Category Archives: Local Sports

Sailors stop Portland in state semis; going for back-to-back titles Saturday at Ford Field

City of Kentwood, Local Sports, Sports, West Michigan, ,
South Christian quarterback Carson Vis connects with Jake Vermaas on a 19-yard touchdown. (Video Courtesy, David Kool)



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor



The South Christian football team has turned in some solid defense during this year’s state playoffs, but their effort in the state semifinal game against Portland Saturday was arguably the best of the entire season.

The Sailors defense picked an opportune time to turn in the big effort as the 21-6 win against Portland sends them to Ford Field and a berth in the Division 4 state finals at 1 p.m. Saturday against Harper Woods.

“I’m excited for the kids,” said South Christian Coach Danny Brown. “It’s a credit to their perseverance. We’ve had a lot of ups and downs this season and we seem to be clicking at the right time. I’m excited for the coaches who have put in a lot of time game-planning this season.


“I’m also excited for our community. It’s great to see our community come together for such a memorable community event.”

The South Christian defense played its part right from the beginning of the game. After the Sailors fumbled the opening kickoff, their defense stepped to the plate and kept Portland out of the end zone.

“Our defense stepped up right from the start,” Brown said. “Fumbling the opening kickoff is not the best way to start, but our defense came out and stopped them. That set the tone for the rest of the game. We were very disciplined on defense and had a ton of guys flying to the football.


“Their (Portland’s) lone touchdown came on a long touchdown run off a reverse. Outside of the one long run I thought we limited them pretty good.”


Carson Vis puts the Sailors on the scoreboard in the first quarter with a 5-yard run. (Video Courtesy, David Kool)




Carson Vis gets the first score

South Christian took the initial lead of the game in the first quarter. That was when quarterback Carson Vis capped a scoring drive with a five-yard touchdown run. Drew Bruinsma tacked on the extra point giving South a 7-0 lead.

Portland’s only score comes in the first quarter

Portland scored its lone touchdown on a 66-yard reverse later in the quarter cutting the South lead to 7-6.

South Christian added a touchdown in the second quarter. The Sailors cashed in on the scoring drive when Vis hooked up with Jake Vermaas on a 19-yard touchdown pass. Bruinsma added the point after increasing the Sailor lead to 14-6.

Final TD in the third comes on a 54-yard run by Vis

South Christian padded the lead in the third quarter. Vis provided the points as he reeled off a 54-yard touchdown run. Bruinsma tacked on the final point of the game giving South a 21-6 lead and leaving the game in the hands of the Sailor defense.

Noah Funk “unbelievable” on defense

Noah Funk led the Sailor defense as he totaled six tackles, eight assisted tackles and an interception.

“Noah had an unbelievable game on defense,” Brown said. “He was coming down hill from his safety position and making a ton of tackles. His impact was felt on the field. He was hitting hard and making plays against the run and making plays against the pass.”

Vermaas with three tackles, two assists and an interception

The Sailor defense also received solid efforts from Vermaas, who totaled three tackles, two assists and an interception, Daniel Niewiek, two tackles, six assists, including a quarterback sack, Tanner Raak, two tackles and two assists, and Andrew Baartman, two tackles, two assists, including two sacks.



Vermaas (photo from earlier this season) caught four passes for 63 yards and a touchdown, and had three tackles, two assists and an interception against Portland. (Courtesy, Eric Walstra)



Portland had 232 total yards; 162 rushing and 70 yards passing.

South Christian totaled 248 yards; 132 through the air and 116 rushing.

Vis completed 7-of-13 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown. Vermaas caught four passes for 63 yards and a touchdown. Vis and Charles Schreur both rushed for 60 yards.

“Offensively, we did enough to win the game,” Brown said. “Our offense did enough to win the game and at the end of that day that is all that matters in the playoffs. You just want to win and move on to the next game.”

Brown credited the Portland defense with a big effort of its own.

“It was not our best offensive effort, but part of that is the defense we faced,” Brown said. “They are very physical on defense. They played tough defense throughout the season. They were very tuned in to what we do and they did a good job of slowing our offense down.”

Portland wrapped up the season with a 12-1 record.

South improved to 10-3 for the season. The Sailors face a Harper Woods team in the championship game that also sports a 10-3 record. Like South, the record is deceiving as Harper Woods played a schedule that was loaded with Division 1 and Division 2 schools.


One of Harper Woods’ losses was a 34-28 defeat to a Southfield A & T team that is playing in the Division 1 championship game. Harper Woods also dropped a 28-6 decision to Division 1 Lake Orion who finished the season with a 10-1 record. Harper Woods defeated a Division 1 Clarkston team 34-7, who reached the regional finals after defeating Lake Orion 38-37 for the district title.      

South Christian uses fast start to beat Big Rapids 55-35 for regional title; “Probably best half we’ve played all year,” said Coach Brown

City of Kentwood, Local Sports, Sports, West Michigan, , ,
South Christian quarterback Carson Vis connected with Jake Vermaas on the first touchdown of a 55-35 regional championship win over Big Rapids Friday. (Video Courtesy, David Kool)



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor


While there was some rain in the area Friday night, there was definitely some lightning in the Byron Center area. That lightning was provided by the South Christian football team as the Sailors put on a dazzling outburst of points in the first quarter of the regional title game against Big Rapids.

South Christian scored an amazing 41 points in the first quarter en route to a 55-35 win over Big Rapids. The Sailors advanced to the Division 4 regional semifinal next Saturday where they face undefeated Portland at 1 p.m. at Forest Hills Eastern High School.


South Christian chalks up another regional crown. (Photo Courtesy, David Kool)



Familiar fashion; Vis to Vermaas

The points in the regional title game came fast and furious with the Sailors striking with big plays on both sides of the line. South scored their first two touchdowns of the games in familiar fashion. Sailor quarterback Carson Vis hooked up with wide receiver Jake Vermaas on touchdown passes of seven and 13 yards. Drew Bruinsma added both extra points giving the Sailors an early 14-0 advantage.



Jake Vermaas earlier this season. (Courtesy, Eric Walstra)

“We came out with guns a blazing,” said South Christian Coach Danny Brown. “It was a good one. It was probably our best half of football that we’ve played all year. Offensively and defensively, we were just clicking. Defensively we were flying to the football and offensively, we were making big plays. It was a game that was a lot of fun to be a part of.”  

South takes early 21-0 lead

South used a big play via the ground game to up the lead to 21-0 as Charles Schreur broke loose for a 25-yard touchdown run.

Big Rapids answered with a big play of its own as Cardinal quarterback Riley Vennix tossed a 65-yard touchdown pass cutting the deficit to 21-7.

Sailors up 41-7 to end the first quarter

South closed out the first quarter with three consecutive touchdowns to go up 41-7.

Vis tossed a 20-yard touchdown to Noah Funk for the fourth touchdown of the quarter and Schreur added a two-yard TD run. The Sailor defense provided the final points of the opening quarter when Vermaas intercepted a Cardinal pass and returned it 48 yards for a touchdown.



South Christian QB Carson Vis in an earlier game this season. (Courtesy, Eric Walstra)



While the Sailors seemed to do everything right in the opening half, it was the preparation in practices the past few weeks that produced the results on the field.

“Our practices have been so good the past few weeks,” Brown said. “Everyone is so dialed in. We’ve changed some things in practice and the energy at practice is absolutely great. Once you get in the playoffs there is more of a do or die mentality. We won a couple of games and the confidence is really high.”

While the first quarter produced a total of 48 points, the second quarter was a total offensive lull as neither team was able to light up the scoreboard.

The two teams exchanged touchdowns in the third quarter. South scored on a nine-yard touchdown run by Schreur while Big Rapids countered with a 24-yard touchdown pass from Vennix.

Vennix, who passed for 222 yards in the Big Rapids’ district title win against Whitehall, turned in an even more productive game against South Christian. Vennix finished the game completing 22-of-35 passes for 358 yards and five touchdowns. Vennix tossed three of those touchdowns in the fourth quarter when the Cardinals outscored South 21-7 to make the final score 55-35.

“They (Big Rapids) are a real good football team,” Brown said. “We were fortunate in the first half that we were able to get up on them. They have a lot of firepower and they are able to put up points.”

South played everyone on the roster for most of the second half with everyone on the team getting extended minutes.

“That was the fun thing about it,” Brown said. “We were able to play everyone in the second half. Anytime you are able to do that and give everyone playing time in a regional game is pretty special. We were able to play everyone and it was a total team effort.”

South Christian sophomore Kayd Coffman closed out the scoring for South with a 53-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

Balance was the key for the South Christian offense. The Sailors finished with 241 passing yards and 237 yards rushing. Vis led the way in the air as he completed 12-of-19 passes for 185 yards and three touchdowns. Schreur led the Sailor ground game as he carried the ball 17 times for 103 yards and three touchdowns. Coffman added 68 yards rushing on six carries.

On defense, the Sailors received a big game from senior Tanner Raak. Raak totaled five tackles and one assist along with a pass interception. Ben Mulder added three tackles and an assist, while junior outside linebacker Tyler Brinks added three tackles including two tackles for loss. Funk also had one tackle, three assists and a tackle for loss.     




Detroit Tigers legend Denny McLain signs autographs at Lee’s 18th Annual Sports Card Show; nearly $200,000 raised through the years

City of Wyoming, Local Sports, Sports, West Michigan, ,
(Many thanks to Gary Vande Velde, Phil Moore, Doug Hansen and Mike Moll for making this video)



By Ty Marzean, WKTV Contributor

Cris Greer, WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org



An 18-year-old Lee baseball fundraiser that has netted nearly $200,000 all began with what Coach Ty Emelander thought was a prank call.

While coming up through the Detroit Tigers farm system, two-time Cy Young winner and 1968 World Series pitcher Denny McLain was coached by former Lee High School graduate Frank “Stubby” Overmire.


Emelander started the annual fundraiser with a couple calls to former players of Overmire and then came The Call.

“Denny McLain called me up and wanted to come and I didn’t even know it was him,” Emelander said. “I thought it was one of my friends just joking around with me on the phone.”



Lee baseball Coach Ty Emelander with Detroit Tigers legend Denny McLain. (WKTV/Ty Marzean)



McLain has donated his time and autographs through 18 years

“Denny was a huge part of getting this event going and keeping it rolling,” Emelander explained. “One day alone in the past he signed over 400 autographs, and has often signed over 200 at our events. And he does it all for free.”

That connection between Overmire and McLain has proven key to starting the great tradition of holding what is now the 18th annual “Stubby Overmire” Sports Card Show and Silent Auction which was held recently at Lee High School.

“Denny has gotten to know our families a little bit,” Emelander explained. “My daughter Amanda wore Denny’s Number 17 from the time she met him at age 10 in Little League through playing softball at Lee.”

Amanda still sits atop the MHSAA record books with five consecutive home runs in a 2014 double header against Hastings. The last homer was a grand slam as Lee claimed a share of the O-K Silver championship.

The event has raised nearly $200,000 over the 18 years

“Denny has gotten many players to come here, including Jose Canseco, Darrell Evans, Mickey Stanley and Dean Chance,” Emelander said. “It’s been a really great experience. Between all the vendors and everybody that helps with this, it’s always been a pretty successful fundraiser.

“The year Dean Chance was here we made $20,000 in one day. We built the building (concession stand/press box/storage area) right behind our baseball field with the funds that have been raised. We named the building after Denny and his wife Sharon. We’ve done very well from this fundraiser.”

Fundraiser honors Stubby Overmire

The annual fundraiser features a vast array of sports cards, memorabilia, collectibles and autograph signing session by superstar McLain, and also honors Overmire, who graduated from Lee in 1936, the same year it won the Grand Valley Conference championship with him pitching. He finished 6-0 that season.

Overmire played for the Detroit Tigers from 1943 to 1949, including the 1945 World Series winning season. He earned two World Series rings; Detroit (1945) and New York (1951). Overmire died in 1977 at the age of 57.

Coach Emelander shared Overmire’s love for youth baseball.

“His daughter Jane said that Stubby was a big supporter of youth baseball, and he would love what we are doing,” Emelander said.

McLain, who earned league MVP honors in 1968 along with a World Series ring, had much to say about Overmire as well.

“Stubby was a gentleman and a half,” McLain said. “He is one of the two people that brought me up to the big leagues. Charlie Dressen was the manager, and Stubby was the pitching coach. When I first came up, nobody could teach me much because all I had was a fastball, so it took a while for that to start to mature, but Stubby was always there to work with you and always gave good advice.”



A photo of Tigers pitcher Denny McLain for sale at the Lee event. (WKTV/Ty Marzean)



The event attracts vendors from across the West Michigan area.

Keith DeBoer has been in the trading card business for over 30 years and has had a table at the Lee show for the past three years. He said he enjoys contributing to the school.

“They draw a good crowd, I do pretty well here, and I like to support the school,” DeBoer said.


Keith DeBoer (left), who’s been in the baseball card business for 30 years, helps a customer at the Lee Sports Card Show. (WKTV/Ty Marzean)



Emelander detailed how this event helps support the growth of youth baseball in the Lee community.

“It’s multifaceted what we do; we help kids with sign-up fees for Little League, we buy gloves,” Emelander said. “One time, I found a sale at Meijer and was able to buy 38 gloves. We constantly supply equipment to the kids to get them to play baseball. We use the funds to keep the high school spring trip affordable for the kids.”

Emelander also stressed how much alums have helped raise money for the baseball program.

“We’ve had dedicated alumni that have brought me to tears with their donations; it’s gone down in recent years, but I hope it can pick back up.”


(Courtesy, Lee High School)





South Christian focused on Big Rapids Friday with regional championship on the line

Local Sports, Sports, West Michigan, ,
South Christian wide receiver Jake Vermaas has 79 catches for 1,395 yards and 17 touchdowns. (Courtesy, Eric Walstra)




By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor



After playing a pair of familiar conference rivals to open the playoffs, the South Christian football team is busy focusing on an unfamiliar opponent it will face in Friday’s regional title game that will be played at Byron Center High School.

South Christian, which improved to 8-3 for the season after defeating Forest Hills Eastern 22-14 in the district title game, takes on a 10-1 Big Rapids Cardinals team in Friday’s regional title match slated for 7 p.m. at Byron Center.

Champions of the Central State Activities Conference Gold Division, Big Rapids has been on a roll since opening the season with a 34-13 loss to Paw Paw. The Cardinals flew through the conference season with an unbeaten record. Big Rapids is continuing the winning streak in the playoffs where it defeated Spring Lake 27-20 in the first round before stopping undefeated Whitehall 28-27 in last week’s regional final.

The 10 wins by Big Rapids are the most since the 2003 squad that turned in a 10-3 record before falling in the state semifinals. Big Rapids has an offense that is averaging 34.7 points per game, while the defense is allowing 14.5 points per game. 

Big Rapids is similar to South Christian in that the Cardinals are led by a talented dual-threat quarterback. Senior QB Riley Vennix is coming off a big game against Whitehall where he completed 24-of-35 passes for 222 yards and three touchdowns. Vennix also ran the ball 11 times for 27 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown. Vennix also is a mainstay on defense and provided a game-saving play on special teams at the end of the district title game when he blocked a 32-yard Whitehall field goal attempt on the final play of the game.   

“Their quarterback is really good,” said South Christian Coach Danny Brown. “He is very elusive and is a dual-threat type of player. They know who they are as a team and their kids play hard. They have a group of good athletes and it should be a fun game.”

Big Rapids has a pair of talented receivers in the passing game in senior Kaleb Dubowski and junior Garret Foster. Foster hauled in nine passes for 107 yards and two touchdowns while Dubowski added seven catches for 56 yards and a touchdown against Whitehall.

“They have the ability to run the ball and they also have the ability to throw it,” Brown said. “Defensively, they bring a lot of pressure. They put opposing offenses on edge. We definitely have our work cut out for us.”

Leaning on V Squared: Vis and Vermaas

South counters with an outstanding offense of its own led by junior quarterback Carson Vis, who has completed 127-of-199 passes for 2,244 yards and 28 touchdowns this season. Wide receiver Jake Vermaas is putting up big receiving totals with 79 catches for 1,395 yards and 17 touchdowns.



South Christian quarterback Carson Vis. (Courtesy, Louis Murray)

After closing out the regular season with losses to Catholic Central and Wayland, the Sailors have regained their footing with the two playoff wins. A big part of that success has been the improvement of the defense.

“I think our biggest growth has been our defense,” Brown said. “Our focus has been on defense the last three weeks and they have shown improvement. To keep advancing in the playoffs we have to continue to improve on defense. The key for us is to slow down their offense.”

Athletic Director David Kool says they’re excited and grateful

With a district title in hand, the Sailors are excited about the opportunity to add a regional title and keep the tournament run going. That excitement is spilling over into the school, according to Athletic Director David Kool.

“We are very excited as a school and a community to be playing on Friday nights still,” Kool said. “We are very proud of our athletes and coaches for all of the work they have put in to be in this position again this year. We are also very grateful for another opportunity to make a deep run in football. We know this does not happen all the time so we are enjoying the moment and celebrating with this group of kids, but we also are striving for more.


“This is a group of kids and coaches who have put in tons of work and believe in what we are doing at South Christian so we could not be more proud of them. Everyone believes in each other and special things can happen when you put the other things aside and play for your brother and that is what we do.”

While making a return trip to Ford Field to defend their state title is the ultimate goal, the Sailors are solely focused on the next obstacle in their way.

“Our philosophy is to focus on that week’s opponent,” Brown said. “We bury the outside noise. Obviously, we had a great season last season, but that is no indication on how you will do this season. We put the focus on what we can do now. We have to focus on working hard today to improve.”  



Defense proves key as South Christian tops Forest Hills Eastern to win fourth-straight district title

City of Kentwood, Local Sports, Sports, West Michigan, , ,
South Christian quarterback Carson Vis delivered the game-winning touchdown to Noah Funk, a 23-yard play that gave the Sailors a fourth-straight District Title. (Video Courtesy, David Kool)



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor



Offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships. That old adage was certainly the case for the South Christian football team Friday as the Sailors used a big defensive effort to turn back Forest Hills Eastern 22-14 to win a Division 4 district title.

It was the fourth consecutive district title the Sailors have won and sends South to the regional title game where it hosts Big Rapids next Friday at 7 p.m. at Byron Center High School.

“It was one of those games that went back-and-forth the whole way,” said South Christian Coach Danny Brown. “Luckily, we had the ball one last time and put together a good drive to win it. They (Forest Hills Eastern) are a really good team and we knew it was going to be a close game. Our kids stepped up to the plate when they needed to.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game. Forest Hills Eastern knows their identity and does a good job. They have big, strong lines and can run the ball. We knew we had to work hard to contain them.”



South Christian Sailors are District champs again. (Courtesy, David Kool)



The Sailors had first-hand experience knowing what they were in for as South held off Eastern 32-29 in a tight game in week four of the regular season. While the two teams put a few less points on the scoreboard this time, the game was equally as tight and again came down to the end.

“I think this game was a little more cleaner brand of football,” Brown said. “Both defenses have improved since that game and it showed. This game was played a little more defensive minded and there were fewer big plays. It came down to whichever team made the big play at the end.”

Sailors grab 7-0 lead in first quarter

The game was a defensive grind for the first three quarters. The lone touchdown of the first half came in the opening quarter when South’s Charlie Schreur ran in for a touchdown from five-yards out. Drew Bruinsma kicked the point after giving the Sailors a 7-0 lead.

7-apiece in the third quarter

The next time a team reached the end zone was in the third quarter. That was when Eastern running back Will Morgan ran in for a touchdown from three-yards out. The Hawks then tied the game up with the point after.

South regained the lead early in the fourth quarter. The Sailors struck through the air when quarterback Carson Vis connected with wide receiver Jake Vermaas on a two-yard fade pattern. Bruinsma added the extra point putting South up 14-7.

Eastern knots it up at 14 in the fourth

Eastern tied the game back up later in the quarter. The Hawks used the passing game to tie the contest as quarterback Mark Fuehrer connected with Jake Heemstra for a 10-yard scoring strike and they added the point after to tie the game.

With two minutes remaining in the game, the Sailor offense again stepped up to the plate. With Vis spreading the ball around to his talented group of receivers, the Sailors marched the ball down the field. The Sailor passing game capped off the drive with Vis connecting with Noah Funk on a 23-yard passing play that provided the winning points.

“We made the most of our opportunities on offense,” Brown said. “Obviously, it was not our cleanest game on offense, but credit the guys for sticking with it. They found a way to win and advance.”

Carson Vis to Jake Vermaas never gets old

Offensively, the Sailors finished with 270 total yards. Vis completed 14-of-19 passes for 161 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Vermaas caught seven passes for 83 yards, while Funk caught two balls for 33, Sam Weiss caught two passes for 27 yards and Austin Tiesma caught two balls for 18 yards.

Vis led the ground game with 50 yards rushing, while Schreur added 46 yards.

The South Christian defense limited Eastern to 251 yards of total offense. Eastern rushed for 172 yards and passed for 79 yards.

Ben Mulder led with five solo tackles and seven assists

South Christian senior linebacker Ben Mulder was one of the defensive leaders as he totaled `five solo tackles and seven assists.

“Ben is our middle linebacker and he had a nice game,” Brown said. “When your middle linebacker is making a lot of tackles it means that your defensive linemen are doing a real good job of occupying blockers and keeping blockers off your linebackers. We turned in an all-around great job defensively. Our defense has stepped up and played well the last two games. They are playing well together as a unit and doing a good job of chasing the football.

“Like I told the guys after the game, if you’re going to make a deep run in the playoffs you have to play good defensively. Our defense stepped up and did a really nice job.”

The Sailor defense also received strong efforts from Tiesma who totaled five tackles and seven assists, Tyler Brinks who added three tackles, two assists and a quarterback sack, Daniel Niewiek who had two tackles and four assists and Andrew Helmus who added a tackle and three assists.  



Blok and Merriweather helping Lee football reach the next level; 5-4 finish a giant step

City of Wyoming, Local Sports, Sports, ,
The Legends celebrate after the last game of the season. (Courtesy, Shafi Subhan)



By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org



Without question, two players that helped the Lee football team make a statement this season are sophomore Aidan Merriweather and junior Anthony Blok.



Merriweather caught 48 passes for over 900 yards with 14 touchdowns, and Blok threw for nearly 2,500 yards with a school record 29 touchdowns.


Lee QB Anthony Blok. (Courtesy, Shafi Subhan)



Those impressive stats helped the Legends secure their first winning season (5-4 overall) since 2006, and clear a path for their next step of growth.



The 2022 Legends gave up 60 points per game, while scoring 17 en route to an 0-9 season. The 2023 Legends improved on both metrics, scoring 38 points per game and giving up 32. 



Though they were ineligible for the MHSAA 8-Man playoffs due to enrollment limits, the 2024 Legends look to build upon the gains they made this season, returning many key starters like Blok and Merriweather, among others.



“Aidan is an outgoing kid; he’s vocal … he leads by example,” said Lee Coach Lamar Marshall, in his second year. “He comes in and puts in the work and doesn’t complain.



“Without a doubt, he will be the vocal leader next year. Players tend to get behind him, especially when he’s assertive.



“Anthony is more of a quiet guy … when he needs to be vocal, he most certainly is,” Marshall said. “He takes charge on offense and makes sure everyone knows what to do. He audibles when need be; he makes the right play when we need him too.”



Merriweather, who began playing football around 9 or 10 years old, said a relative got him interested.



“My uncle inspired me to play football,” Merriweather explained. “He said that I had the potential to be the best.”


Lee WR Aidan Merriweather. (Courtesy, Shafi Subhan)

He went on to say the team’s season had to be “one of the best.”


“It was great to see the team get together in the summer practices, conditioning … and strengthen our brotherly bond,” said Merriweather, who also plays basketball. “It felt amazing going 5-4 this season because seeing all the hard work and dedication we put in this past summer pay off, making history for our school.”





As far as his stat-filled season, Merriweather said he’s “extremely proud” of himself.



“I pushed and worked hard for my team … our coaches pushed me to be the best version of myself. Being able to contribute and help this team grow means a lot to me. Overall, our team definitely deserved this praise and glory for all the hard work.”



Like Merriweather, Blok began football at an early age

“I started playing football around the age of 8 to 9,” explained Blok, who also plays basketball and runs track. “My dad used to coach our elementary football team, but I wasn’t old enough to have pads on, so I just practiced.



“I loved many sports, so football was just another one I was trying out, but along the way one of my coaches said I thought I would be a good quarterback, and that was always my favorite position when I was watching football.”

Blok said the Legends’ year was “amazing” coming off a winless season.



“It wasn’t just luck like some people thought,” Blok said. “We were putting in the work through the offseason to come in and make a statement. It felt great as a team and an accomplishment as a player to have that winning season.



“The next step for us is to turn it up even more and make a bigger statement next year. We need to get in sync as a team and get in the weight room.”



Lee QB Anthony Blok. (Courtesy, Shafi Subhan)



Blok said he was adopted at age 6 and his parents are his biggest supporters.



“They come to every game no matter how far, or cold it is,” he explained. “They inspire me to be my best and try hard at what I do.”


As far as his achievements on the field Blok said, “It was cool to know that I would be making a stamp at Lee High School. My coaches knew my strengths and weaknesses, so we improved those weaknesses and perfected my strengths.”


The Legends lose three graduating seniors: Clarence Lewis and defensive standouts Issac Delgado and Kameron Washington. 


“Clarence was huge for us,” Marshall said. “He made plays when we needed him to. He was a vocal and emotional leader.”



Marshall also anticipates significant growth from freshmen Jayden Sanchez and Ziere Feast. 


“I expect Jayden and Ziere to lead us on defense next year,” Marshall said of his young talent.

South Christian expects tough rematch with Wayland in D-4 playoff opener Friday at East Kentwood; hoping second time’s the charm

City of Kentwood, Local Sports, Sports, ,
South Christian prepares to take the field. (Courtesy, Eric Walstra)



By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor
greer@wktv.org



In their regular season, high-scoring finale, South Christian fell to Wayland 49-40 in a game where the teams combined for nearly 1,000 yards of total offense. The Sailors had 532 yards, while Wayland posted 453.

One week later, the teams will have to square off again, this time with everything on the line. The Sailors and Wildcats meet in the Division 4 playoff opener at 7 p.m. Friday at East Kentwood’s stadium.

“I would expect them to show up similar to last week,” South Christian Coach Danny Brown said. “It is win or go home time so we expect to get everyone’s best game.”

“We need to clean up some things and get our defensive unit to play 11 strong. We show moments of it, but we haven’t been consistent enough. We seem to lose trust in each other so that is the biggest thing to clean up. Once we lose trust big plays have happened against us.”

Last week against Wayland, South Christian relied on the passing arm of Carson Vis. The junior standout connected on 24-of-44 passes for 373 yards and three touchdowns. Vis also provided a running threat with 117 yards and a pair of scores on eight carries.

“He is a great athlete and has really settled in at playing QB,” said Brown, whose team is 6-3 overall heading into the playoffs. “He has a great understanding of what we are tying to do and has done a great job of executing as the play develops. He can hurt teams with his legs and his arm which makes it tough for teams to game plan for.”


South Christian hopes to lean on quarterback Carson Vis. (Courtesy, Eric Walstra)



While South was passing the ball last week, Wayland countered with an effective running game that gobbled up huge chunks of yardage. Bryce Calkins led the ground game for Wayland with 121 yards on 21 carries and a pair of touchdowns. Wayland quarterback Brady Cassini also was effective running the ball as he rushed for 94 yards on 16 carries. And Kaharrie Pureifoy gave Wayland a three-pronged running attack with 70 yards on seven carries and a touchdown.

Jake Vermaas “best wide receiver in the state,” Brown says

Another big weapon for the Sailors is receiver Jake Vermaas, who had 16 catches for nearly 300 yards and three touchdowns against Wayland.

“Jake is a great athlete and an even better competitor,” Brown said. “He has been the leader of this team and we seem to go as he goes. His game last week was a school record in catches and yards. He is one of the best wide receivers in the state in my opinion.”


South Christian receiver Jake Vermaas is the “leader of the team.” (Courtesy, Eric Walstra)



The Sailors hope to continue their winning playoff ways from last year, where they finished a perfect 14-0 season with a D-4 state title 28-0 win over Goodrich. It was South Christian’s fourth state championship in football.

Legends use record-setting performance to secure first winning season since 2006

City of Wyoming, Local Sports, Sports, West Michigan, , ,



By Ty Marzean

WKTV Contributor




The 2022 edition of the Lee Legends gave up 60 points per game while scoring 17 en route to an 0-9 season.

The 2023 Legends improved on both metrics, scoring 38 ppg and giving up 32. 



Lee football coach Lamar Marshall. (WKTV/Hayden Passig)

Second-year Coach Lamar Marshall stressed execution and growth from last season’s struggles in the off-season.

“Maturity, experience, and knowing how varsity football operates,” Coach Marshall said. “Every down is meaningful. Executing on all three phases of the game is crucial.”

On Friday night, the Legends secured their first winning season (5-4) since 2006 with a record-setting 62-0 win over Bloomingdale. 



The Legends’ defense, led by defensive coordinator Damion Gregory, scored a school-record four touchdowns. 

“My hats off to my defensive coordinator, Damion Gregory,” Marshall said. “He did an incredible job with that unit.”

Sophomore wide receiver Aidan Merriweather showed his defensive skills with two interceptions returned for a touchdown and a recovered fumble for a score.  

Hybrid linebacker Jaden Potts also took an interception 75 yards for a touchdown. 

The Legends set another record in the blowout win.


Quarterback Anthony Blok from an earlier game this season. (Courtesy, Shafi Subhan)


Lee QB Anthony Blok sets passing TD record in a season

Junior quarterback Anthony Blok went 4-for-7 for 154 yards and three passing touchdowns to set a Lee record for most passing touchdowns in a season with 29.

Senior running back Clarence Lewis finished his lone football season with 147 yards from scrimmage and two scores. 

“Clarence was huge for us,” Marshall said. “He made plays when we needed him, too. He was a vocal and emotional leader.”

The Legends will lose three graduating seniors: Lewis and defensive standouts Issac Delgado and Kameron Washington. 

The 2024 Legends will look to build upon the gains they made this season. Lee will return many key starters, including Blok and Merriweather, among others.

“Aidan set the confidence tone this December with his dedication to the weight room. He got stronger, and it motivated the team to follow suit.

“Without a doubt, he will be the vocal leader next year. Players tend to get behind him, especially when he’s assertive.”

Marshall also anticipates significant growth from freshmen Jaden Sanchez and Ziere Feast. 

“I expect Jaden and Ziere to lead us on defense next year,” Marshall said of his young talent.

The Legends are ineligible for the MHSAA 8-Man playoffs due to enrollment limits and will finish the 2023 season with a 5-4 record.



South Christian comes up short against Wayland in regular-season finale; prepares for playoffs

City of Kentwood, Local Sports, Sports, West Michigan, , ,
(Image Courtesy of South Christian)




By Greg Chrapek
WKTV Contributor



South Christian opened the season playing in a high-scoring dual with Grand Rapids Christian, and Friday the Sailors ended the regular season in another barn-burner against Wayland. South, however, came up on the short end of the latest points bonanza as Wayland held off the Sailors 49-40.

The Sailors and Wayland combined for 89 points, a little less than South Christian and Grand Rapids Christian combined for in the regular-season opener when the two teams combined for 108 total points.

“It was a back-and-forth game the whole way,” said South Christian coach Danny Brown. “Credit Wayland, they were playing for their playoff lives. They gave us everything they had. They made the plays at the end that made the difference.”

Carson Vis led via air and ground

The two teams combined for nearly 1,000 yards of total offense as the Sailor offense totaled 532 yards and Wayland posted 453. Each squad reached those lofty numbers in different ways. South Christian relied on the passing arm of Carson Vis. The junior standout connected on 24-of-44 passes for 373 yards and three touchdowns. Vis also provided a running threat with 117 yards and a pair of scores on eight carries.

Jake Vermaas had 16 catches for nearly 300 yards

South Christian wide receiver Jake Vermaas was the main target of Vis in the passing game as he put up some video-game type receiving numbers. Vermaas hauled in 16 passes for the game for 298 yards and three touchdowns.

“Offensively, on paper we did really good,” Brown said. “We did have some mistakes that hurt us. We had a couple of turnovers and a couple of other things did not work out so well.”

While South was moving the ball with the passing game, Wayland countered with an effective running game that gobbled up huge plots of yardage. Bryce Calkins led the ground game for Wayland, carrying the rock 21 times for 121 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Wayland quarterback Brady Cassini also was effective running the ball as he rushed for 94 yards on 16 carries. Kaharrie Pureifoy gave Wayland a three-pronged running attack as he carried the ball seven times for 70 yards and a touchdown.

“They (Wayland) know who they are,” Brown said. “They have an identity. They have physical, hard-nosed kids. We tried some things to stop their inside ground game but they adjusted and went outside and hurt us. Their coaches did a great job adjusting and their kids do a great job of executing.”

The Bulk of the points came during the second and fourth quarters. Wayland was up 7-6 at the end of the first quarter thanks to a 21-yard run by Pureifoy, while South answered that score with an eight-yard scoring pass from Vis to Vermaas.

Both teams turned up the rpms on offense during the second quarter as they each reached the end zone twice. Wayland upped its lead to 14-6 on a six-yard touchdown run by Calkins. South answered with a 46-yard passing play from Vis to Vermaas that cut the lead to 14-12 when the Sailors missed the two-point conversion.

Sailors take first lead at 18-14

The Sailors then took their first lead of the game when Vis scored on a 67-yard touchdown run. The Sailors missed the two-point try leaving their lead at 18-14.

Wayland up 21-18 at halftime

Wayland then regained the lead before halftime when Hudson Biondo scored on a four-yard touchdown run giving Wayland a 21-18 advantage.

The two teams traded touchdowns during the third quarter. Wayland went up 28-18 as Cassini hit Calkins with a 19-yard touchdown pass. South then answered when Jackson Haik broke free on a 40-yard touchdown run that cut the deficit to 28-25 after the extra point by Drew Bruinsma.

Five TDs scored in the final quarter

The offensive fireworks picked up in the final quarter as the two teams combined for five more touchdowns. Wayland took control of the game with back-to-back touchdowns early in the final quarter to go up 42-25.

South cut the margin to 10 points when Vis connected with Vermaas on a 68-yard scoring strike with Bruinsma tacking on the extra point.

Wayland then upped the lead to 49-32 when Calkins ran in for a touchdown from four yards out.

South Christian closed out the scoring when Vis ran for a touchdown from 16-yards out. The Sailors then added a two-point conversion making the final margin 49-40.   

With the win, Wayland improved to 6-3 for the season and nailed down a spot in the upcoming state playoffs.

South Christian fell to 6-3 win the win as it prepares for the state playoffs coming off a pair of losses.

“It’s a unique situation coming into the playoffs off a loss,” Brown said. “You can look at it one of two ways. It can motivate you or it can bring you down. I feel we are good enough to compete with anyone. It’s up to us and what team shows up. The beauty of the playoffs it that everyone starts 0-0. Coming into the playoffs with that mindset could make a difference as we will be playing for our lives.”     



Check out our latest WKTV Friday Night Highlights from Oct. 20! Don’t miss these local high school football clips

City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Local Sports, Sports, West Michigan, ,



By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org



Check out our latest edition of WKTV Friday Night Highlights above, for clips of many of the local high school football teams in Kentwood and Wyoming.

Wyoming uses strong ground game to secure first win of season at WKTV Game of the Week Friday

City of Wyoming, Local Sports, Sports, ,
(WKTV)



By Ty Marzean

WKTV Contributor



In the last game of the COVID-19-shortened season in 2020, the Wyoming Wolves beat the Holland Dutch 34-26.

Since that night in October 2020, the Wolves have won only one game. 

Nearly two years later, on a rain-filled and chilly homecoming night, the Wolves again emerged victorious against the Holland Dutch 34-13 on Friday night. 

Two plays into the opening drive, the Wolves lost junior quarterback Jay Johnson to an injury. 


Wyoming running back Adrian Moore filled in for injured QB Jay Johnson early in the game.

As Johnson was helped off the field, he had a moment of embrace with junior quarterback Adrian Moore, who would take over at quarterback for the Wolves. 

Moore would get Wyoming on the board first, scoring on a QB keeper from seven yards out early in the first quarter.

After a long punt by Holland’s Dylan Floes, the Wolves’ senior running back Donavyn Edwards took the first play 64 yards down the sideline to put Wyoming up 13-0.

The second quarter saw two long drives by the home team end in turnovers. 



Mauricio Hernandez-Keys helped the defensive effort with an interception in the end zone late in the second quarter.

Wyoming led 13-0 at halftime 

Junior running back Jack TerVeen came into Week 8 averaging 125 rushing yards over the last four games. 

TerVeen had wide-open running lanes all night long on his way to another 100-yard game and punched the ball past the goal line three times. 

Wyoming (1-7) ends the 2023 season at home next Friday hosting the Muskegon Big Reds (6-2).

Tri-unity edges host Calvin Christian 8-0 Friday

City of Kentwood, Local Sports, Sports, , ,


By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org



Check out our WKTV highlights from the Defenders 8-0 win over Grandville Calvin Christian. Tri-unity is tied atop the the Southwest Michigan 8-Man Football League – Blue with New Buffalo at 3-1, 5-3 overall.

WKTV Game of the Week

Year after year, our high-tech WKTV Game of the Week truck films one game each week, which includes two play-by-play announcers, a field announcer and various camera angles with slow motion replays to capture all those great plays for your viewing pleasure.


Game of the Week airs every Friday night on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 & AT&T U-Verse Channel 99 at 11 p.m. with a rebroadcast on Saturday at 11 a.m. To watch the WKTV Game of the Week online, visit WKTVVideos on Youtube.



Kellen Russell-Dixon runs for 330 yards, Catholic Central clinches share of OK Gold

Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Local Sports, Sports, , , , ,
GR Catholic Central clinched a share of the OK Gold with their win over South Christian. (WKTV/Jake Westbrook)



By Zach Fanko

WKTV Contributor

Host of Friday Night Highlights



On a rainy, windy night, OK Gold rivals Grand Rapids Catholic Central and South Christian collided with at least a share of the conference title on the line. The Cougars avenged last season’s 36-34 loss with a 21-12 victory over the Sailors Friday.



Catholic Central went ahead early on a Kellen Russell-Dixon 2-yard TD run with 8:17 left in the first quarter.



The Sailors returned the favor, as junior QB Carson Vis used his legs on a 34-yard TD scamper. The extra point was blocked as the Cougars clung to a 7-6 lead with 4:57 left in the 1st.



With weather playing a factor, both defenses dug in and held the offenses in check for the remainder of the half.



Russell-Dixon found paydirt once again, this time on a 59-yard run to increase Catholic Central’s lead to 14-6 at the 7:38 mark in the third quarter.



South Christian got back within two points as Vis found the end zone on the ground from a yard out. The ensuing two-point conversion attempt was stopped as the Sailors trailed 14-12 with 1:16 left in the third.



The Cougars all but iced the game on Russell-Dixon’s third TD run of the game with less than 8 minutes remaining to make it a two-possession game. The senior halfback had himself a night totaling 330 rushing yards on 32 carries and 3 TDs.



With the win, Catholic Central (7-1, 6-0 OK Gold) stays unbeaten in the conference and can clinch the outright conference title next week in their season finale at Ottawa Hills.



South Christian (6-2, 5-1 OK Gold) visits Wayland to close its regular season next Friday.

Caledonia defeated East Kentwood 21-0 Friday; Check out our WKTV game highlights inside

City of Kentwood, Local Sports, Sports, , ,



By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org



Check out our WKTV highlights from Caledonia’s 21-0 win over East Kentwood Friday.


WKTV Game of the Week

Year after year, our high-tech WKTV Game of the Week truck films one game each week, which includes two play-by-play announcers, a field announcer and various camera angles with slow motion replays to capture all those great plays for your viewing pleasure.

Game of the Week airs every Friday night on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 & AT&T U-Verse Channel 99 at 11 p.m. with a rebroadcast on Saturday at 11 a.m. To watch the WKTV Game of the Week online, visit WKTVVideos on Youtube.

Injuries and rainy night extinguish explosive Lee offense in lopsided loss to New Buffalo

City of Wyoming, Local Sports, Sports, West Michigan, ,




By Ty Marzean

WKTV Contributor



On a chilly, rain-filled Friday night, the Lee Legends were overpowered by their 8-player league foe from New Buffalo 72-28. 

The Legends have used junior quarterback Anthony Blok and senior running back Clarence Lewis to spark their offense, which has averaged 41.3 points per game. 

Injuries and inefficient play dampened the Lee offense Friday.

Lee played without star running back Clarence Lewis, who was out with an ankle injury. 

“He’s the guy we go to when we need a play,” said Lee Coach Lamar Marshall of his senior running back.

Anthony Blok rushed for 95 yards and two scores

Junior quarterback Anthony Blok completed 33 percent of his passes in the losing effort, but used his ground game to run for 95 yards and two scores. He also threw two passing touchdowns.


Lee quarterback Anthony Blok earlier this season. (Courtesy, Shafi Subhan)




The Bison also held standout sophomore wide receiver Aiden Merriweather to 22 yards on the night.


“We couldn’t sustain drives,” Marshall said. “We didn’t execute well at all.”


The Legends played close in the first half. New Buffalo was up 20-14 at the end of two quarters.







 
“We committed a few penalties, and then we had to wait out a rain delay,” Marshall explained. “We couldn’t recover.”

Charles Davis was a bright spot for the Legends, finishing the night with 108 yards and a touchdown catch. 


Lee receiver Charles Davis. (WKTV/Hayden Passig)


“We need to be consistent throughout the week,” Marshall said. “We need to make practice a little more physical next week.”


The Legends (4-3 overall, 1-3 in the Southwest Michigan 8-Man Football League – Blue) look to get back on track next week against host NorthPointe Christian (4-3). 







WKTV Game of the Week

Year after year, our high-tech WKTV Game of the Week truck films one game each week, which includes two play-by-play announcers, a field announcer and various camera angles with slow motion replays to capture all those great plays for your viewing pleasure.


Game of the Week airs every Friday night on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 & AT&T U-Verse Channel 99 at 11 p.m. with a rebroadcast on Saturday at 11 a.m. To watch the WKTV Game of the Week online, visit WKTVVideos on Youtube.

South Christian holds off upset-minded Middleville 29-20 in WKTV Game of the Week

City of Kentwood, Local Sports, Sports, , ,
(Image Courtesy of South Christian)



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor

On a wet, windy and chilly night, the South Christian football team kept its hopes for a conference championship by playing some old-fashioned football. Relying more on the ground game and playing some strong defense late in the game, the Sailors rallied to defeat Middleville Thornapple Kellogg 29-20 in the WKTV Game of the Week.

With the win, the Sailors remained undefeated in conference play and set up a showdown with Grand Rapids Catholic Central next Friday with the OK Gold Conference championship on the line.

Keeping their conference record clean was anything but easy for the Sailors as Middleville came in with a strong game plan and pushed South to the limit. Relying on their strong running game, the Trojans played to their strengths and gave South everything it could handle.

“We talked about it all week that they are better than their record,” said South Christian Coach Danny Brown. “They are a physical team and they run their schemes well. Their fullback (Drake Snyder) is a heck of a player. It probably helped a little bit when he went out of the game, just for us to kind of dictate the line of scrimmage a little more.”

Middleville showed just how strong it is running the football when it mounted an 11-play, 73-yard scoring drive on the first possession of the game. Quarterback Grant Middleton capped the drive when he ran in for a touchdown from two-yards out halfway through the opening quarter.

South Christian tied the game late in the first quarter. With Middleville bottled up deep in its own territory, Jake Vermaas intercepted a Trojan pass giving South good field position inside the Middleville 20-yard line. A few plays later Drew Bruinsma took a pitch from South quarterback Carson Vis and rambled into the end zone from 14-yards out

Trojans up 14-7 at the half

Middleville regained the lead late in the first half. Again, the Trojans mounted a long drive. Covering 73 yards, the Trojans capped the scoring drive by going to the air as Middleton hooked up with Snyder for a seven-yard touchdown pass. Hayden Chatman added the point after giving Middleville a 14-7 halftime lead.

South responded to the score on the opening drive of the second half. Relying on their own ground game, the Sailors drove the ball down to the Middleville 7-yard line where Vis connected with Austin Tiesma for a touchdown pass cutting the margin to 14-13. South, however, missed the point after.

Trojans up 20-13 in the third

Middleville answered the South score with a scoring drive of its own on the next possession. Starting out at its own 45-yard line, the Trojans moved the ball 55 yards on nine plays. Brody Wiersma capped the scoring drive by running in from 24-yards out. Middleville, however, missed the extra point leaving the Trojans with a 20-13 lead.

South Christian goes ahead 21-20 in the fourth

Facing a touchdown deficit late in the third quarter, the South Christian offense again stepped up. Starting out on their own 35-yard line, the Sailors mounted an 11-play scoring drive that went into the fourth quarter. Mixing the pass and run, the Sailors drove down to the Middleville 4-yard line. At third down at the 4, Vis scrambled in the face of a Middleville pass rush and found Vermaas for a touchdown pass. Down by one point, the Sailors elected to go for the two-point conversion. South pulled a trick out of its bag on the play as Vermaas took the ball on a double reverse and completed a pass to Tyler Brinks in the corner of the end zone giving South a 21-20 lead.

With the lead, the Sailors put the game in the hands of its defense. Making adjustments throughout the game, the Sailor defenders slowed down the Middleville ground game. They forced the Trojans into a three-and-out and then turned Middleville over on downs late in the fourth quarter.

Sailors get insurance score late in the game

South added some insurance points late in the game. With 2:14 remaining, Vis ran in for a touchdown from eight-yards out. The Sailors then added another two-point conversion when Vis connected with James VanderArk on a pass play.

“This was a great team win,” Brown said. “I challenged the guys at halftime. I told them we have to make some positive plays. We had to make them (Middleville) doubt themselves and what they had going on. Our kids just stepped up in the second half.


“The kids got the stops we needed and the two-point conversion was a big play.”

With the win against Middleville keeping their record clean, the Sailors face Catholic Central in the showdown for the league title.

“We’re excited about the game,” Brown said. “It will be fun. We are both undefeated and they are obviously a very good program. It is one of those special games that the kids will remember 20 years from now.”    



WKTV Game of the Week

Year after year, our high-tech WKTV Game of the Week truck films one game each week, which includes two play-by-play announcers, a field announcer and various camera angles with slow motion replays to capture all those great plays for your viewing pleasure.

Game of the Week airs every Friday night on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 & AT&T U-Verse Channel 99 at 11 p.m. with a rebroadcast on Saturday at 11 a.m. To watch the WKTV Game of the Week online, visit WKTVVideos on Youtube.

Lee soccer team establishing winning foundation in the Alliance League; ranked 12th in state heading into playoffs

City of Wyoming, Local Sports, Sports, West Michigan, ,
The Lee soccer team has won a second straight Alliance League championship and has been state-ranked in Division 3 this season. (Courtesy, Lee High School Soccer Team)



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor



The West Michigan area is home to some outstanding soccer programs that have played an elite level of soccer for years. At Lee High School, the Legends soccer team is working hard to add its name to the list of premier soccer teams in the area.

Since entering the Alliance League two years ago, the Legends have elevated their play on the field and have been contending for the league title. Two years ago, the Legends turned in the best record in conference play, but were ineligible for the league title as a first-year team. Last season Lee won the Alliance League title and this year the Legends finished first with a perfect league record of 8-0.


Lee finished the regular season with a record of 11-3-1. The Legends also have been garnering state-wide recognition as they were ranked 12th in Division 3 in the state rankings the last week of September.

Winning a second consecutive league title has been anything but easy for the Legends who graduated some key players from last year’s squad and also have been dealing with adversity this season.

“We have a younger team this year,” said Lee Coach Hugo Cano, in his third year coaching the team. “We have six seniors, but overall, we are a pretty young team. We have also gone through a lot of adversity both on and off the field. We really emphasized to the guys to play hard and stay strong mentally and they definitely show that resiliency and drive this year.


“The team unity is a strong point this year and going through the adversity has brought our players together.”

On the field, the team unity is evident as the Legends have won several close games and play strong defense. During league play this season the Legends have allowed just five goals. A major highlight victory for Lee came on September 21 when it defeated Muskegon Western Michigan Christian, the No. 2 ranked team in the state in Division 4 and a defending state champion, 2-1. 

“That was our biggest win so far this season,” Cano said. “We played our most complete game of the season in that win. The team played together and it was an overall great team effort.”

Lee also tested itself against the best in the state in Division 3 when it played Hudsonville Unity Christian in a non-league game. Lee led Unity Christian 1-0 at the half in that game before Unity rallied in the second half to win the game.


The Lee soccer team huddles up with Coach Hugo Cano to talk strategy during a recent match. (Courtesy, Lee High School Soccer Team)



On offense, the Legends rely on a balanced attack. Junior Javier Zamora leads the team in scoring, while fellow junior Aundrey Hernandez is second on the team.

“Aundrey and Javier are our leading scorers but we have different players scoring from different positions,” Cano said. “Our goals are coming from different positions on the field.”

In the midfield, the Legends are paced by senior Alexis Rivera, who also has added a couple of goals and a couple of assists this season.

“Alexis’ soccer IQ, his vision on the field and his ability to read defenses is very crucial for us,” Cano said.

On the backline, the Lee defense is led by senior Carlos Herrera-Santos and senior Kevin Mencho. Sophomore backs Edwin Flores and Brian Herrera also have added to the depth on defense. The Legends also are strong in goal with senior goalkeeper Christian Diaz.

“Christian is a team captain,” Cano said. “He has a great understanding of the game and helps keep us very well organized in the back.”

Legends very deep

Overall, the Legends have a deep team with contributions coming from many players on the squad. Seniors Victor Huitron and Justin Gomez have provided key contributions. Senior Denison Vasquez has been a key multi-role player for the squad. Junior forward Gera Perez has provided strong play at forward. Junior Kevin Meza and sophomore Aaron Perez have added to the strong depth along with Nazareth Maldonado-Martinez, Ruvino Bautista-Perez and Jose Ayala.

The total-team effort will be needed when state tournament play opens as Lee competes at the rugged Covenant Christian Division 3 district. Lee opens district play October 12 against Kentwood Grand River Prep. The district also includes Unity, ranked No. 2 in the state and Godwin Heights, ranked 14th.

Aiming for Top 15 every year

“We’ve had a lot of positives the last three years as a program,” Cano said. “We want to get the program to where we can be a top 15 team in the state in Division 3 every year. We want to be a top contender in the conference and the district every year.

“I also want to thank coach Oliver and Coach Andrew for all the work they do and our Athletic Director Sarge (Andre Sargent) for all the support he gives our program. I also want to give a shout out to Erving#13.”         

Check out our latest WKTV Friday Night Highlights from Oct. 6! Don’t miss these local high school football clips

City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Local Sports, Sports, West Michigan, , , , ,




By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org



Check out our latest edition of WKTV Friday Night Highlights above, for clips of many of the local high school football teams in Kentwood and Wyoming.


WKTV Game of the Week

Year after year, our high-tech WKTV Game of the Week truck films one game each week, which includes two play-by-play announcers, a field announcer and various camera angles with slow motion replays to capture all those great plays for your viewing pleasure.

Game of the Week airs every Friday night on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 & AT&T U-Verse Channel 99 at 11 p.m. with a rebroadcast on Saturday at 11 a.m. To watch the WKTV Game of the Week online, visit WKTVVideos on Youtube.

WKTV Game of the Week Remaining Schedule

  • Friday, Oct. 13 (7 p.m.) Holland at Wyoming
  • Friday, Oct. 20 (7 p.m.) West Ottawa at East Kentwood

South Christian rolls to OK Gold Conference win against Cedar Springs; 400 total yards for Sailors

City of Kentwood, Local Sports, Sports, , , ,
South Christian’s Carson Vis completed 11-of-13 passes for 222 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He added 28 yards rushing and two touchdown runs. (Courtesy, Louis Murray)



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor


South Christian continued to roll in the OK Gold Conference as the Sailors defeated Cedar Springs 45-23 to run its conference record to 4-0.

South Christian finished the game with 400 yards total offense. Quarterback Carson Vis was nearly flawless throwing the ball as he completed 11-of-13 passes for 222 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Jake Vermaas caught five passes for 98 yards and a score, while Noah Funk grabbed a pair of passes for 79 yards and a score. Sam Weiss caught two passes for 70 yards.

The Sailors struck early and often in the game as they scored more than 40 points for the third time in four conference games this season. South Christian scored the first points of the game on their opening possession when Vis connected with Funk on a 67-yard touchdown pass. Drew Bruinsma tacked on the point after giving the Sailors an early 7-0 lead.

South doubled the lead later in the opening quarter. This time the Sailors used the ground game to put points on the board as Jackson Haik broke loose for a 52-yard touchdown run. Bruinsma added the extra point for a 14-0 lead.

Cedar Springs got on the board with a 44-yard touchdown run from Dylan LaFontsee cutting the Sailor lead in half at 14-7.

The Sailor offense continued to churn out the points in the second quarter. Bruinsma began the scoring in the second quarter with a 23-yard field goal. Vis then ran for a touchdown from two yards out giving the Sailors a 24-7 lead after Bruinsma tacked on the extra point.

South Christian led 31-15 at halftime

The two teams wrapped up the first half exchanging touchdowns. Cedar Springs scored on a touchdown pass and added a two-point conversion. South Christian quickly answered that score when Jackson Haik returned the ensuing kickoff 93-yards for a touchdown giving South a 31-15 halftime lead.


South Christian’s Jake Vermaas caught five passes for 98 yards and a score, while Noah Funk caught a pair of passes for 79 yards and a score and Sam Weiss grabbed two passes for 70 yards. (WKTV/Hayden Passig)

South Christian extended its lead to 38-15 in the third. The Sailor passing game provided the points when Vis hooked up with Vermaas on a 15-yard touchdown pass.

Cedar Springs added a score in the third quarter on a 22-yard touchdown run by Marek Oleneack. The Red Hawks tacked on the two-point conversion to cut the Sailor advantage to 38-23.

South Christian closed out the scoring in the fourth with a two-yard touchdown run by Vis.

On the ground, Haik carried the ball nine times for 94 yards and a touchdown. Vis added 28 yards rushing and two touchdown runs.

The Sailor defense was led by Benjamin Mulder who totaled 10 tackles and one tackle for loss. Luke DeJager added seven tackles, one quarterback sack and a pair of tackles for loss. Mitchell Lindhout and Austin Tiesma both added six tackles, while Tiesma added a sack and tackle for loss.


South Christian returns to action next Friday when it hosts Thornapple Kellogg for the WKTV Game of the Week before traveling to Catholic Central on Friday, Oct. 13 for the conference showdown with the league title possibly on the line.



WKTV Game of the Week

Year after year, our high-tech WKTV Game of the Week truck films one game each week, which includes two play-by-play announcers, a field announcer and various camera angles with slow motion replays to capture all those great plays for your viewing pleasure.

Game of the Week airs every Friday night on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 & AT&T U-Verse Channel 99 at 11 p.m. with a rebroadcast on Saturday at 11 a.m. To watch the WKTV Game of the Week online, visit WKTVVideos on Youtube.

Lee Legends commemorate 100th year with big homecoming win over Eau Claire

City of Wyoming, Local Sports, Sports, , ,
Lee quarterback Anthony Blok passed for 310 yards and four touchdowns, and rushed for another. (Courtesy, Shafi Subhan)



By Ty Marzean

WKTV Contributor



In front of a large crowd of alumni and fans, including 65 former homecoming kings and queens, the Lee Legends outscored Eau Claire 38-24 on Saturday afternoon in 8-player football. 

Junior quarterback Anthony Blok once again led the explosive Lee offense, throwing for 310 yards and four touchdowns and adding another on the ground. He used his speed to extend multiple drives as well.

The Beavers strike first

Eau Claire opened the game with a score on its first drive to grab a quick 8-0 lead.

“We started off slow,” said Lee Coach Lamar Marshall, whose team improved to 4-2 overall, 1-2 in the Southwest Michigan 8-Man Football League – Blue. “They jumped out ahead of us early in the game.”

On the final play of the first quarter, Blok connected deep with sophomore Aiden Merriweather to get to the one-yard line. The Legends couldn’t capitalize as Blok’s pass was tipped and intercepted in the end zone. 

The Legends used multiple defensive stops to stave off the Beavers in the second quarter.

“We were able to hold them until the offense could get going,” Marshall said.

Legends heat up near halftime

Lee’s Clarence Lewis in an earlier game this season. (Courtesy, Diego Jeronimo)




The offense showed signs of life near the end of the first half as Clarence Lewis ripped off big gains and capped the drive with a four-yard touchdown run to tie the game 8-8 going into halftime.



Lewis finished with 94 yards rushing, 85 yards receiving and two scores.



“He’s everything to us,” said Marshall, of his senior running back. “He’s our emotional and vocal leader. The guy we lean on when we need a play.”




Big second half for Lee

The Legends exploded for 30 points in the second half.

Sophomore Aiden Merriweather was the favorite target for Blok on the afternoon, reeling in five catches for 146 yards and two touchdowns. Charles Davis collected 74 yards and a touchdown. 

Strong defensive stand to finish

The Legends needed a defensive stand late in the fourth quarter and stuffed the Beavers on a 4th and 1 with 1:31 left on the clock.


“The 4th and 1 stop was huge for us,” Marshall said. “I felt like we grew up in this game as a coaching staff and a team.”

The Legends travel to New Buffalo (4-2) next Friday. 



WKTV Game of the Week

Year after year, our high-tech WKTV Game of the Week truck films one game each week, which includes two play-by-play announcers, a field announcer and various camera angles with slow motion replays to capture all those great plays for your viewing pleasure.

Game of the Week airs every Friday night on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 & AT&T U-Verse Channel 99 at 11 p.m. with a rebroadcast on Saturday at 11 a.m. To watch the WKTV Game of the Week online, visit WKTVVideos on Youtube.

East Kentwood beat host Jenison 31-17 Friday; check out our highlights

Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, Local Sports, Sports, , , ,
(WKTV/Hayden Passig)



By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org



Check out our WKTV highlights from East Kentwood’s 31-17 road victory over Jenison above.

And take a look at our WKTV Friday Night Highlights show as well from Sept. 29!



WKTV Game of the Week

Year after year, our high-tech WKTV Game of the Week truck films one game each week, which includes two play-by-play announcers, a field announcer and various camera angles with slow motion replays to capture all those great plays for your viewing pleasure.

Game of the Week airs every Friday night on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 & AT&T U-Verse Channel 99 at 11 p.m. with a rebroadcast on Saturday at 11 a.m. To watch the WKTV Game of the Week online, visit WKTVVideos on Youtube.

Godwin Heights dominates in homecoming victory over crosstown rival Kelloggsville

City of Wyoming, Local Sports, Sports, West Michigan, , ,
Godwin Heights junior quarterback Keion Beasley showed his arm strength and poise with touchdown passes of 53 and 46 yards. 
(WKTV/Hayden Passig)



By Ty Marzean

WKTV Contributor



In a battle of winless teams, Godwin Heights used several big plays to cruise past Kelloggsville on homecoming night, 52-0, in the WKTV Game of the Week.

Penalties plagued the Rockets all game long, and it began on the opening kickoff as sophomore Nasyre Walker ran it back for a touchdown, but a holding penalty called it off. 

The Wolverines would capitalize a few plays later with an interception by Miguel Ocampo, who also returned the opening kickoff of the second half 95 yards for a touchdown.

Senior Jeff Zelaya pounded one in for a seven-yard TD and later added a 28-yard touchdown on another run.



Godwin Heights running back Jeff Zelaya. (WKTV/Hayden Passig)



Godwin Heights used tandem running backs to wear down the Rockets’ defense. Zelaya was joined in the backfield by sophomore Kares Harris, who rumbled for over 100 yards in the game.

“We are real tough to stop when we have both of them in the backfield,” said Godwin Coach Brandon Kimble of his running back duo. 

Kelloggsville senior quarterback Jeremie Tsoumou was under duress for most of the game, and had one interception returned 85 yards by Godwin’s Patrick Knight.

“He’s out there trying,” said Kelloggsville Coach Brandon Branch. “That happens when you put the ball in the air; sometimes the other team comes up with it. I can’t fault him for trying to make something happen.

“Our mantra is to be undefeated against adversity. When adversity strikes, we keep getting after it. I think we were undefeated against adversity today.”


Godwin Heights junior quarterback Keion Beasley showed his arm strength and poise with touchdown passes of 53 and 46 yards. 

“He’s a first-year starter, and he’s been working hard,” Kimble said. “We have missed a lot of key players, so he’s had to grow up fast.” 


Kimble emphasized perseverance on his team.


“If you lose your job and you’re a husband and have kids, are you going to stop fighting? Or are you going to keep fighting?”

To cap off homecoming night, newly crowned king Armani Dedrick got into the end zone on a five-yard touchdown run.

Godwin Heights (1-5) travels to OK-Silver leading Belding (5-1) next Friday. Kelloggsville (0-6) hosts Hopkins (1-5). 

WKTV Game of the Week

Year after year, our high-tech WKTV Game of the Week truck films one game each week, which includes two play-by-play announcers, a field announcer and various camera angles with slow motion replays to capture all those great plays for your viewing pleasure.

Game of the Week airs every Friday night on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 & AT&T U-Verse Channel 99 at 11 p.m. with a rebroadcast on Saturday at 11 a.m. To watch the WKTV Game of the Week online, visit WKTVVideos on Youtube.

Check out our latest WKTV Friday Night Highlights from Sept. 29! Don’t miss these local high school football clips

Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Local Sports, Sports, West Michigan, , ,



By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org



Check out our latest edition of WKTV Friday Night Highlights above, for clips of many of the local high school football teams in Kentwood and Wyoming.


WKTV Game of the Week

Year after year, our high-tech WKTV Game of the Week truck films one game each week, which includes two play-by-play announcers, a field announcer and various camera angles with slow motion replays to capture all those great plays for your viewing pleasure.

Game of the Week airs every Friday night on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 & AT&T U-Verse Channel 99 at 11 p.m. with a rebroadcast on Saturday at 11 a.m. To watch the WKTV Game of the Week online, visit WKTVVideos on Youtube.

WKTV Game of the Week Remaining Schedule

  • Friday, Oct. 6 (7 p.m.) TK at South Christian (EK Falcon Stadium)
  • Friday, Oct. 13 (7 p.m.) Holland at Wyoming
  • Friday, Oct. 20 (7 p.m.) West Ottawa at East Kentwood

Union defeats Wyoming in WKTV Game of the Week

City of Wyoming, Local Sports, Sports, , ,
(WKTV/Ty Marzean)



By Ty Marzean

WKTV Contributor



On an unseasonably hot night, the Union Redhawks used five touchdown runs to pull away from Wyoming to grab a 47-23 win at the WKTV Game of the Week Friday.



Union started the scoring with a 60-yard strike from quarterback Ja’Quari Tyler to Christopher Murphy-Ware on its first drive. 



Wyoming answered back with a long drive capped off by a two-yard touchdown run by Jack TerVeen, who missed last week’s game at Zeeland East with an ankle injury.


“He’s a blue-collar guy,” said Wyoming Coach Carlton Brewster of his running back. 


Union running back Jesse Phillips led the charge for the Redhawks as he ran in four scores. Tyler ended the night with a pair of touchdown passes. 


Wyoming (0-5) looks for its first win of the season as they travel to Mona Shores 

next Friday. 

Lee football falls short in thriller against Our Lady of the Lake

City of Wyoming, Local Sports, Sports, ,
Take a look inside at highlights from the Legends game with the Lakers, plus many more local clips. (Videographers: Hayden Passig, Eli Mutula, Jake Westbrook)



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor


The Lee Legends football team hooked up for a thriller with St. Joseph Our Lady of the Lake Friday in a contest that came down to the final play. That final play didn’t go Lee’s way, however, as the Lakers came away with a 38-36 victory.

“We had a chance to score from our 50 on fourth and six,” Lee Coach Lamar Marshall said. “They (Our Lady of the Lake) made a great play to stop us before the first down.”

Our Lady of the Lake took the initial lead in the game and managed to stay ahead of Lee the entire game.

“They were ahead the entire game,” Marshall said. “They onside kicked the opening kickoff and recovered it.”

Our Lady of the Lake stayed ahead of the Legends thanks to a big effort from their quarterback.

“Their quarterback was really solid,” Marshall said. “We did everything to stop him. We gang-tackled him and he just kept moving forward. He made plays when they absolutely needed it and ultimately scored the game-winning conversion late in the third quarter.”

Lee solid on offense

Lee stayed close to the Lakers thanks to a strong performance from its offense. The Legends, who entered the game averaging 43.5 points per game, put together a solid offensive effort. The onside kick by Our Lady of the Lake proved to be a big boost of momentum early.

“It’s an extremely disappointing loss,” Marshall said. “We felt like we had a great week of practice. The opening kickoff was huge for them. They were able to gain momentum early.”   

Defensively, Lee faced a difficult challenge as the Laker offense came up big.

“I told my guys after the game, we have to put four quarters together,” Marshall said. “We have to get off the field on third down. We have to know the game plan and execute the game plan. All in all, I was happy with how we played.”

With the win, Our Lady of the Lake improved to 2-3 for the season. Lee fell to 3-2 overall after coming into the game off a 42-30 win against Grand Rapids Sacred Heart.

Lee returns to action next week against an Eau Claire team that has a 2-3 record. The Legends are looking to continue the steady improvement they are making this season in what should be a competitive contest.

“This was a learning experience for myself and my team,” Marshall said. “We’re still learning how to win, practice the right way and execute. I will say, we fought until the end. We played extremely hard even though we were down our starting corner (who was out with illness).”


WKTV Friday Night Highlights show is back!

Just like we did during basketball season, every Friday we’re bringing you many great high school football clips from the Wyoming and Kentwood area teams, highlighting some top performers and their stats, posting final scores, and giving a snapshot of the latest conference standings in an exciting 30-minute program.

As a bonus, we’ll have a reporter on the field at the Game of the Week to interview coaches for the show and occasionally have them come into our studio for a live interview as well. 

You don’t want to miss all our great local coverage. Thanks for tuning in!

Check out our latest WKTV Friday Night Highlights from Sept. 22! Don’t miss these local high school football clips

Local Sports, Sports, ,
(Videographers: Hayden Passig, Eli Mutula, Jake Westbrook)




By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org



Check out our latest edition of WKTV Friday Night Highlights above, for clips of many of the local high school football teams in Kentwood and Wyoming.


WKTV Game of the Week

Year after year, our high-tech WKTV Game of the Week truck films one game each week, which includes two play-by-play announcers, a field announcer and various camera angles with slow motion replays to capture all those great plays for your viewing pleasure.

Game of the Week airs every Friday night on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 & AT&T U-Verse Channel 99 at 11 p.m. with a rebroadcast on Saturday at 11 a.m. If you don’t have cable, visit our website at WKTV.org to watch the livestream.


WKTV Game of the Week Remaining Schedule

  • Friday, Sept. 29 (7 p.m.) Kelloggsville at Godwin Heights
  • Friday, Oct. 6 (7 p.m.) TK at South Christian (EK Falcon Stadium)
  • Friday, Oct. 13 (7 p.m.) Holland at Wyoming
  • Friday, Oct. 20 (7 p.m.) West Ottawa at East Kentwood

South Christian prevails in battle of OK Gold football unbeatens; check out the video

City of Kentwood, Local Sports, Sports, , ,



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor



It was a case of déjà vu all over again, but this time the ball bounced the right way for the South Christian football team in its OK Gold tussle Friday against Forest Hills Eastern as the Sailors came away with a 32-29 victory.

Two weeks ago, the Sailors came up on the wrong end of a Hail Mary pass play at the end of the game when East Grand Rapids tossed a 30-yard touchdown on the final play of the game for the win. In Friday’s game against Forest Hills Eastern, the contest again came down to the last play with Eastern attempting to win the game with a pass. This time, the Sailor secondary knocked the pass down preserving the win.

Final play goes South Christian way this time

“The game came down to another Hail Mary situation,” South Christian Coach Danny Brown said. “Before this year I’ve never coached a game where it came down to a Hail Mary pass at the end and this year, I’ve had two in three weeks. It was with five seconds to go at about the same spot on the field as the East Grand Rapids game. This time we made the play and knocked the ball down.”

The final defensive play put the capper on a game that saw the Sailor defense come up with a number of big plays and the offense continuing to put points on the scoreboard. The game also was a struggle throughout between an Eastern squad that came in with a 3-0 record and a 2-1 Sailor team.

“It was a great high school game between two very good teams,” Brown said. “Both teams played very well and competed hard all game. They (Eastern) were able to control the ball and put together some long drives and that put a strain on our defense.


“We were able to score in a hurry and that also put a strain on our defense. We made a few adjustments at halftime and I think our defense did a great job of executing in the second half.”   

Eastern utilized its ground game to control the time of possession in the game. The Hawks also piled up 335 yards on the ground.

Both teams traded touchdowns in a first quarter that ended in a 14-all tie. Eastern scored a pair of rushing touchdowns, while the Sailors countered with a pair of touchdown passes from Carson Vis, who connected with Sam Weiss on a 67-yard touchdown pass for South’s first score. He then tossed a six-yard strike to Jackson Haik for the second Sailor touchdown.

South took a 20-14 lead early in the second quarter when Charlie Schreur broke free for a 50-yard touchdown run. Forest Hills Eastern then countered with a 13-yard touchdown run by Mark Fuehrer to go up 21-20.

Sailors led 26-21 at halftime

South regained the lead later in the second quarter when Vis hooked up with Jake Vermaas for a 67-yard touchdown pass that put the Sailors up 26-21 at halftime.

Forest Hills Eastern mounted another scoring drive in the third quarter. Mark Fuehrer capped the drive for the Hawks with a 13-yard touchdown run. Eastern also tacked on a two-point conversion to take a 29-26 lead.

South scored what proved to be the game-winning points later in the third quarter. That was when Vis capped the scoring drive with a 10-yard touchdown run giving the Sailors a 32-29 lead.

From there, the South Christian defense shut the door to the end zone on the Hawks. Ben Mulder led the defensive charge for South with nine tackles and one assist for the game, while Luke DeJager had five tackles and one assist. Tyler Brinks added a sack and Cam VanSolkema had a tackle for loss.

“Ben Mulder had a great game at inside linebacker for us,” Brown said. “Cam VanSolkema also had a real game on the defensive line. We ended up playing a lot of guys on defense during the game. It was probably the largest rotation of guys on defense since I’ve been here.


“It was a collective effort from our defense. Everybody was getting reps and everybody was making plays.”



South Christian senior Jake Vermaas caught four passes for 106 yards and a score. (WKTV/Hayden Passig)


Carson Vis completed 10-of-16 passes for 204 yards and three TDs

Offensively, the Sailors combined the passing of Vis with some big production from the ground game. Vis finished the game completing 10-of-16 passes for 204 yards and three touchdowns. Vermaas caught four passes for 106 yards and a score. Vis also completed passes to Tanner Raak, Noah Funk, Haik, Weiss and Schreur as the Sailor passing game shared the wealth.

Schreur led the running game with 105 yards rushing on seven carries, while Vis added 69 yards rushing.

“It was great to see how ecstatic the kids were at the end,” Brown said. “They left it all out on the field. All you can ask is that the kids leave it all out on the field and they did that. I was happy for them to come out with the win.”     
      

With the win, the Sailors improved to 3-1 for the season. They return to action next week when they head to Ottawa Hills for an OK Gold matchup.  

 

WKTV Friday Night Highlights show is back!

Just like we did during basketball season, every Friday we’ll bring you many great high school football clips from the Wyoming and Kentwood area teams, highlight some top performers and their stats, give final scores, and show a snapshot of the latest conference standings in an exciting 30-minute program.

As a bonus, we’ll have a reporter on the field at the Game of the Week to interview coaches and players for the show and occasionally have them come into our studio for a live interview as well. 

You won’t want to miss all our great local coverage. Thanks for tuning in!

WKTV Friday Night Highlights is back! You don’t want to miss these local high school football clips from Friday

City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Local Sports, Sports, , ,




By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org



Check out our latest edition of WKTV Friday Night Highlights above, for clips of many of the local high school football teams in Kentwood and Wyoming.


WKTV Game of the Week

Year after year, our high-tech WKTV Game of the Week truck films one game each week, which includes two play-by-play announcers, a field announcer and various camera angles with slow motion replays to capture all those great plays for your viewing pleasure.

Game of the Week airs every Friday night on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 & AT&T U-Verse Channel 99 at 11 p.m. with a rebroadcast on Saturday at 11 a.m. If you don’t have cable, visit our website at WKTV.org to watch the livestream.


WKTV Game of the Week Truck Schedule

  • Friday, Sept. 22 (7 p.m.) Union at Wyoming
  • Friday, Sept. 29 (7 p.m.) Kelloggsville at Godwin Heights
  • Friday, Oct. 6 (7 p.m.) TK at South Christian (EK Falcon Stadium)
  • Friday, Oct. 13 (7 p.m.) Holland at Wyoming
  • Friday, Oct. 20 (7 p.m.) West Ottawa at East Kentwood


Tri-unity beat Our Lady of the Lake 38-22 Friday in 8-player football

City of Wyoming, Local Sports, Sports,



By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org



Check out our WKTV highlights from host Tri-unity Christian’s 38-22 win over Our Lady of the Lake Catholic in 8-player football Friday.

WKTV Friday Night Highlights show is back!

Just like we did during basketball season, every Friday we’ll bring you many great high school football clips from the Wyoming and Kentwood area teams, highlight some top performers and their stats, give final scores, and show a snapshot of the latest conference standings in an exciting 30-minute program.

As a bonus, we’ll have a reporter on the field at the Game of the Week to interview coaches and players for the show and occasionally have them come into our studio for a live interview as well. 

You won’t want to miss all our great local coverage. Thanks for tuning in!

South Christian offense rolls in conference opener against Kenowa Hills in WKTV Game of the Week

City of Kentwood, Local Sports, Sports, , ,
The South Christian offense lines up against the Kenowa Hills defense during Friday’s OK Gold season opener. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor



A week after suffering a stinging non-conference defeat to East Grand Rapids on the final play of the game, the South Christian Sailors opened OK Gold Conference play in a big way with a 49-28 victory against Kenowa Hills.

South Christian struck fast and struck big against the Knights with a dazzling display of offense. The Sailors wasted little time in shaking off any lingering effects of last Friday’s loss to East as Charlie Schreur returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown giving South a 7-0 lead just seconds into the game.

“I think the big thing was to just move on and get back to work,” South Christian Coach Danny Brown said. “We just had to get back to the basics. We had to focus on the things that we can control and move on from that game. This is a resilient group and they did everything we asked of them this week.”

Tied at 7 early

Although the Sailors grabbed the early lead, the young Kenowa Hills squad came to play and came at South the full 48 minutes. Kenowa tied the game midway through the first quarter when it capitalized on a South Christian turnover deep in Sailor territory to knot it at 7-7.

South quickly regained the lead on the next possession when quarterback Carson Vis hooked up with Jake Vermaas on a 17-yard scoring pass that capped a five-play, 60-yard drive.

Vis to Vermaas clicking

The Vis to Vermaas connection clicked the entire game. Vis, who entered the game completing 77 percent of his passing attempts, turned in another stellar performance as he completed 14-of-19 passes for 317 yards and four touchdowns.

Vermaas, who entered the game with 10 receptions for 247 yards this season, added to that total by hauling in eight passes for 181 yards and three touchdowns. Together, the Vis to Vermaas connection has accounted for six touchdown passes through the first three games of the season.

“I think that it helps that they play a lot of sports together,” Brown said. “Whether it’s football or basketball, they compete in different sports together and they have formed a natural quarterback/wide receiver connection.”

While Vermaas has developed into the top target for Vis, the Sailor junior quarterback has plenty of other options to go to. Jackson Haik hauled in three passes for 113 yards against the Knights, while Noah Funk caught two balls for 43 yards and Sam Weiss two receptions for 31.

Sophomore quarterback Kayd Coffman also got in on the action as he completed two of his three passes for 51 yards.

On the ground, Schreur carried the ball six times for 38 yards and scored two rushing touchdowns.

Up 14-7 at the end of the first quarter, South Christian added to its lead with a pair of second quarter touchdowns. Those scores came on 25 and seven-yard touchdown passes from Vis to Vermaas.

South stretched the lead to 35-7 midway through the third quarter on a one-yard touchdown run by Scheur.

Kenowa cuts the margin

Kenowa battled back and answered with a pair of touchdowns of its own to cut the margin to 35-21 before Vis hooked up with Haik on an 80-yard touchdown pass giving the Sailors a 42-21 lead. The two teams then traded touchdowns in the final minutes of the game.

Cam VanSolkema leads defense

Defensively, South Christian senior defensive lineman Cam VanSolkema led with three tackles, three assisted tackles and two tackles for a loss.



The South Christian defense huddles up with coaches on the sidelines during Friday’s game against Kenowa Hills. Cam VanSolkema (77) led the Sailors on defense. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



“South Christian football is going on its 59th year or so and Cam is the first player to be a four-year varsity starter,” Brown said. “Obviously, he has a ton of experience. He put in a lot of hard work in the off-season. He is a really strong player and has great fundamentals and technique and knows how to play with his hands.”

The Sailors defense also received strong efforts from Tyler Brinks with five tackles, two assists, a sack and one tackle for loss, Ben Mulder, four tackles, four assists and one tackle for loss, Austin Tiesma, three tackles, three assists and one tackle for loss and Vermaas with an interception.

With the win, the Sailors improved to 2-1 for the season, and return to action next week when they head to 3-0 Forest Hills Eastern.   

South Christian falls to East Grand Rapids 23-21 on last play in thriller Friday

City of Kentwood, Local Sports, Sports, West Michigan, , ,



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor


On a perfect evening for football, South Christian and East Grand Rapids hooked up for a classic that came down to the final play of the game.


The two long-time area football powerhouses gave fans more than their money’s worth in the contest before East Grand Rapids tallied a touchdown on the final play giving the Pioneers a 23-21 win.

“Obviously, it was not the outcome we wanted to have, but this was a heck of a high school football game,” said South Christian Coach Danny Brown. “You had two very good football teams battle it out to the end. Both teams had guys making plays the entire game. It came down to the final play and East ended up making one more play than we did.”


South Christian quarterback Carson Vis breaks free during Friday’s game. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



The deciding play of the game came on the final snap with two seconds remaining. That was when East Grand Rapids quarterback Carson Thornton dropped back to pass from the South Christian 30-yard line and lofted one to the corner of the goal line where Ian MacKeigan hauled in the ball in front of a pair of defenders and fell into the end zone just inside the pylon.


The touchdown capped off a five-play drive in the final 28 seconds that snatched the game away from the Sailors. East received the kickoff at their own 37-yard line and completed four short passes to move the ball down to South’s 30 and in position to win the game on the final play.

Sailors appeared headed for a win

South Christian appeared to have won the game when they scored a touchdown with 28 seconds left. Sailor quarterback Carson Vis put the Sailors up when he ran in from eight yards out giving South a 21-17 lead. The touchdown capped a thrilling four-play, 59-yard drive that began with just 55 seconds remaining in the game.



The highlight of the drive was a 33-yard pass from Vis to Jake Vermaas that gave the Sailors a first down at the East 17-yard line with 36 seconds remaining. South also needed to drive the ball without the benefit of a timeout as they depleted their timeouts on the previous drive when the Sailor defense forced East into a three-and-out.     

South needed its defense to come up with the crucial stand after the East defense came up with a big stop of its own. That was when East defensive back Glenn Green intercepted a tipped pass at the Pioneer 18-yard line to short circuit a South Christian drive with 2:04 remaining in the game.

“I’m proud of our guys,” Brown said. “They could’ve given up, but they didn’t back down. They made that defensive stand and got the ball back for our offense. They stepped up and gave our offense a chance.”

EGR strikes first

East Grand Rapids scored the first points of the game late in the opening quarter when Will Cannon capped a 14-play, 54-yard drive when he kicked a 36-yard field goal.

South Christian countered those points on the ensuing drive. The Sailors drove 80 yards in nine plays for a score coming on a picture-perfect 34-yard pass play from Vis to Vermaas. Nick Logan tacked on the extra point giving the Sailors a 7-3 lead early in the second quarter.

Those were the lone points of the first half as both defenses came up with big stops to end drives in the second quarter.


The South Christian defense lines up to defend against East Grand Rapids. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)


The third quarter saw both teams score on lengthy touchdown drives. East received the kickoff in the third quarter and embarked on a 12-play, 65-yard drive that involved all running plays. Scott Millman capped the drive, that totaled six minutes and 45 seconds, by running in from six-yards out putting the Pioneers up 10-7.


South responded with a touchdown drive of their own. Starting on their own 22-yard line, the Sailors drove 78 yards in eight plays. Vis capped the drive with a 24-yard touchdown run giving the Sailors a 14-10 lead.

The East offense answered that score on the following possession. Again, relying on their running game, East drove 89 yards in nine plays. Millman again capped the drive as he barged into the end zone from two-yards out putting East up 17-14 with 7:38 remaining in the game after the point after and setting up the game for the dramatic ending.

“We are going to use this game to fuel us,” Brown said. “I told the guys not to let this loss define our season. We have to use this game to find out where we are a little light. East is a very good football team and we are going to have more close games this season.”

South Christian returns to action Friday when it hosts Kenowa Hills in the WKTV Game of the Week during the opening week of OK Gold Conference action.  

Lee quarterback Anthony Blok sets school record with seven touchdown passes in 58-34 win over host Calvin Christian

City of Wyoming, Local Sports, Sports,
(WKTV/Bob Brenzing)



By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org



Last week, Clarence Lewis led the Legends with a big five touchdown game. This week, quarterback Anthony Blok took it to the next level with a school record seven TD passes in a 58-34 win over Calvin Christian in Grandville High School’s stadium.

Lee quarterback Anthony Blok. (WKTV/Hayden Passig)



Blok completed 15-of-25 passes for 419 yards in the win.



“He is a strong thrower, and has gotten a lot better this year,” said Lee Coach Lamar Marshall of his second-year captain. “With his throwing ability and his leadership, he has been our vocal leader on the offensive end. He has taken that and run with it.”

After going winless in 2022, the Legends are now on a different path at 2-0.

“They are locked in, they’re excited,” Marshall said. “They have bought into what me and my coaches have been preaching this year. It’s been beautiful.”



Marshall said his team was working on execution all week in practice leading up to the game.

“We were hammering executing all week and we executed great today,” Marshall said. “Offensively, it was one of the best games we’ve had since I’ve been here.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the guys today. They executed flawlessly.”

The teams traded scores in the first half and Lee took a 30-28 lead into halftime.

“In the first half we were back and forth, trading touchdowns, but we took control in the second half.”

Merriweather, Lewis and Davis

Wide receiver Aidan Merriweather scored four touchdowns (8 catches for 196 yards), while Lewis added two rushing and one receiving. Charles Davis had two receiving TDs as well (three catches for 160 yards).

Marshall said Lewis was his “glue guy.”

“He makes us stick together and is always encouraging the guys to be better the next play and forget about the last play. He doesn’t let them dwell on the last play. His senior leadership has been a bright spot.”

“The leadership from the players has been one of the brightest spots that we’ve had this year … keeping the spirits up and not yelling at each other and arguing when someone messes up. It’s a great thing to see the way they are all stepping up.”

WKTV Friday Night Highlights show is back Sept. 8!

Just like we did during basketball season, every Friday we’ll bring you many great high school football clips from the Wyoming and Kentwood area teams, highlight some top performers and their stats, give final scores, and show a snapshot of the latest conference standings in an exciting 30-minute program.

As a bonus, we’ll have a reporter on the field at the Game of the Week to interview coaches and players for the show and occasionally have them come into our studio for a live interview as well. 

You won’t want to miss all our great local coverage. Thanks for tuning in!

Byron Center knocked off East Kentwood 33-16

City of Kentwood, Local Sports, Sports, ,
(WKTV/Hayden Passig)



By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org



Check out our WKTV highlights from East Kentwood’s game against Byron Center Thursday night.



WKTV Friday Night Highlights show is back on Sept. 8!

Just like we did during basketball season, every Friday we’ll bring you many great high school football clips from the Wyoming and Kentwood area teams, highlight some top performers and their stats, give final scores, and show a snapshot of the latest conference standings in an exciting 30-minute program.

As a bonus, we’ll have a reporter on the field at the Game of the Week to interview coaches and players for the show and occasionally have them come into our studio for a live interview as well. 

You won’t want to miss all our great local coverage. Thanks for tuning in!

Orchard View beats host Godwin Heights 28-26

City of Wyoming, Local Sports, Sports, ,
(WKTV/Hayden Passig)



By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor


Check out our WKTV highlights from Godwin Heights game against Orchard View Thursday night.


WKTV Friday Night Highlights show is back on Sept. 8!

Just like we did during basketball season, every Friday we’ll bring you many great high school football clips from the Wyoming and Kentwood area teams, highlight some top performers and their stats, give final scores, and show a snapshot of the latest conference standings in an exciting 30-minute program.

As a bonus, we’ll have a reporter on the field at the Game of the Week to interview coaches and players for the show and occasionally have them come into our studio for a live interview as well. 

You won’t want to miss all our great local coverage. Thanks for tuning in!

Kelloggsville seeing improvement despite 35-7 loss to Laingsburg

Citizen Journalism, City of Wyoming, Local Sports, Sports, ,
(WKTV/Jake Westbrook)



By Zach Fanko

WKTV Contributor Writer



The Rockets quick start on Thursday night was extinguished by Laingsburg as the visiting Wolfpack left with a 35-7 victory.

Kelloggsville senior QB Jeremie Tsoumou broke several tackles on an electrifying 50-yard TD run on the game’s opening drive.

Senior QB Jeremie Tsoumou scored on a 50-yard TD run. (WKTV/Hayden Passig)

“Couldn’t have asked for a better start,” Kelloggsville Coach Brandon Branch said. “Our guys fought hard throughout the game.”

The Rockets were 1-8 a season ago and are off to an 0-2 start this season. Despite the tough start to the season, Branch sees improvement in both the effort and overall depth of their program.

“Last year, I feel like during a game like this we might have packed it in,” Branch said. “But our guys refused to back down and kept fighting.






“We had our opportunities tonight and I don’t believe the final score was indicative of how we played.”



Kelloggsville kicks off the OK Silver portion of its schedule as they head to Comstock Park next Friday to face the Panthers.



WKTV Friday Night Highlights show is back on Sept. 8!

Just like we did during basketball season, every Friday we’ll bring you many great high school football clips from the Wyoming and Kentwood area teams, highlight some top performers and their stats, give final scores, and show a snapshot of the latest conference standings in an exciting 30-minute program.

As a bonus, we’ll have a reporter on the field at the Game of the Week to interview coaches and players for the show and occasionally have them come into our studio for a live interview as well. 

You won’t want to miss all our great local coverage. Thanks for tuning in!