Zeeland East Welcomes Adrian Nichols as Varsity Sideline and Competitive Cheer Coach

Zeeland East is excited to announce that Adrian Nichols has accepted the role of Varsity Sideline and Competitive Cheer Coach! She takes over the program from Isabel Withrow, who has faithfully led the team for the past two years.

Coach Nichols brings a wealth of experience to Zeeland East. She served as the head coach at Hamilton from 2017 to 2020, where she helped lead the competitive cheer team to its first-ever regional appearance in 2018, followed by another regional appearance in 2019. She then took over the program at Thornapple Kellogg, guiding their program from 2020 to 2023. Under her leadership, the Trojans captured a conference and district title and finished fifth in the state in 2023. That same year, Coach Nichols was honored as the District Coach of the Year. Most recently, she contributed to the Hartland and Northview cheer programs as an assistant coach.

Beyond coaching, Coach Nichols is a registered MHSAA official and a mentor within the state cheer coaches association.  As a board member of cheer state coaches association (CCCAM), she also serves as the Scholarship Invitational Director.  

She and her family—husband Alex and twin daughters—live in Grandville and are eager to invest in the Zeeland East community.

Throughout the interview process, it was clear that Coach Nichols has the experience, integrity, and vision to elevate our cheer program. We are thrilled to have her lead and develop our student-athletes!

Coach Nichols shared her excitement about joining Zeeland East:
 "I’m excited to continue my coaching career at Zeeland East! My goal is to build a program that competes with the best in West Michigan, fosters a fierce team culture, and makes this program legendary. Let’s go, EAST!!"

Coach Nichols is eager to meet Zeeland East Cheer student-athletes and families.  There will be a meeting for student-athletes and families on April 16th at 6:00 in the back of the Zeeland East Cafeteria.   

GO CHIX!

Boys Varsity Baseball vs. Hamilton Community Schools

Zeeland East hosted Hamilton for an OK Black conference double-header on Tuesday.  The teams ended with a split with Hamilton winning game one by a score of 8-6 and Zeeland East winning game two by a score of 2-1.In game one, the Chix were down early 8-1 after some timely hits by Hamilton and some unfortunate errors in the field by Zeeland East.  The Chix rallied back in the 5th inning, scoring 5 runs to narrow the gap to a score of 8-6.  The Chix couldn't get any more runs across in the 6th or 7th in the defeat.  Caden Hunderman was spectacular in relief for the Chix.  Hunderman went 3 and ⅓ innings allowing just one run on 4 hits while striking out 3.Offensively, Mason Raade had two hits and an RBI for the Chix, while Peyton Davis had a big 2 RBI single late in the game.  Quincy Thome scored two runs and Max Mulder added an RBI double.In game two, Derek Baxter recorded the win on the mound.  Baxter went 5 innings, scattering 3 hits and allowing just

Varsity Golf Finishes 7th at Holland Jamboree

On Friday, May 9, the Varsity Chix golf team worked deliberately and placed 7th in their final home match of the season at Winding Creek. Schools competing in this match were Hamilton, Holland, Holland Christian, Spring Lake, Unity Christian, and Zeeland West. After the hard-fought match, Coach Doug Komejan said, “A lot of these seniors, it was their last home match of their career, so it was a lot of fun. We saw some awesome birdies out there, a lot of great shots. We're trying to just get better every day.” Sr. Kolton Gentry 41Sr. Tanner Treacy 43Fr. Reid Blondin 46Sr. Andy Johnson 49Sr Grady VanDyke 51Sr. Tate Salas 58 After Sr. Kolton Gentry’s nifty performance, Gentry stated, “solid round all together. I had plenty of shots that I was proud of. Overall, I am happy with my score.”

Zeeland East Chix Dominate Both Sides of the Diamond

The East baseball boys played against the Unity Christian Crusaders and won with a score of 4 - 0 at home on Thursday, May 8. When asked about their game, Head Coach Matt Sattler mentioned that “it was a beautiful game from top to bottom, Soph. Mason Raade threw a bunch of strikes. We made zero errors, and we just ate up every ground ball and fly ball, which is all a recipe for a win, great job by all of our guys.” Jr. Derek Baxter said, “I think we came out really hot, our offense and defense flowed phenomenally, played sound hitting, defense was awesome, very few mistakes if any at all, just a great effort.” Jr. Ryan Kuzma went 3 and 3 with 1 homerun in the fifth inning. With zero mistakes on both sides of the ball, the Chix were able to put down the Crusaders and take the series win. 

Girls Varsity Tennis vs. Holland High School

Zeeland East Girls Tennis takes secondWith a third place finish in conference league play and a tie for second in yesterday's conference tournament, The Chix overtook climbed into second overall in the OK Black conference.  Keeley Boerman and Kendyll Samora won the 1D flight championship.  Sisters ThyAn Kleikamp (3S) and Trinh Kleikamp (4S) took runners-up awards, losing in the final.  Mahalia and Elizabeth Rogovich lost a heartbreaker in the semi's, but rebounded by beating Holland in the 3rd place match. The Chix travel to South Christian on Tuesday and to Byron Center for Regional play on Wednesday.   

Zeeland East Track Girls Take Down Holland in Blowout Victory

Jr. Meredith Cook, Sr. Emma Drnek, and Sr. Kat Wilson each ran personal records to help drive the team to win their 45th straight dual meet in a row. Cook placed first in the 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash by achieving a personal best time of 13.11 and 26.67 seconds respectively. Drnek earned a season-record time of 1:03.05 seconds to place first place in the 400-meter dash. Finally, Wilson achieved a personal best time in the 300-meter hurdles to place first with a time of 46.93 seconds.  Sr. Braylee Talley recaped the meet, saying, “It was a very laid-back meet because Holland isn’t a big competitor for our team. Nobody had too much pressure, which made it a good day to PR.”  Coach Josh Vork added, “Overall, the meet went great. We asked some of our more experienced athletes to do some different events than they're used to and relied on some of our younger ones to show up big and earn some points. Everyone did what we needed them to do and it was nice to wa

Boys Varsity Baseball vs. Unity Christian High School

Zeeland East hosted Unity Christian on Thursday to complete their OK Black series.  After winning two games on Tuesday, the Chix completed the sweep on Thursday winning by a score of 4-0.  Mason Raade pitched a complete game shutout in the victory.  Needing only 68 pitches in 7 innings of work, Raade allowed just two hits and struck out 4, walking none.  The defense was spectacular for Zeeland East, commiting no errors in the contest.Offensively, Ryan Kuzma led the way for Zeeland East.  Kuzma was 3 for 3 with a huge 2-run home run in the 5th inning to extend the lead.  Quincy Thome added another hit and a run, while Gavin Weighmink added an RBI.The Chix improved their overall record to 18-5 on the season and 12-3 in the OK Black.

Chix Bats Earn Them Sweep of Unity

Zeeland East Varsity baseball faced off in a doubleheader last night at Unity Christian. The boys narrowly secured their first win against the Crusaders 4-3, and took a safe lead in their second, ending with a score of 8-5.  Coach Matthew Sattler stated, “Quincy really brought it to the table in last night's games. He got two hits in our first game and three in our second. One of which was a double. He put two runs on the board in our second game and helped us take a lead on the Crusaders.”  Jr. Peyton Davis batted 4 for 4 in the first game, two of those hits were triples. Jr. Cam Jaworowski hit a bunt RBI and later on, landed on first base with a hit. The first game ended with 13 hits.  Sr Quincy Thome Commented, “We played really well in both games. Unity is a tough team, but we just kept battling until we came out on top. Max Mulder and Derek Baxter really helped us out from the mound.” Sr. Max Mulder pitched 6 and ⅔ innings, he struck out 9 Unity Chris

Varsity Golf Drops Non-Conference Match to Covenant Christian

The East Varsity Golf team narrowly lost to Covenant Christian on Tuesday at Winding Creek.  Scoring for the Chix were Reid Blondin, Tanner Treacy, Kolton Gentry, and Tate Salas.  The Chix will host a league jamboree on Friday at Winding Creek.  

Boys Varsity Baseball vs. Unity Christian High School

Zeeland East traveled to Unity Christian on Tuesday for an OK Black double-header.  The Chix won both games by scores of 4-3 and 8-5.In game one, Max Mulder hurled a gem, going 6 and ⅔ innings, striking out 9 and allowing 3 runs on 8 hits.  Quincy Thome finished the game with a one pitch save getting a ground out to shortstop Cam Jaworoski.Offensively the Chix tallied 13 hits.  Peyton Davis was 4 for 4 with two triples and an RBI.  Derek Baxter added an RBI double while Quincy Thome and Mason Raade each had two hits in the game.  Cam Jaworowski also chipped in with a single and a huge squeeze bunt RBI to add a run late in the game.In game two, Derek Baxter recorded the win on the mound.  Baxter went 5 innings scattering 5 hits and allowing 1 earned runs while striking out 6.  Gavin Weighmink was solid in relief pitching two innings and allowing one run on 4 hits.Offensively, Quincy Thome led the way with another 3-hit game (one double), two runs score

ZE Girls Tennis downs both St. Joseph and Thornapple Kellogg

The Chix beat St. Joseph in an exciting match that was determined by the team of Pippa Boerman and Olivia Grotenhuis.  After losing the first set, the team stormed back to take the second.  In the match tie break, The 3D team went down 6 to 3, got the score back to 7-6, went down 9-6 and came all the way back to beat St. Joseph 13-11.  Zeeland East - 5, St. Joseph - 3, Singles:No. 1 - Ellie Fischer, St. Joseph def. Anna Steenwyk, Zeeland East, 6-0 , 6-1 , --- ;No. 2 - Violet Waters, St. Joseph def. Kasey Fisher, Zeeland East, 6-3 , 6-1 , --- ;No. 3 - ThyAn Kleikamp , Zeeland East def. Bella Mandarino, St. Joseph, 7-5 , 6-0 , --- ;No. 4 - Trinh Kleikamp, Zeeland East def. Emma Shagen , St. Joseph, 6-3 , 6-1 , --- ;Doubles:No. 1 - Kendyll Samora, Zeeland East - Keeley Boerman, Zeeland East def. Charlotte Confer, St. Joseph - Amelie Beam, St. Joseph, 6-0 , 6-0 , -;No. 2 - Elizabeth Rogovich, Zeeland East - Mahalia Vis, Zeeland East def. Tania Singh, St. Joseph - Lainie

Zeeland Girls Lacrosse Controls Game vs. Kalamazoo 16-4

The Zeeland Girls' Lacrosse Team dominated Kalamazoo 16-4 in their game on Friday, May 2. Zeeland West Jr. Danica Knowlton said,” It was a good game. We worked very well together to get the win.” Leading the team statistically was Sr. Audrey Durham with 6 goals, Jr. Danica Knowlton with 2 assists, and Sr. Audrey Durham with 5 ground balls. At half-time, the girls were leading 9-1. Coach Brooke Vanderstelt stated,” We got a really good start early on with a few goes in the beginning. We kept playing strong throughout the game and had to play smart. We have a couple of things to work on and will continue to play well.”  The Birds held strong in offense and defense, leading to their dominating win. The Zeeland East Varsity Lacrosse Team has an away game at Jenison today at 7 P.M. 

Chix Golf Falls to West Ottawa

The Zeeland East Boys Varsity Golf lost to West Ottawa 190 to 172 at Macatawa Legends Monday.  After the defeat, Jr. Aiden Bareng commented, “Despite the result, we performed pretty well. Unfortunately, they just performed better. They had some kids who were really good and outperformed us.” Fr. Reid Blondin shot 44Jr. Aiden Bareng shot 48Sr. Kolton Gentry shot 50 Sr. Zac Hopke shot 50 After the match, Coach Doug Komejan commented, “We got off to a tough start, the greens were running a little quicker than we thought. We battled and came up a little short, but I’m happy with the effort.”  East finished with a 192 behind West Ottawa with a score of 170.

ZE Girls Tennis loses tough one to Hamilton

Zeeland East - 3, Hamilton - 5, Singles:No. 1 - Isabelle Troost, Hamilton def. Anna Steenwyk, Zeeland East, 6-1 , 6-2 , -;No. 3 - ThyAn Kleikamp , Zeeland East def. Maya Wettlaufer, Hamilton, 6-4 , 4-6 , 6-0 ;No. 4 - Trinh Kleikamp, Zeeland East def. Kylie Rietema, Hamilton, 6-1 , 6-7 (5), 6-4 ;No. 2 - Brynn Bolhuis, Hamilton def. Taya Schanski , Zeeland East, 6-3 , 5-7 , 6-0 ;Doubles:No. 1 - Keeley Boerman, Zeeland East - Kendyll Samora, Zeeland East def. Danielle Wedeven, Hamilton - Drew VanHouten, Hamilton, 2-6 , 7-5 , 7-6 (2);No. 2 - Sophia Blauwkamp, Hamilton - Abigail Atwood, Hamilton def. Elizabeth Rogovich, Zeeland East - Mahalia Vis, Zeeland East, 6-4 , 1-6 , 7-5 ;No. 3 - Allison Lezman, Hamilton - Sophia Jorba Martinez, Hamilton def. Pippa Boerman, Zeeland East - Olivia Grotenhuis , Zeeland East, 6-2 , 7-5 , -;No. 4 - Maddie Jipping, Hamilton - Taylor Heer, Hamilton def. Taylor Bouws, Zeeland East - Natalie Veldheer , Zeeland East, 6-1 , 6-1 , -;

Varsity Golf Drops Match at West Ottawa

The East Varsity Golf team lost a non-conference match to West Ottawa at Macatawa Legends on Monday.  Scoring for the Chix were Reid Blondin, Aiden Bareng, Andy Johnson, and Zac Hopke.  The Chix will host Covenant Christian in a non-league match at Winding Creek on Tuesday.  

Zeeland Dominates Portage 18-3 in First Victory of Season

Zeeland dominated Portage 18-3 for their first victory of the season. Zeeland was in control for the entire match. Zeeland took a 11-1 lead going into the half with 8 girls scoring in the first half. Entering the third half Zeeland stayed strong with an extra 5 goals putting them in a comfortable position for the 4th quarter. Zeeland finished strong adding 2 final goals to end the game.  “I thought it was very fun and I'm glad we got to do it as a team,” said  Fr. Aynslee McKenney.  “It was our first win of the season, and I'm really happy because we got everybody on the team to get at least one goal,” said Head Coach Zac Geschwendt.

Chix Golfers Placed 11th at Ottawa Co. Invite

The Zeeland East boys' varsity golf team traveled to the Ottawa County Invitational at the Meadows on Friday, May 2nd. After a hard-fought battle, the team placed 11th. After the match on Friday, Coach Komejan stated, “We got off to a tough start, but the boys played better as their round progressed.  We have been showing signs of improvement as the season has gone on.” Fr. Reid Blondin shot 82Sr. Tanner Treacy shot 94Sr. Zac Hopke 100 Following Blondin’s impressive performance, he stated, “I played pretty well and had probably my best match of the year. I tried to stay focused most of the time, and after a battle, I’d forget about it and move on.”

Boys Varsity Baseball vs. Multiple Opponents

Zeeland East hosted Covenant Christian on Saturday for a double-header.  Zeeland East won both games, by scores of 5-1 and 3-0.  In game 1, Eli Neinhuis pitched a complete game win, allowing one run (unearned) while scattering 5 hits and striking out 4.  Quincy Thome and Peyton Davis each had two hits in the game, while Caden Hunderman and Max Mulder each had 2 RBI.In game 2, Caden Hunderman recorded the win on the mound.  Hunderman hurled 4 scoreless innings allowing 2 hits and striking out 6.  Quincy Thome came in for a 3-inning save, striking out 5 and allowing zero hits in the three innings of work.Offensively, Thome again had multiple hits in the game and scored two runs.  Mason Raade and Max Mulder each chipped in with RBI's.  Caden Hunderman added a double.  The Chix improve their record to 15-5 on the season.

Boys Varsity Baseball vs. Zeeland West High School

Zeeland East traveled to Zeeland West on Friday to finish their 3-game OK Black series.  The Chix defeated the Dux completing the sweep by a score of 13-10.The Chix tallied 16 hits in the contest and came from behind two different times to hit their way to victory.  Mason Raade started on the mound for Zeeland East earning a no decision in the contest.  Raade struck out 4 and allowed 8 hits in 5 innings of work.  Jailen Nesbit recorded the win in relief, hurling two innings and allowing just one run.Offensively, Cam Jaworowski and Quincy Thome each had 3 hits in the game.  Eli Nienhuis had 2 hits (one double) and 3 RBI while Ryan Kuzma had two hits and a double and two RBI.  Derek Baxter added an RBI triple.Zeeland East improves to 13-5 on the season and 9-3 in the OK Black.

Varsity Golf 11th at Ottawa County Invitational

The East Varsity Golf team finished 11th on Friday in the Ottawa County Invitational held at The Meadows.  Scoring for the Chix were Reid Blondin, Kolton Gentry, Tanner Treacy, and Zac Hopke.  The Chix will travel to Macatawa Legends to take on West Ottawa on Monday.  

ZE Girls Tennis plays well in defeat by Holland Christian

ZE played well but lost 6 matches to 2 to perennial powerhouse Holland Christian.  Winning matches for the Chix were Keeley Borman/Kendyll Samora (1D) who came from behind to beat HC by a score of 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.  ZE second doubles team of Mahalia Vis and Elizabeth Rogovich remained undefeated on the year beating HC 6-4, 7-5.