GRAND RAPIDS - The Rivalry has been the best NCAA Division III basketball rivalry in the country for more than a century.

Football has joined The Rivalry for the first time.

Sure it is the third game that Hope and Calvin have played, but with the Knights starting a program just three years ago, it took a couple years to get up to speed, and get a home stadium.

Both teams came into the clash undefeated and tied for first place in the MIAA and the game lived up to the anticipation.

Tied to start the fourth quarter, Calvin's Luke Michmerhuizen caught two long touchdown passes the Knights hung on for their first win in the rivalry 38-24 on Saturday, Nov. 7, at Calvin's brand-new Knight Stadium.

The Knights improved to 9-0 and 6-0 in the MIAA, clinching a share of the league title. Hope dropped to 8-1 and 5-1 in the MIAA. Hope can clinch a share with a win over Trine and a Calvin loss to Alma next week, but the Knights would have the tiebreaker for the automatic bit to the NCAA tournament.

Hope had outscored Calvin 90-7 through the first to matchups.

The Knights took their first lead ever over Hope in the second quarter when Luke Michmerhuizen caught a pass from Thomas Vaccaro with 8:31 to go in the half 14-10.

After a 42-yard Hope touchdown pass from Alex Thole to Trevor Griffiths, Calvin marched down the field again and scored on a Vaccaro scramble up the middle for a 21-17 Calvin lead at halftime.

Alex Thole scored on a quarterback keeper with 3:30 to go in the third quarter, tying it 24-24.

Michmerhuizen snagged a 39-yard touchdown catch down the sideline, leaping to grab it at the goal line with 6:59 to go for a 31-24 lead.

Calvin tried an onside kick and it went out of bounds for a penalty. Hope got the ball in Calvin territory but couldn't get anything going and punted it back to the Knights with 5:45 to go.

Three plays later, Michmerhuizen caught another long touchdown pass, this one from 64-yards out to make it 38-24.

This is a developing story and will be updated as details and reaction unfold.

Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as  Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.   

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Calvin football stuns Hope for historic first win in The Rivalry to clinch MIAA title share