There was little time spent celebrating the school’s first Kalamazoo Valley Association football championship. The Olivet varsity football team has bigger goals ahead.
That, however, doesn’t diminish what the team accomplished in the regular season. Olivet defeated Delton Friday, Oct. 25, wrapping up a share of the team’s first KVA championship.
“It means a lot to our kids to have won a KVA championship,” said coach Gabe Priddy. “Our kids understand what a special season this has been, not just because of winning a league title, but because of the closeness that our seniors have with one another. They are great leaders for our younger players and have prepared very hard to be successful.”
The seniors will lead the way in the playoffs as Olivet was scheduled to travel to Hopkins for a 7 p.m. game on Friday, Nov. 1. Priddy said the Eagles are fairly familiar with Hopkins, playing them on a semi-regular basis since the mid 1990s.
“There have been many outstanding games with Hopkins,” he said. “They have a great program that has been very successful for a long time. They run an offense that we have seen four times this year, so we are very familiar with it.”
He said he’s been pleased with the team’s preparation heading into the game.
“Our kids have been very focused this week,” Priddy said. “We have had good practices and they are excited to continue the Olivet Football tradition of playoff football.”
The Eagles finished the season with an 8-1 record. Hopkins headed into the game with a 7-2 record, but more playoff points than Olivet, which led to them hosting the playoff game.
