10-24-2019 Tri-City Area Sports

Hartford Prress Box By Jerrod Birmele

Hartford Soccer claims 3rd straight district title in thrilling fashion

Last week, the Hartford Indian Soccer team, ranked 14th in Division 4, competed on the postseason stage once again, as they hosted district action. The Indians came in to the week having won 15 straight matches, including a victory in their first match of districts. The competition would almost certainly take a leg up, and this group of men knew tougher teams would be waiting for them down the line. Tougher matches now will certainly help them later.

KADEN GOES AIRBORNE… Hartford Goalkeeper Kaden Johnson (00) goes up over multiple players, including his own teammate Danny Gutierrez (22), to catch the ball and create a goal kick, while Joel Soto (11), Nick Pultz (27) and Aaron Lopez-Robles (29) look on. Johnson made eight saves in Hartford’s 1-nil shutout of New Buffalo, securing the team’s third consecutive district championship. (Photo courtesy of Angie Johnson)

On Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 15, Hartford hosted Bangor in a district semifinal match. The Indians and the Vikings have already played twice this season, with the good guys having won both matches: 8-nil on August 28 and 5-3 on September 18. However, with both teams’ playoff hopes on the line, the crowd in attendance knew this one could be the closest match to date. It started that way, with Hartford only managing one goal in the first half to lead, 1-nil, at halftime. The match remained that way until the Indians scored three goals in the final 13 minutes to put Bangor away for good, and win the match, 4-0, advancing them to the district final.

On Thursday, Oct. 17, Hartford hosted New Buffalo for the district championship. The Indians and the Bison had not played a match against each other since the 2015 season, but considering both teams boasted great records, with Hartford at 19-3 and New Buffalo at 14-3-1, this had all the makings of an exciting match. With the largest crowd of the season on hand to witness this title game, Hartford got on the board in the 29th minute on a shot struck by Miggy Cardoso, that was initially stopped by the goalkeeper. The ball hit the post, struck the goalkeeper again and went into the net to make it 1-nil. The score remained the same all the way up to the final horn, with the Indians taking the district championship for the third straight season.

The defense was stout all match long, and goalkeeper Kaden Johnson recorded the shutout with an 8-save effort. Hartford is currently 20-3 on the season.

Hartford Football keeps playoff hopes alive with 42-6 Decatur throttling

Friday night, Oct. 18, the Hartford Indian Football team traveled to Decatur to take on the rival Raiders, in the first game of a two-game road trip to end the season. The Indians came into the game with a 4-3 record, and in order to keep their playoff hopes alive, they would likely need to win both this game, and next week against White Pigeon, to accomplish it. Both teams beat the Indians last year, so Hartford has revenge on their mind.

On a cool, brisk, but yet, sunny evening, Hartford played possibly their best game of the year-to-date. The Indians dominated on the offensive, and defensive, side of the ball, capitalizing on big offensive plays and key defensive takeaways. Hartford led 7-0 after one quarter and 14-6 at halftime.

They turned up the wick in the second half, turning a close ballgame into a rout. Hartford scored a touchdown in the third quarter to extend their lead to 21-6, before scoring three times in the fourth quarter to put the game completely out of reach. The final result was a satisfying, yet shocking, 42-6 victory over Decatur, keeping the Indians playoff hopes alive going into the final game of the season.

Hartford’s first score of the game came on 4th down, when quarterback Kyle Manning slipped into a hole in the Raider defense and made the run pay off, as he rumbled 66 yards for the touchdown. Placekicker Nick Pultz converted the extra-point, and Hartford led 7-0 midway through the first quarter.

The Indians added to their lead early in the second quarter, as Aaron Sinclair took the handoff and went three yards for the second Hartford touchdown of the night. Sinclair also caught passes of 25 and 33 yards on the same possession. Nick Pultz was successful on his second extra-point kick of the evening, to make it 14-0 early in the stanza.

Decatur responded with their lone touchdown of the night just seconds later, on a 77-yard touchdown run to cut into the Hartford lead. The extra-point attempt was blocked, and the Indians took a 14-6 lead into the locker room.

Hartford got their lone score of the third quarter on a big play and on their first play from the line of scrimmage in the half. Quarterback Kyle Manning hit Aaron Sinclair in stride, and the Indian junior did the rest, going 73 yards for the touchdown. Nick Pultz remained perfect in extra-point kicks, and extended the Indian lead to 15, at 21-6, early in the second half.

Hartford then put the game to rest with three rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter, with the defense having a major hand in the final two scores of the game.

The first score of the final stanza came from Aaron Sinclair, who scored his third touchdown of the game on a run from one yard out. Nick Pultz was successful on his fourth extra-point kick of the evening, extending the Hartford lead to 28-6 with just under 11 minutes left in the game.

The Indians defense forced a Decatur fumble on the ensuing possession, and paid it off in spades when Aaron Sinclair scored yet another touchdown, his fourth of the night, on a run from six yards out. Nick Pultz booted yet another extra-point kick through the uprights, giving Hartford a 35-6 lead with under 10 minutes left in the contest.

The final touchdown of the game came on another short field, courtesy of an interception by the Indian defense. On the next play from scrimmage, quarterback Kyle Manning kept the ball, and scored on a run from nine yards out. Nick Pultz’s extra-point kick was once again successful, bringing us to the final score of 42-6 in favor of the good guys.

Offensively, Hartford outgained Decatur in total yards by a wide margin, 419-144. Of the 419 yards of total offense for the Indians, 244 were rushing yards and 175 were passing yards. Kyle Manning led the rushing attack, carrying the ball 11 times for 122 yards and two touchdowns, while Aaron Sinclair added three touchdowns, along with 108 yards on 25 rushes. Manning was 6-of-8 passing for 175 yards and a touchdown. Sinclair was the leading receiver, catching four passes for 134 yards and a score, and Joe Beebe made the other two receptions for 41 yards.

Defensively, Hartford was paced by Yair Delgado with eight tackles, including one for a loss. Alex Cook had six tackles in the winning effort, while Joe Beebe added five tackles. Beebe and David Fernandez had fumble recoveries, while Tye Phillips recorded an interception.

On special teams, Nick Pultz was perfect on extra-point tries, going 6-for-6 on the evening.

Hartford is currently 5-3 on the season, and has a 4-3 record in Southwest 10 Conference play. The Indians will finish the regular season on the road this Friday, Oct. 25, as they travel to White Pigeon to take on the state-ranked Chiefs. White Pigeon will come into the game at 7-1 on the season. Should the Indians win, they would be an automatic qualifier in the playoffs that will start next week.

Hartford Volleyball endures another tough week; finishes 0-5

Last week, the Hartford Indian Volleyball team played their final conference match of the season, as well as participated in the Southwest 10 Conference tournament on the weekend. The Lady Indians began the year promising, but have hit a rough patch as of late, having not won a set since Sept. 26. If the team wishes to be part of the conversation in a potentially wide-open district, they need to turn it around quickly, or it could mean another early postseason exit.

On Wednesday, Oct. 16, the Lady Indians played their final conference, and home, match of the season against White Pigeon. The two teams had been going different directions as of late, with the Lady Chiefs moving up the conference standings, and Hartford going in the opposite direction. For Hartford, unfortunately, the losing skid moved to five straight matches, as the Lady Indians were swept in straight sets: 25-13, 25-14 and 25-13.

On Saturday, Oct. 19, the Lady Indians participated in the Southwest 10 Conference tournament at Mendon. The event began with matches in pool play to set brackets for later in the day. The Lady Indians suffered four straight set defeats in pool play, falling to Centreville by scores of 25-10 and 25-6, to Decatur by scores of 25-5 and 25-10, to Bangor by scores of 25-19 and 25-13 and to Bloomingdale by scores of 25-20 and 26-24. The ladies did not qualify for the championship bracket, which ended up being won by the Lady Bulldogs of Centreville.

In terms of statistics for the entire tournament, Hartford was led in aces by Lainey Goodson and Alexis Snodgrass, who each served three aces, while Gillian Kuehnle served two aces. Megan Nelson led the team in kills with 10, while Snodgrass put away seven kills. Goodson led the team in digs with 24, while Nelson added 23 kills and Descenya Rodarte posted 13 kills. Other statistical leaders included Nelson with 19 assists and Mercedes Requenes with two blocks.

Hartford is currently 10-32 on the season, and finished 2-7 in conference play. As a result of the regular season and the tournament, the Lady Indians finished 8th of 10 teams in the conference standings. The ladies play in one match this week, on Friday, Oct. 25 at 1:00 p.m. The match will be at Watervliet, and for a really great cause. It is the annual “Dig Pink” game, honoring those who are fighting, or who have been lost, as a result of cancer. Come out and support both communities in this worthwhile effort.

Hartford Cross Country hits trails in two races, regional meet looms

Last week, the Hartford Indian Cross Country teams hit the trails twice, in their final Southwest 10 Conference jamboree of the season and in a weekend invitational. These meets would represent the final opportunity to prepare for regional competition, which is on the horizon in the coming weeks.

In the final conference jamboree of the season, run on Wednesday, Oct. 16 at Bangor, the Hartford men placed 5th out of eight teams, while the Hartford ladies placed 2nd out of six teams.

On the men’s side, the team was led by Jacob Morales, who placed 16th overall with a time of 19:09, while Joey Lehmkuhl clocked in with a time of 19:12, good enough for 17th place. The top five runners also included Aldo Acevedo in 27th place (20:08), Hunter Bloom in 32nd place (21:18) and Arulio Delgado in 37th place (21:48).

On the ladies side, the team was led by Yovana Naranjo, who placed 7th overall with a time of 22:06, while Jasmin Janicki clocked in with a time of 23:07, good enough for 12th place. The top five runners also included Katherine Sanchez in 16th place (23:30), Jamie Smith in 18th place (23:35) and Mayra Naranjo in 19th place (23:36).

On Saturday morning, Oct. 19, the teams traveled to Gobles to compete in the Little Guys Invitational. In the meet, the Hartford men placed 9th out of 15 teams, while the Hartford ladies placed 3rd out of 10 teams.

On the men’s side, the team was led by Joey Lehmkuhl, who placed 22nd overall with a time of 18:35, while Jacob Morales clocked in with a time of 18:39, good enough for 23rd place. The top five runners also included Aldo Acevedo in 60th place (20:31), Hunter Bloom in 67th place (20:43) and Arulio Delgado in 77th place (21:30). Bloom and Delgado each achieved their season-best runs in this meet.

On the ladies side, the team was led by Yovana Naranjo, who placed 8th overall with a time of 21:38, while Katherine Sanchez clocked in with a time of 22:54, good enough for 25th place. The top five runners also included Jasmin Janicki in 30th place (23:07), Jamie Smith in 37th place (23:20) and Mayra Naranjo in 42nd place (23:30). Yovana Naranjo, Asuzena Loera (47th place, 23:53) and Jasmin Garcia (83rd place, 27:09) each set season-best time in this meet.

The Hartford Cross Country teams will run their last meet of the regular season this Saturday, Oct. 26, when they travel to Centreville to compete in regional competition. Should either of the teams place in the top-three, or have individuals finish in the top-15 runners, they would move on to the state meet on November 2 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.

As always, GO INDIANS!

PRESS BOX PLAYER OF THE WEEK!

By John Oliphant

Our Press Box Player of the Week is senior Kody Edmonds.

The Panther cross country runner took a big step up mid-season, knocking more than a minute off of his season-best time at the second SAC Jamboree and then making 17:58 his new usual time. He also earned First-Team All-Conference honors.

Kody has been running cross since the sixth grade, and finds his favorite part of a race is when “I feel like I’m sprinting 100 mph through the woods.” He’s enjoyed running and training with his team, his best friends since elementary school, and pushing each other through tough times along the way. That team, which Kody calls a family, has a great chance to qualify for the state finals when they run in Centreville on Saturday.

Coach Aaron Weber said he has worked hard all four years, and has been pushing himself even harder in practice this season. Weber said that maybe “he realized he is near the end of his high school cross career and wants to make the most of it.”

Kody also runs distances on the track team. Outside of school he enjoys hanging out with his friends and working on cars. In fact, he’s studying auto systems at Van Buren Skills Center and plans to be a wheeled vehicle mechanic in the Army National Guard after graduation next spring. After that he plans to study health care at Grand Valley State.

Congratulations, Kody!

Watervliet Press Box by John Oliphant

Panther Football falls to Schoolcraft; 3 QBs suffer injuries

The Panther football team traveled to Schoolcraft last week, taking on the 7-0 and #5 ranked Eagles, and losing 54-0. The game began badly for the Panthers when quarterback Tyson Williams was forced out of the game with an injury on their second play. Then the situation went from bad to worse when the next two quarterbacks also left the game with injuries, leaving big holes on defense, too.

The shorthanded Panthers were completely outmatched at this point and couldn’t get much going on either side of the ball. Junior Logan Duscha stepped in at quarterback and played well in a position he hasn’t seen since middle school. Austin and Isaac Wilmoth also stepped up, carrying the ball throughout the second half. Cole Pline, Logan Geisler, Dylan Tucker, Aaron Nave and Garrett Hotovy all stepped in to fill roles on both sides of the ball. Jordan Abney caught two passes for 27 yards, and Evan Hutchins led the rushing with four carries for 20 yards.

Coloma comes to Watervliet for the final game of the season at 5:00 p.m. on Friday.

Panther Boys XC runners set many new PRs at Kalamazoo Christian Invitational

The Panther runners put up yet another impressive performance in their final tune-up before Saturday’s regional meet. The boys took fifth place out of 14 schools at the Kalamazoo Christian Comet Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 19. Ezra Troyer (17:27) and Gus Hinch (17:39) each ran their second-fastest times of the season with Ezra finishing 13th and Gus 15th out of a field of 149 runners.

Kody Edmonds (18:14) finished 29th and German Casiano (18:30) finished 37th. Matthew Hanks (18:36) ran his best by setting a new PR while finishing 41st. Trever Pelton (18:43) and Alex Isbrecht (19:29) rounded out the varsity.

Camdon Geisler (19:42) and Jimmy Kolosowsky (19:57) made for nine Panthers under 20 minutes as both ran new PRs. Nathan Isbrecht (20:46) finished off his dual-sport season with his season’s best race, and Aaron Leoni (21:11) grabbed the team’s fourth PR of the day with a 36-second improvement over his previous best.

Girls Cross best meet of the year

The Panther girls ran their best so far, finishing 8th out of 14 schools at the Comet Invitational. All seven runners posted their fastest times of the season.

Brenda Romero (22:57) took over a minute off her previous PR. Sophie Tavolacci (24:14) was the next Panther crossing the line. Kristina Swanson (25:04) set a new PR, while Yona Klimkiewicz (25:19) was close behind. Alyssa Lange (26:14) just keeps getting faster, while Destiny Kerr (26:59) cut over a minute off her PR. Aria Richards (28:41) finished off this good day for the Panther squad by shaving a couple more seconds off her season best time.

Panther Volleyball wins and loses

The lady Panthers lost to Lawton last week, 25-20, 25-11, and 25-23. In games one and three the Panthers put up a fight, but then struggled with their serves at crucial moments during the games. Addison Riley and Susanna VanLente lead the team with five kills each and Addison also led the team with seven digs and added four big blocks.

Stats leaders in the Lawton contest on Thursday, Oct. 17 include Addison Riley 5 kills, 7 digs, 4 blocks, 1 assist; Susanna VanLente 5 kills, 6 digs; Abby Roberts 3 kills, 1 dig; Kristen Gardiner 19 assists, 2 digs, 3 kills; Myah Hobsen 2 kills, 2 blocks, 1 dig; Jaylie Querfurth 3 digs; Allison Pline 3 digs; Yanna Winters 2 digs; Lilly Lafor 1 kill, 2 assists.

Earlier in the week the volleyball team beat Fennville 25-22, 25-14, and 25-23. In game one on Tuesday, Oct. 15 the Panthers were behind 9-3 before starting to battle back. Once in the lead, they didn’t let up.

In game two the Panthers again started slow but came back to get the win. Kristen Gardiner was behind the service line for 14 points in that game. In game three the Panthers took an early lead and fought off Fennville to win game three and the match. Coach Edie Daugherty said it was a great team effort with solid passing, aggressiveness and communication.

Stats for the Fennville matchup: Abbigayle Roberts 5 kills, 3 digs; Myah Hobson 4 kills, 1 block; Susanna VanLente 3 kills, 1 ace, 3 digs; Addison Riley 3 kills, 4 blocks; Kristen Gardiner 2 kills, 4 aces, 14 assists; Allie Pline 3 aces, 4 digs; Jaylie Querfurth 1 ace, 3 digs.

Don’t forget the third annual Pink Out game on Friday, October 25 at 1:00 p.m. at Watervliet High School.

MS Football still undefeated

The Watervliet Panther middle school football team beat Saugatuck last week 34-8. Scoring for the Panthers were Levi Getz, JT Davis, Riley Hess, and Chase Tremblay. They played their final game of the season on Wednesday, Oct. 23.

MS Cross Country

This past Saturday, the Middle School Cross Country team ran at their final meet of the season at the regional championships in Vicksburg. Collecting medals in the Division 2 race were Amiya Hinch, Morgan Lowell, Jacob Querfurth, and Lucas Isbrecht. Personal best times were recorded by Michael Burnett, Ella Geisler, Camdyn Gerlach, Sophie Grear, Lucas Isbrecht, Lauren Lovell, Morgan Lowell, Amara Olexa, Kimberly Romero, and Alex Sexton.

Coloma Press Box By Dave Vollrath

Coloma knocks off Delton-Kellogg 22-20 in final home football game of season

Coloma had their largest crowd of the season, to celebrate Senior Night, along with fund raisers benefiting the United Way and American Cancer on Friday, Oct. 18. The varsity football team was lifted by this atmosphere to their best team performance, offensive, defensive and special teams, of the season. The Comets came out on this special night in pink jerseys, and the crowd was also decked out in pink to honor the Susan G. Komen breast cancer awareness week. Coloma fed off of this energy to upset Delton-Kellogg, 22-20.

BOYD RUNNING WILD… Coloma’s Kenyon Boyd #2, follows the blocking of #1 Mike Case, as he makes the corner, resulting in a 14-yard gain for the Comets. Boyd had another big night; rushing for 154 yards, as Coloma knocked off Delton-Kellogg 22-20 on Oct. 18 in their last home game of the season. Next game for the Comets is the annual grudge match with Watervliet on Friday night, Oct. 25, in Panther Stadium. (TCR photo by Dave Vollrath)

The Comets also built on their recently revamped offense, which was necessitated from a season long offensive malaise that had resulted in three straight shutout losses. Coach Joe Stephens’ offensive changes showed a little of what was to come, even as they lost to Schoolcraft the previous week. Once again, Kenyon Boyd was the show piece against Delton-Kellogg, as he again ran for over 150 yards, even though he did not have to shoulder the whole load with about 30% fewer carries.

The game was back and forth, as the Comets had to battle back from behind twice. They could have put more points on the board, as they turned the ball over on downs twice inside the Panther 5-yard line, along with being intercepted once on the D-K goal line. But this game was more about what the Comets did do, than what they didn’t do. What they did was roll up over 350 total yards with a ground controlled offense, which had their offensive line control the line of scrimmage, and just enough passing to keep the Panthers off balance.

The Comets took a 16-13 half time lead as Boyd and Christian Eutsey each ran for a score, and Boyd and Mike Case each added a 2-point conversion. Coloma also had a 26-yard reverse run by Cody Palgen on the last play of the half which looked for a hot minute like he might score, but he was run out of bounds around the 25-yard line, and the teams headed to the locker rooms.

The third quarter only had two possessions, as the Comets took the second half kickoff and drove down inside the Panther 1-yard line. They were stopped short on fourth down. Delton-Kellogg then drove 99 yards for a go ahead touchdown, which ate up the rest of the 3rd quarter, and scored in the 4th on a 1-yard plunge.

The Comets then drove for the winning score, as Cody Palgen took the handoff on another double reverse, and after a great inside cut, and some timely blocking, took it 39 yards to the house. Afterwards the Comet defense stepped up and kept the Panthers from getting anything going the rest of the way, and finally made the Comets a winner at home.

Boyd finished the game with 154 yards rushing on 26 carries, Palgen finished with 65 yards in just two carries, and Noah Schwanke had 35 yards in six carries with a long of 18 yards. Michael Case passed for 75 yards and Boyd was 2-4 passing for 19 yards. Nick Santarlas caught two passes for 55 yards, with one great catch for 38 yards. Michael Dancer also had a 37-yard catch for a big first down.

On defense Noah Schwanke and Ian Ishmael each had eight tackles, as Ishmael, Boyd, and Travis Borr each had a tackle for loss. Michael Case and Nick Santarlas each had five tackles.

Next up for Coloma is the annual grudge match with their neighborhood rivals at Watervliet. The game time has been moved up to 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 25.

Coloma Volleyball travels to Parchment, wins 2 and loses 2

Coach Kim Swisher’s Comet volleyball ladies traveled to Parchment for an invitational tournament on Monday, Oct. 14, and split their four matches. They won against Comstock 25-14, 25-23, and Galesburg, 25-19 and 25-20. Then they lost to Three Rivers, 19-25, 16-25, and fell to Loy Norrix, 21-25, 25-13, 14-16.

Marissa Sherburn finished the night with 18 kills, 19 digs and 1 block. Madison McQuillan had 10 kills, 59 assists, 5 aces, and 19 digs. Gracie Whitaker had 12 kills, 7 digs, and 1 block, Marissa LaGrow had 5 digs, Rozalyn Emrich had 2 kills, 4 digs, Taryn Blazier had 16 kills, 2 aces and 17 digs. Chloe Mathis had 7 aces and 14 digs. Megan Neubecker filled the stat sheet with, 33 kills, 7 aces, 21 digs, and 7 blocks. Mia Cole had 20 digs.

Volleyball wins 3 of 5 at Constantine

The Comets completed their busy week traveling Saturday morning, Oct. 19, to Constantine, where they won three matches and lost two. Coach Swisher’s team Beat Gobles, 25-19, 25-17, beat Martin, 25-16, 25-17, and then got the best of Delton-Kellogg, 25-17, 25-20. The ladies then fell to Bronson, 14-25, and 11-25, and also Lawton 21-25 and 23-25.

Marissa Sherburn had 18 kills, 5 digs, and 5 blocks. Kelsey Ellis finished with 1 kill, 3 aces, and 26 digs. Madison McQuillan had 8 kills, 66 assists, 2 aces, and 18 digs. Gracie Whitaker finished with 14 kills, 1 ace, 17 digs and 2 blocks. Maurissa LaGrow had 1 ace and 17 digs. Rozalyn Emrich had 2 kills, 4 digs and 1 block. Taryn Blazier had a big night with 20 kills, 2 aces, 19 digs, and 2 blocks. Chloe Mathis had 4 digs, while Megan Neubecker had 39 kills, 10 digs, and 9 blocks. Mia Cole had 2 kills, 7 aces, and 37 digs, and Kiely Moore had 2 kills and 2 digs.

Coloma Cross Country girls finish second at the Little Guy Invitational at Gobles

Coach Courtney Churchill’s girl runners had a very good day running through the leaf lined trails at Gobles in their Little Guy Invitational, where they finished in second place out of 10 teams entered in the event. Galesburg Augusta was the winner. The top five Comet girls all ran well once again, as they were led by Ava Genovese who finished in 5th place overall in a time of 21:27.67. Abby Vandermolen finished 12th in 21:51.97, and sister Emma Vandermolen finished 16th in 22:20.44. Chloe Williams finished 20th overall in a time of 22:36.86, and Camry Brown finished in 41st place in 23:27.27.

2ND PLACE FINISH… The Coloma Comet ladies cross country team ran Saturday, Oct. 19, in the Gobles Little Guy Invitational. The Lady Comets ran their way to a great 2nd place finish. Runners pictured (from the left) are: Kayla Walter, Emma Vandermolen, Vanessa Crisenbery, Abby Vandermolen, and Ava Genovese. Team members also running but not pictured are: Chloe Williams, Camryn Brown, Taylor Brown, Tori Brown, and Briana Tillotson.

The Comet boys also ran well and finished in 5th place out of 15 teams entered. Their top 5 finishers were all sophomores, which show you how much Coach Churchill has to look forward to with this young group of men runners. Jake Icke, as he has all year, led the young Comets finishing in 16th place overall in a time of 18:10.20. Ethan Vandermolen finished in 19th place in 18:21.78. Blane Sutherland ran 28th with a time of 18:58.78. Caleb Ishmael came in 48th overall in 19:54.34, while Riley Davis was 51st in 20:00.92.

AQBs have wild week; four change places, top 2 remain unchanged

By Dave Vollrath The Tri-City Record Armchair Quarterbacks had more movement in the standings than normal, but all of the panelists had a very respectable week. The season is about one third of the way through. All six pigskin pickers started the week with a loss Friday night, as the Comets pulled off an upset. The college games gave no real surprises, though Chief Dan was the only one who had faith Michigan could win in Happy Valley, but no such luck. Dan Jones and RoxAnn Rodney-Isbrecht traded places in the overall standings. Dan moved down to 4th and RoxAnn up to 3rd. They both hit the tiebreaker number right on the head with a prediction of 49. The Michigan vs. Penn State final score was 28-21. Also in the overall standings Kathy Summers moves back into fifth place, while Greg Krell who had just moved out of the basement, had to move back down there as he was low man for the week at 4-4. Kathy and RoxAnn tied for tops on the week at 6-2, with RoxAnn getting the top spot based on the tiebreaker. Dan, Tim Hildebrand and Rodney Lynch all were 5-3 for the week, and finished in that order based on their tiebreaker predictions. The TCR, AQB competition is held weekly from the beginning of the high school football season in late summer, until it finishes with the playing of the Super Bowl in February. There are 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 tiebreaker game. In addition to trying to correctly pick the winners of each week’s games, they predict the score from a specially selected game. The AQB whom comes the closest to the total number of points scored by both teams, will get the higher spot in the standings. All on the panel are getting very adept at predicting the tiebreaker, with 4 of the group coming within 3 of the final score. And, of course, 2 hit it on the number. Rodney Lynch, who is looking for a 3-peat championship this year, still is in the lead as he maintains a comfortable 4-point advantage over Tim. Rodney stands at 50-13, and Tim at 46-17. RoxAnn moves to only one point behind Tim, while Dan and Kathy are one point behind her. Greg now is two points from finding his way out of the cellar. Check back next week as the pigskin prognosticators try and predict the winners from among this list of games.

Coloma vs. Watervliet (Tiebreaker) Hartford vs. White Pigeon Notre Dame vs. Michigan Penn State vs. Michigan State Wisconsin vs. Ohio State Auburn vs. LSU NY Giants vs. Detroit LA Chargers vs. Chicago