Article - High School Sports Scene

Wally Schneider has coached a boys’ bowling team this season at Ithaca that has pulled off some impressive accomplishments. The top one occurred at the Division 4 state finals on Feb. 28 at M-66 Lanes in Battle Creek.

Ithaca advanced to the finals against Jonesville and fell 1,153-1094. But the Jackets stll brought home a runner-up trophy. Contributing for Ithaca in the finals were Blake Gulick at 151, Jared Baublit at 156, Kaeden Greer at 167, donal Carl at 137 and Joe Whittaker at 172.

February was quite a month for Ithac.

On Saturday, Feb. 1, at Riverwood Lanes in Mount Pleasant, the Yellowjackets had an outstanding performance. “In our first Peterson game against Alma, the boys shot a 1,292 game, which is the highest game ever shot by a Division 4 school and the third highest game ever shot in MHSAA history,” Schneider said. “Joe Whitaker shot 300 during the game, and Kaeden Greer carried a possible 300 into the 10th frame before settling for a 277. Donald Carl shot 247 and Jared Baublitz 236 and Blake Gulick 232.

“Everything went right. All five guys were hitting so well. They were all throwing a lot of strikes. It was a great day, a really fun day. It was an amazing thing to be a part of.”

Carl, Greer, and Whitaker are seniors, while Baublitz and Gulick are sophomores. Baublitz started out with the junior varsity and was moved up to the varsity during the season.

The Yellowjackets finished second in the Tri-Valley West with an 8-2 record. Both losses came to St. Louis. Overall, Ithaca was 15-2.

“The boys are bowling really well,” Schneider said. “It’s not always the same person. It’s important that our big guys are hitting. But we’ve had times when those guys aren’t necessarily right on. Someone else comes up to fill that void. It’s been an amazing season.”

The intensive rivalry between Ithaca and St. Louis has continued onto the bowling lanes.

“It’s always been a great rivalry,” Schneider said. “I’ve been doing this for 11 years. St. Louis coach’ has been Al Post or his brother basically that period of time. It’s always been tough between the two of us. We’ve always battled, it seems like every year.

“We get along well with each other. It’s been a lot of fun. It’s always back and forth between those two teams. We and St. Louis have always been tight. I’m sure there’s been a year or two where one of the teams has been up or down. It’s not very often. We’re both usually there.”

Ithaca has been in the top six of the final Division 4 state standings a couple of times. In February, Ithaca competed in the entire Tri-Valley Conference meet and took second in that tournament behind Caro. Several Class B schools participated.

“It’s pretty competitive,” said nine-year bowling coach Al Post of St. Louis, referring to the rivalry with Ithaca. “Ithaca and us always seem to butt heads.”

St. Louis advanced to the state quarterfinals but lost to Sandusky 1,209-1,208.

The previous week at regiojnals, Ithaca was first, Hemlock second and St. Louis third.

It’s the type of rivalry that seems to bring out the best between the two teams.

“Their only loss was to us,” Post said. “They wanted to win. We had a good match, and we happened to win it.”

Geographically, the two schools are close, and they are competitive in the conference and in the postseason.

“The kids all know each other pretty well,” Post said. “It’s a very respected rivalry, I will say that. It might not have been a few years back. But now, it’s a very respectable rivalry. Both programs are so strong now. We both want to beat each other bad. Wally has a great program, so do we.”

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Boyd Hubbard comes from an avid wrestling family in Alma, and it’s not surprising that he had a strong season on the mat for the Panthers.

Hubbard is a junior who has been wrestling for 13 years, three years in high school. He went to the state finals in 2013 and lost in the blood round.

He won the Sparta and Leslie tournaments this season as well as a District Title beating eventual state champ, Tristin Zienkiewicz and qualified for state after placing second in the regional , losing Zienkiewic. He entered the state tournament with a record of 44-6.

At The Palace of Auburn Hills for the state finals, Hubbard was eighth at 160 pounds in Division 3. He lost his first match, won his next two and fell to Brandon Dyke of Allendale in the match for seventh place.

“This is my best season so far,” Hubbard said. “It’s probably from a lot of mat time, like wrestling over the summer.”

On the mat, Hubbard considers himself quick on his feet. “I get in on a lot of shots,” he said. “I normally escape from everyone I wrestle.”

He’s wrestling at 160 pounds this year after being at 145 and 152 his previous seasons. “It was kind of a struggle at first,” Hubbard said. “Now, it’s just as easy as it was last year, I just need to continue to work harder this summer and come back stronger and quicker than ever!”

Hubbard has three older brothers who wrestled at Alma, Bruce, Brett, and William. Bruce placed eighth at one state final. Brett and William were both state qualifiers.

“I’m a lot like them,” Boyd said. “The reason I’m wrestling is because of them. I had them to wrestle with me. Bruce and Brett were lighter weights. Will was a heavier weight.”

Their dad, William, wrestled in a high school briefly, also, Boyd noted.

Boyd has also lettered in football and has run track and played baseball in the spring.

Teammate Damian Castillo, who has also had a strong season, is a junior at 130 pounds. He has wrestled since he was four years old and is in his third high school season. As a freshman at 103, he qualified for state. As a sophomore at 125, he was TVC champ. He didn’t qualify for state last season but did this year as a district and regional champ. At the state finals, he won his first match but lost his next two and didn’t place.

“I’ve been pretty satisfied with my season,” he said. “There have been a couple of matches here and there that i should not have lost, It happens.”

It was Damian’s best high school season.

“I’ve improved a lot,” he said. “I’ve been working on moving my feet more and getting off from bottom. That’s the main thing, keeping my feet moving.”

Working on his feet and getting takedowns have been major strengths for Castillo.

Standing as high as he can on the podium at the state finals is a major goal for Castillo.

“A state championship is very reasonable for me, I am ready to continue to work for that and see what happens?” I will continue to get better, “I need to wrestle my best.”

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It’s the inaugural Ohio-Michigan Border Classic, and it will feature Michigan’s best vs. Ohio’s best on Saturday, June 14, at Donnell Stadium at the University of Findlay in Findlay, Ohio.

The Michigan High School Football Coaches Association announced its first Border Classic team that will be playing an Ohio all-star squad. All players will be members of the Class of 2014.

Local players who have been selected to the team team include quarterback Travis Smith of Ithaca, wide receiver Amari Cleman of New Lothrop, offensive guard Curtis Doyle of Alma, and wide receiver Malik Taylor of Montrose.

“We’re pretty excited,” said Larry Merx, executive director of the MHSFCA. “We’ll have a chance to build a lot of bridges between the two states.”

Head coach is Mike Zdebski and offensive line coach is Mike Weiskoph, both from Walled Lake Western. Zdebski is also coaching quarterbacks, tailbacks, and kickers. Other coaches are Ed Greeman of Harper Creek with the wide receivers, Tim Szegda and Brian Lemons of Father Gabriel Richard with the defensive line and linebackers, and Scott Merchant of Chippewa Valley with the defensive backs.

The game will replace the annual Michigan East-West all-star game, a summer fixture since 1981.

“This will take the place of our East-West game, because there are only two weekends in June you can have an all-star game and get players to come,” Merx said. “More and more of them report to their college [teams] in late June or early July. The only two weekends this year would be June 14, which we’re doing, and June 21. We can’t man two back-to-back all-star games. There’s not enough people and enough time to do two games back-to-back.

“Ohio has the ability because of their [governing] body, the Ohio High School Athletic Association. They can do their North and South game in the spring. But we can’t do that, because we can’t have an all-star game during the school year or kids would lose their eligibility for other sports. That’s an MHSAA rule.”

Merx said the MHSFCA was approached by the Ohio association in October 2012 to see if there was an interest in having an all-star game.

“We’re committed one year at a time,” Merx said. “We anticipate that we’ll host it in Michigan next year and it will be continuing.”

At one time, MHSFCA all-star games were staged at Division I sites such as Michigan State University, University of Michigan, and Central Michigan University. Recent years have seen the game at Division II Grand Valley State University and Division III Alma College.

“The NCAA has a rule that prohibits Division I schools from hosting any high school-related event that’s not associated with a specific high school, non-scholastic,” Merx said. “So we have to go to DII. We’re trying to get that rule changed.”

Profits from the game will go to the scholarship funds of the respective organizations.

The Michigan East-West all-star game format involved twice as many players and coaches, and Merx said there was plenty of discussion about the change.

“We hope to be able to get back to that,” he explained. “But there’s also a lot more regional games. There’s a Muskegon area all-star game. There’s an Upper Peninsula all-star game. There’s one in Monroe County. Kids still get that all-star experience. We’d like to have that statewide experience. At this time, we can’t do both.”

This will mark the first time Michigan football all-stars have played all-stars from another state. “Ohio is the first to approach us,” Merx said.

The MHSFCA selected the six all-star coaches, who then recruited the players, he noted. “There was a lot of research done to do it,” Merx said.

Smith, who led Ithaca to its fourth straight 14-0 season and state title, will have one last high school game prior to going to Wake Forest University. The thought of playing in the game excites him.

“It’s a great feeling,” he said. “It’s top competition in the Midwest. It’ a good feeling to know they picked me to compete in one of the most competitive football games you could compete in in the Midwest. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

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By BUTCH HARMON

The story lines will be wide-ranging this March as the boys’ basketball state tournament tips off. Familiar names dot the list of favorites in Classes A and B along with some new names. Classes C and D also have some old standbys and some squads that have not been heard from in a while. High School Sports Scene takes a look at this year’s state tournament and predicts who will make it to the Breslin Center.

CLASS A

Statewide outlook: Detroit Pershing, with talented senior Justin Tillman, is the team to beat and is one of the favorites to claim the title. It has a deep and talented team that will be a tough out. Pershing may face a difficult regional hurdle, though, in University of Detroit Jesuit and its sensational sophomore guards Cassius Winston and Billy Thomas. The Saline regional may prove to be the toughest in the state. Among the teams that could come out of Saline are fourth-ranked Taylor Truman, fifth-ranked Romulus, and seventh-ranked Ypsilanti. Muskegon is the No. 1-ranked team in the state, and the Big Reds appear poised for a long tournament run led by junior sensation Deyonta Davis, who has already committed to Michigan State University.

Area outlook: Saginaw High started the tournament with a bang by defeating rival Arthur Hill. Mt. Pleasant has enjoyed a successful season, and the Oilers are poised for a deep tournament run. They will have to navigate the Bay City Western district that includes Midland Dow. If the Oilers get through the district, they could run into a tough Marquette team in the regional semifinals before a potential regional showdown with Arthur Hill in the Lake Orion regional. A pair of competitive districts take place in the Lansing area. At the East Lansing district, DeWitt, Lansing Eastern, Waverly, and host East Lansing will be battling. In Mason, Holt and Grand Ledge both have squads that are ranked honorable mention in the state.

HSSS projected FINAL FOUR: Saginaw vs. Muskegon, Detroit Pershing vs. De La Salle Collegiate

HSSS projected STATE CHAMPION: Detroit Pershing over Muskegon

CLASS B

Statewide outlook: West Michigan has a trio of teams ranked in the top five in the state that will be battling it out for a berth in the final four. Godwin Heights, ranked second in the state, and Grand Rapids South Christian, ranked fourth in the state, will collide in the district at Kelloggsville. The winner of that district will have to get past Comstock Park in the regional before a potential showdown with Otsego in the quarterfinals. Otsego has one of the premier young teams in Class B, led by 7’0″ junior center Seth Dugan and some talented junior wings. In southeast Michigan, Detroit Country Day and Detroit Douglass Academy have solid squads capable of bringing home a state title. Lumen Christi Catholic enters the tournament as the top-ranked team in the state, and with junior point guard Khari Willis, it’s poised for a deep tournament run.

Area outlook: Corunna has turned in a solid season playing against some rugged competition that has prepared it for a postseason run. The Cavaliers host a district where they open with Flint Southwestern and may have to get past Goodrich in the final if they advance. Millington is ranked third in the state and will be the favorite at the Powers Catholic district. If Millington makes it to the regional at North Branch, it could face sixth-ranked Yale or seventh-ranked Imlay City in the semifinals, with a potential final involving the Corunna district winner. At the Pinconning regional, anything can happen. Big Rapids, Clare, and Reed City have solid teams that will battle it out at the Reed City district before moving on to Pinconning. John Glenn is a potential favorite at Pinconning. Alma, Central Montcalm, and Ovid-Elsie will be competing for the Ovid-Elsie district title, with the winner to face the Bridgeport district winner, possibly Carrollton or Swan Valley, in a semifinal at Pinconning.

HSSS projected FINAL FOUR: Otsego vs. Big Rapids, Detroit Douglass Academy vs. Milan

HSSS projected STATE CHAMPION: Detroit Douglass Academy over Otsego

CLASS C

Statewide outlook: Southeast Michigan is home to two of the premier teams in the state in Mt. Clemens and Detroit Consortium. Consortium features arguably the best sophomore in the nation in 6’6″ Josh Jackson. Mt. Clemens has plenty of size and athleticism along the front line and has one of the top freshman guards in the state in Jermaine Jackson. The two superpowers could collide in the quarterfinal round, with the winner favored to take the state title. Boyne City is the premier team from northern Michigan. It is led by 6’5″ junior Corey Redman, who has already committed to Central Michigan University. In west Michigan, Muskegon Heights and Shelby have solid squads capable of making it to the final four. In southern Michigan, keep an eye on Addison and its 6’10” senior center Luke Meyer, another future Central Michigan Chippewa.

Area outlook: Plenty of district options exist for area basketball fans. Valley Lutheran turned in a big season and hosts a district where Hemlock will be the major challenger. The Montrose district features a trio of standout teams. Host Montrose will be tough to beat on its own floor, while New Lothrop and Michigan Lutheran Seminary have teams capable of winning the district. Ithaca has been tough to beat at the district level, and that will be the case again when the Yellowjackets, led by Logan Hessbrook and Josh Hafner, travel to the Lakeview district. The Laingsburg district will be one to watch. The Laingsburg/Pewamo-Westphalia rivalry is one of the best in mid Michigan, with Pewamo-Westphalia getting the best of Laingsburg twice during the regular season. Carson City-Crystal is also in the mix at the Laingsburg district. Meridian has been ranked in the top ten in the state for much of the season and heads north to Pine River for district play along with a strong Beal City squad. Pine River is also a top-ten team, so this district will be very tough.

HSSS projected FINAL FOUR: Shelby vs. Muskegon Heights, Detroit Consortium vs. Boyne City

HSSS projected STATE CHAMPION: Detroit Consortium over Shelby

Class D

Statewide outlook: Defending state champion Southfield Christian enters the tournament ranked No. 1 in the state and is the team to beat for the title. With senior guard Lindsay Hunter IV and 6’6″ big man DeMarco White, Southfield Christian is tough to defend. North Central is the prime contender from the Upper Peninsula, but it will have to get past Cedarville at the regional level. In southern Michigan, St. Philip Catholic is a team to watch.

Area outlook: Fulton has been one of the premier teams in mid Michigan this season. The Pirates have a deep and well-balanced team led by Nathan Davis, Gregg Jones, Dalton Trefil, and Colton Antes, and they are poised for a long tournament run. If the Pirates win a district title, they will journey to the Big Rapids regional, where they could be joined by a solid Sacred Heart Academy team. Morrice has enjoyed a big year, and the Orioles have the talent to not only win a district title but to also contend for a regional title at Morenci.

HSSS projected FINAL FOUR: Fulton vs. Southfield Christian, North Central vs. St. Philip Catholic

HSSS projected STATE CHAMPION: North Central over Southfield Christian

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Randy Lark has had a long and illustrious career as a high school educator and as a football coach. That career has given him plenty of memories that he can relish as he settles into retirement from both positions at Alma. The fall season closed the door on 30 years of coaching for Lark. He later retire as a physical education instructor.

Lark was born in Gaylord and raised in Wyoming, Michigan. He played football at Michigan State University and was a free agent for the Washington Redskins for a period of time. He was hired as offensive line coach at Ferris State University, a position that he held for three seasons in the 1980s. He later went to Fulton, and then finished his career at Alma. He was assistant coach at Alma the last four years after being head coach there for 15 seasons.

There were plenty of highlights during Lark’s coaching tenure. “Taking both programs over, they were kind of both down in the dumps,” he recalled. “When I came to Fulton, they were 2-7 and 1-8 before I got there. We got to the playoffs three times in the 1990s when I was here. We were Class C back then, and you had to be 8-1 or 9-0 to get into the playoffs back then.”

At Alma, Lark inherited a program with only 16 players and built it to a playoff contender. Alma made the playoffs nine times during his tenure. In 2007, Lark led Alma to the state semifinals.

Lark recalls what it took to get the programs turned around. “A lot of it was just showing a lot of interest and putting your time into it and stressing a weight program,” he said. “The kids bought into it.”

Lark recalls having been a disciplinarian as a coach while using enthusiasm at the same time.

A hereditary muscular disease in his leg was among the motivating issues in Lark’s decision to retire. “It’s not like a wheelchair-bound thing, but I have braces on, and it was kind of hard to stand when I was coaching,” he said. “I put in for disability.”

Lark will miss coaching, “especially the relationship with the kids, having them come back and tell me their days of football were some of the best days of their life,” he said. “And then the coaches. I’ve had a lot of them around for a long time. They were a big part of my life. It’s time to do a few other things like hunting and fishing, which I didn’t have the time to do in the fall.”

Lark’s son, Kyle, finished the 2013 football season playing linebacker at Western Michigan University. Lark coached both his sons, including Brett, who was a running back at Hillsdale College. His daughter, Sarah, played volleyball at Ferris State.

“It was a neat thing to be able to coach the kids all the way through, watch them, and see them mature as athletes,” he said. “I look back and it was a great time.”

He will be inducted into the Michigan High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame later this year.

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By BUTCH HARMON

A thrilling girls’ basketball season comes to an end in March with the state tournament. High School Sports Scene takes a look at this year’s tournament and predicts who will make it to the Breslin Center.

CLASS A

Statewide outlook: Detroit King enters the tournament as the top team in Class A. It will be tested at the regional level, though, where King, second-ranked Grosse Pointe South, and fourth-ranked Mercy could all be present for what will be the toughest regional in the state. Whoever survives that regional could face third-ranked Marian in the state semifinals.

Area outlook: Haslett made it three in a row over rival DeWitt to earn the district title at Haslett. Grand Ledge has enjoyed a successful season with only two losses – to DeWitt and to Detroit King. The Comets survived the Gull Lake district and face a potential showdown at the regional at Ann Arbor Huron against Haslett. Jessica Walter and Midland are poised for a deep tournament run also. Midland’s lone loss this season came against Class B Powers Catholic. Greenville, led by senior Leah Somerfield, enjoyed a good season and got past a dangerous Forest Hills Central team in the district. The Yellow Jackets must get past Muskegon and possibly Grand Rapids Christian at the regional.

HSSS projected FINAL FOUR: Grand Ledge vs. Midland, Grosse Pointe South vs. Marian

HSSS projected STATE CHAMPION: Grosse Pointe South over Grand Ledge

CLASS B

Statewide outlook: Grand Rapids South Christian is the top-ranked team in the state. The Sailors are deep, with plenty of size and athletic ability, and they have been tested in a rugged conference. Detroit County Day has been the premier team in southeast Michigan. However, it faces a huge potential roadblock in the regional, where it has to get past Powers Catholic or Goodrich.

Area outlook: Powers Catholic and Goodrich are ranked no. 2 and no. 3 in class B and are on a collision course in the Goodrich regional. The winner of that regional could very well be the eventual state champion. Ionia survived one of the toughest area districts at Wayland where it defeated sixth-ranked Portland and host Wayland. Eaton Rapids came out of the rugged Olivet district where it got past Jackson Northwest. The Carrollton regional will be very interesting. Clare, led by senior standout Lindsay Winter, is ranked seventh in the state in Class B. Bullock Creek may be the team to beat at Carrollton after getting past John Glenn at the Garber district. Alma came on strong down the stretch behind standout senior standout Maddy Seeley as they won the Ovid-Elsie district.

HSSS projected FINAL FOUR: Grand Rapids South Christian vs. Bullock Creek, Goodrich vs. Ionia

HSSS projected STATE CHAMPION: Goodrich over Grand Rapids South Christian

CLASS C

Statewide outlook: Class C is wide open this year and may have the most exciting tournament. Blissfield, in southeast Michigan, is undefeated and top-ranked in the state entering the tournament but may not have faced the schedule that some other teams have. Sandusky is ranked second in the state in Class C and hosts what could be the toughest regional in the state. In southwest Michigan, Brandywine has an outstanding team, while St. Ignace, last year’s Class D state champion, also has a talented squad.

Area outlook: Nouvel Catholic Central, which advanced to the Class C state title game last year, came out of the rugged Breckenridge district and is part of the loaded Sandusky regional. This year’s Nouvel team is capable of another deep tournament run. Reese entered the tournament ranked fourth in the state and captured the tough New Lothrop district. The Rockets have defeated both St. Ignace and Sandusky this season, their lone loss coming against Nouvel. The regional at Sandusky will be a battle royale that included second-ranked Sandusky, fourth-ranked Reese, fifth-ranked Hamady, and either No. 8 Nouvel. Carson City-Crystal is ranked seventh in the state and defeated a solid Pewamo-Westphalia team at its own district.

HSSS projected FINAL FOUR: Nouvel Catholic Central vs. Gobles, St. Ignace vs. Manchester

HSSS projected STATE CHAMPION: Nouvel Catholic Central over St. Ignace

Class D

Statewide outlook: Forest Park is the top-ranked team in the state and is the one to beat for the title. It has one of the top players in the entire state and the top player in Class D in Michigan State University pledge Lexi Gussert, who is capable of dominating games.

Area outlook: Led by standout guard Sara Hansen, who became the school’s all-time leading scorer late in the season, Sacred Heart Academy has had a memorable season. It has a deep and talented team that can score in a variety of ways. The Irish had impressive wins over Gaylord St. Mary Cathedral and Carson City-Crystal this season, while their losses came against the likes of Class B Clare, Class C Nouvel Catholic Central, and Class C Beal City. Fowler came up big with a upset of Portland St. Patrick Catholic at the Fulton district. A regional showdown between Sacred Heart and Fowler is very possible.

HSSS projected FINAL FOUR: Sacred Heart Academy vs. Cardinal Mooney Catholic, Forest Park vs. Lake Michigan Catholic

HSSS projected STATE CHAMPION: Forest Park over Sacred Heart Academy

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Teri Reyburn’s career in sports has been recognized in a unique way by the Michigan High School Athletic Association.

In early February, the DeWitt athletic director received the MHSAA’s 27th Women in Sports Leadership Award at the WISL banquet in Lansing.

Reyburn been athletic director 15 years and was a key voice in the creation and growth of the Capital Area Activities Conference.

“I was so honored,” she said. “There’s so many good athletic directors that I work with and so many mentors that I’ve learned from. For me to receive the award, I was humbled and very proud I was thought of that way.”

The MHSAA’s press release announcing the award stated, “The Representative Council considers the achievements of women coaches, officials and athletic administrators affiliated with the MHSAA who show exemplary leadership capabilities and positive contributions to athletics.”

DeWitt’s athletic teams have enjoyed plenty of significant accomplishments during Reyburn’s tenure. The girls’ and boys’ golf teams have each won two state titles, and the football team has been in the title game four times, including last November. The boys’ basketball and the competitive cheer teams have been runners-up. Other programs, including girls’ basketball, boys’ and girls’ soccer, and baseball, have made state semifinal appearances.

Reyburn became DeWitt’s interim athletic director in March 1999, following the death of athletic director Jim Lutzke. The position became full-time that summer. Since then, she has hosted more than 80 MHSAA tournaments, more than 20 rules meetings, and several clinics with statewide coaches’ and officials’ organizations.

“Teri Reyburn has provided nearly two decades of quiet, steady leadership in her school district and serves as a mentor for those who are following her in the athletic director role,” said John E. “Jack” Roberts, executive director of the MHSAA, in a statement. “She’s a role model for not just women, but anyone who aspires to a career in educational athletics. We’re pleased to honor her with the Women In Sports Leadership Award.”

Reyburn graduated from Cedar Springs High School in 1972 and was on the Portland Public Schools board of education for 11 years before making the move to DeWitt. Before becoming the athletic director, she was a media specialist, middle school sports coordinator, and assistant to the high school athletic director for five years.

“I especially enjoy my contact with the kids,” she said. “I love to be with them when they succeed. I like to be that shoulder when they don’t and they’re suffering a loss. I have a huge love for kids. The other area I love is putting on MHSAA tournaments and our own home tournaments so someone can come in, enjoy the event, and walk out, and not realize there’s a tremendous amount of work in doing that. I just want them to enjoy themselves and be in the most enjoyable and safe environment they can be. I have a lot of volunteers that help with that.”

Reyburn has spoken at WISL conferences and has served on the WISL planning committee along with serving on the MHSAA’s Scholar-Athlete Award, athletic equity, competitive cheer rules, site, and officials selection committees.

Reyburn was honored as her region’s Athletic Director of the Year in 2006 by the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association.

She recalls originally getting involved in sports via intramural volleyball.

“My dad, back in the early 70s, wouldn’t let me play basketball because he believed only ‘tough girls play basketball and you’re a girl,’” Reyburn laughed. “I played intramural volleyball and was a cheerleader so I could stay involved with sports, and I followed my brothers and did all of that.

“I was always interested in sports. I had two brothers and grew up on a farm. I was always interested in athletics.”

Her sons were three-sport athletes, and she was a big fan. Then she came to DeWitt.

“Jim Lutzke asked me if I’d be interested in doing the middle school athletics for him with game management and helping with scheduling,” Reyburn recalled. “I started to do that. I just have a passion for sports.

“I went in that direction with no real plans early in life to do that. It kept pulling me that way. It’s a love and passion. It was a great fit.”

Reyburn has noticed that the number of women athletic directors has increased in recent years.

“The CAAC, which has 27 schools, we’ve had as many as four,” she said. “There’s currently two of us right now. It fluctuates. I think a lot of that has to do with families, because there’s a lot of evening time taken away. Younger ADs that have families, unless it’s a great support system, it’s really difficult for them.

“I didn’t start until I was older. My kids were in high school. I didn’t have some of the same issues younger women that are ADs have.”

Reyburn called girls’ athletic programs “extremely solid” at the present time.

“You see that with many high school athletes, with females going on to play at the college level,” she said. “I think our state association does a good job in involving female athletes and making sure their opportunities are great. The Women in Sports Leadership Award was given at the Women in Sports Leadership conference. That’s an absolute amazing conference. It shows young female athletes the opportunities they have in athletics.”

Reyburn expects to see more female athletic directors and coaches in the future.

“There’s more of an interest for females in athletics and to continue in it as a job opportunity,” Reyburn said. “I definitely believe it will grow.”

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The Swan Valley girls bowling team finished another impressive regular season. The state tournament, however, was somewhat frustrating again.

Over the past four years, the team has won 40 straight regular-season matches and has won the Tri-Valley Central Division all four of those years.

Tony Bremer, head coach for the boys’ and girls’ teams, said, “We’ve been real lucky over the years where we’ve had girls that graduate and other girls step in and know what to do.”

This season, Bremer has two girls on the team who have been there for four years, Tammy Crawford and Hannah McClean. They’re two of his top bowlers along with senior Kiersten Mead, who is on the team for her third season. Crawford and McClean average in the 170s, while Mead is in the 190s.

“Our top bowlers all average 140 or better,” Bremer said.

Other top bowlers are Nikki Hayes, Halli Clark, and Tia Owens. Owens bowledin the individual state finals.

“We’ve had a couple of close calls early on in the season,” Bremer said. “We had a close one the last week of the season. With any sport, the good teams or bad teams can have a good day or bad day. Just because we’ve been ranked in the top 10 for most of the last four years doesn’t mean we can’t struggle.”

Swan Valley is in Division 3. The girls’ team was the defending two-time regional champion n 2012 and 2013, but it was knocked out both years in the qualifying round at state finals. In 2014, Swan Valley was second to Ovid-Elsie in the regionals.

“We’ve missed the cut by about 15 pins both years,” Bremer said going into the postseason. “I know we’ll make the cut and finish top three in team event regionals. I expect them to make the state finals again. This team has learned the last two years the disappointment at state. I think we could go a little further this year.”

Oh well, it happened again to Swan Valley in the 2014 Division 3 state finals at Airport Lanes in Jackson Feb. 28-March 1. The team tied with Armada for the final qualifying spot and had a baker set playoff, which Armada won.

Bremer calls winning 40 regular-season matches in a row “a great accomplishment. But falling short at the state finals kind of downplays it a little bit. You can have a great regular season. But if you can’t put the exclamation point on the season at the end and win a championship, it kind of leaves you a little disappointed.

“I know in the last couple of years, we’ve been disappointed by missing the cut by so little.”

This season’s team, compared to the previous three, “is just as strong,” Bremer said. “What makes this year and last year a little more special is our top two bowlers last year were hurt most of the year and only bowled a combined 14 games during the regular season. But they were still able to go undefeated. This year, we lost our top bowler [three] weeks ago, Kiersten Mead. She broke her arm. But they won their final four matches without her. This team is coming together as one.”

It won’t surprise Bremer to see Swan Valley’s success continue in future years. “There’s some girls coming up through middle school that can still carry the torch and continue the success of this program,” Bremer said. “It seems like every year the number of high schools getting into bowling have gone up.”

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Dan Macha has been excited about his Ithaca girls varsity bowling team this season and for good reason.

The Yellow Jackets were state qualifiers and had an excellent experience at the state tournament Feb. 28-March 1.

“The girls struggled after being in sixth place after the bakers, Macha said of the state finals. “We started getting some momentum back and our lane broke down for 20 minutes in first Peterson. Not an excuse (but it) just did not help the cause. Especially when you had some momentum going. They were starting to make a move and this hurt as they came back after breakdown and struggled to get it going again…too many missed spares.”

The Jackets, Macha said, bowled better in the third game but weren’t able to stay in the top 8 and finished 10th about 70 pins off the cut.

“This is a young team, no seniors, and they just could not get a break after bakers,” Macha said. “I am happy with their efforts even though we came up short. We are a better team than the team that struggled this weekend.”

The Jackets bowled at M66 Lanes in Battle Creek.

“The middle of the road pattern is not a real friendly pattern,” Macha said. “The tournament committee really needs to look at another pattern. I takes just the right speed and hitting your mark together. If you are too fast it does not come back and too slow it takes off. Speed is very hard aspect for girls to be consistent. I just think it is time for a different pattern.”

But Macha likes the experience his team received.

“In singles, both my girls were freshman and they had first time jitters,” he said. “I am happy that they got better as the day progressed. That indicated they will be back and relaxed next time. Good season. This is a very good group of young ladies that will make some noise next year. I cannot wait.”

Experience has not been an issue for what Macha calls a “youth mature team.”

The squad has no seniors, but going into the postseason, they had a 16-2 overall record and 8-2 mark in the TVC West Conference.

“I have a unique group of very talented young ladies,” Macha said.

“They have all bowled in YABA since they were five or six and are always striving to make improvements on the lanes.”

The girls lost the conference championship to an 18-12 loss to a more experienced St Louis team the second weekend of February.

“We were down then up and then the Sharks KO’d us in the last Peterson Game with their season high 933 after we bowled our season high 891 the game prior,” said Macha. “It was a typical Ithaca-St Louis barn burner.”

The two juniors on the team, Chelsea MacLennan and Kristy Godley, have been pleasing Macha with their efforts at the fourth and fifth position in the line-up.

“Chelsea has come through time after time this year at anchor when games were teetering one way or the other,” he said. “Kristy is our never-give-up ambassador.”

Macha praised the efforts of freshmen Heidi Seeley and Haylee Sigafoose.

They both bowled in the individual state finals event.

“Ithaca had the tools they needed to be a strong team this year, with returning sophomores Channing Gulick and Arianna Woodrow, but these two freshman are very talented young bowlers,” Macha said. “I had Channing and Arianna with a years experience making the middle of my lineup strong and then these two freshman stepped in and wowed me as they bowl like they have no fear.”

Junior Kathryne Beck has also been in the top seven for Ithaca. “I brought Kat up in January to give us an extra sub and she just fit right in,” said Macha.

This was a team with potential that excited Macha.

“The 2010 state runner-up team was composed of more overall talented bowlers but this group of girls truly emphasize the team element of bowling and work together so well,” said Macha.

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Saginaw Arthur Hill lost 70-64 to Saginaw on Friday in boys basketball action. Saginaw trailed 19-18 after the first quarter and 36-30 at halftime but had a big 23-7 scoring advantage in the final quarter. Brian Bowen had 12 rebounds and Eric Davis seven boards for Arthur Hill. Davis scored 23 points. Brian Bowen had 20 points.

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Ithaca boys are state runners-up and continue unique bowling rivalry with St. Louis

Alma wrestlers eye success at state finals

Michigan football all-stars all set to play Ohio in Border Classic

boys basketball state tournament preview

Randy Lark retiring at Alma

girls basketball state tournament preview

MHSAA honors DeWitt’s woman athletic director

Swan Valley girl bowlers undefeated again during regular season

Ithaca girl bowlers having solid season

Saginaw Arthur Hill falls to Saginaw