Story and photos by By Michael Paige The 2023 Fremont Girls Cross Country season kicked off Tuesday night at Fremont’s Branstrom Park course in the “Newaygo County Meet” featuring teams from Fremont, Hesperia, Grant and White Cloud. Fremont sophomore Linnea Paige led the way with a great time of 22:26. She was among a pack of leaders for the first half mile or so but by the time she emerged from the woods for the run up the sledding hill, she was well ahead. By about the 1.5 mile mark she had a 60 second lead over her nearest competitor. This is also where Fremont sophomore Joelle Patten made a move into second place, which she never relinquished. She finished with a time of 25:55. Rachel Maddox (26:55 – 4th), Elise Pfeiffer (27:19 – 5th) and Rocquel Richards (28:15 – 6th) finished out the scoring for the Packers, en route to a 1st place 18 point team finish. Kira Manchip (28:36), Jessie Kendziorski (30:56) and Olivia Stroven (32:24) also ran for the Packers. Andrea Feldpausch ran well for White Cloud finishing 3rd overall with a time of 26:25. White Cloud finished second in team scoring with 58 followed by Hesperia with 60. Grant only fielded three runners and therefore did not compile a team score.
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 Girls team after a strong showing in Fremont.
Photos by Brent Foondle The White Cloud Cross Country teams opened their 2023 season with the Newaygo County meet. Tackling the challenging course at Branstrom Park in Fremont, both boys and girls teams finished second behind the host Packers. In the girls race, Annie Feldpausch and Brooklyn Foondle were in the top ten, placing third and seventh, respectively. Allie Rodriguez, Charlotte Karnes, and Anna Mohr rounded out our scoring with 19th, 20th, and 21st place finishes. The boys team's top five showcased their dedication and hardwork from this summer with Coleson Cruzan (7th), Carson Foondle (8th), Kaleb Canning (11th), Avery Bowman (12th), and Wyatt Karnes (14th). Veterans Jarrett Warlick and Tyler Higgins complete the course in 26th and 33rd place. Newcomers Angelo Hinson, Trysten Tancock, Dalton Crawford, Mason Price, Landon Edwards, and Sam Viher each had a respectable first race and finished 18th, 21st, and 22nd, 29th, 30th, and 34th, respectively.  Allie Rodriguez tamking on one of the many hills at the Branstrom course  First year runner Mason Price heading down the wooded path  Mystery Ref amazed at the number of flags that feel in Fremont Friday By Ken De Laat White Cloud (1-0) at Hart (1-0) Wow, that was a wild one up in the Cloud last week. The team came up big a number of times to get Head Coach Trice victory #1 in what we hope will be a long career guiding the Orange & Black. This week they travel to Hart to take on the Pirates who squeaked out a win over Fremont in a mistake and penalty filled contest. Coach Trice: “We need to execute better in the red zone and stay calm. Hart is a fiery bunch and well coached, they are fast and ate us up on the outside last year.” The last time WC beat Hart was the season finale in 2016. It won’t be easy to snap that string Thursday but, like last year, this Indian team has acres of heart and win or lose when the clock runs out the Pirates are going to know they’ve been in a game. Newaygo (0-1) at Big Rapids (0-1) The Cardinals got eaten up by a solid Red Wolves team from Paw Paw (home of Charley Maxwell for other aged Tiger fans). The Lions fell a point short at Kent City but showed some serious grit against what looks to be a pretty good Eagle team. Both teams need a win. BR has Central Montcalm next week then the rivalry game with Reed City coming up the following Friday. The Lions would love to get one under their belt before their home opener next week. Should be a game that tells us a lot about both teams. If the Lions can win one on the road against an opponent who is pretty good at holding home field advantage it could be a fun year for Lion fans. Fremont (0-1) at Beaverton (1-0) Well, last week is in the books and week two generally means fewer mistakes, fewer penalties and hopefully more points. The Packers underwhelmed home fans last week and they go on the road to face a Beaver team that knocked off Evart. Either the Wildcats were decimated by graduation or the Beav’s have found some talent at the skilled positions or both. Will be an interesting game and the Pack would greatly prefer not to start the WMC-L season coming in at 0-2. Grant (1-0) at Chippewa Hills (1-0) We haven’t seen the Tigers and while we have tried, we have gotten little info on them. The Tigers are in the second of four away games to start the season and face a Warrior team that won their opener over Olivet by the baseball score of 6-2. One of those schools who seems to just keep reloading every year, the Eagles haven’t missed the playoffs since 2007 so we’re assuming CH might be in for a good year…at least defensively. And if you’re a Tiger fan who goes to the away games and would like to help out an understaffed sports department let us know. We would value your contribution. Hesperia (1-0) at St Louis (0-1) The Panthers put up a W in just one half. Their opponents, the Heights, didn’t have the numbers to complete the game and are unlikely to finish the season unless they get a significant influx of bodies on the field. Thus, the trip to St Louis is really the Black Cats first matchup with true competition. Hespo would relish heading into their home opener against the Cloud with a 2-0 mark and the game with the Sharks will at least allow them to see what they can do against a team that can field players over four full quarters. Holton (0-1) at Perry (0-1) You gotta love the Devs. They have see-sawed up years and down years with a magical run in ‘18 and a playoff spot in ‘21 with the ‘19 and ‘22 seasons that saw 1 win and 17 losses. Last week they got whipped by an OV team that has forfeited more games than they have played the last two years. Well, good for the Cards. Nice to see teams bounce back like that. Let’s hope the Red Devils do the same. This is a town that turns out for their team big time.  Free Event For Young Outdoor Sports Enthusiasts
Sportsmen for Youth -Youth Day this year is being held on Saturday, September 9, 2023 from 9am to 3pm at the Muskegon County Fairgrounds 6621 Heights Ravenna Road, Fruitport, Michigan. This is a family friendly event, with free parking and admission for everyone. Youth 17 years of age and younger, each receive a t-shirt (while supplies last), a raffle ticket and a lunch ticket. This year there will be 45 outdoor groups and organizations exhibiting fishing, hunting and recreational activities and opportunities.for our youth. Some of the groups involved are Grand Haven Steelheaders, Coopersville Sportsmans Club and Lakeshore Pickleball Club. The US Coast Guard and Auxiliary will have several of their rescue vessels on site also. There will be fire safety demonstrations by multiple fire departments and EMS units throughout the day. One of their demonstrations will be the improper way to prepare and deep fry a turkey and what can happen when things go awry. There will also be seminars, by well known fishermen, throughout the day on how to catch multiple species of fish. As you can see there will be something for everyone. To find more information on Sportsmen for Youth and Youth Day, please go to our website (www.sportsmenforyouth.com) and our Facebook page. Event Schedule: 9:30 AM Shaun Frantz and Todd Socklov: Ice Fishing for Panfish Booth #9 10:00 AM Fire Department Burn Cell Demo Booth #12 10:15 AM Chris Reinhold: Catching fish with Bobbers Booth #9 11:15 AM Jim Wagoner: Panfishing Booth #9 12:00 PM 9/11 Tribute Booth #23 Posting of the Colors - Norton Shores Police/Fire Honor Guard 12:30 PM Andrew Hendrickson: Multi Species Basics Booth #9 1:00 PM Fire Department Jaws of Life and Turkey Fryer Demo Booth #11 1:15 PM Jeff Sowa: Kids fishing techniques Booth #9 2:00 PM Gary Burch and Mark Martin: Fishing Basics Booth #9  The Tigers attended the Reed City volleyball invitational today and finished 2-1-1 on the day. Coach Schuitema: “ We are continuing to improve and grow individually and as a team! Our serve and pass game is doing great and we continue to see improvements daily! We are so proud of the girls!” Leaders on the day were: Reese Gragg with 16 kills, Payton Bouwkamp with 13, Bella Welch and Chloee Chase with 9 kills, Danica Gee and Madison Brooks with 6 apiece and Hailey Guerra with 5. Payton Bouwkamp led the Tigers in serving with 7 aces and Chloee Chase added 6. Jocee Pleune led the team in digs with 44 while Bella Welch added 35 and Payton Bouwkamp had 31. Chloee Chase had 50 assists for the day. The Tiger record now stands at 4-6-1 and they will travel to Lakeview Tuesday, to face the Wildcats. Team results: Grant split with Gaylord, 27-26, 19-25 Grant defeated MCC, 25-19, 25-4 Grant defeated Crossroads Academy, 25-15, 25-8 Grant lost in 3 to Kent City in the Gold bracket play, 14-25, 25-16, 1  Hart 8 Fremont 6 When Owen Hertel capped a 7 minute opening drive with a 3 yard touchdown run the Fremont faithful had to feel good about the 2023 Packers. After the 2 point conversion fell short the hosts kicked off with a 6-0 lead. The Pirates answered quickly and pounded out a drive of their own with JoseLuis Anaverde punching it in from a yard out. The visitors converted to go ahead 8-6 as the first quarter came to an end but there was a lot of game left to play and the Packers had shown they could move the ball. Turned out that first quarter would see all the scoring for the night for both teams as penalties and turnovers plagued the Pack throughout the game ending red zone opportunities and delivering a loss in the season opener. Talen Reichert-Slater tossed 4 to Hertel for 57 yards and hit Kyle DeKuiper for a 22 yard strike but three of his passes ended up being pilfered by the Pirates to end Packer drives. Hertel finished with 49 yards on the ground while Asa Barnhard rushed for 43 and Khai Noordyk notched 40. Hesperia 22 Heights 0 With an enrollment less than a third from what it was a decade ago and dwindling numbers on the practice field Muskegon Heights considered the option of going to the 8 man game or canceling the season. They decided to stick with 11 man and a game group of Tigers hosted Hesperia Friday night. Three Panther scores and a couple of Tiger injuries later, the game was called at halftime with the Heights down to too few players to compete on the field. Hesperia (1-0) will hit the road again when they play the Sharks of St.Louis Thursday with kickoff at 7pm. Orchard View 52 Holton 6 The Cardinals scored 22 first quarter points and had punched 44 on the scoreboard before Rylee Pirce score the lone Red Devil lone TD. David Addison- finished with a team high 75 rushing yards while Pierce tossed for 42 yards and picked up 10 on the ground. Holton (0-1) will head to Perry (0-1) on Thursday for a 7pm matchup with the Ramblers. Kent City 14 Newaygo 13 The Lions (0-1) will travel to Big Rapids (0-1) Thursdsy to face the Cardinals. Grant 40 Kelloggsville 8 The Tigers (1-0) will head to Remus Thursday for a 7pm game with Chip Hills (1-0).  Photo by Bobbi Cruzan Defense shines down the stretch White Cloud 13 Shelby 12 The Cloud pulled out a dramatic win in front of a boisterous home crowd in their season opening win over Tigers. The Indians got on the board first when Landyn McGowen took it into the endzone for 6. The successful boot through the uprights made it 7-0 early on, but Shelby punched back with a score of their own. Their conversion failed however and the teams went to intermission with White Cloud clinging to a 7-6 lead. The Tigers roared out of the locker room and put together an impressive scoring drive to hit pay dirt and take a 12-7 lead that would hold up for much of the game. But not all of it. The Indian defense would see to that.  Photo by Cassie Rickert Midway through the 4th White Cloud was driving down field looking to notch the go ahead score but a turnover in the red zone gave the ball to the Tigers. The Shelby squad was looking to put together a time consuming drive and ice the game. The Indian D came up big delivering a 3 and out and forcing the visitors to punt. With just over 2 minutes remaining Cloud qb Jayson Reuther led his team downfield with McGowen once again crossing the goal line for 6 and the Indians took a one point lead with less than a minute left on the clock. But it wasn’t over yet. Shelby went for it all on their first play and got the ball down to the 5 yard line.
We'll let first year WC Head Coach Isaiah Trice taken it from here: “We called our final timeout and made sure our boys knew it wasn't over. Our big Nose guard Jose Saavedra Mena made a touchdown saving stop the next play. Shelby went for the FG with about 17 seconds left, and Landyn McGowen came up huge, getting a hand on it to seal the win. “I told our guys good teams win when everything goes well, Great teams find a way to win when they don't. I couldn't be prouder of the resiliency our guys showed tonight, great feeling to get a win in my first game as the Head Coach.” Conner Stockwell led an inspired defense with 11 tackles with Xander Traynor and Jacob Francis tallying 7 apiece. Nate Compeau had a pick for the Cloud and McGowen had a huge night adding 2 sacks to his 2 TD’s and the game saving rejection of the Tiger field goal try. Reuther connected on 13 of 21 passes for 171 yards including 4 to top receiver Noah Robinson for 80 yards. Lloyd Sebright-Johnson piled up 117 ground yards for WC. White Cloud (1-0) will hit the road next Thursday when they face Hart (1-0).  Photo by Bobbi Cruzan  Photo by Cassie Rickert Mystery ref has readied himself for another season Prep Season Gets Started Tonight By Ken De Laat, N3 Sports Volleyball is underway at local gyms, cross country has begun its run, boys soccer has kicked off and girls golf has teed it up for the season. The tennis courts that haven't been transitioned to pickleball will also be seeing action. Now our local gridders take to the field with a full slate of local teams opening their season this week. Newaygo At Kent City Thursday 7pm The Lions won 2 games last season and the combined record of the teams they defeated was 1-17. Most games they weren’t even close. New year new Coach, new attitude and starting the season with Kent City who has won the last four season openers between the schools. The Eagles have made the playoffs 6 of the last 7 seasons and with some key returnees will provide a tough matchup with the Lions. Neaygo’s first home game is in 2 weeks when Morley comes to town. Grant at Kelloggsville Thursday NOTE 8 pm kickoff! The Tigers were one of those teams that the Lions beat as they struggled to a 1-8 finish. Last season in game 2 qb Oakley Obenauf tossed for over 200 yards, ran for another 180, scored twice and led his team to a win in the conference opener against a pretty good Chip Hills team. It was the last W Grant would post for the season. They will face off against the Rockets who have won just 4 games in the last 4 years, The Tigers will play their first 4 games on the road returning home on 9-22 for the rivalry game with the Lions. Hart at Fremont Friday 7pm The Pack were respectable in their inaugural WMC Lakes season winning the games they should have and falling short against the top tier teams. They open with the Pirates a team that won 6 games in a Rivers Division that was basically a two team race from the get go. Fremont will spend the next two weeks on long bus rides to Beaverton and Ludington before beginning a 4 game home stand. They need some early wins because the back end of their schedule is brutal. Holton at Orchard View Thursday 7pm The Red Devils found out just how tough the WMC can be last season when they finished the season 0-9. They were hit hard by graduation the year before and struggled with getting enough numbers to field a team. They face the Cardinals who last won a football game in October of 2020. Shelby at White Cloud Friday 7pm The Cloud went 16 years without a playoff game and now they have been in the postseason 3 straight years. The town truly turned out in force to support their team last season, but White Cloud football has always been a good draw in the county seat. One of the highlights last season was snapping a 14 game losing streak to Morley Stanwood. Hesperia at Muskegon Heights Friday 7pm The Panthers had a couple of wins and a couple of close losses but they were outgunned in most games and picked up their lone WMC-R win in the season finale over a decimated Holton team. The Tigers never came close to sniffing a win last season. The first home game for Hespo will be in 2 weeks when they welcome in longtime rival White Cloud.   Grant fell short in their league opener against Morley Stanwood but not without making the Mohawks earn those wins in the 3 set loss. The final scores were 29-31, 15-25 and 18-25. Coach Schuitema: “We played amazing defense. Our serve and pass game is where we want it to be! I'm really proud of our girls for attending to those details and making great defensive plays! Our next level of focus is going to be on being able to sideout with our offense. These girls are really athletic and have been working so hard! We believe in them and their ability to rise!” Stat leaders for the day were Chloee Chase with 7 kills, Danica Gee and Payton Bouwkamp both had 1 ace each. Bella Welch led in digs with 19, Jocee Pleune added 17 and Bouwkamp had 14. Saturday the Tigers will compete at the Reed City tournament. The Grant record now stands at 2-5 and 0-1 in the CSAA.
Photos by John Norton Grant Varsity girls opened their season competing at the WMVOA tournament held at Wayland HS and came out Bronze champions. Results from Saturday's matches: Zeeland West defeated Grant 25-20, 25-14 Kenowa Hills defeated Grant 17-25, 23-25 Hopkins defeated Grant 25-21, 25-22 Wayland defeated Grant 25-19, 25-22 Grant defeated Hopkins, 25-23, 21-25, 17-15 Grant defeated Holland, 26-24, 25-18 Leaders for the day were: Bella Welch with 24 kills and Reese Gragg with 21. Payton Bouwkamp with 9 aces, and Chloee Chase with 6. Chloee Chase with 64 assists. Bella Welch and Jocee Pleune each had 60 digs. Hailey Guerra added 10 blocks while Madison Brooks added 7. Next match is at home on Tuesday night wen the Tigers host Morley Stanwood in the first league match of the season. |
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