki and Brady Van Laecke. The Eagles had a couple of other commitments this year, highlighted by Jack Willis committing to Michigan State as a long snapper. The Eagles open their year hosting Byron Center August 29th.

Rockford Rams: Last Season (7-3) Student Enrollment: 2,515

Rockford is a powerhouse in the OK Red. In the last 8 seasons, the Rams have finished first in 5 of them and second in the other 3. After long-time coach Ralph Munger retired following the 2019 season, current head coach Brent Cummings has continued Rockford's history of success. The Rams hope to bounce back after what, by their standards, was a slightly disappointing end to last season, getting eliminated in the first round of playoffs by rival Grandville. Rockford also was upset last year 14-15 by a growing program in Jenison.

With returning quarterback Brayden Daniels at the helm, the Rams will look to increase their offensive production even more. Daniels last season threw for 1,454 yards and 11 touchdowns as well as 12 touchdowns on the ground. One of his targets and key blocker Blake Linsley, a 6'5", 230 lb. TE, committed to Ashland University, helped drive that Rams offense into scoring 317 points during the season. Rockford next year opens hosting east side opponent Saline on August 28th.

Grandville Bulldogs: Last Season (6-5) Student Enrollment: 1,726

Eric Stiegel and his staff clearly enjoy watching running backs succeed. Stiegel, entering his 12th season as head coach of Grandville, runs a Wing-T offense that is extremely successful. Since 2019, the Bulldogs average over 350 points a season. This past year scoring a whopping 386 points over 11 games. This can partially be thanks to the running back duo of Jayden Terry and Easton Suidinski. Terry in his junior season had over 1,800 yards with 27 touchdowns.

With the loss of Suidinski, who will be playing at Hope College next season, the workload may increase even more for Terry. He uses his speed and agility to blow by defenders and hits the open gaps made by his offensive linemen, torching opposing defenses. The Bulldogs last season lost to neighboring rival Hudsonville in the second round of playoffs after beating Rockford the week before. They open next season with Muskegon on August 29th.

East Kentwood Falcons: Last Season (5-5) Student Enrollment: 2,997

Since the hiring of Tyrone Spencer, East Kentwood has been progressing rather quickly. Spencer, previously the head coach at Detroit Martin Luther King Jr., has already began to turn this program around. The Falcons' previous three seasons saw a collective 10 wins, with 2022 having 5 of those. Last year, they saw their highest point total since 2019. With the amount of students at their disposal, it should help accelerate this team into league champion contenders sooner than later.

East Kentwood has some history with players going to the next level. Defensive linemen, Mazi Smith, headlines the list currently playing for the Dallas Cowboys after a college career at Michigan. Returning quarterback, Kayd Coffman, who is committed to Michigan State, looks to have another well performing year for his senior season. This team is going to be one to watch for come the fall. Oh and they are building an indoor facility! The Falcons start the 2025 campaign traveling to Southfield A&T on August 29th.

Jenison Wildcats: Last Season (4-5) Student Enrollment: 1,576

While missing the playoffs again, Jenison saw promising improvement. Quadrupling their win total from the previous season, the Wildcats saw wins over strong teams like Rockford and previously Caledonia. Josh Lucas, in his first year as head coach, increased the schools total points by over 60 from the 2023 season. The Wildcats are the second smallest school in the OK Red and are showing that they are building a solid program for the future.

The key player at Jenison is Brody Schuitemen, a 6'0", 200 lb. running back and linebacker. He is a major part of why this team performed the way it did last year. 1,320 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 81 tackles over his junior campaign, led to an OK Red First Team All-Conference award. Brody scored a touchdown with 17 seconds left and caught the two-point conversion to seal the win against Rockford last year. The Wildcats square off with Kalamazoo Central to open their season August 29th.

Caledonia Fighting Scots: Last Season (4-5) Student Enrollment: 1,417

For being the smallest school in the OK Red, Caledonia in recent years has put up some very successful seasons. Since 2021, the Scots have won 34 games, 12 of those being when they went to Ford Field for the state finals against Belleville back in 2022. So, what happened? Last season, Caledonia saw a drop in offensive production scoring a total of 263 points as well as a substantial increase in points against. In the previous three seasons, all resulting in playoff appearances, they averaged around 400 total points and 200 points against.

With the departure of head coach Derek Pennington and quarterback Brody Betser, the Scots look to start fresh next season. Junior quarterback Bryce Backus will prepare for his first full season as the play caller. The 6'4" 200 lb. gunslinger has offers from Toledo and Kent State. Caledonia will also have to lean on key playmakers like Lincoln Senti and Aaron Collins to help increase offensive output. Defensively, they must find a replacement for linebacker Reed Vogeler who is headed to Calvin. The Scots host Canadian Windsor Holy Name on August 28th to start the season.

Grand Haven Buccaneers: Last Season (2-7) Student Enrollment: 1,813

Simply put, the 2020s have not been kind to the Buccaneers from Coast Guard City. In the last 5 seasons, Grand Haven has won just 7 games. What's the good news? Well, coming into his third season as head coach this upcoming year, Andrew Beidenbender, has some positives to look towards. In his first season, the Bucs won just one game while last year winning two. While it is marginal improvement, there was improvement in their record at the least.

The second positive thing is their quarterback and wide receiver rooms. Predicted starter Trey Vanderwal will be a senior next season under the helm. Sophomore, Reid Berry, is another excellent QB in their program who holds an offer from Toledo. Young wide receiver Amani Frierson is another name to lookout for. While it has been disappointing times for Grand Haven football, the future looks promising. The Bucs match up with the Lancers of Lakeshore High School August 29th.

West Ottawa Panthers: Last Season (1-8) Student Enrollment: 2,334

After making the playoffs in 2023, West Ottawa took a step backwards last season. Their one win, however, was against a Jenison team that beat Rockford. While the season was one they would like to forget, the Panthers at least have the proof that they can put up a battle with the rest of the league if they play their "A" game. Who can they look at to lead them to a better record next season? That would be Elijah Reynolds.

Reynolds, a 6'2", 215 lb. linebacker, just committed to Central Michigan earlier this week. During his junior season campaign, he had 38 tackles, 6 TFLs, and 2 INTs. Playing just six games in 2024, Elijah has solidified himself as the leader on the defensive side of the ball. For the Panthers to be in playoff contention next year, they need Reynolds on the field and playing his best football. West Ottawa battles Grand Ledge on August 29th for their opener.