OK-Green Postseason Review
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The Ottawa-Kent Green league is one of the most entertaining and provides some of the best talents in the OK Conference. This league consists of multiple state-championship contenders with a few teams on a quick rise. Interestingly, I could see…
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Continue ReadingThe Ottawa-Kent Green league is one of the most entertaining and provides some of the best talents in the OK Conference. This league consists of multiple state-championship contenders with a few teams on a quick rise. Interestingly, I could see this league becoming a very balanced 5-6 team race in a few years (vs the 3-team race we have now). This article will simply review the season for all OK-Green teams, mention some of their setpieces, and discuss the road ahead.
Standings
Muskegon 11-1 (5-1), State Finalist
Zeeland West 10-2 (5-1) District Champion
Mona Shores 8-3 (5-1) District Runner-up
Reeths-Puffer 6-4 (3-3) Pre-Districts
Zeeland East 3-6 (2-4)
Union 4-5 (1-5)
Wyoming 0-9 (0-6)
Holland (FF Season)
Team Breakdown
Muskegon
When I went to Seaholm, we all looked up to The Big Reds. During veer camp, all our linemen were encouraged to face off against the mighty Big Reds, and admittedly, many of us were intimidated. Point being, Muskegon is amongst the most respected programs in the state, and their State Championship appearance this season backs it up. Additionally, this is a team with immense talent. There are a few players I’m quite high on that other publications don’t seem to like as much, and vice-versa. This all sets up a very unique predicament I find myself in, therefore demanding I watch multiple Muskegon games to truly evaluate their talent, which I will sometime this month. Next season, this team will likely be the championship favorite if they’re in Division 3. Now, here are a few significant returners.
QB | M’khi Guy M’khi Guy 5'7" | 165 lbs | ATH Muskegon | 2024 State MI | 5’9, 155 | 2024
Guy is an electric athlete with an incredibly high drive. This a special player who is a higher-end High School QB, but he’ll struggle to find college QB offers with his size and play style. Anyway, he’s the centerpiece for the amazing Big Red offense, and he’s blazing fast + incredibly shifty in the open field. Rushing for 135 yards and 2 TDs in the State Championship should tell you all you need to know. Development as a passer would improve his game, but the Muskegon offense is just fine the way Guy is.
G | Miguel Botello Miguel Botello 6'4" | 300 lbs | OL Muskegon | 2024 State MI | 6’4, 300 | 2024
On an elite offensive line, I’ve been most impressed by Botello, yet he’s been left off all-state, all-region, and all-league teams, which puzzles me. From the plays in the state final where I specifically watched Botello, he played great. In addition, I think #77 has the most potential out of any Big Reds Lineman. I’ll be watching multiple games where I’ll have a close eye on Miguel. He loves contact, can move well for his size, and has a great connection with the offense as a whole.
DL/WR | Stanley Cunningman | 6’5, 190 | 2024
I didn’t know about Cunningham before the state title game. But under the bright lights, he totaled six tackles and two sacks. As a possible two-way player, Cunningham will be a major piece for Muskegon, and I’d love to see him have a great offseason in order to become more dominant. This kid has potential!
Zeeland West
The Dux had a great season, and if they had beaten Muskegon in the playoffs, they very likely would have made it to the state championship. This was a team full of returners and senior playmakers. This team was also built off athleticism and speed, which I expect they’ll lose a good amount of come next season. Zeeland West is always a team with a smaller online presence, but I’ll do my best to highlight some returners. Without a doubt, Zeeland West will be expected to compete for an OK-Green title once more.
RB/DB | Parker Holman | 5’7, 160 | 2024
Holman is a great athlete who balled out this season. At the midseason mark, he had over 600 yards plus 10 touchdowns. He’s a great return man, lethal in the open field, and has excellent acceleration. In the Wing T offense, he’s an incredible option. He’ll be back next season, and I’m looking forward to seeing what he does!
DE | Brody Semeyers | 6’1, 180 | 2025
Semeyers is as good as they come for his size and position. His main draw is his run-stopping ability and his IQ that allows him to make great plays on QB options. I don’t think he’s quite elite at pass rush or overall block-shedding just yet, but an extremely productive offseason will raise his game to profound heights. Over the next two seasons, Semeyes could be a household name if he works hard enough.
Mona Shores
The Sailors had a great regular season, but their loss to Forest Hills Central in the district round proved to be disappointing. Still, FHC went on to become the state runners-up, but this season had higher expectations for Mona Shores. This is a team that dominated Rockford for 3 quarters and won against Zeeland West by a whopping 4 touchdowns, but they couldn’t get it done when it mattered most against rival Muskegon then in the playoffs. Moving forward, this team has a lot of 2023 guys they’ll sorely miss. Here are a few players that will play a larger role next season.
QB | Jonathan Pittman | 6’1, 205 | 2025
Pittman will likely be the Sailors QB for the next two seasons. Now, I wasn’t very impressed by Pittman when I watched him against Rockford. He had a few good passes and a couple of runs, but he did miss some throws. But as the season went on, Pittman eased into his role and played at a higher level. His end-of-season stats are awesome, with 1,421 pass yards on 69% completion and an 18-4 TD/INT ratio. So yeah, Pittman has a lot of potential. I’m curious to see how he’ll do with some of the bigger playmakers set to graduate. I truly hope that he has an amazing offseason so he can improve as much as he possibly can come next season. He’ll surely be included in the updated 2025 rankings coming out at the tail end of this month.
LB/WR | Micah Carefelle | 5’10, 175 | 2025
Micah is a great emerging talent and a force on the defensive side of the ball. Defensively, he attacks the ball and is a TFL machine. I love his reaction, attack, and sound tackling. There are fewer offensive highlights, but his offensive highlights show flashes of what he’s able to do in space. I expect a much larger role for Carefelle next season, and I hope he can rise to the occasion.
Reeths-Puffer
The Cody Kater era at RP is off to a great start. During their first 6 games, the Rockets went 5-1, and overall didn’t perform bad against the best in this league. They lost by 1 score against Muskegon, 2 scores against Mona Shores, and 3 scores against Zeeland West. Plus, those were their only three regular-season losses. They ran into a buzzsaw playing FHC in round 1 of the playoffs, but I think they’d beat a lot of D2 playoff teams. The future seems bright, and The Rockets have a good amount of returning talent.
RB | Brody Johnson Brody Johnson 5'10" | 195 lbs | RB RP | 2024 State MI | 5’9, 190 | 2024
Brody totaled just over 100 yards rushing this season, and he had 16 touchdowns. Now a bad year at all! Josh Vandyke from MLive named him on the 2nd-team Dream Team Muskegon-area Offense, and I’d have to agree. He’s the 2nd-best RB in Muskegon, and he’s above-average in all areas. When I saw him against Union, he ran like a truck and was great at fighting for extra yards. With a great offseason… Look out!
LB | Caiden Bolduc | 6’0, 185 | 2024
Bolduc totaled 41 tackles in 2021, then 128 tackles this season. To say he’s improved over the past year is an understatement. I love how his game has improved, and I love how he attacks. Truly, this is one of the best linebackers in the OK-Green. It seems like he had a good offseason last year, and he may get some college offers if he works his tail off this winter.
Zeeland East
It’s hard to place where this Zeeland East program is headed. There’s no doubt that East isn’t as good as their high points over the past decade, but that doesn’t mean they can’t get there. The fact that their former head coach, Derek Pennington, just made it to Ford Field with Caledonia stings, but they need to move forward from that. I’m not sure what this program needs to do, but they must change in order to compete for a title. Here are a few players that could make things happen.
LB Gabriel Amid | 6’0 185 | 2024
Amid is a good linebacker, and he’s able to stop the run well. He gets low on his tackles and generally doesn’t miss a beat in his run fits. There are some points where he waits a tad before he attacks, but that is fixable. He should keep grinding, and keep preparing for an exceptional senior season.
Union
This is an interesting team that seems to be headed in the right direction. Without a doubt, they have a better trajectory than they have at any time in the 2000’s, but the question is how far can this program go, and how long will it take them to get there? This team had some flashes, winning their first 3 games, losing on a questionable call against Reeths-Puffer, then they went on to lose out (other than a FF vs. Holland). I don’t know what to expect from this team since their electric QB and other setpieces are graduating. Here are a few players to keep an eye on.
IOL | Syncere Hobson Syncere Hobson 6'2" | 260 lbs | OL Grand Rapids Union | 2026 MI | 6’2, 270 | 2025
Syncere has an incredible ceiling, and he’s being pushed hard to reach that ceiling. I could see him being a D2/D1 player when it’s all said and done, and he played very well this season. Generally, he needs to continue focusing on technique, and he needs to try and find some off-season competition, which I know is harder to find for an O Lineman in West Michigan. He is a cornerstone piece for this team.
QB | Grayson Fellows | 5’10, 145 | 2027
Perhaps it’s premature to call out a 2027 player for being a difference-maker, but Grayson Fellows looks to be the future of this program and looks to be in line to start during his freshman season. I’ve seen a good amount of practice/7on7 stuff from Grayson, and I know he’s working his tail off in order to achieve his potential. He could be a great pro-style QB, and he could earn some college offers earlier in his High School career.
Wyoming / Holland
These two programs need to make changes in order to compete with the rest of the OK-Green. Straight-up, these two programs are not looking good. Wyoming didn’t win a game this season, while Holland forfeit their season after four games. These teams need a program-changing boost one way or another.