The White Cloud boys' track and field team traveled North to Kingsley on Saturday, April 13 to take part in the Rodes Relays. This is a unique type of meet where every event, be it a running or field event, is contested in a relay format. Even traditional individual events, such as field events, the 100 meter dash, the 110 meter hurdles, and the 3200 meter run, are scored by combining the best efforts of the three participants from each school. The Indian boys had an extremely successful day finishing third overall out of eight teams, finishing behind only the host Kingsley and Traverse City St. Francis, both division 3 powerhouses in the sport. White Cloud athletes had a total of 13 personal best efforts on the day, led by senior Noah Robinson, who, in the high jump, broke the school record which he had previously tied last year. Noah cleared 6 feet 7 inches to become the overall winner in the event. He barely scraped 6 feet 9 inches which, if he would have cleared, would have set the 36 year old meet record of a combined height of 17 feet 10 inches. Noah's brother Jaden cleared 5 feet 10 inches, while junior Reece Johnson jumped 5 feet 4 inches, a personal record for himself. Senior Carson Foondle also had a banner day. First, he lowered his 3200 meter personal best time by 31 seconds to win the race in 10 minutes, 6 seconds. Teammates Kaleb Canning and Angelo Hinson both had personal best times, but also. Kaleb lowered his time by 25 seconds and Angelo by 7 seconds. Their combined efforts gave the three the victory in the event. Next, Carson anchored the 4 x 800 team of Coleson Cruzan, Canning, Hinson, and himself to a 2nd place finish. Carson ended his day by running the 1600 meter segment of the distance medley relay. He, Cruzan (1200), David Higgs (400), and Canning (800) combined for a 3rd place finish, giving Carson and Kaleb their third medal on the day. David Higgs, Jayden Robinson, and Noah Robinson also brought home three medals apiece. The Indians took home a total of 32 medals, and helped improve the times and distances that will help them defend their Division 4 team state championship title that they earned two years ago. White Cloud will travel to Central Montcalm Tuesday for their second round of CSAA action before heading to Hesperia Friday, April 19 to participate in the 11 team Small School Invitational.
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Story and photos by Tara Hefferan Newaygo Girls Soccer took to the road Friday night, battling to a 2-2 tie against the Greenville Yellow Jackets. Following a disappointing conference loss just two days prior, Newaygo made some minor adjustments in playing formation against the Jackets. This, along with better teamwork, greater confidence, more urgency in play, gave the Lions a boost in performance, resulting in a highly competitive match. The playing conditions on Friday were rough, as high winds tore through the stadium. The Yellow Jackets started with the wind advantage, working the ball in the direction of the gusts. Their efforts paid off midway through the first half, when Greenville got by Lion Keeper Ella Soules. The Jackets took a 1-0 lead. It appeared that Newaygo’s Lena Wagner answered within minutes, sprinting to meet a through ball sent past Greenville’s defensive line by Landry Hefferan Nordlund. Wagner fired a shot into the left corner of the Jacket’s net. The goal did not stand, however, as it was called for offside. The Lions entered halftime down 0-1, having just one shot on goal versus the Jacket’s six. Retaking the field now with the wind advantage, the Lions wasted little time getting on the board. Hefferan Nordlund dribbled up the right side of the field, sending a perfectly placed cross into the box, where Captain Aby Lauryssens was waiting to pounce. Lauryssens muscled the ball past the Greenville keeper, to bring the Lions level at 1-1. “It felt really amazing, considering the last time I scored, it was my freshman year,” said senior Lauryssens about the goal, adding “I feel like it was a great thing.” Then twelve minutes into the second half, the Lions scored once more. Hefferan Nordlund assisted again, this time sending the ball to Luella Hilden. Hilden struck the ball into the top of the net, where it slipped through the keeper’s hands, putting the Lions in the lead for the first time this season. “I just knew I did not want to lose,” said Hilden. “I did it more for the team than for myself. I want to turn our scores around for the season.” Hilden’s efforts put the Lions ahead 2-1, with twenty-eight minutes of play left. The match remained competitive, with the Lions largely maintaining possession. Then, with eight minutes remaining, the Lions were called for a defensive foul, setting up the Yellow Jackets for a penalty kick. With arms stretched wide, freshman and first-season goalie Soules made herself big. Soules faced the Greenville player with confidence, skillfully stopping the shot and then immediately catching the rebound to deny the goal. As the Newaygo crowd and players erupted into thunderous approval of the difficult saves, the officials charged Soules with moving off her line before the shot was taken. They awarded a second penalty kick, which this time Greenville was able to slot away. This brought the Lions and Yellow Jackets even at 2-2. Eager for their first victory, the Lions redoubled their efforts, threatening Greenville’s offensive space several times. The best opportunity to regain the lead came with just two minutes remaining, when Lauryssens advanced the ball into the box. Readying the shot, Lauryssens was dispossessed from behind, falling in pain just feet from goal. In the end, the Lions were unable to find the final goal needed to secure the win, rounding out the match in a 2-2 tie. In total, keeper Soules made six saves, not counting the disallowed penalty save, all in the first half. Aside from the penalty kicks, Greenville had no other shots against Newaygo in the second half. This is largely due to the efforts of Newaygo’s defensive line, led by Captain Natalie Richardson and Valeria Torres, who worked well with the midfield, led by Rachel Larsen and Wagner, to move the ball away from danger. From Head Coach Matt Painter: “Coming off our last game, where we did not play as a team as well as we would have liked, we were hoping for some improvements tonight. We have girls learning new positions, and it will take time for them to get used to this. Overall, I was proud of how our girls came together throughout the game. As in most games, there were questionable calls and non-calls tonight that potentially impacted the outcome. That being said, we always say, ‘mean no offense, take no offense’ and just move on to the next play, or in this case, the next game!”
The Lions return to action next Wednesday, April 17, away at Tri-County. Newaygo’s record currently stands at 0-2-1 overall, and 0-1-0 in conference play. Pitching, timely hits by hosts sink Pirates
Photos by Cassie Rickert White Cloud hosted Hart in a twin bill to kick off the baseball season. Jayson Ruether was dominant on the hill, as he rang up 12 strikeouts in a 4-3 victory. Ruether gave up 6 hits and two runs over five and two-thirds innings. Mason Cruzan posted the save. White Cloud took the lead in the bottom of the first inning after Landyn McGowen doubled, and Ruether hit a sacrifice fly, each scoring one run. A ground out by Mason Cruzan extended the lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the third inning. Ruether led the team with two runs batted in and McGowen led the team with two hits. In the second game White Cloud woke up the bats and won 8-2. Reece Hewitt provided pop in the middle of the lineup going two for two with three runs batted in. Ruether added two hits. Landyn McGowen was a force on the mound allowing one hit and striking out 6. White Cloud opens up league play against Tri-County on Friday at home. First game starts at 4pm. Fremont Track got off to a great start with both the boys and girls teams sweeping the matchups with Orchard View and Oakridge Victoria Ekkel (100m), Linnea Paige (600m), Kira Manchip (100m Hurdles), Aerie Beecham (Shot Put, Discus) and Rachel Maddox each placed first for the Packers as did the three Fremont relay teams. For the boys Jacob Burns (100m), Sean Pettis (400m, 800m), Carter Sherman (1600m), Cole Lowery (3200), Daniel Romero (110m+300m Hurdles, Long Jump) amd Lucas Bradley (Pole Vault) earned firsts. Coach Somers: “We had a great first outdoor meet. I couldn't be happier with the athletes performance and attitude. As with any first meet we had a lot of season records. Three impressive Prs were Daniel Romero in the 110 hurdles, Sean Pettis in the 400, and Owen Hertel in the Shot Put.” For all results visit https://www.athletic.net/TrackAndField/meet/523501/results/all Team Scores Boys Fremont 100 - Oakridge 33 Fremont 107 - Orchard View 26 Girls Fremont 80 Oakridge 43 Fremont 103 Orchard View 23 The teams are to compete Friday, April 12 at the Fruitport Trojan Invitational. Front Row (L/R): Waylon Lingeman (Central Montcalm), Wyatt Spalo (Reed City), Isaiah Lake (Chippewa Hills), Trae Zerba (Central Montcalm), Emmett Lingeman (Central Montcalm), CJ Copeland, (Lakeview), Austin Humphrey (Chippewa Hills), Anthony Schultz (Central Montcalm), Coy Hall (Tri-County) 2nd Row (L/R): Hunter Fagon-Moyer (Reed City, Hunter Sellers (Chippewa Hills), Lucas Vail (Lakeview), Jon Koepf (Chippewa Hills), William Berenbrock (Newaygo), Tyler Geer (Chippewa Hills), Isaiah Lentz (Reed City), Logan Goguen (Kent City) 3rd Row (L/R): Elijah Lentz (Reed City), Carson Gorton (Kent City), Brayden Peak (Central Montcalm)< Cameron Perez (Lakeview), Sammy Anderson (Kent City), Isaac Gitchel (Tri-County), Barron Bowman (Reed City), Manny Hernandez (Kent City), Hunter Cassidy (Big Rapids) Not Pictured: Alex Russo (Grant) and Carter Johnson (Reed City) Photo by Brittlyn Rose Photography
Weight Name Class Record School 106 1. Carter Johnson (12), 36-6 – Reed City 2. Hunter Cassidy (9), 22-12 - Big Rapids 3. Kody Hazen (10), 3-1 – Chippewa Hills 4. Donovan Vogel (9), 14-13 – Kent City 113 1. Isaac Gitchel (9), 29-4 – Tri-County 2. Emmanuel Hernandez (12), 34-11 – Kent City 3. Teddy MacGregor (11), 11-11 – Chippewa Hills 4. Kaydyn Beham (9), 30-11 – Lakeview 120 1. Sammy Anderson (10), 38-6 – Kent City 2. Barron Bowman (10), 31-11 – Reed City 3. Westin Miedema (12), 25-13 – Lakeview 4. Xander Antor (10), 24-19 – Tri-County 126 1. Cameron Perez (11), 40-3– Lakeview 2. Alex Russo (11), 32-5 – Grant 3. Adrionn Lucas (12), 19-8– Chippewa Hills 4. Hunter Gustinis (9), 19-14 – Kent City 132 1. Carson Gorton (12), 43-3 – Kent City 2. Brayden Peak (10), 28-9 – Central Montcalm 3. Kashton Atwood (10), 33-13 – Grant 4. Tristan Van Timmeran (9), 19-6 – Tri-County 138 1. Logan Goguen (12), 39-7 – Kent City 2. Elijah Lentz (12), 33-12 – Reed City 3. Dawson Kilpatrick (12), 26-11 – Big Rapids 4. Raymondy Irwin (11), 21-10 – Chippewa Hills 144 1. Tyler Geer (12), 28-3– Chippewa Hills 2. Izaiah Lentz (12), 33-9– Reed City 3. Jayden Loomis-Sandison (10), 17-7 – Kent City 4. Will Bellamy (11), 20-22 – Tri-County 150 1. Jon Koepf (11), 30-1 – Chippewa Hills 2. William Berenborck (12), 29-9 – Newaygo 3. Derek Rodenburg (11), 39-8 – Kent City 4. Gabe Wolverton (9), 17-18– Reed City 157 1. Hunter Sellers (12), 29-1– Chippewa Hills 2. Lucas Vai (10), 35-10l – Lakeview 3. Andrew Kiaunis (10), 32-12 – Reed City 4. Brett Wismar(12), 30-14 – Newaygo 165 1. Coy Hall (12), 31-13 – Tri-County 2. Hunter Fagon -Moyer (11), 30-14 – Reed City 3. Max Heitzman ((12) 29-13 – Grant 4. Gavin Culver (12), 19-16 – Newaygo 175 1. Austin Humphrey (11), 23=5 – Chippewa Hills 2. Anthony Schultz (11), 32-8 – Central Montcalm 3. Landen Johnson (11), 37-6 – Lakeview 4. Jacob Hawkins(10), 30-13 – Tri-County 190 1. Emmett Lingeman (10), 36-3 – Central Montcalm 2. CJ Copeland (11), 33-5 – Lakeview 3. Brenden Avery (10), 14-13 – Tri-County 4. Austin Davenport (9), 7-14 – Reed City 215 1. Trae Zerba (10, 22-1 – Central Montcalm 2. Isaiah Lake (12,) 20-10 - Chippewa Hills 3. Hunter Crosby (12), 24-12 – Grant 4. Dan Cummings (11) 11-20 – Tri-County 285 1. Waylon Lingeman (11), 34-2 – Central Montcalm 2. Wyatt Spalo (11,) 37-3 – Reed City 3. Ray Culver (12), 27-13 – Tri-County 4. Wyatt Orr (10), 14-15 – Lakeview Front Row (L/R): Tatyana Gomez (Tri-County), Zoey Moyer (Chippewa Hills), Olivia Rackowski (Chippewa Hills), Nolana Davis (Grant), Yadira Lara (Grant), Dakota Rahe (Newaygo), Allison Cook (Newaygo) Back Row (L/R): Liyah Slagter (Big Rapids), Sophia Blackwell (Big Rapids), Irati Maro (Big Rapids), Lexis Golden (Big Rapids), Chloe Coar (Tri-County), Cadence Holtzlander (Tri-County), Tamya Johnson (Tri-County), Violet Bellamy (Tri-County), Jocelyn Olds (Tr-County), Brian Cheatham (Tri-County) Photo by Brittlyn Rose Photography
Tri County swept through the conference season and made it into Regional competition behind a strong group of 6 underclassmen and a pair of seniors who filled the All Conference teams. Newaygo amd Grant each placed a pair on the first team with Lions Allison Cook and Dakota Rahe joining Yadira Lara and Nolana Davis of the Tigers. Grant’s Luella Higgins and Sydney Biegelle of Newaygo received Honorable Mention. Name Grade School First Team Briana Cheatham 10 Tri County Jocelynn Olds 10 Tri County Violet Bellamy 10 Tri County Tamya Johnson 11 Tri County Cadence Holtzlander 11 Tri County Chloe Coar 11 Tri County Lexis Golden 11 Big Rapids Irati Marro 12 Big Rapids Sophia Blackwell 11 Liyah Slagter 10 Big Rapids Allison Cook 12 Newaygo Dakota Rahe 11 Newaygo Yadira Lara 11 Grant Nolana Davis 11 Grant Olivia Raczkowski 12 Chippewa Hills Tatyana Gomez 12 Tri County Zoey Moyer 11 Chippewa Hills Honorable Mention Alessia Bowman 12 Big Rapids Elaina Werner 11 Chippewa Hills Luella Higgins 9 Grant Sydney Biegelle 12 Newaygo Isabella Johns 12 Tri-County Young Newaygo Soccer Squad Drops 2-1 Season Opener to Whitehall Photos and story by Tara Hefferan Newaygo Girls Soccer kicked off the 2024 season on Wednesday, March 27, falling 2-1 in a spirited match at home against Whitehall. Captain Natalie Richardson scored the lone goal for Newaygo, from a free kick issued following a Whitehall penalty. Newaygo Soccer has had tremendous success in recent years, winning back-to-back district titles in 2022 and 2023, as well as the conference title in 2023. Despite losing seven talented seniors to graduation, this year’s youthful team is full of promise, with eleven new players and seven returning players ready to make a big impact. Tonight’s game showed that this rebuilt team is full of hustle and heart, with a bright season ahead. Head Coach Matt Painter said, “After graduating several key players last year we knew we would be looking for young players to fill some big shoes. For a few girls, tonight was their first experience playing an official soccer game on a full field! Over the 80 minutes tonight I watched so much growth. I could see players seemingly having ‘ah-ha’ moments as they were figuring out how their individual play impacts the greater team. Obviously, we have a list of things to work on, but for a first game with so many newbies, I was proud of what I saw out there tonight!”
Following spring break, the Lions play their next match at 5:00 PM, April 10 at home against Lakeview. And a few words from their coaches
Well, that was quite a season with the Packers adding a couple hunks of hardware to the case and career scoring records tumbling in Grant and Holton. The Districts at Newaygo featured a thrilling final between the Tigers and Packers and the Red Devils captured their first District title in 9 years. Kudos to all the student athletes who compete on the floor during games and in practice. Despite losing some talented seniors to graduation this year our coverage teams have an impressive group of underclassmen ready to continue their own athletic journey. Fremont 20-5 Coach Peter Zerfas All Conference - Jessica Bennett, Senior. “4- Year varsity player. Jessica averaged 13.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.5 blocks, 1.7 steals and 1.5 assists per game. Jessica was many things for us; great leader, extremely hard worker, but more than anything two things. She anchored our defense in the middle blocking or altering shots. She set the single game record for blocks in Fremont twice, with 12 against Whitehall and 13 against Grant in the district finals. The second thing was Clutch. In our first game against Ludington we were down 6 with 4 minutes to go and Jessica hit three big 3's in the last 4 minutes to help us take the lead and win. She did it again in our Conference championship game against Ludington. We were down again with 4 minutes to go and Jessica scored 7 of her 10 in that last 4 minutes. In the district finals she again came up big late, scoring 8 of her 16 in the 4th quarter. Clutch. In the district finals She had 16 points, 13 blocks and 10 rebounds. In the two distinct games combined she averaged 15 points, 10 rebounds and 9 blocks. She was the top vote getter for all-conference in our league.” All Conference - Mia Clemence, Junior. “Mia had an amazing Junior season for us doing pretty much everything on the court. She played equal parts shooting guard, point guard and forward. She was the middle of our press and middle of our press break. She could score outside or inside. Mia could play every position on the court for us. Mia averaged 10.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.9 steals per game. In conference games Mia led us in scoring and assists. Mia's top game was at Manistee when she scored 20 points, had 10 rebounds, 5 steals and 4 assists.” All Conference Honorable Mention - Taylor DeKuiper, Freshman. “To put it simply, Taylor did everything for us. She had what has to be the best freshmen season in the history of Fremont. I believe the only reason Taylor was not voted 1st team all-conference is because she is a freshman, or they do not understand what value(+/-) means. When you add everything up to determine value in a game and season, both positive and negative things....points, rebounds, steals, turnovers, etc etc Taylor was a mind-popping +582. That is the highest number I have seen as a coach and over 230 higher than anyone else on the team. Taylor set the Fremont single season record for steals in a season with 133. She also led us in rebounding. On the season she averaged 8.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.3 steals and 2.5 assists.” All Conference Honorable Mention - Riley Chase, Junior. “Riley had an amazing junior season for us, especially considering she was coming off a compound fracture in her ankle suffered in the spring and was not cleared to run until October. She is one of the most energetic and positive players I have been around. Riley's positive, can-do attitude rubbed off on the team daily. On the season she averaged 8.4 points, 5.0 steals, 3.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists. She had a huge district tournament averaging 14.5 points, 7 steals and 5.5 rebounds.” Holton 15-10 Coach BJ Jordan All Conference - Ryann Robins, Senior “Ryann had an amazing year. Averaging a double double for the 4th straight year is remarkable and leads you to the career numbers she has. She put the team on her back this year and was just a steady force night in and night out with her production. Over 20 double doubles this season despite being double teamed all year and playing more minutes this year due to our low numbers and lack of size. Most games she doesn’t even come out. Ryann has been a leader for this team for years and to say she will be missed is an understatement. This is the 4th year in a row she has been All Conference." All Conference - Abbie Fowler, Senior "Abbie had another great year distributing the ball. She broke her own school record (122) this year for assists with 128 total which comes to 5.1 a game. She will graduate with every assist record in the school. 10 in a game, 128 in a season and will end her career with 392. Her assists and Ryanns points have gone hand in hand over these past few years, their skill sets complimenting each other almost perfectly. Abbie averaged 7.8 points per game this year, and will graduate with over 600 points scored to go with her 393 assists. She is also up there as the school leader in steals as well. She impacted every game we played as the ball was in her hands as much as it could be, and she never came out. I mean never. This is her 3rd year with all conference honors. Another 4 year starter for this program that can not be replaced." All Conference Honorable Mention - Aubrey Goyings, Junior "Aubrey was a jack of all trades for this team, and she is the player that does all the dirty work that doesn’t show up in the stat sheet, but doesn’t go unnoticed. She was our energy player, and she plays as hard as she can every second she is out there. A very gifted defender who can play any position in our zone and can guard one through five in man if she has to. She provided a toughness that this team really needed and when she was out for those few weeks in February her impact was obvious. With her in the lineup healthy this year our team was 14-5. With her out we went 1-5. A very gifted rebounder who averaged 8.5 rebounds a game to go with her 6.5 points and 2.5 steals. She was very productive for us this year. A player who is all over the court with a high motor." CSAA White Cloud 8-15 Coach Caleb Wilk All Conference Honorable Mention - Jaden Gomez, Senior. "Jaden has been a 3 year varsity player for me and she earned this recognition last year as well. On the season she averaged 5.1 points per game and 4.7 steals per game. In her varsity career she swiped a total of 275 steals which is phenomenal. I would rank her as one of the best defenders in the area. Her closing speed and anticipation was top notch. It will be hard to replace her next year. " Newaygo 12-11 Coach Nate Thomasma All Conference - Amaya Lathrop, Sophomore. "Amaya was 2nd on the team in points and deflections, 1st on team assists and steals. She had the ball in her hands a lot. As the year went on, Amaya got more comfortable/confident on offense and it showed. She scored and took care of the ball more consistently. For her size, she gets her hands on the ball really well on defense. She has good instincts for the ball." All Conference Honorable Mention - Naomi Schillman, Junior. "Naomi was 1st on the team in points. She started to get more consistent as the year progressed. Naomi has a really positive attitude. She worked hard and always had a good, coachable attitude. If she can continue to develop on BOTH sides of the court, she can be a great player next year. " Grant 15-7 Coach Josh Delamater All Conference - Julie Ashbaugh, Senior. "Julie led us with 15.4 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. She broke 1,000 points late in the season and set the school record in points, ending with 1,159 for her career. She also averaged 2.4 assists, and 3.1 steals per game. She was a huge part of what we did offensively and defensively." All Conference - Bella Welch, Senior. "Bella led the team with 2.9 assists, and 3.3 steals, was second on the team with 7.2points a game , and averaged 3.4 rebounds. Bella was our energy girl. She is an amazing defender, coming up with huge steals for us all season long." All Conference Honorable Mention - Jocee Pleune, Junior. "Jocee was one of our most consistent players on both sides of the ball. She averaged 6.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 2 steals and was our best 3 pt shooter averaging 37% on the season. She is one of the best defenders in the area, guarding from full to half court even though she is usually the smallest player on the floor." WMC-Lakes First Team All Conference Jessica Bennett Fremont 12th Anna Lundquist Oakridge 12th Addison Pranger Montague 11th Libby McCarthy Manistee 12th Kendall Osborne Whitehall 12th Peyton Welch Ludington 11th Mia Clemence Fremont 11th Jordyn Anderson Ludington 11th Jayna Edmondson Manistee 12th Lexi Daggett Whitehall 11th All Conference Honorable Mention Taylor DeKuiper Fremont 9th Emma McKinley Ludington 12th Braylyn Bultema Montague 11th Elianna Jeruzal Ludington 11th Alayna Edmondson Manistee 10th Riley Chase Fremont 11th Cambrie Hardy Orchard View 12th WMC-Rivers First Team Selections Addi Hovey Hart 12th Wren Nelson Mason County Central 12th Abby Hicks Hart 12th Mallory Miller Mason County Central 11th Ryann Robins Holton 12th Delaney Young North Muskegon 9th Molly Schultz Shelby 12th Rilyn Porter Hart 9th Abbie Fowler Holton 12th Eva Hradel Mason County Central 11th All Conference Honorable Mention Aubrey Goyings Holton 11th Ally Jensen North Muskegon 12th Kelsey Copenhaver Hart 11th Grace Weinert Mason County Central 12th Mattisen Crowley Ravenna 11th Sarissa Conkle Hesperia 9th CSAA 1st Team All-Conference 1 Amaya Lathrop 10 Newaygo 2 Casey Terryn 11 Reed City 3 Emily Putnam 12 Central Montcalm 5 Julie Ashbaugh 12 Grant 5 Molly Bowman 12 Reed City 10 Baylor Syrjala 11 Lakeview 10 Isabella Welch 12 Grant 12 Lila Hoisington 12 Morley Stanwood 14 Kendall Stout 11 Central Montcalm 20 Hailey Kamphuis 11 Kent City 21 Morgan Hammond 10 Reed City 22 Lynsey Biller 12 Morley Stanwood 22 Cailin Knoop 12 Big Rapids 24 Maddie Geers 12 Kent City 24 Marissa Warren 12 Big Rapids 34 Makenna Martin 12 Morley Stanwood Honorable Mention All-Conference 1 Karlie Bacon 11 Central Montcalm 3 Jocee Pleune 11 Grant 4 Jaden Gomez 12 White Cloud 11 Hadley Fox 11 Big Rapids 11 Addison Thayer 10 Tri-County 14 Alaina Christensen 12 Morley Stanwood 15 Naomi Schillman 11 Newaygo 21 Kiara White 10 Chippewa Hills 22 Kenzie Freeland 9 Kent City 24 Molly Willison 11 Lakeview 25 Kyleigh Week 12 Reed City With a few words from their coaches
With another rousing basketball season behind us (including some epic District games at Fremont) the postseason accolades have been handed out in the two conferences our coverage schools compete in. While these competitors had seasons that led them to rise to the recognition level in their respective conferences many other parts go into a team's success. Their teammates on the floor as well as the bench players who spend their weeks preparing the starters for the competition ahead are to be commended for helping to put on the best mid winter entertainment to be found. In the CSAA White Cloud placed 4 players while Grant and Newaygo each saw a trio of players make the lists.In the WMC a pair of Packers were picked. We caught up with their coaches to share a few words Grant 14-8 Coach Joe Schuitema All-Conference - Zaiden Phillips, Sophomore. “Zaiden is a second year varsity player and led the team in our statistical formula this year. He is a quiet, coachable, persistent competitor. Zaiden is a great rebounder, aggressive to the rim with the ball and he added shooting beyond the arc. Looking forward to two more years.” All-Conference - Lucas Swanson, Senior. “Lucas is a third year varsity player and tied for second in our statistical formula this year. He is an outstanding leader, an unselfish player and an unbelievable teammate. Lucas is a great shooter from distance, a tricky defender and an overall competitive player. It's been a blessing having him on the team the last three years.” All-Conference Honorable Mention - Blake Rider, Sophomore. “Blake is a second year varsity player and tied for second in our statistical formula this year. He is coachable, determined and the primary ball handler. Blake has great basketball IQ, knows where to be and what to do. He can score, but chooses to lead the offense. Looking forward to two more years.” White Cloud 17-7 Coach Robert Jones All Conference - Jayden Robinson, Junior. “Jayden averaged 12.9 points and 8.2 rebounds. He will be a force to be reckoned with next season.” All Conference - Noah Robinson, Senior. “Noah averaged 13.7points and 6.5 rebounds. He filled the stat sheet every night and was a great defender. He's one of those players that only comes around once in a while.” All Conference - Kevin Strait, Senior. “Kevin averaged 14 points and 4.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.4 steals. Best point guard In the area. Was a honor coaching KJ. He will be greatly missed.” All Conference Honorable Mention - Jared Watson, Senior. “Jared is a four year starter. He can play any position and can score from anywhere on the floor. Averaged just under 11 pts a game. It's been an honor to be able to coach Jared the last four years.” Newaygo 16-9 Coach Jason Long All Conference - Caris Nelson, Senior. “Caris is a 2 time all-conference player and has become one of the best guards in our area. He has worked hard in the off-season and pushed himself to become the player he is. Caris is near the top or leads multiple team stats.” All Conference - Josiah Long, Senior. “Josiah is a 2 time all-conference player and was HM as a sophomore while starting all four years on varsity. Josiah is a unique player with his size and skill and created difficult matchups for the opposing teams. Josiah is one of the best leaders I have ever coached.” All Conference Honorable Mention - Logan Klomp, Senior. “Logan was a very exciting player this year. He worked hard in the off-season on his skill and with his athleticism became a very good player in our area. Logan works hard every day and earns the respect of his teammates and opponents by how he plays.” Coach Long added “All three players have left their mark on Newaygo Basketball and will be greatly missed.” Fremont 11-15 Coach Adam Bowen All Conference - Chaz Miller, Senior. “Chaz has been a big part of our program and put together a great varsity career. He is a two year team captain and has worked extremely hard to improve his game every year. He led the team in points, assists and steals this year and was a big part of our success in the postseason.” All Conference Honorable Mention - Gavin Richards, Senior. “Gavin is a three year varsity starter and two year team captain. He is someone who always leads by example with his work ethic, positivity and team first attitude. He led the team in rebounding and field goal percentage this year and his two double-doubles in the districts helped lead us to a second consecutive championship.” CSAA 1st Team All-Conference 1 Evan Rolston 10 Central Montcalm 1 Lucas Swanson 12 Grant 2 Caelen Kinnally 12 Big Rapids 3 Josiah Long 12 Newaygo 3 Max Hammond 12 Reed City 3 Jordan Hansen 12 Chippewa Hills 4 Spencer Hansen 12 Reed City 5 Caris Nelson 12 Newaygo 5 Zaiden Phillips 10 Grant 14 Jayden Robinson 11 White Cloud 14 Aaron Vanderwest 10 Kent City 20 Kevin Strait 12 White Cloud 21 Marcos Cuidad-Real 12 Reed City 23 Noah Robinson 12 White Cloud 24 Gabe Njenga 11 Big Rapids Honorable Mention All-Conference 1 .Jack Peasley 11 Lakeview 4 Logan Klomp 12 Newaygo 5 Riley Vennix 12 Big Rapids 10 Blake Rider 10 Grant 11 Dylan Walsh 12 Reed City 14 Devin Garbow 11 Morley Stanwood 21 Danilo Lopes 12 Central Montcalm 22 Andrew Lenon 12 Tri-County 23 Kayden Kamanu 11 Kent City 24 Gage Saathoff 12 Chippewa Hills 42 Jared Watson 12 White Cloud WMC- Lakes First Team All Conference Camden Thompson Whitehall 11th David Schillinger Ludington 12th Peyton Ruel Oakridge 11th Chaz Miller Fremont 12th Kal Koehler Whitehall 11th Isaiah Atchinson Montague 12th Camar Ready Whitehall 12th Cam Gunsell Ludington 10th Owen Raeth Montague 12th Spencer Holmes Ludington 12th Honorable Mention All Conference DJ Jamison Whitehall 12th Bryson Stephenson Oakridge 11th Gage Jones Ludington 12th Gavin Richards Fremont 12th Kyle Stratton Whitehall 12th Delaney Oakes Orchard View 12th Landin Sowa Manistee WMC- Rivers First Team All Conference Blake Weirich Hart 12th LaMarkis Graham North Muskegon 12th Adam Dugener North Muskegon 10th Jaxson Lisinski North Muskegon 12th Carter Schullo Ravenna 12th Bryce Billings Hesperia 12th Carter Brant Holton 12th James Young North Muskegon 11th Cole Vanderhaag Mason County Central 10th Caleb Ackley Hart 10th All Conference Honorable Mention Dylan May Ravenna 10th Phillip Hayes Shelby 12th Wyatt Dickman Shelby 12th TJ Byard North Muskegon 11th Nick Guacnier Hesperia 12th The White Cloud Boys’ Track and Field team gathered at White Cloud Memorial Stadium Monday afternoon with renewed spirit in preparation for the 2024 season. After competing as one of the smallest schools in Division 3 last season, the Indians moved back down to Division 4 this season, and plan to capitalize on the shift back down at the important D4 meets at the end of the season. “Our boys are looking forward to being back at a D4 regional and state meets,” commented head coach Tod Reeve. “Even though we are the smallest school in the CSAA Conference, the stiff competition from the larger schools will only sharpen our skills for when we compete in Region 33-4, and hopefully when we qualify for the MITCA Division 4 Team State Finals and MHSAA State Finals at the end of the year.”. White Cloud were D4 Team State Champions in 2022. This year’s team will be led by four senior captains, all of whom will use the experience of winning the team state championship two years ago to set positive examples for the rest of the team. Lloyd Sebright-Johnson is considered one of the best throwers in the state, and will use his expertise to guide the other throwers. Noah Robinson, who tied the school record in the high jump last year at 6’5”, will again lead his fellow high jumpers as well as being an integral part of both the 4x100 and 4x200 meter relays. Degan Wawcszyk will be in charge of giving insight to both pole vaulters and hurdlers, and Carson Foondle will take the responsibility of guiding the distance runners. Carson and Lloyd have worked very hard in the off-season, and their improvements in their events set a shining example for the rest of the team. With an excellent blend of upperclassmen and talented younger athletes, White Cloud is poised to excel this year in Division 4. They will open the season March 26th with a scrimmage in Holton. Their first actual meet will be April 9 at home in the CSAA opener against Chippewa Hills and Tri County. |
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