 Grant 48 Orchard View 16 The Grant Tigers traveled to Muskegon Orchard View open view to open the 2020 State Playoffs. The Tigers went deep on the first play from scrimmage and Senior QB Brendan connected with Senior Brett Long on a 53 yard pass down the sidelines. Keelean run the ball in from 4 yards out with 11:34 remaining in the 1 st quarter to give the tigers a 7-0 lead. The Cardinals answered with an 80-yard kickoff return for a touch, taking the lead 8-7. The Tigers went to work later in the first quarter, with 2:40 remaining Keelean ran it in from 4 yards out to make the score 14-8 Tigers. In the 2nd quarter the Tigers found the end zone on all three of their possessions to take a commanding lead into halftime. Senior Orion Evans scored on a 3-yard run with 10;51 remaining, Grant 21-8. On the next possession Keelean ran it in from the 6-yard line, Grant 28-8. The final score of the half came with 1:14 on the clock when Evans punched it in from 6 yards out for a 34-8 lead at halftime. In the 3rd quarter Senior Trevor Lowry scored a 5-yard TD run to make the score Grant 41, OV 8. OV scored on a 75-yard run just before the end of the 3rd quarter to make the score 41-16. In the 4th quarter Chase Kazemier found paydirt from the 5-yard line to make the final score Grant 48-16. The Tigers amassed 331 yards rushing and 7 touchdowns on 53 carries. The leading rusher was Trevor Lowry with 87 yards on 14 carries. Keelean was 4-6 passing for 81 yards. The Tigers defense held the Cardinals under 125 yards total offense. Senior Brett Long led the defense with 9 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 TFL’s. Junior Brady Jacobs contributed 6 tackles and 1 PBU. Isiah Powell and Treyton Railling both had 6 tackles as well. The Tigers will face Tri-County at home in round two. Holton 23 White Cloud 17 With 2 minutes left in the game Austin Fowler hit Bret Hosmer who took it to the house for the lead and the Devil D did the rest holding off the Cloud for the win and a trip to round two of the playoffs. Coach Jados “We played a tough game tonight. White Cloud fought and played well. We turned the ball 5 times tonight and had multiple big penalties that hurt us, but our kids kept fighting to pull off a win.” The Red Devil O-line of Jaden Israel, Dylan Cartwright, Gabe Reed, Chris Hall, Jarod Coburn. opened the door for the Holton running attack who piled up 245 yards. Fowler and Kaleb Nichols accounted for the other two RD scores while Kevin Ericson (77yds) and Chase Albright (67yds) led the rushing attack. On defense Dylan Cartwright and Hunter Hoofman led the team with 8 Tackles each. Holton will hit the road next week to face the Eagles of Fowler Pewamo Westphalia 46 Hesperia 14 The defending state champion Pirates blasted their way to a 46-0 lead by halftime and while the panthers fought back in the second half to score twice it proved to be too little too late and the Hesperia season came to an end. Brandon Quinn scored one of the Panther TDs and gained 63 yards on the night and Kile Pomeroy accounted for the other Hesperia TD. Spring Lake 48 Fremont 0 Tri County 33 Central Montcalm 7 Ravenna 31 Morley Stanwood 0 Clare 41 Kent City 6 Oakridge 40 Chippewa Hills 6 Reed City 44 Cheboygan 6
0 Comments
 Photo by Joan Ludtke WC Cross teams heading for Brooklyn
Coach Atwood: The White Cloud Cross Country team competed at Regionals in Shepherd on Friday. All the runners put in hard work this season and turned out an outstanding effort. The boys and girls finished in third place, securing a ticket to the MHSAA state meet in Brooklyn, MI on Saturday, November 7th. The boys posted six personal records on the day with Nathan Ciolk (8th, 17:11.2), Tristan McHaney (9th, 17:19.1), and Kobe Canning (14th, 17:42.8), earning Regional medals. Christian Ringler was 26th, Terry Trendel 28th, Nik Parks 30th and Carson Foondle was 41st. Tristan moves up and Nathan makes his first appearance on the record board. The girls had five personal records and two season best times. Stine Kristensen (14th, 21:44.0) and Alexus Richmond (15th, 21:46.9) were both medal winners and Stine's performance earned her a spot on the record board. Naomi Thompson was 16th, Andrea Feldpausch 18th, Gracie Richards 25th, Jolene Deaton 31st, and Cecelia Rodriguez 49th. Great job, everyone! White Cloud PRIDE! 
 Lions Volleyball Earns First Conference Championship Since 2000 By Alexis Mercer In a gym with fewer fans than any other year would have drawn for such a big accomplishment, the Newaygo Lions Varsity Volleyball team earned their first Conference Championship for the school since 2000. With many big wins coming the last three weeks in their CSAA matchups, the Lions fought their way to the top, sharing the title with Central Montcalm and Fremont. The last time Newaygo won a volleyball Conference Title it was under the tutelage of Hall of Fame Coach Mary Reese-Pumford. The much anticipated game began with a decisive win for the Lions with a score of 25-14. Their passing was on point as senior setter Emma Reyburn dished out assists to hitters Lillian Ruehmeier, Kendall Mathis, Rylee Maat, Sydney Maat and Lily Swinehart left, right and center. Defensive specialist Emmerson Goodin filled holes on the court, coming up with digs in all positions. Senior Haleigh Schmitt rounded out the Lions' starting lineup with rock solid serve receiving. Knowing the Vikings had taken both Fremont and Grant to five sets in their conference matchups, the Lions were ready for Tri County to fight back in the second game. Though the score was closer at 25-21, the Lions prevailed. In the final of the three game set, all the players on the Lions' roster got to see the floor and Newaygo pulled out a straight sweep for the night and the right to put another trophy in the case in the hallways at NHS. Coach Kristin Melvin, an NHS alumnus, was a freshman in high school the last time Newaygo won their last Championship. When asked about the honor of earning the title, Coach Melvin responded with "It's exactly that, an honor!". "The girls have worked very hard for this opportunity and it is always great to be a part of a championship team. This senior class has left their mark on this program, and hopefully what is the start of something great." The Lions play against the winner of the first round District game (Sparta vs. Coopersville) on Wednesday, November 4th in Sparta.
  The mystery zebra makes another appearance A postseason preview
By Ken De Laat Wow what a year, huh? First it looked like no football this fall and plans were made to schedule in the spring which would have been interesting since weather wise if there is anything more fickle than fall in Michigan it’s spring right? But then, once allowed, the powers that be in the MHSAA decided to shift back to a fall season, albeit a shortened one, and added in a way to extend the season by opening up the postseason to all comers. Like basketball, softball, etc. So there will be more mismatched games than usual one would imagine and perhaps a few more upsets. Fremont the lone area team in D4 is in a district with mostly teams from the OK Blue and will face the top seed. Our local D5 teams are in region 2 District 1. The likely favorites in terms of seedings would be perennial contender Oakridge who open against Chip Hills and Central Montcalm who host Tri County, but this district looks pretty wide open. The other district in the region is perhaps the toughest in D5 being loaded with marquee teams like the two GR Catholic squads, Portland, Belding and Hopkins. Our D7 team, Hesperia, somehow drew the toughest assignment in their district facing the defending state champs but the district also includes undefeated Ithaca a program that hasn’t missed the playoffs since 2008 D8? Holton and White Cloud will face each other in a district where Fowler is the top seed (as well as the alma mater of my lovely and patient spouse) and Carson City Crystal looms large as well. Yes, it has indeed been a year. A season of changes, adjustments, tough decisions, masked players and a slew of COVID caused forfeits. But now it’s playoff time, the infamous one and done, single elimination, win or go home time of year. So let the games begin Newaygo (2-4) at Big Rapids (3-3) Saturday 1pm The Lions can put points on the board but lately not enough to keep up with the numbers yielded by the defense. All season it’s been big plays that have plagued the Lion D. Chances are the ball will be in the air a lot Saturday afternoon. Three weeks ago the Cards inserted strong armed sophomore Wil Strickler at QB and won twice before the forfeit as he and his favored receiver Jamal Strickland have stymied opposing secondaries. They possess the talent to make those big plays that have been the bane of the Lions. But when it comes to big plays no one has been better of late than the Brechting to Wells connection and the QB has other targets in Harkness, Hammond, Wismar and Joseph should the Cards decide to blanket Wells. Grant (2-3) at Orchard View (2-4) Friday 7pm But for playing a game less this could have been a home game for the Tigers. Instead they will travel to Orchard View to take on the Cardinals of the Lakes 8 (but now it's only 4 teams) Conference. Obviously late bloomers, OV began the season with three losses, a forfeit win and another loss before besting Kent City last week. Granted the Lakes 4… I mean Lakes 8... is a tough conference with teams posting a 10-2 noncon mark and the win over the Eagles is impressive but they didn’t fare well against the other good teams they faced and Grant is a good team. Fremont (2-4) at Spring Lake (4-2) Friday 7pm Two long time rivals from their days in the Lakes 8.and before that in the old Seaway Conference. Historically speaking the Packers have won just 7 times in their 31 meetings. The Lakers placed third in a rugged OK Blue conference that includes West Catholic and Unity Christian a pair of GR area powerhouses and the only teams to beat SL. The Packers have made a lot of progress under coach Carpenter and given a full season they will improve even more. But this could be a tough hill to climb and barring a string of turnovers forced by the defense Fremont will likely have to score a bunch here to have a shot. Hesperia (4-2) at Pewamo Westphalia (5-1) Friday 7pm In their regular season finale the Pirate program suffered its fourth loss. 4th loss in their last 77 games, that is, a run that has included four trips to the finals and three state titles.. There are programs and then there are dynasties. PW’s program falls into the latter group. Doug Bolles has gotten a lot out of his team this season with Majersky, Baird, and others providing ample heroics. But facing the Pirates they’ll likely need to get a few breaks, some big plays, a smattering of turnovers and play their best game of the season. And then hope it's enough because it’s a long bus ride back from Westphalia. White Cloud (2-4) at Holton (2-4) Friday 7pm The Devils have improved as the season has progressed and are a better team than the one who edged the Cloud 15-7 earlier this season. WC scored twice for the first time last week and missed two games when their opponents forfeited. Holton doesn’t score a lot either but they have home field and a better defense than their visitors despite the 60 points MCC hung on them last week. If they can shake off the shell shock from that drubbing they should be able to move on in the postseason but it would be a mistake to take their visitors lightly Tri County (2-4) at Central Montcalm (4-2) Friday 7pm The Viking defense slipped a bit the past couple of games but despite four losses they were within a score of winning each of them. During the last matchup with the Hornets they had some red zone issues and were shut out.That isn’t likely to happen again. But I wouldn’t count on holding the Bees to the single touchdown they tallied three weeks ago either. Like their previous meeting this one is in Stanton a tough place to play when the stands are full. Or even 25% full.  Photo by Joan Ludtke from Ludington Invitational earlier this season Regional competition this Friday
Coach Atwood: The Cross Country teams completed on our home course for the last regular season meet of the year. White Cloud was host to Grand Rapids Union, Holton, Mason County Central, and Grand Rapids Chariots of Fire. The Indians posted two second place finishes. The boys team was bested by Chariots of Fire and broke the tie with Mason County Central as Malachi Graves finished ahead of their sixth runner. The girls team finished behind Mason County Central. Individual results for the boys saw Nathan Ciolk 4th, Kobe Canning 9th, Tristan McHaney 11th, Christian Ringler 14th, Terry Trendel, 15th, Malachi Graves 21st, Carson Foondle 24th, Sam Venema 34th, Ashton Byle 39th, Keagan Kailing 41st, Ian Pierce 45th, Zane Keith 54th, Zak Buttleman 55th, Adam Bulk 56th, and Parker Karnes 57th. For the girls, Stine Kristensen was 4th, Andrea Feldpausch 5th, Naomi Thompson 7th, Jolena Deaton 20th, Grace Richards 25th, Cecelia Rodriguez 27th, Chloe Higgs 29th, Alexandria Rodriguez 31st, Lillie Keith 32nd, and Sydnee Ochs 33rd. Parker Karnes and Lillie Keith ran their best times of the season. White Cloud has advanced to Regionals, which will take place on Friday afternoon in Shepherd.  First runner to cross the finish line was Cloud's Nathan Ciolk- Photo by Joan Ludtke Ciolk, Richmond pace teams
The White Cloud Cross Country team competed in Beal City on Saturday at the Pre-Regional Meet. The first four teams would qualify to run Regionals in Shepherd this Friday and the boys made sure there was no question. Our boys finished first with 29 points, exactly half the score of second place Montabella. Nathan Ciolk was the meet winner with his personal best 17:29. Tristan McHaney was 2nd, Kobe Canning 7th, Christian Ringler 11th (personal best 19:25), Terry Trendel 13th, Nik Parks 14th, and Carson Foondle 22nd. The girls team finished second behind host Beal City, who is ranked 5th in Division 4. Alexus Richmond powered to a 5th place finish, followed closely by Annie Feldpausch in 6th place. Both ladies had personal best times of 22:33 and 22:38 respectively. Stine Kristensen was 9th and Naomi Thompson 10th. Gracie Richards had her personal best time (25:16) and finished 14th. Jolena Deaton was 21st and Cecelia Rodriguez rounded out our scoring squad with a 34th place. Jolena and Cecelia had the best times on the season. On Friday, racing starts at 3:00pm.
Strait, Scarlavai, and Baker named to All-Tournament Team
Coach Strait: This past weekend, the Lady Indians traveled to Hesperia to participate in the 9th Annual Volley Against Violence event. We had a great day finishing 3-0 for the afternoon. Offensively, the Indians were led by Alexis Strait with 40 points and 18 aces, followed by Elizabeth Compeau with 22 points and 9 aces. A great day of hitting was led by Alexis with 31 kills and Cassie Watson with 12. Dishing out assists was Alexis with 25, closely followed by Carsyn Scarlavai with 24. Defensively, we were led by Alexis with 35 digs, along with 28 from Elizabeth and Carsyn. At the end of the day, Alexis, Carsyn, and Kyleah Baker were selected for the All-Tournament team.  Central Montcalm 47 Newaygo 21 The hometown Hornets took control early scoring three times before the Lions got on the board when Brenden Brechting found Remington Wells for a 46 yard touchdown pass. The score and point after by Ashton Stephens made it a 20-7 game heading to the half but CM’s Isaac Johnson took the ensuing kickoff 80 yards into the endzone and the hosts went up 26-7 at the break. Brechting and Wells hooked up again early in the third to get the Lions back in the game but the defense could not contain the Hornets who scored twice more before the third Brechting to Wells big play, this time an 80 yard connection. By then the Hornets were in control holding a 40-21 advantage then adding another score before time expired in the third. The Lion ground game never got traction with Brechting’s 51 yards leading the way but it was the passing game that moved the ball for the visitors. Brechting completed 11 paasses on the night including 6 to Wells for an impressive 237 yards and the three Newayo TDs. Edward Hammond caught 3 for 36 yards, Jayden Joseph pulled one in for a 19 yard gain and Grant Harkness was on the receiving end of a 68 yard gainer. While both teams piled up offensive yardage combining for nearly 900 yards the Hornets were able to take advantage of turnovers intercepting Brechting 3 times and recovering a Lion fumble The teams will now await Sunday’s official announcement to see who they will face in the opening round of postseason play. Hesperia 34 White Cloud 15 The Panthers grinded out the real estate on the ground, piling up 419 rushing yards against a White Cloud defense that struggled to contain much less stop the visitors running game. Mac Baird scored twice while Johnny Majersky, River Montague, and Brandon Quinn each found paydirt as well and Hesperia extended their winning streak to 3 heading into next week's playoff game. Baird finished with 107 yards, Majersky tallied 97, Quinn posted 91 and Hunter Billman added another 82. Quinn led the defense with 9 tackles with Mason Taylor and Gabe Prado collecting 5 apiece. On Sunday both teams will learn who their first round opponent will be Muskegon CC 60 Holton 0 The Crusaders are cruising into the postseason, eager to add to a playoff legacy that includes 14 appearances in the finals and 11 state championships. Unfortunately for the Red Devils MCC performed like a well oiled machine as they prepped to share a bracket with undefeated teams from Montague and Clare. Coach Jados: “ MCC is a really good football team and we didn’t show up to match their play. I will say I was happy with the way a few guys played. Chase Albright, Gabe Reed, Jaden Israel, Dylan Cartwright, and Rice Robins played with heart and played well until the final whistle. We need to regroup and get ready for our playoff game next week.” Reed City 36 Grant 20 The Tigers took an early lead with Scott Keelean finding his way into the endzone but the Coyotes answered and a successful 2 point conversion made it 8-7. The score remained the same when the teams reached the halfway mark but Reed City’s Landon Tomaski who caught the first TD of the game ran the second half kickoff back 65 yards for a score and the hosts took a 16-7 lead. The Tigers took advantage of a missed snap on a RC punt and Orion Evans scored two plays later from 4 yards out. The PAT failed and the Coyotes were in front 16-13. Noah Jones was the next ‘Yote to score running away from the defense for a 65 yard sprint and a 22-13 lead. Grant wasn’t done and when Keelean ran it in from 4 yards out the conversion pulled the visitors to within a pair of points at 22-20 with 4 minutes left on the game clock. The ensuing try for an onside kick failed and the Coyotes marched the ball down for a score. The Tigers stopped the extra point try and down 28-20 they had one more shot but Coyote Seth Jackson had a tipped pass fall to him and 40 yards later put the game out of reach with the pick 6. Fremont 1 Big Rapids 0 Not a lot of offense in this one. Not a lot of defense either but that’s what happens when the players don’t take the field. Chalk this victory up to the pandemic. Chippewa Hills 19 Tri County 16 The Vikings hit halftime holding a 16-6 lead after stopping a Warrior drive in the closing seconds. Chip Hills came out of the break recovering an onside kick and two plays later ran it into the endzone to make the score 16-12,. The Warriors inched ahead as Gage Todd scored his second TD of the night and following their first successful PAT the hosts held a 19-16 lead. From there on it was on the CH defense and they came up big, keeping the Vikes off the board and securing their second win of the season.  Attendance restrictions to remain in place for now
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Oct. 23 – The Representative Council of the Michigan High School Athletic Association confirmed during its meeting Thursday (Oct. 22) that 2020-21 Winter sports will begin on time, and also approved a series of guidelines for those sports that schools must follow as they continue to work toward limiting the spread of COVID-19 while still providing opportunities for athletes to compete. Most high school sports traditionally begin practice during the first three weeks of November, with competition starting during mid-November and the first weeks of December. The start of middle school Winter sports seasons are determined by local leagues and conferences; many are slated to begin during the next few weeks. Sport-specific guidelines for all Winter sports will be posted early next week to their respective sport pages on the MHSAA Website at https://www.mhsaa.com/sports. A number of precautions have been put in place addressing competition limits, numbers of spectators allowed and wearing of face coverings, among a variety of topics. The guidance also specifically addresses equipment and facilities for each sport. “The Council believes it is safer to begin Winter practices on time, and keep athletes in school programs where safety precautions are always in effect,” MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl said. “With the vastly different circumstances faced by schools in different regions all over the state, an on-time start still allows schools to decide when they feel most comfortable beginning activity – and allows all of them to slowly ramp up their frequency of activity and numbers of spectators attending competitions. “But let’s be clear: Our statewide COVID-19 numbers have to get better. In order for our schools to continue playing sports this winter, and in order for fans to be there to cheer them on, we must continue working to slow down this virus.” As with Fall sports, scrimmages will not be allowed for Winter sports to limit mixing of communities outside of official competitions. The numbers of teams at regular-season competitions also will be limited, like during Fall, with a maximum of four schools/teams allowed in competitive cheer, gymnastics, swimming & diving and wrestling. Bowling and skiing competitions will be restricted to a maximum of 72 competitors at one event. There are no school/team limits for basketball and ice hockey, as only two teams are able to play each other at one time and those sports may play only one game per day – with fans leaving after their game is complete. Host sites must strictly enforce spectator capacity limits on a game-by-game basis. The Council approved as part of these guidelines an allowance of two spectators per participant at all contests to begin the regular season. This guideline could be reconsidered by the Council later in the winter season, with a possibility of allowing more spectators later while still staying within possible Emergency Orders from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). As per MDHHS requirements, face coverings must be worn by athletes practicing and competing in basketball, competitive cheer, ice hockey and wrestling. They are not required for athletes practicing and competing in bowling, gymnastics, skiing and swimming & diving, which all allow for appropriate social distancing – but face coverings are required for those athletes when not involved in active participation  No one notices the refs...until they make an unpopular call. Normally at this time of year there would be teams needing that one more win to punch their playoff ticket while others might merely be playing out the schedule hoping to end the season on a positive note. But like most things this year normal has taken a backseat to out-of-the-ordinary and the final regular season game will not determine whether or not teams will be continuing on in season 2 but more like where it will happen and who will they play. In 2012 with Newaygo switching leagues the rivalry game between the Lions and Tigers wasn't scheduled. As fate would have it they ended up playing each other in the tournament. This year COVID cancelled their annual matchup. But the possibility of a post season game looms once again. Newaygo (2-3) at Central Montcalm (3-2) The Hornets came into Grant last week with just one loss, a close affair with league champion Reed City. Then the Tigers dismantled them with a 41-13 rout. The Lions defense yields big plays too often and the Hornets have the equipment to make those kinds of plays. The Hornets were stingy on defense early on but Grant slapped on twice the points the Tigs managed in their 2 previous games combined. The Lion offense will score. Whether they can score enough would be the question. Grant (2-2) at Reed City (5-0) I love this matchup because the Tigers have the type of team that can stop the steamrolling Coyotes from an undefeated regular season and they are coming off two games in a row after a three week playoff so they should finally be in mid season form. Grant will still have to create some turnovers and grind out some lengthy scoring drives to have a good shot in a tough road venue but a Tiger win certainly wouldn’t be a shocker. Fremont 2 Big Rapids 0 The Packers (now 2-4) have played more games (40) against BR than any other opponent since 1950. In the early 50’s before league affiliations they played a trio of games then from 1967 to 1980 the teams opened their season against each other. After a decade they resumed play in the 90’s mostly scheduling each other for the noncom season finale.Later they competed in the WWAC and the past few years in the CSAA Gold. But they won’t be playing Friday. The Cards (now 3-3) will forfeit due to their uptick in the number of COVID cases that moved the school to all virtual and the Packers will find out where they'll play their next game Sunday afternoon with early bets looking at either Spring Lake or Allendale as the likely opponent. Hesperia (3-2) at White Cloud (2-3) The Panthers look to finish the regular season with 3 straight while the Cloud would like to win one on the field with 2 forfeit victories under their belt. Hesperia has too much offense and the hosts haven’t enough defense nor do they score often. The Panthers could use the win to perhaps improve their seeding in a brutal playoff region. The teams include perennial powerhouse Pewamo Westphalia a Pirate team that has outscored their rivals 260-7, undefeated Ithaca, 4-1 Fowler- the only team to score on PW, and a rugged 3-2 North Muskegon team. Holton (2-4) at Muskegon Catholic Central (5-0) The Crusaders have tallied 193 points while yielding just 18. The Devs would do well just to stay close in this one. |
Archives
October 2020
Categories |
RSS Feed