Comets cruise to two victories

 Coloma girls’ varsity basketball opened their season last week with two wins, Tuesday and Friday.

The Lady Comets opened their season at home on November 29 against Decatur. Under new head coach Fred Paulsen, Coloma showed vast improvement defensively.

Coloma put six points on the board in the first period. Decatur trailed with four. Coloma then held Decatur from scoring in the second period. Offensively, the Comets put up 10 points on the scoreboard in the second period to take a 10-4 lead at intermission.

Third quarter action resumed with Coloma adding to their lead; the game was 17-9 in Coloma’s favor at the end of three.

The Comets opened up the fourth period by tossing the ball around for the first minute of play.  Morgan Wagner would land a shot giving Coloma a 19-9 lead.

A Decatur foul put Kayla Yore at the free throw line. She scored on both shot attempts and Coloma led 21-9.

Coloma’s Mika Andersen fouled a Decatur player. No harm done, as the shooter missed on both attempts.

The final minute and half of the game was a flurry of scoring activity for both teams, as eight points were scored between the two teams. As time ran out, Coloma posted the 25-13 win.

Yore was high scorer for Coloma. She picked up 11 points on three field goals and hit five of six shots from the charity stripe.

Morgan Wagner scored eight points. Hannah Mathis netted four points.

Skylar Crisenbery sank one free throw attempt out of two shots, while Andersen hit one of four.

Coloma shot 58% from the free throw line.

On Friday, December 2, Coloma beat Bangor 35-33 in an impressive game in which the Comets took the early lead and never relinquished it – although Bangor certainly did their level best to snatch the win from the Comets’ grasp.

Coloma dominated the first period, leading 14-5. They continued their intense play through the second period, scoring eight points to Bangor’s five. Coloma led 22-10 at the half.

Bangor nearly derailed the Comets’ win in the second half. Their locker room pep talk at the half had an impact, as the Vikings scored 12 points in the third quarter. Additionally, Bangor limited Coloma to only three points. Bangor drew to within three, trailing 25-22 at the end of the third period.

Bangor added another 11 points in the fourth period. Coloma sank 10. When the final buzzer rang, Coloma held on for the 35-33 win.

Yore blasted Bangor for 15 points. She scored two three-pointers and was five of eight from the free throw line.

Mathis hit three field goals for six points. Wagner chipped in five points, including one three-pointer.

Jenna Walter scored three points. Julia Sternaman was perfect from the free throw line; she was two for two.  Mika Anderson hit two of six shots from the free throw line for two points. Nicolle Larson scored two points in the Comet effort. The team shot 53% from the free throw line.

Hartford handed two losses in opening week but provides impressive performances

 Hartford’s girls’ varsity basketball team opened their season Tuesday, November 29 at home and welcomed a tough Galesburg-Augusta team to the court.

Angela Saldana, Marissa Beraza, Jessica Cortes, Amara Wesaw and AJ Jackson were the starters for Hartford.

The Indians opened the game by tipping the jump ball in their favor, but lost the ball on a travel call.

HANNAH HANGS ON… Co-loma’s Hannah Mathis reaches and keeps the ball in play during last Tuesday’s season and home opener against Decatur. Coloma overwhelmed the Raiders with a 25-13 victory. (TCR photo by Kristy Noack)

That was all it took for AJ Jackson to grab control of the game. Miss Jackson nailed a two point shot for Hartford’s first points of the game and 2016-17 season.

She followed that with a steal and another two points. After she was called for a foul, she blocked a shot. Jackson scored Hartford’s first six points of the game before picking up her second foul early in the first period.

Galesburg-Augusta fouled Amara Wesaw, who went to the line and sank both of her shots. Just a few minutes into the game Hartford led 8-4 over a slow G-A squad.

Hartford would go on to close out the first period leading 14-11. G-A must have used the first period as warm up because they hit the floor running in the second period. Galesburg-Augusta scored 24 points, while Hartford posted 14, most courtesy of Jessica Cortes who landed her second, third, and fourth three-pointers of the game. At half-time, Hartford trailed 35-28.

Both teams played a more precise game in the third quarter waiting on shot opportunities. Galesburg-Augusta scored 12 points, while Hartford picked up eight. Amara Wesaw and Jackson split the scoring duties, each tallying four points apiece.

Galesburg-Augusta controlled the fourth period, scoring 20 points; the squad limited Hartford to 11. Hartford lost their first game of the season 67-47.

Cortes led Hartford with 12 points (four three-pointers). Jackson notched 11 points, two rebounds, one steal, and two blocks. Amara Wesaw scored 10 points, including three of four free throw attempts. She also contributed seven rebounds and four steals.

Madisyn Earls and Mikenzie Chambers scored four points each. Earls was perfect from the charity stripe, landing two of two, and also had three rebounds.

Cora Wesaw hit a three-pointer for Hartford. Beraza had two points, two rebounds, and two steals. Elly Valdes scored one point and provided two rebounds.

The Indians shot 58% from the free throw line and scored six three-pointers.

Friday night found Hartford facing foe Gobles. Hartford trailed early in the game and was unable to recover, losing 41-29.

Gobles led the first period 10-7. They built on that lead in the second period by scoring 15 points to Hartford’s nine. Gobles hit half-time with a 25-16 lead.

Marissa Beraza was the star of Hartford’s first-half show. She scored two three-pointers for the Indians, one in each period.

Back on the court for the third period, both teams settled into a slower rhythm. Hartford nearly kept pace with Gobles but trailed 32-20. All of Hartford’s third period points came courtesy of the hands of Jackson. She hit a field goal and was two for two from the free throw line.

Both teams scored nine points in the fourth period, giving Gobles the 41-29 win.

Beraza led Hartford with nine points, including two three-pointers and three of four foul shots. She also had two rebounds and one steal.

Jackson added eight points, six rebounds, and three steals for Hartford. Valdes scored five points. Angela Saldana scored on one three-point shot and notched two steals.

Earls gave Hartford two points and three rebounds, while Chambers added two points and two rebounds.

Watervliet basketball winless after two games

 Watervliet may be winless after their first two games of the 2016-17 season, but at least they have knocked two of the tougher teams they will face this season out of their way.

DRIVE… Watervliet’s Taylor Shafer drives the lane last Tuesday during the team’s home opener against Kalamazoo Hackett. Watervliet lost their first game of the 2016-17 season, 60-46. (TCR photo by Kristy Noack)

The Lady Panthers welcomed Kalamazoo Hackett to town Tuesday, November 29 for the teams’ season opener.

Watervliet blasted off the bench and took a 6-0 lead in the first period before Kalamazoo went on a 6-0 run themselves to tie the game. Watervliet’s Ariana Rowe sank a bucket to give Watervliet an 8-6 lead.

Watervliet’s Katie Schultz hit her first three-pointer of the season to increase Watervliet’s lead to 11-8.

Kalamazoo put a halt to the Panther momentum by hitting six unanswered points. Watervliet’s Jade Miller came into the game and did a fantastic job of rebounding and breaking up plays. She blocked a pass, grabbed the ball as it skated away, and dished it to Kara Liles who scored two points. At the end of the first period, Watervliet trailed by one, 17-16.

Kalamazoo increased their lead in the second period. Kalamazoo scored 14 points and limited Watervliet to 10. At the half, it was Kalamazoo 31, Watervliet 26.

Neither team gave quarter in the third period. It was point for point, as the squads scored 13 points apiece. Kalamazoo maintained a five point lead at the end of the third period, 44-39.

Kalamazoo blew open the fourth period. They scored 16 points. Watervliet managed to get seven on the board, but it was not enough to overtake Kalamazoo’s substantial lead. Watervliet dropped their opening contest 60-46.

According to first-year coach Jason Forrester, “Missed free throws and key turnovers were the difference in the game.”

Watervliet was led by Zoe Smith and Katie Schultz. Both scored nine points each.

Logan Mizwicki scored eight points and had five steals and six rebounds. Kara Liles was credited with nine rebounds.

Watervliet played a much tighter and well controlled game Friday, December 2 against Delton Kellogg. The squads were evenly matched throughout the contest, and Watervliet would end up losing by a heartbreaking one point, 54-53.

The Lady Panthers led first period scoring, 11-8. A red hot second period by Delton Kellogg allowed them to take a 29-21 lead at the half.

Watervliet turned up the heat in the third period, scoring 20 points. They held Delton Kellogg to 13 points and drew within one.

Both teams put on an exciting fourth period. At one point, Watervliet trailed Delton Kellogg by six points and it seemed like hope was lost. Except the Lady Panthers roared back to tie the game with sixty seconds left on the clock. A Panther foul gave Delton Kellogg a trip to the line where they sank one free throw. Watervliet’s Casie Gohr hefted the team’s final shot as the clock danced to 0:00 but it missed. Delton Kellogg squeaked by with the 54-53 victory.

Mizwicki led Watervliet with a team-high 17 point total.  Schultz added 10 points.

HARTFORD HOSTS FOOTBALL RECRUITING FAIR… Hartford High School hosted their 12th annual football recruiting fair Thursday, December 1. Football coaches and admission staff from five states were on hand to talk to prospective student-athletes regarding the schools’ football programs. Pictured (from the left) are Collin Tone, 17, and Kam Snyder, 17, both from Schoolcraft who attended the fair and discussed the opportunities offered at Hiram College with Assistant Director of Admissions and Football Liaison Jeff Mongold. (TCR photo by Kristy Noack)

Hartford football recruiting fair a hit

 College football coaches and admission staff were on hand Thursday, December 1 for the 12th annual Hartford High School football recruiting fair.

Dave Janicki, principal at Hartford High School, conceived the idea of a football recruiting event while he was at Niles High School. He hosted that event for five years before transferring to Hartford.

Janicki’s goal for the event is to give high school football players an opportunity to talk to colleges about their football programs and continuing the players’ education after high school.

Colleges from Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan were all represented. Student-athletes from Hartford, Lakeshore, Schoolcraft, Lawton, Dowagiac, and New Buffalo took advantage of the gathering.

Jonathan Yarbrough, 17, was one of the attendees. Yarbrough was a running back and corner for Kalamazoo Central. Yarbrough said he attended the event “to be noticed and discovered. I just want to find a home (to complete his higher education and continue playing football).”

Yarbrough’s mother, Sarah Taylor, accompanied her son. She considered “academics and distance (from home)” as her two big concerns regarding where her son would continue his football and academic career.

Hiram College’s assistant director of admission and football liaison Jeff Mongold appreciated the opportunity to showcase his school and meet area football players. “I’m looking for three or four guys to reach out to. I’m looking for a good fit for our culture and a good fit for our school.”

Janicki hopes next year’s event will see an increase in student-athlete participation. The event is open to any area senior football player and is free of charge.

Share what you “can”

The Watervliet Athletics teams have joined forces with the high school student council to stock the shelves at a local food pantry, and you can help!

The Panthers play home varsity basketball games against Lawrence Friday, December 9. If you bring five or more non-perishable food items to the game you will be admitted to the contest for free!

Be sure to help Watervliet with this worthy cause. You “can” help on Friday! Tip off for the girls’ game is 5:30, with the boys taking the court at 7:00.

Hartford Athletics unveils new website

 Hartford High School Athletic Director Nick Blackmer continues to make improvements to Hartford’s athletic programs, this time in the form of a new website for athletics.

The site utilizes a format supported by VNN, Varsity News Network, and can provide team schedules, rosters, coaches biographical details, results and write-ups from games, and access to the school’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. There is also information on how to order team spirit items, just in time for Christmas.

Check out the new site at hartfordindians.com.

New title sponsor announced for NASCAR’s 2017 Season

 Marketing officials have breathed a sigh of relief after finding a new title sponsor for the 2017 NASCAR season.  Monster Energy, of which Coca-Cola owns 17%, will headline NASCAR’s most popular race car driving series. Monster takes over for departing sponsor Sprint.

One last event Sprint had their name attached to was the Sprint Cup Series Awards banquet, held Friday, December 2 at Wynn Las Vegas.

The gala feted teams and drivers alike, and the institution doled out awards. Jimmie Johnson was on hand to receive his record tying seventh NASCAR championship.

Tony Stewart also received some love Friday night. Stewart announced his retirement at the beginning of the 2016 season and was recognized for his accomplishments on and off the track. He won 49 races during his NASCAR career.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was tabbed as the National Motorsports Press Association Sprint Cup Most Popular Driver for the 14th consecutive year. That award came on a year when Earnhardt Jr. suffered a season-ending concussion and raced in only half of the scheduled events.  During his 18 races, Earnhardt Jr. had zero wins, four top five finishes, and did not finish four races. The NMPA award is based on voting by fans.

Roger Penske won the Bill France Award of Excellence for 2016.

The top 10 drivers for the 2016 in order of finish included: Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin, Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson, and Chase Elliott.

Johnson led the pack with five wins, 11 top five finishes, and 16 top 10 finishes. He accumulated 5,040 points during the season.

Johnson’s seventh championship also gave Hendrick Motorsports the 2016 team championship.

Kyle Busch, Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., and Brad Keselowski won four races each.

The 2017 season of racing kicks off on Sunday, February 26 at Daytona International Speedway.

For you local race fans, mark your calendars: the Firekeepers Casino 400 will run Sunday, June 18 and the Pure Michigan 400 happens Sunday, August 13. Both races will be held at Michigan International Speedway.

Put 2016 racing in the books; it is all over but the crying. Circle back around in February when a new NASCAR season kicks off with a new title sponsor, new expectations, and some new drivers.

AQB WRAP-UP

Leach picks perfect college games; Hildebrand and Gear score 6-2 weekly records

By Kristy Noack

All six of our proficient pickers this week were above .500, and Chris Leach ran the gamut of college games, picking a perfect 4-0 record.

The winner of this week’s Tri-City Record Armchair Quarterback contest, however, was Tim Hildebrand. Each week, Hildebrand and five local football fans sharpen their pencils to determine the winners of eight gridiron games. At the end of the season, the AQB with the best overall record wins a championship ball cap.

In the event of a tie, the AQBs’ place in the standings is determined by a tie-breaker game. One game is specially selected each week and our shrewd seers predict the total points that will be scored in that contest. Whoever is closest to the actual points scored wins the better spot on the board.

This week, Hildebrand and Gear posted 6-2 records after they picked the exact same winners – and losers – of each game. Their place in the weekly rankings was decided by the point total of the Wisconsin/Penn State battle for Big 10 championship. Penn State claimed the title with a 38-30 victory.

Hildebrand guessed 58 points would be scored in the contest, compared to Gear’s 52 point guess. Hildebrand hightailed it to the number one spot for the week, leaving Gear in second place.

Third through sixth place was determined by the tie-breaker game as the other four players tallied 5-3 records.

Rodney Lynch eased into third place with his 63 point guess.  Greg Krell and Chris Leach tied for fourth place with their identical 47 point guesses. Leach was the only fanatic to correctly predict the winners in all four college football games. Kudos, Chris!

That left RoxAnn Rodney-Isbrecht in sixth place for the week; she predicted 39 points would be scored in the game.

Before we get into the overall rankings, there was an error in last week’s column. Tom Gear posted a 7-1 weekly record which gave him second place last week. His overall record was 65-47 and he was in fifth place.

Overall, Rodney-Isbrecht leads the contest by one game. She has an 88-32 overall record and stands alone in first place.

Krell has laid claim to second place with his 87-33 record. He is just one game from the top spot.

Hildebrand is the only AQB to see movement up the leaderboard this week. He drew one game closer to both Rodney-Isbrecht and Krell with his 83-37 record.

Lynch kept pace with Rodney-Isbrecht and Krell but dropped one spot away from Hildebrand. Lynch’s 81-39 record puts him in fourth place and two games away from third.

Gear’s 71-49 record has him cemented in fifth place, 17 games out of first place.

Leach maintains a hold on sixth place. She is two games behind Gear with her 69-51 record.

There is only one college game scheduled this week, and playoff berths have been announced. Bowl games will begin December 17. Until then, the roster of games will lean heavily on professional contests. This week, our masterful multitude will determine the winners of these matchups:

Navy vs. Army

Oakland @ Kansas City

Houston @ Indianapolis

Chicago @ Detroit

San Diego @ Carolina

Washington @ Philadelphia

Pittsburgh @ Buffalo

Seattle @ Green Bay

The tie-breaker game is the ever popular Bears versus Lions, oh my! Will Chicago, who beat lowly one-win San Francisco last week, make it two in a row over surging Detroit? Pick up next week’s TCR to find out how your favorite AQB scored!