 Payton Mansfield- Photo by Gail Mansfield When the All State D2 Baseball teams were announced this past week the frequent battery mates from the Fremont Packers landed on the 2nd team. The pair posted some potent offensive stats while adeptly executing their positions on the field. Senior Payton Mansfield, the staff ace of Coach Jeff Foster’s team, and junior Logan Nelson the backstop who guided his moundsmen in a 30 win season were honored by the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association. While Mansfield was masterful on the mound posting a 13-1 mark and setting the school mark for wins and strikeouts he wasn’t exactly a slouch at the plate. The college bound 3 sport letterman posted a .518 batting mark while rapping out 21 doubles on the season and knocking in an impressive 60 runs putting both stats in the Packer record book. His 6 round trippers were 2 short of another record. Whenever the Packers faced another team's ace or needed a big game from the mound it was Mansfield who was going to be toeing the rubber. “Payton is probably the best player to have gone through Fremont,” said Coach Foster. “He’s very athletic, works hard and puts in the extra time when needed. “He’s our leader out there. The younger guys look up to him and they believe in him when he’s on the mound. His confidence makes the players behind him better.”  Logan Nelson- Photo by Kacey Nelson Nelson, toiling behind the plate through a season’s worth of innings, also served as the team’s leadoff hitter skillfully filling the role. He slapped out a .524 average, circled the bases 3 times and found his way home 62 times breaking the school record while also shattering the mark for stolen bases.And when it comes to ‘taking one for the team’ Nelson reached base 10 times this season by being plunked in the batter’s box.
“He is really fast,” said Foster. “Logan is the most skilled catcher to have gone through our program. I knew about his ability behind the plate but it was his hitting that really surprised me this year. “Logan’s a smart catcher, remembers the batters and knows how to pitch to them. We let him call the games all season and he really took control back there.” And we couldn't help but notice an upbeat tone in the Coach's voice when he added... “And he’s only a junior.”
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 Photo By Bobbie Cruzan The Packers and Indians captured their respective conference titles and the All Conference teams reflected those championships. Payton Mansfield, Logan Nelson, Joey DeLong and Drew DeBlake nailed down first team honors in the Gold for Fremont while Mason Reuther, Taylor Bode, Sam Venema, and Cameron Wolters gained spots on the Silver squad for the Cloud In the Gold Grant was represented by Tigers Ryan Hether and Kyle Bay while Newaygo Lion Glenn Toth also made the first team. Hesperia was represented on the Silver team by Travis Kurtz Gold Honorable Mention: Josiah Long, Newaygo Jackson Deur, Fremont Elliot Butchart, Grant Silver Honorable Mention: Alex Cruzan, White Cloud, Hunter Billman, Hesperia  Newaygo Grant and Fremont finished the season with identical 6-8 records and each placed a pair of players on the CSAA Gold All Conference First Team. Emmerson Goodin and Olivia DeJohn represented the Lions on the select squad, Sydney Dunbar and Carlie Witteveen brought their Packer Pride to the team and Jaycee Rider and Jayci Hance showed their stripes for the Tigers. Rainee Dey Rayl (Fremont) , Trinity Swanson (Grant), and Addison Goodin (Newaygo) received Honorable Mention. In the Silver Conference Kara Davis of White Cloud made the top squad as did Hesperia Panthers Becci Castillo and Rachel Romero. Emily Hodges (WC) and Emma Joppich (Hesp) received honorable mention.  A White Cloud relay foursome as well as 3 field event performers were named to the CSAA Silver All Conference Team. The 4x100 quartet of Elizabeth Compeau, Chesney Kooman, Jaden Gomez and Carsyn Scarlavai took honors on the track while Janessa Shepard captured the shot put and Gaby Reeve nailed down the discus. Gomez also made the elite squad in the pole vault. Ryleigh Blake qualified for AC in the 100 and 300m hurdles as well as on the 4x200 and 4x400 relay teams. Receiving Honorable Mention were Kaylyn Williams, Jolena Deaton, Andrea Feldpausch, Grace Richards, and Audrey Proctor.  CSAA Silver T&F
White Cloud Boys Track & Field ran the relay table capturing the 4x100, 4x200, 4x400, and 4x800 races. Tristan McHaney was named in the individual 800m as well as being part of teams on the 4x800 and 4x400 teams and Nikolas Parks-Josephson took honors in the 300m hurdles as well as earning a spot on the 4x400 foursome. Relay All Conference teams: Mason Morris, Vincent Ockert, Jace Silverthorn and Dexter Cox, 4x100 Morris, Ockert, Ashton Byle and Cox, 4x200 Parks Josephson, Terry Trendel, Byle, McHaney, 4x400 Nathan Ciolk, Trendel, Kobe Canning and McHaney, 4x800. Joel Bradley capped a strong season by capturing the top spot in shot put and discus while Hunter Ciolk who finished second at state took the honors in the pole vault.
Photos by Alexis Mercer After a successful season Newaygo’s soccer squad was well represented when the all conference teams were announced this week. Sophomores Lynnea Briones, Sofia Briggs, Grace Painter and junior Jaxi Long earned spots on the first team while senior Anna Brummel received Honorable Mention. The quintet along with a talented tribe of teammates forged a 10 win season for the youth laden Lions. Fremont seniors Ashley Timmer and Alaina Wachter represented the Packers with First Team honors while Addie Shields received honorable mention.  Jaxi Long  Lynnea Briones  Anna Brummel  Photos by Bobbie Cruzan Baseball The White Cloud Varsity Baseball Team traveled to Muskegon on Saturday and lost their first round district game to Holton, by the score of 9-2. The team was led in hitting by Taylor Bode with 3 hits, including a double. Mason Ruether, Alex Cruzan, KJ Strait, Christian Ringler, and Alex Elder, each collected 1 hit. Cam Wolters took the loss on the mound. The Indians finished their amazing season with a record of 28-9, which included the outright CSAA Silver Division Championship with a 17-3 record. Softball Kara Davis took to the rubber and tossed 7 strong innings in White Cloud’s District opener. She yielded a lone run on just 3 hits while striking out 8 and allowing just one walk. But it wasn’t enough. Falcon Mikaylyn Kenney put on a dominant performance shutting down the Indian offense with a stunning 21 strikeout no hitter giving her team the 1-0 win. Lilly Holmes, Emily Hodges, and Rylee Hewitt drew walks but the Cloud could not get a player across the plate and Pentwater advanced to the final where they were defeated by Holton 15-0.  Cloud Crew capping off a great season in the Hudsonville heat. Purdue-bound Walker finishes first...twice Photos from Hudsonville Meet by Joan Perry-Ludtke The High School Track & Field season came to an end with local schools represented well by a collection of outstanding athletes who battled the heat as well as the competition. In Zeeland (D2) All-Everything runner Nathan Walker capped his prep career off in style with a pair of familiar first place finishes. The future Boilermaker captured top honors in both the 1600m (4:16.12) and 3200m (9:34.30) runs. Teammate Conor Somers flew in just 5 ½ seconds behind Walker to nab a 3rd place spot in the 3200. Also competing at Zeeland were 100m hurdles Kennedy Christofferson 17:01 (Fremont) 3200m Taylor Mater 12:19.96 (Fremont) Pole Vault Makenna Young,8-09 (Newaygo) At Hudsonville (D4) White Cloud senior Hunter Ciolk nailed second place and a personal record when he pole vaulted 13-01. He also competed in the 4x800 relay. Other top ten finishers in Hudsonville included White Cloud senior Janessa Shepard who took 5th in discus (101-03) and 7th in shot put (33-01). Cloud sophomore Gaby Reeve finished 6th in discus (100-4) and the relay crew of Elizabeth Campeau, Chesney Kooman, Jaden Gomez, and Carsyn Scarlavai took 7th in the 4x100 (53:12). Junior Joel Bradley finished 7th in the shot put (44-01.25) and 8th in the discus (114.05). Also competing for WC were: 400m Elizabeth Campeau 1:07.59 200m Jaden Gomez 29:14 4x400 Campeau, Scarlavai, Ryleigh Balke, Gomez 4:47.65 4x800 Ciolk, Terry Trendel, Kobe Canning, Tristan McHaney 8:53.21 In Jenison (D3) Hesperia senior Isabella Rumsey threw the discus 89-04  By N3 sports
Photo by Kacey Nelson A Packer season that featured school record breaking performances by Logan Nelson and Payton Mansfield, some sparkling mound work from a lively set of arms, an uncanny ability to come from behind and a remarkable 30 wins came to an end in Alma Saturday afternoon. The team that made an art form out of comebacks, clawing their way back into games against teams they trailed, finished one comeback short as Panther Dylan Thompson and the Alma defense not only slammed the door but locked it as well. Mansfield tossed a strong game, holding the Panther bats to just 4 hits but the tourney hosts scratched out a couple early runs taking advantage of defensive issues and timely hitting. The rest was all Thompson who worked his way out of trouble as 11 Packer runners reached base yet none would cross the plate.Mansfield struck out 7, didn’t walk anyone and none of the Panther runs were earned but on this day it wasn’t enough. In the opener the Packers got a one hit mound gem from Gabe VanVleet who also knocked in a pair of runs in the 10-0 win over Grant. The loss to Alma while disappointing to the players, coaches and fans, doesn’t diminish what has been a successful season by a quality team. Some 150 or so teams are competing in this season’s D2 Tournament. Only one of those teams won't end their season with a loss. Other Scores Reported: Baseball Holton 9 White Cloud 3 Montague 13 Hesperia 0 Softball Newaygo 7 Fremont 4 Whitehall 2 Newaygo 1Hesperia 1 Mason County Central 0 Hart 6 Hesperia Pentwater 1 White Cloud 0
Area teams begin action on Saturday Baseball Alma District Fremont vs, Grant at Alma 10am The Packers have an explosive offense led by a top of the order quartet of Nelson, DeLong, Mansfield and DeBlake who have given opposing coaches nightmares. The team has posted 29 wins and a tie to go with just 6 losses. There is also a strong mound staff and an all star quality catcher in Nelson but the one area the Packers have struggled with has been an inconsistent defense at times. The last time they met Grant’s Bay came on in relief and quieted the Packer bats long enough for the Tigers to take an extra inning win courtesy of a VanderWeide RBI. The winner moves on to take on the survivor of Tri County and the host Panthers at 2pm with the District Champ getting a return ticket to Alma for Regional play on June 9. Muskegon Catholic Central District White Cloud vs. Holton 10am at MCC The Cloud got prepped for tourney action by dropping a couple dimes on Tri County in their regular season finale Tuesday. The teams have met 4 times this season with the Cloud winning three. The Red Devils took the first meeting in the opener of a split doubleheader back in April and the Devs were swept by WC in mid May.The Indians have put together an epic season collecting 28 wins against 6 defeats. Like Fremont they have a strong backstop in Bode who can deliver at the plate as well. Venema, Alex Cruzans, Reuther, and Strait are among the sticks but the team has a lot of pop up and down the lineup and some mound depth. The winner will face either MCC or Vestaburg in a 2pm game. Regionals will be back at MCC on Wednesday North Muskegon District Hesperia vs. Montague at North Muskegon, 12:30pm Hesperia has been improving after a long postponed start to their season. That improvement will be tested Saturday when they face the Wildcats of Montague. The winner advances to face the winner of the Norse and WMC.
Softball Ludington District Newaygo and Fremont will be Taking the field to do battle at noon. The teams met in April with the Lions taking both ends of the twinbill. Winner gets to take the field soon after for a matchup with the victor of the Ludington/Whitehall game. Hart District Hesperia vs, Mason County Central at Hart 12pm The Panthers pounded Shelby to get this matchup with Mason County Central and a win puts them in the finals against a host Hart team that advanced due to forfeit. The Pirates have some serious bats so should Hesperia get by the Spartans it should be a bit of a slugfest in the finals. White Cloud vs. Pentwater at Pentwater 10am White Cloud begins their second season in a showdown with the Falcons who have been absolutely tearing it up offensively of late. The Cloud has improved markedly as the season has progressed but they struggle with scoring and will likely need to score a lot to advance to a noon meeting with Holton. And by the way, the Red Devils are really, really good so the winner best bring their 'A' game.   Track & Field
White Cloud has had an outstanding track season and the D4 state individual meet is evidence of their strong showing. The following scholar athletes will compete in Hudsonville Girls Elizabeth Campeau, 400m Carsyn Scarlavai, High Jump Gaby Reeve, Janessa Shepard, Discus Shepard, Shot Put Campeau, Scarlavai, Ryleigh Balke, Jaden Gomez 4x400 Campeau Chesney Kooman, Gomez, Scarlavai 4x100 Gomez 200m Boys Nathan Ciolk, Terry Trendel, Kobe Canning, Tristan McHaney 4x800 Joel Bradley, Shot Put Bradley, Discus Ciolk, Pole Vault The vaunted Packer distance runners will competeat the D2 meet in Zeeland along with a hurdler. Nathan Walker 800m,1600, 3200 Conor Somers, 3200m Taylor Mater 1600m, 3200m Kennedy Christofferson, 100m Hurdles The Lone Lion in Zeeland will be vaulter Makenna Young Pole Vault In D3 Hesperia Panther Isabella Rumsey will toss the discus in Jenison |
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