Game Leaders
Team Stats
Passing Yards
Rushing Yards
Turnovers
Time of Poss.
Three Chris Leigh touchdown runs and a seven-sack performance powered the Hope College football team to its first win of the season. The Flying Dutchmen defeated Concordia, Wisconsin 48-13 in the MIAA-NACC Challenge Series on Saturday in front of a Smith Stadium crowd of 1,374.
Hope (1-2) never trailed after grabbing a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. The Flying Dutchmen surpassed their combined total of 26 points the first two weeks of the season.
Leigh scored on first-quarter runs of 10 and 6 yards, then added a 3-yard score during the third quarter. The sophomore running back from Lake Orion, Michigan (Lake Orion HS), finished with 82 yards rushing on 17 carries.
Senior fullback Jared Ropp of Kalamazoo, Michigan (Mattawan HS), ripped off his first career touchdown with a 21-yard run during the first quarter.
Senior quarterback Rob Kish of Grosse Pointe, Michigan (Grosse Pointe HS), threw for a career-high 305 yards and two touchdowns. He passed his previous best of 297 yards against Kalamazoo last season.
Senior receiver Matt Kroll of Grand Haven, Michigan (Grand Haven HS), collected a career-high 11 receptions for 138 yards and a 9-yard touchdown. It was his fourth career 100-yard game.
Senior tight end Kody Alber of Grand Rapids, Michigan (Northview HS), hauled in a 14-yard catch for his first touchdown of the season.
Junior running back Zac Boersema of Holland, Michigan (West Ottawa HS), added a 2-yard score for his first touchdown of the season.
Sophomore linebacker Jacob Pardonnet of Brighton, Michigan (Brighton HS), led Hope's season-high seven-sack game with three. He is the first Hope player since Greg Bird in 2011 with three sacks during a game. Pardonnet also had a team-high 10 tackles.
Senior defensive end Stephen Gerger of Laingsburg, Michigan (Laingsburg HS), recorded two sacks, while junior defensive back Andy Lucas of McBain, Michigan (McBain HS), and junior linebacker Aaron O'Meara of Wyandotte, Michigan (Theodore Roosevelt HS), each had one.
The Flying Dutchmen intercepted two passes. It was the first career pick for junior defensive back Kirk Gibson of Scotts, Michigan (Climax-Scotts HS), and sophomore defensive back Kimani Dooley of Detroit, Michigan (Clarenceville HS).
Hope returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 3 when the Flying Dutchmen host 3-0 Albion for the MIAA opener.