Page 12/The Sun and News, Saturday, October 30, 2021Devils continue state title defense besting TK
Brett Bremer
Sports Editor
It wasn’t for a lack of
effort.
From midfield, Trojan
attacker Terrell Jefferson saw
Gull Lake’s Dominic
Roudabush streaking through
the center of Thornapple
Kellogg’s defensive third of
the field all alone and took
off himself. Jefferson nearly
chased him down before the
centering pass came in from
the left and Roudabush
ripped a shot at the Trojan
net.
Trojan keeper Daniel
Beyer dove to his left and
knocked the shot away, only
to see the ball end up on the
foot of another Blue Devil,
Ethan Carr, who fired it into
the open net.
The Trojans weren’t try-
ing to preserve a lead, or
even really keep their hopes
of winning alive. Carr’s goal
was the seventh of the day
for the top ranked, defend-
ing state champions from
Gull Lake. The Blue Devils
added one more moments
later to finish off an 8-0 vic-
tory over the 11th-ranked
Thornapple Kellogg varsity
boys’ soccer team in the
MHSAA Division 2 District
Final at Gull Lake High
School Saturday.
The now 20-1-1 Blue
Devils defeated Holland, the
tenth-ranked team in D2, 1-
in the Division 2 Regional
Semifinals hosted by Otsego
Tuesday and then No. 2 St.
Joseph team in the regional
final Thursday. The Blue
Devils will face Grand
Rapids Christian in the state
semifinals Nov. 3.
Gull Lake’s only defeat
this season came against St.
Joseph. St. Joseph’s only
losses this season came
against Gull Lake. It should
be quite the grudge match
with the regional title on the
line back in Otsego tonight
(Oct. 28).
TK concludes its season
with a record of 16-4-2.
The Blue Devils built a
3-0 lead in the first half
against the TK boys
Saturday, and the goals
came fast and furious in the
middle of the second half
ending the game with 21
minutes and 38 seconds still
left on the clock.
The Blue Devils’ all-state
duo of senior forward Tyler
Corstange and senior mid-
fielder AJ Boucher was out-
standing, and had a lot ofassistance. Corstange had
four goals and an assist.
Boucher had a goal and
assisted on two of Corstange’s
goals.
Roudabush also scored a
second half goal, off an
assist from Corstange.
Tariku Klipsch notched an
assist on the opening goal of
the game.
Beyer, the Trojans’ senior
keeper charged off his line to
thwart a few Blue Devil
breakaway chances and
knocked more than a couple
balls away from the framebehind him. He had little
chance of saving any of the
eight well-placed shots that
did get past him.
A Trojan mistake near the
left side line, lead to
Corstange charging into the
box for a one and one shot
less than four minutes into
the contest. He buried it
inside the right post on the
far side. The second goal
lake goal came in the 18
minute. Boucher raced up
the right side with the ball,
cut in a bit and from a tough
angle took the low hardshot or just inside the left
post on the far side in that
direction.
Those two teamed up on
their teams third goal of the
first half. A Trojan turnover
at midfield lead to Boucher
rolling a ball gently forward
for Corstange. Christine
blew through the Trojan back
line, managed to get around
Beyer and tapped the ball
into the open net.
Gull Lake keeper Evan
Kaiser rarely had to handle
the ball. Nacho Hervas put a
25-yard shot at Kaiser in the23rd minute of play. The
Trojans only other shot of
note came from Reece
Hoeksma with a minute and
a half to go in the first half.
Kaiser did bobble the low
hard shot, but TK didn’t have
anyone there to add any pres-
sure to the situation.
The Trojans scrambled to
get a corner kick off in the
final ten seconds of the first
half, but nothing threatening
came out of it.
The Blue Devils have yet
to allow a goal in the state
tournament.Thornapple Kellogg’s Nacho Hervas fights to try and keep his footing in front of Gull Lake’s Isaac Lapekas in the offensive end during
the Division 2 District Final at Gull Lake High School Saturday. (Photo by Brett Bremer)Thornapple Kellogg senior Carson Woods looks to
get a pass ahead during the second half of the
Trojans’ loss to Gull Lake in the Division 2 District
Final in Richland Saturday. (Photo by Brett Bremer)
TK senior Alex Harrington looks to start the attack
for the Trojans during the second half of their loss to
Gull Lake in the Division 2 District Final in Richland
Saturday. (Photo by Brett Bremer)Gull Lake’s Tariku Klipsch goes over Thornapple
Kellogg’s Gabriel Lajoye to try and get to a ball in the
midfield during the district final in Richland Saturday.
(Photo by Brett Bremer)