Cedar Springs Girls Basketball started the 2019-20 season on a tear.  They look to get back on track as they have recently dropped three games in their toughest stretch of the schedule.

Traveling to FH Northern, on January 10th, in their first game after a long Christmas Break the ladies fell behind 14-2 early in the first quarter and were playing catch up from there.  

Cedar battled back cutting to one point 25-26 at the end of the third quarter.  The Red Hawks had a chance to take the lead early in the fourth but could not convert on three open looks in one possession.

Final Score on the night was 27-34. Junior Maggie Prins led the Red Hawks with a double-double, 11 points and 11 rebounds.  Junior Arianna Rau pulled down 8 rebounds.

The ladies were back on the road Tuesday, January 14th when they traveled to FH Central.  

After trading baskets to a 9-9 score midway through the opening quarter, FHC scored the last 5 points unanswered for a 5 point lead at the end of one, 9-14.  Prins scored all 7 of her points in a second period that saw the Red Hawks close the gap on the Rangers for a halftime score of 21-24.

FHC got hot in the third quarter and had the ladies down 14 points at the end of the third period.  As always, these ladies battled back and closed the lead to 4 points late in the fourth quarter, however the lead was to much to overcome and the Red Hawks fell, 39-48.

Rau produced a double-double of her own scoring 11 points and 10 rebounds.  She was followed in scoring by junior Avery Sparling with 10 points.

Cedar Springs hosted #2 Kent City on Saturday, January 18 in front a great crowd.  The Red Hawks battled evenly with the Eagles for a 7-7 score at the end of the first period. Rau had a big first half scoring 8 of her team high 13 points.

Kent City got hot behind the arc in the second period building a 13-point lead heading into the locker room at halftime.  

But Cedar would again battle back cutting Kent City’s lead to 4 points at the end of the third, 34-38. Three points by Prins and Junior Kaelyn Colclasure, as well as a short jumper by Sparling spurred the Red Hawks.

The teams battled throughout the fourth quarter, but the Red hawks could never get the lead. Final score was 46-51.

Rau produced her second double-double in as many games scoring 13 points and 10 rebounds. Sparling  and Colclasure followed with 10 and 8 points, respectively. Darrah Miller hauled in 10 rebounds on the night.

The Lady Red Hawks are back in action at home this week when they battle Northview Tuesday (1-21) and will play Lowell on Friday evening.  

The Cedar Springs High School Competitive Cheer team faced its toughest competition of the season on January 18th at the Cougar Spirit Invitational at Stoney Creek High School in Rochester Hills, Michigan. The Varsity team earned third place by executing three solid performances and earning a combined round three score of 749.86. The JV squad performed well during round one and two, but were forced to drop from the competition due to an injury.

Coach Anne Olszewski was very proud of her team, “The girls handled a competition on the east side of the state with some jitters but I am pleased with them. It’s just time to clean the rounds. We are still in the top 10 for Division Two in the state and need to shave off at least one place in the standings to get to State Finals in March. They have it in them! How bad do we want it? 7 seniors. 7 leaders! We have January and February to find out!”

The lady Red Hawks will close out the month of January with the West Catholic Invitational on January 24th and the Cedar Springs Invitational on Monday, January 27th at 6pm. This is only one of two opportunities for the community to support this talented group of female athletes on their home turf. Mark your calendars! Let’s fill the stands and show some Red Hawk Pride for Team 2020!

By Barbra Chong

This past weekend, West Michigan Pursuit spread out and had grapplers competing in different tournaments: Hawkeye Nationals, Traverse City and Forest Hills Eastern. 

WMP had seven travel to the Young Arena in Waterloo, Iowa and five finished in the top four. 52 lb Brody Compau, 3rd/4th grade division finished 4th. 78 lb Quinten Cassiday, 5th/6th grade division finished 2nd. Hawkeye National Champions are 82 lb Luke Egan, 5th/6th grade division; 100 lb Ayden McClurken, 7th/8th grade division and 75 lb Josh Vasquez, 7th/8th grade division. Congratulations to Brody Compau and Luke Egan who have each earned their Belt. To earn these belts, you have to place in the top 4, three out of four of the Midwest Wrestling Tour Series. There is one more opportunity to earn a belt and that will be the Gopher State Nationals, February 8-9 Monticello, MN. 

The Far North Region hosted a Greights tournament at Traverse City High School and WMP entered nine to compete, placing eight in the top four. 60 lb Brennan Dietz, 9/10 age group; 63 lb Landon Learn, 9/10 age group and 57 lb Kassie Sapp, 9/10 age group all finished third. 49 lb Emmett Russo, 5/6 age group and 57 lb Blake Werkema finished 2nd. Greights Champions are 64 lb Dylan Russo, 7/8 age group, 52 lb Ethan VanDyke, 5/6 age group and 63 lb Tatianna Castillo, 9/10 age group. The Greights tournament also held a Girls Division. 68 lb Tatianna Castillo and 60 lb Kassie Sapp both claimed the Championships in the 9/10 age division. 

The West Region hosted their tournament at Forest Hills Eastern. WMP entered 13 and 12 placed in the top four. 97 lb Declan Mead, 7/8 age group and 100 lb Logan Goguen, 13/15 age group both finished 3rd. 55 lb Jaxson Babcock, 7/8 age group; 107 lb Evan Mouch 13/15 age group; 60 lb Jace Schut, 9/10 age group and 80 lb Kamden Witte, 11/12 age group all finished 2nd. Forest Hills Eastern Champions are 77 lb JJ Petersen, 7/8 age group; 49 lb Koope Witte, 7/8 age group; 75 lb Evan Andrews 11/12 age group; 95 lb Harper Cheng, 11/12 age group; 60 lb Carter Giles, 9/10 age group and 100/105 lb Blake Peasley, 11/12 age group. 

“Overall, WMP entered 31 grapplers to compete this weekend and 28 finished in the top 4. 21 of these kids battled their way into the Finals and 14 claimed Championship Titles. Saying I am proud is an understatement. You kids continue to exceed my expectations. Thank you for trusting me and trusting the process. You truly are the Pursuit of Champions,” said Head Coach Dave Andrus.

By: James Streeter

CSYWrestlers saw action on two fronts this past weekend as 5 wrestlers made the trek north to Traverse City for the Far North Region GREIGHTS tournament and 31 other wrestlers descended upon Forest Hills Eastern High School for another MyWAY West Region tournament. At FHE the Red Hawks finished 6^th overall in pins with 20 and 2^nd overall in total match points with 327 while coming away with 16 medals on the day! Coach Jake Marsman was happy with the effort stating that “we are starting to get into the meat of the MyWAY wrestling schedule and the competition is getting more fierce every weekend. It is nice to see our wrestlers continue to grow and compete at a high level.”

Traveling north in a snow storm did not discourage a determined group of Red Hawks as they wrestled at Traverse City Central High School in the Far North GREIGHTS tournament. Five wrestlers and their families made the trip and three were able to come away with hardware. Jon Libera brought home a 1^st place finish in the 2009-10 age group 95lb bracket, Deegan Pike fought his way to a 3^rd place finish in the 2007-08 80lb bracket and Sierra Streeter wrapped up a 1^st place finish in the 2011-15 Girls 58lb weight class.

In Ada, at Forest Hills Eastern High School many of the Red Hawks continued their winning ways. In the 2011-12 age group Brycen Alber took 3^rd in the 52lb bracket while Dillon VanDyke managed a  4^th place finish in the 67lb bracket, and  Jaxon Fitzgerald wrestled to a 3^rd place finish in the 82lb bracket. Wrapping up the age group was a 1^st place finish in the Novice 55lb bracket by Hudson Cassiday.

The 2009-10 age group saw a slew of Red Hawks medal with Elie Gunderson opening up the action with a 1^st place finish in the 57lb bracket! Cade Troupe wrestled his way to a 3^rd place finish in the 66lb bracket as Tucker Crystal had another good showing with a 1^st place finish in the 72lb bracket.  In the 100lb bracket Alex Hanes managed a 3^rd place medal while Dayton Reynolds added another 1^st place medal to his trophy case in 95lb bracket.

The 2007-08 age group saw six more Red Hawks medal with Brandson Wood and Spencer Schoenborn both taking a 4^th place in the 75lb and 80lb brackets respectively. Hudson Crystal had another strong showing taking 1^st place in the combined weight class of 112/119lbs. Gavyn Byxbe wrestled his way to a strong 3^rd place  finish in the combined weight class of 126/133lbs and John Elam earned a 2^nd place finish in the 75lb weight class. Finishing up the scoring for the Red Hawks was Beau Savage with a 1^st place finish in the 133lb bracket.

This week the Red Hawks will travel to Lakewood High School on Sunday morning for what promises to be a very competitive MyWAY West Region tournament!

Perseverance. Dedication. Determination. Despite major setbacks to their program, the Cedar Springs Competitive Cheer program pushed through obstacles and swept its first OK White Conference meet on January 8 at Lowell High School. 

Coach Anne Olszewski is very proud of this team. “They have had some pretty significant adversaries this year and they are still battling through and coming out on top. We have had some members leave the team, for personal reasons, and this requires us to rewrite, rework and relearn the rounds in a very short amount of time. Our rounds are difficult, intricate and highlight certain skills that require many skills that require many repetitions in order to perfect.”

The Lady Red Hawks arrived at Lowell High School feeling anxious about their losses but determined to do what was needed to finish first at the meet. Despite trailing Forest Hills Northern by .5 at the end of round one, the Lady Red Hawks secured the top spot by executing three solid performances, earning a combined round three score of 734.4 and outscoring the second-place team by 18.3 points. 

Coach O affirmed the hard work of the team. “Wednesday night was our best round three score of the season and it was due to the grit and determination of 19 young women that know they can take on anything that is handed to them and never quit. What coach wouldn’t be proud?”

The JV Lady Red Hawks finished first at the junior varsity level with a combined round three score of 553.2. Coach Katy Hradsky commented, “We started 2020 off with a win at our first Conference Meet January 8th at Lowell High School. It was definitely not our best day, but it was a learning experience, and the girls really have made big goals for the rest of our season. I am excited to see them fulfill those goals over the next few weeks!”

Next Saturday, both levels will compete against some of the highest ranked teams in the state of Michigan at the prestigious Stoney Creek High School Invitational in Rochester Hills. On Monday, January 20, the ladies will travel to Forest Hills Northern to compete in their second OK White Conference Meet. Good luck girls! 

Amanda Larson, of Howard City and a Lakeview High School graduate, scored 18 points Saturday as Albion College claimed a 98-70 victory over Olivet College in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association women’s basketball action. She made 6-of-11 shots from the field and 5-of-6 from the free throw line. She stuffed the box score with six rebounds, two assists and a steal in 25 minutes on the court.

Larson is averaging 7.4 points and 6.1 rebounds through 14 games for the Britons so far this season.

Last weekend, West Michigan Pursuit had grapplers competing in National Duals in Kentucky and the West Region’s event hosted by Sparta. 

WMP had three grapplers travel to the Expo Center in Louisville, Kentucky. 95 lb Ayden McClurken and 107 lb Blake Peasely wrestled on MYWAY Blue, 12U Team. Both McClurken and Peasley went 5-2 for the weekend. Their team finished 2nd in their pool and 4th overall. 50 lb Brody Compau wrestled on MYWAY Blue, 10U Team. Compau went 5-2 for the weekend. His team finished 1st in their pool and 5th overall. 

The rest of the team stuck close to home with the anticipated storm coming in. WMP had 26 grapplers entered to compete at the Sparta tournament and 24 placed in the top 4. Out of 84 matches, WMP claimed 63 victories. 

Results are as follows: 85 lb Bryce Beam, 11/12 age group finished 4th. Finishing 3^rd was 72/77 lb JJ Petersen, 7/8 age group; 49/52 lb Kooper Witte, 7/8 age group; 63 lb Brennan Dietz, 9/10 age group; 100 lb Logan Goguen, 13/15 age group; 107 lb Evan Mouch, 13/15 age group and 66 lb Travis Pike, 9/10 age group.

Runner Ups are 82/97 lb Declan Mead, 7/8 age group; 66 lb Tati Castillo, 9/10 age group; 90/95 lb Harper Cheng, 11/12 age group; 60 lb Jace Schut, 9/10 age group and 80 lb Kamden Witte, 11/12 age group. Champions of the day are 64/67 lb Dylan Russo, 7/8 age group; 49 lb Emmett Russo, 5/6 age group; 55 lb Ethan VanDyke, 5/6 age group; 75 lb Evan Andrews, 11/12 age group; 107 lb Xavier Carpentier, 13/15 age group; 85 lb Luke Egan, 11/12 age group; 60 lb Carter Giles, 9/10 age group; 63 lb Landond Learn, 9/10 age group; 90/95 lb Tyler Parmeter, 11/12 age group; 80 lb Alex Russo, 11/12 age group; 57 lb Kassie Sapp, 9/10 age group and 80/85 lb Josh Vasquez, 13/15 age group. 

“Congratulations West Michigan Pursuit, you truly are the Pursuit of Champions! This sport takes a lot of dedication. Even with the anticipated storm, these kids still show up to compete,” said Head Coach Dave Andrus.

By James Streeter

The Cedar Springs Youth Wrestling (CSYW) club traveled to Sparta this past weekend for yet another MyWAY West Region tournament. The Red Hawk grapplers faced stiff competition as 50 teams traveled to Sparta High School. The Red Hawks managed 20 medals on the day but also finished first overall in pins with 35 (53:53), 3^rd in total match points with 423, and 6^th in tech falls with 3 (9:08). 

Coach Scott Marsman had this to say about the days wrestling. “We had a lot of wrestlers competing in their first ever tournament today and it was really good for all of our wrestlers to get as much mat time as they did today.”

In the 2013-15 age group Scott Odren managed a 2^nd place finish in the 40lb bracket in his first ever tournament! Also in the age group Ethan Trompen brought home a 4^th place finish in the 58lb bracket.

Moving onto the 2011-12 age group Avery Gitchel and Dawson Pike both earned 4^th place medals in the 55lb and 58lb weight classes respectively. On the novice side there were a pair of 2^nd place finishes with Deacon Reynolds in the 49lb bracket and Hudson Cassiday in the 55lb bracket. Rounding out the age group was Emily VanGessel with a hard fought 4^th place finish in the 82lb weight class.

The 2009-2010 age group flexed its muscle again with a number of Red Hawks earning top spots. Eli Gunderson took 2^nd place in the Open 57lb bracket while a pair of Red Hawks medaled in the 72lb bracket with Tucker Crystal taking the top spot and Issac Gitchel taking 3^rd. In the combined weight class of 100 and 110lbs Jon Libera took 2^nd and Alex Hanes finished 3^rd. On the novice side Elijah Elam finished 1^st in the combined bracket of 54 and 57lbs. Tim Smith and Deacon Reynolds both had strong showings as they both took top spots in the 81lb and 95lb brackets respectively. 

In the 2007-08 age group Spencer Schoenborn took 4^th place in the 80lb bracket while his brother Rory Schoenborn managed a 2^nd place finish in the 105lb bracket. In the combined bracket of 112 and 119lbs Hudson Crystal earned 1^st place. Also in a combined bracket of 112 and 119lbs Beau Savage also earned a 1^st place finish.

The lone Red Hawk in the 2005-06 age group was Wyatt Cooper who muscled his way to a 4^th place finish in the 220lb weight class.

This Sunday the Red Hawks will travel to Ada and Forest Hills Eastern High School for some more MyWAY West Region action. 

By Barbra Chong

This past weekend, West Michigan Pursuit (WMP) had grapplers competing in La Crosse, Wisconsin; Wyoming and Brighton, Michigan. 

Eight grapplers traveled to the La Crosse Center in Wisconsin to compete on Saturday. Seven finished in the top 8, earning All American status. 85 lb Alex Buskirk and Ayden McClurken, 7th/8th grade division both finished 6th. 78 lb Quinten Cassiday, 5th/6th grade division and 78 lb Josh Vasquez, 7th/8th grade division both finished 5th. 86 lb Tyler Parmeter, 5th/6th grade division finished 4th. 52 lb Brody Compau, 3rd/4th grade division finished 3rd. And 82 lb Luke Egan, 5th/6th grade division finished 2nd. 

“These tournaments are tough with even tougher competition. Each of you wrestled tough, congratulations on your placements, I am proud to have this kids representing West Michigan Pursuit,” said Head Coach Dave Andrus. 

46 lb Kooper Witte was our sole grappler to travel to the North East region for the Greights tournament in Brighton. Witte entered the 7/8 age group and finished 2nd. 

The rest of the team stayed in the West Region for Wyoming’s team tournament. 55 lb Jaxson Babcock, 7/8 age group and 66 lb Tatianna Castillo, 9/10 age group finished 4th. 95 lb Harper Cheng, 11/12 age group; 100 lb Logan Goguen, 12/15 age group; 66 lb Travis Pike, 9/10 age group; 126/133 lb Isa Starr, 11/12 age group and 130 lb Korbin Oliver, 13/15 age group all finished 3rd. 97 lb Declan Mead, 7/8 age group; 77/82 lb JJ Petersen, 7/8 age group; 63 lb Landon Learn, 9/10 age group; 80 lb Alex Russo, 11/12 age group; 54/57 lb Kassie Sapp, 9/10 age group and 60 lb Jace Schut, 9/10 age group all finished 2nd. 

Wyoming Champions are 61/64 lb Dylan Russo, 7/8 age group; 49 lb Emmett Russo, 5/6 age group; 52 lb Ethan VanDyke, 5/6 age group; 75 lb Evan Andrews, 11/12 age group; 80 lb Luke Egan, 11/12  age group; 54/57 lb Carter Giles, 9/10  age group; 95 lb Ayden McClurken, 11/12 age group; 85 lb Tyler Parmeter, 11/12 age group; 112 lb Blake Peasley, 11/12 age group; 80 lb Josh Vasquez, 13/15 age group and 60 lb Blake Werkema, 9/10 age group. 

Wyoming offered Individual and Team Trophies and WMP claimed the 1st Place Team title.  WMP finished with 230 points, Kenowa Hills with 175 points and Plainwell with 174 points. We would also like to recognize Coach Bill, Harper, Luke, Ayden, Tyler and Josh for their team support! They wrestled in Wisconsin on Saturday, left the tournament around 7:30 pm to travel thru the night to compete Sunday afternoon at Wyoming to help their teammates win the Team Trophy! Congratulations West Michigan Pursuit on a job well done.