SPRING LAKE – The Spring Lake football team learned the difference between a good football team and an elite football team in a 54-21 homecoming loss to Hudsonville Unity Christian on Friday in a showdown of unbeaten teams in the O-K Blue conference.

The Lakers gave up 291 yards of rushing on 33 carries for a 8.81 yards per carry average, with six of those carries ending in touchdowns.

The visitors were also efficient through the air. Unity Christian quarterback Cameron Chandler completed 4 of 5 passes for 114 yards and one touchdown.

“The big plays killed us,” said Spring Lake head coach Dan Start about the explosiveness of the Crusaders. “That might be one of the best offenses in the state, in my opinion. They’re really good and they’re going to make you pay, one way or the other.”

The Lakers started out strong, jumping out to a 7-0 lead on the opening drive when quarterback Jackson Core punched in a nine-yard touchdown run with 7:13 left in the first quarter.

The lead didn’t last long. Two offensive plays later, Unity Christian’s Drew Chandler broke loose for an 18-yard touchdown run, and a two-point conversion gave Unity Christian an 8-7 lead with 6:31 left in the first quarter.

Spring Lake opened the second quarter with a long drive, and scored on the 14th play when Alex Lee punched in a three-yard touchdown run. That gave the Lakers a 14-8 lead with 9:31 left in the second quarter.

Just three plays later, Micah Bush broke loose for a 56-yard touchdown run and Drew Chandler added a two-point conversion to give Unity Christian a 16-14 advantage and the lead for the rest of the game.

After Unity Christian extended the lead to 24-14, Spring Lake started a drive at its own two-yard line before being tackled in the end zone for a safety, making the score 26-14 with 2:12 remaining in the second quarter.

A one-yard touchdown run by Cameron Chandler gave the Crusaders a 34-14 lead at halftime.

In the third quarter, Drew Chandler and Ethan VanOtterloo had rushing touchdowns while Cameron Chandler found Abraham Rappuhn for a passing score, giving the Crusaders a 54-14 lead.

Lee punched in a one-yard touchdown run for the Lakers in the fourth quarter.

“I learned that they won’t give up,” said Start about the effort his offense showed in the last drive. “They have some resolve, and that last drive showed that they were still in the game. They were still working hard, and those things are incredibly important to a team.”

Spring Lake was hurt by the loss of star running back Christian Folkert, who missed the game due to an injury.

Lee led the Lakers with 151 yards and two touchdowns on 35 carries while Andrew Vonwahlde finished with 37 yards on five carries.

Vonwahlde led Spring Lake with six tackles on the night while Joe Westhoff and Sam Schafer each had a fumble recovery.

Drew Chandler paced Unity Christian with 81 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries while Bush and Rappuhn each added 67 yards and one touchdown.

Spring Lake is now 5-1 overall on the season and 3-1 in O-K Blue Conference play. The Lakers will host Coopersville on Oct. 8.