Coloma’s Jamane Smith headed to state wrestling competition

 Jamane Smith, Coloma’s grappler in the 189 lb. weight class, is headed to state competition in wrestling.

The junior was the lone local wrestler to make it out of regional competition. Smith topped Joshua Smith of Belding in a quarterfinals match in the Division 3 individual regional’s event held at Delton Kellogg. The Comet won in sudden victory 10-8. In the semi-finals match, Jamane Smith pinned Grant’s Rylee Schultz at 5:59, just one final second before the match ended.

In the final bout of the day, Smith faced Anthony Reo of Paw Paw, who marched into regionals undefeated with a 47-0 record. The championship match was won by Reo due to a disqualification. That gave Smith the runner-up position and a ticket to state.

Michigan High School Athletic Association state competition for individuals will take place March 2 through 4 at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

Coloma’s Cody Reese, Cole Allmon, Dylan LeClear, Cole Allsup, Hartford’s Sam Shank, and Watervliet’s Klayton Marshall, Brad Yazel, and Logan Swigart all earned a trip to regional competition after qualifying at districts.

With his 29-9 record in hand, Smith will head to some stiff competition the first weekend in March. But, he’s proved he is a very adept and capable wrestler this season and he continues to get stronger.

Good luck, Jamane!

Watervliet wins 54-35 over visiting Indians

 Watervliet hosted Hartford Friday, February 17 in a Southwestern Athletic Conference game. The Panthers, who have seemed to hit a high streak of late, rolled to a 54-35 win over the Indians.

BIG MAN UP TOP… Watervliet’s Daniel Cluster is head and shoulders above his Hartford Indian opponents Garrod Johnson (35), Jake Griffith (20) and William Martinez (24) during Friday’s contest. The Panthers would go to defeat Hartford 54-35. (Photo by Shawn Mead Photo-graphy)

Hartford continues to count on the outside shooting of Will Martinez and Austin Nelson but struggled early Friday.

Watervliet’s squad played much crisper and more thoughtful during the game and has been steadily improving through mid-season.

Watervliet’s conscious effort to contain Hartford led to a 12-5 lead at the end of the first period. They continued with that game plan and posted a 29-14 lead at the half.

Hartford was limited to just nine second-period points as Watervliet lit up the board for 17.

Both teams dialed back the tempo of the game in the third period. Watervliet scored six points and Hartford had four, which gave the Panthers a 35-18 lead after three.

A veritable score fest in the fourth period provided plenty of excitement for fans on both sides of the aisles. Watervliet scored 19 points; Hartford tallied 17. The 54-35 win went to the Panthers.

Watervliet was led by Sheldon Tobar; he scored 19 points. Lamarrius Smith netted 11 points. Bryant Kieft added seven points. Of note: the Panthers had just nine turnovers during the contest.

Will Martinez led Hartford with 16 points.

Goodline effort yields 40 of team’s 53 points but Comets suffer loss

 Coloma’s basketball season thus far has been a series of hits and misses. One thing remains certain, however: Zach Goodline is a force to be reckoned with on the court.

The veracity of that statement could be seen Friday, February 17 as Coloma hosted Saugatuck.

The Comets lost the game 60-53, but Goodline scored 40 of his team’s points. He landed seven free throws, had three 3-pointers, and shot 94% from the free throw line (hitting 17 of 18 shots).

Often, Goodline is double-teamed whether he is beyond the arc or driving through the paint to the bucket. Friday was no different.

Saugatuck, sporting a 12-3 record, was simply unable to contain the athletic Goodline. But, with three of their own players scoring in double digits, they really didn’t have to.

First period action kicked off with a 14-13 Coloma lead.  Saugatuck fought back in the second period (and I do mean fought. The game was very aggressive with Coloma chalking up 19 total game fouls and Saugatuck being whistled for 18) to steal the lead from Coloma, 25-23.

SAUGATUCK SANDWICH DOESN’T STOP THE SHOT… Coloma’s Zach Goodline is sandwiched after a shot between two Saugatuck players Friday. Although Goodline scored a whopping 40 points, Coloma lost 60-53. (TCR photo by Martin Quigley Jr.)

The teams duke it out in the third period, with Saugatuck outscoring the Comets 17-14 to take a 42-37 lead.

It was all hands on deck as fourth period action saw 44 points being put on the board. Saugatuck scored 18 of those with Coloma netting 16. In the end, after a very intense and physically demanding game, Saugatuck had the 60-53 win.

Helping Goodline was Adam Hearn with four points and Kobe Hunter with three. Levi Wilkens, Grant Kroschel, and Robbie Schroeder all scored two points apiece for the Comets.

Coloma coach Paul Marfia, who was cited for a technical in the contest, commented, “It was another emotional and physical game, just like the last time we played. This time they had more plays than us. It is hard to win when your leading scorer has 40 (points) and the next guy has four.”

Mathis wows on the court with 17 points in 28-27 win

 Hannah Mathis dropped in eight field goals to lead the Coloma girls’ varsity basketball team to a 28-27 victory over the visiting Shamrocks of Berrien Springs Tuesday, February 14.

It was a neck-and-neck ball game through the first half. Coloma took an early 9-8 lead after the first period of play.

A five-point second period by the Shamrocks swung the lead in their favor at the close of the second period, 13-11.

Coloma raced out of intermission and scored nine points, while strong defense limited Berrien Springs to just two points. As the squads headed into the fourth period, Coloma led 20-15.

But Berrien Spring was not done. They easily outscored Coloma 12-8 in the fourth period, and for a moment it appeared Coloma had lost.

The Comets rallied and pulled out a close one against Berrien Springs, 28-27.

Assisting Mathis in the Comet effort was Morgan Wagner with four points, Kayla Yore with three points, and Mika Andersen and Nicolle Larson with two point each.

Districts start February 27 for Coloma, Hartford, Watervliet, and Grace Christian

 The hunt for a girls’ varsity district basketball championship begins Monday, February 27 for Coloma, Hartford, Watervliet, and Grace Christian teams.

In Class B District 33 competition at Berrien Springs, Coloma will face South Haven in the 7:30 p.m. late game Monday. The winner of that contest will take on Buchanan Wednesday, March 1. Buchanan received a pre-districts bye.

On the other side of the bracket, Benton Harbor received a bye and Lakeshore and Berrien Springs will battle in the early Monday game. The winner of Wednesday’s game will face off for the district title Friday, March 3 at 7:00 p.m.

Class C District 65 action will be hosted by Watervliet. Bridgman and Cassopolis received byes and will not play until Wednesday. That leaves Eau Claire facing New Buffalo in the early game at 6:00 p.m. Monday and Brandywine taking on Watervliet at 7:45 in the late game. The winners of those two contests will face Cass and Bridgman, respectively Wednesday with the championship scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Friday.

Class C District 79 basketball will be hosted by Kalamazoo Christian. Gobles and Bangor nabbed the pre-districts bye. Kalamazoo Hackett and Kalamazoo Christian will battle Monday, February 27 in the early game. In the late game at 7:30 Hartford meets up with Bloomingdale.

The winners of those two contested matches will face Gobles and Bangor, respectively, on Wednesday. The title game will be held on Friday at 7 p.m.

Good news coming out of Grace Christian! Information received in November from then-staff indicated a girls’ varsity basketball team would not be fielded this year. Consider that info incorrect! The team is up and running and has a 1-12 record this year.

Under the direction of first-year varsity coach Stacey Pirri, she assumed the head coach position three days before the team’s first game.

The squad is led by four juniors: guard Paige Massey, forward/center Lydia Stalcup, center Princess Williams, and guard Rylie Hess.

Hess is averaging 13.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Stalcup is averaging 3.0 steals and 10.2 rebounds a game.

Grace Stockdale is the lone freshman; she is a forward. Three eighth graders also made the squad: guard Bethany Veverka, center Yahjuanna Johnson, and forward Julia Harris.

According to Pirri, “We have a very small team in stature and numbers, however the girls are extremely scrappy and play hard every game to the very end. This year we have worked hard to establish some fundamentals that were missing, especially for the newer and younger members.”

Grace Christian will face Covert on Monday, February 27at home at 7:00 in Class D District 97 pre-district action. The winner of that contest will meet up with Three Oaks, who received a first round bye, on Wednesday. Title dreams come alive on Friday at 7:00 at host LMC.

Sign up for St. Patrick’s 5k

 Registration is now open for the second annual St. Patrick’s 5k walk and run in Coloma.

The event will take place Saturday, March 11at Coloma Township Hall and is hosted by the Coloma Lions Club. Proceeds from the race benefit Leader Dogs for the blind.

This fun event even lets your dog in on the action! For a $5 registration fee, your pooch can run or walk the event with you and will receive an event giveaway. Any and all dogs can participate free of charge, but they will not receive a giveaway.

Registration fees for humans are $15 for those 18 and older through February 28. Late registration fee increases to $20 March 1 through race day.  If you are 17 or younger, the cost to participate is $10 through February 28 and then increases to $15 from March 1 until race day.

Visit www.swmiracers.org to register for this doggone fun event!

Coloma stuns Saugatuck 47-37

 Comet fans were treated to a great game of basketball as the Coloma girls’ varsity squad faced off against Saugatuck. Coloma won Friday’s game 47-37 despite a two-point third period.

Coloma opened the game with a 16-point first period. The Lady Comets stifled Saugatuck’s offense and held the team to seven points. With a 16-7 lead, the teams headed into the second period of play.

Saugatuck struggled to find their footing in the first period but showed improvement in the second period. A better shooting effort by Saugatuck led to a 10-point period, but Coloma netted 13 points and increased their lead at half-time to 29-17.

Coming out of the gate after intermission, Coloma was clearly overmatched. The Comet effort yielded two points during the eight-minute stretch, while Saugatuck happily scored 14 points to tie the game at 31-31.

After a few select words from the bench the Comets returned to the floor with a renewed focus and fire. Coloma scored 16 points to blowout fourth period action. Saugatuck was limited to six points, giving Coloma the 47-37 victory.

Kayla Yore led Coloma with 20 points including three 3-pointers. Hannah Mathis scored 14 points.

Morgan Wagner swished nine points for Coloma, as Mika Andersen and Jenna Walter chipped in two points apiece.

Eight Comet bowlers awarded

 Coloma girls’ varsity bowling head coach Carley Burrell needs to clear off some mantle space as the awards for her team continue to pile up. Eight of her nine bowlers won Kalamazoo Valley Association Conference awards last week.

Receiving First Team honors were: Amanda Armstrong, Alyssa Blankenship, Emily Feldten, and Lainey Meader. Honorable Mention nods were given to Narelle Hickmon, Darcy Kirby, Carissa Richmond, and Morgan Hosbein.

Add to the wow factor the fact that the team is ranked #1 in the state in Division 3 competition, and you have plenty of excitement hitting the lanes.

Coloma topped Parchment 25-5 Wednesday, February 15 at Kelley’s Bowl in St. Joe. The team also won the conference tourney on Friday, February 17 and holds a 14-0 overall record.

In previous outings, Coloma took third place in the Battle of the Baker tournament at M-66 Bowl in Battle Creek after losing to Alma, the defending state champions.  The Comets won the East Kentwood tournament in Wyoming and took fourth place at the Sturgis tournament.

Individual competition began this week and details will be available in next week’s Press Box.

100 CAREER WINS… Klayton Marshall of Watervliet’s varsity wrestling team scored his 100th career victory on the mat during Individual District Competition at Bangor on February 11. Mar-shall is pictured with his siblings (from the left): Eli, Tekoa, Klayton and Ayana.

New NASCAR season kicks off in Daytona

 It is the day race fans have been waiting for since November: Daytona! That’s right – the 2017 National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing kicks off Sunday with the Daytona 500 in sunny Florida.

The 200 lap, 500 mile event at Daytona International Speedway will feature 40 drivers, with 38 of those spots in the line-up determined by Thursday’s running of the Can-Am Duels.

Chase Elliott and Dale Earnhardt Jr. have secured their front row spots after turning in the fastest qualifying laps Sunday. Elliott picked up his second consecutive Daytona pole position, with Earnhardt Jr. snuggled in beside him in the number two spot (which is quite a feat since Earnhardt Jr. spent most of last season on the disabled list with a concussion).

Finishers of the Can-Am Duels, two 60-lap go-rounds, will then be ranked according to finish time and will fill out the Daytona field.

There have been numerous changes during the offseason for the sport, its drivers, and its sponsors.

The biggest news is that Sprint did not re-up their contract and was dropped as title sponsor. NASCAR’s premier racing events will now fall under the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series banner.

The biggest news regarding drivers includes the fact that Tony Stewart will no longer compete from the driver’s seat. He retired as a full-time driver, and his spot has been filled by Clint Bowyer.

Also of note is the retirement of Carl Edwards. He walked away at the end of the 2016 season and he does not have a team this year.

There are three rookie drivers who are expected to make an impact early on the series. Ty Dillon, Erik Jones, and Daniel Suarez have joined the Monster Energy ranks, having come up from the XFINITY series. Of note, Suarez is the defending champion of the XFINITY series, so I guess what they say is true: if you’re going to leave your job, leave on a high note.

Stewart-Haas Racing not only made a driver change due to retirement, they also made a car manufacturer change. The team switched from Chevy to Ford. That’s one way to bump up your t-shirt sales.

And, for those tracking Danica Patrick’s sponsor woes, fear not! The Stewart-Haas Racing team found itself without a lead sponsor after Nature’s Bakery held off making their payments. However, Aspen Dental stepped in and has filled the lead sponsor hole (much like they do with cavities)! Patrick will run on Sunday in a car with a paint scheme.

Fans nationwide will hold their collective breaths on Sunday as racing fever breaks out. Last year, Denny Hamlin finished first at Daytona and you can bet he’ll be looking to repeat.

Don your favorite driver’s hat or t-shirt and get their team flag flying, fans. It’s racing season!