11-07-2019 Tri-City Area Sports

Watervliet Press Box by John Oliphant

Hinch and Troyer place at state finals

The MHSAA cross country state finals were held at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday, Nov. 2. Watervliet’s Ezra Troyer completed his junior season and senior runner Gus Hinch completed his cross country career with great runs at the Division 3 finals. The weather was typical November cold, but thankfully it was clear and mostly dry.

IN TOP 100 RUNNERS… are Watervliet Panthers junior Ezra Troyer and senior Gus Hinch. Ezra placed 84th in a field of 247 runners at the MHSAA State Finals for Cross Country on Nov. 2, 2019 and Hinch, just 4 seconds behind, in 91st place.

In a field of 247 runners Ezra placed 84th and Gus was 4 seconds back in 91st place. Ezra jumped 39 places better than his first visit to the finals in 2018, finishing the 5k course in a solid 17:39. In his third trip to the finals Gus finished 36 places higher than in 2018 at 17:43. Gus broke into the top 100 for the first time after finishing 149th in 2017 and 127th in 2018.

Conference rival and defending team champion Saugatuck finished in 10th place this year, and Bloomingdale finished in 13th. Parchment, which joins the SAC next year, finished in 15th place. Hanover-Horton won the team event, and Hunter Jones from Benzie Central was the fastest D3 runner at 15:45, winning the race by over 30 seconds.

Panther volleyball season comes to a close

The young Panther volleyball team has shown signs of brilliance this season, but at the same time their youth and inexperience at the varsity level has cost them at key moments and they have been overpowered at times. Make no mistake—this is a talented group and they will be a fun team to watch next year and beyond.

Monday night in the WHS gym provided the first district tournament action for all but a couple Lady Panthers. The match had everything; plenty of great plays, solid teamwork, some pressure mistakes, and lots of raw talent showing through against a strong, tall, and older Bangor team.

The Panther season came to a close, losing to the Vikings 25-20, 25-22, and 25-17. The Panthers led at times in the first two games but they couldn’t put any distance on the Vikings who fought back for the wins. Bangor jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the third game and the Panthers weren’t able to get much closer. The Vikings were able to hit the ball into gaps, blocked well, and took advantage of their experience at the net.

Leading stats for the Panthers: Samantha Dietz attacked the ball from both the front and back row to lead with 12 kills; Allison Pline led with 15 digs; Kristen Gardiner led with four aces and 28 assists; and senior Susanna VanLente finished her volleyball career with six kills, 14 digs and one ace.

Other stats for this match include freshman Samantha Dietz – 8 digs; junior Kristen Gardiner – 5 digs; sophomore Addison Riley – 5 kills, 3 digs, 1 block; freshman Myah Hobson 3 kills, 2 blocks, 1 dig; freshman Lilly Lafor – 3 digs, 3 kills; freshman Jaylie Querfurth 3 digs

Soccer Awards Night

The Panther soccer team recently held their 2019 season awards banquet. Coach Doug Bornas handed out varsity letters to 17 first-time recipients, and 22 athletes earned varsity letters overall.

The team had a great season, with many opposing coaches surprised by the skill and speed of this first-year team. The team graduates a few seniors who will be missed, but there’s a bunch of talented underclassmen who will take this team well into the playoffs in the coming years.

The coaches handed out several individual awards starting with the outstanding defender, given to sophomore Andrew Chisek. The outstanding midfielder award was presented to freshman Brady Bornas. The outstanding forward award went to junior Brennan Bornas. The hustle award was given to senior Noah Weber. The most improved player for the 2019 season was given to sophomore Mason Pennington. The coaches gave the most valuable player award to junior Robert Kraklau and sophomore Nathan Isbrecht.

Due to the relatively late creation of the team the schedule was incomplete and didn’t include all the conference teams. That incomplete schedule prevented the Panthers from competing for a conference title or being awarded any all-conference honors. That said, the players were eligible for all-district honors, and they earned a few of those. Earning first-team all district honors were Nathan Isbrecht and Robert Kraklau. Honorable mention all-district honors were awarded to Brennan Bornas, Brady Bornas, and Andrew Chisek.

The coaches extended a big thank you to all who helped get the team going, and to everyone who supported them. They also wanted to give special thanks to Angie Martin Gutierrez, Matt Clay, Jon and Kate VanLente, Ken Dietz, and Kevin Schooley who was instrumental in starting the team, and the entire Watervliet school board!

Press Box Player of the week

By Jerrod Birmele

Yovana Naranjo, a senior at Hartford High School, and a member of the varsity ladies cross country team, is this week’s Press Box Player of the Week. Yovana was one of the most consistent runners for head coach Doug Paran’s team, as she finished as the first or second runner every race for the Lady Indians this season.

In the recent MHSAA Division 3 Regional meet, held at Centreville High School on Saturday, Oct. 26, she finished 18th in a field of 96 runners with a time of 22:08. That result left her just three places away from qualifying for the state meet for the second straight season. It was also the seventh consecutive race where she was the top finisher for Hartford.

During the course of the season, Yovana brought her times down by more than two minutes. She began the season by running her worst time of the year, 24:04, at the Bridgman Invitational on August 21. She steadily improved her times throughout the year, and ran her season-best time, 21:38, at the Gobles Little Guys Invitational on October 19.

Yovana finished in the top-12 overall in 10 of the team’s 12 meets, including a top-5 finish in the Decatur Raider Invitational on September 21. The only two times she placed outside of the top-12 were in the Regional meet and in the Portage Invitational in October, where she finished 72nd in a field of 350 runners.

Athletically, outside of the cross country trails, Yovana can be found on the soccer pitch in the spring, where she plays as a defenseman for the Lady Indians.

Congratulations on this great honor, Yovana! Congratulations on all your accomplishments on the cross country trails this season!

Coloma Press Box By Dave Vollrath

Coloma girls cross country team qualifies, competes at state for first time in school history

It was a very cool, crisp morning on Saturday, Oct. 26, and the Coloma girls cross country team had one goal in mind left to accomplish for this season. And that was to finish in the top 3 at the regional meet, which would qualify them to go to the state meet for the first time in Coloma school history. The top 7 Coloma girls ran and competed hard and accomplished that goal, with 2 points to spare.

AND THEY’RE OFF… The Coloma Comet girls cross country team leave the starting gate on their 3-mile journey around the MIS speedway infield, as they competed at the Division 3 state finals Saturday. Pictured (left to right): #1539 Emma Vandermolen, #1537 Briana Tillotson, #1536 Ava Genovese, and #1538 Abby Vandermolen. Behind them but covered up are Camryn Brown, Vanessa Crisenbery, and Chloe Williams. (TCR photo by Dave Vollrath)

During a preseason interview, Coach Courtney Churchill was asked about what her main goals and aspirations were for her team, and she stated that she wanted to keep her team healthy, and to qualify as many runners as they could to go to state this year. Last year Emma Vandermolen was the sole Comet to qualify to run in the state meet. This year six more Comet runners joined her at state, accomplishing Coach Churchill’s goal by a long way.

The Comet girls had a great school sendoff when they left the high school Friday morning, Nov. 1, for the drive to Michigan International Speedway for the running of the state meet taking place on Saturday the 2nd. Red Arrow was lined with Coloma students and parents, and well-wishers, as a police squad car escorted them to the highway. The Comet band drum corps also added to the festivities.

On Saturday morning of the state finals there were 27 teams awaiting their chance to compete for a state crown, including the Comets in Division 3 of the lower peninsula, with all of the action taking place in the huge infield area of the MIS, in Brooklyn, MI. It was quite a spectacular event, which is expected for any of the championships put on by the MHSAA. It was also another chilly morning, with temps in the lower 30s and wind making it feel much cooler than that. This would not deter any of the runners though, who had qualified to compete for an individual or team title. They had all worked for months, if not years, for this opportunity and the weather was certainly not ever going to be an excuse.

Everyone was there to compete, and there can only be so many teams or individuals who would take home the trophies and medals which went to the state champions. But there were only winners on this day. Everyone who stepped on the 3-mile course was there because they had earned the opportunity, and all who competed, can take home that sense of pride of accomplishment.

The Coloma girls competed well on this day. The team finished 25th out of the 27 teams, but they were all smiles after the race, as it should be. They celebrated the day with their coaches and families, and a number of non competing team mates who traveled to the event to give their support. Ava Genovese was once again the first Comet to come racing down the home stretch and cross the finish line. She ran a fine time of 21:23.3. Emma Vandermolen was next in, with a time of 22:20.4. Abby Vandermolen was next in 23:01.2, followed closely by Camryn Brown in 23:23.6, and Briana Tillotson in 23:30.7. Next in was Chloe Williams in a time of 23:31.7, and finally Vanessa Crisenbery who ran a personal best time of 23:58.

Coach Churchill is very excited about her team’s accomplishments, and is looking forward to continuing with their success. They only lose two seniors, and have some help coming from the middle school that has some runners moving into the high school next year.

Congratulations on a job well done. This Comet team had earned the praise of the community.

Comet volleyball has final tune ups before beginning district play, defeating Gobles and falling to Dowagiac

On Tuesday, Oct. 22, the Comet lady volleyballers defeated Gobles in four sets, 25-22, 18-25, 25-8, and 25-21. The Comets played well, with passion and enthusiasm on this night. They were able to maintain a lead. Each time Gobles would make a run to get back in a set, the Comets would hold them off.

COMET DOUBLE TEAM… Coloma Comet volleyball players #4 Gracie Whitaker and #10 Megan Neubecker doubles up over the net to block a shot by a Dowagiac player. Waiting for a possible return is Comet #3 Madison McQuillan. The Comets lost at home to the Chieftains in one of their final tune-ups for district play, which began on Monday Nov. 4. (TCR photo by Dave Vollrath)

Kelsey Ellis had 11 digs; Marissa Sherburn had 2 kills, 3 digs, and one block. Madison McQuillan had another big night with 2 kills, 32 assists, 1 ace, and 10 digs. Gracie Whitaker had 6 kills, 2 aces and 5 digs, while Maurissa LaGrow finished with 1 ace and 10 digs. Marisa Pullins had 2 digs; Taryn Blazier had 9 kills, 10 digs, and 1 block. Senior standout Megan Neubecker had a great night knocking down 25 kills, 3 aces, 12 digs, and 5 blocks. Mia Cole had 1 kill and 26 digs.

Coloma faced Dowagiac at home on Wednesday, Oct. 30, in a non-conference match in preparation for the district tournament. The Comets competed hard on this night, and each set was closely contested. But Dowagiac prevailed at the end.

Coloma won the first set 25-21, and then dropped the next three by scores of 19-25, 21-25, and 17-25. Marisa Sherburn had 7 kills, 5 digs, and 3 blocks. Kelsey Ellis had 2 aces and 15 digs. Madison McQuillan filled the stat sheet with 2 kills, 21 assists, 2 aces, 15 digs, and 1 block. Gracie Whitaker had 2 kills, 4 digs, and one block. Rozlyn Emrich had 1 kills, 3 digs, and 1 block, while Maurisa LaGrow had 1 ace and 8 digs. Taryn Blazier had 8 kills, 2 aces, and 12 digs. Megan Neubecker had a big night with 13 kills, 1 ace, 2 digs, and 5 blocks, while Mia Cole contributed 20 digs.

Comets fall to Paw Paw in district opener

The Coloma Comet volleyball team had their season end on Monday, Nov. 4, in the opening round of district play in Division 2 at South Haven, as they lost in five sets to Paw Paw.

Hartford Prress Box By Jerrod Birmele

Hartford Football falls to Schoolcraft in pre-district game, finishes 6-4

Last Friday night, Nov. 1, the Hartford Indian Football team traveled to Schoolcraft to take on the Eagles in the first round of playoff action. The Indians came into the game having won three straight games and were 6-3, while the Eagles came in 8-1, but fresh off their first loss of the season in week nine. Schoolcraft was state-ranked for a majority of the season, and finished #7 in the final high school prep poll. To say this was a tough test was an understatement.

Unfortunately, for the Indians, their hopes were dashed quite early in the game, as Schoolcraft scored on almost every possession, converting numerous opportunities into points. The final result was a 57-6 Eagle victory, ending the Indians season in the first round, and extending a playoff win drought to 13 years, as the teams last playoff victory came in 2006.

The Eagles led 15-0 after the first quarter, and extended their lead to 35-0 at halftime. With the 35-point mercy rule in effect for the second half, the clock was running nonstop, and there were very few stoppages, other than for timeouts, injuries, penalties and scores.

SINCLAIR ON THE RUN… Aaron Sinclair (4) jumps over a Schoolcraft defender to gain yardage during the Indians playoff game with the Eagles on Friday night, Nov. 1. Sinclair gained 159 yards on 23 car-ries in the game, but Hartford was defeated, 57-6, ending their season with a 6-4 record. (Photo courtesy of Gala Manning Rock)

The Indians managed to score their only points of the game in the third quarter, but were still outscored 22-6 in the frame by the home team. Neither team scored in the fourth quarter, which brought the game to the final score.

As mentioned, Hartford scored one touchdown in the third quarter on a 58-yard run by Aaron Sinclair, who split time between quarterback and running back with the absence of Kyle Manning, who was out due to injury. The extra-point kick was no good, and that was all six points of the scoring for the green and white. Hartford got into the red zone a couple of other times, and had one other touchdown brought back on a penalty.

Schoolcraft outgained Hartford in total yards, 272-164. Aaron Sinclair was the leading offensive producer for the Indians, carrying the ball 23 times for 159 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, Hartford was paced in tackles by Ricky Baker, Yair Delgado and Zach Harris, among others.

Hartford finishes the season with a record of 6-4. Despite the four losses, Hartford finished in a tie-for-fourth in the Southwest 10 Conference, and made the playoffs for the 22nd time in school history. The future of this team will be highly dependent on their youth. Despite the fact the team has some talented players coming back next season; the team will be losing 11 seniors to graduation. The hope is that the recent success the team has had will continue to be built for years to come.

Congratulations to head coach Brad Manning and his coaching staff, along with the football team, on a great season!

Hartford Volleyball loses regular season finale at Berrien Springs

Last Tuesday evening, the Hartford Indian Volleyball team returned to the court for their only match of the week, but it was their regular season finale at Berrien Springs. It has been a rough stretch for the Lady Indians, as they’ve only won one set since October 1. The ladies are going postseason play in the coming week, and the district is wide open for any team to win. If Hartford wants to be one of the contenders, they need to bring out their best volleyball.

In their match against the Lady Shamrocks on Oct. 29, the Lady Indians suffered defeat in straight sets: 25-13, 25-14 and 25-23. Unfortunately, this pushed the ladies losing streak to 11 straight matches. However, they have played as hard as they can in that stretch, but they have come up against some much stronger competition.

In terms of statistics, Hartford was led in aces by Destiny Chacon and Lainey Goodson, who each served one. Descenya Rodarte led the team in kills with five, while Alexis Snodgrass added four kills and Mercedes Requenes posted two kills. Megan Nelson led the team in digs with 11, while Goodson and Rodarte added nine each and Ariah Jordan posted seven digs. Other statistical leaders included Gillian Kuehnle with eight assists and Snodgrass with two blocks.

Hartford is currently 10-34 on the season. The ladies have district play this week, traveling to Watervliet to compete in MHSAA Division 3 postseason action. Hartford received a bye into the second round, and played Bloomingdale in the semifinals on Wednesday, Nov. 6.

As always, GO INDIANS!