Homecoming for former CLA players
Post on: 2011-08-30 By: admin
Isaac Grotenhuis is looking forward to his homecoming and eating shave ice on a nice, warm beach.
He also wouldn't mind scoring a few goals and sparking Cornerstone University over the University of Hawaii at Hilo when the two meet Tuesday in a season-opener.
His brother, Jeremy Grotenhuis, and Richard Moylan would enjoy that, too. All three are Christian Liberty graduates and members of Cornerstone, an NAIA school in Grand Rapids, Mich.
They'll have their own personal cheering section. Their old coach, Troy Rimel, the Canefire's principal and boys soccer coach, is bringing his team. Students, parents (Frank and Tami Grotenhuis, and Patrick and Theresa Moylan) and friends will also provide vocal support for the Golden Eagles.
"They're all incredible competitors. Isaac is one of my favorites," Rimel said. "He plays with so much intensity and power. He scored a career-high 56 goals over four years at Christian Liberty. That's a lot of goals. They're all great kids and have a great work ethic, a reason why they've accomplished so much."
Frank Grotenhuis is from Grand Rapids. His stepfather Dave Zylstra and his mom, Bea, still live there and offer home-cooked meals to all three sons. Ian Grotenhuis, a 2006 Christian Liberty graduate, completed his eligibility last season. He's working on a teaching degree.
Ian Grotenhuis went to Cornerstone first, then Isaac (2008 graduate) followed, and Jeremy (2010 graduate) and Moylan (2010 graduate) came next. The latter two brothers and Moylan piloted Christian Liberty to Division II state tournament appearances in 2008 and 2010.
Maile Carigon, who also went to Christian Liberty, is on the women's team.
Last season, the Golden Eagles went 8-8-2 and fell 3-1 to Davenport University in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference semifinals. Moylan turned in a solid first season. He scored three goals and was named the team's rookie of the year. He remembers his first goal, a penalty kick against Robert Morris, with clarity.
"I got a yellow card for excessive celebration," he said with a laugh. "We won 5-1. It wasn't that big of a deal, but it was for me, though."
He is majoring in history and holds a 3.1 grade-point average.
He's looking at a career in law enforcement.
When he gets home, Moylan already has a priority list.
"I want to go to LL and get a curry katsu plate," he said.
Jeremy Grotenhuis, who has a 3.0 GPA in sports management, is the last brother in the chain link. He got in one varsity match last season and spent time on the junior varsity.
"It's a lot different from Hawaii. The soccer level is so much higher," he said. "Grand Rapids is the second biggest city in Michigan and located in a good area, not downtown but close to it. And the population (188,000) is not too big. It's the best of both worlds.
"The big thing with college when you get there is finding friends and stuff. It helps being on a soccer team and having my brothers up here, and Richard is my roommate. Learning independence is part of the ups and downs, but there are a lot more ups and it's a great experience."
Last season, Isaac Grotenhuis suffered an ACL injury and took a redshirt season. He's a redshirt junior with two seasons left. In 2010, he scored five goals, tied for the team high.
The brothers only make it back home during Christmas break, so the early homecoming is an added joy for Isaac, who'll play in front of family and friends one last time.
"It's great to bring all these guys I play soccer with every day to a culture and place where I grew up, and going to Oahu as well (to face Chaminade and BYU-Hawaii)," he said. "It's going to be a lot of fun, being able to play UHH. I played with a lot of those guys growing up in AYSO and high school. It'll be fun to see old friends again."
He's already a veteran with the weather in Michigan, which gets below zero in the winter.
After frosting his toes as a freshman, Isaac Grotenhuis knows only rookies get excited by the snow, which is not the same as shave ice.
"The winter can definitely be a culture shock. There's lots of snow, and it's fun for the first three weeks, then everybody hates it," he said. "Hopefully, I can get some shave ice. It's not the same as putting syrup on ice here. I'd rather eat it on the beach."
sports@hawaiitribune-herald.com
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