Three years ago this week, the high school sports world stopped

Zeeland East’s Trip Riemersma makes a pass during a game with Zeeland West in 2019. Zeeland East was 16-6 and was supposed to play in the district finals. But it never happened. (Photo | Lenny Padilla)

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Three years ago this week, the world came to a screeching halt. 

And so did every sporting event.

We were confused. We were scared. What is this invisible virus that the NBA player Rudy Gobert got? Is Tom Hanks going to die?

I remember covering the Division 1 boys high school basketball districts at Holland High School for the Holland Sentinel newspaper. Upstart Zeeland East was going to play Hudsonville in the district championship on Friday.

But it never happened. No district finals were played in the entire state.

The COVID scare shut things down.

At first, we thought “this will blow over and we will re-start the postseason in a few days or a week.”

A week turned into two years. 

Do you remember where you were? Was how was your high school basketball team affected?

I always wonder who would have won the game between Zeeland East, who was 16-6 at the time and Hudsonville, who might have been the best team in West Michigan at the time with a 20-2 record. 

Trip Riemersma was a junior on that Zeeland East team.

“When the news hit on like a Thursday after school,” he recalled. “I was talking to our trainer like how this might affect school. He was working on my ankle and I got a message on my phone that said the MHSAA cancelled the remainder of the season. I was heartbroken. Because I knew we had a shot to win a district title.”

The Chix would get that district title the following year. 

Hudsonville senior Max Perez dribbles against West Ottawa during a game in 2019. His Eagles were 20-2 when the season ended. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).

Hudsonville was dominant that year. They Eagles had a starting lineup of Max Perez, A.J. Davis, Jack Joldersma, Justin DeGraaf and Johnny Miller. They beat West Ottawa 52-40 in the district semifinal to advance. Unfortunately, it would be the final high school game for all of those seniors.

Zeeland East was coming off a poor season but a corp group of juniors boosted them to a 16-win season. They started Ethan Houghtaling, Adam Cassel, Nate Claerbaut, Brandon Claerbaut and Riemersma, all of which are playing college sports right now. The Chix beat Jenison 52-40 in the district semifinals.

How does Riemersma think the game against Hudsonville would have gone?

“They were older and had some good players,” Riemersma said of Hudsonville. “They had Stone Smeenge, Max Perez, Jack Joldersma … as a young team, we would have to had a lot of energy and I wouldn’t put it past us. We would have put up a good fight.” 

I still feel bad about all the teams around the state that never got to finish out the playoffs. I was joking at the time that those teams should be considered co-state champs. 

Let’s hope we only have four state champs this year. 

Zeeland East juniors, from left, Ethan Houghtaling, Trip Riemersma, Brandon Claerbaut, Adam Cassel and Nathan Claerbaut, huddle up before a game in 2019. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).