Watervliet Press Box

Watervliet Football

 The Watervliet varsity football team hosted South Haven on Friday, Oct. 3, for a divisional conference game with the team looking to honor the memory of a fallen classmate and friend by giving their all. On a tough night for everyone inside the stadium, a loss was the outcome, 39-0.

 Usually this would be the place where we’d talk about statistics or who scored the touchdowns that lit up the scoreboard. However, following the tragedy that occurred within the Panther community last week, there are more pressing issues that genuinely matter. The loss of a cherished member of the class of 2026 has shaken the community, and nothing we can print in writing in this column will be able to take away the pain that many feel and will for a long time.

 Simply put, a young man is gone far too soon.

 So, instead of worrying about who got the passing yards and tackles, we want to remind our readers of a bigger purpose. What we saw on Friday night at the game, and in the days preceding it, was a community that may agree to disagree at times, but when somebody suffers an immense loss, people can come together and unite as one. That was demonstrated by the hundreds who gathered under the lights at Panther Stadium, who, while grieving, showed unbelievable strength.

 Before concluding this part of the column, I’d like to send my deepest condolences to the family of Chayse Ott. During my time as the writer of this press box, I didn’t have the opportunity to cover him in sports, but reading the comments and stories on social media showed me what kind of person he was – faithful, kind, selfless, strong, and talented. It’s tough to lose someone so young, but we are reminded that we are comforted by a power greater than any of us.

 Rest in peace, Chayse. May you be remembered fondly – for eternity.

Watervliet Volleyball

 The Watervliet varsity volleyball team traveled to Fennville on Tuesday, Sept. 30, for a divisional conference match with the ladies looking to win two straight matches for the first time this season. Standing in their way were the Lady Blackhawks, one of two unbeaten teams remaining in the Southwestern Athletic Conference – Lakeshore Division, who had a solid year thus far. The Lady Panthers fought hard, but were defeated in straight sets: 25-11, 25-19, 25-16.

Watervliet Boys Soccer

 The Watervliet varsity boys soccer squad hosted Fennville on Monday, Sept. 29, for a divisional conference match with the men looking to upset the current division leader and leap up the standings. It was a tough night on the pitch, as they began a busy week with a loss, 6-nil.

 On a night when the Panthers honored four seniors for their commitment to the squad over the past four years, despite fighting hard and staying competitive, they would be shut out for the third time in their last five matches. The Blackhawks, who went to the regional championship game last fall, got two goals in the first forty minutes, grabbing a 2-nil lead at the half. In the second half, the visiting squad placed four shots in the back of the net for their winning margin.

 The squad hosted Constantine on Wednesday, Oct. 1, for a non-divisional conference match with the men attempting to shake off their shutout loss two nights prior. In their final home match of the regular season, the Panthers won by mercy rule, 9-1.

 Despite the match concluding early, Watervliet had a slow start to the night in the first half, carrying just a 3-1 lead after the first forty minutes of action. In the second half, momentum began to swing heavily in favor of the home squad, as things started to click, leading to an outburst of six goals that ended the match before full time. In addition to the victory, every player on the Panther bench got valuable minutes on the pitch, helping with player development.

 JT Isbrecht (3), Adrian Hernandez (2), Braydon Collins, Nathan Harasewicz, Gabe Martinez, and Jake Shunkwiler scored goals in this match, with assists credited to Harasewicz (2), Hernandez, Larry Perez, and Shunkwiler.

Watervliet Cross-Country

 The Watervliet varsity cross-country teams traveled to Portage on Saturday, Oct. 4, for an invitational event, one of the largest meets in the Midwest each year, with over 300 quality runners in each field. On an unusually warm early fall day, the runners posted some solid times.

 In the women’s meet, the Lady Panthers finished eighteenth in the team race out of thirty-four scoring teams, with a total of 487 points. Daniella Romero paced Watervliet across the finish line, with her 69th place result, in a time of 21:48. The rest of the top five for the women included Miranda Lowell (88th, 22:20), Katelyn Brown (107th, 22:58), Brianna Zwar (112th, 23:08), and Payton Yeske (144th, 23:36).

 In the men’s meet, the Panthers finished twenty-eighth in the team race out of thirty-seven scoring teams, with a total of 734 points. Sam Casiano paced Watervliet across the finish line, with his 42nd place result, in a time of 17:32. The rest of the top five for the men included Tony Perez (108th, 18:44), Ezequiel Cardozo-Aviles (236th, 20:30), Kaden Leiter (264th, 21:00), and Gabriel Martinez (277th, 21:14).

 For upcoming athletic schedules, go to https://www.wpspanthers.com and click on the Schedule link.

 As always, GO MAROON! GO WHITE!