Article - High School Sports Scene

He’s only a sophomore.

Jake Herremans of Rockford might only be a 10th grader, but he’s a Division 1 state champion in the one-meter dive.

He pulled off the trick at the state swimming and diving meet at Saginaw Valley State University.

Rockford finished 10th as a team in the meet, led by Herremans, who had a 320.65 in the semifinal and a 458.90 in the final. Second-place finisher was Dakota Hurbis, a freshman from Saline, who had a 433.25.

“I won by 25 points, which is a decent margin,” Herremans said.

Rockford coach Tom Parks had a quick reply when asked for key to Herremans’ success. “Hard work, hard work, and a lot of confidence,” Parks answered. “He trains year round and is never satisfied with current success. He wants to improve consistently. He also dives year round with another top diver from Rockford, senior Shane Phillips. They push each other.”

Phillips placed eighth in the one-meter dive at the state finals this year.

Parks noted that Herremans has shown improvement from last season. “He was a very solid diver his freshman year,” Parks said, noting that Herremans was ninth at state. “But he really worked on improving his [degree of difficulty] from his freshman year. He added a whole new list of dives to his 11-dive performance.”

Herremans has been diving since the seventh grade, and it’s his second year of high school diving.

He went into the state finals this season ranked No. 1. “I knew I had a good shot at it,” Herremans said, adding that coming into the season, “I knew I had good shot at top three or top five. I didn’t know until mid season that I would have a good shot of winning at state.”

Herremans said that one of the improvements he’s made as a sophomore is going into the water with a smaller splash.

He worked during the off-season with a USA diving club, and he indicated that his confidence with his work on the diving board has especially increased this season.

Parks called Herremans’ state finals performance “awesome. Not only did he dive well and broke the varsity record, but he did so under great pressure,” Parks said. “There were several divers near him scorewise through much of the meet. He will not only be awarded all-American, but I suspect he will be listed in the top 15 high school divers in the United States.”

What obviously excites Parks and the Rams is that Herremans has two years of high school eligibility remaining.

“He will not rest on this, he will raise the bar for himself,” Parks said. “I have no doubt. He has the potential at being one of the best divers to ever come out of Michigan.”

Looking ahead, Herremans simply wants to get better. “I can’t let my head get too big,” he said, “and I need to keep getting stronger and improve my form and keep getting higher for increasing the difficulty of dives.”

Diving is his only event. He played baseball last spring but is now focusing strictly on diving.

“I like the feel of being in the air and flipping,” he said.

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Jackson Maxwell saved his best for the right time.

The Swartz Creek senior won the first-place one-meter dive medal in mid March at the Division 2 Boys Swimming and Diving state finals. He had a semifinal score of 306.55 and a final score of 437.50 His closest competitor, with a 375.20 final score, was Sebastian Fay of Birmingham Seaholm. Maxwell scored all 20 of Swartz Creek’s points, and the team finished 21st out of 28.

John Maxwell, the team’s coach and Jackson’s father, coaches the swimmers and divers. He’s been the head coach at Swartz Creek for five years and assisted the girls’ program for five years prior to taking on his current role.

This was Jackson’s first state final. He started diving competitively his freshman year. “I would go to my dad’s meets when I was a little kid, and I would dive,” he recalled. “I would sit through practices and meets and watch. That interested me. I got to high school and I decided to give it a try. I never dove with a club team or went to camps for diving.”

To be a successful diver, “you have to learn to be eloquent and learn to do the dives,” Jackson said. “Once you do them, it becomes muscle memory. You have to repeat the dives. We do them all a bunch of times, so we get the feeling of where to tuck and how to come out of it.”

He placed sixth as a sophomore and 10th as a junior at the state meets.

“We knew there was a chance [for first place],” John said. “He was seeded fourth. If he dove well, there would be a chance he could pull it off and win. He worked very hard. He went in with a very good attitude that he would have fun his senior year, go in and do ‘the best I can and whatever happens happens.’ But he wanted to have fun. I knew he was going to do well. He was relaxed. His teammates kept him positive with encouragement. I had two other state qualifiers there as well. As a team, they went in that all three of them would do the best they could.

“His goal was to have a blast, and he did,” John said. “If he hit all of his dives and was consistent, then the chances of him placing higher were great. He did not make a mistake at all. He did very well.”

“I was seeded fourth at the state meet,” Jackson noted. “I was completely going to be happy if I took fourth place. I just wanted to take [top] eight and be all-state again. I realized I had a possibility of being a state champ after the ninth round of diving at the state meet. The kid that would have had a chance of besting me [messed up] one of his dives. Then I knew I had a big chance of winning the state meet.

“It wasn’t my best. I could have done better. My scores were average to above average. I didn’t miss any dives.”

Each season, Maxwell improved his diving performance. He felt his best improvement came during this fourth year. “I was high 200s my sophomore and junior year,” he said. “This year I went in the mid-300s. I went from a 287, which was my best last year, to a 351 this year for six dives.”

The regional and state meets consist of 11 dives.

Maxwell also swam two other races during the season, the 200 medley relay as a breaststroker and the 100 breaststroke. He was the team’s No. 1 breaststroker the last two seasons. He was seventh at the league meet in the 100 breaststroke. A four-sport athlete, he focuses on swimming and diving from November to March.

“After my junior year, I coached out in a Fenton area school some littler kids, and I got on the board a little bit,” he said.

He also plays football and soccer, and he runs track.

“Soccer is his favorite sport, but he excels the best at diving,” John Maxwell said. “In football, he’s a very talented kicker, one of the best in the state. He’s all-league all-district soccer player. He’s a 6’4″ high jumper. He’s a well-rounded athlete and loves every sport.”

He’s also a long jumper and sprinter in track. He’s been accepted at Kettering University in Flint to study in mechanical engineering. But he’s also looking at Hope College for the possibility of playing football.

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The Halee Nieman File

Bullock Creek

Class: Junior

Sport: Basketball

Season Accolades: Helped lead her team to Class B semifinal for second consecutive year before losing to Grand Rapids South Christian 52-47. Scored a team-high 18 points and had six rebounds and seven steals in the semifinal. Bullock Creek finished the season 24-2.

The Dustin Neyer File

Sacred Heart Academy

Class: Senior

Season Accolades: Hit the dramatic game-winning shot against Fulton that gave his team a Class D regional title. The video of his shot made ESPN’s Top Play of the Day and Fox Sports Top Play of the Day, and it was also on CNN. Sacred Heart went on to lose to Frankfort in the quarterfinal.

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The Rachel McInerney File

Nouvel Catholic Central

Class: Senior

Season Accolades: Guided the Nouvel girls basketball team to Class C state championship with a 62-40 victory over St. Ignace. Scored 22 points and grabbed 23 rebounds in championship game. Reached the 1,000-point mark for her career in the quarterfinal victory over St. Louis. Earned AP Class C all-state honors.

College: Will play basketball at Ferris State University

The Nick Spitzley File

Pewamo-Westphalia

Class: Senior

Season Accolades: Scored game-winning shot to knock off defending Class C champion Beecher in the quarterfinal. Scored 22 points in semifinal win over Muskegon-Heights to send his team to the final against Detroit Consortium. Earned Class C AP all-state first team honors.

College: Will play basketball at Grand Valley State University

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She may have set several school records. She may have won a truckload of awards. She may have a collegiate career ahead of her. Still, that’s not what Clare basketball player Lindsay Winter will take from her time as a Pioneer.

“It was so much fun,” she said. “All the people I was able to share it with, all the memories; it was unforgettable. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I was happy to have the time that I had; I did the most to enjoy it and make the most of it, but I’m going to miss it so much.”

As a senior, Winter averaged 24 points per game, six rebounds, five assists, and five steals. For her career, she had 1863 points, 397 steals, 310 assists, and 195 three pointers, all of which are school records. In addition, the guard has been named to numerous Jack Pine Conference, all-region, and all-state teams.

“Lindsay was successful because of how dedicated she is,” Clare head coach Matt Rodenbo said. “The gym has been her second home over the last decade. You do not get that good by just coming to scheduled practices. She has been the face of our program the last four years. She leads by example and her teammates respect her.”

What one person might see as hard labor, however, another sees as pure passion. “I don’t think of it as work, it’s just something I love to do,” Winter said. “You do exert a lot of time and energy, but I just love going to the gym and working and shooting, so it makes it easy to put in that extra time.”

Winter was on the Jack Pine Conference champion teams each of her four seasons as a Pioneer, won district titles three times, and won a regional title last year.

“The teams that I’ve been on have been so amazing,” Winter said. “We enjoyed playing with each other… We’ve just become so close outside of basketball, and even though the season is over, we still keep our friendships.”

After reaching the state quarterfinal round last year, Clare retooled its roster after taking a big hit at graduation. The response was a 22-2 overall record and a 14-0 record in the conference for its fourth straight league title. Still, after picking up a district championship on its home court, the 66-32 loss to Bullock Creek in the regional semifinal on March 4 seemed like an all-too-abrupt ending.

“That game obviously didn’t turn out how we planned; it was just one of those nights, “Winter said. “We still had a great season despite that; honestly, I think we did better than a lot of people thought we would do, and that’s credit to all the work we put in. It was nice to win league and win districts at home. It was hard to see it come to an end.”

Winter now turns her attention to softball and track, as she will compete in both for the Pioneers this spring. After that, it’s back to the basketball that she loves. This time she’s taking aim at the collegiate level, as she will play for Michigan Technological University next year.

“I’m looking forward to it; it’s going to be a whole new experience, and that’s something I’m excited about,” she said. “I’m going to go up there this summer to work out and to get to know the team. This is something I’ve worked for all through high school, to have this chance. I’m just excited to go up there and start playing again.”

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By BUTCH HARMON

OWOSSO – They don’t call it March Madness for nothing.

After winning district and regional titles, the Pewamo-Westphalia Pirates stormed into the Class C state title game thanks to a pair of stunning wins in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds.

A 12-0 spurt in the third quarter helped Pewamo-Westphalia come from behind to defeat Muskegon Heights 54-44 in the semifinal to earn its first berth in the championship game since 1993.

“It’s just a tremendous win and a tremendous feeling to be here,” coach Luke Pohl said. “I’ve always wanted to get my players to the Breslin, and to win this ball game here, knowing that we had to beat a team like Flint Beecher and then Muskegon Heights, with the history behind those schools, it is just unbelievable.”

Senior guard Nick Spitzley led the way for Pewamo-Westphalia in the semifinal with 22 points and eight rebounds, as the senior-laden Pirates played their way into the state final.

“Since I was little, it’s always been a dream, and it’s come true,” Spitzley said. “We’ve been playing together since fifth grade, maybe before that.”

Pewamo-Westphalia reached the Breslin thanks to a dramatic last-second comeback victory against Beecher in the quarterfinal. Trailing by four points with 10 seconds remaining in the game, the Pirates stunned the Buccaneers with five straight points to claim a 42-41 victory.

“It’s just unbelievable,” Pohl said. “To accomplish this, in this kind of atmosphere, is unbelievable. I just told the kids to keep on playing and not quit. My guys just would not quit. I’m speechless. I can’t believe it. The guys never quit, they just kept believing.”

Trailing 41-37 with 10 seconds to go, Pewamo-Westphalia’s Kyle Nurenberg drained a three-point shot to cut the Beecher lead to a single point. On the inbounds play, Spitzley stole the ball in the corner off a trap and then drove in for a layup that gave Pewamo-Westphalia a 42-41 lead with 4.1 seconds remaining.

“Coach just told us to keep playing,” Spitzley said. “He told us to keep playing, and that our time would come. We doubled them in the corner, and they threw a lazy pass. I grabbed it and went in and laid it in.”

Beecher tried a desperation half-court heave with seconds remaining, but the ball fell well short and set off a wild Pirate celebration.

“I’ve been coaching for 17 years, and we finally made it to the Breslin,” Pohl said. “We’ve made it to the quarterfinals twice. This time we finally made it. I’m so proud of these guys. They never quit.”

The game was a back-and-forth battle from start to finish, with Pewamo-Westphalia taking an early lead before Beecher stormed back and took a 26-18 halftime lead.

Pewamo-Westphalia began to chip away at the deficit early in the third quarter. Lane Simon scored the first eight Pirate points of the second half to help the Pirates tie the game at 28-28 by the end of the third quarter.

Beecher regained the lead in the fourth quarter and was up 36-31 midway through the quarter before the Pirates made one final charge.

Spitzley led the Pewamo-Westphalia offense with 18 points, while Simon added 11 points. Adam Wesley finished with seven points, and Nurenberg added four points.

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By BUTCH HARMON

It was a season to remember for the Carson City-Crystal girls basketball team.

The Eagles set a school record with 21 wins this winter, as they finished 21-3 overall and shared the league championship with Sacred Heart Academy. Carson City-Crystal also won its first regional game in school history, defeating Calvin Christian before its season ended against St. Louis in the regional championship game.

“We did a pretty good job,” coach Larry Farmer said. “The last three years we have won 59 games, and we are 41-6 the last two years. We’ve won three district and three league titles in a row. These seniors have been outstanding.”

Defense was the key to success. The Eagles allowed a school-record 22.75 points per game with their stifling 1-3-1 zone.

Junior point guard Mikayla Duflo was one of the team leaders, connecting on 82 three-point shots, the eighth-best in Michigan high school history. She earned special mention all-state honors and she averaged 12.2 points per game and 3.2 assists.

Senior center Mackenzie Geister earned honorable mention all-state honors. She averaged 12.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better team or coach for my senior year,” Geister said. “We had a great season, winning our third league title, our third district title, and making it to regional finals. It didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but it was such a great experience. Being a senior, it was hard to lose that last game, knowing that I’ll never play with my team again. But either way, we were all proud of each other and how far we had made it.”

Senior Tori Christiansen added 9.7 points per game and was also an outstanding defensive player who added 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 steals. She earned all-conference honors. Sophomore guard Jenna Schneider was an honorable mention all-conference guard who added five points per game.

“Our team this year had a lot of diversity, and we were deeper coming off the bench than any previous years,” Geister said. “This gave us more balance, and we were able to match up with other teams better. We had a foreign exchange student from Norway, Karen Engen, who was 6′ 2”, who joined the team this year, which helped us win our league title against Sacred Heart Academy. Everyone had an important role on the team this year. whether it was playing in every game, or playing scout defense in practice. We worked hard every day to push each other to be better, and what more could you ask of a team.”

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Rachel McInerney, a 6-foot-1 senior from Saginaw Nouvel Catholic, has been named to the Associated Press Class C all-state girls basketball team. Among the other first-teamers is Aaliah Hill of Flint Hamady, a 6-0 junior, plus 6-0 junior Reyna Frost of Reese. McInerney, who is going to Ferris State, had 22 points, 23 rebounds five shots in Nouvel’s 62-40 state title win over St. Ignace.

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Adrian Lenawee Christian, 21-4, will face Southfield Christian Saturday in the Class D state finals at Michigan State. Lenawee beat Cedarville 67-58 in Thursday’s semifinal action. Kingsley had 22 points and 16 rebounds for the winners.

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Mikayla Terry of Lansing Christian is a member of the Associated Press Class D girls basketball team for 2014. Courtney Wolfe of Morrice was on the honorable mention list. Their two teams met during the regular season and Lansing Christian won 38-37.

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Rockford sophomore diver celebrates state title

Swartz Creek diver reflects on state title

March Athletes of the Month

March Scholar Athlete Winners

Winter’s storied career comes to close at Clare

Pewamo-Westphalia boys basketball qfs and semis

Carson City Crystal girls basketball

Rachel McInerney earns all-state Class C honors

Adrian Lenawee Christian in title game

Mikayla Terry earns all-state honors