Professional Documents
Culture Documents
By Cody ORourke
CLAREMHS convincingly etched their names in the history books by tabulating an unblemished 14-0 JPC record to obtain the league crown. The Hall girls, the Cassiday girls, Garner, Carmoney, VanNortwick, Decker, Smith, Reeves and Yaroch were too good.
The Bobcats Matt Muirhead and Ricky Press share a hug to end their successful season.
Coach
Bockleman summed up the season with class after their tough loss to the Braves of Tawas in the District Championship game. The team bonded together after the game as they have all season. Great bunch of guys who all get along and a pleasure to coach plus true senior leaders who will be missed. They achieved big goals though this season, getting to the first District final in over a decade, tied or set individual scoring and assist records, and scoring the third most goals ever (72) for a 14-7-2 record, said Coach. This was the most wins since 1999 and
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League champs
SANFORD - The long, talent drenched Meridian Mustangs capped off an excellent season of dominance as they hosted three other JPC schools at their quad meet last Wednesday. Meridian struggled with an upstart Farwell team, winning 29-27, 25-17 and 25-13. Then they made quick work of a skillful Houghton Lake squad, winning 25-12 and 25-11. In the third rotation they bamboozled a rock solid Clare Pioneer brigade, 25-17 and 25-13. We got out to a slow start against Farwell but regrouped and played consistently for the rest of the night. Blake Garner had a big for us killing about half of everything that she swung at. We are going to need her next week to get by St. Louis, exclaimed Sanfords Coach Stephen Goff. Decker was outstanding on defense, as she always seems to be lately. Shes turned into one of the best liberos in the state. Sadie was strong in serving,
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MUSTANG STAMPEDE
Decker was the best defender, Sadie Hall was dominant, Stangs tally 34-8-4 record.
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2nd all time for Bobcat boys soccer. The best part is we are only losing 3 seniors, so I expect the guys to compete next year as well. They were already talking about it after the game! The Bobcats played gritty against a wildly talent rich and athletically deep Tawas Brave battalion despite getting mercyrocked 8-0 in the district championship fisticuffs. The Bobcats played relentless and rugged defense at the start of the melee. Garrett Stimac broke up several Tawas war cries. The Braves Kyle Costigan worked the ball up field, took a crisp pass from Jake Carroll to stretch the ball into Stimacs zone. Stimac reacted, pinched down the passing lane while at the same time leveraging himself in a position to crunch down on the alley to the goal. Costigan flashed pass, but Stimac didnt bite and looked up horns with the red jersey to jar the ball loose and lob the ball over the top to Ricky Press who quickly got the ball out of scoring position. With the Braves defense able to lock up Muirhead, and Muirheads speed and shifty style of play negated by the fact that Clares soccer facilities were the equivalent of a garbage pit, with grass rugs laid across the field to cover up trenches, the Bobcats were able to gain very little steam or pressure. With the additional pressure levied on the shoulders of the Bobcats defense, the war was waged on the Bobcatss doorstep. Tawass Corey Chamberlin attacked and worked the ball through a small little pocket, trying to shield the attack with his body, but Kevin Roll unleashed his Prudenville powers, reared down and anticipated Chamberlins moves and quickly poked the ball loose, gained control of the hot potato and cut away the opposite direction to protect himself from the Braves forwards reversing direction and pinching down on his efforts. Roll slipped the moneyball through a pair of slashers and found Brendon Hans blitzing over the top. Roll and Hans again worked and unison to sully another one of the Braves offensive assaults. But at the 26:48 mark, Chamberlin finally pocketed the moneyball past the outstretched hands of Nathan Shavalia to make it a 1-0. Despite the rugged defense of the Bobcats, Shavalia found himself under attack with a wind storm of shots on goals. Shavalia made an acrobatic stop at the 14:38 mark. The Bobcats defense continued to weather the storm. Chris Sura usurped a strong up field rally by the Braves to stymie a scoring opportunity. Austin Gandolfi made a couple of big stops, using his physical presence to hold back the Braves assault. But then at the 4:30 mark, the wheels came off and the Braves pounded in 3 goals in 3 minutes. Tawass Jake Carrol slithered through a crease, shook right and gnashed in a goal from the outside to send in a spinner. Then Costigan rocked a set goals 30 seconds apart to put the Braves up 4-0 at the break. It was down hill from there, as the Braves rolled out and flashed in 4 more goals in the first part of the second half to claim the district trophy 8-0 over the Bobcats. The team had to play defense continually and we did not get pass the center line too often. This wore us down I think and Tawas had too many offensive options. They put in 4 more goals in a 20 minute span to seal the game early, said Coach. They do not make many mistakes and every position is strong on their team. Best opponent all season but I still felt we were tactically as good. We limited them to 11 shots on goal vs our 3 which is great defense but they just capitalized on the shots.
Hans showed a lot of Prudenville pride by challenging the entire length of the game despite the score. Roll was presented with an onslaught of Tawas offensive barrages, but he held his ground despite the loss.
The Bobcats Jimmy Garrett and Matt Muirhead were dazzling this year for the Houghton mob-squad.
GAME CHANGERS
Garrett Stimac unfurled and exhausted his inner ultimate warrior spirit on the tundra against the Tawas Braves. His rugged and fierce defensive play kept the Bobcats inspired and in the game until the second half.
KEVIN ROLL
BRENDEN HANS
Congratulations
Congratulations are due to KarlieCameronfrom the Gail Wildfong School of Dance. Karlie recently attended an all day dance convention in Novi through Kids Artistic Revue. Students from studios all over the state attended classes from top choreographers and teachers in tap, jazz, hip hop, lyrical and musical theater. Karlie was chosen as one of the few out of approximately 500 dancers to receive a free solo dance scholarship at one of K.A.Rs upcoming competitions. Way to go Karlie, we are proud of you. Karlie is the daughter of TrishaCameronand Kirt and NicoleCameron.
Call Kathy Shea at 989-429-4188 for more information
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By Cody ORourke Houghton Lakes Madisyn Walter has been a razzle-dazzle, bubbling and jubilant Bobcats every since I met her roaming the soccer tundra. Last year she was one of the leagues elite players and helped to will her team into the district championship game. But more than a Grade-ABaller, Walter takes the lead by lending a comforting hand; even one time helping out a lady who was in the thralls of a diabetic catastrophe, lumped over her bike and ready to spill onto the road. Walter helped the pour lady off the street and into the safety of medical personal. From taking stats and helping out with all sorts of Houghton Lake athletic functions, to volunteering at soup kitchens, the Jack Pine Tribune asked Walter to share some of her positive mojo. Jack Pine Tribune: When we look at the problems of the world, sometimes it feels overwhelming.
How do you see yourself fitting in to be the influence for change? Madisyn Walter: I get involved with community activities and donate my time to them because I like to make a difference and give back to the community. It is the small things that all add up together in the end to make a big difference. By doing small simple things people start to notice that you dont always have to do something extreme to make a difference; just taking a few minutes out of your day to help an elder take their groceries to their car doesnt only show your appreciation to them but also makes you feel batter in the end. JPT: What are some of the ways you volunteer your time? MW: I have donated time to the soup kitchen and winter teen charity and it made me realize how good I had it. You never really realize what you have until you put yourself into someone elses shoes. I also help out with my cousin in the Walk
for Wishes program, and seeing all those children walking for a cause really made me take a look at the bigger picture and think to myself what they have to deal with every day from immune deficiencies to all sorts of cancer. JPT: Getting involved in charitable events, helping out at school functions, as well as maintaining grades and playing sports can be a load - how do you manage it all? M W: I a l w a y s h a v e m y mom right there on my back reminding me of what my schedule consists of and alarms going off on my phone left and right telling me what the day is going to consist of. School work has always came first though! Sports are also very important to me along with the extra charitable activities I participate in. Im always on the go and never really get a break. I absolutely love giving back to the community! Nothing is better than making someone
Mady working with one of the residents at the nursing home.
smile. JPT: What do you do to get people involved? MW: Do anything that gives back to or helps out with the community - even if it doesnt seem like a big deal to you, it will make someone smile! Also giving back to the community makes you a better person because in the end you know that you did something good! And lastly do something you have never done before to put yourself in someone elses shoes.
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support, instilling a team mentality where players are not boasting their own stats, or complaining about playing time is a difficult task. Coach Rodenbo was very modest when dis cussing how he tackled that issue. Our players are very unselfish. They have always been that way. When I coached them in junior high, I noticed in the first practice of how well they shared the ball. Amy Stark and Teresa Winter coached these girls at a young age and I believe it was installed in them at that point. Wins is what is important to these girls not who gets the credit. Leadership from our experienced players is also instrumental in making sure that everybody is on the same page. We lost some senior leadership off last years team but I have been very pleased with some of the returners stepping up into that role this summer. All players have a role to play on the team. Some players may think because they do not start or log many minutes that they are not important to the team. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Those players supporting their teammates during games or playing hard against them in practice is instrumental in the improvement of the team.
We also expect our players that are getting many minutes to support and cheer on our players that come off the bench when they get a chance. Our girls like to do things together as a team off the court. This is important for team unity. Mat t a l s o re l e g at e d on his teams preparation and expectations of the Basketball program from his level down to the youth teams. As the head coach, I am responsible f or t h e e nt i re pro g r am . Expectations are given to all our coaches at every level. There are a certain set of skills that each player are expected to attain by the end of the season depending upon the level they are competing at. These are the objectives that our coaches are trying to meet on a yearly basis. We also expect our coaches to run the same offenses, defenses, and concepts that the varsity is using. Continuity in the program is vitally important for success. We bounce ideas off one another as a staff and support one another. No coach should ever feel they have to go it alone at any time. Our coaches put in extra time for our youth camps or summer programs also, which is very important. I feel very fortunate to have the staff that I have
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Clares lean mean green trail blazing machine just kept firing on all cylinders this autumn. Both Coach Adam Burhans harrier boys and Coach Kyle McKowns cross country blitzing girls shredded their Jack Pine Conference schedule. Both garnered the JPC trophy as the Pioneers dominated the field. The Farwell boys gave chase and made things interesting, but Clare prevailed. The leader for the Clare boys harrier squad was junior, Hunter Nivison. Hunter hunted through the woodlands for the finish line and he was always the first to break the finish tape. Nivison finished 10th out of hundreds at the elite Portage Invite. Nivison trimmed his time down into the low 16 minute marks. Nivison won all three JPC cc jamborees in convincing fashion. Former Pioneer, Farwells Brandon Frank continued to drastically lower his times as the season progressed, but he couldnt come close to surpassing Nivison. Clares junior long distance running juggernaut, the unrelenting endurance extradionare, Victoria Harper is a reflection and symbolic to her first name, shes usually the victor. The Lady Pioneers demolished the JPC and they were one of the most impressive squadrons at every invitational that they attended. Lindsay Winter tallied faster times on an occasion or two, but the majority of the races, it was Victoria Harper who harpooned the competition for the victory. Harper was triumphant at the Clare, Farwell and Gladwin JPC jamborees, leading her Lady Pioneers to another league title. Victorias older brother, last years JPTs harrier of the year, Jonathon Harper is now running at he school his father ran at, Oral Roberts. Expect Nivison and Harper to do well at regionals and at the MHSAA state finals. Dont be surprised to see both Nivison and Victoria Harper running in the collegiate realm very soon.
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ERIC DION
PAIGE PATTERSON
are the future of the Bucks Volleyball team, and the future looks bright. It is evident the Roscommon coaches are working toward one central goal; dominance of the Jack Pine Conference. The JV bucks went undefeated in Harrison, and look like they are Varsity.
Roscommon came, saw, and conquered. They went undefeated against the Gs, Hornets and Beavers in the final matches of the year for the JV.
of energy. The action was nonstop for a couple hours, as the teams battled hard until the
bitter end in every match and fought against their opponents and the end of the JV season. The first two match ups were Gladwin and Roscommon butting heads. Despite a valiant attempt by the Gs, with hard-hitting Dayna Fennell ripping into the ball early off quick sets by Chelsea Day. Gladwin was serving well early on, with role-players like Amber Breault and Janelle Dion doing their small part in keeping the point difference within reach. Roscommon showed up prepared for the tournament and took over with their raw talent and intense speed, led by the play of Katie Burmester and Paige Patterson. Roscommon pulled away with the two game victory with scores of 25-16 and 25-17. Beaverton started out facing a rugged Harrison squad that, despite some struggles this year, has looked very good. The Hornets, anchored by the hitting ferocity of Allison Lipovsky, and hard play by Dani Cullen and Alexis LaChappa, came to compete. The JV Beavers were loaded with talent, and despite their youth looked like they were ready to step up to varsity at a moments notice. Gabby DiGiovanni and Kylee Grieser were serving it up hard across the net early, and it proved too much for the Hornets in both games. Roscommon took the first match with a convincing tally of 25-13, and the Hornets came back in the second game with a vengeance to prove their skill, but would fall 25-20. Rosco would then face the unbeaten Juggernaut of Beaverton, and the match lived up to the hype. The first game went back and forth, and the volleys were an impressive display of fundamentals mixed with technique. For an average viewer, one would think that the match was at the varsity level. Mercedes Parker-Urban lived
Scott Krell
Amber Breault is the future of the Lady Gs volleyball squad, and leads her team well.
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Roscommon won the battle, The JV Beavers won the war. Beaverton suffered their only loss in an otherwise perfect season against the bucks, but they walked out of Harrison proud to be the conference champs.
up to the family name during that match, laying out to make some key plays, as well as utilizing her skill at the net to smash the ball into the open areas. Roscommon had some key blocks by players like Lauren Shores in the middle, as well as having their back row in the right spot to make the tough digs to keep alive during the Beaverton hitting frenzy. The Lady Bucks started pelting the other side with hits of their own, and Katie Burmester was leading the way in the kill department. The first match went to extra points, as Roscommon walked away with a 27-25 win over the Beavers. That loss seemed to take the win out of Beavertons sails, and Roscommon snatched every ounce of momentum from the Beavers in the second game, winning in a convincing 25-12 fashion, feeding the Beaverton Red Team their first bitter loss of the year. Gladwin looked to get back to their style of play against Harrison, and came out swinging. Sierra Jankowski had to shrug off some early mistakes to make some key plays along with solid performances by Amber Breault and Dayna Fennell who were relentless with their hitting and blocking against the Hornets. Madelyn Mclavy made some nice plays in the first match for her team, but they would relinquish the victory with the Gs taking the first set 25-19. The Hornets would not be shutout in their home gym however, and began feeding the ball to Allison Lipovsky and Alyson Robinson, who pounded the ball down the throats of Gladwins Defense. Despite service aces by Janelle Dion and Chelsea Day, the Gs would give up the second set 25-21 against a surging Harrison squad. Gladwin would not give Harrison much room to work in the deciding third set, and would take it with a score of 15-7. The final matches would feature the cross-town rivalry of Gladwin versus Beaverton, and the chance to sweep the tourney with the match of Roscommon against Harrison. Gladwin and Beaverton battled it out with vigor and intensity, neither team wanting to falter. The first match would go to Beaverton with a score of 25-20, and they would take the second with a 25-14 romping of the Gs to end their year as the Conference champs with only one loss to tarnish their crown.
Roscommon may not have won the conference, but they took the final quad in an impressive fashion, with a hard-fought 25-20 win over Harrison in the first set, followed by a 25-7 tally in the second set to join together in one last group of jubilation, leaving the tournament undefeated, and looking to success in the future. Coach Jill Van Wormer was thoroughly impressed with her squad during the tournament. My team came out strong working together and getting the job done against Gladwin. We hit a little bump in the road in the first game against Beaverton,having troubles with serve receive. With the score reaching 1 to 11 with Beaverton in the lead. I called a time out and refocused my team. They came back point by point to take the win. They came out ready to play in the second game and had a much easier time beating the Beavers. They kept the same winning attitudes during the Harrison games and finished the night out strong. Sophomore Katie Burmester and freshman Paige Patterson both stepped up tonight to help lead the team to the wins. Katie 17 for 19 serves and had seven kills. Paige served 33 for 34 serves and had 13 set assists. Coach Stephanie Johnson was also pleased with her teams performance, as well as with the teams impressive season. Quad Meet Mercedes Parker-Urban had another exceptional serve reception performance for us, with 39 of 40 reception attempts. Of those 39 receptions, over half of them were In System passes to allow us all offensive options. We wished our outcome withRoscommonwould have better, but their offense was much more aggressive than ours was. Our serving was down about 15%, so the combination of serving errors, our lack of communicationand theirstronger offense decided the game. Overall, we are very pleased with our season. We finished season down three players. Original players, Emilee Grove, a middle hitter and JordanMcCallister, a setter, bothto injury; and HannahHartnerwitha move to the Varsity. Kylee Grieserjoined justtwo weeks ago from the freshman team. All this came at a time when we entered the toughest part of our season. All my players did a wonderful job adjusting to newpositionsand rotations. We had some great learning experiences against some big schools. They were agreat group of hard working gals and a pleasure to work with.
Parker-Urban lives up to the family name on the volleyball court with her smart play and amazing hitting ability. Despite the loss, Dayna worked hard during the entire tourney, making amazing digs and stunning hits.
GAME CHANGERS
Katie Burmester is one of the JV Bucks that the Jack Pine Tribune will be writing about for the next two years. She is a smart hitter, and has a vision of the court that is not seen often in the junior varsity ranks. She fed off of the sets given to her, and did not disappoint in the kill department during the Bucks trouncing of the JPC.
DAYNA FENNELL
MERCEDES PARKER-URBAN
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CLINT KERN
GAME CHANGERS
Katie Tozer drilled up and above the net on a downward plane, 22 punishing kills. Two of her kills nailed Beaverton players bodies before they could get their hands on them. Tozer is devastating and shes only a sophomore, expect this girl to dominate the JPC the next two seasons. Tozer also made like a brick wall and tallied 11 blocks.
Rachel Dupre elevated to reject a hit and chalk up a Flying G score. Willford continued to make her presence felt,
but Michon VanWormer crushed a kill-shot and the Bucks cruised to the 25-14 victory in the opener.
Balzers intensity
generates team moxie
DANI BALZER|OH
GLADWIN
Dani Balzers dad, Bob Balzer was a skilled athlete in his day. Bob is a business leader, a man of God, a successful, avid outdoor enthusiast and as competitive of a man as youll find. He instilled principals into Dani that have coupled with her natural wildly athletic frame, allowing her to flourish in every endeavor she competes in. Balzer led her Gs with 19 maddening electrifying kills on the night.
In set two Gladwins Mallory Cote made a great pass to her sister Carley Cote who finished the play with a nice placement kill-shot to narrow Roscos lead to 3-2. A series of errors by both squads made it a 6-5 game in favor of RHS. Dani Balzer drilled a kill and Hutek answered with a rare kill of her own to make the scoreboard read, 8-6. Bucks. Katelyn Cameron sprawled all out for an astounding dig, which led to J. J. Willford southpaw blasting a kill to pull the Lady Gs to within one, 9-8. Some Gladwin errors forged Rosco ahead, then Dani Balzer delivered some bewilderment to the Bucks with a thunderous boom kill. Romancky struck right back with mayhem to give Rosco a 13-11 advantage. Gladwins steady force at the net, junior, Rachel Dupre smacked a kill-shot, then she responded above the net with a block that translated into a Flying Gs score, making it 15-14. Coach Heather Compton got her Lady Bucks to refocus and harnessed their aggressin back to making stealthy digs, prime passes and wicked hits.
Katie Hedrick was a rugged force both offensively and defensively for the Beavers. Hedrick led BHS with 16 kills on the night and many other attacks that kept the opposition scattered in disarray. Hedrick has very quick hops for a taller player and shes continuing to evolve into a great player.
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This permitted Rosco to go on a 10-0 run to close out Gladwin, 25-14. The girls started out rough, they were moving and hitting tentatively, but they came back strong in
Beaverettes to a 20-20 tie. Hedrick nailed a kill to give BHS a 21-20 lead. Beaverton committed several errors to give back the lead, Romancky faulted and Beaverton led 24-23. Hedrick blocked Tozer for a score, JPU made an error and Nicole Solomons hit was just a bit too long, Rosco was again the victor, 27-25. Tiffani Stewart and Jasmyn Parker-Urban really stepped up defensivley for us tonight, said Beavertons Coach Matt Poet. Rosco senior, Amanda Reno found a cavity in the Harrison defense and dropped in a score to give her Bucks a 4-0 lead. Fellow senior, Morgan Romancky blazed some service points, Tozer and Moffit bltzed kills and the Lady Bucks held a commanding 12-1 lead. Kalen Church executed some special service precision. Moffit and Tozer went on another flurry and Rosco tallied a 25-2 triumph over Harrison. HHS senior stalwart captain, Olivia Sharp
Logan can loft a set across the court from one sideline to the other, on point, precisely setting up one of her hitters with an easy hit attempt. Hutek is the most skilled and accurate setter that weve covered this fall. Shes also just a sophomore, just beginning to refine her skills. Hutek tossed 42 assists. It was evident that she was the sharpest setter on the night, shes also a strong hitter.
GLADWIN
JJ WILLFORD OUTSIDE HITTER
the second and third matches to take home some wins, expressed Gladwins Coach Marty Shearer. Then Beaverton ventured over to Roscos side of the hardwood canvas. The Lady Bucks Michon VanWormer unleashed a pair of scalding aces. BHSs Janae Wolfe responded with some fury of her own by crushing a couple kills. Some uncharacteristic Rosco errors erased their lead to one, 10-9. Roscos sophomore sensation, Katie Tozer
BEAVERTON
ASHTON SNYDER SETTER
uncoiled a windmill power-stroke that was hit with such extreme force, Beavertons Haley Forbes wasnt able to react quickly enough to stop the ball from blasting off her face, this made it 11-10. Janae Wolfe walloped a kill to knot the affair up at 14 all. Hutek then tossed dimes
Harrison valiantly fought until the final score. Coach Larry Flemming made a significant improvement with his enthusiasm and fire.
to VanWormer and Moffit for kills, 16-15, the Bucks clung to the lead at this point. Roscos libero, gritty sophomore, Kalen Church was exhibiting a dazzling clinic of how to not let the opposition score as she was diving with no regard for her wellbeing, exercising terrific serve receive and digging skills. Beavertons Jasmyn Parker-Urban said basically what you can do, I can do better as she whipped out consecutive one hand digs to not only save points scored, but she also bumped the ball back over the net. Moffit lowered the boom with a nasty kill to push RHSs lead to 21-17. Tozer tomahawked a kill and behind Maquela
Moffit was ambushing the net with her wicked lefty hook blasts. Moffit led the Lady Bucks with 26 kills and 4 blocks. Her hits rarely get blocked because of their force.
BEAVERTON
LAURA FASSET OH
Clares english had 24 kills, 39 digs, 5 solo bolCks & great serviCe
BOBCATS FINISH VERY STRONG
REAGAN MOFFIT
crunched an ace to pull the Hornets to within one, trailing just 9-8 in the second set. Savannah Duggan was playing a rock solid all-around game. Sharp hustled once again for a dig, this led to a tailor made, Taylor Bondie kill-shot to keep the Hornets close, 17-12. Harrison senior leader, Erica Heckman smashed a kill to make it 20-14. VanWormer delivered a monster kill to push the Bucks up 21-15 against the gnarly and resilient Hornets. Moffit boomed a couple more kills and the Bucks won, 25-17. Morgan Romancky had a fantastic season, she went from playing a medium size role last year to being a huge part of our success. She played every position, I enjoyed watching her get stronger as the season progressed. Amanda Reno stepped up for us in numerous games. When needing a serve or a taller block, Amanda would get the job done, replied Roscos Coach Compton. We have grown as a team, we have improved our skills and more importantly, weve had a super time.
HARRISON
SAVANNAH DUGGAN ANYWHERE
Daults service, Rosco prevailed over the Beaverettes, 25-18. Katie Hedrick cranked a kill to give the Beavers an early 2-1 lead. Moffit and crew answered with some wicked kills to grant the Bucks a 5-2 lead. Tozer unleashed a startling hit that pierced into BHSs Tiffani Stewarts bread basket and knocked the wind out of her momentarily. Like a warrior that she is, Stewart stayed in the game. Hedrick responded with another powerful kill-shot to make it a 6-3 game. Wolfe started to dictate some of the net action as she pounded some kills, Hedrick and Laura Fassett rocked kills, but Rosco still held a 17-13 advantage. Fassett crushed a kill, then Stewart got hot behind the service line and powered her
HARRISON
TAYLOR BONDIE OH
defense and hitting. It was a good finish to the regulare season. Garner led with 22 kills. Sadie Hall ripped 17 kills and Bri Yaroch elevated to boom 16 kills. Kenzie Hall led with 28 assists. Decker led the defense with 90-97 passing and 47 digs. Sadie Hall was 38-38 serving including 11 aces. Meridian finished with a 34-8-4 regular season record. They open up with #6 ranked St. Louis in Breckenridge on Wednesday. Clare knocked off Houghton Lake in their opener, 25-15, then the Lady Bobcats responded with fiery vengence and won 25-16 and 25-21. HL also defeated Farwell, 25-14 and 25-16. Farwell rallied to storm past Clare and win 25-18. Then Clare refocused got their game face back on and won 25-12 and 25-13. Along with English, Anna Giacomozzi was exhilirating as she captivated the crowd once again unleashing 25 kills and 39 digs. Katelynn Smith was 26-27 serving, with three aces, she had 12 service points. Smith was 222-226 setting and she tallied 72 assists, seven kills and 23 digs. Erica Packard compiled 40 digs, 15 service points and six kills. Ashley Petre helped pace Clare with six aces, 16 kills and 32 digs. Farwell was led by all-world talent, Jenna Hamming who compiled 29 digs, 12 kills and 15 service points on the evening. Sydney Hurley was terrific as usual, she tallied 11 digs, 16 service points and seven kills. Houghton Lake was spearhead by their ultra explosively talented senior finisher, Maddee Winkler who drilled 25 digs on the night. Fellow senior captain, Mary Rieger precisely tossed 45 assists on the night and lunged for 12 digs. Sarah Garrett dove to lift up 51 digs. Megan Taylor sprawled out for 24 digs to help lead the defense. Cassie Kuenzer tallied nine aces on the night. The Lady Cats finished 8-6 in the JPC qualifying them for third place honors behind wildly talented Meridian and Rosco teams.
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ERIC DION
DETERMINED
MITCH TYLER KEPT UP HIS RESOLVE ALL GAME, AND WAS ONE OF THE FEW PLAYERS ABLE TO STOP CLARES RUNNERS.
Clares Zack Tyler riding out the hogs in the trenches, finding the hole, and piercing up field to penetrate deep into the Bucks secondary. Tylers grit has symbolized the Pioneers offense.
here is a distinct chill in the air, and an energy rolling across the Jack Pine nation. It is playoff time, and the
took the punt. He became the unstoppable force for the Pioneers often and early, going through the defenders on his way to first downs. With 2:08 left in the first quarter, Clares junior quarterback Zack Tyler capped off a huge drive that was primarily on the ground with a keeper that caught the Bucks off guard, as the wily QB snagged a quick six points, followed by the extra point to go up 7-0. When Roscommon had the ball, they paid for every yard they got with hard hits and short gains. John Miller made a nice reception on a quick shot to the outside, when Colton Punches flew in and forced Miller to have to endure the hard shot to earn the one-yard gain. Hunter Mires did everything he could in the game to keep his team moving, even using his feet on a quarterback keeper to try to keep the drive alive. The senior quarterback put in a great
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Luplow has built. The Pioneers were in full playoff mode, and were ready to
sharpen their claws on the Bucks. From the opening kick, it was apparent that the Pioneers all week on hitting hard and finishing plays. Clare went to the one back that could give them the edge; Jordan Gross. Gross played as a man possessed from the onset of the game when Clare
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Colton Punches continued his nasty defensive coverage for a second straight week, this time halting Roscommons Dylan Andrews and Alex Gojcaj in their tracks. Pictured here, Colton making yet another interception to change the complexion of the game. If the Pioneers are going to flex on the Panthers of Standish-Sterling next week, Punches is going to have to continue his smothering coverage and hard-hitting run stopping ability.
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Above, Clares Brock Swan unloading another pancake block and opening up the running lanes for Jordan Gross. The combination of Gross and the rest of the Pioneers front line man-handled the Bucks, as pictured above.
downs. With only 2:46 left in the half, Gross would barrel in for another TD to put Clare up 20-0 where the score would stay until half. The Pioneers would tack on another 13 points before the end of the game and shut down the Bucks on all fronts. The 33-0 score would ensure that Coach Luplow would continue his playoff run with his team and players looking to the battle they have coming against Standish. Jordan Gross tallied 169 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries. Zack Tyler called his own number 8 times for 75 yards and two scores of his own. James Simon contributed for Clare as well with 10 rushes for 49 yards. Defensively, Lee Cole led the way with 9 tackles, while Mitch Greenacre, Logan Emery, and Joe McGuire all put up 8 tackles against the Bucks. Colton Punches added an interception to his stats on the year as well. Brett Jobin was the workhorse for the Bucks with 14 carries for 79 hard-fought yards. Caleb Jernigan had 5 carries for 19 yards, and John Miller got 4 touches and managed to fight for 18 yards. Hunter Mires was 9 for 20 in passing attempts for 80 yards and gave up the interception, and John Miller went 1 for 3 for 11 yards passing. Defensively, Mitch Tyler worked from first kickoff to the last and tallied 15 tackles. Matt Holtcamp who also had 15 tackles in the game matched him.
Roscommons Hunter Mires and John Miller helped led the Bucks back into the playoffs.
effort, and should be proud of the time he had with his team. The first quarter ended 7-0, with Clare having possession on Roscommons 34 yard line. Jordan Gross was the go to guy for almost the entire drive with James Simon getting a carry in the 5 plays it took in the second quarter for Clare to score off a power set run that Gross bulldozed in for the TD. The extra point would not go as planned, and Clare would go up 13-0. The Bucks took over after the punt on their own 31 yard line, and they struggled to find room as Brett Jobin tried to cut and spin his way through Clares line, but to no avail. Facing second and ten, Mires attempted to air it out to Miller, only to find Colton Punches diving in the way to pick the pass off. Roscommon forced the three and out, but the damage was done. Clare would take possession again after shutting down the Bucks, and give the majority of the work to Gross, who would once again be unstoppable in his undying hunger for first
PLAYER GRADES
CLARE
COLTON PUNCHES|DB GRADE: A
ROSCO
CALEB JERNIGAN| HB GRADE: A
CLARE
PAUL COLE|DT GRADE: A
Page 15
CLINT KERN
Gladwins gritty cornerback, senior Josh Wilcox was the Gs last line of defense and he often wrangled down Panther ball-carriers solo style with ferocity.
SPEED KILLS
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MEACHY TRICE HAS DEMONSTRATED TIME AND TIME AGAIN THAT HE IS THE MOST EXPLOSIVE AND ELECTRIC PLAYER ON THE FIELD.
The Gs war-dog, Josh Dimond had two sacks, this one almost resulted in a safety.
the chains and jolted Gladwin with some confidence. Then Grove carved the SSC defense for a 12 yard touchdown romp in which he lunged and stretched his arm outward to get the ball across the goal-line, Hayden Scott booted the pat, 14-7. Santana Molinari made a powerful stuff. Brandon Wackerle and Stephen Donn rocked Standish simultaneously. Josh Dimond bull rushed Jacob LeClair, the SSC qb and almost got a safety, the refs gave SSC a favorable spot on their own one yard-line. They punted out of their own end-zone, Lagalos nice punt return was pushed back for a block in the back. Gladwins snap was high and Standish recovered on the ensugin play. Stadish mashed three straight runs up the gut and scored, 21-7.
lethargic early, mis-handling kick-offs, slow out of his stance and dropped passes in the first two Gladwin possessions, after that, Trice may have
been the most impressive player on the field. Camryn Vanderbush punted, Standish Matt Crawford found a crease and returned the punt inside the five yard-line. The Panthers bulldozed in a three yard touchdown and just like that they held a 14-0 lead. Then Gladwin started to play. Grove rushed off of Josh Dimonds pancake block for 14 yards. Grove slung a nine yard pass to gritty Austin Lagalo. Then from about mid-field on 4th and 5, Grove spiraled a dime to Michael Fennell who had run a go route, this amassed 24 yards, moved
PLAYER GRADES
GLADWIN
JAKE ROZA|OL GRADE: A-
GLADWIN
LUCAS SCHWAGER GRADE: A
GLADWIN
CLIFF BOWEN|OL GRADE: A-
GLADWIN
BRANDON WACKERLE|RB GRADE: B
Page 16
And when the JPC dust settled, it was yet again Coach Kelly Luplow piercing over the pile of shoulder pads and helmets as the last man standing. Clares march into the playoffs continue next week vs SSC.
to give Standish a much needed first down. Hard hitting Josh Wilcox forced a fumble on the ensuing play, with an extreme display of athleticism, Trice scooped up the loose ball, stopped his momentum from going out of bounds and exploded for about a 40 yard touchdown, it was negated by a chop block call on GHSs defense, suspect call. Gladwin forced a punt, then on the following play, Grove lasered a torpedo to Trice up the seam for an 83 yard touchdown strike, it was now 35-21. Gladwin forced a three and out, then Grove tossed an interception. Then Standishs 255 pound fullback took over. On the initial play of the fourth quarter, Standish splashed into
Gladwins Landon Grove proved to be much more than just a flashy qb, he was a monster outside linebacker.
GAME CHANGERS
the endzone, 42-21. Standish pounded in another Td, Trice sliced in for a dazzling 41
Trice took the option left, juked, shaked and baked for 11 yards. Standish was finally whistled for a penalty as it had become Gladwin five penalties to Standishs zero. The pass interference call granted the Gs a first down. Gladwin fumbled the next play. Dimond almost decapatated the Standish qb for a monster sack. Standish punted. Gladwin fumbled the next play. After a couple of rugged runs by the Panther backfield, LeClair punched in the qb sneak, 28-7 Standish. Grove made a gash, spun and fumbled, SSC tacked on another score, 35-7. Gladwin benefited from roughing the punter and spearing helmet to helmet penalties. Schwager caught a bubble screen for about 8 yards. Then Grove zipped a flare to Trice, Demetri burst and dove onto the pile on for a 12 yard touchdown to make the score 35-14 at the intermission. Trice de-cleated the Panther return man on the kick-off to start the third stanza. Gladwin collectively unleashed numerous devastating hits, they had came out of the locker-room looking like a totally different animal. Clay Walderzak hauled in a critical first down pass on third down
yard touchdown, but the game was over. Demetri Trice tallied 10 rushes for 40 yards, one touchdown rushing and one two point conversion on the ground. Trice snatched four receptions for 117 yards and two TDs via the aerial assault. Lucas Schwager compiled 31 yards rushing on just three carries. Schwager caught two passes for 20 yards. Michael Fennell again was a dog beast roaming sideline to sideline making bone-jarring tackles from his middle linebacker spot. Fennell as usual, led the Flying Gs with 16 tackles. Fennell also caught two passes for 28 yards. Josh Dimond, Meachy Trice and Santana Molinari all ripped down 10 tackles a piece. All three of these men who courageously dropping Standish ball-carriers in their tracks with viscous authority. Gladwins senior field general, quarterback, Landon Grove, didnt seem to really find his groove, part of that was due to the big nasty, swift, ferociously massive Standish- Sterling defense. Grove did have about a 13 yard per rush average with his tally of 50 yards on four carries. Grove slung the pigskin 17 times and completed nine throws for 174 yards and two touchdowns, however he had three momentum halting interceptions. You cannot cough the ball up that many times that early and expect to win. You cant have that many turnovers and come close to winning a playoff game. With that being said, Im proud of our effort in the 2nd half. We were a resilient team, kept fighting until the final whistle. As bad as we played, it was a 35-21 game in the middle of the 3rd quarter and a call or a bounce our way and its a 35-28 game very easily, commented Gladwins Coach Josh Shattuck. Playing Standish was totally different than our last three games against Farwell, Harrison and Houghton Lake. We obviously werent ready for their physicality. Standish seemed much more physical and faster than in week two when we played them earlier this year. These seniors paved the road, they were leaders, they put in lots of time in the weight-room, were really going to miss this senior class, but weve got a lot of good players returning and momentum to build on, were moving in the right direction.
He fought off blocks, amassed 10 strong tackles on the D-front.
Butch led GHS with 16 fierce tackles. Fennell was a machine beast at the point of attack, always spearheading the Gs defensive onslaught. Fennell had great instincts and a nose for the ball. Fennell had two big catches to move the chains.
Trice reportedly was playing with a broken thumb. He started slow, but then was probably the best two-way player in the game. Trice tallied 40 yards rushing, one TD and one 2 point conversion rushing. He caught two TDs and amassed 117 receiving yards.
Two of GHSs defensive anchors, #10 Fennell and #67 Molinari sandwiching a Panther.
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Hometown Schools, Hometown Kids, Hometown Support!
Page 17
CODY OROURKE
Pictured above, Gladwins speedy and gritty wide-out Hunter Schaaf putting down the shimmy-shake and spinning loose from a tackler.
n the first match-up against the Wildcats of Evart, the Gs struck the
first blow in what turned out to be the clash between the division leaders of the Rocket League. The 8th grade Gladwin program made one more step in
LEAD BLOCKING
FEW TEAMS OPEN FIELD BLOCK BETTER THAN THE GS. PICTURED HERE, DYLAN MCDONALD OPENS A BIG HOLE FOR JAVEAN MEDEMA TO SPURT THROUGH.
tight. With Gladwin running wild and Evarts defense completely focused on halting the run attack, Medema sprung out of the pocket, took his
Zach Schilling was an absolute warlord on the tundra against the Wildcats of Evart. Schillings ultimate warrior mentality and thirst for a collision catapulted him to a staggering 18 tackles on the day as he mashed and flexed on the opposition.
time with big Cole Fisher holding contain on the line, and found McDonald streaking across the sidelines. Medema drove home the leather and McDonald lashed out on a 25 yard slash through the meat of the defense. Gladwin continued to keep their feet on the gas. Gladwin wisely dialed the option. Medema flurried out, drawing in the linebackers and keenly waiting till the last moment to flick to seed to McDonald. With the defense sucked in tight, trying to bottle up Medema before he broke loose for another long jaunt, the lane was clear for McDonald to deposit the moneyball in the bank and put the Gs up 6-0. Drake Muma upped the ante and split the prongs to make it a 7-0 game with 4:30 left in the first stanza. Gladwins defense started terrorize the Evart running game, allowing a few yards here and there, but as Zach Schilling and Gatlin Mainsfield started to make their reads and clamp down, the Wildcats found themselves desperate for yardage. On a big 3rd and 2, Evarts Cody Pritchard tried to wedge himself through a little crack in Gladwins interior, but Dixon steam-rolled through the pile of clashing helmets and gnashing shoulder pads and blew up the play with a Mike Tyson knockout. But Evart didnt head into the match-up with an unblemished record for no reason. Trevin Ladd and Jared Sherman started making plays on defense, fighting fire with fire and had forced the G-men to punt. The Cats showed how dangerous they could be. Ladd was rumbling and tumbling, forcing the pile and gaining hard to get yards, showing he was able to move the chains and keep the ball rolling up field chewing big chunks of time off the clock. Desperate to make a stop, Jordan Hooper cut across the grain and unloaded a sledgehammer block on 2nd down to force the Cats into a difficult situation. Then on 3rd
CONTINUED ON P.18
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Gladwins cheer crew put on a wildly intense performance of cheers, chants, and springs to send the Flying Gs nation into spirited jubilation and give their football team a boost of confidence and swagger from the sidelines.
down, Gladwins warlord Gatlin Mainsfield read the progression perfectly, followed the wave of blockers, and muscled through the Wildcat barricade to bring down Pritchard short of the 1st down. Evart was forced to punt, and the wily McDonald scooped up the ball and wiggle-wormed his way up field, juking and spinning for a 15 yard gain and the G-men were heading into the 2nd quarter with their swagger pumping. Gladwin took over with 5:15 left in the half and made quick time on lighting up the scoreboard before the second half would expire. After starting the first quarter by exploiting his mobility, Medema started to exercise his cannon of an arm and drilled his receivers between the numbers. On first down, Gladwins Hunter Schaaf exploded off the line, flashed right, cut back out towards the sidelines to shake his defender and gave Medema a clean look down field. Medema stepped into the pocket to put some heat on the ball, facing the onslaught of marauding Evart gridders, and pinched a dime to Schaaf for a 35 yard pass attack. Medema continued to keep the Cats reeling on their heels, this time going the opposite direction and sailing the longball to McDonald who was mean-mugging down the other side for another large 25 flurry burst. With McDonald piping hot, the Gs continued to feed him the ball. Medema made a quick drop step out of the by Drake Muma. The Cats tried to again to pound the gaps, but was met by fierce resistance by Mason Sisco and Kaleb Shell, then on third down, Hunter Schaaf fought off a blocker and train-wrecked Ladd for force the Cats to punt. Big bruising Cole Fisher blew up the pile, lunged forward and put his bear claws on the ball to put the Gs in prime position - but there was little time on the clock. Medema bowled for 4 yards, but then on the next play, the Wildcats Joe Eastman hit the count just right, burst through a blocker and caught Medema back peddling for the 4 yard loss. Then on 3rd and long, the Gs took the air and Medemas pass was tipped by Sherman to cause put the Gs in a difficult situation. But it didnt matter. The Gs handed the ball off to their bull-dogg Drake Muma. Muma
Ethan Goodwin looks to monster-crunch on a Wilcat off the snap. Above, Cole Fisher and Brandon Shell unload a couple of pancake blocks to allow Drake Muma to jolt loose.
their way onto the board with Pritchard slicing around the edge for the 6 banger and Ladd dotting the deuce by barreling through gullies to make it a 19-8 game with 3:13 left in the 3rd. The Cats defense held contain and forced Gladwin to punt. Gladwin showed just how stingy they can be on defense as well. Schaaf and McDonald came up huge by shredding guys on the corner and making huge open field tackles on Ladd, despite giving up several pounds. Schaaf and McDonalds text book execution on defense forced Evart into a 4th down situation. Sherman dropped back to pass, rolled out and tried to dump on the Gs with a fake, but Schilling didnt bite and Zach came thundering in to halt Evart in their tracks and give Gladwin possession of the pigskin on the 20 yard line. Medema scored one more time on a 20 yard sprint around the end to put the Gs up 26-8. The Cats made one more attempt. Ladd sprung up field for a 75 yard gain before finally getting hauled down by Medema inside the 5 yard line. With the game already sealed and stamped, the Cats and G-men were playing for pride. The Evart battalion tried to put one more score on the board, but Kyle Rogers and Mason Sisco was having nothing of it. The two Gladwin bruisers raged through their opposition, tossed the lineman aside like last weeks laundry, and put on the double-crunch to end the game 26-8. Zach Schilling 18 tackles and a blocked punt. Gatlin Mainsfield 9 tackles. Rogers and Sisco had a sack to end the game. James Kirtley did a good job on the line. Drake Muma had a 38 yard rushing touchdown. Dylan McDonald had touchdowns of 1 and 6 yards. Javan Medema had 22 yard TD and led the team with 79 yards rushing. Medema also had 83 yard passing.
Medema carved up the Wildcats with his arm and shredded them on the run.
GAME CHANGERS
cut around the corner, Schaaf unloaded a dump-truck load of pain on the first guy he saw and
James Kirtley was a mastadon in the gullies for the G-men with punishing style of physicality and his willingness to force-feed shoulder pads of destruction to his opponents. Kirtley continues to evolve as a top level lineman for the Gs.
snap, planted the ball into McDonalds meat chops and the dance party started. McDonald spun loose from the first would be tackler to penetrate into the second layer of the defense, pumped his breaks to give the defense pause and set up his area of attack, and sprung through the hole he created to blitz to pay-dirt and put Gladwin up 13-0 with 4:26 left in the half. They had scored with precision and efficiency. The Wildcats looked like they were going to counterpunch, as Pritchard took the kick-off and lashed out like a cat on fire. Pritchard zipped up field 24 yards, whirling and churning his legs before finally getting brought down
completely demolished the Cats possibility of catching Muma with his break-away speed. Muma galloped uncontested 38 yards to put the G-men up 19-0 with 24.8 second left in the half. The Evart ballers came out of the break looking to even the score and began to brawl and battle in the trenches. Ladd was eating up big swathes of greenery, Pritchard made a few fantastic runs to evade Gladwins swarming defense. They showed a lot of grit and determination, with the Gs putting in tough 3rd down situations after a Brandon Shell and Mason Sisco double crunch. But the combo package of Pritchard and Ladd finally worked
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JAVAN MEDEMA | QB