By Judy Reed

The long wait is over for varsity high school football, and last Friday’s game at Red Hawk Stadium did not disappoint. The Cedar Springs Red Hawks showed fans Friday night that they are serious about being a contender in their new conference—the OK Gold. 

“It was a very solid effort against a good Thornapple-Kellogg team,” remarked Coach Gus Kapolka. “I was proud of how our kids responded after all the interruptions we’ve had in the preseason. It was great to be back out on the field and achieve a sense of normalcy during a very strange period in all of our lives.”

Thornapple-Kellogg scored first with 3:23 left in the first quarter on a run by Cole Shoobridge for 2-yard  touchdown. The extra point was good.

Cedar Springs scored their first touchdown with 11:46 left in the second quarter on a 29-yard run by sophomore Antwuan Nicholls. Junior Aiden Brunin ran in the extra points, making the score CS 8, TK 7.

The Red Hawks scored again toward the end of the second quarter when Brunin ran the ball in from the 1-yard line. His extra points attempt was no good. The score at the half was CS 14, TK 7.

Cedar Springs scored again with 2:51 left in the third quarter on an 11-yard run by Brunin. Senior QB Jeremy Campione’s pass for extra points was incomplete.

The Red Hawks then scored twice more in the fourth quarter, first on a long 45-yard run by Campione, with 11:51 left to play; and then again on another long run, this time by Nicholls, who took the ball and scampered 59 yards to the endzone with 5:46 left to play. Da’montae Barnett’s run in for extra points he 

The Red Hawks had 340 yards rushing, with Nicholls leading the way with 137 and two touchdowns; followed by Campione with 70 and one touchdown; Brunin with 68 yards and two touchdowns ; Barnett with 33; Alex Ream 12; Kyle Hoort 10; David DiPiazza 7; and Nate Elliston 3.

Wayland had 163 yards on the ground, led by Mitch Middleton with 72.

Defensively, Josh Kriekaard led the Red Hawks with five tackles, followed by Logan Petty, Dylan Greenland, and Brennan Porter, who each had four. Fourteen others had 3 tackles and below.

The Post asked Coach Kapolka what he thought the team did well.

“We played well on defense,” he said. “TK is a triple option football team that forced us to play extremely disciplined, and with a few exceptions we were up to the task.”

What does he think they need to improve on?

“Our offensive line play needs to improve moving forward, and we need to do a better job of protecting the ball,” he explained.

What does Kapolka think the Red Hawks need to do to win against Wayland this Friday?

“We need to work on a 1001 little things that go into winning this week.  We have a lot of improving to do,” he said.

Wayland fell to the division four state champions Catholic Central last week 44-7, and went 0-9 last season. Cedar Springs has faced them 24 times, going 12-12. The last time they played each other was in 2013, when Wayland won 28-26.

For those subscribing to the NFHS Network (nfhsnetwork.com) you can find the link to stream this Friday’s game at https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/wayland-union-high-school-wayland-mi/gam3ea22a1125.

The Cedar Springs Red Hawks boys tennis team had a busy week in competition last week, losing one match but winning or placing in three others.

On Monday, September 14, the team travelled to Grand Rapids Catholic Central for a dual. According to Coach Lee Cornelius they competed well but lost 0-8.

On Wednesday, September 16, the Red Hawks hosted Grand Rapids South Christian. It was a highly competitive dual that saw a lot of matches go to 3 sets and tiebreakers. Cedar Springs prevailed and took the win 4-3.

The highlights of the match for the Red Hawks:

#1 Singles, senior and captain, Ethan Plummer won 4-6, 6-3, 6-0.

#2 Singles, senior and captain, Trevor Marshall won 7-6 (2), 6-4.

#2 Doubles, Landon Kolodziej and partner Timothy Minnema won 6-3, 6-1.

#3 Doubles, Owen Drake and partner Cole French won 6-0, 2-6, 6-4.

On Thursday, September 17, Cedar Springs hosted Northview High School for a dual. Another day of competitive tennis with the Red Hawks winning their second straight match finishing 6-2.

Cedar’s 6 points came from wins by:

#1 Singles, Ethan Plummer, winning 6-2, 7-6 (2).

#2 Singles, Sophomore Aricin Thompson, winning 2-6, 6-3, 10-4.

#3 Singles, Trevor Marshall, winning 4-6, 6-4, 10-8.

#1 Doubles, Walker Glyshaw and partner Chase Moore, winning 7-5, 6-0.

#2 Doubles, Landon Kolodziej and partner Timothy Minnema, winning 6-3, 4-6, 10-7.

#3 Doubles, Owen Drake and partner Cole French, winning 7-5, 6-4.

On Saturday, September 19, the Cedar Springs team travelled to Hamilton high school for a tournament. The boys were tired but pushed through it by taking 1st and 2nd place in several flights.

#2 Doubles, Landon Kolodziej and partner Timothy Minnema, took first place after finishing off Hamilton and Calvin Christian, both in 3rd set tiebreakers.

#2 Singles, Aricin Thompson, took 2nd place.

#3 Singles, Trevor Marshall, took 2nd place after a big 3rd set tiebreaker win against Calvin Christian.

#3 Doubles, Owen Drake and partner Cole French, took 2nd place after coming from behind 1-5 and winning 6 straight games to beat Calvin Christian 6-4, 7-5.

Through all the new changes including required masks, no hand shaking, limited crowd size and shorter preseason practice, one thing remains unchanged, the excitement to be back on the court and competing.

The Red Hawk Varsity Volleyball team started their shortened 2020 season with a full and aggressive first two weeks in a new conference division, the OK Gold. The season opener had the Lady Red Hawks losing in the first conference match at Forest Hills Eastern 0-3. 

On Saturday, September 12, the team traveled to NorthPointe Christian for a Varsity quad. They kicked off the day’s competition with thrilling 3-2 marathon match win over host NorthPointe Christian (25-23; 25-23; 23-25; 18-25 and 15-10), followed with losses to Greenville (19-25; 13-25; 20-25) and Hopkins (21-25; 16-25; 19-25). 

Week 2 began with the home opener on Tuesday, September 15, resulting in a tough 2-3 loss to Thornapple Kellogg (23-25; 25-11; 29-27; 25-23; 8-15). 

Thursday, September 17, brought the Red Hawks an 0-3 loss at Wayland. 

The week concluded at the Zeeland East Varsity quad on Saturday, September 19 with an opening 0-3 match loss to host Zeeland East, and followed by 0-3 losses to both NorthPointe Christian and Jenison. The Lady Red Hawks are 1-8 overall and 0-3 in conference.

 Stat leaders for the season to date include senior middle hitter Arianna Rau with 40 kills and 23 blocks (including 15 solo). Outside hitter Aaliyah Calkins has recorded 25 kills and 27 digs, while setter McKenna Outwin tallied 127 assists and team high 12 aces. Libero Elizabeth Fettig has 104 digs and 207 serve receives. Alyssa Detweiler has put down 24 kills and 20 blocks at middle and Kennedi Jager added 23 kills. Defensive Specialist Isis Polczsk contributed 111 serve receptions and 39 digs.  

“We graduated 5 of our 6 starters last year. The girls this year are working hard to learn the game together on the court and push and support each other to be the best they can be. We preach to the girls that this is a process, a marathon not a sprint, and if we keep working together, we will be where we want to be in the end,” stated Varsity Coach Ashley Lowing.

The Lady Red Hawks traveled to Catholic Central Tuesday, September 22. Next week the teams will host South Christian on Tuesday, September 29, then travel to Ottawa Hills on Thursday, October 1.  

The Chargers are off to a great start this season. The boys lost a hard-fought battle to Libertas Christian 0-1, but bounced back with a 8-1 victory over Barry County Christian. Goalie Jesse Benson has done an excellent job keeping the ball out of goal. Goals have been scored by Ivan Winters, Brett Kooienga, and Cody Holman. The team had a huge win Monday when they defeated Zion Christian 3-2. The boys look forward to taking on Algoma Christian this week.

The Chargers are looking forward to their first multi-team event this Saturday at the Cedar Springs Invitational. The cross-country team is young this year, but has lots of success in the making. CTA has three high school runners and 15 middle school runners. Coach Freyling was impressed with how much time the athletes have shaved off their meet times at the beginning of the year. The Chargers also look forward to hosting a GL-6 League meet this Wednesday at Long Lake Park.

By Judy Reed

It’s the season that almost wasn’t. But boy are we glad it’s back!

The Cedar Springs Red Hawks, defending champions in the OK White, have moved to the OK Gold this season, after a conference realignment, so they will be up against some teams they haven’t recently played, but have the chance to rekindle some old rivalries and create new ones. Other teams in the conference include GR Catholic Central, Forest Hills Eastern, Kenowa Hills, Ottawa Hills, South Christian, Middleville Thornapple-Kellogg, and Wayland. 

The first three games were canceled due to the pandemic (Swan Valley, Rockford, and Forest Hills Eastern), so the Red Hawks take on Middleville Thornapple-Kellogg Friday night at home. 

According to Michigan-football.com, Cedar Springs is 1-1 against Middleville.

Please note that attendance this year is limited to 2 guests per athletic participant, so that means that for most of us, we will need to watch it on a streaming device, such as a computer, tablet, phone, or on the tv through the NHSF’s Roku channel. For more details on how to watch, click link below:

By Scott McClallen | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – COVID-19 isn’t stopping Big Ten football.

After punting on the season in August and receiving backlash from coaches, players, and Midwest Republican lawmakers, teams will kick off on Oct. 23.

The Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors (COP/C) voted unanimously to resume the football season after adopting medical protocols such as daily antigen testing for student-athletes, coaches, trainers, and other individuals; enhanced cardiac screening; and a data-driven testing approach to continue playing.

Test results must be recorded before each practice or game.

“Everyone associated with the Big Ten should be very proud of the groundbreaking steps that are now being taken to better protect the health and safety of the student-athletes and surrounding communities,” Dr. Jim Borchers, Ohio State University Head Team Physician, said in a statement.

“The data we are going to collect from testing and the cardiac registry will provide major contributions for all 14 Big Ten institutions as they study COVID-19 and attempt to mitigate the spread of the disease among wider communities.”

Team test positivity rate and population positivity rate thresholds will determine recommendations for continued competition. 

COVID-19 positive student-athletes must receive clearance from a cardiologist and wait at least 21 days to return to competition after a positive diagnosis.

The 14 Big Ten institutions will start a cardiac registry to study the effects on COVID-19 positive student-athletes.

“From the onset of the pandemic, our highest priority has been the health and the safety of our students. The new medical protocols and standards put into place by the Big Ten Return To Competition Task Force were pivotal in the decision to move forward with sports in the conference,” Morton Schapiro, Chair of the Big Ten Council of Presidents/Chancellors and Northwestern University President, said in a statement.

The Big Ten Conference will use data provided by each Chief Infection Officer to decide whether to continue playing based on the team’s seven-day rolling average of positivity rate and population positivity rate.

“Our focus with the Task Force over the last six weeks was to ensure the health and safety of our student-athletes. Our goal has always been to return to competition so all student-athletes can realize their dream of competing in the sports they love,” Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren said in a statement.

“We are incredibly grateful for the collaborative work that our Return to Competition Task Force have accomplished to ensure the health, safety and wellness of student-athletes, coaches and administrators.”

Daily testing will begin by Sept. 30.

Michigan State officials previously estimated a canceled season would cost at least $85 million and result in “severe cuts” within the athletic department, mostly funded by football.

A Forbes report ranked the University of Michigan as the third most valuable team in 2019, with a three-year average revenue of $147 million.

Michigan State took the 22nd spot, with the Spartans seizing a three-year average revenue of $87 million.

A 2007 study from the Anderson Economic Group estimated that the economic impact of Big Ten football games in Michigan is more than $177 million.

The Cedar Springs High School Equestrian Team competed in three district meets this season on Aug 29, September 12, and September 13. According to Coach Katie VanDyke, the Cedar Springs riders won all three district meets, besting their competition by over 200 points to earn the title of District 5, Division B Champions!  They will compete at regionals October 3-5.

Their riders are: Parker VanDyke, Chloe Myers, Gloria Alvarez, Melana Kettler, Taryn Troupe, Morgan Chaffin and Emily Eagan. Grooms are Casey Fisk and Lorraine Ives.

As many of you are aware, for fall sports this year at Cedar Springs High School, fans will be limited to two fans per each participant. You will need a special pass for entry which will be given to the athlete if you are one of those athlete’s two guests. Away contests will still require these passes, and it is up to each host school if they will be charging or not. Cedar will not be charging for home events.

How can other fans watch the games?

Cedar Springs High School Athletics, in conjunction with CedarSpringsTV (the high school video production class), is committed to getting events out for everyone to watch digitally online.  With the current restrictions on spectators this is an imperative thing for all Red Hawk fans. Since 2012 Cedar Springs HS has been a member of the National Federation of High School (NFHS) Network, which is the streaming platform that the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) utilizes. Through the NFHS subscribers have access to 1000s of events monthly across the country covering a multitude of sports and other activities. 

Is there a fee?

Subscribing to the NFHS Network is $10.99 a month or $69.99 a year (and you can cancel at any time). So, for the cost of roughly two tickets to a sporting event you will have access to a month’s worth of games.  

How do we watch?

NFHS Network offers a variety of ways to watch from smartphone apps, web browsers on tablets and computers, and even apps on Roku, Amazon Fire, and AppleTV. There is definitely a way for you to catch the games. See https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/ways-to-watch.

How do we sign up?

Link to subscribe to NFHS

https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/schools/cedar-springs-high-school-cedar-springs-mi

Which games will be livestreamed?

All games at Red Hawk stadium will be live streamed. That includes jv and varsity boys’ soccer and freshmen, jv, and varsity football. We are still trying to ensure that girls volleyball will be able to be streamed as well. With other sports such as cross country, tennis, and golf, we are working on alternate ways to get those out for people as well that will most likely not air on the NFHS Network page. 

In regard to away games, those are often streamed as well by the host school. In the case of football, if the host school does not have streaming capabilities for varsity football, CedarSpringsTV will make sure it is streamed via their page on the NFHS Network.  

Can a business subscribe to NFHS?

The personal subscriptions are intended for use by the subscriber and unfortunately not intended for business use.  Those businesses are generally used to paying fees for cable and satellite companies that are different from this program.  

Who do we contact if we have a question?

If you have any questions please feel free to contact the high school athletic department (Mr. John Norton – john.norton@csredhawks.org), or CedarSpringsTV’s director (Mr. Justin Harnden – cedarspringstv@csredhawks.org).

We look forward to helping you all get the most high school sports that you can – even in this crazy time we find ourselves in.  
Go Red Hawks!

The Red Hawks took to the South Christian Sports Park on September 8 for their first competition since moving into the OK Gold Conference. The varsity boys’ team narrowly took second, just 5 points out of first, to South Christian in a score of 66 to 71. Due to the conference’s concerns with health, safety competitive imbalances and conflicting Executive Orders regarding face coverings, the decision was made to put team scoring All-Conference Standings on hold and test the waters in the masks first. The boys handled the uncertainty with a mature approach and a positive attitude.

Corey Bowers (1st) took control of this race from the start finishing at 16:10. Gabe White (9th, 18:01) proved he should be right in the mix for a first-team all-conference selection this year. Austin Mann (18th, 18:31), Espen Wood (21st, 18:48) and Cayden Steinebach (22nd, 18:51) rounded out the top five with a strong pack performance. Breakout freshman thus far Jack Sherburn (33rd, 19:25) and senior leader Justin Voskuil (34th, 19:26) pushed each other to solid finishes as well.

Next up, the Red Hawk boys dominated the JV race. There were six boys in the top ten and five in the top eight. Clayton Akerman (1st , 19:01) and Eli Malon (2nd , 19:02) duked it out together at the front in the last 800 meters or so. This was a win for the first race of the year for Akerman. Gabe Minnich (6th, 19:32), Zach Reed (7th, 19:42.42), Ben Mallory (8th, 19:42.93) and Caleb Menefee (10th, 19:51) packed in and secured the win on the JV side. Eli Kleynenberg, who is back and strong, ran a smart race finishing 14th in 20:07.

In the JV overflow race, Carter Moleski (1st), brought home another win for Cedar Springs with a time of 18:44 in what was a pretty impressive solo effort. Jonathan Reed’s base training continues to pay huge dividends (3 rd , 21:08), and he was followed by new team member Alex Cole (4th, 21:31), sophomore sprinter turned XC runner Matt McQueen (5th, 21:44), gritty wrestler by trade Luke Price (15th, 23:14) and last minute addition Clayton Auwema (28th, 30:30).

The Red Hawks will host the Mini Red Hawk Invitational on Saturday, September 19, on their home course. Their competition at this meet will include Byron Center, East Grand Rapids, GR Kenowa Hills, and Rockford.