The Bay City Wolves season ended at 25-4 with a 8-0 loss to Brighton in Division I hockey action on Tuesday. Brighton is the two-time defending state champions. The Wolves had won their last three games by shutouts. But it was a long night for Wolves goalie Alec Wlodarcak.
Saginaw Heritage’s hockey season ended on Tuesday with a 5-3 loss to Muskegon Reeths-Puffer in the state quarterfinals for Division I. Heritage got off to a 2-0 lead. Jacob Mackie scored at 6:53 and London Bonenfant scored at 11:33 with Jason Federico and Hunter Parasiliti.
When Daniel Krauseneck scored a shorthanded goal at 10:22 of the second period, assisted by Devan Bayne, Heritage had a 3-1 lead. Reeths-Puffer scored the next four goals to wrap up the game.
Scott Keyes
Sports Scene
Breckenridge’s Kirsten Olling will not have to deal with Mother Nature’s winter wrath for at least the next four years. She will trade in her winter boots for sandals, as she officially signed her National Letter of Intent with Arizona State University.
“This is definitely a big step for me, and it’s definitely what I want,” Olling said. “When you want to race against the best runners in the country, you want to do it at a school and a conference that is considered one of the best. I am proud of the decision that I made.”
Olling, a four-time Division 4 state champion in cross country and a three-time state champion in the 3200-meter run in track and field, will run for Meridian graduate Ryan Cole.
“To be able to run in the PAC-10 is pretty exciting,” she said. “I really like the team and the coach. This [right fit] is something I’ve been looking for for a long time, and I’m glad I found it at Arizona State.”
Olling had narrowed down her choices to Arizona State and Michigan State, and a visit to Tempe helped seal her decision.
“It’s going to take a little getting used to in the beginning, I think, but overall I think it’s perfect for me,” she said.
Olling’s personal best time in the cross country 5K distance is 17 minutes, 17 seconds, which she achieved at the Division 4 regional in Harbor Beach in 2011.
Olling has the chance to become a four-time Division 4 state champion in the 3200-meter run in track and field this spring. She also won the 1600-meter run her freshman year.
“I knew five or six years ago when Kirsten started running for us, that she was going to be special,” Breckenridge coach Royce Humm said. “Watching her sign her Letter of Intent is a great day for our program, cause she has worked so hard to get where she is today. It’s going to be sad to watch her leave.”
Meanwhile, Olling’s four-year teammate at Breckenridge, senior Dominique Adams, will also continue her standout cross country and track and field careers in college. She signed a National Letter of Intent with Saginaw Valley State University last week.
In cross country, Adams earned all-state honors as a freshman and as a sophomore and all-conference honors as a senior. She helped the Huskies achieve their state runner-up finish in Division 4 last fall.
In track, Adams earned all-state in the 1600- and 3200-meter runs as a sophomore and in the 3200-meter run and the 3200-meter relay as a junior.
Area Athletes who signed on National Letter of Intent Day
Grand Blanc
Football
Alex Brackett, Siena Heights University
Brandon Carr, Siena Heights University
Jake Kendall, Siena Heights University
Justin McElroy, Northern Michigan University
Ka’Len Wiggins-Batson, Northern Michigan University
Justin Short, University of Findlay
Soccer
John Clark III, University of Findlay
Alexandra Lowes, Rice University
Swimming
Rachel Eaton, Grand Valley State University
Bowling
Jazzmyn Newman, Monmouth University
Softball
Nicole Pittman, Mott Community College
Flint Southwestern Classical Academy
Football
Nic Matiere-Bey — Austin Peay State University
Akimio Walker — Siena Heights University
Perignon Mosley-Dorsey — Tiffin University
Denzel Handley — Concordia University
Allante Smith — Culver Stockton College
Justin Thompson — Culver Stockton College
Kameron Pitts — Bethel College
Dreshon Burt — Georgia Prep Sports Academy
Lapeer East
Football
Kyle Rachwal — Eastern Michigan University
New Lothrop
Football
Amari Coleman — Central Michigan University
Montrose
Football
Malik Taylor – Ferris State University
Jimmie Hodge – Ferris State University
Ryan Egan – Grand Valley State University
Trevor Quast – Alma College
Carman-Ainsworth
Football
Jevonte Alexander — Indiana State University
Brandon Walker – University of North Dakota
Demarion Allen — Austin Peay State University
Darryl Johnson — Austin Peay State University
Jaylyn Boone-Williams — Michigan Technological University
L’Daryl Mosley – Arizona Western College
Malik Seales – Scottsdale Community College
Soccer
Jordan Marsh — Cleary University
Alma
Football
Curtis Doyle — Western Michigan University
Track
Lexi Morton — Spring Arbor University
Miguel Prieto — Northwood University
Tim DeJong — Cedarville University
Basketball
Maddy Seeley — Northwood University
Baseball
Tyler Minnick — Muskegon Community College
Matt Young — Hillsdale College
DeWitt
Soccer
Abby Cook — Northern Michigan University
Chris Lang — Davenport University
Mitch Smith — Indiana Institute of Technology
Natalie Knauf — University of Toledo
Football
Cameron West — Northern Michigan University (preferred walk-on)
Christopher Bukoski — Eastern Michigan University
Basketball
Hannah Stoll — Michigan Technological University
Lexi Banaszak — Hollins University
Baseball
John-Michael Moody — Grand Rapids Community College
Sam Smith — Lansing Community College
Tim Lowe — Lansing Community College
Track
Josie Yesmunt — University of Toledo
Emily Murdoch — Northwood University
Mason
Tennis
Abby Perkins — Grand Valley State University
Soccer
Brooke Beaune — Spring Arbor University
Josh Flamme — University of Detroit Mercy
Lauren McDermott — Northern Michigan University
Track
Christian Thornton —Lansing Community College
Mason VanDyke — Grand Valley State University
Nathan Jones — Hillsdale College
Greg Ingle — Lansing Community College
Golf
Shannon McNamara — Wayne State University
Volleyball
Rachel Kinch — Lansing Community College
Holt
Soccer
Alec Gnass — Elmhurst College
Alec Greene — Oakland University
Jacob Dowling — Davenport University
Mitch Simon — Spring Arbor University
Stacie Skinker— Calvin College
Softball
Courtney Masseau — Muskegon Community College
Football
Dakota Lawhon — Alma College
Timmy Cain — Adrian College
Ty Glover — Defiance College
Zac Peterson — Alma College
Cross Country
Emily Krueger — Hope College
Grant Colligan — Colorado School of Mines
Zach Hulliberger — Olivet Nazarene University
Track
Ian Velasquez — University of Arkansas
Lacrosse
James Fulghum — Alma College
Jordan Mireles — Olivet College
Gymnastics
Lindsey Lemke — University of North Carolina
Golf
Pader Her — University of Akron
Eaton Rapids
Track
Alex Fast — Grand Valley State University
Bailey Baker — University of Michigan
Kathryn Mills — Grand Valley State University
Basketball
Allie Dittmer — Hillsdale College
Baseball
Andrew Wright — Spring Arbor University
Soccer
Emily Reinecke — Olivet College
Wrestling
Kaitlyn Collins-Theodore — Eastern Michigan University
Lacrosse
Marci Schaeffer — Tiffin University
Softball
Payton Benton — Kalamazoo Valley Community College
Perry
Cross Country
Alicia Tomlin — Saginaw Valley State University
Soccer
Chase Dunn — Olivet College
Portland
Softball
Allie Grys — Lansing Community College
Madison Adams — Lansing Community College
Baseball
Andrew Click — Davenport University
Auston Brandt — Davenport University
Tanner Allison — Western Michigan University
Football
Hunter Scott — Northwood University
Zach Gustafson — Northwood University
Williamston
Soccer
Ally Milam — Northern Michigan University
Track
Ashley Strange — Spring Arbor University
Kyle Shashaguay — Ottawa University
Softball
Camri Grace — Eastern Michigan University
Baseball
Cole Hartsaw — Lansing Community College
Soccer
Hunter Lyle — Adams State University
Lindsey Tuggle — Northern Michigan University
Corunna
Volleyball
Alyssa Nickels — Mott Community College
Soccer
Brody Hall — University of Michigan-Dearborn
Basketball
Lauren Ruess — Colorado School of Mines
Payton Birchmeier – Marist College
Dansville
Softball
Amber Morton — Lansing Community College
Megan Kelley — Davenport University
Cross Country
Emily Foster — Lawrence Technological University
Charlotte
Cross Country
Andrea Garza — Lansing Community College
Soccer
Sierra Sisco — Louisiana Tech University
Baseball
Chad McClintock — Muskegon Community College
Bowling
Ciarra Landry — Aquinas College
Basketball
Lucy Sare — Trine University
Okemos
Soccer
Ashton Miller — Duke University
David Bez — Elmhurst College
Kristelle Yewah — Michigan State University
Lou Plascencia — Michigan State University (walk on)
Lacrosse
Claire Cook — Grand Valley State University
Tennis
Elan Dantus — Hope College
Golf
Elle Nichols — Oakland University
Water Polo
Katie Dudley — Stanford University
Lacrosse
Olivia Sherman — University of Findlay
Owosso
Austin Klapko — Lansing Community College
Lansing Catholic Central
Baseball
Austin Krause — Lincoln Trail College
Tom Lantzy — Lansing Community College
Football
David Poljan — Hillsdale College
Peter Atkins — Northwood University
Golf
Jacqueline Setas — Michigan State University
Wrestling
Ryan Clark — Olivet College
St. Johns
Baseball
Austin Smith — Lansing Community College
Matt Pearsall — Kellogg Community College
Cross Country
Kayla Kraft — Lansing Community College
Wrestling
Logan Massa — University of Michigan
Zac Hall — University of Michigan
Softball
Madi Webster — Alma College
Basketball
Tori Henning — Albion College
Lansing Eastern
Autumn Rux — Campbellsville University
East Lansing
Soccer
Ben Swanson-Ralph — Elmhurst College
Blair Moore — Cleary University
Football
Da’Vontay Haines — Siena Heights University
Matthew Ethington — Siena Heights University
Grand Ledge
Baseball
Brennan Cummings — Lansing Community College
Christian Keller — Lansing Community College
Nathan Langenfeld — Lansing Community College
Basketball
Codie Drake — Kentucky Wesleyan College
Hannah Orwat — Oakland University
Lindsay Orwat — Oakland University
Volleyball
Cori Crocker — University of Michigan
Football
Joe Reverman — Hillsdale College
Keefer Johnson — Yale University
Soccer
Kaitlin Irish — Jackson Community College<
Ithaca’s Travis Smith and Powers Catholic’s Allyson Haran are headed south to continue their athletic careers.
Both standout athletes signed their National Letters of Intent Feb. 5 to attend Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC, in front of friends and family at their respective schools.
Smith, who was a member of Ithaca’s four straight Division 6 title teams and a key contributor in the Yellowjackets’ 56-game winning streak, originally verbally committed to the University of Toledo, but after receiving a Facebook message from the Wake Forest staff right before Christmas, he opened his options once again.
At first, Smith couldn’t figure out why he was receiving a recruiting pitch from a coach at Wake Forest. “I was confused at first, because I didn’t really realize that the coaching staff at Wake Forest was the Bowling Green coaching staff,” he said. “When I learned it was Bowling Green’s coaches, I realized what was going on.”
Head coach Dave Clawson left Bowling Green University to take over the Wake Forest program in mid-December and took several assistants with him, including offensive coordinator Warren Ruggiero. The new staff was scrambling when it came to the most important position on the field.
Smith had been on Clawson’s radar for the previous three years while he was coaching at Bowling Green. In fact, Travis and his dad Brett Smith visited Bowling Green last spring and liked what they saw.
“Travis has always dreamed about playing big-time football, and when this opportunity came about, he jumped at it,” Brett Smith said. “To play in the ACC with the likes of defending national champion Florida State University is pretty amazing. I’m looking forward to heading south quite a bit in the coming years.”
The Wake Forest coaches offered Smith a scholarship before he visited the school, which he fell in love with the minute he arrived.
“When I went down there to visit, it just blew me away,” said Smith. “The coaches have the program going in the right direction, and all the players are buying in. The academics at Wake Forest are top-five in the country, too.”
For his career, Smith finished with 104 touchdown passes and 8,044 yards passing, which ranks second in state history. In 2013, he completed 188 of 264 passes (71 percent) for 42 touchdowns with only seven interceptions. His 42 touchdown passes ranks fourth in the MHSAA single-season record book. Additionally, he also carried the ball 91 times for 640 yards and 10 scores last fall.
Harran, a first-team all-state defender in 2012, verbally committed to the Demon Deacons almost two seasons ago, and now the opportunity to play for an NCAA national soccer power has become reality. It is something that she has dreamed about since she started playing the game she loves nearly a decade ago. “Being able to play in the ACC with a team like Wake Forest is pretty special,” she said. “To go up against the top teams in the country is going to be tough, but I’m ready for the challenge, not to mention the opportunity of getting an education from one of the top schools in the country.”
On National Signing Day, Smith was joined by two of his teammates, Logan Hessbrook and Josh Hafner, who also announced their college decisions. “It’s cool to be signing to play in college with two of my receivers and best friends,” Smith commented.
Hessbrook, who is headed to Saginaw Valley State University, is a 6’3″, 200-pound wide out who earned first-team all-state honors last fall. The future Cardinal caught 62 passes for 1,262 yards and 19 touchdowns in 2013 and was a key player on both sides of the ball for Ithaca. Defensively, he was a ball hawk, as he picked off nine passes and had 63 tackles.
Hafner, who will attend Northern Michigan University, earned honorable mention all-state honors last fall, as the the 6’2″, 175-pound wide out reeled in 48 passes for 770 yards and 10 scores. Defensively, he had 39 tackles and seven interceptions.
Swan Valley wrestling coach Darrell Burchfield said, “Don’t let the score fool you,” after his team lost a 58-9 Division 3 semifinal match to eventual state champion Dundee.
“When someone sees that score, they will think that we were blown off the mat,” he continued. “Do I like to see that score? Heck no, I don’t, but Dundee is a better team than we are, but not by much. I guess if you have to lose, it doesn’t hurt to lose to a defending state champion.”
Swan Valley’s Matt Santos gave the Vikings a 3-0 lead, earning a 6-5 decision in the first match. He was coming off a gut-wrenching performance in the quarterfinal the night before, where he needed a three-overtime performance to defeat defending state champion Devin Schroeder of Grand Rapids Catholic Central so that the Vikings could advance to the semifinal.
“When you need a victory over a state champion like Devin, and you are the guy that needs to get the victory, now that’s pressure,” Santos said after his victory over Schroeder. “That kind of stuff right there I live for.”
Santos’ victory against Dundee got Swan Valley started on the right foot, but Dundee won the next nine matches, a string that included five consecutive pins, to take a 46-3 lead.
“We made a few mistakes along the way, and at this level you can’t do that,” said Burchfield. “At this point, I couldn’t be happier for a great bunch of kids, who have dedicated themselves to getting better. We have to get our numbers up, and we have to get down here again to get that experience. These teams are not that much better than we are.”
Steve Becker broke the Dundee string at 285 pounds with a 4-2 win. KJ Suitor gave the Vikings their other win, a 5-2 decision at 112.
Swan Valley made it to the semifinal with a 32-27 win over Grand Rapids Catholic Central. It finished the season with a record of 41-2.
The much-anticipated rematch between Detroit Catholic Central and Davison was what the fans wanted to see during the Division 1 final at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek on February 22. And that is exactly what they got, as the wrestling powers squared off for the second year in a row to determine the top D1 team in the state.
Scott Keyes
Sports Scene
Freeland coach Tom Zolinski called it one of the best performances he has ever coached against in his seven years as coach of the Falcons.
He was probably right.
Alma’s Maddy Seeley single-handedly nearly willed her team to victory. She scored 39 points, including 21 of 21 from the free throw line, and added four rebounds and two steals, but it wasn’t enough, as Freeland held on to defeat the Panthers 68-62 in a regional semifinal game held at Carrollton High School.
“We did everything we could against Maddy Seeley, but she is that good, and she kept her team in the game,” Zolinski said. “Maddy gave one of the best performances I’ve ever seen in a game played against us since I’ve been coaching here. We had help defense, we tried trapping her, and nothing worked.”
That is a huge pat on the back coming from Zolinski, who coached last year’s Miss Basketball and current Michigan State Spartan Tori Jankoska for four seasons, but watching Seeley provide a Tori-like performance against Jankoska’s former team was impressive.
“To watch Maddy play the way she did and just being so aggressive going to the basket was special to watch,” Zolinski said. “A performance like that is what the month of March is all about.”
Seeley admitted that she was nervous going into the game. “I was pretty nervous all day leading up to the game,” she said. “Knowing it could be your last game, you leave everything you have out there on the court. I felt good. My shot was falling. You know, I’m just really proud of my team. We really came together towards the end of the season. I am proud of winning a district title, and I am proud of the effort we gave tonight. It’s sad it’s over, but I couldn’t be prouder of my team.”
Seeley closed the first quarter with a lay-up at the buzzer, and she scored 13 of Alma’s 15 points in the second quarter. The Panthers, who lost 61-49 and 49-38 to the Falcons during the regular season, held a 32-31 lead at halftime.
“Maddy Seeley played an unbelievable game,” Freeland junior Taryn Taugher said. “That was one heck of a performance.”
When Seeley cut the lead to three points late in the game, Taugher made 3 of 4 free throws to ice the victory. She finished with 25 points, including 15 of 17 at the free throw line, and had nine rebounds with seven steals.
Taugher has had huge shoes to fill with the loss of Jankoska to graduation. Taugher admitted that the transition was slow, but mid season, things started to pick up, and Freeland started to play a more consistent brand of basketball.
Breanne Short added 10 points, eight rebounds, and four blocked shots, while Sofia Gutierrez and Tina Miller each had eight points.
Kendall Vedrode added 12 points for Alma, which finished the season with a record of 11-10.
Basketball players from Nouvel Catholic Central and Frankemuth gave back to their respective communities Feb. 16 by hosting a wheelchair basketball game. They partnered with the Special Olympics to benefit Elizabeth Kischnick in honor of her twin brother Zachary, who passed away in his sleep on Jan. 7, 2014, at the age of 18.
Zachary and Elizabeth were both born prematurely and are special needs children. Mitchell Kischnick is a current athlete on the Frankenmuth varsity basketball team, and his brother Zachary was his biggest fan.
The twins were born Feb. 21, 1995, the first children of Earl and Karolynn Kischnick. Then Mitchell and Madison were born, and Team Kischnick was formed. Madison and Mitchell are both standout athletes at Frankenmuth High School.
Nouvel coach Joe Jacobs heard of what happened and knew there had to be something he could do to help the Kischnicks and to celebrate Zachary’s life. Jacobs was the Frankenmuth junior varsity coach last season, and Mitchell Kischnick was one of his players.
Both teams spent a month before the game looking for sponsors for the wheelchair basketball game, which also included a silent auction and other ways spectators could enjoy the game.
Overall, it was a huge success, and the community came out in droves to support the cause. It was a great game, that supported an even better cause. Zachary Kischnick would have been proud.
It’s another great day at Sports Scene!!
It’s March. It’s Madness. What else can a sports fan ask for?
My team of photographers and writers need to be commended for a great job at Battle Creek and at The Palace these last couple weeks shooting photos for wrestlers statewide to cherish for the rest of their lives!! Thank you, Scott Keyes, Gary Williams, Paige Bennett, Jeff McGinthy,Reyna,Julius and Zip Widman, Greg Chrapek, Joe Vozar, Alan Holben, Jamie McNinch and Kelsey Jickling!!
Also, thanks to John Johnson for giving Sports Scene the opportunity and thank you Mark Uyl for your dedication to the sport of wrestling over the last 10 years.
We are truly blessed to be able to wake up every morning with the sun shining (snow and ice hopefully melting), the birds chirping, children playing, and a game on somewhere every day during the month of March. It’s times like this that I am glad I am a sports fanatic.
The first wave of champions has been crowned at the high school level, with wrestling taking center stage for two straight weekends. There were 56 individual champions crowned and four team champions, including New Lothrop (D4) and Lowell (D2), who knocked off state powers Hudson and St. Johns in the finals. Detroit Catholic Central and Dundee repeated in Division 1 and Division 3, respectively.
I am very happy for Coach Campbell and the New Lothrop faithful, as I wrestled with some of the parents and uncles of this team’s wrestlers. I am also happy for the Red Arrows seniors and coach Dean, who worked very hard to finally get to that moment on Saturday, February 23rd, when they snatched the trophy away from the St. Johns Redwings. It is a little bittersweet, knowing most of the St. Johns kids and wrestling community, and my old wrestling teammates at Michigan State, Hudson head coach Scott Marry and Davison head coach Roy Hall, but it was great wrestling, full of intensity and down-to-the-wire matches; what more could a fan and fellow wrestler ask for?
We saw Zac Hall cap his career by becoming only the 18th four-time state champion. Next year, he will join University of Michigan teammates Taylor Massa and Adam Coon, who accomplished the feat the previous two seasons. Great job Zac! It was a privilege coaching you during your days at Ithaca and watching you wrestle during the years at St. Johns, and I look forward to watching you wrestle for the Wolverines in the near future.
We also saw another career come to a close, as Alma’s Maddy Seeley fought to the bitter end in the final game of her high school career, scoring 39 points in the Panthers’ 68-62 regional semifinal loss to Freeland. Maddy put her team on her back and nearly pulled off an epic comeback. It’s performances like hers that make the month of March so special.
Another special shout to my dear Yellowjackets Travis, Logan, and Josh, who will be moving on to play football at the next level; I also look forward to following you!
March is a time where dreams are made and hearts are broken, but it’s times like this where I am glad I am a coach and a high school sports fan.
Thanks to my three seniors from this year’s Alma wrestling team, Alex, Stephen, and Johnny; it was a pleasure and I wish you three the best!! Boyd and Damian, I am proud of you as well!
Good luck to the rest of our area teams that are still fighting the good fight. One and done is what March is all about, so stay focused and mentally aware of your surroundings. This is what dreams are made of.
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