— The City of Hudsonville is close to breaking ground on yet another housing project the city manager says the spot behind Signatures Coffee & Espresso has sat empty for decades “This is the most serious that we've gotten and the farthest along in the process that we've gotten to realize a development there,” Hudsonville City Manager Tyler Dotson said The lot overgrown with trees growing through the cracks is not much to look at right now The city wants to turn this piece of property into The Landings at Rush Creek one-bedroom townhomes with two-car garages Dotson explains there's a need for this type of housing we have a lack of workforce housing and one-bedroom units and this would help hit that number that we need,” he added The developer is Lacati Group and is seeking tax incentives of around $5 million over a 20-year period I'm not sure when the next time we would have an opportunity to develop the property,” Dotson explained The city manager says the project will include about a dozen lower-priced units to get this tax incentive depending on if it's one of the 12 of the 84 units that are part of the Brownfield program We're looking at $1,500 to $1,600 a month plus utilities,” Dotson said Ottawa County is among the fastest-growing counties in all of Michigan in terms of population the Ottawa County Housing Commission also signed off on a trio of other brownfield redevelopment sites late last year is a mixed-use complex that will include 4,600 square feet of retail space Winsor Place is a mixed-use property that will feature 41 rental units including five income-qualified 2,700 square feet of retail space but builders estimated it would take about a year to complete These are just a few of the housing projects in the works A housing needs assessment for the county by Housing Next identified the need for roughly 15,700 additional units by 2027 The Hudsonville City Manager explained that with projects like this more people will look to Hudsonville to call home The city manager explained that the city had done its part to move this project forward It’s now up to county commissioners to sign off Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) - Instagram - YouTube — A section of Port Sheldon Street is shut down following a Hudsonville water main break Friday afternoon Reports of the water main break first came in before 1:25 p.m. We’re told the water main was hit by a construction company Port Sheldon Street is closed between Wilshire Drive and Sanru Avenue while crews make repairs Dispatchers anticipate the closure may last until Saturday 1/24Grand Haven hosts Hudsonville for softball doubleheader.st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Patrick Nothaft | pnothaft@mlive.comGRAND HAVEN MI – With her team holding a 3-2 lead in the top of the fifth inning Hudsonville senior Ava Gardner dug into the batter’s box looking to capitalize on a 2-0 count and made no mistake with a pitch located over the heart of the plate The Purdue Fort Wayne signee crushed the ball over the center field wall for a no-doubter home run that gave Hudsonville a 5-2 lead and sparked a doubleheader sweep over a Grand Haven softball team ranked No that ball is probably still on its way to Benton Harbor that ball was hit so well,” Grand Haven coach John Hall said and that ball is probably halfway to Benton Harbor right now.” PHOTOS: See our gallery from the Hudsonville vs. Grand Haven doubleheader Gardner’s first homer of the season broke open a close game that Hudsonville went on to win 10-2 and the Eagles pulled away with a 14-2 victory in the nightcap which ranks third in state history behind Portage Northern’s 52-game streak from 2000-01 and Allen Park Cabrini’s 80-game run from 2006-08 RELATED: Winning streak has Hudsonville softball holding ‘very big bullseye’ on opening day who celebrated their fourth state title in program history last spring haven’t tasted defeat since an 8-7 upset loss to Jenison in the 2023 district finals Hudsonville actually trailed for the first time all season after Grand Haven took a 1-0 lead on an RBI single by freshman catcher Ryley Jeltema and though the Eagles answered with an RBI groundout from Gardner the Buccaneers regained a one-run lead on Bri Borgman’s solo homer in the third inning Hudsonville took a 3-2 advantage in the fourth thanks to sacrifice bunts by Ava DeHaan and Abbey Scholma and Gardner came through with the moon shot an inning later The Eagles added four more runs in the bottom of the seventh on an RBI single by sophomore Lauren Luchies and a three-run homer by Kam Stankus and sophomore pitcher Paige Visser tossed a complete game with five strikeouts Grand Haven junior pitcher and Saginaw Valley State commit Lorelei Chciuk threw 6 1/3 innings allowing seven runs on six hits and three walks and the junior first baseman scored both Grand Haven runs RELATED: Grand Rapids-area high school softball players to watch in 2025 RELATED: Muskegon-area high school softball players to watch in 2025 the defending state champs wasted no time displaying their power at the plate as Hudsonville scored four runs in the first inning then added six in the second and three in the third before cruising to a 12-run victory that ended after five innings Junior shortstop and Michigan State commit Tessa Heffelbower went 3 for 3 with three doubles while Stankus was 3 for 3 with two doubles Gardner and Ainslee Tomaszewski added two hits and two RBIs apiece for Hudsonville while sophomore starting pitcher Sophia VanKempen struck out six and allowed two runs on five hits and one walk in five innings Chciuk led Grand Haven hitters with two base knocks while Borgman drove in one of the Buccaneers’ runs with a sacrifice fly and Jeltema plated the other on a double in the third inning who entered the doubleheader with six starts at catcher following an early season knee injury to junior and Valparaiso commit Bella Korf was impressive both at the plate and on defense “She’s coming in and catching girls that are throwing 62 “It’s a crash course in high level softball.” As frustrating as it might be to fall two games back in the conference standings against an elite team like Hudsonville Hall said he likes what he saw from his squad on Tuesday “We did a lot of the fundamental things so well today we just got the snot beat out of us,” he said “It’s not that we weren’t ready to go because we hit some buttons We hit some shots that Tessa Heffelbower robbed We hit some shots that their center fielder (Autumn Dennis) robbed and they hit the ball where we weren’t; it’s as simple as that.” Grand Haven falls to 7-5 overall and 0-2 in OK Red play heading into Thursday’s contest at East Kentwood The Buccaneers could get a boost with the return of Korf behind the plate as early as mid-May which has outscored its opponents 67-17 this year doesn’t show any signs of relinquishing its early OK Red lead and it’s fun to play against them because you really do get to test your mettle,” Hall said of Hudsonville and (Hudsonville coach) Tom Vruggink has been really gracious to me as a coach so I have a ways to go to even remotely be through the experiences that he’s been through so I hope Tom and that crew are undefeated when we get to see him again on May 1.” Before the Buccaneers and Eagles square off in the final installment of the their three-game series 2-0 OK Red) gets back to work on Wednesday for a home doubleheader against a Zeeland West team that recently split doubleheaders of its own against Rockford and Division 2 No Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025) © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices Hudsonville's Claire VanderWeele (6) celebrates after getting onto first base during the MHSAA Division 1 softball state championship game at Michigan State University’s Secchia Stadium in East Lansing.Jake May | jmay2@mlive.com .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Patrick Nothaft | pnothaft@mlive.comHUDSONVILLE MI – Forty-two consecutive wins culminating in a state championship put Hudsonville’s 2024 softball season among the best in state history A 5-0 one-hit win over Lake Orion in the Division 1 finals capped the Eagles’ unforgettable campaign and made them the first undefeated state champ since Allen Park Cabrini went 35-0 in 2006 they’re entering the 2025 campaign with a metaphorical-yet-undeniable target on their backs Hudsonville starts its state title defense with Wednesday’s doubleheader against Caledonia and longtime head coach Tom Vruggink knows his players must be ready to handle the Fighting Scots’ best effort from the first pitch “We’re going to try to keep winning as long as we can the goal is the same as it’s been every year and that’s to try to win a state championship,” said Vruggink “We know that it’s going to be a tough one because we’re going to get everybody’s best shot We know there’s a very big bullseye on our back and we’ll see what happens once we get started.” Hudsonville head coach Tom Vruggink celebrates after clinching the victory in the MHSAA Division 1 softball state championship game at Michigan State University’s Secchia Stadium in East Lansing.Jake May | jmay2@mlive.com The Eagles will have some big shoes to fill from the graduation of five starters, including pitcher Ava Snip, who struck out eight in her state finals one-hitter and logged a 36-0 record in her final two seasons at Hudsonville 2 pitcher and first baseman Elly Koopman will also be tough to replace after the current Wayne State Warrior went 18-0 in the circle and batted .429 with a team-high nine home runs last year Center fielder and leadoff hitter Megan Beemer might leave the biggest void, after batting .575 last year and setting school records for runs scored (84), stolen bases (61) and walks drawn (43). She also hit three home runs in Hudsonville’s 4-3 state quarterfinal win over Midland Among the team’s top returners are junior shortstop and Michigan State commit Tessa Heffelbower and senior Purdue Fort Wayne signee Ava Gardner Both players were first team all-staters in 2024 after Heffelbower batted .483 with 15 doubles RELATED: 30 Grand Rapids-area high school softball players to watch in 2025 Hudsonville's Tessa Heffelbower (27) signals to the crowd in celebration of bringing in a runner after hitting a double during the MHSAA Division 1 softball state championship game at Michigan State University’s Secchia Stadium in East Lansing.Jake May | jmay2@mlive.com Senior outfielder Autumn Dennis also returns to left field and will replace Beemer at leadoff while sophomore Lauren Luchies is back at third base Senior catcher Claire VanderWeele is also back after going 2 for 4 with an RBI in last year’s state title game and she’ll split time behind the plate with junior Ainslee Tomaszewski The right side of the infield will also see some platooning Kaylin Reifschneider and Kendra Moelker splitting time at first base while seniors Ava DeHaan and Hayley Banach rotate at second base Senior Abbey Scholma is a valuable utility player that could see innings at every position The big question surrounding Hudsonville’s big for another state title involves the Eagles’ pitching Fellow sophomore Paige Visser enters the season as the team’s ace but the pitching staff endured an unexpected setback in March 2 pitcher Callie Naber tore a ligament in her knee while Reifschneider will serve as the third pitcher Vruggink knows his team’s batting order will be Hudsonville’s strength heading into the season but he’s also optimistic about the pitching “I think our hitting is going to help us a lot but we also have high hopes for our pitchers,” Vruggink said “We think that they’ll keep us in the games We think the pitching and hitting will be fine some of the other girls are just going to have to step it up.” If Hudsonville wins its season-opening doubleheader against Caledonia it will make Vruggink the fifth coach in state history to reach 1,200 wins joining current Stevensville Lakeshore skipper Denny Dock Diane Laffey (Warren Regina) and Tom Kennelly (Saginaw Swan Valley) and it means a lot to keep creeping up on some of these guys that have been ahead of me and I’m just going to try to keep going as long as my health is good and as long as the school will have me,” he said has been around long enough to know that nothing is guaranteed particularly on a team replacing so many key players “We’ll just let the games begin and see where we go,” he said and I’ll have to pick up the pieces and move on Madison Wyckoff was nearly unstoppable as the Zeeland West softball team defeated Hudsonville 10-1 on Wednesday The win snapped Hudsonville's stunning 48-game winning streak after the Eagles went 42-0 last season to win the state championship But Hudsonville could not figure out Wyckoff in the circle The righty allowed six hits and one run over seven innings More: Meet the high school softball players to watch this spring singled in the fourth inning and singled in the sixth inning The Dux scored eight runs in the seventh inning to put the game away Paige Visser induced Jenna Hendricks to hit into a fielder's choice a single by Strabbing gave Zeeland West Varsity Dux the lead with thre RBIs after a 3-for-4 performance Kaylin Reifschneider took the loss for Hudsonville The right-handed pitcher went three innings The Dux were edged in the second game 11-8 Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as  Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports Hudsonville Ice Cream announced it is dropping four new flavors and two new bars The West Michigan-based ice cream company said the flavors and bars are available now in a freezer near you 1/24Grand Haven hosts Hudsonville for softball doubleheader.st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Hugh Bernreuter | hbernreu@mlive.comHudsonville regained the No joining the other defending softball state champions as the teams to beat in 2025 The Michigan High School Softball Coaches Association announced its high school state rankings for April 23 moving Hudsonville to the top spot in Division 1 2 team in the coaches’ pre-season ratings behind Farmington Hills Mercy Hudsonville beat Mercy in the 2024 Division 1 semifinals before topping Lake Orion 1 gives the softball rankings four defending champions in the top spots with Hudsonville in Division 1 Evart in Division 3 and Unionville-Sebewaing in Division 4 If you would like your local high school sports news delivered free to your inbox daily, click here and sign up for one of our local high school sports newsletters Love reading about local sports? Don’t miss any of the excitement from the season ahead. Purchase your subscription now and get full access to every story on MLive HOLLAND — With summer right around the corner (eventually), Hudsonville Ice Cream is serving up new ways to beat the heat The Holland-based company recently released six new products New additions include three year-round flavors; two existing flavors now available as ice cream bars; and one seasonal photographer Adam Vander Kooy and reporter Mitchell Boatman along with special guest reporter Cassidey Kavathas along with their descriptions from Hudsonville Before you go scanning the freezer aisle for these frozen treats Both the brownie batter and cookie dough flavors come through and work well together The brownie and dough chunks throughout provide some nice texture Adam: The brownie batter base of this flavor impressed me I generally prefer my cookie dough to be accompanied with chocolate ice cream It may be a bit radical compared to the classic vanilla Cassidey: The ice cream base is creamy and velvety The cookie and brownie pieces are small but plentiful I think this would be a perfect grab-and-go midnight treat More: We tried Hudsonville Ice Cream’s new novelty ice cream bars. Here’s what we thought. Traverse City Cherry Fudge Adam: If you like maraschino cherries so I quickly learned this flavor isn't for me the bar was beautiful with a chocolate swirl but more of a maraschino cherry than a fresh cherry from Traverse City The chocolate does a good job of cutting through Mitchell: I can see this one being a bit polarizing knowing that cherry is a non-starter for some people The flavor reminds me of a Little Debbie Cherry Cordial The colors look like a sunset over Lake Michigan The mango outshines the orange and strawberry A solid summer treat to cool off on a muggy day Mitchell: This one definitely wins the looks competition All three flavors of sherbet definitely come through But as someone with an strong personal distaste for mango this flavor will get you feeling warm and ready to hit the beach This creates a lovely taste with an extra creamy texture More: We ranked all seven of Hudsonville Ice Cream's Little Debbie flavors the peach flavor comes out strong in the first bite The best bites are when you get a good amount of the oatmeal crumble to really capture the cobbler vibe I don’t love the texture of the frozen peach pieces Adam: When you take a bite of this ice cream you're hit with one of the strongest peach flavors you'll ever taste The small oatmeal crumbles and peach pieces help change the texture Cassidey: A punch of peach from the moment it hits your tongue as they're overwhelmed by the peach-flavored base It would be perfect with an oatmeal cookie Mint Deer Traxx Adam: A complete classic with a fun twist inside this is the upgraded version of the traditional mint chocolate chip ice cream The addition of the chocolate twist really elevates this flavor Cassidey: An instant classic and perfect twist on mint chip sweet mint and the chocolate cups complement it I don't think you could go wrong picking this up I wish there was a crunchy texture like a pretzel to add a salty element and break up the mint flavor It’s got the classic mint ice cream flavor with much more chocolate mixed in throughout Cassidey: Coffee anything is a journalist's best friend The coffee ice cream base tastes like a milky latte The chocolate chips are the perfect addition to add another layer which is my go-to coffee drink in the summer The coffee base flavor mixed with the chocolate chips produces a strong profile More: Manager says they've learned through 'word-of-mouth' in most recent restaurant inspections — What should Adam and Mitchell try next? Send your suggestions to newsroom@hollandsentinel.com Do you scream for ice cream and know lots about it As temperatures dip into single digits all over Michigan a search is on for an ultimate fan of the cold Michigan’s Hudsonville Ice Cream wants to know Michigan-based ice cream maker is in search of the ultimate ice cream fan the ice cream maker will choose and crown one lucky ice cream fan as the “Ultimate Ice Cream Fan.” With the crowning comes an especially important job: eating Hudsonville Ice Cream It’s a yearlong gig that also involves cash and other prizes The named ice cream fan wins the opportunity and access to the latest Hudsonville ice cream flavors and varieties plus others exclusive treats and a whopping $2,025 prize Expect to try new Hudsonville ice cream flavors and improvements on classic flavors on a monthly basis for a year One winner receives a year supply of free ice cream Hudsonville is known for its classic ice cream varieties like Traverse City Cherry Fudge Brownie Batter Cookie Dough and Deer Traxx “There are no shortcuts and no compromises when it comes to flavors that are truly worth it We’re searching for the Ultimate Ice Cream Fan to share their creativity and passion for what makes real ice cream so irresistible,” said Joel Ancrile “We look forward to finding the Ultimate Ice Cream Fan who will share their flavor findings with our team of experts as we continue to create the flavors meant to delight ice cream lovers everywhere.” If you think you have goods and deserve the “Ultimate Ice Cream Fan,” task you’ll need to submit a 30-second video explaining your ice cream expertise and why you know ice cream better than anyone Video entries are due by Jan. 30 and the contest is open nationwide. Go to hudsonvilleicecream.com/ultimate-fan-25 to submit a video and for official rules the family-owned and -operated Hudsonville says it has been churning out ice cream flavors made with milk and cream from local farms Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter. Subscribe to the Free Press they're trying to trick you into sending money by sending a text message about an unpaid toll and they can easily make you scratch your head and wonder if you might be in trouble if you don't pay the fine or fee It's hard to keep up with these new scams and for one West Michigan woman she has become their latest victim Sue Walters lives in Hudsonville, and when she got back from Spring Break, she received a text message on her phone that said she owed $6.68 for a toll violation to E-ZPass. Sue told Wood TV 8 that she was suspicious of the message but thought it might have been possible since she drove to her Spring Break destination another text message was sent to her phone it warned her that failure to pay would result in severe consequences and that her vehicle's registration would be suspended Sue figured it would just be worth it to pay the money and not risk getting in trouble she was taken to a page to enter her credit card info that looked very similar to the E-ZPass website Read More: A Michigan Couple Is Now Out $350,000 After ATM Scam it then asked her to put in another credit card That's when she knew something wasn't right Thankfully, Sue called her bank immediately and canceled her credit card before the scammers could charge anything The FBI and the Federal Trade Commission recommend not clicking on any links in suspicious texts you should find the company's website or a phone number to call and verify what the text message says You can also report a scam text to the Internet Crime Complaint Center Gallery Credit: Wendy Reed Gallery Credit: Big Joe Pesh / Getty Images Scammers using new toll road text message trick Hudsonville woman to give them her credit card info.\nRead More Sue Walters lives in Hudsonville, and when she got back from Spring Break, she received a text message on her phone that said she owed $6.68 for a toll violation to E-ZPass. Sue told Wood TV 8 that she was suspicious of the message but thought it might have been possible since she drove to her Spring Break destination Read More: A Michigan Couple Is Now Out $350,000 After ATM Scam Thankfully, Sue called her bank immediately and canceled her credit card before the scammers could charge anything The FBI and the Federal Trade Commission recommend not clicking on any links in suspicious texts You can also report a scam text to the Internet Crime Complaint Center DETROIT (WXYZ) — The odds of making it into the NFL are low less than 2% of the total eligible college football players will hear their names called in the draft I don’t know what the odds are of a player getting selected by the team he grew up rooting for are but Hudsonville native Isaac TeSlaa is living out that one-in-a-million dream it’s been not only a dream to play in the NFL the team I’ve been rooting for since I was a baby it’s just an incredible feeling and I’m just ready to go to work,” TeSlaa said This didn't come as a complete shock to TeSlaa and his family however as he went to meet with the Lions in the lead-up to the draft a little medical check to make sure everything and then from there being able to sit down with Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes and kind of talk life there is a key detail TeSlaa is leaving out about that meeting I thought he just did a cheesy move just to like some fan boy stuff he said I’ve had this since the eighth grade and what better time to wear it than now I really respected that,” Lions general manager Brad Holmes said The kid who grew up attending Lions games and won a state championship inside Ford Field will now call that building home it’s been fun watching them from the TV to the games but it’s going to be even better to be on the field with them,” TeSlaa said TeSlaa will be joining a veteran wide receiver group that includes Amon-Ra St TeSlaa said he's excited to learn from them but also adds he'll bring something new to the room HOWELL — Howell was going to lose its first football game all season realized the inevitability of the situation with Hudsonville leading 35-0 after three quarters Saturday afternoon defensive back Trenton Naber intercepted a pass by Highlander quarterback Preston Barb Only that wasn’t the final result of the play Intended receiver Justin Jones wasn’t going down without a fight in his final high school game He stripped the ball from Naber and took off for a 35-yard gain to set up No 1-ranked Howell’s only touchdown in a 35-6 loss to No 4 Hudsonville in a regional championship game It was a play that said everything about one of the key leaders for a team that made history and inspired its community from late August until mid-November “You’ve just got to go through with your team,” said Jones who one many Highlanders overcome with emotion after their only loss of the season “They were struggling mentally and we needed to make a play Howell coach Brian Lewis doesn’t know many players who would keep battling in that situation when a bad game was getting even worse “He does things that 1 percent of kids want to do That play is just another play for Justin and who he is and what he’s about and what he represents and what he means I couldn’t be prouder of what he’s done all year.” it was a memorable season bookended by two different outcomes against Hudsonville The Highlanders opened the season with a 20-17 victory over the Eagles sending Howell on its way to the first 11-0 start by a Livingston County team That was also the only loss this season for Hudsonville which ran the table in the highly competitive OK Red Conference before beating two league rivals to begin the playoffs “I was trying to tell everybody how good of a win that was,” Lewis said They’re really good against what we do on offense Howell has typically set the tone in games by scoring on its first possession but began the game by going three-and-out on its first three possessions and four of its five drives in the first half Hudsonville took advantage of short fields to score touchdowns on its first three drives and four of five first-half possessions The Eagles led 14-0 after one quarter on a 4-yard run by quarterback Griffin Baker and a 1-yard run by Bryce Fox A 31-yard run on a third-and-16 reverse by receiver Braden VanLaecke made it 21-0 before the Eagles put a dagger in the Highlanders on the final play of the first half With time for one more play from the Howell 43 Baker threw a pass toward the middle of the field to Carson Dykstra who ran into the end zone to make it 28-0 at halftime no doubt about it,” Howell lineman Bobby Kanka said “We’ve just got to come back and leave it in the hands of the underclassmen The Highlanders would need a comeback for the ages to get back in the game The elements for a rally were in place early in the third quarter then got a 63-yard run from Bryce Kish down to Hudsonville’s 17-yard line Jones was tackled for a 7-yard loss on a toss play that was intended to be a halfback option pass Hudsonville marched 83 yards to extend the lead to 35-0 and trigger a running clock on a 5-yard run by Baker with 1:44 left in the third quarter Howell scored its only touchdown on a 1-yard run by Jones his 27th rushing touchdown and 32nd overall touchdown this season “It’s something I hope lasts forever,” Jones said of Howell’s magical 2024 season It’s a family and they’re all going to do amazing things.” Hudsonville will play Rochester Adams in the state semifinals next Saturday 1/59Hudsonville dominates in win over Rochester Adams in division one football semifinalJosh Boland.st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Jared Purcell | japurcell@mlive.comOKEMOS The Hudsonville senior linebacker had just made a great read on a Rochester Adams pass play through the middle of the field and was able to tip the ball up into the air Despite losing sight of the tipped ball briefly Carter quickly realized he had tipped it straight over his head and it was falling back down toward him He was able to catch the ball for the interception and bolted up the field for a 30-yards before being stopped at the Adams 11-yard line The interception ended the third quarter and Hudsonville captalized on the short field by scoring four plays later to take a 21-7 lead with 10:26 left in the game “It definitely felt like it helped us turn things around,” Carter said Crater’s big play ended up being a key turning point in the Eagles’ eventual 27-7 win over Adams (10-3) to give Hudsonville (12-1) its first championship appearance in Division 1 and its first in any division since 2005 “It’s been a goal of mine since I was a young kid it’s been a while since we’ve been able to be there Hudsonville will face Detroit Cass Tech next Saturday at 7 p.m The Technicians defeated unbeaten Detroit Catholic Central in the other Division 1 semifinal with a late blocked field goal The interception to end the third quarter was one of many plays that went Hudsonville’s way in the second half as the Eagles put up 20 unanswered points after halftime Hudsonville coach Brent Sandee credited defensive coaches Mason Dekker and Matt Wiig for the defensive adjustments made after halftime as Adams’ drives in the second half ended with a turnover on downs three times along with the interception After Adams had 176 yards of offense in the first half Hudsonville held the Highlanders to just 105 yards in the second half “Some great adjustments at halftime,” Sandee said “They kind of were moving the ball on the ground on us probably better than we anticipated We made a couple of different adjustments with the X’s and O’s and it worked out well We had a couple of guys make some big plays Ethan Carter had an amazing game and had the interception He kept fitting the counter really well and did a great job Hudsonville came up with a big turnover in the second quarter as well when it recovered an Adams fumble by running back Matteo Humbert at the Eagles’ 1-yard line when the score was tied 7-7 That ended up being the closest Adams got to the end zone for the rest of the game “We really stress pusuing the football,” Sandee said “That was a play where (Humbert) was out and front and we had to pursue We’re not going to dwell on anything that goes wrong It’s the final four and that’s a great football team over there so we knew it wasn’t going to be easy sailing We preach pursuing quite a bit and the kids really listen to that.” the Eagles offense put together multiple touchdown drives of double-digit plays to keep the ball out of Adams’ hands Hudsonville senior quarterback Griffin Baker scored three rushing touchdowns two of which were 1-yard runs and the other a 5-yard run 58-yard drive that took 5:45 off the clock in the third quarter with his five-yard run to give Hudsonville a 14-7 lead He also scored the touchdown following Carter’s interception to make it 21-7 in the fourth quarter After Adams turned the ball over on downs with 8:03 left Baker miked the clock and capped a 12-play drive for with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Jack Wills to make it 27-7 with 1:55 to play I just want to give all glory to God,” Baker said “I’m just very thankful and blessed to be here I’m thankful for the community and my brothers and the coaches we kind of put our feet to the ground and do what we needed to do and get downhill With Baker’s final two touchdown runs sandwiched around Carter’s interception Hudsonville went from being tied 7-7 to up 21-7 in a matter of 4:36 of game clock Baker knew Hudsonville would not be denied it’s long-awaited spot in the state championship “I know it’s been a dream for a lot of players on the team,” Baker said Baker led the Hudsonville rushing attack that steadily piled up 204 total yards Baker finished with 93 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carriers while also completing 5 of 7 passes for 27 yards and a touchdown Bryce Fox added 50 yards rushing on 13 carries while Owen Haarsma had 48 yards on 12 carries Braden VanLaecke helped extend Hudsonville’s final scoring drive when he completed a 27-yard pass to Carson Dykstra that Dykstra tipped into the air and caught on third-and-13 quarterback Nolan Farris had 64 yards on nine carries and also was 12-for-19 passing for 160 yards with a touchdown and an interception Humbert finished with 22 yards on six carries Farris’ 39-yard pass to Tommy Offer on Adams’ first drive of the game tied the score at 7-7 the fumble near the goal line in the second quarter and the offense stalling out against the Hudsonville defense in the second quarter sapped the Highlanders of momentum Patritto also said Offer and Paxton Battershell were hurt in the second half nothing was going Adams’ way after halftime “I think that momentum is something you create yourself,” Patritto said That stuff happens in football and it’s how you respond to that dictates how good you are You have to make a stop after that or respond to a turnover Adams missed on making it to the state championship for the second time since 2021 Despite starting quarterback Rino Watters going down with an injury earlier in the season Adams found a way to make a deep playoff run It’s something coach Tony Patritto said he is proud of there’s not a ton of big-time college prospects,” Patritto said “We were picked to take second-to-last in the league and our quarterback gets hurt It’s the ultimate -- these kids are all from Rochester Adams distirct we don’t open enroll and we’re proud of that For them to go out and to compete at the level we have to compete and win games in our conference and the playoffs that’s a testiment to doing stuff the right way.” Detroit Cass Tech only needed the first 24 minutes to build enough of a lead for a comfortable return to the throne of Division 1 football Cass Tech built the lead through explosive passing plays and generating turnovers Quarterback Donald Tabron got the fireworks started with a 27-yard completion to Will Sykes to set up a Jaylen Spates touchdown then connected with receiver Corey Sadler Jr. for two touchdowns by the early second quarter to make it 21-0 early Alex Graham, a Colorado commit forced two Hudsonville turnovers in the second quarter Graham broke a 54-yard touchdown to make it 34-0 before Hudsonville answered with two touchdowns from Griffin Baker and Bryce Fox but De’Mari Hendrix delivered the dagger with a late touchdown run FAMOUS FANS: Detroit Lions WRs Jameson Williams, Donovan Peoples-Jones attend Division 1 state title completed 15 of 20 passes for 176 yards and three touchdowns while Sykes added 67 on four catches and Graham had 111 total yards Cass Tech is the Division 1 state champion for the first time since 2016 while Hudsonville is still searching for its first state title win Check out the recap below from Detroit Cass Tech's win over Hudsonville in the Division 1 championship at Ford Field: Detroit Cass Tech vs. Hudsonville Division 1 state championship live updates, highlights2:19, 4Q: Hudsonville adds Carson Dykstra TD catch; Cass Tech leads 42-20Hudsonville kept fighting until the very end The Eagles got it one final time and found the end zone on a 15-yard completion to receiver Carson Dykstra at the pylon Dykstra had two other catches on the drive for a total of 52 yards including a 42-yard gain the play before the touchdown 93-yard touchdown drive that ended with a 24-yard touchdown run from Hendrix up the middle The Technicians kept the ball on the ground and were able to burn five minutes off the clock before scoring Hudsonville got another quick stop and the ball back before the end of the third quarter 13-play drive to reach the Cass Tech 7-yard line Griffin Baker's pass was knocked incomplete by Marcus Jennings Owen Haarsman had the longest play of the drive with a 37-yard run to the left to put the Eagles in the red zone Hudsonville finally held onto the ball and found the end zone in four plays ending with a 14-yard touchdown run from Fox Fox had two carries for 25 yards on the drive while Owen Haarsman also ripped off an 18-yard gain Hudsonville kept the offense on the field but Fox got tackled for loss on a two-point conversion attempt 6:17, 3Q: Hudsonville forces Julian Taylor fumble and recoversNo one has been able to hold onto the ball properly since the last touchdown Defensive back Tyler Strick jumped on the loose ball at the Cass Tech 47-yard line Cass Tech didn't take long to get the ball back after failing to recover the onside kick but Jackson was already in front of the receiver and made the interception for Cass Tech's fourth forced turnover The Eagles have some life in the third quarter Hudsonville dialed up an onside kick after the touchdown and kicker Ian Jenkins got the perfect bounce on his kick for receiver Carson Dykstra to recover Hudsonville will start the drive at the 50 Hudsonville pulled out some tricks on its first possession of the second half Hudsonville dialed up a hook-and-lateral to Carson Dykstra who pitched it to Aaron Hunt for a first down Braden VanLaecke got a handoff on a jet sweep but stopped and turned to fire a pass back to his quarterback who took it 22 yards down to the Cass Tech 1 Baker pushed it over the goal line with a quarterback sneak a play later 11:09, 3Q: Alex Graham breaks 54-yard TD run; Cass Tech leads 35-0Cass Tech continued the rolling into the second half De'Mari Hendrix broke a 17-yard run on the first play of the drive and then Graham received it on a reverse and broke free from containment on the left sideline and raced for a 54-yard touchdown Carson Lovett scored on a two-point conversion run to put Cass Tech ahead by 35 to start a running clock Cass Tech dominated each facet of the game in the first 24 minutes to take a four-possession lead into the halftime locker room The Technicians outgained Hudsonville 159 to 56 in the first half and forced three turnovers in Eagles territory Star two-way receiver and defensive backs Alex Graham (two forced turnovers) and Corey Sadler Jr (two touchdown catches) have shown up for Cass Tech while quarterback Donald Tabron II completed 12-of-15 passes for 147 yards and three touchdowns Cass Tech could not turn the fumble into points Donald Tabron was sacked by Jalen Oosting and Owen Haarsman before he could get a pass off on fourth-and-5 Hudsonville took over at its own 38-yard line Griffin Baker swung it to Bryce Fox on a screen and Fox picked up a few yards before Graham leveled him with a perfect hit Graham landed his helmet directly on the ball and John Baker was right there to scoop it up before going out of bounds at the Hudsonville 33-yard line 2:10, 2Q: Alex Graham intercepts Griffin Baker to set up Will Sykes TD next play; Cass Tech leads 27-0Alex Graham got in on the playmaking on the defensive side of the ball and jumped in front of an out route intended for Owen Oudbier and returned the interception to the Hudsonville 19-yard line Donald Tabron pump-faked a screen pass to the left flat and then unleashed a shot to the end zone to Sykes who feigned a block and then released for a wide-open touchdown catch The Technicians botched the extra point snap and only walked away with six points The Eagles' offense continues to struggle against Cass Tech's front seven Griffin Baker picked up one first down with a keeper and then Hudsonville reached a fourth-and-2 at the 50 on the next set of downs and Collin Sumpter met him at the line of scrimmage to force a turnover on downs 8:33, 2Q: Corey Sadler elevates for jump-ball TD catch; Cass Tech leads 21-0The top-ranked recruit in Michigan for the 2026 class is showing off his talent early Donald Tabron lofted a jump ball to the back pylon where Sadler elevated over the defender and made a strong two-handed catch while getting one foot in bounds for his second receiving touchdown of the first half Tabron completed four of five passing attempts on the drive for 42 yards Hudsonville handed it off to Braden VanLaecke to the right but defensive tackle Logan Howell got his hand on the ball and knocked it free as Mylan Griggs tackled him Howell was able to reach out and snag the loose ball for a fumble recovery at the Hudsonville 39-yard line It's been all Cass Tech in the first 12 minutes Hudsonville had four yards of total offense on its first two drives while Cass Tech easily reached the end zone on its first two possessions Hudsonville started its third drive with a 16-yard Griffin Baker completion to Cash TenHave and has second-and-7 from its own 39 to start the second quarter Cass Tech started its second drive at the Hudsonville 18-yard line after a short punt from the Eagles and found the end zone in two plays Tabron hit Sadler on a dig route in front of the safeties for a 16-yard touchdown Hudsonville started the second drive with a false start penalty Then Griffin Baker was sacked by Mylan Griggs and John Baker while trying to extend a play on third down for an 11-yard loss The kick only went 14 yards to set Cass Tech up in the red zone on its first play The Technicians struck on their first possession of the game Cass Tech started the drive with two completions from quarterback Donald Tabron II to Alex Graham and Corey Sadler to pick up 36 yards then converted a fourth-and-1 at the Hudsonville 36 to keep the drive moving Tabron then delivered a 27-yard strike to Will Sykes down the sideline while absorbing a big hit to set up a Spates touchdown run from five yards out Hudsonville received the opening kickoff and picked up one first down on a Bryce Fox run before having to punt Games have largely stayed on schedule on the second day of state title games meaning the Division 1 championship will start just after its listed time The pregame clock at Ford Field is set to expire at 7:12 p.m and the game should start shortly after that Hudsonville will receive the opening kickoff — As part of its master plan established in 2015 the city of Hudsonville is taking a significant step towards making its downtown area more walkable and enjoyable for families The Terra Station project is set to break ground in the coming weeks near School Avenue and Prospect The $32 million project will contain a mix of apartment units retail spaces and other areas to hold community-oriented events "We don't want it to feel like a huge development, but we also want it to have a sense of place, and a sense of community," said Chris Veneklasen, CEO of Veneklasen Construction Terra Station will feature 141 apartment units as well as 4,600 square feet of retail space The development will also include 202 parking spaces The project is designed to blend seamlessly with the existing walking paths and retail areas on Harvey Street Veneklasen says the project will “bookend” the walkable stretch on Harvey Local business owners are excited about the prospect of a more vibrant downtown area "There's always something going on right in this central area," said Cassie Ghent “I think it would be a lovely downtown if we added more walkability and more shops and things to stop in and see — more of a central location for the community." The Terra Station project has been in the works for more than two and a half years with the last few months seeing rapid progress but we're just really excited to get the project going," Veneklasen said "We're excited for what it'll be to be a part of Hudsonville." The construction process is expected to wrap up by fall 2026 the Terra Station project is poised to play a significant role in shaping the city's future “Everybody's kind of looking for that hometown feel in a central area.” Hudsonville football will be playing in the state championship game The Eagles beat Rochester Adams 27-7 to punch their ticket to Ford Field Hudsonville has played in the finals before but has never come away with a win in that final game They hope that this year will be different They trust that if a receiver is suppose to be in an area And the coaches also trusting the kids too to make plays we've been aggressive on fourth downs because we trust our kids and I think that has snowballed through the year," said Head Coach Brent Sandee Their only loss coming in week one of the season against Howell 20-17 They got a rematch against the Highlanders in the regional final where they ended up winning We didn't come this far just to get this far And I know that we can do it," said senior quarterback That division one championship is set for 7pm on Saturday For more scores, highlights, and the latest news on high school sports in West Michigan, go to the FOX 17 Blitz page Follow the FOX 17 Blitz on social media: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) Hudsonville Eagles freshman Brielle Reed (13) and Rockford Rams senior Desirae Donley (23) while fighting for a rebound in a high school basketball game at Hudsonville High School in Hudsonville on Tuesday .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Isaac Ritchey | iritchey@mlive.comHUDSONVILLE MI — Fans were treated to a full evening of basketball The Hudsonville Eagles hosted the Rockford Rams in a high school basketball doubleheader on Tuesday Rockford girls stretched a lead out to double digits in the first half and defeated Hudsonville Rockford senior Anna Wypych finished with 20 points Freshman Addison Wypych pitched in with 15 Hudsonville senior Josie DeSmit led all scorers with 26 points Hudsonvllle boys started the game on a quick 16-2 run and fended off Rockford down the stretch for a 75-69 victory Hudsonville senior Jovaan Daniels led all scorers with 31 points Rockford was led by Eli Wolfe with 16 points and junior Jacob Bascom with 15 points You must be a subscriber to view the photo gallery. Subscribers click the “Get photo” link to download high-resolution images right to their device for free as part of their subscription. To subscribe, click this link 1/23Hudsonville hosts Rockford in girls high school basketball201/20Hudsonville hosts Rockford in boys high school basketballThe Hudsonville Eagles host the Rockford Rams in a high school basketball game at Hudsonville High School in Hudsonville on Tuesday The Hudsonville Eagles host the Rockford Rams in a high school basketball game at Hudsonville High School in Hudsonville on Tuesday Want more Grand Rapids-area news? Bookmark the local Grand Rapids news page or sign up for the free “3@3 Grand Rapids” daily newsletter but Hudsonville Ice Cream is introducing a new flavor and bringing back a holiday season favorite that may tempt you a bit longer The Holland-based company on Monday announced that it is introducing Campfire Cocoa and bringing back Peppermint Stick for a limited time "Here's a tasty treat we all need "to take our minds off the election," the company suggested in a release "Inspired by autumn surroundings to turn up the heat and keep warm Campfire Cocoa is rich chocolate ice cream with a marshmallow swirl," the company said "Peppermint Stick is a holiday tradition that fans anticipate with its annual appearance in grocery store freezer aisles," the company said The flavor features peppermint-flavored vanilla ice cream and crushed peppermint candy pieces The winter limited editions are available in major grocery retailers such as Kroger Use the Scoop Locator to find these and other Hudsonville Ice Cream flavors.