Category Archives: Sports

Kentwood’s adult softball league is all about fun — and maybe a little competition

City of Kentwood, Local Sports, Sports, West Michigan, ,
Members of The Creamsicles celebrate a win, their first of the season, in a recent game. (Courtesy, Miriam Dietsche)



By K.D. Norris

WKTV Contributor



For the teams and players in the Kentwood Parks and Rec Summer Co-Ed Adult Softball League, it is all about having fun with friends and families.


But, a home run trot and a win or two can be fun as well.

“We definitely have a few competitive players, but at the end of the day everyone is just there to have fun, be social, and get their bodies moving,” said Miriam Dietsche, team manager of The Creamsicles. “It’s our first year playing together, and we don’t have a great record … but I have been extremely impressed by how positive our team has stayed, and we are always hyped up for games.”



Kyler Marble gets high fives after a home run for The Creamsicles. He leads the team in homers this season with two grand slams.  (WKTV/K.D. Norris)


They were especially “hyped up” on a recent Tuesday night when the team won its first game of the season playing at Kentwood’s Kellogg Woods Park, a 14-6 win on June 13. (For schedule and standings of the Tuesday league and all of the City of Kentwood’s sponsored sports, visit here.)

“Our team is made up of mine and my boyfriend’s family, and a few friends,” Dietsche said. “Most of our team knew of each other before the season started, but over the past few weeks we have all grown a lot closer.

“We have a pretty interesting mix of people who have played softball competitively for a while, and people who had never swung a bat until a couple months ago. I decided to put the team together because I personally have played since high school and love the sport.” 

The team’s sponsor is XYZ Motors — “My brother, also on the team, works for them and they were gracious enough to buy our shirts for us,” she added.

Kentwood’s Kellogg Woods Park hosts games

As part of its year-round, wide-ranging recreational offerings, Kentwood Parks and Recreation maintains several baseball and softball fields spread around its park system, also including fields at Home Acres, Northeast and Pinewood parks.

It also oversees other community activities associated with the fields.

“Our adult recreational softball offerings have been a popular option for decades that have created many lasting memories,” said Spencer McKellar, Kentwood Parks and Recreation deputy director. “In recent years we’ve hosted practices, youth clinics, sanctioned middle school games, as well as our adult recreational leagues all on our fields which is a great example of how our playing surfaces are intended to be a community resource for all ages and ability levels.”


Alicia Fields, a summer worker at the Kentwood Parks and Recreation department, handles the scoreboard — and gets in a little coursework reading — during a recent game. The city hires part-time and summer workers for many parks and recreation activities. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)



On a recent Tuesday evening, not only was the Kellogg Woods main field prepped for the league games by the city, but a summer-hire city employee handled the scoreboard and a longtime player handled the umpiring duties.

“I’ve been playing softball every year for 32 years,” said Robert Vanderhart, who umpires the Tuesday night league.  “I’ve umpired slow pitch softball for four-to-five years now, but I’ve been an umpire of all levels of baseball for close to 20.”

For Vanderhart, umpiring adult softball also is a way to continue being part of the “rec softball” community as well.


Robert Vanderhart umpires the Kentwood Tuesday night league and has played, coached and umpired softball and baseball for many years. (Courtesy Photo)

“I’m now umpiring for players who have played with me before and also for me when I coached youth ball 15 plus years ago,” he said. “And when I can, I like to help players develop … it’s the coach part in me.”

And over the years, Vanderhart says the fun part of the game is always shared with the competitive part of the game.

“Winning isn’t that important, but having fun and being competitive is,” he said. “If every game you play is very one sided it’s no fun for everyone … (and) if you could play and lose a good, close game or win by forfeit what would you rather do? I’d play.”

About Kentwood parks, softball league

For more information about City of Kentwood’s Parks and Recreation programs visit here. For location and amenities of the city’s parks, visit here.


Kentwood parks; a growing, all-season ‘launch pad’ for disc golfers

City of Kentwood, Sports, West Michigan, ,
A team launching from the launch pad during the 2022 Fall Fling disc golf tournament and fundraiser. (Courtesy, City of Kentwood)



By K.D. Norris

WKTV Contributor

In the past couple decades, the community sport of disc golf has literally and figuratively
taken flight in West Michigan, and it could be argued that some of the best courses to
play begin with launch pads in the Kentwood Parks and Recreation system.


While the city may be mostly known for its innovative, off-season events — the annual
Fall Fling and the mid-winter Freeze Fest — one of the areas premier disc golf
businesses has nothing but praise for the city’s year-round courses and its
commitment to the recreational sport; past, present and future.


Commemorative discs from the 2022 Fall Fling disc golf tournament and fundraiser. (Courtesy, City of Kentwood)



“West Michigan was an early adopter of disc golf and has been a hotbed for the sport
since the creator of disc golf, Ed Headrick, founded the Professional Disc Golf
Association in 1976,” said Shea Abbgy, owner of Great Lakes Disc. “For the
first 30 years of the sport, growth in its popularity was steady but minimal. Starting in the
the early 2000s, the PDGA started seeing steady annual growth.”

And that growth was only slightly slowed by the COVID pandemic.



“During Covid, players in areas with disc golf courses installed found that you could
practice social distancing while playing and an enormous amount of new players found
the sport,” said Abbgy, a long-time partner with the City of Kentwood’s disc golf program
whose business opened in 2015 and is located at 4321 Kalamazoo Ave., near the
corner of 44th Street.



Kentwood has welcomed the expanded popularity and demand.



City courses improved, new course planned
Laura Barbrick, Kentwood Parks and Recreation Market and Events Coordinator, said the
city is committed to many community sports and disc golf is certainly one of them.



“We’ve offered youth disc golf lessons and skills clinics in the past and will continue to add new programs in the future to grow the sport with our residents,” Barbrick said. “We also host two disc golf tournaments each year in partnership with Great Lakes Disc … (Abbgy) helps coordinate our tournaments, has helped plan and design our disc golf courses, and is well connected with the disc golf community.”



Not only are there two full-time disc golf courses operated by the city, at Old Farm Park and Jaycee Park, but both have been or will be improved by last year’s voter approval of a parks millage.



And plans are for a third course at Covenant Park, where there is currently
only winter “pop-up” disc golf play.



“Kentwood will soon be breaking ground on Phase III of renovations at Jaycee Park
which include upgraded baskets, tee pads and signs for the disc golf course,” Abbgy
said. “Part of the (millage funded) proposal for Covenant Park was a disc golf course for
the property which would be Kentwood’s third disc golf course in their parks system and
lay the ground for larger disc golf events to come to Kentwood.”


A disc golfer in action from the 2019 Fall Fling event. (Courtesy, City of Kentwood)


Two annual events support Kentwood Little Free Pantry
In partnership with Great Lakes Disc, the city hosts two disc golf tournaments, the Fall
Fling at Old Farm Park, planned for November, and Freeze Fest, planned for February
2024.



According to Abbgy, the city and his company will be hosting the ninth annual Freeze Fest
at Jaycee Park, scheduled for Feb. 17.



“The success of the Freeze Fest led us to add a second annual event, the Farm Fall Fling at Old Farm Park, in 2018,” he said. “This Nov. 11 we will be hosting the sixth annual Farm Fall Fling at Old Farm Park. Both events are food drives for Kentwood’s Little Free Pantry.”


While both events can be as much a weather challenge as a course challenge, both
typically host 120-140 players at each event, and have seen over 180 players some
years, he said.



But on any given weekday, or weekend, players and flying discs are flying in a first-
come, first-served style course play.


About Kentwood Parks, Great Lakes Disc
For more information about the Kentwood Parks and Recreation programs visit here.
For location of the city’s Disc Golf parks with disc golf courses, visit here. For more
information about Great Lakes Disc, visit here.

East Kentwood softball team perseveres through injuries this season to finish strong 

City of Kentwood, Sports, West Michigan, ,
The East Kentwood softball team opened state tournament action with a 2-0 win against conference-rival Grandville. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor



While the season hasn’t gone entirely according to plan for the East Kentwood softball team, the Falcons have continued to battle and that persistence continues to pay off.

The Falcons, who have played around the .500 mark this season, have faced a rugged schedule and have had to deal with several key injuries. Despite the hurdles, East Kentwood has remained focused and competitive and picked up a big win to kick off the post-season by defeating O-K Red Conference rival Grandville 2-0 in the opening district game.

“We were very excited for the 2023 season with many returning players, although only three seniors,” said East Kentwood coach Owen Fletke. “We lost two of our senior starters (Landrie Fridsma and Taylor Barnes) the second week of the season. Two of our pitchers, Liz Davis and Jaycie Gasper, have been injured off and on all season. We’ve had a number of other injuries, like concussions and strains, that have really impacted our ability to have a consistent lineup with experienced players.



We’ve brought three freshmen up from our junior varsity team, two of whom (Riley Smith and Meredith Antonovich) are still on varsity. Overall, our record is now 16-19, not what we expected or anticipated, but we continue to fight and compete with the players we have.”



East Kentwood senior Landrie Fridsma will continue her career at Kalamazoo College. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



That competitive spirit was evident in the opening district game against a Grandville team that came into the post-season with a 23-12 record and defeated East Kentwood in two of the three league matchups this season.

East Kentwood was led this season by its trio of seniors. Aalana Kimble, who will be attending Saginaw Valley State University to continue her career as a student athlete, has been a leader of the Falcon offense and heads up the pitching staff.

“Aalana is the ace of our pitching staff and offensive leader on our team,” Fletke said. “She is a four-year varsity player and school record-holder in many categories.”

Fridsma is an offensive leader and second baseman who will be continuing her career at Kalamazoo College.

“Landrie partially tore a hamstring in week two and has just returned,” Fletke said. “She is a four-year starter and is our other offensive catalyst. She is our team captain and best power hitter.”

Like Fridsma, injuries have dashed the senior season for Barnes as well.

“Taylor tore her knee in the same game Landrie was injured in,” Fletke said. “Taylor was our starting leftfielder. Even though Taylor was not able to play, she was at every practice and game, cheering and coaching from the dugout. She provided us with incredible leadership.”

The junior class has stepped up and provided strong play throughout the season with several juniors playing key roles.

“We’ve received solid play from our juniors,” Fletke said. “Catcher Emily Visser, first baseman Kaleigh Higgs and third baseman Ashley Matejovitz have stepped up. Sophomore shortstop Kayla Finlaw has done a fine job there and freshman Natalie McCune has been a great surprise in the outfield and infield wherever she’s been needed.”

The Falcons have also received strong play from even more of their young players.



East Kentwood senior Aalana Kimble is a leader at the plate and in the pitching circle for the Falcons. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)

“When healthy, junior pitcher Liz Davis has done a great job as has freshman pitcher Jaycie Gasper,” Fletke said. “We’ve also received great help from freshman Riley Smith, sophomore Josie Manning and junior Allie Cahill.”

Davis is another Falcon who will play college softball in the future as the junior pitcher has verbally committed to the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

Along with solid play on the field, the Falcon softball players get the job done in the classroom. The team grade point average is 3.5.

Grand River Prep senior Jacob Pewee lighting up the track, uplifting his teammates

City of Kentwood, Sports, West Michigan, ,
Jacob Pewee won both the 100m and long jump in the Alliance League championship. (Courtesy, Grand River Prep)





By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org



As a youngster, Grand River Prep sprinter Jacob Pewee was told he was fast.

“As a kid, I was always fast,” said Pewee, a senior at GRP. “Many of my friends let me know that. In general, I just enjoy running as it is one of my favorite things to do so I decided to put my skills to the test by joining track and field.

“I wish I would have joined sooner because I would be a lot farther than I am now despite my current accomplishments.”

Most recently, Pewee was the conference champion in the 100m sprint (11.50 seconds and the long jump (18 feet, 7 inches). He also was third in conference in the 200m and a member of the 4x400m relay team that placed second in school history. The boys team finished third overall in the Alliance League.

Pewee broke the 100m school record (11.50, regional qualifier) and the 200 record at 23.86. He also ranks fourth in school history in the long jump and sixth in school history in the open 400m. Last season he won all-region honors in the long jump.

“The very first time I participated in track and field was in sixth grade when I was about 12 years old,” said Pewee, who played varsity basketball as a junior. “When I moved to Michigan from Iowa and entered high school I decided to get back into it my junior year and am currently doing it as a senior. I’ve been loving it ever since.

“One of my favorite events is the 100-meter dash. I enjoy putting in the work during practice and applying it by going all out on the track. It leaves little room for error and is highly competitive which I love. Running against people around my skill level not only humbles me, but also pushes me to greater heights because I’ve always believed I can do good no matter what.”

Pewee was accepted to attend Grand Valley State University, but is still deciding if he’ll run track there.



“Judging by my performance and how quickly I’m improving in such a short time I think it’s inevitable.”


GRP track and field Coach Seth Pronger spoke highly of his leader

“Jacob has always been one of my most energetic and hardworking athletes in my time here,” Pronger said. “He’s embraced his role as a team leader as someone who uplifts the team and centralizes his teammates’ focus not only through his words, but through his actions as well. He’s always humble and regardless of the result of his competitions, he fist bumps all of the competitors in his heat.

“Jacob has an infectiously positive energy that carries through the entire team. He has more than earned his teammates’ respect on a personal and athletic level. As talented of an athlete as he is, it’s his superlative character that makes him the perfect leader for this team.”

Pronger said he’s relentless in working towards his goals

“Jacob pushes his limits in practice and has an acute attention to detail to make sure he is performing at the highest level,” Pronger explained. “No matter how tired he is, he will always go all out and finish his races and workouts even stronger than he started them. 

“At his current trajectory, I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Jacob qualify for the state meet and continue to further extend his school records and decorated track career here at Grand River Prep.”

East Kentwood boys lacrosse team making big strides

City of Kentwood, Sports, ,
The East Kentwood lacrosse team goes through drills prior to facing off against Vicksburg last Saturday. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor



The East Kentwood boys lacrosse team has only been a varsity program since 2019 and during that short period of time the Falcons have made big strides and is experiencing plenty of success this season.

The Falcons took another step forward Saturday when they dropped a 7-6 decision to Vicksburg in a match that wasn’t decided until the final seconds.

In a match that featured two teams bringing in winning records to the contest, Vicksburg scored a goal with just 28 seconds remaining on the clock to earn the win.

“I thought the boys from both teams did an incredible job battling and playing lacrosse,” East Kentwood coach Keegan Neitzke said. “The stats from the game show how evenly matched both teams were. I was so proud of our players. These seniors played Vicksburg in 2021 and lost 18-1. To play to a 7-6 loss with the winning goal coming in the last 35 seconds shows the massive growth these kids have taken.


“Our defense and goalie played outstanding and the offense put the ball in the back of the net when we needed it, we just ran out of time at the end.”

 

Sophomore goalie Shawn Delano turned in a big game for the Falcons in net. Delano saved 9-of-16 shots on goal to finish with a 69 percent save percentage. That save percentage was higher than his season average of 62 percent.

“Shawn has two years of experience,” Neitzke said. “He has gotten better every game he has played.”

Delano received plenty of support from Falcon defenders Jaiden Woodson and Corey Hall. Hall caused three turnovers and came up with two ground balls during the match while Woodson caused one turnover and captured four ground balls.

Woodson has been a defensive leader all season for the Falcons.

“Jaiden is an athletic defender who uses his speed and footwork to create turnovers,” Neitzke said. “He has three years of experience and he will continue his playing career at Aquinas College next year.”

For the season, Woodson has totaled 46 ground balls and caused 28 turnovers.



The East Kentwood lacrosse team breaks a huddle during action from Saturday’s match against Vicksburg. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



Defense has been a strong point for the Falcons this season as only two teams have scored in double figures against the Kentwood defense.

 

Ben Cash and Harrison Stidolph led the Falcons on offense. Cash totaled four goals and two assists against Vicksburg, while Stidolph added a pair of goals.

“Ben is a high-energy competitor and is our go-to offensive weapon,” Neitzke said. “Harrison loves the game of lacrosse and is being recruited by the University of Michigan-Dearborn.”

For the season, Cash has 57 goals and 20 assists, while Stidolph has 24 goals and 11 assists. 

EK offense has several high-scoring games

The East Kentwood offense has recorded a number of high-scoring outputs this season, including an 18-goal game against both Coopersville and Kalamazoo Central and games of 17 and 16 goals against Northview.

 

The Falcons also have been receiving strong play from midfielder Waseem Ayad and long-stick middle/attacker Isaiah Ramirez. Ayad has 78 ground balls, 28 assists and caused 22 turnovers this season, while Ramirez has 37 ground balls, created 11 turnovers, added 11 assists and four goals.

“Waseem is the point guard of the offense and a two-way player,” Neitzke said. “He has three years of experience.”

Isaiah is a do-it-all player. He played long-stick middle the last two seasons, but does attack and long-stick mid to help the team. He has three years of experience and will continue his career at Aquinas College next year.”

Seniors help rebuild

This year’s seniors have helped build back the program from the hit it took from the covid pandemic that decimated numbers in 2021.

“I had around 16 kids come out and most of them had zero lacrosse experience,” Neitzke said. “Fast forward to this season and most of the seniors only have two to three years of lacrosse experience. The team has bought in and put in the work to get better on and off the field. Our records have increased each of the last three seasons and we are still learning.


“We are a growing program that started with a youth program so we have made an effort to build and grow lacrosse in the community. 2023 is our first year with a junior-varsity lacrosse team and we have started a middle school speed ball league to offset the expense of lacrosse.”

East Kentwood (8-7) is looking to finish the season strong.

“We have four games left that we believe we can win if we play up to the East Kentwood lacrosse standard,” said Neitzke after the Vicksburg loss. “If we win the next four games, we will finish the season with the most wins in a season in program history. The program is moving in the right direction and we continue to grow the game of lacrosse in the Kentwood community. It’s an exciting time for East Kentwood lacrosse.”      


NOTE: East Kentwood beat Coopersville 22-1 Tuesday, and now only needs three wins to finish with the most wins in a season in program history.  

East Kentwood hosts first-ever cornhole tournament for school students around the state Saturday

Sports, West Michigan, , ,
The East Kentwood Ice Arena played host to the first-ever East Kentwood Cornhole Invitational Saturday. (WKTV, Greg Chrapek)



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor

East Kentwood High School was home to a first of its kind event in the state of Michigan on Saturday as over 40 students from elementary school through high school took part in the inaugural East Kentwood Cornhole Invitational.

Two rows of cornhole boards filled nearly the entire floor space of the Kentwood Ice Arena where the competition took place with students of all ages and skill levels tossing bags back and forth.


The event was sponsored by the Michigan Cornhole League and the Youth Cornhole Organization, two of the main organizations for cornhole in the state of Michigan. Joey Williamson, a member of the staff at the East Kentwood Ice Arena, coordinated the event that drew students from all across Michigan.


Competitors came from schools like Woodhaven and Anchor Bay on the east side of the state, Montabella, Chippewa Hills and Mason County Central from farther north of the Grand Rapids area along with local competitors from schools like Wayland, Caledonia, Grandville, Byron Center, St. John Vianney, Jenison and East Kentwood.

“This is the first tournament just for school kids in the state and we’re putting it on,” Williamson said. “This has been a dream of mine for about two years. I love the sport of cornhole. It is a great community sport and a great way to make friends. It’s an easy sport to play and almost anyone can play regardless of age or skill level.”

The sport of cornhole is still evolving, but is beginning to gain in popularity around the country with events even getting broadcast on national television including ESPN.



School kids from across the state competed at the East Kentwood Cornhole Invitational. (WKTV, Greg Chrapek)

Adrian College cornhole

One of the teams that competed on ESPN’s national broadcasts was the college cornhole team from Adrian College. Adrian College is the lone college in the United States that has a school-supported cornhole team and Coach Max Benedict was in attendance at the East Kentwood Invitational getting the word out about college cornhole and helping to grow the sport.

“I’d really like to see cornhole get into the high schools and become a school sport,” Benedict said. “That would help us have a pool of kids to draw from. It’s not like football or basketball where every school has a team. I like getting out to the schools and putting on exhibitions to show the schools they could get a cornhole program going.”

Unlike sports like football and hockey that require large amounts of money for equipment and ice time and other expenses, cornhole is an inexpensive sport that requires just a few boards and some bags.

A push for high school cornhole

Gregg Devitto, who runs Michigan High School Cornholehub.com also was in attendance at the Kentwood tournament. DeVitto is developing an organization that is working to get geographic clusters of high schools in regions across the state playing competitive cornhole.

“Our goal is to eventually have cornhole become a Michigan High School Athletic Association sponsored sport in a few years,” DeVitto said. “We are developing a cluster of schools in Lenawee County that will be playing cornhole and we are hoping for two or three other clusters across the state.”

If Saturday’s event at East Kentwood was any indication, the sport of cornhole is primed to grow quickly among school-age participants who enjoyed the tournament at the East Kentwood Ice Arena.

“I like the idea of the tournament,” said Jayden, a student from Grand Rapids. “No one else has a tournament like this. I like being able to compete against other kids and I know this will grow the game.”

Hudson, who has been playing for a year, also enjoyed the tournament.

“It’s pretty fun,” Hudson said. “It’s just great being able to get out and throw and have fun with the other kids.”

Having fun and meeting other kids is a big attraction to cornhole for youth as it is for adults who play in cornhole leagues across West Michigan as much for the social aspect of the sport as it is the competitive side, similar to a sport like bowling.

Professional player Daniela Luna on hand

“I started playing backyard cornhole about four years ago,” said Daniela Luna, who is a professional cornhole player and was on hand from the Youth Cornhole Organization helping to run the tournament. “We want to get more and more kids involved in the sport. It’s a sport anyone can play and have a lot of fun doing it.”

Luna was joined at the tournament by Joyce Mandala also from the Youth Cornhole Organization.

“We want to get more kids involved,” Mandala said. “In Detroit, Jarron Jackson, who is also part of our organization, has five schools playing cornhole. It gives the kids who don’t play basketball or football a sport that they can play. Not everyone is tall and can play basketball. Cornhole is a sport that anyone can play and they can play after leaving school. It’s a great sport and the kids just love it.”

Williamson believes that once the word gets out the sport of cornhole will only grow not just across the state, but also in the area.

“We are looking for cornhole to start out as a club sport in the schools,” Williamson said. “Someday it will become a varsity sport in the schools. We had kids of all ages here. A lot of the younger kids are really good and even beat the older kids.



“We set up the tournament where we have pool play and the winners of the pools went on to play the other pool winners. After pool play it was set up based on the records in the pools. The kids really had a good time with it.”         

         

East Kentwood’s Lacey-Pierce one of several area boxing champs at Michigan Golden Gloves finals Saturday

City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Sports, West Michigan, , ,
Justin Lacey-Pierce (left) looks for an opening during his match against Jason Jackson in the 165-pound Elite Open class final at the Michigan Golden Gloves state finals Saturday at West Catholic. (WKTV, Greg Chrapek)



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor

East Kentwood graduate Justin Lacey-Pierce led the list of area boxers who brought home state titles at the 2023 Michigan Golden Gloves state championship finals on Saturday evening at West Catholic High School.

Lacey-Pierce, a 2017 grad of East Kentwood, turned in a solid performance as he won a decision against Jason Jackson of the Holland Westside Boxing Club in the 165-pound Elite Open division final. Lacey-Pierce, who defeated Jackson in last week’s West Michigan Golden Gloves finals, took charge of the bout from the opening bell and carried the action throughout the match.


Lacey-Pierce, like all the other champions from the state finals, now heads to the Golden Gloves of America National Tournament from May 8-14 in Philadelphia.

“Winning the state title feels ok, but what I really want is the national championship,” Lacey-Pierce said. “I’ve won a national championship before and what I want is to win a Golden Gloves national championship. That is my main goal.”

Lacey-Pierce cleared the next hurdle in reaching that goal by taking care of business against Jackson which gave him his second Golden Gloves state title of his career.

“It was a rematch of last week,” Lacey-Pierce said. “It was pretty much the same thing again. He (Jackson) is a very tough fighter. He’s durable and tough. I just tried to keep jabbing and sneak in some body shots and try to wear him out.”

Junior Rios gets fifth state title

While Lacey-Pierce won his second state title, former Wyoming Pride Boxing Club boxer Aneudy “Junior” Rios won his fifth state title. Like Lacey-Pierce, Rios fought a familiar foe in the title match as he squared off against Gentle Gibson of Kalamazoo who he defeated in last week’s West Michigan state finals in the 132-pound open division. Like the previous fight, Rios relied on his speed and quickness to carry him to the decision.

Junior Rios (right) squares off against Gentle Gibson of Kalamazoo in the 132-pound Elite Open class at the Michigan Golden Gloves state finals. (WKTV, Greg Chrapek)

“He (Gibson) was going for the knockout,” Rios said. “I used my quickness against him. I have quicker hands and quicker feet and I used that to my advantage. His gameplan was to land a knockout punch. It was definitely a good fight. He tried to knock me out but I knew I could outbox him.”

Winning a fifth state title meant plenty to Rios who plans to turn professional after making a run at qualifying for the 2024 Olympics.

“This feels great,” Rios said. “I have dreamed about this moment and to come out on top really means a lot to me. I’m looking forward to the national tournament and I feel right now I’m in better shape that I’ve ever been in during all the years of going to nationals. I feel way quicker, have way more experience and have a way better boxing IQ.”

Mo Mercado 125-pound open division champ

Like his training partner Rios, Guillermo “Mo” Mercado is another multi-time state champion and faced a rematch in his title bout in the 125-pound open division. Like he did the week prior, Mercado utilized his outstanding boxing skills to win a decision against Jason Wells.

Guillermo Mercado (left) looks to set up his shot during his match against Jason Wells in the 125-pound Elite Open class final at the Michigan Golden Gloves state finals. (WKTV, Greg Chrapek)



“I went into the match trying to stay focused and to get the job done,” Mercado said. “I knew that I could outbox him and that was my plan. He tried some different things but I just stayed composed and outboxed him.”

The state title meant plenty to Mercado who also plans to turn professional after the Golen Gloves.

“This is a tremendous feeling,” Mercado said. “I put my heart on the line for this one. I’ve went through a lot of adversity to get this one and this really means a lot to me.”

Catholic Central grad Ulysses Campos wins at 147 pounds

Ulysses Campos, a 2018 graduate of Grand Rapids Catholic Central High School is another area boxer who was looking to add to his collection of state titles before turning pro later this year. Campos won a decision against Tyrone Welch of Saginaw in the finals at 147 pounds. The title was the sixth Golden Gloves title for Campos and the fourth Golden Gloves state championship on his resume.

“I won my first Golden Gloves title when I was 16-years old,” said the 23-year old Campos, who also was part of a state championship soccer team while at Catholic Central. “This one is pretty special. It is my last one and I knew it was going to be a tough one. My opponent is really tough and I knew it was going to be a big challenge.”

Bryan Caceres wins fourth state title

Bryan Caceres rounded out the area open champions. Caceres, who won a fourth state title for his career, needed to avenge a loss from last week’s West Michigan finals to earn his title. In a match that was just as hard-fought as last week’s title match at 139 pounds, Caceres won a decision against Marcos Saucedo Jr. of Holland. Like the other area open division boxers, Caceres is also planning on turning professional later this year.

Also claiming open-division titles were Nicholas Young of Flint at 156 pounds, KeiShawn Partee of Muskegon, 176 pounds, Solomon Jagun of Lansing, 203 pounds, and Shaquan Cox of Flint, 203-plus division.

Sarah Batenburg takes 146-pound title in the female division

There also were three uncontested open division champions all in the female division. Sarah Batenburg of Hudsonville won at 146 pounds, Zoe Hicks of Lansing won at 110 pounds and Kimberly Green of Lansing was the 178 pounds-plus champion.

In novice action, Michael Guzman of Grand Rapids won the 132-pound novice title with a decision against Gage Stafford of Flint.

“It feels good,” Guzman said. “I’ve loved fighting in the Golden Gloves this year. It’s a great feeling to be the last man standing.”

Guzman’s twin brother Mike Guzman just missed a state title of his own as he dropped a close decision to Brant Bowlin of Lansing at 139 pounds. 

In the 147-pound novice division, Alejandro Hernandez of the Anahuac Boxing Club, located in southwest Grand Rapids, won a decision against Stephen Ramirez. The bout was a rematch of last week’s West Michigan finals contest and Hernandez used a similar formula to get the win.

“(He) Ramirez was not as aggressive as last week,” Hernandez said. “Like I did last week, I just tried to outbox him. Winning the state title feel so good. It feels good to see all my hard work pay off.”

At 203 pounds, Zachary Brayton of Traverse City Significant Strikes won a decision against Austin Connors of the Kalamazoo Boxing Club in a rematch of their fight last week. Brayton, who improved his record to 7-0 over the weekend, also was named the Outstanding Novice Boxer for this year’s state finals.

Also winning state titles in the novice division were Van Davis (125 pounds) of Muskegon, Brant Bowling (139) of Lansing, Ndeye Diouf (female-146 pounds) of Flint and Monjuan Walker (156) of Flint. Uncontested novice champions included Sulliman Aamer (112) of Holland, Abel Vilchis-Mendoza (176) of Muskegon and Cody Leonard (203-plus) of Muskegon.

East Kentwood grad and other local boxers capture titles at West Michigan Golden Gloves finals Saturday at West Catholic

City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Sports, West Michigan,
Justin Lacey-Pierce (left) moves in during his match against Jason Jackson in the 165-pound Elite Open class final at the West Michigan Golden Gloves finals. Pierce won his division on Saturday evening. (WKTV, Greg Chrapek)



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor

Highlighted by one of the premier amateur boxers in the nation, area fighters claimed titles at the 2023 West Michigan Golden Gloves finals Saturday evening at West Catholic High School.

In the final bout of the evening, Justin Lacey-Pierce, a 2017 graduate of East Kentwood High School, claimed the final championship of the program after defeating Jason Jackson of the Holland Westside Boxing Club in the 165-pound Elite Open division final.

Lacey-Pierce is one of the top amateur boxers in his weight class in the nation and turned in a strong performance in the win against Jackson.

“I was a little rusty in the first round,” Lacey-Pierce said. “I felt like I was rushing things too much. Once I settled down and got my distance down and my timing down, I started connecting with my shots. He (Jackson) is a pretty tough guy and that had a lot to do with it, too.”

State Championships on April 21 and 22

A 2021 USA National champion, Lacey-Pierce is currently ranked fourth in the nation at 156 pounds and seventh at 165. Lacey-Pierce will be going for his second state title next week at the Michigan Golden Gloves state championships Friday and Saturday at West Catholic High School.

Lacey-Pierce (39-12 as an amateur) plans on turning pro after this year’s Golden Gloves tournaments.

 

Junior Rios 132-pound West Michigan champ

In the 132-pound Elite Open division final, Aneudy “Junior” Rios won a decision against previously undefeated Gentle Gibson of Kalamazoo. Rios, who is on a quest for a fifth state championship, used his speed and quickness from the opening bell to take control of the match.

“It was a case of speed versus power,” Rios said. “I felt like I was in control of the fight from the beginning. I just used my speed and quickness to take the fight to him. I will fight him again in the state finals so I have to go back to the gym and work on some things.”

Mercado and Saucedo also West Michigan champions

In the 125-pound Elite Open division, Guillermo “Mo” Mercado continued his journey of winning a third state championship by winning a decision against his MGGA gym teammate Jason Wells. In a match full of action, Mercado was in control throughout.

“I just went in looking to outbox him,” Mercado said. “I moved around the ring and tried to cut him off. I had to change my style and try and outwork him. I have a few things I have to still improve on so I will go back to the drawing board.”

In the final Open Elite division bout Marcos Saucedo Jr. of Holland Westside won a decision over Bryan Caceres of MGGA in a close, action-filled bout.



Sarah Batenburg (right) fought Zamyla Thurman-Houston in the 150-pound Elite Female division at the West Michigan Golden Gloves finals. (WKTV, Greg Chrapek)



In the lone female bout of the evening, Sarah Batenburg, a Tri-County High School and Grand Valley State University graduate put on an exciting show along with Zamyla Thurman-Houston of Lansing Team Glass. In her first bout in several months, Batenburg shook off any rust and outpointed Thurman-Houston in an action-filled match that had the crowd heavily involved.



The West Michigan title was the fifth in her career and the second as an open-division boxer. Batenburg was boxing at 150 pounds, down from her previous weight classes of 165 and 156.

“I’m used to fighting bigger girls,” Batenburg said. “This was the first time I fought at 146 or 147 pounds. I think this was a good fight for me and gave me good experience. It was also the first time I have fought in nearly a year since boxing at the nationals last August.”

The entire card was filled with outstanding action with several bouts upping the decibel number several levels in a close to full West Catholic gymnasium.

One of those bouts came at the 139-pound Elite Novice division where Mike Guzman of MGGA outlasted Brant Bowlin of Lansing Team Glass. The highlight of the match was a flurry of action with both boxers unloading shots for what seemed like 30 seconds.

“He (Bowlin) was a tough opponent,” Guzman said. “In that second round we were just bringing it. We were both like mad dogs and it was a matter of who wanted it more.”

Guzman’s win came just after his twin brother Michael Guzman won a decision against Davone Jones of Lansing Crown Boxing Club in the 132-pound Elite Novice final.

The 203-pound Elite Novice final was another fight that had the crowd stoked the entire distance. Zachary Brayton, of Traverse City Significant Strikes, won a decision against Austin Connors of the Kalamazoo Boxing Club.

Forest Hills Eastern grad 156-pound Elite Novice champ

In the 156-pound Elite Novice final, Nasir Harris, a Forest Hills Eastern graduate, won a decision against Reynaldo Ortego of Lansing Crown Boxing. A multi-sport athlete in high school, Harris enjoyed his first title fight of his young boxing career.

“It was so exciting,” Harris said. “I never knew a feeling like this in sports before. Having everyone in the gym cheering for you and being one on one with your opponent in the ring with everyone watching you.”


 

Alejandro Hernandez (left) squares off against Stephen Ramirez in the 147-pound Elite Novice class at the West Michigan Golden Gloves finals. (WKTV, Greg Chrapek)


In the 147-pound Elite Novice final, Alejandro Hernandez of the Anahuac Boxing Club, located in southwest Grand Rapids, won a decision against Stephen Ramirez who was boxing unattached.

“I think my boxing IQ made the difference,” Hernandez said. “Winning this title is really satisfying because I have had to fight every day of the tournament.”

In the 165-pound Elite Novice final, Jaier Morgan of MGGA won a decision against his teammate Matthew Moore also of MGGA.

Also winning titles at the West Michigan Finals were Elijah Knight of the ChampsDen Boxing Club in the 132-pound junior open division, Roy Garcia of Holland Westside at the 125-pound Elite Novice and Abel Vilchis-Mendoza of the Muskegon Boxing Club in the 176-pound Elite Novice.  

Golden Gloves: Area boxers clear hurdles to the West Michigan Finals Saturday

City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Sports, West Michigan, ,
WKTV reporter Greg Chrapek interviews local boxer Junior Rios after he beat Armond Bridgeford of Grand Rapids in the semifinals Wednesday. Rios is seeking his fifth state championship.



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor


A trio of multi-time state champions took care of business during semifinal night at the West Michigan Golden Gloves and are poised to take the next step to become West Michigan Golden Gloves Champions.

Guillermo “Mo” Mercado, Aneudy “Junior” Rios and Bryan Caceres all won their matches against some strong competition during semifinal action Wednesday evening at West Catholic High School. The wins send the trio, who have combined for nine state championships, on to the West Michigan Golden Gloves finals at 7 p.m. Saturday at West Catholic.



Guillermo Mercado squares off against Elmer Velasquez in the 125-pound Elite Open class at the West Michigan Golden Gloves semifinals. (WKTV, Greg Chrapek)



Mercado led things off in the Elite Open division at 125 pounds when he won a decision against Elmer Velasquez of Anahuac Boxing Club. In one of the most action-packed bouts of the evening, Mercado used his skills to wear Velasquez down in a bout that was full of action from both boxers. 

“This is the fourth time I have fought him,” Mercado said. “I knew coming in he is a very tough fighter. I knew this was going to be one of my toughest opponents here. I had to get on him with my jab and keep the pressure up.”

Mercado, who has been boxing for over seven years, is a two-time state champion on a mission to win a third state title before turning professional., Mercado has been busy fighting in some national tournaments this season and is primed for a long run in the Golden Gloves this spring.

Mercado’s coach, Anbrocio Ledesma, liked what he saw in the fight, but knows improvement needs to continue to be made.

“Mo has fought this guy several times,” Ledesma said. “He puts a lot of pressure on and Mo had to fight a little different fight. I asked Mo to do some different things and he pulled it off. Every opponent has a different style and you have to make adjustments and Mo did that.”



Junior Rios looks for an opening during his match against Armond Bridgeford in the 132-pound Elite Open class at the West Michigan Golden Gloves semifinals. (WKTV, Greg Chrapek)



Rios, Mercado’s teammate who also is trained by Ledesma, is a four-time state champion and had a tough test in the next bout when he went up against Armond Bridgeford of Grand Rapids MGGA. After both boxers traded shots in the opening round, Rios began to take control of the match in the second round. By the third round Rios was in command of the fight and recorded a standing-eight count before the referee stopped the contest later in the round.

“This was the first time I fought him,” Rios said. “He is a taller fighter and in the first round it took me some time to get used to his size. Eventually I started to get inside and get off some good body shots. I was able to work the body and slow him down.”

The win moves Rios into a showdown Saturday against Gentle Gibson, an undefeated fighter from the Kalamazoo Boxing Club.

In the final match of the evening and in the Elite Open class, Bryan Caceres of Grand Rapids MGGA won a decision against Anthony Hurt of Team Glass from Lansing. Caceres, who has been boxing for nine years, is a three-time state champion looking for a fourth title before turning professional like both Mercado and Rios. Caceres has won his three previous state titles at 125 pounds and moved up to 139 pounds this year.



Bryan Caceres prepares to move in during his match against Anthony Hurt in the 139-pound. Elite Open class at the West Michigan Golden Gloves semifinals. (WKTV, Greg Chrapek)



“My goal is to win a fourth state title before turning pro,” Caceres said. “This was my first fight in over eight months. I’m boxing up at 139 pounds so it’s kind of tough because I’m actually a 125-pounder.”

Caceres will go after the West Michigan title Saturday evening when he faces off against Marcos Saucedo Jr. of the Holland Westside Boxing Club.

Five Elite Novice division bouts also took place Wednesday

At 147 pounds, Alejandro Hernandez of the Anahuac Boxing Club won a decision against Kardyea Williams of MGGA. Also at 147 pounds Stephen Ramirez, boxing unattached, won in the second round when the referee stopped the contest in his match against James McCullen of Crown Boxing Club of Lansing. Hernandez and Ramirez fight Saturday in the 147-pound finals of the Elite Novice division.

At 165 pounds, Jaier Morgan of MGGA won a decision against Ronald Taylor of the Muskegon Boxing Club. Also at 165 pounds, Matthew Moore of MGGA on a decision against Christopher McLaughlin of the Muskegon Boxing Club. Morgan and Moore will square off in the finals Saturday.

At 176 pounds, Isaiah Clay of Crown Boxing won when the referee stopped the contest in his bout with Paul Vaalburg of MGGA.  

Kentwood and Hanger Clinic to host annual Hanger Limb Loss Awareness 5K April 29

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, Sports, West Michigan, ,
Last year’s event. (Courtesy, City of Kentwood)



By WKTV Staff

greer@wktv.org



The City of Kentwood and local orthotic and prosthetic care provider Hanger Clinic are again partnering to host the fifth annual Hanger Limb Loss Awareness 5K on Saturday, April 29 in honor of Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month.

The all-ages, all-abilities event will begin with packet pickup at 9 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Park, 355 48th St. SE, followed by a Show Your Mettle photo at 9:45 a.m. The race, which begins at 10 a.m., will include a new route this year that will take runners through Veteran’s Memorial Park and part of the East West Trail.

The race seeks to increase awareness of limb loss and limb difference, build community and raise funds for Kentwood’s adaptive recreation programs. These programs provide quality recreation and enrichment programs for people of all abilities and offer opportunities for people with disabilities to participate in athletic activities in an adapted way to allow for a safe, fun experience. 

“Our Limb Loss Awareness 5K is focused on inclusivity, awareness, relationships and making a difference in our local community,” said Katelyn Bush, Kentwood recreation program coordinator. “We’re honored to host this event alongside Hanger Clinic and are thrilled about its growing popularity since the first one in 2018.” 

Register today

Online registration is available at RunSignUp.com. Registration is $35 through April 28 and $45 on race day. Participants will receive a long-sleeved T-shirt and swag bag as part of their registration. To guarantee a shirt, please be sure to register by April 14. Packet pickup will be available at the event and in advance at the Kentwood Activities Center, 355 48th St. SE, during business hours beginning Thursday, April 27.



Last year’s Hanger Limb Loss Awareness 5K. (Courtesy, City of Kentwood)



Four first-place awards will be given to the first adult men and women amputees and nonamputees who cross the finish line. The event is set to conclude at 1 p.m. 

The kid-friendly event will also include a fun run for ages 12 and younger at 11 a.m. in the park. The kids race costs $10 per child and includes a T-shirt and finisher ribbon. There also is a Family Fun area with yard games, chalk and more for all ages to enjoy.



Last year’s Hanger Limb Loss Awareness 5K. (Courtesy, City of Kentwood)



This year’s event will feature two speakers: Kelly Allen and RJ Myler. 

Allen was born missing a femur, tibia and patella and with a hip that is not fully developed on her left side due to a limb difference called proximal femoral focal deficiency. She was fit for her first prosthetic at just 3 months old. 

She was born into a family of athletes, but there was not an adaptive sports community near her home. So, she competed in able-bodied sports, working hard to keep up with her peers on the field and court. In 2006, her prosthetist introduced her to the Extremity Games, an extreme sport competition for athletes with disabilities. This was her first introduction to adaptive sports, and it had a big impact on her view of her disability. 

“In a flash, I went from being the only person I knew with a prosthetic leg to being surrounded by people who shared similar life experiences to me,” Allen said. “I walked away from this event with a second-place medal in rock climbing and with a new sense of belonging and pride in my disability.”

Allen’s love of sports and participation in adaptive recreation took her many places. She trained and competed in adaptive skiing in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. While recovering from a ski injury, she was introduced to paracanoe and became a paralympic kayaker, representing the U.S. on the world stage for 10 years in Hungary, Portugal, Germany, Poland and Brazil. 

Myler experienced a workplace accident that led to his left leg being amputated from the hip down in June 2022. Due to the accident, he suffered a broken left femur and humerus, a broken pelvis, two broken hips, a fractured right femur, tibia and fibula, a fractured heel and a severely dislocated right knee that tore all four major ligaments. Upon waking up on a ventilator and finding his left leg amputated, Myler knew he had a long road to recovery ahead.  

He spent three months at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital rebuilding strength in his right leg and preparing to use a prosthetic limb. During this time, he said it was hard to focus on the bright side of his new life when he was often faced with thoughts of activities he would no longer be able to do. 

A supportive community made all the difference for Myler. 

“Fortunately, I have an amazing wife, family, friends and neighbors who rallied behind me and gave me something to fight for,” Myler said.  “I knew I wasn’t alone in this.” 

“I hope others read this and know help is always available to those who ask.”

Myler returned home from the hospital in October, was fit with his first prosthetic leg at Hanger Clinic in December, and recently returned to work as a dispatcher, where he enjoys encouraging others to approach life with a positive mindset. 

Radio personality Phil Tower will DJ the event

Phil Tower, a West Michigan radio personality, amputee and advocate for people with disabilities, will serve as the event’s DJ. Tower has more than 40 years of broadcasting experience and a background in higher education and talent coaching. 

Along with the race, there will be activities and educational opportunities to raise awareness about limb loss and limb difference. These resources will help participants and attendees learn more about amputation, prosthetics and orthotics as well as connect individuals who have experienced limb loss or limb difference and to build relationships. Several informational booths from various sponsors also will be at the event.



 

Last year’s Hanger Limb Loss Awareness 5K. (Courtesy, City of Kentwood)



Sponsors include Corewell Health, Mary Free Bed Orthotics & Prosthetics + Bionics, Buist Electric, Green Shield Deck Builders, Life Beyond Barriers Rehabilitation Group, College Park, Metronet, Muskegon Surgical Associates, Summit Labs LLC, Amazon, Foot and Ankle Specialists and Willow Wood.

“We have a vibrant, supportive community for people experiencing limb loss and limb difference in West Michigan as well as many local resources,” said Nikki Stoner, Hanger Clinic care coordinator and a lower limb amputee herself. “This event gives us an opportunity to raise awareness and let individuals know they aren’t in this alone – we’re here to help.”

 

Volunteers are needed for the event. Those interested may sign up at RunSignUp.com.

 

More information on the Hanger Limb Loss Awareness 5K is available at kentwood.us/LimbLoss5K.

All profits from the event will go toward improving and expanding the City of Kentwood’s adaptive recreation programs to encourage health and wellness, socialization and excellent quality of life for all. The programs – offered in collaboration with community partners – enable participants to enjoy the benefits that come with any athletic or recreational activity, such as a sense of camaraderie, improved confidence and new skills. For more on the City of Kentwood’s adaptive recreation programs, visit kentwood.us/adaptive.

Golden Gloves: Junior Rios looking to cap amateur career in a big way

City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Sports, West Michigan, ,
Local fighter Junior Rios (second from left) is aiming for a fifth state title this year and is carrying on the legacy of the Wyoming Pride gym that included from left: Coach Alex Fernandez, Junior, Coach Anbrocio Ledesma and Coach Dominic Marsiglia. (Courtesy, Junior Rios)



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor



Over the past several years, Aneudy “Junior” Rios has been one of the top amateur boxers in the Grand Rapids area. During his amateur career he has won 50 bouts and four Golden Gloves state championships.

Rios is competing in his final Golden Gloves this year, but before turning pro, he is looking to end his amateur boxing career in a big way.

Going for a fifth state title

Rios takes the next step in his quest to winning a fifth state championship in the open division at the semifinals of the West Michigan Golden Gloves scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday at Grand Rapids West Catholic High School.

“I feel like this year is my year for sure,” Rios said. “I won last year, but I feel like this year I am in better shape than I was last year. I’m at a different weight class and I feel more focused and more consistent. I’ve lost weight and I’m boxing at 132 pounds this year.”

Rios won his opening-night match April 1 and faces a challenge in the semifinals where he goes up against Armond Bridgeford of Grand Rapids MGGA in the semifinal match.

Not only does Rios have a goal of winning the state title this year, but he also wants to take it a step further at the National Golden Gloves tournament this May in Philadelphia. After that, Rios wants to earn a spot in the Olympic Trials where he will try to make the 2024 United State Olympic Boxing team.

Turning pro soon

“This is my last year of amateur boxing before turning pro,” Rios said. “My goal is the Olympics. I have one more national trial in December where I can earn a spot at the Olympic Trials.”

Rios, age 26, has come a long way in the sport of boxing since he first stepped foot in a gym 10 years ago. A four-time open division champion, Rios has fashioned an amateur record of 50-9. He also reached the semifinals of the National Golden Gloves in 2017.

Rios got his start in boxing at the former Wyoming Pride Gym that was open from 2012 to 2019.

Began boxing at 16

“I started boxing when I was 16-years old,” Rios said. “I was a street kid, and a lady, we call her Momma G, took me to the fights and introduced me to coach Alex Fernandez. I fell in love with boxing as soon as I stepped in the gym. I started going to the Wyoming Pride Gym and that was where I met my coach, Anbrocio Ledesma. Coach Ledesma has always been like a father-figure to me. I call him dad and he calls me son.”

Rios trained at Wyoming Pride until the gym closed in 2019 when the landlord needed the space for another venture.

Since then, Rios has sparred at other gyms in the area while also training at a gym coach Ledesma created in a heated garage on his property. Currently, Rios and Guillermo Mercado are both training under Ledesma.

“I’m a full-time dad, a full-time worker and a full-time boxer,” Rios said. “When I get out of work, I head over to Anbrocio’s and easily put in two to three hours a day working out. Anbrocio is a really good coach. He is great at strength and conditioning. Everything is precise and there is always a routine. I also get a lot of help from my sister, Andreina Torres, who helps watch my son (Gabriel) when I’m at the gym.”

Hard work paying off

The work Rios has been putting in over the years is paying off as Rios is one of the top amateur boxers in the state.

“Junior has put in a lot of hard work,” Ledesma said. “He also does what we ask him to do. He believes in my coaching style. Junior is very aggressive in the ring, but he also has a lot of skill, a lot of knowledge and a lot of quickness. Not only does he have very good hand speed, but he has very good footwork and that is hard to teach.

“You either have it or you don’t. He has the natural skills and he is also a hard worker who gets the most out of what he has.”

Ledesma believes Rios has what it takes to accomplish his goals.

“Junior looked pretty good in his fight last week,” Ledesma said. “As always, there is room for improvement and each opponent will test him in a little different way. Things are looking good for him as long as he keeps consistent in his training and his conditioning.        

Michigan Golden Gloves Championships begin 91st tournament; Opening night April 1 at West Catholic High School

City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Sports, West Michigan, ,
Local boxer Junior Rios (right) and his coach Anbrocio Ledesma. Rios will be one of the top open division boxers to watch at this year’s Michigan Golden Gloves Championships. (Courtesy, Junior Rios)



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor



If it’s April in West Michigan it must be time for some Golden Gloves boxing and this year is one of transition for the fabled boxing tournament.

The 91st annual Michigan Golden Gloves Championships begin this weekend, Saturday, April 1. This year’s tournament will be held at West Catholic High School (1801 Bristol Ave. NW, Grand Rapids) as the DeltaPlex, which hosted the tournament the past several years, closed its doors earlier this year.





“The Golden Gloves is one of the most prestigious tournaments in boxing,” said tournament co-director Brian Lentz. “The Golden Gloves is an exciting five-day event. The first three days are the West Michigan Championships and the final two days are the Michigan State Finals.”


Began in 1923

The Golden Gloves began in Chicago in 1923 and the Chicago Golden Gloves is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. This year’s Michigan Golden Gloves will be the 91st running of the tournament that began in 1932. Over the past 90-plus years, the Michigan Golden Gloves has produced some of the greatest boxers to have ever come out of the state of Michigan.

Floyd Mayweather and many other big names were Golden Gloves Champs

One of the greatest boxers of all time, Floyd Mayweather, is a former Golden Gloves champion from West Michigan along with a host of other champions, including Tony Tucker, Buster Mathis Jr., Roger Mayweather, Chris Byrd, Tim Littles, Andre Dirrell, Anthony Dirrell, Ra’eese Aleem, Fabian Williams, Roger Turner and Peter Quillin to name a few.

38 gyms represented

There are a total of 38 gyms in Michigan and this year’s tournament hopes to have representatives from all of those gyms. The first three days of the event will be the West Michigan Championships where boxers from Lansing to the west will compete. The East Michigan Championships will be held for boxers from east of Lansing. The final two dates will be the state championships where the winner and runner-up boxers in each division from the east will square off against the top two boxers in each division from the west with a spot on the Michigan team for the National Golden Gloves tournament on the line. This year’s National Golden Gloves Tournament is scheduled to take place in Philadelphia, PA. from May 8 through May 13.

Three divisions

The Golden Gloves is split into different divisions. There is a novice division, for beginning boxers that have had fewer than 10 fights, and an open division for more experienced boxers. There also is a female division.  

WKTV will televise the tournament (see below)

WKTV will televise all five nights of this year’s tournament. WKTV commentator Bob Serulla is in his 23rd year of working the Golden Gloves and is excited about this year’s tournament. 

“I think we are going to have a heck of a year,” Serulla said. “There is a lot of good, young talent and some highly-ranked fighters this year. Obviously, the Golden Gloves is going through a transition with the closing of the DeltaPlex, but I’m looking forward to a big year.”

Among the open division boxers are some highly-ranked local boxers. Justin Lacy-Pierce is a former national champion who recently qualified to compete for a spot on the USA National team. Lacy-Pierce is ranked fourth in his weight class by USA Boxing in their recent rankings at the end of last year.



Local boxer Junior Rios will be one of the top open division boxers to watch. (Courtesy, Junior Rios)



Junior Rios is another local standout who placed second at the regional qualifier for USA Boxing that took place March 18-25 in Detroit. Maurice Davis of Kalamazoo is another standout in the open division to watch along with Ulysses Campos of Grand Rapids, while Zoe Hicks of Lansing is a nationally-ranked female boxer in the 114-pound weight class.

Another name to keep an eye on is Ryan Schmidt. A member of the famed Schmidt family of boxers from the west side of Grand Rapids, Schmidt is making a comeback to the Golden Gloves at age 38. Schmidt was a five-time state champion from 2001-2005 and also was a silver and bronze medal winner at the National Golden Gloves during that time. 

Along with the big names, the tournament is the birthplace of boxing dreams for young boxers making their first appearances in the ring.

“Opening night is a night you have some of the best fights,” Serulla said. “A lot of guys match up who have never fought before. You see people who come out of nowhere put on a show, especially in the novice division. I love opening night at the Gloves. You see some out and out wars on the first night.” 

The opening night of this year’s Golden Gloves takes place Saturday, April 1. Boxing begins at 7 p.m. Action continues Wednesday, April 12 and Saturday April 15 with the state finals scheduled for Friday and Saturday April 21 and 22. Bouts begin at 7 p.m. each day with the doors opening at 6 p.m.


WKTV Golden Gloves Schedule

Catch all the action on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 and AT&T U-verse 99 with a live tape delayed airing of each night. You also can stream WKTV at WKTV25Live 

West Michigan Preliminaries

Saturday, April 1 

 Airs Wednesday, April 5 at 5 p.m.

West Michigan Semifinals

Wednesday, April 12

Airs Saturday, April 15 at 11 a.m. and Tuesday, April 18 at 11 p.m.

West Michigan Finals

Saturday, April 15

Airs Sunday, April 16 at 12 p.m. and Wednesday, April 19 at 5 p.m.

State Semifinals 

Friday, April 21 

 Airs Saturday, April 22 at 11 a.m. and Wednesday, April 26 at 5 p.m. 

State Finals 

Saturday, April 22  

 Airs Sunday, April 23 at 12 p.m. and Wednesday, May 3 at 5 p.m.

Friday Night Highlights Special Edition: Host Zach Fanko interviews Tri-unity and South Christian teams after both finish second in state

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



By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org




Take a look at our boys basketball state finals edition of WKTV Friday Night Highlights, where host Zach Fanko interviews Tri-unity Coach Mark Keeler and players Roy Fogg and Owen Rosendall in the first half of the show, followed by South Christian Coach Taylor Johnson and player Sam Medendorp in the second half.



You will enjoy watching both coaches talk through some season highlight reels, giving their play-by-play analysis of these games.


From Left: South Christian center Sam Medendorp, Coach Taylor Johnson and WKTV Friday Night Highlights host Zach Fanko taped a special edition Wednesday honoring the Sailors second-place finish in the Division 2 state finals. (WKTV)





From Left: Tri-unity Christian boys basketball guard Owen Rosendall, forward Roy Fogg, Coach Mark Keeler and Friday Night Highlights host Zach Fanko taped a special edition Wednesday honoring the Defenders second-place finish in the Division 4 state finals. (WKTV)

East Kentwood boys basketball team and Coach Thomas turn things around; OK Red and district champs

City of Kentwood, Sports, West Michigan, ,
East Kentwood boys basketball coach Mike Thomas. (Courtesy, East Kentwood High School)



By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org



East Kentwood boys basketball Coach Mike Thomas knew right away he wanted to create a “gotta-get-it” mentality when he took over the team last fall.

“The only thing I know about last year is that they didn’t have a winning season, and I knew right away that I wanted to come in and kind of change that,” Thomas said. “I knew right away that I wanted to create a gotta-get-it mentality, and the meaning of a gotta-get-it mentality is to create a sense of urgency, to accomplish unforeseen goals without making any excuses along the way.

“We wanted to create some goals, create some expectations, and then teach them how to work for this year. And we started off early in the year back in the fall with a lot of training, running bleachers, conditioning, all of that stuff. And they didn’t quite realize or understand what it was for, but towards the end of the year, they could see and understand how all of that stuff helped us become successful this year.”


The East Kentwood basketball team celebrates with the district trophy after defeating Byron Center 62-45 in a district title game. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



OK Red and District Champs

Thomas talked about taking first in the OK Red at 11-3 and finishing 18-7 overall with a district title as well, compared to 6-15 overall last year with a 6-8 conference record.

“Oh, this was huge for us,” Thomas said. “I think it’s a statement for where we’re trying to go as the foundation; we established that right away. And it’s unfortunate that we’re losing some seniors, but I told those seniors that whatever we do this year is the start of us accomplishing our ultimate goal and that’s to win a state title. Our seniors have done a really good job by creating a strong foundation of what it takes to be successful.

“They were able to set the stage for us moving forward winning the district and winning the conference title.”

Captain Marshaun Flakes: ‘Willing to do whatever’

“I was able to coach at some special places, special schools; I was able to coach some special players and Marshaun fits in the category of being one of my all time special players,” Thomas said. “He had a huge impact on winning. It’s just unfortunate that I was only able to coach him for one year. I’m going to miss him.


East Kentwood’s Marshaun Flakes. (WKTV, Greg Chrapek)




“But you’re talking about a guy who has the power and the energy to control a community, control a school, control a team. When he wants it, we’re all going to get it, and he has a gotta-get-it mentality. He was our leading scorer and he did everything for us. He was Mr. Utility guy. He was willing to do whatever.”

Flakes led the Falcons with 21 points per game and averaged 7 rebounds, four assists and 2-1/2 steals a game as well. He was first team, all conference and Thomas said he’d be the Conference MVP if there was such an award.

“Based on what he did, he was able to turn this program around from sixth place to first place,” Thomas continued. “This guy just did everything.”



Captain Jah Hatchett: ‘Setting the tone’

Another player that played a big role was Jah Hatchett, who averaged 15 points, 4-1/2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1-1/2 steals per game. He also was first team, all conference as well. 


East Kentwood sophomore guard Jah Hatchett sets up the offense during action in the district championship game. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)

“He’s going to go down as one of my all time special players,” Thomas said. “Here he is a sophomore, he’s just a baby. And he shows some great leadership skills. He was one of the guys that set the tone for us … for workouts, morning shoots, offseason workouts, he was always there.

“At one point in the season he was our leading scorer. And I think teams started to key on that. And that’s when Marshaun stepped up. When you have those two guys on the court at the same time great things are going to happen for you.


“Jah is going to be a very, very special player for East Kentwood.” 

Hatchett said it felt good to win an OK Red and district title.

“Especially since we haven’t won conference in eight years,” Hatchett continued. “It feels good and then in districts, we did even better.

“The highlight of my season was coming together as a team and going on our little run up, seven-game winning streak.”


Hatchett began playing basketball at age five.

“When I was little, I was always a two-sport athlete, playing football and basketball. But I just found more interest in playing basketball.” 

Sophomore point guard Darryl Thompkins

“We were very lucky to have him return back to Grand Rapids, as he did some really, really good things for us,” Thomas said. “He was our floor general. He got everybody involved. There were a couple games this year where he had double figures in assists. He also was first team all league.” 

I take my hat off to those two sophomores (Hatchett and Thompkins) just simply because they had to compete against some really, really tough seniors and upperclassmen.”

Coach Thomas’s highlight of the season?

“I would say the highlight of the season was just being able to turn the program around in a short period of time, and just simply having fun mentoring young men. This is nothing but fun to me. Coaching is what I love to do. This is who I am.

“But you can also add winning the conference championship and district title as a highlight. But an even bigger highlight is just being able to see the community, the response of the community, the support of the community, especially within those last couple of games. You can kind of feel that they believe in what we’re trying to do.”

Along with Flakes, Thomas also talked about graduating Rasheed Watkins and Nate Cobbs.

“We’re losing Rasheed Watkins, who was a big time energy guy for us,” Thomas explained. “He started some games, came off the bench for us, but he was always ready when his number was called. He does some really good things for us, but we’ll also miss Nate Cobbs. He’s a football player, wrestler and track star. He’s going to play Division 2 football at Davenport University. He came off the bench and gave us a spark when we needed it, especially against Grandville. He was that big time, muscle guy for us to kind of contain some people and was always ready when his number was called.

“But, for next year, great things are gonna happen for us. We have Jah Hatchett and and Darryl Thompkins returning along with Christian Humphrey-Rembert.”

Kaufman Golf Course opens today

Sports,

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

Spring has arrived as Kaufman Golf Course of Palmer Park has opened its course and driving range today, March 30.

Rated 4 stars by “Golf Digest,” the Kaufman Golf Course features rolling fairways, perfect greens and picturesque scenery. Kaufman is the home course for the highly regarded Kent County Amateur Golf Tournament. 

There are daily rates and season passes. For more information, call the new Kaufman Golf Course number, 616-632-7855, or click here.

Kaufman is long for grounds crew and staff for its clubhouse. Positions start at $15 per hour with an additional $1 per hour on weekends. For an application, click here. For additional information, visit kaufman.golfcourse@kentcountymi.gov.

South Christian falls to Ferndale in Division 2 state championship game

City of Kentwood, Sports, West Michigan, , ,
The Sailors pose with their runner-up trophy after losing to Ferndale 44-38 in the Division 2 state final Saturday at the Breslin Center. (Courtesy, South Christian)



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor



A storybook basketball season for the South Christian Sailors was one quarter short of a perfect ending as Ferndale forged ahead in the fourth quarter and held on for a 44-38 win in the Division 2 state championship game Saturday at the Breslin Center at Michigan State University.

The Sailors, who were looking to accomplish the rare feat of winning a football and basketball state championship in the same school year, were tied 28-28 with Ferndale heading into the final quarter. Ferndale, however, began the final quarter with an 8-2 scoring run and hung on to that margin to claim its first state basketball title since 1966.

“I’m real proud of these guys,” said South Christian Coach Taylor Johnson. “It’s been an incredible season. We had a late start because of winning the football championship and we started off 1-2. We played and beat some really good teams this year. That is what made this run so special. I couldn’t be prouder of this team and they need to walk away with their heads held high.”

Conference, regional and district titles

The Sailors won conference, district and regional titles this season and finished with a 25-4 record despite battling through major injuries. South Christian lost senior Jaxon Rynbrandt to a season-ending injury early in the season and then standout sophomore Carson Vis was lost after getting injured in the regional title game.



Those injuries impacted South’s depth, depth that could’ve come in handy in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s state final, especially after winning a tough overtime game against Romulus Summit Academy North in the late-night state semifinal game the night before.

“Obviously, we are not as deep without Carson,” Johnson said, “and it caught up with us. Playing the overtime game the night before and having no prep time and playing without Carson, it was a tough stretch. I’m proud of these guys. They left everything they had on the court.



“They played some great defense tonight. We just didn’t make enough shots.”

‘Great defense’ all championship week

The Sailors played great defense the entire championship week. After holding Unity Christian to 38 points in the quarterfinal win, the Sailors held Romulus Summit Academy to 35 points in a game that went to overtime in the 40-35 win in the state semifinals and then allowed 44 points to Ferndale in the state finals.

South Christian limited Ferndale to 37 percent shooting from the field in the title game and nearly 32 percent shooting from three-point range. Ferndale, however, got hot at the opportune time as it connected on six of its 10 shots (60 percent) in the fourth quarter.

South Christian shot 33.3 percent for the game, but hit on just 2-of-19 shots from three-point range.

“They (Ferndale) are a good team,” Johnson said. “They pressured us on defense and created some turnovers that hurt us. We just didn’t get the shots to fall and that hurt us.”

South Christian outrebounded Ferndale 29-26 for the game. Both teams also pulled down six offensive rebounds.

South Christian held 16-14 edge at the half

Ferndale took the early lead in the game at 8-4 to end the first quarter. South Christian turned the tables in the second quarter by outscoring Ferndale 12-6 to take a 16-14 lead into halftime. Ferndale then outscored South 14-12 in the third as the game was tied heading into the final quarter.

Jake DeHaan and Jake Vermaas led in scoring

Senior Jake DeHaan and junior Jake Vermaas led the Sailors with 14 points apiece. Senior Sam Medendorp added seven points, while senior Nate Brinks added three. Vermaas dished out five assists, while DeHaan had three and Medendorp, two.



Medendorp led the Sailors on the boards with seven, including two offensive rebounds. Vermaas and DeHaan both added five rebounds. Medendorp turned in a big defensive game with four blocked shots and a steal, while Vermaas added two steals.

Five Sailors end high school careers

The state title game marked the end of the high school basketball careers for seniors Cam Post, Brinks, DeHaan, Medendorp and Rynbrandt.

“The seniors are going to be hard to replace,” Johnson said. “I’m going to really miss these guys. It’s hard to see the seniors walk away. This group of seniors was a really close group and we will miss them.



“We do have some good young guys coming up. We will have some good players to build around next year.”

Tri-unity Christian two points short of back-to-back D-4 state championships

City of Wyoming, Sports, West Michigan, , ,
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By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor



The Tri-unity Christian Defenders were going for a second straight Division 4 state championship Saturday morning at the Breslin Center at Michigan State University, but they finished just two points short as Munising edged them 39-37.

The game featured plenty of strong defense from both teams, but a late surge proved to be the difference as Munising won its first-ever basketball state title in school history while Tri-unity fell just short of title number six.

“I thought we had a golden opportunity to win the state title, but we came up empty,” said Tri-unity Coach Mark Keeler. “We shot ourselves in the foot. I thought that we played some phenomenal defense, but on offense we took a lot of bad shots. Shots that were just rushed and we kept doing it. I thought we also had way more turnovers than we usually have and that doesn’t help.”

Tri-unity committed 15 turnovers for the game, while Munising finished with eight.

The Defenders looked to negate the turnover issue with its work on the boards. They outrebounded Munising 39-17 with 17 of those boards coming on the offensive end of the floor. While the Defenders produced extra shots, a lid seemed to be on the basket for Tri-unity as it connected on 14-of-45 shots for the game, a 31.1 percentage. The Defenders were especially cold from long range as they shot 21.1 percent from three-point range, connecting on 4-of-19 three-point shots for the game.

An early lead

Despite the cold shooting and turnovers, Tri-unity was right in the game from beginning to end. They jumped out to an 8-2 early lead before Munising battled back to take a 9-8 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

Munising built on the lead in the second quarter as it outscored Tri-unity 9-4 to go up 18-12 midway through the second. Both defenses were in control the remainder of the first half with a three-point shot by Tri-unity’s Jordan VanKlompenberg cutting the Munising lead to 18-15 at halftime.

Defense continued to hold serve in the third quarter with points being at a premium. Tri-unity outscored Munising 10-9 in the third quarter and trailed 27-23 heading into the final quarter.

After Munising opened the fourth quarter with a bucket, Tri-unity scored the next five points to go up 30-29. A three-pointer by VanKlompenberg and a layup by Roy Fogg put the Defenders up 30-29 with 3:45 remaining in the game.

Munising, however, regained the lead for good when Cully Trzeciak hit a three-pointer with 2:11 remaining to put his team up 32-30. Seconds later a steal and layup by Trevor Nolan put Munising up 34-30.

After a Tri-unity turnover, Munising added a free throw with 1:07 remaining to go up 35-30. Fogg responded with a pair of free throws for Tri-unity, but a pair of free throws by Munising upped the margin to five with 33 seconds to go. After a steal by Munising, the Mustangs tacked on a pair of free throws with 18 seconds remaining to go up 39-32.

One final push by the Defenders

Tri-unity made one final push in the game’s final seconds. Owen Rosendall connected on three straight free throws with 13 seconds remaining and VanKlompenberg added a bucket with two seconds left, but the Defenders were unable to get a steal in the final two seconds of the game.

“They (Munising) had a great strategy,” Keeler said. “They were not going to allow us to beat them inside. They were letting us take all the threes we wanted and we were not able to knock them down. I’m proud of our kids. They played their hearts out and did their very best. Give credit to Munising, they have a nice team.”



Jordan VanKlompenberg led the Defenders with 15 points. (Courtesy, Becky Rillema)



VanKlompenberg led Tri-unity with 15 points, while Fogg added 11. Rosendall finished with five points, followed by Akais Giplaye, four and Trey Rillema, two.

Giplaye led Tri-unity with 13 rebounds, including six on the offensive end. Fogg and VanKlompenberg both added seven rebounds, including three offensive boards apiece. Rosendall, Rillema, Keaton Blanker and Wesley Kaman added three rebounds each. Rosendall led Tri-unity with six assists.

“I felt we had a chance to win back-to-back titles and we actually did,” Keeler said. “We just fell two points short.”

With the season ended, the Defenders say goodbye to a trio of seniors, including Dylan Bruinsma, Hanif James and Fogg.

“It’s tough to say goodbye to the seniors,” Keeler said. “We did have a pretty young team this year. We started three juniors and one sophomore so I’m pretty excited about the future. I’m looking forward to next year. I feel we have a lot of potential especially if we work in the summer and get stronger in the offseason.”

Tri-unity finished the season with a 22-7 record, while Munising ended at 27-1.      

Defense, offensive rebounding key to semifinal win for Tri-unity; aiming for back-to-back D-4 state titles

City of Wyoming, Sports, West Michigan, , ,

Tri-Unity Coach Mark Keeler (far left) and his team watch the action during their semifinal win over Frankfort Thursday. The Defenders are looking to win a sixth state championship on Saturday morning. (Courtesy, Becky Rillema)



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor



The Breslin Center on the campus of Michigan State University has seen hundreds of wins over the years with the home team playing stingy defense and dominating on the offensive boards.



Tri-unity Christian took those pages out of that successful Michigan State playbook during Thursday’s Division 4 state semifinal game against Frankfort and the result was a 54-37 win that sends the Defenders on to Saturday’s D-4 state championship game against Munising at 10 a.m.

Tri-unity played solid defense from the opening tip to the final buzzer as it limited Frankfort to 10 points or less in three of the four quarters.



The Defenders celebrate after a state semifinal win Thursday at the Breslin Center and are looking to win back-to-back state titles on Saturday. (Courtesy, Becky Rillema)



“We focused in on making sure we challenged them (Frankfort) and not letting them have anything easy,” said Tri-unity Coach Mark Keeler. “We played great defense. I was really happy with our defense.”

The Defenders also dominated the boards, outrebounding Frankfort 41-22 for the game including pulling down a whopping 21 offensive rebounds.

“I was really happy with the way our guys controlled the boards,” Keeler said. “That was huge to have that many second shots.”

Akais Giplaye led the way on the boards as he pulled down 11 rebounds including nine offensive rebounds. Wesley Kaman added four offensive rebounds while Roy Fogg and Trey Rillema had three offensive boards.

Offensively, Tri-unity did a solid job of sharing the ball and spreading the scoring load around. Owen Rosendall led the Defenders in scoring with 13 points while Fogg added 11 points, Rillema, seven; Giplaye and Kaman, six apiece and Jordan VanKlompenberg, five. Keaton Blanker added two points, three assists, a steal and an offensive rebound.



Tri-unity fans had a lot to celebrate during its team’s state semifinal win Thursday at MSU. (Courtesy, Becky Rillema)



‘Everyone contributes’

“We had great balance which I really like,” Keeler said. “This team does a great job of sharing the ball. We don’t have one or two guys that do all the scoring. Everyone contributes on offense and we really take pride in that.”

Tri-unity took control of the game in the first quarter. The Defenders jumped out to a 10-4 lead in the early minutes thanks to three-point shots from VanKlompenberg and Rosendall.

Tri-unity led 16-8 going into the second quarter. Frankfort kept the score close throughout the second quarter and trailed 25-21 at halftime.

The Defenders began to pull away in the third quarter. Up by two points early in the quarter, Tri-unity closed out the third on a 15-4 run to take a 40-27 lead into the fourth. Frankfort managed to cut the margin to 10 points before Tri-unity pulled away in the final quarter.

Defenders succeed at wearing them down

“Our desire was to really up the tempo of the game,” Keeler said. “We did not want them to walk the ball up the court. They had a couple of big guys and we wanted to get them tired so every chance we got we pushed the ball trying to wear them down. By the fourth quarter it seemed they were pretty tired.”

Tri-unity improved to 22-6 for the season, while Frankfort finished at 18-9.

14th appearance in the state semifinals

The Defenders made their 14th appearance in the semifinal round at the Breslin Center.

“It’s not so much the number of times we’ve been here so much as it is special for these young men to get here,” Keeler said. “This is a different group. Every year it is a different group of young mean and it’s something we don’t want to take for granted. Thise guys really love each other and play for each other.”



Tri-unity celebrates after its state semifinal win Thursday at MSU. (Courtesy, Becky Rillema)



The Defenders, who defeated Ewen-Trout Creek in overtime to win last year’s Division 4 state title, face Munising in Saturday’s championship game at 10 a.m. Munising (26-1) defeated Marine City Cardinal Mooney 55-44 in the other semifinal game.

“We know they are a good team and there is no quit in them,” Keeler said. “They had a lead on Cardinal Mooney before Cardinal Mooney came back at the end of the third quarter. Munising then turned it up a notch in the fourth quarter and pulled away. We are going to have to come in ready to play.”  

Tri-unity Christian boys heading back to Breslin Center after quarterfinal win Tuesday

Citizen Journalism, City of Wyoming, Sports, West Michigan, , ,
Tri-Unity Coach Mark Keeler huddles his team at an earlier game this season. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org



Tied at 22 apiece at the half, Tri-unity Christian outscored Kalamazoo Phoenix 32-19 in the second half to grab a 54-41 win in a Division 4 quarterfinal Tuesday at Gull Lake High School.

The win advanced the Defenders (21-6) to a semifinal matchup with Frankfort (18-8) at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Breslin Center at Michigan State University.

“The team is very excited and very tired; a lot of emotion,” said Tri-unity Coach Mark Keeler, whose team won a state title last year. “They are looking forward to playing in the Breslin Center.

“They (Kalamazoo Phoenix) jumped out on us and then we tied the game heading into the half. We started out nervous and scared. I was quite surprised by our start.  However, the boys settled down and we finished strong with excellent defense. We led most of the second half, but it was not decided until late in the fourth quarter.”

Roy Fogg led the Defenders with 16 points, followed by Owen Rosendall, 10 and Akais Giplaye, nine. Keaton Blanker had four assists and five rebounds.

Roy Fogg led the Defenders with 16 points. (Courtesy, Tri-unity)

“Roy played an excellent game the entire night,” Keeler said. “However, he was in foul trouble a lot, missing a lot of the second quarter and the last half of the third quarter.

“Owen Rosendall really stepped up big with excellent defense on Phoenix’s explosive guard.”

Keeler said they are looking forward to playing at the Breslin Center.

“Frankfort is a good team with nice size,” Keeler added. “We will need to be at our best to beat them.”

South Christian leans on defense to beat Unity in Division 2 state quarterfinals; advances to MSU Friday

City of Kentwood, Sports, West Michigan, , ,
South Christian’s Jake DeHaan takes a jump shot during the Division 2 state quarterfinal game against Unity Christian. DeHaan led the Sailors with 27 points. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor



The South Christian basketball team played without a familiar face in the lineup in a Division 2 state quarterfinal game against Hudsonville Unity Christian Tuesday at Calvin University, but its trademark lockdown team defense still made the trip and proved to be the difference in the 61-38 win over Unity Christian.

While a pair of broken wrists suffered in the regional finals ended the season for South Christian standout sophomore Carson Vis, the Sailors didn’t skip a beat in the quarters as their team defense stifled Unity from the opening tip to the final whistle. Their defense propelled them to the win and to Michigan State University where they’ll face Romulus Summit Academy North in the Division 2 state semifinals at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Breslin Center.

“I felt we did a really good job of playing team defense,” said South Christian Coach Taylor Johnson. “To hold a team like Unity Christian to just 38 points is impressive. We wanted to take away the three-point shot from them and we did that by holding them to five threes for the game. We are a defensive team. For us it’s all about getting stops. We chart how many stops we get during the game and we got a lot of them tonight.”

Sailors led 15-5 after first quarter

The Sailors recorded several stops in the opening quarter of the game as they limited Unity to a pair of field goals and a free throw as they jumped out to a 15-5 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Jake DeHaan gets game-high 27 points

On the offensive end of the floor, South senior guard Jake DeHaan stepped up and proved to be a reliable source of points. DeHaan scored 10 of South’s 15 points in the first quarter and didn’t stop pouring in buckets. DeHaan finished with a game-high 27 points for the Sailors.

“My teammates did a great job of finding me,” DeHaan said. “Without Carson it was a next man up situation for us. We just trust the next man and that made the difference. Carson is such a great player and such a great teammate so it was different for sure without him out there.”



South Christian’s Sam Medendorp (20) and Sam Weiss (23) prepare to block out a Unity Christian player during a free throw attempt in the Division 2 state quarterfinals. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



Both teams played tenacious defense during the second quarter. Unity was able to connect on a pair of three-point shots early in the second quarter as they whittled the Sailor lead to 18-14 midway through the quarter. South, however, answered late in the half with a three-point shot from Jake Vermaas and a bucket by DeHaan to take a 23-16 lead into halftime.

South stormed out of the locker room after halftime and took control of the game during the third quarter. DeHaan scored the first four points of the second half as South stretched the advantage to 29-13. The Sailors then began to flex their muscles inside led by senior big man Sam Medendorp.

Medendorp came up with one of his four blocked shots in the game midway through the third quarter that led to a bucket on the other end of the floor. Two possessions later Medendorp came up with a steal and then went in for a rim-rattling dunk that pumped the Sailor crowd into a frenzy and staked the Sailors to a 34-18 lead.

“We play for each other out there,” Medendorp said. “We’ve had some tough injuries this year. Jaxson Rynbrandt tore his ACL earlier this season and then Carson got injured in the last game. It’s huge for us to play together as a team. To play for our brothers.”

Medendorp turned in a huge all-around game for the Sailors. Along with scoring 16 points, Medendorp pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds, four blocked shots and a steal.

“I think Sam is one of the best big men in the state,” Johnson said. “He had 16 points and 11 rebounds tonight. His putbacks on the offensive end were huge. Some college coach is going to be really lucky to get Sam on his team next season.”

South Christian pushes lead to 20 points in fourth

South led 42-30 at the end of the third quarter and upped the lead to over 20 points midway through the final quarter.

“This win means a lot,” DeHaan said. “First, we win the state football title last fall and now this. It feels great.”

With the win, South Christian improved to 24-3 for the season, while Unity Christian closed out the season with an 18-10 record.

Junior guard Jake Vermaas joined DeHaan and Medendorp in double figures for South, totaling 14 points along with five assists and two steals.

“It’s special defeating Unity Christian,” Johnson said. “It’s a special rivalry. We have a love-hate relationship with them. We have a ton of respect for Scott (Unity Christian coach Scott Soodsma) and a ton or respect for their team.”

Junior guard Colin Nieuwenhuis led Unity Christian with 18 points, while Dylan Shaban added seven.        

Lee boys basketball program completes major turnaround season; 19-2 overall, 8-0 atop Alliance League

City of Wyoming, Sports, West Michigan, , ,
Coach Dominic Shannon huddles up his team during a game earlier this season with Potter’s House. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)


By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org



After a successful basketball season, Lee Coach Dominic Shannon said it’s an understatement to say he’s proud of the boys.

“Words truly can’t express the love and respect we have for this special group of boys,” said Lee, whose team finished 19-2 overall and 8-0 in the Alliance League. “We accomplished the first conference championship in 43 years and lost by a total of four points all season. In my second year as head coach, we are well on our way to revitalizing a program which once upon a time had rich basketball history.

“The goal coming into this season was to continue to reshape the culture and for the student-athletes to understand what must be accepted or received in order to have a memorable season. I’m not surprised that we were successful, but I did not expect us to win 19 games this year. My staff and I, once fall league started, we began to see the team form and we all believed we would have the first winning season since 2010-2011, in which that Lee team finished 12-11.”


Last year, the Legends were 5-16 overall and 2-6 in the League.

Shannon’s highlight this season?

“Seeing the boys accept accountability and holding their brothers accountable,” Shannon said. “The 19 wins and two losses are impressive, the first conference championship in 43 years is extremely impressive, but as a coach I understand that the ball stops bouncing after so much time has passed.

“Once that ball stops bouncing all they’ll have left is their character and values and principles that they’ll stand on. We definitely want to win and compete, but the growth and maturity of the boys is essentially the driving force behind the success. This season was a success on several levels.”

Overtime loss to Godwin Heights in the districts

Shannon said the overtime loss to Godwin was and still is tough to swallow.

“We executed the game plan as we were up five points with under 40 seconds left in regulation and not to mention we missed 16 total free throws while being in position to win the game in regulation,” Shannon explained. “Execution late in the game was not what we’re capable of, essentially leading to an early playoff exit. I am already preparing for next season as I see where I can sharpen as preparation is key.

“The environment was very fun and I hope this game has restored the rivalry between Lee and Godwin.”

Scoring leader junior Marc Whitfield

Whitfield averaged 20 points, 5 assists and 3 steals this season. He had three 30-point games with a season high of 36 points against Lansing Eastern.

Lee guard Marc Whitfield. (Courtesy, Lee High School)



“Marc came into the season as our best player and I believe he exited the season as a more well-rounded player,” Shannon said. “The challenge for Marc this season was leading vocally the correct way. Marc’s energy and passion is felt each day in practice. So as coaches we evaluate what a student-athlete can do to improve themselves on and off the court, and for Marc it was communication.

“We’ve seen him accept ownership in not so pleasant times, lift up his teammates when they get down on themselves and show full maturity in the Godwin game. We believe he is a special athlete and his senior year is going to be fun to watch.”



Lone senior starter Joe Russau

“We sincerely appreciate the example he set as a senior by maintaining a 3.5 GPA all season and the presence he had as a captain,” Shannon said. “As a captain, there’s certain expectations the coaches have and he absolutely met them and it’ll be tough to see him go. He has yet to make a decision on where he’ll be playing college basketball next year, but whichever school he commits to will be receiving an awesome young man.”

Expectations for next year? 

Shannon said they will keep building upon the foundation laid two years ago.

“We are only losing one starter and three seniors total entering next season which provides comfort for the coaching staff as our senior class will be strong and understanding of expectations,” he explained. “We are expecting next season to be a battle in our conference and we’ll likely have a target on our back as defending conference champions.

“It would definitely be sweet to repeat as conference champs, but to meet those expectations, the work begins now.” 

South Christian uses big second half to defeat Hamilton en route to regional title; 14th straight win

City of Kentwood, Sports, West Michigan, , ,
South Christian’s Jake Vermaas led with 28 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists in the win. (Courtesy, Eric Walstra)



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor

It took a while for the South Christian basketball team to take  control of the Division 2 regional title game at Vicksburg Wednesday evening, but when they did the Sailors left no doubt that the trophy was theirs.

Thanks to a strong close to the first half and a big second half, South Christian defeated Hamilton 82-47 to claim its first regional championship since 2019.

“It was an emotional game,” said South Christian Coach Taylor Johnson. “It was a great crowd and a great atmosphere. We started out a little slow, but then Nate Brinks hit a big three to put us up by 11 points at the half. Then we came out strong in the second half and scored 33 points in the third quarter.”

The game was tight in the early going with South leading 16-10 at the end of the first quarter. The Sailors maintained the single-digit margin in the second quarter before the three by Brinks sent South Christian into halftime with a 33-21 lead and riding a surge of momentum.


Jake DeHaan scored scored 24 points. (Courtesy, Eric Walstra)

“They (Hamilton) are a really good team,” Johnson said. “They are really physical and play really good help defense. They came out and were playing super aggressive. At halftime we made some adjustments and it paid off big in the third quarter.”

South Christian got on an offensive roll during the third quarter. The Sailors totaled 33 points in the third and built the lead to 66-35 heading into the final quarter.




Vermaas and DeHaan light up the third

“Jake Vermaas and Jake DeHaan were outstanding in the third quarter,” Johnson said. “They provided a big spark to our offense by hitting threes and scoring inside. Our defense was also a lot better. Our man-to-man defense took it up a notch in the second half and did a good job of slowing their offense down.”

South closed out the game by outscoring Hamilton 16-12 in the fourth quarter.

Vermaas led the way on offense for the Sailors with 28 points while DeHaan followed with 24 points. Vermaas turned in a solid all-around effort as he added seven rebounds and seven assists.

As a team, South blistered the nets by connecting on eight-of-17 three-point shots (47%) and connected on 31-of-49 (63%) field goals for the game. The Sailors also converted 12-of-13 free throws (92%) and outrebounded the Hawkeyes 31-14. Sam Medendorp led the Sailors in rebounding with eight rebounds.

“It was a great team win,” Johnson said. “I’m super happy for our school, our community and our coaches. We’ve been on a good run during the tournament. We’ve had our challenges but the guys have played some really good defense. They are sharing the ball on offense, diving on the floor for loose balls and taking charges.”

Strong regional showing

The win capped a strong regional showing that began with a 72-33 win over Niles in the regional semifinals. South turned in a sizzling shooting game against Niles as it connected on 10 three-point shots (56%) and shot 61 percent overall from the floor. The Sailors also outrebounded Niles 32-15 led by Vermaas with nine rebounds. Brinks led a balanced scoring attack with 14 points, followed by Carson Vis with 11 and Vermaas, 10. Vermaas also led on the boards with nine rebounds.

Sailors face Hudsonville Unity Christian in state quarterfinals

With their first regional title since 2019 secured, the Sailors head to the Division 2 state quarterfinals where they face long-time rival Unity Christian. The regional game is set for next Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Calvin University. Ironically, the last time South Christian played in the state quarterfinals was in 2019 against the same Unity Christian Crusaders in a game that also took place at Calvin.

“It will be a lot of fun for sure,” Johnson said. “It will be a great crowd. They have a great team and are very well coached. We played them in December and we won a close one.”

South Christian defeated host Unity Christian 58-50 on Dec. 16.

14 straight wins

The Sailors bring a 23-3 record into the quarterfinal matchup. They have won 14 straight games since a loss at Grand Rapids Catholic Central on Jan. 24.

Unity Christian advanced to the state quarterfinals by defeating Grand Rapids Christian 58-56 in the regional championship game it hosted. Unity Christian brings an 18-9 record into the quarterfinals and has a five-game winning streak highlighted by a tournament win against Grand Rapids Catholic Central.     

Tri-unity Christian boys use big fourth quarter to advance to Division 4 state quarterfinals

City of Wyoming, Sports, West Michigan, , ,
The Defenders with their regional championship trophy. (Courtesy, Tri-Unity Christian)



By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org



Ahead by five points heading into the fourth quarter, Tri-unity Christian outscored Lansing Christian 18-5 to secure a 62-44 regional championship Wednesday at Fowler High School.


Roy Fogg led with 17 points in the win. (Courtesy, Tri-unity)

“Last night was a great game to watch,” said the Defender’s Coach Mark Keeler, whose team improved to 20-6 overall. “My Assistant Coach Brent Voorhees suggested we try pressing down to get them out of the rhythm and it worked. They had made 12 threes for the game. Lansing Christian is a very well coached team.”

“Roy Fogg led us with 17. He was very versatile,” Keeler said. “He has really improved his outside shot so he’s affective going to the bucket or shooting outside. What I really enjoy about this team is the versatility of the players. We never know who’s going to step up and act out some key shots.




“Jordan VanKlompenberg had a great game with his 10 points, five assists and four steals. Akais Giplaye had eight points and six rebounds. He played huge for us. Owen Rosendall knocked down two key threes right before half to give us a lead of five. Wesley Kaman came off the bench and scored 15 points for us. He was awesome.”

Jordan VanKlompenberg had 10 points, 5 assists and 4 steals in the win. (Courtesy, Tri-unity)



Division 4 State Quarterfinal

The Defenders now face Kalamazoo Phoenix (17-2) at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 21 at Gull Lake High School.

“As far as Kalamazoo Phoenix, we know that they are a very good team,” Keeler said.

Boys Basketball: South Christian and Tri-unity advance to state quarterfinals next Tuesday

City of Wyoming, Sports, West Michigan, ,
South Christian’s Jake Vermaas led with 28 points in his team’s regional final victory over Hamilton Wednesday. (Courtesy, Eric Walstra)



By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org


Division 2

Regional 12 at Vicksburg

Regional Final: South Christian 82, Hamilton 47

(SC: Jake Vermaas, 28 points; Jake DeHaan, 24)

State Quarterfinal: South Christian (23-3) vs. Hudsonville Unity Christian (18-9) at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 21 at Calvin University




Roy Fogg led the Defenders with 17 points. (Courtesy, Tri-unity)


Division 4

Regional 29 at Fowler

Regional Final: Tri-unity 62, Lansing Christian 44

(TU: Roy Fogg, 17 points; Wesley Kaman, 15; Jordan VanKlompenberg, 10 points, 5 assists, four steals; Owen Rosendall, 8 points; Akais Giplaye, 8 points 6 rebounds)

State Quarterfinal: Tri-Unity Christian (20-6) vs. Kalamazoo Phoenix (17-2) at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 21 at Gull Lake

After knocking off Niles Monday, South Christian boys in regional final tonight against Hamilton

City of Kentwood, Sports, West Michigan, ,
Nate Brinks led the Sailors with 15 points in a regional semifinal win over Niles Monday. (Courtesy, Eric Walstra)



By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org


South Christian boys basketball Coach Taylor Johnson said he’s expecting a very physical game tonight with Hamilton in a regional final in Vicksburg.

“They are very sound and play so hard,” Taylor said. “They travel super well; it’ll be a packed environment.”

The Sailors (22-3) face Hamilton (22-4) in a regional final tonight at 7 pm in Vicksburg. The teams will fight for a spot in a Division 2 quarterfinal on Tuesday.

In a 72-33 win over Niles Monday, South Christian had 10 3’s. Nate Brinks led the way with 15 points.

Boys Basketball Coach Tyler Whittemore reflects on Godwin Heights’ season

City of Wyoming, Sports, West Michigan, ,
Godwin Heights Coach Tyler Whittemore. (Courtesy, Godwin Heights)



By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org



After winning its first two tournament games, including a barnburner over a great Lee team, and losing to Hudsonville Unity Christian in a district final, Godwin Heights boys basketball Coach Tyler Whittemore looks back at his team’s successful season.

“I am lucky to have one of the best backcourts in West Michigan with Damarie Thompson and Jakhary Towns,” said Whittemore, whose team finished 14-8 overall and 8-5 in the OK Silver. “Those two guys are our leaders. Damarie has a toughness and intelligence about him that helped him lead the team in assists and steals.


Jakhary Towns. (Courtesy, Troy Maleport)
Damarie Thompson. (Courtesy, Godwin Heights)

“Jakhary is a special player that has a scoring ability that he has crafted over the years. His ability to score inside and out is dangerous for other teams. He often faced specialized defenses that attempted to take that away, but he continued to find ways to be efficient and effective for our team.”



Towns led the Wolverines with 28 points per game and also registered 3.3 rebounds and 2.1 steals.

“We came a long way this season when it comes to consistency and providing that effort needed to be successful,” Whittemore said. “The guys truly pushed one another to be great every possession. We improved on that and were in some great games throughout the season.”

Godwin beat Lee to advance to a district final last week

Godwin beat Lee 83-80 in overtime in a district semifinal matchup. Lee finished the season atop the Alliance League at 8-0 and was 19-2 overall.

“That game was important because it was win-or-go-home,” Whittemore explained. “We trusted and followed our leaders for this game. One of our captains, Jamarion Collins, set the tone tremendously by his defensive pressure and intensity. Many of his teammates fed off of his focus and were aggressive this game.

“I believe it was the toughness and intensity of Tre’Vonte Buckley that really helped us that game. Yes, Jakhary scored a lot of points that game (47), but it was Tre’ diving for loose balls and gathering second chance opportunities for his teammates.



From left: Damarie Thompson, Jace Reid-Anderson and Tre’Vonte Buckley. (WKTV, Greg Chrapek)



“We knew if we just played our game, remained together, and never stopped flying around until the buzzer sounds then anything can happen.”

Whittemore said he was very fortunate to have so many great athletes that are quick and can impact a game at any point.

“A couple of seniors that stick out to me that I knew I could lean on and trust in tough spots, even if things weren’t going their way earlier in the game, are Rashaad Dorsey and Johnny Horrell,” Whittemore said. “Those guys are very mentally tough and bring much quickness to our full-court defensive pressure.”

With many seniors this year, who will step up next season?

“Big leaps are made by all players who commit themselves to the weight room and time in the gym to work on their skills,” Whittemore explained. “A few players that I am excited for next season are Ben Dolo, Jaylen Martin and Jacari Jones. The underclassmen that will impact varsity greatly are Marcos Rodriguez, Jamaan Hastings and Isaiah Guyton.”

Tri-unity uses long ball to beat Baldwin in regional semifinal Monday

City of Wyoming, Sports, West Michigan, ,
Jordan VanKlompenberg led Tri-Unity with 20 points in the Defenders 79-36 win over Baldwin in their regional semifinal Monday.



By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org


Tri-Unity Christian made nine 3’s in the first half of its 79-36 regional semifinal win over Baldwin on Monday at Fowler High School.

The Defenders (19-6) advanced to their regional final against Lansing Christian (16-9) at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Fowler.

“This was the best first half of a game this year for us,” said Tri-unity Coach Mark Keeler. “We had nine 3’s in the first half and a lead of 45-23 against a team that was 22-1.”

The Defenders led 26-9 at the end of the first quarter.

Jordan VanKlompenberg led Tri-unity with 20 points, including four treys, followed by Roy Fogg, 16; Wesley Kaman, 15 (3 treys) and Akais Giplaye, 10 points, 8 rebounds. Fogg and Keaton Blanker had 5 assists apiece.

“Roy has really been working on his shot and had great rotation on the ball,” Keeler said. “Our team played great team defense. 

“Going into the regional final we know that Lansing Christian is in an extremely tough conference and will come ready to play.  It will take another excellent effort by our team to continue the run we would like to have.”

Lansing Christian beat Fruitport Calvary Christian 51-40 in its regional semifinal.

Boys Basketball: South Christian, Tri-unity advance to regional finals Wednesday

City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Sports, West Michigan, , , , ,
Tri-unity’s Jordan VankKlompenberg led the Defenders with 20 points in his team’s regional semifinal victory. (Courtesy, Tri-unity)


By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org


Division 1

Regional 3 at West Ottawa

Semifinal: Hudsonville 55, Rockford 50

Semifinal: Muskegon 68, East Kentwood 48

Regional Final: Muskegon vs. Hudsonville at 7 pm Wednesday at West Ottawa

Division 2

Regional 12 at Vicksburg

Semifinal: South Christian 72, Niles 33

(SC: Nate Brinks, 15 points. The Sailors had 10 3’s.)

Semifinal: Hamilton 63, Marshall 62

Regional Final: South Christian (22-3) vs. Hamilton (22-4) at 7 pm Wednesday at Vicksburg

Division 4

Regional 29 at Fowler

Semifinal: Tri-Unity Christian 79, Baldwin 36

(TU: Jordan VanKlompenberg, 20 points; Roy Fogg, 16; Wesley Kaman, 15; Akais Giplaye, 10 points, 8 rebounds; Fogg and Keaton Blanker, 5 assists apiece)

Semifinal: Lansing Christian 51, Fruitport Calvary Christian 40

Regional Final: Tri-unity (19-6) vs. Lansing Christian (16-9) at 7 pm Wednesday at Fowler

Watch our latest WKTV Friday Night Highlights show HERE, March 10! Featuring boys basketball districts

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



By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org

Take a look at our latest edition of WKTV Friday Night Highlights right now, Friday, March 10.

 

Check out our local boys teams’ district highlights here … our last highlights show of the season!

Many thanks to all you coaches, players and fans for watching our show all season long! It has been a rewarding and fun season covering our local boys and girls basketball teams.



We’ll be back with great highlights and a weekly show during football. Look for our continued coverage of the boys playoffs with stories and updates on this website: wktvjournal.org

Thanks Again!!

East Kentwood boys turn up the heat on defense to stop Byron Center in district final Friday

City of Kentwood, Sports, West Michigan, ,
The East Kentwood basketball team celebrates with the district trophy after defeating Byron Center 62-45 in the district title game. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor

The old saying that defense wins championships was certainly spot on for the East Kentwood basketball team in Friday’s district championship game with Byron Center.


Thanks to a stifling defense that closed like a vise as the game progressed, East Kentwood won its first district championship since 2019 by defeating Byron Center 62-45. With the win, the Falcons move on to Monday’s regional semifinal at Holland West Ottawa where they will square off with Muskegon.

Byron Center had the upper hand for most of the early going, but as the second half wore on the East Kentwood defense became a more difficult puzzle to solve for the Bulldogs. In the fourth quarter, that defense paid dividends in a big way as the Falcons quickly seized the lead and never looked back.

“March is about dancing and we want to dance after every game,” said East Kentwood Coach Michael Thomas. “We are on a mission. Our guys have all bought in and believe in our system. We have a list of goals and we are checking them off.”

Bulldogs up 15-9 to end first quarter

Byron Center came out determined to prevent the Falcons from checking off the goal of winning a district championship and at the end of the opening quarter the Bulldogs were up 15-9.

East Kentwood roared back in the early going of the second quarter with a 9-0 run that put the Falcons up 18-15. Byron Center weathered that storm and regrouped during the remainder of the half, taking a 24-20 lead into halftime.

Byron Center continued to make things difficult for the Falcons in the third quarter. Displaying patience on offense and avoiding turnovers, Byron Center built its lead to 37-30 by the end of the third quarter.

The Falcons, however, continued to play solid halfcourt defense and picked up the intensity with their full-court defense in the fourth quarter. The constant pressure began to pay off in the final quarter. Trailing 39-36, Kentwood senior guard Marshaun Flakes stepped up on defense and turned the momentum of the game totally around.


East Kentwood senior guard Marshaun Flakes (5) applies defensive pressure during the district championship game. Flakes came up with a pair of key steals in the fourth quarter to break the game open. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



With 6:36 remaining in the game, Flakes came up with a steal that he quickly turned into two points on the other end of the floor. Seconds later Flakes struck again as he stole a Bulldog pass and raced down the floor on a drive to the bucket that put the Falcons up 40-39 and whipped the large Kentwood cheering section into a frenzy.

“Marshaun reminds me of Dwyane Wade in the way that he is all over the court and can make sudden plays,” Thomas said. “He’s a slasher who can make big plays on offense or defense at any time.”

EK puts up an 18-2 run in fourth

The impact plays by Flakes highlighted an 18-2 run that East Kentwood went on to start the fourth quarter and take control of the game. The run was capped by two more buckets from Flakes that put the Falcons up 48-39 with 3:15 remaining in the game.

“We did a good job with our defense of speeding them up on offense,” Flakes said. “My teammates were playing great defense and I just rotated over and got the steals. Winning this district feels really good because there is some really good competition in this district. Our schedule was also really competitive during the season and that got us ready for the tournament.”

That run took Byron Center out of its rhythm and changed the tempo of the game. East Kentwood continued to put their foot on the gas and outscored the Bulldogs 14-6 to close out the game. Junior Christian Humphrey also gave the Falcon fans plenty to cheer about as he delivered three breakaway slam dunks in the final two minutes of the game that provided the icing on the district cake.

Flakes, who scored 12 points during the fourth quarter, led the Falcons in scoring with 22 points. Jamell Hatchett added 16 points, followed by Humphrey with 14.

With the win, East Kentwood improved to 18-6 for the season.



East Kentwood sophomore guard Jamell Hatchett sets up the offense during action in the district championship game. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



“This feels good,” Hatchett said. “Coach changed the culture when he came in. We all believe in each other and we are a brotherhood. That is a big reason for our success.”

Byron Center finished the season at 14-11. Austin Buckley led the Bulldogs with 21 points and Camden Karel added 13. 

South Christian wins Division 2 District at Plainwell

South Christian won the district title at the Division 2 Plainwell district in a big way. The Sailors put up 64 points on the scoreboard and limited Otsego to 29 points to earn the win. 

With the win, South Christian improved to 21-3 for the season while Otsego ended the season with an 18-5 record.

South Christian will head to the Vicksburg regional on Monday where it faces Niles.

Tri-unity wins Division 4 District at Martin

Tri-unity added another district title to its vast trophy case by turning back Zion Christian 61-27 to win the title at the Martin district.

With the win, Tri-unity improved to 18-6 for the season. Zion Christian ended the season with an 11-13 record.

Tri-unity heads to the Fowler regional on Monday where it faces Baldwin. 

Godwin Heights rallies to outlast Lee 83-80 in district semi OT thriller; Towns scores 47 points

City of Wyoming, Sports, West Michigan, , ,
Godwin’s Jakhary Towns (10, far right), teammate Damarie Thompson (2) and Lee’s Clarence Lewis (11) during the district semifinal game. Towns finished with a career-high 47 points. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor


The venerable Godwin Heights gym has seen some thrillers in its long history, but few have produced the drama that the host Wolverines and Lee produced in Wednesday’s district semifinal game.

Trailing by six points with 20 seconds remaining, Godwin tied the game and sent it into overtime where it eventually came away with an 83-80 win.

Godwin Heights senior guard Jakhary Towns turned in a game for the ages as he poured in 47 points to lead the comeback and give himself and his teammates one more game to be played on their home court.

“When we were down by six late in the fourth quarter we were talking in the huddle about getting two more stops,” Towns said. “We had a lot of energy left and we knew if we could get two more big stops, we could do it.”

Godwin’s comeback hopes received a big shot of adrenaline with 17 seconds left in the game when Towns stepped back and drained a three-point shot that cut the Lee lead in half. After a turnover by the Legends, Godwin regained the ball and Towns cut the margin to 69-67 after splitting a pair of free throws with 16 seconds remaining in the game.

Off to overtime at 69-all

On the ensuring inbounds play, the Godwin defense forced the second turnover it needed with 13 seconds left on the clock. Three seconds later Godwin tied the game when Towns drew a foul and connected on both free throws to tie the game at 69-69.

Lee, however, was determined to retake the lead. The Legends quickly moved the ball down the floor, but missed a pair of shots that would’ve won the game in the final seconds of regulation.

“That was crazy,” said Godwin Heights Coach Tyler Whittemore. “I told the guys we needed to execute on offense and force a couple of turnovers. I told the guys whatever happens we have to stay together and that’s what we did. Everybody came through and did their jobs.”

As thrilling as the final seconds of the game were, the four-minute overtime session provided even more thrills. The two teams combined for 25 points in overtime. Like regulation, the overtime had plenty of lead changes as the two teams exchanged the lead six times.


Lee’s Marc Whitfield (0) prepares to drive to the basket as Jaylen Martin (23) of Godwin Heights defends. Whitfield led Lee with 27 points. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



Up 75-74 with 1:36 remaining in overtime, Marc Whitfield drained a pair of free throws putting the Legends up 77-74.

Godwin Heights cut the lead to 77-76 with 1:25 remaining when Towns scored. The next basket came with 23 seconds left when Towns again delivered from long range putting the Wolverines up 79-77.

Lee split a pair of free throws with 15 seconds left to cut the margin to 79-78. With 10 seconds remaining Towns proved to be money at the free-throw line by draining two free throws to up the Godwin lead to 81-78.

Lee battled to the end and with 1.5 seconds remining in the game Whitfield scored on a drive to the hoop cutting the margin to one point before Godwin ended the game with Jaylen Martin hitting a pair of free throws with 0.4 seconds remaining.

“When we were down by six points, we still knew we could come back,” Martin said. “It was not just a one-man effort. We all had to produce if we were going to come back and win this game.”


Lee’s Joe Russau (14) and Marc Whitfield (0) and Godwin Heights’ Jaylen Martin (23) line up along the lane during a free-throw attempt during a Division 2 semifinal game Wednesday at Godwin. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



Towns, who scored a career-high 47 points, delivered five three-point baskets during the game along with scoring on numerous drives to the hoop.

“It feels great,” Towns said. “I’ve never been to a district final during my four years of high school. To have a game like this on my home court is special.”

Along with the 47 points from Towns, Godwin received 12 points from Damarie Thompson, eight from Jamarion Collins and seven from Tre’Vonte Buckley.

“Jaylen Martin was a big, big part of this win,” Whittemore said. “He has just dug in and gotten better all season. He played some great defense tonight.”

With the win, Godwin Heights improved to 14-7 for the season and will host Unity Christian for the district championship Friday after Unity defeated Grand Rapids Catholic Central 57-55 in the other semifinal game.

Lee finishes exceptional season with big turnaround

Lee finished the season with a 19-2 record and first place in the Alliance League at 8-0.

“This team really laid the foundation for our program going forward,” said Lee Coach Dominic Shannon. “Every one of our players left everything they had on the court. I’m so proud of our players and so proud of our coaching staff.



“We won only five games last year so to go 19-2 this year is a big turnaround. We also became the first Lee team in 43 years to win a conference championship.”

Whitfield scores 27

Junior Marc Whitfield led Lee with 27 points, followed by Clarence Lewis, 18; Joe Russau, 16; Ny’Zhem Marshall, 10 and Troy Fox, nine.

“You have to salute their senior guard Jakhary Towns,” Shannon said. “He had a great game tonight. We knew he was one of the keys. We put our best defender, Clarence Lewis, on him and he made it hard on him. He just was hitting shot after shot. They played well. You have to give them credit.” 

East Kentwood wrestler Corey Mitchell shows strength as leader, eclipses expectations

City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Sports, West Michigan, ,
East Kentwood wrestler Corey Mitchell won first place in the OK Red tournament at 215 lbs. earlier this season. (Courtesy, Sara Kohns)



By D.A. Reed

WKTV Contributor



East Kentwood wrestler Corey Mitchell shows that strength and sportsmanship go hand in hand.

With 27 pins on the wrestling mat this season, and a record of 36-8, Mitchell is no stranger to showing physical strength. His senior year of high school brought the OK Red Conference and District titles at 215-lbs, as well as state tournament qualification for 2023.

“He has eclipsed even his own expectations,” said EK wrestling Coach Eric Foster.

But Foster said physical strength and skill are only part of what make Mitchell a great team leader.

“We look for hard-working, strong, and dedicated athletes,” Foster. “As a teammate, we are looking for individuals who care for their teammates and support each other to be the best they can.”

Mitchell embodies those characteristics.

“Corey has had moments off the mat where he demonstrated a strong leadership with the team,” Foster said. “He is a loud supporter of each teammate when they are on the mat and has encouraging words for them in times of difficulty.”

Not all about the medals

While Mitchell’s accomplishments are numerous, he doesn’t mention medals or awards when asked about the highlights of his wrestling season. Instead, his attention turns toward relationships with teammates and having friends and family present at meets.

“The highlight of my wrestling career would be the sounds of my friends and family that cheer me on while I wrestle,” Mitchell said. “Even if sometimes I don’t live up to their expectations, I know they respect me as their captain.”

Sara Kohns, Mitchell’s mother, says she sees both the team spirit and the hard work her son puts in on a daily basis.


“I have faith in him that he is going to do great regardless of if he wins or not. Corey has the heart.”

That heart extends to more than just wrestling.

Football also is a big part of Mitchell’s life, and he plans to pursue football in college while majoring in Business. Three colleges have already extended offers to include Mitchell as part of their football team, including Kalamazoo College and Olivet College.


East Kentwood wrestler Corey Mitchell won first place in the OK Red tournament at 215 lbs. earlier this season. (Courtesy, Sara Kohns)



When asked about professional athletic role models, Mitchell admitted, “I don’t really watch any type of sports; I know it’s something that can boost my craft as an athlete. But I like learning upfront.”

The youngest of Kohns’ three sons, Mitchell is described as quiet yet dedicated by both his mother and coach.

“He is quiet, but a great listener and follows directions,” Kohn said. “Corey has taught me so much from watching him wrestle … he is the total package and one awesome son.”

‘Hard-working student athlete’

Foster has a similar view of the athlete.

“Corey is a hard-working student athlete who loves playing football and being part of a team,” Foster said. “He is a dedicated son and quiet soul. Corey lets his actions speak for him in most instances and has excelled throughout.”

Mitchell enjoys working out when he isn’t wrestling or playing football, but he also understands the importance of keeping his grades up, admitting that he does “a lot of homework.”

Kohns says Mitchell’s journey is one she is proud of: “I have loved every minute of watching him grow into the young man he has become!”



D. A. (Deborah) Reed is an award-winning author of young adult novels and a creative writing instructor from the Grand Rapids area. To find out more about D.A. Reed, visit her website: D.A. Reed Author

Check out the local boys basketball district brackets for First Round and Semis

City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Sports, West Michigan, ,
First Round of the local boys basketball district tournaments on Monday, March 6. (WKTV/Scott Baisden)



By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org



Semifinals of the local boys basketball district tournaments on Wednesday, March 8. (WKTV/Scott Baisden)

Watch our latest WKTV Friday Night Highlights show HERE, March 3!

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



By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org



Take a look at our latest edition of WKTV Friday Night Highlights right now, Friday, March 3!


Check out our local girls district final highlights here (East Kentwood, South Christian and Potter’s House) and our boys district bracket preview.



Thanks for watching, and see you next Friday!



East Kentwood girls fall short against Byron Center in district final; Potter’s House and South Christian also runners-up

City of Kentwood, Sports, West Michigan, , ,
East Kentwood’s Jaevym Montgomery (11) and Santana Eubanks (5) look to stop Byron Center’s McKenna Ferguson (23) during Friday’s Division 1 district title game. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



By Greg Chrapek

WKTV Contributor



Led by one of the top players in West Michigan, Byron Center put an end to the season for the East Kentwood girls basketball team Friday evening.



Byron Center junior Lillian Zeinstra poured in 33 points and led the Bulldogs to a 69-57 decision over East Kentwood in a Division 1 district championship game at Wyoming High School.



Zeinstra, who is committed to play her college basketball at Butler University, not only gave East Kentwood problems with her scoring skills, but the multi-dimensional guard also played havoc with Kentwood’s pressure defense with her ability to handle the basketball and took advantage of Kentwood’s lack of size on the defensive boards. Making Zeinstra’s effort even more impressive was the fact she overcame an ankle injury in the second quarter.

“I think Lily showed her grit tonight,” said East Kentwood Coach Eric Large. “You could see it when she got banged up. I think one of her greatest assets is her leadership. Her rebounding is also a big asset. We missed a lot of 50-50 shots and she was there to get the rebound. One of our strong points is our defensive pressure and she was also able to take that away from us with the way she handles the ball against our pressure.”



East Kentwood’s Harmonie Belton (1) looks over the Byron Center defense during action in their Division 1 district championship game. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



East Kentwood stayed close in the game’s early going until Byron Center closed out the opening stanza with a 6-2 run to take an 18-13 lead into the second quarter. Zeinstra was at the heart of the run on offense for Byron Center as she scored 13 of the Bulldogs’ 18 first-quarter points.

Byron Center stretched the lead to 24-15 midway through the second quarter before Zeinstra fell to the floor with an ankle injury. After limping off the floor, Zeinstra came back into the game two minutes later and helped Byron Center take a 31-20 lead into halftime.

“Lily is one of our team leaders,” said Byron Center Coach Jen Slot. “She rolled her ankle in the second quarter, but was able to tough it out. She had a really nice game tonight and gave it everything she had. She does whatever it takes to win.”



Falcons cut lead in half

East Kentwood quickly cut the deficit in half in the early moments of the second half. Harmonie Belton came up with back-to-back steals that led to back-to-back three-pointers by Sophia Wozniak, cutting the margin to five points just a minute into the third quarter.

Byron Center, however, quickly regrouped and outscored Kentwood 8-2 to regain a double-digit lead at 39-28. The two teams then traded buckets the remainder of the third quarter with Byron Center up 48-36 going into the final quarter.

With Zeinstra and senior guard McKenna Ferguson handling East Kentwood’s defensive pressure in the final quarter, the Falcons were unable to get the margin under double figures the remainder of the game.



East Kentwood’s Jaevym Montgomery (11) and Tianna Daye (23) prepare to box out Byron Center’s Lillian Zeinstra (10). Zeinstra finished the game with 33 points for Byron Center. (WKTV/Greg Chrapek)



“I think in the second half we came out and matched their intensity,” Large said. “I think we were a little tight in the first half. Our tallest players are 5-foot-6 and 5-foot-7 so we had a tough time matching up with them on the boards. Our kids fought to the end and I was proud of them.”

Makayla Porter led East Kentwood with 16 points and Tianna Daye added 13. Sophia Wozniak scored nine points, followed by Harmonie Belton and Santana Eubanks with six apiece.



East Kentwood closed out the season with a 16-8 overall record and finished third in the O-K Red at 9-5.

Large said girls should ‘hold their heads high’

“I’m not disappointed with the season at all,” Large said. “The girls should hold their heads high. They continued to get better all season. I saw a lot of improvement all throughout the season. The O-K Red is the toughest conference in the state and I’m proud of the way my girls battled the entire way.”



Large also is looking forward to next season.

“We had two seniors on the team, Jaevym Montgomery and Tianna Daye, and both of them were all-conference players,” Large said. “We will miss both of them. We will have five or six juniors returning and Landen Smith is a sophomore who really played well tonight. We will have some good players to build around next season.”

Byron Center improved to 21-3 win the win. The Bulldogs were champions of the O-K White Conference this season with a 14-0 record. Along with 33 points from Zeinstra, the Bulldogs received 13 points from Makenna Crandell and 12 from McKenna Ferguson. 

     

Division 2 District Championship at Kelloggsville:

Grand Rapids Christian defeated South Christian 49-41

South Christian ended the season with a 16-8 record and finished second place in the O-K Gold at 10-4.


Division 3 District Championship at Calvin Christian:

NorthPointe Christian beat Potter’s House 41-24

Potter’s House ended the season with an 18-7 record and won the Alliance League title at 7-0 for the second straight year.