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NILES — It is not every day when a defending state champion meets a state-runner up finisher in the first round of the postseason, and yet, that is exactly what happened Friday when Zeeland West faced Niles in Division 3 pre-district play.

The 2024 Division 4 runner-up Vikings turned the ball over four times and allowed 16 fourth quarter points from the defending Division 3 champs en route to a 30-21 loss in a Halloween showdown at Viking Stadium.

“I told the team only one team escapes this thing alive, so everybody loses somewhere,” said Niles Coach Scot Shaw. “I think if we take away a couple of mistakes, we had a chance. We hurt ourselves with those mistakes.”

After taking a 7-0 lead on a 7-yard Elijah Norris run and Ben Bruckner extra point, the Vikings (9-1) appeared to be driving toward another score when a Will Turnbull pass was intercepted by Logan Nash and gave the Dux (7-3) some momentum.

Zeeland West, the defending Division 3 state champion, marched down the field, using up the remainder of the first quarter and nearly four minutes of the second quarter before scoring on a 7-yard Brandon Holman run with 8:17 left in the first half to take an 8-7 lead following a two-point conversion.

“They were rolling their safeties and I think if the safety from the other side hadn’t dropped, Brenden would’ve been in a better position to go get the ball, but they’re good. Their defensive backs have been very good all year… You can’t recover from mistakes like that against a good team.”

On the ensuing kickoff, a Niles fumble was recovered by the Dux on the Niles 45-yard line. The Dux advanced to the Niles 22-yard line before the Vikings defense bowed up and forced a turnover on downs. The momentum the defense generated carried over to the offense, who capped an 8-play, 72-yard scoring drive with a 1-yard Norris touchdown. Norris’ successful two-point conversion allowed the Vikings to take a 15-8 lead with 2:05 left in a half. The Vikings would have one more shot at points before a Turnbull pass was intercepted just before halftime.

The Dux received the ball to start the second half. Holman found the end zone on a touchdown drive that ate 7:10 off the clock but a failed two-point try meant the Vikings retained its lead at 15-14 with 5:50 left in the third quarter.

The Vikings would answer right back with a touchdown drive of its own, capped by a 3-yard Brandon Walsh run to go up 21-14 with 1:05 left in the third. The Vikings opted to go for two and were unsuccessful but an offsides penalty called on Zeeland West gave the Vikings another chance. Niles went for two a second time but the run was stuffed short of the goal line.

Zeeland West had an answer on its next possession, this time through the air as the Dux caught the Niles defense off guard with a 42-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Parker Albrecht to Marshall Johnson. The Dux went for two and Albrecht found Holman on a conversion pass to give the Dux a 22-21 lead with 10:09 in the fourth.

The Vikings would not get a chance to immediately respond, as a fumble on the ensuing kickoff was recovered by the Dux. The Vikings defense would hold with a Brandon Hamilton stop on fourth down but a three-and-out gave the ball back to the Dux, who finished off an eight-play drive with a Jonah Leslie touchdown to put the Dux up 28-21. Holman converted the two-point conversion run to bring the game to its final score.

“Offensively, we played pretty well,” Shaw said. “Defensively, we played well early. They don’t lose many football games. They’ve established themselves as being very big and coming off the ball well. It’s a shame that two teams that played on Thanksgiving weekend last year have to meet in the first round of the playoffs this year. It’s an even bigger shame we couldn’t get it done.”

A lasting legacy

The pomp and circumstance that usually follows Vikings home games was nowhere to be found, instead replaced with a bittersweet farewell to the most successful senior class in Niles football history.

The Class of 2026 concludes its football story with the most wins in program history (37), the first 9-0 season since 1979, three consecutive Wolverine Conference championships, two district championships, one regional championship and a state runner-up finish.

After addressing the team after the game, Shaw embraced each senior individuality, thanking them for their roles in transforming the Vikings program into one of Southwest Michigan’s best.

“Last year’s seniors and this year’s seniors were very important parts of it,” Shaw said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve played a game without Brandon Hamilton and Chase Chase Brawley out there. We had a lot of guys contribute over the years and just their leadership… Our young kids really got to step up because those two are exceptional leaders for sure and a lot of our other senior class members turned into great leaders as well.”

While the 2026 class will be tough to replace, Shaw is confident in the talent and skill returning next year, which includes players like Will Turnbull, Brogan Lake, Max Rucker, Brandon Walsh, Bryce Zache, Vaughn Asmus and Ben Bruckner.

“We have a lot coming back,” Shaw said. “We have a lot of guys who can play football. We don’t have a lot of guys with varsity experience, but [Turnbull] has improved immensely since the beginning of the season. That’s what I’m most excited about, coming into next year having an experienced quarterback. This was a huge game and he played pretty well.

It’s also important that all those kids coming back – the sophomores and juniors we’re counting on – get in the weight room and keep this thing going. It’s up to them now.”