SAC All-Conference Cross Country selections announced; Kerr and Pazera hit the course at state competition

 Both athletes ran at Michigan International Speedway Saturday in state competition.

Kerr finished 38th overall in Division 3 with a time of 17:01.1. He ran his first mile 5:12 minutes and competed against 242 finishers.

Kerr won championships this year at Hartford’s Teske Invitational and the Southwestern Athletic Conference Lakeshore Division first jamboree. He finished in second place at four other meets this year.

KERR CAPTURES FIRST TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE AWARD… Watervliet cross country star Jobe Kerr was named to the First Team All-Conference list for the South-western Athletic Conference. On Saturday, Kerr finished 38th overall in state cross country competition at the Michigan International Speedway.

Pazera finished in 161st place overall at state with a time of 22:04.9. She competed against 237 runners.  Pazera claimed the individual championship at the Bangor Invitational in September and finished in the top ten four times this year.

PAZERA NAMED TO FIRST TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE LIST… Allie Pazera, a Watervliet sophomore, was named to the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s First Team list. Pazera led the Lady Panthers this season and earned her first trip to cross country state competition. She finished 161st overall on Saturday with a time of 22:04.9.

Watervliet’s Dominick Tavolacci and Taylor Shafer and Coloma’s Greg Olsen received All-Conference Honorable Mention nods.

Tavolacci followed Kerr across the finish line much of the season. The junior just missed a First Team nomination by finishing 27th at regional competition on Saturday, October 29. His highest finish this year came at the Teske Invitational. Tavolacci recorded a time of 20:00.2. His best time was 18:10.0 at the Portage Invitational in October.

Shafer, a junior, ran her best race this year on October 22 at the Kalamazoo Christian Invitational with a time of 21:19.1. She earned three top 10 finishes this season.

Olsen, a senior at Coloma, ran his best race at the SAC Conference Championship October 11. He blazed through the course with a time of 18:38.8. He finished his senior cross country season with a 66th place finish at regionals on October 29.

Congrats to the First Team and Honorable Mention award winners!

Local Volleyball programs net lots of All-Conference awards

 Coloma, Hartford, and Watervliet volleyball superstars claimed quite a few spots on the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s First Team and Honorable Mention lists.

Coloma, the SAC champion, had three First Team and one Honorable Mention winners. Named First Team All-Conference was Kelly Walter, Kayla Yore, and Morgan Wagner. The trio of juniors helped lead Coloma to the conference championship and into the district finals game against Buchanan.

MARTIN NAMED FIRST TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE… Amber Martin, a senior at Hartford High school, was named to the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s First Team. Martin was the lone Indian First Team award winner.

Mya Potter received the All-Conference Honorable Mention nod for the Comets. Potter is also a junior.

Hartford had two athletes selected for All-Conference honors. Amber Martin, a senior, was named First Team. Her teammate Olivia Kling, also a senior, received an Honorable Mention award.

Watervliet had four players garner awards.  The lone appointee to First Team All-Conference was Kara Liles. Liles is a junior middle blocker.

NAMED TO FIRST TEAM ALL CONFERENCE…Lone appointee Kara Liles is a junior middle blocker

Mercede Daugherty, Grace Smith, and Zoe Smith earned All-Conference Honorable Mention awards.  Daugherty, a senior, was a setter on the squad.  Grace Smith, a sophomore was a defensive specialist, while junior Zoe Smith was an outside hitter.

Congratulations to each young lady on her very successful year on the court!

Coloma’s volleyball district title run ended by Buchanan

 Coloma’s varsity volleyball squad certainly had high hopes last week as the 2016 Class B district tournament opened on Monday.  The Lady Comets were primed for play having just won the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship.

In the opening round of districts, hosted by Lakeshore, Coloma was blessed with a bye. That set them up to play the winner of the Benton Harbor/South Haven matchup on Wednesday, November 2.

South Haven soundly defeated the Tigers in three games (25-4, 25-7, 25-6). On the other side of the bracket, Buchanan opened districts with a three game win over Berrien Springs (25-8, 25-15, 25-11).

COLOMA’S TRIPLE THREAT… Three Coloma varsity volleyball players received First Team All-Conference awards. Pictured are (from the left) Morgan Wagner, Kelly Walter, and Kayla Yore. The three juniors helped lead Coloma to a conference championship this year.

In the semi-finals, Buchanan faced Lakeshore, who received a Monday night bye. The Bucks topped the Lancers in three games to move into the championship game.

Coloma faced a feisty South Haven team, and early on spectators knew it was going to be a great game.

Coloma opened the scoring and was led by Kelly Walter. Of the Comets’ first nine points, Walter earned two of those by blistering aces across the net.

Coloma jumped out to an early lead, but the longer the game went, the closer the score became. The teams began to exchange the lead back and forth for the duration.

Coloma finally sealed up the first game with an epic 32-30 win. The drama did not end after game one.

The teams fought for position and points in game two, with Coloma taking a two game lead over the Rams, 25-22.

South Haven bounced back in game three, defeating Coloma 25-19 to get back into the game.

Coloma led two games to one at that point.

The Lady Comets overpowered South Haven in game four, 25-18 to win the semi-final matchup.

Walter led Coloma with 25 kills, four aces, 21 digs, and four blocks. Morgan Wagner chipped in 12 kills, three aces, 23 digs, and two blocks. Kayla Yore had eight kills, 25 assists, two aces, 25 digs, and four blocks.

Jenna Walter tallied three kills, 11 assists, one ace, 12 digs, and two blocks. Nicolle Larson hit two kills, one ace, and three digs. Mya Potter notched one ace and 22 digs, while Mika Anderson added two kills and three digs. Hannah Mathis contributed one dig.

Alyssa Dillenbeck was on the bench for Coloma and did not see any action. She injured her ankle in practice on Tuesday.

The district championship match pitted Coloma against Buchanan on Thursday, November 3.

It was a tough outing for the Lady Comets as they lost three games to one to end their championship run. Buchanan bested Coloma 25-21, 16-25, 25-17, 25-17 for the title. It was a disappointing end to the season for the Comets.

Wagner had 10 kills, one ace, 19 digs, and two blocks. Kelly Walter tallied 26 kills, 22 digs, and seven blocks. Jenna Walter hit one kill, five aces, four digs, and two blocks.

Yore notched one kill, 32 assists, 16 digs, and three blocks. Larson landed two kills, one ace, and five digs.

Anderson had two kills and eight digs, while Potter added one ace and 24 digs.

Coloma ended their stellar season with a 36-12-6 overall record and a conference championship trophy. The team will graduate three seniors, so you can expect the squad to be just as tough next year. Go Comets!

Watervliet Volleyball downed in district final

LYNCH HITS BACK… Watervliet’s Maggie Lynch re-turned a volley last Wednesday during semi-final district vol-leyball action against Brandywine. Watervliet battled the Bobcats and won 3-2 to move to district finals Thursday against Bridgman. (TCR photo by Kristy Noack)

Watervliet was the host site of this year’s volleyball Class C district tournament. The two teams receiving first round byes were Watervliet and Cassopolis.

The tournament began Monday, October 31 with Brandywine taking on New Buffalo and Bridgman facing Eau Claire.

Bridgman bested the Beavers in three games. Bridgman then faced Cassopolis on Wednesday, November 2.

Brandywine beat the Bison in three games Monday night, 25-9, 25-8, 25-18 to move to the semi-finals Wednesday where they tangled with the Lady Panthers.

Watervliet’s see-saw battle against Brandywine began with the Bobcats winning the first game 25-22.

Game two saw Watervliet trail Brandywine throughout the first half of the game. But, the Panthers pounced back, caught the Bobcats, and the two teams exchanged the lead for the duration. In one of the longest volleys of the night, Logan Mizwicki collected the point with a well-placed shot, giving Watervliet the point.

Brandywine did not make it easy on the Lady Panthers. Watervliet trailed late in the match before taking a 24-23 lead. One more Panther point put game two in the books for Watervliet.

Brandywine opened game three hoping to exact a little revenge. The squad led 3-0 before they hit a serve into the net giving Watervliet their first point of the game.

Watervliet’s Kara Liles went on to tie the game at four after she served up an ace.

Brandywine scored five unanswered points before Watervliet was able to come back on a couple of accurate and direct volleys and two aces courtesy of Maggie Lynch.

The teams scored point for point for much of the remaining game. Watervliet was able to take a 19-16 lead late in the game, but Brandywine battled back to a 23-23 tie.

Mercede Daugherty returned a volley to an empty spot in the Brandywine defense along the line to give Watervliet a one point advantage. Brandywine tied the game back up at 24 points after Mizwicki just missed a return shot. Daugherty collected the next point. That was followed by a point from Zoe Smith, which gave the Panthers a 26-24 victory.

It was on to game four. Watervliet put up an early lead, but a string of seven unanswered points by Brandywine had the Lady Panthers reeling. Watervliet seemed to have had the wind knocked from their sails. Although they tried to retake the lead, Watervliet fell short and lost the game 25-23.

With Daugherty behind the service line, Watervliet jumped out to an impressive 9-0 lead over Brandywine. The Bobcats could not recover from such a huge deficit and Watervliet won game five 15-7 and the semi-final district match 3-2.

Daugherty had 23 assists, four kills, six blocks, two aces, and 12 digs. Arianna Rowe contributed one assist, five kills, 11 blocks, one ace, and four digs.

Mizwicki added one assist, nine kills, one block, one ace, and 20 digs. Kara Liles tallied one assist, eight kills, eight blocks, one ace, and one dig.

Katie Schultz provided two kills, eight blocks, one ace, and four digs. Lynch landed four aces and five digs. Zoe Smith had five kills and 15 digs, while Grace Smith accounted for 27 digs.

With the win, Watervliet moved on to face Bridgman in the district finals match on Thursday, November 3.

The three-game match was difficult for the Panther faithful, as the squad just could not seem to get many shots to fall to the floor. Bridgman’s team played very well and handed Watervliet a three-game loss, 25-15, 25-17, 25-12. It was a rough outing for the Lady Panthers in their final game of the season, as Bridgman claimed the district crown.

Mizwicki’s stat line showed three kills, one block, one ace, and four digs. Liles had six kills, four blocks, and one dig. Daugherty accounted for 17 assists and three digs.

Schultz had nine kills, two blocks, one ace, and one dig. Lynch tallied three digs, while Grace Smith had 13. Rowe blocked three shots, and Zoe Smith had five kills, one block, and two digs.

Fall sports in the books; Winter sports begin practice

 The fall sports for the 2016-2017 school year are complete for the Comets, Indians, and Panthers. Now, winter sports take the stage.

Girls’ basketball and competitive cheer opened Monday, November 7 with practices. Boys’ basketball and wrestling will begin their seasons on Monday, November 14.

Girls’ basketball teams will take the court on November 28 for their first games; boys’ games will open on December 5.

The Tri-City Record will begin previewing teams in next week’s edition. You will also find football and soccer All-Conference award winners in the following weeks.

Edwards singing in the rain at Texas

 There was no drought in Texas on Sunday for the Lone Star State or Carl Edwards as he punched his ticket into the final race of the season for the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship.

The AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway was scheduled as an afternoon event, but the deluge began shortly after kick-off activities and before drivers could take to the track. Down came the rain all afternoon, and the race was scrapped for an evening one. That worked, to some extent, as the outing would be shortened due to another set of storms.

Originally set to run 334 laps, the go-round would only get in 293 before being called by NASCAR officials.

Carl Edwards did not mind. He was leading the pack and won his third race of the 2016 season. Sunday’s win also gave him his 28th career win. Edwards led the final 36 laps of the race.

Joey Logano finished in second place, which was the same location from which he started. Logano led a race-high 178 laps and notched his 14th top five finish of the season.

Martin Truex Jr. took third. He led 66 laps. Chase Elliott led three laps and ended the day in fourth place. The rookie earned his 10th top five finish of the season.

Rounding out the top five was Kyle Busch, who led two laps.

Of the top five drivers, only Truex Jr. and Elliott are not in contention for the Sprint Cup championship.

Other drivers who led laps Sunday night included: Denny Hamlin (1), David Ragan (1), and pole sitter Austin Dillon (6).

Seventeen drivers finished on the lead lap of the 34th race of the season. There were 12 lead changes and eight caution periods.

The Round of 8 drivers competing for four spots in the final race for the championship trophy include: Jimmie Johnson, Edwards, Logano, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, and Kurt Busch.

Johnson and Edwards are guaranteed a spot at Homestead, where the winner takes all trophy will be hoisted. That leaves two spots open for which the remaining six drivers will compete in the final qualifying race on Sunday.

Drivers head to Phoenix International Speedway for the Can-Am 500. The one mile track will certainly favor three drivers who want a win – Logano, Harvick, and Kyle Busch. Logano won the Sprint Cup Series race here back in March, while Kyle Busch won the Xfinity event, also in March. Logano set the track record in 2014. All three drivers will be looking for a win and the chance to chase championship glory.

Wacky week leaves three Tri-City Record Armchair Quarterbacks

in first place

 You have done all your research. You have studied stat lines, injury reports, game day weather forecasts, and opponents’ rosters. You are confident in your selections. And, bam! A wacky week in football occurs and blows your guesses out of the water.

That is what happened to a majority of our six Tri-City Record Armchair Quarterbacks this week. Only two predictors managed a better than .500 record. There was more shuffling on our leaderboard this week than at a middle school dance.

Each week, our stupendous six predict the outcome of eight football games. At the end of the season, the AQB with the best overall record will win a TCR AQB championship ball cap.

In the event of a tie, one game is selected each week as the tie-breaker game. Our seers must determine how many points will be scored in that contest. Then, if two or more AQBs wind up with the same record, the tie-breaker is used to determine their place in the standings.

Let us start by reviewing the game that stumped all six: Benton Harbor versus Hudson Unity Christian. The Tigers were a solid 10-0 favorite over the 8-2 Crusaders. Benton Harbor had home field advantage. By all accounts, the Tigers had the win in hand.

It was a definite heartbreaker, then, when Benton Harbor lost 35-34 in overtime. The Tigers had the first possession in OT and scored a touchdown. They were not able to get the ball back in the end zone for the two point conversion. Nor were the Tigers able to stop Hudson from scoring a TD on their possession. Hudson elected to kick the ball and the extra point was good, ending Benton Harbor’s season.

Greg Krell led the week with a 6-2 record. He was the only AQB to accurately pick that the NY Giants and Detroit Lions would win their games.

Second place for the week belonged to Tim Hildebrand, who posted a 5-3 record. RoxAnn Rodney-Isbrecht grabbed third place with her 4-4 record.

Rodney Lynch had a rough outing and walked away with a 3-5 record. Tom Gear and Chris Leach went 2-6 for the week, so their place in the standings fell to the tie-breaker game.

In the Benton Harbor game a total of 69 points were scored. Gear grabbed fifth place with his 58 point guess, which left Leach in sixth as she guessed 56 points would be scored.

When the dust settled, three AQBs are all tied up in first place. Lynch, Krell, and Rodney-Isbrecht all hold 64-24 records.

Hildebrand gained a game and continues to close in on the top spot. He has a 61-27 overall record. Gear and Leach are still one game apart in fifth and sixth places with 50-38 and 49-39 records, respectively.

This week, our ab fab contestants must determine the winners of the following matchups:

Grand Rapids West Catholic

@ Berrien Springs

Cass vs. Concord (in Decatur)

Edwardsburg @ Chelsea

Rutgers @ Michigan State

Michigan @ Iowa

Notre Dame @ Army (in San Antonio)

Chicago @ Tampa Bay

Green Bay @ Detroit

The tie-breaker game for the week is the 9-0 Wolverines outing in Iowa. Can Michigan remain unbeaten?