LocalSportsJournal.com
HUDSONVILLE — The Spring Lake Lakers posted a memorable victory on Friday night after battling back from a double-digit deficit.
Running back Alexander Lee led the way with 199 yards rushing and three touchdowns.
After falling behind 18-0, the Lakers roared back for a nail-biting 35-32 victory over host Hudsonville Unity Christian.
Host Unity Christian scored on three straight possessions in the first quarter before Spring Lake came to life.
In the opening quarter, Alexander Lee broke loose on an 81-yard run for a touchdown. Lee added another score in the opening minutes of the second quarter on a short run from 5 yards out.
The comeback was completed with sophomore quarterback Reid Grimmer hooking up with Jackson Lemmen on an 18-yarda touchdown pass. Carter Ball’s third successful extra point made it 21-18 for the Lakers.
But Spring Lake wasn’t quite finished as Grimmer scored from 1 yard out with 10 seconds left before the half. Spring Lake had turned an 18-point deficit into a 10-point lead at the half.
In the third quarter, Lee scored his third touchdown of the game, this time from 12 yards out. Ball’s extra point made it 35-18.
Unity Christian responded with a 96-yard kickoff return to stay in contention. The Crusaders capped the scoring with a 10-yard run.
Spring Lake amassed 453 yards of offense, including 336 yards on the ground and 117 through the air.
Grimmer finished 7-for-11 passing for 108 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Besides Lee, Spring Lake had Gerrit Lyyski rush nine times for 85 yards.
Colin Burt was the leading receiver with four catches for 71 yards.
Wren Dephouse was the Lakers’ leading tackler with 8. Derrick Paggeot had 6.5 and Joshua Lanka had six.
Spring Lake travels to Coopersville next week to cap off the regular season.
