Unity Christian falls just short of state championship 23-22

DETROIT — Hudsonville Unity Christian fell short in its quest for a state championship Saturday afternoon, falling to Dearborn Divine Child 23-22.

The Crusaders had an opportunity to win the game with a 2-point conversion, but the attempt was unsuccessful — clinching the championship for the Falcons.

The Crusaders scored first in the second quarter on a 5-yard touchdown run by Jared DeVries, who then ran for a 2-point conversion to give Unity Christian the lead, 8-0.

Divine Child answered soon after with a rushing touchdown and 2-point conversion of their own to tie the score at 8-8. With under a minute to go in the half, Divine Child scored a touchdown and made an extra point — taking a 15-8 lead into the half. 

Unity Christian's Justin Febus scored a touchdown and got the 2-point conversion to take a 16-15 lead.

However, the Falcons scored in the fourth quarter and converted their own 2-point conversion to take a 23-16 lead.

Not to be outdone, the Crusaders drove down the field and scored on a 2-yard rush from Lucas Elliott, setting up a chance to tie the game with an extra point or take the lead with a 2-point conversion.

The Crusaders chose to go for the lead, but came up short.

The Crusaders had one more chance at the championship with a fumble recovery by Joshua Bremmer late in the game. The Falcons, however, forced a turnover on downs to hold onto the lead and secure the Division 4 Championship. 

Unity Christian finished a great season with a 12-2 overall record.