11-30-2017 Tri-City Area Sports

Armchair QB Lynch wins week with eight perfect picks

By Kristy Noack

The Tri-City Record Armchair Quarterbacks are hitting their stride as high school state champions are crowned, college football approaches its playoffs, and pro football playoff pictures begin to form.

The AQBs all posted 6-2 records or better this week, as the game cinched closer again.

It was Rodney Lynch who went a perfect 8-0 in our contest, giving him the top spot this week.

Each week, six local football fans are tasked with predicting the winners of eight football games. They must also determine how many total points will be scored in a specially selected tie-breaker game.

Should two or more AQBs post the same record, their place in the standings falls to the tie-breaker guess.

Lynch won the week outright. RoxAnn Rodney-Isbrecht, Chris Leach, and Bryan Conrad all went 7-1 for the week, so their place on the docket came down to their tie-breaker point prediction.

The Notre Dame/Stanford game was the tie-breaker.  Stanford won the game 38-20 over the Fighting Irish for a 58-point total.

Leach landed in second place with her 56-point prediction.  Conrad cruised into third place for the week with his 55-point guess. Rodney-Isbrecht took fourth place; she predicted 54 points would be scored. It was a close contest between the three, for sure!

Tim Hildebrand and Greg Krell went 6-2 for the week and they had to rely on the tie-breaker game for their spot on the standings as well.

It was Krell who nabbed fifth place; he predicted 59 points would be tallied.

Hildebrand hopped into sixth place with his 55-point prediction.

With his perfect picks, Lynch moved up the leaderboard and is now tied with Hildebrand for first place in the contest. They both hold 83-29 records.

Rodney-Isbrecht gained a game on Hildebrand but fell to third place from second. She had an 82-30 record and is just one game from first place.

Fourth place belongs to Krell and his 74-38 record. He kept pace with Hildebrand and is now nine games out of first.

Leach continues to hold onto fifth place. She posted a 72-40 overall record and is two games from Krell’s fourth place position.

Conrad gained a game overall. His 71-41 overall record gives him sole possession of sixth place. He is one game behind Leach and 12 from first place.

Week 15 brings two college games to the table this week along with six pro games. Here are the games our AQBs face:

Miami (FL) @ Clemson

Wisconsin @ Ohio State

Detroit @ Baltimore

San Francisco @ Chicago

Denver @ Miami

Tampa Bay @ Green Bay

Carolina @ New Orleans

Washington @ Dallas

The tie-breaker game is Miami at Clemson. Count on a great game in that matchup!

Can Chicago catch a break? Can Detroit? Check back next week to see how our ‘backs fared!

All-Conference/ All-Division awards given to gridiron greats

WADE WINS BIG… After suffering an injury last season and unable to play, Watervliet’s Anthony Wade roared back this season. He tallied 105 tackles and recovered one fumble which led to a defensive touch-down for the senior. Wade was named First Team All-Division in the SAC.

KIEFT CRUSHED IT… Bryant Kieft, a senior wide receiver for the Watervliet Panthers, was honored in the Southwestern Athletic Conference with a First Team nod. Kieft has over 2,000 rushing and receiving yards from scrimmage. Kieft also holds the school record for re-ceiving yards in a season.

KINZLER IS FIRST TEAM… Watervliet’s Blake Kinzler, a senior on the football squad, notched 36 tackles, four sacks, and one fumble recovery this season, which earned him a First Team All-Division win.

ELLIS WINS FIRST TEAM NOM… Caleb Ellis, a junior running back on the Coloma Comets football squad, was named First Team All-Division.

GARRETT’S GOT GAME… In honor of his 10 carries for 61 yards and 37 receptions for 809 yards during the season, Water-vliet junior wide receiver Gar-rett Matthews earned a First Team All-Division award.

SMITH SUITS UP FOR ALL-DIVISION HONOR… Coloma senior fullback Jamane Smith Jr. was named First Team All-Division in the Southwestern Athletic Conference for his work on the gridiron this year.

WILKENS WINS… Coloma varsity football player Levi Wilkens won a First Team All-Division award. Wilkens was a senior running back on the squad.

MANNING UP… Hartford’s Luke Manning was selected to First Team All-Conference in the Southwest 10. He had 45 tackles, including five for losses, and recovered one fum-ble during the 2017 season.

DAVIS GETS IT DONE… Se-nior defensive lineman Matthew Davis earned a First Team All-Division award for his work with the Coloma varsity football team.

BERAZA’S BONUS… Moses Beraza, a tight end and safety on the Hartford Indians varsity football squad, was named First Team All-Conference. Beraza had 23 receptions for 403 yards and nine touchdowns this sea-son.

LEGGING ONTO FIRST TEAM… Hartford’s Robert Ledesma Jr. earned First Team All Conference honors after he racked up 1,090 yards on 179 carries this season for the Hart-ford Indians. Ledesma Jr. scored 12 touchdowns this season

CHISEK IS FIRST TEAM… Senior wide receiver Ryan Chi-sek picked up a First Team All-Division award. He had three carries for 27 yards and 15 re-ceptions for 204 yards including one touchdown. Chisek also had 108 tackles and 3.5 sacks on defense for the Panthers.

TOBAR IS FIRST TEAM… Sheldon Tobar, a senior line-backer for Watervliet, was named First Team All-Division Tobar had 32 tackles, including three for loss, 14 hurries, and deflected one pass this season.

GOODLINE’S GREAT… Zach Goodline, quarterback for the Coloma Comets, earned a First Team All-Division nod for the 2017 football season. Goodline is a junior.

TOP PICKENS… Watervliet senior quarterback Zack Pickens was awarded First Team All-Division recognition for his jaw-dropping performance on the gridiron this season. He is the first Panther quarterback to throw for over 3,000 yards. He holds school records for passing yards in a season and touch-down passes in a season.

The Southwestern Athletic and Southwest 10 conferences awarded All-Conference/ All-Division awards to area athletes, and the winnings were plentiful for Coloma, Hartford, and Watervliet varsity football teams.

In the first All-Conference offerings by the Southwest 10 Conference, which was created prior to the start of the 2017-18 school year, Hartford had five student-athletes represent the Indians on the list.

Making the First Team All-Conference list for offense were Moses Beraza, Robert Ledesma Jr., Luke Manning, and Danny Resendez. (Resendez’s football photo was not available for publication).

Beraza caught 23 passes this season for 403 yards and nine touchdowns. He also was one of two passes for 33 yards. The triple threat tight end and safety rushed five times for 42 yards and one touchdown.

Ledesma Jr., a running back, was the team’s leading rusher. He carried the ball 179 times for 1,090 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Luke Manning filled an outside tackle and defensive end position on the Indians squad.  He had 45 tackles including five for loss and recovered one fumble.

Danny Resendez, who pulled double duty on both the football and soccer team during the fall, was the team’s kicker. He made 16 of 17 extra points, a 94.12% success rate.

Hartford’s Cory Arnold was named to First Team – Defense in the SW10. The defensive tackle accounted for 50 tackles including two for loss and recovered one fumble.

Aaron Sinclair, Garrod Johnson, and Garrett Brandt were honored with Second Team All-Conference awards for offense.

Noah Wade earned a Second Team All-Conference nod for his work on defense.

Coloma quarterback Zach Goodline, a junior, earned First Team All-Division honors in the SAC – Lakeshore Division.

Senior running back Levi Wilkens was also pegged for a First Team award based on his running prowess on the field.

Jamane Smith Jr., a senior fullback, was recognized with First Team honors. Smith Jr. was a powerful workhorse on the Comet squad this season.

Matt Davis earned First Team recognition; he was a senior tackle on the team.

Caleb Ellis nabbed a First Team award. The junior running back was an integral part of the team with his fast footwork.

Davion Bledsoe, a junior guard and defensive lineman, Zack Lake, a junior fullback and linebacker, and Robbie Schroeder, senior wide receiver, all received Honorable Mention – Lakeshore Division awards.

Watervliet also received Southwestern Athletic Conference awards in the Lakeshore Division.

Zack Pickens, the star quarterback of the Panthers was named First Team All-Division; although that wasn’t the only award he received this season.

Pickens set a new school record for passing yards in a season. He was the first Watervliet quarterback to throw for 3,656 yards.  Pickens also set a new school record for the number of touchdown passes thrown in a season with 39.  Ultimately, the speedy QB accounted for over 5,000 yards of total offense, combining both passing and rushing yards.

He was 178 of 253 passes, averaging 166 passing yards a game. The quarterback threw only two interceptions all season long.

Pickens rushed for 1,535 yards and 27 touchdowns this season. He rushed for over 100 yards a game ten times over the 12-game season.

Pickens was also nominated for MLive’s Football Player of the Year award.  He was one of five nominees and finished as a runner-up to winner La’Darius Jefferson of Muskegon. Pickens received seven first place votes compared to 52 for Jefferson.

Senior wide receiver Bryant Kieft was Pickens’ favorite target this season, and he also received First Team recognition.

Kieft recorded 66 catches for 1,631 yards and scored 18 touchdowns. He had 39 carries for 283 yards and nine touchdowns. In total, Kieft accrued 1,914 all-purpose yards this season.

Junior wide receiver and safety Garrett Matthews was honored with a First Team nod. He caught 37 passes for 809 yards and eight touchdowns. He also carried the ball 10 times for 61 yards.

Ryan Chisek was also recognized for his play on the gridiron with First Team honors. Chisek, a senior on the squad, caught 15 passes for 204 yards and one touchdown. He also had three carries for 27 yards. Chisek had 108 total tackles including six for loss and 3.5 sacks.

Sheldon Tobar, a senior linebacker, was credited with 32 tackles, including three for loss.

Anthony Wade, a senior, added some pep, passion, and a voice of encouragement on defense this year for the Panthers.  Wade was limited in his impact on the squad last year due to an injury. He more than made up for it this season. Wade had 105 tackles this season, including one for loss, and four hurries. In perhaps his most memorable moment, Wade recovered a fumble and marched downfield for the touchdown.

Senior linebacker Blake Kinzler made his mark as well. Kinzler recorded 36 tackles, four sacks, six hurries, and one fumble recovery this season for the Panthers.

Senior wide receiver Trent Boone, senior defensive lineman Chad Cowsert, and junior linebacker Eric Kehrer received All-Division Honorable Mention awards.

Area girls’ basketball teams court a winning season

 Watervliet girls’ varsity basketball coach Jason Forrester has a wealth of talent on his squad this season, but that’s no surprise.  Although he graduated six aggressive and tough seniors from last year’s team, he has stocked his bench deep with talent.

Five players, all seniors, return from last year’s team including: Taylor Shafer, Zoe Smith, Jaelyn Pitre, Ariana Rowe, and Madalyn Hutchins.

Joining the seniors are juniors Mikalah Clay, Celina Klimkiewicz, Elaine Koshar, Allie Pazera, Victoria Smith, and Emma Yazel.

Watervliet opens their season Friday, December 1 on the road in Lawton. The Lady Panthers open their season at home Tuesday, December 5 with a matchup against Michigan Lutheran.

The Panther squad then travels to Martin on Friday, December 8 before returning home Friday, December 15 when they host Fennville. They follow that contest with a game against rival Hartford, also at home, on Saturday, December 16.

Hartford’s team last year, under the direction of head coach Lee Mireles, was also deep on talent. The team graduated only three seniors, but they accounted for a lot of the squad’s playmaking skill.

This year, the team is under the tutelage of Kailee Friday, rich with experience, and features six seniors including Angela Saldana, Cora Wesaw, Madison Garland, Jessica Cortes, Elly Valdes, and AJ Jackson.

Jackson, a center who is fierce under the net, is the team’s tallest player at 6’ 1”.

Also returning to the team is junior forward Mikenzie Chambers.

Joining the six returning players are juniors Abby Rodriguez, Shelby Findlay, LaKayla Wiggins, Caitlin Steele, and Abigail Garcia. Sophomores Megan Nelson and Jaelyne Galvan also made the squad.

The Indians open their season on the road in Eau Claire on Tuesday, December 5. Hartford’s home opener will be Friday, December 8 as the Indians welcome Bangor in the first of a three-game home stand.

Games against Mendon, on Tuesday, December 12, and Marcellus, on Friday, December 15 follow. The team then takes on Watervliet Saturday, December 16 at the Panther gymnasium.

Coloma’s team, under the direction of head coach Fred Paulsen, has a bench chock full of depth. Three seniors graduated from last year’s squad, and the heavy hitters are back in force for the Comets.

Kayla Yore and Morgan Wagner, seniors who can be counted on to deliver a one-two punch, are back and will help lead the team on the court.

They will be joined by returning seniors Mika Anderson and Julia Sternaman. Also hitting the court again is junior Hannah Mathis.

Joining the team this year is a strong bunch of underclassmen, up from last year’s undefeated varsity team. Junior Phoebe Brown and sophomore Kelsey Ellis, Megan Neubecker, and Marissa Sherburn will be ready, willing, and able to drive the court.

Coloma’s season begins Friday, December 1 on the road at Schoolcraft.  The Comets begin their season at home Tuesday, December 5 when they welcome Buchanan.

Fennville will host the Comets on Friday, December 8 before Coloma returns home to take on Martin Friday, December 15.

All three teams are ready to go this season and you can expect some great action on the court. Be sure to check out a game this season!