09-10-2020 Tri-City Area Sports

Coloma Press Box By Dave Vollrath

All fall sports reinstated by the MHSAA Rep Council; YES including football! It was 3:58 p.m., on Thursday, Sept. 3 when the MHSAA (Michigan High School Athletic Association), sent out an email announcing that their Representative Council had decided to move forward with the high school fall sports season, including the reinstatement of football, which had previously been put on the shelf until spring. The decision was made following the governor’s executive order #176, which lifted the restrictions that had made playing close contact sports impossible. With football already postponed until spring, no decision had been made on milder contact sports. The Comet volleyball and soccer teams were left with the opportunity to continue practicing but were not allowed to compete with other schools. This order which includes the opening of the high school gyms for competition will allow the Coloma volleyball team, which has been practicing outdoors for many weeks, to move back inside still under the COVID-19 safety protocols. It has not been decided, at the time of this writing, exactly how many spectators will be allowed to attend the contests but it will probably be an issue that evolves as the season moves forward and specifics of the COVID-19 virus change week to week. It was certainly a welcome decision in this part of the state, giving the Coloma Comet student athletes the opportunity to return to some sense of normalcy with schools now also back open for learning. All Michigan schools do not have to play sports this fall, and may also choose to play these sports in the spring if they do not feel it is safe enough in their opinion. However, the championships in all fall sports will take place following the balance of the normal fall schedule. No championships would follow for any schools that decide to hold off playing until spring. The decision to reinstate football by the representative council of the MHSAA was not made without a great deal of research. The states which border Michigan all competing on the grid iron already are experiencing no apparent ill effects associated with the virus. In fact Michigan became the 34th state, or 68% of all the states who are allowing high school football to take place. Coloma Comet head football coach Joe Stephens was very happy about the decision, even though a great deal of preparation will have to be crammed into a short time frame. High school athletic directors were also sent scrambling to either reinstate the schedules already in place, or possibly plug holes in the schedules made by schools who decide not to play this fall. According to Coach Stephens, the Coloma varsity was back on the practice field on Tuesday and the first game is to take place on Sept. 18 at Delton-Kellogg. The MHSAA has stated that the football schedule will begin in week 4 of the schedule and then played out as it’s listed. Coloma, and all schools playing this fall, will play out the remaining six games on the schedule and then all will move into a reconfigured playoff format. The MHSAA championships will take place just one week later than normal, the week after Thanksgiving weekend. The Comets began football practice under the COVID-19 guidelines, with helmets only, back in August but a halt was put on the season by the football governing body after only four practices. Preparations were then being made to play football in the spring, which would have also affected all spring sport scheduling. The Friday night lights will once again be glowing and showing the way for the out of town football fans to follow. However so much more goes along with the football season as it relates to the overall high school experience. The homecoming activities normally revolve around and conclude with the kings and queens being crowned, and culminating with the homecoming dance. Pep rallies, dress up days, all of these activities are a tremendous bonding opportunity which brings the students, faculty members, and fans closer. As previously stated the Comets will begin on the road Sept. 18 at Delton-Kellogg, next up will be K-Zoo Hackett on the 25th at home, on Oct. 2 the Comets will host Fennville for their homecoming game and associated activities. The final three games on the Comet schedule are Parchment away, Watervliet at home, and Constantine on the road. The first week of the playoffs will begin on Oct. 30, and all 11-man and 8-man teams will be included. While the football team will have another couple of weeks to prepare for their first game, the Coloma boys soccer team will be allowed to begin competition immediately and the girls volleyball team will be allowed to start playing games on Sept. 9. Because there have been many cancellations of games and tournaments in these two sports, I hesitate to list any games here. It would be best to check the Coloma Community Schools website for athletic schedules for all sports, including both high school, and junior high. Attendance at all events will also be limited based on what phase we may be in, in Reopening Michigan Safely. The Coloma Comet Press Box is extremely, (times a billion), happy the state is opening up high school sports for competition again. It has been a very long six months without it. Looking on the bright side, this absence of games which normally takes up the bulk of this column was quite a challenge to bring all things Green and Gold and keep it interesting and educational enough to keep fans following. I believe in the absence of names and statistics, we were able to dig deeper to give readers a more in depth look at the lives and background stories of the players and coaches, and administrators, which we are normally forced to skim over because of space limitations. As we applaud the reopening of our sports, we have to be most pleased that our student athletes will get to enjoy all that their high school experience has to offer and the memories and lifetime friendships that they are building. Comets back to rockin’ and rollin’!

Hartford Prress Box By Jerrod Birmele

Hartford cross-country teams run well at Bridgman triangular meet On Wednesday evening, Sept. 2, the Hartford Indian cross-country teams hit the road for a previously unscheduled meet, traveling to Bridgman to take on the host Bees and Stevensville Lakeshore in a triangular meet. The event marked the second meet that the runners have competed in this season, and on a usually tough course at Lake Township Park placings were not the highest priority. Seeing where everyone is time wise is much greater early on. At the triangular meet, both the Hartford men and ladies finished in third place overall. Stevensville Lakeshore captured the overall victory in both races. On the men’s side, the team was led by senior Jacob Morales, who placed 7th overall with a time of 19:41, while freshman Jairo Lopez clocked in with a time of 20:06, good enough for 13th place. The top five runners also included sophomore Arulio Delgado in 17th place (20:39), junior Hunter Bloom in 22nd place (22:02), and junior Bo Janicki in 23rd place (22:05). On the ladies side, the team was led by junior Gillian Kuehnle, who placed 11th overall with a time of 23:49, while junior Jasmin Janicki clocked in with a time of 24:02, good enough for 12th place. The top five runners also included freshman Mikaela Cowgill in 14th place (24:20), junior Descenya Rodarte in 20th place (25:46), and senior Jamie Smith in 23rd place (26:27). The Hartford cross-country teams returned to action this week, as they will have traveled to Bloomingdale to compete in another meet, which will have taken place on Wednesday, Sept. 9. If results become available, readers may look for them, as well as runners’ times from both teams, in next week’s Hartford Press Box. Hartford athletic schedule beginning to take shape Start spreading the news – the governor’s office gave the “OK” to the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) and with that, approval for fall sports – including football, was given on Thursday, Sept. 3. With that in mind, the Hartford athletic schedule has begun to take shape for the fall, albeit with shortened seasons. Because the schedule is fluid and is constantly changing, the Hartford Press Box will just give fans some first game dates for reference. Hartford Indian boys soccer team began their season the earliest of the three teams not currently playing, kicking off their season on Tuesday, Sept. 8 with a home non-conference match versus Comstock. Hartford Indian volleyball team will begin their season on Friday, Sept. 11, as they will be traveling to Watervliet to take on the Lady Panthers in a non-conference match. Hartford Indian football team will be the third, and final, team to start their season, with their opener set for Friday, Sept. 18, a conference road game against the defending Southwest 10 Conference champions, the Cassopolis Rangers. The Hartford Press Box is gearing up and getting ready to give fans the best inside scoop for all things Indian Athletics. Be prepared for plenty of great local sports stories in the months ahead. One more time, thank you for your loyalty to this column and the newspaper over the past several months. Your patronage is greatly appreciated. As always, GO INDIANS!

Watervliet Press Box by John Oliphant

Wow! That was the initial reaction of Watervliet football coach Josh Tremblay when he heard unexpectedly that their season would resume on Friday evening, Sept. 18. Pressed for a few more words, he said, “Everyone says football teaches life lessons. This couldn’t be a better time to teach that sometimes life isn’t fair and is full of curveballs. How we respond is really the lesson learned.” The team began full-pads practices on Tuesday in preparation for their first game, which will be home against Galesburg-Augusta on Sept. 18. The following week the team travels to Fennville and then hosts Constantine on October 2. The season’s first three games against South Haven, Hartford, and Buchanan are canceled and won’t be made up. How the MHSAA defines the playoffs with six-game schedules is yet to be determined. Launching the 2020 volleyball season seemed much more likely than the resurrection of football, and Coach Edie Daugherty said she’s super excited that all the Panther athletes have an opportunity to play. “Our volleyball athletes have been trusting the process, working hard and making the best out of the opportunities we’ve been given. Even though our practices have been outside we stayed positive every day and talked about how lucky we were to still be together. We started our season in Panther Stadium and now we are happy football is allowed to reclaim their field to start their season, too. Our volleyball program is excited to get back in the gym and start competing.” With several matches already canceled and most big Saturday meets canceled as well, the Lady Panthers open up the season at home against Hartford on Friday, Sept. 11 and then run over to Coloma on Tuesday, Sept. 15. Soccer coach Doug Bornas said the boys are excited to finally be able to play as one team rather than being split into yet another “shirts and skins” match against themselves. Like volleyball they’ve been practicing and drilling for two months and can’t wait to see some new faces and face real competition. We will have a preview of this exciting team next week. Their first match was Wednesday when they hosted Parchment, and on Monday, Sept. 14 they travel to Constantine and then to Coloma on Wednesday, Sept. 16. Meanwhile, the cross-country teams had their second meet of the season at Riverview Park with St. Joseph and Buchanan. The Panther boys team performed very well, finishing just a few points behind host and perennial powerhouse St. Joseph. Leading the Panthers was Ezra Troyer (18:13) finishing second overall and within striking distance of St. Joe’s Will Fiesback (18:03). German Casiano (18:27) was fourth

Press Box Player of the Week!

By Jerrod Birmele Because of his leadership in this time of uncertainty, Hartford Athletic Director Nick Blackmer will receive Tri-City Record Press Box Player of the Week honors for September 10, 2020.

Blackmer has been the athletic director at Hartford High School since 2016, and has led the athletic department in a positive direction since day one. When he was hired, fellow administrators, staff, and student-athletes raved about his communicative and disciplined style, and he has kept those qualities since taking the job. He has been an important and positive figure in encouraging students to participate in educational athletics. During his five years as athletic director, he has had to hire multiple individuals to join the coaching staff, helped lead the Indians transition from the Southwestern Athletic Conference to the new Southwest 10 Conference for the 2017-18 school year, and now, has had to lead the department through the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath. In addition to his athletic director duties Nick, in his second year as principal of Hartford Adult Education, is the current president of the Southwest 10 Conference and will be entering his 13th season as the head coach of the Hartford Indian boys soccer program when the season begins in a short time. The success the soccer program has had in the previous twelve years is staggering. In just the last ten years alone, the Indians have gone on to win eight conference titles (including all three in the Southwest 10 Conference era) and have brought home six district trophies in that span. Furthermore, Nick has been named a District Coach of the Year and numerous players have received all-conference, all-district, all-regional, all-state, and academic all-state honors. Prior to his administrative installment, Nick was a science teacher at Hartford High School from 2004 to 2019. He also has previous coaching experience in other sports at Hartford, including a three-year stint (2014-16) as the head coach of the girls varsity soccer program and a five-year stint (2006-10) as the head coach of the varsity baseball team, with the team winning three district championships under his watch. Nick lives in Hartford with his wife, Lindsay. They have two children, an eight-year-old daughter and a three-year-old son. Thank you Nick for all you do for the coaches and student-athletes in Hartford. You have shown through these difficult times that your leadership qualities are second-to-none!

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