Jeff Chaney
Sports Scene
*Grand Rapids Catholic Central High School is well-known for its successful sports teams.
The Cougars have recently won football, girls’ basketball, hockey, and rugby state championships, and consistent winning can be found across the board in the athletic department.
One sport that has had trouble winning consistently, though, is the wrestling team.
The program has had several individuals win at the highest level, but that has not translated to team success.
That started to change with the hiring of new coach B.J. Schroder prior to last year’s season. The team began to win, and this year, Catholic Central has taken it to a new level.
The Cougars are currently ranked 10th in Division 3, with a 14-2 record, and have a lineup loaded with ranked individuals.
“As a staff, we challenge these kids every day, working on different aspects of technique, strategy, and conditioning,” Schroder said. “This young group of student/athletes never cease to amaze me. Each week I raise the bar, and they meet the challenge. I knew going into the season what a grueling Districts and Regionals we had ahead of us, with teams such as Whitehall, Allendale, and Shelby. Hopefully, when February rolls around we will be firing on all cylinders and can make a little noise in Division 3.
The talented lineup includes freshman 103-pounder Kole Krauss, who is 28-2 and ranked second in his weight class in Division 3; freshman 112-pounder Devin Schroder, who is 31-0 and ranked No. 1 in his weight class; sophomore 130-pounder Nate Limmex, who is ranked No. 1 in his weight class; and senior 140-pounder Joe English, who is 27-6 and ranked fourth in his weight class.
*The Lowell wrestling team had a heck of weekend January 18-20. During that three-day span, the Red Arrows, the second-ranked team in Division 2, wrestled Davison and Richmond, the second-ranked teams in Division 1 and 3 respectively, and Detroit Catholic Central, the top ranked team in Division 1. On January 18, Lowell lost to Davison 48-15 and to Richmond 33-30. Then on January 20 at Jenison Fieldhouse before the Michigan State University and Iowa Big Ten dual meet, the Red Arrows fell to DCC 42-18. “We wrestled a lot better Sunday than they did Friday,” Lowell coach Dave Dean said. “The kids were competitive against Detroit Catholic Central. We might not have won any more matches than we did against Davison on Friday, but they were much more competitive.” Right now Lowell has six losses on the season. Last year the team had just two, losing twice to St. Johns, once during the season and once at the team state finals. Still, Dean is confident that his team will be strong once the postseason arrives. “We have wrestled a lot of matches without our full lineup,” Dean said. “We are starting to get healthy, and I’m optimistic for a strong finish.”
One wrestler the Red Arrows will be without is sophomore all-stater Josh Colegrove, who is out for the season with an injured knee.
*Grand Rapids Christian wide receiver Drake Harris may be verbally committed to play football for Michigan State University when he graduates in 2014, but some of the nation’s top football programs continue to call. It’s been reported that the Universities of Florida and Alabama may still have an interest in the talented receiver, and rumors have it that Ohio State University coach Urban Meyer was recently in Grand Rapids to make a call. A verbal commitment isn’t binding, so it will be interesting see how this plays out.
*Congratulations to East Kentwood boys soccer coach John Conlon for being named the National Soccer Coaches Association 2012 National Coach of the Year for Division 1. The NSCAA recognizes national and regional coaches of the year at the college, high school, and youth levels. A total of 23 head coaches and four assistant coaches from around the country were honored by their peers for their accomplishments this past season. Conlon guided the Falcons to a 22-1-4 record last fall and a Division 1 state championship. It was East Kentwood’s fourth state title in the last six years.
*The Grand Haven girls basketball team is on an incredible roll. The Buccaneers, the defending Division 1 state champions, are on a 34-game winning streak as of January 24. The team is led by 6’5″ senior center Abby Cole, who will be playing volleyball at the University of Michigan next year.