By Micah Cho, WKTV Sports Intern
Four area teams are going to the playoffs this year, including Tri-unity Christian, South Christian, Godwin Heights and East Kentwood. Although the first round of the playoffs can be a door to something bigger, all four coaches are taking a “back-to-basics” approach this week.
“We’re just trying to keep things consistent,” Godwin Heights head coach Brandan Kimble, echoing his fellow coaches, said to WKTV.
Kimble and his team are taking on the South Christian Sailors Friday, Oct. 26, at 7 p.m., at East Kentwood High School. Godwin Heights finished the regular season 6-3, while Mark Tamminga’s South Christian Sailors gained the playoffs as an at-large team with a 5-4 record.
For Kimble, this week comes with excitement and uncertainty. The Wolverines started off the season 1-3, but as players became more comfortable with their coach and started buying into the system, Kimble says that’s when things started to take off. Now their hoping their kids can keep with the system a little longer.
“We’re just trying to keep things consistent,” said Kimble. “We’re just going to change a few things so they can understand the importance of the week, tweak some things and then add a little bit more intensity to practice.”
Curt Copeland, assistant coach and athletic director for South Christian, is trying to help head coach Mark Tamminga win their first playoff game since 2014, the year they won their last championship.
“We’re trying to retrain our kids and get them back to understanding what it takes to make a deep run and it starts with the first week of the playoffs,” said Copeland.
All you need to know about the Wolverines vs. Sailors matchup
Also at East Kentwood High School this weekend is East Kentwood’s opening round playoff game. The Falcons (8-1) will be hosting Brighton High School. Located towards Eastern Michigan, the Bulldogs went 7-2, with their only loses coming twice to Belleville.
East Kentwood won their final game last week against Rockford, giving them the OK-Red title. And head coach Anthony Kimbrough couldn’t be more excited for his kids.
“I coach because of them,” said Kimbrough. “I come out everyday seeing these kids wanting to get better. One of our goals was to be OK-Red champs, and beating Rockford Friday, for that to come true is tremendous for our program.”
In 8-man playoff action, head coach Tim Heath and his Tri-unity team have gone 9-0 this season, beating No. 2 ranked Colon in Week 9. They will be hosting Webberville at Grandville Middle School,m also Friday, Oct. 26, at 7 p.m. Colon finished their season 4-5, another at-large team sneaking into the playoffs.
Coach Heath doesn’t plan on changing anything in preparation of his Defenders. For his undefeated team, Heath’s mantra for this week is “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.
“We don’t do anything different,” said Heath. “… The same preparation that goes into every game we’re taking into this game.”
This week’s WKTV Featured Game and other sports events are cable broadcast either live, immediately after the event and/or in rebroadcast, on Comcast WKTV Channel 25 and on AT&T U-Verse Community 99.
WKTV’s featured football games are rebroadcast on the night of the game (Thursday or Friday) at 11 p.m. and Saturday starting at 11 a.m. See WKTVjournal.org/sports for complete schedules.
