Coloma Press Box

Volleyball takes down Bridgman in conference showdown

Last week, the Coloma Lady Comet varsity volleyball team participated in one lone conference match during the seven-day time frame. The ladies have been on a winning roll in recent weeks, coming into play having won nine of their last ten matches, leading to a total of 17 victories so far this season. With the campaign wrapping up, it’s fantastic to see this team coming together and putting forth their best effort.

ENCASED BY CASE… Talk about making a solo tackle in the open field! Coloma's CJ Case makes the tackle on Hartford's Linken Birkhead during the recent junior varsity football matchup between the Comets and the Huskies, which was contested last Thursday evening in 'Cometland.' Case played a vital role on both sides of the ball for Coloma and played well all night, but the Comets were defeated in this showdown, 36-8. (TCR photo by Jerrod Birmele)

In their lone weekly effort, the Lady Comets played host to the Lady Bees of Bridgman, in a Southwestern Athletic Conference – Lakeshore Division match, on Tuesday, Oct. 3. On a night where a group of stellar seniors were honored, both teams put forth their best effort to make the match competitive, and that’s what the fans in attendance witnessed. After many ups-and-downs, and crazy turns along the way, it was the Lady Comets who would come out with the victory in four sets: 30-32, 25-11, 26-24, 25-12.

In terms of statistics, the Lady Comets were led in aces by Clara Kimmerly with three, while Ava Cartwright, Liliana Contreras, Maddy Hamilton and Brielle Hicks each served an ace. Hamilton led the team in kills with 21, while Mackenzie Hosbein added 15 kills. Miryssa Nelson led the team in assists with 35. Andre’a Bale led the team in blocks with five, while Nelson added three and Hamilton posted two. Hamilton led the team in digs with 28, while Hicks added 19 and Kimmerly added 15.

Coloma is currently 18-9-1 on the season, which includes a record of 7-3 in Southwestern Athletic Conference action. The Lady Comets schedule will feature one conference match, as well as a home tournament in the week ahead. The ladies will have traveled to Watervliet, on Tuesday, Oct. 10, for a rivalry showdown with the Lady Panthers, before hosting the Coloma Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 14. Other schools participating in the tournament will include Dowagiac, Saugatuck, Stevensville Lakeshore and Three Oaks River Valley.

Boys cross-country competes in tough Portage Invitational

The Coloma Comet men’s cross-country runners continued their season-long running calendar, as their quest for success saw them compete in a weekend invitational against runners and schools from across the state of Michigan. Having flipped the calendar into the month of October, runners must know that the season is quickly winding down. If they wish to be competitive in the remaining races, including the regional meet, they must be at their best.

GRANADOS GAINING GROUND… Talk about splashing through the mud and the muck! Flanked by his fellow competitor, Evan Buteyn from Grandville Calvin Christian, Coloma's Eddy Granados competes in the closing mile of the Portage Invitational, which was contested at Portage West Middle School last weekend. Granados would end the morning by finishing in 213th place overall, with his final time clocking in at 19:51. (TCR photo by Jerrod Birmele)

In their lone event of the week, the Portage Invitational, which was held on Saturday, Oct. 7, the Comets ran amongst the largest field they’ve competed against this season. The field included a total of 387 runners (in their division), representing at least 35 schools. In terms of the final team standings, the Coloma men finished in 26th place out of 35 teams, with a total of 709 team points.

In terms of individual results, the top-five finishers for Coloma were led by Boden Genovese, who finished in third place overall, with a time of 15:55. His time was not only his personal best run of the season, but also the best run of his four-year high school career! He was followed across the finish line by Aiden Cripe (89th place, 18:12), Eddy Granados (213th place, 19:51), Jayden Christie (340th place, 22:57 – a personal best run) and Cole Brown (377th place, 27:12).

The Coloma cross-country teams will return to the local trails just one time this week, when they compete in the final Southwestern Athletic Conference jamboree of the season. The meet, which will determine the final conference standings, and determine all-conference honors, will take place on Thursday, Oct. 12, at the US 131 Motorsports Park in Martin.

As always, GO GREEN! GO GOLD!