Jack Pine Tribune - December 31, 2012

Monday, january 23, 2012 jack pine tribune 11

By Jason ChenetteRoscommon battled back every time

the Lady G’s made an effort to pull away Friday night, and kept the game incredibly close throughout. A late 7-0 run and clutch scoring from Dani Balzer and Rashell Vorachek proved to be too much for the Lady Bucks, and the G’s defended their home turf with a 42-37 scare.

Both teams raced to a crawl out of

the gate, and scoring was incredibly scarce. The G’s held a narrow margin of 4-2, which was g lued to the scoreboard for the majority of the opening frame. Ashley White nailed a three pointer and extended the lead, which remained at 7-2 to end the 1st.

The Bucks weren’t held down long, as a couple of quick post conversions, including a three point play by Kayla Hawkins brought the score back even. The G’s regained the lead and again the scoring came to a standstill. The lack of post production and great defensive rebounding on both sides continued to create patches of scorelessness.

Gladwin took their largest lead of the half following a 5-0 run late in the half to put them up 7, but a Roscommon transition bucket and free throw kept them close, down 15-11 at half time.

Both teams shook off their early shooting woes and emerged from half time firing on all cylinders. The Bucks struck first, dropping in a quick four point run to tie. The offensive displays from both teams were both greatly productive and very contrasting, with the Bucks relying on Hawkins and Liz Gendernalik bruising away in the paint and coming up with hard fought scores from down low and at the line while Gladwin looked to the perimeter shooting of Balzer and Vorachek.

Megan Strait’s heart and f ierce defensive play and hustle emerged late in the quarter and fueled a 7-0 run by the G’s with a couple forced turnovers and tricky contested jump shots. Roscommon found themselves in the largest hole of the night

entering the final frame, down 28-20.The Lady Bucks rebuttal to the

Gladwin surge came quickly, as a quick 5 point run to open the 4th brought them immediately back within one possession of the G’s. Soon each team was trading blows, with one refusing to be outdone offensively by the other. Roscommon took their first lead with 4:30 left on back to back inside shots by Hawkins, but clutch shoot ing by R ashel l Vorachek and pinpoint passing by Dani Balzer managed to keep Gladwin ahead ever so slightly for the majority of the final quarter.

The G’s sealed the victory up 4 with under a minute to go. An inbound pass was intercepted by a Roscommon player, and JJ Willford came up with back to back clutch plays in flying to Roscommon’s player and blocking the shot attempt, then diving across the court to secure the ensuing loose ball, which ended with a Gladwin possession. Willford also dropped a breakaway lay-in to put her team up five with under 20 seconds left, and the score remained to the finish, 42-37.

Blazer and Strait contributed greatly to the G’s effort, scoring 10 points each and securing 7 and 9 rebounds respectively.

Kayle Hawkins led the Roscommon scoring with 11 points.

“We came out really flat in the first half and just kept digging ourselves into small holes,” said Roscommon c o a c h P h i l We i l e r. “ We w e r e aggressive and some players stepped up tonight, but we need more in that mindset.”


Dani Balzer has a fully loaded arsenal of skills and moves to unleash an all out offensive assault on her opposition. W hen she deploys a determined ambush on her defenders like she did against Roscommon Friday night, it ’s lights out. Balzer stuffed the stat sheet by compiling 10 points, seven caroms and four steals en route to leading her Lady G’s to a win.

LADY G’S EDGE OUT BUCKS

The Lady G’s reached for just enough rebounds over the Rosco Bucks to win.

Gladwin’s JJ Willford outscraps Rosco’s Dianne Doebler for a loose ball.

Megan Strait is physically superior to the majority of her counterparts. She started to display this athleticism Friday night during the Lady G’s triumph over the Bucks. Strait dumped in 10 points and she ripped down nine rebounds, helping to secure and extend possessions. Megan has great explosiveness and if she uses it, watch out.

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exchange to cut the lead to one, 20-19.

Tr a v i s P o v e y c on n e c t e d f rom the wing to put the G-men back up by three.

But Beaver ton continued to battle. Longstreth peeled around the defense and stroked in an o f f -ba l anced 18 footer o the dribble then an awkward b o u n c e o f t h e rebound al lowed Beaverton to take a 23-22 lead.

French scooped up a board, knifed a pass on a dime the length of the court to catch Pryzstas in stride, then Suntken drained a triple right on Mercer ’s head to make it a 27-23 Gladwin lead.

B u t a g a i n , t h e G ’s d e f e n s e r e l a x e d a r o u n d t h e p e r i m e t e r . Longstreth took the ball deep into the paint drawing in the defense and then found Justin Streeter trailing for a NBA triple to cut the lead back to one.

Gladwin nudged the l ead back to three when Pryzstas caught the Beavers o n t h e i r h e a l s ,

pumped the gas , and blasted to the cup for the finger roll to make it a 29-26 Gladwin game at the half.

Beaverton’s Jason Blades came out g u n n i n g i n t h e second half with a rainbow jumper from the fringe.

Gladwin anted up to the table and worked up a s i x point lead.

Chr i s S ma l l e y mashed into the log jam, extracted a defensive rebound, mean-mugged up the court and found Kegan Smith darting to the cup. Smalley lobbed a perfect lead pass to Smith in tra� c. S m i t h c a u g h t the ball in stride, contorted his body, sustained a foul, but his thick, muscled frame kept going and he scored and stroked in the bonus points.

Beaverton’s Shad Woodru drew up an inbound pass and Al Maxwell split a pair of defenders for the score, but Gladwin pounced right back.

Kern sh immy-shook the length

of the court , put his defender on his b a c k w i t h s om e dribble hesitation

and exp loded to the rim for a deuce, then Ryan Balzer hammer-yoked and � ushed down some garbage points on a put back to ignite

the crowd and give Gladwin the 36-30 lead.

Beaverton went

on a 6-0 run to tie it back up.

Mercer hit from the corner, Justin S t r e e t e r d r o v e baseline, � ashed to the rim and went

up and under the rim for a Dr. J style reverse. S treeter continued to � ex his

mojo and drove to the cup again for the high � ying lay in to knot the scoreboard back up at 36’s.

Locey and Mike M u r r a y t r a d e d

buckets , and the archaic rivals entered i n t o t h e f o u r t h quarter again tied 38-38.

Gladwin looked poised to avenge last year’s blow out loss, taking a six point lead early riding the interior play of uber-athletic Ryan Balzer down low.

Balzer was sky-walking for rebounds, playing above the rim, and stroking his free throws.

Beaverton’s Tyler Walter was able to do some damage control at the line, going 3 for 4 at the charity line.

Balzer had pushed Gladwin up 47-41 midway through the fourth, when Beaverton surged back.

Just in S treeter weaved through the G’s defense, found an open pocket of hardwood just inside the free throw line and sent in a runner, then Al Maxwell started to exert his will. Maxwell stole the ball down low, s p e e d d ow n t h e length of the court w i t h h i s s t y l i s h mullet � owing wildly across the hardwood to cut the lead to two,

47-45. � en again, it was

Derek Maxwell with another timely three to give Beaverton the lead, 48-47.

Balzer continued to will his way inside, overpowering the interior to reclaim the lead for Gladwin on bac k to bac k possessions to make it a 51-50 Gladwin game with just under � ve minutes to play.

E n t e r T o n y Stornello.

Beaverton’s Tony Stornello was always a n u n d e r r a t e d contributor for Roy Johnston’s Beaver cagers the last few years. Stornello is a savvy scorer with range and always seems to be in the right place at the right time.

Stornello made some room, found an opening and drove to the cup, drew the foul and made good on his free throws. Wo o d r u f f s t o l e the ball from the G-men down low, found Justin Streeter worming his way loose down court. Streeter again forced the issue at the rim the next two times down the court to

give the Beavers a 57-51 lead.

Smalley answered back with 1:15 with a triple to cut the lead back down to four, 57-54.

But Beaverton was able to pass out of Gladwin’s swarming defense, rotate the ball around, and work the time o the clock.

Wo o d r u f f w a s bottled up along the edge, but he held his composure, worked the ball around the horn to Murray who quickly relayed the pass to Stornello who was blitzing down the baseline. With a clean path to the rim, Stornello rolled the moneyball through the nylon to give Beaverton the 59 to 54 lead with under a minute to go.

Beaver ton’s Al Maxwell hit a pair of free throws with less than 20 seconds to seal the deal 61-54.

Justin Streeter led all scorers with 16, including 9 in the fourth quarter to give Beaverton the come from behind victory.

Pa t L o c e y l e d Gladwin in scoring w i t h 1 3 , B a l z e r added 10.

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Gladwin’s Ryan Balzer pouncing on the rim in the alumni game.

Former floor general for Roy, Justin Streeter along with Mark Govitz once led Beaverton to a JPC crown. Streeter seemed to be back into his old form as he led all scorers with 16 points including nine clutch points down the stretch in the fourth. Streeter facilitated the off ensive fl ow and converted some high degree of diffi culty buckets.

GoClare!Monday, January 2, 2012Page


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BEAVERTON – The boys of the nor thern branch of the Cedar River were stil l reeling from last year’s 54 point shellacking in the Nest by the hands of the Beaver squad and looked poised and hungry heading into the Beaverdome to settle the score.

L a s t y e a r, t h e Beaver crew, led by Mike Murray ’s spel l-binding 10 tr iples, unloaded 2 4 l o n g b a l l s o n Gladwin’s court to throw up 130 points. It was a ridiculous display of � re power.

Tuesday ’s game. Not so much.

The defense was madden ing , and both squads played a break neck speed, crashed the boards and were unwilling to relinquish one inch of real estate in the 61-54 Beaverton victory.

The game was close throughout, as the teams battled to a stalemate in the first quarter, entering the second stanza knotted up at 11’s.

Beaver ton’s Al Maxwell, arguably the premier down low post presence in Gladwin County, won the jump ball against Gladwin’s Kegan Smith.

But the Beavers cou ldn’t conver t and Gladwin’s Pat Locey sliced to an open nook at the big boy’s line and Locey splashed a tr iple to start Gladwin’s o� ensive.

Beaverton’s Derek M a x we l l s o a re d above the Gladwin boys, ripped down a carom, loaded up his springs, and mashed to the rim for two.

J e f f S u n t k e n q u i c k l y w e a v e d through the Beavers d e f e n s e , k n i f e d

through the first layer of the defense and found Locey streaking along the s ide l ines . L ocey calmly rotated into position, toed the

line, and drained another tr iple to put the G-men up 6-2 early.

Beaverton responded in kind w i t h b a c k - t o -back triples off of legendar y hur ler Ryan Longstreth and Derek Maxwell’s

hot hands to give the Beavers the two point lead.

Gladwin’s Scott

Przystas provided a q u i c k s p a r k of f the bench to stymie Beaverton’s momentum shift. Pr yzstas quickly j a r r e d t h e b a l l

loose, spun up court, pressed the issue in the paint, went up strong to the cup,

drew the foul and hit the point after to make it a 9-8 game.

B u t G l a d w i n again gave up the t h re e p o i n t a n d Beaver ton’s Josh

Mercer took ful l advantage by wetting another triple.

Gladwin’s thick,

b r u i s i n g C o d y French exploited his size advantage o n t h e b l o c k s , established position, and worked himself f r e e t o g i v e J on Coats an open feed. Coats slung in a pass through Beaverton’s gauntlet, and French uncurled his silky smooth fade away j u m p e r. Fr e n c h � ipped up a deuce and splashed over the out stretched h a n d s o f t h e Beaverton regime to tie it up at 11’s before the quarter.

Gladwin looked ready to make a move to start the s e c o n d q u a r t e r. Clint Kern mashed across the paint, swatted Beaverton’s Scott Streeter’s shot at tempt , made a smooth outlet pass, found some wiggle room on the elbow on the of fens ive side and drained a beautiful eight foot

turnaround jumper. Streeter answered

back with a little f loa ter f rom the wing but then the G-boys peeled over five quick points. Locey rained down another t r i fecta , K e n n y M a l m o penetrated deep into the paint, collapsed the de f ense and kicked out to Kegan Smith for the 12 foot bunny shot to give Gladwin the 18-13 lead.

T h e B e a v e r s punched back. Derek Maxwell pumped in a deuce just inside the three point line, Greg Jehnsen spun-dashed across the baseline and wedged a pass over to Tyler Wa l t e r s f o r t h e quick double.

Beaverton c o n t i n u e d t o exploit the middle with Kegan Smith on the bench and the Maxwell boys w o r k e d a p o s t

BEAVERS RETAIN CEDAR RIVER WATERWAY RIGHTSGladwin’s Pat Locey looked like he’s shaped back into form when he led his Flying G’s to a regional victory the mighty Northmen of Petoskey, as he drilled some trifectas to spark the G’s. CMU ace hurler, Ryan Longstreth netted some deep jumpers for the Beavers. The Gladwin team was drenched with former and current collegiate athletes: Ryan Balzer, Kegan Smith, Cody French, Pat Locey and Clint Kern. They featured a marathon man in Scott Przystas, rangy athletes such Jordan Jablonski and Kenny Malmo, but they couldn’t hold off Beaverton. Derek and Al Maxwell controlled the paint, Mike Murray and Justin Streeter made just enough clutch plays to secure the win.

Beaverton’s Tony Stornello blasting across the meat of Gladwin’s defense late in the game.

Joe Ashcroft, Pat Craven, Shane Kelly, Brian Dunn, Shawn Neckel, Jeremey Haskell and company buzz-sawed their competition in 1995-96. � ese royal blue and gold clad warriors stung each foe that dared to face o� with them.

Shane Kel l y was the thoroughbred horse against the Meridian Mustangs as he led HHS to an 85-62 victory while he tallied 28 points and 11 caroms. A couple weeks later Harrison clinched the JPC crown with a come from behind triumph over Beaverton. Kelly amassed 19 of his game high 22 points in the second half to spark the Hornet rally-swarm past the Beavers. A week later, Shane Kelly eclipsed the illustrious 1,000 point mark against his rivals to the southwest, the

Farwell Eagles. Kelly spearheaded Harrison to the victory via his 34 points and 14 rebounds on this evening.

More than just the ultra athleticism of Kelly, this Hornet team was conducted by Coach McCulloch, a leader who placed his players in positions to shine, gave them structure and let them create with their raw talents and didn’t conform or make them robotic.

This team’s personnel all unsel� shly understood, accepted and executed their roles. Joe Ashcroft was a poised facilitator. Pat Craven was a strong and savvy shooting guard.

Shawn Neckel and Benji Wood were � erce interior warlords. Each man played his part.

D u r i n g h i s j u n i o r campaign, after leading Harrison to a string of victories over HL, Alma, Farwell and Beaverton in which he spurred HHS with 25, 26, 25 and 23 points, he took things into his own hands one night in a heated rivalry game at Houghton Lake. All great players have an additional element of skill that is naturally imbedded from hours play ing in the driveway or the park. Instinctively, down by one point, Kelly read the eyes of a Bobcat, stole the ball by pushing it ahead which catapulted him to

a transition opportunity, he elevated, soared and d ropped in the game winning bucket, 65-64 the Hornets prevailed. These Hornets compiled a 15-6 record losing again to Manistee in the first round district action.

A s a s e n i o r , K e l l y displayed an unflappable swagger propelling his team to a 20-0 record. He scored 41 one night over Coleman. They blazed their district competition and then lost to Petoskey, Kelly was an unstoppable force all season until he severely sprained his ankle just before the PHS game.

� e 2001 Harrison Hornet basketallers were propelled and powered by the smooth slashing and sniper shooting of Nate Aschraft. � ese Hornets � nished as co-champions of the JPC with a talent laden Beaverton team. � ese physical Hornet cagers captured the district title and then succumbed to the Flivers of Kingsford in regional action in

Gaylord. Nate Aschraft took his talents to play at Alma College, Delta College, Concordia University and for the semi-pro Grand Rapids Hoops.

� is team was also led by the tenacious perimeter play of Jarin Hilliard. Tim Kolander, Josh Hamilton, Tony Schwier and Travis Warren were all punishing interior brutes

Shane was the most naturally gifted athlete that I have ever seen. He could do anything, (He was All-State in three di� erent sports). He carried himself with such high con� dence, but more importantly he never let that disrupt what the team was trying to do. Shane, Pat Craven and I would spent countless hours talking about sports goals and working out to obtain those goals. I wish everyone could have watch and know Shane. If they could have saw him play they would have been stunned with his ability and so impressed with his character.

Joe Ashcroft

Coach McCulloch, Shawn Neckel, Nick Ferguson, Benji Wood, Shane Kelly, Eric Wentworth, Shaun Rogers. Brian Heckathorn, Jeremy Haskell, Joey Ashcroft, Pat Craven and Sean Scarbrough.

Back Row: Pat Jesse, John Vargo, Nate Aschraft, Coach Root, Jason O’Day, Jarin Hilliard and Billy VanBuren. Bottom Row: Tony Schwier, John Hamilton, Tim Kolander, Casey Morgan, Travis Warren, Mike House and Martin Mitscher.

Monday, jANUARY 9, 2012Page


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FARWELL – � e Eagles Tristan Zienkiewicz squeezed and mauled Roscommon’s skilled Drake Lewandowski at the 140 weight class. Z blanked Lewandowski 7-0. Rosco’s Matt Morley and Farwell’s Ryan Miller were rolling and � ipping back in forth in a wild dervish of see-saw action. Finally in the second period Morley made one more slick counter adjustment and caught Miller in a deep Wilkins grip and pinned the Eagle. Kurt Meister and Terry Fedewa looked very strong for Farwell at 103 and 112 pinning both. Rosco’s Marcus Kelley whipped Quincy Crawford and the Bucks had captured a 45-27 victory. Roscommon really looked � uid against Clare. � e Pioneers’ Brandon Athey and Ty Simon rocked their Rosco opponents. Marcus Kelley scooped up and laid down Cam Longstreth in one smooth, powerful motion and stuck Longstreth. Damian Lewandowski and Morley recorded pins for the Bucks and Rosco beat Clare 51-28.� e Eagles captured crucial pins against their arch nemesis and sent Clare home with two loses, as they prevailed over CHS 47-30. Ryan Miller lambasted the gritty Dom Herkel, leading 23-7, Miller eventually pinned Herkel sending Farwell home in pandemonium with the victory.

ROSCOMMON WHIPS CHS AND FHS

Farwell’s Tristan Zienkiewicz dominated.

MERIDIAN DEFEATS GLADWIN AND HLMERIDIAN - Meridian hosted the second

tri-dual meet against Houghton Lake and Gladwin on Wednesday. � e night started with Meridian facing o� against Houghton Lake. Houghton lake who has been struggling with getting all their wrestlers eligible, while Meridian is coming o� a very impressive 4th place � nish from the Freeland holiday tournament. � e starting wieght class for the match was 140 with Houghton Lake putting out a very strong and athletic Dakota Foster while Meridian would send out one of there many capable veterans Nathan Fellows. Fellows would score big as Foster attempted to throw only to get thrown scoring a the � rst of many pins for the mustangs. At 145 Meridian would send out another much improved athlete Devon Posey who would make short work of Matt Campbell scoring another six points for Meridian. Houghton Lake would then have to send out a series of voids giving Meridian a 24-0 lead.

At 189 Houghton Lake would send out Dalton Bailey, who has had tremendous year wrestling returning state champion Trevor Jaster to an overtime match just a few weeks prior, to face Meridians foreign exchange student Armijan Zabrion. Bailey would score a quick take down and put Zabrion to his back giving Houghton Lake their � rst and only pin of the event. In a much anticipated match at 215 lbs, which could very well be the conference title match would feature Houghton Lakes David Duncan to take on Meridians Erik Fader. Fader would score the � rst take down but duncan would escape keeping the match very tight until the third period. Duncan would score a reversal to tie up the score 3-3 but then get reversed and turned to his back to get outscored 11-3, putting Meridian ahead 27-6.

At heavy weight Meridain would send out

Kane Sturgeon while Houghton Lake would send out Todd Delisle. Delisle would wrestle a good match but one quick misplace step was all Sturgeon need to to Delisle to his back and score yet another pin for the mustangs. Houghton Lake would again have to send out a series of voids at 103 and 112 sending Meridian ahead 45-6. Representing 119 for Houghton Lake wasJohn Glover and from Meridian was Joe Schuler. Schuler would score the � rst take down and the pin giving Meridian another six points.

Houghton take would void 125 and 130 giving up another twelve points, to send out Gino Famiano at 135 against a much improved Garrett Bowland. Famiano has made much improvement over the past weeks moving better and changing level but would still be outmatched by Bowland, giving the Mustangs a secure 76-6 win over the bobcats.

� e bobcats would quickly regroup as they were to face the G’s of Gladwin in the next round. Starting at 145 Gladwin would send out Bradley Strunk to face a much improved Matt Campbell. Strunk would score the � rst take down and nearly turn Campbell to his back but would overturn his hips getting caught and turned to his own giving Houghton Lake their � rst six points of the match. Houghton Lake would have to void the next three weight classes giving Gladwin a 18-6 advantage going into 189. Gladwin would send out a very strong and aggressive Cody Koper while Houghton Lake would send out the very technical Delton Baily. Koper would hold Baily to only two points in the � rst period. In the second period Koper would lock a cradle only to miss nearfall by going out of bounds. Koper would again attempt a cradle in the middle of the mat but Baily would be ready catching Koper o� balance and quickly scoring a pin. Houghton

Lake would continue their winning ways as Duncan overpowered Lampman tying the score at 18-18. Gladwin would then send out the Jake Roza at heavy wieght who threw Delisle in a devistating headlock scoring a pin in the opening seconds of the � rst period. Houghton lake would then void 103 and 112.

Dylan Hillier, the � � h of the the hillier dynasty would take to the mat at 119 to face Houghton Lakes John Glover to score a quick takedown and pin in the � rst period. Mike Lasart would also make short work of his oppent Gino Famiano at the 135 weight class. Senior captain Dennis Hillier would � nish things o� for G’s by repeatedly taking down the extremely strong Dakota Foster for a major decision and giving the G’s a 52-18 victory.

� e G’s would then take on the Mustangs in the � nial match of the night. � e G’s who have been struggling this year see if they were up to the challenge of the stamping mustangs who have been improving and putting not doubt they are a team to be reckoned with. � e � rst match would start in the middle of the classes at 152 with Ritchie Mathis taking on a much bigger and stronger Nick Warner. Mathis use his speed and years of experience to overcome the power of Warner to score a third period pin for the G’s giving them a early 6 point lead. An undersized Demetri Trice would take to the mat to face Meridian captain Jake Nicely. Nicely was anything but quickly turning Trice to his back in the opening seconds of the � rst period. Trice a two sport athlete showed exactly how athletic he was by reversing the pinning combination showing tremendous heart and pride. Trice would score a take down late in the period to keep the score close. Nicely would then in the second period put his name to shame by forcing

Trice to his back to score a pin the the Mustangs. � e G’s would be determined to have a good showing with both Duane Hillier (171)and Cody Koper (189) scoring pins of their own over Jermey Wenslick and Armijan Zabrion. Meridian’s Eric Fader would not let it be a clean sweep of the upper weight class though he would overpower Ryan Lampman to score a pin early in the second period putting Meridian back with six points of G’s. At heavy weight Jake Roza would go from nearly being put on his back to putting Kane Sturgeon on his back to score a quick pin in the � rst period giving the G’s a 24-12 lead over the mustangs. Meridian would then come in to the heart of their line up, where there have been so devastating all year, with Chase Robinson leading the lower wieghts with a second period pin over Quintin Day. Gladwin would have to void the next two weight classes giving Meridian the lead 30-24. Meridian was far from done though they would send out Damon Walters who out maneuvered Gladwin’s work horse Dylan Hillier to score a very late second period pin.

At 130 Gladwin would send out Chase Henery to face o� against a much improved Garrett Bowland. Bowland would score the � rst take down where a seriers of impressive reversals would take place between the two. In the end Bowland would win the reversal battle pinning Henery in the second period, giving the Mustangs a 42-24 lead over the G’s. Nathan Fellows would out throw Mike LaSart at 135 to give Meridian another � ve points and seal the win for the Mustangs.

Meridian would void at 140 ,but take a command at 145 with Devon Posey scoring the last pin of the night and giving Meridian their second conference win on the night beating Gladwin 53-30.

Houghton Lake ’s 171 pounder, Dalton Bailey exhibited near flawless decisions and moves last week during his grappling matches. Bailey was unquestionably the aggressor against his Meridian and Gladwin opponents.

jack pine triBune Monday, january 30, 2012Page 10

SAGINAW - Saginaw Nouvel came into Tuesdays game intent on walking away with the victory and while Sanford-Meridian held them back during the second half the damage was done as The Panthers came into the locker room up 34-16. In the second half strategic defense helped The Mustangs slow the opposition but in the end The Panthers would be victorious with a 48-27 final score.Comeing into the first quarter the Mustangs had solid play

keeping The Panthers within reach with a 13-10 Panther lead going into the second quarter. As coach Andy Lafave pointed out about the Nouvel game “Overall we competed, I’m happy with how we battled all night long”. However, hard rebounds in the second quarter helped The Panthers to extend their lead. The Panthers looked strong with their offensive maneuvering and solid defense but in the second half of the game the man-to-man coverage provided by the Mustangs proved to be ef fective al lowing only 14 points in the second half. Nouvel coach Kris

Hengesbach stated after the game “We were able to execute against their zone, and then they switched to a man (defense)” Helping to anchor the Mustangs team offensively was Kristen

Goodall who secured 11 points during the game while Saginaw Nouvel’s Allie Kendall net 16 for The Panthers. Meridian looks to Friday’s game against Farwell as a way to shore up their conference standings and if their defense proves as solid as it did in the first, third and fourth quarters Farwell might have some trouble. STANDISH - � e game against the Standish and Gladwin Varsity

girls was a game of tempo and control with both teams playing solid defense and o� ense throughout the game. Taking turns throughout the game each team managed to turn their oppositions o� ensive maneuvers in their favor with turnovers and rebounds allowing them to make o� ensive attacks on the lane and while the � nal score saw Standish on top 41-36 the lady G’s showed an aggressive and energetic presence on the court. At the half, Standish was leading Gladwin by 11 but in the

third quarter the lady G’s turned their game up a notch keeping constant defensive pressure on the Panthers which allowed them to slow the Panthers tempo holding them to 6 points cutting the lead to make it a 1 point game starting the fourth. In the end, Standish re-lit their fire with a couple key plays and shots and

eventually outscored the G’s 13-9 to finish the game out, but in a game of tempo even a 4 point hold can be enough and this was just one such night. In the fourth quarter as the final eight minutes played out the

Gladwin girls hustled to try and keep Standish within striking distance but the girls gave up several fouls sending Standish to the line to nab up six points which would give them the advantage they needed against the pressure the G’s were working o� of from the third. Ultimately the tempo of the game dictated who would walk away victorious and while Gladwin mounted their attacks in the third quarter with the kind of dedication and tenacity required to win a game like the one played that night, the Panthers made strategic use of these attacks to turn the tide in their favor during the fourth quarter.“We played one of our best

games this season against Standish” said Coach Cote’ of the girls close call game, “Sometimes at this point in the season some teams get tired, we played hard and the girls are still ready to continue to play hard.” This sentiment was apparent by the end of the third quarter as the lady G’s brought the tempo of the game up and put themselves within one point.“Gladwin had a tremendous

third quarter and outplayed us, out executed us and outhustled us ,” Standish coach Kevin King said. “We came out in the fourth quarter and did the things that we needed to do to win the game,” Including two key three pointers from Chloe King.Chloe King led all scorers

with 12 points for Standish and Kim Schott adding nine points. Dani Balzer led Gladwin with 10 points, fol lowed closely by Megan Strait with eight, with both Balzer and Strait scrambling for seven rebounds.

Nothing, in my opinion, can beat watching a game between two teams in rebuilding years and the show Wednesday night between the Harrison girls and the girls from Coleman was nothing short of riveting, not because of the game itself but because it gave everyone a chance to see what the next years have in store. (Just a head’s up, Coleman’s girls on the line can be dangerous)

The first half of the Varsity game between the Comets and the Hornets was a close game going into the half at 21-17 in Harrison’s favor. However, in the second half the Hornets ability to do a full swap gave them the ability to turn up the pace and keep Coleman from keeping the game so close with the final score at 53-31. It was Hillary Brewer that stagnated the Comets towering under the basket all game on both ends giving her a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds but Cameron Blake from Coleman showed her hustle putting 11 in for the Comets.

As the game progressed into the

second half both teams scrambled for court advantage but the height difference and the short roster slighted Coleman and yet before the fourth they still found themselves in range to steal the game away. As the � nal eight ticked away one thing was clear, Coleman was not going to give up without a � ght, as Amanda MacDonald tried to connect with Blake to cut the lead but quick stops by Harrison made sure the lead was secured.

In the Junior Varsity game the Harrison girls came out with a 35-19 win over the Comets with Allison Lipovsky scoring 12 for the Hornets and Ashlyn Monson netting 6 for Coleman. However, from start to finish both sides of the court showed strength in subtle areas. Harrison’s girls played a fast-paced game keeping the tempo up and leaving the Coleman girls little room for error and yet at the same time Coleman was able to use this tempo to secure 12 points of free-throws. Watch out when Chelsea Gordon drives the lane because if she draws the foul most likely she’ll

secure a few points and it’s the same story with Monson.

In the third quarter, the Harrison girls came out re-energized and continued the grueling pace with Lipovsky and Amber Caskey showing great o� ensive and defensive maneuvering combining several times with Katelyn Sherrick to make quick give-and-go baskets. Don’t underestimate Coleman though as their girls came into the second half of the game with their own plan to cut the Hornets lead with defensive plays, tips and steals and it paid o� in the fourth quarter as they held the Hornets to only � ve points while adding seven themselves.

Next year with the seniors on their way out the door and some of the JV players moving into the Varsity roster both of these girls teams will be teams to watch. Harrison will be glad to have Brewer around but Coleman will be bringing back Blake and if they can round out their roster with the numbers to make equal line changes in game the energy levels of both teams will lead to some fantastic games.

The Lady Pioneers are still fl ex smacking on their foes as they crushed Rosco. Meridian lost to Nouvel, but then totally dominated Farwell on the road. The Flying G’s beat Harrison and the others were off for the week.

Alex is a cerebral all around performer. Her elevated play is vital.

Dani Balzer had a solid game against Standish scoring for 10 and rebounding for 7, her o� ensive and defensive positioning and play kept Gladwin in the game. Dani was integral in the third quarter in cutting the Panthers lead to one point.

HORNETS MAUL COLEMAN

Alix Price has a pure, textbook lefty jump-shot stroke. If can hit more per game the Beaverettes will be tough to stop.

Ashley Petree was one of the top three or four players in the JPC last winter, if she can return to form Clare won’t be slowed down.

Tasha Fox i s a f i e r y competitor. Her desire to win at all costs is evident after watching her play for a minute. If she can get all her mates to follow Coleman will be a load.

Jenna Hamming can burst down the � oor and score in transition with silky grace. If she does this more frequent, Farwell will be a load.

Hillary Brewer scored 13 points and 10 rebounds netting her a double-double in Wednesdays game. Standing tall on o� ense and defense Brewer is a dominator in the lane. She creates team advantage with her presence, energy and relentless assaults under the basket, and having Brewer back next year will give the Hornets some sting in the JPC.

JACK PINE ROUNDUP

Monday, jANUARY 9, 2012 Page


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contribution coming from Collin Lake’s ability to drive and draw contact, earning several trips to the charity line. Coupled with a dominant team e� ort on defense, Roscommon slowly chipped away at the Beaver lead, and a pair of Lake free throws brought the score back even, 16-16, at the half.

A� er Beaverton came out of the

locker room with an inferno of scoring attacks, the game went back to a very low action a� air. Each team took went on small scoring runs; and another slow-paced quarter resulted with the Bucks pumping out a four-point lead.

� e scrappy, highly contested game turned a completely di� erent face as the clock began to wind

down. Beaverton went on a scoring run and took a small edge back from the Bucks, but the lead was short lived. Austin Fluegel converted a jaw-dropping lay-in over towering Beaver defenders, earning a chance for another at the line, which he polished o� to put his team up one; but Beaverton answered right back with a pair of free

throw conversions. A war of attrition turned into a � re� ght from here on out, each team clawing their way ahead of one another for the next three minutes. � e Beavers held the ball and a one-point lead with 18 seconds le� , forcing the Bucks to foul. Austin Schneider split at the stripe, and the Beavers fouled on the � oor with 2.7 seconds le� . A timeout ensued, and Hunter Mires drew a shooting foul from beyond the three-point line. A� er missing the � rst, Mires converted his � nal two shots to put his team into overtime.

Turnovers piled in the overtime frame for Roscommon, however. � e Beavers withheld the frantic pace leading up to the extra time, but the Bucks fell behind, and soon found themselves in an insurmountable hole with time winding down. A hopeless shot went long for the

Bucks, and Beaverton prevailed 53-47.

“We’re still a young team,” Beaverton coach Roy Johnston said. “We didn’t handle the ball well enough or make the easy shots.”

Casey Blades’ impact was remarkable. Although quiet and e� cient, he compiled 19 points and ripped down 17 rebounds for the Beavers.

Austin Fluegel led the Bucks with a 14 point night, most of which came in clutch free throws and shot attempts with the game on the line. Hunter Mires had a strong game as well, contributing 12 points, including those that put his team into overtime.

“My kids played their hearts out, and I really couldn’t ask for anything more than that. The loss hurts, but I couldn’t have asked for anything more from my players,” said Roscommon coach M.J. Ewald.

Monday, jANUARY 9, 2012 Page 13

Casey Blades has quickly evolved into the most physical and rugged low-post threat in the JPC. Blades uses his lower body better than any other player in the league. Blades doesn’t just grab rebounds, he rips caroms out of the hands of opponents and pulls the ball away. Casey compiled 19 points and 17 rebounds in Beaverton’s 53-47 victory over the Bucks.

Roscommon’s hard nosed utility player, Alex Gojcaj pivots around, keeps his cool and passes to a mate to get the Bucks out of a pickle.

Beaverton’s deceivingly quick and lethal shooting guard, Anthony Brubaker stretched the defense and scored 12.

BEAVERS, continued from front


MERIDIAN – The Gladwin 7th grade knotted up their little neck ties, tucked in their shirts, and found their best pair of dress shoes and headed southward to the con� nes of the Sanford-Meridian junior high gymnasium to do battle with Mustangs and rolled back north with the 41-20 victory.

� e Mustangs snagged the initial lead with their rebounding and hustling machine Payne Cassaday slam-dancing on the offensive glass. Cassaday boxed out, sealed off his defender, reeled in the moneyball and converted for some garbage points to the boys in powder blue up 4-0 early.

Gladwin’s Javan Medema responded with a six torrent of his own to push the G’s in the lead. Medema shook right, drove le� , weaved through a pair of defenders, elevated and splashed from just outside the box. � en he turned right back around on defense, eased up on the passing lane to create the illusion of opportunity and then pounced on the inlet pass for the steal. Medema went right into attack mode, stormed the cup, missed, but followed up his own shot by mashing through the log jam to pull in the carom and went back up strong. � en Dylan McDonald found Medema streaking to the cup from the elbow, laced in the rock between two marauding Mustangs to catch Medema slicing in stride for the 6-4 lead.

The Mustangs’ savvy little guard, Brett Bohn whipped through the defense, pulled up to the big boy’s line, stopped on a dime to send his defender blowing past him, and with an inch of room he dropped a triple to reclaim the lead.

Both teams started to exchanged blows. Gladwin’s Gatlin Mans� eld hit a bunny from the wing, Bohn

spun through � ock of Goshawks and splashed just inside the arc for the Mustangs to make it a 9-8 Meridian game.

� at would be the last time the Mustangs would be with in striking distance, as Devin Boylen and Javan Medema started to exert their will.

Boylen put the defense on their heals, knifed a pass across the meat of the Mustangs defense to Medema who was mean-mugging to the cup. Medema went up strong, drew the foul, but muscled up for the deuce and connected on the point a� er for the old fashion three point play.

� en Boylen jumped the passing lane and with all one smooth motion, rotated the rock to Medema who made himself available under the hoop for two more to make it a 13-9 Gladwin game.

Payne Cassaday � nely stopped the bleeding with a runner in tra� c, only watch the G-men peal of the next nine points.

Boylen came undone on the defense end with his swi� little hands poking the ball loose at every turn of the game, scoring a quick four points o� of Meridian’s in bound passes. Brandon Shell pumped in one of two from the charity strip, than Mason Fitzpatrick soared up high, slopped in a rebound, pump faked to get the defense off balance, and rolled in two more to make it 21-11 in favor of Gladwin at the half.

Out of the gates, it was more of the same. Medema continued to exploit his physical size, court vision, and ball handling skills to attack Meridian from every spot on the court. Boylen’s hound-dog defense delivered torrents of bewilderment, mayhem, and confusion for the Mustangs, and the

G’s continued to poor it on.

Medema pulled up and splashed from the top of the key, Boylen snapped in another steal and gave a perfect lead-pass to Medema who was flashing down the sidelines. With one man to beat, Medema put his defender on his heals rolled in � oater to de� ate the Mustangs’ mojo.

Bohn � red back at the other end, buzzing up the court, evading the G’s blitzkrieg and as soon as he was with in range, launched a triple-bomb that hit nothing but the bottom of the net.

� en the G’s went on another six point mini-� urry to squash whatever hopes the Mustangs clung to for a come from behind victory.

Boylen curled around the edge, burst through a small seam and kissed o� glass for a double, then he pierced through the defense, rearranged the court to his liking and caught Medema freed up to make it a 29-14 game.

As Gladwin’s defense continued to pinch down and force long jumpers and switching o� screen on the perimeter to keep Bohn contained, Bohn faught his way inside through the absolute gauntlet and force fed Cassaday for a quick bucket.

But Medema continued to hammer on the Mustangs interior striking from the line, grabbing rebounds, storming the cup on his way to a convincing 28 point, 12 rebound performance,

while his partner in crime, Devin Boylen pumped in 6 points and 3 assists for the G’s in the 41-20 victory over the Mustangs.

Payne Cassaday paced the Mustangs with 12 points in the interior while Bohn sprayed the court for 8.

“I thought we played a really strong defensive game tonight,” said Gladwin’s Javan Medema. “We did a nice job passing and getting each other open looks. Devin did a nice job handling the ball for us tonight.”

MEDEMA, BOYLEN HAMMER STANGS

BEAVERTON DODGES COMETSBy Jason ChenetteBeaverton’s early dominance and lights

out three point shooting seemed to be more than a match for the Coleman squad, but tough defense and gritty o� ensive play brought the Comets right back into the fight late, even forcing an overtime. Coach Johnston’s prowess and a monumental night by Austin Schneider were just too much for the

Comets to overcome however, and the Beavers narrowly escaped 50-48 in a nail-biting overtime � nish.

A 2-3 zone defense by Coleman’s defense left many opportunities for three pointers early, and Beaverton capitalized. Anthony Brubaker, Scott Longstreth, and and Travis Shields all produced conversions from beyond the arc early while the Comets could hardly

muster a shot amidst the tenacious defense of Beaverton, who took a lead that peaked at 13-2 late in the 1st quarter.

After several timeouts by Coleman coach Byron Schunk, the Comets began to claw their way slowly back into the match.

Despite the continued perimeter barrage by Beaverton, including three long balls by Travis Shields alone, the Comets began to generate small scoring runs of their own, and a 7 point surge prior to the hal� ime break, highlighted by a circus buzzer beating lay-up by Riley Bell, put the Coleman squad within 6 at the half, 29-23.

The team traded blow after blow to begin the 3rd, with no significant di� erences on the scoreboard, but the shootout seen in the 1st half quickly slowed to a crawl, as neither team could must a � eld goal in the last 4:30 minutes of the 3rd quarter.

Austin Schneider heated up in the fourth quarter and threw his team on his back after playing facilitator throughout the first 3 periods. Shot after shot fell for the junior guard, and 13 straight points for his team kept them afloat amidst the Comets come back. A trio of clutch shots by Coleman’s Lars Murray greatly contributed to the late surge of the Comets, which was completed by a pair of Travis Walton free throws that sent the game into overtime.

Alex Brown dropped a long 2 in to kick overtime off, with Schneider capping his personal scoring run with a pair of free throws o� a Coleman foul.

� e Comets turned the ball over on the ensuing possession on a charging foul and the Beavers capitalized, feeding Casey Blades inside for the game winning basket with 5 seconds le� , and the following half court prayer was not answered for the Comets.

Schneider ended his night with 17 points, including 9 in the 4th quarter, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists. Casey Blades had a low scoring night with 7 points, but also contributed 8 rebounds and 3 blocks, while Travis Shields added 14 points.

“Unforced turnovers and bad defense about gave that game away, but we won and need to be thankful for that,” said Coach Johnston.

“A� er that � rst quarter, seeing my kids battle back was a really good sign,” said Coleman coach Byron Schunk. “We played a great second half, and Murray really looked like a leader out there tonight.”

Tylor Rhynard led the Coleman scoring attack with 12 points.

Coleman won the Junior Varsity match-up in dominating fashion, going up 33-7 at hal� ime and rolling to a 61-32 triumph. Coleton Morley and Jarid Walton contributed 17 and 16 points respectively while Spencer Johnston led the Beavers with 15.

Meridian’s Brett Bohn slices off a pick and attacks the Gladwin paint, eventually scores, but the Flying G’s prevailed.

Beaverton’s Shields feeds the post for a hoop.

Schneider’s late game leadership was on full display Tuesday night. He drained 13 straight Beaverton points from the end of the third quarter through the beginning of overtime, doing enough to hold o� the Coleman surge and carry his team to a victory. His versatility also allowed him to snag 9 rebounds and dish out 8 assists.

When I arrived at Houghton Lake I saw Mike run all over the football field and I knew that I could use him on the basketball court to operate my basketball team. More importantly, it was apparent that his teammates looked up to him and they looked to him for leadership. Mike was skilled, lightning fast and quick as a cat on the basketball floor.

1966 HLHS, Mike Wescott was one of the world class sprinters that Houghton Lake nurtured. Wescott was an all-state running back and sprinter for the Bobcats, then he took these elite talents to Olivet College and starred for the Comets.

M i k e w a s t h e c a g e r f o r h i s class. Mike’s lightning quick burst allowed him to dazzle on the hardwood canvas. Wescott scored 21 points per game during his swan song. If you sagged off to respect his speed, he’d pop a deep jumper in your face. If you closed the gap and bellied up, he’d fake and blow right by you into the lane to finish at the rim with a finger roll or reverse.

The 1997 HL cager squadron coached by Eric Drogt, was the next hoop squad to attain the JPC crown since his 1975 team. Along with Coach Drogt and Paul Mackey, this team’s orchestrator, Brent O’Donnell, became the third player in HL men’s history to

score 1,000 plus points in their career. O’Donnell had limitless range and just a pure pull-up stroke. This team was led by Ryan Moore who scored 17 ppg and sky-walking Josh Biel who dazzled folks with dunks and boards over the rim.

The 1966 Houghton Lake varisty men’s basketball brigade stormed through their Northeastern Michigan Conference schedule throttling Beaverton, Lincoln Alcona, Roscommon, Whittemore-Prescott and other t e a m s o n t h e i r s c h e d u l e . T h e Bobcats lost to the Blackledge’s of Harrison and finished 2nd behind the Hornets for the league crown.

In an epic battle against

their Scandinavian nemesis to the north, Houghton Lake emerged victorious in the district finals over the mighty Grayling Vikings to cut down the nets. Coach Stan Solokis was elated with Mike Wescott’s orchestration of the offensive flow in this pressure cooker.

The Cats thumped the East Jordan ballers in the opening round of the regional action. Then they fell victim to Gaylord in the regional finals.

Stan Solokis


By Perry LatakiHARRISON - One thing was apparent Wednesday

night in Harrison. First, the Hornets have hustle, “We’ve got energy and we finally have everyone healthy,” said Coach Ashcroft, and this energy was visible throughout the game through the night even as the Trojans marched back and forth across the gym the varsity boys never gave up in their 73-38 loss to Lake City.

The start of the game was a defensive time for the Hornets scoring three on free-throws but in the second quarter they showed no signs that their hustle would waiver. Midway through the second quarter this hustle was unceasing as Bryan Groch made an amazing steal taking it down the court for the quick layup. Cody Cooper came in strong in the second making several offensive rebounds and drew a couple fouls to set himself up for three easy free throws. As the third quarter progressed Cooper was able to draw another foul and make both baskets but as the third quarter started to come to a close it was Casey Rundell who would put on a show for his hometown ending the third with a beautiful three-pointer and carrying that momentum over to the fourth.

In the final eight minutes of the game the Hornets played with more intensity than the previous three quarters combined as Rundell set the stage with another three-pointer. Midway through the fourth Jordan Haley showed his tenacity on the � oor when he rainbowed a three in and then comes back and knocks free the ball from the Trojans clutches. Not to be out done by Cooper, Wayne Cosgrove took to drawing the fouls for easy baskets, tacking on four points. Leading scorer for the Hornets was Cody Cooper with nine.

In the JV game, Brett Coughlin and Bryce Osborn both played strong o� ensively and defensively. � e JV Hornets set the energetic pace that would de� ne Harrison that night but Lake City came out on top 60-31.

GLADWIN - In the Wednesday game between the Flying G’s of Gladwin and the Standish-Sterling Panthers the electric energy became apparent in the third quarter but the Panthers mounted a resurgence to end the non-conference game 47-35.

� e � rst half of the game found Standish mounting a short lead against the G’s but not enough to count Gladwin out of the game. Gladwin trailed by as many as 12 points in the third quarter before mounting a furious comeback to close the gap to just two points, 35-33, heading in to the fourth. Standish took control in the fourth limiting the G’s and forcing them to attempt to play a catch-up game but as Coach Taylor stated “ We played well, but we simply ran out of gas”

Trevor Camanse led Gladwin with 13 points while Shawn Larned had 11. Blake Tahl and Chad Pollack both added six rebounds. Jacob LeClair led for the Panthers with nine points.

HARRISON - � e boys of Harrison played a well-fought battle against the Gladwin G’s Friday night holding the score at 14-14 going into the second quarter and by the half Gladwin had only extended its lead by six points 29-23, but a spark was ignited in that short time that helped the G’s � nish out the game 70-43.

Coach Taylor of Gladwin said a� er the game “ In the � rst half we were

� at, but we made a � ve for � ve change up that gave us the lift we needed to carry the momentum into the second half ” while Harrison Coach Ashcro� stated “ We’re close to where we need to be, a lot closer than two weeks ago. Our � rst half was really good but in the second half pressure on small mistakes rewarded Gladwin for their aggressiveness”

Trevor Camanse lead scoring with an astounding 20 points with Sean McDonald and Jared Beaudoing netting 10 each, while Harrison was lead by Bryan Groch with 14 and Jordan Haley scoring for 12 .

By Je� rey GoodwinDespite a slow start and an Owl’s defense that limited

scintillating senior guard Collin Lake to just four points, the Roscommon Bucks were able to persevere and pull out a 62-56 non-conference win Tuesday night in Roscommon. Led by a monstrous 20 point explosion from Todd Martin and some marine quality three point sniping from Hunter Mires, tallying 9 points, the Bucks put together a quality performance that was more impressive than the � nal score indicates.

From the opening tip it was clear that both teams were prepared to go to battle. � e intensity from both teams sent a clear message… this was going to be a battle. In a � rst quarter that displayed more � oor burns than points, the Bucks held a 9-8 edge, led by an impressive trifecta from Hunter Mires.

Despite a rough � rst quarter start, MJ Ewald stuck with his senior leaders and in the second quarter Todd Martin repaid his coaches faith by unleashing a fury of high � ying layups, midrange jumpers, and fundamental post moves. Martin’s 12 second quarter points tempered the e� ect of Oscoda’s man-child, Zach

Lamrock and his impressive post showing. Despite a slow start, Martin’s performance, as well as some heady play from sophomore guard John Miller and junior leader Austin Fluegel, gave the Bucks a 30-19 hal� ime lead.

It was clear that MJ Ewald had given his team an earful at the half. � e Bucks came out of the second half break with a ravenous competitive drive, determined to send the Owls back to Oscoda licking their wounds. Martin started the damage with an impressive snag o� of an errant jumper. � e mammoth senior ripped down the carom, brushed of the Owl defenders, and powered in a quick deuce. Oscoda’s Kevin Leveille tried answering with a three of his own, but Fluegel and Miller made beautiful string music, sending back-to-back deep jumpers through the net. Roscommon was in the driver’s seat heading into the fourth with a 44-33 lead.

It appeared, as the fourth quarter was underway, that Roscommon was going to run away with an impressive blowout win. Collin Lake displayed why he is one of the JPC’s � nest, arcing a rainbow three over the outstretched talons of the Oscoda defender. Not to be outdone, Mires dazzled with an NBA range triple to give the Bucks a 16-point lead. With the game seemingly in hand, Ewald began a steady rotation of players. Oscoda capitalized on these new lineups, making a late surge led by Anthony Weed and Leveille, but clutch free-throw shooting by AJ Gocjaj allowed the Bucks to escape with the win.

Along with Martin and Mires, Austin Fluegel added 9 for the Bucks, while Levelle and Lamrock led the Owls with 10.

Expect Kayla Balzer to emerge and carry the Beavers to the title next fall.


Clare upset the #4 ranked McBain Ramblers, 53-50 in a war. Then they demolished

Rosco. Meridian crushed Farwell, Gladwin surged past Harrison. Beaverton and

Houghton Lake were idle. Meridian plays at Clare on Monday, should be electric.

Todd Wysong plays rugged just like he did as a defensive back on the football squad.-

MERIDIAN MUSTANGS STAMPEDE FARWELL

Er ik Maxwel l ’s consistent outside shot is going to be crucial in Beaverton moving forward.

Zach Thomas is going to have to do his best Oliver Miller impression to keep the P ioneers chugging.

I f R y a n Wa l t o n blazes a Mohawk and r e f i n e s h i s o u t s i d e jumper, the Coleman could be a load down the stretch.

� e Eagle’s will be relying on Mosby to attack the paint with aggression and will himself to the line.

Jared Beaudoing has that raw ability to take over games in the clutch, when he exerts himself the G’s are dangerous.

The Hornets have a chance to put a W in the win column if Bryan Groch can pump in 20 o r more aga ins t the Eagles.

Kyle Bates is a thick, physical bruiser. His presence on the boards and ability to distribute will hoist the Bobcats out of the cellar.

Peyton Marshall is an absolute load in the middle, a punishing man. If he can start draining those 5 foot bunnies, the Mustangs will be tough.

Alex Gojcaj is a silky smooth shooter, getting available on the fringes and spreading the defense is important in Rosco’s plans.

FARWELL – Smooth stroking Nate Luptowski and thick, physical Cam Hobb slam-wrecked the Eagles for a combined 30 points in the 66 to 40 Mustang victory.

� e Mustangs capitalized on their over all length and height to punish the Eagles early to establish a 13-4 lead in the � rst quarter, and Luptowski got hot in the second by unloading eight of 17 points on the Farwellians to push the Mustangs up by 21 points at the half, 35-14.

Luptowski scored on a variety of ways, going up and over guys in the paint, splashing from behind the arc, taking guys off the triple, curling off of screen and dropping doubles.

The Eagles showed grit at times as Bobby Byard showed some resolve by attacking the cup and battling with the Meridian boys in the paint by taking the ball to the defense.

Byard’s aggressiveness throughout the game demonstrated a bit of Farwell pride that despite being down by double digits, Byard continued to attack with resolve with the bleachers loaded.

To start the second half, it was Meridian’s Nato Noel and Hobbs in the middle rolling in the paint, taking advantage of the Eagle awkwardly spaced defense and � nding pockets of open real-estate to � ip in bunny shots and scrap for loose balls to gobble up the second chance points.

Hobb’s eight point outburst in the 3rd pushed the Mustangs up 55-27. � e Eagles made a quick push late, maybe to sharpen their talons for the

upcoming match-up with the hapless Harrison Hornets. Curtis Robinson, Kyle Brandon and Walter Mosby all

connected from up close, mid-range, and behind the arc to made a showing in one � nal barrage.

Nate Luptowski led all scorers with 17 followed by his big guy in the middle Cam Hobbs with 13 for the Stangs.

Bobby Byard led the Eagles with 10. “� e thing is with this group, is that they are hard workers

and they will go far in life, this much I know,” said Coach Schunk of the Farwell Eagles. “Although we haven’t won a game yet, you wouldn’t know it by they way these guys work so hard at practice.”

Luptowski rises up for two.

By Je� GoodwinROSCOMMON - Tanner Vida

has an o� ensive skill set to envy. He has range on his jumper, quickness to the hoop, and an explosive ability to � nish at the rim. Yet, if you watch most Pioneer games, you will see this skill set tempered as Vida tackles the role of keeping the ball distributed to Shane Adkins, James Wezensky, and the uber-talented supporting cast of the Clare Pioneers. Unfortunately for the Roscommon Bucks, a weapon like Vida can only be kept in check for so long, and that bomb went o� as Vida led the Clare Pioneers to an 82-54 win over the host Bucks.

At the tip, it was clear that the Bucks weren’t going down without a � ght. With Todd Martin battling Wezensky for the paint, and Josh Smock displaying a newfound touch at the rim, the Bucks sent a message that they would not be intimidated. Employing an active zone defense, the Bucks seemed to have the Pioneers on their heels. It was at this point that Clare decided to utilize the most dangerous weapon in their arsenal… Tanner Vida.

On a dazzling display of pure shooting ability, Vida canned six

arcing jumpers from the long line. Whether he was floating off screens like a young Reggie Miller or dazzling the crowd with ball handling skills that would make Chris Paul jealous, before pulling up to display the silky smooth jumper he has perfected, Vida was unstoppable, scoring 20 first half points.

Following in their leader’s footsteps, Taylor Ardis, Shane Adkins, and Toddy Wysong all hit triples, giving Clare 10 threes in the half, and a 45-27 hal� ime lead, despite 15 � rst half points from Josh Smock.

The second half would prove to showcase much the same. Vida poured in 10 more points, to give him 30 for the game, while Adkins and Wezensky added six each for the half. With Smock down with an ankle injury and Collin Lake hampered by the Clare defense, Roscommon had no answer as Clare rolled.

L e a d i n g t h e w a y, w i t h a performance for the ages, was Vida with 30 . Adkins and Wezensky each added 12. Smock led Roscommon with 15 while lake added seven.

Harrison’s Cody Cooper has been a stalwart in an otherwise spiraling year. Cooper continues to play with zeal and enthusiasm. Cooper is a tough to defender, because when he squared up the cup, left wide open, he can drain triples as good as anybody in the league.

VIDA EXPLODES FOR 30

JACK PINE ROUNDUP



9


Miceli trying to reel the likes of Meridith Rosin, Britni Balzer, and Natalie Holnagle from making it a lopsided game. Miceli’s defense was a buzzsaw with Marina Coats and Angela Little, while Melanie Smalley was unloading on the Beaverettes at will.

T h i n g s h a v e c h a n g e d , a n d c h a n g e d dramatically.

Instead of the G’s showing restraint, it’s Beaverton’s Coach Kevin Wolfe trying to keep the dogs chained to the porch. Instead of Smalley imposing her will, its Beaverton’s Jasmyn Parker-Urban blitzing to the cup when she wants. It once was Britni Balzer lacing in long dueces and storming the baseline, now its the Beaver’s Becca Bennett sparking fast breaks and stroking it from the charity stripe. Rather than Rosin mashing down low picking up the crucial points in the paint, its Janae Wolfe flashing double-doubles in the box score. The t ab l e s h ave b e e n tu r n e d an d n ot h i ng demonstrates that more than the 14-3 first quarter Beaverton mashing.

The Beavers pocketed that 11 point lead and stretched it 22 before the break and cruised to the 65-41 victory, the first in many moons over Ross Lake.

The Beavers rocked the court, exploited their qualitative advantage at the guard position, and convincingly jumped out to an 8-1 lead, as Beaverton’s sweet shooting Becca Bennett snapped in two from the free throw line and Parker-Urban picked the passing lane, spurted through a little seam, jolted left, wiggled back to her right, and kissed the back board to make it an 8-1 lead.

Gladwin’s Dani Balzer finally stopped the barrage with a gunner at the top of the key, only to have the Beavers turn right back around and ring up 11 straight points.

Bennett strapped in two more from the charity, Parker-Urban mashed through a log jam in the paint, cupped the ball in close to avoid the defense jarring the ball loose, uncurled once she pass through the battle field, and unfurled a righty finger roll.

Then Kirsten Longstreth got into the dance party, set up shop at the give-me line, made good on a pair at the end of the quarter to make it a 14-3 game.

It was more of the same in the second, as the Beavers tripled up on the G’s to the tune of 16-5, relying on their defense and ability to score in transition.

Parker-Urban slam-wrecked and folded up the G’s defense like origami, Kayla Balzer cut the hoop on the next possession, caught the ball in stride and went off glass to make it a 19-3 lead.

Then the Beavers shifted gears, redoubled their investment on the boards, Cassaday Shea bought several lots of prime real estate under the glass, snatched up her neighbors property

lines and stacked claim to leather. Shea took the moneyball and made a smooth outlet to Parker-Urban and the spunky little Beaverton guard stormed to the bank with the deposit slip. There was a somber, glazed over look across the stands of the Gladwin faithful as they read the 21-3 scoreboard.

Gladwin was able to manufacture some points as Rashell Vorachek managed to find a little open swathe on the elbow for a jumper.

Gladwin started to get more active, Megan Strait punched a ticket to the free-throw line and made a pair.

That little offensive showing was matched by 7-1 Beaverton run to end the first half.

Balzer made a nice feed to a cutting Becca

Bennett across, jamming the ball through a small crevice in the G’s defense, then Balzer split a pair from the line herself. Janae Wolfe dropped a bomb from the 15 foot mark, then connected from the same exact spot just before the end of the quarter to send the Wolfe Pack into the break with a commanding 30-8 lead.

The Beaverton cagers were all smiles, and understandably so up 22 points, while the Gladwin regime went into the half looking for answers.

They didn’t find any. Beaverton’s Alix Price wormed her way

through the press, found Wolfe making herself open and took a B-Line to the hoop and Price sent a rocket to catch her partner in crime streaking down the court. Wolfe then hit from the ridge on the next possession.

Gladwin started work the ball down low, Vorachek found some wiggle room, Madison Howard pivot thrusted for two more and Dani

Monday, jANUARY 9, 2012 Page 9

Beaverton’s sophomore stalwart, Janae Wolfe has top notch basketball pedigree in her bloodlines, considering all her uncles were ballers and her dad is the coach and a former Beaverton standout.

Janae was a menace on the glass as she tallied 11 rebounds to go along with her 10 crucial points to record the double-double.

Pictured left, Beaverton’s sophomore phenom, Kayla Balzer is battling for rebounding position with Gladwin’s bundle of muscle forward, Megan Strait. These two girls were tussling all evening for caroms. Both of these ladies will be among the JPC elite in their respective sports this spring. Breanna Frasher lightning bolts down the court after snagging up a loose ball. She’s always very alert.

jack pine triBune Monday, February 6, 2012Page 10

� e Beavers looking to pump on for a late season push in the JPC and keep the tune they had in the early part of the season unloaded on the hapless Coleman Coments by dumping 18 points and holding the North Bradlyians to a meager 2 points in the opening stanza to set the tone for the rest the game as they cruised to the 52-26 victory. They showed offensive execution and well played defensive strategies.

Jasmyn Parker-Urban unloaded 1o points, 4 boards, and 2 assists to go along with Morgan Oldani’s 11. Beaverton’s Kayla Balzer had 7 points and 7 caroms. After the first quarter, the Beavers had an 18-2 lead and they widened it by a point, extending it to 29-12 and by the end of a maddening third third it was 41-19. Amber Anderson paced the Comets with 12 points.

Eagles � nd basketball game of inches, fall short against Rosco

The Eagles had their chances late in the game a three point play by Racheal Carland and some key defensive stops late allowed Brooke Wartella one last second chance to take the lead, but the ball rimmed in and out the Roscommon Bucks held on for the 35-34 victory to bounce back from Wednesday’s lose against the Houghton Lake Bobcats.

Farwell had the lead a� er one, taking a 9-4 advantage into the second quarter, and then the tandem of Logan Hutek and Kayla Hawkins started to get their mojo pumping.

“Hutek hurt us with those high screens tonight. At times we could find ways to stop her, other times she just made the right move at the right time. She has a been a nice little freshman ball player,” complimented Farwell’s Tom Kleinhardt.

“The third quarter was huge for us. We were able to out score them 14-9 in the third quarter and Hawkins and our defense really stepped up for us tonight, and it was a big win particularly a� er that disappointing loss to the Bobcats Wednesday night,” said Coach Weiler.

Bobcats peel o� Hornets� e Bobcats extended their winning

streak with a 11 point victory over the reeling Harrison Hornets 49-38.

“We came out stronger than we have lately and took a lot of good looks in the � rst quarter. We really spread out the scoring and tried to work the ball more to get some nice looks. Defensively, we took a break tonight. The spark just didn’t feel there. It basically felt like we did what we needed to do defensively and that was good enough,” said Houghton Lak’e Coach Angie Dalak. “We have also had a long week, 3 games has been tougher on all of us than i thought it would be. It’s been fun, but busy and a little rough on their bodies...sure is nice to come out of it with 2 wins though. Tonight was also parent night. It was nice to get a win for them. we really appreciate everything they do, from being supportive at our games to rearranging schedules to make practice a priority. “

Kelly Julin had an all around solid game with 3 assists, 5 steals, 3 rebounds, 12 points, 5 for 6 from free throw line while Sa’Taitshia Mims � ipped in 10 points, 3 assists, 2 steals, 16 rebounds, 1 block.

By Jason Chenette

� e Lady Pioneers made the commute to Gladwin Friday night to take on a Gladwin team plagued by the injury bug as of late. The Lady G’s showed great defensive ability early and looked to be one of the few teams with the capacity to slow down Clare’s Sophomore sensation Lindsay Winter, but she and the rest of the Pioneer squad heated up as the game progressed, and the shorthanded G’s just couldn’t keep up.

Clare struggled to create defensive stops early on without fouling, giving the Lady G’s plenty of opportunities at the free throw line and allowing them to stay in the game despite poor early shooting. A heavily contested three pointer from Rashell Vorachek highlighted a 7-0 run early in the second quarter that brought the G’s within four points, but Clare responded with a run of their own, utilizing threats all over the court and allowing them to head into the hal� ime break up 27-16.

Lindsay Winter scored only 7 points in the first half, but recovered nicely; dropping 13 points in the third quarter and helping her team pull away from the G’s very early in the second half. Gladwin showed some � re late on both sides of the ball, but much too late to come back from the hole they were in, as Clare ran away with the win 55-34.

“We played well against a very good team tonight,” said Gladwin coach Emily Cote. “My girls stayed tough early but being so shallow on the bench against a team that athletic makes it hard to compete for 4 quarters.”

Lindsay Winter � nished the game with 23 points and Melissa Benchley chipped in 12.

JJ Willford led Gladwin with 13 points and 7 rebounds.

MERIDIAN – The Mustangs were lead by precision passes that threaded the needle by Kristen Goodall early to Alexus Reiss and Taylor Smith early to give them a 6-0 lead. � en Beaverton’s frosh phenom, Breanna Frasher took things into her hands by converting an array of scoop shots to give the Beaverettes an 8-6. � e lead see-sawed a couple times then Beaverton locked-up defensively and made sure they snatched up every loose ball en route to the 61-50 victory over the Mustangs.

Beaverton had a 12-6 lead at the end of the opening quarter. Reiss poured in consecutive low-post buckets to make it 12-11. Jasmyn Urban-Parker sank a jumper. Goodall responded with a triple and Sadie Hall slashed inside for a hoop to make it 18 all. Goodall took a charge, then Smith drilled a three-pointer and Bri Yaroch swished a triple to give Meridian a 25-19 lead at the break.

Janae Wolfe knifed into the paint, scored a half hook-shot, took a foul and made it 25 a piece. A� er Beaverton spurted ahead, Goodall nailed a triple to tie it up at 28. Breanna Frasher seemed to make a play each time Beaverton needed a lift. She splashed four consecutive free-throws a� er Meridian was whistled for a technical foul.

“Breanna was terri� c, the entire team played their hearts out,” commented Beaverton’s Kevin Wolfe. Frasher spearheaded the Beaverettes with 28 points. Beaverton shot 83 percent on free throws. Reiss led Meridian with 14 points and 14 boards.

FARWELL – The Eagles have been looking to make a second half surge, despite losing key � gures in their roster, and for the Farwellians, the Hornets represented the perfect opportunity to sharpen their talons on their cross-county rivals.

And sharpen they did, as they dug in deep and sank in their defensive scheme to hold the Harrison cagers to under twenty points in the 46-19 victory over the Hornets.

In an absolutely brutal � rst quarter, together both teams combined for a mind-numbing nine points, as the Eagles out paced the Hornets 6-3 in the � rst stanza characterized by rugged physical defense by both teams, as positioning came at a high price.

Then in the second quarter, Coach Kleinhardt unfurled his array of o� ensive sets, ratcheted down his ridged defense and out scored the Hornets 13-2.

Amanda Crawford scored in the paint for the Hornets, but then Farwell’s Jenna Hamming snatched up the outlet pass, used her elite speed, cut across the meat of Harrison’s defense and blasted to the cup for a deuce, then willed herself to the line for some zebra points and the Eagles rolled into the half-time up 19-5.

Out of the break, Autumn Hoag used her frame physical presence to create a bit of wiggle room and power thrust into position to get a clean look at the cup to snap in some points for the Harrison ballers. Harrison went right back down low and Hillary Brewer cleared out some some hardwood with a bruising pivot move, shoulder shake and pop from the top of the key to make it a nine point game, 20-11 Farwell.

It was down hill from there for the Harrison ballers. Lyndsay Ruckle started to run amuck in the paint

for the Eagles, doing her little back door cut, rolling around the fringe to drop bombs with her silky smooth stroke, catching passes on a dime, stopping

and drilling home 12 foot jumpers. With Lacey Ballinger joining the

dance party, the Eagles sprung out to a commanding 33-11 lead before Harrison’s Brandi Powell finally took matters into her own hands, snatched up a board, crossed over the defense, sprung loose and spurted to the cup for a double.

� e Eagles responded with another 10 point run. Caron White turned and jolted from the elbow, Balllinger rocked the dance party with a gunner in traffic, Brooke Wartella made a clean swipe, feed Ruckle down low. Ruckle immediately drew the double team, but a high IQ baller like Ruckle realizes if she’s doubled, someone’s open. Ruckle spun to the hoop to rotate the defense, created space on the perimeter and zinged a pass to Hamming for the 15 foot bunny.

Casey Rivard started to attack from the edge and drove the score up 43-13 before Powell responded again

for the Hornets, and the Eagles cruised to the 46-19 victory.

“I am just disappointed in our effort tonight,” said Harrison’s Kelly Houghton. “We worked on rebounding all week and came out and didn’t even look like we were trying. It was real disappointing.”

Ruckle paced the Eagles with 14 points, 6 assists, 10 points and 4 steals. Caron White dumped 10 points on the Hornets while Hamming and Ballinger both � ipped eight points.

Brandi Powell led the Hornets with 7. Earlier in the week, the Eagles

rocked the Comets to the tune of 49-18, with yet another � ne performance by Lyndsay Ruckle who chipped in 14 points, 8 boards and 4 steals to go along with another strong showing by Caron White led the team with 15 points and 10 boards.

Amanda Moore added 8 and Cameron Blake chipped in 7.

BEAVERS SPEED STIFLES THE BOBCATS

EAGLES TOP COMETS, HORNETS

JPC ROUND UP By Je� rey GoodwinCoach Kevin Wolfe is a lucky man. Many times

when you see a team as talented as this year’s Beaverton Lady Beavers, they are a deep senior laden team waiting to be milked by graduation. Luckily for Coach Wolfe, he has some fantastic leaders in seniors Beccas Bennet, Morgan Oldani, and Cassaday Shea, while also displaying some ridiculously talented sophomores, juniors, and even a fabulous freshman in Bree Frasher. � ey were all on display against the host Houghton Lake Bobcats Monday night.

� e � rst quarter featured the full arsenal and repertoire that the Beavers contain. Morgan Oldani started things off by pounding away at the interior of the Bobcats defense. With a so� ened and expander Houghton Lake defense, it was time for the Beavers lightning bolt, Jasmine Parker-Urban to do her thing. Using her immense athleticism and deceiving defensive prowess, Parker-Urban put on an impressive array of steals, layups, jump shots, and crowd-pleasing handles. Despite Maddee Winkler’s “No Prisoners” aggression around the rim, the Bobcats le� the � rst quarter with a 22-8 de� cit.

At the start of the second it was clear that this was going to be a good night for the Beavers. Sensational senior Becca Bennett started things o� with a bang, drilling two long triples. With the defense rushing out to contain Bennett, Oldani, Janae Wolfe, and Bree Frasher took advantage.

Whether corralling a carom and � nishing at the hoop, or displaying surgeon like precision in the half court, the Beavers imposed their will on the stunned Bobcat squad. Kelly Julin, with her team in peril, began to attack to the tune of six � rst half points, but the damage had been done. At the half it was Beaverton 44 and Houghton Lake 14.

Despite the obvious adjustments Coach Dalak made at hal� ime, the aggression of the Beavers was too much for the Cats to overcome in the second half. Winkler continued to chip away inside, but the twin towers of Wolfe and Oldani were too great a force to surpass. Frasher, Wolfe, and Parker-Urban continued to display why the future is bright for the Beavers, turning ravenous and predator like defense into graceful and beautiful string music on the other end, the Beavers shots barely tickling the twine. After three, the Beavers were cruising, 56-28.

Despite being bottled up for the majority of the game, Kelly Julin, Houghton Lake’s insanely talented senior leader, made one last Bobcat push. Julin slashed to the hoop, elevated for jumpers, and defended like Davy Crockett at the Alamo. Eight fourth quarter points was not enough to overcome Frasher and the Beaver brigade, as Beaverton pulled out the 68-37 victory.

Leading the way for the Beavers Bennett with 16, Parker-Urban added 14, Frasher with 10, and Oldani with 10. Houghton Lake was led by Julin with 15, Winkler with 9, and Megan Carrick with 5.

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Top, Farwell ’s

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looking to spark

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Left, Harrison’s

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Jasmyn Urban-Parker continues to impress and just make things happen for her Beaverettes. Coach Kevin Wolfe can’t speak highly enough of Urban-Parker’s e� orts. Jasmyn led Beaverton to road victories over Houghton Lake and Meridian last week. She led BHS with 14 points over the Bobcats. She’s always pestering the opposition while on defense and she’s constantly looking up court to � nd an open mate.



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The Gladwin Bantam hockey squadron defeated a Midland team in Midland on January 7th to the tune of 3-1Gladwin won. The fol lowing day Gladwin out l a s te d and shutout B ay C o u n t y 1 - 0 .Zach Marentette scored the only goa l on a backhanded shot, set up by Mason Nash.

The Gladwin PeeWee unit succumbed to Mt. Pleasant in M P, 5 - 1 on Janu ar y 7 t h . B e a v e r t o n’s S a m G e r o w s c ore d t he on ly go a l for Gladwin on a precise pass f r o m E v a n R e e d .On January 7th West Shore n ipp e d Gladwin 4-3 in a barn-burner.

G L A D W I N – T h e Gladwin American Legion Post 171 Baseball Program is ready to embark on their 21st season this summer. First, they need to raise � nances to do so and they plan to generate funds via an auction and dinner on February 4th at the Gladwin K of C Hall.Post 171 was led by

Gladwin’s Shawn Larner, C l a r e’s Ty l e r B e a t t y (Northwood University), S t a n d i s h ’ s T r e v o r Karbowski (CMU) and Beaverton’s Mike Lyons among other outstanding ball-players from a year ago. Post 171 compiled another winning season l a s t y e a r, t h e y w o n numerous tournaments and they � nished 2nd in the state behind nat iona l powerhouse, Berryhill. Post 171 finished 5th in the Midwest regional after beating Lacrosse Wisconsin and losing nai l-bit ing battles to Rock Island, IL

and Napoleon, OH.Coach Terry Broko� and

Coach Bernie Barnes had visions 22 years ago of allowing local boys to have an area all-star baseball team that could compete with posts from downstate. T h e y ’v e c re at e d t h i s buzzsaw program and have now produced a stepping stone for 70 collegiate players. Banquet tickets can be

purchased at Family Fare supermarket in Gladwin, at t h e G l a d w i n C o u nt y Record or at the door at the K o C Hall. It will cost $25 per couple or $15 per single. � ere will be a cash bar and all major credit cards will be accepted.

� ere will be numerous sports items raffled off inc luding a 50” LG plasma � at screen HDTV. Also, many packaged deals for sporting trips will be auctioned such as: Four Red Wings tickets and limo drive down to the Chicago Blackhawks game, 12 person package for a suite at a Detroit Pistons game, Lakewood Shores Golf package for eight and two tickets for the Wolverine Den, all you can eat at the Ohio State versus Michigan basketball game at Crisler Arena. Former U of M stalwart

quarterback and Detroit Tigers First Baseman, Rick Leach will be the featured guest speaker of the event. Brad Golder of the Great Lakes Loons will speak as well. For more information

call Terry Broko� at 989-426-5420 or B er nie Barnes at 989-426-8652.

CHS HALL OF FAME

The Clare High School Athletic Hall of Fame Committee is accepting nominations until January 27. If you wish to nominate an individual, please complete the form and add any and all needed information and return it to the Clare High School Athletic Offi ce by Friday, January 27.

The form can be found on the schools website (www.clare.k12.mi.us) under the Athletics Icon. The form can also be picked up at the Clare Athletic Offi ce.

POST 171 BOYS OF SUMMER

GLADWIN PEEWEES, BANTAMS WIN

� e Beaverton Rural Schools At h l e t i c H a l l o f F a m e announced its 2011 inductees on Monday.

E nt e r i n g t h e h a l l i n a ceremony between varsity basketball games on Jan. 20 at BHS will be Bob Woodru� , a three-sport standout who excelled in football; his twin brother Dick Woodru� , whose athlet ic accomplishments matched his brother’s stride for stride; and All-State basketball star Monica Badger North, one of the best basketball players Beaverton ever produced.

“It’s a terr i f ic group of inductees, and the committee

had no reservations – all these folks belong in the Hall,” said committee member Scott Govitz. “It’s always important to the Hall of Fame that its honorees are as good as citizens o� the playing � eld as they were athletes on it, and this group holds up well in that regard.”

Govitz said enshrinement ceremonies will occur between the varsity girls’ and boys’ c o n t e s t s o n J a n . 2 0 a t approximately 7:30 p.m. Before that, a public reception will be held in the school cafeteria b e g i n n i ng at 6 p. m . for honorees, their families and any well-wishers who would like to attend. Existing members of the H a l l i n p a r t i c u l a r a r e

encouraged to take part.“� is is our fourth year for

the Hall of Fame, and each induction ceremony has prov i d e d s ome sp e c i a l moments,” he said. “Legends Night at BHS is a great portrait of the Beaverton community at its best. It’s always a thrill to gather all these local sports legends in one room for an evening, and we expect this induction to meet that standard.”

Biographies, statistics and photos for all members of the Hall of Fame can be found at www.beavertonhallo� ame.com. For more information, email the Hall at info@beavertonhallo� ame.com.

BHS HALL OF FAME

Rick Leach

Andrew Redman mean-mugging the goalie with a little taste of fl ava and style.


HOUGHTON LAKE – � e Roscommon Bucks rolled and mauled on the Houghton Lake Bobcats with a 60-18 victory over their rivals to the south.

With voids at 103, 112, 119, and 125, the Bucks had some extra padding, then couple that with the machine-dog Dustin Noreyko snatching up his 150th win with a pin against David Shepard, the Roscommon mad-men were in cruise control.

The big upset of the night was the Bobcat’s Dalton Bailey over-taking Roscommon’s Mitch Tyler a� er Tyler had toppled Bailey convincingly the weekend prior.

Ryan Savage also captured a victory for the Bobcats while Todd DeLisle bounced back and pinned James Brotherton of Roscommon in the heavy weight division to partially invigorate the Bobcats program.“I think the team is heading in the right

direction. We have some guys healing up and really starting to hit their stride. We are looking to make a push at Districts and hopefully preparing for Regionals,” said Roscommon’s Ronnie Noreyko. “I like the attitude of our boys lately and all the dedication that they have poured in recently to prepare themselves where we want to go.”

MERIDIAN - The Meridian Mustang star-studded wrestling program ventured westward on US-10 last Wednesday and locked horns with the Pine River Bucks and Coach Kyle McKay and Je� Albert’s Clare Pioneers at CHS. � e match with Clare began at 152 lbs with sophomore stallion, Logan Emery pinning Nick Warner giving the Pioneers a 6-0 lead.

At 160 Brandon Ayris pinned Jeremy Wenzlick to extend it to a 12-0 score. Pioneer pins by Riley White over Devin Smith and Tyler Orwig over Amirjon Zabirov gave Clare a 24-0 lead. Eric Fader received a void at 215 to get Meridian on the board. Meridian’s heavyweight class pin by Kaine Sturgeon over Ty Simon was a momentum surge and it inspired the entire Mustang herd to step their games up. Clare then surrendered a series of void loses to Meridian’s: Chase Robinson at 103, Shane Parisi at 112, and at 119 with Damon Walter put the Mustangs up 30-24.

Joe Shuler kept the Mustangs rolling with a pin over Tristen Morse in the third period. Garrett Bowland pinned Zack Betzerin the � rst period. Jess Levier received a void at 135 and Nathan Fellows pinned Jack Langworthy to give Meridian a commanding 54-24 lead heading into the last match. Seger Jackson defeated Dominik Herkel by a score of 15-0 closing the score out at 59-24.

� e match with Pine River started with Pins for Pine River at 160 and 171 lbs for a 12-0 Buck lead. Meridian got pins from Amirjon Zabirov, Eric Fader, and Kaine Sturgeon to take an 18-12 lead. Chase Robinson got a tech fall to extend the lead to 23-12, followed by pins from Shane Parisi and Damon Walter to give Meridian a 35-12 lead heading into the heart of Pine Rivers line up. Majors by Pine River over Joe Shuler and Garrett Bowland tightened the score to 35-20, Pine River got 6 via void at 135 and Nathan Fellows was pinned at 140 to cut the Meridian lead to 3 with two weight classes le� . Meridian elected to present a void at 145 giving the Bucks a 38-35 lead and bump Seger Jackson up to take on the Pine River 152 and go for the win. Seger Jackson came through with a pin closing out the scoring and the match with a Meridian victory 41-38.

CLARE - � e Clare Varsity Wrestlers blazed through the snow storm on Saturday morning to attend Reed City’s sixteen team individual tournament. � e Pioneers are missing some key members in their line-up but that didn’t stop six Clare wrestlers from going out and bringing home a medal.

In the 145 pound weight class, junior Dominik Herkel earned himself a 4th place medal a� er a tough loss in his finals match to Cormac Bevins of East Grand Rapids by decision, 6-4. Sophomore Logan Emery followed in the 152 pound weight class division earning himself a 4th place medal. Sophomore Brandon Ayris wrestled extremely well on the day and was bumped down into the consolation � nals a� er losing to number one seed Tristin Rosted of Manton by a score of 13-12 in the semi-� nals. However, Ayris rebounded and beat Kobina Ofori-Dankwa of Nouvel Catholic Central by decision, 11-6 to bring home a 3rd place medal. Sophomore Riley White wrestled tough in the 171 pound weight class after starting his day o� with a loss to Jake Haring of Farwell, White came back and won 3 straight matches to take home a 5th place medal. Sophomore Tyler Orwig wrestled in the 189 pound weight class and started his day o� with a loss but came back with 2 straight wins before losing to Cody Koper of Gladwin which earned Orwig the 6th place medal. � e last wrestler for Clare to bring home a medal was Senior Ty Simon who wrestled in

the 275 pound weight class. Simon wrestled through to the semi-� nals where he was beat by Miguel Correa of West Ottawa, and then another loss for Simon in the � nals sent him home with a respectable 4th place medal.

“� is was a pretty good look at what individual districts are going to be like. There is a lot of good competition out there and it is going to be a tough road to make it states this season. � e intensity of practice the next 2 weeks will have to be at an all time high. We’re voiding to many positions to beat a well-rounded team like Meridian. Logan Emery continues to impress as does Orwig,” said Clare’s Coach Kyle McKay.

REED CITY - � e G’s of Gladwin, the Pioneers of Clare and the Eagles of Farwell all participated in the fourteen team invitational of Reed city on last Saturday. Team’s such as state ranked Pine River, division 1 West Ottawa, power house Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central (NCC), and oversized Big Rapids only proves that the tournament is a good lead up to the Conference Championships and the all important District Finials. “Reed city is always one of the hardest tournaments of the year and a good measure for where wrestlers stand going into the � nal few weeks.”, says Gladwin coach Buddy Goldsworthy.

Clare would have the only entry at the opening weight class of 160 with Brandon Ayris. Ayris would make short work of both is first two opponents Keith Bulk of Newaygo and Jacob Arens of East Grand Rapids scoring second period pins. Ayris would lose a tight match to Manton’s Tristin Roster, who had only two loses going into the day, by a last second controversial call to put Roster ahead 13-12 as time ran out. Ayris would not be denied though he would come back with a vengeance out scoring Kobina Ofori-Dankwa of NCC 11-6 finishing a well deserved 3rd. At 171 it was all the Jack Pine. Riley White of Clare would have the misfortune of a bad seed, having to face o� against Farwell’s Jake Haring in the first round to knock him down into the consolation � nals. White would prove to be a true fighter by coming back by winning his next three matches to take 5th on the day. Jake Haring would also pin his next two opponents to � nd himself in for the championship while Gladwin’s Duane Hillier would pin his way into � nials to face Haring. Haring would control the majority of the match and eventually defeat Hillier 8-2 to be crowned the tournament Champions. At the Grueling 189 weight class Farwell’s Brandon Weber would fall just short of medaling losing to Gladwin’s Cody Koper in the blood round. Clare’s Tyler Orwig would follow the same fate in the consolation finials earning a 6th place finish while Koper would go on to be 4-1 on the day and � nish 5th overall. � e most suprising weight class of the day was 215 with both the number one and two seed getting beat the � rst round. Clare’s Brenden Hensley would be knocked out early due to an injury while Gladwin’s Ryan Lampman would put on a spectacle a� er starting the day being seeded 7th he would beat both the number two seed, Aaron French of Reed City, and the number three seed, Nate Calvin of West Ottawa, to earn the right to wrestle in the championship � nals. Lampman worked hard in the third period but come up just a little short � nishing a very impressive 2nd overall. At heavyweight Farwell was still welcoming back Lane Romanelli, while Ty Simon of Clare would put up an impressive finish by beating one of Big Rapids’ power houses Shalon McIntyre to finish 4th on the day. Gladiwn’s Jake Roza, made short work of his first three oppentents pinning all three in the � rst period to � nd himself squaring o� against West Ottawa’s star Miguel Correa, who is currently ranked 6th in division 1. Roza would

score a takedown and escape but penalty points kept Correa in the match and in double overtime he would hold Roza down to win the match 4-3. Farwell would again show they should not be underest imated b y l e t t i n g Te r r y Fedawa loose on the rest of the 103lbers. Fedawa dominated t h e c o m p e t i t i o n b y p i n n i n g h i s w a y t h r o u g h t h e t ou r n a m e nt t o b e crowned tournament champion. Fedawa’s wrestling partner and companion at 103 Kurt Meister bumped up a weight to go 112. � e undersized Meister proved that no matter what weight he’s at he can wrestle with anyone by pinning his way through the consolation rounds to earn a 5th place � nish. Gladwin’s workhorse Dylan Hillier would defeat Farwell’s Nate Carton in the semi � nals to earn the right to w re s t l e for t he crown. Both Carton and Hillier would lose their � nals matches to � nish a respectable 4th and 2nd on the day. At 130 Zach Betzer would represent Clare while Zach Klein would represent Gladwin. Betzer would beat Klein in the opening round but would fall short in the blood round for a medal. Klien would � ght his way back through beating Church from Reed City but would also fall short of a medal. Fawell’s Quincy Crawford would punish Trenton Rosesly of Newaygo with power halves in the second period to fall just short in the consolation finals, to be the sole medalist for the Jack Pine at the 130 class, � nishing 4th. Gladwin’s Dennis Hillier would be the only representative for the Jack Pine at 135. Hillier would � rst beat Brandon Butler of Big Rapids with a shoot out scoring 7 take downs to win 14-12 and then go on to pin Mitch Lipinski of NCC in the � nials to earn a 3rd place � nish. Tristin Zienkiewicz of Farwell would come from behind to beat Manton’s Scott Babb to earn his way to championship match at 140. Zienkiewicz would su� er his � rst loss of the year at the hands of Newygo’s Larry Bulson to � nish as runner up. Gladwin’s Corey Greenhoe lost hold of a very impressive headlock to � nish just shy of a medal, while Clare’s monster Dominik Herkel would overpower Andy Weston of Manton to finish 4th. � e last weight of the day might have been one of the best represented by the Jack Pine. Gladwin’s undersized but always dangerous Ritchie Mathis would overcome the odds and the size di� erence to go 4-1 on the day to � nish 5th overall. Clare’s Logan Emery would lose to Farwell’s Ryan Millier in the semi-� nals to earn a 4th place finish, while Millier would go on to beat Brandon Buck of Big Rapids to add to Farwell’s growing number of Champions. At the end of the day the Jack Pine had a very solid � nish with Farwell � nishing 5th Gladwin 6th and Clare 7th overall.

GLADWIN - Gladwin and Farwell would round out their regular season on Wednesday

with both team’s at 2-2 in the conference. � is would who would be place in the top half of the conference standing going into the all important conference tournament. Farwell beat Gladwin by 12 at the Reed city tournament on Saturday but Gladwin would be eager some revenge. � e night would take a classical start by beginning at 103. Gladwin new comer Steve Evan would face off against returning conference champ Kurt Miester to give the Eagles a quick 6-0 lead. Gladwin would have to void 112 giving Farwell another 6 points. At 119 Gladwin’s Dylan Hillier would face Farwell,s Nate Carlon. Carlon would avenge last week’s loss to by pinning Hillier in the second period, after yet another void by Gladwin at 125 Farwell found themselves to a good start being ahead 24-0. Gladwin would come firing back though. Mike LaSart would score a big win over Quinecy Crawford. Farwell would then void both 135 and 140 giving Gladwin an additional 12 points. Tristian Zinkiewicz would pin Corey Greenhoe at 145 while Ryan Millier would score a decision over Ritchie Mathis at 152 to give Farwell a 33-18 lead over the G’s. Farwell would again have to void at 160 to give Gladwin another 6 points. Jake Harring would major decision Duane Hillier with a late headlock giving Farwell another 4pts putting them ahead 37-24 with only three weight classes left. Gladwin no stranger to being put in tight quarters would come back big with Cody Koper pinning Brandon Webber for 6 points, while Ryan Lampman would do the same over Adam Gott at the 215 leaving Gladwin trailing by only 1 going into the � nal match. Gladwin’s powerhouse Jake Roza took on Farwell’s returning Lane Romanelli. Roza would waste no time scoring a quick take down and pin early in the � rst period to win the match and giving G’s a 42-37 win over Farwell. Gladwin and Farwell will again face o� next � ursday in the � rst round of the Team District Finials to be held in Gladwin. Farwell will be looking for some paybacks while Gladwin will be looking to defend their District Title.

BUCKS MASH

JACK PINE WRESTLING Gladwin, Clare and Farwell battled through Reed City Tournament

Dustin Noreyko was all primed for an illustrious senior season and then he suddenly suffered a serious vein issue in his leg. After surgery, crutches and rehab, Noreyko returned to practice and strengthened himself back up to playing ability. Noreyko has been unstoppable since his return and recently he captured his 150th career victory.



11


ROSCO BEATS TC WEST

G’S COMPETE IN SL

STORMHOCKEY REVIEW

MHS WINS AT VASSAR

CLARE PLACES FOURCLARE - Clare headed to the

Threloff tournament hosted by St. Louis on Saturday January 7, 2012. Cameron Longstreth took second p l a c e a f t e r l o s i n g t o Tr i s t e n Zienkewitcz of Farwell in the finals in the 140 pound weight class division. Junior Dominik Herkel came out and had a big day, getting it started with an upset victory over the number one seed, Cody Thrush of St. Louis. Herkel then went on to beat Joey Durham of Montabella in his finals match to bring home a gold medal. Sophomore Brandon Ayris a lso wrestled extremely well on the day and ended up with 4th place at 160 pounds. The last Pioneer to bring home a medal on Saturday was Junior

Mitch Greenacre who earned himself a 2nd place finish after a tough battle with Josh Capen of Ithaca in the 215 pound weight class. The Pioneers finished in 7th place on the day as a team out of the 12 that were in attendance. Clare heads to Houghton Lake on Wednesday January 11th for a non conference battle with Bay City Central and Grayling.

Pioneers Lose to BCC and GraylingClare Varsity Wrestling headed to

Houghton Lake on Wednesday, January 11, 2012 for a quad meet with Bay City Central and Grayling. Clare squared off in the first round against Grayling and did their fair share to try and pull out a win. Final score Gray l ing , 36-35 over the

Pioneers, followed by a 54-30 loss to Bay City Central.

Double Winners on the night for Clare included Dominik Herkel, Mitch Greenacre, and Ty Simon. Wrestlers earning one win on the night included Jack Langworthy, Logan Emer y, Evan Sved, Ri ley White and Brenden Hensley.

“We wrestled some big schools tonight and we wrest led pretty tough. There are a few little things we need to work on, and then we buckle down for the LakeView team tournament this upcoming Saturday. Holton, Montabella, East Grand Rapids, Farwell, LakeView and Clare make up the round robin teams.” OGEMAW – � e storied and heralded Roscommon Buck wrestling

program has had many of darts hurled at them this winter and they just keep discovering new ways to keep trucking. Wednesday night in West Branch the Buck grappling squadron was without Tony Mayball, Damian Lewandowski, Mitch Tyler and Dustin Noreyko. Despite missing four varsity starters the Rosco brigade collected a victory over Pinconning 60-16. Traverse City West was Roscommon’s next victim. � is match was a stalemate as each team won seven matches, � nishing the scoreboard at a deadlock 41-41 tie. It went to the tie breaker and eventually Roscommon won because they had more take downs. Rosco won 42-41.Coach Noreyko was utterly impressed with senior Ryan Savage who

under short notice cut weight to get down to 171. Savage not only sacri� ced his weight and strength, he compiled two pins. Against a bull from TC West, Savage applied an under over-hook toss and pinned his opponent in about 37 seconds. Gage Richards also really impressed his coaches with his two

victories at 160. Marcus Kelley, Matt Morley and Drake Lewandowski were they normal dominant selves. “� is was my � rst tie-breaker, I had never been through something like that, I had to get the rule book out. We’re wrestling a lot of young guys, and di� erent guys keep stepping up, that’s a sign of a good team. I just want everybody to be healthy for the end of the season.”

Farwell’s Terry Fedwa dropped down to 103 for the first time in two years to finish second while Kurt Meister of Farwell, returning conference champ, finished third at 103. Gladwin’s Dylan Hillier put together a fine performance to finish second on the day at weight 119. 140 weight class would prove to be one of the hardest of the day with Clare’s Cameron Longstreth (returning S.Q.) Tristian Zienkiewicz of Farwell (returning conference champ) and Dennis Hillier (conference runner-up) all in the same weight class. Zienkiewicz would beat longstreth in the championship to win the tournament and have the honor of being Tourney MVP, and Dennis finishing with a respectful

fourth place. Dominik Hurkel dominated the 145 weight class pinning his way through the tournament beating both St. Louis’ Cody Thrust and Montabella’s Joey Durham to earn the crown. Farwell’s Ryan Miller would add to the Jack Pines list of champions by winning the 152 class. Brandon Ayris of Clare would have a good day wrestling stiff competition to finish fourth at 160. Jake Harring of Farwell would continue his dominating ways by pinning everyone in the tournament to earn Farwell yet another champion. 215 featured Mitch Greenacher of Clare and Ryan Lampman of Gladwin. Greenacher would fall just short of wrestling a great match against Josh Capen of Ithica, while lampam would wrestle his way through the tournament to finish fourth of the day. Jake Roza over powered all his opponents but one slip cost him his trip into the championship finial but fired back for a dominating third place finish. Gladwin, who was runners-ups last year found themselves lacking finishing ninth on the day, while Clare was down missing a few key players, finishing seventh. All the while Farwell finished a respectable third.

VASSAR - MHS wrestled at theVassar Invitational today and we took 1st place going 5-0 on the day. They beat Bad Axe 59-18, Brown City 66-18, Vassar 60-15, Garber 54-27 and Standish Sterling 38-36. This puts their record at 14-2 on the year overall. Standish is a very solid team, they are now 16-2 on the year.

Going 5-0 on the day were: Chase Robinson 103, Shane Parisi, 112-119, Garrett Bowland 130-135, and Nathan Fellows 135-140. Going 4-0 was Joe Shuler at 119-125. Olivia Drier went 3-0 at 112-119. Damon Walter went 1-0 at 125 and Devin Smith went 1-0 at 171. Going 4-1 on the day were: Amirjon Zabirov at 189 and Jake Nicely 160-171. Mustangs winning three matches were: Jesse Fellows 130-135, Devin Posey 145-152, and Eric Fader 215. Kaine Sturgeon at 285 won 2 matches. Jeremy Wenzlick won a match between 160-171.

The Mid Michigan Storm hosted Mt. Pleasant Oilers on Friday, losing a tight game by a score of 3-0. The Oilers scored once in the first period on a power play goal making the score 1-0 going into the first intermission. The Oilers would then score 2 more goals in the second period to round out the scoring for the night. Neither team was able to find the net in the third period. “ This was a game in which we needed to find a way to handle their pressure and we did not, sometimes you just have to give the other team credit for a well played game and that is what we had tonite.” I thought Mt. Pleasant played one of the better games we have seen all year. Zach Woods was in night stopping 22 of 25 shots on net.

The Mid Michigan Storm rebounded well from the night before. The lack of scoring from Friday night did not carry over into Saturday night’s contest. The Storm scored early and often. The scoring started just 2 minutes into the game when Levi Westphal put in a goal assisted by Brad Ehlers and Alec Gary. Then at the halfway mark of the first period the Storm scored again on a goal from Kyle Baumann assisted by Manny Sheets and Alec Gary. One minute later the Storm struck again on another goal from Kyle Baumann, to put the Storm up 3-0 going into the second period.

The second period would see the same kind of results, it just took a little longer to get started. The Storm waited until the 4 minute mark to score 3 goals in the last 4 minutes of the second period, the last one coming with just .10 seconds left in the period. Scoring in the 2nd

period was Alec Gary, Manny Sheets, and Michael Stanislawski. Manny Sheets, Charlie Howe, Seth Gerow, and Daniel Rathbun all had assists.

The 3rd period was not very long with just 3 minutes gone in the 3rd

period the Storm scored 2 goals to put the mercy rule into effect. Jimmy Garrett and Seth Gerow both scored to make the score 8-0. Charlie Howe and Daniel Rathbun both added some more assists to their totals.

The Storms record now stands at 4-7 on the year and will play at home on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Monday, February 13, 2012 jack pine tribune Page 11

MERIDIAN – The Mustangs were looking to rejuvinate themselves after taking it on the chin against Beaverton the previous Friday and turned around this week and lashed on the Coleman Comets in preparation of the game Friday night against Gladwin.

Gladwin has been up and down all season, showing � ashes of grit and tenacity, but has yet to put a full game together and hoping to get to the 500 mark.

In some ways, the story lines appeared as if it was going to be a perfect storm. � e G’s, fresh o� a lose to their old rivals the Standish-Sterling Panthers were going to be in emergency mode, reclaim the trajectory of their season and utilize their often times physical presence down low and their ability to stretch the � oor with Dani Balzer and Ashley White dropping bombs.

Gladwin has enough tenacious athleticism to at least hang with the rugged Meridian squad with Megan Strait and JJ Willford banging and the speed burst of the Voracheck girls.

But that story lines didn’t mesh and the Mustangs blasted out of the gates and � urried out to a 20-8 � rst quarter lead to claim the 57-49 victory, despite the Lady G’s last ditch e� ort to pull it out at the end.

Meridian started the game by exploiting their advantage with the double-headed dragon beast of Kristen Goodall and Taylor Smith dictating the � ow of the game.

The league understands Goodall to be a savvy, nasty long range bomber who can score in bunches. But perhaps her greatest strength to the team is her relentless defense, her basketball IQ, and just that unteachable ability to make things happen.

� at combo package coupled with Alexus Reiss, Blake Garner, and Ali Howe managed the boards, created second chance points, forced turnovers, and locked down the passing lane.

Gladwin was able to re-exert their will in the second stanza and hold the Mustangs to eight points, but could only manufacture six of their own. Regardless, they stopped the bleeding by tightening up on their spacing, boxing out, scrapping for loose balls, contesting shots.

Meridian rolled into the break having the G’s doubled up 28-14, but the complexion of the game seemed to change and the G’s were starting to step

into their potential. Willford, a smooth operating lefty who knows

how to get into position, make use of the glass, and use her quick step to get clean looks at the cup, yet she is strong enough to muscle in low post power thrusts.

Gladwin was mashed and jammed on the Mustangs and blasted away from the fringes, reconstituted their aggression and out-scored the Mustangs 13-7 to make it a 45-37 game heading into the fourth.

All of a sudden, Meridian came back alive. � eir crisp passes, ability to snake and weasel their way

through the labyrinth of the G’s defense started to produce points in bunches, as both teams started to exchange blows like a heavy-weight title bout.

Both teams appeared to look like Jack Pine Conference contenders as their offenses were pumping out points like it was going out of style, scoring a combined 44 points in the fourth quarter in an electric display of hustle and will to win.

“ I w a s s c a r e d ,” Meridian coach Andy LaFave said. “It’s always scary when a team hangs in there like that. If we missed a few of our late shots this game could have slipped away.”

Taylor Smith paced the Mustangs with her beautiful stroke, going 5/5 from the zebra stripe and pumping an array of bunnies and � oaters to tally 15 points. Reiss worked over the blocks with scoops and � ushes to splash in 11 while Blake Garner who has been emerging as a devil-dog down low with her rare blend of physicality and grace jolted the G’s for 10.

Gladwin willed their way back into contention by working the ball through the hands of JJ Willford who splashed for 16 while Megan Strait rocked the hardwood for 11 points.


Smith was very subtle in her play against the Lady G’s Friday night, putting together

a smooth and consistent performance, then emerging late to keep her team ahead amidst several Gladwin scoring runs. Her

conversions from the charity stripe and late scoring were vital in the Mustangs’

57-49 triumph over Gladwin. She will be a key factor for Meridian as they near the

conference and district tournaments.

MUSTANGS FLEX ON G’S EARLY

Left, Meridian Alyissa M a r t i n s n e a k i n g p a s t Gladwin’s Rashell Voracheck. Above, Alexus Reiss of Sanford and Sara McIntosh battling for the ball.


By Jason ChenetteEarlier this season, the Gladwin

Flying G’s did away with the Meridian Mustangs at home, which appeared to solidify them as a player in the Jack Pine Conference race. Since that time, injuries to key players Landon Grove and Shawn Larner have crippled the G’s, and Meridian has emerged as a force in the conference.

� e two teams butt heads again Friday night in Meridian, and a much di� erent game took place. It was the Mustangs who controlled the pace, forcing the G Men to play away from their favored slow style. It was the Mustangs that led from the first shot; and it was the Mustangs who held off Gladwin, particularly Jared Beaudoing, just long enough to seal a 66-59 triumph.

Jacab Ham and Nathan Luptowski were the catalysts for Meridian’s o� ense the entire night, and Ham quickly put his team in the lead with a three pointer on the opening play. The Mustangs jumped out to a 7-2 lead, but the G’s brought it back even on a three from Hayden Scott. Ham went lights out from this point on, dropping in seven more points in the first quarter and carrying the scoring load for his team , leading the Mustangs to go up 18-7 very early on.

Gladwin fought their way back into it quickly with an 8-2 run, highlighted by an o� ensive rebound and 9 foot shot that Beaudoing managed to make a� er falling to the floor on a drive. This is the closest Gladwin would get in the half however, as Meridian took control from then on, bene� ting greatly from scoring contributions from Luptowski

and Kevin Scheibert. The Mustangs cruised into hal� ime with a 32-17 lead.

Other than converting a shot from the ground, Beaudoing was very quiet in the first half, and a whole new animal emerged in the second half. He came out on fire, dropping shots from everywhere on the court. Anywhere past half court he showed no restraint in throwing it up, and almost every shot concluded with results. His

scoring, along with solid team defense, brought the G’s back to within 5 at one point in the 3rd, but Ham’s scoring spurts continued to be shown, and the Mustangs did enough to hold an eleven point lead heading into the fourth quarter despite 15 points from Beaudoing.

� e gap closed quickly in the fourth a� er three G’s baskets in the opening minute. The Mustangs showed great resilience in holding off the Gladwin

surges, and late contributions from Cameron Hobbs had a massive impact, as his post presence was never more prevalent in the game as it was in the � nal minutes. Beaudoing continued to have his way with the Meridan defense, finding a shot no matter what they threw at him. An o� balance nuke from several feet behind the three point line brought Gladwin to within 4 points midway through the � nal frame, and clutch shooting from Hayden Scott kept the G Men clinging to life all through the later stages of the game, but the trio of Luptowski, Ham, and Hobbs was simply too much for the sporadic offensive play the G’s showed, and Meridian emerged winning 66-59.

“I’m really happy with our play tonight, Gladwin, came out gunning and made it pretty interesting, but we just played really really well down the stretch,” Meridian coach Mitch Bohn said.

Luptowski and Ham combined for 42 points on the night, with 23 coming from Liptowski’s hands and 19 from Ham, including 10 in the opening quarter. Cameron Hobbs also added 10 points.

Beaudoing � nished his night with 27 points, including 23 in the 2nd half. Scott added 9 points on three three pointers.

“We played really poorly in the � rst half and just couldn’t do enough to come back from that. It’s a shame because we played a really tough team really well and had our chances, but we just didn’t capitalize,” Gladwin coach Kirk Taylor said.


Jacab Ham’s ability to score the ball made all the di erence Friday night against Gladwin. His smooth jumper and crafty drives to the basket helped his team get ahead early and stay ahead late. Furthermore, his ability to

facilitate kept the pressure o of him and on other hot handed teammates throughout the game. Look for more big games from Ham as

Districts lurk closer.

THE MUSTANGS REVENGEAfter taking it on the chin early in the season to the Flying G’s, Bohn’s crew wrapped up the G-boys.

Left, Cam Hobbs working the low post on Gladwin’s Chad Pollock for inside position. Below, Zack Arthur blitzing to the cup through a small hole in the G’s defensive scheme.


on the stellar play of junior forward Cameron Zettel who canned � ve of his nine points in the early minutes.

The Bobcats retaliated with a sparky triple by senior Kasey Turner at the 4:45 mark to bring the tally to 4-3, but for the remainder of the first eight-minute period, the Bobcats chased the streaking Falcons and battled their own nerves to a 14-5 de� cit.

Assisting in the Falcon effort was six-foot-one, senior Jordan Kaczmarek, pounding in � ve of his season high,13-points in the early going.

“We wanted to focus on running the � oor,” said coach Dunn of his team’s commanding lead.

On the Bobcat bench, first-year Houghton Lake head coach Larry Mead and sta� were looking to stop the bleeding as turnovers and team fouls were beginning to add up to prized points for the opportunistic Falcons.

“Turnovers killed us tonight,” Mead said. “Their pressure got in our heads early and we are a young team. � ey play in the Big North, which is much more physical.”

In the second period, that critical, inside strength began to show up as the Falcons extended their lead behind the e� ort of bench players such as junior Dennis Erickson shooting three-of-four from the line and sophomore center Alec Stevens

muscling in four of his � ve points with authority.

As the second period waned, the young Bobcats emotions began to catch up with them as team fouls and frustration added up to a technical foul on the hosts.

A� er some initial confusion on the part of the o� ciating crew as to who would shoot the � rst infraction and the following technical violation, the infraction was sorted out and both teams went to the locker room with many more bruises than when they arrived.

At the hal� ime buzzer, the Falcons held the upper hand 29-17 and the Bobcats repaired to their locker room to reassess the situation and decided to come out a different team under the lights of their home court.

Houghton Lake came out pressing

hard in the third period and cut the Falcon lead to 29-20 on an old-fashioned, three point play by senior Kyle Bates at the 7:15 mark.� irty seconds later, Roberto began to � re up the Ogemaw boys with a bomber triple that sent the Bobcats back to a dozen points down, 32-20.

After a split free throw series by Dull and a pair by Bates, Roberto poured in another triple followed by a coast-to-coast run for a lay-up, the Falcons held a high-water, 37-24 lead.

Houghton Lake would battle back to a 10-point de� cit by mid-period, but would draw no closer and the stanza would end 48-35, Ogemaw Heights.

Kaczmarek and the Ogemaw squad opened up a 50-35 lead as the fourth period came to light on the play of junior Tim Howard’s five-of-six presence at the line and a four-point contribution by classmate Jerome Hunter.

The Falcons were not without their own demons a� er the break, elbowing it out in the paint, slugging for position with the Bobcats down low, diving for loose balls on the � oor and sending the so� -shooting Bobcats to the line in the process.

Houghton Lake cut the lead to 57-48 behind Bates and the deep shooting of senior Pat Gaitan, in the end, the play of the Falcons proved too much for the home-standing Bobcats, 67-55.

“We had to match them and we came out strong in the second half,” said coach Mead of the Falcon physicality. “But, we shot 11 of 30 free throws� that’s a momentum killer and it’s harder to set up our press when we don’t

make them. Jared Dull scored 14 points for us. Defensively, he was good and he ran the o� ense well. He was able to score or go to the line.”

Dull � nished with six de� ections, � ve rebounds, four assists and three steals on a six-for-17 free throw shooting night.

Six-foot-six senior Bates � nished the game with eight points, 10

rebounds and two steals despite riding the pines for a time in the second period.

“He played solid offensively in limited minutes because of foul trouble,” Mead said of his big man.

Senior Pat Gaitan contributed six points and a lot of intangible for Mead.

“He was � ying around on defense, getting de� ections and disrupting t he Fa lcon of fens e ,” Me ad recounted. “He also hit a couple of big threes in the fourth quarter that got it down to a single digit lead.”

Starter Kasey Turner finished the game with eight points, 10 rebounds � ve de� ections and four blocks for the Bobcats. Freshman Nathan Shavalia had six points, six rebounds and three blocks in a journeyman e� ort.

Mead was more philosophical about his young charges future prospects as the season unfolds.

“� e second half was positive for us,” Mead said. “If we put together a full 32-minute game tomorrow against Tawas, I like our chances. Also, I’m looking forward to the return of sophomore Tyler Sluck who has come on strong for us since bringing him up from JV.”



Farwell is licking their chops at the rematch against Harrison in the hopes of

snatching up at least one win this season. Beaverton had their bubble burst by the

Pioneer wrecking crew. Meridian mashed the G’s and Rosco is on the rise with Mires.

Wysong is a wicked mix of Rodman and Potsie from Happy Days. Simply raw.

BOBCATS, CONTINUED FROM FRONT

TRIBUNE ROUND UPWALTON DROPS HAMMER ON

THE HIVE

Coleman’s Ryan Walton had 17 points, 13 rebounds, and eight steals Monday as the Comets beat Harrison 54-47 in non-league boys’ basketball. Comets’ coach Byron Schunk was not totally pleased, despite the win. “You could tell it was kind of a let down for us tonight,” Schunk said.

The Comets trailed 11-8 after the first quarter, led 27-23 at halftime, and led 41-34 a� er the third quarter. Coleman also got a double-double from Tylor Rhynard, who had 12 points, 13 rebounds, and � ve assists. Riley Bell had eight points and five assists, and Tim Anderson had eight points as well.

Bryan Groch did everything he could to propel HHS as he compiled 27 points. “We came out with better energy in the first half of the game. Coleman switched to a man defense in the second half after we got up on them by nine and we didn’t execute like we should have,” replied Harrison’s Coach Joe Ashcro� . “When we � nally started running the o� ense Coleman started to out hustle us and they got to every loose ball.” Overall Coach Ashcro� felt is was a solid game and his crew is heading in a positive direction, however, they still have a lot of things to work on.

EAGLES FALL TO PINE RIVER

� e Farwell Eagle cagers stumbled out f lat against the Pine River Bucks and they struggled to gain any momentum. Farwell lost 56-25. Jacob Sutton and Bobby Byard each tallied eight points to lead the Eagles. Coach Schunk said that Pine River had a quick guard that penetrated very well and a huge post player that made

e� ortless moves under the rim.

BUCKS OUTLAST PINCONNING SPARTANS IN A FREE-FOR-ALL

The Bucks were able to exert themselves in the opening stanza to establish 8 points of seperation to take a 17-9 lead, utilizing the machine-dog in the middle Josh Smock to hammer on the glass and control the pace of the game throughout with Hunter Mires facilitating the o� ensive � ow of the game to capture the 37-31 victory over the Spartans.

� e Bucks were able to utilize their collective athleticism, as Collin Lake was a menace on the defensive end the Roscommon crew log jammed the middle, contested perimeter shots, and held the Pinconning boys to a meager four points in the second quarter to head into half-time with a 25-13 lead.

Pinconning capitalized on sloppy play and edged to within � ve, but the bucks had enough gas in the tank to fend of the boys in green down the stretch for the 37-31 victory.

Hunter Mire and Josh Smock both had 11 points and Smock finished with 10 boards.

HORNETS RECORD SECOND WIN BY TOPPLING MORIBUND

MARION

It was gritty border war and you knew things were going to be rugged as the Marion inhabitants have been looking to annex the northern fringes of Temple for quite sometime.

But the Hornets would not hand over the crown jewel of Harrison, Duggan’s Canoe rental, without a � ght.

Harrison scratched and clawed their way to a 12-10 lead in the � rst,

unleashed their defense and delivered torrents of speed around the perimeter to swarm and stymie Marion’s guards, and the boys in the trenches mashed on the glass to control the tempo of the game and dictate the transition aspect of the hardwood.

The Hornets rolled into half-time with a meaty 25-12 lead, but the Eagles � ew out in the second half and made things interesting, outscoring the Hornets 13-6 in the fourth. But in the end it was just two much Bryan Groch and Cory Lobdell.

Groch paced the Hornets with 14

while Lobdell added 10 in the a� air.

MUSTANGS JUMP ON COMETS

North Bradley was in an up-roar at half time as they were enjoying 17-13 lead over the Meridian Mustangs and licking their chops to drop the hammer on their US-10 counter parts, but a second o� ensive torrent allowed the boys from Sanford Lake to retain the 43-33 victory over Coleman.

Nate Luptowski of Meridian had his silky smooth stroke on full display as he popped the Comets for 16 and Cam Hobbs � exed down low to pack in 9 points and 16 boards.

Tylor Rhynard and Alex Brown of Coleman both had 9.

“Our press got to them a bit and it allowed us to score some points in transition,” commented Coach Mitch Bohn.

BUCKS FREAK OUT ON HORNETS

Roscommon’s Hunter Mires chipped in 13 while Todd Martin and Collin Lake with � nished with points 11 to spur the Bucks past Harrison 58-34.

Casey Rundell added 11 for the Hornets in the lose. Freshman, Nathan Shavalia exploded for 19 points and 15 caroms to catapult his Houghton Lake Bobcats to the 58-30 JPC road victory over Farwell. Senior leader, Pat Gaitan tallied 10 points and he swiped four steals. Tyler Sluck netted eight points. Kyle Bates snatched eight steals. The Cats pressure bothered Farwell and even kept FHS scoreless in the third quarter. Kyle Brandon led the Eagles with eight points, Greg Sauper scored fi ve and Bobby Byard only tallied three points.

Ryan Walton has been an absolute sky walking warlord for the Comets this season. He dumped 17 points and snatched up 13 boards against the Harrison Hornets to jump start the Coleman Comets and. Walton’s dominance over the Hornets has Dodge City on a quest for spiritual understanding and desernment.

Left, Kyle Akin showing his grace (bottom) Jared Dull looking for the inside pinch.

If Casey Blades can stay out of foul trouble, be aggressive and still play physical Beaverton will be an absolute juggernaut.

If Tanner Vida stays aggressive, relentlessly on the prowl for the Pioneers, Clare will be really be a di� cult team to slow down.

Riley Bell has to do a better job of taking care of the ball. He has talent galore and at times he’s one of the most exciting players around to watch.

Baginski has to stay a s se r t i ve , when he ’s c a n n i n g t h e c o r n e r triples Farwell has several potent options around the perimeter.

If Tenwalde can improve his scoring output via steals and transition baskets like he’s very skilled at doing, the G’s could really make some noise.

If Bryan Groch can maintain his aggressive o� ensive tactics of slicing into the gaps and knocking down deep jumpers , Harrison will be a menace.

Shavalia needs to start sinking those medium range jumpers like he was in the � rst few games of the season and then the Cats will be formidible.

If Peyton Marshall can start driving into the lanes, drawing contact, getting to the line or dishing to open cutters, Meridian will excel.

I f To d d M a r t i n keeps mixing it up on the o� ensive glass Rosco has a great opportunity to f in i sh the sea son unblemished.


Varsity Beaverettes control PinnyBy Drew Porter� e Beaverton Beavers girls varsity

team hosted the Pinconning Spartans on Tuesday. Beaverton was able to control the game and win by a score of 60-49. The Beavers started off good when Morgan Oldani grabbed her miss and scored and on the next Beaver possession, Janae Wolfe hit a triple. Beaverton's Bre Frasher sliced through the lane a� er a Pinconning turnover and made the score 7-0. Frasher was not done, however, as she sunk another basket to force Pinconning to call an early timeout. Becca Bennett then got in on the scoring action as she took it to the rack, and was fouled. A� er Bennett hit both free throws, Lauren Look got Pinny on the board, and it was 11-2. Becca Bennett then was the o� ensive scorer and Morgan Oldani was the defensive monster, as on 3 consecutive possessions, Oldani caused the turnover and threw the outlet to Bennett and Bennett scored 8 points total. Cassidy Vieau then stopped the scoring for now as she banked in a two. Lyndsi Lorenz then scored for the Spartans, but Beaverton held the advantage, 20-6. Pinny would go on an 6-0 run to start the 2nd quarter and then Cassaday Shea stopped the bleeding with a tough basket in the paint. Morgan McCallister got her name in the scorebook when she hit a long deuce. Dana Mayer would get fouled and split a pair of free throws, but Frasher was wheeling and dealing, as she threw a crisp pass to Shea for the bucket. Cassidy Vieau would go on a 4-0 scoring run to narrow the score to 26-18. Beaverton would go into the half up 31-21 and cruise from there. They would go on to win 60-49. Becca Bennett led the Beaver scoring with 15, Janae Wolfe and Bre Frasher both had 10, Jasmyn Parker-Urban had 7 and Morgan Oldani controlled the inside with 6 points and 6 boards. Cassidy Vieau had a game high 24 points in a losing effort. "Our offense wasn't bad, but our defense lacked as we were looking to work on some things" said Beaverton's Kevin Wolfe.

� e junior Beavers also toppled the Pinny girls 43-31 as Abbey Bradberry was hot and slashed in 16 points o� an array of � oaters and bunny shots. Her partner in crime Haley Forbes slam-wrecked and poured in 10 points to keep the Beavers rolling.

“It was a good showing for us. I felt we ran the court well and the transition game was a strength of ours last night. Both Forbes and Bradberry stepped up as leaders and shot the ball well. I was also pleased with the performance of Eaton. She had 6pts for us and took up some space on the inside. Overall a good team win,” said Coach Ware.

Panther claw G’s on home court The Panthers of Standish-Sterling

(12-4) rotated on defense, worked the ball through their offense, and flurried out on the G’s in the first quarter to establish a 17-8 lead before the Gladwin crew decided to make it a game. � e G’s played their arch NEMC rivals even in the second to head into half-time down by nine, 29-20 and showed flashes of just how much talent the team on their roster by taking the lead in the third outscoring the Panthers 24-14 to take

a 44-43 lead into the fourth. But Gladwin’s offense stalled,

turnovers plagued the G’s and the Panthers were able to execute down the stretch and win the � nal quarter

10-3 to claim the 53-47 victory in the nest.

Dani Balzer willed Gladwin into contention with 13 points and J.J. Willford added 11. Brooke Bartlett spurred the Panther of Standish-Sterling with 13 points while Chloee King scored 12.

Bucks dump on Owls The Bucks jumped out in the first

quarter, established their interior presence with Liz Gendernalik and Kayla Hawkins and then Logan Hutek started to pump in from the fringes to make it a 18-12 ball game a� er one, then they clamped down defensively in the third to hold the Owls to paltry 3 points in the 56-36 victory.

Hutek, who has been coming on strong as of late, growing and molding into premier baller as only a freshman, lit up the Owls for 16 points while her partner in crime Kayla Hawkins � ipped in 10.

The Bucks were able to get their o� ensive machine turning, as every girl put the biscuit in the basket. Dianne Doebler chipped in 9 and Dianne Doebler added 7.

Tori LaPointe led Oscoda with 15 points.

Falcon’s Swoop on BobcatsThe Falcon's of Ogemaw made

just enough plays down the stretch to edge the Bobcats 39-32.“Although we lost, the night overall had a bunch of positives. Most importantly, we � nally played hard for a whole game. We usually have a cold start or a cold 3rd quarter, and we didn’t have that this game...we were agressive and in the game the whole time, no lapses. Another positive was that I was able to sub and still have � ow in the game,” commented Coach Dalak. “If a starter needed a breather, our subs were ready and in tune to the tempo and feel on the court. � e last big positive was our rebounding. We were very agressive on the boards and that was a huge part of our game tonight. � ere are areas we obviously lacked in, we committed stupid fouls, bad passes, rushing the ball up the court when we should have calmed

down with it--but at this point, we need positivity! I am happy with the rest of our schedule and what I think we can accomplish with our remaining games. Hopefully what

we started tonight will continue to the end of the season.”

Kelly Julin paced the Bobcats with 12 pts, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, w h i l e S a’ Ta i t s h i a Mims was an absolute war-dog in the point, wrapping up 5 points, 19 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block. Brooke Fagerlie, who has been an extra boost as of late chipped in 7 points, 8 rebounds. Maddee Winkler rolled up 5 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals and Megan Carrick scrapped in 3 steals, 6 rebounds.

Jr Pioneers too much inside for Beaverettes

� e Beaverettes jumped out to a 9-5 lead on their home court, but Coach Dave Maxwell’s junior

Pioneers lashed out in the 2nd quarter, as Olivia Cooper unloaded

for 7 points and Kenzie and Kodi Humphrey lobbed in 7 of their own to mash into half-time 21-13 and rolled to the 44-33 victory.

“It wasn’t pretty, we did enough right things to win tonight,” said Coach Maxwell. “Our whole team seems to be getting that bug that is going around.”

Laura Walton led the Pioneers with 13 followed by Kodi Humphery and Olivia Cooper with 10 a piece. Beaverton’s high scorer was Abby Bradberry.

Wartella soars with Eagles past Bobcats - With the Bobcats looking to lock down Farwell’s super-star Lyndsay Ruckle down low and on the fringes, it was sharp shooting Brooke Wartella that allowed the Farwellians the edge past the Bobcats 32-28.

“She just gave us a big lift tonight and looked to score. It was nice to see her get going and be aggressive,” c o m m e nt e d Fa r w e l l ’s To m Kleinhardt. “More importantly, she has really elevated her defense and we have been able to do some di� erent things with her as a result.”

The Eagles jumped out to a 11-6 lead spurted into the break with a 18-12 lead in the defensive struggle.

“The Bobcat’s Box & 1 defense made it hard to get Ruckle the opens looks we were hoping to get, so we had to switch it up a bit. Casey Rivard gave us a nice boost o� the bench, but we really struggled in the 3rd quarter only scoring four points.”

With the Bobcats having Sa’Taisha Mims mashing down, the Houghton Lake girls were able to close the gap, but a late surge by the Eagles proved to be too much, as Farwell won 32-28.

Brooke Wartella paced the Eagles with 11 while Jenna Hamming chipped in 7.

Kelly Julin led the Bobcats with 9. Reno, Rosco blast Hornets, A� er falling earlier in the week to

Manistee 35-28, the Bucks bounced back and Amanda Reno dumped 18 and Logan Hutek flipped 16.

Taylor Bondie had a nice night for the Hornets popping in 15 including 6/8 from the free throw game.

“It was a nice bounce back game for us tonight and I was really proud of the way Amanda Reno played tonight,” said Coach Weiler of Roscommon.

Late Surge Sparks Clare Victory Over Beavers

By Je� GoodwinFor the first 23:59 of their game

against the Clare Lady Pioneers, the Beaverton Beavers were in control. Led by Jasmyn Parker-Urban and Morgan Oldani, the Beavers had Clare deadlocked at 21. But, as the clock ticked down to end the 3rd

quarter, Lindsay Winter, hampered throughout by the tenacious defense of Becca Bennett, released an arcing triple. As the buzzer sounded, the leather globe slid silently through the net. � e momentum, and chance of upsetting the conference power, was simultaneously dashed.

From the tip, it was clear the Beavers had upset on their mind. Lightning rod Parker-Urban paced the Beavers with eight first half points, on a dazzling display of ball handling and shooting.. However, the Beavers were not able to take advantage of their strong defensive play, and they allowed the Pioneers to hang around. As the teams head into the locker room, the teams were deadlocked at 15.

Coming out of the first half, the crowd was treated to much the same. � e teams labored o� ensively, as the defensive quickness and tenacity wore down both squads. With the quarter winding down, Winter’s prayer opened the flood gates for a fourth quarter o� ensive explosion.

The fourth quarter was a true testament to Clare’s season. Led by six points in the quarter from Winter, Benchley, and Courtney English, the Pioneers outscored the Beavers 18-9 to take 42-30 victory. Leading the way for Clare were Benchley and Winter with 11, while Parker-Urban paced the Beavers with 10.

Clare sustained some loses, but battled through a gritty and inspired Beaverton squad. Meridian lashed out against Gladwin and Coleman, and

Hutek has the Bucks fl ashing. Keep an eye on the Eagles.

Despite the loses, don’t forget that Clare has

Lindsay Winter.

TRIBUNE ROUND UP

Brooke Wartella has stepped up big time defensively for the Farwell Eagles. Wartella has that raw ability to be an immortal long distant assassin that can slash through the team’s psyche with her piercing long balls.

Wartella’s performance against the Houghton Lake Bobcats was huge in getting the Eagles mojo pumping and flexing in dramatic fasion.

Farwell’s Jenna Hamming slashing to the cup against the Bobcats of Houghton Lake

F r a s h e r i s n ’ t a heavyweight boxer, but her jumpers and foul shots sting just as bad as an upper-cut to the chin. Frasher can take Beaverton to the next level.

L i z F a n c o n h a s given the Clare loyalists g l impes o f g l immer, i f she can steady her production, Clare will roll.

Rosie Lovejoy plays l ike a smaller female version of John Stockton. She has uncanny court vision and she can spark Coleman’s cause.

At times Ballinger is as fierce of a rebounder as there is in the JPC. S h e h a s t o b e m o re consistent for Farwell to win.

Megan S t ra i t has the potential to be the most dominate o� ensive rebounder in the league, if she does Gladwin will be tough to beat.

Mercedes Shellito can be the vehicle that permits Harrison to make some noise in the districts if she � nds her outside shot rhythm again.

Kelly Julin has the ability to take over a quarter, now she needs to put four quarters together and dominate a game.

Alyissa Martin is a capable facilitator, if she can return to form and set the table for the potent shooters, MHS won’t be stopped.

If Dianne Doebler can pierce into the gaps and knock down that mid-range jumper, Rosco will be much more e� ective in the half court.


F a r w e l l

Carl Moeller

Fabled, Coach Dave Luther was blessed with an army of talent laden basketballers at FHS in the early to mid 1980s. � e most potent of weapons in this arsenal featured Adam Mateman and Steve Ruckle.

Steve Ruckle could guard any position and he was equipped with an array of o� ensive skills. Ruckle was the leader on the 1984 Eagle battalion. � is brigade consisted of numerous other lethal soldiers: Mike Gerhart, Mike Moeller and Steve

Hendershot. � ese Eaglemen sliced through their regular season record en route to compiling a 15-5 mark. Farwell destroyed E v a r t i n the opening r o u n d o f districts, 86-45. � en they crushed out the Bucks of Pine River, 84-53. This s e t u p a

collision course with the mighty Beaverton Beavers, a team that split with Farwell in the regular season (67-63 & 60-56).

The district final was a see-saw a� air as Beaverton edged Farwell, 71-69 for the district crown. � is Beaverton team went on to advance to Crisler Arena where they lost in the semi-� nals.

Carl Moeller was a savvy and e� ective table setting point guard on this team. � e next season as a junior

in 1985, the Eagles avenged their loss to the Beavers and captured the elusive district title. Tori Patterson

was a sti� ing defensive standout and Mark Popa was solid on th i s t eam. I n 1 9 8 6 Moeller erupted to s c o r e 5 2 5 more points.

C a r l M o e l l e r i s considered by many to be the most skilled basketball player in Farwell lore. Moeller amassed 1,310 career points during his four years clad in purple and gold on the Eagle varsity hoop squad. � is is the most any other FHS baller has ever scored. Moeller tallied 525 points

in his illustrious senior campaign. Moeller was so much more than just a shooter.

Carl is also the all-time assist leader at FHS as he dished out 581 career assists. Moeller was a very strong and bruising player as well. He is thought of by many as one the best rebounding guards

to come through the ranks. Moeller was a stifling defender. Carl had a powerful upper and lower body, this allowed him to defend all different types of players and l o c k t h e m d o w n . Moeller new when to shoot his lethal perimeter jumpers, he knew when to knife through the gaps of the defense, get to the rim and score or draw the contact to get to the foul line.

“Carl Moeller was just such a well-rounded player, he had no weaknesses. Carl was a sure-handed, always under control ball handler. He had great court vision, he really saw the � oor well. He might be the best rebounding guard I’ve ever saw. What impressed me the most about Carl was his leadership and con� dence. I had great parents, but what I’ll always appreciate is how comforting Coach Luther and Coach Smith were while my parents were � ghting through a divorce, they were there for me, they were a caring, listening ear,” � ese were the words of Adam Mateman, a man who once scored 43 points in one game. Many feel he was the best FHS basketball player.

Adam Mateman

FARWELL EAGLES

85DISTRICT CHAMPS

Left, #32, Carl Moeller comes of f f rom help -side defense and swats a Coleman player’s shot off the backboard. R i g h t , T o r i

Patterson pulls up along the baseline and drills a mid-range jumpshot. Pat terson was r e l e n t l e s s o n defense. He took great pride on t h e d e f e n s i v e end and usually guarded the other team’s best player a c c o r d i n g t o Coach Luther.B e l o w , C a r l

Moeller slashes by his man and kisses in a fl oater.

Back row: Coach Luther, B Forkum, M Saupe, S Lake, S Ruckle, M Moeller, M Benner, M Gerhart and Coach Smith. Front row: M Yazzi, G Campbell, B Botos, C Osborn, C Myers, S Hendershot, T DeNio and Carl Moeller.


MCBAIN – With few in the JPC equipped to give Clare a signi� cant challenge on the hardwood, Coach Matt Rodenbo was forced to beef up his schedule to prepare his girls for the district.

These tough loses to Saginaw Nouvel , Mt . Pleasant Sacred Heart, and McBain - all traditional powerhouses, would provide a litmus test to where the team is at and what direction they need to head.

The 51-34 loss to McBain might have been a ding to the record, but it was good for the program.

The mighty and magnificent Lady Pioneer hoopsters of Clare rumbled northwest to tango with the #10 ranked in class ‘C’ Lady Ramblers of McBain on Monday night. Ashley Petree sneaked inside and converted a bucket to grant Clare a 2-0 lead. Shortly a� er, Clare’s savvy, fabulous two-way force, Lindsay Winter anticipated, burst into the passing lane, pushed the ball forward to catapult a fastbreak, she zoomed downcourt, slithered around the determined McBain defender and tossed in a sleek basket to give her Pioneers a 4-2 lead.

Soon-a� er, Alex Stark sprawled to the hardwood canvas to corral a loose ball. She dive, scooped up the ball and from her back-side zipped a precise pass to Winter to ignite another transition opportunity. Winter faked a pass and scooped in a bucket. McBain as they did all evening long, responded right back down the court with instant vengeance to squash and dampen any type of Clare momentum. At the end of the opening stanza McBain clung to a 7-6 advantage. � is was the last time the contest felt like it could go either

way. � e Ramblers rolled to the 51-34 victory and it really wasn’t that close.

Early in the second frame, Winter blazed through a gap, drew in the defenders, kicked out to Alex Stark who stepped confidently into a

long two and splashed it nothing but nylon. McBain came right back down to score, draining consecutive three-pointers and toss in a couple more transition hoops to give them a 19-8 lead. McBain’s Brittany Watson flashed to the high post, caught, pump-faked, maneuvered around a Pioneer and flicked in a medium range jump-shot in the paint just before the buzzer of the first half

resonated. The Ramblers led at the break, 26-10.

Winter and Benchley did all they could do, Corinne Wezensky made an impact, but McBain just worked so hard to keep their opponent in front

of them and they all moved the ball around so well that Clare couldn’t maintain.

“Collectively they played really strong defense. It’s simple, we need to shoot the ball better. I know we’re not going to make 100 percent of our shots, but we miss a lot of shots that we’re very capable of knocking down. They’re an excellent team. They find the open player and

make the majority of their open looks,” remarked Clare’s Coach Matt Rodenbo.

Sophomore � oor-general, Lindsay Winter poured in 14 points and 11 caroms. As usual, Winter plays a tremendous all-around game and always exerts maximum e� ort with ultra energy. Ashley Petree tallied six points and two rebounds. Melissa Benchley swiped five steals. Alex Stark pulled down four rebounds. Oakland bound, AnneMarie Hamlet led all scorers with 19 points.

The junior varsity Clare Lady Pioneer hoop squad, directed by Coach Dave Maxwell was competing with great vigor early on in the � rst half inside the hostile confines of the McBain High School Rambler gymnasium. McBain burst out to a 21-8 lead at hal� ime.

The Lady Ramblers of MHS exploded out to a 10-2 run to begin the third stanza. Morgan Humphrey dished a nifty pass to Kenzie Humphrey for a snazzy basket. At the end of the third quarter McBain led 33-12.

� is jv McBain team moved crisply and intelligently without the ball. � is created cutting lanes and passing lanes for easy buckets. The entire team dribbled with their heads up and they displayed great unsel� sh vision. Kodi Humphrey � ercely chased down a rebound, ripped it away, passed to an open mate and received the ball back for a basket o� the backboard. McBain went on to triumph 42-14. Kodi Humphrey led the junior varsity Lady Pioneers with seven points. “We need to play with more con� dence, move the ball and play our game, we’re better than that,” said Clare’s Coach Dave Maxwell.

By Jason ChenetteThe Lady Comets’ woes

continued Tuesday at home against the St. Louis Sharks. Despite strong play early on and late scoring production from Rosie Lovejoy, St Louis dominated, particularly

in the offensive post, and cruised to the � nish, winning 54-25.

The Sharks leaped from the gate, starting the game on a 7-0 run. Coleman quickly found scoring production of their own, manufacturing a 6 point

run of their own as a result of baskets from Taylor Morley, Cameron Blake, and Amber Anderson.

St. Louis then began to feed their post players Bri Alspaugh and Kayla Baxter, who each held signi� cant size advantages over any of the Coleman defenders. The inability to guard against the barrage in the paint and rebounding dominance of the Sharks hindered the Comets greatly, and St. Louis quickly began to pull away. Coleman fought hard, but couldn’t stop St. Louis from surging ahead 28-13 at hal� ime.

Foul trouble and fatigue were constant struggles for Coleman all through the second half. Their 8 player roster limited t he i r abi l i t y to f ind favorable match ups and having desirable players guarding the St. Louis bigs was rare. � is led to the Sharks extending their

lead much further in the third quarter and for a vast majority of the fourth. The Comets’ shooting was streaky as well, not allowing them to � nd any sort of rhythm o� ensively. Lovejoy emerged as a scoring threat in the fourth quarter, dropping in 6 points in a matter of minutes, but it was far too late to have an impact on the outcome of the game, and St. Louis emerged victorious.

Lovejoy’s 6 points led her team, with Taylor Morley contributing 5.

“We’re starting to show progress in the things we’ve been working on in practice,” said Coleman coach Kristina Haring. “We have a good group of girls and we’re heading in the right direction, even if it isn’t showing in the win/loss columns.”

St. Louis’s Kayla Baxter led all scorers with 20 points.

The Lady Pioneers lost to a top 10 McBain team early in the week, but they seemed to have learned from the loss as they responded by defeating a talent laden Meridian team on Friday. Beavers, Eagles and G’s all win.

Melissa Benchley only knows one speed, her constant pres-

sure is a weapon for CHS.

Janae Wolfe had the abil-ity to totally dominate the o� ensive glass in spurts, if she can be more consistent with her rebounding and interior scoring BHS will be tough.

Ashley Petree was one of the best all-around players in the JPC last winter, if she can return to that form Clare will dominate.

Amber Moore is one of the most polished and lethal scoring threats in all the land, he energy is paramount to Cole-man’s success.

When Caron White gives Farwell that extra scoring punch, the Lady Eagles are very di� cult to beat. She has extreme talent.

Rashell Vorachek has rare explosion burst that leave defenders in her dust. She needs to be more hungry when trying to score the ball.

Autumn Haag is prob-ably the best candidate in the JPC to perform a rebounding clinic. Her boxing out is impec-cable.

Kaitlyn Hans has springs in her legs, great hands and so� touch. She needs to consistently utilize these skills and bolster the Bobcats scoring charge.

Taylor Smith has the abil-ity to be one of the most game controlling forces in the area, she needs to pony up and take games over like she can.

Kayla Hawkins has the frame and skill set to be one of the most destruc-tive all-around players in the league, she needs to assert herself more o� en.

RAMBLERS DROP PIONEERS

ST. LOUIS SAILS PAST COMETS

Rosie Lovejoy played limited minutes against the St. Louis Sharks, but her contributions have perhaps solidified her as another valuable scoring option for the Comets for the remainder of the season. She shook up the flow of the game against a tough St. Louis team, allowing Coleman to play with the Sharks as the game progressed.

Coleman’s Valarie Miller � ashes some defense on the Sharks early in the � rst quarter for the Comets.

McBain was to � uid with their ball movement and their swarming defense was a lesson for CHS. � e Lady Ramblers are ranked #10 in class ‘C’ and their star gurads shredded Clare.

RECENT LOSES TO SAGINAW, MT. PLEASANT, AND MCBAIN WILL PROVE TO BE USEFUL

jack pine tribune Page 13Monday, February 20, 2012

MANISTIQUE – The Roscommon Bucks change coaches, but they just seem to keep chugging along. This buzzsaw program has now won nine consecutive JPC titles and four straight regional crowns.

“It was just crit ical for us that Damian really worked and made weight at 130. He had hurt his ankle earlier in the year and had lost confidence in getting down that low, but it was necessary for us to excel. The whole team really grateful for Damian’s extra hard work to not only make weight, but to win,” said Roscommon’s Coach Ronnie Noreyko. “We really were in a bind since Mitch Tyler broke his foot last week and couldn’t wrestle. That eliminated our ability to shuffle people around and experiment with 171-215. With this being said, Ryan Savage, who’s been a strong leader all season long, worked his tail off to not get pinned wrestling a very powerful wrestler. Every little ability to not give up points is important. Starting off with the meat of their lineup was a bear. We found ourselves down 28-0 and then the boys really started to perform. Mark is a genius, he could win many chess matches. Mark is so good at scouting and knowing where we can win and save giving up

points, he knows how to mix up match-ups.”Against the Fl ivers of Kingsford Gage

Richards fought valiantly, but succumbed at the 160 weight class, 8-6. Senior stalwart, Ryan Savage also lost in a heartbreaker, 3-2. At 189, Logan Long battled into the third period but was pinned. At 215, Nate Thornton grinded out a shutout victory, winning 3-0. Heavyweight, James Brotherton was pinned. Then they started back at 103 with Amanda DeWitt getting pinned. The Bucks found themselves facing a 24-3 deficeit.

Then the Bucks awoke from their hibernation a n d e l e c t r i f i e d t h e Up p e r Pe n i n s u l a grappling mats. Tony Mayball earned a void victory. The contortionists, Dustin Noreyko w rapp e d h i s opp onent up and pinne d his man early in the f irst period. Caleb Jernigan, who’s been red hot, pinned his opposition.

Damian Lewandowski pinned his man and really sparked his team. Marcus Kelley is rock solid and he pinned his man in no time. Drake Lewandowski was granted a void win as was Brad Biggs.

Senior juggernaut, Matt Morley moved up from 145 to 152 to better help the team. This

warr ior i s perhaps the most physical and aggressive grappler in the region. He flexed his muscles on the U.P. competition and garnered his 100th pin of his career. A very impressive mark consider ing out of his 142 career wins, 100 are pins . This concluded the Bucks 51-24 triumph over Kingsford.

Gladstone defeated a very skilled Benzie s q u a d , s e t t i n g u p the match between them and the Bucks. F r e s h m a n , N i c k A n d e r s o n e a r n e d valuable experience, but he suffered the pin loss. Savage worked

not to get pinned by a good wrestler from Gladstone and lost 12-3. Logan Long who’s only 174 pounds, lost to a rugged 215 man by pin. Thornton, who’s only 205 lost to a 280 pound man, then Dewitt was pinned once again and the Braves of Gladstone had a 28-0 lead.

Tony Mayball collected a void. Noreyko quickly pinned his man. Caleb Jernigan mauled and majored his man, dominating 11-2. Damian Lewandowski was clutch as he beasted his man 15-2. Not only was it impressive that he majored his man, but he worked so hard to cut down to 130 and beat a Gladstone wrestler who had finished 3rd in districts, no slouch.

Bulldog, Marcus Kelley pinned his man with relative ease. Drake Lewandowski pinned his man then Brad Biggs redeemed himself and destroyed his opposition, 9-1. Morley waged war with a quality stud and outlasted the Brave, 10-8. This gave Rosco their initial lead on Gladstone, 35-32. Gage Richards whipped his man 13-7 and the Bucks had earned their fourth straight trip to the team state finals, winning 38-32. This is Roscommon’s 8th regional crown since 2000.

“Every single grappler on the team wrestled the best they could and put forth maximum effort. We got bonus points where we didn’t expect as much and others didn’t surrender as many points as they easily could have. Against Kingsford at the 215 weight class, Nate Thornton was very impressive as he collected a crucial win to get us on the board,” commented Rosco’s assistant Coach Mark Jernigan. “I’m so pleased with Damian Lewandowski for dedicating himself to work to get down to 130. Without his win we’re going home. Then his older brother, Drake stuck his man. Then Matthew Morley edged out a really good wrestler 10-8, those three wins were huge for us.”

MON TA B E L L A – S an ford - Me r i d i an’s Mustang wrest l ing brigade put forth an amazing transformation turnaround this winter compared to the last. They collided with a Pine River squad in the regionals with high expectations, considering they defeated Pine River in a true donnybrook earlier in the season.

Sanford started at 135 lbs which is right in the heart of the Pine River line-up. Meridian got pinned at 135 Jesse Fellows, 140 Nathan

Fel lows, and 145 Devon Posey to star t the match.

This granted Pine River an 18-0 lead right off the bat. Seger Jackson won with a take down in the last few seconds to win at 152 to make the score 18-3. Jake Nicely lost on a minor decision at 160. Jeremy Wenzlick the 171 pounder got pinned and Amirjon Zabirov 189 got pinned making the score 33-3.

Eric Fader ignited the Stangs, rolling with a pin at 215. Kaine Strugeon followed suit with a pin at heavyweight. Chase Robinson won on a minor decision at 103. Shane Parisi got a pin at 112 and Joe Shuler won on a major decision to close the team score to 33-28 with two matches to go.

Damon Walter who probably should be wrestling at 112, but to help the team he wrestles at 125. Walter lost a close match and Garrett Bowland got pinned for a final score of 42-28. This caps a season where the grapplers of Meridian won five tournament championships and had two runner up finishes during the year.

CLARE - Gladwin voided to begin the madness with Manistee in their regional competition. Gladwin’s heavyweight wrecking ball, Jake Roza pinned his man 1:38 into the opening period. At 103 on the top of the order, Quentin Day pinned his opposition 3:59 into the second period. At 112, Gladwin’s Dylan Hillier defeated a quality opponent, 9-4.

The G’s had to void at 119 and 125. Chase Henry produced for the Flying G’s as he pinned his man 1:22 in the initial stanza. Dennis Hillier made quick work of his man as he sliced and diced en route to the opening period pin. Brad Strunk and Corey Greenhoe suffered pins.

Frosh phenom, Richie Mathis pinned his man in the 3rd period. Demetri Trice was crushed in the opening period and pinned. Duane Hillier earned a pin in the 3rd period and at 189, Ryan Lampman pinned his man in 49 seconds. This gave the G-men a 45-33 victory over the Chippewas of Manistee.

Ag ai ns t t h e p owe r h ou s e War r i ors o f Chippewa Hills, Gladwin ran out of magic. Jake Roza pinned his opponent in the opening round and things looked bright for the G’s cause. Then Gladwin lost the next 13 matches. At least the G’s garnered another district title, this is Coach Goldsworthy’s eighth.

WESTLING ROUNDUPMeridian, Gladwin fall in regionals while Rosco wins another regional title over Gladstone up in Manistique

� e Bucks have now won four consecutive regional titles under three di� er-ent head coaches. � e Rosco youth wrestling program just keeps � lter-ing juggernaut grapplers up to RHS.

Matt Morley earned his 100th career pin and his 142 career win against Gladstone in the regional � nals.

Hillier body slams his Manistee competitor for another Flying G’s grappling tri-umph. Gladwin lost to a talent � lled Chippewa Hills team in the regional � nals.


triple splashed for three. On the next Harrison possession Groch sliced into the paint, hung, contorted and scooped in a basket to a make the score 12-8.

Byard came right back down, soared over a couple Harrison players for a � erce rebound and then he laid the ball right back up and in to make it 12-10, which is where it remained till the end of the opening stanza.

Early in the second quarter Farwell’s speed burster, Walter Mosby dribble drove along the baseline, instantly sprung vertical and � icked in a medium range jumper, which touched nothing by nylon, this knotted the a� air up at 15 all.

Groch responded with another con� dent stroke corner trifecta to give Harrison the lead back, 18-15. Farwell’s Greg Saupe was whistled for a technical foul and Harrison nailed a couple foul shots to extend their advantage to 21-15.

Both of these teams were insanely zooming around the court in a � t of rage, hawking each other with in your grill maddening pressure defense.

Farwell’s bull masti� , Brandon Hauck caught in the high post, spun and stroked in a bucket in the paint to make it 21-17. Groch answered on the other end with a three-pointer from just outside of Leota.

Harrison’s version of Dirk Nowitzski caught at the elbow, turned, drove with vengeance to the rim, tossed a Farwell defender off of him, elevated and mean mugged a mashing bucket to make it 26-19. Harrison held a 28-22 lead at the intermission.

� e action was extreme and very sluggish. � e sloppy play was a product of the wildly intense defensive hounding being applied by both squads.

HHS’s sophomore sensation, Casey Rundell pulled up to sink a short jumper to make it 30-24. A� er a Rundell steal, Groch made a strong and acrobatic attempt at the hoop, but couldn’t convert, probably should have gotten a foul call.

Farwell’s Will Hallman came into the contest was steady on both ends giving his team great ball movement. Byard was exercising his ferocious rebounding abilities. � en sophomore standout from FHS, Curtis Robinson, swiped a steal, changed directions, rose up with tremendous elevation and tossed in a medium range jumper to pull the Eagles to within two points, 30-28.

Rundell calmly caught, squared up into triple

threat position, slung a dime to a back door cutting Cody Cooper who caught, gathered his momentum, faked, and scored inside off the glass to make it 32-29. On the next trip down the floor, Cooper caught the ball on the wing and rose up for a triple attempt. Cooper was

fouled on the wrist. He stepped to the charity stripe and swished three straight foul shots to grant Harrison a 35-29 lead. Soon-a� er Darren Tyer ripped down a rebound and scored. At the conclusion of the third stanza Harrison gripped onto a 37-33 lead.

Farwell’s Byard was cleaning up the glass and Hauch was hawking Hornets with physical tenacity. Groch didn’t care, he just dribble drove into the interior and soared in to tickle the nylon on a runner along the right baseline to give the Hornets a 39-33 lead.

Bobby Byard stepped right up like the elite scorer that he is and splashed a deep triple to pull the Eagles to within three, 39-33. On Farwell’s next trip, Mosby once again penetrated and caused ruckus as he was fouled. Mosby split a pair and made it 39-37 in favor of the Hornets.

Harrison’s Lobdell pulled in a defensive rebound. � en he followed Groch’s missed shot and laid in a bucket to give Harrison a 41-37 lead. Byard was clutch as usual. He stormed right back down the court and drilled another three-ball to make the score 41-40. Hauck came down the next Eagle trip, cleared space with a drive, Baginski rebounded the miss and scored to give Farwell a 42-41 lead.

Casey Rundell drove, spun and banked in a � oater to give Harrison right back a 43-42 lead. Saupe came down bounced a pass to Baginski and the ball went through Seth’s legs out of bounds. Harrison gave the ball back and Byard’s desperation triple rimmed o� .

Harrison was led all night by the poise, steady ball-handling, moxie to get open and want the ball and aggressive slicing to the rim by senior orchestrator, Bryan Groch. Groch led all scorers with 17 points on the night. He blasted Farwell with a barrage of three-pointers and an array of slashing scores to catapult Harrrison in the � rst half and then he was rock solid with the ball in the second half. Cody Cooper was rugged inside and he tallied eight points. Jordan Haley was active as he compiled five points. “This was the sloppiest game we’ve played in awhile. Everyone hustled and we made things happen. � e boys made some key timely baskets and we found a way to hold on for the win,” commented Harrison’s Coach Joe Ashcro� .

Bobby Byard was a force on both ends. Byard was an animal on the backboards and he chalked up 13 points to lead the Eagles. Seth Baginski chipped in six points for FHS. “We had too many turnovers and just didn’t shoot accurately enough to win. I did like our e� ort and hustle. We never gave up and fought hard until the very end,” replied Farwell’s Coach, Erik Schunk.


Harrison’s Bryan Groch took the Farwell hounding on the ball pressure head on

with tremendous poise and swagger, basically saying hear I am, come and get it. Groch converted buckets via an arrary of contortions as he leapt over the Eagles

would be defenders. Groch dazzled the Hornet faithful with some NBA range triples

as he led all scorers with 17.

Above, Harrison’s blue collar senior forward, Cory Lobdell banged and grinded in the paint for rebounds. Here he rises over the Eagles to snatch a carom and then he so� ly laid it back up and in for two to li� Harrison.

� e Eagles were collectively hustling all night, but the Hornets � oor-general Bryan Groch was just a hare more productive and e� ective as Harrison barely slipped past the Eagles. Farwell is like a wounded lion, they’re dangerous.

HORNETS, continued from front

SEE ROSCO, P.16

HARRISON – Bobby Byard faked right with a hard jab step to shake his defender away, then he lowered his head and knifed to the hoop, laid a so� shot o� the glass, scored, was fouled and sank the free throw. � en Harrison’s Jordan Haley, who’s been coming on strong as of late to grant his Hornets a li� , netted � ve straight points to give HHS a 5-3 lead. Haley’s second bucket was a slick play drew up by Coach Ashcro� in a practice a long time ago and it came to fruition tonight. Bryan Groch threw a

bounce pass to Cory Lobdell in the high post. Lobdell turned and zipped a dime to a back door cutting Haley who caught, jump-stopped, hesitated, absorbed a hit and smooched a basket o� the glass. He then calmly drained the foul shot.

Shortly after, senior forward, Darren Tyer sprawled to the � oor, ripped away a loose ball, then he threw a perfect pass to Groch for a bank-shot. � en Jake Walraven penetrated and kicked out a pass to an open Groch who caught, launched a high-arcing

SEE HORNETS, P.15SEE LIN, P.2

Farwell’s Josh Gross, Brandon Hauck and Bobby Byard valiantly rebounded, but Harrison had just enough mojo up their sleeve.

Hornets sting and win Harrison out-clawed their counterparts to the south and earned Lake George ice fi shing rights over FHS.

By Clint Kern

By David ZirinWhen frighteningly � ckle hoops

fans are chanting “MVP” a� er your � rst career start, then you know you might be something special. When you become the first player since Lebron James to have at least twenty points and eight assists in your � rst two NBA starts, then you know the sports world will take notice. When you provide an infectious glee to a group of teammates who look at you with naked, near tearful gratitude like you’ve dragged them from basketball purgatory, then you know you have made an impact. When you are also the � rst American-born player of Asian descent ever in the NBA as well as a Harvard graduate, and you play with a black-top flair that defies preconception and prejudice, then you know you’re poised to draw unbridled attention. When you do it all in New York City, then you have to know that the hyperbole will not be constrained or contained. Welcome to Lin-sanity, otherwise known as the feverish outpouring of adulation heaped upon the new starting point guard for the New York Knicks, Jeremy Lin.

Lin has become a magnet for attention. He’s, on one hand, part of a tradition of NBA players who don’t � t in stereotypical boxes and then attract eyeballs. Remember Jason “White Chocolate” Williams, the tattooed Caucasian with game courtesy of Rucker Park. Seven-foot three-point shooters like Dirk Nowitzki or diminutive players like Muggsy Bogues, Spud Webb or Earl Boykins or tall point guards from Magic Johnson to Shawn Livingston always drew initial attention just because they possessed the shock of the new. No sport is as naked as the NBA, with faces and bodies on full display for crowded fans and HD cameras and when we have someone who breaks a super� cial mold, attention will always follow.

But Lin already represents something more signi� cant. When Jack Johnson became the first African-American heavyweight champion, using a style both cerebral and severe, he de� ed racist conceptions of white supremacy as well as stereotypes that decreed African-Americans didn’t have the intelligence to apply strategy and smarts to sport. We can say the same about Jackie Robinson when he did more than just break baseball’s color barrier and win the Rookie of the Year in 1947. Robinson also played with a grace under pressure that challenged white—and even many black—preconceptions about mental toughness on the highest

R O S C O M M O N — T h e Roscommon High School boys varsity basketball team (11-6 overall, 8-4 JPC) came storming back from a nine-point second period deficit and escaped with a 58-53 double-overtime victory over the visiting Beaverton High School Beavers (11-5 overall, 8-4 JPC) in Jack Pine C onference hoops action Friday, February 17 in Roscommon.“ They did great ,” said

Roscommon head coach MJ Ewald of his team’s overtime, slug-fest win. “We knew we were going to have to play better than the first time we played them. We lost in OT down there (53-47 on Jan. 6) and this is payback for that loss. It was the same type of game.”R o s c o m m o n s h o t 7 1

percent from the free throw line and 35 percent from the field in the home win.The Bucks were led by

senior Todd Martin with 15 points, 12 rebounds and one block. Teammate Hunter Mires

(5’ 9”, Jr..) added 15 points, three rebounds and dealt o u t o n e a s s i s t i n t h e victory. Roscommon’s 6’ 3”, sophomore Dylan Andrews stepped up with a 15 point, 1 3 - r e b o u n d g a m e a n d impressed coach Ewald with his intensity and drive to the hoop.“Andrews played the best

game of his career,” Ewald lamented. “But, every kid who went in did positive things- a total team win.”Scott Longstreth led all

scorers with 19 points in the loss for Beaverton. Casey Blades (6’ 5”, Jr.) added nine points with Travis Shields a n d Au s t i n S c h n e i d e r contributing eight points each in the game.“ We m a d e t o o m a n y

mistakes to win this game,” said veteran B eaver ton head coach Roy Johnson of the bitter defeat. “It was a hard-played game, but that doesn’t get it done. You can’t be satisfied with a loss.”


MANISTIQUE – The Roscommon Bucks change coaches, but they just seem to keep chugging along. This buzzsaw program has now won nine consecutive JPC titles and four straight regional crowns.

“It was just crit ical for us that Damian really worked and made weight at 130. He had hurt his ankle earlier in the year and had lost confidence in getting down that low, but it was necessary for us to excel. The whole team really grateful for Damian’s extra hard work to not only make weight, but to win,” said Roscommon’s Coach Ronnie Noreyko. “We really were in a bind since Mitch Tyler broke his foot last week and couldn’t wrestle. That eliminated our ability to shuffle people around and experiment with 171-215. With this being said, Ryan Savage, who’s been a strong leader all season long, worked his tail off to not get pinned wrestling a very powerful wrestler. Every little ability to not give up points is important. Starting off with the meat of their lineup was a bear. We found ourselves down 28-0 and then the boys really started to perform. Mark is a genius, he could win many chess matches. Mark is so good at scouting and knowing where we can win and save giving up

points, he knows how to mix up match-ups.”Against the Fl ivers of Kingsford Gage

Richards fought valiantly, but succumbed at the 160 weight class, 8-6. Senior stalwart, Ryan Savage also lost in a heartbreaker, 3-2. At 189, Logan Long battled into the third period but was pinned. At 215, Nate Thornton grinded out a shutout victory, winning 3-0. Heavyweight, James Brotherton was pinned. Then they started back at 103 with Amanda DeWitt getting pinned. The Bucks found themselves facing a 24-3 deficeit.

Then the Bucks awoke from their hibernation a n d e l e c t r i f i e d t h e Up p e r Pe n i n s u l a grappling mats. Tony Mayball earned a void victory. The contortionists, Dustin Noreyko w rapp e d h i s opp onent up and pinne d his man early in the f irst period. Caleb Jernigan, who’s been red hot, pinned his opposition.

Damian Lewandowski pinned his man and really sparked his team. Marcus Kelley is rock solid and he pinned his man in no time. Drake Lewandowski was granted a void win as was Brad Biggs.

Senior juggernaut, Matt Morley moved up from 145 to 152 to better help the team. This

warr ior i s perhaps the most physical and aggressive grappler in the region. He flexed his muscles on the U.P. competition and garnered his 100th pin of his career. A very impressive mark consider ing out of his 142 career wins, 100 are pins . This concluded the Bucks 51-24 triumph over Kingsford.

Gladstone defeated a very skilled Benzie s q u a d , s e t t i n g u p the match between them and the Bucks. F r e s h m a n , N i c k A n d e r s o n e a r n e d valuable experience, but he suffered the pin loss. Savage worked

not to get pinned by a good wrestler from Gladstone and lost 12-3. Logan Long who’s only 174 pounds, lost to a rugged 215 man by pin. Thornton, who’s only 205 lost to a 280 pound man, then Dewitt was pinned once again and the Braves of Gladstone had a 28-0 lead.

Tony Mayball collected a void. Noreyko quickly pinned his man. Caleb Jernigan mauled and majored his man, dominating 11-2. Damian Lewandowski was clutch as he beasted his man 15-2. Not only was it impressive that he majored his man, but he worked so hard to cut down to 130 and beat a Gladstone wrestler who had finished 3rd in districts, no slouch.

Bulldog, Marcus Kelley pinned his man with relative ease. Drake Lewandowski pinned his man then Brad Biggs redeemed himself and destroyed his opposition, 9-1. Morley waged war with a quality stud and outlasted the Brave, 10-8. This gave Rosco their initial lead on Gladstone, 35-32. Gage Richards whipped his man 13-7 and the Bucks had earned their fourth straight trip to the team state finals, winning 38-32. This is Roscommon’s 8th regional crown since 2000.

“Every single grappler on the team wrestled the best they could and put forth maximum effort. We got bonus points where we didn’t expect as much and others didn’t surrender as many points as they easily could have. Against Kingsford at the 215 weight class, Nate Thornton was very impressive as he collected a crucial win to get us on the board,” commented Rosco’s assistant Coach Mark Jernigan. “I’m so pleased with Damian Lewandowski for dedicating himself to work to get down to 130. Without his win we’re going home. Then his older brother, Drake stuck his man. Then Matthew Morley edged out a really good wrestler 10-8, those three wins were huge for us.”

MON TA B E L L A – S an ford - Me r i d i an’s Mustang wrest l ing brigade put forth an amazing transformation turnaround this winter compared to the last. They collided with a Pine River squad in the regionals with high expectations, considering they defeated Pine River in a true donnybrook earlier in the season.

Sanford started at 135 lbs which is right in the heart of the Pine River line-up. Meridian got pinned at 135 Jesse Fellows, 140 Nathan

Fel lows, and 145 Devon Posey to star t the match.

This granted Pine River an 18-0 lead right off the bat. Seger Jackson won with a take down in the last few seconds to win at 152 to make the score 18-3. Jake Nicely lost on a minor decision at 160. Jeremy Wenzlick the 171 pounder got pinned and Amirjon Zabirov 189 got pinned making the score 33-3.

Eric Fader ignited the Stangs, rolling with a pin at 215. Kaine Strugeon followed suit with a pin at heavyweight. Chase Robinson won on a minor decision at 103. Shane Parisi got a pin at 112 and Joe Shuler won on a major decision to close the team score to 33-28 with two matches to go.

Damon Walter who probably should be wrestling at 112, but to help the team he wrestles at 125. Walter lost a close match and Garrett Bowland got pinned for a final score of 42-28. This caps a season where the grapplers of Meridian won five tournament championships and had two runner up finishes during the year.

CLARE - Gladwin voided to begin the madness with Manistee in their regional competition. Gladwin’s heavyweight wrecking ball, Jake Roza pinned his man 1:38 into the opening period. At 103 on the top of the order, Quentin Day pinned his opposition 3:59 into the second period. At 112, Gladwin’s Dylan Hillier defeated a quality opponent, 9-4.

The G’s had to void at 119 and 125. Chase Henry produced for the Flying G’s as he pinned his man 1:22 in the initial stanza. Dennis Hillier made quick work of his man as he sliced and diced en route to the opening period pin. Brad Strunk and Corey Greenhoe suffered pins.

Frosh phenom, Richie Mathis pinned his man in the 3rd period. Demetri Trice was crushed in the opening period and pinned. Duane Hillier earned a pin in the 3rd period and at 189, Ryan Lampman pinned his man in 49 seconds. This gave the G-men a 45-33 victory over the Chippewas of Manistee.

Ag ai ns t t h e p owe r h ou s e War r i ors o f Chippewa Hills, Gladwin ran out of magic. Jake Roza pinned his opponent in the opening round and things looked bright for the G’s cause. Then Gladwin lost the next 13 matches. At least the G’s garnered another district title, this is Coach Goldsworthy’s eighth.

WESTLING ROUNDUPMeridian, Gladwin fall in regionals while Rosco wins another regional title over Gladstone up in Manistique

� e Bucks have now won four consecutive regional titles under three di� er-ent head coaches. � e Rosco youth wrestling program just keeps � lter-ing juggernaut grapplers up to RHS.

Matt Morley earned his 100th career pin and his 142 career win against Gladstone in the regional � nals.

Hillier body slams his Manistee competitor for another Flying G’s grappling tri-umph. Gladwin lost to a talent � lled Chippewa Hills team in the regional � nals.


HARRISON – Early on Harrison’s Mary Devine was the aggressor. Devine anticipated and snagged a steal, exploded down-court, scored, was fouled and made the free throw to pull her Hornets to within two, 8-6.

Brooke Wartel la , with textbook form, swished a jump-shot to give Farewell a 10-6 lead. Harrison’s always rugged, Taylor Bondie drove and was hacked allowing her to step to the foul line and drill a pair. Jenna Hamming penetrated and kicked to Wartella for another silky jumper. Wartella skied for a rebound and a put back, she then tallied four more points to surge Farwell ahead, 20-8 at the conclusion of the opening stanza.

Trixie Katzer worked for posit ion and scored a bucket to begin the second quarter festivities. Bondie followed this on the next Hornet possession with a basket to make it 20-12. Farwell’s version of Lisa Leslie, Caron White dribbled into a mid-range jumper. Lyndsay Ruckle rebounded, drove, kicked out to Hamming who swished an elbow jumper to give Farwell a 26-12 lead.

White sliced through a crease, split the defense and banked home a basket. Cassi Rivard dropped in a deep two-pointer to grant her Lady Eagles a 30-12 advantage.

Harrison’s Mary Devine knifed inside for a hoop. The Lady Hornets style and grace, Erica Heckman crossed over and pulled up for a jumper at the foul line that touched nothing but net. Ruckle responded on the other end by piercing into the zone and she scored to make it 32-16 at the intermission.

White and Hamming pounced on Harrison with hoops early in the third quarter to double up the Hornets, 36-18. Autumn Haag put on a boxing out clinic, sealed out another defender and collected a carom. However, HHS continued to struggle to put the biscuit in the basket.

Pound for pound, Lyndsay Ruckle is the best

rebounder in the JPC. He pulled down a couple more boards, reached for deflections, steals and hampered Harrison’s post feeds. Brewer made an assertive post spin power drop step move to score. At the end of the third FHS led 38-19. Both teams played swarming two-three zone defense, but Farwell’s was just a little quicker and more efficient.

Farwell’s feisty shooting guard, senior, #10 Brooke Wartella led all scorers with 16 points. Sophomore center, Caron White was a menace around the paint all evening for the Lady Hornets to deal with as she chipped in 13 points.

Senior stalwart, Lyndsay Ruckle filled the state charts as she compiled 12 rebounds, eight points and seven steals. Savvy guard, Sydney Hurley dished out five assists.

“This was a solid all-around team effort, several ladies took their turn contributing in vital ways. We made a conscious effort to get Brooke Wartella involved and she produced. It was evident that Harrison was trying to keep to defenders surrounding Ruckle and it was huge that Wartella stepped up,” commented Farwell’s Coach Tom Kleinhardt. “Caron White was big on both ends of the floor and she really gave us a lift tonight. White really has a bright future. Jenna Hamming and Sydney Hurley don’t always stuff the stats, but they are very important and they both gave great efforts tonight.”

Harrison’s Hilary Brewer led the Hornets with six points and five caroms. Trixie Katzer tallied four points and four rebounds. Autumn Haag ripped down five rebounds.

“We’re getting tougher down low. Autumn Haag is so smart, she’s always boxing out, keeping a body on an opponent and just playing fundamental. Trixie Katzer played well inside tonight as well. Mary Devine attacked and truly played aggressive for us tonight,” said Harrison’s Coach Kelly Houghton.


Brooke Wartella exploded out of the gates as she flicked in 7-7 shot attempts

in the opening quarter to spring her Lady Eagles to a commanding 20-8 lead against

an inter-county rival, hungry for a win, Harrison Hornet swarm.

Wartella led all scorers with 16 points, she chased down loose balls, kept rebounds alive and played very aggressive defense.

LADY EAGLES SINK THEIR TALONSBrooke Wartella, JHam and LRuck all pounced on Harrison and Mary Devine early and cruised to the JPC road victory.

Farwell’s Lyndsay Ruckle almost recorded a triple-double as she tallied 12 boards, eight points and seven steals, she’s a force.

jack pine tribune Monday, january 23, 2012Page 2










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G l a d w i n Yo u t h Wrestling traveled to Ogemaw for their first tournament in the North Eastern Michigan Wrestling Association ( N E M WA ) 2 0 1 2 season. Gladwin’s y o u t h w r e s t l i n g program is ran by B r y a n C a s s i d a y - H e a d C o a c h , Mike Silvers - Asst. C o a c h ; J i m m y Bailey - Asst. Coach, Randy Pyrzewski - Asst. Coach, Scott Fe r g u s o n - As s t . Coach, along with Daniel Webb, Harry Roe and many other volunteers. Gladwin � nished the day with 22 youth receiving

medals for 1st thru 3rd places. “Our club has been working extremely hard since e a r l y N o v e m b e r. � ese boys are ready to wrestle”, explains Cassiday. “We have a l o t o f n e w k i d s this year, 1st t ime wrest lers . I want them to know how proud we are of them for not giving up, complaining or giving less at practice when they wrestle the kids who have 2 to 5 years of experience. Great j ob b oy s !”, s t ate s Cassiday. � ose new comers include Seth Onweller, Andrew Davis, Cody Muma, Ky l e R o o d , E a r l

Esiline, Levi Myers, Dylan Muma, Tony Shell, Ethan Edgar, R i l e y Wa s h b u r n , Hunter McDowell, Josh Risch, Ethan Levi, Jacob Risch, Jamie Harper, Nic Davis, Brice Bartels, Johnathan Stillwagon, Seth Martin, Luke O w e n s , C a s e y

Benmark, Dusty and Caleb Good.� ose � nalists at the

Ogemaw tournament taking 1st place were Hunter McDowell, E d d i e D u n c a n , R andy Pyrzewski , M a s o n P r a t h e r , Colton Kanyo, Kyle Cassiday, Jack Owens and Wade Muma.

Finishing 2nd were A n d r e w D a v i s , Dillon Kroening, Eric Cassiday, Richard Faber, Drake Muma and Casey Benmark. Ta k i ng 3 rd p l a c e was Riley Washburn, Ethan Edgar, Blake Pretzlaff and Luke O wens . Gl adw in Yo u t h Wr e s t l i n g

w o u l d l i k e t o me nt i on ot he rs who placed, Jason Croutch Jr. (2nd), Hu n t e r S c h a a f ( 1 s t ) , O w e n Ritchie (1st) and Zac McCully (1st) a l l c o a c h e d b y Rich Wilcox of the Grapplers. Gladwin Youth

Wrestling travels to Bullock Creek, Alma and Clare in the upcoming weekends. Gladwin will host their tournament on Januar y 28th at the Highschool. Please come and support our local G l a d w i n a n d Beaverton youth!!

HARRISON - Well the 2012 Ski Team � rst meet on January 5, 2012 was canceled due to lack of snow. The Team instead had a shootout at Snow Snake with Clare and Mt. Pleasant. � e second meet was also held at Snow Snake, with the Girls taking 1st Place with Jordan Coon taking 1st in Slalom with a � rst run of 19.39 and a second run of 19.40 for a combined runs of 38.79 and in the Giant Slalom Jordan came in 1st with a � rst run of 16.54 and a second run of 16.42 for a combined runs of 32.96. Alyssa Price came in 3rd Place in Slalom with a � rst run of 22.77 and a second run of 22.57 for a combined runs of 45.34 and in Giant Slalom Alyssa came in 7th with a � rst run of 18.11 and a second run of 17.80 for a combined runs of 35.91. Savanna Duggan came in 4th in Slalom with a � rst run of 22.80 and a second run of 22.69 for a combined runs of 45.49 and in Giant Slalom Savanna came in 8th with a � rst run of 18.42 and a second run of 18.32 for a combined runs of 36.74. Tina Price came in 10th in Slalom with a � rst run of 34.26 and a second run of 21.14 for a combined runs of 55.40 and in Giant Slalom Tina took 3rd Place with a � rst run of 17.24 and a second run of 16.88 for a combined

runs of 34.12. Marissa Kulper placed 14th in Slalom with a � rst run of 28.99 and a second run of 30.03 for combined runs of 59.02. Christian Meylan placed 23rd with a � rst run of 33.05 and a second run of 45.60 for a combined runs of 78.65. Andy Martinez raced in Giant Slalom and did not place.

The Boys team Took 4th Place with Dylan LaPorte placing 8th in Slalom with a � rst run of 19.87 and a second run of 18.72 for combined runs of 38.59, Dylan placed 7th in Giant Slalom with a � rst run of 16.18 and a second run of 15.93 for a combined runs of 32.11. Beau Niezguski placed 11th in Slalom with a � rst run of 20.79 and a second run of 20.07 for a combined runs of 40.86, Beau placed 11th in Giant Slalom with a � rst run of 16.51 and a second run of 16.39 for combined runs of 32.90. Ben Taylor placed 14th in Slalom with a � rst run of 22.35 and a second run of 22.61 for combined runs of 44.96. Kalib Clark placed 16th in Slalom with a � rst run of 19.63 and a second run of 29.13 for a combined runs of 48.76, Kalib placed 22nd in Giant Slalom with a � rst run of 20.34 and a second run of 15.95 for a combined runs of 36.29. Josh Wilson placed 19th in Slalom with a � rst run of 22.92 and a second run of 26.69 for combined

runs of 49.80, Josh did not place in Giant Slalom. Thomas Sofka placed 22nd in Slalom with a � rst run of 32.96 and a second run of 26.69 for a combined runs of 59.65, � omas placed 16th in Giant Slalom with a � rst run of 16.58 and a second run of 16.56 for a combined runs of 33.14.

� e third meet for the Harrison Ski Team was canceled due to too much snow and the next Ski meets are at Snow Snake on January 17, 2012 and Schuss Mt on January 20, 2012. Good Luck and Ski Hard.

CLARE - Clare Girls Team Takes 1st Place for the � rst meet on 1-10-12 at Snow Snake, with the following Skiers placing in the following order. Maggie Merillat places 2nd in Slalom with a � rst run of 21.37 and a second run of 22.25 for a combined runs of 43.62, Maggie placed 2nd in Giant Slalom with a � rst run of 16.99 and a second run of 16.88 for a combined runs of 33.87. Madi Cleary placed 5th in Slalom with a � rst run of 20.75 and a second run of 27.59 for a combined runs of 48.34, Madi also placed 5th in Giant Slalom with a � rst run of 17.54 and a second run of 17.57 for a combined runs of 35.11. Laura Myers placed 7th in Slalom with a first run of 25.10 and a second run of 25.81 for a combined runs of 50.91, Laura also placed 13th in Giant Slalom with a first run of 19.34 and a second run of 19.20 for a combined runs of 38.54. Amber Frank placed 16th in Slalom with a first run of 30.39 and a second run of 30.16 for a combined runs of 60.55, Amber placed 18th in Giant Slalom with a � rst run of 21.95 and a second run of 21.37 for a combined runs of 43.32. Leah Bugbee placed 19th in Slalom with a � rst run of 41.14 and a second run of 26.54 for a combined runs of 67.68, Leah also placed 14th in Giant Slalom with a � rst run of 19.96 and a second run of 19.09 for a combined runs of 39.05. Megan Sherwood placed 20th in Slalom with a � rst run of 36.67 and a second run of 35.03 for a combined runs of 71.70, Megan also placed 21st in Giant Slalom with a � rst run of 24.21 and a second run of 23.75 for a combined runs of 47.96.

Clare Boys Team Takes 1st Place for the � rst meet on 1-10-12 at Snow Snake, with the following Skiers placing in the following order.Je� ery Staten placed 2nd in Slalom with a � rst run of 18.31 and a second run of 17.78 for a combined runs of 36.09, Je� ery also placed 2nd in Giant Slalom with a first run of 15.96 and a second run of 15.38 for a combined runs of 31.34. Zack Brockway placed 3rd in Slalom with a first run of 18.00 and a second run of 18.14 for a combined runs of 36.14, Zack also placed 3rd in Giant Slalom with a � rst run of 15.91 and a second run of 15.45 for a combined runs of 31.36. Brett Acton placed 5th in Slalom with a first run of 18.50 and a second run of 18.34 for a combined runs of 36.84, Brett also placed 5th in Giant Slalom with a � rst run of 15.92 and a second run of 15.67 for a combined runs of 31.59. Charlie Bugbee placed 10th in Slalom with a first run of 20.50 and a second run of 20.11 for a combined runs of 40.61, Charlie also placed 18th in Giant Slalom with a first run of 16.55 and a second run of 16.66 for a combined runs of 33.21. Jordan Hales placed 20th in Slalom with a � rst run of 19.75 and a second run of 30.53 for a combined runs of 50.28, Jordan also placed 10th in Giant Slalom with a first run of 16.36 and a second run of 16.22 for a combined runs of 32.58. Riley Crawford did not place in Slalom but did place 13th in Giant Slalom with a � rst run of 16.63 and a second run of 16.40 for a combined runs of 33.04.

YOUTH WRESTLING SEASON UNDER WAY...

JACK PINE SKI REPORT

Andrew Davis holding his man down for the pin at the youth wrestling tourney.

reminiscent of the golden days of Mike Tyson, but a mental, almost spiritual battle for supremacy of the Cut River.

Turner’s ability to slow down and battle head to head with Martin and Smock kept the Bobcats within striking distance going into the half down by only six, 22-16.

Bates mashed out of the gates in the second half determined to close the gap, drove hard to the cup, shaking o� an eye wrack, double-clutching through wave of gnashing bodies to protect the ball, unfurled his scoop. He completely botched the shoot, but power-forced and exploded the defensive wall, snatched the carom and went back up for two.

The Bucks slam-mashed of the out of bounds play, � urried through the Bobcats barricades and Josh Smock went mean-mugging across the baseline and Mires slung a dart to partner in crime. Smock went up and over for a double.

The Bobcats continued to flex their grit, Nathan Shavalia crashed the boards, faded away to evade the long reach of Smock and Martin collapsing to close the gap 24-20, then Dull stormed the base-line, went up and under the twin towers, using the rim and backboard for o� ensive leverage and scooped in a reverse.

Coach Ewald glazed over in madness, called a time out, reorganized his cagers, and let them of f their chains. Hunter Mires fought

through a trap, shook le� , spun right, crossed the three point line, took a step back to put himself in range and rained a triple. � en Todd Martin snaked in a rebound, jolted the fast break, lowered his shoulder and force-dribbled through the trap, splintering the Bobcats like a grenade, and � nished strong in tra� c to make it a 30-23 Roscommon game. Then sophomore sensation John Miller � ipped in a long ball, Collin Lake dribbled in and out of tra� c, causing utter mayhem, confusion, and entertainment and tossed up an acrobatic lay-in to send the Roscommon Rowdies into an absolute � t of rage.

The boys from the big lake calmed the storm as Eric Hurst sliced across the elbow, worked into position and laced a deuce. Turner’s motor kept firing at about 6000 RPMs, went up about six inches higher

than everybody else, tipped the ball back to himself, jumped on the loose ball, went back up, got fouled hard but made good on both his free throw attempt to make it a 37-28 game.

But with time clicking off the clock, the Bobcats were hoping to make one last defensive stand. The always savvy Hunter Mires read the defense perfectly from the

out of bounds play, rotated in the corner and calmly stroked a triple as the buzzer resonated to send St. Helen into jubilation, giving the Bucks the 40-28 lead a� er 3.

The fourth quarter was just as rugged as the first three, but the Bucks were able to out pace the Bobcats 17-14 to roll out with 57-42 victory.

It was in the fourth quarter that Mires and Lake really started to show that they are at times just as good a pair of guards as you’re going to � nd in the Jack Pine Conference. Lake handled the pressure, continued to attack the paint and made beautiful passes just out of the reach of sprawling Bobcats. Mires continued to read the � oor, out hustle the press and pass when needed to keep the Bucks in control of the game.

Mires � nished with a game high 21 points while Collin Lake added 14 points. Kyle

Bates paced the Bobcats with 12 points. “I told the boys going in that this was going

to be the most physical game of the year that we’ve played, and they responded,” said Roscommon’s Coach Ewald.

“I was proud of the e� ort our boys put in tonight, and in terms of their grit, I can’t say enough. It was a tough game and we are just going to move forward and keep working hard at practice,” said the Bobcat’s LJ Mead.

T h e s e a r e t h e elements of a wildy intense rivalry. The old wiley fans, the b a n d p u m p i n g groovy beats, and the student section going absolutely bonkers with their gym shaking chants that can barely be understood.

VICTORY. FINALLY, 2005 FEATURED A SHARED JACK PINE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP AS THE CATS DEFEATED ROSCOMMON THE FINAL GAME OF THE REGULAR SEASON. FUELED BY THIS DEFEAT, THE BUCKS BIT BACK THE NEXT WEEK, UPENDING THE BOBCATS IN THE OPENING ROUND OF THE STATE PLAYOFFS.EVEN NOW, AS A DABBLING

JOURNALIST ASPIRING TO MAINTAIN NEUTRALITY WHEN TALKING ABOUT THIS TOPIC, I STRUGGLE. IT IS ENGRAINED IN ALL OF US, THIS SENSE OF HOMETOWN PRIDE. WHAT MAKES THE RIVALRY SO GREAT IS THE SHEER INABILITY TO AVOID IT. WE SHARE PLACES OF EMPLOYMENT, DINE AT THE SAME RESTAURANTS, BOAT ON THE SAME LAKES. THE TENSION BREWS YEAR ROUND. THE RIVALRY CANNOT BE ESCAPED, EVEN WHEN AT THE FRIENDLY CONFINES OF YOUR HOME SCHOOL. THERE ARE TEACHERS IN BOTH SCHOOL SYSTEMS, WONDERFUL EDUCATORS WHO MOLD THE MINDS OF THE YOUNG ROSCOMMON COUNTY YOUTH. BUT THEY ARE VIEWED AS TRAITORS. THEIR CHILDREN GO TO THE SCHOOL ACROSS THE COUNTY. THEY ARE ONE OF THEM. THE TENSION STILL STIRS. HOWEVER, IT IS ON THOSE BEAUTIFUL FALL FRIDAY NIGHTS ON THE GRIDIRON, OR PACKED INTO A WARM GYM DURING THE WINTER, THAT WE CAN FINALLY UNLEASH THE BITTERNESS AND DISDAIN THAT BUILDS AND FESTERS. BUT NEVER FORGET, RESPECT IS PRESENT.THE IMPORTANCE OF THESE

ATHLETIC CONTESTS CANNOT BE UNDERSTATED. IT ISN’T LIFE OR DEATH, BUT THERE ARE THINGS BETTER THAN LIFE, AND WORSE THAN DEATH. IT IS FOR THIS REASON THAT THE JACK PINE’S FINEST WRESTLING SQUAD PUT ON THEIR SINGLETS AND LINE UP IN THE FRONT ROW. IT IS FOR THIS REASON THAT A WAVE SO STUDENTS WHOSE SCHOOL COLORS ARE GREEN AND WHITE, PARADE AROUND IN CAMOUFLAGE AND HUNTER ORANGE WITH KRA PLASTERED ON THE BACKS OF THEIR SHIRTS. IT IS FOR THIS REASON THAT GROWN ADULTS, WITH NO KIDS PARTICIPATING IN THE EVENT, JUMP IN THEIR VEHICLE AND TRAVEL UP M-18 TO WITNESS, WHICH COMMUNITY WILL WALK WITH THEIR HEAD HIGH, AND WHICH COMMUNITY WILL WALK AROUND IN SUBMISSIVE DEPRESSION. THEY WATCH TO SEE WHETHER THEY WILL BE GETTING RESPECT, OR EARNING RESPECT.LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THERE

ARE RIVALRIES, AND THEN THERE IS HOUGHTON LAKE VERSUS ROSCOMMON. TO THE CITIZENS OF ROSCOMMON COUNTY, THAT EXPRESSION NEEDS NO CLARIFICATION.

RIVALRY, FROM P. 13

Of course we were super excited heading into the game. We thought we were prepared and it was a tough loss losing to Houghton Lake. It’s tough because we know the girls personally, everybody comes out to the games, so there is the additional pressure. We are just going to dig in and get ready for the next game.

It felt really good because last year we lost both games. We knew for us, it was going to be about the intensity and girls fighting for boards and going after loose balls. And I think fi ghting for that tradition of the rivalry is what makes that happen. Brooke and SaTaisha obviously were huge for us tonight.

We’ll be back to play and show them what we are made of. They won tonight, but just because they won tonight, that doesn’t mean that the Bobcats have the next game in the bag. We plan on getting ourselves prepared because now we are heading into Houghton Lake for the next game. It’s going to be a battle.

For me, it’s not just a basketball game, but an oppurtunity for me to develop and enlarge my spiritual life. I start fi rst by fl exing my mojo in my pimped-out out-fi t, drawing in the attention of the stands as a rugged, handsome baller, and then slam-wreck downlow. It’s simple.


By Je� GoodwinI n a n o t h e r

dominating performance, the Clare Pioneers varsity girl’s basketball team routed the Harrison Hornets 65-9 in Friday night’s Jack Pine action. Led by t he s t rong a l l -around performances of Melissa Benchley, Ashley Petree, and Lindsay Winter, the Pioneers were able to maintain command over Erica Heckman, Taylor Bondie and the Hornets.

From the t ip, the L ady Pioneers put any thoughts of upset the Hornets may have had to rest . Head Coach Matt Rodenbo employed a stif ling press sp e arhe ade d by his two starting guards, Winter and

B ench le y. L e d by a dizzying f lurry of stea ls , fol lowed by explosive finishes at the rim, Winter and Benchley combined for a ridiculous 16 � rst quarter points as Clare took a 31-2 lead into the second quarter.

D e s p i t e Ta y l o r B o n d i e a n d Tr i x i Kat z e r s t a b i l i z i n g the defensive glass, the second quarter showcased much of the same as Reyna Luplow and Ashley Petree put on a show to give Clare a commanding 46-4 hal� ime lead.

With a running clock in the second half both coaches kept a steady rotat ion of players f l o w i n g a s C l a r e closed out the decisive v i c t o r y. P a c i n g t he Pi one e rs we re

Benchley with 17 and Winter with 15 while Bondie led the Hornets with 4.

MT PLEASANT – Not every game is going to be a blow out. Not every game is going to be master piece of execution. But the Pioneers proved that the team that continues to hustle for loose balls, scrap and claw f o r r e b o u n d s , a n d h o u n d on defens e , a lways has the advantage. And that advantage allowed the Pioneers to stave off the Aggies 45-35. Clare jumped out to take 15-9

lead in the first quarter, off the the hot shooting of Alex Stark. Lindsay Winter rolled around the horn, the Aggie followed in hot pursuit, and Stark made hers e l f avai l ab le a long t he perimeter for a long deuce. On the next possession down, Winter dialed her own number, exploited her court vision and handles to basket-weave the defense into a whirling dervish of confusion and dropped a triple on the reeling Beal City battalion. Monica David answered by for

the girls in powder blue, hanging up a long ball of her own, only to watch the Pioneers rattle off eight unanswered points. Winter stroked another triple,

S t ar k c on n e c t e d f rom w ay behind the arc with a fluid, silky high arcing raindrop. Stark pumped in seven points

to jolt the Aggies and set the tone early and started the attack in the second quarter with a bunny from the wing to make it a 17-9 Clare lead. The the Aggies were able to

slice through the edges of the Pione er ’s de fens e , s core in transition, and make a six blast

of their own to pull the game to within two, 19-17, as Beal City’s Addie Schumacher mashed to the cup on back to back trollops to the cup. The Pioneers re-exerted their

will. A s h l e y Pe t r e e b u r n t t h e

bottom of the net with a 15 footer, Winter rammed to the hole, drew the foul and filled her appointment at the line to make it a 23-17 game, and after Corrine Wezensky drop-stepped pivoted thrusted into position for a quick double down low, the

Pioneers had reclaimed a seven point lead. O ut of t he bre a k , Mel i ss a

Benchley pinched down hard on the Aggies defensively, jarred the ball loose, and in all one rhythmic motion, scooped up the moneyball spun left, gashed right to blitz past the first wave of the defense and kissed the ball off the back of the glass. With that initial momentum

boost, Benchley zipped a pass to Wezensky on the low post, and Corinne power forced herself into position and the easy score.

The barage continued as Winter dropped another triple, Stark nicked the net from the elbow, and Winter scored again with a follow up rebound and put back off her own shot. That third quarter 9-2 flurry

was just enough to create enough distance to withstand the Aggies fourth quarter assault and hold on for the 45-35 victory. Clare was paced by the always

steady Lindsay Winter with 20, on 4 of 6 three point shooting, and 11 points from the gritty little Alex Stark.

Clare romps Lady HornetsThe Pioneer’s defense stymied

FARWELL LADY EAGLES WALLOP BEAVERSFarwell’s Coach Tom Kleinhardt made just enough adjustments and his Eagles out

scrapped Beaverton to win.By Drew PorterThe Beaverton Beavers varsity

girl’s team hosted Farwell in a Jack Pine Conference match-up on Friday. The game started off with Becca Bennett hitting a free throw to give Beaverton the 1-0 lead. Beaverton took a 1 point lead to go into the 2nd quarter of action, 6-5. Kayla Balzer would then tip out a defensive rebound and Beaverton got the ball. After the Eagles give and go was a success, Beaverton would try it out.

Jasmyn Parker-Urban would find Balzer on a pass to the bucket. Beaverton had the lead. Balzer stole the ball and made a valiant effort to save it. Lauren Ringwalt would then make a basket to end the half. Beaverton and Farwell would be tied to end the half, 9-9. Alix Price would start off the half with an easy scoop to the hoop for the duece. Farwell would then go on a 6-0 run to take a 17-11 lead. Jasmyn Parker-Urban then

shortened the gap with a made lay-up. Farwell’s Ruckle would then hit a 3 to give Farwell the 20-11 lead.

Janae Wolfe would f ind her way to the free throw line and sink 2 of 2. Beaverton was now trai l ing 20-13. Sydney Hurley would find Ringwalt on a nice pass to lengthen Farwell’s lead. Beaverton would come back and only trail by 6 heading into the 4th quarter. Janae Wolfe would batt le in the 4th quarter. She pulled down a rebound, forced a quick stea l and played air-tight defense to force a Farwell timeout. Beaverton was now only down by 4 points with 6 minutes left in the contest. Ruckle calmed the Beaverton storm with 2 points of her own to widen the gap to 6 . Parker-Urb an wou ld t hen respond in clutch time, knocking down 2 free throws to keep the Beavers within 4.

Far well would split a pair of

free throws and Farwell’s lead would be 5. Later, Alix Price hit a jumper to shorten the lead to only three with under three minutes left. Farwell would then go on a run to strengthen their grip on the Beavers, increasing the lead to 8. Janae Wolfe would then stroke a triple to keep the Beavers alive, but Jenna Hamming would answer quickly and the lead was back to 7 with 36 ticks on the clock. Ruckle would then drain 2 free throws to take the lead to 9 and Brooke Wartella would knock in another free throw to expand the lead. Farwell would end up winning 36-26 over the Beavers.

“We were out-rebounded by 8,enough said, Tom Kleinhardt is a great coach, he took away the inside and our driving lanes,” said Beaverton’s Kevin Wolfe

“I’m so proud. I’m still shaking! This is a great win on the road for this team,” said Farwell’s Coach Tom Kleinhardt.

CLARE GRINDS OUT WIN OVER AGGIESIt was one of those nights where both hustling defenses made for sloppy offense, but Benchley and Clare prevailed for victory

Kayla Balzer is one of the most physically gifted players around. If she can power up some confidence, she’ ll help Beaverton a ton.

If Addy Kleinhardt can swipe one more steal and smack one more deflection per game, C la re w i l l r e a l l y be sti� ing.

Amber Anderson has unparalleled strength and power around the rim already as a freshman, if she steps up, Coleman will be tough.

S ydney Hur ley i s always hustling, if she can start knock down some jumpers, Farwell will really be a buzzsaw.

JJ Willford has the s o f t e s t l e f t h a n d e d stroke in the league, if she gets more consistent G l a d w i n w i l l b e a juggernaut.

Wyzlick has a very accurate touch from long range, if she can relax and square up to the hoop, Harr ison wil l have a formidable threat.

M e g a n C a r r i c k is a weapon from the perimeter, she has to believe this once again and start torching the nets.

Blake Garner has great bloodlines, now she’s got to exercise her fantastic genetics and ball out of control.

Tonya Chouinard is the most pesky defender in all the land, she needs to start creating more turnovers with her D.

The Dog-Beast Ashley Petree mashing down low for a rebound and spin-slicing for the outlet pass.

Ruckle seemed to find a way to break open and score a basket each and every time Beaverton started to muster a rally en route to leading her Eagles to a mega road victory in a hostile environment. Ruckle netted 17 points and she ripped down nine rebounds to pace Farwell over the Beaverettes. She really displayed a soft and accurate stroke.


By Je� GoodwinWhat started as an defensive stalemate turned into a Wild West quality

fourth quarter shootout as the Houghton Lake Lady Bobcats defeated their archrival Roscommon Bucks 44-36 Wednesday night in Roscommon. With Sa’taisha Mims and Kelly Julin pacing the Bobcats, Houghton Lake was able to overcome abysmal shooting to overtake the Bucks, as Logan Hutek and company fatigued at the hands of the Bobcat defense.

From the tip it was clear that this matchup had extra importance to both clubs. County bragging rights were on the line, and the smell of intensity was in the air. Dianna Doebler started things for the Lady Bucks with an early jumper to break the tie. A� er some intense defense, the Bucks forced an errant shot by the Bobcats and on the ensuing Roscommon possession, Liz Gendernalik crossed over the defense and arced a � oater to give Roscommon the early 4-0 lead.

With the Bucks defense sti� ing the ‘Cats at every turn, Coach Dalak needed a di� erent strategy…. enter Sa’taisha Mims. With 5:47 on the clock, and a 0 in the scoring column for the visiting Bobcats, Mims placed a beautiful drop step on the ever-imposing Kayla Hawkins and exploded to the rim. In typical rivalry fashion, the Bucks laid the hammer to Mims, sending the not so gentle giant to the charity stripe. Mims was able to lace both freebies, but the Bucks had sent their message, “� is is our house.”

Despite being a freshman playing in her � rst cross-county rivalry game. Roscommon’s Logan Hutek took no time making her mark. With Mims on the bench in foul trouble, Hutek took advantage of the open lane, reeling o� six straight points and leaving the ‘Cats gasping for air and answers. A� er one, the Bucks had a commanding 10-2 lead.

Entering the second quarter the Bucks were carrying a swagger. Meanwhile, on the Bobcat bench, a calming presence emerged. Kelly Julin has been considered one of the Jack Pine’s � nest since her sophomore year. Facing defeat at the hand of the enemy, Julin did what any truly great leader does, she took control. With the Bucks sitting e� ectively in a zone defense, Julin used her convincing pump fake to clear space and then she attacked with a wicked � ying scoop shot. 30 seconds later Hawkins responded for Roscommon, but the Bucks transition defense faltered as Julin raced to the rim with the answer. A� er a Hutek jump shot to stop the bleeding, the defensive battle had turned into a vintage LA Lakers game. Crawling back into the game, Houghton Lake entered the hal� ime locker room trailing 17-13.

Coming out of the break, the Bucks knew they had to regain momentum. Despite being hounded by an aggressive defense, Hutek was able to gain space long enough to make string music with a baseline leaner. A� er extending their zone defense to account for the smooth stroking Julin, the Buck defense became vulnerable in the paint. With quick jab of back-to-back buckets,

Hou g ht on L a ke’s Emi ly Smith and Mims exerted their will. Hutek, not to be upstaged, launched a triple from NBA range. With four minutes to go in the quarter, the Bucks held a 22-17 lead.

With their pride and bragging rights on the line, the Lady ‘Cats made one last push. First it was Kelly Julin whizzing a one handed bullet to Brooke Fagerlie for a deuce. Then, the Cats defense struck like lighting. With the Houghton Lake defense shadowing

the Buck’s every step, the pressure began to unravel the usually meticulous Roscommon

o� ense. With 2:54 remaining in the quarter Julin pick-pocketed Hutek and found Mims on the other end. A� er being fouled on the attempt, Mims canned the free-throw to tie the game for the � rst time since the opening tip. Heading into the fourth it was 22-22.

With eight minutes do decide the fate of a rivalry, Houghton Lake’s senior leaders Julin and Mims put the weight of Houghton Lake on their back, and snatched the victory. It was Mims, in a � urry, sinking free-throws, de� ating the Roscommon o� ense with punishing rejections, and � nally, powering home two of her game high 14 to give the Cats a 28-23 lead. With the Bucks on the ropes, Julin went for the knockout, loading the ri� e and sniping a three banger to silence the crowd, and eliminate the Bucks comeback hopes.

With the Bucks extending the game by fouling, the ‘Cats were able to double their � rst three quarters output and cruise to a 44-36 victory.

Leading the way for Houghton Lake were Mims and Julin with 14 apiece while Hutek paced Roscommon with 14.

Clare stumbled to Saginaw, but dropped the yoke-crunch on the Stangs to retain their title weight belt in the JPC. The Mustangs are spiraling after

taking it on the chin by Beaverton. Stay tuned as things get tight.

Melissa is a wildly instant package of mayhem and destruction on defense.

If Becca Bennett can be more e� cient scoring with her explosive drives to the cup, Beaverton will really be a buzzsaw.

If Corinne can enhance her low-post moves, assert herself a interior o� ensive force, Clare won’t lose until at least the quarter� nals.

Amber Moore might have the greatest most diverse array of o� ensive moves and shots in her aresenal in the region, she needs help.

If Ruckle can some how increase her output by averaging a quadruple doub l e f rom he r on out, Farwell might be unstoppable.

If Ashley White can penetrate into the gaps causing the defense to collapse, her teammates will benefit and the G’s will triumph.

Olivia Sharpe has the shear explosiveness and athleticism to take over a game, she needs to exhibit all her abilities and Harrison will improve.

I f Hans s teps her tenacity up and begins to be more asser t ive o� ensively, the Cats will be a handful to defend.

If Ali Howe begins reeking havoc around the paint on both ends of the floor, Meridian wil l make opponents miserable.

L o g a n h a s g i v e n glimpses of glimmer, if she heightens her ambush attack on the rim, Rosco will be a nightmare to guard.

CLAWS COME OUT4TH QUARTER SURGE LIFTS CATS OVER BUCKS

Top right, the Bobcat’s Gill Caroll providing that additional ballhanding skills to help the Houghton Lake crew fend off the likes of rugged defenders like Dianne Doebler. Above SaTaisha Mims, who was an absolute warrior in the paint rebounding and slam-wrecking on people.

BY JEFF GOODWINENTITLED,

ARROGANT, CLASSLESS, OVERRATED; ASK A ROSCOMMON BUCK WHAT THEY THINK OF THE HOUGHTON LAKE BOBCATS AND THIS IS PROBABLY THE ANSWER YOU WILL RECEIVE. POMPOUS, INSIGNIFICANT, AFTERTHOUGHT; THESE, THE SENTIMENTS OF A HOUGHTON LAKER WHEN PRESENTED

THE CUT RIVER RIVALRY

CONTINUED ON P. 13

W h a t p e o p l e a l s o n e e d t o understand is that we also have tremendous respect for them. People have to remember that a lot of these guys are still our friends. Kyle Akin [Houghton Lake] have been talking about going to college and rooming together. I’ve hung out with Kyle Bates, Pat Gaitan, and Dakota Kolo - they are all good guys. But we still want to beat them.


Gladwin Pee-wees head to Playoffs

Top, Gladwin PeeWee #1 team congratulate their goalie, Connor D’Giovanni, and each other on the 4-1 victory over Midland. With this win they have earned a spot in the Adray play-offs.

Above, Kaleb Clayton #32 races up the ice so that he could take a shot on net. Justin Cameron #43 takes position inside the blue line to hold the puck in the Midland zone.

Gladwin PeeWee #1 packed up their mashing skates, rolled into the hockey haven of Midland, laced up those mashing skates and got right to mashing, dropping the hammer on the Midland boys, on their home ice. Their 4-1 shellacking of the boys from the south punched their ticket to the Adray Playoffs.

The Gladwin boys were able to exploit their offensive weapons and speed whip through Midland’s ranks. With Kaleb Clayton, Evan Reed, and Dylan Ostrander all slicing, blitzing, and blasting at Midland’s seams, the opposition was quickly over whelmed as they were force feed torrents of speed and power.

Evan Reed paced the Gladiators with a pair of pucks stretching the back of the nylon, while the always savvy Kaleb Clayton cut across the meat of the defense to put the biscuit in the basket. Their towering partner in crime, Dylan Ostrander also poked in the cookie.

Gladwin was able to maintain solid balance and puck control with Sam Gerow slithering in between defenders, making scoops along the boards and finding the open man. The big, bruising Justin Cameron enforced on defense, lambasting Midland’s offensive surges.

With the Gladwins Connor D’Giovanni slick moves and vacuum cleaner like abilities, Gladwin has the tools to make a nice push in the playoffs.

Left to rigth, Drake Muma squeezing his man while lifting the head for 1st place. Middle is Eric Cassiday with a head and arm for the pin. right, Colton Kanyo using a tilt to pin his man.

Gladwin Youth recently t raveled to Grayl ing for the final NEMWA season tournament. After many matches and 1st place finishes, Gladwin came home with a huge 1st place team trophy! This is the first time that Gladwin has finished first as a team. This year at Alma they

finished 5th out of 600 kids. Congrats to the entire team for all their hard work.

Ta k ing 1s t p lace R i le y Washburn, Randy Pyrzewski, Arlen Little, Vic Edick, Jack Owens, Austin Palmateer, Luke Owens, Wade Muma, Richard Faber, and Owen Ritchie. 2nd Place went to Jacob Cassiday,

Di l lon Kro ening , Jimb o Bailey, Kyle Rood, Ryan Baker, Blake Pretzlaff and Wade Sturgeon. 3rd place went to Garett Muma and Tony Shell. 4th place was Jacob Risch. Others placing were Hunter Schaaf (1st), Zac McCully (2nd), Leroy Bouck (3rd).

Gladwin Youth top team at GraYlinG

pressure that challenged white—and even many black—preconceptions about mental toughness on the highest stage. In addition, he did so while playing with an energy that forever changed the game. Or consider Martina Navratilova. Yes, she blazed trails just by being an out and proud LGBT champion tennis player. But she also played with a muscled strength and swagger that changed women’s sports forever. The Williams sisters owe as much to Martina as they do to Arthur Ashe and Althea Gibson.

This is the power of Jeremy Lin. It’s not just that he’s a cultural curio: “Asian-American from Harvard in the NBA!” It’s the way he plays the game. Asian-Americans, in our stereotypical lens, are supposed to be studious and reserved. We would expect nothing less than that the first Asian-American player would be robotic and fundamentally sound;

their face an unsmiling mask. In sports, we haven’t moved that far from the days when we expected Jack Johnson to be a wild, undisciplined brawler in the ring or Martina to play on the baseline. Instead, we have Jeremy Lin threading no-look passes, throwing down dunks and, in the most respected mark of toughness, taking contact and finishing baskets. Before last night’s game against the Wizards, as the CBS Sports Blogger Hardwood Paroxysm wrote, Lin had played 136 minutes and had seven plays where he was fouled and scored. By comparison, Golden State Warrior star Monta Ellis played 795 minutes and had only eight. Yesterday, Lin smashed chins with the Wizards John Wall, and played the rest of the game with a Band-Aid loosely hanging from his face.

B u t m o s t i m p r e s s i v e — a n d transgressive—is that he plays with a flair and joy that in two games has

given a dour, mopey Knicks team a sense of purpose and joy. His pre-game handshake alone with teammate Landry Fields has more intelligent soul than Donald Glover.

The Knicks have been a depressing operation all season, best exemplified by their all-star starter Carmelo Anthony, who catches the ball, holds it, holds it and holds it, as teammates slouch their shoulders, frown and do everything short of taking out their phones to make post-game plans while waiting for their star to shoot. Only with Carmelo’s injury have we seen the emergence of “Jeremy Lin’s Knicks.” They pass the ball like they’re playing hot potato and at every timeout the team is on their feet at the bench: smiling, laughing and looking like they are the luckiest people on earth because they are being paid to play hoop.

In the middle of every sideline giggling, chest bumping, mosh pit is their point

guard, Jeremy Lin. This is the true heart of Lin-sanity. It’s not the Asian-American piece, although the pride he’s producing is nothing to dismiss and people of Asian descent have been breaking ankles on courts for decades. It’s not the Harvard piece. It’s not even the flair that makes you question stereotypes of how he’s “supposed” to play. It’s that when he’s doing his thing, you forget all the superficials and all the racial detritus, and just see his grin and feel the joy. Maybe it won’t last. Maybe he’s just played well against awful teams. Maybe Carmelo will play the role of Nurse Ratchett, ordering the Cukoo’s Nest to stop having fun and making Coach Mike D’Antoni give Jeremy Lin a basketball lobotomy. But for now we can relish in the Lin-sanity: a player who breaks the ultimate stereotype: making tired NBA players look like they’re having the time of their lives.

LIN, FROM FRONT

SEE JPC, P.16

MERIDIAN – Beaverton’s Coach Roy Johnston’s UCLA cut o� ense has always flourished when he was blessed with a tall, strong and skilled guard going back to Doyle Durkee, James Ruhle and Brent Mishler. Get to know his name, Austin Schneider is the freshest dominant, versatile point forward in the Mid-Michigan area. His stellar ball control, defensive tenacity, rebounding and o� ensive execution delivered Beaverton the satisfying JPC road triumph over

Meridian, 54-40.Meridian’s Kevin Scheibert squished a

three, then Jake Ham buried a triple to give Meridian an 8-0 lead, it looked as if the Beavers might get routed. Wrong. Anthony Brubaker drilled a three-ball,

Grant Johnston muscled in a basket and Casey Blades sank a pair from the line and Meridian clung to a 10-7. Schneider splashed a pull-up jumper to make it 10-9, then Meridian went on a 6-0 run to end the opening quarter with a 15-9 lead.

SEE BEAVERS, P.16

Travis Shield was the X-Factor in Beaverton’s big time win over the Sanford boys, sending Meridian’s Mitch Bohn into a fury.

BeaverballThe spiritual leader of Ross Lake leads his cagers past the Mustangs in the Bohn Dome

By Clint Kern

Je� rey GoodwinIn what can only be described as

a slugfest, the Beaverton Beavers used their size, strength, and athleticism to overpower the scrappy Houghton Lake Bobcats Monday night in Houghton Lake. Led by a well balanced and, in typical Roy Johnston fashion, efficient offense, the Beavers overwhelmed the Bobcats in every facet of the game. Using their length, the Beavers forced the Bobcats to make untimely and costly errors while maintaining a commanding edge in the rebounding column.

When you watch someone like Houghton Lake’s Kyle Akin walk onto a basketball court the only word that comes to mind is huge. Huge size, huge talent, huge smile, huge personality. To some, this may be intimidating. When you are Roy Johnston and you send out your own army of big men, including Austin Schneider, Casey Blades, Seth Bergman and Erik Maxwell, intimidation does not come to mind.

From the tip it was clear that this was going to be a physical contest. After stealing the tip, Akin exploded like freight train to the hoop. Bergman and Schneider set the tone, putting the big man to the � oor, protecting their paint. But, the Bobcats had drawn � rst blood. This victory was short lived as Junior Travis Shields answered back with a triple. � e Beavers swiped a pass on the next Bobcat possession and Austin Schneider canned a long deuce. This was followed by a steal on the inbounds pass and Anthony Brubaker rainbowed a jumper o� the high glass to give the Beavers an 8-1 lead, which they would never relinquish.

A f t e r Ho u g ht o n L a k e s phenomenal freshman Nathan Shavalia buried a deep jumper, the Beavers decided to bring in reinforcements. Enter Casey Blades. With the deep shooting of the Beavers opening up the paint, Blades ferocious and fundamental post skills could now be displayed. Displaying the footwork that only a Roy Johnston coached big man could perfect, Blades pounded his way to � ve quick � rst quarter points and the Beavers took a 19-11 lead

SEE JPC, P.16





SEE BEAVERS, P.16



By Clint Kern







B e a v e r t o n

Doyle Durkee

Doyle Durkee was a Gladwin County version of an Er v ing ‘Magic ’ Johnson, g i f ted wi th great court vision and fabulous ball handling. Like ‘Magic’, Doyle had tremendous size at 6’2” tall for the point guard position. He also had

amazing outside shooting a b i l i t y a n d c a t l i k e quickness for driving to the hoop like an Isiah � omas. All these physical characteristics along with his cool , unf lappable demeanor allowed Doyle to flourish on the court and beyond. Durkee was

a rare breed. “Doyle was the best shooter Beaverton ever had. I enjoyed rebounding for him, I just wanted to get him the ball,” said former talented teammate Je� Roehrs. “He was a good guy outside of basketball and fun to hang with off and on court, he was a lot of fun to play with,” said Roehrs. Durkee averaged 20 points a contest in both junior and senior years, scoring over 900 points in just two seasons on varsity.

“I competed against him in high school, and again in various city leagues and tournaments after graduation. It was such an honor for me when Doyle started askin me to play with him in leagues and tournaments. Doyle could take a game over and dominate,” said Gladwin’s John Kern. “Doyle was the most complete player I had ever been around and he’s just a great guy. He was the type that had that inside/outside game – just an all around player. Doyle was such a great ball-handler I can’t remember him getting the ball stolen. He was an fantastic passer and he could guard anybody.”

John Kern

Beaverton took back-to-back district titles and in the 1976 campaign the Beavers claimed victories over Lansing Catholic Centra l and Lakeview to win Beaverton’s first regional championship. The boys then advanced to the quarter� nals in Owosso where they ran into an undefeated perennial power Unionville-Sebewaing A r e a s q u a d and were over-matched losing b ig . Va r s i t y coach, Roy Johnston remarked that his old friend from Lansing, Ed Ducher, who coached LCC in the regionals against the Beavers, quickly d e v e l o p e d a r e s p e c t f o r Durkee’s style of play. Coach Johnston said that whenever he talks to Coach Ducher, he asks h o w D o y l e Durkee is doing. In the regional � nals at Alma, Durkee remembered observing the Lakeview standouts checking him out and commenting about him with a sense of fear in warm-ups. Durkee knew that his low-post teammates would have their hands full with the huge post players of Lakeview. Durkee decided that if he could mentally take their star guard out of the ballgame then things would be simplified for the Beaver’s defensive strategy.

On Lakeview’s � rst possession, their stellar guard drove the lane, Durkee timed his leap precisely and blocked his opponents shot, knocking him onto the ground. � e Lakeview guard played tentatively and hesitant the rest of the evening, which allowed Durkee to dig down and help out on Lakeview’s big men. Although he received numerous accolades

for his scoring, assisting and crafty ball-handling, defense is where he truly prided himself. Durkee � ttingly � nished with 20 points to lead the Beaver charge, right on

the button of his career average. “Doyle was as smooth on the � oor as they come and you didn’t have to tell him something twice, he had a wonderful attitude,” said Coach Roy Johnston. “Doyle was one of my favorites without a doubt.”

At the conclusion of his senior year Durkee was decorated with All- Conference, All-Area and Second team All-State honors for his e� orts on the hardwood canvas. Durkee was the Midland area’s scoring champion and player of the year his with a 20 point per game average and easily could have scored more, but Coach Johnston rested his stars a great deal when the Beavers were mauling opponents in the second half that season, especially Durkee. “I was most proud of my track and � eld accomplishments.”

BEAVERTON BEAVERS

76REGIONAL CHAMPS

Rohers and Durkee receiving the regional trophy for the red and white. This inside out tandem was a load.


By Je� GoodwinI n a n o t h e r

dominating performance, the Clare Pioneers varsity girl’s basketball team routed the Harrison Hornets 65-9 in Friday night’s Jack Pine action. Led by t he s t rong a l l -around performances of Melissa Benchley, Ashley Petree, and Lindsay Winter, the Pioneers were able to maintain command over Erica Heckman, Taylor Bondie and the Hornets.

From the t ip, the L ady Pioneers put any thoughts of upset the Hornets may have had to rest . Head Coach Matt Rodenbo employed a stif ling press sp e arhe ade d by his two starting guards, Winter and

B ench le y. L e d by a dizzying f lurry of stea ls , fol lowed by explosive finishes at the rim, Winter and Benchley combined for a ridiculous 16 � rst quarter points as Clare took a 31-2 lead into the second quarter.

D e s p i t e Ta y l o r B o n d i e a n d Tr i x i Kat z e r s t a b i l i z i n g the defensive glass, the second quarter showcased much of the same as Reyna Luplow and Ashley Petree put on a show to give Clare a commanding 46-4 hal� ime lead.

With a running clock in the second half both coaches kept a steady rotat ion of players f l o w i n g a s C l a r e closed out the decisive v i c t o r y. P a c i n g t he Pi one e rs we re

Benchley with 17 and Winter with 15 while Bondie led the Hornets with 4.

MT PLEASANT – Not every game is going to be a blow out. Not every game is going to be master piece of execution. But the Pioneers proved that the team that continues to hustle for loose balls, scrap and claw f o r r e b o u n d s , a n d h o u n d on defens e , a lways has the advantage. And that advantage allowed the Pioneers to stave off the Aggies 45-35. Clare jumped out to take 15-9

lead in the first quarter, off the the hot shooting of Alex Stark. Lindsay Winter rolled around the horn, the Aggie followed in hot pursuit, and Stark made hers e l f avai l ab le a long t he perimeter for a long deuce. On the next possession down, Winter dialed her own number, exploited her court vision and handles to basket-weave the defense into a whirling dervish of confusion and dropped a triple on the reeling Beal City battalion. Monica David answered by for

the girls in powder blue, hanging up a long ball of her own, only to watch the Pioneers rattle off eight unanswered points. Winter stroked another triple,

S t ar k c on n e c t e d f rom w ay behind the arc with a fluid, silky high arcing raindrop. Stark pumped in seven points

to jolt the Aggies and set the tone early and started the attack in the second quarter with a bunny from the wing to make it a 17-9 Clare lead. The the Aggies were able to

slice through the edges of the Pione er ’s de fens e , s core in transition, and make a six blast

of their own to pull the game to within two, 19-17, as Beal City’s Addie Schumacher mashed to the cup on back to back trollops to the cup. The Pioneers re-exerted their

will. A s h l e y Pe t r e e b u r n t t h e

bottom of the net with a 15 footer, Winter rammed to the hole, drew the foul and filled her appointment at the line to make it a 23-17 game, and after Corrine Wezensky drop-stepped pivoted thrusted into position for a quick double down low, the

Pioneers had reclaimed a seven point lead. O ut of t he bre a k , Mel i ss a

Benchley pinched down hard on the Aggies defensively, jarred the ball loose, and in all one rhythmic motion, scooped up the moneyball spun left, gashed right to blitz past the first wave of the defense and kissed the ball off the back of the glass. With that initial momentum

boost, Benchley zipped a pass to Wezensky on the low post, and Corinne power forced herself into position and the easy score.

The barage continued as Winter dropped another triple, Stark nicked the net from the elbow, and Winter scored again with a follow up rebound and put back off her own shot. That third quarter 9-2 flurry

was just enough to create enough distance to withstand the Aggies fourth quarter assault and hold on for the 45-35 victory. Clare was paced by the always

steady Lindsay Winter with 20, on 4 of 6 three point shooting, and 11 points from the gritty little Alex Stark.

Clare romps Lady HornetsThe Pioneer’s defense stymied

FARWELL LADY EAGLES WALLOP BEAVERSFarwell’s Coach Tom Kleinhardt made just enough adjustments and his Eagles out

scrapped Beaverton to win.By Drew PorterThe Beaverton Beavers varsity

girl’s team hosted Farwell in a Jack Pine Conference match-up on Friday. The game started off with Becca Bennett hitting a free throw to give Beaverton the 1-0 lead. Beaverton took a 1 point lead to go into the 2nd quarter of action, 6-5. Kayla Balzer would then tip out a defensive rebound and Beaverton got the ball. After the Eagles give and go was a success, Beaverton would try it out.

Jasmyn Parker-Urban would find Balzer on a pass to the bucket. Beaverton had the lead. Balzer stole the ball and made a valiant effort to save it. Lauren Ringwalt would then make a basket to end the half. Beaverton and Farwell would be tied to end the half, 9-9. Alix Price would start off the half with an easy scoop to the hoop for the duece. Farwell would then go on a 6-0 run to take a 17-11 lead. Jasmyn Parker-Urban then

shortened the gap with a made lay-up. Farwell’s Ruckle would then hit a 3 to give Farwell the 20-11 lead.

Janae Wolfe would f ind her way to the free throw line and sink 2 of 2. Beaverton was now trai l ing 20-13. Sydney Hurley would find Ringwalt on a nice pass to lengthen Farwell’s lead. Beaverton would come back and only trail by 6 heading into the 4th quarter. Janae Wolfe would batt le in the 4th quarter. She pulled down a rebound, forced a quick stea l and played air-tight defense to force a Farwell timeout. Beaverton was now only down by 4 points with 6 minutes left in the contest. Ruckle calmed the Beaverton storm with 2 points of her own to widen the gap to 6 . Parker-Urb an wou ld t hen respond in clutch time, knocking down 2 free throws to keep the Beavers within 4.

Far well would split a pair of

free throws and Farwell’s lead would be 5. Later, Alix Price hit a jumper to shorten the lead to only three with under three minutes left. Farwell would then go on a run to strengthen their grip on the Beavers, increasing the lead to 8. Janae Wolfe would then stroke a triple to keep the Beavers alive, but Jenna Hamming would answer quickly and the lead was back to 7 with 36 ticks on the clock. Ruckle would then drain 2 free throws to take the lead to 9 and Brooke Wartella would knock in another free throw to expand the lead. Farwell would end up winning 36-26 over the Beavers.

“We were out-rebounded by 8,enough said, Tom Kleinhardt is a great coach, he took away the inside and our driving lanes,” said Beaverton’s Kevin Wolfe

“I’m so proud. I’m still shaking! This is a great win on the road for this team,” said Farwell’s Coach Tom Kleinhardt.

CLARE GRINDS OUT WIN OVER AGGIESIt was one of those nights where both hustling defenses made for sloppy offense, but Benchley and Clare prevailed for victory

Kayla Balzer is one of the most physically gifted players around. If she can power up some confidence, she’ ll help Beaverton a ton.

If Addy Kleinhardt can swipe one more steal and smack one more deflection per game, C la re w i l l r e a l l y be sti� ing.

Amber Anderson has unparalleled strength and power around the rim already as a freshman, if she steps up, Coleman will be tough.

Sydney Hur ley i s always hustling, if she can start knock down some jumpers, Farwell will really be a buzzsaw.

JJ Willford has the s o f t e s t l e f t h a n d e d stroke in the league, if she gets more consistent G l a d w i n w i l l b e a juggernaut.

Wyzlick has a very accurate touch from long range, if she can relax and square up to the hoop, Harr ison wil l have a formidable threat.

M e g a n C a r r i c k is a weapon from the perimeter, she has to believe this once again and start torching the nets.

Blake Garner has great bloodlines, now she’s got to exercise her fantastic genetics and ball out of control.

Tonya Chouinard is the most pesky defender in all the land, she needs to start creating more turnovers with her D.

The Dog-Beast Ashley Petree mashing down low for a rebound and spin-slicing for the outlet pass.

Ruckle seemed to find a way to break open and score a basket each and every time Beaverton started to muster a rally en route to leading her Eagles to a mega road victory in a hostile environment. Ruckle netted 17 points and she ripped down nine rebounds to pace Farwell over the Beaverettes. She really displayed a soft and accurate stroke.

jack pine triBune Monday, December 10, 2012

SEE JPC, P.16





SEE BEAVERS, P.16



By Clint Kern






SEE JPC, P.16





SEE BEAVERS, P.16



By Clint Kern






Lady BoBcats Beat Rosco, Buckmen win

Left, Perhaps the most rabid and ultra intense rivalry in the JPC and beyond, Rosco hosted the Bobcats. Houghton Lake ladies were spurred by Mims, Fagerlie and Julin to triumph. Collin Lake, Todd Martin and Josh Smock collected another victory over their neighbours to the south. Harrison skiers begin to exert their power. Gladwin youth hockey ratchets up their schedule and winter sports are in full swing. Right, Beaverton boys and girls hoop squads capture wins at Meridian.

SEE JPC, P.16





SEE BEAVERS, P.16



By Clint Kern






MT PLEASANT – It’s never over ti l l it’s over. The Aggies know it, and so to do the Pioneers . Last Saturday’s Mayhem at McGuirk, 58-57, last second Clare victory, was madness – pure madness. C l a r e u n l e a s h e d t h e

d e v i l - d o g s o n B e a l C it y ’s Stone B e ckw it h in the first half, holding the thick , burly guard s c ore l e s s t h rou g h t h e first half. Jackson Gross, Todd Wysong, and nasty Taylor Ardis were simply uncompromising. Nobody outside of McEwan Street would have f igured the Pioneer ’s i ron-c ur t ain would have locked him.But having rendered him scoreless, the Wise regime were al l t ied up at 13’s after one.And that marginal 24-

21 ha l f - t ime l e ad was only establish by a Clare offensive flurry blast right to end the second quarter. Jackson Gross find a little driving line, spurted left, mashed right and sprung up to the rim to flip the ball through the net to tie it up at 19-19. Clare started to attack

the middle, exploit their speed and height, collapse the interior and splash from the fringe. Hunter Ruby worked the inside a long the basel ine and knifed a pass out to Ardis w h o w a s to e d up an d SEE PIONEERS, P.13

The G Men and Bucks scrapped and fought to the � nal whistle in a game that swayed almost play to play Friday night in Gladwin. Despite the greatest e� orts of the Flying G’s, and a huge o� ensive night by Trevor Camanse, Roscommon escaped with a win by a razors edge.� e shooting of Hunter Mires and pin-

point accurate passing of Collin Lake highlighted an otherwise defensive night for the Bucks, whose combativeness and tenacity on the defensive side of the ball,

which has fueled their play thus far in the season, was showcased on every defensive play.Roscommon jumped out to an early 11-4

lead, locking down Gladwin’s shooters and finding scoring production from the perimeter, particularly from Hunter Mires. A very deep three pointer from Hayden Scott cut the lead to four at the end of the 1st.Trevor Camanse began to catch fire

early in the 2nd quarter, knocking down

SEE ROSCO, P.14

Rosco’s three headed guard juggernaut, comprised of Austin Fluegel, Hunter Mires and Collin Lake, outlasted the Flying G’s.

bucks survive in g-townRoscommon’s junior guard, Hunter Mires, took the game into his own hands in the fourth and delivered

By Jason ChenetteMT PLEASANT – It’s

never over ti l l it’s over. The Aggies know it, and so to do the Pioneers . Last Saturday’s Mayhem at McGuirk, 58-57, last second Clare victory, was madness – pure madness. C l a r e u n l e a s h e d t h e









SEE ROSCO, P.14



By Jason Chenette

wRestLing madness, hoop thRiLLeRs

Left, Rosco’s senior leading grappler, the contortionist, Dustin Noreyko pin yoke flexes on opponents and inspires his young herd of Bucks to step their game up.Clare’s Tanner Vida played terrifically on both ends of the court en route to lifting his Pioneers over the steely Stone Beckwith and his Aggies of Beal City.With a gillette razor’s edge, Hunter Mires, Collin Lake and the Bucks escaped the G-Dome with a victory despite Camanse, Pollock and Beaudoing’s stellar performances.

MT PLEASANT – It’s never over ti l l it’s over. The Aggies know it, and so to do the Pioneers . Last Saturday’s Mayhem at McGuirk, 58-57, last second Clare victory, was madness – pure madness. C l a r e u n l e a s h e d t h e









SEE ROSCO, P.14



By Jason Chenette

AUSTIN SCHNEIDER

HOUGHTON LAKE – The Gladwin Flying G’s were without their star point guard Jared Beaudoing because of discipline issues and one of their better offensive and defensive interior performers, Landon Grove who is sidelined because of a knee injury. This didn’t discourage the G-men or take them out of the game mentally. Gladwin seemed to rally together due impart to a full grown man all around performance by senior Trevor Camanse. Both teams took turns going on runs but it was the Flying G’s who had the last hot streak as Gladwin prevailed for the 56-45 victory.Two senior warriors, Kasey Turner of Houghton Lake and Cameron Tenwalde of Gladwin both spring into the air for a rebound and an accidental push from behind knocked both men off-balance as they collided into each other. Tenwalde violently smacked his elbow and back on the hardwood tcanvas, while Turner blasted his knee and hip on the fl oor. Both men were rolling on the fl oor in anguish, then they both pulled themselves up and stumbled back

SEE G-MEN P.14

A slow game in Beaverton Friday through three and a half quarters took a drastic change late, as Roscommon and Beaverton combined for an electrifying dash to the � nish, and an eventual overtime emergence by the Beavers.

Casey Blades made his imposing presence known and feared by Roscommon quickly, winning the initial tip and laying in the � rst basket of the game. Despite a tremendously fast paced game, both teams found scoring nearly

impossible to come by early on, with the only scoring coming on the occasional open lay-up in transition or put back of a missed perimeter shot. Anthony Brubaker found himself at the receiving end of one such miss, and put it back with milliseconds to spare on the � rst quarter clock to give Beaverton an early 12-7 lead.

� e Bucks had a very di� cult time coming back from this early de� cit, with the majority of the scoring

SEE BEAVERS, P.13

Beaverton’s Seth Bergman and crew kept deploying waves of ammunition on the Bucks until they prevailed in overtime.

Beaverton’s glass bashBlades, Bergman, Johnston, Maxwell and Shields got all the could handle from Rosco, but triumphed

By Jason Chenette

AUSTIN SCHNEIDER


SEE G-MEN P.14





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By Jason Chenette

cLaRe and BeaveR Boys make pecking oRdeR

Left, Clare’s do it all two guard, Shane Adkins unleashed his wrath on his inter county neighbours from the west when he ignited Clare’s 77-28 convincing victory over Farwell. Middle, Gladwin’s Trevor Camanse and Houghton Lake’s Kyle Bates were two of the most prolific linebacker/running back standouts on the grid-iron in the region. They rekindled their rivalry on the hardwood and the G-men eked out a thrilling win over the Bobcats.Right, Beaverton’s Seth Bergman just edged Todd Martin and his Bucks.

AUSTIN SCHNEIDER


SEE G-MEN P.14





SEE BEAVERS, P.13



By Jason Chenette

By Cody O’RourkeCLARE – One thing was

missing in the gymnasium when the number 4 ranked McBain Ramblers rolled into the Pioneer Dome Tuesday night : the whole Clare underdog bit. Pre-game, I rolled up to Coach Rob Wise, asked him what he thought...without showing his cards, he cracked a small smile and rolled out the classic cliché “It should be a good game.”

So I quickly prodded him, asking him what he thought I should keep my eye on as the game unfolded. “They have some nice guards,” Wise replied.

� ere it was. Coach Wise was doubling down the mortgage payment on the defensive tenacity of his insanely deep guard rotation to contain the highly touted McBain Ramblers. And there he was at the end, cool, calm, like a man who knew how the cards were going to fall as he wracked in his pile of chips with the 53-50 victory over McBain.

Despite not having the ultra-athletic Bryce Anderson and the sharp-shooting Hunter Ruby at his disposal, Coach Wis e and the Pioneers unloaded their swagger on the Ramblers early and often to snap in a 11-8 � rst quarter lead.

Clare’s Tanner Vida blasted through a small seam in the Ramblers defense, rolled up a floater that bounced out of the cup and James Wezensky mashed through a seal off to grab the carom, went up strong to put the � rst points up on the boards.

Wezensky was set to establish the tone early by exerting his will in the paint. McBain’s Kyle Zuiderveen tried to take a runner to the hole, but Wezensky quickly rotated over on defense and splashed the leather back on Zuiderveen’s melon. Clare’s student section went bonkers. Cam Smith’s eyes went buggy, Mitch Greeacre went into ultimate-warrior mode and waves of pandemonium would fill the gymnasium for the rest of the night. Now, McBain not only SEE PIONEERS, P.15

SEE RESOLVE, P.2

The evening’s lime lit stage began with the 215 weight division as Meridian’s Sophomore Eric Fader locked horns with Roscommon’s junior, Logan Long. Fader dictated the ebb and flow of the action, he controlled Long until he secured the pin with 19 seconds left in the opening period.Meridian’s heavyweight Kaine Sturgeon

had upset Gladwin’s Jake Roza the weekend prior, perhaps he came in a little overconfident. Regardless, Nate

Thornton looked much more focused, had better stamina and react ion. Thornton took the major win 15-5 over the bigger opponent.Then Sanford’s freshman phenom, 103

pounder, Chase Robinson tallied a 35 second pin. At 112, seasoned senior veteran, Meridian’s Shane Parisi really smothered the first year wrestler from Roscommon. Tony Mayball couldn’t make one offensive maneuver. Parisi had several near pins, but Mayball wiggled

SEE ROSCO, P.13

Rosco’s Brad Biggs was very aggressive, he found himself nearly pinned by Sanford’s Devon Posey, he kicked, rolled and pinned Posey.

gO bIG OR gO hOME The upstart Meridian grapplers sprung out to a 20-8 lead, then Roscommon started to exert their power.

By Clint Kern

By Cody O’RourkeFooled you didn’t we? You

might have thought that this newspaper was about high school sports. It’s not. Not at all. It’s about character. Athletics is just our medium of choice to highlight the process in which we grow and overcome.

It’s not even so much about winning or losing in the land of the Jack Pine Conference, it’s about development. It’s about watching the athletes at the beginning of the season, talking at length about their personal aspirations, goals, and then watching them strive towards their end.

I love the psychology of sports, how people respond to their circumstances.

For instance, the moment of the week for me was in the Clare vs McBain game. It was late in the game (in actually what turned out to be the decisive play of the night) when Todd Wysong laced a pair of free throws when the Pioneers were nursing a one point lead, 51-50, to make it a 53-50 game with just seconds le� .

To most people, the moment they will remember is Todd Wysong sinking the double from the charity stripe. But for me, it was the way he shredded through a defender when Shane Adkins couldn’t find an opening and made himself available on the in-bounds pass.

I loved how it all played out. You have to take a flash back a year ago when Wysong was essentially an unknown commodity in the Jack Pine Conference before he became a defensive buzzsaw and a rather underrated o� ensive threat in 2011-12.

Against McBain, Wysong snaked in a couple of fouls early and spent some time in the first half riding the pine, yet stormed out in the second half with unbridled aggression and con� dence. � en midway through the fourth, Wysong went to the line when McBain was mashing their way to the � nish line in what was looking to be an epic come from behind victory for the Ramblers, he split from the charity stripe at a rather crucial point – clanking at what was at the time, some hard to get points.

For me, it wasn’t the fact that he made the last second free throw shots to push the Pioneers up 53-50, it was that he was willing to � ght to have that opportunity after just minutes earlier he had failed to convert.

It was the resolve, not the free throws that counted.

I go to games not to see who wins or loses, but who is willing to test themselves. Who is willing to do what is necessary in any given circumstance,

By Cody O’RourkeCLARE – One thing was

missing in the gymnasium when the number 4 ranked McBain Ramblers rolled into the Pioneer Dome Tuesday night : the whole Clare underdog bit. Pre-game, I rolled up to Coach Rob Wise, asked him what he thought...without showing his cards, he cracked a small smile and rolled out the classic cliché “It should be a good game.”

So I quickly prodded him, asking him what he thought I should keep my eye on as the game unfolded. “They have some nice guards,” Wise replied.

� ere it was. Coach Wise was doubling down the mortgage payment on the defensive tenacity of his insanely deep guard rotation to contain the highly touted McBain Ramblers. And there he was at the end, cool, calm, like a man who knew how the cards were going to fall as he wracked in his pile of chips with the 53-50 victory over McBain.

Despite not having the ultra-athletic Bryce Anderson and the sharp-shooting Hunter Ruby at his disposal, Coach Wis e and the Pioneers unloaded their swagger on the Ramblers early and often to snap in a 11-8 � rst quarter lead.

Clare’s Tanner Vida blasted through a small seam in the Ramblers defense, rolled up a floater that bounced out of the cup and James Wezensky mashed through a seal off to grab the carom, went up strong to put the � rst points up on the boards.

Wezensky was set to establish the tone early by exerting his will in the paint. McBain’s Kyle Zuiderveen tried to take a runner to the hole, but Wezensky quickly rotated over on defense and splashed the leather back on Zuiderveen’s melon. Clare’s student section went bonkers. Cam Smith’s eyes went buggy, Mitch Greeacre went into ultimate-warrior mode and waves of pandemonium would fill the gymnasium for the rest of the night. Now, McBain not only SEE PIONEERS, P.15

SEE RESOLVE, P.2

The evening’s lime lit stage began with the 215 weight division as Meridian’s Sophomore Eric Fader locked horns with Roscommon’s junior, Logan Long. Fader dictated the ebb and flow of the action, he controlled Long until he secured the pin with 19 seconds left in the opening period.Meridian’s heavyweight Kaine Sturgeon

had upset Gladwin’s Jake Roza the weekend prior, perhaps he came in a little overconfident. Regardless, Nate

Thornton looked much more focused, had better stamina and react ion. Thornton took the major win 15-5 over the bigger opponent.Then Sanford’s freshman phenom, 103

pounder, Chase Robinson tallied a 35 second pin. At 112, seasoned senior veteran, Meridian’s Shane Parisi really smothered the first year wrestler from Roscommon. Tony Mayball couldn’t make one offensive maneuver. Parisi had several near pins, but Mayball wiggled

SEE ROSCO, P.13

Rosco’s Brad Biggs was very aggressive, he found himself nearly pinned by Sanford’s Devon Posey, he kicked, rolled and pinned Posey.

gO bIG OR gO hOME The upstart Meridian grapplers sprung out to a 20-8 lead, then Roscommon started to exert their power.

By Clint Kern

By Cody O’RourkeFooled you didn’t we? You

might have thought that this newspaper was about high school sports. It’s not. Not at all. It’s about character. Athletics is just our medium of choice to highlight the process in which we grow and overcome.

It’s not even so much about winning or losing in the land of the Jack Pine Conference, it’s about development. It’s about watching the athletes at the beginning of the season, talking at length about their personal aspirations, goals, and then watching them strive towards their end.

I love the psychology of sports, how people respond to their circumstances.

For instance, the moment of the week for me was in the Clare vs McBain game. It was late in the game (in actually what turned out to be the decisive play of the night) when Todd Wysong laced a pair of free throws when the Pioneers were nursing a one point lead, 51-50, to make it a 53-50 game with just seconds le� .

To most people, the moment they will remember is Todd Wysong sinking the double from the charity stripe. But for me, it was the way he shredded through a defender when Shane Adkins couldn’t find an opening and made himself available on the in-bounds pass.

I loved how it all played out. You have to take a flash back a year ago when Wysong was essentially an unknown commodity in the Jack Pine Conference before he became a defensive buzzsaw and a rather underrated o� ensive threat in 2011-12.

Against McBain, Wysong snaked in a couple of fouls early and spent some time in the first half riding the pine, yet stormed out in the second half with unbridled aggression and con� dence. � en midway through the fourth, Wysong went to the line when McBain was mashing their way to the � nish line in what was looking to be an epic come from behind victory for the Ramblers, he split from the charity stripe at a rather crucial point – clanking at what was at the time, some hard to get points.

For me, it wasn’t the fact that he made the last second free throw shots to push the Pioneers up 53-50, it was that he was willing to � ght to have that opportunity after just minutes earlier he had failed to convert.

It was the resolve, not the free throws that counted.

I go to games not to see who wins or loses, but who is willing to test themselves. Who is willing to do what is necessary in any given circumstance,

wRestLing titans, Bucks outLasts stangs

Left, Cody compares the poise and clutch tactics of the skilful Todd Wysong to the tumultuous trials in the middle east. Wysong, Wezensky, Adkins, Vida and the Pioneers put a huge feather in their cap and attain tremendous confidence after defeating Highland Conference power, the McBain Ramblers.After Shane Parisi, Joe Shuler and the Mustangs jumped out to a 20-8 lead at Rosco, the Bucks erupted, Brad Biggs, Matt Morley and the Bucks caught fire and steam-rolled to victory over Sanford’s finest grapplers.

Monday, january 30, 2012 jack pine tribune Page 13

just enough not to get stuck. Parisi chalked up the tech fault as he compiled the 17-0 shutout.Meridian’s 119, Joe Schuler has continued to impress all

season long, wrestling with great vigor and success. He was no real match for a determined, healthy once again Dustin Noreyko. Noreykon had Schuler wrapped up in numerous near pins, but Schuler just refused to be pinned down. Noreyko did chalk up the 9-1 triumph.Damon Walter bumped up to wrestle at 125. Not only

was he bumping up a weight class, he was colliding with the talent laden Caleb Jernigan of Rosco. Walter caught Jernigan in an early headlock and seemed to make just enough moves to maintain his 9-1 advantage and eventual victory.At 130, Sanford’s senior leader, Garrett Bowland mauled

Dustin Kelley, 14-5. Roscommon’s Marcus Kelley earned redemption for the Kelley family as he quickly pounced on Meridian’s Jesse Fellows and squeezed him for the 58 second. At 140, it was Rosco’s Drake Lewandowski out-worked and defeated Meridian’s Nathan Fellows to compile the 7-1 victory.The quarrel at 145 may have been the marquee match

of the night. Roscommon’s Bradley Biggs and Sanford-Meridian’s Devon Posey locked up and with savvy precision, they took turns attacking each other. Initially it was Biggs who sprawled for the legs to get a take down. Biggs was exerting his will as the aggressor, then Posey seemed to find a spark and began taking more of an offensive approach to his action. Soonafter, Posey had cranked a stronghold and nearly had Biggs pinned. Biggs flipped and rolled Posey off of him, while simultaneously sinking in a deep headlock pinch. Biggs flexed Posey with all his might, causing Posey’s shoulders to rest limp on the

mat, the official slammed his hand down and the Rosco faithful erupted with a roar of pandemonium. Rosco’s leader, Matt Morley exhibited a series of viscous

moves and tallied the 19-10 victory. Meridian’s Jake Nicely tossed and mashed with Rosco’s Gage Richards in a physical stalemate, until late in the third Nicely slipped in a tight wilkins and pinned Richards. This gave Meridian a 30-27 lead. RHS’s Ryan Savage was being muscled by Meridian’s

Jeremy Wenzlick early, then as if he flipped a switch, Savage aggressively flexed Wenzlick around and pinned him to jolt the Buck loyalists. Meridian’s Amirjon Zaribov wrangled with Rosco’s Mitch Tyler, pushed him onto his back and finally in the third period, Tyler squeezed out the pin. “I was really proud of how smart and tough Nate

wrestled. He did a great job of moving with quick feet and not getting under Sturgeon, he stayed out away from Sturgeon’s power. Nate’s in great shape, he wore Kaine down and really worked him over,” said Roscommon’s Coach Ronnie Noreyko. “Really the entire team worked their opponent wisely, honestly we prepped each wrestler at each weight class pretty good. Jeremy and his assistants have down a fantastic job with this team. I’ve known and coached against Jeremy for a long time, we came up through the youth leagues together. All the kids did a nice job of not giving up many bonus points. Didn’t get pinned and weren’t majored very much. Ryan Savage came through in the clutch and had a big pin, but I was really impressed Bradley Biggs. Brad really worked hard to roll out of a couple near pins and then stuck his opponent to start our comeback run.”

FA RW E L L – T h e E a g l e s mauled and mashed on the d e p l e t e d H o u g h t o n L a k e wrestling battalion, a squad that once boasted it had upwards of 40 wrestlers, now just dwindled down to six fierce competitors. The Eagles rolled effortlessly

to the 54-22 victory, as Farwell’s Terry Fedewa, Kurt Meister, Abby Nordstrom, Nate Carlon, and Kyle Skornicka all received voids against the Bobcats. Far wel l’s Quincy Crawford

usurped David Shephard of Houghton Lake 8-0, and at 140, Tristan Zienkiewicz continued to mash on his opposition with a 6-0 victory over the Bobcat’s Dakota Foster. T h e E a g l e s R y a n M i l l e r

snatched up Ronnie Foster at 160, but the Bobcats were able to reverse the tide with Dalton Bailey taking Jacob Haring at

171. David Duncan also toppled his Houghton Lake competitor with a win over Adam Gott of Surrey Township. At the Heavy Weight Division,

Lane Romanelli edged out Todd DeLisle to claim the Eagle pride. Tr i s t a n Z i n k i e w i c z h a s

continued to impress for the Eagles, tallying an impressive 22-0 record, demonstrating a vast array of moves and power to implement his wishes by crunching his competitors into pretzel like shapes. Often times, if you listen carefully, you can hear wincing of mothers in the stands are their boys take the mat with Zinkiewicz, as they know a slaughtering is about to take place. Expect Zinkiewicz to continue at this break neck pace throughout the rest of conference competition as young machine-beast.

FARWELL - Farwell Youth Wrest l ing Club is a lready k ne e de ep into t he 2012 season. On Saturday January 21st, the team was able to capture the Sportsmanship trophy at the Clare NEMWA t o u r n a m e nt , a l o n g w i t h many individual medals for our wrestlers. Farwell Youth Wrestling Club is for boys and girls, ages 5-14. Farwell Youth Wrestling Club’s objective is to create a positive experience for youth boys and girls, while promoting sportsmanship, l e a d e r s h i p , c h a r a c t e r development and a passion for the sport of wrestling. The team will continue the season with a tournament this week with a NEMWA t o u r n a m e nt i n Fr e e l a n d and a MYWA Tournament on Sunday February 5th in Shepherd. Pictured are some of our wrest lers with the

sportsmanship trophy: (front row) Devin Kelley, Cole Spivey, Kaden Lewis, Chase Burchette, Chandler Skornicka, Matt Disbrow, Colton Smedley, Cameron McInnis. (back row) William Laurencelle, Wyatt Blanchard, Carter Smedley, Tustyn Yarger, Calvin Linton, Josh Dishneau and Kylie Smith.

G L A D W I N - G l a d w i n Youth wrest l ing is in ful l swing every Saturday until the end of February for the N.E.M.W.A. league. Gladwin has 20 returning wrestlers this year. � ese boys have wrestled anywhere from 2 years to 5 years . Those wrest lers include (front) - Gavin Evans 2yrs, (front left to right) - Tanner Mielke 3yrs, Randy Pryzewski 3yrs, Arlen Little 3yrs, (middle front) Garrett Muma 3yrs, (middle le� ) Kyle Cassiday 5yrs, Eric Cassiday 4yrs, Jack Owen 2yrs, Wade

Muma 5yrs, Jacob Cassiday 4yrs, Justin Bailey - water boy, (back left) James Bailey 3yrs, Tyler Lafollette 2yrs, Drake Muma 2yrs, Blake Pretzlaff 2yrs. Missing from photo is Dillon Kroening 3yrs, Colton Kanyo 3yrs, Wade Sturgeon 3 yrs, Richard Faber 2yrs, Mason Prather 3 yrs and Eddie Duncan 3 yrs. Gladwin has 3 wrestlers who will be traveling to Holt for the MYWAY All Star Regional Dual Team Tournament with Chippewa Hills. Good Luck Randy Pryzewski, Kyle and Eric Cassiday!

In the last few weekends G l a dw i n h a s t r ave l e d to Bul lock Creek, Clare and h o s t e d a t o u r n a m e nt i n Gladwin. Along with those tournaments 12 youth traveled to Alma to compete in the Trophy Tournament. Gladwin took 5th place as a team out of 600 kids. Taking 1st place

Randy Pryzewski and Kyle Cassiday. 2nd place Jimbo Bailey and Colton Kanyo, 3rd place Jack and Luke Owens and Dillon Kroening. 4th P l a c e Wa d e M u m a a n d Eddie Duncan. This is a very t ou g h t ou r n am e nt e ve r y ye ar and Gl a dw i n Yout h represented! Great job boys!

At Bul lock Creek taking 1 s t S e t h O nwel l e r, R i l e y Washburn, Hunter McDowell, Randy Pyrzewski, Jack Owens, Drake Muma, Leroy Bouck (Grapplers), Luke Owens, Wade Muma and Richard Faber. 2nd place Eddie Duncan, Mason Prather, Colton Kanyo, Jacob Cassiday, Jimbo Bailey, Caleb Good, Luke Owens, Tyler Lafollette, Wade Sturgeon. 3rd place Garrett Muma, Arlen Little, Ethan Levi, Kyle Rood, Josh Risch, Ryan Baker, Blake Pretzlaff, Eric Cassiday, Brice Bartels, Richard Faber and Zac

McCully (Grapplers).At Clare taking 1st Earl

Esiline, Hunter McDowell, R a n d y P r y z e w s k i , Ja c o b Cassiday, Kyle Cassiday, Wade Muma, Richard Faber, Wade Sturgeon, Luke Owens. 2nd R i l e y Wa s h b u r n , M a s o n Prather, Vic Edick, Tanner Mielke, Kyle Rood, Ryan Baker, Owen Ritchie (Grapplers), Zac McCully (Grapplers), Casey

B e n mark , Hu nte r S cha af (Grapplers). 3rd place Andrew Davis, Tony Shel l , Colton Kanyo, Jimbo Bailey, Jamie Harper, Drake Muma, Leroy Bouck (Grapplers). 4th place Jason Crouch Jr. (Grapplers), D i l l o n K r o e n i n g , Ty l e r Lafollette, Brice Bartels, Blake Pretzlaff, Eric Cassiday and Jacob Risch.

The Pioneers faced off against the G’s on Wednesday night to continue conference play. Both Clare and Gladwin have struggled this year with eligibility and injuries to never put either of their full line up on the mat yet this year. With both teams setting at 1-2 in the conference this would be a very big con� dence booster to be carried into the � nal week of conference play. Clare would void both 103 and 112 giving both Quintin Day and Steve Evans wins by forfeit , while both Clare and Gladwin void 119 to start the matches at 125. Gladwin would bump up Dylan Hillier to take on Tristin Morse. Morse scored the first take down but Hillier would escape at the end of the first period. The second period Gladwin started with Hillier choosing down and getting turned to his back, but escaped shortly after then had a nice takedown of his own. Morse would choose neutral to start the third, Hillier set and ready would shooting right o� the whistle to for a takedown and pin in the middle of the period, putting Gladwin ahead 18-0. At 135 Gladwin would send out Mike LaSart while Zach Betzer would represent Clare. LaSart would score a takedown and a set of near falls before eventually pinning Betzer in the second period. Jack Langworthy who has improved much throughout the year would go out at 140 for Clare while Dennis Hillier would represent Gladwin. Langworthy would score the first take down while Hillier would escape shortly a� er. Late in the third Hillier would get questionable call but score a solid take down to win 5-2, giving the G’s a commanding lead of 27-0. The incredibly strong Domink Herkel

would out muscle Gladwin heart and glue Bradley Stunk with a pin in the � rst period. James Ahlfeld would make his wrestling debut by taking on Clare’s, Logan Emery at 152. Ahlfeld would score the � rst take down but Emery would stay moving and reverse only get reversed himself at the end of the period putting Ahlfeld up 4-2. � e second period would be much of the same as the two evenly match wrestler traded reversals in the second still leaving James ahead 6-4. � e third period would make the di� erence though Emery’s hard would throughout the year would out last and maneuver Ahlfeld to give Emery a well deserved pin giving Clare another six points. Clare would again win at 160 with Brandon Ayris narrowly out scoring Ritchie Mathis. Duane Hillier would catch Riley White o� balance to score another pin for Gladwin at 171, again giving the G’s a sizable lead of 33-15. Cody Koper would prove to be dominate from the top position pinning Tyler Orwig at 189. Brenden Hensley would take on Ryan Lampman at 215. Lampman would score two takedown and a near fall to go head 7-2 at the end of the � rst period but made a fatal error in the second that Hensley capitalized on scoring a big pin for Clare. Clare would bump Mitch Greenacre up to face Gladwin’s Jake Roza. Greenacre would take Roza down twice in the � rst period to have a 4-1 lead at the end. Roza would come back strong in the second with a quick reversal then while going for a pinning combination would flare up an old injury of Greenacres forcing him to injury default giving Roza the win, while putting Gladwin ahead 45-21 to end the duel.

EAGLES MASHON BOBCATS

GLADWIN TAKES WIN OVER CLARE

Nate Thornton proved to be in much better condition as he ran circles and overpowered Meridian’s Kaine Sturgeon to win.

FARWELL AND GLADWIN YOUTH WRESTLING

Rosco, Continued from front



11


ROSCO BEATS TC WEST

G’S COMPETE IN SL

STORMHOCKEY REVIEW

MHS WINS AT VASSAR

CLARE PLACES FOURCLARE - Clare headed to the

Threloff tournament hosted by St. Louis on Saturday January 7, 2012. Cameron Longstreth took second p l a c e a f t e r l o s i n g t o Tr i s t e n Zienkewitcz of Farwell in the finals in the 140 pound weight class division. Junior Dominik Herkel came out and had a big day, getting it started with an upset victory over the number one seed, Cody Thrush of St. Louis. Herkel then went on to beat Joey Durham of Montabella in his finals match to bring home a gold medal. Sophomore Brandon Ayris a lso wrestled extremely well on the day and ended up with 4th place at 160 pounds. The last Pioneer to bring home a medal on Saturday was Junior

Mitch Greenacre who earned himself a 2nd place finish after a tough battle with Josh Capen of Ithaca in the 215 pound weight class. The Pioneers finished in 7th place on the day as a team out of the 12 that were in attendance. Clare heads to Houghton Lake on Wednesday January 11th for a non conference battle with Bay City Central and Grayling.

Pioneers Lose to BCC and GraylingClare Varsity Wrestling headed to

Houghton Lake on Wednesday, January 11, 2012 for a quad meet with Bay City Central and Grayling. Clare squared off in the first round against Grayling and did their fair share to try and pull out a win. Final score Gray l ing , 36-35 over the

Pioneers, followed by a 54-30 loss to Bay City Central.

Double Winners on the night for Clare included Dominik Herkel, Mitch Greenacre, and Ty Simon. Wrestlers earning one win on the night included Jack Langworthy, Logan Emer y, Evan Sved, Ri ley White and Brenden Hensley.

“We wrestled some big schools tonight and we wrest led pretty tough. There are a few little things we need to work on, and then we buckle down for the LakeView team tournament this upcoming Saturday. Holton, Montabella, East Grand Rapids, Farwell, LakeView and Clare make up the round robin teams.” OGEMAW – � e storied and heralded Roscommon Buck wrestling

program has had many of darts hurled at them this winter and they just keep discovering new ways to keep trucking. Wednesday night in West Branch the Buck grappling squadron was without Tony Mayball, Damian Lewandowski, Mitch Tyler and Dustin Noreyko. Despite missing four varsity starters the Rosco brigade collected a victory over Pinconning 60-16. Traverse City West was Roscommon’s next victim. � is match was a stalemate as each team won seven matches, � nishing the scoreboard at a deadlock 41-41 tie. It went to the tie breaker and eventually Roscommon won because they had more take downs. Rosco won 42-41.Coach Noreyko was utterly impressed with senior Ryan Savage who

under short notice cut weight to get down to 171. Savage not only sacri� ced his weight and strength, he compiled two pins. Against a bull from TC West, Savage applied an under over-hook toss and pinned his opponent in about 37 seconds. Gage Richards also really impressed his coaches with his two

victories at 160. Marcus Kelley, Matt Morley and Drake Lewandowski were they normal dominant selves. “� is was my � rst tie-breaker, I had never been through something like that, I had to get the rule book out. We’re wrestling a lot of young guys, and di� erent guys keep stepping up, that’s a sign of a good team. I just want everybody to be healthy for the end of the season.”

Farwell’s Terry Fedwa dropped down to 103 for the first time in two years to finish second while Kurt Meister of Farwell, returning conference champ, finished third at 103. Gladwin’s Dylan Hillier put together a fine performance to finish second on the day at weight 119. 140 weight class would prove to be one of the hardest of the day with Clare’s Cameron Longstreth (returning S.Q.) Tristian Zienkiewicz of Farwell (returning conference champ) and Dennis Hillier (conference runner-up) all in the same weight class. Zienkiewicz would beat longstreth in the championship to win the tournament and have the honor of being Tourney MVP, and Dennis finishing with a respectful

fourth place. Dominik Hurkel dominated the 145 weight class pinning his way through the tournament beating both St. Louis’ Cody Thrust and Montabella’s Joey Durham to earn the crown. Farwell’s Ryan Miller would add to the Jack Pines list of champions by winning the 152 class. Brandon Ayris of Clare would have a good day wrestling stiff competition to finish fourth at 160. Jake Harring of Farwell would continue his dominating ways by pinning everyone in the tournament to earn Farwell yet another champion. 215 featured Mitch Greenacher of Clare and Ryan Lampman of Gladwin. Greenacher would fall just short of wrestling a great match against Josh Capen of Ithica, while lampam would wrestle his way through the tournament to finish fourth of the day. Jake Roza over powered all his opponents but one slip cost him his trip into the championship finial but fired back for a dominating third place finish. Gladwin, who was runners-ups last year found themselves lacking finishing ninth on the day, while Clare was down missing a few key players, finishing seventh. All the while Farwell finished a respectable third.

VASSAR - MHS wrestled at theVassar Invitational today and we took 1st place going 5-0 on the day. They beat Bad Axe 59-18, Brown City 66-18, Vassar 60-15, Garber 54-27 and Standish Sterling 38-36. This puts their record at 14-2 on the year overall. Standish is a very solid team, they are now 16-2 on the year.

Going 5-0 on the day were: Chase Robinson 103, Shane Parisi, 112-119, Garrett Bowland 130-135, and Nathan Fellows 135-140. Going 4-0 was Joe Shuler at 119-125. Olivia Drier went 3-0 at 112-119. Damon Walter went 1-0 at 125 and Devin Smith went 1-0 at 171. Going 4-1 on the day were: Amirjon Zabirov at 189 and Jake Nicely 160-171. Mustangs winning three matches were: Jesse Fellows 130-135, Devin Posey 145-152, and Eric Fader 215. Kaine Sturgeon at 285 won 2 matches. Jeremy Wenzlick won a match between 160-171.

The Mid Michigan Storm hosted Mt. Pleasant Oilers on Friday, losing a tight game by a score of 3-0. The Oilers scored once in the first period on a power play goal making the score 1-0 going into the first intermission. The Oilers would then score 2 more goals in the second period to round out the scoring for the night. Neither team was able to find the net in the third period. “ This was a game in which we needed to find a way to handle their pressure and we did not, sometimes you just have to give the other team credit for a well played game and that is what we had tonite.” I thought Mt. Pleasant played one of the better games we have seen all year. Zach Woods was in night stopping 22 of 25 shots on net.

The Mid Michigan Storm rebounded well from the night before. The lack of scoring from Friday night did not carry over into Saturday night’s contest. The Storm scored early and often. The scoring started just 2 minutes into the game when Levi Westphal put in a goal assisted by Brad Ehlers and Alec Gary. Then at the halfway mark of the first period the Storm scored again on a goal from Kyle Baumann assisted by Manny Sheets and Alec Gary. One minute later the Storm struck again on another goal from Kyle Baumann, to put the Storm up 3-0 going into the second period.

The second period would see the same kind of results, it just took a little longer to get started. The Storm waited until the 4 minute mark to score 3 goals in the last 4 minutes of the second period, the last one coming with just .10 seconds left in the period. Scoring in the 2nd

period was Alec Gary, Manny Sheets, and Michael Stanislawski. Manny Sheets, Charlie Howe, Seth Gerow, and Daniel Rathbun all had assists.

The 3rd period was not very long with just 3 minutes gone in the 3rd

period the Storm scored 2 goals to put the mercy rule into effect. Jimmy Garrett and Seth Gerow both scored to make the score 8-0. Charlie Howe and Daniel Rathbun both added some more assists to their totals.

The Storms record now stands at 4-7 on the year and will play at home on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

By Cody O’RourkeBEAVERTON – All of northern Gladwin sat down Friday night in

sad remembrance of the days not so long ago when Chris Smalley was roaming the courts, keeping Roy Johnston in check and Butch under lock and key on Spring Street.

The last time Gladwin beat Beaverton was the first part of 2010, when they one-upped the Beaver crew. But in the rematch, an angry

SEE BEAVERS, P.13

By Cody O’RourkeBEAVERTON – It was just a few

short years ago that the Beaverton girls program seemed to be sentenced to an eternity in basketball purgatory. I can vividly remember Coach Andy

SEE BEAVERETTES P.9

gLadwin county BasketBaLL fRenzy

Roy’s Boys scratched and clawed their way to triumph in the opening round of Gladwin County basketball bragging rights. Middle, the student section and especially the Beaverette dance team lived up to their hype and were totally a show within a show.Right, Clare’s mad dog, Logan Emery sinks in a nasty half-nelson and flip-squeezed his Pine River opponent for another pin. Clare had a disappointing wrestling campaign, but Emery was a JPC champ and state medallists.



14


Bergman went 3 for 3 from the charity stripe, drawing contact with his punishing style of play in the interior and dropped in another bucket down low. After Bergman went into Ult imate Warr ior mode, the Beavers were up 20-11 at the break, with little signs of relinquishing an inch of ground on their home court.

Gladwinites were anxious , the B eaver Nation was licking its chops, and storied B eaver ton announcer Scott Govitz was calling all free hands on deck to report to the concession stand for the mad-rush at half-time.

Bergman continued in the second half, making a quick drop step, blowing through the blocks and crunching in two.

Beaudoing quickly cruised through the defense for the G’s, punched through the paint, elevated, waited for his opposition to drop from the air, and lofted in a runner in the lane.

Beaverton’s offense started to run much more efficiently under the direction of the grand puppet master. Scotty Longstreth, drew Gladwin’s defense to the perimeter, worked the ball around the fringe to make a passing lane and force fed Blades on the blocks, then Grant Johnston whipped a pass to Schneider on the edge for a double to give Beaverton the 26-13 lead.

Again it was Beaudoing who responded for the G’s, lashing out and splitting a pair of defenders, double clutching and rolling in

the lay up, drawing the foul and hitting the bonus shot.

T h e n t h e r i m turned into a hoola-hoop and the Beavers got hot from the land of milk and honey. Beaverton’s sophomore s e n s a t i o n , E r i k Maxwell worked the b a l l t h r o u g h t h e p r e s s u r e , f o u n d Anthony Brubaker wild eyed at the three point line. Brubaker drained the longball and then returned t h e f a v o r t o h i s partner in crime, and Maxwell splashed a t r ip l e to g ive t h e Beavers a 16 point lead.

Gladwin’s freshman Hayden Scott tried to

keep pace with a trifecta of his own, but that was quickly negated as Schneider decided to join in on the three-point contest.

Scott pumped in two free throws for the G’s just before the end of the third quarter to make it a 38-21 as time was about to wind down. But quick witted Brubaker slopped up an offensive rebound and flicked in a jumper from just inside the box to make it a 40-21 game heading in the 4th.

The Beavers came out swinging to start the final stanza, going right for the knockout punch, rattling off six strait points.

Bergman grabbed an offensive board and threw in the trash, Blades followed suite, yoked on the G’s, and made it a 13 point advantage.

With Beaudoing not showing much down the stretch, Blake Pahl started to carry the load, draining a long two banger from the sidelines, then Chad Pollock connected with a 15 footer to spark some excitement into the Flying G cheering section and spark a 7 point mini-flurry. Scott hung up a three, Larner nicked the

nylon, Scott stroked in a pair from the line and the G’s had a bit of momentum and had cut the lead to 12 to make the score card a bit more respectable as Pahl heated up from behind the arc to rack up six quick points and make it a 51-38 game.

Both teams traded blows at the charity stripe, but Beaverton had done enough damage on the boards with Bergman and Blades to establish the pecking order on the M-18 corridor in the

52-42 Beaverton victory. Casey Blades led the Beaver brigade with 15

points and 15 caroms. Seth Bergman tallied 13 points and 12 boards. Blake Pahl led the G’s with 10 points and five boards. Hayden Scott had 10 points.

“Rebounding...we got killed on the boards tonight. It was something that we worked on in practice. With [Casey] Blades down low, we were extremely undersized and it showed tonight,” said Gladwin’s Coach Taylor. “I thought we played strong defensively in the first quarter, but then we tried some zone and they got hot and hit a batch of three pointers and extended the lead on us.”

“I was happy with what our guys did tonight. They all basically did what we asked them to do. Casey [Blades] and Seth [Bergman] did a good job on the boards tonight,” said Roy Johnston.

“It was great the way we all went out there and played hard and rebounded collectively. Casey was big for us tonight down low,” said Beaverton’s Seth Bergman. “Then when we came out and hit those three pointers and extended the lead, that was big for us. It was a good win, but we know Gladwin is going to be coming back the next time, and we are going to have to be ready for them. We are going to have to play better defense next time.”



Clare walloped the Bobcats in Houghton Lake and continues to rest on the throne. Meridian crushed Roscommon on and looked like the Mustang team everyone expected. Beaverton won two over Harrison and Gladwin, everyone else needs work.

Wysong has been a nasty, gnarly defender for

the Pioneers this year.

If Austin Schneider can put together four quarters of focused and aggressively efficient basketball, Beaverton will be tough to beat.

Jackson Gross needs to prove once again that he’s the most su� ocating lockdown defender in the league, he’ll push Clare over the top.

Jacob Kipp is a high flyer. If he can assert himself on the backboards, Coleman will be di� cult to stop.

Josh Gross has been a menace slicing to the rim, at other times he’s been quiet. FHS can be solid if he’s determined.

Chad Pollock has the ability to record a double-double with points and rebounds, if he comes close, G’s rock.

J a k e Wa l r a ve n i s the leader of the HHS senior class, he proved it on the football field, now he needs to step up again.

Ak in i s the mos t sk i l led and accurate perimeter shooting big man in the JPC. If he can get ferocious rebounding, watch out.

If Peyton Marshall can be as physical on the hardwood as he was on the tundra, Meridian will roll.

T o d d i s t h e mos t au thor i a t a t i ve rebounder in the league when he wants to be, he can take over the glass, will he?

Jack Pine ReviewRO S C OM M ON - Nat h a n

Luptowski led Meridian with 20 points as the Mustangs defeated Roscommon 55-32 on Tuesday in Jack Pine Conference boys’ basketball.

“Our defense held them to single digits in every quarter. That was big,” said Meridian coach Mitch Bohn.

� e Mustangs (5-3, 4-1 JPC) had a 28-14 advantage at hal� ime and were up 46-23 at the end of the third quarter.

Peyton Marshall turned in a career-best 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Cameron Hobbs and Luptowski each grabbed eight boards. Nato Noel had six rebounds for the Mustangs while Kevin Scheibert had � ve assists.

“Peyton’s play was big for us o� ensively,” Bohn said. “(Getting) 13 points (from him) was a big li� for us.”

Collin Lake paced the Bucks with nine points.

HOUGHTON LAKE – Clare rocked the Cats 76-31 in JPC play. James Wezensky had 10 points, 13 rebounds, and seven blocks for

Clare while Shane Adkins added 16 points and seven rebounds. Tanner Vida chipped in with 14 points to conduct the Pioneer win.FARWELL – The Gladwin

Flying G’s soared into the Farwell Eagle’s gymnasium and played a near fl awless game as Coach Kirk Taylor’s crew dismantled the Eagle cagers 78-41.

Shawn Larner splashed a triple, G’s lead 3-0. Chad Pollock and Cameron Tenwalde each sliced to the hoop and converted jumpers to give Gladwin a 7-0 lead.

Farwell’s marksmen, Bobby Byard slashed inside and converted a hoop o� the glass. Jared Beaudoing answered right back to pull the cheer out of the Farwell crowd. At the end of the opening quarter the G’s held a commanding 28-14 lead in the up-tempo a� air.

“We had great ball movement. It was good to get Beaudoing some shots in the post. Pollock, Larner and McDonald all played solid games. I’m very impressed with Byard, he’s a tough cover,” said Gladwin’s Coach Taylor.

Big strapping Casey Blades of Beaverton had his way the Gladwin ballers down low in the paint, mashing his way to 15 boards.

Monday, January 2, 2012 Page


13


to start the second, slopping up a loose ball, flashing right, d r i v ing l e f t and finishing over top of a Beaverton girl.

Beaverton finally snapped back when K a r r i e M u n g i n roped in a 12 foot jumper, but Gladwin responded by rattling o� another 10-2 run to make it a 27-12 game.

Anderson kept the dance party rocking with an o� balanced shot just outside the paint, sending a high arcing rainbow f l o a t e r o ve r the outstretched hands of the Beaverettes. en she nicked the nylon from 10 foot out. Hale got nasty down, worked the ball into the post, drew contact and split a pair from the give-me line, Balzer wetted another triple, and the G’s had a commanding 15 point lead, 27-12 – showing no signs of letting o� the gas.

Katie Newman f ina l l y managed t o w o r k h e r s e l f to the foul line to manufacture some p o i n t s , R u s s e l l followed suit and hit one of two. Valender

pounded down low and powered to the cup for two.

But Gladwin just stepped it up a notch and � urried out until half-time. Ford sent a cross court dagger to Balzer for the leaner. en next time down the court, Ford dialed her own number with a bank shot from the edge. Balzer rolled back to the line after punishing

the baseline again with a little righty scoop. She couldn’t convert, but made good on both foul attempts to make it a 32-16 game. With a few ticks left on the clock, the G’s worked the ball down the court, Balzer pierced into the paint and then found Anderson

licking her chops at the three point line. Balzer quickly found her partner in crime and Anderson de� ated the Beavers by hanging up three more on the board just as the buzzer started to ring to send the Gladwin crew into the break up 35-17.

The second half was just more of the same. Gladwin

continued to unload maddening torrents of speed and o� ensive mojo, catching the Beaverettes reeling in the transition game. Beaverton would h a v e i n d i v i d u a l stands, hunkering down in the paint to do battle – where occasionally they would make up lost

ground; utitlizing the low post moves of Russell and Claypool to jolt the G’s interior.

Jordan Robinson started o� the scoring for the Beavers with a nice little outside s h o t , b u t Fo r d , Anderson and Balzer would peel of the next seven point for the G’s to make it a 42-19 game.

Russell responded with a smooth stroke

from 8 foot out, but then Ba lz er jus t ro l l ed down the court and pumped in a triple.

Aimee Redman se t up shop ju s t inside the arc for the Beavers and knocked down a 14 footer, but Beaverton was unable to sustain any sort of consistent

movement or outside shooting.

With all the ball movement funneled into the inside, often times with their bigs being in the low post, or shal low wing, the Beavers would be out of position to get a rebound, and Anderson and Ford would be able to crash the glass and spark o� ensive � urries for the G’s.

What Anderson did in the � rst half, Balzer did in the second.

Balzer � nished the game with 20 points, most of which game in the second half and points in the action that seemed t o c h a n g e t h e complexion of the game.

Anderson, a truly savvy and c lassy � oor general, let up the hounds and went into more of a game management mode, controlling the � ow of the game rather than just heaping up points on her opposition.

A s h l e y F o r d f i n i s h e d w i t h 8 points.

Russell added 13 and Claypool with 12.

Monday, January 2, 2012 Page 13

Britni Balzer slashed, dashed and splashed the basketball into a steamrolling Flying Lady G alumni locomotive that was just much to powerful and it’s inertia was more than what the Beaverettes could withstand. Balzer amassed 20 points via triples bombs, elbow jumpers, fl oaters in the lane and conversions from the charity line. Britni dictated the tempo of the game into a victory.

Katie Newman piercing into the paint for the deuce fl ush.

Kara Pahl, Britni Balzer, Ashley Ford, Tonya Anderson, Kirsten Hale. Beaverton’s Alicia Russell powers up for the board.

AUSTIN SCHNEIDER

2011 yeaR in Review edition, aLumni game

During the brief recess from high school sports during Christmas break, Becky Phillips and Emily Cote helped to organize and facilitates the Gladwin at Beaverton alumni game. Tonya Anderson, Ashley Ford and Britni Balzer stole the show in the ladies alumni basketball game, leading the Lady G’s to a lopsided victory over the Beaverettes. Pat Locey, Jeff Suntken and company helped the Flying G’s hold a lead for the majority of the game until Justin Streeter and Al Maxwell took the Beavers to glory.

Monday, January 2, 2012Page


14


BEAVERTON – The boys of the nor thern branch of the Cedar River were stil l reeling from last year’s 54 point shellacking in the Nest by the hands of the Beaver squad and looked poised and hungry heading into the Beaverdome to settle the score.

L a s t y e a r, t h e Beaver crew, led by Mike Murray ’s spel l-binding 10 tr iples, unloaded 2 4 l o n g b a l l s o n Gladwin’s court to throw up 130 points. It was a ridiculous display of � re power.

Tuesday ’s game. Not so much.

The defense was madden ing , and both squads played a break neck speed, crashed the boards and were unwilling to relinquish one inch of real estate in the 61-54 Beaverton victory.

The game was close throughout, as the teams battled to a stalemate in the first quarter, entering the second stanza knotted up at 11’s.

Beaver ton’s Al Maxwell, arguably the premier down low post presence in Gladwin County, won the jump ball against Gladwin’s Kegan Smith.

But the Beavers cou ldn’t conver t and Gladwin’s Pat Locey sliced to an open nook at the big boy’s line and Locey splashed a tr iple to start Gladwin’s o� ensive.

Beaverton’s Derek M a x we l l s o a re d above the Gladwin boys, ripped down a carom, loaded up his springs, and mashed to the rim for two.

J e f f S u n t k e n q u i c k l y w e a v e d through the Beavers d e f e n s e , k n i f e d

through the first layer of the defense and found Locey streaking along the s ide l ines . L ocey calmly rotated into position, toed the

line, and drained another tr iple to put the G-men up 6-2 early.

Beaverton responded in kind w i t h b a c k - t o -back triples off of legendar y hur ler Ryan Longstreth and Derek Maxwell’s

hot hands to give the Beavers the two point lead.

Gladwin’s Scott

Przystas provided a q u i c k s p a r k of f the bench to stymie Beaverton’s momentum shift. Pr yzstas quickly j a r r e d t h e b a l l

loose, spun up court, pressed the issue in the paint, went up strong to the cup,

drew the foul and hit the point after to make it a 9-8 game.

B u t G l a d w i n again gave up the t h re e p o i n t a n d Beaver ton’s Josh

Mercer took ful l advantage by wetting another triple.

Gladwin’s thick,

b r u i s i n g C o d y French exploited his size advantage o n t h e b l o c k s , established position, and worked himself f r e e t o g i v e J on Coats an open feed. Coats slung in a pass through Beaverton’s gauntlet, and French uncurled his silky smooth fade away j u m p e r. Fr e n c h � ipped up a deuce and splashed over the out stretched h a n d s o f t h e Beaverton regime to tie it up at 11’s before the quarter.

Gladwin looked ready to make a move to start the s e c o n d q u a r t e r. Clint Kern mashed across the paint, swatted Beaverton’s Scott Streeter’s shot at tempt , made a smooth outlet pass, found some wiggle room on the elbow on the of fens ive side and drained a beautiful eight foot

turnaround jumper. Streeter answered

back with a little f loa ter f rom the wing but then the G-boys peeled over five quick points. Locey rained down another t r i fecta , K e n n y M a l m o penetrated deep into the paint, collapsed the de f ense and kicked out to Kegan Smith for the 12 foot bunny shot to give Gladwin the 18-13 lead.

T h e B e a v e r s punched back. Derek Maxwell pumped in a deuce just inside the three point line, Greg Jehnsen spun-dashed across the baseline and wedged a pass over to Tyler Wa l t e r s f o r t h e quick double.

Beaverton c o n t i n u e d t o exploit the middle with Kegan Smith on the bench and the Maxwell boys w o r k e d a p o s t

BEAVERS RETAIN CEDAR RIVER WATERWAY RIGHTSGladwin’s Pat Locey looked like he’s shaped back into form when he led his Flying G’s to a regional victory the mighty Northmen of Petoskey, as he drilled some trifectas to spark the G’s. CMU ace hurler, Ryan Longstreth netted some deep jumpers for the Beavers. The Gladwin team was drenched with former and current collegiate athletes: Ryan Balzer, Kegan Smith, Cody French, Pat Locey and Clint Kern. They featured a marathon man in Scott Przystas, rangy athletes such Jordan Jablonski and Kenny Malmo, but they couldn’t hold off Beaverton. Derek and Al Maxwell controlled the paint, Mike Murray and Justin Streeter made just enough clutch plays to secure the win.

Beaverton’s Tony Stornello blasting across the meat of Gladwin’s defense late in the game.

Balzer orchestrated the offensive ebb and flow. She also netted 20 points to propel her G’s. Justin Streeter was the male athlete of the week for his heroics.

Cutline here


SEE ROUND-UP, P.2SEE SUMMARY, P. 2

TRAVERSE CITY – It was a special season. And for many, they will point to the ridiculous dominance in the Jack Pine Conference. They’ll point out the record breaking 22 win season and rehash the district championship. Undoubtedly, they will be a few guys hanging around Ruckle’s Pier talking reliving Wezensky’s performances against McBain and Vida thrashing the Bucks, or any number of watershed moments of the year. All good stu� .

But if you’re a reporter, you get bored sitting at a game when you know the odds that Clare is going to have to show some restraint not to completely demoralize a team by 30 or 40. It quickly turns into a sleeper and you loose interest. But what made each and ever game so refreshing was the chemistry, the unsel� shness of the team.

You go to any other school, and you take guys that were absolute studs on the football � eld and then turn around and ask them to come o� the bench, more times than not, your going to have problems. � ink about this: you had the league’s top quarterback, best receiver, and the best running back in the league all coming off the bench. How does that happen? That’s was made the games fun to watch.

You take Clare’s second unit, and they probably finish second or third in the league this year. You had guys cheering on the bench, congratulating each other during substitutions. It wasn’t all that long ago, I watch a team arguably as deep as this Clare squad completely implode mid-season because of playing time. One of the players

who was complaining about playing time take off his jersey during the game and head to the locker room. It was publicly

SEE PIONEERS, P.13

� e 2011-12 Clare boys’ basketball squad was a re� ection of what’s right with high school sports. � ey were an unsel� sh unit who cared nothing more than doing whatever it took to help each other win another game. � ey’re the epitome of the word team.

Clare falls to St. FrancisThe Pioneer cagers played right with a highly touted and much longer Traverse City St. Francis team for three and a half

quarters, then the taller Gladiators started to � ex their power on the backboards and Clare ran out of gas, what a run.

By Cody O’Rourke

Another set of cold, nasty blowing s leet , snow and freezing rain drenched wintry months came and past. The local lady ballers warmed up the spirits cager fans of the northern woodsmen and rekindled basketball fever as they laced up their sneakers and galloped all over the hardwood canvas.

� e Gladwin Lady G’s never seemed to find their groove in the regular as they showed glimpses of glimmer, but never seemed to catch their stride. Senior point guard, Ashley White never waivered in her steady determined desire to lead her team and properly execute the o� ensive sets. Her consistency was infectious. Fellow senior, muscle bound, Megan Strait maintained a bubbly zeal for doing whatever it took to aid her team in emerging victorious.

The Lady G’s crushed the Pinconning Spartans, 65-30 in the initial district game. Then against Ogemaw on the Lady Falcons home floor, they weathered a barrage in the second stanza while they developed a rhythm. Junior power forward, J. J. Willford attacked the cup and Dani Balzer nailed a couple jumpers, including a triple just prior to the end of the � rst half and this catapulted Gladwin into the third quarter with tremendous c o n f i d e n c e . R o s h a l l e Vorachek was devastating on the perimeter and Madison Howard was a force in the paint. After beating Ogemaw for the district crown, Gladwin collided with Gladstone who had beaten every juggernaut in the Upper Peninsula and they quickly separated themselves from the G’s . Strait kept throwing punches as she tallied 18 points in her � nal game.

T h e L a d y P i o n e e r s blitzkreiged their JPC schedule en route to compiling a 14-0 league record. Clare’s Lindsay Winter led the league in scoring and she was always two or three steps ahead of her competitors. Clare lost to talent laden Saginaw Nouvel and McBain teams in the

Everybody knew coming into the cager season that the Pioneer ballers were going to be a force to be reckoned with and Clare certainly didn’t disappoint as they mashed through their competition t a l l y i n g a 1 9 - 1 r e g u l a r season mark, losing only to a formidable non-league foe, the Shepherd Blue Jays early in the season.

Clare smash blitzed Harrison and talent laden McBain to win the district crown. � ey then traversed up to Traverse City West High School for regional competition. Alcona was a long and wildly tenacious defensive team which swarmed with their ¾ court trap. Clare settled down, started shredding the press with precise passes and they eventually dismantled and tamed the Tigers of Lincoln-Alcona. Clare ran into a very collectively long TC St. Francis team, featuring an explosive point guard in Devon Sheehey. William and Mary bound, 6’9” Sean Sheldon and his fellow rebounding buzzsaws eliminated the Pioneers.

We predic ted Mer id ian to contend right neck and neck with Clare to claim JPC bragging rights. Clare demolished Meridian in the initial meeting at CHS. The Pioneers seemed to separate themselves significantly as Meridian lost to Gladwin and Beaverton. Then Meridian started getting hot and they nearly beat Clare at MHS. � en the Stangs beat the Beavers in district action and nearly knocked off highly touted Saginaw Nouvel, losing by only three a� er leading for much of the second half.

Beaverton was prognosticated by the Tribune boys as the league’s third best team and that’s exact ly where they finished. Austin Schneider emerged as one of the most skilled all around players and his versatile skill set climaxed with a 28 point performance in a victory at Pinny which included a two-hand slam jam.

We figured second through � � h place would be a dog � ght toss up. We put Gladwin at 4th and Rosco at 5th place in the

SEE ROUND-UP, P.2SEE SUMMARY, P. 2

TRAVERSE CITY – It was a special season. And for many, they will point to the ridiculous dominance in the Jack Pine Conference. They’ll point out the record breaking 22 win season and rehash the district championship. Undoubtedly, they will be a few guys hanging around Ruckle’s Pier talking reliving Wezensky’s performances against McBain and Vida thrashing the Bucks, or any number of watershed moments of the year. All good stu� .

But if you’re a reporter, you get bored sitting at a game when you know the odds that Clare is going to have to show some restraint not to completely demoralize a team by 30 or 40. It quickly turns into a sleeper and you loose interest. But what made each and ever game so refreshing was the chemistry, the unsel� shness of the team.

You go to any other school, and you take guys that were absolute studs on the football � eld and then turn around and ask them to come o� the bench, more times than not, your going to have problems. � ink about this: you had the league’s top quarterback, best receiver, and the best running back in the league all coming off the bench. How does that happen? That’s was made the games fun to watch.

You take Clare’s second unit, and they probably finish second or third in the league this year. You had guys cheering on the bench, congratulating each other during substitutions. It wasn’t all that long ago, I watch a team arguably as deep as this Clare squad completely implode mid-season because of playing time. One of the players

who was complaining about playing time take off his jersey during the game and head to the locker room. It was publicly

SEE PIONEERS, P.13

� e 2011-12 Clare boys’ basketball squad was a re� ection of what’s right with high school sports. � ey were an unsel� sh unit who cared nothing more than doing whatever it took to help each other win another game. � ey’re the epitome of the word team.

Clare falls to St. FrancisThe Pioneer cagers played right with a highly touted and much longer Traverse City St. Francis team for three and a half

quarters, then the taller Gladiators started to � ex their power on the backboards and Clare ran out of gas, what a run.

By Cody O’Rourke

Another set of cold, nasty blowing s leet , snow and freezing rain drenched wintry months came and past. The local lady ballers warmed up the spirits cager fans of the northern woodsmen and rekindled basketball fever as they laced up their sneakers and galloped all over the hardwood canvas.

� e Gladwin Lady G’s never seemed to find their groove in the regular as they showed glimpses of glimmer, but never seemed to catch their stride. Senior point guard, Ashley White never waivered in her steady determined desire to lead her team and properly execute the o� ensive sets. Her consistency was infectious. Fellow senior, muscle bound, Megan Strait maintained a bubbly zeal for doing whatever it took to aid her team in emerging victorious.

The Lady G’s crushed the Pinconning Spartans, 65-30 in the initial district game. Then against Ogemaw on the Lady Falcons home floor, they weathered a barrage in the second stanza while they developed a rhythm. Junior power forward, J. J. Willford attacked the cup and Dani Balzer nailed a couple jumpers, including a triple just prior to the end of the � rst half and this catapulted Gladwin into the third quarter with tremendous c o n f i d e n c e . R o s h a l l e Vorachek was devastating on the perimeter and Madison Howard was a force in the paint. After beating Ogemaw for the district crown, Gladwin collided with Gladstone who had beaten every juggernaut in the Upper Peninsula and they quickly separated themselves from the G’s . Strait kept throwing punches as she tallied 18 points in her � nal game.

T h e L a d y P i o n e e r s blitzkreiged their JPC schedule en route to compiling a 14-0 league record. Clare’s Lindsay Winter led the league in scoring and she was always two or three steps ahead of her competitors. Clare lost to talent laden Saginaw Nouvel and McBain teams in the

Everybody knew coming into the cager season that the Pioneer ballers were going to be a force to be reckoned with and Clare certainly didn’t disappoint as they mashed through their competition t a l l y i n g a 1 9 - 1 r e g u l a r season mark, losing only to a formidable non-league foe, the Shepherd Blue Jays early in the season.

Clare smash blitzed Harrison and talent laden McBain to win the district crown. � ey then traversed up to Traverse City West High School for regional competition. Alcona was a long and wildly tenacious defensive team which swarmed with their ¾ court trap. Clare settled down, started shredding the press with precise passes and they eventually dismantled and tamed the Tigers of Lincoln-Alcona. Clare ran into a very collectively long TC St. Francis team, featuring an explosive point guard in Devon Sheehey. William and Mary bound, 6’9” Sean Sheldon and his fellow rebounding buzzsaws eliminated the Pioneers.

We predic ted Mer id ian to contend right neck and neck with Clare to claim JPC bragging rights. Clare demolished Meridian in the initial meeting at CHS. The Pioneers seemed to separate themselves significantly as Meridian lost to Gladwin and Beaverton. Then Meridian started getting hot and they nearly beat Clare at MHS. � en the Stangs beat the Beavers in district action and nearly knocked off highly touted Saginaw Nouvel, losing by only three a� er leading for much of the second half.

Beaverton was prognosticated by the Tribune boys as the league’s third best team and that’s exact ly where they finished. Austin Schneider emerged as one of the most skilled all around players and his versatile skill set climaxed with a 28 point performance in a victory at Pinny which included a two-hand slam jam.

We figured second through � � h place would be a dog � ght toss up. We put Gladwin at 4th and Rosco at 5th place in the

Clare battles in regionals

Far right, the Clare boy’s hoop squad huddles up for one last team chant up at Traverse City during the regional action. Clare vanquished a pesky team from Alcona and then they collided with the Gladiators of Traverse City Saint Francis. TCSF proved to be too long and rangy for Clare to withstand. They were a well-rounded team that made Clare work for every shot, every pass and every dribble. TCSF went on to lose in the state championship game. JPT basketball awards were featured. Winter, Adkins, Vida and Wezensky receive top honours.

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4

Lindsay Winter attacked defenders off the dribble with ears pinned back, blitzing the rim as if she was ambushing on a mission of destruction, going in for a kill. Winter froze defenses with her stutter step dribble cross-overs. Winter dropped blizzard flurries of long-range bombs. Winter’s no look passes to set her mates up for scores were just cold.L i n d s a y t a l l i e d a n

astounding 19 points per game, as she consistently filled the cup no matter how good of a scouting report her opposition did. Winter, who was always out on the perimeter around the arc, orchestrating the offensive sets or guarding the other team’s best guard, still had

the quick reaction ability to haul in four rebounds per contest. W i n t e r n e v e r l o s t

concentration. She was three or four steps ahead of her opponent and a couple thoughts beyond their awareness. This advanced student of the game, mental capabilities adjoined with her explosive leg muscles and ridiculously quick hands permitted her to compile four steals per game. Often these thieveries sprung Clare on fastbreak points.Winter dished out two

assists per game. Her x-ray vision, anticipation and throwing skil ls passed teammates open and set up the majority of the Lady Pioneers baskets.

SEE ROUNDUP, P.14SEE DISTRICTS, P.12

BEAVERTON – Coach Kevin Wolfe has continued to impress and he added another signature win to the season. A� er Breckenridge forced their way to a seven point lead in the first, the Beaverettes clamped down in the second quarter and outscored the Huskies 9-5 in the second quarter to cut the lead at half-time to three, 22-19. Wolfe continued to manage his guard play, rotating in and out the deepest ball handling, sharp-shooting ballers in the league, he kept the game close and in the final seconds, put the faith in his girls to make the right pass at the right time. And with 2.7 seconds, that unsel� sh attitude and the con� dence he’s been instilling his players paid o� , as freshman Breanna Frasher laced a triple as time expired to give the Beaverettes the 52-51 come from behind victory.

The battle really started in the second half when Jasmyn Parker-Urban popped the moneyball loose, � ashed le� , sprung right and flashed down a small little opening and bellied up to the three point line and splashed a big triple to knot it up a 22 all.

The Huskies and Beavers continued to exchange blows. Madysen Stoneman found some wiggle room at the elbow, spun loose and connected on a � oater to put Breckenridge back up. � e Huskies were able to exploit swathes of hardwood in the paint to take advantage of Beaverton’s shortened rotation of interior players.

But the Beavers methodical, controlled offense was able to dictate the flow and

tempo of the game. Parker-Urban sliced across the meat of the defense, Janae Wolfe spun loose and made herself available on

SEE BEAVERS, P.11

� e Beaverettes swarm Breanna Frasher a� er dropping the game winning shot against the Huskies. Below, Becca Bennett and Coach Kevin Wolfe lose their minds in jubilation as the Beaver Nation advance in District play.

Not the same old beaversCoach Kevin Wolfe has transformed the Beaverettes into hungry, fundamentally sound group of cagers in his � rst year at

the helm of Beaverton’s basketball program. And the future is only going to be brighter.

By Cody O’Rourke

NO MERCYBy Clint Kern

It’s rare to get a group of ball-players to stick together all the way through high school and continue to push, encourage and love each other’s success. That’s what occurred with the Clare class of 2012 and as a basketball enthusiast it’s pleasantly refreshing and energizing to watch transpire. Clare was relentlessly focused and amazingly efficient with their execution and effort throughout their authoritative performance on senior night at CHS. � e Pioneers unloaded torrents of smothering pressure and waves of barrages on the hoop to tally an 80-30 convincing victory over the athletic Bobcats of Houghton Lake.

James Wezensky one of the most dominant forces the JPC has ever known, ambushed the Cats with power drop step buckets early. Houghton Lake’s big nasty smooth stroking center, Kyle Akin bounced in a triple to make it a 4-3 Clare lead.

Shane Adkins collected a carom on the left baseline, among the trees, he patiently, pivoted, hesitated and launched a high arcing tear drop basket and drew the personal foul. � en he calmly stroked in the free throw and Clare led 7-3.

Tanner Vida rol led in a corner triple as by holding his textbook follow through, seemingly able to direct the ball down through the net. Wezensky assaulted the rim for an interior hoop. � en Taylor Ardis looked o� the defender while Adkins was fake slicing around the inexperienced Nate Shavalia for inside position on an in-bounds play. Adkins caught the dime and powered in a basket to give the Pioneers a 14-3 lead.

Pat Gaitan burst through the Clare defense and � nger rolled in a bucket off the glass that George Girvin the ‘Ice Man’ or Tracy McGrady would have been proud of. Adkins came right back down with a slash to the rim, double-pumped and kissed a shot o� the high

JACK PINE PLAYOFFSG’S SOAR IN DISTRICTS

By Clint KernSince I’ve been a youthful

Flying G fan, a four-year varsity player and a reporter, I’ve always said that Ogemaw Heights High School gym is Gladwin’s house of horrors. Many years even when the G’s were able to beat Ogemaw in Gladwin, they were throttled in West Branch. Not on Friday night, the skillful and speedy Ogemaw guards were just never able to catch a rhythm offensively and the G’s collectively played good help defense. Gladwin played a gritty and efficient second half propelling them to the 38-22 triumph in the district title skirmish.

J. J. Willford aggressively caught, turned and drained an elbow jumper, making it 2-0. � is let Ogemaw and her fellow Gladwinites know that she was ready to rumble. Soon-after, Megan Strait caught a pass from Dani Balzer, darted to the rim and � nished to make it 5-2 G’s. The G’s held a 9-6 lead at the end of the opening stanza.

Later Mallory Cote caught, squared up into triple threat, lo� ed a precise pass to Madison Howard who went right up to score. Gladwin stal led o� ensively a� er that, Ogemaw got to within one, 13-12, then just before the conclusion of the � rst half, Ashley White tossed a pass to Balzer who fired a corner triple and splashed it, jolting Gladwin with renewed con� dence and momentum.

� e G’s were undoubtedly the aggressor in the second half. White was flawless. Willford was a beast, as was Howard inside. Balzer and Vorachek made plays on both ends and Gladwin secured the district trophy.

“Rashelle and Megan got into early foul trouble, that really made me nervous. Rashelle kept her head in the game, cheered on her teammates and stayed focused. That was another sign of her maturation, she’s really grown throughout the season. JJ Willford really gave us a li� . Mallory sprawled to the floor to get some loose

SEE ROUNDUP, P.14SEE DISTRICTS, P.12

BEAVERTON – Coach Kevin Wolfe has continued to impress and he added another signature win to the season. A� er Breckenridge forced their way to a seven point lead in the first, the Beaverettes clamped down in the second quarter and outscored the Huskies 9-5 in the second quarter to cut the lead at half-time to three, 22-19. Wolfe continued to manage his guard play, rotating in and out the deepest ball handling, sharp-shooting ballers in the league, he kept the game close and in the final seconds, put the faith in his girls to make the right pass at the right time. And with 2.7 seconds, that unsel� sh attitude and the con� dence he’s been instilling his players paid o� , as freshman Breanna Frasher laced a triple as time expired to give the Beaverettes the 52-51 come from behind victory.

The battle really started in the second half when Jasmyn Parker-Urban popped the moneyball loose, � ashed le� , sprung right and flashed down a small little opening and bellied up to the three point line and splashed a big triple to knot it up a 22 all.

The Huskies and Beavers continued to exchange blows. Madysen Stoneman found some wiggle room at the elbow, spun loose and connected on a � oater to put Breckenridge back up. � e Huskies were able to exploit swathes of hardwood in the paint to take advantage of Beaverton’s shortened rotation of interior players.

But the Beavers methodical, controlled offense was able to dictate the flow and

tempo of the game. Parker-Urban sliced across the meat of the defense, Janae Wolfe spun loose and made herself available on

SEE BEAVERS, P.11

� e Beaverettes swarm Breanna Frasher a� er dropping the game winning shot against the Huskies. Below, Becca Bennett and Coach Kevin Wolfe lose their minds in jubilation as the Beaver Nation advance in District play.

Not the same old beaversCoach Kevin Wolfe has transformed the Beaverettes into hungry, fundamentally sound group of cagers in his � rst year at

the helm of Beaverton’s basketball program. And the future is only going to be brighter.

By Cody O’Rourke

NO MERCYBy Clint Kern

It’s rare to get a group of ball-players to stick together all the way through high school and continue to push, encourage and love each other’s success. That’s what occurred with the Clare class of 2012 and as a basketball enthusiast it’s pleasantly refreshing and energizing to watch transpire. Clare was relentlessly focused and amazingly efficient with their execution and effort throughout their authoritative performance on senior night at CHS. � e Pioneers unloaded torrents of smothering pressure and waves of barrages on the hoop to tally an 80-30 convincing victory over the athletic Bobcats of Houghton Lake.

James Wezensky one of the most dominant forces the JPC has ever known, ambushed the Cats with power drop step buckets early. Houghton Lake’s big nasty smooth stroking center, Kyle Akin bounced in a triple to make it a 4-3 Clare lead.

Shane Adkins collected a carom on the left baseline, among the trees, he patiently, pivoted, hesitated and launched a high arcing tear drop basket and drew the personal foul. � en he calmly stroked in the free throw and Clare led 7-3.

Tanner Vida rol led in a corner triple as by holding his textbook follow through, seemingly able to direct the ball down through the net. Wezensky assaulted the rim for an interior hoop. � en Taylor Ardis looked o� the defender while Adkins was fake slicing around the inexperienced Nate Shavalia for inside position on an in-bounds play. Adkins caught the dime and powered in a basket to give the Pioneers a 14-3 lead.

Pat Gaitan burst through the Clare defense and � nger rolled in a bucket off the glass that George Girvin the ‘Ice Man’ or Tracy McGrady would have been proud of. Adkins came right back down with a slash to the rim, double-pumped and kissed a shot o� the high

JACK PINE PLAYOFFSG’S SOAR IN DISTRICTS

By Clint KernSince I’ve been a youthful

Flying G fan, a four-year varsity player and a reporter, I’ve always said that Ogemaw Heights High School gym is Gladwin’s house of horrors. Many years even when the G’s were able to beat Ogemaw in Gladwin, they were throttled in West Branch. Not on Friday night, the skillful and speedy Ogemaw guards were just never able to catch a rhythm offensively and the G’s collectively played good help defense. Gladwin played a gritty and efficient second half propelling them to the 38-22 triumph in the district title skirmish.

J. J. Willford aggressively caught, turned and drained an elbow jumper, making it 2-0. � is let Ogemaw and her fellow Gladwinites know that she was ready to rumble. Soon-after, Megan Strait caught a pass from Dani Balzer, darted to the rim and � nished to make it 5-2 G’s. The G’s held a 9-6 lead at the end of the opening stanza.

Later Mallory Cote caught, squared up into triple threat, lo� ed a precise pass to Madison Howard who went right up to score. Gladwin stal led o� ensively a� er that, Ogemaw got to within one, 13-12, then just before the conclusion of the � rst half, Ashley White tossed a pass to Balzer who fired a corner triple and splashed it, jolting Gladwin with renewed con� dence and momentum.

� e G’s were undoubtedly the aggressor in the second half. White was flawless. Willford was a beast, as was Howard inside. Balzer and Vorachek made plays on both ends and Gladwin secured the district trophy.

“Rashelle and Megan got into early foul trouble, that really made me nervous. Rashelle kept her head in the game, cheered on her teammates and stayed focused. That was another sign of her maturation, she’s really grown throughout the season. JJ Willford really gave us a li� . Mallory sprawled to the floor to get some loose

lady g’s win distriCts, frasher beats buzzer

Left, Shane Adkins, Zach Thomas and the rest of the Pioneermen continue to mash and crash onto their competition, showing no mercy, unable to quench their thirst for hardwood dominance. They end the regular season on a high note.Middle, Gladwin’s Ashley White, Megan Strait, Dani Balzer and Rashell Vorachek step up their games and lead their G’s to the district title. Right, freshman, Breanna Frasher sinks Breckenridge with a triple in districts.

jack pine triBune Monday, March 5, 2012Page 12

balls and create a couple jump balls,” commented victorious GHS Coach Emily Cote. “Madison was a beast on the boards, she’s had to play against older and bigger girls all year and she’s getting tougher and tougher. We were sluggish for awhile, but we just kept methodically attacking and the guards really stepped up in the 2nd half.”

J. J. Willford was a safety valve for pressure release passes, she ambushed the glass and fiercely attacked the hoop from the high post. Willford led the Lady G’s with 15 points and five caroms. Megan Strait netted seven points. Rashelle Vorachek sliced inside for six points. Dani Balzer compiled � ve points and three assists. Madison Howard collected 10 rebounds and Mallory Cote snagged � ve boards.

MERIDIAN’S DEFENSE STYMIES COMETS

� e Mustang’s defense held Coleman to 10 points and their o� ense went wild, dumping in 52 for the lopsided district victory. Meridian jumped out to a 24-4 lead a� er one to set the tone for the rest of the game and coasted for the 52-10 victory.

Bri Yaroch led the Mustangs with 12 while Kristen Goodall and Blake Garner both added 10.

MCBAIN ROLLS HARRISONThe Ramblers 36-4 run to start

the game proved too much for the Hornets to overcome and the McBain baller capitalized on their rigid, fundamentally sound offense and tactically rigid defense to cruise to the 82-15 victory.

VIKINGS SPURT OUT IN 2ND AND 3RD QUARTERS TO TAKE

BUCKSA� er holding a slim 7-6 lead a� er one,

the Vikings out paced the Roscommon cagers 27 to 10 in the 2nd and 3rd quarters to build a 33-17 lead and kept pace to take the � rst round of district competition 52-34.

� e Bucks were led by Liz Gendernalik and Tonya Chouniard with six a piece.

CHEBOYGAN ENDS BOBCATS SEASOSN

Cheboygan capitalized in the second quarter to gain the edge on the Houghton cagers and battle to the 61-52 victory.

“� e second quarter was de� nitely not our quarter. � ey scored 24 points and that totally killed any good mo-jo we had going. Our defense took a break, and you can’t do that at the varsity level. We battled back in the third and fourth. We had it within 5 points, but then we would shoot ourselves in the foot and let them get control back,” said Coach Angie Dalak. “� ey never stopped working though, that is the one thing that has held constant all season. We don’t have the best record and we may not play spectacular ball all the time, but we do play hard from the jump ball until the last second ticks o� the clock and that is because of the heart our seniors have. � ey have had 3 coaches throughout their 4 years of high school ball at Houghton Lake and they made my � rst year a positive because of their work ethic.”

Kelly Julin led the Bobcats with 22 points, 6 for 7 from the line, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals while Sa'Taisha Mims added 9 points, 12 rebounds.

GOSHAWKS POUND SPARTANS IN SECOND QUARTER

A� er being knotted up at 7's a� er one, the Lady G's exploded and punished the Pinconning crew 24-4 in the second quarter to take a 20 point lead, 31-11 into half-time to and hammered on defense to retain the win 53-30.

In a total team e� ort, Rashell Vorachek paced the G's with 12 while a host of others managed to put the biscuit in the basket. JJ Willford added 9, Madison Howard put in 7 while Dani Balzer and Megan Strait both added 6 in the victory.

EAGLES BATTLE HARD, FALL TO RAMBLERS IN DISTRICTS

In typical Ruckle fashion, despite the odds stacked against the Eagles, she pounded the ball inside, made herself available and attacked leave the Farwellians with a sense of pride in 67-41 loss to McBain.

� e Eagles went down 22-9 early, but Farwell continued to battle for loose balls, � ght and bite there way through the defense, and crash the boards. � e Ramblers extended their lead with a barrage of long jumpers and short bunnies in the paint to take a 34-17 lead into the break.

But the troika of Ruckle, Jenna

Hamming and Brooke Wartella kept the game respectable in the second half.

Ruckle � nished with 17 points and 10 boards while Hamming and Wartella both added 7. Wartella also collected boards in the 67-41 loss.

“I was so pleased with the e� ort the girls gave tonight. McBain is a tough team, and everybody knew that coming into the game, and our girls didn’t lay down and fought hard for four quarters,” said Coach Tom Kleinhardt. “Hamming and Sydney Hurley did a good job handling the ball and of course Ruckle showed a lot of character in tonight’s game. She gave up a lot of size but continued to play hard in the paint and really set an example. She’s

just been a pleasure all year for us.” BUCKS EDGE PIONEERS IN O.T.

Despite gritty performances by Liz Fancon and Melissa Benchley, the Bucks were able to � nd the open spaces in the middle, punch their ticket to the free throw line and nudge the Pioneers in over-time for the 48-45 victory.

Pine River jumped out to a 12-6 lead in the � rst, out gunning Clare defense, rotating the ball and cutting to the hoop for some easy scores down low. � e Pioneers responded in the second and out scored the Bucks 17 to 9 to take the 23-21 lead into the half. Clare’s defense continued to tighten up as the game went on and the girls from the land of Leprechauns held a slim 29-26

advantage heading into the fourth, but as the game started to wind down, the Bucks � urried and attacked the rim and claimed the lead with just over two minutes of play as Cayman Gatt flashed to the cup give Pine River the 35-33 lead.

Clare had their backs against the wall with about a minute le� , Melissa Benchley who had been playing lock down defense all night, jarred the ball loose setting up Coach Rodenbo to set up a shop and run a play to tie the game back up. � e Pioneers converted as Courtney English wiggled loose and drained a 15 footer to make it 37 all.

Pine River � red right back and Erica Buchner mashed to the cup to the two

point lead. Clare turned back into the aggressors and Ashley Petree and Alex Stark willed themselves to the free throw line to tie the game back up and Liz Fancon made a huge stop down low to stop Pine Rivers low post feed to ensure over time.

But in overtime, the Bucks started o� on a seven point � urry. Freshman Kassy Nelson stroked a triple then banged in two from the line and Buchner hung up a long jumper to make it a 46-39 game.

Clare rallied as Stark splashed from behind the arc with a minute le� and Petree hit from the top of the key to make it a three point game with 18 seconds le� .

Clare had a shot as it was Benchley again that forced a turnover, but a tough three point attempt went wide that would tied the game and Bucks hung on for the 48-45 victory.

Lindsay Winter led all scores with 13 while Alex Stark added 10 to go along with Melissa Benchley’s 8.

“It came down to who could make their shots, and they just shot better from the field than us,” said Coach Matt Rodenbo. “We are going to really miss our seniors and they way they have contributed to the team this year.”

PANTHERS TOP BEAVERS FOR TITLE

Beaverton looked tough at the start, as their guards pushed the issue to take an early 6-2 lead. Jasmyn Parker-Urban sliced to the cup and hung up two, then turned around and force feed Morgan Oldani for a drop step double. � e Beaverettes were the initial aggressors and come out with moxie with Alix Price whistling a pass across the meat of the Panthers defense to catch Janae Wolfe in stride for another down low score and it appeared as if the momentum they had established in the later part of the season would make for a dramatic district championship match up. � e Panthers went on a 16 point bender to take a 28-11 lead into half time and battled for the 44-24 District Championship victory.

“I can’t say enough about our seniors, and really all the kids this season. It was just a great year. Becca Bennett has just been such a kid to have on the team and has done everything we’ve asked her to do,” said Coach Kevin Wolfe. “Morgan Oldani, [Alix] Price...these girls are going to be missed next year. � ey’ve done a lot to turn this program around and give us a successful year. I think when you look at the entire season, not just the games that we won and the games that we lost, it was a very successful year. � e fans, the parents, the student section – the entire community of Beaverton really came out to support the team. And when you see a community support a team like they did this year, it really makes the season special. I say thanks enough.”

Janae Wolfe and Breanna Frasher led










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Ruckle played every game this season as if it was her last time of wearing the purple and gold. � ursday night was her � nal game and she went down swinging like a warrior. Ruckle tallied 17 points and she ripped down 10 rebounds to spur her Lady Eagles. Ruckle had one of the purest strokes in the country.

� e Lady G’s seemed to under-achieve a little during the regular sea-son, but they’ve played very spirited and tena-cious during the class ‘B’ district tournament in Ogemaw.

J.J. Willford was an enforcer all evening and she truly sparked the Flying G’s. with her 15 points and � ve caroms.

Dani Balzer swished a three-pointer as the � rst half bell rang, this cata-pulted Gladwin with con� dent momentum going into the locker-room. Balzer handled the ball, made sharp passes, dished three assists and played lock down defense.

Allison Taylor was rock solid handling the ball, distributing to cuters and shu� ing ag-gressively on defense.

Madison Howard was a force on the glass and she gave some punch in the interior on both ends.

Roshalle Vorachek and Megan Strait both battled foul trouble, but they both scored clutch baskets down the stretch and Ashley White was everywhere doing what it took to preseve the victory.

Brooke Wartella’s sharp shooting from the fringes and leadership were huge in Farwell’s transitional year.

Few have showed as much tenacity as Clare’s Melissa Benchley this year. A defensive ham-mer, she kept the Pioneerss alive till the end.

DISTRICTS, continued from front

SEE ROSCO, P.16







By Clint Kern













SEE ROSCO, P.16







By Clint Kern













Clare’s boys and girls Capture hoop titles

Left, Tanner Vida slings a dime down the baseline to set a mate up for an easy conversion, leading Clare to a convincing win at Meridian to secure a the league title belt. Lindsay Winter blows by Kristen Goodall and the Stangs en route to clinching the JPC crown for her Lady Pioneers. Linsanity ambushes America. Middle, Brooke Wartella’s sizzling shooting earns her female player of the week.Right, Harrison nips Farwell in a heated, fiercely intense rivalry game.


HARRISON – Early on Harrison’s Mary Devine was the aggressor. Devine anticipated and snagged a steal, exploded down-court, scored, was fouled and made the free throw to pull her Hornets to within two, 8-6.

Brooke Wartel la , with textbook form, swished a jump-shot to give Farewell a 10-6 lead. Harrison’s always rugged, Taylor Bondie drove and was hacked allowing her to step to the foul line and drill a pair. Jenna Hamming penetrated and kicked to Wartella for another silky jumper. Wartella skied for a rebound and a put back, she then tallied four more points to surge Farwell ahead, 20-8 at the conclusion of the opening stanza.

Trixie Katzer worked for posit ion and scored a bucket to begin the second quarter festivities. Bondie followed this on the next Hornet possession with a basket to make it 20-12. Farwell’s version of Lisa Leslie, Caron White dribbled into a mid-range jumper. Lyndsay Ruckle rebounded, drove, kicked out to Hamming who swished an elbow jumper to give Farwell a 26-12 lead.

White sliced through a crease, split the defense and banked home a basket. Cassi Rivard dropped in a deep two-pointer to grant her Lady Eagles a 30-12 advantage.

Harrison’s Mary Devine knifed inside for a hoop. The Lady Hornets style and grace, Erica Heckman crossed over and pulled up for a jumper at the foul line that touched nothing but net. Ruckle responded on the other end by piercing into the zone and she scored to make it 32-16 at the intermission.

White and Hamming pounced on Harrison with hoops early in the third quarter to double up the Hornets, 36-18. Autumn Haag put on a boxing out clinic, sealed out another defender and collected a carom. However, HHS continued to struggle to put the biscuit in the basket.

Pound for pound, Lyndsay Ruckle is the best

rebounder in the JPC. He pulled down a couple more boards, reached for deflections, steals and hampered Harrison’s post feeds. Brewer made an assertive post spin power drop step move to score. At the end of the third FHS led 38-19. Both teams played swarming two-three zone defense, but Farwell’s was just a little quicker and more efficient.

Farwell’s feisty shooting guard, senior, #10 Brooke Wartella led all scorers with 16 points. Sophomore center, Caron White was a menace around the paint all evening for the Lady Hornets to deal with as she chipped in 13 points.

Senior stalwart, Lyndsay Ruckle filled the state charts as she compiled 12 rebounds, eight points and seven steals. Savvy guard, Sydney Hurley dished out five assists.

“This was a solid all-around team effort, several ladies took their turn contributing in vital ways. We made a conscious effort to get Brooke Wartella involved and she produced. It was evident that Harrison was trying to keep to defenders surrounding Ruckle and it was huge that Wartella stepped up,” commented Farwell’s Coach Tom Kleinhardt. “Caron White was big on both ends of the floor and she really gave us a lift tonight. White really has a bright future. Jenna Hamming and Sydney Hurley don’t always stuff the stats, but they are very important and they both gave great efforts tonight.”

Harrison’s Hilary Brewer led the Hornets with six points and five caroms. Trixie Katzer tallied four points and four rebounds. Autumn Haag ripped down five rebounds.

“We’re getting tougher down low. Autumn Haag is so smart, she’s always boxing out, keeping a body on an opponent and just playing fundamental. Trixie Katzer played well inside tonight as well. Mary Devine attacked and truly played aggressive for us tonight,” said Harrison’s Coach Kelly Houghton.


Brooke Wartella exploded out of the gates as she flicked in 7-7 shot attempts

in the opening quarter to spring her Lady Eagles to a commanding 20-8 lead against

an inter-county rival, hungry for a win, Harrison Hornet swarm.

Wartella led all scorers with 16 points, she chased down loose balls, kept rebounds alive and played very aggressive defense.

LADY EAGLES SINK THEIR TALONSBrooke Wartella, JHam and LRuck all pounced on Harrison and Mary Devine early and cruised to the JPC road victory.

Farwell’s Lyndsay Ruckle almost recorded a triple-double as she tallied 12 boards, eight points and seven steals, she’s a force.

jack pine tribune Page 9Monday, March 12, 2012

By Clint KernCLARE - Harrison and Farwell played

with grit and determination. The Hornets settled down and executed a little quicker. HHS’s Bryan Groch was the best player on the floor and he created opportunities to allow his squad to be triumphant as Harrison eliminated the Eagles 50-41.

Early in the third stanza, stealthy lefty, Harrison’s Bryan Groch drove baseline, was halted by a trapping double team, he rose up, waited for Cody Cooper to release and created a passing lane, leaned and dropped the dime feed to Cooper who caught and instantaneously scored off the window to make it a 20-14 Hornet advantage.

Farwell’s Nick Saupe chased down a loose ball, burst down the floor, zipped a cross-court laser to a slicing Curtis Robinson who was filling the left lane. CRob caught and in one silky smooth motion leapt to score a gorgeous transition bucket, 20-16.

Harrison’s Cory Lobdell caught on the right wing, pump faked, took one dribble, pulled up and drained a 16 foot jumper that was somewhat reflective on the patanent Kobe Bryant jump-shot.

Cooper showed good hands as he snatched a pass from Lobdell, then he flicked in a banker to make it 26-17 at the conclusion of the third stanza.

Lobdell converted a hoop, Groch followed this with a nifty turnaround bucket to make it a 30-17 Hornet lead. Jordan Haley calmly sank a couple foul shots. Walter Mosby sliced to the rim and score. Will Hallman swiped a steal, dashed to the rim and was fouled. Hallman split a pair. Lobdell scored, Mosby answered with a triple and it was a 38-27 game.

Cooper pivoted nicely to net a post bucket. Greg Saupe darted to the basket to score. Casey Rundell muscled in a score in the paint. CRob went on an 8-1 run but Haley preserved the win at the charity stripe.

Senior forward, Cory Lobdell has fervently elevated his intensity the second half of the season. His production has increased accordingly. He’s show an assortment of different medium range jumpers, in which he’s dislayed great hang time to create space and shooting angles over the defensemen.

Lobdell may be the most tenacious and relentless rebounder in the JPC, too bad he’s just barely 6’0” tall. Lobdell spearheaded the Hayes Township battalion as he tallied 11 points not to mention a plethora of other deflections and hustle plays.

Sophomore small forward, Casey Rundell never stops grinding on both ends of the floor. He’s deceptively fast and he has that uncoachable instinct of finding ways to get shots off in traffic. Rundell will have a very fruitful season next year as he continues to do whatever he can to perpetuate Hornet basketball during this campaign. Rundell compiled 10 points.

As a sophomore last season up on the varsity ranks, Cody Cooper made it very clear to the JPC nation that he possessed a smooth and accurate perimeter stroke. He could hit pressure free-throws and he was a nice player with some potential. This winter Cooper has cranked up his tenacity and played with a much more consistent, physical ferocity. Cooper’s physicality has been evident busting through opponents on his way to collecting rebounds on both ends of the floor. Cooper has been much more capable converting rugged baskets with defenders shoving and draped all over him and while he’s been guarding taller players in the low post. Cooper chipped in nine points in the Harrison victory

over Farwell.Bryan Groch orchestrated and directed

the offensive flow for his Hornets. Groch chased down loose balls, tipped a carom to a mate, collapsed the defense around him and found a seam thread a pin-point pass to set up a comrade for an easy basket and tallied seven points to spur the Hornets to the triumph.

“Because the gyms were occupied by ACT test takers, we hadn’t had an official practice since Thursday. I knew we’d be rather rusty and I was very nervous of the long break from game-like intensity. We were sloppy for the first half, then in the third we began to settle down and start making good decisions. I was very happy with some of the sharp passes that

we made in the second half to open up good shots,” replied Harrison’s top brass, Joe Ashcroft.

Curtis Robinson eats, drinks and sleeps basketball. He’s what people call a gym rat, it sounds harsh, but it’s actually a compliment in the basketball realm. CRob is one of the type of ballers who has a burning desire to not just play, but to rapidly enhance his skills to elite status and he doesn’t just talk about it, he’s willing to work for it and pour in the time needed to expand his skill-set.

Last year as a freshman on the junior varsity team. CRob scurried all over the court displaying that he had unique quickness and some fundamentally sound skills. It was a no brainer to move

him up to the varsity ranks this winter.Robinson is only about 5’8”, but he’d

often rise up over much taller opponents and rip down a rebound, swat a block or keep a ball alive permitting a teammate to secure a carom.

Robinson probably elevated higher on his medium range jumpers than anybody else in the conference. His quick first step, explosive burst into the gaps of the defense, allowed him to penetrate, create space for himself or collapse the defense to free open mates for buckets. Robinson also had an instinctive anticipation penchant to read the eyes of the opposition, burst to steal a pass and explode to the rim in a flash. Robinson led the Eagles in district action with 11

CLARE COUNTY BATTLE LINES

Hornets pounce Eagles, but Pioneers claim the throne

Corey Lobdell, Harrison’s interior rebounding and scoring machine goes up and over multiple Harrison cagers for the rugged fierce rebound and goes right back up strong for the deauce drop.

SEE MUSTANGS P.11

CLARE – The parking lot was double parked, as droves of Ramblers flurried down south to the confines of Clare County in the hopes that they could avenge a mid-season lose to the Pioneers. McBain took it on the chin last time, as Todd Wysong and Taylor Ardis came up clutch down the stretch and Shane Adkins and Tanner Vida established themselves as the alpha-dogs in the back court in the 53-50 victory.

I personally had spent all week licking my chops all week in anticipation for a grind it out, back and forth slug fest. I was intrigued at the possibility of watching the Clare boys play in a close game – a rarity all season long. I rolled into the school and was immediately met by a Clare’s bruising linebacker, wild eyed and glazed over Mitch Greenacre.

“What do you think about tonight’s game,” Greenacre said, foaming at the mouth with his green and white war paint covering his face. “I don’t know man...It should be a good game. Clare maybe by 5 or 6...”, I said. “Wrong,” Mitch said, at this point drooling. “Clare by 15,” he continued, still having not even blinked with this crazy mad-man look across his face. “The student section is going be crazy.” “I bet,” I responded, thinking to myself Greenacre is probably right. And he was. Clare throttled McBain in every aspect of the game 70-47.

Clare jumped to a 20-13 lead in the first and never took their hands off the necks of the Ramblers.

Right from James Wezensky winning the tip ball and flipping it out to Adkins for the slicing finger role, Clare had all the momentum. Wezensky was an absolute dog-beast in the trenches, coming completely undone and blocking

everything in site. Wezensky blocked Nathan Smith on McBains first trip down the floor to spark the student section. Adkins scooped up the loose ball, mashed through Ramblers interior and found Taylor Ardis bellied up to the three point for a triple dog leg and the Pioneers were up a quick 5-0.

McBain finally found some traction and some willingness to venture down into the gullies where Wezesnky was demolishing guys. Jared Larr approached the baseline, stopping just short of Wezensky territory and loaded a deuce from the wing.

Wezensky responded with ferocity. Adkins made patch work of the Ramblers rotation, Wezensky established position and Adkins fed Wezensky for the two-handed yoke-crunch dunk-nasty. Wezensky’s authoritative thunder splash sent waves of Pioneers into absolute frenzy and the small gym seemed to burst at the seems. Even Jim Grove who was tucked behind the scorers booth appeared to have jumped up like a little spring bunny in the excitement.

McBain’s Derek Vongphasouk thankfully stroked a double, because had he not, the Clare fire department would have had to be called in to hose down the Pioneers’ student section.

Clare went right back into attack mode. Adkins curled around the corner, pumped his brakes to put his defender on his heals and lashed out at the second wave of Ramblers collapsing in route to the rim. Adkins missed the shot, but made good on his attempts. Wezensky had two straight blocks on Smith to continue to jam his psyche and give him an inferiority complex. The second

SEE PIONEERS, P.13

The Pioneers are fluidily and ruthlessly functioning at a crisp pace. This deep collection of talent is continuing to peak and climax at the right time of the season. James Wezensky is the most dominant player in the region and the boat load of guards at Coach Wise’s disposal is smothering.

By Cody O’Rourke

MUSTANGS HOLD STRONGSANFORD – It was a war

with in a war, a battle of two of the Jack Pine’s most established and long cherished basketball programs. Two of the area’s most wildly intense and insanely animated coaches would lock up horns off the shores of Sanford Lake. Meridian’s Mitch Bohn a rigid disciplinarian and authoritative figure on the basketball floor would look to out dual Beaverton’s demi-god Roy Johnston.

The season series was tied at one a piece, as the Mustangs toppled the Beavers on their home court in an early season clash in an over-time blitzkrieg, 48-46. Beaverton lashed out in the rematch and stomped the Mustangs into their home turf 54-40 and the Beavers Austin Schneider pumped in 20 to establish himself as the alpha-dog in the clash for Curtis Road. So going into the district fisticuffs, you know there was going to be some bad blood brewing between the two ultra competitive teams.

Meridian’s 40-38 last second victory over the Beavers lived up to the billing.

Bohn’s battalion came out and immediately put the clamps on Beaverton’s offensive sets and smothered the Beavers in the trenches. Nate Luptowski, Jake Ham and crew were stifling the Beavers passing lanes and barricading the routes to the cup and established a 11-4 advantage in the first.

Beaverton struck the first blow as Anthony Brubaker snaked through a small seam in the Mustang’s defense, curled around the corner, sucked out the rotation and created a small little nook for Austin Schneider to flash to. Brubaker slung a crisp pass to Schneider for the quick feed. The Mustangs punched right back.

Mitch Kucharek flashed to the top of the paint and quickly worked the ball around the horn to Ham who had leaked out across the baseline and made himself available in the corner. Ham loaded up the biscuit basket, then turned right back around the defense, sprung the

MCpain, wezensky slaM dunks raMblers

Left, after Harrison eliminated Farwell in the opening round of district play, the Hornets were no competition for the men on a mission from Clare. The Pioneers then strangled McBain in the district final, leaving no doubt as to who was the most superior class ‘C’ team in north central Michigan. Clare is filled with pandemonium, able to hoist district trophy in front of their hometown fans. Adkins and others kiss their hardwood floor, as they realize they’ll never play there again. Top, Meridian is ousted by Nouvel.

SEE MUSTANGS P.11

CLARE – The parking lot was double parked, as droves of Ramblers flurried down south to the confines of Clare County in the hopes that they could avenge a mid-season lose to the Pioneers. McBain took it on the chin last time, as Todd Wysong and Taylor Ardis came up clutch down the stretch and Shane Adkins and Tanner Vida established themselves as the alpha-dogs in the back court in the 53-50 victory.

I personally had spent all week licking my chops all week in anticipation for a grind it out, back and forth slug fest. I was intrigued at the possibility of watching the Clare boys play in a close game – a rarity all season long. I rolled into the school and was immediately met by a Clare’s bruising linebacker, wild eyed and glazed over Mitch Greenacre.

“What do you think about tonight’s game,” Greenacre said, foaming at the mouth with his green and white war paint covering his face. “I don’t know man...It should be a good game. Clare maybe by 5 or 6...”, I said. “Wrong,” Mitch said, at this point drooling. “Clare by 15,” he continued, still having not even blinked with this crazy mad-man look across his face. “The student section is going be crazy.” “I bet,” I responded, thinking to myself Greenacre is probably right. And he was. Clare throttled McBain in every aspect of the game 70-47.

Clare jumped to a 20-13 lead in the first and never took their hands off the necks of the Ramblers.

Right from James Wezensky winning the tip ball and flipping it out to Adkins for the slicing finger role, Clare had all the momentum. Wezensky was an absolute dog-beast in the trenches, coming completely undone and blocking

everything in site. Wezensky blocked Nathan Smith on McBains first trip down the floor to spark the student section. Adkins scooped up the loose ball, mashed through Ramblers interior and found Taylor Ardis bellied up to the three point for a triple dog leg and the Pioneers were up a quick 5-0.

McBain finally found some traction and some willingness to venture down into the gullies where Wezesnky was demolishing guys. Jared Larr approached the baseline, stopping just short of Wezensky territory and loaded a deuce from the wing.

Wezensky responded with ferocity. Adkins made patch work of the Ramblers rotation, Wezensky established position and Adkins fed Wezensky for the two-handed yoke-crunch dunk-nasty. Wezensky’s authoritative thunder splash sent waves of Pioneers into absolute frenzy and the small gym seemed to burst at the seems. Even Jim Grove who was tucked behind the scorers booth appeared to have jumped up like a little spring bunny in the excitement.

McBain’s Derek Vongphasouk thankfully stroked a double, because had he not, the Clare fire department would have had to be called in to hose down the Pioneers’ student section.

Clare went right back into attack mode. Adkins curled around the corner, pumped his brakes to put his defender on his heals and lashed out at the second wave of Ramblers collapsing in route to the rim. Adkins missed the shot, but made good on his attempts. Wezensky had two straight blocks on Smith to continue to jam his psyche and give him an inferiority complex. The second

SEE PIONEERS, P.13

The Pioneers are fluidily and ruthlessly functioning at a crisp pace. This deep collection of talent is continuing to peak and climax at the right time of the season. James Wezensky is the most dominant player in the region and the boat load of guards at Coach Wise’s disposal is smothering.

By Cody O’Rourke

MUSTANGS HOLD STRONGSANFORD – It was a war

with in a war, a battle of two of the Jack Pine’s most established and long cherished basketball programs. Two of the area’s most wildly intense and insanely animated coaches would lock up horns off the shores of Sanford Lake. Meridian’s Mitch Bohn a rigid disciplinarian and authoritative figure on the basketball floor would look to out dual Beaverton’s demi-god Roy Johnston.

The season series was tied at one a piece, as the Mustangs toppled the Beavers on their home court in an early season clash in an over-time blitzkrieg, 48-46. Beaverton lashed out in the rematch and stomped the Mustangs into their home turf 54-40 and the Beavers Austin Schneider pumped in 20 to establish himself as the alpha-dog in the clash for Curtis Road. So going into the district fisticuffs, you know there was going to be some bad blood brewing between the two ultra competitive teams.

Meridian’s 40-38 last second victory over the Beavers lived up to the billing.

Bohn’s battalion came out and immediately put the clamps on Beaverton’s offensive sets and smothered the Beavers in the trenches. Nate Luptowski, Jake Ham and crew were stifling the Beavers passing lanes and barricading the routes to the cup and established a 11-4 advantage in the first.

Beaverton struck the first blow as Anthony Brubaker snaked through a small seam in the Mustang’s defense, curled around the corner, sucked out the rotation and created a small little nook for Austin Schneider to flash to. Brubaker slung a crisp pass to Schneider for the quick feed. The Mustangs punched right back.

Mitch Kucharek flashed to the top of the paint and quickly worked the ball around the horn to Ham who had leaked out across the baseline and made himself available in the corner. Ham loaded up the biscuit basket, then turned right back around the defense, sprung the

SEE JPC, P.16

In the middle of January, Beaverton and Gladwin clashed in Beaverton, and the Lady Beavers repelled a second half comeback bid on the part of the G’s to cruise to a comfortable 65-41 victory. � e teams crossed paths yet again Friday night. Riding the electric momentum of home court advantage yet again, Beaverton came through in incredibly similar fashion, holding o� the Lady Gs’ scoring explosion late to sweep the season series 54-43.

� e Beavers surged out to a quick lead, with Morgan Oldani capping a 6-2 run to open

the game with a finesse post move through contact. Dani Balzer silenced the Beavers’ roar with a deep three, and Rashell Vorachek added to the G’s attack with a mid range shot o� penetration. Gladwin couldn’t hold their edge however, as Janae Wolfe muscled into the post and converted a two with time winding down in the opening quarter, giving the Beavers a 10-9 early lead.

Intensity for the Lady Beavers grew exponentially from this point on, and momentum pulled heavily into their favor.

SEE BEAVERS, P.9

Janae Wolfe was ambushing the hoop all night as her and Morgan Oldani were just too big, skilled and strong for Gladwin.

Bhs keeps cedar river cupCoach Wolfe deployed waves of hounding guards which stymied the G’s.

By Jason Chenette

AGGIES TAME MUSTANGS

The Mustangs kept pace in the first half of play against the fundamentally sound Beal City Aggies, only allowing their Isabella County counterparts a four points spread at the break, 31-27.

But Meridian's of fensive i m p l o d e d r a t h e r t h a n exploded, and a paltry four point � urry in the third stanza allowed the Aggies to mash into the fourth quarter with a 15 point lead, 46-41.

Bohn's crew upped the e� ort in the fourth, but with the pecking order on the floor already established, the Aggies cruised to the 61-46 victory.

Nate Luptowski lead the Mustangs with 12 points while Cameron Hobbs � nished with 11.

� e Aggies had three ballers flip in double-digits. Corey Mead jolted the Mustangs for 20, while the bruising, physical Stone Beckworth mashed in 17. SCHNEIDER DROPS

THE HAMMER ON SPARTANS,

BEAVERS SHUFFLE Roy ’s man-b east Aust in

Schneider had his way with the boy from Pinconning on Tuesday, dropping 28, including powering a thunder yoke crunch in the 4th quarter to completely demoralize the Spartans in the 58-34 victory.

Beaverton jumped out to the 15-12 lead and coasted into half time up 24-18. As it is with most Beaverton games, Coach Johnston’s half time speech seemed to inspire the Beavertonions as the cagers from Ross Lake pumped in 13 points to extend their lead to 37-25.

In the fourth, it was all Austin Schneider, all the time, as the big, s i lky smooth bruiser dumped in 14 to seal the deal.

Schneider led the way with 28 points and 10 boards, while Scotty Longstreth � nished with 12. MAXWELL CLUTCH AND BEAVERS WINHeading to Gladwin without

their freshman phenom point guard Spencer Johnston, the

SEE JPC, P.16





SEE BEAVERS, P.9



By Jason Chenette














flying g student seCtion relishes

Left, the Gladwin side of the bleachers matched the enthusiastic spirit of the Beavers. This spurred the efforts of seniors: Jared Beaudoing, Trevor Camanse and Chad Pollock who took no prisoners and went for the kill at BHS. Another edition of the ‘Hoops History’ segment was unveiled as Gladwin was the final JPC school to be featured revisiting the Lady G’s state championship in 1975. The glory days of Bill Chilman, Dan Lier, Pat Gilbert, Jeff Juneac Jr and Billy Shellenbarger were reflected upon.

SEE JPC, P.16





SEE BEAVERS, P.9



By Jason Chenette














SEE Bobcats, P.16

With the season winding down, and � nal conference standings starting to take place, the Clare Pioneers had one simple goal Friday night…. Leave no doubt! � e visiting Beavers of Beaverton had their own agenda. If they could pull off the massive upset, they le� themselves a chance, albeit slim, of owning a share of the JPC crown. � is had the storylines of a prize fight: Size versus speed, strength against quickness, rugged down low mashing battling breathtaking long range sniping. � e only thing this game was missing was Don King. And, in what

is becoming typical Clare Pioneer fashion, the Pioneers were able to use their waves of rotational talent to wear down the visiting Beavers, and put a stranglehold on the conference title.

It was clear from the beginning that this game was not for the weak stomached. Both student sections were out in full force, screaming, chanting, singing and dancing. Anything to give their beloved school the upper hand. As the ball tipped, a tone was instantly set. First it was Casey Blades posting

SEE PIONEERS, P.14

Clare’s Tanner Vida is a complete point guard, shown here ripping down a rebound to ignite another Pioneer fastbreak.

Pioneers make peltsThe Clare guards have been juggernauts in every facet of the game and they’re propelling the squad.

By Je� Goodwin

Falcons Top HL 67-55

By Erick J. SimonsHOUGHTON LAKE— The

Ogemaw Heights High School boys varsity basketball team (4-10 overall, 0-3 Big North) reaped the bene� ts of short bus ride to Houghton Lake and came away with a 67-55 win over the hosting Bobcats (3-10 overall, 3-6 JPC) in non-conference, hard court action Tuesday, February 7.

Falcon senior Sheldon Roberto led the visitors from West Branch with 19 points in the win.

Houghton Lake sophomore Jared Dull paced his teammates with a career-high 14 points in the loss. Senior Kyle Akin contributed 11 for Houghton Lake.

In a game marred by numerous turnovers and playing-too-eager, fouls on both sides of the ball, Ogemaw Heights pulled out a gritty, road victory.

“I ’m rea l ly happy,” said Ogemaw Heights head coach Mike Dunn of the knee-knocking, contest. “The boys played well in a physical ball game. Looking at our schedule, this was a game we knew we needed to win to have a successful season.”

The Falcons are struggling to adapt to a new conference in 2011-2012, joining the tough and travel weary Big North Conference while battling against such establ ished, powerhouse foes as Cadillac and Alpena.

P l ay i n g i n d i s t ant an d unfamiliar venues has not been easy on the Falcon faithful. With cost-cutting triple-header—frosh, JV and Varsity— games on the bus schedule, departure times and fatigue can be an issue for the team.

“The travel time is brutal,” coach Dunn said. “Our closest conference game is Gaylord— one and one-half hours on the bus. It’s a fact that I have to get them to believe they can play in the Big North.”

And play they can.Houghton Lake controlled the

opening tip and little a� er as the Falcons jumped out to a 4-0 lead

SEE Bobcats, P.16




SEE PIONEERS, P.14



By Je� Goodwin













rhs sliCes to 9th straight JpC Crown

Left, the Roscommon wrestling team poses with their hands held high holding up nine fingers, symbolizing their ninth consecutive Jack Pine Conference wrestling title. Marcus Kelley, Matt Morley, Mitch Tyler and these Bucks had a fairly intriguing match against Meridian, but they demolished the rest of the field. Middle, the Lady Stangs led by Alexus Reiss walloped the Lady G’s. Right, Vida, Wysong and the Pioneers skinned and made Beaver pelts after their decisive win overtaking Btown.

SEE Bobcats, P.16




SEE PIONEERS, P.14



By Je� Goodwin














SEE EAGLES. P4

BEAVERTON – For the past 15 seasons or so, Clare and Beaverton have year in and year out been atop the Jack Pine Conference baseball standings at the end of May. These two classic Midwestern agricultural and industrial blue-collar towns seem to fi t the mold of prime baseball producing talent regions.Beaverton features recent

stalwarts: Ryan Longstreth pitching for Central Michigan, Jake Oard drilling shots for Northwood and Mike Lyons fresh off a stint at Muskegon Community College. Clare has representative alumni: Travis Smith and Tyler Beatty making plays for Northwood, Hunter Emery and Tyler Wentworth displaying their skills down at Lansing Community College a n d n u m e r o u s others have played collegiate athletics from Clare. The game was nip and

tuck, every pitch seemed to have great significance. The

SEE BEAVERS, P.10

Beavers top Pioneers

The initial league favorites to win the JPC are down in the count with the

recent loss against Beaverton. Can the Pioneers regroup and send Yenkel out with another title? Who is going to step up and produce for the Clare Regime?

By Clint Kern

EAGLES FLY PAST LADY G’S

LINKSMEN CLASH ON EAGLE GLENNFor Tribne Nation results, turn to page 2

Nick Saupe shines for Eagles

By Cody O’RourkeFARWELL – � ere is a buzz around

the small village of Farwell as the Eagles ball squad is coming together. Led by senior dog-beast Lyndsay Ruckle, the Farwellian softballers improved their record to 11-2 by taking two from the Lady G’s on their

home tur f , 11-1 in the opener and 12-6 in the

night cap. In a league that appears

to be log jammed at the top with the Pioneers, Mustangs, and Hornets, every game is going to be

crucial for the Eagles. With their eyes set on t he J P C t i t l e ,

SEE TRACK, P. 14

Madison Lackey came up huge for the Beavers in dramatic fashion. Lackey’s professional work ethic and constant strides towards

improvement make him a coach’s dream.

SHANE ADKINS

Adkins knifed in two hits for the Pioneers in

the fi rst game against Beaverton.

displaying their skills down at Lansing Community College a n d n u m e r o u s others have played collegiate athletics

hits for the Pioneers in home tur f , 11-1 in the opener and 12-6 in the

night cap.

to be log jammed at the

every game is going to be crucial for the Eagles.

on t he J P C t i t l e ,

JPC CLASH ON BUDD LAKE

By Sonny Bursey, Clint Kern & Eric Dion

B e a v e r t o n’s G a r i n Krahan is undertaking what many people in the community know him for best—lending a hand. � e Beavers former three sport star appears to have pumped gusto into the track program—this time as the head coach. Once Krahan was done

tearing-up the Jack Pine conference as a athlete—he headed to Eastern Michigan University and continued his academic path earning two degrees in just seven semesters. He i s now en l i s te d with the United States Marines--participating in the prestigious ROTC program. Krahan is home on leave and didn’t hesitate to boost the Beaver’s track & field program. “I felt it is the correct

thing to do—I’m really enjoying the experience of working with this group. I’m confident in the growth potential we have here,” Coach Krahan he said. Coach Krahan was not

the only Beaver enjoying the afternoon. Kenny Fetterolf was electrifying and had high powered v o l t a g e r e s o n a t i n g through him as he arched through the air and easily took first place with an

GARINKRAHAN

SEE EAGLES. P4

BEAVERTON – For the past 15 seasons or so, Clare and Beaverton have year in and year out been atop the Jack Pine Conference baseball standings at the end of May. These two classic Midwestern agricultural and industrial blue-collar towns seem to fi t the mold of prime baseball producing talent regions.Beaverton features recent

stalwarts: Ryan Longstreth pitching for Central Michigan, Jake Oard drilling shots for Northwood and Mike Lyons fresh off a stint at Muskegon Community College. Clare has representative alumni: Travis Smith and Tyler Beatty making plays for Northwood, Hunter Emery and Tyler Wentworth displaying their skills down at Lansing Community College a n d n u m e r o u s others have played collegiate athletics from Clare. The game was nip and

tuck, every pitch seemed to have great significance. The

SEE BEAVERS, P.10

Beavers top Pioneers

The initial league favorites to win the JPC are down in the count with the

recent loss against Beaverton. Can the Pioneers regroup and send Yenkel out with another title? Who is going to step up and produce for the Clare Regime?

By Clint Kern

EAGLES FLY PAST LADY G’S

LINKSMEN CLASH ON EAGLE GLENNFor Tribne Nation results, turn to page 2

Nick Saupe shines for Eagles

By Cody O’RourkeFARWELL – � ere is a buzz around

the small village of Farwell as the Eagles ball squad is coming together. Led by senior dog-beast Lyndsay Ruckle, the Farwellian softballers improved their record to 11-2 by taking two from the Lady G’s on their

home tur f , 11-1 in the opener and 12-6 in the

night cap. In a league that appears

to be log jammed at the top with the Pioneers, Mustangs, and Hornets, every game is going to be

crucial for the Eagles. With their eyes set on t he J P C t i t l e ,

SEE TRACK, P. 14

Madison Lackey came up huge for the Beavers in dramatic fashion. Lackey’s professional work ethic and constant strides towards

improvement make him a coach’s dream.

SHANE ADKINS

Adkins knifed in two hits for the Pioneers in

the fi rst game against Beaverton.

displaying their skills down at Lansing Community College a n d n u m e r o u s others have played collegiate athletics

hits for the Pioneers in home tur f , 11-1 in the opener and 12-6 in the

night cap.

to be log jammed at the

every game is going to be crucial for the Eagles.

on t he J P C t i t l e ,

JPC CLASH ON BUDD LAKE

By Sonny Bursey, Clint Kern & Eric Dion

B e a v e r t o n’s G a r i n Krahan is undertaking what many people in the community know him for best—lending a hand. � e Beavers former three sport star appears to have pumped gusto into the track program—this time as the head coach. Once Krahan was done

tearing-up the Jack Pine conference as a athlete—he headed to Eastern Michigan University and continued his academic path earning two degrees in just seven semesters. He i s now en l i s te d with the United States Marines--participating in the prestigious ROTC program. Krahan is home on leave and didn’t hesitate to boost the Beaver’s track & field program. “I felt it is the correct

thing to do—I’m really enjoying the experience of working with this group. I’m confident in the growth potential we have here,” Coach Krahan he said. Coach Krahan was not

the only Beaver enjoying the afternoon. Kenny Fetterolf was electrifying and had high powered v o l t a g e r e s o n a t i n g through him as he arched through the air and easily took first place with an

GARINKRAHAN

Lipovsky impressesBeaverton stunner

Harrison continues its unbeaten streak off the cannon-like arm of Allison Lipovsky and her endless streak of strikeouts. She threw her fifth no-hitter this week.Center; Clare mashes on the Beavers in a two game beat down with scores of 15-1 and 13-3.Right; With Clare picked to run the conference, Beaverton stepped up and put them in their place with their wins over the Pioneers. Teams in the conference begin to second guess their early picks.

Monday, April 30, 2012 JACK PINE TRIBUNE Page 7

BEAVERTON – In the opener, Clare didn’t waste any time. As Hall of Fame wrestling coach, Sam Wilson used to always say, “Don’t hesitate to dominate,” and I think that’s the same message Clare’s Coach Je� Albert was constantly preaching to his Lady Pioneers all week. Beaverton’s Coach Aaron Wentworth had owned his alma mater, Clare High, including a district title win on Clare’s � eld last June. � ere was no doubt who the superior team was on Thursday as the Lady Pioneers swept a pair

from the Beaverettes, 15-1 and 13-3.Clare’s Katya Halfmann was in complete control on the rubber as she has been all spring. Halfmann painted the corners and changed speeds just enough en route to recording � ve innings pitched for the dominant victory. Halfmann gave up just one run and three hits. She walked three batters and fanned one. Halfmann has the luxury of probably the most athletic and talented defense in the JPC backing her up. Le� � elder, Courtney English has great

anticipation and she catches almost

anything blasted in her direction. Center fielder, Ashley Petree chases down anything in her vicinity and she possesses a rocket arm much like English. In right � eld, Erica Packard blankets the right line and foul territory, because of the vast real-estate that the other two out� elders cover.Melissa Benchley crushed four sharply hit singles to go 4-5. Haley Smith gave shades of her brother Travis and his power stroke as she walloped a missile home run over the le� center � eld fence. Smith also smacked a double and a single.Steady rugged catcher, Bailey Reger was

rock solid behind the plate. Reger also hit the ball w it h aut hor i ty as she went 2-2 w i t h a s i n g l e a n d a d o u b l e .E r i c a Pa c k a r d ripped two singles an d s h e d rove

home three RBIs. Packard really had a nice outing on offense and defense.Beaverton seemed a little more crisp and competitive in the nightcap with Alyssa Matta chucking smoke on the mound. Clare’s offense erupted again however, Halfmann worked into another groove on the mound and they � nished Beaverton o� a� er six innings,13-3 Clare.Katya Halfmann went the distance

p i t c h i n g s i x i n n i n g s s h e o n l y surrendered three earned runs, four hits and two walks. Halfmann wasn’t able to fan many of the fiery Beavers, but she pumped strikes and let her outstanding defenders do their thing.The hitting machine beast, Benchley added three more singles. Lindsay Winter had a single and smashed two doubles. Haley Smith belted two singles and a double. Reger, Packard, Ashley Petree and Bailey Thayer allcontributed with solid hits. � is lineup has no weak links. Clare’s overall record is 8-3.“Obviously I am very happy with how we played,” uttered in jubilation, Clare’s Coach

Je� Albert.Clare pounded Kayla Balzer. Tiffany

Stewart crunched two hits. Brandi Butler delivered a smoking RBI single. Jade Bigham hit a solid singleAlyssa Matta worked with tenacity on the

mound, but she could only stave o� the Pioneers for so long in the nightcap.Butler rocked two hits,and collected

an RBI. Nicole Solomon drilled an RBI single. Matta ripped an RBI single. “A� er having a good week last week we were very inconsistent this week in our play both offensively and defensively,” said Beaverton’s Aaron Wentworth.

LADY PIONEERS MAKE STATEMENT, TOP BEAVERS

IN WHAT WILL BE A TIGHT TITLE RACE, THE CLARE REGIME CREATED SEPERATION AGAINST BEAVERTON

Katya Halfmann recently led her Pioneers to a tourney victory over Saginaw Heritage and Midland Bullock Creek. Halfmann courageously stepped to the mound and hurled gas against Beaverton, a team who had owned Clare for years. Halfmann threw every inning in Clare’s dominant sweep over Beaverton. She only surrendered four runs in 11 innings, she rarely walks anyone.

133

151

Le� , Courtney English lays down a smooth bunt for the Pioneers to press the issue up front. Below, Lindsay Winter throws a clean put-out to � rst with a rocket launch killer.

SEE MERIDIAN, P. 4SEE ROUNDUP, P. 7

COLEMAN – The highly touted Gladwin Flying G’s are bubbling with high expectations for this spring on the ball diamonds. The G - me n s wo op e d d ow n M-18 and westward on Schaffer Road to lock horns with perhaps the richest baseball tradition known to mid-Michigan, the Comets of Coleman. Coleman is the most recent baseball program to win a baseball state championship in the

area as they etched their name in s tone as s t ate champions in 1993. Recent CMU and Coleman star, C ody Al len st i l l s tands in the MHSAA books for compiling a .650 batting average. The G’s weren’t scared as they rumbled into Coleman and gathered a sweep, winning 5-1 in the opener and 2-0 in the nightcap.

S e n i or h ard t h row i ng southpaw, Bi l ly Bittner

SEE GLADWIN, P.7

Shawn Larner put on a dazzling display last summer for Coach Broko� and Post 171, he is looking to return to form in his swan song and help to lead the G’s to a JPC title, and against Coleman, Larner put his � ex on, to stymie the Comets in the opener.

G’S storm Geneva TownshipGoshawks look strong with Larner and Bittner hurling steamers from the rubber.

By Clint Kern

By JAson ChenetteThe Mer idian sof tba l l

team traveled to Beal City for non-conference action Wednesday night. After a slow start, leading to a 3-2 loss in the first game, the Mustangs steamrolled the Aggies, leading to a 13-1 mercy in the 5th inning of the night cap. Madi Cassiday held her

own on the mound in the opening game, very rarely a l lowing Beal City into scoring position. A weak showing from the Meridian batters yielded only two runs and put the Mustangs in an uncomfortable position. � e pitching from Beal City was lights out, and some very e� cient small ball and run manufacturing on the part of the gave the Aggies pitcher just enough support to squeak by the Mustangs.After a very slow start to

the second game for the Lady mustangs as wel l , something clicked, and the bats immediately caught � re. Tied 1-1 in the bottom half of the second inning, Morgan Cassiday doubled in Madi Cassiday with two outs, giving the Mustangs their � rst lead.Beal City returned fire in

the third inning, advancing two batters into scoring position with one out. Madi Cassiday fought through the jam though, striking out the � rst Aggie batter and forcing the next into a ground out.From the bottom of the

third inning on, Meridian unleashed an explosion of hits and runs. Hannah Stockford led off with a single, and advanced to second base on a passed ball. Stockford then stole third base and reached home as the throw to third was o� ine, putting the Mustangs up 3-1.A� er a ground out, Goodall

pushed a single through the

Sanford-Meridian traveled to B ea l City Wednesday evening to take a very solid Ag g i e s t e am , t wo ye ars r e m o v e d f r o m a s t a t e championship. In the opener, the Mustangs were welcomed by solid pitching, hitting, and � elding from the Aggies, who jumped out to a 5-1 lead at one point. A late rally ensued, h o w e v e r, b u t Me r i d i a n ended up coming just short of stealing away game one, losing 6-5.

In the second game, the Mustangs looked much more relaxed and solid as a team, and despite another slow start o� ensively, Meridian cruised back to overtake Beal City 6-4 in the final inning. Damon Walter’s bat put across the go-ahead run, scoring Daniel Johnson on an RBI single. Petre ran into a small amount of contesting from Beal City’s line-up in their � nal round of batting, but, like the chilled air that shadowed the Beal City fields all night, coolly retired the Aggies’ side of the l ine-up, securing the victor y for the Mustangs and recording a victory on two solid innings of shutout pitching.

In game one, the Aggies jumped out to a 3-1 lead after the first inning, taking advantage of ever y pitch slightly off the mark and strong pitching of their own. After a lead off walk in the top of the second inning, Mer id i an went dow n in consecut ive at-bats . The runner at � rst base attempted a steal a� er, but was thrown out.

Neither team managed to score in the until the 5th inning, where Beal City put across two runs, one from a triple and another off an in� eld single.

Meridian responded in the top of the 6th by putting in two runs. Mic Petre reached

SEE MERIDIAN, P. 4SEE ROUNDUP, P. 7

COLEMAN – The highly touted Gladwin Flying G’s are bubbling with high expectations for this spring on the ball diamonds. The G - me n s wo op e d d ow n M-18 and westward on Schaffer Road to lock horns with perhaps the richest baseball tradition known to mid-Michigan, the Comets of Coleman. Coleman is the most recent baseball program to win a baseball state championship in the

area as they etched their name in s tone as s t ate champions in 1993. Recent CMU and Coleman star, C ody Al len st i l l s tands in the MHSAA books for compiling a .650 batting average. The G’s weren’t scared as they rumbled into Coleman and gathered a sweep, winning 5-1 in the opener and 2-0 in the nightcap.

S e n i or h ard t h row i ng southpaw, Bi l ly Bittner

SEE GLADWIN, P.7

Shawn Larner put on a dazzling display last summer for Coach Broko� and Post 171, he is looking to return to form in his swan song and help to lead the G’s to a JPC title, and against Coleman, Larner put his � ex on, to stymie the Comets in the opener.

G’S storm Geneva TownshipGoshawks look strong with Larner and Bittner hurling steamers from the rubber.

By Clint Kern

By JAson ChenetteThe Mer idian sof tba l l

team traveled to Beal City for non-conference action Wednesday night. After a slow start, leading to a 3-2 loss in the first game, the Mustangs steamrolled the Aggies, leading to a 13-1 mercy in the 5th inning of the night cap. Madi Cassiday held her

own on the mound in the opening game, very rarely a l lowing Beal City into scoring position. A weak showing from the Meridian batters yielded only two runs and put the Mustangs in an uncomfortable position. � e pitching from Beal City was lights out, and some very e� cient small ball and run manufacturing on the part of the gave the Aggies pitcher just enough support to squeak by the Mustangs.After a very slow start to

the second game for the Lady mustangs as wel l , something clicked, and the bats immediately caught � re. Tied 1-1 in the bottom half of the second inning, Morgan Cassiday doubled in Madi Cassiday with two outs, giving the Mustangs their � rst lead.Beal City returned fire in

the third inning, advancing two batters into scoring position with one out. Madi Cassiday fought through the jam though, striking out the � rst Aggie batter and forcing the next into a ground out.From the bottom of the

third inning on, Meridian unleashed an explosion of hits and runs. Hannah Stockford led off with a single, and advanced to second base on a passed ball. Stockford then stole third base and reached home as the throw to third was o� ine, putting the Mustangs up 3-1.A� er a ground out, Goodall

pushed a single through the

Sanford-Meridian traveled to B ea l City Wednesday evening to take a very solid Ag g i e s t e am , t wo ye ars r e m o v e d f r o m a s t a t e championship. In the opener, the Mustangs were welcomed by solid pitching, hitting, and � elding from the Aggies, who jumped out to a 5-1 lead at one point. A late rally ensued, h o w e v e r, b u t Me r i d i a n ended up coming just short of stealing away game one, losing 6-5.

In the second game, the Mustangs looked much more relaxed and solid as a team, and despite another slow start o� ensively, Meridian cruised back to overtake Beal City 6-4 in the final inning. Damon Walter’s bat put across the go-ahead run, scoring Daniel Johnson on an RBI single. Petre ran into a small amount of contesting from Beal City’s line-up in their � nal round of batting, but, like the chilled air that shadowed the Beal City fields all night, coolly retired the Aggies’ side of the l ine-up, securing the victor y for the Mustangs and recording a victory on two solid innings of shutout pitching.

In game one, the Aggies jumped out to a 3-1 lead after the first inning, taking advantage of ever y pitch slightly off the mark and strong pitching of their own. After a lead off walk in the top of the second inning, Mer id i an went dow n in consecut ive at-bats . The runner at � rst base attempted a steal a� er, but was thrown out.

Neither team managed to score in the until the 5th inning, where Beal City put across two runs, one from a triple and another off an in� eld single.

Meridian responded in the top of the 6th by putting in two runs. Mic Petre reached

ConferenCe teams impress earLy

Beaverton looks like they may have the mojo and talent to storm the conference this year, as Scotty Longstreth goes 7 for 7 at bat against the Huskies in a 12 inning 10-10 tie that was called due to darkness.Center; The Lady Bucks rip victory away from Houghton Lake in the Cut River Rivalry for soccer dominance.Right; Shawn Larner and Billy Bittner both impress on the mound this year with two victories against Coleman 5-1 and 2-0.

jack pine triBune Monday, April 16, 2012Page 10

By Jason ChennetteDefense ruled the soccer field in Roscommon

Thursday night as Houghton Lake made the short trip to the Bucks’ domain to rekindle their bi-annual soccer rivalry. Outstanding play from both keepers dominated the game, and it took over 70 minutes for either team to draw blood when Roscommon took a 1-0 lead. A clutch goal came for the Bobcats only minutes later to force overtime. The Bucks stole back the lead in the first overtime period, and Houghton Lake couldn’t answer, allowing Roscommon to run away with the first blow in their rivalry this season 2-1.

It took very little time for the action to pick up, as Houghton Lake marched down the field immediately after kickoff and nearly scored off a Sarah Garret shot. Shortly after, Roscommon almost converted a possession, as great passing and a burst of speed from Leah Lewis brought her into scoring range near the left end of the net, but her line shot sailed wide right.

For the rest of the half, the Lady Bucks imposed their will on the Bobcats, passing and controlling the ball with the finesse of a championship-worthy squad. Morgan Romancky and Logan Hutek played a huge part in this, always moving to open space and creating passing lanes for teammates, along with setting up other players with favorable shot opportunities.

15 minutes in, Sara Lewis nearly became the recipient of a goal off a Hutek throw in, but Cozette Koupal turned away the strike, keeping the score knotted at 0; but the Roscommon shooting onslaught continued. At the 20 minute mark, another ideal scoring opportunity was turned away. Sara Rowen found Hope Schepke for a shot in the middle of the 18 yard box. The shot was seemingly secured by Koupal, but the ball slipped away, and two excellent defensive saves prevented the Bucks from jumping out to an early lead.

Hou g hton L a ke g a i ne d b a ck a b i t o f momentum at this point, working the ball effectively down the field in short, fast-paced possessions. No attempts found the inside of the net though, and at halftime the two teams remained locked in a defensive gridlock tied 0-0.

Morgan Romnacky took the lead for the Roscommon offense in the second half , shouldering the shooting load, sneaking past Houghton Lake defenders to receive passes for shots or plowing her own path through the

Bobcat defensive wall. The majority of her shot attempts hooked far left of the net though, and for the first 27 minutes of the second half the same defensive poke war seen in the first part of the game was mirrored.

Despite Roscommon having a stranglehold on time of possession, the Bobcats mustered several quality shot attempts, with the majority coming from ideal open shots in the middle of the field.

13 minutes remained in the game when Romancky put in a shot off a corner kick for

the Bucks. Only minutes after, Roscommon nearly scored again when Shannon Scott made a terrific pass, threading through several Bobcat defenders and found Janelle Gavin. Gavin went head to ahead against Koupal, but couldn’t beat the keeper, keeping Houghton Lake in the game.

Several Bobcat shot attempts were turned away in the final ten minutes, but not all were held back, as Kenie Straub came through in the clutch, scoring a cross-net shot from the left side of the goal with only 90 seconds left and forcing overtime.

In the first half of overtime, Mady Walter came very close to putting the Bobcats ahead early on, shooting on an undefended net, but Danielle Doebler managed to scurry back to the net and get a hand on the shot. Houghton Lake’s ensuing possession practically mirrored this, with Gillian Carrol unable to put a shot into the goal.

Sara Lewis came up big for the Bucks minutes later, putting a shot in from the right side of the net off a Logan Hutek cross pass, jetting Roscommon into the lead and ending the first half of overtime.

The final ten minutes turned into an offense against defense battle, with the Bucks looking to hold their narrow lead. Bobcat possession after Bobcat possession was held back by a stellar effort from the Roscommon defenders. When the dust of the Bobcat assault settled, Sara Rowen of Roscommon dribbled the ball at mid-field and booted it deep out of bounds, securing the Bucks their first victory of the season.

“It was a well played game for each team,” said Houghton Lake head coach Darren Barnes.

“My girls played a very tough team and stopped them from doing a lot of the things they wanted to do but just came up a bit short. Overall I’m proud of our effort tonight.”

Kenzie Straub recorded the lone goal for the Bobcats.

“This was our first win and we really needed it,” said Roscommon head coach Mark Dalak. “We worked on a few things during the game and communicated, passed, and possessed the

ball incredibly well. We could have worked the ball for better scoring opportunities, but we’re a young team and have a lot of room to grow and develop as the season goes on.”

Morgan Romancky scored the first goal for the Bucks and Sara Lewis found the back of the net in overtime to secure the victory.

Sara Lewis had a quiet night until overtime, where her incredible bal l control and scoring savvy took hold and took over, allowing her to slice through the Houghton Lake defnese and sneak a shot past the Bobcats in the first half of overtime. Only a freashman, Lewis will have a big impact on the next four years of Bucks’ soccer.

BUCKS TAKE CUT RIVER RIVAL

The speed and guile of the Houghton Lake Soccer squad were f ired up and ready to control the pitch as they traveled to the windy city of Pinconning to take on the Spartans in a non-conference clash. The Cats started off slow and Pinconning took advantage of the defense by blazing a shot past the outstretched arms of Cozette Koupal. Pinconning would control most of the first half, but with 20 minutes gone, Gillian Carroll would take a Brianna Rathbun centering pass and snake it into the lower right hand corner, beating the goalie, and tying the game at one each. Pinconning would not relent to the stubborn controlling defense of the lady Bucks, and would end up scoring by beating the keeper one on one. Despite a quick start to the game the first half would end 2-1 in favor of the Spartans. “They were more physical then we were in the first half and this lead to their goals. We were caught watching the game at times in the half.” Coach Darren Barnes said.

At the beginning of the second half, the Bobcats came out with a renewed spirit and fire in their cleats as they ratcheted up the intensity on Pinconning. Fifteen minutes into the half, Gillian Carroll took a beautifully placed cross by Riley Pacella and calmly

placed the ball in the back of the net, tying the game at two each. Houghton Lake would have several chances to score, but the stalwart Pinconning defense was able to keep the Cats under control and afford them little room. Houghton Lake’s defense tightened up as well and only allowed six shots in the second half with the hard work of Taylor Mace stopping all of them in expert fashion. Despite a strong offensive showing in the second half of the game, Pinconning’s defense kept the Bobcats from putting the ball past the goaltender, with the result ending in a 2-2 tie game.” We really came out with some intensity in the second half.” Coach Barnes explains “We scored one goal and Kenzie Straub nearly scored when she hit the post on a beautiful half pitch volley. We got a little unlucky, but I was happy with how we responded in the second half. This team showed me a lot today, and we are starting to progress as a team.” Taylor Mace had six saves on six shot and Cozette Koupal had 8 saves on 10 shots in the game.

In a midweek clash, the Roscommon Bucks faced a tough Big Rapids team that was not intimidated by the stories of the Bucks impressive defense. Roscommon l it the pitch on fire with a quick shot from Morgan

Romancky in the first five minutes of the game to take a 1-0 lead. The lady Bucks looked poised for victory and focused on shutting Big Rapids down. Before Roscommon knew what was coming, the Cardinals stunned the defense with a break away goal to even it up, and the Bucks could not recover from the goal. “Our passes and trapping got real sloppy at that point, and we had almost no possession the rest of the game” stated Head Coach Mark Dalak.The defense wound up suffering for the

multiple goals that Big Rapids put in on them, as the offense left them out to dry, and the Bucks ended up passing the Cardinals the ball more than they did to each other. Big Rapid cut the holes in Roscommon’s D even wider as they put up 8 scores on the team during the game.

Coach Dalak is not giving up on his squad, however, and feels that the team can turn around from its 1-2-0 record so far this year. “This is not the start of the season we expected, but the good news is we have the time and the ability to change things around.”

McBAIN – The Coach Jerome Smal ley facilitated Gladwin Lady G’s soccer team lost to McBain Northern Michigan Christian, 1-0 in a grueling defensive war.

It was a closely contested game throughout, but the Flying G’s could not break through with a goal. It was 0-0 at the half and Allison Mentel of McBain NMC scored ten minutes into the second half for the only score. “I was pleased with our overall effort. The girls played a solid game, but the McBain defense kept us at bay,” exclaimed Gladwin’s Coach Jerome Smalley.

Romanacky has a warriors spirit, and it was on full display this week. Bolstering together the heart of the Roscommon o� ensive unit, she put the Bucks ahead in � ursday night’s match-up against the Bobcats. If Romanacky can continue to have a huge impact on the offense flow of each game, the Bucks will be a di� cult team to beat this season.

Morgan Romancky handles the ball in the middle of the � eld for the Bucks. On top of strong passing, versatile ball handling, and team leadership, she scored the go-ahead goal with 13 minutes le� in regulation o� a corner kick � nding her foot.

Houghton Lake’s versa-tile and quick Mady Walter works around Rscommon’s Pam Barnes looking for a quality shot.

(Le� ) Sara Lewis shields Olivia Daughtery while attempt-ing to possess the ball. (Top) Houghton Lake’s Emily Cody and Roscommon’s Kayli Kozumplik battle for the ball at mid� eld.

SEE LEGENDS P.16SEE GLADWIN, P. 13

� e simple utterance of the word cage fighting evokes all sorts of images. Social constructed as unfettered violence and uncontrolled r a g e , G l a d w i n’s S c o t t Furgeson Sr. breaks down the stereotypes of Mix Martial Arts as a legitimate sport.

A man’s man, Furgeson has been married for over 30 years, a father of three, and during the weekends, his house is � lled with his nine grandchildren. He is an avid

hunter and enjoys spending time up north with his family and friends bear hunting. His life has always been centered on working hard and providing for his family.

For years, he traveled from one end of the state and beyond developing and molding two of Gladwin’s all-time great wrestlers, Scott Furgeson Jr. and Brandon Furgeson. 15 years ago when his two high schoolers were going through school,

SEE FURG, P.2

Pictured le� to right, the Furgeson regime Scott Jr, Scott Sr, and Brandon Furgeson. Old man Scott Furgeson unloaded in the cage, demolishing his competition in the opening minutes to add another victory to the Furgeson House of Pain.

Poppa furgyBy Cody O’Rourke

By Clint KernA football running back can

blame his offensive lineman for not working hard to create openings and fend o� defenders. A basketball player can blame a teammate for not passing them the ball when they were open for a shot. A volleyball hitter can toss blame on their setter for making an errant pass. A baseball player can blame his mate for winging an off target throw. A cross country harrier and a track thinclad have nobody to throw guilt on for a sub-par performance other than themselves. There’s no time to coast and get loosened up while their mates handle the load, they’ve got to be ready to bring it right from the gun. All the spotlight is on them. Cross country is cognitive battle, this mental conquest yields stamina. � is portrays a graceful and grueling physical war of endurance.

Denny and Ron initiated the Strohkirch long distance running legacy. This lineage

extended to Ron’s o� spring who were bestowed with a cultural, traditional and heredity heritage.

Ron was the leader of the Flying G harrier team four consecutive autumns. Ron was the MVP on the GHS cross country squad in his junior and senior seasons. Ron led his G’s to an eight win and one tie regular season. � ese Flying G’s placed third in the Northern ‘B’ Conference meet and sixth at regionals. Ron was the unquestionable leader of this brigade and according to many he made running cross country ‘cool’.

Ron was an elite long distance runner in the Northern ‘B’ Conference. Ron excelled in the mile the two mile and the high jump.

“I feel terrible I can’t remember any specific races that Ron ran in, it was nearly 40 years ago. I remember him climbing up in a maple tree and hiding from me to play a joke. Ron had a great sense

By: Jason ChennettWit h a mass ive loss in

offensive talent in Alicia Coats and al l-t ime point leader Melanie Smalley, much speculation arose about who the scoring torch would be passed to for the Gladwin Girls soccer team this season. New, young faces dominated the scoring column for the Lady G’s in their season opener Tuesday night, as freshman forwards Karmin Leos and Ali � ivierge paced the team, complimenting outstanding defensive play from Emma Miller and Morgan Reid as Gladwin overtook the Standish Sterling Panthers 3-0.

Many of you will remember Beaverton’s Kirsten Longstreth as a rugged little volleyballer this year in the back court. Quick, savvy, unrelenting, Longstreth was a key clog in Beaverton’s rise this year in the Jack Pine Conference. Then during the winter, she provided that additional guard play for Coach Kevin Wolfe’s up-start Beaverette battalion. Last year, Longstreth was as smooth as a diamond as you were going to find under Coach Wentworth and the Beavereton softball

GLADWIN SOCCER STARTS

OUT STRONG

SEE CURE, P. 14






SEE FURG, P.2














OUT STRONG

SEE CURE, P. 14

BaseBaLL preview, papa furg wins

Clare’s Cam Smith and James Baer along with Gladwin’s Alec Gary and Shawn Larner graced the cover of the baseball preview. Both Gladwin and Clare had terrific baseball seasons. Meridian came on as a surprise and shared the league title with the Pioneers. Middle, featured some Gladwin High cross country and track glory years while exposing light on the journey of the late Ron Strohkirch’s life and family. Right, Scott Ferguson Sr. joins his sons in the MMA spotlight.






SEE FURG, P.2














OUT STRONG

SEE CURE, P. 14

SEE HISTORY, P. 2

FARWELLIANS SLAM-WRECK EVART, MONTEBELLA

LY N D S AY R U C K L E H A S CONTINUED TO FUEL THE HIGH POWERED FARWELL EAGLES AND THE BUZZSAW MACHINE-BEAST HAMMERED THE EVART WILDCATS WITH A SIX STRIKEOUT NO-HITTER MERCY 11-0 BLAST OFF.

SEE JPC, P.4

FARWELL’S LYNDSAY RUCKLE HAS BEEN ON AN ABSOLUTE TEAR IN THE EARLY SEASON - WHETHER IT BE FROM THE MOUND HURLING DARTS AT THE

OPPOSITION, OR CRUNCHING LONG BALLS FROM THE PLATE, SHE HAS TURNED THE EAGLES INTO A BUZZSAW.

JPC Wide OpenWith the Beavers, Hornets, Pioneers, and Eagles all looking hot - can the Mustangs re-group?

By Sonny Bursey & Cody O’Rourke

New Class C League To Be Called “Jackpine”PRINCIPALS FROM THE EIGHT

MEMBER SCHOOLS OF THE NEW CLASS C ATHLETIC LEAGUE MET THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND SELECTED T H E N A M E , “ J A C K P I N E CONFERENCE.”

The student bodies from Beaverton, Coleman, Evart, Farwell, Harrison, Houghton Lake, Roscommon and Sanford-Meridian high schools submitted

BEAVERTON AMEMBER

CAM SMITH & SHANKE ADKINSFor Tribne Nation results, turn to page 8

Clare fi nding it’s Mojo

� is article is courtesy of two of Gladwin County’s

renowned and dedi-cated community

members, Bruce Guy the Gladwin County

Liberian, and Bob Frei, a local historian

and photo curator, community organ-izr.� is an extract

from a 1970 Gladwin County Record &

Clarion

By Clint Kern & Jeff GoodwinTHE CLARE

COUNTY HIGH SCHOOLS: FARWELL, CLARE AND HARRISON ALL CONVERGED ONTO BROOKWOOD PARK ATHLETIC COMPLEX AND COLLIDED FOR A TRACK AND FIELD DOUBLE DUAL MEET. THE CLARE MEN DEFEATED HARRISON 138 TO 19 AND THEY BEAT FARWELL 106 TO 57. FARWELL TROUNCED HARRISON 108 TO 42.The Lady

Pioneers whipped Harrison 102 to 45. Farwell upended the Lady Hornets 121 to 39. The upset of the early season thus far was the Eagles soaring over Clare, toppling the mighty Pioneers, 89-73.“ I ’m re a l l y h ap py

for our girls. They’ve worked very hard to make a di� erence in our program over the past couple of years and by coming out ahead of two quality programs tonight marks their e� orts. Our Farwell track program deserves the night they had tonight,” proudly uttered Farwell’s Coach

SEE TRACK, P. 11

A� er a rough start to the season, the Mustangs and Kristen Goodall look ready to defend their JPC title next week start-ing against Roscommon.

SEE HISTORY, P. 2

FARWELLIANS SLAM-WRECK EVART, MONTEBELLA

LY N D S AY R U C K L E H A S CONTINUED TO FUEL THE HIGH POWERED FARWELL EAGLES AND THE BUZZSAW MACHINE-BEAST HAMMERED THE EVART WILDCATS WITH A SIX STRIKEOUT NO-HITTER MERCY 11-0 BLAST OFF.

SEE JPC, P.4

FARWELL’S LYNDSAY RUCKLE HAS BEEN ON AN ABSOLUTE TEAR IN THE EARLY SEASON - WHETHER IT BE FROM THE MOUND HURLING DARTS AT THE

OPPOSITION, OR CRUNCHING LONG BALLS FROM THE PLATE, SHE HAS TURNED THE EAGLES INTO A BUZZSAW.

JPC Wide OpenWith the Beavers, Hornets, Pioneers, and Eagles all looking hot - can the Mustangs re-group?

By Sonny Bursey & Cody O’Rourke

New Class C League To Be Called “Jackpine”PRINCIPALS FROM THE EIGHT

MEMBER SCHOOLS OF THE NEW CLASS C ATHLETIC LEAGUE MET THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND SELECTED T H E N A M E , “ J A C K P I N E CONFERENCE.”

The student bodies from Beaverton, Coleman, Evart, Farwell, Harrison, Houghton Lake, Roscommon and Sanford-Meridian high schools submitted

BEAVERTON AMEMBER

CAM SMITH & SHANKE ADKINSFor Tribne Nation results, turn to page 8

Clare fi nding it’s Mojo

� is article is courtesy of two of Gladwin County’s

renowned and dedi-cated community

members, Bruce Guy the Gladwin County

Liberian, and Bob Frei, a local historian

and photo curator, community organ-izr.� is an extract

from a 1970 Gladwin County Record &

Clarion

By Clint Kern & Jeff GoodwinTHE CLARE

COUNTY HIGH SCHOOLS: FARWELL, CLARE AND HARRISON ALL CONVERGED ONTO BROOKWOOD PARK ATHLETIC COMPLEX AND COLLIDED FOR A TRACK AND FIELD DOUBLE DUAL MEET. THE CLARE MEN DEFEATED HARRISON 138 TO 19 AND THEY BEAT FARWELL 106 TO 57. FARWELL TROUNCED HARRISON 108 TO 42.The Lady

Pioneers whipped Harrison 102 to 45. Farwell upended the Lady Hornets 121 to 39. The upset of the early season thus far was the Eagles soaring over Clare, toppling the mighty Pioneers, 89-73.“ I ’m re a l l y h ap py

for our girls. They’ve worked very hard to make a di� erence in our program over the past couple of years and by coming out ahead of two quality programs tonight marks their e� orts. Our Farwell track program deserves the night they had tonight,” proudly uttered Farwell’s Coach

SEE TRACK, P. 11

A� er a rough start to the season, the Mustangs and Kristen Goodall look ready to defend their JPC title next week start-ing against Roscommon.

CoLviLLe returnsfarweLL merCies evart

Brooke Colville endured two surgeries and endless hours of rehab to be able to get her knees back in shape for oval action, and she impresses the Harrison faithful with her resolve to get back on track.Center; Leah Pappas and the Bobcats impress the crowds against McBainRight; Lyndsay Ruckle puts up a six-strikeout no hitter against the Evart Wildcats on the way to a 11-0 mercy against them.

jack pine tribune Page 3Monday, April 23, 2012

BY JEFF GOODWINSPEED AND PATIENCE,

T WO WORDS RARELY SY N O N Y M O U S W I T H ONE ANOTHER, WERE THE PRIMARY WEAPONS OF CHOICE FOR THE H O U G H T O N L A K E B O B C AT S S O F T BA L L TEAM AS THEY CRAFTILY D I S M A N T L E D T H E RAMBLERS OF MCBAIN I N T U E SDAY N IG H T S DOUBLEHEADER. Using patience at the plate,

meticulously examining each pitch, Houghton Lake was able to put a plethora of base runners on the paths via the walk. Once on base the cat like quickness of Michaelynn Pakizer, Leah Pappas, and Megan Taylor among others, overwhelmed the McBain defense, capitalizing on every error and placing runs on the scoreboard.In game one, Bobcat ace

Billie Jo Delisle took the mound for the Cats. Delisle was able to overpower the McBain offense with her fastball. When the Ramblers were finally able to catch up to the heater, Delisle hit them with the o� speed � lth, leading to MCbain punishing the ball into the dirt where the black hole infield of

Megan Taylor, Kelly Julin, Christina Pennfield and Amanda Sherwood inhaled each ground ball to force the put out. Wi t h D e l i s l e a n d t h e

defense rolling, and the opportunistic Cats seizing the opportunities given to them on the base path, Houghton Lake ran away with game one in shutout f a s h i o n , 8 - 0 . D e l i s l e

pitched six scoreless and had five strikeouts in the game to record the shutout. O� ensively, Houghton Lake was spearheaded by Pakizer and Pappas at the top of the lineup. The two lightning b olts c ombine d for an amazing 9 steals and 5runs. In game 2, with Delisle

moving from the mound to second, Gilman took the mound for Houghton Lake. Using the pitch to contact method, she was able to feed her ravenous defense with

a slew of weak groundballs and harmless pop ups. In the first inning Delisle sat the first two batters down, consuming two groundballs and hitting Julin with lasers at first for the put outs. A� er Gilman walked back-to-back batters, a throwing error allowed a run to score. It would be McBain’s only run of the entire night.Starting off the bottom of

the inning Pakizer again utilized the patience and speed that Coach Amber Seargant preaches. After drawing a walk, Pakizer stole 2nd and 3rd on consecutive pitches before scoring on a sacrifice groundout from the always unsel� sh Pappas. McBain was able to survive the murderer’s row of Delisle, Julin, and Sherwood, but the Cats had struck. After the � rst it was knotted at 1. � is was the last time McBain would be within striking

distance.In the second inning the

� oodgates opened. � e top of the inning saw Gilman K the first two batters, throwing smoke and sending the McBain batters rambling for the dugout. Delisle fielded a weak groundball and the Cats had a 1-2-3 defensive inning. When Cohee wrecked a 2-1

offering to deep left for a standup double, the o� ense took control. Following

Cohee’s double, Pennfield and Holmes b oth dre w walks. A couple of passed balls allowed the two to score making it a 3-1 game. Pakizer approached the plate for the second time. Opting to utilize power instead of patience, she scrambled an 0-2 offering like an egg to deep center and raced around for an RBI triple, scoring Holmes. Another passed ball let the Cat-quick-catcher come home. After the second inning, Houghton Lake led 5-1.� e remainder of the night

was an exhibition of sold defense and timely hitting. Amanda Sher wood and Cohee both made Gold Glove quality defensive stops for the Cats and Gilman was able to go the distance, giving up one unearned run in a mercy shortened � ve innings.

Billie Jo DeLisle has been a smoking hot hurler for the Bobcats in the early part of the season. DeLisle has that raw, innate ability to stretch and bend the corners of

the strike-zone and force feed the batters pain and chaos from the rubber. She has been a lynchpin for the Bobcats fast start and crucial in their win over McBain.

Lady CatsClaw McBainTHE BOBCATS HAVE SHOWN PROMISE IN THE YOUNGSEASON. CAN THE HOUGHTON LAKE REGIME STAY HOT IN THE JPC?

Billie Jo DeLisle alertly hustles in from third base to score another run in the Lady Bobcats massacre over McBain. DeLisle was a major McPain on the Ramblers from the rubber as she gunned fastballs and placed change-ups.

Leah Pappas displayed a keen eye from the batter’s box. Pappas has quick hands with the bat and swi� feet once she’s on base. Her ability to get a good jump and gallop from base to base safely, kept a relentless assault on the Ramblers.

PAPPAS

OFFENSIVELY, HOUGHTON LAKE

WAS SPEARHEADED BY PAKIZER AND

PAPPAS AT THE TOP OF THE LINEUP. THE

TWO LIGHTNING BOLTS COMBINED

FOR AN AMAZING 9 STEALS AND 5 RUNS.

PAKIZER

jack pine tribune Page 5Monday, April 9, 2012

By Jason ChennetteIt has been nearly two years

since the community of Gladwin and surrounding areas pledged their full support to Rylie Miller, at the time a nine year old diagnosed with Small Cell Ovarian Cancer, a type almost completely unheard of in children. Through several operations, lengthy recovery times, and dose a� er dose of chemotherapy, along with facing all the negative side effects such treatment brings, Rylie stood brave and true, complying with the doctors through still very new surgeries and the battles back to strength that cancer brings.

On May 11th, 2010, Rylie’s mother, Lori, rushed her to the hospital with symptoms of what they thought was appendicitis. Initially the doctors found nothing wrong with her, and believed Rylie had only contracted a virus, but Lori insisted on more tests. A CT scan of her abdomen area was ordered, and revealed an 11x11 centimeter mass in her

pelvis. After more insisting from Lori, it was agreed upon that she would be admitted to Mott Children’s Hospital at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Doctors at Mott diagnosed the mass as Small Cell Ovarion Cancer. The tumor was removed soon after the discovery, and Rylie began her chemotherapy treatments within the month. “Every time we went in for a round of chemo we were there for three days,” Lori said. “It was all business for Rylie, she just wanted to get in and out

as quickly as possible. She hated the hospital food. She wouldn’t eat a thing for the entire time we were there for chemo and as soon as we would pull out of the parking garage she would say ‘can we get Chinese on the way home?’”

Rylie’s biggest fear during the whole process was not the odds against her, the anomaly her diagnosis proved to be, or the battle through chemo and surgery, but of losing her hair. “Rylie began to lose her hair about two weeks after her first round of chemo,” Lori said. “It started coming out slowly, then in handfuls. It was getting everywhere. I told her that it was all eventually going to come out and if she wanted to shave it o� it would be okay. No one would know with her hat on. She stood in the bathroom with the clippers in her hand and said ‘I just can’t do it! I’m going to let every hair fall out on its own!’ Then her dad offered to shave MY head and we all laughed. When she was done with her last treatments, she had one hair

le� over her le� ear that never fell out. When her hair started to grow back, she had all this peach fuzz and that one stubborn hair le� ! I think it’s very symbolic of her Courage and determination and maybe a bit of stubbornness of her own.”

The Miller family hosted a pig roast in July of 2010 to help raise money and awareness for Rylie, and the response from the community was staggering. 1700 people, from the closest of friends and family to absolute strangers attended in support

of Rylie. She continued to receive chemotherapy until December of 2010, and began a stem cell to replace the bone marrow lost from chemotherapy.

The stem cell treatment proved to be the most di� cult struggle in her recovery process. Facing another relatively new surgery and a month long recovery time, Rylie never once became upset or asked “why me?” Her battle through stem cell treatment even brought about change in how the cell harvesting procedure was done. “Rylie had a port placed in her groin to collect cells for her stem cell transplant,” Lori said. “After the harvest procedure she had to have the port taken out. When they had the port placed she was asleep and she was very nervous about it hurting when they removed it because she was going to be awake for the procedure. We had asked the medical sta� if Rylie could be sedated during the procedure. They explained that it was a simple process and basically they would snip the stitches and pull the tube out of her groin. Rylie was scared to death but agreed to do it without sedation, as this was the policy. It was a nightmare! It was incredibly painful for her as they had to apply direct pressure to her groin to stop the bleeding. It � nally stopped and they got her bandaged up. When the nurses and doctors left the room Rylie looked at me and said ‘� ey better never do that to another kid without putting them to sleep � rst!’ I ensured her that we would make sure it never did. We contacted the right people and now the policy gives the kids and parents

the choice of being sedated for that procedure. I am so proud that at that moment she thought of other kids not going through what she had and knew she had to make a better way. As parents we are our kids’ voice. We need to speak on their behalf and ensure they are heard! It is amazing what we can learn from our children if we just pay attention.”

Rylie far exceeded the e x p e c t a t i o n s o n h e r recovery time, and instead of spending Christmas in a hospital bed in Ann Arbor, she was released December 23rd, a full week ahead of schedule. Her recovery from the stem cell treatments were finished from home in an equally hasty manner and by mid-January Rylie was playing in the snow and sledding as any young girl should.

� e Miller family received support from a family in Georgia through Rylie’s journey. � is occurrence of cancer so rare in children had in� icted a girl in Georgia as well, and together, the families supported each other through rough times. The doctors of each child consulted one another as well, resulting in the best treatment both children could possibly have. In September of 2011, Rylie was invited to Alabama to be the guest of honor at an ovarian cancer walk. The families met and remain close to this day, and each child has had no signs of the cancer reoccurring.

Since complet ing her treatment, Rylie has returned to the life she lived before. She was homeschooled to compensate for missing her

4th grade year, and with the help of Mrs. Hale, Rylie remained on the all-A honor roll the entire year. Rylie’s friends, who she dearly missed through her � ght, welcomed her back to school with open arms. “It was almost as if she was never gone!” Lori said. “They (her friends) would even Skype her just so they could hang out!”

T h e o n l y r e m a i n i n g treatment for Rylie is a biannual CT scan, which has shown her to be cancer free to this point. “I � rmly believe that through the power of prayer and the life-saving medicine and service of everyone involved, our sweet girl was spared!” Lori said. I am certain it was because she had an army of people behind her praying for her every step of the journey. I am so very thankful to live in this small town. We would not have made it through this battle without the help we’ve been given. I wish I could personally thank everyone that helped us no matter how great or small the gesture. I know that would be an impossible feat, but we have promised to try.”

Adversity is something that we all must face; it’s an unavoidable part of life. Rylie Miller was faced with a danger few of us have experienced in our lives, and fought through every day of torture cancer through at her with a smile and overwhelmingly positive attitude. With the help of friends, family, and a community united at her side, Rylie defeated what most of us would see as our worst nightmares with class and poise few of us could emulate.

RYLIE MILLER’S STORY

Rylie, her friend Breanna Hover and other good buddy, Brooke Marsrow sledding at Snow Snake.

Le� to right, Lori Miller, Rylie’s mother, Avery, Rylie and Rylie’s father, Tony Miller.

Rylie’s perseverance shows how a person can � nd resolve in otherwise

di� cult times.

SEE KIRSTEN, P. 9

By Cody O’RourkeI remember the first time I met Kirsten Longstreth. It was a

bright sun shiny day at the Beaverton softball diamonds. I was helping coach a Gladwin summer league softball team and we were locking up horns with the Beavers on their home turf. Longstreth was an absolute buzzsaw and shredded us to pieces on the mound, and then turned around and plastered us from the batter’s box.

I remember thinking to myself, “Wow...this little girl is just so poised in showing us no mercy...” And to confirm my memory, I pulled out the old stat book from a few years back and Longstreth went 3 for 4 in the first game, recording three singles, a walk, scored four times, and drove in four runs, and pitched a two-hitter, relinquishing only one walk – and had five put-outs of her own with laser throws to first base. The night cap was no different, as Longstreth went 2 for 4 with two singles and two walks, scoring four more runs and pounding in four more RBI’s. We got shelled and massacred by the Beavers 18-1 in the first game, then 18-3 in the night cap. Longstreth left a permanent impression on me from that day on.

I went up to Longstreth after the game and congratulated her on demolishing us, and she sprung that shy little smile on her face and said “Thanks”. This would be the way I would come to know Kirsten: a small, fearless competitor – yet always quiet, polite, and reserved – but quick to crack a grin of friendliness.

More than anything else, this is what I enjoy about athletics: an athletes’ ability to stay in the moment, to live in the moment and thrive. There is something truly special about Longstreth’s approach to competition that I have come to love and respect.

She wins with grace, shows passion in defeat - yet is never disrespectful. She plays the roll assigned to her by her coaches and goes beyond to mesh with her teammates. She has enough confidence in herself to put herself into a position to shoulder the weight of the game, yet is humble enough to allow others around her to flourish and develop.

Over the last several years, between working at the Gladwin Record & Clarion and now at the Tribune Think Tank, I have watched Longstreth hone and develop her skills as a steely competitor and an unwavering teammate. It was not that

kirsten Longstreth raLLies the JpC

Kirsten Longstreth from Beaverton went to the front of everyone’s minds as the Tribune crew learned of her battle against cancer. We rallied to the cause and searched for heartwarming stories from around the conference to remind Kirsten and others like her that she is not alone in her fightCenter; Matt Poet with his mom who is a cancer survivorRight; The inspirational story of Rylie Miller touched the hearts and minds of those who know her.

jack pine triBune Monday, April 9, 2012Page 8

By Cody O’RourkeClare’s Matt Poet has been

b ast ion of go o dwi l l and support for the entire Jack Pine Conference, whether it be his dedication through advertising with the Jack Pine Tribune, his coaching assistance with the Clare and Beaverton athletic programs, to his community involvement through the the Brown Corners Church in Clare.

Matt takes time to share his story with his mother’s 15 year journey with cancer, bringing to light the lessons he learned and the sources where he drew strength, inspiration, and understanding.

Jack Pine Tribune: When was your mother diagnosed?

Matt Poet: My mother, Kathy Poet, was originally diagnosed in 1995 with breast cancer. At that time she was 41 years old. She fought the battle for over 15 years as it traveled from her breast, to fluid on her lungs, to her lymph system, back to fluid on her lungs, to spots peppered on her brain.

JPT: Being so young at the time, how do you think it affected you?

MP: I was only 9 at the time of the diagnosis of my mom. When my p arents broke the news to me I just didn’t comprehend what it was. I was a kid who just thought of it as another flu type illness that just needed stronger medications to take care of it. As I grew older the onset of the seriousness of the disease obviously set in. There’s to many ways to count how it affected me. It definitely taught me to be more empathetic. If we had a trip planned or we were going somewhere and she didn’t feel well we weren’t going. She had her good days and bad days like most people have dealing with cancer. So you learn to be flexible because it can be day to day. On her good days though look out because you’d never know she was sick.

JPT: With your mother being sick, how was she able to be involved in your athletics?

MP: Fortunately most of the time I was in athletics she was in remission. So she wasn’t sick during those times. Times she was sick though she would most of the time just push through it. She got that strong will from her mother, Linda Hitchcock. She enjoyed watching me play and I can’t think of a time she wasn’t at a game of mine. I think during the games she could forget about any ill feelings she may be having, and just enjoy the athletic event along with the

company that surrounded her in the stands.

JPT: Did athletics allow a gateway to deal with your emotions?

MP: I think that if it wasn’t for athletics I wouldn’t have been able to cope as easy with the ups and downs that families face with cancer. Your mind could slip away for those couple hours a day you’d play. Whether it was at practice or in a game you directed your focus on the action in front of you instead of on all the distractions. Athletics doesn’t just help the one playing though. I think it was great for my family. We could all just get away and concentrate on something other than test results, hospital visits, and treatments. My parents, grandparents, and siblings could watch their kids and grandkids play different sports and enjoy the “good things” in life.

J P T: D o y ou h av e a ny examples of teammates and or coaches helping you and your family out?

MP: That’s the great thing about sports. If you’re on a team it doesn’t matter if you’re on the field / court or off of it you’re still a team. And just like in the game they have your back. Whether it’s to just hang out and get away a little bit, players’ parents bringing over meals, or the coaches just there to talk to for advice. Sports bring everyone together. So the teams I was on were my support a lot of time.

JPT How did the family collectively show support for your mother?

MP: When my mother was originally diagnosed my aunt and uncle with their two daughters actually moved into our house to help us out. It’s amazing the affects stuff like this has on a family. For mine it brought us closer. Not just my relatives that moved in with us but my grandparents, other aunts and uncles, and cousins all became close. They were always giving support whether it was a phone call, hugs, meals. Just the love that we shared grew even stronger.

JPT: Can you give an example of somebody being there for your mother in a special way and the circumstances around it?

MP: If I had to highlight anyone that was there for my mother I can’t help but highlight my father, Jeff Poet. When you make a vow at the wedding podium we’ve all heard it and it goes something like this: I Jeff, take you, Kathy,

for my lawful wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part. My dad lived those words from the day he said them till the day my mother passed. The reason this sticks out to me because he didn’t skip a beat through all those experiences. During those times he was being a loving husband to my mom he was actually doing much more. He was fulfilling his Promise to Christ to take care of his wife through ALL circumstances, and also giving me the perfect example of what kind of man I should and needed to be. It wasn’t by the things he told me but by the actions of how he treated my mother that I learned these principles. That sticks out to me because I am blessed to have an example like that. A lot of kids growing up don’t get to see what it truly means to be a MAN.

JPT: Obviously everybody is different and they need support in different ways. Are there some sensitive issues that a person should take into consideration before trying to be comforting.

M P: I t h i n k on e t h at ’s important to remember is be considerate of the person and the family. For instance if you’re going to visit and you get a call that today isn’t going to work… and it has happened last several

times you’ve tried to visit. Don’t feel like you’re being avoided or anything like that. There are days that the person will be tired, just not feeling well, or just happens to not want to see anyone. Cancer along with treatments can do a toll on the body. It’s like when you get the flu or cold and it just wipes you out. Sometimes you just want to relax and gather your thoughts with no one around. Visiting a person is very supportive but visits can be very tiring seeing so many people. Texts, cards, and phone calls are just as important. Cards are awesome because especially for my mom she could go back and re-read them for a pick me up.

JPT: How does a person deal with the emotional roller coaster and not get to “high” on the “good news” or to “low” on the bad news?

MP: I think Matthew 6:34 sums it up. “So don’t worry about tomorrow,

for tomorrow will bring it’s own worries. Today’s troubles are enough for today.” I think the best way to deal with it is stay focused on what you CAN control rather than on what you can’t control. If you get good news celebrate it and enjoy it. If you get bad news or you just happen to not feel well just push through it and think about what good there is going on. Take care of today and don’t worry about what tomorrow brings because it’s not here yet. Not saying it’s easy to do by any means but try not to worry of things that haven’t come yet and you have no control over.

JPT: How does a person keep their faith during these times? A lot of people ask themselves why God why would you allow something like this to happen. How did you reconcile that with yourself.

MP: I’m a follower of Christ so when you say keeping your faith during these hard times I’m relating to relying on Christ. Christ never promises us that life is going to be free of heartache, pain, suffering, sickness, nor does he say that we won’t experience joy, love, and peace. I think that times like this test your faith and if you’re going to truly rely on God to get you through the tough times. It’s easy to have faith when you get a promotion, have food on your plate, be healthy but it’s in the struggles that we are quick to forget or blame. This brings me to my next point. One thing I will never forget about my mom is the moment she went from questioning what was happening to relying on her faith in Christ. Everyone always asks “Why God” when bad things happen. My mother started asking herself “Why Not I” instead of “Why Me”? Most people are ok with “Why Me” when things are going their way but they never are ok with the “Why Me” when trouble arises. Its not during the highs that character is built but in the struggle. So I try to emulate her role and always ask myself why not me God rather than why. I think it puts things into focus.

JPT: What types of things w o u l d y o u r f a m i l y d o collectively to stay strong and grow together?

MP: We didn’t really change what we did just did more of it. Spent more time with each other whether it was talking or just watching movies , more phone cal ls , or just visits. Times like these really just make your grow closer together. It’s with that bond

that your family stays strong and gets through these times.

JPT: How does an experience l ike this shape a person’s character?

MP: In times like these you realize how much you have. You start to not take things for granted and start taking joy in the things you do have. The time you spend with your family becomes more of a pleasure and a priority than it was before. Life starts to look different through your eyes than it used to. Someone who has lost much is thankful for more than someone who hasn’t lost much at all.

JPT: What was your reaction

t o K i r s t e n’s d i a g n o s i s ? MP: My reaction probably wasn’t the same as everyone else’s . I don’t exper ience that shock factor that many probably experienced when they first heard the news about Kirsten. I have had multiple family members who have been diagnosed and a good friend of mine actually has what Kirsten has. So I guess the thought I felt was remorse for the ups and downs that are to come. It will be a very growing experience for her especially for someone her age. I do know one of the thoughts I did have was i f anyone has that go get it attitude to take this on I wouldn’t have chosen anyone better than Kirsten!!! Obviously I’ve also thought man I hope she kicks this things butt because she’s a joy to have on the volleyball team and a great asset on the court.

JPT: As one of Kirsten’s

coaches, what type of wisdom would you share with Kirsten?

MP: Some advice I would give Kirsten from seeing her mentality as a coach is don’t change. The way you play on the court is the same way you have to deal with situations like these. At times on the court you’re going to get into rough situations and there are decisions that have to be made. You can fold right now, give up, and give in to your opponent. Or… you can give it your all and go at with everything you have. That’s the mentality of Kirsten though. She’s a go getter and doesn’t give up. Always giving

it her all every time. She is probably the smallest girl on the court but if you’re on the opposite team you know that’s no the way she plays. If you’re judging her size on ability she’s probably the biggest. She gets the job done; she makes the right play when it counts, always keeps her cool, and is always a team player. Don’t lose that attitude. From a non coaching standpoint remember there’s always a time to cry, a time to laugh, and remember always give thanks for what you do have! ! ! Did I say laugh… remember to always laugh. Nothing heals quite like laughter. Proverbs 3:5-6 says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will correct your paths.” We may not know why things happen but we can always rely on Christ to be there to get us through the tough times.

MATTPOET’SSTORY

Matt Poet’s parents clad in their Michigan State Spartan apparel. Left Matt’s courageous, late, mother, Kathy being hugged by her husband, Jeff.

Kathy and Matt at a Clare basketball game in the Pioneer Dome.

SEE TRACK P.16SEE HOCKEY, P. 15

The very essence of dance is competitive. Pitting the dancer against themselves, it’s not only mastery of over of the body through bending the limitations of the body to the melodies and rhythms of music, but it’s the mental strength to perform among critics that will hold your every move under a microscope. Unlike other sports, the dancer has no room for error.

T h e y m u s t m a i n t a i n

utter poise and confidence throughout. The grid-iron warrior can throw his hands in the air a� er a bad pass and the pitcher can glare down the ump without penalty from the mound on a bad call, but the performer has no such luxury.

Layer upon layer, the dance becomes a complex labyrinth where the performer must connect art with grace, music with mechanics all while giving everything, yet showing no weakness. The hours and

SEE DANCE, P.16

Bryanna Co� ey and Karlie Cameron give each other a big hug a� er the two girls � nished � rst and second in the Hip-Hop competi-tion. Karlie (right) who captured gold in her � rst showing had full support of her good pall Bryanna. Below, Karlie � ash dancing.

a dance storyThe Wildfong Studio of Dance puts on a show again

By Cody O’Rourke

Gladwin’s ultra vibrant and enthusiastically spirited senior leader, Megan Strait left zero trace of doubt as to who was the grandest shot putter at the CMU pre-season indoor Division III and IV high school track and � eld meet. Strait threw the heavy ball 36’ 2.5”. Second place was McBain’s Katlin Moomey-Hose who tossed it 31’9” to give an idea of how bad she destroyed the competition.

Gladwin’s Ashley Bunton launched the shot 26’2.5” to finish in 17th overall and the 2nd best JPC performer. Klista Randall from Clare threw 24’7” to finish 21st overall. Farwell’s Lauren Ringwalt launched the shot put 23’1”. Her fellow Lady Eagle Hannah Mae Boyd ended up right behind her in the � nal standings in 25th place with her toss of 22’6”.

Beaverton’s Hope Lancaster launched the shot 21’8” to end up in 29th place. April Painter of Clare threw the shot 21’5.5”, her fellow Lady Pioneer , Jocy Fogle landed just a hair behind her with a launch of 21’5”. Painter and Fogle ended up in 30th and 31st place respectively.

Beaverton’s Ashton Schultz tossed the shot 19’ to finish in 38th place. Gladwin’s Ashley Rifenbark ended up in 40th place with her toss of 18’7”. Beaverton’s Renee � ompson threw a 17’11” to earn the 41st spot.

Clare’s Jake Boynton launched the shot put 44’4” to collect third place overall at CMU, and that was the greatest toss by a JPC young lad. Gladwin’s sensationally athletic, Trevor Camanse threw the shot for the � rst time in his GHS career as a senior and he didn’t do to shabby as he threw a distance of 42’ to garner sixth place overall.

The 10th place shot putter was Beaverton’s Casey Blades who winged a distance of 39’10”. Clare’s war dog, Mitch Greenacre lo� ed a toss of 39’3” to earn 13th place. Farwell’s Alex Haas � nished in 15th place with his launch of 38’10”. Gladwin’s heavyweight wrestling state medalists, Jacob Roza threw the shot 37’11” to gather 18th place.

Farwell’s Robert Tessman and John Kudlick threw 35’5” and

The Gladwin Gladiator Bantam B Ice Hockey Team re cent ly won t he Adray Community Hockey League Michigan State Championship by � nishing undefeated in State Final Tournament Play! The squad went 4-0 at the state � nals in Mt. Clements March 16, 17, and 18, 2012, to earn the state championship! Total team play, stingy defense, timely scoring, and solid goal tending were keys to the teams success. The Gladiators are made up of area youth from Beaverton, Har r i s on , We st Br anch , Farwell, Houghton Lake, and Gladwin.

Te am memb ers inc lude # 7 9 D e f e n s e m a n D r e w Cantrell, #15 Defenseman D a m i a n Ma n s f i e l d , # 1 0 Defenseman Kasey Cameron, # 7 6 D e fe ns e man Jon n i e Mantei , #75 Defenseman Caleb Ostander, #33 Goalie Cameron Schneider, #1 Goalie Morgan Lang, #4 Center Andrew Redman, #48 Center Danny Dixon, # 27 Forward Logan Reed, #22 Forward Gatlin Mans� eld, #19 Forward Brenden Coslow, #18 Forward Wi l l L ang , #81 For ward Mason Nash, #7 Forward Mac Markiewicz, #3 Forward Zach Hillier, #13 Center Ronnie Rousseau, #26 Forward Alex Dicken, #77 C enter Z ac Marentette, and #11 Forward Allyson Conley. Head coach of the team is Jerry Mans� eld Jr. Assistant coaches are Kyle Cameron, Drew Marentette, and D.R. Cantrell. Goal tending coach is Austin Schneider and Strength and Conditioning coach is Steve Phelps.

Gladwin earned their spot






SEE DANCE, P.16



By Cody O’Rourke











meridian is featured in softBaLL preview

Left, the star studded roster of the Coach Jamie Smith orchestrated softball squadron from Sanford played as expected and they bombarded their schedule and the JPC, obtaining another league title and breaking numerous slugging records along the way. Clare, Beaverton, Harrison and Farwell had superb seasons themselves. Middle, Addy Kleinhardt shines at CMU’s indoor track meet representing CHS. Right, Bryanna Coffey and Karlie Cameron triumph in dance competition.






SEE DANCE, P.16



By Cody O’Rourke












jack pine triBune Monday, June 11, 2012Page 10

Seldom does a sophomore make as big as an imprint or carry the load for a conference championship as what Damon Walter did this past spring for Coach Novak and the Meridian Mustangs. An absolute war-dog, Walter

battled through injuries that would have given most athletes the green light to hang it up for the season, yet he was arguably the

smoothest and most savvy glovesmith in the league from his short-stop position. Walter made diving save after diving safe and his cannon of an arm turned would

be runners into chopped liver at first base. He is a show stopper, a thrilla, one of the few guys you go to a game just

to watch in hopes that he gets pummeled with line drives and awkward bouncers because you know he is going to do something

electrifying. Walter, one of the smallest guys in the league, played like a giant offensively, ripping through the season with an impressive .446

average and pumped in 39 RBI’s and scored 31 runs. He is one of the few guys that step into the box, drooling and licking his

chops at the challenge in front of him. You could watch little bundle of muscle walk up to the plate, wild-eyed - yet cool, calm and convicted - relishing the moment and the opportunity to drive in some runs and lift his team to victory. He is an assassin type of gamer, the type that goes straight for the jugular.

Coach Novak talked at length about his young short-stop and how important he was to the team. “We brought him up last year as a freshman

and it has just worked ever since. He’s been just a tremendous defensive player and his bat really came

alive this season. What a lot of people didn’t realize is that he had wrist problems for the better part of the

year and really the last part of the schedule he wasn’t even able to take batting practice,” pointed out Coach

Novak on Walter’s ruthless adherence to competition. “Ne v e r o n c e d i d

he complain about it. He just kept on

battling and battling all season long. More i mp or t ant ly, he i s a great team player. When we had our team decide on M.V.P., his teammates picked him.

The guys on the team like and respect him,

not only because of the way he plays the

game, but because he i s a great

teammate.”

PINCONNING - Early on Billy Bittner was very efficient with his execution on the hill. Bittner got the very lethal sophomore batsmen, Dylan Brown to fly out to centerfield. Then Bittner gave Quincy Crawford the gas face, with high heat, Bittner blew the ball past Crawford. Austin Hickey exercised a good blend of patience and confident aggression as he worked deep into the count and then dribbled a base knock right up the box into centerfield. Bittner, from the stretch position

refocused on the next Farwell batter, sophomore, Jacob Sutton. From the stretch position, Billy is actually in his comfort zone and being left handed, he’s a valueable weapon, keeping runners at

COMSTOCK PARK - Qualifying for the State track finals is no easy feat, many try to make it and few accomplish the feat in their High School career. To go is an honor, to show well or medal is legendary. T h e J a c k P i n e Conference had quite a few representatives this year, and they brought their rugged de ter minat ion and

By Cody O’RourkeCARROLLTON – The Meridian Mustangs, championed by skipper

Mark Novak, rolled down into the out skirts of Zilwaukee to tango with outliers of Saginaw in a district donnybrook. A relatively young battalion courting only four seniors (Codey Hintermeister, Collin Alexander, Mic Petre and Peyton Marshall), this crew dislodged the

Stangs Fall Just Short

, turn to page 4

McFadden deFendS the

titleS, StRait ROllS

claRe tOPS eaGleS, Fall tO

SPaRtanS

Codey Hintermeister, despite being caught in a jam during the Valley Lutheran contest, remained poised and simply out worked the batters for the 4-0 shutout.

Continued on 8

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the Pinny cuRSe cOntinueS

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collin alexander was speed-freaking animal this year, he is going to be missed.

Senior leader

By Eric Dion

By Eric Dion

By Clint Kern

P I N C O N N I N G - Clare beat Gladwin to continue their season t he pre v ious week , and looked to a tough Far wel l s qu ad t hat awaited them in hopes of going on to compete for the district title. Clare’s Katya Halfmann is a mental mastermind at the rubber, and she faced off against tough opposition in Farwell, as their battles have been legendary throughout the years. Kate Saupe was slinging the boulder for Farwell, and she faced a team of hitting phenoms in Clare who would not succumb to

Softball endS award time again

Meridian put together another prolific season, taking the conference title with the might of Smith, Howe, and Goodall but they fall just short of the district crow this year.Center; Trevor Staley goes vertical with his pole vault. The thin clads of the JPC amazed and astounded once again this year.Right; Damon Walter stuns the conference as a sophomore with his hot bat and ability to make plays in the field. He is due for many more accolades in the future.

jack pine triBune Monday, June 11, 2012Page 18

gritty desire to compete with them to the confines of Comstock Park.Megan Strait has been slinging the discus to new

lengths all season long, and her practice regime is a model for many athletes to follow. She has worked hard the entire year and earned the top spot in her events at the conference meets. She brought her twirl and hurl technique that she has been mastering all year long to earn a silver in the discus at State with her distance of 122’11”, coming less than two inches behind the gold medal winner.Emilie Gaberdiel of Roscommon has been high

jumping her way to high marks all year, and faced stiff competition in the State finals, and would take home fifth place with her height of 5’3”, coming just three inches from the first place finisher, and one inch from the third place finisher. Addy Kleinhardt has been a speed freak all year,

leaving burn marks into the ovals of the Jack Pine

Conference with her stunning skill and cunning ability to clear hurdles no matter the height or distance. Her name has been in the top finishers on a regular basis, and she came to State with an intention of continuing that habit. She found herself in Eighth place in the 100 meter High Hurdles, with her time of 20.45 seconds. She fell 5.2 seconds from the bronze medal in the event. Addy also had an eighth place finish in the 300 meter low hurdles with a time of 48.20 seconds, being just six seconds behind the leader in that event. Despite not getting a medal, Addy continued to be placed at the top of the heap in whatever she competes in.Meridian’s Amanda Decker has been on a medal

tear all year long with her lightning speed and graceful running style. She has been a solid point-earner for the Mustangs all season long, and her trip to Comstock Park was a reward for all of her hard work this year. She found herself with a Seventh place finish in the 400 meter dash with a time of

59.96 seconds, just 2.19 seconds off of the Gold medal. Farwell’s Trevor Staley has been

bending the pole and hurling himself to insane heights all year for the Eagles, and he earned his trip to the State tourney this year with his hard work and gritty determination to defy gravity and clear the bar. He finished in State with a 13’6” vault, leaving him in fifth place, just 3” behind the Bronze finisher. Eagle nation can hold their heads up high with the achievements Staley has made this year.W h e n t h e S h o t P u t g o t

mentioned, one name came to mind in the Jack Pine Conference; the Bearded Beast, John Hammell Nelson from the Harrison Hornets. The holes he has left in the earth from the ball he has launched from his cannon arms will be a constant reminder that he was not to be trifled with in the Shot Put. John would find himself just 5” out of the Bronze, with his hurl of 52’0.50”. Nelson will be missed by the entire Hornet squad, as he strutted off into the sunset, relishing the craters he left behind.Houghton Lake’s Tim Malcomson

has used his strength and perfect form to tear through the ranks of the JPC in the High Jump, and has won enough medals in the event to sink a small craft. The ups and downs he faced were of stunning heights and proportions. He would finish fifth in the state this year with his height of 6’6”, being only two inches from a medal.As the other schools prepared to

send there best and brightest to the State competition in the Hurdles, they had to wonder if anyone could compare to Jake McFadden from the little town of Clare. Jake won the state championship last year with his scary speed and machine-like form, putting the State on notice that there was a new breed of athlete, and McFadden was the Apex Predator in his class. Jake proved unstoppable again the entire year, causing timekeepers to double take, and other thinclads to question their abilities as he tore over the hurdles in an electrifying motion that ripped over hurdles like a gale force wind. He was there to defend his title in the 110 Meter High Hurdles, and he did it in frightening fashion, finishing them in 14.71 seconds, beating out the silver medalist by .41 seconds. He also tore a rift in the time-space continuum and finished the 300 meter Intermediate Hurdles in 38.88 seconds.

What else can be said about the four time state gold medalist who defended his Hurdles titles this year at Comstock Park in convincing fashion? McFadden is bound for Spartan Nation as he is attending MSU, and plans to showcase his skills that have earned him the name “McNasty” in the JPC and in State

competitions.

Megan Strait finished her High School Career with a silver medal in the Discus with her throw of

122’11”, and also represented Michigan in a meet in Indiana for the Midwest. She was the hardest

worker at practices, and her work ethic earned her honors in every meet she attended this year in her

conference.

Above, the must most explosive Prudenville Pirate. Tim Malcomson stole the show and sprung over 6’ 6” in the high jump to garner a 5th place medal.

Left, John Hammell-Nel-son launched a shot put toss of 52’ 7” to separate himself as an elite state of Michigan thrower as he collected a 4th place medal to represent HHS.

Below, Clare’s bounding bundle of hurdle magic, Addy Kleinhardt earned an 8th place medal in the 110 m hurdles and ran in the 1600 meter relay.

Left, Meridian’s Amanda Decker is shown grinding out the final meters of the grueling 400 meter dash. Decker garnered a 7th place medal in the 400. She was outstanding in the 100, 200 and 800 this spring. She is one of the greatest galloping Lady Mustang thinclads in Meridian lore. Decker will dominate the JPC next spring as a senior.

Lower left, Roscommon’s sky-walking Lady Buck, Emilie Gaberdiel rose up over 5’ 3” to obtain a 5th place medal in Comstock Park at the state finals. Emilie won the JPC title and she didn’t disappoint at the state finals.

Lower right, Farwell’s flambouyant long distance harrier and pole vault extradionaire, Trevor Staley. His father once went of 14 feet pole vaulting and so has Trevor. At the state finals, Staley cleared 13’ 6” and he collected a 4th place medal. Staley also ran in the 3200 relay at the state finals.

Continued from p.1

Feed the hungrey, help the crippled across the street or into their wheel chairs when you see them struggling, and never forget to compliment your neighbors on how nice their lawn looks. Good deeds and kind words make the world go round. Stay hungry my friends.

For the Mustangs, it was another league title – but also a moment to reflect on the upcoming district gauntlet and re-examine their team after splitting with the Farwellians. For the Eagles, it was a morale booster, a shot of confidence, as they demonstrated and flashed some of their young talent early. The Eagles pulled off a

gritty performance in the opener, riding the smooth pitching of lefty Kate Saupe and the fluid wood of Kayla Cotton in the 11-10 victory over the Mustangs.

Happy Ending

, turn to page 4

By Eric Dion

The Comets have been contenders all year on the oval, and proved to be just as tough on their home turf. The boys would put 218 points up on the day to win the event in decisive fashion. The Fike boys worked hard to help rule the points race, and Jacob Kipp continued on his plan to break the rules of gravity. Robert Snear continues to compete in the Shot

Put and discus, and gave his t e a m s o m e more valuable p o i n t s t o he lp w it h t he Domination of Comet Nation.Robert Snear

CLARE – The Leprechauns of Clare stormed Yenkel Diamond with more than

just the JPC title in hand, it was about defending the long storied legacy of one

all-time great skippers in the area’s history. It was going to be statement, as they were

T h e C o a c h A d a m Burhans conducted Clare Pioneers won the men’s JPC title. Roscommon was the runner-up. Farwell soared into third. Gladwin edged Meridian for fourth. The Lady G’s of Gladwin

triumphed in the female competition. Clare was second, Roscommon was third and Farwell finished in fourth.Clare’s Jake McFadden

was the Male Runner of the Meet Award recipient. Houghton Lake’s Tim

TRACK MADNESS

The Pioneers took a few bumps early and seemed out of the title hunt, but Haynak and the boys pulled it together to get a

share of the JPC title with the Mustangs

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EAGLES TAKE ONE, BUT BUT MUSTANGS

TAKE JPC CROWNBy Cody O’Rourke

By Clint Kern

COLEMAN BOYS IMPRESS AT MSAC

CHAMPIONSHIP

AARON HAYNAK AND SOPHOMORE HURLER COLTON PUNCHES COME UP CLUTCH FOR CLARE CONTINUED ON P.9

Two of the JPC’s finest, Novak and Yenkel finish on top

JPC SKIPPERS



Happy Ending

, turn to page 4

By Eric Dion









TRACK MADNESS



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By Clint Kern


CHAMPIONSHIP



JPC SKIPPERS

track titleS and baSeball StudS.

Gladwin girls and Clare boys were the winners of conference glory this year, as the impressive stats of Megan Strait for Gladwin and Jake McFadden for Clare helped pave the way to a great year in track.Center; Coach Yenkel of Clare and Coach Novak of Meridian share the conference crown this year.Right; The Clare Pioneers were absolute warriors on the diamond this year, and made the last year of Coach Yenkel’s career even happier with outstanding performances offensively.



Happy Ending

, turn to page 4

By Eric Dion









TRACK MADNESS



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By Clint Kern


CHAMPIONSHIP



JPC SKIPPERS

By Cody O’Rourke

THE PIONEERS AND G’S ENTERED THE SEASON AS THE TRIBUNE’S ODDS

ON FAVORITES TO WIN THE LEAGUE. THE CLARE REGIME CAME OUT OF

THE GATES STRUGGLING AND THE GLADWIN BOYS SEEMED TO BE

PUTTING TOGETHER ALL THE PIECES. BOTH TEAMS SEEMED TO BE

DIVERTING AND HEADING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS.

By Clint KernHOUGHTON

LAKE- And another instant ESPN classic unfolded in the Cut River Rivalry, as the Bobcats of HL beat Rosco, 2-1.Roscommon came out

and pressured HL quickly. The Cats responded with tough hard nosed defense that refused to break. Roscommon had some good early opportunities but Cat keeper Cozette Koup a l ma d e s ome timely saves frustrating the Bucks. HL would start to pick

CUT RIVER RIVAL

, turn to page 4

Eagles take one from Beavers

Above, Clare’s Tyler Warner stymied the G’s from the mound, then pounded them in the night cap with his stick. Left, sophomore sensation Colton Punches followed suite in the night-cap for the sweep.

WARNER-WHIPDespite having track phenom’s like

Addy Kleinhardt and Victoria Harper, Gladwin’s squad, led by Senior strong-arm Megan Strait, and freshman oval-burner Chelsea Day continue to control the tempo and pace of the JPC with another win over Clare and Houghton Lake. Gladwin tore out 100.00 points even on the competition, with Clare claiming 55.00 on the day. The small Houghton Lake squad managed 8.00 points at the meet.Addy Kleinhardt continues to be a force

in the JPC, and proved it once again in the 100 meter dash with her winning time of 13.03 seconds. Rashell Vorachek was hot on her heels at 13.22 seconds,

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By Clint KernCLARE-Farwell’s

Hannah Reger was a juggernaut behind the plate scooping balls and firing seeds to bases to keep runners paranoid. Brooke Wartella put on a fielding clinic from her hot corner third base spot. Sydney Hurley was a Kirby vacuum cleaner from shortstop, Chalsey S t i g l i c h f l a w l e s s l y gobbled up grounders to make outs and Kate Saupe was a brick wall at first base. The Lady Eagle outfield was alert and Lyndsay Ruckle hummed smoke off the rubber, but the Surrey and Garfield Township ladies just couldn’t score enough runs to upend the Clare Pioneers. The southern Clare

CONTINUED ON P.5

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LADY G’SDEFEND HOME

TURFBy Eric Dion

BORDER WARS

MORGAN SHINES AS GLADWIN FALLS TO PIONEERS IN JPC PLAY

By Cody O’Rourke

THE PIONEERS AND G’S ENTERED THE SEASON AS THE TRIBUNE’S ODDS

ON FAVORITES TO WIN THE LEAGUE. THE CLARE REGIME CAME OUT OF

THE GATES STRUGGLING AND THE GLADWIN BOYS SEEMED TO BE

PUTTING TOGETHER ALL THE PIECES. BOTH TEAMS SEEMED TO BE

DIVERTING AND HEADING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS.

By Clint KernHOUGHTON

LAKE- And another instant ESPN classic unfolded in the Cut River Rivalry, as the Bobcats of HL beat Rosco, 2-1.Roscommon came out

and pressured HL quickly. The Cats responded with tough hard nosed defense that refused to break. Roscommon had some good early opportunities but Cat keeper Cozette Koup a l ma d e s ome timely saves frustrating the Bucks. HL would start to pick

CUT RIVER RIVAL

, turn to page 4

Eagles take one from Beavers

Above, Clare’s Tyler Warner stymied the G’s from the mound, then pounded them in the night cap with his stick. Left, sophomore sensation Colton Punches followed suite in the night-cap for the sweep.

WARNER-WHIPDespite having track phenom’s like

Addy Kleinhardt and Victoria Harper, Gladwin’s squad, led by Senior strong-arm Megan Strait, and freshman oval-burner Chelsea Day continue to control the tempo and pace of the JPC with another win over Clare and Houghton Lake. Gladwin tore out 100.00 points even on the competition, with Clare claiming 55.00 on the day. The small Houghton Lake squad managed 8.00 points at the meet.Addy Kleinhardt continues to be a force

in the JPC, and proved it once again in the 100 meter dash with her winning time of 13.03 seconds. Rashell Vorachek was hot on her heels at 13.22 seconds,

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CONTINUED ON P.11

By Clint KernCLARE-Farwell’s

Hannah Reger was a juggernaut behind the plate scooping balls and firing seeds to bases to keep runners paranoid. Brooke Wartella put on a fielding clinic from her hot corner third base spot. Sydney Hurley was a Kirby vacuum cleaner from shortstop, Chalsey S t i g l i c h f l a w l e s s l y gobbled up grounders to make outs and Kate Saupe was a brick wall at first base. The Lady Eagle outfield was alert and Lyndsay Ruckle hummed smoke off the rubber, but the Surrey and Garfield Township ladies just couldn’t score enough runs to upend the Clare Pioneers. The southern Clare

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LADY G’SDEFEND HOME

TURFBy Eric Dion

BORDER WARS

MORGAN SHINES AS GLADWIN FALLS TO PIONEERS IN JPC PLAY

meridian dominateSclare impreSSeS

Meridian lights up the lamp on Lipovsky and the Hornets on their way to two victories over the Harrison softball squad. Taylor Smith had an impressive day.Center; Houghton Lake rips a 2-1 victory in girl’s soccer over the rival Roscommon Bucks in a brawl of a game.Right; Tyler Warner and the Pioneers shut down Gladwin and their offensive game to steal two away from the G’s in a rivalry that will eventually go the other way in district play.

JACK PINE TRIBUNE Page11Monday, May 14, 2012

up their tempo as the half wore on and would put one in the back of the net when HaileyHayes scooped up a rebound and put it

in the back of the net with 7:35 left in the half. This is howthe half would end with the Cats up

1-0. “We came out a little slow and gave Roscommon some greatchances, but as the game wore on we

really picked up our play and put pressure on their back line,” replied Houghton Lake’s Coach Darren Barnes.The Lewis twins were ultra active. Kayla

Pray was fierce, Logan Hutek kept her foot on the gas pedal and numerous other waves of Bucks were gashing passing lanes. The Bobcats began to match their intensity level. Brianna McGregor and Kelsey Burnside were ferocious and they displayed great defensive instincts.The second half would become a back

and forth affair with both teams having great scoring chances. With just nine minutes gone in the second half the Bucks would tie the game when Sarah Lewis was given a nice feed by Shannon Scott and went in one on one with the goalie to score and tie the game.HL would not wait long to answer as

Kenzie Straub would take a loose ball in front of the net and cashone in to give the Cats the lead. HL and

Rosco would battle back and forth aggressively

defendingtheir turf and no

other goals would be scored. HL would

take the victory and

close the gap in leagueplay. “What a great game by both teams.

They left everything on the field tonight and the fans got a fantastic game for the fans to watch,” said Coach Barnes. Cozette Koupal made 11 saves on the games to help secure the win. “It was another great and close game with

the Bobcats this year with them coming out on top this time. The shots from both teams were about even although, I think we had the edge in that department. We had some really good looks at the goal but

unfortunately we couldnt capitalize.

From what I understand neither team

was at full strength but I thought we both played well. My subs stepped up and played a great game and even though we had girls playing more minutes than usual and out of spots they were comfortable in,” commented Rosco’s top brass, Coach Mark Dalak. “It is one of those games that even though we lost to our rivals I can proud of our performance. I feel better about this game with the loss than I did about a recent win. We played as a team and our spirits were where they needed to be and I hope we took some of that with us as we get closer to districts. As I said earlier in the year Coach Barnes has done a great job with those girls and he will continue to put a competitive team on the field for years to come. That was the first loss to Houghton Lake for any of my players which to me says the rivalry is officially renewed and in full swing.” GLADWIN - Both defenses dominated

the first half, holding both teams scoreless, for a 0-0 halftime score. The Buck’s Sarah Lewis broke the scoring drought five minutes into the second half, beating the G’s defense and scoring a fine goal. The Lady G’s ‘never say die’ attitute kept

them in the game, as Kamah Ellena broke through with the tying goal, with three minutes remaining in the second half. In overtime, Hope Schepke scored the game winner seven minutes into overtime. Gladwin’s keeper, Katie Gorman had

a strong game, as did Danielle Doebler for the Bucks. “Nine of our ten games have been decided by one goal. The girls play with a lot of heart, and I love the fact that they never quit in any game,” noted Gladwin’s Coach Smalley.Lewis scored in the second half off a

nice pass from Morgan Romancky. In overtime Sarah Lewis challenged a 50/50 ball with their keeper and headed the ball in for the game winner while taking a keeper glove to the face. “I kept telling the girls we can get

rewarded for our challenges against other team’s goalies and Sarah made it pay off big tonight. We played hard most of the game but it was obvious we were not ourselves and a bit rusty. We out-shot them about 28 to 8 but our aim was off a bit and that is a credit to their defense, they were all over us and never really gave us great looks at the net,” exclaimed Rosco’s Coach Dalak. This is our 4th straight win and we were on a roll two weeks ago but we had over

a week without a game and we lost some momentum I feel. The Lady Bucks are now 8-7-1 overall, 6-2 in the league.”CLARE – The Pioneers of Clare lost

two games last week. First they were shutout by the elite team of the NMSL, the Cheboygan Chiefs, 3-0. Then on Thursday Clare succumbed to Big Rapids Crossroads Academy, 3-0 as well. Clare’s Coach Z said that Cheboygan features 19 players and all 19 play on off-season premier leagues, indicating an extremely high level of skill and dedication. “I’m really proud of our effort this week, we showed a lot of character. We spent a ton of time in BRCA’s zone, we just couldn’t cash in,” exclaimed Clare’s Coach Z.Crossroads scored on a lob knuckle ball,

then they were able to convert a couple other sloppy, controversial scores. Clare hit the crossbar twice and missed a couple other makeable shots that they’d normally score.

HOUGHTON LAKE UPENDS RHS LADY BUCKS 2-1 IN A MOSH PIT

“WHAT A GREAT GAME BY BOTH TEAMS. THEY LEFT EVERYTHING ON THE FIELD TONIGHT AND THE FANS GOT A FANTASTIC GAME,” - HOUGHTON LAKE’S

COACH BARNES ON THE CUT RIVER RIVAL

ROSCO EDGES GLADWIN IN AN OT DONNYBROOK, HOWEVER STARS: ROMANCKY AND BARNES ARE INJURED, CLARE LOSES TWO, BUT LEARNS AND WORKKS HARD ALONG THE WAY.

Emma Miller plays with a fearless bravery that is unparalleled. Miller has such great instinctive anticipation to intercept or blow up passes with her tremendously explosive speed and physicality. Miller leaves her oppisition bruised, battered and bewildered, wondering if they actually want to continue playing soccer. Miller is a goalkeeper’s best friend, she’s a warrior.

HL’s conductor, Coach

Barnes has taught and

demanded his girls

to improve their pass-

ing, aggressivness and

hustle, which has allowed

them to triumph several

times in the past few weeks.

The Lady Bucks out shot the

Bobcats, but the Cats were more

efficient with their oppostunities. Far

right, Emma Miller is ultra steady with

her ferocityPhotos by Loren Dassay

HAILEY HAYES

Haily Hayes got her flex on for the Bobcats by stretching the back of the net in the inter-

county rival match against the Bucks.

CONTINUED FROM P.1

T h e B e a v e r s a n d Hornets have both had strong seasons this year, with Allison Lipovsky u s i n g h e r c a n n o n arm coupled with her sniper-like accuracy to rack up the strikeouts this year. Beaverton has been hitting everything coming at them, and their pitcher Alyssa Matta has played strong

By Clint KernThe Lady Bobcats met their match against a big, physical and well oiled Tawas

Braves soccer machine in the district finals, losing 4-0. The weather was cold and rainy, the ball and field were slick, these elements favor a bruising, power team more than they do a team based on speed and fluid skills such as Houghton Lake. Tawas was crisper with their passing and their spacing wasIt seemed

Agony of defeat

, turn to page 4

By Eric DionJake McFadden has

been dubbed McNasty and McFast by the JPT boys, and for good reason. He continues to burn his way through hurdles in a motion that seems zen-like, and leaves others wondering what happened. He continued his tear at the Morning Sun Meet of Champions by burning across the 100 meter hurdles in 15.4 seconds. Coleman’s Ryan Walton was behind him at 16.4 seconds. Jake McFadden also burned up the 300 hurdles in 38.9 seconds, w i t h R e no F i ke of Coleman coming across in third at 42.7 seconds.Tanner Touchtone

BEAVERS, MATTA NUDGE

HORNETS

The Bobcats are pictured here somber and dejected after losing to Tawas in the district finals. The precise and electric action displayed in district tourney wins over Clare and Pinny produced ultra jubilation.

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TAKE JPC CROWNBy Eric Dion

By Eric Dion

JACK PINE BOYS REPRESENT IN MORNING SUN MEET OF CHAMPIONS

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Houghton Lake’s Sarah Garrett helped lead the Bobcats to the Championship

TUNDRAWARRIOR

HALEY SMITH OF CLARE CONTINUES TO COME UP BIG IN HER SWAN SONG, MAKING BIG MOVES

Both the Pioneers and the Flying G’s traveled to the land of wind and cheese to battle for the rights to continue their season. Coach Albert had the Lady Pioneers w o r k e d i n t o a frenzy at the outset of the game, while Coach Dawley had her Gladwin squad pumped and ready to fight for a chance to earn a district title on Saturday. Despite the howling winds

T h e B e a v e r s a n d Hornets have both had strong seasons this year, with Allison Lipovsky u s i n g h e r c a n n o n arm coupled with her sniper-like accuracy to rack up the strikeouts this year. Beaverton has been hitting everything coming at them, and their pitcher Alyssa Matta has played strong

By Clint KernThe Lady Bobcats met their match against a big, physical and well oiled Tawas

Braves soccer machine in the district finals, losing 4-0. The weather was cold and rainy, the ball and field were slick, these elements favor a bruising, power team more than they do a team based on speed and fluid skills such as Houghton Lake. Tawas was crisper with their passing and their spacing wasIt seemed

Agony of defeat

, turn to page 4

By Eric DionJake McFadden has

been dubbed McNasty and McFast by the JPT boys, and for good reason. He continues to burn his way through hurdles in a motion that seems zen-like, and leaves others wondering what happened. He continued his tear at the Morning Sun Meet of Champions by burning across the 100 meter hurdles in 15.4 seconds. Coleman’s Ryan Walton was behind him at 16.4 seconds. Jake McFadden also burned up the 300 hurdles in 38.9 seconds, w i t h R e no F i ke of Coleman coming across in third at 42.7 seconds.Tanner Touchtone

BEAVERS, MATTA NUDGE

HORNETS

The Bobcats are pictured here somber and dejected after losing to Tawas in the district finals. The precise and electric action displayed in district tourney wins over Clare and Pinny produced ultra jubilation.

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TAKE JPC CROWNBy Eric Dion

By Eric Dion

JACK PINE BOYS REPRESENT IN MORNING SUN MEET OF CHAMPIONS

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Houghton Lake’s Sarah Garrett helped lead the Bobcats to the Championship

TUNDRAWARRIOR

HALEY SMITH OF CLARE CONTINUES TO COME UP BIG IN HER SWAN SONG, MAKING BIG MOVES

Both the Pioneers and the Flying G’s traveled to the land of wind and cheese to battle for the rights to continue their season. Coach Albert had the Lady Pioneers w o r k e d i n t o a frenzy at the outset of the game, while Coach Dawley had her Gladwin squad pumped and ready to fight for a chance to earn a district title on Saturday. Despite the howling winds

gladwin and clare dominate

Gladwin topples Clare in district play, with Coach Yenkel ending his storied career this year for Clare. Gladwin looks to continue on in districts.Center; Gladwin loses to Tawas in a 1-0 battle with players like Stephanie Velasquez and Katie Gorman leading the charge.Right; Tawas continued their tear on the Bobcats in the District finals by beating them 4-0 after a very successful season by Houghton Lake. The Bobcats will be contenders for the crown next year.

JACK PINE TRIBUNE Monday, June 4, 2012Page 10

It seemed better. The Cats never seemed to capture their gusto, they appeared to be out of synce. “I ’m so proud of Kelsey

Burnside and Kelsey Bockelman, my two senior defenders. Their freshman season HL only won one game, they could have gave up. These two girls have battled injuries and continued to battle and progress each season. Burnside was just an awesome defender, she stopped lots of fast breaks. I think if we could have converted a couple of those shots early against Tawas it would have been a totally different game, but that’s the difference between gaining momentum, confidence, winning and losing,” noted HL’s Coach Darren Barnes. “It was a privilege to be a part of the two Rosco games and the Clare

district game. Those games were so intense. This team is so fun to coach, they listen and try to improve. They’ve really tactifully, executed the fundamentals.”it seemed take the Bobcats of

Houghton Lake a few minutes to catch a rhythm and discover their mojo, but once they did, they dictated the ebb and flow of the contest. Assistant Coach, Bobby Pacella, said that the Lady Bobcats only had 14 shots on goal, but Coach Barnes and I felt like it was over 20 shots compared to just five for the Pinconning Spartans. Savvy, sure-handed and courageous goalkeeper, Cozette Koupal made four saves. After penetrated deep in the Pinny defensive alignment, Prudenville pounded bullets at the Pinny goalie. After continuously bombarding the Pinconning goalie, finally in the second half Mady Walter was able to pierce across the goal-line and score a pair of goals to secure the triumph for the Cats and advance them to the district finals to face-off with Tawas, winning 2-0.In i t a l l y i t w a s B re an n a

McGregor, Kelsey Bockelman and Kelsey Burnside who played lock-down defense. What consistently impressed the Tribune boys, was the way Houghton Lake collectively recovers and hustles back collectively to work defensively

after one of their passes are intercepted or the opposing team somehow propels for an offensive charge.Early on in the opening staza, it

was freshman mid-fielder, Gillian Carroll who ignited the Bobcat attack. Carroll has cerebral instincts and she always seems to be a cognitive wavelength ahead of the opposition. With her soccer sixth sense she was able to jump the passing routes and steal some balls to catapult the Cats with numbers rumbling downhill onto the goalkeeper. Carroll is so special because of her explosive burst, her ability to drill precise passes and shots with either foot. Carroll delivered several near miss torpedos in the initial half of play.Then dribbling magician,

sophomore, Sarah Garrett seemed to find her groove as she began beating her counterparts to the loose balls, breaking them down off the dribble and finding creases to launch shots and passes through. Garrett’s shots all gave you that feeling that a score was about to occur. Sarah exhibits dribbling clinics and footwork combo-manuevers that are breathe-taking to say the least.Garrett’s slashing ability opened

up and seemingly sparked sophomore Mady Walter. The powerful and skilled Walter

began shaking her defenders off balance and rifling shots just above the net. Walter punished Pinny all night long.B r i a n n a Mc G r e g o r w a s

intercept ing the Spartans advances and blasting accurate passes to spring Carroll, Garrett, Walter, Hailey Hayes, Riley Pacella and Kenzie Straub. The scoreboard at the intermission read 0-0.P i n c o n n i n g c a m e o u t

determined and very physical in the early stages of the second half, but Houghton Lake began to bottleneck all their attempts, swarming, suffocating and strangling the Pinny surges. Riley Pacella was wildly active

the majority of the ball-game. She delivered a precise kick-in pass to a knifing Mady Walter who sprung and speared the ball for a

header goal, giving the Cats a 1-0 lead at the 29:17 mark.The Bobcats played very stingy,

not giving the Spartans hardly any breathing room, let alone quality shot attempts. With 6:29 left to play, Walter put the icing on the cake when she rocked a one timer laser beam goal to make it 2-0. The Cats salted the game away with great passing and ball control. “I’m really happy with how we possessed the ball. Pinny’s goalkeeper had some great saves in the first half and we just didn’t get any lucky bounces, but the effort was tremendous by the girls. Our collective defense was outstanding all night. Mady was just awesome, I’m so excited for the girls,” said Houghton Lake’s Coach Darren Barnes.The Cats finished with an overall

record of 10-7-1.

Garrett scored the winning goal over Clare in 2OT.

Dribbling magician, Garrett seemed to find her groove as she began beating her

counterparts to the loose balls, breaking them down off the dribble and creating shots.

Emily Starr dashed , slashed, slide tackled and intercepted

passes and shots from a talented Tawas squad. Starr kept

Gladwin in the game with her gritty resilient resolve. Starr has explosive speed , great physical

and mental strength.

Tawas topples G’sG’s impress, they lost a nail-biter, 1-0

GLADWIN - Coach Jerome Smalley has done a wonderful job of keeping his Lady G’s fighting and competing considering all the arrary of injuries that affected his Lady G’s throughout this season. Plagued with season ending injuries were star players, Heather Govitz, Kamah Ellena and Morgan Reid. Still Gladwin fought tooth and nail with the eventual district champion and perinneal soccer juggernaut program, the Braves of Tawas, losing 1-0 in a nip and tuck affair.“We played a really strong and smart game.

Being down three special players because of injury, we were frankly out-manned. We gave them all they could handle. This group has a great opportunity to compete for the conference championship the next couple seasons.

Tawas punched in a goal in the first half and that proved to be all they needed. The Flying G’s pounded the Braves with tremendous physicality. The smaller Lady G’s didn’t back down a bit. Led by senior stalwart, defensive enforcer,

Emma Miller disrupted numerous Tawas offensives. With great instintive anticipation and fearless tenacity, Miller blew up Braves and swiped steal after steal. Karmin Leos was surrounded all night and

she uncharacteristically struggled to win 50/50 balls. Stephanie Valasquez was a war dog hustler. Several other Lady G’s fought their hearts out until the final buzzer.Katie Gorman made 11 saves and she

sprawled, lunged, swiftly ran up and leapt for blocks. Gorman was a leader in the net.

Cats are Skinned by TawasThe Bobcats upended Clare and Pinny before finale

Far lower left, Houghton Lake’s instinc-tive, skilled and swift central defender, sophomore, Breanna McGregor was a machine beast throughout the district tournament, she didn’t back down from the most ferocious of competitors.

Left, goalkeeper, Cozette Koupal alertly anticipated, she knew when to charge and scoop away an oncoming shot or when to hunker down and brace like a wall for a hot skipper. Koupal was fearless all season long and she elevated her ferocity, infectious enthusiasm and veteran poised execution during the post-season tournament. Koupal was one of the elite goalkeepers in all the land.

Below right, the glue, the last resort before Koupal, senior dynamite prodigy defender, Kelsey Burnside was omnipres-ent on defense. She stalked forwards and erased a multitude of potential scoring opportunities for the opposition. Burn-side had mastered the formula for know-ing when to hawk and then dive-bomb for the ambush swipe.

Stephanie Velasquez of Gladwin getting ready to flash-dance down the tundra and wage Coach Smalley’s proxy wars of control for soccer bragging rights.

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COLEMAN TAKES VICTORY IN

BEAVERTON TRACK CLASSIC

By Eric DionDespite a valiant effort

by the Gladwin squad, Coleman came out of the Beaverton track classic with 110 points, with the G’s taking 100 points and second place. Meridian managed 65 points for third on the day, with Tawas and Beaverton tying at 39 points. Gladwin’s 3200 meter

re lay team of Chad Pollock, Braxtin Muma, C obi Pe l l e r i to, and

By Cody O’RourkeIt was going to be a war with in a war. Both the Eagles and Hornets were heading

into the season with high expectations, despite relatively young teams. The Eagles would be returning senior buzzsaw machine-dog Lyndsay Ruckle, who demonstrated over the years not only to be a savvy, poised controlled pitcher, but have that uncanny

ability to field her position with a keen understanding of the game and be able to punch the ball into open pockets of greenary when she steps into the box.

TRACK MADNESS

, turn to page 4

Patterson Shoot-Out

Whenever you have two county rivals locking up horns, it is going to be a donnybrook. Above, it was a war with in a war, as Harrison’s Taylor Bondie and Farwell’s Brooke Wartella battle for supremacy.

County ClashCL ARE - L ast season in 2011, Beaverton, Clare and Meridian all split doubleheaders and log jammed into a three way tie for Jack Pine Conference supremacy and bragging rights. This pre-season, everyone knew that all

three programs would be exceptionally outstanding. With Britani Eaton, a four year stalwart pitcher and Michelle Murray a potent hitting second baseman, making an exodus out of the JPC, folks around the league knew that Beaverton would struggle a little. Meridian and Clare lost Aubrey King and Taylor Bicknell respectively, very skilled hurlers in their own right, but Mustangs and the Pioneers both had

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By Cody O’RourkeOur athletes are not

just the sports they compete in . Few, i f any, will go on to play in the NFL, run in the Olympics, or lob alley-oops screaming down the wing on a fast break – and they understand it. And truth be told, more athletes compete for t he s a ke of t he games, for the hooplar, for their friendships than strive to be the very best. And that’s ok. In fact, I would argue that is great. As our young adults

navigate through the often times diff icult and confusing hal ls o f a c a d e m i a , t h e y f i n d t h e m s e l v e s i n

the awkward space between being

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LADY STANG’S SURGE, TOP

CLAREBy Eric Dion

515GALLERY

SAUPE BOYS TRY TO DEFEND HOME TURF

COLEMAN TAKES VICTORY IN

BEAVERTON TRACK CLASSIC

By Eric DionDespite a valiant effort

by the Gladwin squad, Coleman came out of the Beaverton track classic with 110 points, with the G’s taking 100 points and second place. Meridian managed 65 points for third on the day, with Tawas and Beaverton tying at 39 points. Gladwin’s 3200 meter

re lay team of Chad Pollock, Braxtin Muma, C obi Pe l l e r i to, and

By Cody O’RourkeIt was going to be a war with in a war. Both the Eagles and Hornets were heading

into the season with high expectations, despite relatively young teams. The Eagles would be returning senior buzzsaw machine-dog Lyndsay Ruckle, who demonstrated over the years not only to be a savvy, poised controlled pitcher, but have that uncanny

ability to field her position with a keen understanding of the game and be able to punch the ball into open pockets of greenary when she steps into the box.

TRACK MADNESS

, turn to page 4

Patterson Shoot-Out

Whenever you have two county rivals locking up horns, it is going to be a donnybrook. Above, it was a war with in a war, as Harrison’s Taylor Bondie and Farwell’s Brooke Wartella battle for supremacy.

County ClashCL ARE - L ast season in 2011, Beaverton, Clare and Meridian all split doubleheaders and log jammed into a three way tie for Jack Pine Conference supremacy and bragging rights. This pre-season, everyone knew that all

three programs would be exceptionally outstanding. With Britani Eaton, a four year stalwart pitcher and Michelle Murray a potent hitting second baseman, making an exodus out of the JPC, folks around the league knew that Beaverton would struggle a little. Meridian and Clare lost Aubrey King and Taylor Bicknell respectively, very skilled hurlers in their own right, but Mustangs and the Pioneers both had

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By Cody O’RourkeOur athletes are not

just the sports they compete in . Few, i f any, will go on to play in the NFL, run in the Olympics, or lob alley-oops screaming down the wing on a fast break – and they understand it. And truth be told, more athletes compete for t he s a ke of t he games, for the hooplar, for their friendships than strive to be the very best. And that’s ok. In fact, I would argue that is great. As our young adults

navigate through the often times diff icult and confusing hal ls o f a c a d e m i a , t h e y f i n d t h e m s e l v e s i n

the awkward space between being

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LADY STANG’S SURGE, TOP

CLAREBy Eric Dion

515GALLERY

SAUPE BOYS TRY TO DEFEND HOME TURF

meridian on topHarriSon battleS

Meridian turned up the heat on the ball diamond this year, and looks to take the JPC crown for themselves. Their smart defense and quick baserunning are becoming a handful.Center; John Hammel Nelson is a beast with the shotput, and is continuing to be on top of the leaderboards in track and field.Right; Harrison is continuing their dominance of the conference, but splits the match with Farwell, showing that there has to be more to the Hornets than Brewer and Lipovsky.

JACK PINE TRIBUNE Page11Monday, May 21, 2012

Jake Zelt finished in 8:57.40, beating out Beaverton’s time of 9:24.60 put in by Ryan Rybkowski, Austin Schnepp, Travis Sle ight , and Er ik Maxwell, who settled for a second place finish. Tawas took third in the event.Coleman took charge of

the 110 meter hurdles, with two of the top three times. Ryan Walton was the top Comet with his time of 16.46 seconds, with Reno Fike adding a second place finish for his team at 17.06 seconds. Gladwin’s Lucas Manning added points to his team with his finish of 18.53 seconds and a bronze in the event.Matthew Glynn would win

the 100 meter dash for the Mustangs with his time of 11.66 seconds. Cameron Haskel would put Coleman in second by finishing in 11.76 seconds. Tawas would come in third, with Coleman’s Dakota Fike finishing fourth at 12.23 seconds.Coleman’s 800 meter relay

team of Dakota Fike, Reno Fike, Cameron Haskel, and Tim Anderson finished in 1:35.10 to take first place in the event. The Mustang’s took second at 1:37.10 with

the team of Jeremy Wenzlick, Charles Ellithorpe, Nathan Fellows, and Matt Eickholt. Gladwin finished third by stopping the clock at 1:46.30, with the squad of Steven Esi l ine, Lucas Manning,

Mitchell Fitzpatrick, and Joe Morgan.Chad Pollock proved his

speed and tenacity by finishing the 1600 meter run in 4:51.50, giving the Flying G’s gold for the event. Tawas would steal second and third place from Meridian’s Joe Shuler, who came in with a time of 5:32.50 and fourth placeIn the 400 meter dash, Dakota Fike from Coleman flexed his speed and ability by putting in a time of 52.54, leaving the G’s Lucas Schwager behind him with a time of 53.84 and a second place medal. Jeremy Wenzlick put the Mustangs on the board with a third place time of 55.50 seconds.The Fike name would be

placed in the winners bracket once again, however it was Reno Fike who took victory in the 300 meter intermediate hurdles with his time of 41.60 seconds. Erik Maxwell would get the Beavers on the board with his second place time of 44.64, with Coleman’s Ryan Walton coming across the line at 45.71 seconds for the bronze.Gladwin would show up well

in the 800 meter run, with Chad Pollock taking the top spot in the event with his time of 2:12.70. His fellow speedster Cobi

Pellerito came in second with his time of 2:16.90. N i c k Wa r n e r ponied up for the Mustangs with his time of 2:22.00 for a third place finish.M a t t h e w G l y n n p u t

Mustangs on top of the 200 meter dash scoreboard with his time if 23.47 seconds. Tim Anderson came in second

with his time of 24.24 seconds, helping his Coleman squad.

Lucas

Schwager ensured the G’s would not be forgotten with his time of 24.40 seconds and a bronze in the event.Nick Voise would ensure

he made it in the books for Gladwin with his finish in the 3200 meter run in 11:24.80. Tawas’s Aust in Anthony came in second behind him at 11:45.20. Curtis Bell would take third in the event with his time of 12:26.20.C oleman would ramble

to a win in the 1600 meter relay as well, with the Fike boys teaming up with Tim Anderson and Ryan Walton to burn across the line in 3:38.70. Gladwin’s team of Jake Zelt, Chad Pollock, Lucas Schwager, and Demetri Trice would finish in 3:42.50 to gain points for the G’s and a second place medal. Beaverton’s squad of Ryan Rybowski, Austin Schnepp, Erik Maxwell and Travis Sleight would bring a third place finish home with their time of 3:51.30.C a s e y B l a d e s

wou l d show t he competition that the Beavers

can sling the steel plate with his hurl of 139’02.00” for yet another win on the year for him in the event. Trevor Camanse managed to fling the discus 120’02.50” for a silver, with Clay Bowen getting the third place for the G’s as well with his distance of 118’08.00”Coleman pump-flexed their

jump muscles to take the top three spots in the high jump, with Jacob Kipp leading the way with his jump of 6’00.01”. Ryan Walton would come a fingernail below him at 6’00.00” even and the silver, and fellow Comet Ken Hagerty would finish out the top three with a height of 5’16.01”.The Mustangs proved they

had the horizontal power when they earned the top two places in the long jump. Matthew Glynn coiled and sprang 20’04.00” for the top

Amanda Decker was Meridian’s whirling dervish of speed-blitzing fun at the regional meet. She won the 400m, snatched 3rd in the

100m, and just demonstrated overall leadership and mojo.

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John Hammell-Nelson was the grand-champion

at Regionals, tossing the big rock over 50 feet to set

the table for a run in states. Far left, Gladwin’s Mallory

Willford, who has been a big time point getter for the

Goshawks with her middle and long distance speeds and the abil-ity to snatch some points in the pole vault.

Left, Gladwin’s Katelyn Cameron. Cameron has been another top-notch thinclad for the Kernie Gilliam track machine. Cameron has been a rugged competitor in the hur-dles and other relays and has instilled that blue collar work ethic into her fellow harriers as the Lady G’s look to retake the JPC title this year, after losing it to the Pioneers last year.

CLARE’S 515 GALLERY PRESENTS “MAKING T H E I R M A R K ” EXHIBIT FEATURING STUDENT ARTISTS F R O M T H E J A C K PINE CONFERENCE SCHOOLST h e J a c k P i n e

C o n f e r e n c e a r t departments are coming together on Saturday, May 12, 2012 to showcase outstanding high school s t u d e nt w o r k . T h e op e n i n g re c e pt i on , “Making their Mark” will be held from 6-8 p.m. at the 515 Gallery located in downtown Clare. All eight schools

EAGLES ROLL-ON

COACH SMITH AND STOCKFORD LOOKING TOWARDS JPC PLAY. PAGE 4

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Mustangs getting hot

Roscommon’s raw and ultra-talented Matt Morley tornado-whipped and blew away his competition in the discuss with a whistling 132’05” boomerang hurl.

Track BattleGLADWIN – IN A FOUR TEAM RACE, T H E M E G A- C L ASH BET W E E N T H E MERIDIAN BASH-BROTHERS AND THE GLADWIN G-BOYS WAS GOING TO BE A DECISIVE SERIES IN DECIDING THE JPC HEAVY WEIGHT TITLE BELT. T h e Mu s t a n g s ,

despite featuring a young squad and flying in a bit under the radar, was

By Eric DionRoscommon and Gladwin traversed the wilds of

Harrison to meet up in a three-way battle for track supremacy. The Bucks Won over their competitors with a team score of 73.00, with Gladwin gaining 60.00 points for a second place finish. Harrison managed CONTINUED ON 12

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ROSCOMMON – The seasoned senior Lyndsay Ruckle and gnarly nasty freshman Kate Saupe combination has been the proper ingriedients to a wicked righty-lefty pitching combo that has stymied the majority of the batters that the Farwell Lady Eagles have faced this spring. Ruckle windmilled a shutout victory in the opener, 13-0 and Saupe winged a shutout in the nightcap, 8-0.

Early on Sisco and Ruckle were both

throwing very hard. Then

Sisco began to

lose control of her pitches and she

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G-BOYS,MUSTANGS

SPLITBy Cody O’Rourke

WEISENBERGER LIFTED THE

MUSTANGS OVER THE G-MEN WITH A GEM OF A GAME

FROM THE MOUND.



EAGLES ROLL-ON


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Sisco began to


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G-BOYS,MUSTANGS




FROM THE MOUND.

art enSueStrack madneSS

The JPT got classy, as it highlighted the work of local art students go all out for scholarships at the 515 gallery. The front Cover was designed by Clare’s Ryan Watkins and Shane Lietzke.Center; The Mustangs take two from the G-Men to solidify their hold on the top spot for the JPC title this season.Right; Matt Morley spin-whips the discus in an impressive fashion, going 132’05” and helping to garner a win over Gladwin with 73 points.



EAGLES ROLL-ON


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G-BOYS,MUSTANGS




FROM THE MOUND.


By Clint KernEAST LANSING – After winning a couple tournaments earlier in the summer

travel season, Line Drive Express 16U Coach Chad Haberland assembled his flame throwing and power slugging squadron and ventured down just southwest

of Lansing to compete in the prestigious Holt College Exposure Tournament. The ladies played much better ball than what their final overall record for the tourney indicates. LDE won one, lost two and tied once against ultra skilled competition from large population areas

of southern Michigan.

By Clint KernO R L A N D O – R e c e n t l y a

ridiculously talent rich collection of mid-Michigan grapplers were assembled onto the Michigan Gold Pit Bulls and they competed against elite wrestling teams from all over the country in Florida. They finished 19th out of 124 teams.“I went 6-3 and earned Al l-

American status with four pins. My best match was against a two time state champ from Pennsylvania

Learning session

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WRESTLERSSHINE IN FLORIDA

By Cody O’Rourke

Post 171beats Clare

Coach Brokoff and Coach Barnes just a few weeks ago were mired in a downward spiral and after their 10-1 start, were barely clinging to a winning record at 14-12. They are on the upswing again, this past week going 3 for 4 to improve their record to 25-16.The Gladwin regime

padded their record by toppling a young and inspiring Clare summer league team composed of mostly underclassman, taking a double header 8-4 and 12-4. C a m S m i t h m a d e

sure to establish the pecking order in the opener for Post 171, making sure to keep his former teammates and classmates in their prop e r s o c i a l s l ot .

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Gladwin’s 15 year old hurler, Jake Shell keeps glowing.

Pictured above, Kim Rowe continues to windmill gunsmoke from the rubber. She propelled her LDE ladies of-fensively and defensively as did shortstop Tiffani Stewart, who’s glaring in the background.

HEATHERMCNETT

McNett is McNasty from the mound with her plethora of wicked moving pitches.By Clint Kern

EAST LANSING – After winning a couple tournaments earlier in the summer travel season, Line Drive Express 16U Coach Chad Haberland assembled his flame

throwing and power slugging squadron and ventured down just southwest of Lansing to compete in the prestigious Holt College Exposure Tournament. The ladies played much better ball than what their final overall record for the tourney indicates. LDE won one, lost two and tied once against ultra skilled competition from large population areas

of southern Michigan.

By Clint KernO R L A N D O – R e c e n t l y a

ridiculously talent rich collection of mid-Michigan grapplers were assembled onto the Michigan Gold Pit Bulls and they competed against elite wrestling teams from all over the country in Florida. They finished 19th out of 124 teams.“I went 6-3 and earned Al l-

American status with four pins. My best match was against a two time state champ from Pennsylvania

Learning session

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WRESTLERSSHINE IN FLORIDA

By Cody O’Rourke

Post 171beats Clare

Coach Brokoff and Coach Barnes just a few weeks ago were mired in a downward spiral and after their 10-1 start, were barely clinging to a winning record at 14-12. They are on the upswing again, this past week going 3 for 4 to improve their record to 25-16.The Gladwin regime

padded their record by toppling a young and inspiring Clare summer league team composed of mostly underclassman, taking a double header 8-4 and 12-4. C a m S m i t h m a d e

sure to establish the pecking order in the opener for Post 171, making sure to keep his former teammates and classmates in their prop e r s o c i a l s l ot .

CONTINUED ON P.18

Gladwin’s 15 year old hurler, Jake Shell keeps glowing.

Pictured above, Kim Rowe continues to windmill gunsmoke from the rubber. She propelled her LDE ladies of-fensively and defensively as did shortstop Tiffani Stewart, who’s glaring in the background.

HEATHERMCNETT

McNett is McNasty from the mound with her plethora of wicked moving pitches.

Summer Softball madneSS

Allison Lipovsky and company take the 14U Gold Rush team to new heights with a 16 game win streak and an NSA championship.Center; Shane Adkins breaks into the Top Ten with his dominance on Clare’s basketball court.Right; The 16U Line Drive Express squad continue to impress as the finest from across the conference and beyond take to the dirt infield and competed against some of Michigan’s finest softball programs and looked good.

JAC

K P

INE T

RIB

UN

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onday, July 23, 2012Page

6

Lets put into context some elements to remember regarding the athleticism of Adkins. Shane was an All-Jack Pine Conference defensive back on Clare’s football team his junior season on the grid-iron. Shane was so dedicated to Coach Rob Wise, the Pioneer hoop-squad and to developing his basketball skill set with hopes to capture a JPC crown, a district title and maybe a basketball scholarship. Often times, when athletes elect not to play a sport to lift weights and exercise to enhance another sport, they end up sitting around. It was evident, Shane lifted and polished.

Adkins isn’t related to country music singer, Trace Adkins, but his drives to the rim were country strong. Shane had that rare ability to blow by his man, soar through the air, contort his body, hang and flip in a silky basket with a beautiful finger roll. Shane was anointed by the coaches to the 1st-Team All-JPC team and he was showered with other honors from other newspapers. Shane dropped 23 points in a win over Harrison. Adkins was an unselfish player and he set others up for scores. Adkins averaged 13 ppg, seven rebounds and three assists. He was a stopper on D.

Adkins was dropping bombs, slashing to the cup and gashing the McBain guards with his quick hand and feet relexes en route to grant Clare a district championship for the consecutive year. Shane netted 18 points, collected seven caroms, five assists and two steals. Signifying his dedica-tion, love and appreciation for the game, Shane kneeled down and kissed the Pioneer painted in the middle of the court. Adkins was a dog beast in Clare’s regional win over Alcona Shane tickled the nylon on some 3s to finish the Tigers. CHS lost to TC St. Francis next, they went to the finals.

Dec 10th

Jan 21st

March 16th

By Clint KernMOUNT PLEASANT – With one quick swing of the bat, the talent laden Mt.

Pleasant Drillers had 1-0 lead off a deep dinger from a skillful Chippewa Hills ballplayer. Line Drive Express coach’s Chad Haberland and Big Daddy

Stroup told their ladies to shake it off and refocus. That’s exactly what pitcher Heather McNett and her maroon clad defenseman did. Line Drive rolled to route the Drillers, 9-3.

My old buddies, Harrison’s Jim Cooper and Clare’s Tom Whitfield both had mentioned the MP Drillers manager, Bob Servoss, the former Kansas City Royals product. This is a well schooled, wildly

For many, this article will be redundant, for others it will come to a surprise that I packed up the Red Wing boots, loaded up the old cut-off blue jeans and punched my ticket to rebuild Palestinian homes in Israel/Palestine. Some have been following my work

overseas since I started back in 2005, working on the ground in Hebron, Palestine with the Christian Peacemaker Teams, while a large majority only know of the work I’ve done through the Jack Pine Tribune. And even some now will just be reading the Tribune for the first time. In the following weeks, I will be doing a series on my peace work abroad in the Middle East, so I’d like to give just a little bit of a

Line Drive heat wave

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CODY SPREADINGTHE LOVE-VIBES

By Sean Locey

Carl CharonUnplugged

When thinking of the start of Gladwin’s football playoff run that began in 1998 and didn’t end untilGladwin’s 2004 season, one

can’t help but bring to mind the coach who brought them

By Eric Dion

Jr. G’s Splitagainst Westtown

In their last home game of the year, The Gladwin team Elliot’s Crystal flash went up against Westtown’s softball squad. Gladwin

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Flying G living legend, Carl Cha-ron ponders strategy vs Tawas.

The Lady G’s defeated the Mid-land based battalion.

Pictured above, Sanford’s strong arm of the law, flame throwing Heather McNett stifled the Drillers pursuit for gold and she kept her arm oiled and loose to lift Coach Haberland’s crew.

TIFFANISTEWART

TStew rocked a pair of hits, she took a ball to the kneck and continued playing.

By Clint KernMOUNT PLEASANT – With one quick swing of the bat, the talent laden Mt.

Pleasant Drillers had 1-0 lead off a deep dinger from a skillful Chippewa Hills ballplayer. Line Drive Express coach’s Chad Haberland and Big Daddy

Stroup told their ladies to shake it off and refocus. That’s exactly what pitcher Heather McNett and her maroon clad defenseman did. Line Drive rolled to route the Drillers, 9-3.

My old buddies, Harrison’s Jim Cooper and Clare’s Tom Whitfield both had mentioned the MP Drillers manager, Bob Servoss, the former Kansas City Royals product. This is a well schooled, wildly

For many, this article will be redundant, for others it will come to a surprise that I packed up the Red Wing boots, loaded up the old cut-off blue jeans and punched my ticket to rebuild Palestinian homes in Israel/Palestine. Some have been following my work

overseas since I started back in 2005, working on the ground in Hebron, Palestine with the Christian Peacemaker Teams, while a large majority only know of the work I’ve done through the Jack Pine Tribune. And even some now will just be reading the Tribune for the first time. In the following weeks, I will be doing a series on my peace work abroad in the Middle East, so I’d like to give just a little bit of a

Line Drive heat wave

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CODY SPREADINGTHE LOVE-VIBES

By Sean Locey

Carl CharonUnplugged

When thinking of the start of Gladwin’s football playoff run that began in 1998 and didn’t end untilGladwin’s 2004 season, one

can’t help but bring to mind the coach who brought them

By Eric Dion

Jr. G’s Splitagainst Westtown

In their last home game of the year, The Gladwin team Elliot’s Crystal flash went up against Westtown’s softball squad. Gladwin

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Flying G living legend, Carl Cha-ron ponders strategy vs Tawas.

The Lady G’s defeated the Mid-land based battalion.

Pictured above, Sanford’s strong arm of the law, flame throwing Heather McNett stifled the Drillers pursuit for gold and she kept her arm oiled and loose to lift Coach Haberland’s crew.

TIFFANISTEWART

TStew rocked a pair of hits, she took a ball to the kneck and continued playing.

PoSt 171 falterSlde rollS the drillerS

Post 171 get hit by Sanford with a tough loss that left them stunned. The Gladwin Fair edition filled the Tribune pages as well, and was a welcome edition to our coverage this year.Center; Kelly Julin breaks into one of our top ten picks this year, as she propelled the Bobcats to many victories in Volleyball and Basketball.Right; The Line Drive Express continue their tear through the tournaments as they continue to rack up countless wins this year.

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As the too legit to quit, athlete that she was, KJ was a steady and diverse contributor for Coach Angie Dalak’s volleyball unit. Julin had great antcipation defensively and offensively. Julin tallied eight kills and five digs in a dramatic see-saw triumph over the Lady G’s of Gladwin. Julin was a terrorizing nightmare at Clare in an epic match, altering shots, keeping balls alive and just doing the nitty gritty to keep her Cats in the affair. Later in the year in another thrilling victory over the eventual district champion Flying G’s, Julin rose up over the net to compile four blocks.

Kelly wasn’t as explosive as Gladwin’s Rashell Vorachek, but she made better on the fly deci-sions with the ball. KJ wasn’t as big in the post as Morgan Oldani, but she altered more shots, grabbed more rebounds and she played big for positoning. Julin didn’t have as crisp of a cross over as Lindsay Winter, but she could beat opponents off the dribble with her hesitation, burst, change of speed type of moves.

Mid-way through the third quarter, Grayling began to catch their groove and they made a sustained surge to upend and surpass the Bobcats of Houghton Lake. However, senior catalyst, floor-general, Kelly Julin wasn’t about to let the Vikings steal a victory on her home floor. Julin an-swered each one of Grayling’s barrages to neutralize their momentum swings. Julin orchestrated the floor like Tom Brady does a football field. Julin tallied stuffed the stat sheet with 22 points, six assists, four steals and five caroms. Julin tussled tooth and nail until she willed HL to the win.

Oct 10th

Dec 12th

Dec 19th

Coach Jamie Smith sas again hand plucked and assembled one of the fiercest and gnarliest group of rugged ballers to compete in the NSA and ASA Tournaments. Smith

brought onto her staff Valley Lutheran’s strong-armed hurler, Sarah Appold – a girl she knows all so well having competed against her in post-season play multiple times. She also brought on another Charger in speedy little Kara Engelhardt. Smith also garnered the respect of U.S.A’s Tessa Dinsmoore and added one more slugger to the mix. Then for additional measure, Coach Smith managed to scoop up the crown jewel of Surrey Township: Lyndsay Ruckle.

Ruckle was a four year dynamo while dawning the purple and gold.

Roscommon Linksman headed north to the lands of Chiefs and the Cheboygan Country Club for district golf play. With high expectations from the champs of the Mid-Michigan Golf Conference, they battled sloping greens and long fairways. The hometown Chiefs, the Blazers of Kalkaska and a host of other northern teams gave the Bucks all they could handle but a savvy and improving Hunter Mires led the Bucks with a 4th place individual performance with a 76, followed by Alex Gojcaj 79, swing’in sophomore Ryan Nagy’s 83 and Austin Mercer’s 85. Roscommon dug out an impressive 323 team total for a district win and a trophy for Coach Glover’s Bucks!With drivers and putters in tow, the

Bucks had sights on making States and took their show to Regionals located at

Express Ticket

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PosT sEason: FiElds oF GrEEn

By Cody O’Rourke

K.P.’s edge Gladwin Tank

Tu e s d a y n i g h T ’ s b i l l i n g b e T w e e n

K.P.’s barber shoP and gladwin TanK was more Than a game, it was al l about the prestigious inner-city

bragging rights. in a tightly

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By Cody O’Rourke

Young C’s looking good

Those in The Cl are naTion can take comfort

in the regime change that comes along with the departure of fabled Coach marc yenkel. Coach Clint Colosky has been pouring in his

energies into the program this early Continued on P.14

e.J. Phillips set the tone from the 1-0 K.P.’s barber shop victory over

gladwin Tank.

Clare’s Charlie bugbee throwing smoke

T-smooth looks to get rolling this summer in her drive to bring back home the gold

TaylorSmiTh

Pictured above, Farwell’s Lyndsay Ruckle looking to spring from first to second after mashing a single on the orders of Coach Dave Ruckle.






Express Ticket

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By Cody O’Rourke





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By Cody O’Rourke






gladwin Tank.



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Summer ball highlightS

Post 443 is loaded with JPC talent and making waves in the summer leagues with their batting and pitching finesse.Center; In an inner city rivalry, Gladwin’s two summer ball clubs of KP’s Barber shop and Gladwin Tank take to the field to battle it out, where KP edged out the other Gladwin squad.Right; Lyndsay Ruckle awaits her chance to go on the coach’s orders in a Line Drive Express fashion. The team once again mashed victory.






Express Ticket

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By Cody O’Rourke





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By Cody O’Rourke






gladwin Tank.



TaylorSmiTh


GLADWIN – Gladwin’s Post 171 swept Sanford in a twinbill last Wednesday evening, 7-4 and 5-3. Sanford was absent of their starburst pitcher/shortstop, Jimmy Schoof,

however both teams were missing players and both were thin on pitching considering they both played numerous games over the previous weekend and both had doubleheaders the night prior. Gladwin split with Sacred Heart’s summer team beating them 9-3 and losing 5-4. Sanford upended Lewiston 7-6 and 5-1 also the night before.Swan Valley’s Ben Finzel was pumping strikes for Post 171, he changed

speeds and mixed up his pitches just enough to keep the Sanford batsmen off kilter. However, 443 did strike pay dirt first as Nick Mammel and Travis

News feeds from the Middle East seemed to have streamed free flowing religious violence across the television, news feeds, social media and radio stations endlessly for over the past decade; painting a picture to the world that leaves the impression that the Arab communities from Libya to Iran know of only violence as a means to any end. This is not the case. In many ways, Salim Shamareh has

embodied the peaceful, non-violent resistance to military occupation,

171 upends Post 443

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STAYING CALM WHEN YOUR

HOUSE ISDESTROYED

By Clint Kern

LDE shinesbright

MT. PLEASANT – The locomotive nightmare bal l ing f reight train known as Coach Jamie S m i t h’s L i n e D r i v e Express blue chip star-

By Eric Dion

A Trip acrossMichigan

The Michigan Trail Riders Association has a 250 mile trail that spans from Lake Huron to Lake Michigan, and five times a year people

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Coleman’s all-time best hitter, Emily Green lays a sac bunt.

Lady G’s: Heather Govitz, Carlee Balzer and Dani Balzer.

Pictured above, Gladwin’s Post 171’s speedy outfielder, Aiden O’Rourke sparked both rallies over Sanford by smashing an Rbi double, an Rbi triple and another two Rbi triple in the nightcap triumph, to tally the sweep.

DAN JOHNSON

Johnson soared all over right-field tracking down liners and fly ball outs for 443

GLADWIN – Gladwin’s Post 171 swept Sanford in a twinbill last Wednesday evening, 7-4 and 5-3. Sanford was absent of their starburst pitcher/shortstop, Jimmy Schoof,

however both teams were missing players and both were thin on pitching considering they both played numerous games over the previous weekend and both had doubleheaders the night prior. Gladwin split with Sacred Heart’s summer team beating them 9-3 and losing 5-4. Sanford upended Lewiston 7-6 and 5-1 also the night before.Swan Valley’s Ben Finzel was pumping strikes for Post 171, he changed

speeds and mixed up his pitches just enough to keep the Sanford batsmen off kilter. However, 443 did strike pay dirt first as Nick Mammel and Travis

News feeds from the Middle East seemed to have streamed free flowing religious violence across the television, news feeds, social media and radio stations endlessly for over the past decade; painting a picture to the world that leaves the impression that the Arab communities from Libya to Iran know of only violence as a means to any end. This is not the case. In many ways, Salim Shamareh has

embodied the peaceful, non-violent resistance to military occupation,

171 upends Post 443

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STAYING CALM WHEN YOUR

HOUSE ISDESTROYED

By Clint Kern

LDE shinesbright

MT. PLEASANT – The locomotive nightmare bal l ing f reight train known as Coach Jamie S m i t h’s L i n e D r i v e Express blue chip star-

By Eric Dion

A Trip acrossMichigan

The Michigan Trail Riders Association has a 250 mile trail that spans from Lake Huron to Lake Michigan, and five times a year people

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Coleman’s all-time best hitter, Emily Green lays a sac bunt.

Lady G’s: Heather Govitz, Carlee Balzer and Dani Balzer.

Pictured above, Gladwin’s Post 171’s speedy outfielder, Aiden O’Rourke sparked both rallies over Sanford by smashing an Rbi double, an Rbi triple and another two Rbi triple in the nightcap triumph, to tally the sweep.

DAN JOHNSON

Johnson soared all over right-field tracking down liners and fly ball outs for 443

line drive and 141 are racking uP winS

Coach Jamie Smith’s Line Drive Express team are a loaded squad of hitting and fielding insanity. Their full speed style of play gives them countless trophies and medals to adorn their trophy racks.Center; Taylor Smith goes out of Meridian with a bang on the courts in volleyball and BasketballRight; Post 141 defeats Post 443 in a 7-4 and 5-3 sweep of the double header. Post 171 is loaded for battle and look to make a run at another winning season.

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Through the initial half of the volleyball season, the hardwood canvas colonel, Meridian’s Taylor Smith was calmly orchestrating one dominate performance after another. Smith could loft tear drop passes from one end of the court to the other with breath taking precision. At other times Smitty would act as if she was going to set one of her high flyers, and quickly push over a shot to a cavity in the defense, just always so clever and alert. Her awareness was unflappable, but even more staggering was the timing of her fiery jump serves that would usually baffle the defense.

There’s no arguing that Sadie Hall, Allison Brady, Bri Yaroch, Blake Garner and other Mus-tangs were some of the most ferociously skilled power swinging hitters in the area, but many of their kills were the result of a pin-point accurate soft set that was hit forward or backward by Taylor. Smith tallied 74 assists and just 6 errors in 284 sets in a tourney at Freeland. After stum-bling in the second half of the season, Sanford refocused spearhead by the floor-conductor and made mince meat of sizzling Beaverton and Roscommon teams to win the JPC tournament.

Taylor wasn’t as prolific as we expected in her final hurrah on the hardwood, she didn’t seem to even have the same swift explosiveness she had as a sophomore or junior. However, the weight lifting she did during basketball did pay off eventually as she set the JPC record for HRs. Taylor was still in our minds a tailor made guard, as she was rock solid as a sure-handed facilitator if need be. She was not only a guard with mad handles, but she always kept her head up while dribbling. Taylor had a textbook ball rotating arc and her range was nearly limitless in the gym.

Sept 29th

Nov 7th

May 14th

The Beaverton All-Star battleship, captained by General Jeff Johnston and his savvy crew of young sailors weathered the stormy waters of Ross Lake by shooting over the bow of Sanford cruise ship, then taking siege of Coleman’s carrier in their second round of war fare. Johnston’s band of crazed Beavers then sank a couple of cannonballs into hull of the Pirates of Budd Lake, beating the Harrison squad 16-0 to set up a match-up with there arch rivals from the northern branch of the Cedar River, the Gladwin Flying G’s in the championship game – a game that would decide the fate of the crucial M-18 corridor trade route. The Beavers out-flanked the deckhands of Edenville and their

swashbuckling shipmates from Sanford Lake 16-6 to set the tone

THE G O L D R U S H 1 4 U TEAM HAD AN UP

AND DOWN WEEKEND UP NORTH, FINISHING 3-2 – AT ONE MOMENT LOOKING INDESTRUCTIBLE LIKE IN THEIR 11-0 WIN OVER THE GRIZZLE WHITE SQUAD, BUT LOOKING MORTAL IN THEIR 1-4 LOSE TO THE EDWARDSBURG FLASH 10-4. The Gold Rush opened up the weekend

hot, toppling the Grizzlies 11-0 by jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first when Grace Staley stayed poised in the box, walked onto base and spurted into scoring position when Carley Starnes stroked a single. Perched up on the corner, Staley sprung

loose and jolted home to score on a wicked pitch. Starnes cashed in

Seige of the Beavers

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GOLDRUSH

By Cody O’Rourke

Post 171Up & Down

Brokoff ’s boys found t h e m s e l v e s i n a n abosolute barn burner against last year’s national championship palamino team, CM Stars, a team

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By Cody O’Rourke

Garner & L.D.E take Gold

Meridian’s Coach Chad Haberland, a mastermind of the nuances of the game of softball, has scooped up some of the area’s top shelf ballers for this Line Drive

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Holbrook has been a sturdy lead-er at the plate and in the field.

Line Drive Express always show-cases terrific defense.

Pictured above, Beaverton’s glovesmith and marksmen, Carter Johnston cleanly fields another smashed grounder and rockets a torpedo throw for another vital out.

HOGANHAYES

Hogan was the hulk on the mound as his pitching sparked Beaverton to victory








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GOLDRUSH

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Post 171Up & Down


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HOGANHAYES


lde win titlebeaverton all StarS

The 18U Line Drive express team destroys their competition on their way to a State title and a highly successful season. They are stacked from top to bottom with some of the areas most talented girls and were the unstoppable force this year.Center; Post 171 are looking good once again this year as they fight and claw their way through the season.Right; Beaverton puts a group of hardballers on the field and impress the masses with their performance.








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GOLDRUSH

By Cody O’Rourke

Post 171Up & Down


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HOGANHAYES


EAST LANSING - Coach Mayball and Coach Glover loaded up their Roscommon Buck golfers and ventured down I-27 until they arrived to Michigan State University’s Forest Acres East Golf Course for the MHSAA golf team state finals. Collectvely the Bucks shot a 326. Alex

Gojcaj led the Buckmen with a 77. Ryan Nagy stroked an 80. Tony Mayball tallied an 83, Austin Mercer recorded an 86 and Hunter Mires compiled an 89. The weather was hot, there were some long par 3s and very challenging par 4s. “The course was fairly open with a few

tricky greens and pin placements. My irons and wedge shots were pretty much on target. My putting was very consistent

GLADWIN - Captained by D.R Canterall, Tank Phillips, and Jeremiah McDonald, Gladwin Little League’s K.P. Barber Shop stormed out on Sanford’s Goodall Insurance, scoring 10 runs in the first to create separation in the 17-2 victory. With Sanford’s pitcher out with an injury, the Goodall Insurace

struggled early to hurl strikes, walking Gladwin’s Kyle Grice and Owen Ritchie to start the inning with two guys on. Andrew Redman

Little G-men Roll

, turn to page 4

Gladwin’s James Holec is a smooth fielding infielder with an electric arm. Coach Cantrell and Coach Phillip’s teams are known for their fundamentally sound defensive teams.

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RoscommonLinksmen

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By Clint Kern

By Eric Dion

Gladwin’s little league ballers are looking to cash in on their speed

and defense this year.

The Gladwin Junior girls softball club have been working hard under Coach Fennell and Coach Bittner, and were s p o r t i n g a 2 - 2 record coming into the contest against Westtown. The girls from Bullock Creek are a have a lways b r o u g h t f i e r c e compet it ion with them wherever they go, and Gladwin has traditionally been a s te ppi ng s ton e f o r t h e m . W h a t Westtown did not know is that this team was built for compet it ion, and t he y intende d to defend their home field.

Al l ison Conley begun the match

in the circle for G l a dw i n , an d m a d e q u i c k w o r k o f t h e

first two batters

Lady G’ssplit

CaptainCantrellGladwin’s coach D.R. cantrell takes a moment with cameron Leslie at the plate.






Little G-men Roll

, turn to page 4


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RoscommonLinksmen

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By Clint Kern

By Eric Dion






first two batters

Lady G’ssplit


Summer ball StartS well everywhere

Post 171 looks good to start the season as Shawn Larner and company seem to have gelled early on their way to another successful seasonCenter; The Junior Gladwin softball squad looks to get the year going with a 2-2 start and players like Allyson Conley getting hot on the bat early.Right; KP Barbershop baseball team gets the 17-2 win over Goodall insurance of Sanford and are playing well in the field.






Little G-men Roll

, turn to page 4


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RoscommonLinksmen

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By Clint Kern

By Eric Dion






first two batters

Lady G’ssplit



CLARE – Every Jack Pine Conference school, except for Beaverton and Roscommon, assembled their squads and bused to Mid-Michigan Community

Col lege to part icipate in the rugged Clare Invitat ional. The temperatures were in the 80s and the hilly terrain was steep, but the harrier warriors traversed the trails and finished like the course like the warlords that they are. Coach Andy LaFave brought a his

group of Meridian runners. Mr. Frank filled in for Farwell’s Coach Andy Frisch and encouraged the Eagles. Coach Mike Shearer coached the Gladwin Flying G’s. Coach Tod Reeves brought a

By: Ed SpinazzolaIn the first two parts we covered

a few basics of what a combination wildlife cover and forage f ield consists of and why you should consider having it on your land. We discussed the value of this type of f ield, the major Native warm season grasses, NWSG’s

Running Wild

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COMBINATION WILDLIFE COVER

AND FORAGE FIELDS PART III

By Eric Dion

GladwinDominates Clare

Clare took the trip down M61, past the rol l ing farm f ie lds , t o f a c e a G l a d w i n team that struggled of fensively the past t w o g a m e s . B o t h Taw as and Mc B ai n summarily beat them, and Gladwin worked h a r d a t p r a c t i c e t o m e n t a l l y a n d physically prepare for their next opponent. C l a r e ’ s C o a c h He l m l i n g k n e w h e was working with a young group of players himself and had some key injuries on their end to deal with. They had also suffered some losses in the previous weeks, and have been working hard to adjust the young players on the team to the new s c h e m e , a n d w e r e l o o k i n g f o r s o m e leaders to step out of

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Zelt is zeisty with the soccer ball. His grit and hustle is off the

charts.

FHS’s Brandon Frank was the fastest senior. Hunter Nivison had the best JPC time. Houghton Lake is back.

VICTORIAHARPER

Victoria is always running to victory. She had the lowest female time.CLARE – Every Jack Pine Conference school, except for Beaverton and

Roscommon, assembled their squads and bused to Mid-Michigan Community Col lege to part icipate in the rugged Clare Invitat ional. The temperatures were in the 80s and the hilly terrain was steep, but the harrier warriors traversed the trails and finished like the course like the warlords that they are. Coach Andy LaFave brought a his




Running Wild

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By Eric Dion



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charts.


VICTORIAHARPER

Victoria is always running to victory. She had the lowest female time.

BTown Breaks sTreakrunners aBound

Beaverton had gone two seasons without a win and broke that streak by beating Tawas.Gladwin suffers a double overtime loss against a tough Standish opponent, leaving many to wonder how they would bounce back.Center; Jake Zelt is one of the contributing factors to a blanking of the Pioneers this week.Right; Runners from across the conference assemble at Mid Michigan Community college for a cross country free for all.

CLARE – Every Jack Pine Conference school, except for Beaverton and Roscommon, assembled their squads and bused to Mid-Michigan Community

Col lege to part icipate in the rugged Clare Invitat ional. The temperatures were in the 80s and the hilly terrain was steep, but the harrier warriors traversed the trails and finished like the course like the warlords that they are. Coach Andy LaFave brought a his




Running Wild

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By Eric Dion



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charts.


VICTORIAHARPER

Victoria is always running to victory. She had the lowest female time.

JACK PINE TRIBUNE Monday, August 20, 2012Page 6

Taylor might be the most relentless pass rusher in the JPC. He paces back and forth on the sidelines just feverishly begging the offense to either score or punt, so he can

get back on the field and cause havoc with his extreme speed and power combination coming off the edge. He’s 6’6” remember.

As a sophomore last year, Jordan scored touchdowns and stuffed holes to make

bone-jarring tackles. Look for him to step into his brother Jackson’s departed shoes

and lead Clare in rushing and tackles this fall. Jordan has an uncanny nose for the

ball and he can knife through small holes.

Clare’s capable and running lane carving offensive line from a year ago is all returning this go around. Look for this fierce, savvy and powerful group of wrecking balls to pave the way for the Pioneer backfield to light up scoreboards with great frequency once again.Pictured from left to right: tackle Patrick Hughes, guard Lee Cole, center Seth

Harton, guard Mitch Greenacre and tackle Kyle Schunk. Coach Doug Haggart does the best job in the league of preparing and grooming his players into juggernaut lineman.

Clare was undefeated in league play last year and really wasn’t even challenged. They only lost Jackson Gross, Brent Luplow, James Wezensky, Todd Wysong and Aaron Haynak from last year’s squad. They were all magnificent ballplayers, but Clare’s offensive line and the majority of their defense is back. They’ll feature two of the JPC’s two fiercest and most destructive tacklers in Mitch Greenacre and Taylor Meixner at linebacker and defensive end respectively causing ruckus and blowing up plays all night long. Patrick Hughes will be clogging up

the middle gaps with his gerthy power. Joe McGuire is a strapping attack dog saftey/linebacker type of hybrid defensive buzzsaw. Expect Riley White to be crunching opponents. Logan Emery and Brandon Ayris are all-state wrestlers who will pack a punch with their tackling ability.Junior Zack Tyler will take over the

duties behind center. Tyler might not

have as strong of an arm as Brent Luplow, but he’s very evasive and explosive running and alluding the rush.Bean Ramos, Jordan Gross and James Simon

will all carry the bulk of the rushing load, doing their best attempt to replace Jackson Gross. Hunter Ruby will be a huge target standing at

6’6”, featuring soft hands and springy leaping ability. Colton Punches will be another prolific weapon in the receiving corp, as will Spencer Harrell.

Jackson amassed 2,035 yards rushing

last year to eclipse John Punches’ all-

time record. He also tallied 27 TDs and 9 yards per rush.

Gross was an underrated linebacker, who could cover receivers, punish on

the short yardage and cover ground.

Brent was a student of the

game. He carried his fakes, was

fundamental with every aspect of the quarterback

position. He had a strong arm and just enough scrambling ability. His

presence will be greatly missed and tough to replace.

BRENT LUPLOW

SCHEDULE

DEPARTURES

Clare2012August 24 vs FreelandAugust 31 @ Beal CitySeptember 7 @ H. LakeSeptember 14 @ GladwinSeptember 21 vs FarwellSeptember 28 vs HarrisonOctober 5 @ RoscoOctober 12 @ MeridianOctober 19 vs Beaverton

2011August 26 @ Freeland L 35-48September 2 vs Beal City W 26-18September 9 vs Gladwin W 31-6September 16 @ Farwell W 42-6September 23 @ Harrison W 33-17September 30 vs Rosco W 50-13October 7 vs Meridian W 40-17October 14 @ Beaverton W 27-0October 21 vs H. Lake W 35-0October 28 vs Meridian W 21-14*November 4 vs M-S L 13-41

Colton Punches, pictured above and Hunter Ruby will be the greatest tandem of receivers in the league.

Lups and Hags will have these Pioneers rocking.

After Coach McMillian stepped down, the Clare region has been especially richly blessed with an

abundance of strong, fast and submissive athletes that Coach Kelly Luplow could grow, develop,

teach, unite, strengthen, and equip to deploy in maddening waves to pounce and trounce all over

their opponents. Since 1987 the Clare Pioneers have qualified for the playoffs 20 different years.

In 2009 they traversed all the way to the state finals at Ford Field. Since 1950 Clare has a winning

percentage of .613 which is the highest in the Jack Pine Conference. “I’m excited because we have the majority of

our defense and O-line back from last year, but the guys we lost will be tough to replace,” said Coach Kelly Luplow.

JACKSONGROSS

Clare looks To run The ConferenCe.

Clare looks impressive in the football preview, and Mitch Greenacre looks to be the catalyst for the season.Center; Beaverton looks to prove that they can win in the conference and have a new coach in Aaron Seiser at the helm to make that dream a reality.Right; The numbers don’t lie, and Coach Luplow has his squad prepared to defend their conference crown once again this season. There are many who want to de-throne them, but it will be hard to do with the talent there.

JACK PINE TRIBUNE Page13Monday, August 20, 2012

Beaverton has only made the playoffs once, that was back during the days of Greg DeLisle in the

fall of 2000. Newly acquired Coach Aaron Seiser and the fact that he’s taken over at Houghton

Lake and Gladwin after both of those programs had been in a doldrum and resurrected them to

qualify for the playoffs. “Our league has a lot of balance right now. I know each team has talent

that needs to be accounted for. Our program is coming off an 0-9 season. In our position, every

team is extremely dangerous. We’re going to respect every team’s potential, knowing they’ll be a challenge each

week. That being said, we expect to get better each week and have a successful year,” said BHS’s Coach Aaron Seiser.

Paul (Guy) Smith is a stout, hardy and very aggressive stalwart on both sides of Beaverton’s line. He has diverse skills of being able to shield off pass rushers to develop a pocket or barrell forward to steam roll D-lineman and linebackers

flattened in his wake. Smith will be a force.

Scotty is a gamer, he’s one of those legitimate athletes who have a hunger for competition and ice water in their veins. Longstreth has intangibles that improve teams that he is a part of. Scotty’s moxie

and swagger is infectious, his arm is lethal and his scrambling sense to allude is great.

Pictured below left to right are returning lettermen: Front, linebacker/running back Lucas Mayberry, lineman Tanner Goheen and quarterback/defensive back, Scotty Longstreth. Top: Paul Smith offensive/defensive lineman, Jared Ullom lineman, Adam Hall lineman and Eric DeVries, devastating defensive/offensive lineman. This core group of warriors will be in the thickets all fall locked up in fistacuffs

of rage with the most powerful athletes in the league, down in the inferno pit where only the strong survive.

Scott Longstreth is a savvy floor-general on the basketball court and captain of the infield from his shortstop spot. Stepping in to take snaps is fairly similar to playing quarterback for the Beaverton gridder squad. Aidan O’Rourke and

Lucas Mayberry will carry the bulk of the rushing attempts from their fullback spots. Expect these two gnarly backs to carve up defenses with their aggressive downhill type of north-south running.Erik DeVries was a punishing two way

interior player last fall, expect much of the same only more itensified. Brad Dempski and Paul Smith have also vastly impressed Coach Seiser thus far.

Paul Haney, O’Rourke and Mayberry have all stood out as the three most physical defensive players for the Beaverton brigade so far early on in the hitting drills and scrimmaging. C o a c h S e i s e r expounded on the fact that they have a number of g uy s w h o h ave never played football, s o i t ’s cha l leng ing implementing different

schemes. Despite the obstacles, the Beavers are rapidly learning and getting better everyday. Coach Seiser said that he’s pleased with how guys are stepping up to the challenges that are being put before them. Look out for the school’s most skilled basketball and baseball player, Austin Schneider to catch some balls.

Pictured above, Aidan O’Rourke is a stocky, bundle of muscle, who will make an immediate impact on both sides of the ball for the BHS varsity. O’Rourke was fearless, playing American Legion baseball this summer, hitting off the best.

SCHEDULE

DEPARTURES

Madison was a strong throwing southpaw in the pocket. Unfortunately

usually he was running for his life. Madison conducted the offesne with poise and he was one of the leading tacklers from his linebacker spot.

MADISONLACKEY

Nate was a two way juggernaut for the Beavertonians last fall. He didn’t care what the score

was, Boahbedason kept crunching opponents with a fercocity that is rarely seen. Nate was an ultimate tackler and his leadership was stellar.

NATEBOAHBEDASON

H. Lake2012August 24 vs FrankfortAugust 31 @ GraylingSeptember 7 vs ClareSeptember 14 vs BeavertonSeptember 21 vs MeridianSeptember 28 @ RoscoOctober 5 vs HarrisonOctober 12 vs FarwellOctober 19 @ Gladwin

2011August 26 @ Reese L 12-21September 2 vs Grayling L 29-46September 9 @ Beaverton W 43-7September 16 @ Meridian W 58-14September 23 vs Rosco W 36-21September 30 @ Harrison W 28-7October 7 @ Farwell L 20-26October 14 vs Gladwin L 20-21October 21 @ Clare L 0-35

Coach Wicke will make these boys fierce.

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onday, June 4, 2012

Brooke Colvillethe comeback kid

Brooke dazzles in regionals and represents at state finals

Colville excels in league schedule and at JPC meet

Two knee surgeries and countless rehab hours

Colville’s legs seemed to get stronger and more explosive each time she laced up her spikes and put on the Harrison jersey. The weekend prior to her fabulous outing at the JPC meet in Farwell, Brooke scalded the blue rubber track in Scottville at the regional meet. Brooke recorded a 48.75 in the grueling 300 meter hurdles. Let’s pause for a moment, anybody who can run, jump and finish the 300 hurdles is an absolute star in my book. Brooke suffered through two knee surgeries, came back and ran at the MHSAA state finals.

Witnessing the swift burst of Colville as a frosh and then viewing her athleticism on the courts as an elevated sophomore, I instantly knew she was a special caliber athlete, then the knee ligament injuries strickened her. She didn’t throw in the towel, she went to the rehab facility night and day, stretching, lifting, jumping, joggin until she had recovered. Seeing her compete in Clare again last spring took our breathe away.

The cool, calm, collected girl named the sleek bounding Colville cat, Brooke took seige of the Jack Pine Conference as she did as freshman this past spring in her glorious revamped junior cam-paign. Brooke blitzed past every competitor who dared to compete against her this spring, except Addy Kleinhardt the sparkling state medalist from down the road in Clare. At the JPC meet, Brooke was blazing, she tallied a 49.18, coming in on the heels of Kleinhardt to obtain a 2nd place JPC medal. Colville ran a 16.80 for another 2nd spot.

I remember looking forward to seeing Brooke back on the court for the Lady Hornets. I knew she had been tirelessly rehabbing her knee ligaments with the assistance of Mitch McMil-lan at Evergreen Physical Therapy in Harrison around the clock. I walked in their one Monday afternoon to give Mitch the freshest copy of the JPT and I saw Brooke lying on rehab bench again, my heart sank and I was devastated to find out that Brooke had reinjured her knee and had to undergo another knee surgery.

By Cody O’RourkeThe Line Drive Express finished their fantastic season with a 7th place showing at Nationals, despite

not having their heavy hitter Blake Garner in the line-up. They first locked up with Moultrie Co. Rush in the opening of pool play and gave the area

a little sampling of North Central Michigan softball by force feeding the opposition six runs in the bottom of the 5th to help roll to the 8-0 victory.

Tiffani Stewart started the offensive surge in the bottom of the 3rd when the little blondie sent a shot into an open swathe of green and gnashed around the baselines when Kelsey Flaugher sent a bullet up guts on a sacrifice shot. Perched up in scoring

position, Stewart finished her trot around the corners to score the initial run of the game when Leigha Newton dropped the hammer on a meatball to send the

The Mid-Michigan He at 12U girls softball team traveled across the Mackinaw Br idge to Sault Ste. Marie to play in the 11Th annual Sault Legaacies Softbal l I n v i t a t i o n a l To u r n a m e n t . Saturday was pool play the Heat opened up the day against a very good Traverse City Wave team by winning by a score of 10-1 the Heat opened up a tight game by scoring 6 runs in the 4Th inning. Kate Hall was the winning pitcher with Faith Howe also pitching. Leading the way

LDE 16U finished 7th out of 44

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MID-MICH HEAT 12U SOFTBALL

By Cody O’Rourke

Top 10Redux

As it was with the previous Top 10 Awards, this one was not without it’s controversy. We expect controversy from such an endeavor and we accept divergent views, and argumentative debates; in fact – that is what we hope to cultivate as part of the project. For it makes us reflect on the athletes career, it provides a milieu for cherishing the accomplishments in the back drop that had passed in the course of the year. For seniors, it’s a nice way to remember the year that was, the ending of a high school career. For underclassman, it can represent the aspirations and goals for the year that come ahead. It becomes emotional,

and understandably s o . B e c au s e u n l i k e professional, or college sports for that matter, our

CONTINUED ON P.2

Cody constructs an article to clarify the top 10 selections.

Pictured above, LDE 16U stalwart, Clare’s Laura Walton covering extreme amounts of real-estate in the outfield to lunge and haul in an amazing running catch for the Line Drive Express at the World Series.

BETHSTROUP

Stroup played 110 percent all tourney and all summer long, making plays.

summer Ball andmomenTs of The year

Post 171 takes a loss back with them after Post 443 beat them 7-1. Post 141 ended their year with a 28-21 record and impressed the coaching staff as well as their competition.Center; The 16U Line Drive Express squad get to 7th in the National tournament out of 44 teams in an impressive season.Right; Brooke Colville becomes the number one defining moment of the year after her huge season on the track after two knee surgeries and the hours of rehab she endured.

By Cody O’RourkeThe Line Drive Express finished their fantastic season with a 7th place showing at Nationals, despite

not having their heavy hitter Blake Garner in the line-up. They first locked up with Moultrie Co. Rush in the opening of pool play and gave the area

a little sampling of North Central Michigan softball by force feeding the opposition six runs in the bottom of the 5th to help roll to the 8-0 victory.

Tiffani Stewart started the offensive surge in the bottom of the 3rd when the little blondie sent a shot into an open swathe of green and gnashed around the baselines when Kelsey Flaugher sent a bullet up guts on a sacrifice shot. Perched up in scoring

position, Stewart finished her trot around the corners to score the initial run of the game when Leigha Newton dropped the hammer on a meatball to send the

The Mid-Michigan He at 12U girls softball team traveled across the Mackinaw Br idge to Sault Ste. Marie to play in the 11Th annual Sault Legaacies Softbal l I n v i t a t i o n a l To u r n a m e n t . Saturday was pool play the Heat opened up the day against a very good Traverse City Wave team by winning by a score of 10-1 the Heat opened up a tight game by scoring 6 runs in the 4Th inning. Kate Hall was the winning pitcher with Faith Howe also pitching. Leading the way

LDE 16U finished 7th out of 44

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MID-MICH HEAT 12U SOFTBALL

By Cody O’Rourke

Top 10Redux

As it was with the previous Top 10 Awards, this one was not without it’s controversy. We expect controversy from such an endeavor and we accept divergent views, and argumentative debates; in fact – that is what we hope to cultivate as part of the project. For it makes us reflect on the athletes career, it provides a milieu for cherishing the accomplishments in the back drop that had passed in the course of the year. For seniors, it’s a nice way to remember the year that was, the ending of a high school career. For underclassman, it can represent the aspirations and goals for the year that come ahead. It becomes emotional,

and understandably s o . B e c au s e u n l i k e professional, or college sports for that matter, our

CONTINUED ON P.2

Cody constructs an article to clarify the top 10 selections.

Pictured above, LDE 16U stalwart, Clare’s Laura Walton covering extreme amounts of real-estate in the outfield to lunge and haul in an amazing running catch for the Line Drive Express at the World Series.

BETHSTROUP

Stroup played 110 percent all tourney and all summer long, making plays.

By Clint KernFARWELL – The Eagles had great kick off coverage all night as a reverse

fooled nobody. Tim Anderson churned for eight yards off tackle. Sophomore gun slinger, Adam Stremlow rifled a bullet to Lars Murray to move the chains. Two plays later Coleman fumbled and Farwell recovered. Then FHS returned the gesture

and coughed the ball up, Coleman recovered. Murray hauled in a 31 yard reception but the Comets drive stalled.

Farwell took over on downs. Keegan Rohdy patiently set up a couple of

By Dave ZirinIn a week where the phrase

“legitimate rape” became part o f t h e A m e r i c a n p o l i t i c a l discourse, it’s understandable that anyone who believes in women’s liberation would be s c ave ng i ng for s ome go o d

Eagles drop Comets

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CONDI RICE’S MEMBERSHIP IS NOTHING TO

CELEBRATE

By Eric Dion

SoccerRoundup

GLADWIN SCHOOLED BY

TAWAST h e G l a d w i n b o y s ’

v a r s i t y s o c c e r t e a m t r a v e l e d t o Ta w a s M o n d a y w h e r e t h e y lost 8-0 to the powerful Braves team. The G’s fel l behind 4-0 at the h a l f , a n d t h e B r av e s c ont i nu e d to p ou r i t on in the second half. Karson Russell started t h e g am e i n n e t an d p l a y e d f a i r l y w e l l ,” a c c o r d i n g t o C o a c h J e r o m e S m a l l e y : “ I knew that Tawas would be a strong test for us and they played great.” the coach commented. “I was happy with our effort, but if we want to compete with the better teams in our area we need to improve.”

GLADWIN FARES NO BETTER IN

MCBAIN

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Expect Brock Demo to spearhead the Clare soccer brigade this fall and excel.

Keegan Rohdy answered every Comet burst. Farwell D makes a goal-line stand to beat Coleman 61-54.

TIMANDERSON

Anderson high stepped for two TDS and 130 yards rushing versus FarwellBy Clint Kern

FARWELL – The Eagles had great kick off coverage all night as a reverse fooled nobody. Tim Anderson churned for eight yards off tackle. Sophomore gun slinger, Adam Stremlow rifled a bullet to Lars Murray to move the chains. Two plays later Coleman fumbled and Farwell recovered. Then FHS returned the gesture





Eagles drop Comets

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CELEBRATE

By Eric Dion

SoccerRoundup

GLADWIN SCHOOLED BY




MCBAIN

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TIMANDERSON

Anderson high stepped for two TDS and 130 yards rushing versus Farwell

VolleyBall preViewfarwell rolls ComeTs

Meridian looks to be the dominant team this year on the volleyball court with the Bucks looking to prove us wrong. Clare suffers a loss against a tough Freeland team on the gridiron, making many wonder how tough they are.Center; Clare’s Brock Demo and his Pioneer squad suffer two early losses in the season. Their youth could prove to be a difficult adversary.Right; Farwell outlasts the Comets in a 61-54 score fest that saw some early season impressive performances on both sides.

By Clint KernFARWELL – The Eagles had great kick off coverage all night as a reverse

fooled nobody. Tim Anderson churned for eight yards off tackle. Sophomore gun slinger, Adam Stremlow rifled a bullet to Lars Murray to move the chains. Two plays later Coleman fumbled and Farwell recovered. Then FHS returned the gesture





Eagles drop Comets

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CELEBRATE

By Eric Dion

SoccerRoundup

GLADWIN SCHOOLED BY




MCBAIN

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TIMANDERSON

Anderson high stepped for two TDS and 130 yards rushing versus Farwell

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onday, August 13, 2012

Jake defends his royal throne

JMc is the victor of all his events at JPC and regionals

McFadden breaks multiple CHS track records

Jake caught up and blew by his opponents in relay

McFadden entered the track and field complex at Farwell to perform in Clare County one last time at the Jack Pine Conference championships and he erased any doubt, who the most elite and legit thinclad stalwart was in the JPC. Jake won the 110 hurdles as he did a short clinic for the youth in the bleachers, leaping and running in as fluid form possible. Jake blitzed to triumph the 300 hurdles crown. Soon-after he blazed the oval to win the 200 and then he concluded th night by aiding CHS to win the 1600 relay. He crush flexed at regionals.

Jake McFadden wasn’t just a fad, or a one time wonder. He destroyed his competition each and every time laced up his spikes and stepped into his starting blocks. McFast was totally the ringer, he was center of attention, completely a show within a show. Jake seemed to perfect the art of hur-dling with his ultra flexible grace that bounded over the hurdles with such a streamline fashion to garner two more state titles.

Jake dominated the tri-meet at CHS to steam-roll over Harrison and Farwell to garner Clare County supremacy. McFadden won the 110 hurdles with a 14.70. Jake harbored our attention as he led the 800 relay to a convincing win. Then he broke his own record in the 300 hurdles when he tallied a 38.90 to eclipse the mark he set last year at the state finals. JMc won the open 200 when he com-piled a time of 22.90. Earlier in the week at Rosco, for the first time in years, Jake ran the 100 dash and broke Clare’s record with his 10.7 sec.

Perhaps the most stunning, jaw-dropping and surreal sports moment that we covered all year, occurred at the regionals in Scot-tville when JMc received the baton as the anchor leg of the 1600 meter relay. He was about 50 meters behind the front-running two thinclads, just as he did in dramatic fashion at the state finals in 2011, Jake bolt-ed around the turn of the oval and passed by his opposition with extreme speed, leav-ing them in his dust.

As summer softball comes to an end the 14U Michigan Gold Rush has reason to celebrate. After winning four of six Michigan tournaments, (Charlevoix, Mt. Pleasant Next Door, NSA Line Drive in Midland and the End of

Summer Shepherd Tournament) the Gold Rush took their act to Ohio to face other top-notch teams from around the eastern United States at the ASA Eastern National.

The Gold Rush entered the National on a 23 game winning streak and held a 42-5 record. They felt confident but knew that the

teams from Ohio, New York, Illinois, Rhode Island, Massachusetts,

By Eric DionHaving covered the second fair

now with the Jack Pine Tribune, I can say without a doubt that the children that show at these fairs work as hard as any athlete does in his or her sport. At the end of the week, these showmen display their hard work and skill in an Olympic-style fashion. They have to endure long hours and hard work, all the while still tending to the needs of

Gold Rush Takes 2ndat Nationals

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MY WEEKAT THE

CLARE CO. FAIR

By Eric Dion

GivingBack

Alex Brown of Coleman is a l ready an above average person and gifted athlete, having gone to State competitions in Cross Country in his junior and senior years, helping his team win regional titles three years in a row with his track team, and making All-State in the 4x400 relay. He credits his coach Larr y Curtis for his accomplishments “He is more than a coach; he is a mentor and a great role model when it comes to sportsmanship.”Alex also attributed his

enjoyment of sports to some of his teammates “Reno and Dakota Fike are some of my favorite teammates, because they have a great work ethic, are fun to hang out with in an out of sporting events, and are very supportive teammates.

CONTINUED ON P.3

Alex spends his time reading to the youth as well as other

community efforts

Grayling’s Josie Hinkle belted the Gold Rush all the way to the national finals.

LAURENMOSE

Gladwin’s Lauren Mose sparked the Gold Rush with her speed and hustle

The Clare fairmCfasT ConTinues

The Clare County fair takes precedent as trophies are awarded to the finest showman of the area. Center; The 14U Goldrush takes second at the National tournament in a highly contested decision that leaves many sour after a highly successful season. Allison Lipovsky has proven herself an elite pitcher wherever she goes.Right; Our moments that defined the school year looks at the accomplishments of Jake McFadden and his speed.

As summer softball comes to an end the 14U Michigan Gold Rush has reason to celebrate. After winning four of six Michigan tournaments, (Charlevoix, Mt. Pleasant Next Door, NSA Line Drive in Midland and the End of

Summer Shepherd Tournament) the Gold Rush took their act to Ohio to face other top-notch teams from around the eastern United States at the ASA Eastern National.

The Gold Rush entered the National on a 23 game winning streak and held a 42-5 record. They felt confident but knew that the

teams from Ohio, New York, Illinois, Rhode Island, Massachusetts,

By Eric DionHaving covered the second fair

now with the Jack Pine Tribune, I can say without a doubt that the children that show at these fairs work as hard as any athlete does in his or her sport. At the end of the week, these showmen display their hard work and skill in an Olympic-style fashion. They have to endure long hours and hard work, all the while still tending to the needs of

Gold Rush Takes 2ndat Nationals

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MY WEEKAT THE

CLARE CO. FAIR

By Eric Dion

GivingBack

Alex Brown of Coleman is a l ready an above average person and gifted athlete, having gone to State competitions in Cross Country in his junior and senior years, helping his team win regional titles three years in a row with his track team, and making All-State in the 4x400 relay. He credits his coach Larr y Curtis for his accomplishments “He is more than a coach; he is a mentor and a great role model when it comes to sportsmanship.”Alex also attributed his

enjoyment of sports to some of his teammates “Reno and Dakota Fike are some of my favorite teammates, because they have a great work ethic, are fun to hang out with in an out of sporting events, and are very supportive teammates.

CONTINUED ON P.3

Alex spends his time reading to the youth as well as other

community efforts

Grayling’s Josie Hinkle belted the Gold Rush all the way to the national finals.

LAURENMOSE

Gladwin’s Lauren Mose sparked the Gold Rush with her speed and hustle

By: Clint KernGLADWIN – On July 21st the Paul Graveline family regime conducted the 3rd Annual G-Town Run Around 5K Run/Walk. 97 people participated in the 5K from ages 6-80. After a competitor crossed the finish they could

drink gatorade or water to rehydrate. They also had apples and bananas to replenish nutrients. There was also a short small kids obstacle course/run. “My family and I are extremely grateful to all the participants, volunteers and sponsors that made the race a success. We always look forward to a fun, family friendly event and this year was no

different. We are already looking forward to next year’s race,” exclaimed

Major girl’s softball Michigan State Tournament was hosted by Gladstone this year and was held July 13th – 18th. Teams representing 13 of Michigan’s 16 Little League Districts made the trip to the UP and were considered honorary yoopers by the locals while there. Beaverton’s Major girls represented District 1. They began play against St. Clair Starz. Beaverton girls started flat and made some errors trying to adjust to the grass infield. They hit the ball, but had a difficult time getting on the bases as the St. Clair defense shut them

G-town 5K

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MAJORSOFTBALL

STATE TOURNEY

By Cody O’Rourke

LDE Flourish

For m o s t , s u m m e r time marks the break f rom the gr ind, the d e p ar tu re f rom t he responsibilities of school and work. It’s a time to relax and rejoice in the dead days of summer. It’s time spent on the beach, or long road trips to place unknown, and adventures that will be untold for years to come. But for others, it’s war. It’s not just war for the

sake of war; it war for the sake of conquest. It’s about taking siege on the surrendering area’s best teams and battling it out on the diamond to claim supremacy. It’s about winning, so much so that assembling the war-hors e t r ump ets inner-league rivalries a n d g e o g r a p h i c a l distances in the hopes of taking home prestigious tou r name nt s i n t he

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Beth Stroup is known for her arm, glove, bat and speed.

Pictured above, Beaverton’s Larry Sroufe, completed the 5K walk. Other G-Town Run Around participants flock over to view their respective finishing times.

JONES &SWIECICKI

Carrie Jones and Chris Swiecicki both finished as the runner-up respectively.By: Clint KernGLADWIN – On July 21st the Paul Graveline family regime conducted the 3rd Annual G-Town Run Around 5K Run/Walk. 97 people participated in the 5K from ages 6-80. After a competitor crossed the finish they could

drink gatorade or water to rehydrate. They also had apples and bananas to replenish nutrients. There was also a short small kids obstacle course/run. “My family and I are extremely grateful to all the participants, volunteers and sponsors that made the race a success. We always look forward to a fun, family friendly event and this year was no

different. We are already looking forward to next year’s race,” exclaimed

Major girl’s softball Michigan State Tournament was hosted by Gladstone this year and was held July 13th – 18th. Teams representing 13 of Michigan’s 16 Little League Districts made the trip to the UP and were considered honorary yoopers by the locals while there. Beaverton’s Major girls represented District 1. They began play against St. Clair Starz. Beaverton girls started flat and made some errors trying to adjust to the grass infield. They hit the ball, but had a difficult time getting on the bases as the St. Clair defense shut them

G-town 5K

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MAJORSOFTBALL

STATE TOURNEY

By Cody O’Rourke

LDE Flourish

For m o s t , s u m m e r time marks the break f rom the gr ind, the d e p ar tu re f rom t he responsibilities of school and work. It’s a time to relax and rejoice in the dead days of summer. It’s time spent on the beach, or long road trips to place unknown, and adventures that will be untold for years to come. But for others, it’s war. It’s not just war for the

sake of war; it war for the sake of conquest. It’s about taking siege on the surrendering area’s best teams and battling it out on the diamond to claim supremacy. It’s about winning, so much so that assembling the war-hors e t r ump ets inner-league rivalries a n d g e o g r a p h i c a l distances in the hopes of taking home prestigious tou r name nt s i n t he

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Beth Stroup is known for her arm, glove, bat and speed.

Pictured above, Beaverton’s Larry Sroufe, completed the 5K walk. Other G-Town Run Around participants flock over to view their respective finishing times.

JONES &SWIECICKI

Carrie Jones and Chris Swiecicki both finished as the runner-up respectively.

alumni Game, Top Ten and 5k run

In the Bobcat and buck alumni game, the big boys relived their glory days and battle it out on the gridiron as people travelled from near and far to put on the pads one more time.Center; Jake McFadden is easily the top ten pick of the year with his prolific running style and insane speedRight; the G-Town 5K run goes on again this year and has a great turnout for a great cause.

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McFadden would probably have been the greatest running back in the region if he had decided to play football again. Jake knew that he had a grand opportunity to garner a track scholar-ship, he decided to enhance his running abilities by joining Coach Adam Burhans’ cross country team. Jake slowly trimmed seconds off his 3.2 mile race times all season long. Coach Burhans was extremely pleased with the way Jake finished at the prestigious Portage Meet, with his time of 18:08. McFadden finished in 10th place overall at the final JPC jamboree, 2nd team harrier.

McFadden did much more in the winter than cheer his heart out in the clever CHS student section for the ultra successful Clare basketball squads. He was fully dedicated and intensely focused on enhancing his track abilities by rigidly staying true to his rigorous workouts and his healthy diet. Jake travelled to Saginaw Valley State, Grand Valley, Ann Arbor and New York to compete in nationally renowned winter indoor track meets. Only the too legit to quit, fiercely competitive, wildly motivated and dedicated thinclads attend these.

To nobody’s surprise, McFadden was crushing his competition with ease in the 400, 300 hurdles, 200 and the 100 hurdles everywhere he went in April. Then Clare’s Coach Adam Burhans elected to allow McFadden to run the open 100 meter dash to give Jake a new chal-lenge against some elite competition at their huge Clare Invitational. Jake blazed past some fleet footed sprinters and he tallied a scorching 10.7 second finish. This granted him another CHS track and field spot on the record board.

Sep 1st

Jan 16th

April 30th


By Eric DionGladwin came into the match holding onto second in the conference

behind the undefeated Mustangs of Meridian. Clare had beaten Gladwin previously in the year in a five game showdown, but were missing some key

components in this bout with Giacomozzi and Yob both not making the trip. After a moving rendition of the National Anthem sung by Erin Shearer, Gladwin’s girls were inspired to greatness and began a shredding of Clare’s defense immediately.Heather Govitz and Rachel Dupre came out with two quick points with

PORTAGE - The Clare girls cross-country team finished 6th out of 38 teams at the prestigious Portage Invitational on Saturday. The meet featured many of the top ranked teams in the state and proved to be a strong performance by the Pione ers . Vic tor ia Har p er led the way with a 22nd place

Lady G’s Maul Clare Pioneers

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CLARE DOES WELL IN PORTAGE

INVITATIONAL

By Clint Kern

Bucks pounce, blank Cats

ROSCOMMON - From the onset, there was no question who the hungrier team was. Rosco and their captain, mid fielder, offensive extraodinare, Michael Faulkner were ambushing the Bobcats net with a wreck less abandonment only rarely witnessed by a desperate, determined team in a rivalry game. Houghton Lake had won the initial meeting in August, but that was a totally different roster of athletes that Rosco featured on that day. The Bucks defeated Houghton Lake on this blustery, cold October evening, 2-0.Rosco’s Josh Seames, Tim

Buchmueller, Thore Pruesse along with Faulkner were obviously the aggressors early on as they bombarded HL’s goalkeeper, Nathan Shavalia with five shots right off the bat.

Brad Biggs and Rosco blanketed Muirhead, en route to the shutout.

Seniors Dani Balzer, JJ Willford and Katelyn Cameron rejoice with setter Alison Taylor after the three game battle against the Pioneers. This was Gladwin’s last home game for the Senior squad.

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INVITATIONAL

By Clint Kern






MALLORYCOTE


The G’s roll To vicTory inside and ouT

Gladwin clinched their playoff ticket early this year with a win over Harrison. The G-men only lost two games during the season, and hoped to take their tough style of play deep into the playoffs.Center; Rosco stunned the Bobcats en route to a shutout led by the stalwart defense of Brad Biggs and company.Right; The Lady G’s took to the volleyball court and avenged an earlier season loss to the Pioneers. Gladwin’s home crowd went nuts.






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INVITATIONAL

By Clint Kern






MALLORYCOTE


By Eric DionBeaverton defended their home turf against a Roscommon squad that

is young and trying to learn Coach Richter’s rigid game plan. Coach Evans had the Lady Beavers prepared to battle, and Beaverton knew they were facing a tough opponent.

The first game was a tough battle for both sides, with Katie Hedrick and Kayla Balzer laying down bone crushing hits from the front for the Beavers, and Katie Tozer with help from Reagan Moffit did everything in their power to

UNIVERSITY CENTER - The girls cross-country team finished 3rd at the Delta Invitational on Saturday. The race at the invitational was only 2 miles, which is a nice break in the middle of the season for all of the teams which normally run 3.1 miles. Victoria Harper led the way in 7th(12:31).

Bucks beat Beavers

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CLARE’SCROSS COUNTRY

RUNNING AGAIN

By Clint Kern

The Bobcats blank Clare

HOUGHTON LAKE – The past three seasons have witnessed Clare compile 20 plus win seasons, last year they fused together a 15 game win streak and Coach Doug Helmling has been soaked with skilled players at his disposal, allowing him to deploy waves of feverish lethal weapons at the enemy. Pioneer standouts have dominated with a razzle dazzle fashion such as Ian Whiteman, Khua, Jamie Blackwell and Oriole Nomen. Junior, Brock Demo has been the most consistent, sturdy and potent offensive force, but nobody has really stepped up to assist him. Rival programs such as Gladwin, Houghton Lake and Pine River have been able to finally defeat Clare after suffering years of beat downs at the hands of the Pioneermen. This past

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Houghton Lake’s Jerry Welker was swift to the ball all night.

Despite a rough start, Coach Compton accepted nothing less than the Bucks best against the Beavers and they gave it.

MICHON VANWORMER

Van Wormer served up a huge game for the Bucks, beating the Beavers.By Eric Dion

Beaverton defended their home turf against a Roscommon squad that is young and trying to learn Coach Richter’s rigid game plan. Coach Evans had the Lady Beavers prepared to battle, and Beaverton knew they were facing a tough opponent.



Bucks beat Beavers

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RUNNING AGAIN

By Clint Kern



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MICHON VANWORMER

Van Wormer served up a huge game for the Bucks, beating the Beavers.

rivalry and comebacks

The Roscommon Bucks once again take the jug home with them as they trounced the Bobcats 32-0. The Bucks look strong and they have hopes of continuing the momentum into the final weeks of the season and possibly into the playoffs.Center; Jerry Welker and the Bobcats tear into Clare on their way to a very successful seasonRight; Coach Compton brought her team back from the brink of destruction against a tough Beaverton home team, and won.

By Eric DionBeaverton defended their home turf against a Roscommon squad that

is young and trying to learn Coach Richter’s rigid game plan. Coach Evans had the Lady Beavers prepared to battle, and Beaverton knew they were facing a tough opponent.



Bucks beat Beavers

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RUNNING AGAIN

By Clint Kern



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MICHON VANWORMER

Van Wormer served up a huge game for the Bucks, beating the Beavers.

By: Eric DionGladwin and Clare both came off huge one-sided victories last week, and they both

knew that the result would not be the same this week. With the season early, and the conference wide open, this game was the one to watch.

Austin Lagalo began with the rushing attack, along with the usual dosage of quarterback keepers by Landon Grove. Brandon Wackerle also chipped in during the opening drive with a nice run, followed by a catch that required Clare’s Brock Swan to stop him. An early penalty an the G’s put them at back looking at third and a long 19 yards

BEAL CITY - The girls’ middle school cross-country team finished 1st at the 9 team Beal City Invitational on Tuesday. The pioneers finished the day with 26 points in the lowest score wins system, while Sacred Heart finished second with score of 53. Jasmine Harper finished 1st with another blazing fast time of 13:24 on the 2 mile course. Holly Pummell finished 2nd with a time of 14:19, Mackenzie Harmon finished 5th (14:40), Hannah Brown was 9th (15:01),

Clare comes back

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CLARE JV HARRIERS WIN

BEAL CITYINVITATIONAL

By Clint Kern

The Bucks are grooving

R O S C O M M O N – T h i s w a s t h e m o s t outstanding display of soccer fundamenta ls , moxie, skill and hustle that I ’ve repor ted on thus far in the early fall season. I felt as if the Buck ballers were chanting in their minds their school f ight song the ent i re game. “On Roscommon, On Roscommon, Rol l r ight down that f ield. O n R o s c om m on , O n R os common, we w i l l never yield. On ye fellows, On ye students, We will win more fame. FIGHT! FIGHT! Roscommon, we will win this game. FIGHT! The words and punctuation of the RHS school song i l lustrate the zealous tenacity that the Bucks battled with all evening long in their convincing drumming victory, 5-1, over long-time rivals from the tip

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Rosco’s senior stalwart, Mike Faulkner is an electric playmaker.

He scored six goals in two wins.

James Simon provided some explosive runs for the Pioneers squad.- Photo by Kim Langlois

SPENCERHARRELL

Spencer Harrell out-worked the G’s defense in the come-from-behind win.





Clare comes back

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By Clint Kern



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SPENCERHARRELL


bucks roll bobcaTsclare comes back

Roscommon’s Moffit and Tozer are destructive forces at the net for the Bucks, as Coach Compton has Roscommon in a volleyball frenzy, and hungry for more this year.Center; The Bucks take their winning to the soccer pitch, as they put a 5-1 spanking on Cheboygan. Right; In the long-heralded game of the season, Clare was down on the scoreboard most of the game , and it looked as if Gladwin would finally take the Pioneers down, but James Simon helped to change that in a comeback 4th qtr. win.





Clare comes back

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By Clint Kern



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SPENCERHARRELL


Unlike years prior when the league would finish out with the conference tournament, this season every single match-up is crucial in establishing the pecking order in the Jack Pine Conference; and Thursday’s four-way mosh pit in the Nest essentially solidified the Mustangs defense of their title. The Mustangs ran the gauntlet, taking some bumps against the hosting Lady

G’s and visiting Roscommon Bucks, but their overall length, athleticism, and collective experience of roaming the top of the net under the Coach Goff

regime proved to be way too much for their challengers. The Mustangs rolled up north on M-30 and swooped into the Lady G’s stomping

CLARE - Farwell was the host school of the second Jack Pine Conference cross country jamboree, but they’re course is under construction, so they elected to hold the event once again on the rolling terrain of Mid-Michigan Community College. The Clare Lady Pioneers won and Meridian was runner-up with Harrison in as a close third. Roscommon was fourth in the girls race collectively. Farwell was fifth and Gladwin Lady G’s were sixth.

Alpha-dogs

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CLARE BOYS AND GIRLS WIN

AT 2ND JPC JAMBOREE

By Clint KermA f t e r C a r m o n e y ’s

sophomore year at Evart High, the Evart millage didn’t pass and they were forced to cancel all sports the following year. This devastated the Wildcats, as several families sent their children to other schools the next year, including the Carmoneys. Craig hated departing

from an all-state backfield at Evart, but he’ll never forget how great he felt to be embraced by Coach Kelly Luplow and the Clare football team. Youngsters sometimes

forget that it’s a privilege to play on a sports team, not a right. Boosters, fundraisers and other volunteers go over looked. One of Clare’s persistent unsung heroes, who’s still spearheading Clare boosters is Craig’s dad, Dennis Carmoney. Pe r h a p s o n e o f t h e reasons he’s so devoted is because of the tragedy of Evart cancelling a year of athletics.Craig talked of dreading

practice when big, thick and bruising Jeff Punches came around the corner

Meridian’s Morgan Cassiday sends a floater for Blake Garner during the quad meet. The Mustangs rolled Farwell, Gladwin, and Roscommon to retain sole position of first place in the Jack Pine Confrence.

KENZIEHALL

Meridian’s Kenzie Hall carrying out Coach Goff’s proxy wars on the hardwood. CONTINUED ON P.1Unlike years prior when the league would finish out with the conference tournament, this season every single match-up is crucial in establishing the pecking order in the Jack Pine Conference; and Thursday’s four-way mosh pit in the Nest essentially solidified the Mustangs defense of their title. The Mustangs ran the gauntlet, taking some bumps against the hosting Lady




Alpha-dogs

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AT 2ND JPC JAMBOREE







KENZIEHALL

Meridian’s Kenzie Hall carrying out Coach Goff’s proxy wars on the hardwood. CONTINUED ON P.1

horneTs and musTanGs rule

The Hornets ring the bell on their homecoming night with a shoot out 53-45 victory over the Bobcats. Despite the struggles the team endured in the season, they were not going to give up on their year, and allowed the home crowd to enjoy the moment.Center; Craig Carmoney was a dominant member of Clare’s basketball, baseball and football teams.Right; the Mustangs continue their tear through the conference as they remain undefeated so far.

Unlike years prior when the league would finish out with the conference tournament, this season every single match-up is crucial in establishing the pecking order in the Jack Pine Conference; and Thursday’s four-way mosh pit in the Nest essentially solidified the Mustangs defense of their title. The Mustangs ran the gauntlet, taking some bumps against the hosting Lady




Alpha-dogs

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AT 2ND JPC JAMBOREE







KENZIEHALL

Meridian’s Kenzie Hall carrying out Coach Goff’s proxy wars on the hardwood. CONTINUED ON P.1

CLARE – The Pioneers defense really exercised their power as they flew to the ball and tackled downhill. The gang tackling Pioneers were

led by the usual names such as juggernauts: Taylor Meixner, Mitch Greenacre and Patrick Hughes. But tonight Colton Punches,

Logan Emery, Joe McGuire, Spencer Harrell, Anthony Whitehead and Nick Monitin all stepped their games up greatly. Clare

dominated this Tobacco River Rivalry game, winning convincingly 37-6.

On the opening drive, Farwell’s Jacob Turner slung a bullet

CLARE – The init ia l Jack Pine Conference Jamboree was hosted by Clare at MMCC. The Pioneers left no question as to who the league’s juggernaut program is for men and women. It’s nice to see Houghton Lake has reactivated their cross country program.Clare’s Hunter Nivison scalded his way

to the triumph with his time of 17:05. His Pioneer teammate, Lucas Combs sliced through the trails to record a 17:19,

Pioneers punish Eagles

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CLARE’S NIVISON AND HARPER SHINE AT JAMBOREE

By Clint Kern

The G’s upend the Pioneers

CLARE – It’s not an inter-county war, but the Gladwin versus Clare saga across the board in all sports may be as big a rivalry as there is in the JPC region. There’s still something fiercely unique about the inter-county b a t t l e s , ( H o u g h t o n L ake vs Ros common, Far we l l v s Har r i s on , Gladwin vs Beaverton f or e x a mp l e b e c au s e o f s h e a r prox i m i t y ) , along with Beaverton vs Meridian and Clare vs Meridian, the Gladwin vs Clare quarrels have been as physically fiery and intense as a Zinser family rodeo. The Flying G’s most formiddable foe from top to bottom concerning all sports is Clare, this has produced some high adrenaline, wildly intense, extreme ac t ion ga lore af fa i rs .

CONTINUED ON P.1

Clare’s Jeff Staten and Gladwin’s Tyler Boylen lock-up horns on the

tundra.

Clare’s captain Mitch Greenacre glares over at Coach Haggart and collects the formation. CHS’s defense battered.

TANNERTOUCHTONE

Farwell’s Tanner Touchtone, Keegan Rohdy and Noah Wilson all ran hard.CLARE – The Pioneers defense really exercised their power as they flew

to the ball and tackled downhill. The gang tackling Pioneers were led by the usual names such as juggernauts: Taylor Meixner, Mitch

Greenacre and Patrick Hughes. But tonight Colton Punches, Logan Emery, Joe McGuire, Spencer Harrell, Anthony Whitehead

and Nick Monitin all stepped their games up greatly. Clare dominated this Tobacco River Rivalry game, winning

convincingly 37-6.On the opening drive, Farwell’s Jacob Turner slung a bullet




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By Clint Kern



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tundra.


TANNERTOUCHTONE

Farwell’s Tanner Touchtone, Keegan Rohdy and Noah Wilson all ran hard.

dominance is decided early in The season

Gladwin runs over the Bucks on their way to a 34-14 victory, setting Gladwin as one of the premier teams in the conference, looking to make the season one to remember for the seniors.Center; Gladwin’s up and down soccer season takes advantage of a young Clare team.Right; Mitch Greenacre and Clare’s defense look hungry on their way to a 37-6 mauling of Farwell. Clare is the team to beat this year, but no one knows how to do it.

CLARE – The Pioneers defense really exercised their power as they flew to the ball and tackled downhill. The gang tackling Pioneers were

led by the usual names such as juggernauts: Taylor Meixner, Mitch Greenacre and Patrick Hughes. But tonight Colton Punches,

Logan Emery, Joe McGuire, Spencer Harrell, Anthony Whitehead and Nick Monitin all stepped their games up greatly. Clare

dominated this Tobacco River Rivalry game, winning convincingly 37-6.

On the opening drive, Farwell’s Jacob Turner slung a bullet




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By Clint Kern



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tundra.


TANNERTOUCHTONE

Farwell’s Tanner Touchtone, Keegan Rohdy and Noah Wilson all ran hard.

By: Eric DionA conference matchup is always reason to be excited. The stakes are higher, and the games all have that extra meaning to them. The atmosphere was no different in Gladwin, as the Lady Bobcats visited

G-Town for a battle on the wood in a volleyball donnybrook.The first game began with a flurry of scores, as Gladwin’s Dani Balzer fired the first serve into the net, and Houghton Lake gave up a point on a net foul. After that short exchange, the Bobcats took over command of the scoreboard. With the skillful setting by Mary Rieger,

By: Clint KernEDENVILLE – Sanford Coaches Andy

LaFave and Jeremy Sampson orchestrated their annual Meridian Invitational. 113 Boys and 64 girls from Beaverton, Bullock Creek, Carrolton, Clare, Farwell, Freeland, Gladwin, Harrison, Merrill, Pinconning and Standish all converged on the trails of the Sampson Farm in Hope Township.Pinconning’s Ben Hemstreet was the

G’s Stun Cats

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JPC AND TRI-VALLEY HARRIERS

INVADE EDENVILLE

By Eric Dion

Bobcats Pelted by Vikings

Houghton Lake hosted the Vikings of Grayling in a back-and forth battle for soccer supremacy. The two teams looked poised for a war on the pitch, and the Bobcat’s starting keeper, Nathan Shavalia looked prepared to stave off Grayling’s shots.O n c e t h e b a l l w a s

kicked off, and the clock started, Grayling looked to take early control of possession; with crisp, accurate passing, as well as speed. The Bobcats did show signs of brilliance however. A quick passing demonstration put on by Joel Kubiak to Jimmy Garrett, who did a nice one-touch pass to Jared Roll ended up in a laser-like shot that careened off of the post and out of bounds.Bobcat forward Jimmy

CONTINUED ON P.4

Jerry Welker played a tough gritty defense when he was on the

field for the Bobcats.

The Lady G’s came out sluggish, but ended up celebrating a huge victory in a five game showdown.

ALEEWINKLER

Alee is a vicious hitter and is a key component for the Lady Bobcats.





G’s Stun Cats

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INVADE EDENVILLE

By Eric Dion




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ALEEWINKLER


Gladwin keeps buTchconTinue winninG

Gladwin rolls over Beaverton to keep Butch in Gladwin’s trophy case for the football season. Beaverton has had an injury plagued season so far, but has persevered with heart and spirit.Center; The bobcats get upended by Grayling on the soccer fields with a 5-1 blasting.Right; Gladwin upsets the Bobcats in a five game shoot out that had the crowd fired up and both teams wore down as the action was fierce and nonstop the entire match.





G’s Stun Cats

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INVADE EDENVILLE

By Eric Dion




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ALEEWINKLER



By Dave Zirin

Few 9-year-old girls are described

as a “young—very young—Walter

Payton.” But that’s what people

are calling Sam Gordon of South

Jordan, Utah. Gordon has become

an Internet sensation after the spread

of viral videos showing her shredding

Pee Wee football defenses with a

The Gladwin cagers 8th grade battalion have been licking their chops since the

season began to lock up horns with their Clare County cohorts on the hardwood.

Clare had just buzz-whipped through the meat of the JPC, putting a shellacking

on the Meridian Mustangs and the Beaverton Beavers as a primer. The G’s

have been mauling on their competition, sharpening their meat-hooks

in preparation to defend home turf.

G-team

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By Cody O’Rourke

G’s nip Pioneers

It was a game of styles:

Clare’s shifty and speedy

g u a r d s M a c k e n z i e

Har m on an d Kay l e e

Williams pitted squarely

against Gladwin’s ultra-

a t h l e t i c M a c k e n z i e

Ho l n a ge l an d Gr a c e

Shaw. Harmon has been a

buzz-saw all season long

for the Pioneers with her

quick first step and ability

to gnash to the cup for

easy lay-ins. Williams is

that same style of guard,

using her anticipation to

catch the opposition off

balanced and out-pace

them to the cup for easy

buckets in transition.

Gladwin has been able to

mount impressive wins by

Clare’s Ruth Mooketsi and Gladwin’s Lydia battle the length

of the court.

Gladwin’s Peyton Rellinger muscles a rebound in the gullies, taking the moneyball from Hailey Hochstetler in the G’s win Monday night.

GABRIELLARIES

CONTINUED ON P.10Ries’s infectious mojo invigorated the G’s with her fierce defense.

NINE-YEAR-OLD GIRL PLAYS

FOOTBALL, KICKS BUTT AND MAYBE

CHANGES THE WORLD

By Dave Zirin















G-team

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By Cody O’Rourke

G’s nip Pioneers
























of the court.


GABRIELLARIES




CHANGES THE WORLD

Boys BasketBall Back in full swing

As the Tribune boys look over the league, the Beavers look to be the team to beat once again, as Coach Johnston has built yet another talented squad.Center; Gladwin’s seventh grade squad looks impressive as Holnagel and company fight for the win over the Pioneers.Right; Peyton Rellinger is one of the many bright stars in the G’s future, as she rips the ball from the cluthces of Clare’s Hailey Hochstetler in a jump ball scrum.

By Dave Zirin















G-team

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By Cody O’Rourke

G’s nip Pioneers
























of the court.


GABRIELLARIES




CHANGES THE WORLD

JACK PINE TRIBUNE Monday, November 12, 2012Page 6

Muirhead was a rare combination of physicality, speed, and grit. His Rocky Balboa mentality, his willingness to enter into the log-jam and go down swinging demonstrated his iron will. But he was just a bruiser, he was a skilled, explosive baller for the Bockleman When a guy pours in 31 goals, it’s

not done so easily. He starts off the season on fire, but then suddenly he becomes the primary target of the opposition’s game plan. Throughout the year, Muirhead had

to fight through shadow wars, often times having 2 or 3 guys keying in on him. Nonetheless, his quick flurry bursts, coupled with his ball control allowed him to make an imprint on each and every game. But his ability to find angles,

make himself available for guys like Jimmy Garrett to feed him the moneyball was a testament to his resolve to surmount any attempt to slow him down. Muirhead’s record breaking season

will go down in Bobcat history as something, not because of the numerical significance, but by the way his persona brought in droves of Houghton Lake faithful from the fringes of Merritt to the sprawling woodlands of Nester Township and beyond. Although an absolute super-star on

the field, Muirhead always carried a humble and grateful aura to his teammates and coaches. His invigorating season has set new

standards and expectations for the underclassman, and that will be his legacy.

clare goes deep into the playoffs again.

Clare ran rampant through the ranks of the conference this year, and made their way through a home playoff win, and up to Menominee where they were finally edged out. Coach Luplow was proud of his team.Center; Joe Miller and his 8th grade battalion battled well in a tourney that found them only one loss.Right; Matt Muirhead wins player of the Year for the Bobcats in soccer. His play was key for the successful Houghton Lake season.


MOUNT PLEASANT - The Coach Luke Hamilton

and Coach Jamie Lipovsky conducted Harrison

Hornet 7th grade basketball brigade, knew that they’d

have their hands full tussling with a large St. Charles

Bulldog 8th grade squadron. That didn’t stop them

from going full throttle to hit them with their best

shot, as Pat Benatar used to sing. St. Charles emerged

as the victors, 51-14, but Harrison was victorious

because of their effort level in our books.

Harrison’s rugged small forward, the

gnarly fullback, known by many as the

Z-Train, knifed inside and scored a

runner in traffic to make it a 5-2 game.

Coach Lipovsky called a timeout. The

boys came out refocused and determined to execute

their gameplan. Taylor tossed in another hoop, but

at the half, the Hornets trailed 30-4. Harrison came out fighting

in the second half, Bryce Lipovsky converted a strong drive then

later he made a sweet pass to a cutting Taylor. Ryley Bennett, Ryan

Carlstrom, Jayden Agin and Brendan Powell gave good efforts.

FUTURE LOOKING BRIGHT AT CHS

CLINT KERN

Clare’s lil ballers,talented

Against the older Chip Hill ballers, Rodenbo kept them right on their heels with his ability to switch hands, keep his head up and survey the defense and find the weaknesses in defenses. He showed good decision making, knowing when to flip a dime to a wide open teammate, or go into to mad-dog and take the rock to the watering hole.

TYLER RODENBOCLARE

Poise, court vision characterizes rodenbo

Clark kept his eyes up and scanned the defensive alignment, looking for slashing open teammates to try and set them up for easy shots. Clark zipped a pass right on the money to a curl cutting Zack Taylor to lead him for a hoop. Ryan was perhaps the most fierce and physical player on the court, each time a shot went up, he blasted his body onto the nearest Bulldog to do his part on sealing off position to obtain rebounds.

RYAN CLARKHARRISON

clark was the only guy who boxed out for boards.

COACH PUMMELL has obviously pounded in the fundementals of the game in this young regime. Their ability to move the ball around, collapse the opposition’s defense and create good looks was uncanny. Expect this team to evolve and become show stoppers as the years pass by.

SERSAW SHOWS A COMPLETE ALL-AROUND GAME

ONLY A 6TH GRADER,

THIS LITTLE MAN-

BEAST WAS SHREDDING

THE CHIP HILLS

DEFENSIVE WITH HIS

EXPLOSVE FLURRY

BURSTS TO THE CUP,

FINGER ROLLING IN

REVERSES AND

SPLITTING TALLER

DEFENDERS.

HARRISON 7TH GRADE BALLERS

BY CLINT KERN

BY CLINT KERN

Coach Luke Hamilton and Coach Jamie Lipovsky are developing this group of mad Hornets.

Ryan Carlstrom drove aggressively.

Coach Pummell has assembled a hardcore, fiesty and relentless group of 6th and 7th grade ballers ready to lock up horns with the bigger, longer and thicker 8th grade battalions. Led by Tyler Rodenbo and Brenden

Sersaw, this group of Pioneers went straight into attack mode against the Chip Hills cagers and showed flashes of just how dangerous they could be. After the Warriors established a 8-0

lead, the Clare boys started to find holes in the zone defense and attacked the creases. Jeff Allen sprinkled a baseline jumper, Justin Tickle laced a pair from the top of the key, then Brenden Sersaw

soared high above the Chip Hills interior, ripped down a carom, zigged and zagged out of the pile, pulled up and dipped a triple to spark the offense. Although the Pioneers lost 56-

39 - to a team that on average had 4 to 6 inches of height at each position and were about 15

pounds thicker, this Clare squad went toe-to-toe. Tyler Rodenbo was getting up into the

grille of the opposition, making swipes and going cost to cost. Nick Roe kept

moving on offense to find spots on the floor and lace jumpers. At this stage, you don’t look at the score

- you make a check list. Although they didn’t grab a lot of rebounds because of the size disadvantage, they were putting a body on a guy and sealing off. They rotated the ball and looked for the open

guy and showed poised taking the rock to the hole to break down the zone and find kick-outs. Against Shepherd,

R o d e n b o j u m p stopped, let the D pass by and scored. Then he burst up court, zipped a cross court pass to

Brenden Ferrell for a nifty basket. Sersaw forced a jump ball, then after he secured a rebound, Sersaw rifled a bullet to Jeff Allen who laid in a bucket to make it 21-8 in favor of Clare. Rodenbo swished a triple as the buzzer of the initial half resonated, CMS up 30-12.Sersaw, shook, exploded by, stepped

past a defender, contorted, hung in the air about and scored seven times to erase Shepherd’s comeback ideas. Clare was victorious, 51-31.

BRENDEN SERSAW

38 PTS IN DH

Tyler Rodenbo takes it to the cup.

Top row, Brenden Ferrell, Jeff Allen, Brenden Sersaw and Nick Row. Bottom Row, Tanner Punches, JJ Gross, Tyler Rodenbo, and Justin Tickle.

Tanner Punches knocks down a jumper.

Zack Taylor scored, didn’t back down, despite facing bigger players.

SANFORD - The long, talent drenched Meridian Mustangs capped off an excellent season of dominance as they hosted three other JPC schools at their quad meet last Wednesday. Meridian struggled with an upstart Farwell team, winning 29-27, 25-17 and 25-13. Then they made quick work of a skillful Houghton Lake squad, winning 25-12 and 25-11. In the third rotation they bamboozled a rock solid Clare Pioneer brigade, 25-17 and 25-13.“We got out to a slow start against Farwell but regrouped and played consistently

for the rest of the night. Blake Garner had a big for us killing about half of everything that she swung at. We are going to need her next week to get by St. Louis,” exclaimed

Sanford’s Coach Stephen Goff. “Decker was outstanding on defense, as she always seems to be

lately. She’s turned into one of the best liberos in the state. Sadie was strong in serving,

League champs

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CROSS COUNTRY AWARDS

ON PAGE 5

By Cody O’Rourke

Bobcat’s road comes to an end

C L A R E - C o a c h

Bockleman summed up the

season with class after their

tough loss to the Braves

of Tawas in the District

Championship game.

“The team bonded together

after the game as they have

all season. Great bunch of

guys who all get along and a

pleasure to coach plus true

senior leaders who will be

missed. They achieved big

goals though this season,

getting to the first District

final in over a decade, tied

or set individual scoring and

assist records, and scoring

the third most goals ever

(72) for a 14-7-2 record,”

said Coach. ‘This was the

most wins since 1999 and

The Bobcat’s Matt Muirhead and Ricky Press share a hug to end

their successful season.

MHS convincingly etched their names in the history books by tabulating an unblemished 14-0 JPC record to obtain the league crown. The Hall girls, the Cassiday girls, Garner, Carmoney, VanNortwick, Decker, Smith, Reeves and Yaroch were too good.

MUSTANGSTAMPEDE

Decker was the best defender, Sadie Hall was dominant, Stangs tally 34-8-4 record. CONTINUED ON P.2SANFORD - The long, talent drenched Meridian Mustangs capped off an excellent season of dominance as they hosted three other JPC schools at their quad meet last Wednesday. Meridian struggled with an upstart Farwell team, winning 29-27, 25-17 and 25-13. Then they made quick work of a skillful Houghton Lake squad, winning 25-12 and 25-11. In the third rotation they bamboozled a rock solid Clare Pioneer brigade, 25-17 and 25-13.“We got out to a slow start against Farwell but regrouped and played consistently




League champs

CONTINUED ON P.11


ON PAGE 5

By Cody O’Rourke







Championship game.














(72) for a 14-7-2 record,”






MUSTANGSTAMPEDE

Decker was the best defender, Sadie Hall was dominant, Stangs tally 34-8-4 record. CONTINUED ON P.2

clare continues to roll; Mustangs rule

Clare blanks the Bucks to continue their tear through the conference. The Pioneers are already looking down the conference title, and are gearing up for districts. Center; Matt Muirhead and Ricky Press bid a successful season farewell with a hug after losing in district play. Right; Meridian takes a 14-0 conference record and hoist the title The play of the Mustangs was the epitome of High school volleyball play, and they were astounding to watch in action.

SANFORD - The long, talent drenched Meridian Mustangs capped off an excellent season of dominance as they hosted three other JPC schools at their quad meet last Wednesday. Meridian struggled with an upstart Farwell team, winning 29-27, 25-17 and 25-13. Then they made quick work of a skillful Houghton Lake squad, winning 25-12 and 25-11. In the third rotation they bamboozled a rock solid Clare Pioneer brigade, 25-17 and 25-13.“We got out to a slow start against Farwell but regrouped and played consistently




League champs

CONTINUED ON P.11


ON PAGE 5

By Cody O’Rourke







Championship game.














(72) for a 14-7-2 record,”






MUSTANGSTAMPEDE

Decker was the best defender, Sadie Hall was dominant, Stangs tally 34-8-4 record. CONTINUED ON P.2

the girls take the court for soMe hoops

Clare has once again built a powerhouse basketball team that looks to run over the competition. There are those who are on top, and there is the rest of the JPC.Center; Arianna Camanse continues her dominance of the court and has 7 steals to help the 8th grade G’s destroy the Mustangs 45-9Right; Sadie Hall was a first team conference selection and queen of the netted court. Her Mustangs were impressive all season.

JACK PINE TRIBUNE Page15Monday, November 5, 2012

banging in a game high 19 points.

Gladwin went right for the kill out

of the gates, slamming up 17 quick

points. Howard dumped in two down

low, then Gabriella Ries knifed to the

cup, wedging herself through a pair of

defenders, tucking and the ball to avoid

the ball being stripped in traffic and

unfurled the rock to the silky smooth

lay in. Then Shelby Heath and Howard

worked in tandem to tickle the twine.

Gladwin’s defense clamped down like

a mafia fist and Peyton Rellinger shot

the gap and in all one motion, snatched

up the ball and blazed coast to coast for

the lay in. After Arianna Camanse had

committed a similar act of thievery, she

force fed a pass to Emily Campell on

the blocks to give the G’s the 17-0 lead.

Meridian took the goose-egg off the

board when Brittany Altman found a

small little crevice in the G’s defensive

rotation, surged forward and went

off glass just before the end of the 1st

period.

Gladwin went on again to spring

up 16 unanswered points. Camanse

clamped down and went into straight

ball-hawking mode, muscled down,

tore the ball loose and bolted to the

land of milk and honey for another

double. Camanse’s defense was simply

unmerciful, as she hustled right back

down on the other end, poked the

ball loose and found Lindsey Shearer

flying down the court and launched

a dart to catch her in stride. Shearer

quickly pocketed the gift and delivered

the package to make it a 21-2 Gladwin

affair.

Rellinger, Howard and Reis al l

continued their maddening blitzkrieg

to keep the clicker popping at the

scorer’s table and a little Shearer to

Rellinger from the wing to the bull’s

eye made it a 33-2 Flying G advantage.

Meridian flipped a deuce off a savvy

little in-bound’s play. Sarah Jacob’s

made a fast move off a screen, blasted

open and retrieved a quick pass

from LeeAnn Whaley to nick the

nylon, then a few possession’s later,

Whaley hauled in a rebound,

forced her way through the heap

of wailing and mashing bodies, and

softly kissed off glass to give the

Mustang’s their sixth point of the

night.

Br it t any Altman made one

more super athletic move for

the Mustangs, which was very

impressive after being hounded the

length of the court the entire night.

She made a little hesitation move

at the top of the arc, found a little

alleyway of freedom, and slid to the

cup for a gunner.

But Gladwin had secured the

victory 45-9.

Howard had 19 points for the

G’s, while Rellinger and Reis both

contributed 8.

Altman led the Mustangs with 4,

Jacobs 3, and Sturgeon 2.

Gladwin had toppled the Bucks

of Roscommon on Monday 47-10,

paced again by Howard’s 17 and

Rellinger’s 8.

GAME CHANGERS

Karleigh Zmikly continued to hustle all week long, showing a lot of spunk and grit against the G’s and Pioneers. Zmikly willed her team into contention against the

Gladwin regime, scoring 8 crucial points. As she continues to develop,

keep an eye on her, as she looks primed to be a rock-star.

DESTINY YOUNG - GLADWIN

Destiny had a couple of big buckets to break the tie late in the 4th quarter to lead the G’s past the Mustangs.

989-539-8870

LORI WARE Executive Director989-539-8870

ARIANNA CAMANSE - GLADWIN

Camanse recorded 7 steals on the night to suffocate the Mustangs.

800-610-3780

Coach Randle had two huge wins over Roscommon and Meridian this week, but

what is more impressive is his ability to manage to get the most out of the overall

depth of his team.

Gladwin’s Holnagel and Meridian’s Zmikly battle for position along the perimeter. Meridian’s Mikayla Brady secures the rock.

Beaverton’s Makayla Bassage wiggling through Clare’s Hannah Brown and Bailey Hubel’s trap.

CONTINUED FROM P.14


The War-Dog is without an equal, without comparison. He enters onto the field, not simply to lead his team to victory, but to make his impression felt. From the onslaught, he inflicts his will on the

competition, crushing their spirit. Down after down, he creates an experience of misery, self-doubt, and inner-turmoil for his rivals that breaks them down at a very basic level. It’s more than the just the uncompromising violence of his

physicality; it’s the steely stare through the face guard, the smile after a bone-rattling collision, and the war-cry after a sacrifice. It’s the message he sends snap after snap, on both sides of the ball: The War-Dog is here. His simple existence on the field creates an unshakable fear that

paralyzes and immobilizes the opposition, because they know that at any given moment Greenacre can and will blow them up. He strips them of their freedom.Seldom do you find such a dynamic two-way player that shapes the game like Greenacre. For the last two years, he has set the

standard for which all other linebackers in the area would be measured. Every player and coach states resolutely, that

he is the obstacle to their offensive plan. As an offensive lineman, he paved the way for the Pioneer’s highly

efficient ground war-fare, by man-hammering his paltry resisters in the trenches.

Greenacre’s impact can’t be measured by tackles, interceptions, or touchdowns. His

magnitude is felt when the bleachers roar after a thundering hit; his influence

witnessed as he instils confidence in his teammates; it is captured by the strain

on the faces of players and coaches when they describe him after the

game, how they are happy the beatings have stopped.

As his career now passes, his greatness will forever remain

on conference and district trophies that line the

halls of the Pioneers.

All good things come to end. Led by uniquely powerful and explosive Sadie

Hall, the Meridian Mustangs steam-rocked through the JPC in convincing

fashion to hoist up back-to-back title belts; showing the most impressive

dominance in the last two years.

They had a head full of momentum heading into district play, but as

MHSAA demarcated the battle lines, they were slated to jostle at the

The End

CONTINUED ON P.16

By Cody O’Rourke

G-menlift the crown

When you take a look at Gladwin’s 39-0 victory over the Evart Wildcats, you come to realize one thing: It’s harder to stay on top than it is to get to the top. When you’re the alpha-

dogs , the undisputed champions, everybody i s g u n n i n g f o r y o u . When the opposit ion pulls out their schedule, they circle the date they play the champion. Not just the contenders, but EVERYBODY puts the high-lighter next your name – because even if you’re in the midst of a losing season and you take down the goliath, the entire season is a success. All of sudden, coaches from around the league start diverting all of their meager resources to devise a scheme to dethrone you. Those are just some of the

external factors, let alone

Javan Medema and Flying G’s continue their undefeated streak

by taking another title

The talent laden Meridian Mustangs ran into a buzz-saw in the St. Louis Sharks, losing in three sets.

COACH GOFF

CONTINUED ON P.23Coach Goff’s zen-like stature and positive vibes allowed the Mustangs to flourish.

FRANK, EAGLES ROLL

TO STATES

footBall season winds down

Clare has once again ruled the district, and look to take a run at the State title. Coach Luplow has built a legacy of winning squads in Clare.Center; Javan Medema and the 8th grade Flying G squad once again go undefeated for the second year, tearing the Evart Wildcats apart 39-0.Right; Mitch Greenacre sings his swan song in the conference by once again dominating in the trenches for the Pioneers. He will be hard to replace in Clare.

All good things come to end. Led by uniquely powerful and explosive Sadie

Hall, the Meridian Mustangs steam-rocked through the JPC in convincing

fashion to hoist up back-to-back title belts; showing the most impressive

dominance in the last two years.

They had a head full of momentum heading into district play, but as

MHSAA demarcated the battle lines, they were slated to jostle at the

The End

CONTINUED ON P.16

By Cody O’Rourke

G-menlift the crown

When you take a look at Gladwin’s 39-0 victory over the Evart Wildcats, you come to realize one thing: It’s harder to stay on top than it is to get to the top. When you’re the alpha-

dogs , the undisputed champions, everybody i s g u n n i n g f o r y o u . When the opposit ion pulls out their schedule, they circle the date they play the champion. Not just the contenders, but EVERYBODY puts the high-lighter next your name – because even if you’re in the midst of a losing season and you take down the goliath, the entire season is a success. All of sudden, coaches from around the league start diverting all of their meager resources to devise a scheme to dethrone you. Those are just some of the

external factors, let alone

Javan Medema and Flying G’s continue their undefeated streak

by taking another title

The talent laden Meridian Mustangs ran into a buzz-saw in the St. Louis Sharks, losing in three sets.

COACH GOFF

CONTINUED ON P.23Coach Goff’s zen-like stature and positive vibes allowed the Mustangs to flourish.

FRANK, EAGLES ROLL

TO STATES

By Eric DionThe Lady G’s came to Beaverton to refuel the battle

that rages in the fall for the coveted Cedar River cup, and continue their age-old rivalry between neighboring

schools. The two schools have faced difficulties all year, and Gladwin was looking at a new rotation with setter Alison

Taylor out. The Beavers started quickly, with Katie Hedrick and Janae Wolfe laying big hits and huge blocks on Rachel Dupre and Dani Balzer to

GLADWIN - Coach Adam Burhans and Coach Kyle McKown have garnered another JPC crown for their boys and girls cross country teams. Coach Andy Frisch’s and Coach Frank’s Farwell boys really surged this fall coming in a close second spot. Coach Steele did a fabulous job with an upstart Beaverton boys squad. Coach Tod Reeves of Harrison and Meridian’s Coach Andy LaFave have both their boys and girls battalions blazing the trails.

Beaverton dominates G’sRetain Cedar River Cup

CONTINUED ON P.6

CONTINUED ON P.2

CLARE AND

FARWELL HARRIERS

DOMINATE THIRD

JAMBOREE

By Eric Dion

Gladwin’s soccer season ends

Gladwin went out early in division play against Pinconning on Tuesday, ending an up and down season for Coach Smalley and his young team. Tentative go a l tending and p ass ing errors were the key reasons why Gladwin could not gain momentum and defeat their opponents.

Already down by one goal early, Gladwin was playing aggressively on the ball, not giving Pinconning much room to move. However, the G’s were not on point with their passes, causing their forwards to stop to come back to the pass, allowing Pinconning to halt the attack. With 18:13 left in the first half, Pinconning would go up by two goals when they put a hard shot into goalkeeper Alex Anderson, which he could not contain and it rolled into the net. Anderson played timidly for the first half, hovering too close to the line, and not seizing his opportunity to attack the ball.

Gladwin found their way on the scoreboard later in the half when Hayden Scott created magic with

Despite hard work by Tyler Boylen and squad, the G’s season

closed with a loss to Pinny.

Beaverton dominated at the net against the Lady G’s all night. Their quick shots from the middle and huge outside hits were key in Beavertons 3-game trouncing of Gladwin.

JASMYNPARKER-URBAN

Jasmyn was instrumental in Beaverton’s victory. Her short sets left the G’s clueless. CONTINUED ON P.1







CONTINUED ON P.6

CONTINUED ON P.2

CLARE AND

FARWELL HARRIERS

DOMINATE THIRD

JAMBOREE

By Eric Dion








JASMYNPARKER-URBAN


conference playoffs settled in footBall

After a six year drought, the Bucks clinch a playoff berth after winning 38-28 over the Meridian Mustangs in a win and in game for both teams.Center; Gladwin’s Tyler Boylen fought hard with the rest of their team, but end their season with an opening district loss to Pinconning. Coach Smalley’s team were packed with youth and energy.right; The Beavers clinch another Cedar River Cup win from the G’s with a tough three set win.







CONTINUED ON P.6

CONTINUED ON P.2

CLARE AND

FARWELL HARRIERS

DOMINATE THIRD

JAMBOREE

By Eric Dion








JASMYNPARKER-URBAN


Meridian shows off their conference trophy after an impressive undefeated season. Coach Goff has once again assembled a powerhouse offensive machine.


HOUGHTON LAKE - The Lady

Bobcats struggled to respond

to Ogemaw’s ruthlessly physical

defensive pressure. Coach Angie

Dalak attempted to set her

girls up in the half court

trap breaker. She had drew

up a scheme to have her

back court: Gill Carroll and Sarah

Garrett to look to pass to the middle

to Madison Winkler, once the ball was

received her by MWink, the trap was

CLARE - The Pioneer’s long-range

sniper, Zach Pulcifer drained a triple

splash to grant Clare a 3-0 lead.

Sophomore, Conner Clickner’s

ball hounding defensive

pressure rattled Pinconning

and forced hysteria by the

Spartans offense. Clare’s

following possession saw nice ball

reversal which resulted with the

rock in the hands of senior standout,

FARWELL - No longer formidable

league foes, Farwell welcomed their

archaic rivals from down US-10, the

Comets of Coleman. Dating back to the

Tomahawk league, the US-10 league and

the early days of the Jack Pine Conference,

FHS and CHS have been colliding for

bragging rights and toll booth rights along

US-10.

Coleman’s Sam Waltham made good on

a pair of free throws. Shortly after Farwell’s

Walter Mosby snatched a rebound and

went back up to score. Farwell’s Curtis

Robinson splashed a long two just inside

Coleman’s glass bash

Continued on p.11

By Cody O’rourke

COLEMAN – It was a wIldly Intense game of tIt-for-tat, with each team playing relentless, suffocating and phys ica l de fens e . Comets and Eagles were dashing, sliding, and hurling themselves to the f loor for loose balls. Rebounds came at a huge price, using involving an eye-wracking, or at least a tomahawk overhand chop. It was not a game for the will of the weak. Marion was able to outlast the Comet’s and Cameron Blake’s furious attempt at a come back in the 4th, splashed a few clutch free throws to keep the edge, and held on for the 31-29 victory over the cagers of Geneva Township. The defensive intensity was

thick, there was a battlefield like atmosphere as both teams locked horns in the opening minutes, and the mass carnage, mayhem and confusion made clean

Coleman Clutch in win over Marion

Coleman exploited and took advantage of their height and power advantage over Farwell. Jarid Walton, Lars Murray and pictured above, Tim Anderson were all over the back-boards for the Cometmen. Anderson tallied 11 points and 11 boards.

Continued on p.5

B-cats show fight, fall to ogemaw

clare gashed the spartans

Continued on p.13

Colton punChes

Angie DAlAk

By Clint kern

Continued on p.7

Starnes spurts to the cup for the Comets
































US-10.







Continued on p.11

By Cody O’rourke





Continued on p.5



Continued on p.13

Colton punChes

Angie DAlAk

By Clint kern

Continued on p.7


Roy’s Boys dominateColeman teaR it up

Beaverton is on a tear this season, and look to be unstoppable as they put a mashing to Standish-Sterling in the shape of a 51-39 shellacking. Austin Schneider and Erik Maxwell are huge in that game.Center; the Coleman Comets look good as the youth players mesh in well with the veterans in a win.Right; Coleman looks good against a tough Farwell squad, coming out with the 66-57 win over the Eagles. Lars Murray was big for the Comets, while Curtis Robinson looked good for the Eagles.
































US-10.







Continued on p.11

By Cody O’rourke





Continued on p.5



Continued on p.13

Colton punChes

Angie DAlAk

By Clint kern

Continued on p.7


SANFORD - Everyone in the gym

knew that Meridian was a little

undersized and they’d have to rely on

their coach, Mitch Bohn’s trademark,

full court defensive pressure

to keep them competitive

this year. The Flying G’s knew

it was looming, but I don’t

think anybody on Gladwin’s bench or

in the bleachers, expected the defensive

hounding to be unleashed as a whirling

dervish of maddening ball hawking.

FARWELL - The Eagles were

sporting new uniforms and they

seemed to have a renewed zeal for

the love of basketball. The Eagles

were trading blows with a

longer and stronger Evart

Wildcat team, but they

couldn’t sustain. An Evart

barrage in the second and third

quarters swelled their lead and

despite a valiant rally, the Eagles

BEAVERTON – With a roster loaded

to the brim and oozing with talent, the

Beaverton basketball regime is heading

into the season with lofty expectations – with

anything short of a Jack Pine Conference

title a bust. In their 65 to 47 victory over the

Comets of Coleman, they exhibited some of

the dynamics and mismatches that fabled

Coach Roy Johnston can exploit on the

floor; but at the same time, some of their

weaknesses as a team lingered throughout

the game. But the one thing the Tribune Boys

didn’t highlight as much as what we should

have in the pre-season predictions is just

The Battle for Curtis Road

CONTINUED ON P.12

By Eric Dion

With both the freshman and

JV squads successful for the

Gs, Coach Cote’ and company

felt the pressure to finish

the evening on a high note.

Despite their momentum,

the Mustangs brought a slew

of talent with them led by Bri

Yaroch and Madi Cassiday,

who were not willing to just

lay down to the home team.

The game started with a

defensive chess match, with

both teams very tentative with

their shooting and neither

team seemed wiling to pull

the trigger. Alison Taylor

put the first four points on

the board for either team

almost halfway through the

first quarter, and Meridian

answered back with a jumper

G’s finishTrifecta Victory over Meridian

Beaverton’s savvy little floor general Jasmyn Parker-Urban slices along the baseline, flips up and under the out-stretched hands of Coleman’s Miranda Coty for the runner.

CONTINUED ON P.4

MUSTANGS STEAM-ROLL G’S

EVART GASHED THE EAGLES

CONTINUED ON P.14

DYLAN BROWN

ZACH ARTHUR

BY CODYO’ROURKE

CONTINUED ON P.15







































CONTINUED ON P.12

By Eric Dion

























CONTINUED ON P.4



CONTINUED ON P.14

DYLAN BROWN

ZACH ARTHUR

BY CODYO’ROURKE

CONTINUED ON P.15

B-Ball dominanCe taking shape

Left; Clare’s Lindsay Winters goes hard against Saginaw Nouvel, despite coming up short, Clare looks to take the conference again this year.Center; Dani Balzer goes over Bri Yaroch to put the Lady G’s in the winner’s circle against Meridian. Gladwin could contend for the top spot.Right; Austin Schneider is a man-beast and makes his own shooting lanes in a rout of Coleman in a 65-47 fashion. The Beavers are the odds on favourite to take the title this year.







































CONTINUED ON P.12

By Eric Dion

























CONTINUED ON P.4



CONTINUED ON P.14

DYLAN BROWN

ZACH ARTHUR

BY CODYO’ROURKE

CONTINUED ON P.15

GLADWIN – Both the Bobcats

of Houghton Lake and the Flying

G’s of Gladwin were feeding off a

rowdy, hostile crowd in the G-Dome.

The offensive execution

was s loppy, they were

both having difficulty just

completing passes up the

floor to one another. You have to

credit the intense defensive pressure

applied by both units. Gladwin

mended some mistakes, sured up the

By Eric Dion

The boys of Gladwin defended their

home turf against a stout Roscommon

team, who came into the hallowed

halls of G-Town knowing

that they had better bring

their A game, or else they

would have a long bus ride

home.

The home crowd was pumped up

after Hunter Mires opened the scoring

In what was a defensive scrum between two hard-nosed coaches, the Bobcats managed to defend their

home turf against the Mustangs, pulling off a 38-37 victory in the final seconds. Houghton Lake started out the match with the first five points unanswered. Hailee

Akin made a nice steal and bucket from the free throw line to go up 2-0, followed by the dominant play of Madee Winkler. She drew a fouled going hard to the post, and made one out of two shots from the line to go to 3-0. Sarah Garrett came out on fire as well, and had a steal of her own,

Bobcats Hold on for win

Continued on p.5

By Eric Dion

B E AV E R T O N - T h e

Beaverettes were looking to

renew their swagger after

taking an absolute lambasting

by the Clare Pioneers last

week as they hosted the Eagles

of greater Surrey Township

and beyond. The Eagles had

staved off the Bobcats last

Friday night with a last ditch

effort by Jenna Hamming

and seemed poised to enter

the contest and give the

Beaverettes a run for their

money. But the girls from

Ross Lake sprung out on a

14-0 run, holding the Farwell

cagers scorless in the first

quarter of play and rolled to

the 53-27 victory.

Morgan McCallister started

off the scoring barrage for the

B-town dismantles the

Lady Bucks

Houghton Lake’s Gill Carroll takes the ball with Calee Aiken in tow. Both girls were integral in the Bobcats victory over Meridian. Aiken had two three point buckets near the end to seal the deal for the Bobcats.

Continued on p.4

Lady G’s thump cats in the 2nd haLf

Rosco puLLs off victoRy

Continued on p.16

hunter mires

rashell vorachek

By eric Dion

Continued on p.7

McCallister glows with the rock.













By Eric Dion








home.







Continued on p.5

By Eric Dion




















the 53-27 victory.




Lady Bucks


Continued on p.4



Continued on p.16

hunter mires

rashell vorachek

By eric Dion

Continued on p.7


teams set paCe eaRly on the CouRts.

Left; Scheibert goes up top for two over the Bobcats in a 56-30 education session of the Bobcats. Meridian could be looking at usurping the crown this year. Center; Morgan McCallister and the Lady Beavers tear the Lady Bucks Apart 39-21 and Morgan looked impressive on the perimeter. Right; Gill Carroll and Hailee Aiken were key players in Houghton Lake’s victory over the Lady Mustangs. The Bobcats and Mustangs both had flashes in that match that showed future promise.













By Eric Dion








home.







Continued on p.5

By Eric Dion




















the 53-27 victory.




Lady Bucks


Continued on p.4



Continued on p.16

hunter mires

rashell vorachek

By eric Dion

Continued on p.7


BEAVERTON - The Gladwin 8th grade unit, both A and B teams have continued to wage war on their cohorts across the greater Jack Pine area. With Skylar Howard pacing the A Team and Makenzie Holnagel blitzing for the B Team, the Gladwin’s basketball future looks very, very bright. Wednesday night, the G’s

rolled south to lock up horns with their arch rivals, the Beaverettes from the Tobacco River tributaries. Gladwin’s Skylar Howard went

SANFORD - Madi Cassiday chased

down a loose ball, looked up and

instantly threw a precise pass to a

streaking Hannah Stockford for

a lightning quick score.

Stocks slipped loose again

for another transition hoop

to make it 4-0 Mustangs,

then the rest of the opening stanza

was all Roscommon, the Bucks led

12-6 at the end of first quarter and

By Cody O’Rourke

BEAVERTON - Make no mistake about it, Beaverton is set out to prove that last year’s

ascent to the upper-echelons of the Jack Pine Conference was no fluke, that they are

here to be a force to be reckoned with within the confines of the JPC. Their 58-24

shellacking of the extremely young Coleman cager squad was simply a primer

of things to come.

Urban Warfare

CONTINUED ON P.9

CONTINUED ON P.2

By Clint Kern

There just aren’t enough complimentary superlatives for a person who grows up in an area, participates in numerous activities, obtains an education, discovers, develops and maintains a career, while building a family and finds time to coach and volunteer countless hours of his time. These loyal, rock solid, selfless men of honor, such as Midland’s Doug Hill, are who make the world go around, flourish and thrive.In Doug’s sophomore season

at Sanford-Meridian High School, he was elevated to the varsity ranks. This team tallied a 7-2 mark in the regular season and 8-3 overall. They defeated the Rogers City Hurons. Then they lost to a talent laden Iron Mountain squad, 16-6. This team was spearheaded by Ron Fillmore, Jim Bailey and Ted Lockwood, among others. As a junior, Doug earned

Second Team All-JPC and honorable mention All-Midland Daily News. Dan Gay was a stalwart tailback on this Meridian gridder squad. In an interview dialogue,


JANAEWOLFE

CONTINUED ON P.14Janae was the supreme low-post enforcer eraser. Wolfe wasn’t stopped.

Lil G’s continue their romp through JPC

ROSCO ROMPS MERIDAN ON THE ROAD

CONTINUED ON P.12

COACH PHIL WEILER

SKYLARHOWARD














By Cody O’Rourke





of things to come.

Urban Warfare

CONTINUED ON P.9

CONTINUED ON P.2

By Clint Kern





JANAEWOLFE




CONTINUED ON P.12

COACH PHIL WEILER

SKYLARHOWARD

WRestling season staRting in the JpC

The Mustangs are looking to take a run at the might Bucks this year on the mat, but they have their work cut out for them as the Bucks look strong as ever. Center; Doug Hill was an icon on the Gridiron for the Mustangs, and went on to coach some of the best Line Drive teams to exist.Right; Urban Warfare takes on new meaning as Jasmyn Parker-Urban helps the Beavers overtake the Comets in a decisive 58-24 style.














By Cody O’Rourke





of things to come.

Urban Warfare

CONTINUED ON P.9

CONTINUED ON P.2

By Clint Kern





JANAEWOLFE




CONTINUED ON P.12

COACH PHIL WEILER

SKYLARHOWARD

Program for Sports Injury Management and Prevention at MidMichigan Medical Center–Midland

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jack pine triBune Page11Monday, December 31, 2012

By Cody O’Rourke

Our lives, our character, are built from many experiences and as those experiences are shared,

they are turned into memories – the building blocks of our lives. The events across the last

twelve months are always relative, interpreted by each person differently. So this is essentially

my own meandering journey through the year that was and what made reporting for the

Tribune a truly special year.

From January on, I enjoyed and relished the emergence of the Clare Pioneers basketball

regime. After watching this core group of guys battle till the end as juniors, I knew going

into their senior season: James Wezensky, Tanner Vida, and Shane Adkins were going to be

special – but I wouldn’t have bet on them making it to the regional

championship game and giving Traverse City St. Francis all they

wanted. I enjoyed and relished the emergence of Todd Wysong as one

of the area’s toughest defenders and came to appreciate just how fierce

of a competitor Taylor Ardis was. But more than that, it was the overall

collective attitude and the unselfishness of the team that impressed

me the most. Guys that were absolute super-stars on the grid-iron –

Jackson Gross and Brent Luplow – were happy to come off the bench

and provide quality minutes.

The basketball season was high-lighted by an extremely talent laden

Clare girls Pioneer team as well, but I was a bit disappointed in their

early season exit. The rivalry between the Bucks and the Bobcats were

also extremely entertaining despite the Bobcats being down a bit.

Watching the Bobcats’ big man Kyle Akin hover around the three point

line and chuck up threes and the Bucks Collin Lake playing a 100 miles

per hour the entire game was always exciting, not to mention the jam

packed gymnasiums.

It was fun to watch Coach Kevin Wolfe take the Beaverton girls

basketball team out of the doldrums and lead them to a big victory over

the Mustangs and I can still remember Breanna Frasher dropping that

buzzer-beating triple to down Breckenridge. Watching Coach Wolfe

bring meaning back to girls basketball in Beaverton was impressive.

On the grappling side of things, it was a testament to watch

Dustin Noreyko sustain a severe early season injury, yet battle back

to claim the JPC title belt and help his Roscommon Bucks claim

another championship and district trophy. The match-ups between

Roscommon’s Caleb Jernigan and Meridian’s Damon Walter were

always intriguing and suspenseful. It was great to see Houghton Lake

be able to have some home town pride with Dalton Bailey taking

second in the state championship meet.

Spring time was a blast. We at the Tribune office figured that either

Clare or Gladwin would emerge as victors in the league, but it ended up

being an absolute mess in the standings with Clare and Gladwin taking

some tough loses, and then the G’s edging out Meridian in a game. I

can still remember the first game of the season with the cold winds

blowing over the western fields of Beaverton and Scotty Longstreth

going a perfect 7-7 at the plate to start the season. There were so many

highlights to the season, but my favorite by far was Aaron Haynak’s

RBI double to give the Pioneers a share of the title in make-up innings

at home, giving Coach Yenkel a fitting farewell.

We at the Tribune office had extremely high hopes for Coach Jamie

Smith and the Meridian softball squad that featured a tremendous

hitting lineup that was oozing with talent. Taylor Smith, Kristen

Goodall, Blake Garner...that troika was a home-run hitting machine.

Melissa Reeves came on strong as the season wore on, and with

the Mustangs speedy defense, they looked ramped to defend their

Regional Title from the year prior. But they fell in districts and our

hearts collectively sank as we realized that we just watched one of the

finest set of girls play their last softball game. Ali Howe, Taylor Smith,

and Kristen Goodall had their last at bats as Mustangs. That essentially marked the end of the

school year.

And immediately we had to shift gears and start to think about the next year of high school

sports. For us, some things were going to be obvious.

The Clare Pioneers would win another Jack Pine Conference title on the grid-iron, and

their cross-country teams would be dominant as well. On paper we thought Gladwin would

be much improved with their big strapping quarterback Landon Grove running the show.

We figured they would make it to the playoffs, but it was a long shot for them to make a

serious push. The Pioneers on the other hand, kind of surprised us. Led by Mitch Greenacre’s

punishing style of defense, the Clare regime dropped the hammer on the Panthers and almost

beat Menominee on their old historic field, losing by one bad fumble on the goal-line. Clare

showed more grit and resolve than what we expected and were a much better team at the end

of the year than when they started. Zach Tyler had transformed into a nice little quarterback

and made the plays that he needed to give the Pioneers a push.

On the volleyball court, the collective length and senior leadership of the Meridian Mustangs

would be more than enough to handle the young and spunky Roscommon volleyballers and

go on to hoist up back to back titles – however, we did figure that Beaverton would be in the

mix, which they weren’t.

We now find ourselves on the hardwood and wrestling mats this winter. Beaverton’s Coach

Roy Johnston has already established themselves as the top team in the league, with Spencer

Johnston running the show and Austin Schneider scoring at will with his overwhelming

physical presence.

But there is rumblings on the southern shores of Wixom Lake that the Mustangs are being a

bit over looked. Coach Bohn has been trumpeting his three-headed dragon beast of Jake Ham,

Jake Wenzlick, and Kevin Scheibert. Those three boys have been playing just as good as any

three guys in the area, and Bohn knows it and there is a sense that the Mustangs may be able

to dislodge the Beavers romp to an undefeated JPC title run.

On the girls side of the ball, it’s the Pioneers and everybody else. Nobody in the league comes

Looking back at the 2012 season and gearing up for 2013

Top, Clare’s Jake MCFadden beCoMe a Four-TiMe sTaTe hurdle ChaMpion. hl’s kelsey burnside, swipes a sTeal versus rosCo, she led her bobCaTs To The disTriCT Finals lasT May in The rain. ashley peTree and her pioneers look To be The TeaM To beaT This year. weisenberger helps Meridian grab a share oF The league, and ColeMan wins The MsaC TraCk TiTle.


close to matching the skill level of Lindsay Winter. The girl is simply lights-out, 30 point

explosion ready to happen. Layer that with Courtney English’s sweet stroke, the emergence

of Corinne Wezensky in the post, and the always tenacious combo punch of Ashley Petree

and Melissa Benchley, and you have one of the best teams in the state – evidenced with their

game against Saginaw Nouvel. As the season unfolds, it’s just going to be a matter of if the

girls can stay cohesive, make sacrifices, continue to focus on the little things that Coach Matt

Rodenbo points out at practice, and improve from there. This Clare girl’s team will demolish

the conference. That’s great, but everybody wants a post-season run – because we believe they

have it in them.

In the grappling world, there is a collision

course brewing between the Roscommon

Bucks and the Meridian Mustangs. The

Mustangs are bringing back a load of talent,

although young, they are rugged and buying

into Coach Sampson’s ridged and disciplined

practices. The Bucks are looking for guys

to step up to fill the void left by Noreyko,

Morley, and others. They still have pride and

a historical legacy pushing them forward –

and that means something. Pride, at times, is

more important than talent and conditioning.

So what does the future hold? We penciled

in the Clare girls winning the Jack Pine

Conference until Lindsay Winter graduates;

Roy Johnston’s boys should win the title

as long as each member of the team buys

into the team philosophy and accepts their

minutes, and rebounds and plays defense

with the gusto the Ross Lake boys have been

historically known for. We suspect Meridian

has the juice to take over the mats in the JPC.

At this point, softball season looks like it’s going to be the toughest sport in the JPC again this

season. The Mustangs lost a huge amount of offensive fire-power…but at the same time, they’re

bringing back a host of girls and they still have Coach Jamie Smith leading the way. Harrison

is loaded and Allison Lipovsky will be heading into the season with a full year of slinging the

meat-ball from the varsity level and had a wildly successful summer. The Pioneers will continue

to be nasty and Beaverton’s Coach Wentworth always manages to field a good team – and with

Alix Price and Kayla Balzer leading the team, don’t be surprised if they too make a run at the

title. Everybody else will be fighting over the scraps.

The Meridian Mustangs took a massive blow with last year’s Player of the Year Damon Walter

sustaining a leg injury. But they have the best pitcher in the league in Jonah Weisenberger and

a batch of other savvy glove-smiths coming back. Hard to see the Mustangs not winning the

title out-right, but never count out the Pioneers and what Coach Colosky is bringing to the

table. One of the best freshman athletes nobody is talking about right now is Clare’s Camden

Dice. He’s a baseball player for sure.

The Clare boys will ultimately win the league on the track, but I have a gut feeling the Farwell

ladies’ regime could make a strong push, as Gladwin loses a ton of points in the field events.

Madysin Walter and the Houghton Lake Bobcats should be the top soccer program this spring

with the Bucks Morgan Romancky and Logan Hutek giving them fits.

How it all plays out will of course be determined by the resolve and dedication of the players

– and that is what we all have to remember.

The future is the future, a blank slate ready to be written by those who have prepared

themselves for the task at hand. Who will bring the pain and etch their names in stone for

eternity..?

Far leFt, Gladwin’s stalwart senior volleyballers, JJ willFord and Mallory Cote ready theMselves For another FantastiC serve reCeive. willFord and Cote should Flourish in their Final seMester at Ghs. top, rosCo’s uber taleneted three-sport standout, qb John Miller launChes a First down, look For hiM to shine in 2013. bhs beaver bleaCher Creatures are oFF the hook, they roCk.


By Eric Dion

It is commonplace for graduates of their respective schools to look back

at their time in school and share their stories of sports glory with those

they played with, as well as those they wish to inspire. For the third year,

some of the finest athletes from the ranks of Beaverton and Gladwin

came together to mash up in a classic style that reminded the fans on

both ends of former glory days, when some of the players they were now

cheering were donning the school’s uniforms and tearing up the courts.

The ladies came from near and far, and while most had graduated in

the last couple of years, some of the hardest workers on the court were

the ones who were clearly reliving their glory days, and proving to

themselves as well as their families that they still have some of the magic

in them that put them in the paper during their High School careers.

In a game that refreshed the memories of many fans of the court, the

Lady Beavers and the Lady G’s alumni locked horns for battle to relive

their High School days as well as renew their rivalry with their arch-

nemesis one more time. Both teams seemed to enjoy not only the game

itself, but the company as well, as they cheered their team on and played

their hearts out. There were undoubtedly some aching muscles the

following day on both sides of the court. The ladies played hard, and

their school pride showed on both ends of the court as they worked the

ball hard, and would not show weakness to their opponent. The biggest

thing that the crowd noticed was the enjoyment the ladies were having

as they got rolling, trying to find their shooting groove, and work out the

rust from not playing is some time.

The game was very defensive to start out with, as both teams tried

to figure out their playing styles as well as refresh their memories on

the semantics of dribbling, passing and shooting. Some of the recently

graduated stars of the court were dominant early, with names such as

Beth Solomon from Beaverton who graduated in 2010 and Gladwin’s

Megan Strait who left the court just last year. Some of the surprising

stars were 2000 grads Leah Mead from Gladwin and Alicia Spencer

from Beaverton who were tearing up the court and playing with a fiery

passion. With a 9-7 score midway through the second quarter, Megan

Strait dumped one from the foul line that tied the game back up. Gladwin’s Andrea Harris followed that with

a nice lay up to give Gladwin the 11-9 lead. Beth Solomon from Beaverton had witnessed this before, and

refuse to relinquish the game so easily, diving into the low post zone and putting one in to tie the game back

up at 11-11. Following a nice defensive play by Beaverton, Solomon nailed another shot, from the high post

area this time, to put the Beavers back up with the 13-11 score. Gladwin’s Leah Mead was a warrior down

low for Gladwin early, and her hard work paid off with a nice shot from inside the key to even the game

back up again. Megan Strait put the G’s back in the lead with a baseline jumper that found pay dirt. Leah

Mead had her number called again, and she drew the foul after a little alley oop basket that went down.

Unfortunately, she was unable to convert from the line for her squad, but she did earn them the 15-13 lead.

Beaverton’s Beth Claypool sank one late in the first half on a turn around jumper that found home form

the low post area, where Beth had been working hard the entire game thus far.

Both teams put on a great show, and the score at halftime was 15-15. As the teams came back for the

second half, it was clear by the look in their eyes that many of the players were playing for school pride

and personal memory, with every player wanting to make an impact on the game. Michelle Murray from

Beaverton and Britni Balzer from Gladwin started the second half by exchanging three point shots that got

the crowd riled up and cheering. Alicia Spencer took over for Beaverton in the second half as well, boxing

out her competition in the low post and awaiting hungrily for the rebounds that were coming at her.

Melanie Smalley and Britni Balzer kept the Lady G’s close with their quickness and familiarity with each

other’s playing styles and the score was 24-20 with plenty of time in the second half. However, the Lady

Beavers sensed an opportunity, and with the shooting prowess of Alicia Spencer and Michelle Murray, they

were looking to put this thing in the record books. Spencer started off by sinking one from the high post area

to take the six point lead, followed by a shot from three point land by Michelle Murray to put the Beavers

up 29-20. Melanie Smalley responded in kind with a three pointer of her own from on top of the circle to

keep the score in reach at 29-23. Spencer went back to work following that shot with a nice drive to the

low post that earned her the jump shot two, and drew a foul as well, where she went one for two at the line.

With Beaverton up by nine, Gladwin looked to make a comeback, and with the help of Leah Mead, the

Beavers lead got cut to 7 with the 32-25 score. Beaverton put another one in to extend their lead once more,

but was quickly answered by a nice three point bucket by Britni Balzer to make it 34-28 with time winding

down. However, some of the Beaverton ladies got fired up in a late push for victory, and it was led off by

a textbook bucket from the low post by Beth Claypool, a 1997 Beaverton Alumni. Alicia Spencer added

Lady Beavers prevaiL

Megan Strait-gladwin

Megan Strait played well for the G’s, but apparantly took too many head shots with the basketball..

989-539-8870

Lori Ware executive Director989-539-8870

Bethany Claypool was a dominant force down low the entire game. She was able to box out her opponents on the boards, and utilized her vision to garner many of the rebounds for her team. She had not played for the Lady Beavers since 1997, but she worked out there like she was in top form. Her 8 points led the way for the alumni Beavers, and her defensive and offensive presence was felt when she was on the court. There were not many who could stop her once she had the ball, and if she had the ball come down her way, there were even fewer who dared to reach in on her. She was clearly our pick for the top female player.

Leah (Metz) Mead was an offensive spark for the Lady G’s all night as Murray recovers.

Michelle Murray was intense on the court for the Beavers, and her ability to still hit the long shot was key to the Beaverton Alumni victory. She was also smart defensively, forcing the opponent to stay to the outside and knowing when to break up the pass and go yard on them.


another shot from the baseline to put the Beavers in a comfortable 38-28 lead with the fourth quarter entering its waning minutes.

Claypool was dominating her zone with turnaround jumpers late, and was playing like she was in her High School prime. Beaverton

put themselves in the 40 burger zone with a nice play by Claypool from under the basket to make it a 40-28 affair, and Gladwin seemed

to run out of answers. Megan Strait drew a late foul and went 50 percent to narrow the lead by a point, but Beth Claypool answered back

swiftly with the rebound and jumper to pull even further away. Megan Strait answered with a shot in the final minutes to make it 42-31.

With another basket by B-Town, the buzzer rang shortly after with the tally of 44-31 on the board.

Beaverton congratulated the G’s on a well played game, and they reminisced on their experience and the times they had in High School.

Both sides seemed to enjoy the experience and the chance to once again play for their school.

Beth Claypool led the Beaverton scoring barrage with 8

points and multiple defensive and offensive rebounds. Alicia

Spenser and Beth Solomon both tallied 6 points for the

Beavers and Spenser was another defensive specialist with

her work down low and on the boards. Michelle Murray

put in a good days work with a nice three point shot, and a

basket.

Britni Balzer was the points leader for the G’s with 7 points

with a couple of 3-point shots that kept Gladwin in the game

early. Leah Mead was right behind her with 6 points and had

multiple defensive boards and was a battler down low for the

G’s. Melanie Smalley had 5 points with a bucket and a three

point shot, and her speed was integral early in the game.

Megan Strait also had some quality shots throughout the

game and put up at least 5 points.

Beaverton’s roster included Stephanie Bergman (2007),

Michelle Murray (2011), Beth Solomon (2010), Eric

Carpenter (2003), Jackie Claypool (1999), Bethany Claypool

(1997), Sue Walker (1980), Alicia Spencer (2000), and Janet

Whitmer.

Gladwin’s roster included Ashley Ford (2010), Britni Balzer

(2010), Megan Strait (2011), Vanessa Batterby (2010), Andrea

Harris (2011), Melanie Smalley (2011), Leah Mead (2000),

and Jane Wetmore.

Despite being a classic rivalry, the ladies played with grace

and dignity on both sides of the court, and they combined at

the end to shake hands and congratulate each other on the hard work and impressive displays that they put on for the fans. School pride

is always great to play for, and winning is always the focus on the players mind once they lace their shoes up and take the court. However,

in a game of this magnitude it is nice to see that school pride did not interfere with personal pride, and both teams were respectful to

the ref and each other as they played the game as they remembered it, and left everything they had on the court in hopes of inspiring the

youth of today, and in hopes of returning next year to battle again.

GAME CHANGERS

Beth Solomon has not lost her touch from her days in a Beaverton uniform. If she claims to have lost a step since graduation, she is lying. She put up quality points against the G’s and defensively she was everywhere at once, guarding the fastest players most of the time. She still has “it”

GAME CHANGERS

Leah Mead played her heart and soul out against a tough Beaverton squad that struggled to shut Leah down. Her quality shots and quick feet kept Gladwin in the game until the bitter end. She can be proud of the work she put in during the Alumni game.

GAME CHANGERS

Alicia Spencer was the fuel for Beavertons fire in their Alumni match up. She pulled in many offensive and defensive rebounds for the Beavers, and turned them into 6 points in the second half alone. She may have not played for the Beavers since 2000, but she dominated the court.

BHS alum, former Taylor University standout baller, Alicia (Russell) Spencer was a terror on the glass and she reeked havoc around the interior to spur the Beavers to the victory.

Beaverton’s Beth Solomon was a low-post force on both ends of the floor to aide in the win.


By Eric Dion

Once the girls Alumni game finished up, the boys took the court, and

the energy in the room seemed to change. While everyone was there for

fun and a chance to relive the glory days, the rivalry is still there and in

good health. Both teams were flooded with talent and remember-able

names of the past, and they had a point to prove; that they were there

because they still had skill. Once the dust cleared, and the teams shook

hands, there was no doubt as to why these players were great in their

time at High School, and why many of their names adorn the record

books hanging in the trophy cases and on the walls in their respective

schools.

Off of the opening jump ball, it was obvious that this game was going

to be played at a high rate of speed, and with no thoughts of giving up on

either end. Gladwin started out the scoring and set the tone when Ryan

Balzer nailed a nice three point shot. It did not take 2011 Beaverton grad

Cole Blades log to get back into the groove, and he made his presence

known on the boards early to get the rebound and the bucket to put

Beaverton at one behind the G’s. After a one for two stand at the line for

Balzer, Jeremy Sawyer used his size and speed to eat up a rebound and

sink it for two to tie the game at four a piece.

Chris Smalley reminded the Gladwin alumni whose name is on most of

the records there as he launched a mortar shot from just inside half court

that fell for a huge three and a momentum increase as the crowds went

nuts. However Jason Blades reminded the Gladwin fans that three counts

both ways, as he quickly answered with a shot from outside the lines for

three in Beaverton’s favor to put the score 7-7. Jeremy Sawyer had not

seen the hardwoods for Beaverton since 1996, but looked good as he

went in low and managed the jump shot and foul that he converted one

for one on, putting his Beavers in the lead. After a nice defensive stand

by the Beavers, Sawyer followed up with a nice under and up shot at the

baseline under the bucket to extend the Beavers lead to 12-7. Gladwin’s

1996 Alumni Pat Locey came alive late in the first period with a low post

bucket to bring the G’s within 3. A late shot by Beaverton’s Justin Streeter

made it a 14-9 affair at the end of the first quarter.

Clint Kern came alive in the scoring in the early marks of the second,

as he drove down the baseline and finished with a up and under shot

from behind his head that wowed the crowd, and inspired his G’s to

greatness. Pat Locey followed suit with two more nice buckets from

mid range to put the G’s back on top 15-14. Justin Streeter changed the

tide once more with a nice shot from down low, which was answered

quickly by a rebound and bucket by Clint Kern of Gladwin. Mike Murray

of Beaverton took a foul that he converted into two points by being

perfect at the line to put the Beavers back on top once again. Clint Kern

answered in the same fashion, but was only able to manage one for two

at the line to tie the game 18-18. The pace seemed maddening, as the

two teams were going at full speed, and neither wanted to slow the game

down, hoping the pace would slow down some of the elder statesman.

However, someone forgot to send that message to players like Jeremy

Sawyer, who sank a nice jumper from twelve foot out to give Beaverton

the 20-18 lead. Pat Locey also forgot to slow down as he dumped another

three point shot from the high elbow to go from two down to one up

on the Beaverton Alumni. Chris Smalley would end up with the ball

once again, and decided to copy Locey’s achievement, and nailed a three

pointer from the same spot as Locey did earlier to put Gladwin up 24-20

with time running down in the half. Jason Blades would not relinquish

the game so easily though, and hit one from the baseline just inside the

line for two and make it a 24-22 score. Cole Blades would ignite the

Blades of Glory talk by following the elder Blades with a shot of his own

from the baseline to even the game up 24-24.

Chris Smalley drew a foul going up for a shot, and made good at the line

with both of his shots to put Gladwin up two once more. Cole Blades had

a chance with :01 left in the half to even the game up with two shots from

the foul line, but failed to convert, and the half ended with the score in

favor of the home team 26-24.

The second half began with an offensive rush by Beaverton, that caused

Mike Murray to be fouled, where he once again made the G’s pay with

a perfect showing at the line once more, sinking both to tie the game.

Pat Locey drove hard up the middle to pull of the nice one hand jumper

for Gladwin, but Jason Blades took that lead away quickly with a two

for two showing at the foul line for Beaverton. The Beavers looked like

they were going to wear down the G’s once more when 2010 Alumni

Tony Stornello sank one from the free throw line, followed by a one for

two showing with the foul shot from 1991 veteran Allen Maxwell to put

the Beavers up 32-28. However, the Beavers could not contain Chris

Smalley, who once again found room in three point land and made the

Beavers pay with the triple to bring the G’s within one with the 32-31

score. Gladwin was making a rush to not allow Beaverton to take the

game from them, and Ryan Balzer led that charge with a big layout over

the outstretched arms of Al Maxwell, who was keeping up with the

younger alumni with ease. Smalley went back to his spot on the three

point line once again, and was fed the rock for the three pointer to put

the G’s up 36-32 score. Pat Locey took the ball next for the G’s and went

from the opposite end of Smalley to sink a triple to help Gladwin slowly

pull away late in the third quarter. Despite a nice offensive rebound for

Mike Murray that he converted for two, Clint Kern kept the Beavers

at bay with a shot from three point range that sank to make it 42-34 in

favor of the G’s.

Jeremy Sawyer had seen enough of Gladwin’s three point barrages, and

tried to begin one of his own, as he dropped a triple from the top to

bring the Beavers back within five. However, Cameron Tenwalde wanted

in on the scoring action for Gladwin, and dropped a three point shot of

his own from the baseline to keep Beaverton from creeping in on the

comeback. With another two point bucket from Beaverton, the Beavers

watched the third wind down, and with scant moments left, they allowed

Clint Kern a turn at the foul line once more for Gladwin, who made one

of the two to end the third quarter 46-40 in favor of the G’s.

2005 Gladwin alumni Kevin Benmark introduced himself to the crowd

early in the fourth with a huge offensive rebound, followed by the fake

and jumper to start the scoring once again. James Hawkins decided to

get into the books as well for Gladwin with a board and bucket showing

early in the fourth to put Gladwin up by 10 with the 50-40 score.

However, if time has taught us anything, it is to never count out

Gladwin alumni Victors GAME CHANGERS

Chris Smalley orchestrated the Flying G offensive with poise and swagger that was contagious. Chris led Gladwin with 17 points including four momentum halting three-pointers. Chris played in your face, lock-down defense and his passing was key.

Cole Blades was a force to be reckoned with in the interior on both ends for his Beaver. Blades tallied 10 points and a boat load of rebounds to pace his Beaver-men. Blades has been competing for the Northwood Timberwolves hoop squad, hopefully he can springboard and excel into 2013.

Jeremy Sawyer was a bull rebounding and playing defense. He scored inside, mid-range and from behind the arc. Sawyer rarely ever makes mistakes with the ball and he played another rock solide floor game. He netted 10 points and was a catalyst to keep BHS close.

Beaverton’s Jeremy Sawyer and the G’s Ryan Balzer were a war within a war.


Beaverton, and they began to liven the visiting crowd, starting with a nice

jumper from Justin Streeter to pull the Beavers within eight. Ryan Kern began

a scoring tear for the Beavers as well, first by sinking a triple, followed with

a steal and earning a turn at the line that he converted one for two on to

pull the Beavers back within four points once more. Cole Blades had been a

monster defensively most of the night, and added in a bucket of his own in

the fourth from the low post to go back to a two point affair with the 50-48

score, still in favor of the G’s. Chris Smalley got fouled going in deep, and

made one of his two shots to put Gladwin up by three, but Gladwin watched

that lead falter, as Cole Blades drove in for two, and added on a foul shot of

his own to tie the game up late in the fourth.

However, Gladwin was not going to repeat last years performance, and Chris

Smalley nailed a shot from mid range, followed by a steal and lay up by James

Hawkins to put Gladwin up 55-51.

Beaverton’s chance for a comeback fell to the wayside when Pat Locey went

one for two at the line, and in the final moments Clint Kern found Cameron

Tenwalde with a hard bounce pass for two to end the game with a 58-51 score.

Both teams played with extreme speed and physicality, and the rivalry that all

of these alumni experienced in High School was relived for the players again

as they battled to the bitter end for the good of their school pride. Gladwin

defended their home court this year, but Beaverton’s alumni were able to leave

with their heads held high over the game that they played.

Playing for Beaverton were Jason Blades (2008), Cole Blades (2011), Mike

Murray (2007), Ryan Kern (2006), Tony Stornello (2010), Allen Maxwell

(1991), Justin Streeter (2007), and Jeremy Sawyer (1996)

Playing for Gladwin was Trevor Camanse (2012), Patrick Locey (2006), Theo

Trice (2011), Clint Kern (2000), Cameron Tenwalde (2012), Chris Smalley

(2009), Ryan Balzer (2008), James Hawkins (2007), and Kevin Benmark (2005)

Cole Blades had 10 points for the Beavers, as did Jeremy Sawyer, with a triple

in the game. Justin Streeter put up 9 points on the day, and Jason Blades had 8

points. Mike Murray had 6 points, and went 4 for 4 at the line.

Gladwin’s scoring was led by Chris Smalley with 17 points, with four 3 point

shots and a deuce, along with a 3 for 4 showing on the line. Pat Locey followed

him with 15 points with two 3 point shots of his own, and four deuces. Clint

Kern put in a good days work with a triple, 2 two point shots and went two for

four at the line to put him at 9 points total for the game. Cameron Tenwalde

had 5 points with a three point shot of his own.

Beaverton was led by the hard work of Justin Streeter and Al Maxwell, who

not only played very well defensively, but also made some smart passes offensively and created space with their

movements. Tony Stornello was masterful with his passing, and with Mike Murray, they kept the ball moving

around to their scorers.

Gladwin had a few people that led the way under the boards for them, and the halftime arrival of Kevin Benmark

and James Hawkins changed the outlook of the G’s defensively. The huge three point shots by Chris Smalley made

a definite impact on the scoreboard, but it was Pat Locey who played the strongest on both ends of the ball. He was

glued to his player defensively and made quite a few good plays to interrupt the flow of the game for the Beavers.

Offensively Locey was either the trigger man, or was involved with the play by making a quick pass, or shifting the

defense out of the way with his ball handling.

jason blades - beaverton

Jason Blades played smart and strong. He was 3-4 from the line and he scored eight points for BHS.

800-610-3780

Patrick Locey, GHS class of 2006 and former Alma College basketball player, led Gladwin to triumph, toppling his inter-county rival alumni from Beaverton in a hardwood war of tremendous physicality and precise hoop skills. Locey was the star or stars as he amassed 15 points. He splashed two triples, he slashed to scoop shots off the window and he pulled-up to elevate in traffice, lean, contort and convert mid-range jumpers. More impressive was Pat’s rugged rebounding and fierce defense against larger competitors.

Kevin Benmark, GHS class of 2005, scores a drop-step move in the paint. He skied for two ferocious rebounds late to seal the deal.

Smalley led all scorers with 17 points and his court awareness was priceless and flawless.

Justin Streeter was omni-present, zooming sideline to sideline on both ends of the floor. Justin amassed nine points and his penetration and kick led to numerous other scores for his Beavers. Streeter is wily, ultra skilled guard with terrific instincts and uber court vision.


By Eric DionCameron Blake is a busy

young lady from Coleman High School, who is currently dual enrolled at Delta College, as well as excelling in High School. She also makes time in her life for sports, and community activities. In a time of eased laziness, and electronic entertainment, it is good to see the young people of Coleman step up and work hard to not only make the most out of their education, but out of their life as well. Cameron took the time out of her busy schedule to speak with us, and it was a joy to get to know this bright young lady.Jack Pine Tribune: What sports

are you involved in?Cameron Blake: Volleyball

and Basketball (basketball is my favorite)JPT: What is your favorite

sports memory?CB: I don’t really know if I

could pick out just one memory to be my favorite. Sports are a huge part of my life and I hope after I graduate they will still be a huge part. One really cool moment that stands out to me is when I scored 26 points; I believe it was against Marion last year. It was a struggle for our team and I felt that last year was not a strong year for me, but having a game like that was

a huge confidence booster. JPT: Who is your favorite

coach, and why?CB: I have had many different

coaches that have all contributed to my sports career and I can’t begin to thank them enough for spending the extra time to teach me and help me improve my skills. I have had Kristina Haring the longest, but due to changing jobs she could not continue to coach us which affected me a lot

more because she would have been my coach for four years. Our new coach Dirk Smith has come into the new position with a positive attitude, and with the help of our JV coach Mike Baker we are working on turning our program around.JPT: Who are some of your

favorite teammates and why?

CB: I have played with so many different girls that there is no way to pick favorites. Anyone that enjoys the same sports I will get along with. Our Lady Comets are a big family just split between JV and Varsity. Many of the ladies including myself went to open gyms this summer to keep improving ourselves. We are a young team this year and are still learning and working out the mental mistakes that we are making. As soon as we get all of the simple mistakes out of the way then we can be a hard team to beat.J P T : W h a t g r o u p s o r

organizations do you belong to?CB: I belong to the Coleman

4-H, my local Youth Group, as well as being a member of the

National Honor Society.JPT: What types of community

service have you done, or like to do?CB: I was a Salvation Army

Bell-Ringer. My youth group adopts a family every year during the holidays, my 4-H Club collects supplies for the

Humane Society. I have also collected donations for my school’s booster bonanza to support our athletic programs. I also volunteer a lot at Railway Family Center. JPT: How do you feel your

sports involvement has related to or helped your outlook on community service?CB: Being involved with

sports for so many years I have learned that we do need to give back to our communities. Even through the rough times we have had the support from our community. JPT: Given the chance, what

type of community service would you like to do someday?CB: I believe that any kind of

community service would be fun, but I enjoy working with kids. When volunteering at the Railway Family Center I helped with children’s sporting events. I would like to keep helping out with children’s sports programs as they continue to grow in the community. I also enjoy helping families that are in need around the holiday season. So I plan to keep supporting families in the future.Wherever Cameron Blake

ends up at in life, it is nice to know that she will continue to make a positive impact wherever she is. Having a young adult mentor children is possibly the best thing one could do, and Cameron not only enjoys it, but she is good at it as well. We hope the best for Cameron in her future endeavors, and we hope that she continues to improve the community any way that she can.

Cameron Blake Devoted to education

and youth

Cameron with her 4H cow Leonard. She is as dedicated to her 4H as well as her schooling

Jack Pine Tribune - December 31, 2012

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