10-22-2020 Tri-City Area Sports

Coloma Press Box By Dave Vollrath

Coloma survives two weather delays, two Panther leads to win 24-16

The Coloma Comet homecoming activities which had already been “watered down” because of the limitations placed on all activities by the COVID-19 virus, finally ended much later than usual because of two weather delays during the homecoming football game. The Comets completed their second comeback of the game and defeated their closest rival Watervliet, by a score of 24-16.

Coloma homecoming activities, like most schools, had to be tapered down this year in an effort to keep the COVID virus from spreading, but the game kicked off as planned with the addition of Senior Night thrown in for good measure.

ISAIAH MAKES THE STOP… Panthers Don Smith (12) and Isaiah Yazel (54) chase down Comet running back Dylan Nelson in the second quarter of their game Friday night. Yazel eventually made the tackle after a short gain, but the Comets won the game 24-16. (TCR photo by John Oliphant)

The Comets fell behind 8-0 when Watervliet scored on their second drive in a 1-yard plunge by Don Smith. Smith led the Panthers in yards and carries, with 96 yards on 18 carries for the night. He then added the two point conversion. Coloma came right back with a score of their own as James Mathis capped the drive on an 8-yard scamper to pay dirt. The Comets then tacked on a Jacobie Bonds run for a two-point conversion, knotting the score at 8 at the end of the first quarter.

The first weather delay came during the second quarter, with Watervliet back on top 16-8, when lightning was sighted in the area sending the teams to the locker rooms and the fans to their vehicles. Following a delay of the required 30 minutes, the teams returned to the field and the Comets once again came back to tie the score at 16 as time ran out in the half. The touchdown came on a short 5-yard pass from Drew Goodline to his favorite receiver Cody Palgen and then tacked on the 2-pointer on a run Goodline took in himself. The Comets had numerous chances inside the ten yard line to score the TD, which finally came with just a few seconds left on the clock.

The second half began, with Coloma receiving the kick, and the Comets drove into Watervliet territory. With over 10 minutes to go still in the 3rd quarter, lightning was spotted once again and another delay, that lasted about 45 minutes, sent the players and fans scurrying for safety. The second half was also the wetter half of the night, as it rained steadily making the field and balls slick and forcing the teams to play the game a little closer to the vest. Both teams were able to move the ball effectively, for the most part on the ground, but miscues and penalties cost both teams and the 3rd quarter ended with neither team being able to put any more points on the board.

Coloma finally put together a drive with a little under seven minutes left in the game. Comet QB Goodline lofted a pass up over the Panther defense and Palgen hauled it in and jogged into the end zone with a 42-yard touchdown. Noah Schwanke added the 2-point conversion on an end around, and the Comets led 24-16. The Panthers were not ready to roll over just yet, and drove the ball down deep into Coloma territory. The Comet defense however, after doing a lot of bending on that last drive, finally stepped up and would not break. With under a minute to play in the game Smith, the Panther running back, tried his hand at throwing the ball. With a desperation toss on 4th and 8 from the 15-yard line, Coloma’s Palgen intercepted the ball in the end zone, game over.

It was a great game and back and forth struggle, and definitely worthy of a rivalry game that has been going on for 110 years, minus a couple. Coloma had a very balanced offense, with 321 total yards; 173 came through the air, while they ran for 148 yards.

James Mathis had his second consecutive outstanding game running the football, rushing an incredible 34 times for 141 yards and one touchdown. With some coming on direct snaps, all but a couple carries were right into the teeth of the Panther defense in the trenches where the tough yards come.

Goodline finished with 173 yards passing with 13 completions in 18 attempts and two touchdowns, and Palgen coming down with nine receptions for 129 yards, both of those TDs. Dylan Nelson caught one pass for 31 yards, while Noah Schwanke had three receptions for 13 yards.

On the defensive side, Jamie Rocha had seven tackles with one for loss. Treighton Draughter had six tackles with one for loss and Noah Mort had five tackles, one QB sack, one tackle for loss, and he recovered a Watervliet fumble on the first drive of the game.

With the win the Comets move to 4-1 on the season and are guaranteed a winning season. With a win at Constantine, they would tie the Falcons for the SAC Lakeshore Division championship. Kalamazoo United could also tie for the Division championship with a victory over Fennville, who is 0-5 on the season with two COVID related forfeits.

Following the regular season all teams playing this fall will be included in the playoffs, and if the Comets can finish 5-1 it might be good enough for them to host a first round playoff game. Coach Joe Stephens’ team has a great deal to play for in the final regular season game, and he’s sure to have his charges ready to go hard for four quarters.

Coloma Comets soccer stays alive in the District with 3-0 win over Brandywine

The Coloma Comets opened district play on the road on Wednesday, Oct. 14 at Brandywine and kept their season alive by defeating the Bobcats 3-0, in a very evenly matched game of former conference foes.

HODGES SCORES FROM CLOSE RANGE… Coloma Comet junior #7 Cannon Hodges works himself in behind the Brandywine defense, to score Coloma’s second goal during a 3-0 Coloma district win over the Bobcats. Cannon would add another goal 11 minutes later to seal the Comet victory. Read more about this game in today’s Coloma Press Box. (TCR photo by Dave Vollrath)

The first half ended as it started, with the score at 0-0. But there were not a lot of scoring chances for either side, with most of the half being played around the midfield and neither team allowing the other to get much of an upper hand, or foot. The teams each finished with three shots on goal in the first period.

The second half was a different story, however, and the Comets came back after half with their intensity turned up and put more pressure on the home team. Lucien Whitaker scored the first goal of the game in the 48th minute. Whitaker got behind the Brandywine defense and converted a pass from Tyler Russell into a 1-0 lead. Only six minutes later Cannon Hodges, one of the Comet captains, snuck in behind the Bobcat goalie and took a pass from Luis Olvera-Rodriguez, and scored a second Coloma goal in minute 54. Hodges then put a cap on the scoring, hitting on a 25-yard direct kick in the 65th minute.

The Comets finished the game with 14 shots on goal, and the Comet goal keeper Wesley Seabury had eight saves to help earn the Comet shutout. Coloma’s record on the season is now 6-7 overall, and at press time will have played their second district game at Dowagiac on Tuesday, Oct. 20.

Comet cross country teams place five on first team All-SAC conference squad

The Coloma boys placed three runners and the girls added two to the All-SAC first team. The SAC Conference Championship was run at the Gilmore Car Museum on Thursday, Oct. 15 with the Coloma girls placing 3rd in the team event and the boys placing 4th.

The girls finished 3rd with 84 points, while Kalamazoo-Christian finished 1st with 44 points. Ava Genovese finished 2nd overall for Coloma, as she ran a fine 20:13.22 which is her new personal best. Abby Vandermolen finished in 14th overall in a time of 21:31.24, which places both girls on the first team all SAC.

Camryn Brown ran in 21st place in 21:58.15, just one measly place off the first team requirement of being in the top 20. She was less than two seconds behind the 20th place finisher. Chloe Williams finished in 23rd place and McKinleigh Kraemer in 32nd. They round out the top 5 for the Comets.

As a team the Coloma boys finished in 4th place with 109 points, as first place Saugatuck had 60 total points. The boys who are now first team all conference are Comet freshman Boden Genovese who finished 10th overall in a time of 17:31.49, Jake Ickes 14th place in 18:03.67, and Blane Sutherland in 17th place in a personal best time of 18:10.58. Ethan Vandermolen finished in 21st just out of the top twenty, in a time of 18:35.39. Skylar Wolfe was the fifth member of the team for score, and he also ran a personal best time of 20:00.23.

Comets spike Saugatuck on volleyball court

On Tuesday, Oct. 13 the Coloma volleyball team beat Saugatuck in straight sets, 25-13, 25-23, and 25-12. Maddie McQuillan had 1 kill, 7 assists, 5 aces, and 3 digs. Maurissa LaGrow had 3 digs and Gracie Whitaker had 3 kills, 5 aces, and 3 digs. Taryn Blazier had 12 kills, 2 aces, 2 digs, and 1 block. Mia Cole had 2 kills, 2 aces, and 12 digs. Kiely Moore had 1 kill, 1 dig, and one block. Clara Kimmerly had 1 kill and 2 blocks. Brielle Hicks had 8 assists, 1 ace, 6 digs, and 1 block. Olivia Palgen had 3 digs and Maddie Hicks had 3 kills, 1 ace, and 5 digs.

Hartford Prress Box By Jerrod Birmele

Hartford football remains winless after Centreville shutout

Last Friday night, Oct. 16, the Hartford Indian football team hosted Centreville on “Senior Night” in their final home game of the season. It hasn’t been the kind of season the Indians have been hoping for, as the team came in with a 0-4 record on the year. With the end of the season and the playoffs on the radar, they need to pick their game up – in a hurry.

Centreville came into the game undefeated at 4-0, and ranked #7 in the state in Division 8, and for good reason. Their offense was averaging nearly 35 points a game, while their defense had given up just 15 points in the first four games. Hartford found out just how good the Bulldogs were in this one; as Centreville would go on to win, 38-0, keeping the Indians winless on the 2020 season. The game was cut short, and finished in the early part of the third quarter thanks to weather. The game was delayed for over 30 minutes in the first half due to lightning in the area, and the two teams amicably called the game when a second delay loomed large.

In terms of the box score, Centreville dominated the game from start-to-finish, leading 14-0 after the first quarter, and extending their lead to 30-0 at halftime, thanks to a 16-0 scoring advantage in the second quarter. The Bulldogs returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and two-point conversion in the third quarter, before the game was called, and brought the game to the final margin of victory.

On offense, the Indians managed just 82 yards of total offense. Of that total, 84 yards were passing and minus-two yards were rushing. Hartford was 14-of-24 passing as a team, with Donovan Sikes going 14-of-23 for 84 yards, while throwing two interceptions. Aaron Sinclair led the receiving core, making 11 catches for 74 yards, while Ricky Baker (24 yards) and Jonah Henslee (2 yards) each added a pair of receptions each.

On defense, the Indians were led by Tanner Kinchen, who made nine tackles and recovered a fumble. Brock Schaner added eight tackles and Henslee added seven tackles, both playing in their final home game. Sinclair and Dylan Voss each recorded a pass breakup.

Hartford is currently 0-5 on the season, and has the same record in Southwest 10 Conference action. The Indians will conclude the regular season on the road, traveling to South Haven to take on the Rams in a non-conference tilt on Friday, Oct. 23. The Rams will come into the game with a 3-2 record on the season.

Hartford soccer heads into districts on six match winning streak

Last week, the Hartford Indian boys soccer team continued their season by playing in just one match that counted towards their record. The team came into this stretch of action playing some of their best soccer of the season, having won five straight matches, while outscoring their opponents during that time, 27-4. And, in the previous week, the team clinched another conference crown, earning that moniker for the eighth time in the past ten seasons.

On Monday, Oct. 12, the team traveled to Niles for a non-conference match against the Bobcats of Niles Brandywine. The two teams in this one were on opposite ends of the spectrum in relation to the success they have had this season. Hartford came in with a record of 11-2 on the year, while Brandywine had only played in nine matches, with a record of 3-4-2 on the season. But the match was pretty competitive all night long, but in the end, it was the good guys that would come out on top, as the Indians would take the victory, 3-1, extending their current winning streak to six straight.

The Indians got their three goals courtesy of three different players: Aaron Lopez-Robles, Kevin Parra and Alexis Rivas. Assists were credited to Alan Gonzalez and Danny Gutierrez. Goalkeeper Kaden Johnson recorded three saves in net to earn the victory.

On Friday, Oct. 16, several members of the team that needed playing time to develop their experience and skills made up a “junior varsity” team and traveled to Comstock to meet up with the Colts in a full match. Those that played in the match performed very well, and the coaching staff had nothing but quality things to say about their performance despite a 1-nil loss.

Hartford is currently 12-2 on the season. The regular season is officially over, and the Indians will begin district play this week, attempting to score another trophy for the growing trophy case. They will compete in the district held at Saint Joseph Michigan Lutheran High School, which also includes Bridgman and New Buffalo. They began district play in semifinal action against New Buffalo on Tuesday, Oct. 20. Pending the outcome they could play for the title on Saturday, Oct. 24.

Hartford cross country teams place second at conference jamboree

Last Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 14, the Hartford Indian cross country teams participated in their fourth Southwest 10 Conference “Jamboree” of the season. The teams continued their recent solid performances the week prior by both winning their third straight conference events last week. The postseason pre-regional and regional meets are getting closer in view, and this is the perfect opportunity for PRs to show up.

At the jamboree held at Bloomingdale High School, both teams finished in second place overall against the host Cardinals and Decatur. On the men’s side, Bloomingdale won the overall meet with a total team score of 23, which was nine points better than Hartford at 32. On the ladies side, Bloomingdale placed four in the top five to dominate the team score race, finishing with a team score of 16 and solidly defeating Hartford, who scored 42. Decatur did not field enough runners to earn a team score in either race.

For the men, the team was led by Jairo Lopez, who placed 4th overall with a time of 19:07, while Jacob Morales clocked in with a time of 19:23, good enough for 5th place. The top five runners also included Bo Janicki in 6th place (19:51), Arulio Delgado in 7th place (20:08) and Hunter Bloom in 10th place (20:59).\

On the ladies side, the team was led by Gillian Kuehnle, who placed 5th overall with a team of 23:23, while Jasmin Janicki clocked in with a time of 23:56, good enough for 7th place. The top five runners also included Jamie Smith in 10th place (24:36), Descenya Rodarte in 11th place (25:06) and Mayra Naranjo in 12th place (25:25).

The Hartford cross country teams return to action this week in pre-regional action. Due to COVID-19, the normal large regional competitions have been cut down to smaller pre-regionals to be under the guidelines for the amount of runners at one given site. Pre-regional action will take place at Watervliet on Saturday, Oct. 24.

As always, GO INDIANS!

Press Box Player of the Week!

By Jerrod Birmele

Gillian Kuehnle, a junior at Hartford High School and a member of the Lady Indian Cross Country team, is the Tri-City Record Press Box Player of the Week for Oct. 22, 2020.

Gillian, in her first high school season on the cross country trails, has been an important leader for her team during the first five races of the season. She has been the number one runner for a team that has been very competitive this year, and her solid performances are just what they will need going into the postseason that is different like never before.

Gillian finished in the top-5 in all four conference runs, earning her all-conference status in the Southwest 10 Conference this year. Her personal best run of the season came on Oct. 7 in the third Southwest 10 Conference “jamboree”, where she finished in 3rd place overall with a time of 22:32. She also placed third in conference races at Mendon (22:44) and Centreville (23:32), before finishing in 5th place last week in Bloomingdale (23:23). Her only performance outside of the top-5 this year was an 11th place finish at Bridgman, where Hartford faced cross country powerhouses in the Lady Bees and Stevensville Lakeshore.

Athletically, off of the cross country trails, Gillian will be a member of the varsity basketball team in the winter and the varsity track and field team in the spring, if sports happen as expected. In the past, she has also been a member of the volleyball team, and last year, was a member of the team that won academic all-state honors from the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association (MIVCA).

Academically, Gillian commits herself to her studies, and excels academically. Her name has appeared on the honor roll every semester of her high school career, including high honors during the first semester last year. And, just recently, she was crowned Princess during Hartford’s annual Homecoming ceremonies.

Congratulations on this great honor, Gillian! We look forward to seeing what you and your team can accomplish the rest of the fall season!

Watervliet Press Box by John Oliphant

Panther volleyball improving and winning

The Panthers went on the road to South Haven on Tuesday, Oct. 13 but fell short in a loss to the Lady Rams, 25-16, 25-21, and 25-18. The team passed well on serve receive and played tough defense, but they were unable to deliver a consistent offensive attack.

Stats for 10/13: Samantha Dietz 10 kills, 7 digs; Grace Chisek 10 assists, 1 ace, 11 digs, 3 blocks; Myah Hobson 1 kill, 3 blocks; Jaylie Querfurth 10 digs; Ellie Golden 1 kill, 4 digs, 2 aces; Addison Riley 1 kill, 1 block, 2 digs; Natalie Hart 2 kills, 2 assists, 1 ace, 1 dig; Allison Pline 3 aces, 1 dig

On Thursday, Oct. 15 the team traveled to Hackett Catholic Central where they fought to the end in a full five-game match, losing 3 to 2.

Coach Edie Daugherty said the team fought for every point during every game, along with several big rallies filled with unbelievable saves, digs and kills. The match was exciting from start to finish with the Panthers winning games 2 and 4 but coming up short in the game-5 tiebreaker. Match scores were 21-25, 25-20, 17-25, 25-18, and 11-15. The match featured good net play by middles Myah Hobson and Addison Riley. Samantha Dietz and Abby Roberts led the team in kills, with a total of 38 digs and 11 aces.

The team participated in a quad meet at St. Joseph on October 17, going 2-1 on the day.

They won the opening match against Paw Paw, 2-0. In game one the Panthers were down 4-13 when they finally woke up and began to fight back to capture the win, 25-19. In game two the Panthers stayed point for point with Paw Paw throughout and pushed through at the end for another 25-19 win.

It took the Panthers three tight games to beat Bridgman 25-18, 24-26, and 25-23. Yanna Winters and Natalie Hart led the team in aces with 4 each. Samantha Dietz led with 17 kills. On defense they had several big blocks to slow down the Bee’s offense, Addison Riley leading with 5 blocks. The Bees and Panthers will face off again in the first round of Districts on November 4 in the Panther gym. This will be a must-see matchup based on these scores.

St. Joseph won the final matchup of the day on Oct. 17, 25-22 and 25-14. Coach Daugherty said each match was competitive from start to finish and this young Panther team continues to improve each week.

Their last regular season home match was Tuesday of this week which was also Senior Night. The Division 3 District 78 tournament will be held in the Panther gym during the first week of November, featuring teams from Brandywine, Cassopolis, Hartford, and Bridgman.

Panther football loses to rival Comets

The Friday night lights were blazing in Coloma last Friday evening, as the Panthers dropped a hard-fought game 24-16. The game ended up consuming 3 hours and 50 minutes from start to finish thanks to two lengthy lightning delays.

The Panthers jumped out to a quick 8-0 lead on their second possession, but the Comets soon tied it up at 8-8. Scores by both teams led to a 16-16 tie at halftime and into the 4th quarter.

The game was well played throughout with some mild rivalry antics, but nothing unexpected in a game like this one. From the visitor’s perspective it was characterized by missed Panther opportunities, a home-field clock advantage at the end of the first half, key Panther penalties, and the Comets getting a couple big pass plays for touchdowns. As the clock was winding down in the fourth quarter the Panthers were driving and driving the Comets back in an attempt to tie it up, but they couldn’t punch it in on the final drive.

The Panther passing game was shut down but the wet night didn’t deter the run game, with Don Smith rushing 19 times for 138 yards and both Panther scores. Brandon Petty again rushed well, with 77 yards on just three carries. Quarterback Tyson Williams got his first called rushing plays of the season and scampered 52 yards on two rushes.

The Panther defense played well, holding strong against the run-first Comet run attack. On defense Don Smith led with nine tackles, and Isaiah Yazel, Connor Underwood, and Royce Daugherty making several big plays.

The Panthers travel to Parchment for their last regular season game this Friday, Oct. 23.

Cross country runners earn all-conference honors

Panther harriers, senior Ezra Troyer and junior German Casiano both earned 1st Team All-Conference honors at the SAC Championship meet held at Gilmore Car Museum in Delton. Troyer (17:47) finished 12th overall and Casiano (17:55) was 13th. Troyer has now earned 1st Team All-Conference all four years of his career, and German has earned his second consecutive 1st Team All-Conference honor. For the girls, freshman Morgan Lowell earned Honorable Mention All-Conference with her 27th place finish in 22:33.

Lady pickers are perfect; Dan Jones extends his AQB lead

By Dave Vollrath

It was a great week for all on our panel of pigskin pickers in the Armchair Quarterback contest, but the ladies reign supreme as both RoxAnn Rodney-Isbrecht and Taylor Prestidge went a perfect 8-0 for the week.

It was disclosed last week that we had added a “COVID Game”, an added insurance game each week that would only be used in the cases where one of our list of games gets postponed by the virus. Of course the first week of the CG (COVID Game) we had to bring it into play when the Florida vs. LSU game was postponed because of sick players.

The replacement game was Kansas City vs. Buffalo, and even this game which was supposed to be played on Thursday night, Oct. 15, was delayed and played instead on Monday, Oct. 19. Tim Hildebrand who had been mired at the bottom of the field was a perfect 7-0 until the Monday game, but he was the only one of our group looking for an upset by picking the Bills. However they lost to the Chiefs and he finished at 7-1.

Our leader once again this week is Dan Jones. Dan also went 7-1 on the week and missed only on the Pittsburgh loss to U of Miami. Dan did gain another game on second place Rodney Lynch, who along with Greg Krell each had a very respectable 6-2 mark for the week. Rodney now trails Dan by three points overall, 37-10 to 34-13.

The Tri-City Record AQB competition is held weekly from the beginning of the football season in late summer until it finishes with the playing of the Super Bowl in February. We have six Tri-City area football fans competing against each other to predict the winners of a group of pre-selected games from the high school, collegiate, and professional ranks. Following the conclusion of the Super Bowl one winner is crowned champion and will have the honor of wearing the Tri-City Record Armchair Quarterback Championship hat.

In the event that two or more ‘backs have the same record for the week, or the yearly total, their place in the standings will be determined by a weekly tie-breaker game. In addition to trying to correctly pick the winners of each week’s games, they try and predict the score from a specially selected game. The AQB who comes the closest to the total number of points scored by both teams will get the higher spot in the standings.

In the overall standings RoxAnn and Taylor were tied coming into the week, and with both being perfect they both now stand at 33-14. But by Taylor winning the tie-breaker game she will bump back into 3rd place, knocking RoxAnn down to 4th. The tie-breaking game of Alabama vs. Georgia produced a total of 65 points as Bama handled the Dawgs, 41-24. Taylor missed by only 7, by predicting 72 points. Tim has also now moved into a tie with Greg at 30-17 overall, and overtakes him for 5th place by guessing the tie-breaker by three points closer than Greg. Greg goes back to the basement; but he gets hometown credit by picking Watervliet to beat Coloma, and for most of that game he was close to being right.

For the weekly standings Taylor comes out on top, with RoxAnn second, Tim wins 3rd in the tie-breaker over Dan, who is 4th, and Greg gets the tie-breaking nod over Rodney for 5th place for the week.

Be sure and check back next week, as we finally are able to add the Big Ten games back to our list of games for our porkskin prognosticators to ponder.

Coloma vs. Constantine

Watervliet vs. Parchment

Hartford vs. South Haven

Michigan vs. Minnesota (Tie-breaker)

Notre Dame vs. Pittsburgh

Rutgers vs. Michigan State

Detroit vs. Atlanta

Pittsburgh vs. Tennessee