Welcome to Coopersville Bronco Football

1991, 2000, 2006 State Runner-Up
1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007 OK Blue Champions!!!
1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2007 District Champions!!!
2000, 2006 Regional Champions!!!
Bronco football is known for hard hitting, tough defense, and great fans.

Small town football on a Friday night... Ya gotta love it!


This site was built on October 5, 1999

 Jeff Chaney | The Grand Rapids Press

COOPERSVILLE -- The West Catholic football team had not faced much adversity through the first seven weeks of the season.

The undefeated Falcons have been nearly injury free and have outscored opponents 331-83.

But this week, the flu bug stung West Catholic. It could not have come at a worse time, with a game at Coopersville on Friday with the O-K Blue Conference title at stake.

The Falcons had five players sidelined by illness, including two starting linebackers, against the Broncos, who were undefeated in the league and looking to knock defending conference champion West Catholic from its perch.

The first half played out that way, with Coopersville and West Catholic exchanging punches. The Falcons exploded in the second half and pulled away for a 29-0 win at Robinson Field.

"We needed this," West Catholic coach Dan Rohn said. "We have been on a little bit of a run, and I wanted to see how we would handle some adversity and our backs to the wall."

The first half mainly was a battle of field position and punts.

The Falcons (6-0, 8-0) broke through for two scores on a 31-yard field goal by Gabe Audu and a 1-yard touchdown run by running back Loren Suggs for a 10-0 advantage.

The second half was much different for the explosive West Catholic offense, coming up with big play after big play.

The first big play came two plays into the second half when West Catholic senior quarterback Nick Ford, who was celebrating his birthday, connected on a 76-yard pass to Zack Smith.

One play later, Suggs scored on a 17-yard rushing touchdown and the Falcons were off and running.

"A lot of credit goes to our senior quarterback," Rohn said. "He made big plays and put us in position to succeed."

Ford struck again later in the third quarter when he hit Dan Pittman on a 49-yard touchdown pass and capped off West Catholic's scoring on a 51-yard touchdown run.

"I think, physically, we played ball with them," Coopersville coach Jim Meerman said. "They had been punishing every team they have played up to this point, so by that view point I was happy.

"But I told the team that if you want to win championships, you have to make big plays, and that's what they did."

West Catholic finished with 376 total yards, and Coopersville (5-1, 5-3) had 150.

"I'm proud of my team and staff," Meerman said. "We lost to a good team."

COMSTOCK PARK - The Coopersville Broncos have shown nothing but gutsy play all football season. Friday night's rain-soaked showdown at Comstock Park was no exception.

Led by sophomore power running back Ryan Senna, the Broncos literally rained on the Panthers' Homecoming parade by breaking a halftime stalemate and scoring 19 unanswered points in the second half. The 19-0 shutout victory improved Coopersville's record to 4-0 in the O-K Blue and 4-2 overall, all after starting the season 0-2.

"Tonight we were a little sluggish in the first half, but I was happy in the second half," said Coopersville coach Jim Meerman. "I thought we did some nice things in the second half. We've been playing good defense, and that's keeping us in ball games too. We've got a young team; we're starting eight underclassmen on defense.

"So we're getting there."

Defense was the order of the day for both teams, but the Broncos finally found the scoreboard on their opening drive of the second half. Coopersville senior quarterback Travis Smith twice connected with sophomore receiver Jordan Salinas on the drive, once for 42 yards to the Panthers 23-yard line. Three plays later, Smith rifled a pass to a wide-open Salinas down the left side for a 36-yard touchdown pass.

Junior Chet Andrews' extra-point kick made it 7-0 Broncos with 8:29 left in the third quarter.

Neither team took advantage of the other's miscues throughout the remainder of the period. First, the Panthers turned the ball over on downs at the Coopersville 32-yard line after a holding penalty. But CP senior Kyle May picked off a Bronco pass, only to have Coopersville senior Dan Zemaitis recover a Panther fumble three plays later.

The fourth quarter, however, belonged to the Broncos. Coopersville began by marching 47 yards in 12 plays to the Panthers 6, culminating in a 23-yard field-goal by Smith with 6:43 left to play.

Then things got worse for CP when a holding penalty on the kickoff pinned the Panthers back at their own 12. On fourth-and-1 from their own 21, the Panthers fumbled the ball, recovered it, then pitched it backwards until it was fumbled again in the end zone. Coopersville senior Corey Senna pounced on the ball for a touchdown and a 17-0 lead with 4:50 remaining.

Later, Comstock Park committed a penalty in its own end zone on its next drive, resulting in a safety for the Broncos and the 19-0 final score.

The first half was a story of punts and turnovers amidst the soggy playing conditions. Coopersville senior Andy Beers recovered a CP fumble 5:21 into the game, only to have his Broncos punt it away. In the second quarter, the Panthers, anchored by a balanced rushing attack, drove 50 yards to the Bronco 12 but lost the ball again to a fumble.

Coopersville then drove 73 yards, but it turned the ball over on downs after Panther senior Justin Lyon broke up a Bronco pass on a fourth-and-2 from the CP 15. The scoreless halftime scoreboard displayed the results of a thorough defensive slugfest.

Ryan Senna led all rushers with 105 yards on 20 carries, and he's been the anchor on a Bronco team that suffered some early injuries this season.

"He's a sophomore; he's gutty," said Meerman. "He's a gutty kid. He keeps banging. He does a nice job for us already and he's just a sophomore. We lost (Tyler) Umlor early, and that hurt us. He got banged up a little bit, so we had to rely on (Senna) more. And he's come through for us."

Smith went 6-of-12 for 132 yards for Coopersville, while Salinas had four catches for 110 yards and a touchdown. Salinas and junior Garrett Carpenter led the Bronco defense with seven tackles apiece.

May banged out 65 yards on 17 carries to lead the Panthers (2-4), while sophomore Tyler Gruszka had 11 tackles.

The Broncos, now 3-2 overall and 3-0 in the O-K Blue, got on the scoreboard early in the second period when sophomore Ryan Senna, who finished with 82 yards on 13 carries, scored on a 14-yard run. Sophomore Jordan Salinas later hauled in a three-yard scoring pass from senior quarterback Travis Smith. Smith finished with five-of-seven passing for 110 yards and a score.

"We were a little sluggish in the third period," said Coopersville veteran coach Jim Meeriman. "We moved the ball up and down the field all game but were unable to put points on the board. We let them stay in the game and that's always dangerous, but the interception for a touchdown in the third period gave us a lift."

Senior Travis Laug picked off a Cedar Springs pass and returned it 41 yards for a score in the third quarter. Cedar Springs countered that touchdown with a 20-yard run by Shane Bratt, the only score for the Red Hawks, now 2-3 overall and 1-2 in the O-K Blue.

"We're playing a lot of young players this year," Meeriman said. "Our front four on the defensive line are all underclassmen. They're getting better every game but we have a tough game against Comstock Park next week."

SPARTA - Jim Meerman wasn't quite sure what sort of football his young team would deliver this year.

The Coopersville mentor learned a lot about his Broncos on Friday night. After dropping their first two games, the Broncos are hitting their stride with a power rushing attack that is beginning to recall the Coopersville teams of old. That was a great sign for Meerman, but bad news for the host Spartans.

Led by speedy sophomore tailback Ryan Senna, the Broncos broke a halftime stalemate and unleashed three consecutive rushing touchdowns to muscle past Sparta 28-14. The win put the Broncos (2-0, 2-2) as one of the early frontrunners in the O-K Blue Conference race.

"We made some mistakes in the first half that I thought we should have capitalized on, but I thought we played a great game," said Meerman. "I thought defensively we shut their quarterback (Sparta junior Cam Cooper) down most of the night. He's a very talented kid, and that was our worry coming in.

"We kept him contained, and offensively we knew we had to run the football. We thought we're a little bigger up front, and I thought the Senna kid ran real well. (Senior Andy) Beers did a nice job. They took away our pass, but we ran the ball real effectively, and I think we ate up a lot of the clock in the second half."

The Broncos' big game-changing break came on Sparta's first drive of the second half. Facing a first-and-26 from their own 8-yard line after a holding penalty, the Spartans coughed up the ball, giving the Broncos possession from the Sparta 3.

Senna promptly marched in for the 3-yard touchdown run, and junior Chet Andrews booted his second extra point of the game for the 14-7 Coopersville lead. The Broncos didn't look back from there.

After stopping the Spartans on their next drive, Senna and the Broncos went right back to work with a 46-yard scoring drive. This time Senna and Beers combined to drive Coopersville to the Sparta 14, where senior Travis Laug scored on a reverse for the 20-7 Bronco lead.

The Spartans couldn't get anything going offensively in the second half, but the Broncos continued to roll. Coopersville orchestrated a 53-yard, nearly five-minute fourth-quarter drive that culminated in an 11-yard touchdown by Beers. Senna also scampered for 34 yards on the drive that gave the Broncos a commanding 28-7 advantage after Laug's 2-point conversion run.

Sparta closed the game with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Cooper to senior Kyle Schoonmaker as time expired. Senior Nolan Rau's second extra-point kick made it a more respectable 28-14 game, but it was too little, too late for the Spartans.

"I thought in the second half for us was a big mistake down on our goal line," said Sparta coach Steve Zurek. "That fumble in that game really turned the momentum. From there Coopersville just started playing Coopersville football. They manage the clock so well; they run downhill so well. That's a big, strong football team, and they did a great job tonight."

Both teams had their fair share of chances in the first half. On their first possession, the Broncos drove 66 yards and took 5:56 off the clock. But they turned the ball over on downs, giving the ball back to Sparta at the 15-yard line.

Sparta then drove 85 yards in 14 plays, culminating in a 5-yard run by Cooper with 9:32 left in the second quarter. But the Broncos answered immediately with a 57-yard run by Senna and a 23-yard scoring scamper by Laug to notch the game at 7-7.

Senna had 154 yards on 23 carries for the Broncos, while junior Rob Reens anchored the defense with seven tackles.

Junior Dan Konkle led Sparta with 47 yards rushing and 39 yards on three catches. Cooper went 8-of-13 for 82 yards, and sophomore Tony Hill had 15 tackles.

Sparta (1-1, 1-3) faces Grand Rapids Central on Friday, while Coopersville hosts Cedar Springs.

COOPERSVILLE 48, G.R. CENTRAL 0: Coopersville (1-0, 1-2) opened O-K Blue conference play by thrashing Central (0-1, 0-3). The Broncos bolted out to 28-0 first quarter lead which increased to 41-0 at halftime forcing a running clock for the second half.

"We were able to contain their offense by not allowing any big plays and also did a nice job moving the ball," said Coopersville coach Jim Meerman. "It was a good way to get our first win and we want to build off this."

On offense, sophomore running back Ryan Senna scored two first-quarter touchdowns with 37 and 1-yard runs after Andy Beers opened with a 27-yard gallop to pay dirt. Brandon Jansen had a big night receiving and hauled in a 36-yard toss from Travis Smith for the next tally. A 22-yard run by Zeke Hecksel and a Nathan Flagg 1-yard plunge finished the first half onslaught. Chadd Pfahler's 40-yard touchdown run in the third quarter provided the final margin of victory. The Broncos amassed 406 total yards (311 rushing and 95 passing) during the game.

Defensively, rover back Beers was all over the field attacking the Ram offense with four first hits and gathering an interception. Travis Laug also picked off two tosses to thwart the Central offensive attack.

The Broncos will travel to rival Sparta in O-K Blue conference play this Friday, and Meerman looks forward to the challenge.

"It is always a good game between these two schools. They also got their first win, so we will both be looking to build some momentum for the season" said Meerman.

Cris Greer | The Grand Rapids Press, September 03, 2009

ZEELAND -- Playing with its third-string quarterback because of injuries, Zeeland West held off Coopersville 16-8 on Thursday.

The Dux lost starting quarterback Andy O'Connor this week during practice. Derek Postma left the game in the second quarter with a dislocated elbow.

Enter Sam VandeWaa.

"I'm proud of Sam VandeWaa," Zeeland West coach John Shillito said. "To have stepped into that situation and lead us the way he did, I'm just proud of him for his own personal fortitude to stay on the course and be ready, because that's not very easy.

"You can't say enough about it. He's a solid, solid kid."

After Coopersville's opening drive deep into Zeeland West territory, Kham Kitterath sparked the Dux (2-0) with a pickoff on their own 15-yard line.

"I thought Kham made a big play," Shillito said. "He read it great and that was a huge play at that point in time."

The Dux scored on their second play of their possession on Zach Voet's 80-yard run. Joe Gaiser ran in the two-point conversion for an 8-0 lead.

Voet finished with 124 yards rushing on 14 carries, and Gaiser had 82 on 20.

"Zach's been a great runner for us ... for a junior who had no varsity experience," Shillito said.

In the third quarter, the Dux came up with another big defensive stop, this time on a fourth-and-one on their 37-yard line.

"We made mistakes," said Coopersville coach Jim Meerman, whose team dropped to 0-2. "They're just too good of a team for that.

"We're not all on the same page yet."

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Gaiser stretched Zeeland West's lead by scoring on from 10-yards out. Voet's conversion run gave the Dux a 16-0 lead with 11:55 remaining.

Coopersville scored its first touchdown of the season with 6:05 left in the game.

Ryan Senna scampered 15 yards to put his team on the board, and then quarterback Travis Smith connected with Jordan Salinas on the conversion pass to end the scoring.

Senna led Coopersville in rushing with 60 yards on 11 carries, and Travis Smith completed 6-for-13 passes for 48 yards.

The Broncos will be chasing a Championship and playoff berth as every game will be broadcast on the internet at www.michigansportsradio.com.

The guys from The Bronco Connection are continuing their commitment to CHS Athletics with 'Live' internet broadcasts of select Bronco sporting events, and that will include ALL Bronco football games played this season. 

Simply click on the link above, select the game, and you'll be listening to the Broncos!  Sponsors are Peppino's Pizza, Northern Physical Therapy, Mark Douglas Real Estate, Champs Bar & Grill, Daniels Family Hair Care, AAA Lawn Care, Vans Contracting, Coopersville Athletic Boosters, Hecksel & Hecksel Drilling, Coopersville Automotive, and The Bronco Connection.  

There will also be The "Coaches Corner" chats that will take place on Monday evenings (7 PM) at Peppino's in Downtown Coopersville.  People will be able to e-mail questions in to us (broncosradio@yahoo.com) and they'll be answered "Live" on the air.   There is also the Coaches Corner Pizza Buffet... stop in and fill up on the best pizza in town on Mondays during the season (not occuring on Labor Day). 

Listen often, and please support the sponsors who are bringing this service to the community.

Cris Greer | The Grand Rapids Press, August 28, 2009

COOPERSVILLE -- Hamilton came up with two big strikes in its first five offensive plays to fuel a 21-0 win against Coopersville on Friday night.

After a strong defensive stand, Hamilton quarterback Evan Mudd teamed with Aric Spotts on a 64-yard pass to put the Hawkeyes in the end zone on their third play from scrimmage.

On their next possession, the Hawkeyes needed just two plays to score again on a 55-yard pass from Mudd to Nate White for a 14-0 lead with 31 seconds left in the first quarter.

"Evan has worked real hard; he's a heady kid," Hamilton coach Chris Myers said. "He's smart with a lot of God-given ability. He can throw it and he can run it."

Mudd completed 7-of-14 passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns, and Spotts rushed for 123 yards on 11 carries and caught two passes for 76 yards.

The Hamilton tandem did a nice job of taking over for graduates David Ptacek (quarterback) and Austin Schild (running back), who made up much of the team's offense last season.

"Everyone else was concerned with replacing David and Austin," Myers said. "Aric Spotts came through tonight. He's worked his tail off. It's good to see kids like that, that deserve good things happening to them."

The defense came through as well.

Hamilton's Todd Scholten picked off a pass by Travis Smith in the second quarter. He later helped Cody Buresh stuff a Coopersville drive on fourth-and-1 from the Hawkeyes' 36-yard line.

"I felt fortunate that we were only down 14-0 at half," Coopersville coach Jim Meerman said. "We moved the ball on them, but we didn't establish big plays. We had quite a few first downs.

"They hurt us with a couple big plays early, but I thought we made adjustments. Defensively, I thought we settled down a bit in the second half, but we fumbled the punt and gave them great field position (on Coopersville's 34).

"They are a very well-disciplined team and well prepared. You're going to have to play well to beat them."

Hamilton scored its final touchdown on a 16-yard run by Spotts in the third quarter.

"We were expecting a dogfight coming in here and playing those guys," Myers said. "They have a good football team and they will be fine. Their kids are well coached and they played hard tonight.

"We had big plays and our kids tackled well and at times blocked pretty well tonight."

Smith completed 14-of-27 passes for 163 yards and rushed for 54 yards on eight carries to lead Coopersville. Ryan Fenna rushed for 46 yards on 17 carries.

Adam Koning and Dylan Raymond had nine tackles apiece for Hamilton.