05-17-2018 Tri-City Area Sports

Coloma takes second at SAC – Lakeshore Division track meet

The Comets of Coloma finished second overall Monday, May 14 in the SAC – Lakeshore divisional track meet hosted by Watervliet. The top three finishers from Coloma and Watervliet are listed.

Saugatuck won the meet with 170 points. Coloma took second place with 132 points.  Watervliet earned 82 points and finished fourth.

Lamarrius Smith of Watervliet won the high jump after he cleared 6’.  Coloma’s Michael Dancer took third; he topped 5’ 8”.

Smith also took first in the long jump with a leap of 20’ 5”.

MAKING THE GAME… Watervliet’s Zack Pickens (left) and Bryant Kieft (right) were selected to the 2018 Addix All-Star Football game on June 8 at Hope College. The top football players from West Michigan were invited to join the roster for the third annual game. Also joining the all-star roster is Danny Resendez from Hartford.

Coloma’s Jonah Jones hit the top spot in the discus. His throw of 138’ 2” was good for number one. Teammate Cole Alsup’s 126’ throw earned him a third place finish.

The foursome of Tayte Coleman, Adiel Granados, Aarol Puma, and Blane Sutherland joined forces to finish second in the 4×800 meter relay with a time of 9:11.33.

In the 110 meter hurdles, Watervliet’s Isaac Bultema finished third with a time of 17.44 seconds.

Coloma’s Derek Plitt ran away with first place in the 100 meters and a time of 11.6 seconds.

The 4×200 meter relay team of Trent Boone, Bultema, Austin Roberts, and Smith of Watervliet finished in second place (1:38.25).

Coloma’s Dancer, Nick Fogarty, Caleb Ellis, and Plitt teamed up in the 4×100 meter relay to capture gold. Their time was 45.39 seconds. Watervliet’s team of Bultema, Boone, Smith, and Roberts crossed the finish line almost two seconds later for second place (47.28).

It was Coloma’s Josh Young securing first place in the 400 meters with a time of 50.80 seconds. Teammate Sincere Taylor’s time of 53.05 seconds was good for second place.

Watervliet’s Jermaine Granados finished off the 300 meter hurdles in a time of 45.33 seconds, good for second place.

Taylor of Coloma took first in the 200 meters (23.7 seconds), with teammate Young hot on his heels (23.74) in second place.

Gus Hinch ran the 3200 meters and cruised to third place with a time of 10:57.10.

Ellis, Plitt, Taylor, and Young raced to a third place finish (4:00.99) in the 4×400 meter relay.

Watervliet’s Klayton Marshall vaulted into third place in the pole vault after he cleared 11’.

Coloma girls in 4th, Watervliet finishes 6th at SAC meet

On a day that started with pouring rain and ended with the sun shining and warm temperatures, the Southwestern Athletic Conference Lakeshore Division track meet ended with Saugatuck taking home the championship with 182 points.

The meet, held Monday, May 14 at Watervliet, saw Coloma’s squad finish in fourth place with 69 points, while the Lady Panthers took sixth with 36 points. Results include Coloma and Watervliet athletes who placed in the top three spots.

Coloma’s Samantha Scott flew to a first place finish in the high jump (5’). Scott’s teammate Cassidy Dryer earned a third place finish after she cleared 4’ 6”.

Coloma’s Divine Parker took third in the long jump (14’ 5”).

A MUCH KNEEDED VICTORY… Watervliet’s Elena Alvarado bounces the soccer ball off her knee during the Panthers’ game against Schoolcraft. Watervliet tallied the 6-2 Senior Night win. (TCR phot

Watervliet’s Kyah Sexton sent the shot put flying for a first place finish (33’ 5.5”).

Vicky Smith of Watervliet took second in the 100 meter hurdles with a time of 17.96 seconds.

Coloma’s Alexia Saucedo’s time of 13.91 in the 100 meters earned her a second-place finish.

Coloma’s Gabby Ezell, Marissa Sherburn, Divine Parker, and Saucedo claimed first place in the 4×200 meter relay with a time of 1:58.23.

It was Parker for Coloma nabbing second place in the 200 meters with a time of 29.02 seconds.

Indians prowl over Panthers 4-1

Four first-half goals proved enough for the Hartford Indians to get the win at home Friday, May 11 over Red Arrow Highway rival Watervliet.

Watervliet was not aided by a miscue in which the Panthers sent the ball into their own net for the first “score” of the game.

Hartford then booted goals by Mercedes Requenes, Mayra Naranjo, and Olivia Ziemer.

Abigail Lopez assisted on all three goals for the Indians.

Jessica Cortes was in goal for Hartford and had eight saves.

Watervliet’s lone goal was scored in the second half.

Watervliet’s Senior Night nets 6-2 win over Schoolcraft

LEADER OF THE PACK… Coloma’s Divine Parker, the anchor of the 4×200 meter relay team, kicks her pace into high gear as she approaches the finish line Monday during the SAC division meet at Watervliet. (TCR photo by Kristy Noack)

The Watervliet girls’ varsity soccer team celebrated Senior Night with a 6-2 win over Schoolcraft Wednesday, May 9.

The Lady Panthers scored four goals in the first half of the game and followed with two goals in the second half.

Schoolcraft scored one goal in each half.

Leading Watervliet was Emma Armstrong. She scored two goals and had an assist.  Emma Kraklau and Vicky Smith booted two goals each.

Notching an assist for the Panthers was Trinity Crain and Soledad Alvarado.

Coloma struggles against Kalamazoo Hackett in 4-0 shutout

Coloma suffered a rare conference loss Wednesday, May 9 in their game against Kalamazoo Hackett.

The Comets were unable to generate any offense and trailed 3-0 at the half.

Coloma had five shots on goal compared to Hackett’s 14.

Coloma keeper Emma Watson was credited with 12 saves.

The Comets fall to 7-3-1 overall and are 3-2-1 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference – Lakeshore Division.

Indians on fire against Cassopolis, score two wins

The Hartford varsity softball squad was on fire as they welcomed Cassopolis Monday, May 7.

BEST EFFORTS… Coloma’s Levi Wilkens, teammate Jamane Smith Jr., and Watervliet’s Don Smith put their best foot forward Monday evening in the 100 meter dash at the SAC divisional track meet at Watervliet. (TCR photo by Kristy Noack)

In game one, Lainey Goodson pitched a heck of a game for Hartford. She held Cassopolis to just one hit and struck out seven.

Hartford opened the first inning with one run and added a healthy lead with a big five-run second inning.

Picking up RBIs in the contest were: Meghan Deckard, Regan Sinclair, Jaelyne Galvan, and Goodson.

Cas   0 0 0 | 0 0               0      1    0

Har   1 5 3 | 1 x             10    13    1

In game two, Hartford staved off a last ditch, seventh inning rally to win 8-7 and sweep the doubleheader.

Hartford trailed Cass 3-2 following the first inning. By the fifth inning, Hartford led 5-4. The Indians added runs in the sixth and seventh and managed to shut down a three-run rally by Cass to secure the win.

Megan Nelson was on the mound for Hartford. She took the win and threw six strikeouts.

Nelson, Galvan, Sinclair, Goodson, Lexi Griffith, Mikenzie Chambers, and Angela Saldana had multiple hits in the contest for Hartford.

Har    2 0 1 | 0 2 2 | 1     8   16   3

Cas    3 1 0 | 0 0 0 | 3     7   11   3

Coloma softball continues its hot streak with two wins over Fennville

STRAIGHT SHOT… Watervliet’s Kyah Sexton watches the shot put travel Monday during the Panthers’ home meet. Sexton’s throw resulted in a 33’ 5.5” effort. (TCR photo by Kristy Noack)

Monday, May 7 saw Coloma softball take two games from Fennville as the Comet squad continues to blast hits from the plate and dole out strikes from the rubber.

In the early contest, Skylar Crisenbery pitched Coloma to a 16-1 decisive victory.  She gave up just one run and three hits and improved to 9-1 this season.

Coloma’s four-run first inning opened the scoring faucet for the Comets. They bashed Fennville for 12 runs in the second inning of the mercy rule-shortened contest.

Jaidyn Hutsell led Coloma’s offense with a double, triple, and three RBIs.  Kayla Yore hit a single and double and scored three runs.

Megan Koenigshof and Morgan Wagner hit two singles apiece. Megan Neubecker smacked a double, while Sam Stewart hit a single and double.

Fen    0 0  1                     1    3   2

Col    4 12 x                   16  12  0

In the evening outing, Coloma shut out Fennville 15-0.  Hutsell took the mound for Coloma and had a stellar outing.  She earned her 11th win of the season (11-0), allowed zero hits, and struck out nine.

Wagner blasted a home run and scored three RBIs.  Yore stroked three doubles and had three RBIs. Koenigshof almost hit for the cycle, ending the game with two singles, a double, and a triple. Stewart hit a single and double.

Coloma is now 22-1 overall and remains undefeated in the Southwestern Athletic Conference – Lakeshore Division with an 8-0 record.

Watervliet teams take to the track in Saugatuck

The boys’ and girls’ varsity track teams competed against Fennville and Saugatuck Wednesday, May 9.

The meet, held in Saugatuck, featured plenty of Panther pride as numerous places were won by our local athletes.

In the 100 meters, Marshall Smith set a new personal record of 13.81 seconds when he finished seventh. Diego Martinez also set a new PR time of 14.24 seconds as he finished eighth.

Trent Boone finished second in the 200 meters (25.12 seconds) and set a new PR.  Smith finished sixth (28.60 seconds). Isaac Bultema took seventh (28.71 seconds) and set a new PR.

Austin Roberts took second in the 400 meters (58.63 seconds).  Martinez was the fifth finisher (1:06.51) after he set a new PR.  Smith was sixth with a time of 1:10.68.

Klayton Marshall stretched his legs for a fifth place finish in the 800 meters (2:30.58), while teammate Alex Isbrecht finished sixth (2:31.76). Both set new individual PRs.

Ezra Troyer led the way in the 1600 meters. His first-place time was 5:07.37.

Gus Hinch finished fifth (5:16.49), and Nick Swanson took sixth (5:26.43) in a new PR-setting time.

Isbrecht ended the event in seventh place (5:34.66) with a new PR, and Kody Edmonds set a new season record of 5:36.66 as he finished eighth.

Hinch took second place in the 3200 meters (11:44.36), and Troyer finished third (11:53.12) with a new PR.

Swanson took sixth (12:16.59), while Edmonds captured seventh place (12:38.89). Both athletes set new season records.

Bultema took gold in the 110 meter hurdles with a time of 17.88 seconds.  Jermaine Granados had a time of 18.82 seconds, which was good for second place. Marshall finished third (20.28 seconds) with a new PR.

In the 300 meter hurdles, Granados led the way to first place with his new PR-setting time of 44.69 seconds.  Bultema took fourth (47.71 seconds), and Don Smith finished fifth (50.92 seconds) and set a new PR.

Watervliet’s team of Roberts, Smith, Lamarrius Smith, and Trent Boone combined to win first place in the 4×100 meter relay with a time of 47.53 seconds.

The same squad took first in the 4×200 meter relay (1:37.18).

Isaac Wilmoth threw the shot put 30’ 11” for sixth place. Zach Smith’s toss of 25’ 5” earned him a seventh place finish and gave the athlete a new PR.

Boone took second place in the discus with a throw of 99’.  Wilmoth finished third (89’ 2”) and Zach Smith took seventh with a throw of 70’ 9”. All three set new personal records.

LA Smith won the high jump that cleared 5’ 8”. Marshall finished second in the pole vault; he cleared 11’ and set a new PR. Lamarrius Smith also won the long jump with a length of 20’ 8”.  Bultema took third with a PR-setting leap of 17’ 1”. Don Smith finished fourth (16’ 4”) and Josh Garman took eighth place (13’ 4”).

For the young ladies, Laiya Liberto finished sixth in the 100 meters with a time of 16.81 seconds.  Teammate Erin Maneepun’s time of 16.98 seconds was good for seventh place.

The same duo took second and seventh, respectively in the 200 meters. Liberto set a new PR with her time of 30.64 seconds, a feat matched by Maneepun at 35.50 seconds.

Caley Simmons ran the 400 meters in 1:16.49 and earned the third-place finish.

Allie Pazera matched her season record in the 800 meters where she finished fourth (3:01.40).  Sophia Tavolacci took sixth (3:20.32), while Kayla Hoy finished seventh (3:25.59) and Grace Weckwerth was eighth (3:30.40).

AJ Avina-Hammond set a new PR in the 1600 meters; she finished third overall with a time of 6:43.19.  Hoy was fifth (7:29.61).

Alyssa Hobson was fourth in the 3200 meters with a time of 15:36.95.

Emma Yazel doubled her pleasure as she took third in the 100-meter hurdles (20.01 seconds) and 300-meter hurdles (57.14 seconds).

The 4×400 meter relay team of Pazera, Tavolacci, Simmons, and Yazel captured second place with a time of 5:17.92.

Hobson, Simmons, Tavolacci, and Avina-Hammond put together a second-place finish in the 4×800 meter relay (13:21.11).

Kyah Sexton threw the shot put 29’ 4.5” for a second-place finish. She also took fourth in discus with a throw of 63’ 4”.

Saarah Schaefer set a new PR with her 21’ 10” throw in shot put; she took sixth place.  Audrey Romeo took eighth place with her 17’ 4” toss.

Yazel finished fifth in discus (61’ 5”).  Schaefer was eighth with a throw of 51’ 4”.

Pazera cleared 4’ in the high jump to finish second. Simmons leapt 12’ 10” in the long jump to take second place.

Requenes leads Hartford in 7-0 shutout of New Buffalo

Mercedes Requenes led Hartford Monday, May 7 as the Indians dominated the visiting New Buffalo Bison soccer squad.

Requenes scored three goals for Hartford in the 7-0 shutout. Abigail Lopez chipped in two goals, while Michelle Parra and Madison Garland had one goal each.

Notching assists for Hartford were Requenes, Kendall Ziemer, and Jessica Cardoso.

Hartford scored two goals in the first half and five in the second half.

Goalkeeper duties were shared by Jessica Cortes and Monserrat Requenes for Hartford. They recorded the clean sheet.

Starnes strikes out 14 in 4-0 shutout of Fennville; Crist picks up 6-0 win in game two

Pretty precise pitching by Coloma gave the Comets two big wins over Fennville Monday, May 7.

Calvin Starnes continues to have the hot hands for Coloma baseball.  Starnes recorded his fifth win of the season (5-1) after he pitched a complete game, giving up only one hit.

Starnes had 14 strikeouts in the contest and did not walk a batter.

Starnes also led the Comets at the plate with a single and double.  Hunter Crist hit a single and scored two RBIs.  Ethan Price hit two singles.

Fen     0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0      0   1   1

Col     0 0 0 | 2 1 1 | x      4   6   2

In the late game, Coloma scored first to take a 1-0 lead after the second inning. The Comets built on that run, eventually topping out with six.

Crist took his position at the rubber for Coloma. He pitched a complete game and allowed just three hits in the 6-0 shutout. He struck out four batters. Crist improved to 4-3 this season.

Kenyon Boyd hit two singles for Coloma, and Kevin Hearn belted a double.

Coloma improve to 12-12 overall and is 7-1 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference – Lakeshore Division.

Fen    0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0       0   3   3

Col   0 1 1 | 1 3 0 | x       6    6   1

Hartford softball drops two games to Centreville

And the hits, they just kept coming! Unfortunately, for the traveling Hartford Indians team, the hits came off the bats of host Centreville in both games of a doubleheader Thursday, May 10.

In the opening contest, Hartford was shutout by Centreville 13-0. Hartford’s lone hit came at the hands of Mikenzie Chambers.

Centreville racked up 14 hits in five innings for the win.

Har    0 0 0 | 0 0          0    1   4

Cen   5 0 0 | 4 4         13  14   0

In the nightcap, Centreville kept the bats snapping as they dominated at the plate. Hartford fell 14-3.

Centreville opened the game with a three-run first inning. The team added six runs in the second to put the game out of Hartford’s reach.

The Indians rang up three big runs in the third inning but that wasn’t enough to turn the tide. Regan Sinclair and Lainey Goodson had multiple hits for the Indians.

Har    0 0 3 | 0 0           3    9   2

Cen   3 6 1 | 4 x          14  15  1

Lady Panthers get big win over St. Joe at Notre Dame

In one of the best softball outings this season, Watervliet and St. Joe took their squads on a fieldtrip to play one game at Notre Dame.

Watervliet outhit St. Joe 12 to eight and relied on Celina Klimkiewicz, Kara Liles, and Ariana Rowe’s pitching talents in the 12-8 victory.

By all accounts, both teams crafted an exciting game. The Panthers lineup put together a great first inning as Sabrina Klimkiewicz hit a leadoff double and Rowe belted a triple that scored two runs.

Following the first inning, St. Joe led 4-3. The Lady Bears increased their lead to 8-5 following two innings of play.

Beginning with the third inning, the Lady Panthers rallied, scoring in the fourth and fifth innings for the win.

Liles got the win for Watervliet and led at the plate with a home run and three runs scored.

Sabrina Klimkiewicz hit two doubles and had two RBIs.  Mikalah Clay stroked a single and double and scored two runs. Madalyn Hutchins belted a single and triple as she scored one run. Rowe blasted a triple and had two RBIs.  Alexis Worley hit a single and scored one run.

With the win in the books, the Panthers improved to 12-8 overall. The team remains undefeated in the Southwestern Athletic Conference with a 6-0 record.

Panther baseball celebrates Senior Night with two wins over Kalamazoo Christian

Watervliet’s varsity baseball squad celebrated Senior Night Monday, May 7 with a sweep of doubleheader action against visiting Kalamazoo Christian.

In the early game, Watervliet won 5-2 as Garrett Matthews got the win and Ryan Chisek picked up the save. The duo combined to allow two runs on nine hits.

Watervliet led early, courtesy of a three-run first inning, which set Kalamazoo on their heels.

Leading Watervliet at the plate was Matthews; he hit a single and double.  Jakob Aldrich and Benny Myas singled twice for the Panthers.

Kzoo    0 0 0 | 1 1 0 | 0    2   9   0

Wat      3 0 0 | 0 2 0 | x    5   9   2

In the nightcap, Watervliet held on for the 4-3 win. The Panthers scored two runs in both the first and second innings and then held off a hard charging Kalamazoo squad.  Watervliet’s seven errors didn’t help their efforts in the field.

Aldrich pitched a complete game for Watervliet. He allowed three runs on three hits.

Matthews led Watervliet’s offense with two singles.

Watervliet is now 15-1 overall and remains undefeated in the Southwestern Athletic Conference – Lakeshore Division with a 6-0 record.

Kzoo    1 0 0 | 1 1 0 | 0     3    3    2

Wat      2 2 0 | 0 0 0 | x     4    5    7

SAC baseball and softball standings and state-wide rankings

The Coloma and Watervliet baseball and softball teams are faring very well this season.

Both teams are members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, which is split into two divisions: Lakeshore and Valley. Both Coloma and Watervliet are in the Lakeshore Division.

Watervliet baseball holds the number one spot in the SAC – Lakeshore Division with a 6-0 conference record. Coloma slides into the number two spot holding a 7-1 record. Watervliet is the only undefeated squad in the SAC.

Coloma and Watervliet softball teams are undefeated and hold 8-0 and 6-0 conference records, respectively. The two teams are the only undefeated squads in the SAC.

Coloma edges out Watervliet for the number one spot in the Lakeshore Division.

Coloma softball is ranked #1 in Division 3 competition as announced May 9 by the Michigan High School Softball Coaches Association.

Watervliet baseball is ranked #5 in Division 3 according to the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association as of May 9.

Watervliet’s Kieft and Pickens and Hartford’s Resendez selected for All-Star Game

Watervliet’s Zack Pickens and Bryant Kieft and Hartford’s Danny Resendez were selected to play in the 2018 Addix All-Star football game.

The game will be held Friday, June 8 at the Ray and Sue Smith Stadium located on the Hope College campus. Kickoff is 7:00 p.m.

The trio will compete on Team Stripes and against Team Stars. Other football players from select West Michigan teams including Benton Harbor, Lakeshore, St. Joseph, Lake Michigan Catholic, Kalamazoo Central, and many others will take the field.

Elliot Uzelac, head coach of Benton Harbor, will be one of the three coaches for Team Stripes.

BCAM announces award winners

The Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan recently announced award winners in several categories.

The 2017-18 Girls Outstanding Senior Student-Athlete Award winners included Kayla Yore and Morgan Wagner from Coloma, Elly Valdes from Hartford, and Ariana Rowe of Watervliet.

The winners had to meet several criteria: be a senior athlete, played four years of high school basketball, and maintained a minimum 3.8 grade point average.

BCAM’s “Best” girls’ Class C All-State team included Hartford’s AJ Jackson. The “BCAM’s Best” reflects top players in the state nominated by a BCAM member.

BCAM’s “Best” boys’ Class B All-State team has one local athlete joining its ranks. Zach Goodline of Coloma made the cut for the 2017-18 year.

BCAM also awarded Team Academic All-State recognition to Coloma and Watervliet.

In Class B, Coloma received Honorable Mention honors. The girls’ basketball team averaged a 3.842 GPA.

Watervliet’s girls’ varsity basketball team earned an Honorable Mention award in Class C for their combined 3.614 GPA.

Additionally, BCAM awards a “Team First” honor to member schools. Willie Donald of Coloma and Ryan Chisek of Watervliet were selected as their school’s representative to the “Team First” roster.  According to BCAM, this award is bestowed to one varsity player per team chosen by the coach who exemplifies “putting team before self, teamwork, commitment, service, and sacrifice.”

Winners of the “Team First” honor for the ladies included Hannah Mathis of Coloma, Angela Saldana of Hartford, and Taylor Shafer of Watervliet.

Congratulations to all!

Harvick collects fifth win of 2018 at Kansas Kevin Harvick continued to build his racing credentials Saturday night as he won the KC Masterpiece 400 checkered flag at Kansas Speedway, his second consecutive win. The running of the 12th race in this season’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series found Harvick in a familiar finishing place; he has won five races this season, including three consecutive races earlier this season. Harvick, the pole sitter, led 49 laps en route to his 42nd career win. The victory matches his total wins in 2006 and 2014 with Saturday’s win – with plenty of season left to run. Martin Truex Jr. ended the race in the runner-up spot. He led 13 laps as he earned his seventh top five finish this season. Joey Logano took the number three spot. He led six laps and picked up his fifth top five finish of 2018. Kyle Larson led 101 laps, a race high, and was the Stage 2 winner. He crossed the finish line in fourth place with his fourth top five. Denny Hamlin rounded out the top five. He drove to his fifth top five finish of the year. Both Larson and Hamlin remain winless this season. Drivers who also led laps but failed to finish in the top five included: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (10), Austin Dillon (4), and Stage 1 winner Ryan Blaney (54). The highest finishing rookie of the race was Darrell Wallace Jr.; he was 23rd. The 267-lap race featured a red flag stop at lap 253, 15 drivers who finished on the lead lap, 13 lead changes, and six caution periods for 31 laps. Of the 12 races completed this season, Ford race cars have taken the top spot seven times, making them truly “First On Race Day.” Toyota has finished in first place four times, and Chevrolet has led the pack once. Teams will make their home at Charlotte Moto Speedway for the next two weeks. Saturday will feature the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Open followed by the Coca-Cola 600 on May 27.