St. Joseph’s playoff run came to an end Friday night as Zeeland West used its trademark Wing-T offense to roll up 340 rushing yards and pull away for a 48–24 win in the Division 3 district final at Dickinson Stadium. The Dux struck first late in the opening quarter on a 3-yard touchdown pass from Drew Albrecht to Brandon Holman for an 8–0 lead, then extended it early in the second with a 57-yard Albrecht-to-Holman connection. Down 16–0, the Bears found life midway through the quarter when Ish Dixon capped a 58-yard drive with a 7-yard touchdown run and Jace Hopkins added the conversion to make it 16–8. After West answered with a 1-yard run from Holman, Dixon scored again just before halftime from a yard out and Caden LeClear’s conversion brought St. Joe within 22–16 at the break.
The Bears carried that momentum into the third quarter, marching 65 yards on 10 plays and pulling within 30–24 after LeClear’s 12-yard touchdown run and a Dixon conversion. But Zeeland West’s backfield depth and physical Wing-T rushing attack began to take control. Holman scored his third touchdown of the night on a 10-yard run earlier in the third, then Albrecht broke loose for a 17-yard scoring run early in the fourth to push the Dux advantage to 36–24. From there, Zeeland West continued to wear down St. Joe’s defense, with Holman adding a 55-yard touchdown run and Austin Ulberg closing the scoring on a 1-yard plunge to make it 48–24.
Dixon led the Bears with 81 yards rushing and two touchdowns, while LeClear added 63 yards on the ground and 96 through the air, connecting with Nate Schmitt and James Atterbery for key gains. Malone chipped in 58 yards rushing, helping St. Joe total 301 yards of offense on 67 plays. Defensively, Isaac Codde led the Bears with 13 tackles, while Schmitt added nine.
St. Joseph closed its season 6–5 with a strong showing in its eleventh straight playoff appearance. The Bears battled back from an early deficit, executed several long scoring drives, and showed resilience against one of West Michigan’s most disciplined programs. Though Zeeland West (8–3) advanced behind six total touchdowns — two through the air and four on the ground — St. Joe’s effort reflected the toughness and improvement that defined its 2025 campaign.
