Wyoming Tri-unity Christian head coach Mark Keeler with his team at practice. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
By K.D. Norris ken@wktv.org
Wyoming Tri-unity Christian head coach Mark Keeler, having coached the Defenders for 32 seasons and just two wins away from 600 at the school, has had a lot of great teams over the years, state champions included.
So he does not make “comparisons,” he told WKTV at a light team practice on the eve of their MHSAA state Division 4 quarterfinal game Tuesday, March 12. But he does see a a big similarity between this season’s 21-3 team and his great teams of the past.
“I think they demonstrate the grit that it takes. That is what I like,” Keeler said. “They are not going to back down from anybody. I am not worried about them being intimidated by anybody.
“Now I might be a little worried about them being intimidated by being at the Breslin (Center, at Michigan State University, where the Final Four is held), looking around there. But they are not going to be intimated by the other team.”
And the Defenders are only one game away from seeing the Breslin Center.
After two district wins over Byron Center Zion Christian and Martin, Tri-unity, last week, defeated Marcellus Howardsville (68-56) and then Muskegon Heights Academy (62-53), in the Division 3 Region 29 tournament at Mendon to reach the quarterfinals, a neutral-site game to be played at Charlotte High School on Tuesday, March 12, at 7 p.m.
The Defenders’ opponent will be Bellevue (24-1, and winner of the Southern Central Athletic Association). The winner will move on to the Breslin Center for the state semifinals on Thursday, March 14, at 7:30 p.m., and, possibly, the finals on Saturday, March 16 at 10 a.m.
The Defenders are no strangers to this level of competition, having reached the Final Four eight times since 2000, with three state titles, in 2002, 2006 and 2011.
The Wyoming Tri-unity Christian team at practice. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
This year’s Defender team is captained by senior forward Bennett Sinner and senior guard Brayden Ophoff, with the other usual starters being 6-foot-4 senior center Elijah Badgero, senior guard Benson Heath and freshman guard Brady Titus. The top reserves include junior swingman Kurt Flynn, junior guard Ethan Rosendall, junior forward Dan Wierenga and junior guard Colin DeKlyen.
The leading regular season scorers for Tri-unity were Sinner at 12.4 points-per-game, with Titus averaging 12.0, Ophoff averaging 11.5 and Badgero at 8.1. Defensively, the team got a lot of steals, with 76 for Sinner, 59 for Ophoff and 34 for Titus. Badgero leads the team in blocks with 18.
“We don’t have a lot of height, but we have a lot of quickness,” Keeler said. “The key is we play really good defense.”
Other players on the Tri-unity postseason roster include: sophomore forward Derek Rowlader, junior forward Jayce Kaman, junior guard James Eerdmans, junior forward Ethan Knoth, junior guard Isaiah DeKlyen and sophomore center Austin Treece.
East Kentwood High School’s 2018-19 team. (Supplied/East Kentwood Falcons)
By WKTV Staff ken@wktv.org
After finishing the regular season with a four-game losing streak which dropped their season record to 11-9 and left them tied for third in the OK-Conference Red at 6-6, the East Kentwood High School boys basketball team has become the classic “survive and advance” tournament team this season.
After winning three tough games in the district tournament, then grinding out two two very tough wins in the Division 1 Regional 3 tournament at Holland West Ottawa last week — defeating Muskegon, 68-62, and then Hudsonville, 61-60 — the Falcons (now 16-9 on the season) will play in the MHSAA state Division 1 quarterfinals, a neutral-site game to be played at Caledonia High School Tuesday, March 12, at 7 p.m.
Incidentally, the regional final win over Hudsonville gave East Kentwood head coach Jeff Anama 220 wins as the team’s head coach, passing Mickey Phelps in the program’s record books.
East Kentwood’s opponent in the quarterfinals will be Okemos (22-2, and winner of the Capital Area Activities Conference-Blue), with the winner moving on to the Breslin Center at Michigan State University for the state semifinals on Friday, March 15, at 2 p.m., and, possibly, the finals on Saturday, March 16 at 12:15 p.m.
This will be the Falcons first quarterfinal appearance since 1998 and the first time they have advanced past district play in eight years.
East Kentwood’s playoff tournament run is all the more impressive, as head coach Jeff Anama pointed out in supplied information to WKTV, because “We have beaten three teams on our run that we lost to during the regular season … East Grand Rapids, Muskegon and Hudsonville — twice.”
The Falcon team is captained by senior guard Ryel Daye and 6-foot-4 senior forward Chris Brown, as well as junior guard Ja’moni Jones — who is the team’s leading scorer, with about 22-points-per-game in the regular season. The other routine starters for East Kentwood are 6-3 junior forward Jordan Jackson and 6-5 junior center Urim Sahitolli. The top reserves are 6-1 sophomore center Drapher Cribbs and junior guard Adonis Vashon.
While Jones has been the most consistent scorer for East Kentwood, coach Anama pointed out in supplied information that “four players have scored over 20 points in a game this year” — Jones, Daye, Brown and Jackson, while Sahitolli had a season high of 15 points.
Other players on the Falcons postseason roster include: sophomore guard Kellan Roelofs, sophomore guard Josh Mayhue, sophomore guard Kamarion Harris, junior forward Anthony Brown, junior guard Prince Shema, sophomore Jacari Barnes and junior forward Sean-Anthony Diggs.
Three local boys high school teams, including South Christian, are in the quarterfinals of the their state basketball tournaments/ (WKTV/Drew Dargavell)
By WKTV Staff ken@wktv.org
Boys basketball quarterfinal tournament update
East Kentwood in Division 1 state quarterfinals
East Kentwood (now 16-9 on the season), last week, defeated both Muskegon (68-62) and then Hudsonville (61-60) in the Division 1 Regional 3 tournament at Holland West Ottawa to reach the MHSAA state Division 1 quarterfinals, a neutral-site game to be played at Caledonia High School Tuesday, March 12, at 7 p.m. The Falcons’ opponent will be Okemos (22-2, and winner of the Capital Area Activities Conference-Blue). The winner will move on to the Breslin Center at Michigan State University for the state semifinals on Friday, March 15, at 2 p.m., and, possibly, the finals on Saturday, March 16 at 12:15 p.m.
South Christian (now 22-3), last week, defeated Coopersville (62-35) and then Grand Rapids Catholic Central (64-62) in the Division 2 Regional 11 tournament at Fremont to reach the MHSAA state Division 2 quarterfinals, a neutral-site game to be played at Calvin College Tuesday, March 12, at 7 p.m. The Sailors’ opponent will be Hudsonville Unity Christian (22-3, and winner of the OK Conference-Green). The winner will move on to the Breslin Center at Michigan State University for the state semifinals on Friday, March 15, at 5:30 p.m., and, possibly, the finals on Saturday, March 16 at 6:45 p.m.
Tri-unity Christian in Division 4 state quarterfinals
Wyoming Tri-unity Christian (21-3), last week, defeated Marcellus Howardsville (68-56) and then Muskegon Heights Academy (62-53), in the Division 3 Region 29 tournament at Mendon to reach the MHSAA state Division 4 quarterfinals, a neutral-site game to be played at Charlotte High School on Tuesday, March 12, at 7 p.m. The Defenders’ opponent will be Bellevue (24-1, and winner of the Southern Central Athletic Association). The winner will move on to the Breslin Center at Michigan State University for the state semifinals on Thursday, March 14, at 7:30 p.m., and, possibly, the finals on Saturday, March 16 at 10 a.m.
South Christian in Regional action at Coopersville
South Christian High School (now 14-9) won the Division 2 District 44 tournament at Grand Rapids Christian last week by defeating Godwin Heights to earn a spot in Regional 11 tournament at Coopersville this week. On Monday, March 11, the Sailors defeated the host Coopersville (16-8 after loss) by the score of 52-50, to advance to the regional tournament final, set for Wednesday, March 13, at 6 p.m. South Christian’s opponent will be Muskegon Oakridge (21-3), with the winner moving on to a Division 2 quarterfinal game.
East Kentwood High School won the Division 1 District 11 tournament at East Grand Rapids last week by defeating the host East Grand Rapids to earn a spot in the Regional 3 tournament at Grand Haven this week. On Monday, March 11, the Falcons (now 18-5) lost in the regional opening round to Muskegon, 67-46.
The South Christian High School boys basketball team celebrate one of their early tournament game wins. (WKTV/Drew Dargavell)
By Drew Dargavell, WKTV Sports Intern ken@wktv.org
South Christian’s boys basketball team seems to be unstoppable right now as they are winners of 19 straight games, champions of a district and now regional tournament, and one game away from a trip to Michigan State University’s Breslin Center for a state Final Four game.
South Christian (now 22-3) will play in the MHSAA state Division 2 quarterfinals, a neutral-site game to be played at Calvin College Tuesday, March 12, at 7 p.m., against Hudsonville Unity Christian (22-3, and winner of the OK Conference-Green). The winner will move on to the Breslin Center at Michigan State University for the state semifinals on Friday, March 15, at 5:30 p.m., and, possibly, the finals on Saturday, March 16 at 6:45 p.m.
South Christian’s last loss came on Jan. 4 against rival school Grand Rapids Christian, a team against which the Eagles ultimately avenged that loss, beating them 56-50 on the road on Feb. 1.
Two of the Sailors biggest wins of the year, however, both came against Grand Rapids Catholic Central, who went undefeated in the OK-Conference Blue and had only two losses in the regular season — one of which came against South Christian on Jan. 19 by a score of 54-42.
But in their second meeting, in last week’s regional final, everything was on the line, as South Christian looked to avenge their loss to Catholic Central in last year’s regional final. (Catholic Central went on to finish as state runner-ups a year ago.) In the rematch, the Sailors defeated the Cougars, 64-62.
After the game, South Christian head coach Jeff Meengs told WKTV that the game wasn’t about getting revenge on Catholic Central, however, but rather “the team just loves the thrill of advancing and keeping their state championship hopes alive.”
Catholic Central came into the game on a 12-game win-streak of their own, coming off of a blowout win in the regional semifinals against a then 15-7 Muskegon Orchard View by a score of 75-43 after taking out Grand Rapids Christian (16-5) and Ada Forrest Hills Eastern (12-10) in district play.
South Christian was also coming into the game off of a blowout regional semifinal win, defeating Coopersville by a final of 62-35, giving them their 18th consecutive win. Senior Luke Schrotenboer had a huge game, scoring 30 points while knocking down 4 3-pointers and shooting 12-of-16 overall from the field.
This regional final rematch was a very close one throughout, with a halftime score of 28-27 in favor of Catholic Central. The second half was very back-and-forth with the game eventually getting tied up at 62-62 with 11 seconds remaining.
Then, with the ball, South Christian senior Connor Kok drove the ball up the court and knocked down a mid-range jumper from the wing to give South Christian a 64-62 lead and force Catholic Central to heave up a last-second half-court shot that missed the mark and gave South Christian a payback win to move on to the state quarterfinals.
Kok was not only the hero at the end of the game, but led the way in scoring, putting up 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-5 on 3-point attempts. Kok also contributed five assists, five rebounds, and two steals. Senior Peyton Vis, who led the way in district play, put up 16 points and added three steals.
The team stats in the game were very comparable, but one key difference that stood out was the offensive rebounds in which South Christian had a 12-4 advantage over Catholic Central.
“Limiting them (Catholic Central) to four offensive rebounds was definitely key,” coach Meengs said. “And we only had eleven turnovers against an impressive defense, so I think those were two big factors in the game.”
This was not the first time South Christian has won it on a last second shot in the tournament as Tyler Buwalda hit a game-winning three against Godwin Heights in the district semifinal game.
“Our players are not afraid of the moment,” coach Meengs said on his team’s ‘clutch factor’. “They are confident under pressure and enjoy the big moments.”
The Sailors were looking for more than just revenge on last year’s regional final, as they now march on to the state quarterfinals with hopes of going the distance.
But first South Christian has to take care of business in the state quarterfinal matchup against a strong Hudsonville Unity Christian team, in which the Sailors are very familiar with. Unity Christian will enter the contest with a 23-2 record. Their last loss, however, came at the hands of South Christian.
“They were a little rusty earlier in the year coming off of the football season” Meengs said in a joking tone of their win against Unity Christian early in the season.
Like South Christian, Unity Christian is coincidentally on a 19-game win-streak as well, and are winners of the Ok-Conference Green, going 12-0 in conference play. Unity Christian comes into the state quarterfinals off of a tough regional final matchup against the defending Division 2 state champions, Benton Harbor, who had only lost one game all season. Unity Christian came away with a 63-54 win.
Coach Meengs told WKTV that this is a very interesting matchup because they know this Unity Christian team very well and vise versa. He said that not only did they play them earlier in the season but that these teams play each other in the offseason as well.
“All we can really do is go out there and play our game,” he said.
South Christian and Unity Christian will meet again on March 12 at 7PM at Calvin College. The winner will go on to play the winner of Ludington (13-10) and Alma (19-3) at the Breslin Center in the state semifinals.
For more updates on both girls and boys basketball playoffs, visit wktvjournal.org/sports.
The South Christian Sailors are the Division 2 District 44 tournament champions. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
By Drew Dargavell, WKTV Sports Intern ken@wktv.org
In what’s been a bit of an up-and-down season for the South Christian High School girls basketball team, they seem to be hitting their stride at the perfect time with a District title in their hands and a spot in the MHSAA Regional 11 tournament.
Following a convincing win in the Division 2 District 44 finals March 8 against Godwin Heights, the Sailors (13-9) will open play at Coopersville, against the host Broncos (16-7) tonight, Monday, March 11, in a 5 p.m. game.
The Sailors had a slow start to the season, starting off winning only two of its first seven games and then proceeded to win five straight games giving them a record of 7-5. After the streak came to an end, they went back-and-forth winning, then losing every other game for the remainder of the regular season putting their record at 11-9 and finishing in a tie with Grand Rapids Christian for third in the OK Conference-Gold with a conference record of 7-5.
So, in an almost de-facto tie-breaker between Christian and South Christian, they met in the district tournament semifinals.
Christian had the upper hand in the first meeting of the year, winning by a score of 51-41, while South Christian won the second meeting 48-41. But South Christian left no doubt in their district meeting as they defeated Christian 59-26, outscoring Christian 36-12 in the second half. Senior guard Sydney Cleary led the way in this one, scoring 18 points with three 3-pointers, while freshman Sydney Vis scored eight.
Their district final matchup came against a Godwin Heights team that entered the playoffs with a 9-10 record on the season. Godwin looked impressive in their first two district wins, beating West Michigan Aviation 51-17 and Wyoming Kellogsville 56-40.
But South Christian was on a mission as they jumped out to a whopping 44-7 halftime lead. Senior Emily Brinks put up 12 points in the first quarter and Sydney Vis scored 11 in the first half. They lifted their foots off the pedal a bit in the second half as they were outscored four-to-three in the third quarter, but finished the game off strong, winning by a final score of 55-19.
Brinks and Vis both ended up with 12 points. Cleary, who was the leading scorer in the semifinal game, ended up with just two points, but she was very active on getting her teammates involved in the scoring.
“I like to pass the ball a lot and get my teammates the opportunity to score as much as I can” Cleary told WKTV after the game. “But I also work on my own game when I need to and when my team needs it from me.”
WKTV also caught up with South Christian head coach Kim Legge after the game on their impressive district performances.
“It’s taken us all season long to get to this point,” Legge said, “but at this point in the season is when you really want it all to come together and that’s what’s happening for us.”
South Christian has now advanced to the regionals for a third straight season where they will take on Coopersville. Coopersville finished the regular season with a 13-7 record and finished third in the OK Conference-Blue. They are in the midst of a 6-game win-streak, which include three district wins coming against Grant, Sparta and Newaygo.
The winner will advance to the region 11 final against the winner of Grand Rapids Catholic Central (15-6) and Muskegon Oakridge (20-3).
Godwin Heights head coach Cassie Medina., center, talks to her team during a time-out in the Wolverines District final game. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
By K.D. Norris ken@wktv.org
After two impressive wins in the MHSAA girls basketball Division 2 District 44 tournament at Grand Rapids Christian High School and a spot in the district finals Friday, March 8, Godwin Heights’ season ended against a very good South Christian squad.
Despite being offensively overwhelmed by the Sailors in a lopsided first half, which ended with a 44-7 South Christian lead, the Wolverines’ “family” stayed together, stayed aggressive on defense, and made respectable the final score of 55-19.
“I just wanted us to bring it back … to respectability,” Godwin Heights coach Cassie Medina said to WKTV about how her team handled the second half of the game. “With a score like this it is easy to fall apart. The family thing is: ‘Stay together. Talk together. Be family’.”
Against South Christian, senior guard Raviear Koppenhofer led the Wolverines in scoring with nine points, all in the second half. And Koppenhoffer was also an offensive force in Godwin Heights two district early-round wins, a 51-17 victory over West Michigan Aviation, and a 56-40 semifinal win over Kelloggsville in which she scored 28 points.
Koppenhofer was joined by Destiny Craig and Josefa Shields as the only seniors on the squad.
The seniors “have definitely brought a lot to our team,” Medina said, and Koppenhofer “has been one of our bigger scorers (all season). She makes this team go.”
Medina also sees progress in her team, despite finishing at 11-11 after last year’s similar 11-10 season.
“Every year I want to progress, not go backwards,” she said. “Next year … I just want us to progress.”
One reason for her optimism is that the Wolverines fielded a team in the district tournament with only two juniors (Jordan Ballard and Chanelle Hatchett) but six sophomores.
“This is a young team,” she said. “I am definitely looking forward to this summer and next year.”
The sophomores on the team include Lanaja Polk-Craig, who scored seven points against South Christian; Lashay Lee and Hannah Barns, who scored eight points each in the win over Kelloggsville; as well as Diamond Johnson, Anika Clark and Jakaya Lay.
Kelloggsville head coach Bilal Muhammad talks to his squad during the team’s district game against Godwin Heights. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
By K.D. Norris ken@wktv.org
The Kelloggsville High School girls basketball team ended their season this week standing “solid” after tripling their season win total from a year ago and offering a good defensive effort against Wyoming Godwin Heights in the 56-40 loss Wednesday night in the Division 2 District 44 tournament at Grand Rapids Christian.
In the March 6 semifinal game, the Rockets had to rely on young players to provide much of their minutes and scoring due to a short bench. But the team’s coach had nothing but praise for his team’s 12-9 season, its emerging young talent and the toughness of his small senior class.
“We tripled our wins from last year,” head coach Bilal Muhammad said to WKTV after the game. “Last year we had four, this year we had 12. We stand solid and I am excited for the future … I’m proud of the effort they gave tonight, the effort was there. I just want to have the girls keep working hard.”
The future includes the Rockets fielding a team in the district tournament that included three freshmen and two sophomores among a nine-player squad.
This year’s Rockets girls basketball team relied on youth but had some good senior leadership. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
Kelloggsville was led by sophomore Nariah Collier’s 12 points, with 10 coming in the second half as she almost singlehandedly kept her team in the game. Junior Mercedes Chandler and freshman Brea’Ana Smalley each added six points. Freshman Sydney Hansma added five points.
“Our youth has stepped it up,” Muhammad said. “We are making strides. The future is looking great.”
The only seniors on the squad, Indonesia Carpenter and Symone Britt, scored four and five points, respectively But coach Muhammad said the pair brought much more than scoring to the Rockets this season.
“The seniors brought toughness to our team, toughness and leadership,” he said. “They have been here before so they can let the girls know what to expect here, but really toughness and leadership.”
Season highlights for the Rockets this season included starting 5-1, with a streak of four straight home wins highlighted by a win over Zeeland West and the title of their own Holiday tournament. They finished 6-4 overall at home and 4-6 in the tough OK Conference Silver.
Godwin Heights coach Cassie Medina, center, huddles with her team during the team’s district semifinal win over Kelloggsville Wednesday, March 6, at Grand Rapids Christian High School. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
By WKTV Staff ken@wktv.org
Godwin Heights and South Christian both won MHSAA girls basketball district semifinal games at the Division 2 District 44 tournament at Grand Rapids Christian on Wednesday night to advance to the tournament title game Friday.
In addition, East Kentwood will be playing for a district title after Wednesday night action at another tournament site.
WKTV’s featured high school sports coverage team was at the Grand Rapids Christian tournament site and covered both semifinal games, and will continue coverage of the tournament on Friday, March 8.
Godwin Heights vs. South Christian at Grand Rapids Christian
At Christian, Friday’s 7 p.m. title game will have Godwin Heights (now 9-10) against South Christian (12-9) after impressive wins Wednesday night. Godwin Heights defeated Kelloggsville (which finished the season 12-9), 56-40, in the first game and South Christian defeated the host Grand Rapids Christian, 59-26, in the nightcap. The winner will earn a spot in the Regional 11 tournament at Coopersville.
In the semifinal game, Godwin Heights was led in scoring by a dominating performance by senior Raviear Koppenhofer, who had 28 points including two 3-pointers and 6-for-7 from the free-throw line. Two sophomores, Lashay Lee and Hannah Barnes, added eight points each as Wolverine coach Cassie Medina used every player on her bench in the win.
Kelloggsville was led by sophomore Nariah Collier’s 12 points, with 10 coming in the second half as she almost singlehandedly kept her team in the game. Junior Mercedes Chandler and freshman Brea’Ana Smalley each added six points.
South Christian’s win was keyed by senior point guard Sydney Cleary’s 18 points, while freshman Sydney Vis added 12 points, all the second half when the Sailors turned a 23-14 halftime lead into the one-sided victory.
East Kentwood at East Grand Rapids
At the Division 1 District 11 tournament at East Grand Rapids, East Kentwood (now 17-4) will play the host EGR (20-2) in the Friday title game at 7 p.m. On Wednesday, the Falcons defeated Wyoming (8-13 to end the season), 73-49, while East Grand Rapids defeated Byron Center, 49-40. The winner will move on to the Regional 3 tournament at Grand Haven.
Boys basketball regional tournament update
After a series MHSAA boys basketball regional opening-round games Tuesday, local squads from East Kentwood, South Christian and Tri-unity Christian will be playing for regional titles tonight, Thursday, March 7.
East Kentwood at Holland West Ottawa
East Kentwood (now 15-9 on the season), defeated Muskegon (20-4 after loss) in the Division 1 Regional 3 tournament at Holland West Ottawa. The Falcons will now play Hudsonville (22-2 after a 51-42 win Tuesday over Grand Rapids Northview), with the winner moving on to the state quarterfinals starting on March 12.
South Christian at Fremont Regional
South Christian (21-3), defeated Coppersville (12-11), 62-35, in the Division 2 Regional 11 tournament at Fremont. The Sailors will now play Grand Rapids Catholic (23-2 after a 75-43 win over Muskegon Orchard View), with the winner moving on to the state quarterfinals starting on March 12.
Tri-unity Christian at Mendon Regional
Tri-unity Christian (20-3), defeated Marcellus Howardsville (22-2), 68-56, in the Region 29 tournament at Mendon. The Defenders will now play Muskegon Heights Academy (13-7 after a 66-56 win over New Buffalo), with the winner moving on to the state quarterfinals starting on March 12.
Featured game coverage
Featured games are broadcast the night of the contest and then at least once later in the week.
All Featured Games, as well as other high school sports and community events covered by WKTV, are available on-demand within a week of play at wktvondemand.com.
For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action each week, any changes to the WKTV feature sports schedule, and feature stories on local sports, visit wktvjournal.org/sports/.
South Christian defeated Grand River Prep with its offense and its defense, as shown here. (WKTV/Drew Dargavell)
By Drew Dargavell, WKTV Sports Intern ken@wktv.org
Grand Rapids South Christian High School’s impressive season pushes on to a MHSAA Boys Basketball Playoff regional tournament this week after the Sailors won the Division 2 District 44 championship on Friday, March 1, with an impressive win over Grand River Preparatory Academy, 68-38.
South Christian (now 20-3 on the season) will play in the Regional 11 tournament at Fremont, with a quarterfinal game set for Tuesday, March 5, at 8 p.m., vs. Coopersville (12-10).
“I think you can’t be satisfied with just winning this (District tounament)” Sailors head coach Jeffrey Meengs said after the Friday win. “These guys want to keep playing and they want to keep winning and they have the opportunity to do that.”
The Sailors are now in the midst of a 17-game winning streak after starting off the season 3-3, and they won the OK Conference Gold, going 11-1 in conference play and 17-3 in the regular season.
In the district tournament, which they hosted, the Sailors had to push through all three rounds of play, first taking out Wyoming Kelloggsville by a score of 77-37.
The next matchup did not come so easy however, as they took on the Wyoming Godwin Heights Wolverines, winners of the OK Conference Silver. The game was a back-and-forth defensive nail-biter which ultimately ended up a Sailors victory by a score of 47-45, thanks in part to a last seconds 3-pointer by junior Tyler Buwalda, who ended up with 15 points.
After the semifinal game, when asked if this game felt more like a title game, Meengs said: “Godwin is obviously very good … but Grand River Prep looked really good in their game, so we’ve definitely got to be ready to play on Friday.”
And ready to play the Sailors were in their district final matchup against the Kentwood Grand River Prep Titans (11-5 going in), as it seemed like it belonged to South Christian from the get-go.
The Sailors started to take control of the game about halfway into the first quarter as they closed out the quarter on an 11-0 run, giving them a lead of 19-8. From there, the Sailors outscored the Titans 23-5 in the second quarter, making it a 34-5 run to take a 42-13 lead heading into halftime. The Sailors didn’t look back in the second half as they ended up taking the district title game by a final score of 68-38.
It was a complete effort by the South Christian Sailors as they dominated the boards and smothered Grand River Prep on defense. The effort was led by Peyton Vis who scored 18 points, including 2 breakaway dunks, while Connor Kok added 10 points, Luke Schrotenboer scored 9, and Connor Dykema had 8.
On to the Regionals, and Coopersville
South Christian, after winning their second consecutive district title, moves on to face the Coopersville Broncos.
The Broncos finished in a tie for third place in the OK Conference Blue, going 7-5 in conference play and finishing the regular season 10-10.
Coopersville had a bye in the first round of districts and then beat Comstock Park, whom they had beaten in overtime both times they played in the regular season, in a close one, winning 52-51. In the District 42 title game, the Broncos beat Newaygo pretty handily by a score of 59-37 and are now 12-10 on the season overall.
After a series district title games Friday night, local squads from East Kentwood, South Christian and Tri-unity Christian will be playing for boys basketball state playoff Regional titles this week, with games starting Tuesday, March 5, with title games set for Thursday, March 7.
East Kentwood at Holland West Ottawa Regional
East Kentwood (now 14-9 on the season), which won the Division 1 District 11 tournament at Wyoming with a 67-66 win over the Wolves on Friday, March 1, will play in the Regional 3 tournament at Holland West Ottawa.
The Falcons will open action with a 6 p.m. game on Tuesday against Muskegon (20-3). The winner will then play the winner of a 7:30 p.m. game between Hudsonville (21-2) and Grand Rapids Northview (18-4) on Thursday, with the winner moving on to the state quarterfinals starting on March 12.
South Christian at Fremont Regional
South Christian (now 20-3), which won the Division 2 District 44 tournament title on its home court with a 68-38 win over Grand River Preparatory Academy on Friday, will play in the Regional 11 tournament at Fremont.
The Sailors will open action with an 8 p.m. game on Tuesday against Copperville (12-10). The winner of that game will play the winner of a game between Muskegon Orchard View (15-7) and Grand Rapids Catholic (22-2) on Thursday, with the winner moving on to the state quarterfinals starting on March 12.
Tri-unity Christian at Mendon Regional
Tri-unity Christian (now 19-3), which won the Division 4 District 114 tournament with a 58-40 win over host Martin on Friday, will play the Region 29 tournament at Mendon. The Defenders will play Marcellus Howardsville Christian (22-1) at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, with the winner playing the winner of a 7 p.m. game between Muskegon Heights Academy (12-7) and New Buffalo (13-9) on Thursday for a spot in the state quarterfinals on March 12.
For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action each week, any changes to the WKTV feature sports schedule, and feature stories on local sports, visit wktvjournal.org/sports/.
WKTV’s coverage of girls high school basketball continues this month with District tournament play. (WKTV)
By WKTV Staff ken@wktv.org
Wyoming and Kentwood area girls basketball teams will be in district play this week, but you will need to travel a little to catch any of the action live as the nearest district tournament site is at Grand Rapids Christian, where Kentwood Grand River Prep, West Michigan Aviation, Godwin Heights, Kelloggsville and South Christian will all be in action.
And at GR Christian is where WKTV’s featured high school sports coverage team will be this week, starting Wednesday, March 6, and continuing coverage of the tournament on Friday, March 8. Additionally, WKTV will file WKTV Journal online-print reports on the results of all the games involving local teams as the week goes on.
At Christian, action begins Monday, March 4, in the Division 2 District 44 tournament, where West Michigan Aviation (9-11) and Godwin Heights (7-10) play at 5:30 p.m., and Grand River Prep (9-8) vs. GR Christian (10-10) @ 7 p.m.
The tournament will continue on Wednesday, March 6, with the W. Mich. Aviation/Godwin Heights winner vs. Kelloggsville (12-8) at 5:30 p.m., and the Grand River Prep/Christian winner vs. South Christian (11-9) at 7 p.m. The winners will then play Friday, March 8, at 8 p.m. for a spot in the Regional 11 tournament at Coopersville.
Division 1 District 11 at East Grand Rapids
At the Division 1 District 11 tournament at East Grand Rapids, the Monday games will have East Kentwood (15-4) vs. Grandville (4×16) at 6 p.m., and East Grand Rapids (18-2) vs. GR Ottawa Hills (15-5) at 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 6, games at East Grand Rapids will have the East Kentwood/Grandville winner vs. Wyoming (8-12) at 6 p.m., and the East Grand Rapids/Ottawa Hills winner vs. Byron Center (15-5) at 7:30 p.m. The winners will play Friday, March 8, at 7 p.m., for a spot in the Regional 3 tournament at Grand Haven.
Division 3 District 74 at Saugatuck
At the Division 3 District 74 tournament at Saugatuck, the Monday games will be Fennville (8-12) vs. Wyoming Potter’s House (13) at 6 p.m., and Grandville Calvin Christian (6-11) vs. Holland Black River (8-11) at 7 p.m.
Wednesday games at Saugatuck will have the Fennville/Potter’s House winner vs. Covenant Christian (4-15) at 5:30 p.m., and the Calvin Christian/Holland Black River winner vs. Saugatuck (9-11) at 7 p.m. The winners will play Friday, March 8, at 6 p.m., for a spot in the Regional 19 tournament at Kent City.
Division 4 at Martin and Muskegon Catholic Central
At the Division 4 District 114 tournament at Martin, the Monday game will be Covert (5-12) vs. West Michigan Lutheran (14-6) at 6:30 p.m. On Wednesday, March 6, the games will be Lawrence (4-15) vs. Byron Center Zion Christian (8-11) at 5:30 p.m., and the Covert/West Michigan Lutheran winner vs. Martin (15-3) at 7 p.m.
Also in Division 4, at the District 113 at Muskegon Catholic Central, starting on Wednesday, March 6, the games will have Muskegon Heights Academy (0-16) vs. Fruitport Calvary Christian (15-5) at 5:30 p.m., and Tri-unity Christian (2-17) vs. Muskegon Catholic Central (6-13) at 7:15 p.m.
The winners from the Wednesday District 113 games will play Friday at 7 p.m., at Muskegon Catholic Central, while the winners from the Wednesday District 114 games will play Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Martin. Both district winners will move on to play at the Regional 29 tournament at Mendon.
Featured game coverage
Featured games are broadcast the night of the contest and then at least once later in the week.
All Featured Games, as well as other high school sports and community events covered by WKTV, are available on-demand within a week of play at wktvondemand.com.
For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action each week, any changes to the WKTV feature sports schedule, and feature stories on local sports, visit wktvjournal.org/sports/.
Angel Chan talks to WKTV about her being honored. (WKTV video)
By WKTV Staff ken@WKTV.org
Wyoming High School honored great players past and present as the Wolves hosted their Hall of Fame Basketball Community Night, and hosted Hudsonville high’s teams, for a pair of games and several ceremonies Friday, Feb. 15.
The highlight of the evening was Wyoming Hall of Fame (which includes players from Wyoming Park and Rodgers high schools) inducting Rick Heuvelman, Robin Bolitho, Angel Chan, Roxie Claxton, Dave Greco and Anthony Thomas — as well as the 1994 state semi-final Wyoming Park boys basketball team.
But there was plenty of other events on what was also 2018-19 basketball senior night. On the boys side, four seniors played their final regular season game on their home court. They were Payton Stark, Andrae Wells, Menilek McGee and Zach Fry.
1994 Wyoming Park team
At the halftime of the boy’s game, the 1994 Wyoming Park boys basketball team, led by coach Kelly McEwen, was recognized and honored.
Their 22-5 record won an OK White conference championship, along with a district, regional and quarterfinal championship. According to supplied information, the team was comprised of five seniors and nine juniors, and “they combined defensive toughness and offensive togetherness” to defeat two of the top three ranked Class B teams in the state during its 1994 tournament run, including a dramatic 64-60 victory over a 24-1 Sturgis team. In that game the team made 13 three pointers, which tied a tournament record for 3’s made in a game at that time.
The team included Mike Brown, Marc Drougal, Mark Herrema, Jerry Jordan, Terry Krosschell, Daryl Lamar, Joe McKenzie, Kirk Scharphorn, Shawn Veenstra, Mark Baker, Ryan Baumbach, Joe Burke, Bob Henning and Matt Perez, along with assistant coach TJ Restau and head coach McEwen.
Individual Hall of Fame inductees
After the conclusion of the boys game that night, the individual Hall of Fame inductees were honored.
Heuvelman is a graduate of Rogers High School, where he played football, basketball, and baseball, and was Athlete of the year at Rogers High School in 1974. He earned All Conference honors in football on offense and defense. In baseball, he was All Conference for two years. Heuvelman went on to play baseball at Aquinas College, where in 1979 he was named to the All American Baseball Team and is also in the Aquinas College Hall of Fame.
Bolitho graduated from Rogers High School in 2001. She was a four year varsity basketball letter winner while averaging 17 points a game. She was a three-year All Conference, All Area player in basketball. In 2001 She was received basketball All State honors and her teams won the conference championship for two of her four years. In softball, she was on three state championship teams. During this time she was All Conference, All Area, and All State three times at three different positions.
Chan was one of Wyoming Public Schools best basketball players. She earned her varsity letter at Wyoming Park all four years and was twice selected to the Associated Press and Detroit Free Press All State team. In 2004 and 2005 She was O.K. Gold All Conference and scored over 1400 points for Wyoming Park. She led her basketball team to Conference Championships and to the State Regional Finals. After high school, Chan received a full ride scholarship to play basketball at Central Michigan University. At Central Michigan she became one of the schools all-time leading scorers.
Greco played for three years of varsity football at Wyoming Park. He was named to the 1979/80 All Conference all Areas football team. His senior year, he was All Area and All State in football at Wyoming Park. In 1981 he was selected from thousands of players throughout the State of Michigan to play in the 1st Annual MHSAA High School All Star at Michigan State University. In baseball, he was a three-year letter winner, two-year All Conference, and his senior year was selected to the All Region Team. As a one-year wrestler his senior year he was 15-8 and a member of the Conference Championship team. He went on to play football in college and he earned baseball scholarship to attend Grand Valley State University.
Thomas was a three sport athlete for Wyoming Rogers High School during the 1990-91 season. He played football, basketball and track, and it was in track and field were he set records and went to MHSAA State Meet. He ran the 100 yard dash, 200 yard dash and the 4X100, 4×200 yard relays. In football, he was a two-way starter and selected to the All O.K. White All Conference, All Area and All State Class B teams at Rogers, and was the leader of the Rogers High School 1994 Class B State quarterfinalist. He went on to play football at Ferris State University.
Claxton was honored as a life-time achievement awards winner. In 1988 she started working in the concession stand at Wyoming Park High School. Since then, she has worked on the Frank Grimm Relays, became a athletic booster, band booster, Hall of Fame Committee member, chaperone, academic booster, Bond Construction Committee member, Title IX Committee member, and volunteered at all athletic events — including keeping scorebook for more than 25 years for the boys basketball team. She received her Master’s Degree from Michigan State University at age 55.
At halftime of the girls game, there was a ceremony for the Wyoming Dance Team Senior/Parent Night. Seniors on the team included Taina Rodriguez, Nicole Rodriguez, Guadalupe Rivera-Parada, Sanae Magoon, Heaven Coleman and Ramatu Kanneh.
The senior Godwin Heights High School boys basketball line up for the national anthem prior to the game at South Christian. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
By K.D. Norris ken@wktv.org
Godwin Heights High School head boys basketball coach Tyler Whittemore wanted more for his group of eight seniors who have been essential in building the Fighting Wolverines into the dominate team in the OK Silver Conference, again.
The team, as a fan t-shirt pointed out, have been the conference champs for 10 straight seasons and hoped to add another district title to its resume.
But in a Division 2 District 44 tournament semifinal game Wednesday that felt a whole lot like a finals game, Godwin Heights season came to an end with a tough-as-nails battle with tournament host South Christian, 47-45.
Both teams came into the district tournament with impressive records and OK conference titles: Godwin Heights finished the season at 15-6 (12-0 in the OK Silver), while South Christian is now 17-4 (10-2 and a conference title in the OK Gold).
As Whittemore said to WKTV after the game, he could not have been more proud of his team, especially his seniors, for their effort in this game and during a sometimes trying season.
Godwin Heights senior guard Jamaal Bailey (32), who drives to the basket here, and his fellow guards were part of a great defensive and rebounding effort. (WKTV/Drew Dargavell)
“Senior-led team. I love them. I appreciate all their hard work, their leadership and their toughness,” Whittemore said. “We started out 1 and 5, and being that tough mentally, they came in to the gym during the Christmas break, and all those other snow days and the stuff that we had. The guys were in the gym and improving every single day.
“These guys can be proud,” he said. “These guys are Godwin Heights basketball players and you can’t be more of a warrior than that.”
In the South Christian game, it was about as back-and-forth defensive struggle as possible: Godwin led 8-7 at the end of the first quarter, trailed 16-18 at the half and 30-31 at the end of three. And its seemed that the lead changed with every possession in the fourth quarter including a 3-pointer by Wolverine senior James Horrell with 35 seconds left gave his team a 45-43 lead.
But then the Sailors responded with a 3-pointer by junior Tyler Buwalda with 14.5 seconds remaining to give South Christian the lead for good.
Up to that late scoring outburst, defense and rebounding were the keys to the Wolverines matching points and toughness with the Sailors.
“That is a very good team there,” Whittemore said of the Sailors. “You have to give a lot of credit to South Christian, to that coaching staff — their players came to play and we did too, and that was a fun game to watch. … We were able to be very intense, but level-minded, against this very good team that really helped us.”
While it seemed as though senior Godwin big man Marshawn Kneeland was in the middle of the Wolverine down-low defense and rebounding effort all night, coach Whittemore also loved the work of his guards.
The rebounding success was “our guards coming down, our 5(-foot)-8, 5-10 guards coming down and grabbing those balls,” he said. “A lot of credit goes to our big guys, they were really being physical, but a lot of credit to our guards coming down and helping out as well.”
For the game, South Christian was led by senior Peyton Vis’s 17 points, while Buwalda had 15 total and senior Derek Meyering added 10 points.
Godwin Heights was led by Horrell’s 13 points, while senior Jaylen Coates added 12 and Kneeland and fellow senior Jamaal Bailey added eight points each. Other seniors on the team included Bryson Chandler, Karen Brown, De’Amontae Clark and Jadon Ivy.
For the season, Bailey, Coates and Horrell gained First Team All-Conference honors, while Clark earned All-Conference Honorable Mention.
This game, and all Featured Games, as well as other high school sports and community events covered by WKTV, are available on-demand within a week of play at wktvondemand.com.
Wyoming High School will host a District final game Friday. (Supplied)
By K.D. Norris ken@wktv.org
After a round of semifinal games Wednesday night, local squads from Wyoming, East Kentwood, South Christian Tri-unity Christian and Wyoming Potter’s House will be playing for boys basketball state playoff District titles, in tournament championship games on Friday, March 1.
South Christian (now 18-4 on the season), which is hosting the Division 2 District 44 tournament, earned the title game with a 47-45 win over Wyoming Godwin Heights (15-6) in a district semifinal Feb. 27. In the, finals, set for 7 p.m., the Sailors will face against Grand River Prep (11-4) after the Titans defeated West Michigan Aviation Academy, 63-41. The winner will then move on to the Regional 11 at Fremont next week.
WKTV’s featured high school sports coverage teams was at South Christian for the Wednesday game and will continue coverage of the tournament on Friday.
At Wyoming, in the Division 1 District 11 tournament hosted by the Wolves, Wyoming (10-11) and East Kentwood (13-9) will be in the title game, set to start at 7 p.m. The Wolves earned a spot in the finals by defeating Caledonia, 69-61, Wednesday, while East Kentwood defeated East Grand Rapids 74-59. The winner will move on to the Regional 3 at Holland West Ottawa.
In Wyoming’s win, Monte Parks led the scoring with 19 points including three 3-pointers, Menalito McGee also had three 3s and scored 13 points including eight in the fourth quarter, while Marion Parks added 11.
In East Kentwood’s win, Ja’moni Jones scored 20 points, including 10 in the first quarter and eight in the fourth, and Jordan Jackson also scored 20 points.
At Tri-unity, in the Division 4 District 114 tournament, Tri-unity (18-3) will host Martin (14-3) in the title game after semifinal action Wednesday night, when the Defenders defeated Zion Christian, 41-27, and Martin defeated Holland Calvary, 59-52. The title game is set for 6:30 p.m., with the winner moving on to the Region 29 at Mendon.
Finally, in the title game of the Division 3 District 75 tournament at Grandville Calvin Christian, Wyoming Potter’s House (19-1) will take on host Calvin Christian (9-10). On Wednesday, Potter’s House defeated Covenant Christian, 75-72, in overtime, while Calvin Chrisitan defeated Saugatuck, 80-43. The winner of the finale, scheduled for 7 p.m., will move on to the Regional 19 at NorthPointe Christian.
Featured games are broadcast the night of the contest and then at least once later in that weekend or week.
All Featured Games, as well as other high school sports and community events covered by WKTV, are available on-demand within a week of play at wktvondemand.com.
For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action each week, any changes to the WKTV feature sports schedule, and feature stories on local sports, visit wktvjournal.org/sports/.
A previous game televised by WKTV at Wyoming High School. (WKTV)
By K.D. Norris ken@wktv.org
Wyoming, South Christian and Tri-unity Christian high schools will each host boys basketball state playoff District opening-round tournaments, starting Monday for some, and each concluding with championship games on Friday, March 1.
South Christian (16-4, 10-2 in OK Gold) will enter district play as a conference champion. In the same district tournament will be Wyoming Godwin Heights (15-5, 12-0 in OK Silver), also a conference champion. They could meet in a district semifinal on Wednesday, Feb. 27, at South Christian.
So, WKTV’s featured high school sports coverage teams will be at South Christian starting Wednesday, Feb. 27, and will continue coverage of the tournament on Friday. Additionally, WKTV will file WKTV Journal online-print reports on the results of all the games involving local teams as the week goes on.
Wyoming Potter’s House (18-1, 8-0 in Alliance League) was also its conference champion, edging out Tri-unity Christian (17-3, 7-1 in Alliance League) by virtue of a 54-53 win on the road at Tri-unity in January.
Division 1 tournament at Wyoming
The Division 1 District 11 tournament at Wyoming will open with games Monday, Feb. 25, with Byron Center (5-15 record on the season) squaring off against East Kentwood (11-9) at 6 p.m. and Ottawa Hills (2-16, before a Feb. 22 game vs. Lowell) vs. Wyoming (8-11) following at 7:30 p.m.
The winners of the Monday games will play Wednesday, Feb. 27, with the winner of the Byron Center/East Kentwood game playing East Grand Rapids (7-13) at 6 p.m., and the Ottawa Hills/Wyoming winner playing Caledonia (4-15) at 7:30 p.m.
The winners of the Wednesday games will play for the district title March 1 at 7 p.m., and then move on to the Regional 3 at Holland West Ottawa.
Division 2 tournament at South Christian
In the Division 1 District 44 tournament, South Christian will play in the opening-round, Monday game, on their home floor, playing Wyoming Kelloggsville (4×16, 3-9 in OK Silver) at 7 p.m.
The tournament continues on Wednesday, Feb. 27, with Grand River Prep (10-4) playing West Michigan Aviation Academy (9-11, 5-4 in Alliance League) at 5:30 p.m., and the Kelloggsville/South Christian winner playing Godwin Heights at 7:30 p.m.
The winners of the Wednesday games will play for the district title March 1 at 7 p.m., and then move on to the Regional 11 at Fremont.
Division 4 tournament at Tri-unity Christian
In the Division 4 District 114 tournament, starting on Wednesday, Feb. 27, Zion Christian (6-13) will play host Tri-unity Christian (17-3, 7-1 in Alliance League) at 7 p.m. In the other game, Holland Calvary (11-6) will play Martin (13-3) at 5:30 p.m.
The winners of the Wednesday games will play for the district title March 1 at 6:30 p.m., and then move on to the Region 29 at Mendon.
Other local teams in District play
In the Division 2 District 43 tournament, this one at Ada Forest Hills Eastern, Wyoming Lee (2-17, 1-11 in OK Silver) will play the winner of a Monday game between Wellspring Prep (5-13) and Forest Hills Eastern (11-9), in a second round game Wednesday, Feb. 27, at 7:30 p.m. In the other Wednesday game in this tournament, Grand Rapids Catholic (17-2) against the winner of a Monday game between Grand Rapids West Catholic (10-8) and Grand Rapids Christian (14-5).
The winners of the Wednesday games at Forest Hills Eastern will play for the district title March 1 at 7 p.m., and then move on to the Regional 11 at Fremont.
Finally, in a Division 3 District 75 tournament at Grandville Calvin Christian, Wyoming Potter’s House will play the winner of a Monday contest between Covenant Christian (7-13) and Fennville (10-10), with the second round game on Wednesday, Feb. 27, at 5:30 p.m. In the other Wednesday game, Calvin Christian (8-10) will play the winner of a Monday game between Holland Black River (3-17) and Saugatuck (3-15).
The winners of the Wednesday games at Calvin Christian will play for the district title March 1 at 7 p.m. and then move on to the Regional 19 at NorthPointe Christian.
Other local sports schedule:
Monday, Feb. 25 Boys Basketball East Kentwood vs Byron Center @ Wyoming – Division 1 MHSAA Districts Kelloggsville @ South Christian – Division 2 MHSAA Districts
Tuesday, Feb. 26 Girls Basketball East Kentwood @ Christian Tri-Unity Christian @ Godwin Heights Wyoming @ Union West Michigan Lutheran @ Potter’s House Grand River Prep @ Muskegon Catholic Central FH Northern @ South Christian Boys Hockey @ East Kentwood – MHSAA Regionals Boys Swimming South Christian @ Holland
Wednesday, Feb. 27 Boys Swimming @ East Kentwood – Second Shave Meet
Thursday, Feb. 28 Boys Swimming @ East Kentwood – MHSAA Diving Regionals Girls Basketball Kelloggsville @ Tri-Unity Christian Holton @ Wyoming Lee – Senior Night Grand River Prep @ Zion Christian Potter’s House @ Wellsprings Prep South Christian @ Byron Center
Featured games are broadcast the night of the contest and then at least once later in the week.
WKTV broadcasts on Wyoming and Kentwood cable channels. On Comcast cable, Channel 25 is the Community Channel, where sports events and other community events are shown; Channel 26 is the Government Channel, where local government meetings and events are shown. On AT&T cable throughout the Grand Rapids area, viewers go to Channel 99, and then are given the choice to watch Wyoming (or Kentwood) Community (Channel 25) or Government (Channel 26) channels.
All Featured Games, as well as other high school sports and community events covered by WKTV, are available on-demand within a week of play at wktvondemand.com.
For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action each week, any changes to the WKTV feature sports schedule, and feature stories on local sports, visit wktvjournal.org/sports/.
By Drew Dargavell, WKTV Sports Intern ken@wktv.org
The Wyoming Lee Rebels this season were wrestling district champions for the first time in their program’s history.
While some may see this as a true underdog story — and it was for a very small program which had to resort to practicing in the basement of a church, to which the kids had to walk three quarters of a mile, because the school did not have any extra facilities for them to practice at. But, for the wrestlers, it was all hard work and determination.
To win the district title, the Rebels took out Hudsonville Unity Christian in the first round, 50-29. Then in the district final, it seemed like all hope was lost when they were trailing 36-12 against Wyoming Kelloggsville with five matches to go.
The Rebels were then able to win their next four matches to tie it up at 36, with senior Enrique Moreno-Martinez up in the final match. And he was in the right frame of mind for the task.
“What I was thinking in my head was ‘This is it, this could finally be the district title we need and that we want’,” Moreno-Martinez said to WKTV. And he won the match.
Mike Beasley. (WKTV)
Another big factor in the Rebel’s title was junior Mike Beasley, who scored for his team in both matches and eventually finished in third place in individual districts.
“I put the work in and I know my team has,” Beasley said. “But I am just going to have to work harder and harder.”
Lee head coach James Maxim was, understandably, very proud of his team’s dedication this season.
“They wrestle for the team more than anything else,” he said. “Win, lose, or draw, they’re always on the corner, supporting each other, that’s what’s so cool about these kids.”
Assistant coach Flavio Gomez. (WKTV)
Maxim said they couldn’t have done this without assistant coach Flavio Gomez, who realized the history of the Rebels winning the district title.
“Knowing that we had managed to make history happen, I was so happy,” Gomez said. “I had never felt any happier in my whole wrestling career.”
Wyoming Lee ended up losing in the first round of regional play to Comstock Park, but they still walked away from the season with their heads held high and history made.
This video story and all sports news segments are available on the WKTV YouTube channel. All featured games covered by WKTV’s sports coverage crew, as well as other community events covered, are available on-demand at wktvondemand.com .
For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action each week, any changes to the WKTV feature sports schedule, and feature stories on local sports, visit wktvjournal.org/sports.
WKTV offers on-demand viewing of the Wyoming and Kentwood high school sports, community events, and government meetings. (WKTV)
Mike Moll, WKTV Volunteer Sports Director sports@WKTV.org
Only one more week before the boys basketball playoffs start, but WKTV’s featured high school sports contests this week include a boys basketball game Tuesday, Feb. 19, with Belding at Wyoming Lee as well as a Friday, Feb. 22, boys hockey contest with Grand Rapids Christian at East Kentwood.
Later in the month and in early March, WKTV plans to send it coverage crew to boys basket district playoff sites for games that have our schools playing in.
Starting Monday, Feb. 25 and continuing Wednesday, Feb. 27, with finals on Friday, Feb. 27, local possibilities include the Division 1 district group at East Kentwood and/or the Division 2 district group at South Christian.
Starting Monday, March 4, and continuing Wednesday, March 6, with finals Friday, March 8, local teams will be playing in the Division 1 district group at East Grand Rapids and the Division 2 district group at Grand Rapids Christian.
In addition our featured games — where our sports crew and remote coverage truck will be on hand — we also have a weekly list of all local sporting contests for local fans to get out and enjoy in person — including state-level completions in bowling, swimming and competitive cheer.
Featured games are broadcast the night of the contest and then at least once later in the week.
WKTV broadcasts on Wyoming and Kentwood cable channels. On Comcast cable, Channel 25 is the Community Channel, where sports events and other community events are shown; Channel 26 is the Government Channel, where local government meetings and events are shown. On AT&T cable throughout the Grand Rapids area, viewers go to Channel 99, and then are given the choice to watch Wyoming (or Kentwood) Community (Channel 25) or Government (Channel 26) channels.
All Featured Games, as well as other high school sports and community events covered by WKTV, are available on-demand within a week of play at wktvondemand.com.
For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action each week, any changes to the WKTV feature sports schedule, and feature stories on local sports, visit wktvjournal.org/sports/.
Tuesday, Feb. 19 Boys Basketball Grandville @ East Kentwood Calvin Christian @ Kelloggsville East Grand Rapids @ Wyoming – Senior Night Belding @ Wyoming Lee – WKTV Featured Event Fennville @ Tri-Unity Christian Holland Black River @ Zion Christian Holland Calvary @ West Michigan Aviation WMAES @ West Michigan Lutheran Fruitport Calvary Christian @ Grand River Prep Wayland @ South Christian Girls Basketball East Kentwood @ Grandville Kelloggsville @ Calvin Christian Wyoming @ East Grand Rapids Wyoming Lee @ West Michigan Aviation Fennville @ Tri-Unity Christian Holland Black River @ Zion Christian Martin @ Potter’s House WMAES @ West Michigan Lutheran Fruitport Calvary Christian @ Grand River Prep South Christian @ Wayland Boys/Girls Bowling Kelloggsville @ Godwin Heights Potter’s House @ Wyoming Lee
Wednesday, Feb. 20 Boys Hockey East Kentwood @ FH Northern Girls Basketball Godwin Heights @ Benton Harbor South Christian @ Hudsonville
Thursday, Feb. 21 Boys Swimming East Kentwood @ Hudsonville – Diving Prelims Boys Basketball Tri-Unity Christian @ West Michigan Aviation West Michigan Lutheran @ Battle Creek Academy Girls Basketball Tri-Unity Christian @ West Michigan Aviation Potter’s House @ NorthPointe Christian
Friday, Feb. 22 Boys/Girls Bowling @ Jenison – Fairlanes Bowling Center – Division 1 MHSAA Team Regionals @ Vicksburg – Continental Lanes – Division 2 MHSAA Team Regionals @ Catholic Central – Park Center Lanes – Division 3 MHSAA Team Regionals @ Lake Odessa Lakewood – M-66 Bowl – Division 3 MHSAA Team Regionals @ Holton – Sherman Bowling Center – Division 4 MHSAA Team Regionals Boys Swimming East Kentwood @ Hudsonville – Swimming Prelims South Christian @ Hastings Boys Basketball Grand Haven @ East Kentwood Calvin Christian @ Godwin Heights Kelloggsville @ Covenant Christian Wyoming @ Middleville T-K Wyoming Lee @ NorthPointe Christian Tri-Unity Christian @ Muskegon Oakridge Calhoun Christian @ Zion Christian Potter’s House @ Lansing Christian Sparta @ Grand River Prep South Christian @ FH Eastern Girls Basketball Grand Haven @ East Kentwood Calvin Christian @ Godwin Heights Kelloggsville @ Holland Black River Wyoming @ Middleville T-K Calhoun Christian @ Zion Christian Potter’s House @ Lansing Christian Tri-Unity Christian @ West Michigan Lutheran Grand River Prep @ Lakewood Lake Odessa South Christian @ FH Eastern Boys Hockey Christian @ East Kentwood – WKTV Featured Event Girls Gymnastics Potter’s House @ Lowell
Saturday, Feb. 23 Boys/Girls Bowling @ Jenison – Fairlanes Bowling Center – Division 1 MHSAA Individual Regionals @ Vicksburg – Continental Lanes – Division 2 MHSAA Individual Regionals @ Catholic Central – Park Center Lanes – Division 3 MHSAA Individual Regionals @ Lake Odessa Lakewood – M-66 Bowl – Division 3 MHSAA Individual Regionals @ Holton – Sherman Bowling Center – Division 4 MHSAA Individual Regionals Boys Swimming East Kentwood @ Hudsonville South Christian @ Hastings Boys Hockey East Kentwood @ East Grand Rapids Girls Cheer @ Hartland – Division 1 MHSAA Regionals @ Kenowa Hills – Division 2 MHSAA Regionals @ Rockford – Division 3 MHSAA Regionals @ Caledonia – Division 4 MHSAA Regionals Boys Basketball West Michigan Lutheran @ Battle Creek Academy Girls Basketball East Kentwood @ Union
Monday, Feb. 25 Boys Basketball East Kentwood vs Byron Center @ Wyoming – Division 1 MHSAA Districts Kelloggsville @ South Christian – Division 2 MHSAA Districts
WKTV offers on-demand viewing of the Wyoming and Kentwood high school sports, community events, and government meetings. (WKTV)
Mike Moll, WKTV Volunteer Sports Director sports@WKTV.org
With the playoffs looming, WKTV’s featured high school game this week will be a Friday, Feb. 15, boys and girls basketball games with Middleville Thronapple-Kellogg at South Christian.
The rest of the tentative monthly featured game coverage schedule is:
Tuesday, Feb. 19: Boys basketball, Belding at Wyoming Lee Friday, Feb. 22: Boys Hockey, Grand Rapids Christian at East Kentwood Week of February 25–29: Boys basketball, TBD
In addition our featured games — where our sports crew and remote coverage truck will be on hand — we also have a weekly list of all local sporting contests for local fans to get out and enjoy in person.
Featured games are broadcast the night of the contest and then at least once later in the week.
WKTV broadcasts on Wyoming and Kentwood cable channels. On Comcast cable, Channel 25 is the Community Channel, where sports events and other community events are shown; Channel 26 is the Government Channel, where local government meetings and events are shown. On AT&T cable throughout the Grand Rapids area, viewers go to Channel 99, and then are given the choice to watch Wyoming (or Kentwood) Community (Channel 25) or Government (Channel 26) channels.
All Featured Games, as well as other high school sports and community events covered by WKTV, are available on-demand within a week of play at wktvondemand.com.
For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action each week, any changes to the WKTV feature sports schedule, and feature stories on local sports, visit wktvjournal.org/sports/.
Following is this week’s schedule:
Monday, Feb. 11 Boys/Girls Bowling Rockford @ East Kentwood Godwin Heights @ Wyoming Lee Hopkins @ Kelloggsville Wyoming @ East Grand Rapids Girls Cheer Wyoming @ FH Eastern Girls Basketball Zion Christian @ Saugatuck Girls Gymnastics Potter’s House @ Rockford Boys Basketball Muskegon Catholic Central @ Grand River Prep
Tuesday, Feb. 12 Boys/Girls Bowling East Kentwood @ Hudsonville Wyoming @ Middleville T-K Crossroads Charter Academy @ Potter’s House South Christian @ East Grand Rapids Boys Basketball East Kentwood @ Hudsonville Wyoming Lee @ Godwin Heights Kelloggsville @ Hopkins Christian @ Wyoming – Teacher Appreciation Night Holland Black River @ Tri-Unity Christian Western Michigan Christian @ Zion Christian Kalamazoo Hackett @ Potter’s House West Michigan Aviation @ Martin West Michigan Lutheran @ Algoma Christian South Christian @ Covenant Christian Girls Basketball Hudsonville @ East Kentwood Hopkins @ Kelloggsville Wyoming @ Christian Holland Black River @ Tri-Unity Christian Zion Christian @ Muskegon Catholic Central West Michigan Aviation @ Martin West Michigan Lutheran @ Algoma Christian Covenant Christian @ South Christian Boys Swimming South Christian @ Ottawa Hills
Wednesday, Feb. 13 Boys Wrestling Wyoming Lee @ MHSAA Team Regionals Boys/Girls Bowling Hudsonville @ East Kentwood Calvin Christian @ Godwin Heights Wyoming Lee @ NorthPointe Christian Girls Cheer East Kentwood @ Comstock Park Wyoming @ Comstock Park Godwin Heights @ Hopkins Kelloggsville @ Hopkins
Thursday, Feb. 14 Boys/Girls Bowling Grand Haven @ East Kentwood Calvin Christian @ Kelloggsville Tri-Unity Christian @ Potter’s House – Boys only FH Eastern @ South Christian
Friday, Feb. 15 Boys Basketball East Kentwood @ Rockford Godwin Heights @ NorthPointe Christian Belding @ Kelloggsville Hudsonville @ Wyoming – Hall of Fame Night Wyoming Lee @ Hopkins Covenant Christian @ Tri-Unity Christian Zion Christian @ Calvary Christian Potter’s House @ West Michigan Aviation West Michigan Lutheran @ Barry County Christian Grand River Prep @ Holland Calvary Middleville T-K @ South Christian – WKTV Featured Event Girls Basketball East Kentwood @ Rockford Godwin Heights @ NorthPointe Christian Belding @ Kelloggsville Hudsonville @ Wyoming – Hall of Fame Night Covenant Christian @ Tri-Unity Christian Zion Christian @ Calvary Christian Potter’s House @ West Michigan Aviation West Michigan Lutheran @ Barry County Christian Hopkins @ Grand River Prep Middleville T-K @ South Christian – WKTV Featured Event Boys Hockey East Kentwood @ Muskegon Reeths-Puffer Girls Cheer Wyoming @ Muskegon Mona Shores – Division 2 MHSAA Districts Godwin Heights @ Comstock Park – MHSAA Districts Kelloggsville @ Comstock Park – MHSAA Districts Wyoming Lee @ Comstock Park – MHSAA Districts Girls Gymnastics @ Potter’s House
Saturday, Feb. 16 Boys/Girls Bowling East Kentwood @ Grandville Godwin Heights @ Calvin Christian Kelloggsville @ Calvin Christian Wyoming Lee @ Calvin Christian Wyoming @ Christian Boys Wrestling @ Grand Haven – MHSAA Individual Regionals Girls Dance East Kentwood @ Davenport University Invite Girls Cheer East Kentwood @ Rockford – Division 1 MHSAA Districts Godwin Heights @ Comstock Park – Division 3 MHSAA Districts Kelloggsville @ Comstock Park – Division 3 MHSAA Districts Wyoming Lee @ Comstock Park – Division 3 MHSAA Districts Boys Hockey East Kentwood @ West Ottawa
By Drew Dargavell, WKTV Sports Intern ken@wktv.org
Competitive Cheer, a growing sport in the state of Michigan, requires great stamina, physical strength, and athletic ability. And unlike some other states, the Michigan High School Athletic Association recognizes the female participants in Girls Competitive Cheer as athletes.
For those unfamiliar with competitive cheer, it consists of three rounds of competition. Each team is scored for each particular round and it’s requirements. The different rounds serve to highlight the strengths of a team in different aspects of cheer.
To get a more inside look into West Michigan cheer, WKTV caught up with cheer coaches from two local teams with different goals and outlooks. Chris Hudson coaches Division 1 East Kentwood, which not only won their conference last year, but also districts, regionals, and went to the state championships. Viktoria Lissner, from Division 3 Godwin Heights, coaches a team that finished last in their division last year but still has plenty of heart.
The common theme for both of these teams, however, is that cheer is more than just a sport to these athletes.
“Cheer for us is about the team bonding and being a part of something here at Godwin,” Lissner said to WKTV.
At Kentwood, they are in it to win it.
“For a lot of these girls, it’s the only sport that they do, they’ve been doing it since they were little kids and it means everything (to them),” Hudson said to WKTV.
This video story and all sports news segments are available on the WKTV YouTube channel. All featured games covered by WKTV’s sports coverage crew, as well as other community events covered, are available on-demand at wktvondemand.com .
For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action each week, any changes to the WKTV feature sports schedule, and feature stories on local sports, visit wktvjournal.org/sports .
WKTV offers on-demand viewing of the Wyoming and Kentwood high school sports, community events, and government meetings. (WKTV)
Mike Moll, WKTV Volunteer Sports Director sports@WKTV.org
February will bring some MHSAA State tournaments starting already as the high school winter seasons begin to wrap up, this includes girls cheer, boys wrestling, boys bowling, girls bowling and, starting the last week of the month, boys basketball will tip off “March Madness” in February with the girls version starting the following week.
WKTV will once again bring multiple events to the viewers throughout the month. Be sure to support your local school student-athletes in person by attending an event, but then watch for the broadcast.
This week’s featured game will be Tuesday, Feb. 5: Boys/girls basketball, Zion Christian at Wyoming Potter’s House.
The tentative monthly featured game coverage schedule is:
Friday, Feb. 15: Boys, girls basketball, Middleville T-K at South Christian Tuesday, Feb. 19: Boys basketball, Belding at Wyoming Lee Friday, Feb. 22: Boys Hockey, Grand Rapids Christian at East Kentwood Week of February 25–29: Boys basketball, TBD
In addition our featured games — where our sports crew and remote coverage truck will be on hand — we also have a weekly list of all local sporting contests for local fans to get out and enjoy in person.
Featured games are broadcast the night of the contest and then at least once later in the week.
WKTV broadcasts on Wyoming and Kentwood cable channels. On Comcast cable, Channel 25 is the Community Channel, where sports events and other community events are shown; Channel 26 is the Government Channel, where local government meetings and events are shown. On AT&T cable throughout the Grand Rapids area, viewers go to Channel 99, and then are given the choice to watch Wyoming (or Kentwood) Community (Channel 25) or Government (Channel 26) channels.
For complete schedules of programs on WKTV channels, see our Weekly On-air Schedule.
All Featured Games, as well as other high school sports and community events covered by WKTV, are available on-demand within a week of play at wktvondemand.com.
For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action each week, any changes to the WKTV feature sports schedule, and feature stories on local sports, visit wktvjournal.org/sports/.
Following is this week’s schedule:
Tuesday, Feb. 5 Boys Swimming Rockford @ East Kentwood Boys Basketball Godwin Heights @ Hopkins Kelloggsville @ Wyoming Lee – Hall of Fame Night Wyoming @ South Christian Lansing Christian @ Tri-Unity Christian Zion Christian @ Potter’s House – WKTV Featured Event West Michigan Aviation @ Creative Technologies Academy Libertas Christian @ West Michigan Lutheran Grand River Prep @ Wellsprings Prep Girls Basketball Hopkins @ Godwin Heights Tri-County @ Kelloggsville South Christian @ Wyoming – Teacher Appreciation Night Lansing Christian @ Tri-Unity Christian Zion Christian @ Potter’s House – WKTV Featured Event West Michigan Aviation @ Creative Technologies Academy Libertas Christian @ West Michigan Lutheran Grand River Prep @ Wellsprings Prep Boys Bowling Tri-Unity Christian @ Calvin Christian South Christian @ Zeeland Boys/Girls Bowling Grand River Prep @ Potter’s House
Wednesday, Feb. 6 Boys/Girls Bowling East Kentwood @ Grandville NorthPointe Christian @ Godwin Heights Belding @ Kelloggsville Wyoming @ Zeeland East Wyoming Lee @ Hopkins Boys Wrestling East Kentwood @ FH Central – MHSAA Team Districts Girls Basketball Grandville @ East Kentwood Kelloggsville @ Hopkins Wyoming @ FH Eastern Boys Basketball East Kentwood @ Grandville Hopkins @ Kelloggsville Wyoming @ FH Eastern NorthPointe Christian @ Wyoming Lee Girls Cheer Kelloggsville @ Godwin Heights Wyoming Lee @ Godwin Heights Wyoming @ Middleville T-K Girls Gymnastics Lowell @ Potter’s House
Thursday, Feb. 7 Boys Swimming East Kentwood @ West Ottawa South Christian @ Wayland Boys/Girls Bowling Godwin Heights @ Hopkins Kelloggsville @ Potter’s House Grand River Prep @ Tri-Unity Christian Boys Wrestling Kelloggsville @ Godwin Heights – MHSAA Team Districts Wyoming Lee @ Godwin Heights – MHSAA Team Districts Wyoming @ Grandville – MHSAA Team Districts Boys Basketball Zion Christian @ Wellsprings Prep Girls Basketball Zion Christian @ Wellsprings Prep
Friday, Feb. 8 Boys Hockey East Kentwood @ Chelsea Boys Basketball East Kentwood @ West Ottawa Belding @ Godwin Heights Kelloggsville @ NorthPointe Christian Wayland @ Wyoming – Coaches vs Cancer Tri-Unity Christian @ Holland Calvary Grand River Prep @ West Michigan Aviation East Grand Rapids @ South Christian Girls Basketball East Kentwood @ West Ottawa Belding @ Godwin Heights Kelloggsville @ NorthPointe Christian Wayland @ Wyoming – Coaches vs Cancer Grand River Prep @ West Michigan Aviation Holland Black River @ West Michigan Lutheran East Grand Rapids @ South Christian Girls Cheer Kelloggsville @ Caledonia – Scotastic Invite Boys/Girls Bowling South Christian @ Unity Christian
Saturday, Feb. 9 Girls Dance East Kentwood @ West Ottawa Boys/Girls Bowling East Kentwood @ Hudsonville Wyoming Lee @ Hudsonville Godwin Heights @ Muskegon Mona Shores Wyoming @ Muskegon Mona Shores Boys Wrestling East Kentwood @ Grand Haven – MHSAA Individual Districts Wyoming @ Grand Haven – MHSAA Individual Districts Godwin Heights @ Comstock Park – MHSAA Individual Districts Kelloggsville @ Comstock Park – MHSAA Individual Districts Wyoming Lee @ Comstock Park – MHSAA Individual Districts Boys Hockey East Kentwood @ Chelsea Girls Cheer East Kentwood – @ DeltaPlex Invite Wyoming – @ DeltaPlex Invite
Monday, Feb. 11 Boys/Girls Bowling Rockford @ East Kentwood Godwin Heights @ Wyoming Lee Hopkins @ Kelloggsville Wyoming @ East Grand Rapids Girls Cheer Wyoming @ FH Eastern Girls Basketball Zion Christian @ Saugatuck Girls Gymnastics Potter’s House @ Rockford Boys Basketball Muskegon Catholic Central @ Grand River Prep
Disc golf in the snow? Always possible at the Kentwood Freeze Fest. (Wikimedia Commons)
By City of Kentwood
The City of Kentwood has partnered with Great Lakes Disc to host its fourth Freeze Fest, a doubles disc golf tournament and food drive, on Saturday, Feb. 16.
Community disc golfers of all levels are invited to partake in the event at Jaycee Park (1088 Gentian Dr. SE). Funds raised will be used for Jaycee Park disc golf course improvements and food donations will help stock Kentwood’s Little Free Pantry.
On-site registration begins at 9 a.m. and the first round of the tournament starts at 10 a.m. The cost is $40, along with one canned food donation per team. Preregistration is available online at: www.kentwood.us/freezefest .
“This disc golf tournament is back by popular demand,” said Val Romeo, Kentwood Parks and Recreation director. “We had a great turnout for last year’s Freeze Fest with more than 120 participants and a successful food drive.”
In addition to restocking Kentwood’s Little Free Pantry with canned goods, last year’s event raised nearly $2,300 for the Youth Scholarship Fund, which allows recipients to receive up to 50 percent off of one program per season. It also raised an additional $235 for the pantry.
Located in the Kentwood Activities Center at 355 48th St. SE, Kentwood’s Little Free Pantry is a year-round resource for area residents to take or donate food and personal care items. No applications necessary. No questions asked. More information about Kentwood Little Free Pantry, including a list of suggested donations, is available online at kentwood.us/littlefreepantry .
Members of the Detroit Tigers Winter Caravan paid a special visit to the City of Kentwood Police Department on Friday, Jan. 25. Supplied/City of Kentwood)
By City of Kentwood
The Detroit Tigers visited the Kentwood Police Department on Friday, Jan. 25 to celebrate the department’s 50th Anniversary.
Detroit Tigers Manager Ron Gardenhire and players presented a special jersey to Kentwood Police Chief Thomas Hillen. (Supplied/City of Kentwood)
Tigers players and coaches presented Kentwood Police Chief Thomas Hillen with a framed jersey after joining police officers in training for a private lunch.
The visit was part of the Tigers Winter Caravan, where players and coaches make stops around the Detroit metro area and other parts of the state leading up to the annual TigerFest at Comerica Park. The tour allows fans unable to make it to TigerFest a chance to see some of their favorite players in person before the season.
Detroit Tigers Manager Ron Gardenhire with Kentwood Police Chief Thomas Hillen. (Supplied/City of Kentwood)
“We were honored to be included in the Detroit Tigers Winter Caravan in recognition of our 50th anniversary,” Chief Hillen said. “The Kentwood Police Department has been dedicated to serving the residents of our community with excellence since 1968. We are always humbled by the incredible outpouring of support shown to our officers and staff. “It is with great pride we continue our efforts to make Kentwood a great place to live and work for the next 50 years.”
Now in its 51st year, the Kentwood Police Department operates with 71 sworn officers who serve a growing population of approximately 51,000 residents through several innovative programs and community engagement efforts.
Of special note is the Department’s Data-Driven Approach to Crime and Traffic Safety, or DDACTS, program. DDACTS is an operational model that uses the integration of location-based crime and traffic data to establish effective and efficient methods for deploying law enforcement and other resources. The goal is to reduce the incidence of crime, crashes and traffic violations in the community.
DDACTS helps the Department further refine patrol efforts on specific areas based upon a temporal analysis of crime. This narrows down the days and times of crashes and criminal activity, allowing for a more effective presence and deployment of resources.
In 2016, the Department started a School Resource Officer Program as a collaborative effort between the community, schools and law enforcement to provide proactive law enforcement. Currently, the Department has two dedicated certified police officers assigned to specific school districts in the City. By working with educators, students and parents, officers work to reduce crime, increase security and promote a positive role model between youth and law enforcement.
Operation P.R.I.C.E., which stands for Preventing Retail Theft Through Initiative, Collaboration and Enforcement, has had a proven track record in helping local businesses decrease incidents of retail fraud since it was started by the Department in 2014.
As part of the program, Kentwood Police educate store employees on how they can discourage shoplifting and how to identify potential crime, as well as what to do when a shoplifter is caught. The partnership between police and store owners also provides increased police presence in stores and on the streets.
For many years, Kentwood Police has partnered with the Drug Enforcement Administration on its Drug Take Back program. Recognizing the need for community members to have a secure location to safely dispose of unused and/or unwanted prescription medications, the Department offers a free and anonymous drop-off location in the lobby, located at 4742 Walma Ave SE. Providing a secure location for proper medication disposal helps keep the community safe by helping to prevent potential accidental poisoning, misuse and overdose.
Beyond the Department’s programs, events such as National Night Out, Touch-A-Truck and Trunk-or-Treat are just a few of the activities that the Kentwood Police Department engages in to stay connected and build meaningful relationships within the community.
The Kentwood Police Department’s mission is to reduce serious crime, increase traffic safety, and serve our community with excellence.
More information about the Kentwood Police Department is available online at kentwood.us.
The West Michigan Whitecaps will soon begin play at Fifth Third Ballpark. (Supplied/West Michigan Whitecaps)
By West Michigan Whitecaps
Tigers pitchers and catchers report to Lakeland in a couple weeks, which means baseball and warmer temperatures are getting close!
When you think of baseball in West Michigan, you think of summers at Fifth Third Ballpark with the West Michigan Whitecaps and the smell of hot dogs, peanuts, and the wide variety of food selections.
To help us add to that variety, the annual Whitecaps Fan Food Submission presented by Visit Central Florida is now up and running. We’re asking fans to submit their ideas for what new food item they would like to have at Fifth Third Ballpark and thanks to Visit Central Florida the winning submission will receive a suite for one night.
This is the 10th consecutive year that a food item submitted by fans will be on the menu. Past winners include Ballpark Digest’s “Best New Food Item” for 2017, Beer cheese Poutine (a combination of pulled pork, waffle fries, beer cheese and bbq sauce), the Baco, Hot-To-Tot, and last year’s winner, Mt. Wing-Suvious, a mixture of mac ‘n cheese, beer cheese and buffalo chicken filling the center of a tower of onion rings, submitted by Grand Ledge native John King.
“The past couple years have been all about flavor, compared to when this first started which was about the weird, wacky, and unique,” said Whitecaps Vice President Jim Jarecki. “The submissions from our fans always make this a fun and exciting process.”
Submissions will be taken through Friday, Feb. 1. They can be made via e-mail at playball@whitecapsbaseball.com . All submissions should be accompanied by a complete description and a picture, if possible.
The ideas will then be pared down and starting Tuesday, Feb. 26 fans will be able to vote for their choice for the new 2019 concessions item. Voting will take place on the Whitecaps website. The winning entry will be on the menu for all fans to enjoy.
The Whitecaps open their 26th season on Saturday, April 6, against the South Bend Cubs at 4 p.m. Season and group tickets are now on sale. Individual tickets will go on sale in February. Complete ticket information, including season and group ticket prices and perks, is available at whitecaps whitecapsbaseball.com .
By Drew Dargavell, WKTV Sports Intern ken@wktv.org
After an illustrious career that spanned 38 seasons over 43 years, Jock Ambrose, head swim coach for the East Kentwood Falcons boys swim team, is stepping down from his position.
Ambrose accomplished a lot in his 38 seasons as head swim coach including 17 league titles, three state runner-ups, two state championships, and five Coach of the Year honors.
In his 43 years in the East Kentwood community, Ambrose not only served as the boys head swim coach but also as the boys water polo coach from 1977-1992, girls swim coach from 1994-1997, and athletic director from 1997-2001. He also served as Michigan Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association (MISCA) area vice president for seven years, and MISCA water polo chair for five years. He was the founder of the West Michigan Water Polo League, and a founding member of the West Michigan Swim League.
But it wasn’t any of the awards, honors or positions that Ambrose said he will miss most.
“It’s the people around here, in this community that have made it as special as it is and will make it tough for me to walk away,” Ambrose said to WKTV.
Ambrose had a lot of praise for his final team as head coach, currently in its winter swim season, and its group of seniors — “This senior class is a tremendous group of young men, and a great group of leaders.”
The coach went on to give praise to his three senior captains — Nick Cohey, Theo Duong, and Max Henderson — who have stuck with the program all four years.
Ambrose has hopes of finishing his final season in the top half of the team’s state swim division and “to make a nice showing at the state meet. It’s been a few years since we’ve done that and I think this senior class is ready to.”
Ambrose also had a very optimistic outlook on the future of this program once he’s done as head coach. “We’ve got a wonderful freshman class, they’re going to be very, very good, four of them have senior brothers on the team so that’s very exciting.”
This video story and all sports news segments are available on the WKTV YouTube channel . All featured games covered by WKTV’s sports coverage crew, as well as other community events covered, are available on-demand at wktvondemand.com .
For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action each week, any changes to the WKTV feature sports schedule, and feature stories on local sports, visit wktvjournal.org/sports .
WKTV offers on-demand viewing of the Wyoming and Kentwood high school sports, community events, and government meetings. (WKTV)
Mike Moll, WKTV Volunteer Sports Director sports@wktv.org
WKTV Featured Game high school sport coverage this week will include two girls/boys basketball doubleheaders, with Potter’s House visiting Tri-unity Christian Tuesday, and Wyoming high hosting Middleville Thornapple-Kellogg on Friday.
Show the local schools your support by going in person, but then watch WKTV for the events that are showcased each week. Check out the broadcast schedule at wktvjournal.org for replay dates and times.
The final featured coverage on the current tentative January featured game schedule is Thursday, Jan. 31, with boys swimming/diving, as Rockford visits East Kentwood.
In addition our featured games — where our sports crew and remote coverage truck will be on hand — we also have a weekly list of all local sporting contests for local fans to get out and enjoy in person.
Featured games are broadcast the night of the contest and then at least once later in the week.
WKTV broadcasts on Wyoming and Kentwood cable channels. On Comcast cable, Channel 25 is the Community Channel, where sports events and other community events are shown; Channel 26 is the Government Channel, where local government meetings and events are shown. On AT&T cable throughout the Grand Rapids area, viewers go to Channel 99, and then are given the choice to watch Wyoming (or Kentwood) Community (Channel 25) or Government (Channel 26) channels.
All Featured Games, as well as other high school sports and community events covered by WKTV, are available on-demand within a week of play at wktvondemand.com.
For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action each week, any changes to the WKTV feature sports schedule, and feature stories on local sports, visit wktvjournal.org/sports/.
Following is this week’s schedule:
Monday, Jan. 21 Boys/Girls Bowling Godwin Heights @ Calvin Christian South Christian @ Christian Kelloggsville @ Wellsprings Prep Wyoming @ FH Eastern Grandville @ East Kentwood Girls Gymnastics Potter’s House @ Rockford
Tuesday, Jan. 22 Girls Basketball Wyoming Lee @ Godwin Heights Wayland @ South Christian Calvin Christian @ Kelloggsville Wyoming @ East Grand Rapids Potter’s House @ Tri-unity Christian – WKTV Featured Event Grandville @ East Kentwood Fruitport Calvary @ West Michigan Aviation Zion Christian @ Algoma Christian Boys Swimming South Christian @ East Kentwood Boys Basketball South Christian @ Wayland Kelloggsville @ Calvin Christian East Grand Rapids @ Wyoming Wyoming Lee @ Belding Potter’s House @ Tri-unity Christian – WKTV Featured Event East Kentwood @ Grandville Fruitport Calvary @ West Michigan Aviation Flat River @ West Michigan Lutheran Zion Christian @ Ravenna Boys/Girls Bowling Northpointe Christian @ Wyoming Lee Tri-unity Christian @ Wyoming Lee NorthPointe Christian @ Potter’s House
Wednesday, Jan. 23 Boys/Girls Bowling Godwin Heights @ Hopkins East Grand Rapids @ South Christian Kelloggsville @ Wyoming Lee Christian @ Wyoming East Kentwood @ Rockford Boys Wrestling Godwin Heights @ Belding Kelloggsville @ Belding Wyoming @ FH Eastern Wyoming Lee @ NorthPointe Christian Cedar Springs @ East Kentwood Girls Cheer Godwin Heights @ Wyoming Lee Kelloggsville @ Wyoming Lee Wyoming @ Byron Center Girls Gymnastics FH Central vs Potter’s House @ Kenowa Hills
Thursday, Jan. 24 Boys Swimming South Christian @ Middleville T-K East Kentwood @ Grand Haven Boys/Girls Bowling East Kentwood @ Wyoming Lee Potter’s House @ Tri-unity Christian Girls Basketball Potter’s House @ Howardsville Christian Boys Basketball Potter’s House @ Howardsville Christian
Friday, Jan. 25 Boys Basketball Godwin Heights @ Calvin Christian FH Eastern @ South Christian Tri-Unity Christian @ Kelloggsville Middleville T-K @ Wyoming – WKTV Featured Event East Kentwood @ Grand Haven Barry County Christian @ Zion Christian Girls Basketball Godwin Heights @ Calvin Christian FH Eastern @ South Christian Middleville T-K @ Wyoming – WKTV Featured Event East Kentwood @ Grand Haven Potter’s House @ Kalamazoo Hackett West Michigan Lutheran @ Zion Christian Girls Cheer Wyoming Lee @ Hamilton Boys Hockey Kenowa Hills @ East Kentwood
Saturday, Jan. 26 Boys/Girls Bowling Godwin Heights @ Rockford South Christian @ Rockford Wyoming @ Rockford Boys Wrestling Godwin Heights @ Northview Kelloggsville @ Northview Wyoming @ Montague Wyoming Lee @ Reed City East Kentwood @ Lakewood Girls Cheer Kelloggsville @ Caledonia Wyoming @ Caledonia East Kentwood @ Caledonia Boys/Girls Dance Wyoming @ Jenison Boys Hockey East Kentwood @ Byron Center Girls Gymnastics Potter’s House @ Kenowa Hills
Monday, Jan. 28 Boys/Girls Bowling Godwin Heights @ Potter’s House South Christian @ Byron Center Calvin Christian @ Kelloggsville Wyoming @ Middleville T-K Wyoming Lee @ Belding East Kentwood @ Hudsonville Girls Gymnastics Rockford vs Potter’s House @ Kenowa Hills Girls Basketball Holland Calvary @ Grand River Prep
Tuesday, Jan. 29 Girls Basketball Muskegon Heights @ Godwin Heights South Christian @ Hudsonville Tri-Unity Christian @ Wellsprings Prep FH Central @ East Kentwood Potter’s House @ Grand River Prep West Michigan Aviation @ Holland Black River West Michigan Lutheran @ WMAES Zion Christian @ Ravenna Boys Basketball Calvin Christian @ South Christian FH Central @ Wyoming NorthPointe Christian @ Wyoming Lee Tri-Unity Christian @ Wellsprings Prep Potter’s House @ Grand River Prep West Michigan Aviation @ Holland Black River West Michigan Lutheran @ WMAES Muskegon Catholic Central
Wednesday, Jan. 30 Boys/Girls Bowling Kelloggsville @ Godwin Heights Wyoming @ South Christian Wyoming Lee @ Calvin Christian Grand Haven @ East Kentwood Boys Wrestling Hopkins @ Godwin Heights Kelloggsville @ NorthPointe Christian Wyoming Lee @ NorthPointe Christian Grandville @ East Kentwood Girls Cheer Godwin Heights @ Hopkins Kelloggsville @ Hopkins Wyoming Lee @ Hopkins Wyoming @ FH Eastern Girls Gymnastics Potter’s House @ Rockford
Thursday, Jan. 31 Boys Swimming South Christian @ West Catholic Rockford @ East Kentwood – WKTV Featured Event
WKTV offers on-demand viewing of the Wyoming and Kentwood high school sports, community events, and government meetings. (WKTV)
Mike Moll, WKTV Volunteer Sports Director sports@wktv.org
WKTV Featured Game high school sport coverage this week will include two girls basketball games, a solo game from Wyoming High Tuesday, and part of a boys-girls basketball doubleheader Friday from Godwin Heights.
The Jan. 15 game will feature Grand Rapids Christian at Wyoming. The Jan. 18 game will featured NorthPointe Christian at Godwin Heights.
Show the local schools your support by going in person, but then watch WKTV for the events that are showcased each week. Check out the broadcast schedule at wktvjournal.org for replay dates and times.
The rest of the current tentative January featured game schedule is:
Tuesday, Jan. 22 — Boys/Girls basketball: Potter’s House at Tri-Unity Christian Friday, Jan. 25 — Boys/Girls basketball: Middleville T-K at Wyoming Thursday, Jan. 31 — Boys swimming/diving: Rockford at East Kentwood
In addition our featured games — where our sports crew and remote coverage truck will be on hand — we also have a weekly list of all local sporting contests for local fans to get out and enjoy in person.
Featured games are broadcast the night of the contest and then at least once later in the week.
WKTV broadcasts on Wyoming and Kentwood cable channels. On Comcast cable, Channel 25 is the Community Channel, where sports events and other community events are shown; Channel 26 is the Government Channel, where local government meetings and events are shown. On AT&T cable throughout the Grand Rapids area, viewers go to Channel 99, and then are given the choice to watch Wyoming (or Kentwood) Community (Channel 25) or Government (Channel 26) channels.
All Featured Games, as well as other high school sports and community events covered by WKTV, are available on-demand within a week of play at wktvondemand.com.
For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action each week, any changes to the WKTV feature sports schedule, and feature stories on local sports, visit wktvjournal.org/sports/ .
Following is this week’s schedule:
Monday, Jan. 14 Boys/Girls Bowling South Christian @ Wayland Kelloggsville @ Belding Wyoming @ Byron Center Hopkins @ Wyoming Lee East Kentwood @ Grand Haven Girls Gymnastics Potter’s House @ Lowell
Tuesday, Jan. 15 Boys Basketball Godwin Heights @ Wyoming Lee Hopkins @ Kelloggsville Wyoming @ Christian Wellsprings Prep @ Tri-Unity Christian Hudsonville @ East Kentwood Holland Calvary @ Potter’s House Wellsprings Prep @ West Michigan Aviation Creative Tech @ West Michigan Lutheran Muskegon Catholic Central @ Grand River Prep Girls Basketball Kelloggsville @ Hopkins Christian @ Wyoming – WKTV Featured Event Fruitport Calvary @ Tri-Unity Christian East Kentwood @ Hudsonville Holland Calvary @ Potter’s House Wellsprings Prep @ West Michigan Aviation Creative Tech @ West Michigan Lutheran Holland Black River @ Grand River Prep Boys/Girls Bowling Wyoming @ Unity Christian Calvin Christian @ Potter’s House
Wednesday, Jan. 16 Boys/Girls Bowling Wyoming Lee @ Godwin Heights Middleville T-K @ South Christian Kelloggsville @ Hopkins Wayland @ Wyoming Caledonia @ East Kentwood Boys Wrestling Godwin Heights @ Hopkins Wyoming Lee @ Hopkins Allendale @ Kelloggsville Christian @ Wyoming Caledonia @ East Kentwood Girls Cheer Godwin Heights @ NorthPointe Christian Kelloggsville @ NorthPointe Christian Wyoming Lee @ NorthPointe Christian Wyoming @ Zeeland East East Kentwood @ West Ottawa
Thursday, Jan. 17 Boys Swimming South Christian @ Muskegon Mona Shores East Kentwood@ Grandville Boys/Girls Bowling Potter’s House @ Hopkins
Friday, Jan. 18 Boys/Girls Bowling Ottawa Hills @ Godwin Heights Girls Cheer Godwin Heights @ West Catholic Boys Basketball NorthPointe Christian @ Godwin Heights – WKTV Featured Event South Christian @ Middleville T-K Kelloggsville @ Belding Wyoming @ Benton Harbor Hopkins @ Wyoming Lee Tri-Unity Christian @ Zion Christian Rockford @ East Kentwood Holland Black River @ Potter’s House West Michigan Lutheran @ Libertas Christian Girls Basketball NorthPointe Christian @ Godwin Heights – WKTV Featured Event South Christian @ Middleville T-K Kelloggsville @ Belding Benton Harbor @ Wyoming Tri-Unity Christian @ Zion Christian Rockford @ East Kentwood Holland Black River @ Potter’s House West Michigan Lutheran @ Libertas Christian Boys Wrestling Wyoming Lee @ Pinconning Boys Hockey East Grand Rapids @ East Kentwood
Saturday, Jan. 19 Boys Wrestling Godwin Heights @ Hopkins Kelloggsville @ Christian Wyoming @ Jenison East Kentwood @ Holt Boys Basketball Catholic Central @ South Christian Girls Cheer Kelloggsville @ Muskegon Reeths-Puffer East Kentwood @ Rochester Girls Dance East Kentwood @ Wayland Boys Hockey FH Central @ East Kentwood
Monday, Jan. 21 Boys/Girls Bowling Godwin Heights @ Calvin Christian South Christian @ Christian Kelloggsville @ Wellsprings Prep Wyoming @ FH Eastern Grandville @ East Kentwood Girls Gymnastics Potter’s House @ Rockford
Some of the runners at a previous Kentwood Valentine’s Dash 5K. (WKTV)
By City of Kentwood
The City of Kentwood is hosting its second annual Valentine’s Dash 5K at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 9, an event that will feature candy stations, awards and after-party including music, snacks, a photo booth, and the award ceremony.
The 5K run/walk will start and end at the Kent District Library – Kentwood (Richard L. Root) Branch, located at 4950 Breton Rd. SE. The route of the run will include a combination of trails and roads, mile markers and Valentine’s Day candy stations.
“The route for this race is great for first-time and experienced racers alike,” said Val Romeo, Kentwood Parks and Recreation director. “Whether you plan to run with your sweetie, family, friends or new acquaintances, our Valentine’s Dash is a great way to celebrate the holiday and your love of running.”
Valentine’s Day-themed costumes are encouraged. Fellow participants will vote to determine who is the “best dressed” and awards will also be presented to the fastest runners. While the 5K is intended to be a fun run, it will be chip-timed.
Following the race will be an after-party in the library’s community room, which will include music, Valentine’s themed snacks, a photo booth, an award ceremony and more.
Online registration is available and costs $30 until Feb. 8, after which the price will increase. Runners who sign up as a couple will save $5 each.
Check-in, on-site registration and packet pick-up will all take place at the library at 9:30 a.m. Participant packets include a long sleeve shirt and other goodies.
Proceeds from the race will support Kentwood’s Little Free Pantry, which provides food and hygiene products to community members in need, no questions asked. Individuals are encouraged to bring $5 or a non-perishable item to donate to be entered to win a special door prize.
Runners will need to be dressed for winter weather for the Frostbite 5K. (Wikimedia Commons)
By K.D. Norris ken@wktv.org
Are you a runner? A drinker of fine craft brews? A supporter of the Kids’ Food Basket? Any combination there of? Perrin Brewing has a event for you.
On Saturday, Jan. 26, Perrin will team up with the Kids’ Food Basket for the Perrin Ice Jam Winter Festival from 3-8 p.m. The third annual event will feature live music from Sydney Burnham, The Turnips, Legal Immigrants, and Go-Rounds, specialty Perrin beers, and the Frostbite 5K Run/Walk. Admission to the party is $10 donation or a bag of food items from Kids’ Food Basket wish list. All proceeds during the event will be donated to Kids’ Food Basket of West Michigan.
“The Kids’ Food Basket provides kids in the community with the nourishment they need to reach their full potential,” according to supplied information. “Every donation provides a child with a nutritious evening meal so they can be their best in school and life.”
Perrin Brewing has already begun to collect food donations in the front foyer from the wish list, which includes dried fruit, toasted oat cereal, cheese crackers, fruit cups or pouches, pretzel twists and snack size zipper bags.
The 5K Run/Walk is $30 for adults and $15 for Kids 12 and under. Packet pick-up will be the January 22– 25 in the Perrin Pub. The race-day check-in is from Noon to 2 p.m. and the race begins at 2 p.m.
Cedar Springs Brewing hosts soup drive for North Kent Connect
Cedar Springs Brewing Company has teamed up with Ryanne Donahue State Farm and North Kent Connect to help local families in need by hosting a “Soup for Soup Food Drive” today, Jan. 14, through Jan. 19, with a special event planned on Jan. 19.
The Soup for Soup Food Drive will specifically collect nonperishable non-glass containers of soup, pasta and pasta sauces. But it will also be accepting any non-perishable food donation not in glass jars.
For every donation made, Cedar Springs Brewing will provide a free cup of soup.
Donation Locations include Cedar Springs Brewing Company, at 95 N. Main St., in Cedar Springs; or at Ryanne Donahue StateFarm, at 6585 Belding Rd NE St. E, in Rockford (during normal business hours). The soup drive will end on Jan. 19 at the CSBrew Up To Snow Good Party, where everyone “will celebrate all of the food raised and enjoy a beverage or two on the patio!” we are told.
For more information on Cedar Springs Brewing call 616-696-BEER — got to love that number! — or visit csbrew.com . For more information on the Soup for Soup Food Drive, visit the event’s Facebook page here.
KDaLe plans home brewing competition, brewery tours
The Kent District Library’s adult KDaLe program has several programs and events in the near future including a home brewing competition and a tour at local craft brewer Railtown Brewing.
“If you think your home brew has what it takes to be crowned champion, here’s your chance … see how your beer stacks up,” or so states information on the KDaLe website, promoting the program’s now annual “Book Inspired Brewing” competition, wherein KDL staff and local brewers both amateur and professional will taste test.
“It’s a rough job, but someone has to do it!”, they go on to say.
The winners get to brew with a professional brewer and see their beer on tap at KDL’s Super Party Wonder Day next summer. But registration deadline is Jan. 20, and beer submissions must be delivered to Gravel Bottom (418 Ada Drive, Ada), Railtown Brewing (3555 68th St SE, Caledonia), or Pike 51(3768 Chicago Dr, Hudsonville) by Feb. 28.
The KDaLe Tour will also make stops Jan. 15 at DeHop’s Brewing Company and Café, an “Amsterdam style” brew pub at 363 Cummings Ave. NW, in Walker. Also on tap will be a tour Jan. 22 at Railtown Brewing Company, at 3595 68th St SE, Dutton, to get a tour of their new building and brew house.
For more information on KDaLe events, see kdl.org/events .
A scene from East Kentwood High School’s playoff win over Brighton on Oct. 27. (WKTV/Micah Cho)
By Drew Dargavell, WKTV Sports Intern ken@wktv.org
This past football season lead to four local high school players earning the title of first team AP All-State in the state of Michigan. East Kentwood, somewhat unsurprisingly, lead the way with three of those All-Staters coming from their team after a tremendous season from the Division 1-2 Falcons finishing the season 9-2.
These players include senior running back Kionte Blakely, senior offensive tackle Logan Brown, and senior defensive tackle Mazi Smith.
The fourth local first team AP All-State comes from Division 3-4 South Christian: senior offensive tackle Spencer Holstege.
Of the four players named, three have earned scholarships to play for Big Ten teams.
Brown, the 6-foot-5, 285-pound offensive tackle from East Kentwood has committed to play football at the University of Wisconsin next season. Brown started to impress recruiters his Junior season with his size and athleticism as he is rated as a four star recruit and the top overall recruit in the state of Michigan according to ESPN’s recruiting database and is number 28 overall in the nation. ESPN also has him listed as the 7th best player at his position in the country. According to ESPN, Brown is listed as the top-overall recruit for the University of Wisconsin. Brown was featured in the 2019 All-American Bowl on Jan. 6, which gathered some of the top high school talent around the nation to compete in an exhibition.
Another top recruit ranked in ESPN’s Top 300 is the 6-foot-3, 320-pound defensive tackle Mazi Smith from East Kentwood. Smith was a key part of East Kentwood’s success this season. According to ESPN Smith is ranked as the 38th best recruit in the country and number three overall in the state. Smith will be staying in state and has committed to University of Michigan. ESPN has Smith ranked as number two at his position in the nation and is U of M’s second highest recruit. Smith was also featured in the 2019 Under Armor All-American football game on Jan. 3, which is similar to the All-American Bowl, and which gathers some of the best high school players in the country for an exhibition.
The third All-State from East Kentwood is their work-horse, 5-foot-6, running back Kionte Blakely. Blakely was the Falcons main weapon on offense as he rushed for 1,698 yards and 28 touchdowns. He finished first place in M-Live’s online poll for Grand Rapids Press Player of the Year (local area’s best player), garnering over 63,000 votes out of 145,516 total votes.
Last but not least is the senior offensive tackle from South Christian, Spencer Holstege.
Holstege has committed to play football at Purdue University next season. According to ESPN, Holstege is rated as the number 25 recruit in the state of Michigan. Holstege was the key player for the South Christian team as he played both the offensive and defensive lines as needed.
Other local players who gained honorable mention on the AP All-State teams were senior linebacker Rusheon Bash, for Division 1-2 Wyoming; senior receiver Peyton Vis, for Grand Rapids South Christian; and senior lineman Marshawn Kneeland, for Division 3-4 Wyoming Godwin Heights.
From the 8-man football division, Wyoming Tri-unity placed two senior players, Benson Heath and Brayden Ophoff, on the All-State team. Heath rushed for 993 yards and 12 touchdowns during the regular season and added 710 yards and five scores as a receiver. He had 31 tackles for loss and three interceptions on defense. Ophoff played in the defensive secondary and totaled 82 tackles and three interceptions during the regular season. At quarterback, he was 51 of 72 passing for 1,666 yards and 22 TDs and added 1,070 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.
For a complete list of AP All-State Players see apnews.com .
Did we miss anybody? Contact WKTV at ken@wktv.org .
WKTV will be at a boys swimming Meet at East Kentwood starts Thursday. (Creative Commons)
Mike Moll, WKTV Volunteer Sports Director sports@wktv.org
The high school basketball season is in full swing but other high school sports are also available including bowling, cheer, wrestling, gymnastics, hockey, dance, swimming, and diving. WKTV will be at a swim meet this week, in fact, with coverage of Thursday, Jan. 10, boys swimming/diving competition of Hudsonville at East Kentwood.
Show the local schools your support by going in person, but then watch WKTV for the events that are showcased each week. Check out the broadcast schedule at wktvjournal.org for replay dates and times.
The erst of the current tentative schedule is:
Tuesday, Jan. 15 — Girls basketball: Christian at Wyoming Friday, Jan. 18 — Boys/Girls basketball: NorthPointe Christian at Godwin Heights Tuesday, Jan. 22 — Boys/Girls basketball: Potter’s House at Tri-Unity Christian Friday, Jan. 25 — Boys/Girls basketball: Middleville T-K at Wyoming Thursday, Jan. 31 — Boys swimming/diving: Rockford at East Kentwood
In addition our featured games — where our sports crew and remote coverage truck will be on hand — we also have a weekly list of all local sporting contests for local fans to get out and enjoy in person.
Featured games are broadcast the night of the contest and then at least once later in the week.
WKTV broadcasts on Wyoming and Kentwood cable channels. On Comcast cable, Channel 25 is the Community Channel, where sports events and other community events are shown; Channel 26 is the Government Channel, where local government meetings and events are shown. On AT&T cable throughout the Grand Rapids area, viewers go to Channel 99, and then are given the choice to watch Wyoming (or Kentwood) Community (Channel 25) or Government (Channel 26) channels.
All Featured Games, as well as other high school sports and community events covered by WKTV, are available on-demand within a week of play at wktvondemand.com.
For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action each week, any changes to the WKTV feature sports schedule, and feature stories on local sports, visit wktvjournal.org/sports/.
Following is this week’s schedule:
Monday, Jan. 7 Boys/Girls Bowling Godwin Heights @ Kelloggsville Unity Christian @ South Christian Zeeland West @ Wyoming Calvin Christian @ Wyoming Lee
Tuesday, Jan. 8 Girls Bowling Godwin Heights @ NorthPointe Christian Calvin Christian @ Tri-Unity Christian Boys Basketball Hopkins @ Godwin Heights South Christian @ Wyoming – Cheer Appreciation Night / Jazz Band Wyoming Lee @ Kelloggsville Tri-Unity Christian @ Pewamo-Westphalia Wellsprings Prep @ Potter’s House Algoma Christian @ West Michigan Lutheran Grand River Prep @ Kent City Zion Christian @ Heritage Christian Girls Basketball Godwin Heights @ Hopkins Wyoming @ South Christian Kelloggsville @ Wyoming Lee Tri-Unity Christian @ Muskegon Orchard View Wellsprings Prep @ Potter’s House Algoma Christian @ West Michigan Lutheran Grand River Prep @ Kent City Zion Christian @ Creative Tech Girls Cheer @ East Kentwood
Wednesday, Jan. 9 Boys/Girls Bowling Belding @ Godwin Heights South Christian @ FH Eastern NorthPointe Christian @ Kelloggsville East Grand Rapids @ Wyoming Wyoming Lee@ Potter’s House Girls Cheer Godwin Heights @ Belding Kelloggsville @ Belding Wyoming Lee @ Belding Boys Wrestling Wyoming @ Holland East Kentwood @ West Ottawa Girls Gymnastics FH Central vs Potter’s House @ Kenowa Hills Boys Basketball Martin @ West Michigan Aviation Girls Basketball Martin @ West Michigan Aviation
Thursday, Jan. 10 Boys Swimming Hudsonville @ East Kentwood – WKTV Featured Event Boys/Girls Bowling Muskegon Orchard View @ Potter’s House Girls Basketball West Michigan Aviation @ Barry County Christian
Friday, Jan. 11 Boys Basketball Godwin Heights @ Belding South Christian @ East Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian @ Kelloggsville Wyoming @ Wayland Tri-Unity Christian @ Bridgman West Ottawa @ East Kentwood Potter’s House @ Fruitport Calvary West Michigan Aviation @ Heritage Christian Academy West Michigan Lutheran @ WMAES Grand River Prep @ Holland Black River Holland Calvary @ Zion Christian Girls Basketball Godwin Heights @ Belding South Christian @ East Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian @ Kelloggsville Wyoming @ Wayland West Ottawa @ East Kentwood Potter’s House @ Fruitport Calvary West Michigan Lutheran @ WMAES Grand River Prep @ Holland Black River Wellsprings Prep @ Zion Christian
Saturday, Jan. 12 Girls Cheer Godwin Heights @ Wyoming Kelloggsville @ Allendale Wyoming Lee @ Allendale East Kentwood @ Stoney Creek Boys Wrestling Kelloggsville @ Fruitport Wyoming @ West Catholic East Kentwood @ West Catholic Boys/Girls Bowling Kelloggsville @ Lowell Boys/Girls Dance Wyoming @ Kenowa Hills East Kentwood @ Kenowa Hills Boys/Girls Bowling East Kentwood @ Hudsonville Boys Swimming East Kentwood @ Kalamazoo Loy Norrix Girls Gymnastics Potter’s House @ Lowell
Monday, Jan. 14 Boys/Girls Bowling South Christian @ Wayland Kelloggsville @ Belding Wyoming @ Byron Center Hopkins @ Wyoming Lee East Kentwood @ Grand Haven Girls Gymnastics Potter’s House @ Lowell
The Live Golf Studios at Thornapple Pointe include 6 simulators in total, 4 PGA Tour Widescreen and 2 PGA Tour Curve simulators. (Supplied/Watermark Golf and Sports)
WKTV Staff ken@wktv.org
Looking to improve your swing before you can get out on the course? Thornapple Pointe Golf Club’s new Live Golf Studio is now open to the public and accepting “tee times.”
Thornapple Pointe Golf Club, located at 7211 48th St. SE, Grand Rapids but just east of Kentwood, is the first of the Watermark Properties golf clubs to offer Live Golf Studios “for golfers who want to maintain their game throughout the winter and shoulder seasons in Michigan,” according to supplied information.
Live Golf Studios is, also according to supplied information, the first West Michigan state-of-the-art golf facility offering golfers of all levels the opportunity to play in a controlled climate using high technology simulation at over 50 golf courses, practice ranges and more.
“During our soft opening period, where we had members trying out the Live Golf Studios, it was really encouraging to see so many different ages and levels of golfers,” Chris Sobieck, General Manager of Watermark Golf and Sports, said in supplied material. “We had families playing, as well as, our most competitive golfers and others all out having a great time. These simulators offer something for everyone.”
And, yes, Thornapple Pointe will have a bar and full kitchen open during hours of play.
The Live Golf Studios at Thornapple Pointe include 6 simulators in total, 4 PGA Tour Widescreen and 2 PGA Tour Curve simulators. Each of the simulators allow golfers the ability to play over 50 golf courses with various challenge options. Live Golf Studio course selections include highly prestigious locations such as the Pebble Beach Golf Resorts, St. Andrews Links, and the Players Championship Courses.
New Live Golf Leagues will begin mid-January 2019. Leagues will run for nine weeks of play and include prizes. For more information about the leagues and to sign up, contact Live Golf Studios at 616-803-1200.
Complete information and online tee times are available for booking now livegolfstudios.com.
Godwin Heights basketball (shown from previous season) is on the WKTV Featured Game schedule this week . (WKTV)
Mike Moll, WKTV Volunteer Sports Director sports@wktv.org
With Christmas and the New Year now behind us, the basketball seasons and all other high school sports get into full swing this month. The basketball seasons tip off conference play starting the first Friday of the month. Other sports will also be in full swing after the holiday breaks including bowling, cheer, wrestling, gymnastics, hockey, dance, swimming, and diving.
Show the local schools your support by going in person, but then watch WKTV for the events that are showcased each week. Check out the broadcast schedule at wktvjournal.org for replay dates and times.
The tentative schedule is:
Friday, Jan. 4 —Boys/Girls basketball: Kelloggsville at Godwin Heights Thursday, Jan. 10 — Boys swimming/diving: Hudsonville at East Kentwood Tuesday, Jan. 15 — Girls basketball: Christian at Wyoming Friday, Jan. 18 — Boys/Girls basketball: NorthPointe Christian at Godwin Heights Tuesday, Jan. 22 — Boys/Girls basketball: Potter’s House at Tri-Unity Christian Friday, Jan. 25 — Boys/Girls basketball: Middleville T-K at Wyoming Thursday, Jan. 31 — Boys swimming/diving: Rockford at East Kentwood
In addition our featured games — where our sports crew and remote coverage truck will be on hand — we also have a weekly list of all local sporting contests for local fans to get out and enjoy in person.
Featured games are broadcast the night of the contest and then at least once later in the week.
WKTV broadcasts on Wyoming and Kentwood cable channels. On Comcast cable, Channel 25 is the Community Channel, where sports events and other community events are shown; Channel 26 is the Government Channel, where local government meetings and events are shown. On AT&T cable throughout the Grand Rapids area, viewers go to Channel 99, and then are given the choice to watch Wyoming (or Kentwood) Community (Channel 25) or Government (Channel 26) channels.
All Featured Games, as well as other high school sports and community events covered by WKTV, are available on-demand within a week of play at wktvondemand.com.
For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action each week, any changes to the WKTV feature sports schedule, and feature stories on local sports, visit wktvjournal.org/sports.
Following is this week’s schedule:
Wednesday, Jan. 2 Boys/Girls Bowling Zeeland @ South Christian Boys Basketball West Michigan Aviation @ West Catholic Girls Basketball West Michigan Aviation @ West Catholic
Thursday, Jan. 3 Boys Swimming South Christian @ Union East Kentwood @ Christian Boys Wrestling East Kentwood @ Grand Haven Boys Basketball Pewamo-Westphalia @ Potter’ House
Friday, Jan. 4 Boys Basketball Kelloggsville @ Godwin Heights – WKTV Featured Event Christian @ South Christian FH Eastern @ Wyoming – Alpha Wolf/Dance Team Calvin Christian @ Wyoming Lee Tri-Unity Christian @ Hopkins East Kentwood @ Caledonia Zion Christian vs West Michigan Aviation @ Davenport University West Michigan Lutheran @ Flat River Girls Basketball Kelloggsville @ Godwin Heights – WKTV Featured Event Christian @ South Christian FH Eastern @ Wyoming – Alpha Wolf/Dance Team Tri-Unity Christian @ Hopkins East Kentwood @ Caledonia Barry County Christian @ Potter’s House Zion Christian vs West Michigan Aviation @ Davenport University Boys Wrestling Wyoming Lee @ Swartz Creek Girls Cheer @ East Kentwood Boys Hockey East Kentwood @ Muskegon Mona Shores
Saturday, Jan. 5 Boys Wrestling Godwin Heights @ Unity Christian Kelloggsville @ Unity Christian Byron Center @ Wyoming Wyoming Lee @ Wyoming Girls Cheer Godwin Heights @ NorthPointe Christian Kelloggsville @ NorthPointe Christian Wyoming Lee @ NorthPointe Christian East Kentwood @ Grandville Boys/Girls Bowling Godwin Heights @ Fruitport Kelloggsville @ Fruitport East Kentwood @ Fruitport Wyoming Lee @ Jenison Potter’s House @ Jenison Boys Basketball Godwin Heights @ Lowell Boys Swimming South Christian @ East Grand Rapids East Kentwood @ East Grand Rapids Boys Hockey East Kentwood @ Muskegon Mona Shores Girls Gymnastics Potter’s House @ Rockford
Monday, Jan. 7 Boys/Girls Bowling Godwin Heights @ Kelloggsville Unity Christian @ South Christian Zeeland West @ Wyoming Calvin Christian @ Wyoming Lee
After losing to Class A neighbor East Kentwood High School by only six points in the season opener, Class B South Christian put many teams on notice this year that the Sailors are for real.
If they can put away last year’s OK-Green Conference Champion, and local rival Unity Christian, this week they may mark themselves as a team to be contended with this season in the OK-Gold.
When it comes to Friday nights game, South Christian has another reason to be excited — the Sailors will be opening up their new home floor, Located at 7979 Kalamazoo Ave in Gaines Township, to the South Christian community.
And WKTV’s Featured Game coverage crew will be there.
Entering this week’s game with a 2-2 record following an impressive win over Caledonia, Sailors coach Jeff Meengs credits the team’s early success to the defensive side of the ball.
“Defensively, because we have so many seniors, we’ve been pretty good right from the beginning,” said Meengs. “Especially against Holland Christian. We played some really good defense against them.”
Traditionally known as a high-scoring program, however, Meengs hopes his kids can continue working the ball down the court as a team.
“We have a lot of guys who like to score and can score,” said Meengs. “They’re learning how to play together in that context.”
WKTV Featured games are broadcast the night of the contest and then at least once later in the week.
WKTV broadcasts on Wyoming and Kentwood cable channels. On Comcast cable, Channel 25 is the Community Channel, where sports events and other community events are shown; Channel 26 is the Government Channel, where local government meetings and events are shown. On AT&T cable throughout the Grand Rapids area, viewers go to Channel 99, and then are given the choice to watch Wyoming (or Kentwood) Community (Channel 25) or Government (Channel 26) channels.
All Featured Games, as well as other high school sports and community events covered by WKTV, are available on-demand within a week of play at wktvondemand.com.
For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action each week, any changes to the WKTV feature sports schedule, and feature stories on local sports, visit wktvjournal.org/sports/.
Cheerleading is just one of the many high school winter sports on the schedule. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)
Mike Moll, WKTV Volunteer Sports Director sports@wktv.org
This week’s WKTV high school sports coverage will have our team visiting South Christians high school’s new location on Kalamazoo Avenue just north of 84th Street, as we will bring the opening night games as both the boys and girls initiate the new gymnasium when they host Unity Christian on Friday, Dec. 21.
Then we will take the Christmas week off before returning with more coverage the first week of the New Year.
Be sure to support your local schools by watching a game in person if you can, but then also catch the games on WKTV.
In addition our featured games — where our sports crew and remote coverage truck will be on hand — we also have a weekly list of all local sporting contests for local fans to get out and enjoy in person.
Featured games are broadcast the night of the contest and then at least once later in the week.
WKTV broadcasts on Wyoming and Kentwood cable channels. On Comcast cable, Channel 25 is the Community Channel, where sports events and other community events are shown; Channel 26 is the Government Channel, where local government meetings and events are shown. On AT&T cable throughout the Grand Rapids area, viewers go to Channel 99, and then are given the choice to watch Wyoming (or Kentwood) Community (Channel 25) or Government (Channel 26) channels.
All Featured Games, as well as other high school sports and community events covered by WKTV, are available on-demand within a week of play at wktvondemand.com.
For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action each week, any changes to the WKTV feature sports schedule, and feature stories on local sports, visit wktvjournal.org/sports/.
Following is this week’s schedule:
Monday, Dec. 17 Girls Cheer East Kentwood @ Grandville Boys / Girls Bowling Middleville T-K @ Wyoming Wyoming Lee @ Kelloggsville South Christian @ Byron Center Boys Basketball West Michigan Aviation @ Fruitport Calvary Girls Basketball Tri-Unity Christian @ Montague
Tuesday, Dec. 18 Boys Basketball East Kentwood @ East Grand Rapids Zion Christian @ Grand River Prep West Michigan Lutheran @ Barry County Christian Girls Basketball East Grand Rapids @ East Kentwood Zeeland West @ Kelloggsville Zion Christian@ Grand River Prep West Michigan Lutheran @ Barry County Christian Boys / Girls Bowling South Christian @ Wyoming Godwin Heights @ Hopkins
Wednesday, Dec. 19 Boys Wrestling East Kentwood @ Hudsonville Wyoming @ Zeeland West Godwin Heights @ Kelloggsville Boys / Girls Bowling Belding @ Wyoming Lee Kelloggsville @ Calvin Christian Girls Cheer Godwin Heights @ Jenison Boys Basketball Godwin Heights @ Catholic Central
Thursday, Dec. 20 Boys Wrestling Allendale @ Wyoming Boys Basketball Byron Center @ Wyoming – Dance Team performs Sacred Heart @ West Michigan Lutheran Girls Basketball Wyoming @ Byron Center Barry County Christian @ West Michigan Aviation
Friday, Dec. 21 Boys Hockey Grandville @ East Kentwood Boys Wrestling Wyoming Lee @ Montague Girls Basketball West Michigan Aviation @ Wyoming Lee Wellsprings Prep @ Kelloggsville Unity Christian @ South Christian – WKTV Featured Event CTAES vs West Michigan Lutheran @ Davenport University Tri-Unity Christian @ Calvin Christian Boys Basketball Wellsprings Prep @ Kelloggsville Unity Christian @ South Christian – WKTV Featured Event Saranac @ Potter’s House Grand River Prep @ Western Michigan Christian CTAES vs West Michigan Lutheran @ Davenport University Tri-Unity Christian @ Calvin Christian
Saturday, Dec. 22 Boys Hockey East Kentwood @ Byron Center Boys Basketball Godwin Heights vs Rockford @ Cornerstone University Boys Wrestling Kelloggsville @ Martin
Monday, Dec. 24 — no events
Tuesday, Dec. 25 — MERRY CHRISTMAS
Wednesday, Dec. 26 Boys / Girls Bowling East Kentwood @ Catholic Central – Baker Tournament Wyoming @ Catholic Central – Baker Tournament Wyoming Lee @ Catholic Central – Baker Tournament Godwin Heights @ Catholic Central – Baker Tournament Boys Basketball @ Wyoming Lee – Rebel Tournament
Thursday, Dec. 27 Boys Basketball East Kentwood @ Muskegon Reeths Puffer – Muskegon Hall of Fame Classic @ Wyoming Lee – Rebel Tournament Girls Basketball Wyoming Lee @ Kelloggsville – Holiday Tournament Godwin Heights @ Kelloggsville – Holiday Tournament Grand River Prep @ Kelloggsville – Holiday Tournament
Friday, Dec. 28 Boys Wrestling East Kentwood @ Grandville – Marge & Tate Invite Godwin Heights @ Montague Girls Basketball Wyoming Lee @ Kelloggsville – Holiday Tournament Godwin Heights @ Kelloggsville – Holiday Tournament Grand River Prep @ Kelloggsville – Holiday Tournament Boys Basketball Godwin Heights vs TBA @ Cornerstone University Potter’s House vs Marshall Academy @ BC Central
An early 2017 game televised by WKTV with East Kentwood High School’s boys basketball team at Wyoming. (WKTV)
This week’s high school basketball games at Wyoming High School will offer more than simply great prep action between the boys and girls teams of visiting East Kentwood and the host Wolves. It will also offer showcase the Van Andel Institute’s efforts to battle cancer and Parkinson’s disease as a special Purple Community Night Basketball Game.
The twin-bill of games will start with the boys game at 5:30 p.m. and the girls game at 7:30 p.m.
Purple Community, according to supplied information, is the Van Andel Institute’s grassroots fundraising and awareness program, and “connects individuals, schools, teams and businesses to the resources needed to support groundbreaking cancer and Parkinson’s disease research.”
A series of local Purple Community events “bring people from every walk of life together to celebrate the power of family, friendship and community action. We also give people the chance to honor those fighting disease and pay tribute to those who have lost their fight against cancer and Parkinson’s. Every event is a collection of stories — people coming together to support one another and help make the world a better, healthier place.”
Additionally, when people fundraise through the Purple Community, each game night donation effort efforts go further thanks to a endowment from Jay and Betty Van Andel, where every dollar of every donation goes directly to the cause — 100 percent of the funds support Van Andel Institute scientists and the vital research they are doing.
