104th Season Set to Begin at Hope College The Flying Dutchmen will kick off their 104th season with a decorated veteran roster that features nine players who received all-league distinction in 2012, including five first-teamers. Hope is coming off a 5-5 season in which the Flying Dutchmen finished third in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) with a 4-2 record. Hope will play at Ray and Sue Smith Stadium, formerly Holland Municipal Stadium. The college purchased the stadium from the City of Holland last year and installed artificial turf. The Smiths will be honored during the Sept. 14 Community Day against Millikin (Ill.) University, also the home opener. Ray Smith coached the Flying Dutchmen from 1970-1994. He posted a 148-69-9 overall record as Hope’s coach, including a 91-28-6 MIAA record. Both win totals are the most in MIAA history. Smith and Albion College coach Pete Schmidt each won a MIAA-record nine league championships. Smith coached the longest of any MIAA coach as well. The Flying Dutchmen start their 18th season under coach Dean Kreps on September 7 at North Park (Ill.) University. The two teams met for the first time last season, with Hope winning 42-24 at home. After Millikin, Hope welcomes on September 15 former MIAA rival and current Northern Athletics Conference member Wisconsin Lutheran College in the MIAA/NAC Challenge series. The Flying Dutchmen wrap up nonleague play Sept. 28 when they travel to Illinois Wesleyan University, the third of three nonleague opponents from the College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin. MIAA play kicks off on October 5 when Hope hosts reigning MIAA champion Adrian College on homecoming. The Flying Dutchmen also have home league games October 26 against Kalamazoo College and November 16 against Albion College. The Kalamazoo game is part of Hometown Week for the college and will be played at night. The 2013 roster features 40 returning letterwinners. The team’s co-captains are seniors Michael Atwell of Geneseo, Ill. (Geneseo HS), Greg Bird of Byron Center (Byron Center HS) and Santino DiCesare of Dorr (Wayland HS). Atwell threw for a MIAA-high 2,254 yards and 18 touchdowns in 10 overall games last season. He was chosen the team’s Offensive Most Valuable Player and earned second-team, All-MIAA honors. Atwell is 77 yards from becoming the sixth 4,000-yard career passer in Hope history. Atwell ranks seventh with 3,923 career passing yards. Atwell is supported on offense by two returning All-MIAA First Team selections — senior tight end Connor Parcell of Cadillac (Cadillac HS) and junior offensive tackle Joe Droppers of Kalamazoo (Portage Northern HS). Droppers continued his family’s All-MIAA First Team tradition, joining grandfather, Don “Doc” Van Hoeven (1955), his father, Kurt Droppers (1978) and his brothers Jacob (2007) and Josh (2009-11). Senior running back Shawn Jackson of Comstock Park (Comstock Park HS) and junior receiver Taylor Brynaert of Washington, Mich., (Romeo HS) also made the All-MIAA Second Team. Jackson rushed for 845 yards and four touchdowns while averaging 4.9 yards per carry. Jackson needs 871 yards to become the Flying Dutchmen’s third 3,000-yard career rusher. Jackson currently is eighth all-time with 2,129 yards. Brynaert topped Hope with 642 receiving yards and 47 receptions. He finished second with six touchdown receptions. On defense, DiCesare and senior Tim Klaus of Saugatuck (Saugatuck HS) will lead the charge. Klaus is a two-time All-MIAA honoree who averaged a Hope-high 10.1 tackles per game last season. He also forced three fumbles. DiCesare, named Hope’s Defensive MVP, was second at 8.5 tackles per game. He also intercepted five passes. Hope’s special teams feature senior placekicker Evan Finch of Ann Arbor (Ann Arbor Pioneer HS) and sophomore punter Dean DeVries of Grand Rapids (Grandville HS). DeVries claimed All-MIAA First Team honors as a freshman after 40.5 yards over 46 attempts, including a long of 58. Finch, a second-team All-MIAA pick last season, converted 33-of-35 PATs and all four of his field-goal attempts.
Posted on: Thu, 25 Jul 2013 23:58:23 +0000
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