Jeff Chaney
Sports Scene
EAST LANSING, MI – Sam Weatherhead loves to play golf, but the West Catholic junior wasn’t in the mood to go another hole for a second straight year at the MHSAA Division 3 state finals.
Last year, Weatherhead lost medalist honors at the state finals to Notre Dame Preparatory’s Aaron Knutson when Knutson sunk a 35-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole between the two talented golfers.
There would be no extra holes this year, as Weatherhead won medalist honors this year at Michigan State University’s Forest Akers East Golf Course by firing a two-day total of 69-67-136.
That was four strokes better than nemesis Knutson, who was second with a 140.
“I wouldn’t say I had a chip on my shoulder from last year, but it was a little motivation for this year,” Weatherhead said. “We stayed in the same hotel this year, and we said hi. And he’s going to Detroit Mercy, and Detroit Mercy has contacted me, so we may cross paths again.”
In the final team standings for Division 3, Lumen Christi Catholic won its second straight title with a score of 596. Hanover-Horton and Grosse Ile tied for second with 602, but Hanover-Horton was awarded second place thanks to the fifth-man tiebreaker.
Lumen Christi trailed Hanover-Horton by five strokes after day one of the tournament but came back to play strong on day two with a 294.
“We were only five strokes back [after day one], and I was confident if we played like we could, we could make it up,” Lumen Christi coach Dave Swartort said. “On the first day we finished playing 10 over on the last three holes. [On the last day] we were two under, so they learned quick.”
Champions were also crowned in the other three divisions of golf on June 16.
In Division 1 at The Meadows at Grand Valley State University, Brother Rice won the team title with a score of 602, one stroke better than runner-up Lakeview. Lakeview’s Matt Garland won medalist honors with 141.
In Division 2 at Katke Golf Course at Ferris State University, Cranbrook Kingswood won with an impressive 588, 27 strokes better than runner-up DeWitt. Hamilton’s Nick Carlson was medalist, beating Tyler Polulak of DeWitt on a playoff hole after both golfers finished their rounds with 139s.
And in Division 4 at Forest Akers West at Michigan State University, St. Mary won with 624, one stroke better than Hackett Catholic Central. Hackett’s Ted Rider was medalist with 142.
HUDSONVILLE MAKES HISTORY
The Hudsonville baseball and softball teams made history this year in Division 1, being the first teams from the same school to win state titles in those sports in the same year.
The baseball team won its title with a 9-6 win over De La Salle Collegiate in the final. Like they have been most of the season, the Eagles were led third baseman Tyler Baar, who hit a three-run homerun; shortstop Logan Magsig, who had two RBI; and centerfielder Hank Van Ooyen, who scored two runs.
This is Hudsonville’s first baseball title, and it ended its year with a 33-5 record.
The softball team had to go 10 innings to win its third championship in four years, scoring on a throwing error in a 2-1 win over Mattawan.
Shortstop Danielle Freeman, who went three for four at the plate, scored the winning unearned run.
Pitcher Lexi Agers was stellar on the mound, going the entire 10 innings, giving up eight hits and one unearned run. She walked just one batter and struck out six.
GR CHRISTIAN BASEBALL GETS SOME REVENGE
A year after Grand Rapids Christian team members had to sit and watch St. Clair celebrate after beating them in the championship game, they avenged that loss with a 6-1 win over John Glenn in this year’s Division 2 baseball final.
It was the program’s first baseball championship.
Second baseman Taylor Pruis came up huge at the plate, going three for four with two runs scored and two RBI.
A pair of pitchers helped shut down John Glenn, as David VanVliet and Kurt Hoekstra combined for a four-hitter. Hoekstra threw 3 2/3 innings of no-hit baseball.
WEST MICHIGAN SOCCER TEAMS ALSO STRONG AT STATE FINALS
A pair of girls’ soccer teams from West Michigan came home champions from the soccer finals June 16.
Hudsonville’s Unity Christian won six straight Division 3 titles before being stopped by Powers Catholic Central last year 1-0.
The Crusaders earned a little revenge this year, beating Powers for the title 2-1 at Williamston High School.
Trailing 1-0 at the half, Andrea Schierbeek and Casandra Besteman each scored second-half goals for the win.
Goalie Holly VanNoord was her usual strong self in goal, coming up with five saves.
Unity Christian finished its year with a 23-0-4 record.
One of the teams that the Crusaders beat during the year ended up winning its first state championship.
Calvin Christian won the Division 4 title with an impressive 6-0 win over Our Lady of the Lakes/Everest Collegiate.
The Squires’ scoring outburst was led by seniors Katie Klunder and Jenny Holsem, who each scored three goals in the game.
Goalies Lydia Verstrate and Allison Kaiser were perfect in the net, as Verstrate came up with two saves and Kaiser one.
“We got some great finishes today” Calvin Christian coach Tim Terhaar said. “Our goal is to put shots on goal and pressure their goalie, and we did that.”
NO TEAM CHAMPIONS, BUT SOME INDIVIDUAL WINNERS IN TENNIS
Girls’ tennis has always been a winning staple in the West Michigan area.
With teams like Forest Hills Northern, East Grand Rapids, Holland Christian, South Christian, and NorthPointe Christian winning, or always finishing near the top of the standings, hardware is always brought back to West Michigan.
This year no team won a state championship. Forest Hills Northern was closest, taking second to Birmingham Seaholm by two points in Division 2 in Kalamazoo.
That Seaholm win stopped a streak of six straight state titles won by the Huskies.
In that Division 2 final, there were flight champions from West Michigan.
Northview’s Claire Stam earned a huge win for the Northview girls tennis program, winning the No. 4 singles title with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 win over Seaholm’s Claire Markley in the finals.
In doubles, Forest Hills Northern took two flights, as Victoria Mizlaff and Ariel Verbugge won the No. 1 doubles championship, and Shelby Moored and Lauren Gager won at No. 2.
At the Division 3 finals in the Holly/Fenton area, Forest Hills Eastern freshman Madaline Bissett won the No. 3 singles title. That helped the Hawks to a sixth-place finish.
East Grand Rapids was second to Cranbrook Kingswood in the final team standings.
EGR GIRLS LACROSSE UNTOUCHED ALL YEAR LONG
There was little doubt that the East Grand Rapids girls lacrosse team was the best Division 2 team in the state this year.
The Pioneers easily ran by all their opponents to a 28-0 record and capped off an impressive season with a 17-6 pounding of power Okemos in the state final June 9 at Rockford High School.
East Grand Rapids got off to a hot start, with Liza Elder, Lauren Hooker, and Claire Ludlow scoring the game’s first three goals. That allowed the team to take a 10-2 lead into the halftime break and to cruise in the second half.
Like she has all year, the quick and talented Ludlow led the Pioneers with four goals and an assist.
Elder and Chandler Filion pitched in with three goals apiece.
East Grand Rapids goalie Kristy Allen had just one save, but with an offense like the one the Pioneers had all season, there was a lot of play in their opponents’ end.