 Photo credit: https://www.muskegoncc.edu/athletics/volleyball/ 2022-2023 Jayhawk Volleyball. Front row, left to right: Kendra Kieft, Maggie Evans, Leah Ellis, Brianna Benson. Back row, left to right: Raegan Murphy, Abby Derks, Elena Vaara, Kayla Fisk, Reilly Murphy Newaygo County has two volleyball players who have become an elite club of athletes who continued their athletic careers into college. Kayla Fisk of Newaygo and Abby Derks of White Cloud now donn Muskegon Community College jerseys and are headed to Nationals on Tuesday, November 15 with their teammates. Not all teams from the NJCAA will be traveling to Iowa this week. The Jayhawks earned the honor after winning their Regional games over three days beginning November 4 at St. Clair County Community College. First to go down were Oakland Community College in 3 sets, then Lake Michigan College in a 5 set thriller, where MCC won 17-15 in the 5th. After that, their record was an impressive 28-6 and they were ranked #15 nationally. Day 2 of Regionals included a faceoff against Mott Community College. The Jayhawks handed them a season-ending loss in four sets. Day 3 was another chance to defeat Oakland Community College: a feat they handled in 3 straight sets. This win meant the team qualified for Nationals, which would be held in Cedar Rapids, Iowa November 17-19. The MCC Jayhawks are coached by Rick Rykse, assisted by Samantha Hockstra and volunteer coach Lindsey Balcom.
N3 caught up with Kayla Fisk, one of our favorite athletes for her tenacity and fire with which she plays. How have you felt transitioning from high school to collegiate volleyball? It was difficult at first especially juggling two sports. What do you feel your team's biggest win of the season was? The second game against GRCC! If you could choose one aspect of college volleyball you enjoy the most, what is it? Being at a higher level and playing with girls from other schools. Did you have a hard time adjusting to new teammates, some of whom were on the opposite side of the net in years past? No, I actually enjoyed it a lot it was just another challenge for me to succeed. What is your schedule for Nationals? We are playing Thursday at 9:00am In Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  Game photos provided through Fisk by Isabel
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 Front Row (L-R): Lily Bohen (Central Montcalm), Kaden Perkins (Kent City), Sienna Ososki (Morley Stanwood), Alaina Christensen (Morley Stanwood), Brooke Moore (Morley Stanwood), Marissa Warren (Big Rapids), Lexie Bowers (Kent City), Jacee Hoffman (Kent City) Back Row (L-R): Maia Sexton (Central Montcalm), Kyleigh Weck (Reed City), Jaden Gomez (White Cloud), Maddie Geers (Kent City), Chloee Chase (Grant), Jayci Hance (Grant), Brenna Mossel (Big Rapids), Cailin Knoop (Big Rapids), Christina Malackanich (Reed City), Liberty Durian (Tri-County) Photo Credit: Brittlynn Rose Photography Cloud’s Gomez, Tigers Chase and Hance placed on first team
Jaden Gomez (Jr.) of White Cloud, and Chloee Chase (Jr.) and Jayci Hance (Sr.) from Grant were named to the CSAA All Conference Volleyball team. Elsha Gibson (Jr.) of Newaygo, Hailee Brown (So.) of White Cloud and Julie Ashbaugh (Jr.) of Grant were named Honorable Mention.  Front Row (L-R): Jackson Heethuis (Big Rapids), Alfredo Bolanos-Colin (Kent City), Ian Hilliard (Reed City), Dylan Sutton (Kent City), Christian Smits (Big Rapids), Keaton Edwards (Big Rapids), Ben Grant (Lakeview) Second Row (L-R): Deegan Hall (Newaygo), Aidan Royston (Lakeview), Seth Vanderwest (Kent City), Ian Oatis (Grant), Noel Coronado (Kent City), Zuriel Vega (Grant), German Torres (Grant), Porter Chapin (Grant) Back Row (L-R): Heath Rasmussen (Big Rapids), Alexander Hall (Newaygo), Willie Duran (Kent City), Jaret Jaramillo (Kent City), Jared Pell (Tri-County), Owen Gammons (Big Rapids), Lucas Zanetti (Grant), Gage Cronk (Grant) Photo Credit: Brittlynn Rose Photography Lions Hall and Hall make first team
Three teams finished the conference season with a 5-1 mark, Kent City, Big Rapids and Grant. The Tigers placed 6 players on the AC team with seniors Lucas Zanetti, German Torres, Porter Chapin, Gage Cronk, and Ian Oatis along with sophomore Zuriel Vega being named. Senior Cristian Zacharias received Honorable Mention. Newaygo posted a 3-4 record in the league and had 2 players named to the squad Deegan Hall and Alexander Hall, both seniors. Ezra Foster, also a senior was named Honorable Mention.  Front Row (L-R): Jake O’Neil (Chippewa Hills), Gage Hoffman (Central Montcalm), Ryan Allen (Reed City), Graham Coston (Central Montcalm), Brodie Delamater (Grant), Jaren Vogel (Kent City), Samuel Martini (Kent City) Back Row (L-R): Owen Westerkamp (Big Rapids), August Rohde (Reed City), Anthony Kiaunis (Reed City), Ben Knuth (Big Rapids), Ramon Hernandez (Tri-County), Andrew Hardy (Central Montcalm), Ty Kailing (Reed City), Gavin Rykse (Tri-County) Photo Credit: Brittlynn Rose Photography Tiger Delamater makes first team, 4 Cloud runners are HM
Grant’s Brodie Delamater made the CSAA Boys All Conference Cross team. The Tiger junior put together a solid season including a first place finish at the Portage Invitational three second place finished and a sub-17 minute performance at the Sparta Invitational, Four White Cloud runners were named to the Honorable Mention squad. Nathan Ciolk and Coleson Cruzan were joined by Carson Foondle and Kaleb Canning on the team. Cruzan qualified to compete at the State finals  Front Row (L-R): Quinn Hatfield (Chippewa Hills), Ava Hollandsworth (Chippewa Hills), Remington Arney (Newaygo), Grace Coston (Central Montcalm), Ashley Choponis (Central Montcalm), Miranda McNeil (Morley Stanwood), Kyah Hoffman (Central Montcalm), Lila Volkers (Kent City) Back Row (L-R): Gracie Houtman (Kent City), Nora Smoes (Reed City), Isabella Max (Kent City), Clara Smoes (Reed City), Anna Pake (Tri-County), Claire Johnston (Morley Stanwood), Oliviah Malloy (Big Rapids) Photo Credit: Brittlynn Rose Photography 13 0f the 15 harriers named to the CSAA Girls All Conference XC team were underclassmen. Remington Arney was the lone Lion runner to be named to the team following an impressive year for the Newaygo junior that culminated in a strong showing at State. Teammates Zoey Walerczyk and Elizabeth Chaffee received Honorable Mention as did Andrea Feldpausch of White Cloud.  Front Row (L-R): Adrian Hernandez (Kent City), Jim Anderson (Kent City), Will Harrison (Kent City), Zayne Moore (Morley Stanwood), Dawson Olsen (Morley Stanwood, Kruz Rumsey (Morley Stanwood), Carlos Brown (White Cloud), Landyn McGowen (White Cloud), Jace Silverthorn (White Cloud) Second Row (L-R): Andy Willis (Morley Stanwood),Ben Grant (Lakeview), Riley Schuberg (Lakeview), Kyle Monterusso (Kent City), Chase Moreno (Kent City), Lloyd Sebright-Johnson (White Cloud), Mason Westbrook (Kent City), Troy Atwood (Kent City) Back Row (L-R): Braden Salladay (Lakeview), Mason Ruether (White Cloud), Kyler Larson (Kent City), David Evans (Lakeview), Ari Baker (Kent City), Nate Compeau (White Cloud) Photo Credit: Brittlynn Rose Photography None of the names of WC players who made the All Conference team should be a surprise. They were huge factors in forging a 6-3 record and another trip to the postseason for the Cloud. Jace Silverthorn and Landyn McGowen were the primary offensive weapons employed by QB Mason Reuther and Nate Compeau was on the receiving end of tosses by both Reuther and Silverthorn. Lloyd Sebright-Johnson and Carlos Brown excelled on defense and Honorable Mention selection Greg Edmaiston proved to be a stalwart linemen on both sides of the ball.  Front Row (L-R): Waylon Lingeman (Central Montcalm), Joey Morrow (Central Montcalm), Carter Gawne (Reed City), Mikey Stout (Tri-County), Logan Langworthy (Reed City), Jaeson Aldrich (Chippewa Hills), Chase Dewey (Tri-County), Noah Brandt (Big Rapids), Dylan Bazzett (Newaygo) Second Row (L-R): David Miller, Kyle Crusan (Reed City), Chase Geers (Grant), Trent Behrenwald (Tri-County), Noah Morgan (Reed City), Blake Nelson (Tri-County), Austin Humphrey (Chippewa Hills), Stuart Gould (Tri-County), Logan Hallman (Tri-County), Zander Prince (Big Rapids), Gage Saathoff (Chippewa Hills), Brock Pelong (Chippewa Hills) Third Row (L-R): Caleb Hetrick (Reed City), Xavier Allen (Reed City), Emmett Lingeman (Central Montcalm), Garret Foster (Big Rapids), David Sheehan (Tri-County), Carter Jeffrey (Central Montcalm), Riley Vennix (Big Rapids), Will Strickler (Big Rapids), Seth Jackson (Reed City), Ian Bolden (Tri-County), Isaac Johnson (Central Montcalm), John Ondrus (Reed City), Back Row (L-R): Max Hammond (Reed City), Jace Heck (Big Rapids), Remy Wells (Newaygo), Brayden Hunt (Chippewa Hills), Zach Barnhart (Grant), Josiah Long (Newaygo), Tyler Geer (Chippewa Hills), Owen Behrenwald (Tri-County), Ayden Hewer (Big Rapids), Grant Harkness (Newaygo), Cotter Scholtens (Grant) Photo Credit: Brittlynn Rose Photography CSAA Gold All Conference
Newaygo and Grant didn’t factor much in the conference race and neither qualified for the playoffs this season but they still put some quality talent on the field and 7 of those players were selected to the All Conference squad. For the Lions Gant Harkness and Remy Wells were a familiar combination for the passing game while Josiah Long also pulled in passes while being Mr. Automatic when it came to booting a PAT following a Newaygo TD. Dylan Bazzette also caught a lot of passes including those thrown by the opposition as his linebacker skills helped put an end to many drives. Honorable Mention Isaiah Lopex proved to be a hard hitting player out of the secondary. We asked Grant Head Coach Jason Hill to give us a few words about his All Conference Tigers. Zach Barnhart- “Dynamic athlete that regardless of the situation gave it his all every drill, every rep, every snap.” Chase Geers- “Aggressive, plays the game like he truly loves the game. Always has a positive attitude no matter what was thrown at him.” Cotter Scholten-”Freak of an athlete, virtually can do everything on a football field. Defensively led the team in tackles and sacks. Once he figures that out his future is very bright.” Honorable Mention: Hunter Crosby-”Has the potential to be one of the best linebackers in the area. Understands the game, a kid that puts the extra work in, and I foresee a stellar senior year.”  Fremont Runners Compete At State Finals, Pettis Captures All-State Honors
Story by Mike Paige Photo by Anne Pettis On November 5, for the 9th straight year, the Fremont boys cross country team competed at the state finals. The team was projected to finish 18th in the field of 27 teams. By race time, sustained 20 mph winds with 30 mph gusts were blowing. That made for tough conditions with runners running into the teeth of the wind for the first ¾ mile and the last 600 meters. The Fremont runners responded, though, with some great performances. They were once again led by Junior Sean Pettis who turned in the best performance of his high school career, running the course in 16:19. He was 34th at the halfway mark and moved up over the second half to finish 29th earning all-state honors. Also running for Fremont, in order of finish, were Johnny Christensen (87th – 17:05), Carter Sherman (99th – 17:16), Henrik Quist (140th – 17:34), Isaac Romero (190th – 18:12), Cole Lowery (208th – 18:25) and Chase Lowery (225th – 18:42). The team ended up 13th with 372 points exceeding projections by 5 positions. Most ran within seconds of season records in less than ideal conditions. According to Coach Somers, “This was a good showing and great experience for a young group that is excited to improve next season.” Freshman Linnea Paige represented the girls team in her first State Championship race. She ended up 45th in the field of about 250 runners. She hovered in the 40-50 spots throughout the race, losing some ground but picking back up later in the race. Her time of 19:40 was only 7 seconds slower than her previous best. Per Coach Somers, “She is another young athlete who gained great experience running in tough conditions today, and we are excited to see where she goes from here.” A few of Fremont’s runners, including Paige, will be competing next Saturday at the Michigan Meet of Champions in Shepherd.   Ferris State University Head Coach Tony Annese addresses the athletes Newaygo Athletes Honored at Fall CSAA Celebration Honorees from the CSAA Conference were in attendance today for a special banquet at Big Rapids High School. Newaygo High School had 11 athletes attend. In order to be invited, the athlete had to have earned All-Conference honors from their fall sport. Criteria for the honors vary slightly between each sport, however the overriding theme is that these are the best of the conference athletes. After arriving, athletes had a chance to listen to Ferris State University Football Coach Tony Annese speak. In his message, Coach Annese emphasized the importance of doing three things:
Athletes were then called up to the stage first by sport, allowing all honorees to hear the individual names of students from other schools in their sport who received honors. Finally, each individual school’s honorees had their photos taken together. When the first portion of the day was complete, all student-athletes went over to The Rock and enjoyed a delicious lunch while conversing with athletes not just from their schools but also others as well. Newaygo honorees are as follows: Girls Cross Country: Remington Arney - 1st Team, Elizabeth Chaffee (not in attendance today), Zoey Walerczyk- Honorable Mention Football: Dyllan Bazzett, Grant Harkness, Josiah Long, Remington Wells - 1st Team; Isaiah Lopez - Honorable Mention Girls Golf: Addyson Gorby - 1st Team Boys Soccer: Deegan Hall - 1st Team, Ezra Foster - Honorable Mention, Alex Hall - 1st Team (not in attendance today) Girls Volleyball: Elsha Jibson - Honorable Mention 
Newaygo's Arney Blows Past Projections at State Championship Photos and story by Alexis Mercer In all sincerity, I was hoping the rain would come down harder and the wind would stay gusting at the same gale force strength for the entirety of the Division 2 State Championship race. As Remington Arney’s coach for some time now, I knew that not only could she handle the adverse conditions, but that she would thrive in them whereas other runners wouldn’t fare as well. Though the wish for the rain to come down harder didn’t come to fruition, the gale force winds certainly held their own. “It’s a great day to run.” That’s our motto in Newaygo. Because every day that we are able to run truly is a great day to run, and we are grateful for the opportunity. Off she went from the start line she shared with 249 other young women into the wind; strong, capable and confident this would be her day. Indeed it was. She executed the game plan to a t. Her freshman year, Remington ran a 22:22 at her debut at Michigan International Speedway, placing 211th. She was happy to have qualified and experience the meet of all meets in cross country. As a sophomore she ran with more confidence and experience. By taking 9th place in the Regional she earned her spot on the starting line at MIS once again, this time improving to 41st place and a time of 19:38.9: a personal record. This, her junior year, she came in with a projected place of 66th. The girls in Division 2 are quicker this year than last, so despite running a 19:50 at Chippewa Hills Regional, which was a full 36 seconds faster than her 9th place finish at the same course last year, she wasn’t close to her finish place from last year in the projections. But what all predictors of such things can’t possibly know is the size of the runner’s heart or the determination in their bones. So rather than meeting the expectations of those who crunch numbers and compare races (kudos to these people, they really are awesome for our sport…and make it infinitely more fun to watch the races play out), she blew those predictions out of the water. Remington Arney crossed the line in 19:36.8 seconds (a new PR) and an impressive 34th place. Very few people ran PRs on Saturday. In fact many ran slower than even their season’s best time. MIS isn’t normally considered a PR course, even when the weather cooperates. Maybe next year we will wish for a snow storm at Regionals to ensure another trip to the State Meet… Full meet results can be found here: https://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/meet/207977/results/833803  Remington Arney (middle) with teammates Rebecca Grandy (left) and Lyda Lathrop (right) in the tunnel to the MIS infield |
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