HOPKINS - There were a lot of handshakes and hugs after the game as the players and coaches lingered on the field.
The season ended on a disappointing note for the Holland High School football team as it lost 49-7 to a dominant Hopkins team on Friday, Oct. 23, in the final game of the regular season.
“It’s a special group,” coach Will Siffin said. “You see them first in middle school and then all throughout high school. We try to build a family here as best we can. It’s emotional no matter how we end up.”
Holland had a shot at the playoffs if they could have won on Friday, but the Dutch finished the season 4-5. Hopkins, the No. 9 ranked team in Division 5 and conference champion, improved to 8-1.
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“Hopkins is a good team,” Siffin said. “They’re a tough offense to stop with their run game.”
The score was 28-0 at halftime. Holland got its lone score when quarterback Cole Owen connected with Finn Galloway for a 45-yard touchdown pass with 9:33 to go in the third quarter.
“It sucks that it had to end the way that it did,” said Galloway, a junior receiver. “It’s a pleasure to play with all these guys.”
Galloway said he’s a football junkie.
“It’s my love,” he said. “It’s my passion. It’s what I want to do. I look forward to football every day, whether its practice or the games. No matter the results, I’m glad I can be out here playing.”
Owen, a 6-foot-1, 165-pound junior, has a strong arm. He’s done a nice job filling in for starter Eli Wolters, whose season ended in Week 5 when he broke his wrist.
“I think we overcame a lot this season,” Owen said. “From when I first started playing quarterback until today, it’s like night an day. I can see the passing windows, they seem to open up a lot more.”
Owen, who said he is a pitcher on the baseball team, said Wolters has been a mentor for him.
“Every time I come back to the sideline, he tells me what he sees,” Owen said of Wolters, whose arm is in a sling. “He’s helped me throughout the season. I couldn’t be more grateful for him.”
Hopkins got two touchdowns apiece from quarterback Merek Zapolnik and running back Vicente Garza in the first half. In the second half, the Vikings got scores from Luke Klinge, Dylan Cook and Justin VanWagner.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Holland football ends tough season with loss to Hopkins, misses playoffs