Watervliet whips Delton Kellogg; Art Frank recognized prior to game

 Before Watervliet lambasted Delton Kellogg on the football field Friday, special recognition was given to a remarkable volunteer.  Art Frank, a member of the Panther “Chain Gang” for 21 years was recognized for his dedication, loyalty, and professionalism by Watervliet High School Athletic Director Ken Dietz. According to Dietz, Frank “set a standard for our crew.” Frank was awarded a plaque for his efforts.  The first quarter of play opened with Watervliet and Delton Kellogg trading

21 YEAR VETERAN OF WATERVLIET CHAIN GANG HONORED… Watervliet High School Athletic Director Ken Dietz honored Art Frank prior to Friday’s football game for Frank’s 21 years of service as part of the Panther “Chain Gang.” Frank was presented with a plaque that thanked him for his professionalism and loyalty.

scoring drives. As the clock wound down on the first 12 minutes of play, the score stood 14-14.  Watervliet broke out in the second quarter and scored 30 points. The defensive line of Watervliet held Delton Kellogg to just one score, a TD and extra point.  The second quarter scoring began with 11:05 left on the clock as Trent Boone caught a Cam Rendo pass for a touchdown.  The two point conversion pass was picked off, and Watervliet led 20-14.  Delton Kellogg responded at 7:26 left on the clock with a touchdown of their own, taking the 21-20 lead.  Less than 30 seconds later, Zack Pickens finished a 64 yard pass play from Cam Rendo for the TD. Bryant Kieft bullied his way into the end zone converting the two point play. Watervliet reclaimed the lead 28-21.  A touchdown was avoided on the following Delton Kellogg series as Kieft got on his horses and chased down a Panther from DK, saving the probable score.  Delton Kellogg turned the ball over on downs and gave Watervliet a parting gift of starting at the four yard line as they left the field. That meant Rendo’s backfield was prime end zone real estate.  Rendo threw a nice pass up the middle of the field that was caught by Tyler Brant for big yardage and, more importantly, a little breathing room. Another pass to Brant was caught and before you could blink, Watervliet had marched up the field on two plays covering 79 yards.  At 2:06 left in the first half, Pickens scored another touchdown and Brant caught the Rendo pass for the two point conversion. Watervliet increased their lead 36-21.  The final two minutes of the quarter were huge for Watervliet.  After Delton Kellogg turned the ball over on downs, Rendo took the reins. He lofted a pass that was caught by Brant for huge yardage.  But, it was Pickens again heading to the end zone on a screen pass as time expired. The two point conversion was good, and Watervliet led Delton Kellogg 44-21.  Delton Kellogg scored twice in the third period as did Watervliet. At the end of three, Watervliet led 58-34.  Watervliet held Delton Kellogg scoreless in the fourth quarter and put up another six points of its own. At the end of the game, Watervliet had a big 64-34 win.  With the victory, the Panthers moved into a tie in the Southwestern Athletic Conference – Lakeshore Division with Constantine. Both schools have 5-2 overall records and are 4-1 in the division.  Two Watervliet football records were broken Friday night according to head coach Jeremy Andrews. Rendo broke the single game school passing record. “Rendo is having a great year, 553 yards passing this Friday. The season passing yards record is held by Jake Cowsert with 2,700 and some change. That was over 12 games. Cam has a shot at that for sure, especially if we can win some playoff games.  He currently has just over 2,100. That is already the most regular season passing yards in school history.”  Rendo was 27 of 36 for 553 yards. He threw for three touchdowns. He also carried the ball 13 times for 39 yards and three touchdowns.  Tyler Brant broke the single game school record in yards receiving. He caught 12 passes for 336 yards and two touchdowns. Andrews stated, “Brant was sensational on Friday. He is closing in on 1,000 yards receiving. The only other receiver in school history to do that is Travis Bolin, who was First Team All-State twice.”  Andrews said there was no specific plan in place to get Brant more yards Friday. “Rendo makes his reads and throws to the open man based on coverage, match-ups, etc. Tyler is open a lot because he is a really good receiver who understands how routes should be run and just how to get open.”  Andrews was pleased with his team’s performance against Delton Kellogg. “It was a fun game. Offensively I had a feeling [Delton Kellogg] would have a tough time stopping us. Watching them on film it did not look like they had the athletes to cover our receivers. I think that certainly ended up being true.”  Pickens had 11 carries for 85 yards and one TD. He also caught four passes for 87 yards and two touchdowns. LA Smith picked up 10 yards on one carry, and Dylan Lynch toted the ball twice for four yards.  Boone had two receptions for 53 yards and one TD. Devon Flowers caught four passes for 27 yards.  Garrett Matthews had three receptions for 31 yards.

A-1 D-LINE… Watervliet’s defensive line, including Sheldon Tobar (62) stood strong against Delton Kellogg Friday night. Watervliet won 64-34 for their fifth victory of the season. (TCR photo by Kristy Noack)

Defensively Watervliet was led by Kieft with 13 tackles. Ryan Chisek added nine tackles to the team effort. Rendo got in on seven tackles, while Brant and Flowers had six each. Pickens was credited with five tackles, and Sheldon Tobar and Eric Kehrer added three tackles each. Matthew Lambrecht, Quinton Childs, and James Bell had two tackles apiece.  Boone grabbed two Delton Kellogg interceptions and had one tackle.  This Friday Watervliet hosts 4-3 Decatur. Decatur is enjoying a two game win streak, and the team has shut out their opponents in each of their four wins.   You can bet Watervliet will try to get on the board early and often and set the pace of the game.

Comets balanced game earns them second win this season

 Coloma ran a very balance game Friday against a visiting Kalamazoo United squad. The Comets earned their second win of the season and now hold a 2-5 record after topping Kalamazoo 20-14.  Kalamazoo scored on their first series of the game, but Coloma’s Levi Wilkens did not make it easy for them. He did a nice job breaking up a touchdown pass and then followed that up by dropping the Kalamazoo ball carrier for a loss.  It was on the next play that Kalamazoo threw for a touchdown and took a 7-0 lead with 10:40 left on the clock.  Coloma may have walked away with the win after the game ended, but the officiating crew may have walked away with tennis elbow after the first quarter. Yellow flags were a-flyin’ for everything including two personal foul calls within a matter of minutes!  One personal foul came courtesy of Kalamazoo United and, combined with Coloma quarterback Zach Goodline’s pass delivery, gave Coloma good field position on United’s five yard line.  At 3:06 on the clock, Goodline scored on a one yard quarterback keeper. Derek Plitt’s point after attempt kick was good, and Coloma tied the game 7-7.  In the second quarter, Coloma’s Zack Lake scampered into the end zone on a little eight yard run for a touchdown. Plitt sent the ball through the uprights, and Coloma took their first lead of the game, 14-7.  After intermission, Goodline scored on a two yard run, Plitt’s kick was no good, and Coloma widened the scoring gap to 20-7.  Kalamazoo United scored in the third period as well on a 16 yard pass. Their PAT was good, and they inched closer to Coloma, 20-14.  Coloma’s defense held strong in the fourth quarter. Conservative play helped the Comets tally their second win of the season, 20-14.  Goodline was one of one for 16 yards passing. Calvin Starnes got some playing time at quarterback but did not complete a pass.  Caleb McDaniel caught Goodline’s only throw of the game. He picked up 16 yards.  Lake was Coloma’s leading rusher with 23 carries for 143 yards and one TD. Goodline ran 20 times for 63 yards and two TDs. He fumbled the ball once.  McDaniel carried the ball seven times for 35 yards. Wilkens had 30 yards on four carries. Plitt rushed once for four yards. Jamane Smith Jr. picked up two yards on one carry.  Wilkens led the Comet defense with seven tackles.  Calvin Hutchinson had five tackles and one sack.  Zane Lute accounted for five tackles, while Kendrick Simms and Smith Jr. both had four tackles.  Sergio Hernandez and Lake notched three tackles each.  All in all, Coloma head coach Joe Stephens had a lot of reasons to smile. “It was a good win against a quality opponent. United is very talented and well coached. We were solid on both sides of the ball. Our offensive and defensive lines controlled the game.  United jumped around on defense early to look for answers, and Zach Goodline got us into plays that took advantage of that,” Stephens commented.  “We were able to use a lot of the game clock to keep their offense off the field. We had drivers of 14, 13, and 11 plays. In high school there aren’t many teams that have the discipline to do that regularly without making a mistake to kill a drive.  “Our defense found a way to get us stops and keep United out of the end zone.  The highlight of the night came with under a minute to play. We faced a United first and goal from three yard line and our guys dug deep, kept them out of the end zone and sealed up the 20-14 final score.”  Coloma takes their 2-5 crew to Lawton on Friday in a non-conference matchup. Lawton is 6-1 this season and comes off a 57-0 drubbing of Hartford.  And, as for the yellow hankies flying in the wind, Stephens said, “There were some strange penalties like hurdling and illegal touching that came up early in the game for both sides. I thought both teams handled that situation very well. The game had a good flow to it after those clunky first possessions.”

Hartford handed huge loss by Lawton

 The Hartford Indians suffered their second consecutive loss since their first win of the season in Week 5 on Friday. The team traveled to Lawton and was handed their fourth shutout in seven games, losing 57-0. Hartford was shut out earlier this year by Watervliet, Delton Kellogg, and Schoolcraft.  On Friday, the Indian squad trailed 14-0 after the first quarter of play. Lawton tacked on another 29 points in the second quarter to take a 43-0 lead at intermission. With the clock running nonstop in the second half of play, Lawton held on for the shutout.  Hartford holds a 1-6 record thus far this season and will face 0-7 Eau Claire on the road Friday.

Watervliet Volleyball finishes Fennville 3-1

FOUR HANDS ARE BETTER THAN TWO… Watervliet’s Kara Liles (7) and Zoe Smith (6, right) leap for the block during the Lady Panthers’ match against Fennville last Tuesday. Liles had three blocks during the match, while Smith had one. Watervliet won 3-1.     (TCR photo by Kristy Noack)

Watervliet’s varsity volleyball squad took to the court Tuesday, October 4 against Fennville. The Lady Panthers struggled a bit in the first game before finding their footing.  The Blackhawks won game one 25-23.  Watervliet tightened up their offense a bit and really lit up the court on their way to a 25-18 win in game two.  Watervliet continued their hot streak winning game three 25-19 and game four 25-15 to win the match.  Zoe Smith had five kills, one block, four aces, and 10 digs for Watervliet. Kara Liles hit three aces, three blocks, and seven kills.  Mercede Daugherty contributed 24 assists, six kills, two aces, and four digs.  Maggie Lynch added two kills, two aces, and five digs.  Grace Smith notched one kill, four aces, and 10 digs.  Ariana Rowe had five kills and six blocks. Logan Mizwicki accounted for five kills, one block, two aces, and nine digs.

COMET VS. COMET… Kelly Walter of Coloma (left) meets her Comet opponent from Kalamazoo Christian high above the net last Tuesday. Coloma lost the hard fought match 24-26, 25-22, 20-25, 29-27, 12-15.     (TCR photo by Kristy Noack)

 Coloma drops volleyball match 3-2 against Kalamazoo Christian

 It was an epic battle on the volleyball court Tuesday, October 4 as Coloma welcomed Kalamazoo Christian to town.  Coloma lost the first game 26-24. The Lady Comets recovered and snatched the second game from Kalamazoo’s grasp, winning 25-22.  In the third game, Kalamazoo recovered to take a 25-20 win.  Both teams played a hard fought game four which saw Coloma earn the 29-27 win.  The match came down to game five. Unfortunately, it went to Kalamazoo 15-12, giving them the match.  For Coloma, Jenna Walter had four kills, 17 assists, one ace, 14 digs, and one block. Kayla Yore blocked nine shots and accounted for 34 digs, 34 assists, and 10 kills.  Kelly Walter tallied 23 kills, two aces, 31 digs, and nine blocks. Morgan Wagner contributed 16 kills, two aces, 41 digs, and six blocks.  Nicolle Larson had seven kills, one ace, 13 digs, and one block.  Mya Potter notched two aces and 38 digs. Alyssa Dillenbeck added one kill and 22 digs, while Hannah Mathis had five digs.

Hartford Volleyball drops three games to Lawrence

 Hartford’s varsity volleyball squad suffered their 17th loss of the season after dropping three games and the match to Southwestern Athletic Conference foe Lawrence on Thursday, October 6.  The Indians lost 25-16, 25-22, and 25-22 against a seasoned Tigers team.  Hartford was led by Amber Martin who provided one ace, 12 kills, 38 digs, two blocks, and seven assists. Olivia Kling added one ace, 67 digs, and 14 assists.  AJ Jackson tallied five kills and three blocks. Olivia Ziemer notched 53 digs. Brynn Duffy had three kills, and Amara Wesaw smacked one ace.

Girls’ Cross Country teams in Portage Invitational

 It was sunny with temperatures in the low 50s the morning of Saturday, October 8 as Coloma, Hartford, and Watervliet girls’ cross country teams raced in the Portage Invitational.  In Division 3 action, Watervliet finished in 32nd place with a total of 871 points. Coloma’s 1,204 points gave them a 39th place berth, and Hartford finished 41st with 1,248 points. The meet was won by Lansing Catholic with 106 points.  Allie Pazera of Watervliet was the first female finisher of our local teams. She clocked in with a time of 21:56 for 115th place. Teammate Taylor Shafer finished 154th (22:42). Jade Miller took 207th place (23:55), while Bailey Evans finished 209th (23:59).  Alyssa Hobson’s time of 24:20 earned her a 221st place finish.  Brenda Hess finished 289th (31:03).  Coloma’s team was led by Marissa Sherburn in 225th place with a time of 24:28. Vanessa Crisenbery crossed the finish line in 243rd place (25:06) and set a new personal record.  Gabrielle Ezell notched a new PR as well; she took 254th place (25:42).  Amaria Echols took 267th place (26:19), and Julia Sternaman finished 279th with a new PR of 27:52.  Angela Saldana led the Indians; she finished in 231st place (24:41).  Isabell Heminger set a new PR with a time of 25:20; she took 249th place.  Maria Gutierrez also set a new PR with her time of 26:34 en route to a 268th place finish.  Evelin Ugalde finished in 281st place (28:11), and Jessica Cortes took 288th place and set a new PR with a time of 30:58.

Watervliet earns 24th Place at Portage Invitational

 The Watervliet boys’ cross country team was in fine form Saturday, October 8 at the Portage Invitational. The team finished 24th out of 43 teams in Division 3. The Panthers earned 656 points, while champion Saugatuck had 81. Hartford finished 43rd with 1,327 points.  Jobe Kerr was the top area finisher; he sped through the course and finished 19th overall with a lightning fast time of 16:44.  Dominick Tavolacci took 116th place (18:10). Gus Hinch set a new personal record with his time of 18:42; he took 154th place.  Brent Simmons took 163rd place (18:47), while Klayton Marshall finished 210th (19:21).  Nick Swanson’s time of 19:50 was good for 243rd place, while Austin Roberts ran to a 259th place finish (20:25).  Four of Hartford’s six runners set new personal records.  First across the line for the Indians was Francisco Loera with a new PR of 19:46 and 239th place.  Tristan Hanners also set a new PR; he finished the race in 20:44 and took 269th place.  Blair McMeeken took 278th with a time of 21:07. James Lucero finished 289th (21:37). Zak Rohmhilt and Francisco Medrano both set new PRs with times of 34:02, and finished 307th and 308th, respectively.  Coloma fielded a team of four runners. Greg Olsen led the Comets with a 172nd place finish and time of 18:52. Josh Young earned a 245th place finish (19:54). Right behind Young in 246th place was Adiel Granados with a time of 19:59, a new PR for the sophomore. Bryton Fitzgerald finished the race in 301st place (22:54).

Hartford Soccer enjoys 15-1 record, scores three more victories

 Hartford soccer kept busy last week as they earned three more victories and improved their record year to 15-1.  On Monday, October 3, the squad schooled Schoolcraft 8-1 on the soccer field. Austin Nelson led the Indians with three goals and one assist.  William Martinez booted two goals and one assist. Roy Rodriguez scored one goal and notched one assist. Joel Soto and Jiovani Calderon kicked one goal each. Isai Ordonez, Fernando Alvarez, and Ulises Bacilio were credited with one assist each.  Jake Griffith was in goal for Hartford and recorded three saves.  On Wednesday, October 5, the Hartford squad shutout Gobles 8-0. This time, Riley Traver was the keeper for the Indians. He was credited with one save. Plenty of Hartford players got in the action with six different players scoring in the game.  Martinez led the team with two goals and one assist. Joel Soto scored twice. Noel Soto, Fernando Alvarez, Victor Hurtado, and Eriberto Barboza scored one goal apiece for the Indians.  Jiovani Calderon had two assists.  Michel Calderon, Rodriguez, Cardoso, and Alex Garcia were credited with one assist each.  The Indians put their third “W” of the week in the scorebook after topping Lake Michigan Catholic on Thursday, October 6, 3-1. Nelson scored twice during the contest, and Brandon Galvan scored once.  Rodriguez picked up another assist.  Riding high on a string of wins, Hartford improved to 15-1 overall.  The team continues to win with cohesive play and measured attacks. This will serve them well as they host Division 4 district competition this year.  Hartford will begin district play on Monday, October 17 at 5 p.m. with a game against Bloomingdale.

EYES ON THE BALL… Coloma’s Jacob Bryant tracks the soccer ball last Wednesday as he moves it downfield against the Comets’ game against Schoolcraft, Coloma shutout Schoolcraft 7-0 for the win.

Coloma Soccer 2-1 for the week; Head into Districts on Monday

 Coloma’s soccer squad started off the week with pretty impressive play. On Monday, October 3 the team traveled to and blanked Delton Kellogg 2-0.   Kobe Hunter scored both goals for Coloma, one coming in the 44th minute of play and the other at the 48 minute mark.  He was assisted on one goal by Dylan LeClear.  Grant Kroschel was in as keeper for Coloma and had two saves.  On Wednesday, October 5, the Comets welcomed Schoolcraft and shut out the Eagles 7-0. Zack Heater, Hunter, and Tyler Sherrill scored two goals apiece. LeClear scored once.  Austin Russell, Sherrill, and LeClear each had one assist.  Friday, October 7 featured a matchup between the Comets and Comstock on the road. Comstock stole the win from Coloma 3-2. According to Coloma coach Rick Redman, “Coloma scored first and held the score until the second half.”  The game was tied in the second half at two apiece before Comstock was awarded and scored on a penalty kick.  Hunter booted two goals for Coloma. He was assisted by Heater and Patrick Guntz.  Kroschel, again in goal, notched 10 saves.  Coloma (10-5) will open district play on Monday, October 17 against first round host Fennville. Game time is 6 p.m. Head on out to support your Comets!

Lynch and Leach post best weekly records; Lynch increases lead

By Kristy Noack

Rodney Lynch increased his lead in the Tri-City Record Armchair Quarterback contest after he posted a 6-2 record last week. The bump gave Lynch a little breathing room in the overall standings, and he now leads the contest by two games.  Six local football fans have been tasked with an almost impossible mission: predict the winner of eight local high school, college, and professional football games. Each week their records are tabulated, and at the end of the season the AQB with the best picks will win bragging rights and a sporty TCR ball cap.  Should a tie occur between two AQBs and their records, the tie-breaker comes into play. One game each week is specially selected and players must predict how many points they think will be scored in that contest. Closest guess gives that AQB the top spot.  Lynch and Chris Leach tallied 6-2 records last week, the best of the bunch.  So, the Delton Kellogg vs. Watervliet game came into play.  The two sets of Panthers played to a total of 98 points. Lynch predicted 81 points would be scored, so he takes the number one spot this week. Leach guessed 56 points, giving her second place.  Greg Krell and RoxAnn Rodney-Isbrecht predicted their way to 5-3 records, which meant they battled out their placement in the rankings with the tie-breaker game as well. Krell guessed 77 points would be scored giving him third place. Rodney-Isbrecht’s 73 point guess landed her in fourth place.  Tim Hildebrand was in sole possession of fifth place as he went 4-4 for the week.  Tom Gear slid to sixth place on a 3-5 week.  Overall, Lynch leads the AQBs with a 43-13 record after seven weeks of gridiron glory. He holds on to sole possession of first place.  Krell dropped one game but keeps his grip on second place. His record is now 41-15.   Rodney-Isbrecht also gave up a game to Lynch. She is in third place with a 40-16 record and still trails Krell by one game.  Hildebrand fell two games further from first with his 38-18 overall record.  He is just two games behind Rodney-Isbrecht.  Leach has made her move, climbing from the cellar into a fifth place tie with Gear. Both sport 32-24 records.  There are some great matchups on the football field this week as high school football reaches week eight.  The contestants must determine the winners of the following matchups:

Decatur @ Watervliet

Coloma @ Lawton

Hartford @ Eau Claire

Stanford @ Notre Dame

Northwestern @ Michigan State

Ole Miss @ Arkansas

Los Angeles Rams @ Detroit

Jacksonville @ Chicago

The tie-breaker game will be Stanford taking on Notre Dame.

Michigan has a bye this week, so our predictors have been given the Ole Miss vs. Arkansas game. And, all eyes will be on the Hartford vs. Eau Claire game. Can the Indians beat the Beavers? Be sure to pick up your copy of next week’s TCR to find out how our quarterbacks fared!

Jimmie Johnson gets win and spot in next round

of Chase championship competition

 It has been a while since Jimmie Johnson crossed the finish line of a NASCAR race track in first place. He roared in at Charlotte Motor Speedway much like Hurricane Matthew, whipping fast past his fellow drivers, but missing the wake of disaster that befell many of his competitors.  The Bank of American 500 was scheduled to take place on Saturday, but Hurricane Matthew and its many bands of wild, wicked, and wet weather required the postponement of the race to Sunday.  Johnson was not complaining. He led a race high 155 laps en route to his third victory of the season and 78th of his career. Johnson started in 11th place and avoided blown engines, crashes, and likes to take the black and white checkered flag. With the win, Johnson guaranteed his spot in the next round of NASCAR’s Chase for the Championship.  Two more races make up the second round of competition: one at Kansas Speedway and the other at Talladega Superspeedway. Only eight drivers out of the 12 currently competing for the championship will move on.  Matt Kenseth was the only other Chase-qualified driver to finish in the top five. Kenseth led five laps on his way to a second place finish.  Kasey Kahne finished third. Ryan Newman led one lap and took fourth place.  The top five was rounded out by Kyle Larson.  Nineteen drivers finished in a race that featured 17 lead changes and eight caution periods.  Kyle Busch led one lap, while Clint Bowyer took his turn in first place two times around the track. Denny Hamlin led the field for 52 laps. Chase Elliott helmed the pack for 103 go-rounds.  Joey Logano led three laps.  Race pole sitter Kevin Harvick led 12 laps but finished the day in 38th place, well out of contention.  Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway will mark the halfway point in Round 2. In May of this year, Kyle Busch won on the 1.5 mile paved track built in 2001. But, Harvick set the track record back in 2014. Both are looking for a win so they can join Johnson in Round 3 of the Chase championship run. Will they snag the victory, or will someone else crash their party? Check back in next week’s Tri-City Record to find out.