1.14.19

Eddies box out South Haven in hoops matchup

South Haven came into Friday's Wolverine Conference game looking for a win, but came up short-handed against Edwardsburg, who won the contest, 62-52.
The Eddies got on the scoreboard first with a trey and extended their lead to as much as 16-5 in the first quarter before the Rams whittled away at their defense and found the basket to end the first stanza trailing by the narrow margin of 16-12.
Fouls and turnovers hurt the Rams in the second quarter as they battled against the Eddies' 3-2 zone, which they had a hard time penetrating. The first half ended with the score at 30-19 in favor of Edwardsburg.
The Eddies continued to control the game in the second half, leading by 10 points for most of the remaining 16 minutes of play to end the contest 62-52.
Zander Russell led the Rams in scoring with 15 points. He was followed by Jaylin Fox with 12, Andre Cobbs with 11 and Brenden Williamson with 8.
The Lady Rams also suffered a loss to the Eddies, Friday, by the score of 72-30.

PHOTO: South Haven's Zander Russell goes up for two points against defensive pressure from an Edwardsburg player during Friday's Wolverine Conference  game. Russell ended up scoring 15 points in the game. (Photo by Tom Renner)

Lady Rams defeat Dowagiac; lose to Edwardsburg

South Haven's girls basketball team started the new year, Tuesday, with a 45-38 victory over Dowagiac.
The Rams got the win despite a strong third-quarter scoring surge by the Chieftains. South Haven dominated the first half of the game, limiting Dowagiac to single-digit scores in both quarters to lead 23-9 going into the locker room.
But in the second half, the Chieftains found the net and outscored the Rams 17-11 in the third quarter to close South Haven's lead from 15 points to 8 points. South Haven, however, outscored Dowagiac 11-10 in the fourth to seal the win.
Yazmine Hall led the Rams in scoring with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Alexus Smith followed with 14 points and 15 rebounds.

The Lady Rams suffered a loss to the Eddies, Friday, by the score of 72-30.

PHOTO: South Haven's Maddie Sardina (20) looks for an opening to pass the ball during Friday night's contest with Edwardsburg. (Photo by Tom Renner)

Swimmers hone their strokes against Sturgis

South Haven swimmers battled back and forth against Sturgis, Tuesday, in a conference meet.

Sturgis came out on top 106-73, but Rams Coach Thomas Capps was pleased with the progress his team is making this year.

“This meet was back and fourth, fought hard by both teams,” he said. “We have a wide range of swimmers, from beginner levels to prior state qualifiers. Having only four returning from last year, we knew we had to find students to join our team and learn our fundamentals. We now are at 16 athletes in training. I am excited to see what this team can do for South Haven by the time our Conference Meet comes.”

South Haven won four races against Sturgis, placed second in four events, and third in seven races.

Capps was impressed with a number of team members, including team co-captain Vance Locker, who won the 200 IM in 2:25.34. “Vance sailed in over 13 seconds ahead of the rest,” said Capps, who also complemented finishes by Brandon Janotzke, Jacob Florey, Nick Black, Synjon Muller, Ethan Cole, Kegan Copenhagen, Maddox Uckele and Joe Nelson.

Results for South Haven follow:

200-yard medley relay: 1. South Haven (Joe Nelson, Synjon Muller, Vance Locker, Maddox Uckele) 2:02.04; 3. South Haven (Nick Black, Ethan Cole, Jacob Florey, Kegan Copenhagen) 2:19.99

200-yard freestyle: 3. Brandon Jonatzke, 2:30.56; 4. Nick Black, 2:36.57; Elian Garcia, 2:41.94

200-yard IM: 1. Vance Locker, 2:25.34; 3. Jacob Florey, 2:54.44

50-yard freestyle: 2. Synjon Muller, 26.40; 5. Kegan Copenhagen, 29.46

100-yard butterfly: 1. Vance Locker, 1:02.75; 3. Maddox Uckele, 1:09.81

100-yard freestyle: 2. Joe Nelson, 1:03.12; 5. Jacob Florey, 1:09.81

500-yard freestyle: 3. Brandon Jonatzke, 6:52.08; 4. Nick Black, 7:30.23

200-yard freestyle relay: 2. South Haven (Kegan Copenhagen, Jacob Florey, Maddox Uckele, Synjon Muller) 1:54.79

100-yard backstroke: 3. Joe Nelson, 1:14.27; 4. Patrick Callaghan, 1:32.01

100-yard breaststroke: 2. Maddox Uckele, 1:15.31; 3. Synjon Muller, 1:26.03

400-yard freestyle relay: 1. South Haven (Kegan Copenhagen, Nick Black, Vance Locker, Joe Nelson) 4:20.69

PHOTO: South Haven's Brandon Jonatzke competes in the 200 freestyle finishing in third place. (Photo by Tom Renner)



Ram bowlers pick up a win against Three Rivers

South Haven's girls bowling team found their stride against Three Rivers, Tuesday, winning the Wolverine Conference match by the score of 27-3.

“The girls bowled a good game,” Rams Coach Barry Skuza said.

The Rams dominated both the regular matches, winning the two-game series with a combined score of 1,410-1,194. They also won both baker games, 140-114 and 124-97.

Makayla Moore led South Haven with a 315 two-game series. She was followed by Nadia Kimbrough with a 295, Jessica Heath with 294 and Khylee Marr, 267.

The Rams' boys team struggled against the Wildcats, losing 22.5-7.5.

“They ran into a firestorm,” Skuza said, pointing out that Bennett LaVeck of Three Rivers bowled a two-game series of 443. In his first game alone, he knocked over 242 pins.

Three Rivers won the regular matches by the combined score of 1,769-1,616. They also won the first baker games 20-6158, but lost the second, 184-179.

Andrew Guthrie and Caleb Heinze led the Rams with identical two-game series scores of 362. They were followed by Garrett Heath with 332 and Cameron Denbow with 330.

The Rams had a full day of bowling, Jan. 5, when they hosted an invitational at Lakeside Lanes.

Scores from the matches follow:

Boys

South Haven 29

Brandywine JV 1

Regular matches

South Haven: Nic Sheppard 218 (138); Cam Denbow 318 (169); Garrett Heath 278 (149); Andrew Guthrie 286 (152); Caleb Heinze 281 (148)

Brandywine JV: Matthew Knapp 226 (122); Isaiah Moffitt 169 (85); Garrett Stoneburner 146 (79); Sean Hack 223 (123)

Baker games

South Haven 138-101

South Haven 156-117

South Haven 1

Allegan 29

Regular matches

South Haven: Garrett Heath 307 (180); Andre Guthrie 265 (162); Nic Sheppard 214 (117); Cam Denbow 315 (162); Caleb Heinze 324 (177)

Allegan: Anthony Barnes 164; Jacob Wasake 352 (185); Leyton Brown 370 (196); Gunner Evans 345 (178); Fletcher Belfuss 412 (217) Christian Brink 147

Baker games

Allegan 168-146

Allegan 147-146

Girls

South Haven 18

Brandywine 12

Regular matches

South Haven: Nadia Kimbrough 268 (146); Paige Burson 103; Teagan Burson 266 (145); Khylee Marr 278 (146); Jessica Heath 89; Makayla Moore 329 (185)

Brandywine: Stormie Hartstein 243 (127); Sage Nemeth 268 (145); Emily Burge 285 (162); Grace Burge 313 (172); Mackenzie Jones 295 (171)

Baker games

South Haven 155-134

South Haven 136-110

South Haven JV 3

Niles JV 27

Regular matches

South Haven: Rylee Carr 262 (143); Jessica Arizu 178 (98); Haylee Barker 160 (85); Jazzlin Johnson 250 (125)

Niles: Shaye W. 113; Hayley R. 189 (98); Cindy W. 104; Cadence K. 246 (124); Alayna D. 131; Falicity M. 77

Baker games

Niles 110-74

Niles 114-64

South Haven varsity 30

South Haven JV 0

Regular matches

South Haven varsity: Nadia Kimbrough 302 (160); Teagan Burson 286 (153); Khylee Marr 265 (137); Jessica Heath 274 (143); Makayla Moore 332 (174)

South Haven JV: Paige Burson 219 (124); Rylee Carr 214 (110); Jazzlin Johnson 255 (134); Jessica Arizu 170 (108); Haily Barker 145 (73)

Baker games

South Haven varsity 154-147

South Haven varsity 129-97

Players come together after on-court fight

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

Three weeks ago Wolverine Conference basketball rivals South Haven and Paw Paw made national headlines when a pushing and shoving match between two players brought fans onto the court, prompting referees to cancel the game and send players into the locker room and spectators home.

It's an incident that Rams Coach Larry Ash said he has never witnessed in his 28 years of coaching high school basketball.

Ash said he and Paw Paw Coach Rick Mitchell were so disturbed by what happened they decided to do something about it.

“Rick and I called each other a few times and thought what could we do so this type of thing don't happen again?” Ash said. “Rick and I have known each other for over 25 years, we coached and played against each other and have always been the best of friends.”

What the two coaches decided to do is bring the players from both teams together over Christmas break to get to know each other and let bygones be bygones.

They did so by taking the players to lunch one day and then afterwards let them practice playing basketball.

“We want them to play hard and to win with class and good sportsmanship and still be friends after the game,” Ash said. “We are part of the Wolverine Conference and we need to set an example to the whole conference that rivals are great, but being a friend is even better.”

Ash said he was particularly glad to hear players and coaches from both teams open up and talk with each other during the lunch.

“This was a good meeting,” he said. “All the players and coaches sat together. Players from both teams stood up and had something to say. I was proud of both teams and I really think that we respect them and they respect us.”

The fight began, Dec. 21, after a Paw Paw player fouled a South Haven player shortly before the end of the first half. After the incident another South Haven player went after the Paw Paw player and began hitting him, according to video coverage that a spectator shared with WWMT-TV. The fight prompted both teams to empty their benches and brought fans onto the court. South Haven Police Chief Natalie Thompson estimated that approximately 70 people were involved either fighting or trying to break up the scuffle.

Because of the fight, both teams forfeit a game, each. South Haven's forfeiture came Tuesday when they were suppose to compete against Dowagiac.

The forfeitures come as a result of Michigan High School Athletic Association game rules, which stipulate that teams or individual members involved in a fight will have to sit out the next game, according to John Johnson, director for broadcast properties for the MHSAA.

“Game-playing rules address penalties for fighting,” he said. “So any player or coach ejected for being involved, which would include players leaving the bench, would sit out the next day of competition.”

Ash said his team will have to deal with the punishment.

“Each team lost a game, we won't play this Tuesday against Dowagaic,” he said, this past Monday.

South Haven Police and school officials investigated the incident, studying video surveillance and interviewing witnesses, but no criminal charges are expected to be filed, according to South Haven Police Chief Natalie Thompson. Thompson told South Haven city council members, Monday, that no one had been injured and that no one had come forward to file assault complaints.

As for the school district's position on the matter, Superintendent Kevin Schooley stated in a news release, “The South Haven High School varsity basketball players involved in the incident on Dec.

21 will be disciplined in a manner consistent with MHSAA and local athletic code guidelines. We do not condone or support this behavior and have worked with our athletes and coaches to ensure that this is an isolated incident.”



12.24.18

South Haven-Paw Paw boys game called after fight erupts

By BECKY KARK
Editor and general manager

A South Haven varsity basketball game with Paw Paw ended abruptly Friday night when a pushing and shoving match between two players brought fans onto the court, prompting referees to cancel the game and send the players into the locker room and the fans home.
“It escalated fast,” said Brian Dissette, who was in attendance at the game with his son and his friend. The ruckus began toward the end of the second quarter. South Haven was up 22-14 with 3:06 minutes remaining when a South Haven player was breaking away with the ball, according to Tom Renner, who was taking photos of the game for the South Haven Tribune.
As the player headed down the court toward the basket to make a shot he was “heavily fouled,” Renner said.
It was then that another South Haven basketball player went after the Paw Paw player and fouled him. Then result was players and then fans heading onto the court.
Referees called the game and police who routinely are at games, called for backup from Van Buren County Sheriff's Department, Michigan State Police and Covert Township police.
An estimated 70 players and bystanders were involved in the incident, according to a news release from the South Haven Police Department. It took police about an hour to disburse people from the gym after referees ended the game.
Police then spent additional time interviewing players involved in the incident.
According to South Haven Police Chief no injuries were reported. Th e incident is under investigation by police and school officials.
Any review by the Van Buren County prosecutors office for criminal charges and/or any disciplinary action by the school district will be pending until video evidence and all witness statements have been obtained, according to Thompson.

PHOTO: Marykyse Merritt (23) is fouled by Paw Paw's Karsen Barnhart (42) driving down the lane to the basket. After the foul occurred, players began shoving each other, leading to a fight. (Photo by Tom Renner)

Lady Rams defeat Paw Paw

Earlier in the evening South Haven's girls varsity basketball team defeated Paw Paw 46-39.
The Lady Rams poured on the steam in the fourth quarter, scoring 18 points en route to the Wolverine Conference victory.
Eight of Connie Phillips' 13 points were scored in the final quarter, alone.
She was followed by Alexus Smith with 12 points and Jordyn Holland with 6 points.

PHOTO: South Haven's Connie Phillips (24) goes up for two points during Friday's Wolverine Conference game against Paw Paw. Also shown in the photo from South Haven is Alexus Smith (40). (Photo by Tom Renner)

South Haven bowlers keep their form; Defeat Otsego

South Haven's boys bowling team rolled to another victory Tuesday with a 19-11 win over Otsego.
The Rams started the two-game series by knocking down 819 pins in the first game; a fete Coach Barry Skuza labeled as “impressive.” They went on to win the two-game series 1,567-1,462. Skuza was also impressed with the score of the first baker game, which the Rams won 200-170.
“That was a big deal,” he said. Although Otsego won the second baker game, 154-127, the Rams had racked up enough points to win the match, overall.
Three South Haven bowlers racked up more than 350 points in the regular two-game series.
Team captain Caleb Heinze was the high scorer with 371, followed by Andrew Guthrie with 365 and Garrett Heath with 359.
The Lady Rams struggled in their match, losing 21-9.
Despite the loss, Skuza pointed out several highlights of the match, including the final score of the first baker game, where the Rams outscored Otsego 160-138.
Jessica Heath led South Haven's scoring with a 331 two-game series.
“Jessica had two great games,” Skuza said. She was followed by Makayla Moore with 322 and Nadia Kimbrough with 273.

PHOTO: South Haven team captain Caleb Heinze follows through, Tuesday, in a Wolverine Conference match against Otsego. Heinze led the Rams in scoring with  371 points. (Photo by Tom Renner)

12.19.18

South Haven's Vance Locker competes in the 100-yard breaststroke in last week's swim meet against Marshall. Locker placed fourth with a time of 1:19.45. Marshall won the meet but complete results from the meet were not available. (Photo by Tom Renner)

12.17.18

Rams place second at invitational

South Haven wrestlers earned runner-up honors, Saturday, at their own invitational. The Rams defeated Bangor (56-18), Ravenna (48-30), Godwin Heights (45-30) and the Rainbow Team (62-12) before falling to Muskegon Orchard View, 49-28, in the championship match. Three Rams grapplers won all their matches. They were Trevor Price, 103 pounds; Trevor Winkel, 140 pounds; and Malachi Schultz in the 189 weight class. The Rams improved their overall season record to 5-3. In the photo above, Travis Jordan of South Haven wrestles Andy S. from Bloomingdale in the 160 weight class. Jordan went on to win the Cardinal wrestler in the second period. (Photo by Tom Renner)

South Haven bowlers defeat Plainwell

South Haven's boys bowling team rolled to a 26-4 victory over Plainwell last week, while the Lady Rams suffered a 21-9 loss.

The boys outscored the Trojans 1,459-1,358 in the regular matches and won both baker matches 139-112 and 159-120.

“The boys did real well,” Rams Coach Barry Skuza said.

Caleb Heinze led the South Haven with a two-game 375 series. Andrew Guthrie followed with 317 and Garrett Heath with 314.

The Lady Rams split the two regular games with Plainwell, losing the first one 717-613, but coming back to win the second game, 636-565 for a combined score of 1,282-1,249 in favor of the Trojans. The Trojans then went on to win both baker games, 138-134 and 148-112 to win the match.

MaKayla Moore led the Rams with a 315 two-game series. She was followed by Teagan Burson with 261; Jessica Heath with 258 and Nadia Kimbrough with 255.

Rams defeat Three Rivers; Suffer tough loss to Otsego

South Haven sent Three Rivers home with a 60-56 loss Tuesday to capture another Wolverine Conference victory before falling hard to conference leader Otsego, Friday, with a 77-42 loss.

Against the Wildcats, the Rams jumped out to a 18-10 lead in the first quarter. South Haven kept its momentum going in the second quarter to end the first half ahead, 33-23.

Three Rivers' offense gelled in the second half by outscoring the Rams 18-10, but the Rams answered in the final stanza by outscoring the Wildcats 17-15, to win the contest.

“This was a good team effort,” South Haven Coach Larry Ash said. “You can tell by the assists that we had as a team.

Senior Jaylin Fox helped lead the Rams' efforts.

“Jaylin Fox really stepped up big on the boards by having a double-double, and if he had three more assists he would have had a triple-double,” Ash said. “I told him I expect, and his teammates expect, this kind of effort every game. If he plays like that and we feed off of him we should be all right.”

Ash also credited teammates Brenden Williamson and Andre Cobbs.

“They really did a great job taking care of the ball. We only had 10 turnovers, which is better than what we have been doing. I was very proud of the way we played,” Ash said.

Williamson led in scoring for the Rams with 23 points, 3 rebounds, 4 steals and 2 assists. He was followed by Fox with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists. Cobbs had 9 points, 3 rebounds, 4 steals and 6 assists.



Turnovers costly for Lady Rams

A scoreless first quarter eventually led South Haven's girls basketball team to a 58-29 loss, Tuesday, to Three Rivers in a Wolverine Conference matchup.

“The Wildcats jumped out early to an 11-0 run before we were able to put any points on the board,” Rams Coach Joey Holland said. “From the beginning we struggled with turnovers and Three Rivers capitalized on every one, ending the first quarter 28-6.”

The Rams regrouped in the second half, but still struggled on offense, while Three Rivers continued to get the ball to fall through the hoop.

“We played soft,” Holland said. “We looked scared, acted scared and played scared. You can't expect to compete when you have 19 turnovers in the first half, and we hadn't made that many in the last three games."

Holland noted, however, that South Haven did better in the fourth quarter.

“In the fourth quarter the Rams seemed to settle down and start playing solid defense, limiting the easy shots and managing to work some offensive sets.”

Even though the season has just started, the Rams have been plagued by injuries. But, Holland is hopeful that will soon come to an end.

“The bright side was we did get back two of our four girls who are out with injuries,” he said. “I was happy with what we saw from Maddie Sardina and Jordyn Holland. Although we were limited with their minutes, they both showed they are ready to get back in and produce."

Connie Phillips and Grace Lyons led South Haven's offense with 8 points, each. They were followed by Sardina and Holland, who each scored 4 points.

Friday, the Rams faced Otsego, a strong Wolverine Conference contender, and lost 56-17 to put their record at 2-3.



Bangor hosts wrestling invitational

Goes on to win 2 SW10 victories later in the week

Bangor's young wrestling squad won one of three matches at the Vikings annual invitational, Saturday, Dec. 9.

Four teams took part in the tournament – Bangor, Berrien Springs, Portage Central and Eau Claire.

The Vikings narrowly lost to the Shamrocks, 36-30, with Aurelio Melgarejo, Roland Munoz, Marco Ruiz and Ke Arius all winning their matches for Bangor.

Against Portage, only two Bangor wrestlers won their weight classes – Ruiz and Arius – to give Portage a 34-12 victory.

Bangor's sole team victory came against the Beavers, 34-12, with Melgarejo, Alfredo Betancourt, Ruiz, Getsemani and Arius all winning their weight classes.

Invitational results follow:

Bangor 30

Berrien Springs 36

103 - Aurelio Melgarejo, B, won by forfeit; 112 - Ian Cleveland, BS, won by forfeit; 119 - Jordan Phillips, BS, won By forfeit; 130 - Roland Munoz, B, won by forfeit; 152 Nate B., BS, won by forfeit; 160 - Nate  A., BS, p. Alfredo Betancourt; 171 - Scott , BS, won by forfeit; 189 Marco Ruiz, B, p. Cameron D. 215 - Rayn G., p. Getsemani Vargas; 285 -Ke' Arius, B, won by forfeit

Bangor 12

Portage Central 34

103 - Eric  F., PC, p. Aurelio Melgarejo; 112 - Mason C., PC, won by forfeit; 119 - Joey K., won by forfeit; 125 - Zach P, PC, won by forfeit; 130 - Diego C., PC, p. Jose Marin; 135 - Gregory R., PC, won by forfeit; 140 - Joey Q., PC, won by forfeit; 160 - Zach F., PC, won by forfeit; 215 - Marco Ruiz, B, won by forfeit; 285 -Ke' Arius, B, p. Llame D.

Bangor 34

Eau Claire 12

103 - Aurelio Melgarejo, B, won by forfeit; 125 – Lake T., EC, won by forfeit; 130 - David M, EC, d. Jose Marin, 18-9; 145 - Gavin D., EC, won by forfeit; 160 - Alfredo Betancourt, B, won by forfeit; 189 - Marco Ruiz , B, technical fall Micah H.; 215; Getsemani, B, won by forfeit; 285 - Ke' Arius, B, won by forfeit 

Bangor's wrestling team picked up two Southwest 10 victories, Wednesday, against Eau Claire and Hartford.

Results from the meet follow:

Bangor 60

Eau Claire 6

119 - Jonathon Nieva, B, won by forfeit; 125 - Rolando Munoz, B, won by forfeit; 130 - Jose Marin, B, won by forfeit; 135 - Jose Gallegos, B, won by forfeit; 140 - Cameron Ulam, B, won by forfeit; 145 Gavin Davis, EC, won by forfeit; 160 - Josh Zordan, B, won by forfeit; 171 - Alfredo Bentancourt, B, won by forfeit; 189 - Marco Ruiz, B, p.Micah Harris, 1:35; 215 - Adbeil Ventura, B, won by forfeit; 285 - Ke' Arius, B, won by forfeit

Bangor 48

Hartford 12

119 - Jonathon Nieva, B, won by forfeit; 125 - Rolando Munoz, B, won by forfeit; 130 - Daniel Ruiz, B, won by forfeit; 135 - Cameron Ulam, B, won by forfeit; 140 - Jose Gallegos, B, won by forfeit; 160 - Alfredo Bentancour, B, p. Ruxlur Kamonlasath, 1:42;  171 - Josh Zordan, B, won by forfeit; 189 - Marco Ruiz, B, p. James Terry, 2:30; 215 - Ubeth Morales, H, p. Ivan Mejia, 3:15; 285 Nick Sandoval, H, p. Ke' Arius, 1:10





12.10.18

Rams win first two games of season before loss to Sturgis

South Haven girls basketball team had a busy opening season week, playing three games in four days.

The Rams won their first two non-league contests against Bridgman and Bangor before losing Friday to Wolverine Conference opponent Sturgis by just four points, 37-33.

According to Rams coach Joey Holland, both teams were evenly matched in scoring throughout the first half. The first quarter ended with South Haven and Sturgis tied 5-5.

“Not much changed in the second quarter as both teams kept it close matching point for point until just before the half ended.”

It was then that Grace Lyons hit a trey to put the Rams up 17-16.

“We struggled offensively in the first half which was a bit frustrating, but we were doing a good job of getting the ball to the post players and getting open looks at the basket,” Holland said. “They just weren’t falling down for us and we really struggled with our free-throw shooting.”

But Holland commended his team for its defensive efforts.

“I was very happy with how well the girls were playing defense and only committing four fouls the entire first half.”

In the second half the Trojans came out very aggressive offensively, outscoring South Haven, 11-2.

But, in the fourth quarter the Rams' offense got it together outscoring Sturgis 14-10, but it wasn't enough to win the game.

“This was a tough loss for us tonight because the girls really wanted to open up the conference with a win,” Holland said. “However I’m not disappointed with our game tonight. Our girls are fighting and playing really tough. Right now we’re missing four of our players do to injury, so right now we have a few girls playing out of position and having to step up into other roles they’re not used to playing, and at times it’s causing a little confusion on the floor. I’m very proud of them for that. This is something that the girls understand and they are stepping up and excepting the challenges. I truly believe this is only going to make us a better team once we get everyone healthy.”

Connie Phillips led the Rams on offense with 10 points. Alexis Smith contributed 9, while Grace Lyons scored 8 points.

Leading scorer for Sturgis was Sage Groves with 15 points.

PHOTO: Bangor's Marlen Barajas (24) tries to maneuver around Bernadette Brown of South Haven during Wednesday's non-league contest. (Photo by Tom Renner)

South Haven 57

Bangor 30

South Haven's non-conference game against Bangor, Wednesday, turned out to be a battle on the boards, so to speak.

The Rams easily won the contest, 57-30 to capture their second victory of the season after defeating Bridgman, 42-29.

“Youth and inexperience played a factor in the contest, but ultimately rebounding was the name of the game with Bangor losing the battle on the boards,” said Vikings Coach Chris Fenner.

The game remained close at 11-8 at the end of the first quarter, but South Haven took over in the second stanza to up the score to 36-16 going into the locker room to end the first half.

“The girls really came out aggressive in the second quarter,” South Haven Coach Joey Holland said. “We were able to get a couple 10 -econd violations with our press and forced several early timeouts from Bangor. I was really proud of how they moved the ball around and fed the ball to our post players to get them involved early. We have a lot of size on this team and it showed on the boards tonight.”

In the second half the lady Rams continued to play aggressive and were able to cruise to the 57-30 victory.

“We just played really great team basketball tonight and I’m really proud of how they played together,” Holland said. “This team has a lot of talent and they all continue to encourage each other and keep each other positive on the court. It’s easy when you’re up on a team and start to get a little lazy, but we didn’t do that tonight and it was nice to see.”

Connie Phillips led the Rams with 17 points, 10 rebounds, 6 steals and 5 assists. Also contributing were Yazmine Hall with 14 points, 14 rebounds, and 2 assists; Grace Lyons with 12 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds and Alexus Smith with 6 points, 11 rebounds and 2 assists.

Bangor was led by Keyona McGee with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Sophomore Amara Littlefield chipped in with 5 points.

South Haven 42

Bridgman 29

South Haven opened the season Tuesday with a convincing 42-29 victory over Bridgman in a non-league contest.

“I was very pleased with many parts of the game, though at times it did get sloppy I was very proud of how the girls kept their composure,” Holland said. “It was obvious a few girls had some first game jitters but regardless of the turnovers the girls kept encouraging each other and staying positive throughout the game.”

The Rams led the Bees 9-5 at the end of the first quarter and extended their lead to 17-10 at halftime. They then continued to dominate in the final half, outscoring Bridgman 25-19.

Alexus Smith led all scorers in the game with 14 points and adding 18 rebounds. While Grace Lyons followed up with 9 points, 4 assists and 4 steals. Alexis Jeffries and Yazmine Hall also chipped in 5 points apiece. Connie Phillips also made an impact with 18 rebounds.



SH grapplers earn win over Fennville

South Haven's wrestling team opened the season, Thursday, with a non-league victory over Fennville, 42-33.

The Rams dominated in the lighter weight classes, with Ray Woodall, Trent Till, Nathan Wyant, Junior Garcia and Trevor Winkel all winning their matches. But the Blackhawks dominated in the heavier weight categories, making for a close match.

Results follow:

103 – Trevor Price, SH, win by void; 119 Ray Woodall, SH, p. Mario Fernandez; 125 – Trent Till, SH, p. Mathew Gooding; 130 – Nathan Wyant, SH, p. Bryan Garcia; 135 – Junior Garcia, SH, p. Cody Obbink; 140 – Trevor Winkel, SH, p. Christian Mendoza; 145 – Steven Mendoza, F, p. Dryden Stainbrook; 152 – Tyger Rastall, F, win by void; 150 – Logan Till, F, p. Travis Jordan; 171 – Mauricio Bedolla, F, p. Brandon Fareed; 189 – Malachi Shultz, SH, p. Alex Wyman; 215 – Nick Fries, F, d. Jackson Calvert; Hwt. - Eric Hernandez, F, p. Preston Calvert.

Bangor suffers opening season loss to Cassopolis

Bangor hit the court running for its season opener, Tuesday, but their opponent, Cassopolis hustled a little faster defeating the Vikings, 79-66.

“Cassopolis came out early on us,” said Bangor coach Dwayne Johnson. “Cass hurt us with run-outs and capitalized on turnovers.”

Cassopolis led 19-16 at the end of the first quarter and stretched their lead to 43-31 by the end of the half.

The score was evened out during the second half with Cassopolis outscoring Bangor by a mere point, 36-35, but the damage was done in the first half for the Vikings.

However, Johnson did credit the team for not giving up.

“We were able to battle back after getting down by as much as 20 points twice in the game.”

Marshall Weber led the Vikings on offense with 24 points.

Cass was led by Tyrese Hunt-Thompson with 36 points.

Viking wrestlers suffer two losses

Bangor opened the wrestling season, Wednesday, by traveling to Kalamazoo Central for a quad meet where they competed against cross-town rival Bloomingdale and Comstock. The Cardinals and Colts both won.

Results follow:

Bangor 18

Bloomingdale 43

103 - Aurelio Melgarejo, B, won by forfeit; 112 - double void; 119 – Matt Streeter, Bdale, won by forfeit; 125 - David Garcia, Bdale, d. Rolando Munoz, 20-18; 130 - Julian Reyes, Bdale, p. Jose Marin; 135 - Tony Westentoff, Bdale, p. Jose Gallegos; 140 - Chris Streeter, Bdale, won by forfeit; 145 - double void; 152 - double void; 160 - Josh Zordan, B, p. Devon Gibson; 171 - Gabe Perez, Bdale, p. Alfredo Betancourt; 189 - Marco Ruiz, B, p. Andy Sustaita;

215 - Noah Perez, Bdale, d. Getsemani Vargas, 18-6; 285 Brian Jackson, Bdale, p. Ke' Arius.

Bangor 12

Comstock 56

112 - Jacob Ronney, C, p. Aurelio Melgarejo; 119 - Alex Vercruse, C, won by forfeit; 125 Teague Roellche, C, won by forfeit; 130- Markey Boland, C, Jose Marin, 17-9; 135 - Arron Alvarado, C, p.Jose Gallegos; 145 - Zach Perkins, C, won by forfeit; 152 - Jesse VanAvery, C, won by forfeit; 160 - Brandon Bavin,C, Josh Zordan, 6-2; 171 - Cam Gilley, C, p. Alfredo Betancourt; 215 - Jack Kendall, C, p. Aiden Ball; 285 Ke'Arius, B, p. Noah Jackson

12.3.18

Rams squeeze by Trojans after loss to Lancers

By ADAM CRIDER
HP Sports Writer

And BECKY KARK
Editor &
general manager

Teamwork.
That's what South Haven Coach Larry Ash attributed to the Rams' Wolverine Conference victory over Plainwell, Friday, 56-55. The win came on the heels of South Haven's disappointing season-opening 60-31 loss to Lakeshore, Tuesday.
“Our theme this year is 'Make a difference,'” Ash said. “You look in the mirror and challenge yourself to do the best you can for your team. We didn't do that on Tuesday.”
The key to Friday's victory came down to shutting down the Trojans' point guard, and it required teamwork.
“They have a good point guard. We double teamed him and it frustrated him,” Ash said. “I switched three guys on him, Jaylin Fox, Andre Cobbs and Brenden Williamson, and it wore him down, kept him frustrated.”
Ash also complimented Anthony White and Kial Ferguson who were tough on the boards grabbing the rebounds.
Fox led the Rams in scoring with 24 points. Williamson followed with 17 and Cobbs with 12.
The game was a back-and-forth battle into the fourth quarter. The Rams had a chance to up the score past a point but missed five of six free throws in the last two minutes of play.
Ash said he told his team that games are often won at the free-throw line, but was pleased, overall, with how the Rams played.
“It was a real good game,” he said.


Lakeshore 60
South Haven 31
Once the Lakeshore offense kicked in, there was no stopping its barrage of scoring. The Lancers bombarded host South Haven on Tuesday with a massive third quarter, leading to a 60-31 season-opening victory. “We started to execute our offense better and we started to get the ball where it was supposed to go,” Lakeshore coach Sean Schroeder said. “That was one of the better halves we’ve played in a few years. It was fun to watch.”
South Haven (0-1) opened with a 21-20 halftime lead, and scored quickly on its first possession. Lakeshore (1-0) responded likewise and both teams traded quick baskets.
But it was sophomore guard JJ Bushu that halted the Rams’ forward momentum as he picked the ball away and passed it to senior Micah Seats for a basket.
From there it was all Lancer basketball.
Austin Kiser followed up with a 3-pointer and Bushu had another steal thrown down to big man Dylan Clem, who made a basket to put Lakeshore up 31-25. Seats had his own steal and scored two quick baskets to push ahead.
Bushu made back-to-back buckets with assists from Sing, capping off an impressive 15-0 run to eventually outscore South Haven 25-6 in the third quarter.
“Our execution on offense, it became some much better,” Schroeder said. “(That third quarter was the best we’ve played in a couple of years. Offensively we were atrocious in the first half, we missed some free throws and some bunnies. When we can execute on offense we can be pretty good.”
Bushu led with a game-high 15 points. Seats added 12 and Kiser had nine.
Until the third quarter, South Haven stayed with the Lancers. The Rams trailed 11-10 by the end of the first quarter and then took the lead before halftime. But condition and lack of discipline made for a brutal second half.
“We played the way we practiced,” South Haven coach Larry Ash said. “Lakeshore played the same defense we played, the difference was they were talking with each other. They played with confidence and we looked like we were fighting against our own teammates.
“We had some lucky shots, and that isn’t the kind of shot we practice. We can’t play like this or we are going to be in trouble. Practice is going to be a little bit more intense than normal.”
Brenden Williamson led with a team-high nine points. Andre Cobbs had eight and Markyse Merritt added five.

LAKESHORE 60
SOUTH HAVEN 31
LAKESHORE
Micah Seats 6 0-0 12; Dylan Sing 3 0-0 7; Mason Gardiner 0 2-2 2; Austin Kiser 3 1-4 9; JJ Bushu 7 1-2 15; Ben Brower 1 0-1 2; Ja’Kobe Young 0 4-6 4; Dylan Clem 3 1-2 7. Totals: 23 11-19 60.
SOUTH HAVEN
Andre Cobbs 3 0-0 8; Chandler Carey 1 0-0 2; Markyse Meritt 2 0-0 5; Brenden Williamson 4 0-0 9; Jaylin Fox 3 0-0 7. Totals: 13 0-0 31.
LS 11 9 25 15 —60 SH 10 11 6 4 —31
3-point goals — Lakeshore 4 (Gardiner 3, Sing), South Haven 5 (Cobbs 2, Merritt, Williamson, Fox). Rebounds — Lakeshore 18 (Sing 4, Seats 3, Clem 3), South Haven 13 (Williamson 3, Fox 3). Steals — Lakeshore 7, South Haven 6. Assists — Lakeshore 5 (Seats 3), South Haven 1.

PHOTO: South Haven's Brenden Williamson goes up for a layup during Tuesday game against Lakeshore. (Photo by Tom Renner)

11.26.18

SH swimmers break school records at state meet

Ellie Frost named state champ in 50 freestyle race

By HP STAFF

Ellie Frost went from last year’s state runner-up to this year’s state champion in the Division 3 girls swimming finals at the Holland Aquatics Center.

The South Haven sophomore won the 50-yard freestyle title with a time of 23.43, defeating last season’s champion Rhianna Hensler of Notre Dame Prep, who finished with a time of 23.68.

She not only won the state freestyle title this year, her time of 23.43 broke Frost's previous school record from 2017.

“Last year it was really exciting because I didn’t expect to get second,” Frost said. “This year, I really wanted to get the championship.”

Frost has been focused since before the start of the season, and has spent each day at practice trying to shave a little bit of time off.

“I’ve been working on getting off the block, make the turn quick and smoothing out my stroke to make it less stressed out.

“I try to have the right mentality before each race. I get really serious where I don’t talk to people. I try to stay focus on the end result.”

Five South Haven swimmers qualified to compete in the Division 3 state meet in a variety of events and ended up breaking school records and personal records.

“It was a privilege for all 5 to make it to this point,” Rams Coach Amy Crews said. “As a team South Haven ended up finishing 13th out of 50 teams.”

Frost not only competed in the 50 freestyle, she also swam the 100 freestyle and was a member of the Rams' 200 relay team and 200 medley relay team.

She took third in the 100 freestyle with a time of 51.54 and broke the school record she had set in 2017. The 200 relay team of Frost, Liv Ritenburgh, Elise Postma and Caroline Meyer swam to a 13th-place finish while the medley relay team of Sierra Garber, Postma, Frost and Meyer placed 15th with a time of 1:53.66 and broke a 21-year-old school record.

In the individual events, Meyer broke another school record when she placed 11th in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:08.44, shattering the record that had been on the books for 17 years. Meyer also competed in the 50 freestyle and came in 12th place with a PR time of 24.81. The third South Haven swimmer to compete individually was Postma. She swam the 100-yard breaststroke race and finished 21st with a PR time of 1:10.91.

PHOTO: South Haven Coach Amy Crews shakes Ellie Frost's hand after the swimmer swam to a first-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle race at the Division 3 state finals in Holland.  Frost's time of  23.43 broke the school record she had set in 2017.

11.5.18

Bangor's Martinez wins all-state at MHSAA Division 3 state finals

Alvaro Martinez of Bangor captured all-state honors in the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 3 state meet, Saturday, at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, while Marnie Frost of South Haven earned All-State Academic honors in Division 2.

Martinez finished 18^th with a time of 16:52.5, placing among the top 30 runners named all-state.

Martinez, along with the rest of the Vikings boys cross team qualified for the state meet after coming in third place at the regional meet in Centreville. Both of Bloomingdale's girls and boys cross-country teams also qualified for the state meet, with the girls finishing first and the boys, second.

At the state meet, the Cardinals girls came in 17^th place, while the boys finished in 16^th. Bangor followed in 24^th place.

Frost competed in the Division 2 state meet. She finished in 21:35.6 and was awarded Academic All-State.

“The course was quite muddy from rain earlier in the week which made for some interesting racing,” Rams Coach Lindsay Haqq said. “She ran a smart race and finished strong. She also had a lot of family and team support that ran all over the course cheering her on.

Frost is a senior at South Haven. She qualified for the state meet her freshman, junior and now her senior year.

Individual results from the state meet follow:

Bloomingdale: 60. Joe Furlan, 17:35.2; 69. Carlos Garcia, 17:52.8; 80. David Garcia, 18:01.4; 93. Tyler Starbuck, 18:11.6; 108, Cody Gallimore, 18:28.0

Bangor: 18. Alvaro Martinez, 16:52.5; 71. Carter Finch, 17:53.3; 125 Zach Trainor, 18:40.6; 152, Aurelio Melgarejo, 19:11.9; 161. Jose Gallegos, 19:33.4.

South Haven: 175. Marnie Frost, 21:35.6.



PHOTO: Alvaro Martinez of Bangor (top) is shown running at a cross-country invitational earlier this season. (Herald-Palladium photo by Don Campbell). In the photo to the right, Marnie Frost is shown competing in the Division 2 state meet. (Photo courtesy of RunMichigan.com)

Bloomingdale, Bangor cross teams qualify for D3 state meet; Cardinals girls win regional

Three area cross-country teams earned a trip to the Division 3 state finals Saturday after qualifying to do so at the regional level.

Both of Bloomingdale's boys and girls teams and Bangor's boys team headed to Brooklyn for Saturday's competition where they competed against runners from 95 schools.

The three teams got to the state meet by finishing in first, second and third-place at the regional contest, Saturday, Oct. 27 in Centreville.

The Lady Cardinals won the girls race, the boys settled for second, and the Vikings came in third.

“The girls made history becoming the first team in school history to win a regional championship,” Bloomingdale Coach Alan Bobalik said. “Nelly Gonzalez and Aimee Sustaita finished in the top 10 and made the all-region team.” For the boys, Joe Furlan, Carlos Garcia, David Garcia and Tyler Starbuck, all finished in the top 15, to receive all-region honors.

The Cardinals boys team came very close to winning the race, but was edged out by a mere two points by Berrien Springs.

Making the all-region team for Bangor were Alvaro Martinez, Zach Trainor and Brisa Sanchez-Valdez. Martinez, finished second in the regional race, while Trainor and Valdez both came in 13^th place.

Division 3 Boys

Team scores — 1. Berrien Springs 53, 2. Bloomingdale 55, 3. Bangor 98, 4. Parchment 108, 5. Watervliet 109, 6. Coloma 165, 7. Constantine 236, 8. Centreville 247, 9. Galesburg-Augusta 253, 10. Schoolcraft 254, 11. Brandywine 281, 12. Hartford 284, 13. Comstock 357. No team score: Buchanan, Lawton.

Individual scores

Bloomingdale — 5. Joe Furlan 17:33.27, 8. Carlos Garcia 17:36.84, 12. David Garcia 17:45.85, 15. Tyler Starbuck 17:57.99, 20. Cody Gallimore 18:31.17.

Bangor — 2. Alvaro Martinez 16:47.08, 13. Zach Trainer 17:47.68, 16. Carter Finch 18:04.58, 36. Aurelio Malgarejo 19:18.75, 37. Jose Gallegos 19:20.77.

Division 3 Girls

Team scores — 1. Bloomingdale 71, 2. Hartford 86, 3. Galesburg-Augusta 112, 4. Berrien Springs 147, 5. Schoolcraft 148, 6. Bangor 170, 7. Coloma 183, 8. Centreville 184, 9. Lawton 218, 10. Constantine 222, 11. Parchment 230, 12. Buchanan 285, 13. Watervliet 310, 14. Brandywine 356. No team score: Comstock.

Individual scores

Bloomingdale — 4. Nelly Gonzalez 20:25.42, 7. Aimee Sustaita 21:08.18, 17. Kallie Harrison 22:15.05, 22:23.26, 19. Liza Hutchins 24. Olaisa Moss 22:45.65.

Bangor — 13. Brisa Sanchez-Valdez 21:43.84, 22. Laisha Ramirez 22:31.65, 27. Emily Hernandez 22:58.45, 41. Logan Alone 23:46.03, 67. Marlen Barajas 26:15.06.

South Haven's Marnie Frost qualifies for D2 state meet

South Haven's Marnie Frost qualified for the Division 2 state meet after running to a 14th-place finish at the regional meet, Oct. 27, in Centreville.

Frost ran a season-best time of 20:32 and earned all-regional honors, as well.

She was followed by Katie Schooley, running a season-best time of 20:38; Holli Dannenberg, Cate Frost running a season-best time of 21:33, Hayden Rooker, Summer Corke, and Ana Gonzalez.

“The girls ran with their hearts putting everything they had into the race. Marnie Frost and Cate Frost, our senior captains have run on our South Haven cross country teams since 6th grade,” South Haven Coach Lindsay Haqq said.

The Lady Rams finished fifth, overall, at the regional meet, while the boys came in eighth place.

Leading the Rams was Carson Rooker with a time of 18:01 he was followed by Vance Locker, Maddox Uckele running a PR of 18:31, Chandler Carey running a PR of 18:33, Brian Thompson and Joe Nelson.



10.29.18

Covert's soccer team competes against Hartford in the Division 4 District finals at Saugatuck, Oct. 20. Hartford ended up winning the contest 5-1. Covert entered the finals with no losses throughout the regular season. The Bulldogs made it to the district finals after defeating the host team 4-0 in the opener and Bangor, 2-0, in the semi-final. Covert ended its season with a 13-1-1 record. (Photo by Becky Kark)

10.8.18

South Haven kickers tie Lawton

As a team, South Haven's soccer team performed a hat trick – they tied three games with Vicksburg, Three Rivers and Lawton. The Rams faced Three Rivers on Monday in a Wolverine Conference match with the score ending up at 2-2. They then traveled to Vicksburg, Wednesday, to compete in another conference match that ended in a 1-1 tie. Friday, the Rams competed at home against Lawton in a non-conference match, and settled for a 2-2 finish. Freshman Eric Gonzalez kicked in the first goal for South Haven in the Lawton match, while senior Chase Webb kicked in the second goal. The Rams were poised to win the game on a kick late in the game by Rogoberto Perez, however the goal was disallowed due to goalkeeper interference. (Photo by Tom Renner)



Rams rack up point but fall short to Vicksburg

South Haven scored the most points in a single game this season when it faced Vicksburg, Friday, on the gridiron, but the Bulldogs Caleb Welch, stole the show, scoring eight touchdowns to lead his team to a 70-28 win over the Rams.

Welch racked up 353 yards on 25 carries to become one of only three high school football players in Michigan to make it to the end zone that many times on the ground, according to the Kalamazoo Gazette.

Welch's first three touchdowns came within five minutes after the game started.

The Rams though, weren't giving in. With starting quarterback Charles Soristo returning to the helm after suffering an arm injury that put him at the sidelines for several weeks, South Haven reached the endzone when Brendon Petty caught a 58-yard play action pass with 5:58 remaining in the first quarter. Jaylin Fox ran in the conversion to put the score at 21-8. The Rams' other touchdowns throughout the game came from Fox, Brenden Williamson and Soristo.

The Rams racked up some yardage Friday, after suffering negative digits in last week's game against powerhouse Three Rivers.

Soristo passed for 341 yards on 22 of 36 completed passes. Williamson caught 8 passes for 136 yards. He was followed by Petty who caught five catches for 96 yards and Fox, who caught 8 passes for 86 yards.

White Pigeon 64

Bloomingdale 6

The Cardinals continued to struggle, Friday, in Southwest 10 conference play, suffering a loss to White Pigeon, 64-6.

Joel Butler scored the lone touchdown for Bloomingdale, and racked up 85 yards on two kick returns.

Bloomingdale quarterback Caleb Hosier completed 5 of 8 passing attempts for 49 yards, while Joe Estkowski ran 63 yards in 8 carries.

On defense, Hosier led with 10 tackles, followed by Tony Westerhoff with 8, Eric Hayes with 7 and Devin Gibson with 6.



Cardinals dominate SW10 jamboree

Bloomingdale's boys and girls cross-country teams captured another Southwest 10 jamboree victory, Wednesday, at Marcellus, while Bangor's boys and girls cross teams settled for second and fifth, respectively.

Viking Alvaro Martinez won the boys meet with a time of 17:43, while the Cardinals' Kallie Harrison placed first for the girls, with a time of 21:25.99.

More meet results follow:

Team scores

Boys: 1. Bloomingdale, 25; 2. Bangor, 44; 3. Marcellus, 90; 4. Mendon, 113; 5. Centreville, 121; 6. Hartford, 137; 7. White Pigeon, 184; 8. Cassopolis Ross Beatty, 193.

Girls: 1. Bloomingdale, 33; 2. Hartford, 56; 3. Marcellus, 80; 4. Centreville, 97; 5. Bangor, 114; 6. Mendon, 171; 7. White Pigeon, 181; 8. Cassopolis Ross Beatty, 189.

Individual results

Boys (top 25)

Bangor: 1. Alvaro Martinez, 17:43; 6. Carter Finch, 19:35.92; 10. Zach Trainor, 20:18.95; 13. Aurelio Melgarejo, 20:36.33; 14. Jose Gallegos, 20:39.61; 20. Rolando Munoz, 21:42.32

Bloomingdale: 2. Joe Furlan, 18:30.51; 3. Tyler Starbuck, 18:57.68; 5. Carlos Garcia, 19:29.30; 7. David Garcia, 20:02.71; 15. Tim Douglas, 20:53.26

Girls (top 25)

Bloomingdale: 1. Kallie Harrison, 21:25.99; 2. Nelly Gonzalez, 21:29.96; 4. Aimee Sustaita, 21:58.57; 10. Liza Hutchins, 23:38.23; 18. Olaisa Moss, 24:40.91; 19. Marta Douglas, 24:57.93

Bangor: 12. Brisa Sanchez-Valdez, 24:13.16; 21. Emily Hernandez, 25:24.97; 23. Laisha Ramirez, 25:36.87

SH runners pick up steam against Vicksburg

Teamwork propelled South Haven's cross-country teams to a Wolverine Conference victory over Vicksburg, Tuesday, at Warner Camp.

The boys finished 23-32, while the girls earned a 25-30 victory.

The Rams' Joe Nelson led his team with a first-place finish, while Holli Dannenberg paced the South Haven girls with a second-place run.

South Haven Coach Lindsay Haqq was pleased with both teams' efforts.

Regarding the boys team, she said, “They continue to push each other each tough training day in practice and in races as the times continue to steadily drop. I am very proud of this team and the amount of heart and fight within this group of young men.”

She had equal praise for the girls team. “Overall, times keep dropping as they continue to put in hard work and efforts in practice each day. We are now edging closer to championship season and I am very excited for what is to come from this outstanding team of strong young women.”

Results for South Haven follow:

Girls: 2. Holli Dannenberg, 20:35 (season best); 3. Katie Schooley, 20:41 (season best); 5. Marnie Frost, 21:09; 7. Hayden Rooker, 22:14 (season best); 8. Cate Frost, 22:27 (season best); 12. Hayley Rose, 24:22; 14. Ana Gonzalez, 24:35; 15. Kalin Hartmann, 25:17; 16. Jordan Taylor, 25:30; 17. Karlie Woodall, 26:05 (season best) 21. Marlyn Garcia, 41:26 (season best).

Boys: 1. Joe Nelson, 17:49 (PR); 2. Carson Rooker, 17:50 (PR); 3. Vance Locker, 17:53 (PR); 7. Brian Thompson, 18:27 (season best); 10. David Gonzalez, 19:03 (PR); 11. Maddox Uckele, 19:36 (season best); 14. Carsten Ansinn, 20:12 (PR); 22. Nathan Wyant, 22:40; 26. Osvaldo Ruiz, 22:57; 28. Jacob Florey, 27:11; 29. Phillip Kerber, 28:59.







9.24.18

Covert Bulldogs kick their way to victories

Covert may be a small school, but it's soccer team is taking a mighty bite out of its competition this year. The Bulldogs captured their 10^th victory of the season Thursday with a 2-0 win over Howardsville. The victory came on the heels of a 7-2 win over Lawrence, Tuesday, and a first-place finish at the Bloomingdale Cup invitational, Sept. 8.

“We're doing pretty decent this year,” Covert Coach Carlos Aguayo said.

The two latest victories pushes the Bulldogs' record to 10-0-1, which is shaping up to be an improvement over last year's 12-5-1 finish.

Aguayo, now in his second year of coaching Covert's soccer team, attributes the improvement to several factors.

“We didn't lose a lot of players from last year,” he said. “We have our main players back, so it's another year of growth. They're getting used to each other and getting to understand my system.”

In the Howardsville game, cousins Jesse Hernandez and Hector Hernandez both scored goals. Hector, who is just a freshman, is leading the Bulldogs in goals scored so far this season with 17.

At the tournament on Sept. 8, the Bulldogs defeated Michigan Lutheran, 2-0, and Bangor, 1-0 before advancing to the finals where they won 3-2 over the host Cardinals.

In the Michigan Lutheran game, Ivan Vargas and Jesse Hernandez each scored for Covert. In the Bangor contest, Hector Hernandez scored, while during the final match, Vargas, Jesse Hernandez and Antonio Bautista, each earned a goal.

Earlier this month, Covert defeated South Haven, 1-0, thanks to a goal by Jesse Hernandez off of an assist from Lazaro Gallegos. The Bulldogs also notched a win over New Buffalo, 6-1. Hector Hernandez and Jesse Hernandez each scored two points, while Ivan Vargas and Christian Vargas contributed one, each.

Cardinals boys, girls win SW10 cross jamboree

Bangor boys settle for second

BLOOMINGDALE — Bloomingdale and Bangor boys cross teams were running neck and neck in Wednesday's Southwest 10 jamboree, but by the time they crossed the finish line, the Cardinals eked out a victory, winning by one point.

Bloomingdale scored 40 points, while the Vikings settled for second with 41 points. Mendon finished third with 102.

Bangor's Alvaro Martinez outdistanced the pack to win the race in 16:52.49. Bloomingdale's Joe Furlan and Carlos Garcia came in second and third. Other top 10 runners were Carter Finch of Bangor, who finished fifth; Bloomingdale's Tyler Starbuck, who came in sixth and Zach Trainor of Bangor, who placed ninth.

In the girls race, Bloomingdale also won with 31 points. Hartford came in second and Bangor, third.

Three Cardinals runners were among the top 10 finishers. Nelly Gonzalez won the race in 20:30.48 and was followed behind closely by teammate Kallie Harrison, who came in second with a time of 20:33.90. Aimee Sustaita rounded out the Cardinals' top 10 runners by placing fourth with a time of 20:38.53. The Vikings' top runner was Brisa Sanchez-Valdez, who ran to a 10th place finish in 22:26.35.

Boys team results

1. Bloomingdale, 40; 2. Bangor, 41; 3. Mendon, 102; 4. Centreville, 128; 5. Marcellus, 136; 6. Cassopolis Ross Beatty, 157; 7. Hartford, 165; 8. Eau Claire, 177; 9. White Pigeon, 193

Boys top 25 individual results

Bangor: 1. Alvaro Martinez, 16.52:49; 5. Carter Finch, 18:22.76; 9. Zach Trainor, 18:49.19; 12. Aurelio Melgarejo, 19:15.22; 14. Jose Gallegos, 19:18.29.

Bloomingdale: 2. Joe Furlan, 17:16.87; 3. Carlos Garcia, 17:56.02; 6. Tyler Starbuck, 18:33.79; 13. David Garcia, 19:18.06; 16. Tim Douglas, 19:34.93; 17. Cody Gallimore, 19:38.95; 19. Ron Umbenhour, 19:50.76; 25. Matt Streeter, 20:41.70.

Girls team results

1. Bloomingdale, 31; 2. Hartford, 64; 3. Bangor, 90; 4. Marcellus, 9; 5. Centreville, 100; 6. Mendon, 149; 7. White Pigeon, 190; 8. Cassopolis Ross Beatty, 194

Girls top 25 individual results

Bangor: 10. Brisa Sanchez-Valdez, 22:26.35; 13. Laisha Ramirez, 22:57.01; 16. Emily Hernandez, 23:17.70; 24. Logan Slone, 24:40.87

Bloomingdale: 1. Nelly Gonzalez, 20:30.48; 2. Kallie Harrison, 20:33.90; 4. Aimee Sustaita, 20:38.53; 12. Liza Hutchins, 22:47.72; 14. Olaisa Moss, 23:01.07; 15. Marta Douglas, 23:10.29.

Lady Rams defeat Sturgis in conference meet

South Haven's swim team swam easily past Sturgis this past week, winning the conference meet, 125-61.

The Rams won 10 of the 12 events at Tuesday's home meet, including the 200-yard medley relay, 200-yard freestyle, 200-yard IM, 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle, 500-yard freestyle, 200-yard freestyle relay, 100-yard backstroke, 100-yard breaststroke and the 400-yard freestyle relay.

Thursday, South Haven hosted St. Joseph, and lost a close contest, 102-84. The Rams won seven events – the 200-yard medley relay, 200-yard IM, 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard butterfly, 100-yard freestyle, 200-yard freestyle relay and 100-yard breaststroke.

Results for South Haven for both meets follow:

South Haven 125

Sturgis 61

200-yard medley relay: 1. South Haven (Paeton Hayes, Elise Postma, Ellie Frost, Caroline Meyer) 2:03.67; 2. South Haven (Sierra Garber, Kaia Hayes, Leah Bennett, Noemi Gonzalez) 2:18.34; 4. South Haven (Emily Stinson, Eve Wildey, Raea Braun, Blanca Gonzalez) 2:47.64

200-yard freestyle: 1. Caroline Meyer, 2:14.20; 2. Paeton Hayes, 2:26.58; 4. Jade Hasson, 2:38.97.

200-yard IM: 1. Liv Ritenburgh, 2:48.47; 2. Kylie Shelton, 2:54.68; 3. Emily Stinson, 3:01.50.

50-yard freestyle: 1. Ellie Frost, 24.74 (D1 state qualifying time); 3. Kaia Hayes, 29:085. Noemi Gonzalez, 36.20.

One-meter diving: 4. Elise Postma, 94.50; 5. Raea Braun, 87.20.

100-yard butterfly: 22. Kaia Hayes, 1:15.54; 4. Sophie Lee, 1:34.99; 5. Aurora Hoiser, 1:37.17.

100-yard freestyle: 1. Ellie Frost, 55.35 (D2 state qualifying time); 2. Sierra Garber, 1:04.26; 3. Leah Bennett, 1:05.71; 5. Emily Stinson, 1:12.88.

500-yard freestyle: 1. Caroline Meyer, 6:03.91; 2. Liv Ritenburgh, 6:54.63; 4. Eve Wildey, 7:11.12.

200-yard freestyle: 1. South Haven (Elise Postma, Kylie Shelton, Leah Bennett, Liv Ritenburgh) 1:59.99; 3. South Haven (Blanca Gonzalez, Sophie Lee, Jade Hasson, Noemi Gonzalez) 2:10.49.

100-yard backstroke: 1. Sierra Garber, 1:13.56; 2. Paeton Hayes, 1:14.35; 5. Meah Inthavong, 1:31.22.

100-yard breaststroke: 1. Elise Postma, 1:17; 3. Kyley Gorham, 1:31.89; 5. Noemi Gonzalez, 1:44.54.

400-yard freestyle relay: 1. South Haven (Caroline Meyer, Kaia Hayes, Leah Bennett, Ellie Frost) 4:15.26; 2. South Haven (Liv Ritenburgh, Sophie Lee, Kylie Shelton, Sierra Garber) 4:37.48

St. Joseph 102

South Haven 84

200-yard medley relay: 1. South Haven (Sierra Grber, Elise Postma, Caroline Meyer, Ellie Frost) 1:59.36; 3. South Haven (Paeton Hayes, Kaia Hayes, Leah Bennett, Liv Ritenburgh) 2:15.31

200-yard freestyle: 3. Paeton Hays, 2:26.69; 4. Sierra Garber, 2:27.97; 5. Jade Hasson, 2:38.70.

200-yard IM: 1. Elise Postma, 2:31.06; 4. Kylie Shelton, 2:54.74; 5. Emily Stinson, 2:58.88.

50-yard freestyle: 1. Caroline Meyer, 25.82; 5. Jade Hasson, 31.76.

One-meter diving: 4. Raea Braun, 99.20; 5. Eve Wildey, 70.

100-yard butterfly: 1. Ellie Frost, 1:02.89 (D3 state qualifying time); 5. Sophie Lee, 1:33.70.

100-yard freestyle: 1. Caroline Meyer, 56.91; 3. Kaia Hayes, 1:03.91; 5. Kylie Shelton, 1:07.50.

500-yard freestyle: 2. Ellie Frost, 6:04.98; 5. Blanca Gonzalez, 8:05.31.

200-yard freestyle relay: 1. South Haven (Sierra Garber, Elise Postma, Caroline Meyer, Ellie Frost), 1:49.97 (D3 state qualifying time); 3. South Haven (Liv Ritenburgh, Kaia Hayes, Jade Hasson, Leah Bennett) 1:58.87.

100-yard backstroke: 3. Paeton Hayes, 1:15.14; 4. Sierra Garber, 1:15.25.

100-yard breaststroke: 1. Elise Postma, 1:15.35; 3. Liv Ritenburgh, 1:25.53; 5. Kaia Hayes, 1:26.15.

400-yard freestyle relay: 3. South Haven (Kylie Shelton, Jade Hasson, Paeton Hayes, Liv Ritenburgh) 4:39.57.

PHOTO: South Haven's Caroline Meyer competes in last Tuesday's meet against Sturgis. (Photo by Tom Renner)

Rams cross teams travel to MSU for huge invitational

South Haven's cross-country teams trekked to East Lansing, Sept. 14 to compete in the Michigan State Cross Country Invitational.

Considered one of the largest races of its kind in the United States, the invitational attracted more than 7,000 athletes who competed in nine divisions at the middle school, junior varsity, varsity and collegiate levels.

The Lady Rams varsity team competed in the Division 2 & 3 race, finishing 24th out of 41 teams.

“The girls raced hard in the heat against strong competition,” South Haven Coach Lindsay Haqq said.

Frankenmuth won the race, overall, while one of its members, Gabbie Michael, captured first place with a time of 18:54.9. Other teams from Southwestern Michigan who competed included Vicksburg, which finished 23rd; Three Rivers, 30th; and Stevensville Lakeshore, 34th.

For South Haven, Marnie Frost finished 65th out of 285 runners with a season best time of 21:38. She was followed by Katie Schooley, with a time of 21:53.2; Holli Dannenberg, 22:26.6; Hayden Rooker, 23:40.5; Cate Frost, 24:25.1; Ana Gonzalez, 24:42.9; and Jordan Taylor, 26:27.0.

Nearly 700 runners competed in the girls JV Division, The winner was Caroline Farley of Petoskey, who finished in 20:36.3.

For South Haven, Hayley Rose clocked in at 27:49.5; Kayla Young, 29:34.7 (PR); Karlie Woodall, 29:42.5; and Samantha Vandenberk, 29:55.8.

In the boys race, South Haven ended up competing in the Division 1 & 2 race, which included teams from larger schools.

“The boys team had to be moved into a different race due to timing complications,” Haqq said. “They raced very well despite the hot weather and were competitive within this race.”

Thirty-nine teams competed in Division 1 & 2. Caledonia won. South Haven came in 33rd. Other area teams that competed included Kalamazoo Central, ninth; Mattawan, 32nd; Kalamazoo Loy Norrix, 34th; and Niles, 39th.

Nearly 300 runners took part in the event, which was won by Nate Johnson of Thomas Worthington, who finished with a time of 16:28.9.

South Haven was led by Joe Nelson, who came in 130th place out of 277 runners with a season-best time of 18:35.1. He was followed by Carson Rooker, 18:36.9 (PR); Brian Thompson, 18:50.1 (season best); Vance Locker, 19:17.2; Chandler Carey, 19:58; Madoxx Uckele, 20:50.8 (season best); and Carsten Ansinn, 22:49 (PR).

A total of 685 runners competed in the boys JV race, which was won by Sean Foster of Brighton, in 17:14.5. For South Haven, Osvaldo Ruiz finished with a time of 24:44 while Nathan Wyant clocked in at 25:30.5 for a personal record.

South Haven cross teams dominate Dowagiac

Both of South Haven's cross-country teams picked up a Wolverine Conference victory, Tuesday, against Dowagiac.

The Rams asily won both races with the girls finishing 15-50, and the boys 15-22 (due to the Chieftains only having three runners competing).

Marnie Frost won her first meet of the year with a season best time of 21:25. Vance Locker paced the boys, finishing second with a PR time of 18:41.

Results for South Haven follow:

Girls: 1. Marnie Frost, 21:25; 2. Katie Schooley, 22:08; 3. Summer Corke, 22:55; 4. Holli Dannenberg, 23:01; 5. Ana Gonzalez, 23:03; 6. Hayley Rose, 25:29; 7. Jordan Taylor, 25:29; 8. Karlie Woodall, 26:11; 9. Samantha Vandenberk, 26:31; 10. Kalin Hartmann, 27:00; 11. Kayla Young, 28:13.

Boys: 2. Vance Locker, 18:41; 3. Carson Rooker, 18:48; 4. Brian Thompson, 18:53; 5. Joe Nelson, 19:27; 6. Chandler Carey, 19:42; 7. David Gonzalez, 20:37 (PR); 8. Carsten Ansinn, 20:38; 10. Osvaldo Ruiz, 23:24; 11. Nathan Wyant, 23:29; 13. Phillip Kerber, 29:22 (PR).



9.17.18

South Haven dominates Paw Paw in league match; Struggles against Plainwell

Change is good.

That's what South Haven volleyball team discovered when Coach Megan Washegesic adjusted the team's lineup, Thursday.

The adjustments apparently paid off. The Rams won their first Wolverine Conference match of the season with a 3-1 victory over Paw Paw.

“We changed our lineup quite a bit Wednesday at practice,” Washegesic said. “I decided to try Jordyn Holland at setter and moved Ella O'Sullivan to right-side hitter. I also swapped Gracie Ellis' and Grace Lyon's position, moving Grace to hit outside and Gracie at libero. I think it worked well and with more time, we will figure things out and fine-tune a few things.”

South Haven won the first two sets, 25-17 and 25-10, before dropping the third one, 25-20. But, the Rams regrouped and sealed the win with a 26-21 finish in the final match.

“All our players got some court time,” Washegesic said. “Jada Cowell subbed in for Yazmine Hall in set four and had an overpass come right to her for an easy dump-kill to terminate the match. In the transition from setter to hitter, Ella had a great serve-receive game and had several good looks at attacks”.

On offense, Grace Lyons led South Haven with 5 kills, followed by Mallory Dorow and O'Sullivan, with 4, each. Holland racked up 12 assists.

Earlier in the week, the Rams faced an uphill battle against Plainwell, Tuesday. The Rams lost in four sets, 3-1 to the Trojans.

“We did not have a solid outing against Plainwell,” Washegesic said. “They ran a quicker offense and were very scrappy defensively.”

The Rams lost the first set 25-16, but came back to win the second one, 25-22. They worked hard in the third set to win, but narrowly lost, 25-23. Plainwell captured the win in the fourth set, 25-15.

“We had a hard time terminating the ball when we had opportunities,” Washegesic said. “We were out of position often which led to errors on our side. We had difficulty working together and staying positive and took ourselves out of the match.”

Dorow led the Rams in kills with 9. Grace Lyon earned 21 digs, and O'Sullivan had 19 assists.

South Haven libero Grace Lyons  earns 1 of her 21 digs during Tuesday's conference match against Plainwell. (Photo by Tom Renner)

Cardinals cross-country teams sweep Decatur invite

Bloomingdale's cross-country teams proved they were the ones to beat after capturing first place at the Decatur Invitational, Saturday, Sept. 8.

The Cardinals boys and girls teams competed against eight other teams in the competition. Both Joe Furlan and Kallie Harrison crossed the finish line first in their respective races. Furlan ran in 17:47, while Harrison's time was 20:44.

Aside from Furlan and Harrison, other Bloomingdale runners that earned medals were Carlos Garcia, Tyler Starbuck, Tim Douglas, Cody Gallimore, Ron Umbenhour, David Garcia, Nelly Gonzalez, Aimee Sustaita, Marta Douglas, Lisa Hutchins and Olaisa Moss.

Team results

Boys: 1. Bloomingdale, 33; 2. River Valley, 67; 3. Lawrence, 70; 4. Hartford, 86; 5. Cassopolis, 100. No team score: Decatur, Lawton, Martin, South Bend Career Academy.

Girls: 1. Bloomingdale, 28; 2. Hartford, 34; 3. Lawton, 63; 4. Cassopolis, 110; 5. Decatur, 140. No team score: Lawrence, Martin, River Valley, South Bend Career Academy.

Top 15 individual results for Bloomingdale:

Boys: 1. Joe Furlan, 17:47; 3. Carlos Garcia, 18:47; 6. Tyler Starbuck, 19:23; 11. Tim Douglas, 20:03; 12. Cody Gallimore, 20:18; 14. Ron Umbenhour, 20:31.

Girls: 1. Kallie Harrison, 20:44; 2. Nelly Gonzalez, 21:16; 3. Aimee Sustaita, 21:24; 13. Marta Douglas 24:31; 15. Liza Hutchins, 24:34.

Rams still in the hunt for their first victory

South Haven's football team traveled to Paw Paw, Friday, looking for its first victory of the season, but the Redskins denied them.

Scoring early and often in the first half propelled Paw Paw to a 41-20 victory over the Rams.

The Redskins got on the scoreboard early in the first quarter when Curt Carr crossed the end zone twice to put the score at 14-0 going into the second quarter.

Nolen Beck then scored the Redskins' third TD which was followed up by another touchdown from Carson Barnhardt who caught a 20-yard pass and ran it into the end zone to put the score at 27-0.

The Rams, however, refused to give in. With 2:23 remaining on the clock in the first half, Jaylin Fox scored South Haven's first touchdown of the game on a 21-yard play-action pass from quarterback Brenden Williamson, who took the helm in Friday's game after quarterback Chris Soristo suffered an arm injury in the previous week's game against Plainwell. Sam Dubuisson kicked the extra point for the Rams to put the score at 27-7.

But Paw Paw wasn't finished scoring. The first half ended when Carr took the ball on a 15-yard run into the end zone to end the half with a 34-7 score in favor of the Redskins.

In the second half, the Rams settled down and were able to limit Paw Paw on offense and positioned themselves to score two more touchdowns. Fox's second TD came in the third quarter on a 12-yard play action pass, while Williamson ran the ball into the end zone for the final score, which came with two minutes remaining in the game.

“The kids played hard.  We have suffered a lot injuries but I’m proud of our effort tonight,” South Haven Coach Troy Ayotte said following the game.

The Rams racked up 265 yards in the game compared to Paw Paw's 485 yards.

Fox led South Haven's offense, catching six passes from Williamson to rack up 11 yards and two touchdowns.

Williamson completed 12 of 23 passing attempts for 141 yards. He also rushed for 72 yards and earned one TD.

On defense, Kial Ferguson led with 12 tackles. Jared Hentschel had 10, Fox, 7, and DeMetri Taft, 6.

South Haven boys run past Paw Paw Redskins

South Haven boys track team picked up another Wolverine Conference victory, Tuesday, defeating Paw Paw 21-35.

Four runners paced the Rams with Brian Thompson finishing second with a time of 19:25; Carson Rooker, third, 19:26; Vance Locker, fourth, 19:51; and Joe Nelson, fifth, 20:03. Other top 10 finishers for South Haven were Chandler Carey, seventh, 20:24; and David Gonzalez, tenth, 21:07.

“The boys team competed well on a tough, hilly course; They all worked together to race and push themselves to the win,” South Haven Coach Lindsay Haqq said.

The South Haven girls came up short against the Redskins, losing 22-33.

Marnie Frost led the Rams with a third-place finish and time of 22:23. She was followed right behind by teammate Katie Schooley, who came in fourth, with a time of 23:05. Other top 10 runners for South Haven were Hayden Rooker, seventh, 24:40; Cate Frost, ninth, 25:06; and Ana Gonzalez, tenth, 26:40.

“Cate Frost had surgery this past winter due to an injury she sustained during the basketball season and this was her first race back,” Haqq said. “She has been working hard all spring and summer to be able to race this season with the team. We are so glad she is back strong.”

Rams come up short at volleyball tournament

South Haven made it to the semi-final round of the Watervliet volleyball tournament, Saturday, Sept. 8, before bowing out with a loss to Constantine.

The loss put them in a tie for third place along with Decatur. Bangor also competed in the tournament and finished tied for ninth place.

The Rams started the say in pool play with Decatur and Lake Michigan and then faced Constantine in a pool crossover match.

South Haven defeated both Decatur and LMC in two sets and then took on Constantine.

After the first two matches unfortunately we had to wait two-and-a-half hours to play our last pool play match,” Rams Coach Megan Washegesic said. “We started out a little slow.” Constantine won the first set, 25-15, but South Haven redoubled its efforts and won the second one, 25-23.

“Playing Constantine was a lot of fun,” she said. “It was a good challenging match, showing us we have the resilience to overcome deficits and not break down.”

After pool play, the top eight teams were seeded into a single elimination bracket. South Haven was seeded third and faced the Decatur Raiders again.

“Decatur was ready this time around and gave us a run for our money.” Washegesic said. But the Rams hung tough.

“We came from behind in both sets, winning 25-23 and 25-21 and advanced to the semifinals,” Washegesic said. “Again we faced Constantine. I really looked forward to playing them again. We just didn’t have the stamina to play our game.

The Rams ended up losing 25-19, 25-14 to settle for the third-place tie.

Statistics wise, the Rams nailed 30 service aces and accumulated 15 blocks at the net.

Ella O’Sullivan had 68 assists. Mallory Dorow led the team with 28 kills. Connie Phillips contributed 15, Gracie Ellis 13, and Yazmine Hall 11.

The Vikings had tough day at the tournament.

“We faced several unforeseen challenges including illness and a key player injury early in the day that forced the team to revamp both its offensive and defensive systems,” Bangor coach Doug Jones said.

Bangor lost to Brandywine, Lawton, Michigan Lutheran, and Paw Paw before defeating Lake Michigan Catholic 2-1 securing a tie for ninth place. 

Rams golfers finish third at league jamboree

After finishing sixth and seventh at two Wolverine Conference jamborees early last week, the Rams finally shot their way to a third-place finish, Wednesday, at the league jamboree at Indian Lake golf course in Dowagiac.

“The light finally went on today in our girls golf jamboree,” South Haven coach Barry Shanley said after the match. “The youth are maturing. The girls had great fun, too.”

Sturgis picked up its sixth league jamboree victory of the season with a team score of 196. They were followed by the host team Dowagiac with 205 and South Haven with 212 strokes.

Heidi Hines of Three Rivers medaled with a 41.

The Rams were led by Sydney Barnes, who shot a 48 and placed fifth overall. She was followed by Makenzie Marr who came in 12th place with 52. Abby Bocock shot 55 and Jina Patel, 57.

In earlier league jamborees, South Haven placed sixth, Monday, at the Allegan meet at Cheshire Hills golf course, and seventh, Sept. 4, at the Three Rivers meet at Sauganash golf course.

At the Allegan match, Plainwell won with 191 strokes followed by Sturgis with 196 and Dowagiac with 216.

Claire Awe of Plainwell medaled with 41. Bocock led South Haven's golfers with a 55. She was followed by Patel and Makenzie Marr, who both shot a 57. Barnes rounded out South Haven's scoring with a 58.

At Three Rivers, Sturgis won with 195 strokes, followed by Dowagiac with 211 and Three Rivers, 212.

Carli Sanford of Sturgis was the medalist, shooting a 42. Marr paced South Haven, finishing in an eighth-place tie with 51 strokes. She was followed by Barnes, who finished 15 with 55. Bocock shot a 59 and Patel, 61.

Bangor kickers defeat Wildcats

Bangor's soccer team picked up its first Southwest 10 conference victory last week by shutting out the Marcellus Wildcats, 8-0.

Senior Joe Gallegos scored a hat trick, while senior and captain Jose Marin and senior Cesar Leon scored two goals, each. Alvaro Martinez, a junior, scored the team's other goal. Assisting with goals were senior and captain Ivan Mejia and senior Mateo Rodriguez, who each had one assist.

In earlier soccer action, the Vikings made it to the semi-final match of the Bloomingdale soccer tournament, Sept. 8, before falling to the Covert Bulldogs, 1-0.

The goal was a gifted mistake from our defense and goalie,” Bangor Coach Antonio Robles said. “That was enough for them to beat us. We tried to tie the game but we just couldn't and time ran out.”

The Vikings made it to the semi-final round by defeating Kalamazoo Cougars, 2-0.

Bangor runner wins Battle Creek Lakeview invite

Bangor's Alvaro Martinez captured first place, Saturday, Sept. 8, in the Division 2 race at Battle Creek Lakeview's cross-country invitational.

Martinez ran the race in 16:53.38.

Bangor did not have enough runners to field a team in the boys race, however, the girls did and ended up finishing fourth out of six teams.

Hastings won the boys race with 25 points. They were followed by Quincy, second, 70 points; Bronson, third, 79; Battle Creek Pennfield, fourth, 85; and St. Philip Catholic Center, fifth, 87.

Hastings also won the girls race with 42 points. Battle Creek Pennfield came in second with 67 points; Vermontville Maple Valley, third, 75; Bangor, fourth, 81; Quincy, fifth, 106; and St. Philip Catholic Center, sixth, 120.

Individual results for Bangor follow:

Boys: 1. Alvaro Martinez, 16:53.58; 11. Zach Trainor, 18:16.99; 21. Aurelio Melgarejo, 19:32.97

Girls: 10. Brisa Sanchez-Valdez, 23:03.27; 14. Laisha Ramierz, 23:22.82; 15. Emily Hernandez, 23:33.71; 24. Logan Slone, 24:30.78; 30. Marlen Barajas, 25:09.38





9.10.18

Otsego's ground game too much for Rams

For the first time this season, South Haven took the lead in a football game, but Otsego's ground game soon stopped the Rams from earning their first victory of the season, Friday, at Ratcliffe Field.

The Bulldogs ended up racking up 313 rushing yards and 119 passing yards to win the contest 40-26.

Despite the loss, Rams Coach Troy Ayotte sees improvement in his team, which struggled with turnovers in its first two games of the season.

“I thought we played better because we took care of the ball, only 1 turnover in the game,” Ayotte said. “We played with great effort and stayed together as a team.”

Otsego got on the scoreboard seven minutes into the contest after marching down the field 80 yards to lead 7-0.

But the Rams were determined to come back when Jaylin Fox took the ball to the 37-yard line on the kick off return to put his team in a good offensive position. Brenden Williamson put South Haven closer to the goal with a 25-yard run to give the Rams a first down.

Quarterback Charles Soristo then threw a 22-yard pass to Fox who ran in the endzone for the first of his three touchdowns. A conversion score by Brendan Petty gave the Rams an 8-7 lead.

But the end-of-the-first-quarter lead for South Haven soon changed in the second stanza when Bulldogs quarterback Will Eldred threw a 7-yard pass to Jaxen Callaway who ran into the endzone for his team's second touchdown of the game to put the score at 13-8.

The Bulldogs then scored another touchdown, courtesy of tight end Owen Watson, to put the score at 20-8. With 4 minutes remaining in the first half they then scored another touchdown to stretch their lead to 26-8.

South Haven wasn't giving in however. On the kick-off return, Petty caught the ball and ran it all the way to the two-yard line. A two-yard run to pay dirt gave the Rams their second TD of the evening and put the score at 26-14.

Although the Rams trailed at the end of the half, it marked the first time this season that they did not accumulate any turnovers – a problem that helped contribute to their first two losses of the season.

In the second half, Otsego stretched their lead to 33-20 before the Rams scored their third and final touchdown. It came from a pass from Williamson (who replaced an injured Soristo) to Fox to put the score at 33-26 with three minutes left in the fourth quarter.

The Rams had a chance to tie the game, but the Bulldogs sealed their victory when Eldred got the ball and ran 23 yards into the end zone for his team's final touchdown.

Brendon Petty led the Rams' ground game with 90 rushing yards, followed by Brenden Williamson with 27. Fox caught the ball five times for 92 yards and 3 touchdowns, while Williamson picked up 43 yards on two passes.

Soristo connected 9 of 14 passing attempts, before exiting the game with an arm injury. Williamson was 4 for 10.

On defense, Fox racked up 13 tackles, Jared Hentschel, 9, Marcus Guinn, 7, and Kial Ferguson, 6, with a quarterback sack.

In the photo above, South Haven's Jaylin Fox runs past a group of defenders toward the end zone for his second touchdown of the game, Friday, against Otsego. (Photo by Tom Renner)

Rams hosts first dual meet of the season

South Haven's cross-country teams hosted their first dual Wolverine conference meet of the season, Tuesday against Three Rivers.

The Rams' boys team won 21-34, while the girls narrowly lost, 27-28.

“It was a tough day with temperatures and humidity in the upper 90s,” South Haven Coach Lindsay Haqq said. “As official Ron Waldvogel said, 'we are in survival mode.'”

In the boys race, South Haven senior Joe Nelson paced the team, winning his first cross country race, ever, with a time of 19:00.

“He said in the last mile of the race he could see that with each uphill, the leader of the race was slowing down,” Haqq said. “He knew he could close the gap to take the overall win to lead the team to victory.”

Nelson was followed by a trio of teammates - Carson Rooker, who came in third with a time of 19:28; Brian Thompson, who placed fourth with a time of 19:42; and Vance Locker, fifth, with a time of 20:03. Maddox Uckele came in eighth with a time of 21:29; Carsten Ansinn, 13, 25:15; and Phillip Kerber, 17th, 35:50.

In the girls race, South Haven earned another first-place finish when Katie Schooley crossed the finish line in 21:51 to earn her first cross-country race, ever.

Teammate Marnie Frost finished fourth with a time of 22:25; Summer Corke followed in fifth with a time of 24:05; Rachel Weiss, eighth, 25:48; Jordan Taylor, 10th, 26:14; Karlie Woodall, 15th, 28:15; Kalin Hartmann, 16th, 29:01; Hayley Rose, 18th, 30:33; Samantha Vandenberk, 19th, 30:43; and Kayla Young, 20th, 30:51.

In the Aug. 26 edition of the Tribune. the team finishes for the St. Joseph cross-country invitational the official team results on athletic.net were incorrectly listed. The meet was divided into races for freshmen and sophomores and juniors and seniors. As a result, for South Haven, the senior and junior girls finished fourth; the girls freshmen and sophomores, 10^th; and the boys freshmen and sophomores came in 11^th place.

A tough time at the net in a different gym

South Haven stretched its Wolverine Conference match, Thursday, to five sets against Otsego, but in the end, the Bulldogs won 3-2.

“We fought hard and played some of the best ball we've played thus far,” Rams Coach Megan Washegesic said. “The team is starting to build the trust we need to keep growing.”

The Rams hosted the match in an unfamiliar setting – Lincoln Elementary School gym – due to the reconstruction of the gym floor at the high school.

“Practicing in a smaller gym than we are playing matches in tends to have an effect at the start of a match since it is a different look than what we are used to,” Washegesic said.

The different setting may have had an effect on the Rams in the first set.

“We committed 10 service errors in set one which gave Otsego several free points we weren't able to recover from,” Washegesic said.

As a result, the Bulldogs won the first set by the narrow margin of 25-23.

In the second and third sets, however, South Haven regrouped, winning both, 25-11 and 25-19.

“Sets two and three definitely swung the Rams way,” Washegesic said. “Our serving was tougher, putting Otsego out of system several times. We serve received well in those two sets, making our setter's job easier, resulting in good attack attempts at the net.

But the final two sets of the game belonged to the Bulldogs, who won 25-16 and 15-10.

“We lost the momentum and made a few errors that we just couldn't recover from mentally,” Washegesic said.

Grace Lyons led the Rams on defense with 27 digs. Ella O'Sullivan had 29 assists. Mallory Dorow led the team on offense with 12 kills, Gracie Ellis had 7, Jordyn Holland, 6, and Yazmine Hall and Connie Phillips each chipped in with 4.

Bangor kickers come back from loss to defeat Indians

Bangor's soccer team earned a 3-1 victory over Saugatuck, Thursday, after suffering a 2-1 loss to Cassopolis Ross Beatty, Wednesday.

“We had a good performance against Saugatuck,” Vikings Coach Antonio Robles said. Both teams were tied at 1-1 in the first half, with Bangor going on to lead 2-1 in the second for the win.

Scoring for Bangor were senior Oscar Leon, freshman Jonathan Nivea and sophomore Rolando Muñoz. Jose Gallegos picked up an assist.

The game was a little different against Cassopolis.

“Even though our players tried their best it wasn't enough to beat Cass. They outplayed and it reflected on the score,” Robles said.

Leon scored the Vikings' lone goal in the game.

Viking netters open season with a victory over Allegan

Bangor's volleyball team opened its regular season, last week, with a non-conference victory over Allegan.

The Vikings won the match in four sets, 3-1.

“The contest was characterized by long rallies and constant shifts in momentum,” Bangor Coach Doug Jones said. “In the end, our defense proved to be the difference by keeping many of the Tigers' front-row attacks in play.”

Viking outside hitters Grace Gleason and Audrey Hay each had 8 kills. Keke McGee earned 7 kills, while Hay collected 14 digs.







9.4.18

Early turnovers prove costly for Rams

By BEN SPENCER
HP Sports Writer

Early turnovers dropped South Haven’s football team into an early hole on Friday night at Ratcliffe Field. The Rams would never find enough momentum to recover in a 62-0 Wolverine Conference loss to visiting Plainwell. South Haven turned it over three times in the opening quarter, giving way to a 32-point deficit.
“That’s two weeks in a row we had bad things happen to us at the beginning of the game, and it kind of affected us a little bit,” said South Haven coach Troy Ayotte.
South Haven (0-2 Wolverine, 0-2) struggled to stop Plainwell’s diversified rushing attack, as the Trojans (1-1, 1-1) racked up 371 yards on 45 carries from 10 different players.
Austin Williams led the Trojans with 102 yards on nine carries and four touchdowns.
Devon Augusteli added 62 yards on 11 carries and a score, and Tucker Curry also scored for  Plainwell.
Noah Bradshaw, Rylan Betts and Jakob Layton also rushed for over 40 yards apiece.
The Rams rushed for just 27 yards on 20 carries, and were out-gained in net yardage 390-123.
“It's tough when they’re spreading the ball around,” noted Ayotte. “It’s hard to key in on a guy. At points, they had the ability to give it to those kids whenever they wanted to.”
Plainwell scored early and often, finding the end zone on its first drive on a 6-yard run up the middle by Williams after the Trojans recovered an onside kick on the opening kickoff.
South Haven would throw back-to-back interceptions that the Trojans returned for scores, one by Betts for 30 yards and another from Williams from 45 to give Plainwell a 24-0 lead.
After a Rams punt, Williams would add another rushing score, this time from just a yard out, after the Trojans marched down field to open up the 32-0 margin.
South Haven quarterback Charles Soristo struggled early for the Rams, but settled in after two early picks to make some nice plays for the Rams.
He finished 3 for 12 for 96 yards, with all three completions coming to senior receiver Jaylin Fox.
“He made a couple bad reads. The first one wasn’t really on him. We ran the wrong route,” Ayotte said of Soristo. “And a couple of the other ones, you get down in those goal line distances and it’s not going to work.”
The Rams will host Otsego next week, and Ayotte said the team plans on working to regroup in practice to gear up for another home conference game.
“We’ve just got to get better,” he said. “We have to come together as a team. That’s hard for a team to go through, a game like that, but we’ve got to get together as a team.”
In other football games, both Bangor and Bloomingdale suffered lopsided defeats.
Centreville beat the Cardinals, 50-0, while the Vikings lost to Hartford, 52-0.
“We we’re defeated by a very well-coached and disciplined team, said Cardinals coach Rich Roth. "We’ll regroup and focus on next week.”

PHOTO: Brendan Petty of South Haven is brought down by two Plainwell defenders during Friday night's home opener. (Photo by Tom Renner)

South Haven hosts Rustbuster invitational

Despite a severe storm that caused damage to trees at Warner Camp last Wednesday, South Haven's cross-country team was still able to host the Southwest Michigan Rustbuster Invitational Thursday.

The invitational attracted both large and small high schools throughout West and Southwest Michigan. There also was a race for middle school teams.

The Rams girls high school team finished fourth out of seven teams and was led by Katie Schooley, who finished in eighth place with a time of 21:20.318. Hayden Rooker also medaled by earning a 17th place finish with a time of 22:28.967.

The boys team didn't have enough members to compete as a team due to several conflicts with other school activities, including marching band. Carson Rooker led South Haven's boys competitors, finishing in 33^rd place with a time of 18:54.571.

Bangor also competed in the Rustbuster invite. The girls came in sixth place and were paced by Brisa Sanchez-Valdez, who finished 31^st with a time of 23:40.905. The boys didn't have enough athletes to field a team. Alvaro Martinez led the Vikings boys by coming in third place with a time of 16:55.718.

A total of 104 runners competed in the boys race, while 74 runners took part in the girls race.

Boys team scores:

1. Sparta, 38; 2. Portage Northern, 45; 3. Berrien Springs, 80; 4. Jenison, 86; 5. Delton-Kellogg, 136; 6. Paw Paw, 157; 7. Benton Harbor, 205.

Boys individual scores

South Haven: 33. Carson Rooker, 18:54.571; 35. Vance Locker, 19:03.651; 36. Chandler Carey, 19:09.238.

Bangor: 3. Alvaro Martinez, 16:55.718; 34. Zach Trainor, 19:02.688; 68. Aurelio Melgarejo, 20:50.444.

Girls team scores:

1. Portage Northern, 27; 2. Paw Paw, 58; 3. Sparta, 77; 4. South Haven, 111; 5. Berrien Springs, 119; 6. Bangor, 157; 7. Delton-Kellogg, 170

Girls individual scores

South Haven: 8. Katie Schooley, 21:20.318; 17. Hayden Rooker, 22:28.967; 22. Summer Corke, 22:48.190; 43. Ana Gonzalez, 24:35.577; 50. Jordan Taylor, 25:20.209.

Bangor: 31. Brisa Sanchez-Valdez, 23:40.905; 42. Emily Hernandez, 24:23.698; 53. Logan Slone, 25:46.928; 56. Marlen Barajas, 26:31.718.

Middle school results:

Baseline Middle School: Andrew Loikits finished ninth; Ben Meyer, 12^th and Talon Pirsein, 14^th. All earned medals in the race which attracted 88 runners. For the girls, Lilliana Hernandez finished 33^rd and Hannah DeVries, 36^th. Ninety-four girls competed in the girls race.

Bangor Middle School: Fernando Munoz finished 16^th. For the girls, Lilliana Alcauter finished 24^{th and} Sandra Barajas, 38th

PHOTO: South Haven's Chandler Carey competes in the Southwest Michigan Rustbuster Invitational at Warner Camp in Grand Junction. (Photo by Tom Renner)

Viking kickers suffer two league losses

Bangor started Southwest 10 conference play last Monday on a disappointing note with a 5-3 loss to cross-town rival Bloomingdale.

The Vikings trailed the Cardinals 3-2 in the first half and could only muster a third goal in the second, to Bloomingdale's 2.

Sophomore Rolando Muñoz scored two of Bangor's goals, while freshman Jonathan Nieva kicked in the third one.

“It wasn't our worst performance, but we could've played better,” said Bangor coach Antonio Robles.

The Vikings then traveled to Hartford, Wednesday, to play one of the Southwest 10 league's toughest opponents.

The Indians proved they were indeed tough, shutting out Bangor, 6-0.

“We knew is was going to be a hard game as Hartford is always a tough competitor,” Robles said. “Hartford has dominated the conference for years and going up against a 27-player roster was a 12-player roster didn't make it any easier.”

Despite the loss, Robles said his young team did the best they could.

“As a coach it is always hard to lose a game, but I'm proud of the boys. This games will help us get better.”

South Haven shuts out Three Rivers in tennis match

South Haven's varsity tennis team picked up another victory, Monday, against Three Rivers in a Wolverine Conference matchup.

The Rams won easily, 8-0.

“They (Three Rivers) had only seven players so they had to forfeit three spots,” Rams Coach Kevin Powell said.

In the contested matches, singles players Alex Rummel, Garrett Smith and Austin Hunt of South Haven, all won their contests, while the doubles teams of Chandler Carry and Cameron Denbow and Brenan Diekema and Ahryn Bodfish won their matches.

Results follow:

Singles

1. Alex Rummel, SH, d. Isaac Adams, 6-0, 6-0

2. Garrett Smith, SH, d. Colby Hartzell, 6-1, 6-1

3. Austin Hunt, SH, d. David Green, 6-2, 6-1

4. Will Hastad won by forfeit

Doubles

1. Chandler Carry and Cameron Denbow, SH, d. Logan Ziesmer and Bradley Kervin, 6-1, 6-0

2. Brenan Diekema and Ahryn Bodfish, SH, d. Dan Waltz and Riley Lewis, 6-4, 6-4

3. Danny Riston and Tyler Ferrell, SH, won by forfeit

4. Evan Coles and Linus Resek, SH, won by forfeit

Rams netters lose close match to Sturgis

South Haven's varsity volleyball team began the Wolverine Conference season, Monday, with a closely contested battle against Sturgis, who went on to win the match in four sets.

“It was quite the back-and-forth match between the two teams,” said Rams Coach Megan Washegesic. “Sturgis would score a few points in a row and we would side out and proceed to score several of our own points.”

South Haven narrowly lost the opening set, 25-23 but bounced back to win the second, 25-21. The Trojans then won the last two sets, again by narrow scoring margins of 25-22 and 25-23.

Mallory Dorow led the Rams in kills with 12, while Connie Phillips chipped in 8. Ella O'Sullivan racked up 29 assists, while Grace Lyons led the defensively with 13 digs.

South Haven golfers compete in two jamborees at Lake Doster

South Haven's golf team finished fifth and sixth, respectively, at two Wolverine Conference jamborees last week.

Both jamborees took place Thursday at Lake Doster Golf Club. Otsego hosted the first one, which was on the front nine, while the second, hosted by Plainwell, was played on the back nine.

Conference leader Sturgis won both jamborees. The Rams finished fifth in the first jamboree, and settled for sixth in the second one.

Sydney Barnes paced the Rams in the first jamboree, finishing 13^th with 55 strokes. She was followed by Makenzie Marr, who tied for 15^th with a 56. Jina Patel came in 20^th with 60, while Abby Bocock was 27^th with 65 strokes.

Barnes again led the Rams in the second jamboree. She shot a 56, good enough for 12^th place. Patel came in 15^th with 58; and was followed by Marr, who finished 21^st with a 60; and Bocock, 31^st, with a 65.

Heidi Hines of Three Rivers was the medalist for the first jamboree, shooting a 44; while Rebecca Franklin of Dowagiac and Hines co-medaled in the second match, with 43 strokes, each.



8.27.18

Rams compete in St. Joe invite

South Haven's cross-country teams got a wet start to the season last week when they competed in the St. Joseph Invitational at Riverview Park in St. Joe.

The boys team settled for 14th place out of 16 teams while the girls came in 13th. The finishes may have been a little disappointing, but Coach Lindsay Haqq said the team is off to a decent start.

“Overall, I am very pleased with everyone's performances at the start of our cross-country season, especially over muddy and mushy terrain from heavy rain earlier in the day.”

The invitational was divided into freshmen-sophomore and junior-senior races for both boys and girls. Combined scores from both races determined overall winners.

So, in the girls varsity race, South Haven finished fourth, while the freshmen-sophomore Rams came in 10th. In the boys races, South Haven came in 11th place in the freshman-sophomore race, according to the race results recorded on Athletic.net.

Saugatuck was the overall winner of the combined boys races with 21 points, while Portage Northern came in first place in the girls combined races with a score of 20.

Three runners from South Haven earned medals – Marnie Frost, Carson Rooker and Katie Schooley.

Rooker, who is a freshman, came in 12th place in the boys freshman-sophomore race with a time of 19:25. “Carson was running very strong for his first-ever high school race,” Haqq said.

Schooley finished in 13th place with a tie of 21:54, while Frost finished right behind her in 14th place with a time of 22:03 in the junior-senior race.

Other top finishers for South Haven were Brian Thompson who finished with a time of 19:41 in the boys junior-senior race, while Summer Corke ran in the girls freshman-sophomore race and finished with a time of 25:15.

South Haven will now turn its attention to hosting the Southwest Michigan RustBuster Invitational, Thursday, Aug. 30 at Warner Camp, in Grand Junction.

“Over 10 schools are expected to attend and we are excited to get back to work with the first race now under our belt,” Haqq said.

Races will begin at 5 p.m. Both middle school and high school cross-country teams will compete in the invitational.

St. Joseph Invitational team results:

Combined boys results

1. Saugatuck 21; 2. Portage Northern 37; 3. Holland 39; 4. Berrien Springs 41; 5. Kalamazoo Central 54; 6. Battle Creek Lakeview 58; 7. (tie) St. Joseph, Lakeshore 61; 9.(tie) GR South Christian, Mattawan 64; 11. Holland Black River 75; 12. Sturgis 84; 13. Kalamazoo Christian 88; 14. South Haven 89; 15. Vicksburg 101; 16. Kalamazoo Hackett 119.

Combined girls results

1. Portage Northern 20; 2. Holland 34; 3. Saugatuck 44; 4. Battle Creek Lakeview 52; 5. GR South Christian 54; 6. Holland Black River 56; 7. Mattawan 58; 8. Vicksburg 65; 9. St. Joseph 67; 10. Berrien Springs 70; 11.(tie) Kalamazoo Central, Sturgis 76; 13. South Haven 79; 14. Lakeshore 89; 15. Kalamazoo Christian 96; 16. Kalamazoo Hackett 105.

PHOTO: From left: South Haven runners Marnie Frost, Carson Rooker and Katie Schooley all earned medals at the St. Joseph Invitational.

South Haven netters start season with a victory

The start of the tennis season looked a little daunting for South Haven's varsity boys team. Longtime tennis coach Randy Bartels retired in August, which left the team without a head coach for a couple of weeks.

But, former boys tennis coach Kevin Powell agreed to take the helm to steady the team's course.

“I was very happy to take the position and keep the program going,” he said.

But he faced some challenges.

“We had five days of potential practices and two days of actual practices leading up to the first match,” said Power, regarding last Monday's competition with New Buffalo-Bridgman, which the Rams won.

He admitted he didn't know much about the team's capabilities due to seeing them practice twice before the first match. So he was grateful for help from Bartels and two assistants who had worked with him – Steve Small and Walter Pascal.

“With Steve, Walt and Randy we were able to get a lineup,” Powell said. “They all gave me a lot of insight.”

Powell said it's too soon to predict how the Rams will do, but he said he's got a good group of players.

“What I've been seeing I like,” he said. “Their fundamentals are strong.”

In their first match of the season against the combined team of New Buffalo and Bridgman, the Rams won 5-2 with singles players Alex Rummel and Garrett Smith winning their matches, along with the doubles teams of Chandler-Carey and Cameron Denbow, Lars Larson and Brennan Diekema, and Danny Riston and Tyler Ferrell.

South Haven 5

New Buffalo-Bridgman 2

Singles

1. Alex Rummel, SH d. Caleb Kroeze, 8-6

2. Garrett Smith, SH d. Blake Newton, 8-3

3. Michael Mark, NB, d. Austin Hunt, 7-6

4. Double forfeit

Doubles

1. Chandler Carey and Cameron Denbow, SH, d. Caleb Barker and Sam Polym, 6-5

2. Lars Larson and Brenan Ciekema, SH, d. Trey Heyn and Trevor Mulick, 8-2

3. Danny Riston and Tyler Ferrell, SH, d. Emma Barker and Ellie Kroeze, 8-0

4. Ethan Moser and Adam Knigga, NB, d. Ethan Cole and Linus Resek, 9-8.

PHOTO: Cameron Denbow of South Haven returns a serve in last Monday's match against New Buffalo-Bridgman. (Photo by Tom Renner)

Ram golfers finish 4th at season's 1st jamboree

South Haven's golf team got their Wolverine Conference season underway last week by hosting the first jamboree of the season and picking up a fourth-place finish.

Sturgis won the contest with 194; Plainwell was second with 209; Dowagiac third with 215 and South Haven fourth with 223. Otsego came in fifth with 225; Allegan, sixth, 234; Vicksburg, seventh, 260; and Three Rivers, eighth with 281 strokes.

Makenzie Marr led the Rams, finishing 50, good enough for ninth place out of the top 10 golfers. She was followed by Sydney Barnes with 53, Abby Bocock, with a 59; and Jina Patel, 61.

Heidi Hines of Three Rivers was the medalist for the jamboree, shooting a 42.

The Rams traveled to Sturgis, Wednesday, for the second league jamboree and settled for sixth place.

Once again, Sturgis won the contest. Plainwell finished second; Three Rivers, third; Dowagiac fourth; Otsego, fifth; South Haven, sixth; Allegan, seventh and Vicksburg, eighth.

The Rams struggled in scoring. Marr led South Haven, shooting a 59; Bocock followed with a 62; Barnes, 67; and Patel, 68.

Claire Awe of Plainwell was the medalist, scoring 45.

Rams hope to rebound after loss to Sturgis

South Haven got off to a rough start to the 2018 season after a 54-6 loss, Thursday, to Sturgis, but the team is putting the defeat behind and concentrating on the rest of its schedule.
Sturgis got on the scoreboard early in the game with two touchdowns to put the score at 13-0. With just a few seconds left in the first quarter, South Haven quarterback passed the ball to wide receiver Jaylin Fox who ran into the end zone to put the score at 13-6.
But the rest of the game belonged to Sturgis, who silenced both the Rams' offense and defense, racking up 371 rushing yards en route to the lopsided win.
“The story of the night was offensive turnovers deep in our own territory and inconsistent execution of our offense,” Rams Coach Troy Ayotte said. “Defensively we had our backs to the wall defending a short field. We still struggled at times with our assignments.”
Soristo completed 7 of 20 passes for 164 yards and one touchdown. Fox racked up 132 yards on five carries. He also had eight tackles.
“Jaylin Fox had a great night catching the ball at wide receiver,” Ayotte said.
On defense, the Rams' Drake McFadden tackled 8 players and sacked Sturgis quarterback Zach Chapman. Kial Ferguson had eight tackles and John Ellis, 7.
Despite the loss, Ayotte and the team are putting the defeat behind and concentrating on the rest of its schedule.
“This team can play a lot better if we can reduce our unforced mistakes,” Ayotte said.



Bloomingdale runners settle for second place at invitational' Bangor's Martinez wins boys race

By AARON CRIDER

HP Sports Writer

BRIDGMAN — Bridgman’s boys and girls cross country teams got off to a great season start by sweeping their home invitational at Lake Township Park on Wednesday.

The Bees took an easy win in the boys race with 42 points, well ahead of runner-up Bloomingdale’s 87.

In the girls race, Bridgman edged out Bloomingdale with 34 points. The Cardinals took second 38.

“I thought everyone ran well,” Bridgman coach Spencer Carr said. “We had a lot of runners step up and run over the summer and it’s paid off. There is no secret to cross country, if you want to be good you have to run all summer long. These guys surprised me with their times. Hopefully, as the season moves on we will keep improving.”

Bangor’s Alvaro Martinez won the boys race with a time of 17:16.2. New Buffalo’s Liam Driscoli captured a second-place finish with 17:54.7 and Watervliet’s Walker Barz was third at 18:17.4.

Top finishers for Bridgman were Luke Blesy, who finished fourth at 18:20.4, Connor Blesy (seventh) at 18:39.7, Spencer Noll (12th) 19:14.2, Chipper Steffey (16th) 19:55.8 and AJ Hackett (18th) at 19:57.4.

Karsyn Stewart led the Bees in the girls race, finishing third at 21:56.1.

River Valley’s Jessie Rieth won the race with a time of 20:36.7 and Bloomingdale’s Kallie Harrison was second at 21:15.4.

Other top Cardinal finishers include Nelly Gonzalez (fourth) 22:01.7, Aimee Sustaita (fifth) 22:26.9, Liza Hutchins (12th) 24:22.5 and Olaisa Moss (21st) 24:51.2.

“I was pleased,” Bloomingdale coach Alan Boblik said. “I knew we were going to have a good girls team coming back. They put in a lot of work over the summer and we wanted to be competitive. It is nice to run some fast times early in the season. It’s nice to start with that momentum early, and hopefully we can keep it going the rest of the season.”

Carr was equally pleased with his girls team.

“We have 11 girls and they all ran well today,” he said. “Our first runner, Karsyn, she ran really well. She was our No. 1 runner last year as a freshman, and we expected her to come in and run well and she did that.”

Boys Team scores — 1. Bridgman 42, 2. Bloomingdale 87, 3. Gobles 88, 4. (tie) Bangor, Watervliet 89, 6. River Valley 117, 7. Hartford 166. DNF: New Buffalo, Lake Michigan Catholic, Buchanan, Cassopolis, Eau Claire, Decatur.

Top 25 finishers

1. Alvaro Martinez 17:16.2 (Ban), 2. 11 Liam Driscoll 17:54.7 (NB), 3. 9 Walker Barz 18:17.4 (Buch), 4. 10 Luke Blesy 18:20.4 (Brid), 5. 10 Joe Furlan 18:23.4 (Blom), 6. 11 Gus Hinch 18:25.4 (Wat), 7. 12 Connor Blesy 18:39.7 (Brid), 8. 12 Carter Finch 18:53.4 (Ban), 9. 12 Spencer Noll 19:14.2 (Brid), 10. 11 Zach Trainor 19:19.1 (Ban), 11. 11 Kelsey Brown 19:26.4 (Buch), 12. 11 Tyler Starbuck 19:37.9 (Blom), 13. 11 Justin Chilla 19:40.6 (Gob), 14. 11 Logan Payne 19:47.3 (RV), 15. 12 Josh Paladi 19:47.4 (Gob), 16. 11 Chipper Steffey 19:55.8 (Brid), 17. 10 Gavyn Rogers 19:57.1 (RV), 18. 10 AJ Hackett 19:57.4 (Brid), 19. 10 Kade Van Niel 19:57.9 (Wat), 20. 9 Nile Devers 20:01.1 (Gob), 21. 11 Joey Lemkuhl 20:03.3 (Hart), 22. 12 Jarod Volstorf 20:10.7 (RV), 23. 11 Ron Umbenhour 20:11.4 (Blom), 24. 12 Ross Thorpe 20:11.7 (Gob), 25. 11 Alex Isbrecht 20:24.7 (Wat).

Girls

Team scores — 1. Bridgman 34, 2. Bloomingdale 38, 3. Hartford 59, 4. Bangor 107, 5. Buchanan 131, 6. Cassopolis 167, 7. Decatur 204. DNF: New Buffalo, Lake Michigan Catholic, Eau Claire, Gobles.

Top 25 finishers

1. 12 Jessie Rieth 20:36.7 (RV), 2. 10 Kallie Harrison 21:15.4 (Blom), 3. 10 Karsyn Stewart 21:56.1 (Brid), 4. 12 Nelly Gonzalez 22:01.7 (Blom), 5. 10 Aimee Sustaita 22:26.9 (Blom), 6. 11 Mikaela Owen 22:41.6 (Brid), 7. 12 Kaitlin Essig 22:52.9 (Brid), 8. 12 Mackenzie Brinsfield 22:53.1 (Hart), 9. 11 Adrianna Morseau 22:58.4 (Hart), 10. 12 Laisha Ramirez 23:25.9 (Ban), 11. 12 Savanna Tate 23:35.3 (Brid), 12. 11 Grace Stockdale 23:49.4 (Cath), 13. 12 Emily Lopez 24:18.4 (Gob), 14. 9 Jane Kaspar 24:19.2 (Brid), 15. 12 Liza Hutchins 24:22.5 (Blom), 16. 12 Marisol Robles 24:24.6 (Hart), 17. 12 MacKenzie Warren 24:26.3 (Brid), 18. 10 Jamie Smith 24:36.0 (Hart), 19. 11 Brianna Morseau 24:45.7 (Hart), 20. 11 Jovana Naranjo 24:48.4 (Hart), 21. 10 Olaisa Moss 24:51.2 (Blom), 22. 10 Emily Hernandez 24:51.2 (Ban), 23. 12 Cielo Overton 25:04.7 (EC), 24. 9 Allison Lauri 25:18.8 (Bry), 25. 10 Abby Vitale 25:22.2 (NB).

PHOTO: Bangor's Alvaro Martinez runs to a first-place finish in the boys race of the Bridgman Invitationa. (Photo by Don Campbell of the Herald-Palladium)



8.20.18

The Rams started the 2018 season last week by hosting a tri-match at Hawkshead Links. Harper Creek won with a 143. South Haven followed with 148 and Sturgis finished at 157. “I am very excited about the potential of this group of girls,” South Haven Coach Barry Shanley said. The Rams' five starters are junior Makenzie Marr, sophomores Jina Patel and Abby Bocock and freshmen Sydney Barnes and Kendra Burrows. The photo, above, shows Makenzie Marr.

7-16.18

Klose signs new pact with UFC

South Haven’s Drakkar Klose is looking forward to his next fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), after defeating Lando Vannata at the UFC 226 in Las Vegas.

Klose, 30, earned a 30-27 unanimous decision over Vannata, July 7, at the T-Mobile Arena to improve his UFC lightweight record to 3-1, and his professional record to 9-1-1 overall.

Klose won the match by using a combination of leg kicks and elbows to slow Vannata (1-3-1, 9-1-1), and used his wrestling abilities to keep him pinned against the cage.

“I think this is an awesome matchup,” Klose said in an interview with the Herald-Palladium prior to the competition. “(Vannata) has four fights in the UFC with three Fight of the Night (bonuses). He’s there to fight, not run, and will look to put the pain on me.”

Klose hung tough though, won the match, and now has a new four-fight deal with the UFC.

A 2007 graduate of South Haven High School and all-state wrestler for the Rams, Klose began his mixed martial arts professional career in 2014 and then signed with the UFC in 2016.

“I started fighting after college wrestling,” he told the UFC. “I just love to compete.”

As an amateur mixed martial arts lightweight wrestler he compiled a perfect 7-0 record before going pro.

His first match with the UFC occurred in January 2017 against fellow newcomer Devin Powell. Klose won the match and then went on to face Mark Diakiese in July 2017. He won the fight by a split decision. With a perfect 2-0 record Klose came home to Michigan for his third UFC bout and lost to David Teymur in December of 2017.

It was a huge disappointment for Klose.

When longtime cage announcer Bruce Buffer read off the judges’ scores (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after the Teymur fight, Klose told the Palladium he felt he lost more than just a fight. He had lost perspective.

“I wasn’t focused on myself,” Klose said. “I felt like I was trying to please others. I (started to) make my circle smaller. I kind of stayed out of the gym, did my own little thing. After taking that loss I went on a little vision quest.”

While on that quest, he discovered that one of the keys missing to his game was mental fortitude.

“A lot of fighting is 90 percent mental,” he said. “I think my mental game is a lot stronger now. Looking back at Teymur, I wish I kept my composure more. I wish I didn’t let people see my frustration.

“The way you act with your body, some people don’t like that. But I’ve always been a passionate guy. When I’m no longer passionate, I got to call it quits.”

Klose is far from calling it quits after his latest victory.

He’s an expecting father of a son and as fatherhood draws nearer he has a new perspective when it comes to fighting and training.

“Every fight is important. I’m fighting for something else, I’m fighting for him,” Klose told the Palladium. “I’m fighting to support him, I can’t just do whatever I want. I got to put food on the table for him and put on a good show.

“That’s the only thing that matters. As long as I go in and give it my all, that’s all that matters. I don’t want any regrets.”



7.2.18

Bangor kickers head to LMC

Bangor soccer standouts Olivia Moore (right) and Samantha Zordan signed letters of intent to play soccer in the fall for Lake Michigan College. LMC coach Jeremy Woolery is standing behind the girls.

6.25.18

Rams' Kreiger named All-State pitcher

More congratulations are in order for South Haven's Division 2 state runner-up softball team.

This past week, pitcher Hayley Kreiger earned All-State honors, while teammates Anna Bocock and Torie Loikits received honorable mention.

“They were all three huge contributors during our season,” Rams Coach Wilma Wilson said. “We were fortunate to have different people come through in games all season.”

During her final season with the Rams, Kreiger had a 2.01 ERA with 232 strikeouts in 32 starts. She also led the Rams' hitting with a .526 average.

In the state title game against No. 3 Escanaba, Kreiger struck out nine batters and had a single, one of only three hits the Rams got during the game, which ended 5-0 in Escanaba's favor.

Kreiger plans to attend Division II Davenport University in the fall where she has been recruited to play on both the volleyball and softball teams.

In addition to All-State honors, both Kreiger and first-base player Bocock were named All-Conference first team in the Wolverine league, while outfielder Grace Ellis and designated player Torie Loikits were named to the second team. Third base player Frances Lyons received honorable mention.

All-district players included Kreiger, Bocock, Loikits, Frances Lyons, outfielder Jordyn Holland and catcher AJ Jeffries.

All-region honors went to Bocock, Kreiger, Loikits and Frances Lyons.

“What a year,” Wilson said regarding the 2018 season in which the Rams traveled all the way to the state finals, a fete a South Haven softball team has been unable to achieve since 1979.

“There were so many great wins versus top teams. Knocking out Lakeshore in the regional finals and defeating undefeated Spring Lake in the quarter-finals were my favorites. I liked how our kids pulled together down the stretch and got on the same wave about keeping our season going. We got to the last game. I'm so proud of them all.”

The Rams (32-9) may have had to settle for runner-up honors, but the team's quest to land a spot in the state finals was a hard-fought one.

After ending up in third place in the Wolverine Conference, South Haven regrouped in post-season play to defeat Paw Paw in the district finals.

They then advanced to regionals where they easily won over Olivet, 18-5, in the semi-finals. But the Rams had to get past nemesis Stevensville Lakeshore in the finals – a fete South Haven had never been able to accomplish in the past.

The determined Rams battled on to knock off the No. 1 ranked Lancers 4-3 to advance to the state quarterfinals where they faced No. 2 ranked Spring Lake and its impressive 30-0 record. But, the underdogs came through once again and won 5-4.

That brought the Rams to the semi-final contest where they dominated Dearborn Divine Child in a mercy-rule 14-0 finish.

PHOTO: South Haven pitcher Hayley Kreiger gets ready to pitch the ball in a doubleheader against  South Christian in May. (file photo by Tom Renner)

Rams receive Wolverine Conference honors

Several South Haven baseball players were recognized by the Wolverine Conference.
Andy Klavins made it to the first team all-conference, while the team's other pitcher, McCauy Marr received honorable mention.
Klavins plans to play baseball for Adrian College next season, while Marr will be playing for Lake Michigan College.

Soccer honors
Katherine Schooley was named second team all-conference for South Haven's girls soccer team, while teammate Blanca Gonzalez was named honorable mention.

PHOTO: Andy Klavins is shown pitching in a game earlier this year. (file photo by Tom Renner)

6.18.18

South Haven's softball season came to an end Saturday after the Rams settled for runner-up honors in the Division 2 state championship game against Escanaba. The Eskymos (yes, that's how they spell their mascot's name) won 5-0. The Rams played five post-season games in one week in their pursuit of a state title. In the photo, above, South Haven softball team and coaches pose for a photo after receiving the Division 2 state runner-up trophy. (Photo by Tom Renner)

A season to remember

Rams earn state runner-up honors

By BECKY KARK
Editor and general manager

South Haven's wild post-season ride came to an end Saturday literally at the hands of Escanaba's Gabrianna Salo.
Salo fanned 11 Rams batters in the first four innings to aid the Eskymos to a 5-0 shutout victory over South Haven in the Division 2 state championship game.
Salo's dominance on the mound limited the Rams to just three hits in the entire game. The hits came from Hayley Kreiger, Hannah Mines and AJ Jeffries. Kreiger, who took the loss for  South Haven, struck out nine batters and only had one walk.
The Rams (32-9) may have had to settle for runner-up honors, but the team's quest to land a spot in the state finals was a hard-fought one.
After ending up in third place in the Wolverine Conference, South Haven regrouped in district play to defeat Paw Paw in the finals.
They then advanced to regionals where they easily won over Olivet, 18-5, in the semi-finals. But the Rams had to get past nemesis Stevensville Lakeshore in the finals – a fete South Haven had never been able to accomplish in the past.
The determined Rams battled on to knock off the No. 1 ranked Lancers 4-3 to advance to Tuesday's state quarterfinals where they faced No. 1 ranked Spring Lake and its impressive 30-0 record. But, the underdogs came through once again and won 5-4.
That brought the Rams to the semi-final contest, Thursday, where they dominated Dearborn Divine Child in a mercy-rule 14-0 finish.

State quarterfinals

South Haven defeated Spring Lake, 5-4, Tuesday, in the Division 2 state-quarterfinals at Hope College to advance to Thursday's state semi-finals in East Lansing against Dearborn Divine Child.
Spring Lake was 40-0 entering the game and owned a 4-0 lead midway thru the third inning. South Haven got one run back on a solo homerun by Frances Lyons. Then in the fourth inning Anna Bocock hit a grand slam homerun to put South Haven ahead 5-4. Pitcher Hayley Kreiger shut down Spring Lake the rest of the way behind several outstanding defensive plays by her teammates.
South Haven last advanced to the state semi-finals in 1982.

State semifinals

South Haven remained Ram tough, Thursday, in their quest to be state champions in Division 2 softball.
The Rams mercy ruled Dearborn Divine Child, 14-0, with the game ending after five innings.
South Haven's offense was spot on. The Rams scored four runs in the first inning, tallied one in the second and added three in the third. Six runs in the fourth caused the mercy rule to take effect.
Haley Mines batted 3-4 with three RBIs on a bases-loaded double in the first inning. Kreiger added three RBIs off a bases-loaded fourth-inning triple.
The Rams' defense was equally as effective at stopping Dearborn from scoring.
Pitcher Hayley Kreiger allowed just one hit, while third base player Frances Lyons fielded three grounders for three outs in the first inning.
This year marks the first time since 1979 that the Rams will be competing for a state title.
It also marks the first time that veteran coach Wilma Wilson will lead a South Haven team to a state championship game.
In the past 29 years as coach for the Rams, Wilson has compiled a 708-346 record.

6.11.18

South Haven freshman hits winning homer in regional upset of top-ranked Lakeshore

By AL AREND

HP Sports Correspondent

STEVENSVILLE — South Haven freshman Jordyn Holland’s first career home run is one she’ll never forget. Neither will long-time Rams softball coach Wilma Wilson.

Holland belted a 2-run homer over the left field fence in the top of eighth inning to power South Haven to a 4-3 upset victory over top-rated Lakeshore in the Division 2 regional championship. It was coach Wilson’s first-ever regional crown in 29 years at the Rams’ helm.

“That was a big hit, obviously a game changer,” a delighted Wilson said after being doused with the water cooler by her team. “We made a few hitting adjustments late in the game as (the home plate umpire) had a very tight strike zone early on.”

“I hit a fastball,” noted Holland of her two-run blast. “I didn’t know if it was going over the fence or not, because I’ve never hit a homer before.”

The loss was a bitter pill for veteran Lakeshore coach Denny Dock to swallow, as his team left 15 runners on base, including nine in scoring position. They slapped 12 hits off winning pitcher Hayley Kreiger.

“We had numerous chances to win that game,” stated Dock. “We had chance after chance after chance to win that game. It’s one of those ones you’d like to forget. We’re sure going to miss our six seniors, but they’ve had a great run. We made two outs that caromed off their fielder’s glove and went right to another infielder for a force out that thwarted two potential rallies.”

Also, in the bottom of the first, with the bases loaded and one out, Nadia Amicarelli hit a soft fly ball to short left-center that the outfielder dove for and appeared to drop, but the base umpire ruled she caught it. Meghan Younger, who had wandered off second thinking it was a hit, was doubled up to end the rally.

“That was a confusing call that went our way,” admitted Wilson, whose Rams will take a 30-8 record into quarterfinal play at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Hope College against Spring Lake.

The Lancers took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second on an RBI double by Gabby Rothrock. The score stayed that way until the top of the sixth, when the Rams tied it on a two-run single by winning pitcher Hayley Kreiger, who tossed two complete games for South Haven. Holland’s blast in the top of the eighth gave the Rams a 4-2 lead, and the Lancers plated one run in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single by Younger but couldn’t muster any more. Lakeshore also left the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh.

“She’s our workhorse in the circle,” praised Wilson of Kreiger’s ability to pitch out of jams. “Plus she delivered that clutch, two-out, tworun single in the sixth that knotted the game against Lakeshore.”

Lakeshore ace Taylor Simon was near-perfect for five innings, fanning seven and walking one while tossing hitless ball. She tossed a two-hit shutout, striking out 12 in the Lancers’ 7-0 regional semifinal win over No. 5 rated Three Rivers, the Wolverine Conference champs. But after throwing three straight tournament shutouts, South Haven finally became the first tournament team to score on her, plating two in the sixth and two more in the eighth. “She certainly pitched well enough to win, but we just couldn’t come up with the clutch hit when we needed it,” added Dock, whose squad bows out at 30-12.

South Haven won its regional semifinal 18-5 over Olivet in a game called after six innings due to the 10run mercy rule. The Rams banged out 18 hits in the win, including three apiece by Kreiger, who had five RBI, and Haley Mines, who knocked in three. Kreiger socked a two-run homer.

In Lakeshore’s semifinal win over Three Rivers, the Lancers scored four unearned runs in the top of the second thanks to three Wilcats errors and were never headed after that. Nadia Amicarelli slapped three singles and Becca Spenner socked a double and single in the Lancers 10-hit attack. The game was delayed 77 minutes due to two lightning strikes.

PHOTO: South Haven celebrates after defeating Lakeshore 4-3 in eight innings during a Division 2 regional championship Saturday. (Photo by Don Campbell)

Marr heads to LMC to play baseball

Another South Haven High School athlete will be headed to college in the fall to play sports at the collegiate level.

McCauy Marr has signed a letter of intent to play baseball for the Lake Michigan College Redhawks.

Marr, who pitches and plays infield for the Rams, is the son of Jim and Angela Marr.

South Haven baseball coach Dave McWhinnie wasn't surprised that LMC offered Marr a scholarship and a chance to play on their team.

“McCauy has been a workhorse,” McWhinnie said. “He came up to the varsity level as a sophomore. He's a reliable pitcher and we know we'll get a good game from him. He's also an all-around infield player.” When he's not pitching, Marr can be found behind the plate catching, or playing at first or third base.

Marr said he looked at other schools but chose LMC because it's close to home.

He plans to stay at LMC for two years and then transfer to a four-year college to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering.


PHOTO: McCauy Marr (seated, second from left) is shown just prior to signing a letter of intent to play baseball for Lake Michigan College next year. Also seated from left are Jim Marr, McCauy's dad;  LMC Athletic Director Melissa Grau; and Angela Marr, McCauy's mom. Standing from left are South Haven baseball coach Dave McWhinnie and Assistant Coach Jason Montgomery.

6.4.18

Track and field athletes earn all-state honors

Four track and field athletes from the South Haven area brought home all-state honors after competing in the MHSAA state finals, Saturday.

Brett Robertson of Bangor captured two all-state medals in the Division 3 meet. He earned fifth place in the 110-meter hurdles with a personal record time of 15.35 and ran to a fourth-place finish in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 40.25.

“I don't have enough superlatives for Brett,” Bangor coach Ron Markel said, adding he will miss the graduating senior. “A team full of Brett's desire and work ethic would hang a lot of banners and numbers.”

In his years running for Bangor's track team, Robertson was a four-time regional champion, three-time conference champ and earned all-state honors three times.

For the Bangor girls, Audrey Hay came away with all-state honors, after placing fifth in the long jump with a leap of 16-05.75.

All-state honors in Division 3 also went to Jeremy Birmele of Bloomingdale, who vaulted 13-feet to a fourth-place finish in the pole vault competition.

The fourth area athlete to come home with an all-state medal was senior Paisley Sipes of South Haven. She came in fourth place in the 3200-meter run with a time of 11:04.96 in the Division 2 state finals in Zeeland.

Several other track and field athletes competed in the state finals as well. Here are their results:

Division 2

Girls

Pole vault: Ellie Frost, South Haven, 11th place, 10-0.

Shot put: Constance Phillips, South Haven, 25th place, 30-02.5

Boys

4x800 relay: South Haven (Brian Thompson, Jackson Schooley, Justin Postma, Joe Nelson) 30th place, 8:34.57

Division 3

Girls

400-meter dash: Aimee Sustaita, Bloomingdale, 16th place, 1:02.94

800-meter run: Kallie Harrison, Bloomingdale, 17th place, 2:31.01

1600-meter run: Kallie Harrison, Bloomingdale, 18th place, 5:30.83

4x800 relay: Bloomingdale (Aimee Sustaita, Kallie Harrison, Nelly Gonzalez, Olaisa Moss), 15th place, 10:25.99

Boys

1600-meter run: Alvaro Martinez, Bangor, 12^th place, 4:38

PHOTO: Paisley Sipes of South Haven competes in the 3200-meter run at the Division 2 state meet in Zeeland. Sipes earned fourth place and all-state honors (the top 8 finishers in each event are named all-state). (Photo by Tom Renner)

South Haven softball team earns district championship

South Haven's softball team coasted to a 5-1 victory over Paw Paw, Saturday, to capture a Division 2 district championship.

The Rams will now move on to the regional competition this weekend where they will compete against Olivet at Stevensville Lakeshore. The winner of that game will face the winner of the Lakeshore-Three Rivers contest for the regional championship.

South Haven's softball team made it to the Division 2 district finals, Saturday, at Allegan, after defeating Wolverine Conference rival, Otsego, 2-0.

“We won a hard-fought game,” Rams assistant coach Mike Sweet said.

South Haven earned both of its runs in the fifth inning on an RBI double by Grace Ellis and an RBI single by Torie Loikits.

Pitcher Hayley Kreiger held the Bulldogs to just three hits.

The victory put the Rams in the finals where they faced Paw Paw, who defeated Plainwell in the other district semi-final contest.

South Haven's softball team ended regular season play, May 25, by defeating Sturgis, 6-1 and 15-0, to finish with a 14-4 record and third place in the Wolverine Conference.

In game 1 the Rams only had 3 hits but it was enough to produce six runs. Haley Mines and Jordyn Holland had singles, and Hayley Kreiger, who was the winning pitcher, had a home run. Between games the seniors along with their parents were recognized. Playing their last games at home were Frances Lyons, Anna Bocock, Hayley Kreiger and Hannah and Haley Mines.

In the nightcap, the Lady Rams had 15 hits to go with the team's 15 runs. Bocock and Kreiger each had 3 hits with one of Krieger’s being a home run. Getting two hits were Frances Lyons and Torie Loikits. Others with 1 hit were: Jordyn Holland, AJ Jeffries, Haley Mines, Mallory Dorow and Holli Dannenberg.

Prior to playing against Sturgis, South Haven stayed busy at the end of May playing against non-conference teams and competing in the Otsego Invitational where the Rams earned runner-up honors.

“The Otsego Invitational had a ton of talent spread throughout the brackets; however, the Lady Rams still made it to the tournament finals before losing to the Wolverine Conference champion Three Rivers,” South Haven assistant coach Mike Sweet said.

Getting to the finals, the Lady Rams beat Grand Rapids South Christian 15-4 followed by a 10-5 win over Otsego. In the finals the Three Rivers Wildcats proved too much by shutting out South Haven 10-0. Against South Christian, South Haven's leading hitters were Hannah Mines and Frances Lyons with 3 hits each. Jordyn Holland, Hayley Kreiger, AJ Jeffries, Torie Loitkits and Mallory Dorow all had hits with Dorow’s being a home run. Kreiger was the winning pitcher.

In the victory over Otsego, the Lady Rams had to go extra innings, but a 5-run eighth inning broke open the game and sealed the win. Getting two hits apiece for South Haven were AJ Jeffries, Hannah Mines, Jordyn Holland and Hayley Kreiger. One of Kreiger’s hits was a home run. Others with single hits were Frances Lyons, Anna Bocock, Mallory Dorow and Torie Loikits. Kreiger again picked up the win from the mound.

Following the tournament, the Lady Rams returned home to win 5 of 6 games on their own home field.

On May 22 South Haven defeated the Lady Sailors from Grand Rapids South Christian by the scores of 7-0 and 12-1. In game 1 South Haven broke open a tight game with a 4-run sixth inning. Getting two hits apiece for South Haven were Hayley Kreiger (both doubles), Holli Dannenberg and AJ Jeffries. One of Jeffries’s hits was her first varsity homerun. Others with hits were Jordyn Holland (triple), Frances Lyons, Anna Bocock (double), Grace Lyons and Torie Loikits (double). Kreiger was the winning pitcher holding the Lady Sailors to 5 hits.

In game 2 the Lady Rams banged out 14 hits spread out through the line-up. Anna Bocock led the way with a 4-hit game with her hit in the 6th inning being a mercy rule walk-off grand slam homerun. Jordy Holland contributed with 3 hits with two of those being doubles. Other Rams with hits were Macy Jenks, Courtney Kelly, AJ Jeffries, Grace Ellis (triple), Torie Loikits, Holli Dannenberg (double) and Haley Mines. Kreiger was again the winning pitcher, holding South Christian to 3 hits.

Two days later the Lady Rams hosted the Lady Panthers from Watervliet. Both games were very close with each game decided in the last inning. The Lady Rams won the opener, 5-4, in nine innings. Game 2 saw the Lady Rams lose 4-3 in another nailbiter. In the opener , AJ Jeffries and Jordyn Holland each had 2 hits apiece. Hayley Kreiger, Anna Bocock, Haley Mines and Torie Loikits each had a hit. Hayley Kreiger was the winning pitcher. In the nightcap, the Lady Rams only had 5 hits with Kreiger getting 3 of them. Jordyn Holland and Haley Mines had the team’s other two hits.

The Rams closed out their busy May 21-25 week, with two victories over Sturgis to push their overall regular season record to 26-8.

PHOTO: South Haven softball team gathers around home plate to greet AJ Jeffires after she hit a two-run homerun in the first game of a double-header against South Christian, May 22. (Photo by Tom Renner)

Coaches and managers, please feel free to send us results of your games and matches to southhaventribune@yahoo.com