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The Trenches Are Ready: How Three Hudsonville Linemen Are Training to Dominate Their Senior Season
The Hudsonville Eagles have built something special.
Back-to-back OK Red Conference championships. A trip to the Division 1 State Title game at Ford Field. A program that has established itself as one of the premier football programs in West Michigan.
But for three of the Eagles’ top seniors-to-be, the mission isn’t to celebrate what’s been built — it’s to take it further.
This Spring, defensive linemen Luke Brodnicki and Hank VanderWal, and offensive lineman Nehemiah Collier, participated in PowerStrength’s Premier Advanced Training Program.
The physical and mental results they experienced should have OK Red opponents — and college football programs — paying close attention.
HANK VANDERWAL: VETERAN IN THE GYM AND JUST GETTING STARTED
Hank VanderWal has been training at PowerStrength since his freshman year and has participated in the Premier program 4 times.
A transformation has taken place that has turned him from a one-dimensional bull-rusher into a pass-rush nightmare that offensive linemen genuinely don’t know how to stop.
“Freshman year, I would just bull rush people because I was strong, but I wasn’t like strong-strong, and I wasn’t fast,” Hank said. “Last year, I wouldn’t just bull rush. I could use my hands way more. The offensive line would not know what I was gonna do because I could beat you left or right or just go straight at you.”
That kind of versatility doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the product of years of consistent, purposeful training — and Premier is where it all sharpens.
This spring, Hank made a calculated move: he dropped his body fat percentage by 10 percent while maintaining his muscle mass.
He’s now a leaner, faster, more explosive version of an already advanced athlete.
“On my 40, I felt like I was moving way better than what I used to,” he said. “Even on my jumps, I felt way more explosive.”
With six or seven camps lined up this Summer and college opportunities already on the table, Hank knows exactly what Premier has done for him beyond the weight room.
“Everything we do here, you can do it at the camps,” he said. “I think it just makes you look so far ahead of the other people that are at the camps.”
When asked how he’d describe PowerStrength, Hank didn’t hesitate: “One of a kind. There’s no other place like it.”
LUKE BRODNICKI: 30 POUNDS OF MUSCLE AND READY TO TAKE OVER
Luke Brodnicki was already starting on Varsity as a Sophomore. He was already competing in the trenches of the OK Red — one of the toughest conferences in the state of Michigan. And then he walked into PowerStrength.
That was the winter of 2024, right after his sophomore season. He hasn’t looked back.
Since that first day, Luke has added 30 pounds of muscle. At 6’4″, 275 pounds, he’s not just bigger.
He’s faster. More explosive. More prepared.
“I was way more prepared,” he said of his jump from Sophomore to Junior year. “Junior year, I was definitely stronger than guys. I felt stronger, I was heavier. I was 15 pounds heavier — more ready to take on the trenches in the OK Red.”
This past Spring was Luke’s first time in Premier, and the intensity was exactly what he was looking for. In the three months of the program alone, he added four more pounds of muscle — and came out of the experience feeling like a different player.
“Right now I’m feeling really ready. Ready to dominate. Feeling stronger, faster, more athletic, up some weight and muscle. I’m really ready to take over senior season.”
College programs are already taking notice. Luke holds offers from Illinois State, Grand Valley State, Saginaw Valley State, Northwood, Hillsdale, Davenport, and Hope — and is planning to make a decision by late July after his camp season wraps up.
“PowerStrength is beneficial,” he said. “It’s definitely something you should pursue if you haven’t done it yet. It’s hard work, but it’ll pay off in the long run.”
NEHEMIAH COLLIER: NEW TO POWERSTRENGTH. ZERO DOUBT ABOUT THE RESULTS.
Nehemiah Collier came to PowerStrength this Spring for the first time — and he dove straight in.
His results reflect his commitment.
In just three months, Nehemiah — a 6’2″, 270-pound guard — added 12 pounds of muscle, took two full tenths of a second off his 20-yard shuttle, and improved his 40 time. His squat jumped 70 pounds. His bench went up 30. His deadlift climbed 40 pounds.
And he did all of this coming off two shoulder injuries from wrestling.
“My bench honestly kind of shocked me,” he said. “I haven’t been able to do over five reps of 225 in a long time, and I hit nine reps at the Premier combine.”
Nehemiah didn’t stumble into Premier — he made a deliberate choice to go all in. That level of commitment, he says, made all the difference.
“I knew this was going to help me for my Senior season of football and help get me to the place where I wanted to be. It was honestly a really good decision.”
But perhaps the most powerful part of Nehemiah’s story isn’t the numbers — it’s what training at PowerStrength did for his mindset. He knew he wanted to play college football. What he didn’t fully know until he was in the building, grinding alongside other serious athletes, was how badly he wanted it.
“This is probably where I decided I want to play college football — a few months ago here. Just understanding all the work it took and seeing the grind that a lot of these other kids go through.”
He’s now drawing interest from several programs, including Saginaw Valley and Northern Michigan, with some FCS programs in the mix as well. And on the field this fall, opposing defensive linemen are going to feel the difference.
“It’s just going to allow me to play more physical, more aggressive, and I’m going to be just as athletic as I was before — but even more. And I’m going to be able to plow people over.”
“PowerStrength is growth,” Nehemiah said. “There’s not a day when you go without continuous growth. Every day is a new challenge, and you’re going to have to overcome that challenge. But at the end of the day, you’re going to overcome it.”
THE TRENCHES ARE READY
Two strong seasons. Back-to-back conference championships. And now three of the Eagles’ top linemen are walking into their Senior year stronger, faster, more confident, and more prepared than ever.
At PowerStrength, this is what we do. We don’t just train athletes — we build the people who change the outcome of games. Luke, Hank, and Nehemiah are proof of what happens when serious athletes commit to serious training.
GET STARTED AT POWERSTRENGTH
3rd–12th grade athletes of all sports and abilities can sign up at PowerStrength at any time while spots remain. Choose the PowerStrength location most convenient for you – Alpine, Kentwood, Jenison, Plainfield, Holland, or Byron Center.
Visit powerstrengthpro.com/athlete/contact to learn more or click below to schedule your assessment and get started.