11-15-18 Tri-City Area Sports

Coloma Press Box By Dave Vollrath

Coloma Comet Wrestlers take to the mat with young team but high expectations

The Coloma Comets begin the 2018-2019 wrestling season with a young team and high hopes. Their first action will take place on Wednesday, December 5, at Portage Northern High School, with matches that will also include teams from Charlotte and Mendon.

The Comet team will have plenty of road experience under their belt before they even take to the mat in familiar territory at the Comet gym, as their first home matches will be held on January 9, 2019. There are only four home dates scheduled for the Comet grapplers, on the calendar for this year.

Last spring the Comets won their second straight Division 3 District championship when they defeated the South Haven Rams.

Kenny Ashley the head coach for the Comet Wrestlers said, “We are still a young team, but all of these kids have plenty of experience. With the three state qualifiers from last year’s team leading the way, we are going to try to make a state run.” Coach Ashley also goes on to state, “Our biggest weakness is filling the lineup, we have one or two open spots right now and if we are going to make that run, we are going to have to fill those spots. I have high expectations that those spots will get filled and we can make that run.”

SUCCESSFUL STATE RUN… Coloma’s Emma Vandermolen finished 151st out of 238 runners at the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 3 cross county state finals at Michigan International Speedway. The junior was the lone Comet qualifier and completed the course in a time of 21:56.9.

Those three state qualifiers that Coach Ashley was speaking of are senior Cody Reese, and juniors, Ian Ishmael and Cole Alsup. They will be expected to provide the leadership needed to help coach the younger kids along, and keep them improving both physically and mentally.

The experience they gained as state qualifiers and going up against some of the top wrestlers in the state will be invaluable as they set their goals to not only get back to state but win it all.

A couple other Comets on the watch list who could step up and give them some much needed punch, are Ishmael’s younger brother Ian, who is a freshman this year, and senior Cole Almon who last year started out 12-1, but couldn’t continue because of outside issues which needed his attention.

Rounding out the Comet roster are Delray Williams, Blane Sutherland, Dillon Clemmons, Nate Terry, Nathan Wilder, Noah Mort, Cole Current, Alec DeLatorre, Mike Case, Jackson Hodges, Aaron Pounders, Nathan Strunk, Ethan Blanchard, Zac Colvin, Josiah Galaspy, and Trenton Harrel.

The Comets will be facing some top competition this year and hope to be hitting on all cylinders once the state championship competition begins.

Best of luck to Coach Ashley’s team.

Michigan High School Football Playoff action continues this weekend with Semi Finals

There are two teams from Southwest Michigan who will be playing in the Semi Finals this weekend, both of whom were conference foes of Coloma for many, many years. The Edwardsburg Eddies are facing Grand Rapids Catholic Central in Division 4 and will be playing just about 45 minutes away in Vicksburg. Those two teams met in the finals last year with GRCC winning the state title.

In Division 7 Cassopolis will be facing Madison Heights Madison, at Jackson High School. All semi final games will be played this Saturday at 1 p.m.

Of the 256 teams who started on this playoff journey, only 32 teams remain, and of the eight teams who were crowned as state champions last year, five of them still remain this year with a chance to repeat.

In addition to GR Catholic Central, they include Clarkston in Division 1, Warren DeLasalle in Division 2, Muskegon in Division 3, and Watervliet’s old nemesis Jackson Lumen Christi in Division 6. Saginaw Swan Valley, who was runner up in Division 5 last year, still remains and has a chance to redeem themselves with a state championship.

It wouldn’t be a horrible idea to head up to Vicksburg and watch one of our local teams compete for the chance to go to the finals at Ford Field next week. It is an easy drive, and their football stadium is first rate for the high school level.

Michigan vs. Notre Dame: Possible rematch could be for the National Championship

Don’t look now, but in the recent BCS standings which decide the four teams that would compete for the National Championship, Notre Dame stands at #3 and the Michigan Wolverines are in 4th place. There’s a little ways and a few games to go but a rematch from the first game of the season, which was won by Notre Dame, could wind up being the final game of the season with the winner being crowned National Champion. Notre Dame still has business with Syracuse and USC to take care of, and Michigan has to get by Indiana this weekend, and if they beat the Hoosiers and then can beat those dreaded Buckeyes, they would still have to face Northwestern in the Big 10 Championship. There is a lot of football still to be played, but the possibility is there right now, and anyone would be crazy if they didn’t at least give it a passing thought even though there’s a couple of pretty good teams from Alabama and Clemson who will probably also be in their paths. But it’s fun to dream. GO BLUE!

Hartford Prress Box By Jerrod Birmele

Now that the door has officially closed on the fall sports season, it’s time to take a moment and look back on some of the amazing accomplishments that Hartford athletes achieved on the courts, fields and pitches this season. Over the next two weeks, we will take a moment to recognize those student-athletes that received all-conference and team honors. It’s time to open the door to the Press Box and meet these fantastic individuals!

Hartford Football celebrates successful season

On Thursday night, Nov. 8, the Hartford Football teams gathered in the High School Auditorium to celebrate their 2018 season. The Indians finished the season with a 5-4 record overall and a 4-4 record in the Southwest 10 Conference. The season was highlighted by four consecutive wins to begin the campaign, including a thrilling victory in overtime against Mendon, who just recently made a playoff run to the regional finals. Hartford also was ranked as high as #7 in the state in Division 7 in the Michigan High School Associated Press Prep Football Poll (during week five).

When the dust settled, Head Coach Brad Manning was honored to present all-conference honors to eight of his players. On offense, earning 1st Team honors were Corey Arnold, Moses Beraza and Aaron Sinclair, while David Fernandez earned 2nd Team honors. On defense, Hartford was represented by Noah Wade, who earned 2nd Team honors. Earning Honorable Mention honors were Evan De La Rosa, Evan Parker and Kyle Manning.

Arnold, a senior, was a stalwart on the Indians offensive and defensive lines, where he played as a guard on offense and a tackle on defense. He was part of an offensive line that opened up holes for the Indian running attack that rushed for more than 1,500 yards this season. On defense, he racked up 35 tackles, two sacks and recorded four tackles for a loss. He is looking to continue his football playing career in college and has already made some visits.

Beraza, a senior, was one of the top players on both sides of the ball for the green and white, playing running back on offense and middle linebacker on defense. On offense, he rushed for more than 700 yards and eight touchdowns, while also adding over 100 yards receiving and a touchdown catch. On defense, he racked up 38 tackles, one sack and recorded 10 tackles for a loss. He is leaving his options open post-high school, but playing in college is a distinct possibility.

Sinclair, a sophomore, gave the Indians the multi-dimensional player they desired. He started the season as the starting quarterback, but was moved to running back in the latter half of the year, all while also leading the Indians secondary on defense. His offensive stats speak for themselves – over 400 yards passing, over 700 yards rushing and 17 total touchdowns. That included a five touchdown, 307-yard performance in the season finale against Bloomingdale.

Fernandez and Wade were two more of the big guys up front for the Indians on the offensive and defensive lines. The two players played tackle on both sides of the ball and were active in the success Hartford had this season. While the Indians will be losing Wade to graduation in the spring, Fernandez is a junior that will be tasked with continuing to develop, get better every day and become a leader for the team next season.

De La Rosa and Parker, both seniors and Manning, a junior, all played critical roles that got the Indians within one victory of making the playoffs. De La Rosa was one of the leading receivers for Hartford, while also playing strong in the secondary all season long. Meanwhile, Parker and Manning played a multitude of positions. Parker made his presence known on defense for a majority of the campaign, as he was one of the top tacklers from his linebacker position, as well as adding lineman and running back duties on offense to his role on the team. Manning split his time on offense between quarterback and wide receiver, while also lending a steady hand in the Indian secondary on defense all season long.

Congratulations to these student-athletes and to all of the football players for their achievements this season!

Hartford Volleyball celebrates past, looks ahead to future

On Monday night, Nov. 5, the Hartford Volleyball teams gathered to celebrate their 2018 season. The Indians finished the season with a disappointing record of 9-34 overall, but the Lady Indians were very young this season, as they will graduate just two seniors. Head Coach Patty Matheny summed the season up best, saying “this season, we were a young team and we had a lot of growth take place”. The season was highlighted by two thrilling five-set victories: one against Eau Claire on Sept. 11 and the second coming in the final home match of the season against Berrien Springs on Oct. 16.

Despite the rough season, Coach Matheny was excited to present awards to her ladies. Two athletes, Mikenzie Chambers and Megan Nelson, earned Southwest 10 Conference Honorable Mention all-conference recognition. Chambers also added individual Academic All-State honors to her resume. One of two departing seniors, Chambers received this special award as a testament to her dedication in the classroom. To receive this honor, a senior must have achieved a grade point average of 3.70 or higher throughout their four-year high school career.

In keeping with the spirit of the term “student-athlete”, Coach Matheny was also excited to announce to those in attendance that her team also received Academic All-State honors, as well. For a team to receive such special recognition, they must have a grade point average of at least 3.30 or higher. This is just another reminder that being a student-athlete is not just only about what you do on the court, but also off the court, as well.

Earning the award for Most Valuable Player was Megan Nelson. The junior led the team in three statistical categories this season: aces (35), assists (164) and digs (743), while also placing second on the team in kills, with 101. Earning the award for Most Improved Player was Jessica Huaracha. In her first season of varsity action, Huaracha posted two aces, 14 digs and a kill on her stat line.

Congratulations to these student-athletes and to all of the volleyball players for their achievements this season!

Watervliet Press Box by John Oliphant

Boys’ basketball reloading for speed

The Watervliet Panthers boys’ basketball team is under the direction of new head coach Josh Beckett. Josh is starting his 18th year as a high school basketball coach and is preparing the team for their first game on November 27 in a non-conference matchup at Berrien Springs.

Beckett comes to Watervliet with plenty of experience as he started coaching at Lake Michigan Catholic after high school and eventually led their varsity boys’ team for four years. His tenure includes a stint at Coloma, and most recently he built the boy’s basketball program at Countryside Academy.

He said the Panthers have made strong progress in their first week of practice learning a new basketball philosophy. Their biggest asset will be team speed so expect them to be all over the court in an up-tempo game on offense and using a lot of full-court defense. Beckmann said his goals include finishing in the top three within the conference and making a run at a district title.

They have a good mix of experience and fresh bodies on the 13-player team made up of five seniors, five juniors, two sophomores, and one freshman. Expect to see all of them playing in every game.

Your first chance to see them at home will be their 7th game on December 20 when Martin visits the Panther gym.

Panther Wrestlers continue to grow

The Panther wrestling team expects to continue their steady improvement under the leadership of third-year coaches Dan and Joe Isbrecht. The team returns only five wrestlers from last year but they’ve loaded up with enough incoming freshmen and new wrestlers to fill almost all their weight classes.

Joe Isbrecht said their summer program of weekend-long camps was productive and will help them be competitive.

Top wrestler Matt Melcher is recovering from off-season surgery and should be ready to go in a few weeks. Other top returning wrestlers are Alex Isbrecht, Isaiah Yazel, and Coby Henslee.

Their first meet is scheduled for December 6 at Otsego where they’ll face St. Joseph and Parchment. Their only scheduled home meet will be December 12.

Panther Volleyball awards and honors

The Panther volleyball team held their awards banquet on Thursday, November 8. Coach Edie Daugherty presented several individual awards, starting with the Senior Award. This one is given to the athletes that have played volleyball every year since the 6th grade. Players earning the award were Elaine Koshar, Emma Yazel, Grace Smith, and Mikalah Clay.

Senior Brionna Myers was awarded the Most Improved Player.

Grace Smith was chosen as the Most Valuable Player.

Setter Mikalah Clay and outside hitter Emma Armstrong were named All-Conference Honorable Mention. Named to the All-Conference First Team were middle hitter Elaine Koshar and defensive specialist (Libero) Grace Smith.

The big award for the night went to Grace Smith, who was named First Team All-Region for her outstanding defensive performance this year.

Season stat leaders include Susanna Van Lente with 56 aces, Mikalah Clay with 443 assists, Grace Smith with 364 digs, and Elaine Koshar with 202 kills and 79 blocks.

Congratulations, ladies!

Pressbox Player of the Week!

By Jerrod Birmele

Megan Nelson, a junior at Hartford High School, is this week’s Press Box Player of the Week.

Megan just completed her second season on the Varsity Volleyball team for the Indians and took major steps this year in becoming a leader for her team on the court. During the final match of the season, a four-set loss to Eau Claire in the first round of districts, she recorded nine kills, nine assists and an ace. That came after a solid performance in a tournament at St. Joseph the weekend of Oct. 20, where she finished near the top of four statistical categories: kills (second), assists (second), aces (first) and digs (third).

For the season, Megan led Hartford in three statistical categories. She was first on the team in aces with 35, assists with 164 and digs with 743. She was also second on the team in kills with 101. Because of her exemplary play on the court this season, Megan recently received Southwest 10 Conference Honorable Mention all-conference honors and was voted as the team’s Most Valuable Player.

Outside of playing volleyball, Megan can be found playing basketball in the winter and softball in the spring for the Indians.

Congratulations on this great honor, Megan!