Best Returners and Biggest Shoes to Fill in the OK-Gold

The OK Conference has a completely new look, and the Gold League is one of the most intriguing leagues. This reshaped league now houses many of the best programs West Michigan has to offer. Forest Hills Central, South Chrisitan, Unity Chrisitan, and Zeeland West are all consistent state championship contenders. Other teams like Zeeland East and Wyoming are looking to get back to prominence, and playing in this league should give them the experience to do so. Now, here are the best graduating and returning players in the Gold!   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Forest Hills Central</h2>   Best Returner - WR [player_tooltip player_id='602265' first='Brendan' last='Cargill']   FHC is losing a significant amount of their playmakers on both sides of the ball. With a lot of younger players getting set to play significant roles, Brendan has an excellent opportunity to take off as the #1 offensive weapon next season. With a stacked group of players in 2023, Brendan got his share of touches and performed very well against a tough schedule. In 2024, he's a breakout candidate.   Shoes to Fill - S [player_tooltip player_id='251945' first='Ty' last='Hudkins']   FHC loses a ton of key pieces. Although I think Ty is the biggest piece, [player_tooltip player_id='602270' first='Maxwell' last='Richardson'] reclassified to 2024, starting RB/LB [player_tooltip player_id='253230' first='JT' last='Hartman'] is graduating, and their long-time head coach has retired. Ty specifically brought a ton of passion and leadership to the defense. Especially during his senior season, I could tell that the team really rallied around his energy. The hard-hitting and speedy safety is off to Purdue for what I think will be an amazing collegiate career.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">South Christian </h2>   Best Returner - QB [player_tooltip player_id='1290463' first='Carson' last='Vis']   [player_tooltip player_id='1290463' first='Carson' last='Vis'] returning further extends their state championship window. I was honestly not expecting South Christian to even sniff Ford Field, but they proved me wrong as they marched all the way to the State Championship and nearly won it. So much of why South Christian was so successful was the play of Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1290463' first='Carson' last='Vis']. I don't think he's an elite passer, but he's one of those guys who knows how to make plays. He's a playmaker and has that clutch gene that is extremely rare in high school sports.   Shoes to Fill - WR [player_tooltip player_id='610770' first='Jake' last='Vermaas']   Vermaas heads to GV, and all the sudden South Chrisitan is without an elite offensive weapon. Jake has consistently been one of if not the best receiver in the Grand Rapids area. He was a guy you could throw it up to when you needed a big play, and you never knew when he was going to take off for 200+ yards in a game. I have no doubt that South Chrisitan has some good young players ready to that next step, but losing Jake will undoubtedly hurt.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Unity Christian </h2>   Best Returner - [player_tooltip player_id='602179' first='Nolan' last='Vis']   Nolan is a straight-up baller and an elite high school football player. He's unrelenting. At the linebacker position, Nolan is very quick to react and is not afraid to engage in contact. As a running back, he's just as physical and always does his best to keep his feet moving.   Shoes to Fill - ???   I don't doubt that UC has graduating seniors who played big roles on this team, but none that I am familiar with. This isn't a bad thing, as this means plenty of younger players will be retaining starting positions. I feel that it's only a matter of time before Unity Christian is an elite playoff team again.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Wyoming</h2>   Best Returner - T [player_tooltip player_id='899502' first='Jackson' last='Lamrouex']   Any team would love a big 6'3" mauler to run behind. Jackson isn't the most polished offensive line prospect yet, but he's a very high-effort player who seems to have that mentality needed to play offensive line. If Jackson spends time working on his craft this offseason, he could be a dominant offensive lineman.   Shoes to Fill - RB/DB Nasir Purnell   Losing your starting running back is always going to be tough. I love how hard Nasir ran every single play, and he didn't waste any time moving laterally. He was a pure north-south runner and an explosive one at that. As a defensive back, I was impressed by his run-stopping ability.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Zeeland East</h2>   Best Returner - RB Jack Kamphuis   This is a bit of a shot in the dark because I don't know many Zeeland East players- But Jack looks like a promising running back. Last season, he looked like a good north-south runner with decent speed and agility. If Zeeland East wants to make a run, Jack will have to have a breakout season.   Shoes to Fill - LB/TE [player_tooltip player_id='652817' first='Gabe' last='Amid']   Gabe is the definition of a locker-room guy. He's a dude who always had a huge smile on his face, talked to everyone, and seems to be a guy anyone would want to play with. Not only that- but Gabe was an extremely high-effort player. His athletic ability had a little to be desired, but his effort could rarely be matched. This past season he also spent a lot of time on offense, and he showed some flashes there. Gabe will have a phenomenal career at Calvin, no doubt about it.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Zeeland West</h2>   Best Returner - RB/S [player_tooltip player_id='899626' first='Trey' last='Sloothaak']   Zeeland West is one of those teams that rarely seems to have superstars, but they play phenomenal team football. Trey is undoubtedly a leader on this team. An all-state player last season, Trey was able to put up insane tackling numbers as a safety- and that's thanks to his stellar reaction time and willingness to get his nose dirty in the run game. As a running back, there's no doubt he'll continue to be leaned on and he may be West's rushing leader in 2024.   Shoes to Fill - RB [player_tooltip player_id='554672' first='Parker' last='Holman']   Parker was one of the best running backs in West Michigan. This dude is known for explosive plays. He's very quick to reach top speed, and he has the explosiveness to launch himself out of the backfield and into the secondary within a few seconds. I've also seen flashes of great athleticism, and if he can hone that ability, he could be a great Division 2 running back. Hopefully, the ACL recovery is going well, and he'll be able to make a name for himself at the next level.

The OK Conference has a completely new look, and the Gold League is one of the most intriguing leagues. This reshaped league now houses many of the best programs West Michigan has to offer. Forest Hills Central, South Chrisitan, Unity Chrisitan, and Zeeland West are all consistent state championship contenders. Other teams like Zeeland East and Wyoming are looking to get back to prominence, and playing in this league should give them the experience to do so. Now, here are the best graduating and returning players in the Gold!