Senior Collin Alvesteffer scored four touchdowns in the game against Northview last Friday, September 16. Photo by K. Alvesteffer/R. LaLone.

By Maddie Nichols, student reporter

The Cedar Springs Red Hawks took on the Northview’s Wildcats for their fourth game of the season, the first in their own stadium this season, and also the school’s homecoming game.

With a huge student section pushing for a win, senior Collin Alvesteffer started the game with a pick six within a minute and a half of the first quarter. The kick was good and the Hawks found themselves up 7-0 with 10 minutes and 57 seconds left. Cedar held off the Wildcats with tackles by juniors John Todd and Nate Patin, as well as senior Austin Basso. Alvesteffer got another touchdown, with 5 minutes and 8 seconds remaining, while Dustin Shaw had a successful kick giving the Hawks a 14-0 lead.

Thirty seconds into the second quarter, Alvesteffer ran in for another touchdown, leaving Cedar up by 21 points. Only 10 seconds later, senior Jacob Hooker scored a touchdown with 11 minutes and 12 seconds remaining of the first half, making the score 27-0. Northview finally got on the board with a long run and touchdown with 3 minutes and 34 seconds left on the clock, making the score 27-7. Runs by seniors Hooker and Basso led to a touchdown by sophomore Lucas Pienton, with a little under 2 minutes remaining. The halftime score was Cedar up 33-7.

After the Homecoming Queen and King announcement, the sideline cheerleader routine, and the marching band performance, lightning struck and the game received a thirty-minute delay. Fans were asked to leave the stands during the delay.

Alvesteffer got his fourth touchdown shortly after the beginning of the second half, increasing the Hawks’ lead to 41-7.

In the fourth quarter, Northview made a long run and got a touchdown after a penalty was called on Cedar Springs, with 9 minutes and 20 seconds left of the game. With the score 41-13, the Northview fans got riled up to make a comeback and pushed their team to get another touchdown, which they did, with 5 minutes and 15 seconds left in the game. The two-point conversion was no good, making the score 41-19. A long run by Lucas Pienton led to a touchdown by junior Darius Barnett, 3 minutes and 30 seconds left in the game. The two-point conversion was good making the score 49-19. Tackles by sophomore Ryan Ringler and junior John Todd closed out the game with the final score being 49-19.

Cedar Springs is now 2-0 in conference and 3-1 overall. Their next game is Friday, September 23, when they host Grand Rapids Christian (4-0) in the MLive Game of the Week.

#Rickerstrong Game 

Join the Cedar Springs Soccer teams on Tuesday October 4th, 2016, when they hold a Youth Cancer Awareness Night in support of Brison Ricker, a Cedar Springs High School Varsity Soccer player. Cedar Springs will host Greenville with JV at 5:00 p.m. and Varsity at 6:45 p.m.

There will be Face Painting, Giveaways, Raffles, Prizes, and a halftime presentation. Youth players wearing a jersey get in free with a paid adult.

Contact Kyle.Avink@gmail.com with any questions.

The 5^th annual Cedar Springs Pink game for cancer awareness is Friday, October 7, 2016, at Red Hawk Stadium.

Pink game T-shirts are available for purchase at the High School main office. Cost is $10 for size youth-adult xl and $12 for 2x. Honor package also available for $50~includes meet and greet with appetizers before game, goodie bag, t-shirt, and a memory walk with athlete onto field.

For more information please call the High School main office at 696-1200.

Rocket Football schedule for next week Saturday, October 1, for grades 3-6. Home games are at Skinner Field.

Cedar Springs Varsity Volleyball played a terrific conference opening match on Tuesday night (Sept. 13) against Lowell, with the Red Arrows prevailing in the three set match on their home floor. Lowell took the sets 19-25, 18-25 and 16-25.

The Red Hawks were led by senior setter Ali Sparling, who put up a strong all around performance with 5 kills, 8 assists, 4 blocks and 7 digs.  Sydney Plummer followed with 3 kills, 3 aces, 8 digs and an assist while Lauren Kostus added 2 kills, 5 service points and 3 aces.  Sienna Wight tallied 6 service points, 2 aces, 1 block and 4 assist while Libero Kaitlyn Coons had 15 digs on the night.

The second conference match on Thursday evening, September 15, at Greenville High School, brought a disappointing three set loss:  19-25, 18-25 and 8-25. Senior Brooke Morris supplied a match high 6 kills and 3 blocks, while freshman Lauren Kostus tallied 5 kills, 7 digs, and a block. Sydney Plummer added 5 kills, 10 digs and 2 aces. Ali Sparling recorded 10 assists, while Sienna Wight had 9. Kaitlyn Coons led the defense with 18 digs.

The Girls Varsity team moves to an overall 1-5-2 record, and drops to 0-2 in the conference.  Their next matches are both home, hosting Ottawa Hills Tuesday evening and Forest Hills Northern on Thursday night.

Middle school football is back! Gate fee: $3.00 adult and $2.00 per student. Rocket football players with jersey get in free.

Game times: 7th grade 5:00 p.m., 8th grade 6:30 p.m.

See schedule for next Wednesday, September 28, below:

Week          Date                Venue                Opponent

3            September 28         Cedar Springs     Kenowa Hills

By Maddie Nichols

The Red Hawks traveled to Greenville’s Legacy Field last Friday, September 9, for their first conference game of the season. After a well fought game, Cedar Springs ended the night with a win of 17-3.

The game started with a spark when junior John Todd returned the kick and made a long run to Greenville’s 37-yard line. Soon after, senior Jacob Hooker made a short run in for a touchdown with 10 minutes and 23 seconds left of the first quarter. The two point conversion failed, but the Hawks got the lead they needed making it 6-0 right away. Cedar continued to shut down Greenville with tackles by seniors Austin Ellis and Jaron Spencer. With only a little over a minute left of the first quarter, senior Dustin Shaw kicked a 34-yard field goal to increase the lead to 9-0 Red Hawks. Tackles at the end of the quarter by sophomore Ryan Ringler and seniors Jaron Spencer and Dustin Shaw prevented Greenville from getting any points.

Going into the second quarter, Jacob Hooker recovered a fumble and got the crowd roaring when he landed the ball on the 12-yard line. Hooker carried the ball the next few plays until it was 4th down on the 1-yard line. Senior quarterback Collin Alvesteffer then made an unusual touchdown by climbing over his teammates’ backs and crossing the ball over into the end zone. The two-point conversion from Alvesteffer to senior Dylan Ostrom-Howell was good, upping the score to 17-0 with 8 minutes left in the first half. Runs by Todd, Hooker, and Ringler kept the momentum going while important tackles by Alvesteffer, Ellis, and junior Nate Patin kept the Yellow Jackets from scoring.

In the second half, Cedar’s defense stepped up to maintain the lead they had. Although there were some close calls, Cedar held them off from making any runs into the end zone. Ringler, Alvesteffer, Shaw, Todd, sophomore Lucas Pienton and senior Austin Basso all made major tackles as the Yellow Jackets closed in on the one yard line. Towards the very end of the third quarter, Greenville kicked a field goal to make the score 17-3.

The Red Hawks continued with a strong defense in the fourth quarter. With huge tackles by Todd, Ryan Ringler, senior Fred Rutledge, Patin, Basso, junior Jordon Lyon, Pienton, and senior Jordan Ringler, the Yellow Jackets struggled to get close to a touchdown. Although there was no scoring by the Hawks, there were still some great runs by Ryan Ringler, Todd, Ostrom-Howell, Hooker, and Jordan Ringler to finish off the game 17-3.

Cedar Springs had 181 yards on the ground. Leading rushers were John Todd, with 60 yards on nine carries; Jacob Hooker with 46 yards on 12 carries; and Collin Alvesteffer with 24 yards on 11 carries.

Cedar Springs is now 1-0 in conference and 2-1 overall.

The Red Hawks have their Homecoming game this coming Friday, September 16, against Northview. Game time is 7 p.m. Come on out and cheer on your Red Hawks!

Being part of a team means sacrificing yourself for what is best for those around you. This year, the Cedar Springs boys soccer program is finding out what that means on and off the field. The idea of coming together as ONE has meant more to these players than ever before. After their teammate #1, Brison Ricker, was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer in the late months of 2015, their goal became very clear; be one. This means more than simply playing together on a soccer field. For the Cedar Springs boys soccer program, this means honoring Brison by exemplifying the qualities that he showed on the field and continues to show every day in his battle against cancer. Being ONE means showing perseverance, positivity, high work ethic, and an unconquerable spirit on and off the field.

Any coach will tell you that success begins to happen when everything your team has worked for culminates in a game. On Thursday, September 8, this happened for the Cedar Springs boys soccer program when they traveled to Greenville High School. At half time the Varsity scoreboard showed a 2-0 deficit against the Red Hawks. Heads were hanging and spirits were low as the half-time whistle blew. When the second half began, they stepped on the field with 40 minutes on the clock. The team had a choice; Give up, or work. They decided to make a conscious decision to try to come together as ONE. In a hard fought battle for the next forty minutes, each player began to discover what ONE truly meant for them. Things like grit, passion, sacrifice, leadership, and unity suddenly became real. When the final whistle blew, their grit and sacrifice paid off. The team was able to pull off a 3-2 victory over Greenville High School after coming from behind 2-0.

“The players from both the JV and Varsity soccer teams walked away on Thursday night with more than just a win,” said Kyle Avink, Varsity Soccer Coach. “They walked away with a new meaning for what it meant to be part of a team. They have begun to truly understand the sacrifice it takes to be ONE. They showed that no matter what they face, together they are strong…Rickerstrong.”

#one #Rickerstrong

By Mark Uyl, Asst. Director, MHSAA

In all contact sports, the biggest issue of the day continues to be concussions. Game officials play a vital role in keeping athletes safe on the field, court, ice and mat. While officials are never placed in the position to diagnose a possible concussion, the officials can often see when a player first becomes injured. When that possible injury is noticed by an official, all game rules require the contest be stopped and the student is evaluated by the school’s health care team. It then becomes the call of the school to determine if the player has suffered a possible concussion. If yes, the player is out for at least the rest of that day. If no, the player can return to the contest.

Be the Referee is a weekly message from the Michigan High School Athletics Association that is designed to help educate people on the rules in different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.

Rocket Football for grades 3-6 is back! Listed below are the games for next week Saturday, September 24.  Home games are at Skinner Field.