There are rivalries that are circled on the schedule.

And then there are rivalries that take over a week.

Hamilton High School junior Garner Hulst delivered a performance to remember Friday night, scoring five touchdowns in four different ways as the Hawkeyes defeated Holland Christian, 45–26.

The victory moved Hamilton to 2–1 on the season and marked the Hawkeyes’ first win over the Maroons since 2023.

“The rivalry is real, and this is my first time being on this side of it,” Hamilton head coach Zach Harbison said. “I was a Holland kid growing up. Hamilton really, really has a true rivalry with these guys, and it's disappointing we don't play them every year. I'm glad we got it back on the schedule.”

Hamilton took a 23–19 lead into halftime behind a remarkable opening half from Hulst.

The junior scored on the ground, caught a touchdown pass and returned a kickoff for another score — completing three different types of touchdowns before the halftime break.

Then came the third quarter.

Hulst returned not one, but two Holland Christian punts for touchdowns, helping the Hawkeyes break open what had been a four-point game at halftime.

By the end of the night, Hulst had accounted for five touchdowns — two punt returns, a kickoff return, a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown. He nearly added a passing touchdown to the list, too, completing a pass that was stopped at the 1-yard line before Hamilton scored on the following play.

“This one's a big win for us,” Hulst said. “We've been wanting to beat them, but now we just got to move on and got a few really good opponents coming up here that we got to beat also.”

For Harbison, the performance was about more than what showed up on the scoreboard.

“This was the  best week of practice we've had here since I took the job,” Harbison said. “So it was great to see that they can prepare, and when we prepare well, good things can happen on the scoreboard for us.”

Harbison also praised Hulst for what happened after his night on the field was essentially finished.

“In the second half, we sat our starters and he is going man-to-man telling them to cheer on their teammates,” Harbison said. “That's who he is as a person.”

“Obviously we're a better football team with him on the field, but he's a great kid and he's going to do special things in whatever he wants to do.”

The Hawkeyes will now turn their attention to another important matchup as Spring Lake visits Hamilton at 7:00 PM on Friday, September 18.

Before kickoff, Hamilton Community Schools will host the Sixth Annual Hawkeye Hometown Tailgate from 4:30–7:00 PM, bringing the Hawkeye family together for one of the district's biggest community events of the year.

Hamilton enters the matchup at 2–1 with some momentum — and a rivalry victory it won't soon forget.