The Cedar Springs Varsity Cheer team took fifth out of 14 teams at Districts.

Cedar Springs Varsity Cheer traveled to Mona Shores this past weekend for the 2015 District Finals, with 14 schools competing for the Championship Title. Changes were made this week and three Junior Varsity teammates were brought up to compete in the Varsity Rounds. The Varsity line up has one senior, three juniors, six sophomores and six freshmen.

Cedar Springs took to the mat and earned a score of 208.10 after Round 1, placing them in 7^th place. Round 2 gained an additional 199.02 points, bringing their sub total to 407.12, keeping them in 7^th place. With the completion of Round 3, Cedar Springs earned an additional score of 300.70, taking 5^th place overall, with a score of 707.82.

Mona Shores won the Championship with a score of 758.14, Kenowa Hills took second with a score of 745.28, Grand Rapids Christian took third with a score of 738.66, and Reeths-Puffer took fourth with a score of 736.72.

“We had an exciting season for such a young team,” said Head Coach Anne Olszewski. “We gained a lot of experience on and off the mat. Execution bonus points were earned for Round 3 at Districts. That’s the first time all season! Advancing to Regionals was lost to us by one placement. We need to gain some maturity and experience and that was starting to happen by the end of the season. The sky is the limit in the upcoming years,” she added.

8th grader Cody McHenry at the Allendale invitational. Photo by Colleen White

By Colleen White

On Thursday, Feb 19, Cedar Springs Middle School wrestlers were invited to the Allendale Dual Invitational Meet. Four teams were represented: Allendale, Thornapple Kellogg, Coopersville and Cedar Springs. Cedar Springs’ first opponent was Coopersville. The Red Hawks defeated Coopersville 42-12.

The second of the dual matches pitted Cedar Springs against Allendale, for the second time this season. While Allendale put up a good fight, the Red Hawks defeated them 46-29.

“Coach VanHam and I are very proud of tonight’s wrestling,” remarked Assistant Coach Brandon Wood. “We watched you all step up your game tonight. Way to go Hawks!”

This week the Red Hawks face Greenville and Wayland. Both are away meets. Mark your calendars for our final home meet on March 10 at the Middle School. Start time is 4:15 p.m. Wear your red to show your Red Hawk Pride and come cheer our young grapplers, as they face Northview.

Maston Wood was a champion in the 9/10 age group in the 130 lb wt class.

Last weekend, West Michigan Pursuit took 13 grapplers to the Meijer State Games, which was hosted by Northview, and two others entered into the North Region’s Big Rapids tournament. Out of the 15 grapplers to enter, 10 placed in the top three. The team battled 41 times and 23 ended in victory.

“When you have strong determination accompanied by strong action, it is not impossible to reach your destination. These grapplers train hard in their pursuit of becoming a Champion at this year’s State Finals,” said Owner and Head Coach, Dave Andrus. Results are as follows:

3^rd Place Medalist include Kameron Ogden in the 7/8 Novice age group in the 49/52 lb wt class.

2^nd Place Medalists include Casey Eberspeaker in the 7/8 Open age group in the 64/67 lb wt class and Caleigh Wood in the 4/5/6 Novice age group in the 37/40 lb wt class.

Champions are Gage Bowen in the 7/8 Open age group in the 82/97 lb wt class, Xavier Contreras in the 9/10 (Big Rapids) age group in the 75 lb wt class, Chayson Eberspeaker in the 4/5/6 Novice age group in the 55/58 lb wt class, Jayden Marcano-Cruz in the 4/5/6 Novice age group in the 46 lb wt class, Josh Vasquez in the 7/8 Open age group in the 52 lb wt class, Brandson Wood in the 7/8 Open age group in the 43/46/49 lb wt class and Maston Wood in the 9/10 Open age group in the 130 lb wt class.

Cedar Springs JV Cheer took the conference championship.

Varsity finishes fourth

Cedar Springs hosted the 2015 OK Bronze/White Conference High School Championship on Wednesday, February 11. There were four teams competing in the JV division—Cedar Springs, Forest Hills, Jenison and Caledonia.

Cedar Springs took the lead in Round 1 with a score of 176.70. After Round 2, an additional score of 159.34 brought their subtotal to 336.04. The completion of Round 3 gained an additional score of 218.4, bringing their overall score to 554.44, making them OK Bronze /White Conference Championship for 2015.

Forest Hills finished taking 2nd with a score of 541.46, Jenison took 3rd with a score of 528.06 and Caledonia took 4thwith a score of 508.9.

“Going into the Conference Finals knowing we were tied for first place was both exciting and nerve racking,” said Head Coach Katy Baird. “Adding to the excitement, we had an injury occur (at home) the night before finals. Two hours prior to competition, I had to replace a girl in all 3 rounds!”

“The girls did such a stand up job. They really do work best under pressure,” continued Baird. “Round 1 was the best I have witnessed in weeks. Round 2 and 3 both had minor mistakes, but were clean. I couldn’t be more proud of these girls! With this being my first season with Cedar Springs, and literally jumping in feet first from day one, I couldn’t have asked for a better group of girls and outcome! They should all be proud of where they come from.”

Cedar Springs Varsity Cheer took fourth place in the conference championship.

The Varsity Division had eight teams competing for the Championship title. Cedar Springs earned a score of 207.70 after Round 1, taking 6th Place. After Round 2 an additional 208.84 points were gained bringing their subtotal to 416.54, placing them in 4th. With the completion of Round 3, an additional 273.6 points were gained bringing their overall score to 690.14 points taking 4th place overall. Forest Hills won the Championship with a score of 758.50, Jenison took 2nd with a score of 741 and Grand Rapids Christian took 3rd with a score of 725.68.

“This is the youngest team I have ever coached at this level,” said Head Coach Anne Olszewski. “They are learning every day about how tight it is to compete at the Varsity level. The room for error is very small. Tiny bobbles and break in form cost us big points and those things add up! We are young but very talented. Tumbling and gymnastics are a huge part of this sport and we are working on this every day. We have 10 solid standing tucks in Round 2 and they really showed that last night—labeled as best tucks of the night by all of the teams!”

“We have had to make some big changes in Round 1 and 3 due to illness, injury and we lost a lot of practice time with many of the girls being involved with the High School musical Beauty and the Beast,” she explained. “These girls did a great job juggling two very large commitments. There were times that it was very difficult having three flyers in the play and gone from practice. They have that successful accomplishment under their belt now and we are moving forward to make the most out of our season.”

Please continue to support Cedar Springs Cheer. District competition is Saturday, February 21 at Mona Shores. The Top 4 teams move on to Regionals, which will be at Thornapple Kellogg High School the week of February 28.

The photo is 7th grader Fred White in his first match against FHE, where he won by a pin.

The Middle School Wrestling Team is off to a solid start this season with a record of 3-0. They dominated Forest Hills Eastern 66-0, beat Allendale 58-33, and won the match against Wyoming Park 48-15.

The team has many strong leaders in returning 8th graders, with a number of up and coming 7th graders. In the next few weeks, they will face some of their strongest competition, and bring their A-game to the mat.

Please come show your Red Hawk Pride on Tuesday March 10 at the Middle School, when our Red Hawks take on the Wildcats of Northview.

WMP finalists in the 7/8 age group, in the 52 lb wt class (from left to right) is Josh Vasquez, 1st Place; Luke Egan, 2nd Place; and Landon Foss, 3rd Place.

West Michigan Pursuit traveled through freezing Michigan weather to compete at a few local tournaments this past weekend.

Six grapplers competed in the Western Region, at Sparta, which offered both Novice and Open. Out of the six that entered, three placed in the top four. Another 23 grapplers competed in the North Region, at Tri County, for the monster trophies offered. Out of the 22 that entered, 18 placed in the top four. One entered the War of the Roses Invitational in Grass Lake, which is a girls’ only tournament. The team battled 83 times overall, with 48 ending in victory.

“There is a saying that practice makes perfect. The kids practice to find out who wrestles better,” said Owner and Head Coach, Dave Andrus. “I strongly feel that wrestling is a team sport as much as it is individual, and you are only as strong as your weakest link.Your practice partner determines how you succeed on the mat. It is your practice partner who makes you. I had three of my kids enter into the same bracket this weekend and they took home the top three placements; that makes a statement.”

Results are as follows:

4th Place Medalists include Logan Bennett in the 9/10 (Sparta) age group in the 67 lb wt class, Xavier Contreras in the 9/10 (Tri County) age group in the 75 lb wt class, Casey Eberspeaker in the 7/8 (Tri County) age group in the 64 lb wt clas, Kameron Ogden in the 7/8 (Tri County) age group in the 55 lb wt class and Caleigh Wood in the elementary (War of the Roses Folkstyle) age group.

3rd Place Medalists include Ever Benitez in the 7/8 (Tri County) age group in the 72 lb wt class, Anthony Brew in the 13/14/15 (Tri County) age group in the 122 lb wt class, Landon Foss in the 7/8 (Tri County) age group in the 52 lb wt class, Jaedon Kutzli in the 11/12 (Sparta) age group in the 70 lb wt class, Hannah Pienton in the 11/12 (Tri County) age group in the 90 lb wt class and Caleigh Wood in the elementary (War of the Roses Freestyle) age group.

2nd Place Medalists include Derek Egan in the 13/14/15 (Tri County) age group in the 90 lb wt class, Luke Egan in the 7/8 (Tri County) age group in the 52 lb wt class, Nathan Male in the 11/12 (Tri County) age group in the 95/100 lb wt class, Blake Peasley in the 7/8 (Tri County) age group in the 64 lb wt class and Lucus Pienton in the 13/14/15 (Tri County) age group in the 138 lb wt class.

Champions are Gage Bowen in the 7/8 (Tri County) age group in the 97/112 lb wt class, Lee Braun in the 7/8 (Tri County) age group in the 58 lb wt class, Chayson Eberspeaker in the 4/5/6 (Tri County) age group in the 52 lb wt class, Ethan Kober in the 11/12 (Sparta) age group in the 70/75 lb wt class, Jayden Marcano-Cruz in the 4/5/6 (Tri County) age group in the 46 lb wt class, Zak Schmid in the 11/12 (Tri County) age group in the 133 lb wt class, Josh Vasquez in the 7/8 (Tri County) age group in the 52 lb wt class and Maston Wood in the 9/10 (Tri County) age group in the 130 lb wt class.

Chargers Pull Off Stunning Victory Over Ellington

The Creative Technoloiges Academy boy’s basketball team had already knocked off Eliington Academy twice this season, but the third time proved to be anything but easy. The Chargers trailed throughout, but never gave up their fight, coming back and winning an overtime thriller, 44-41.

The game was not pretty by any means for the Chargers, as they commited a season high 38 turnovers in only 36 minutes of game time. CTA faced a tough 2-3 zone defense throughout the game by Ellington, and were befuddled most of the game. The one way the Chargers stayed in the game was by knocking down timely three pointers. Freshmen James Hofstra (4) and Dawson Armstrong (3) combined for 7 three pointers, and none was bigger than Hofstra’s three that he knocked down to tie the game with time running out in regulation. It was Hofstra’s first game tying bucket of his career, but he has hit many big shots for the Chargers this season. Creative Tech scored the first five points of overtime, and never looked back, leading them to the three point victory.

The bench for the Chargers, usually a strength, struggled to get anything going against Ellington. “Our bench couldn’t find itself on offense tonight so the starters sucked it up at the end.” Said head coach Scott Bultman. “They had energy to run a harassing half court trap 1-3-1 press as well as fast break and it fueled our comeback.” One bright spot off of the bench, however, was eighth grader Charles Wortz. Wortz, the tallest Charger on the roster standing 6’2”, played the most minutes of his career, scoring 4 points, grabbing 4 rebounds, and blocking 4 shots.

The Chargers now head to a busy week, with 3 games in 5 days, including Senior night this Friday vs. Grattan Academy at Grace Bible College. Make sure to come check out your Chargers.

Junior Aubrey Slocum has had an up and down season for the Creative Technologies Academy Lady Chargers. She has had multiple games where she has scored double digit points, but has also had to sit out a few games due to two separate ankle injuries. Slocum’s ankle seemed to be good to go Monday night though, as she led CTA with a career high 22 points in a 32-25 victory.

The Chargers trailed by 3 at halftime, but tightened up on both the offensive and defensive ends to outscore West Michigan Aviation Academy by ten points in the second half. Coach Gerry Verwey has been preaching eliminating mental mistakes, communicating, and listening to his team, and they responded in a great way Monday night.

The Chargers were led by Slocum’s 22 points, but many other ladies contributed asa well. Senior Olivia Wortz chipped in four points, Senior Hannah Hubbared scored two, and Faith Watson and Hannah Hostra scored two each as well. They were Hofstra’s first two career varsity basketball points.

The Chargers have two more games this week, setting a pre-week goal of going 3-0 for the week. With a victory on Monday, all of their goals are still within reach.

Caden Burrows signed a letter of intent last week to play football for Davenport University.

Cedar Springs senior Caden Burrows, who played center for the Red Hawk Varsity football team, signed his letter of intent, on February 4, to play football for the newly formed Davenport University Panther football program.

Caden, the son of Tim and Kim Burrows, cited hard work, his early years in the Cedar Springs Rocket Football Program, and all the coaches he has had through the years—from rocket to Varsity—as the reasons for this accomplishment.

Caden takes pride in his Cedar Springs heritage and and also referenced the importance of friends, teammates, sports families, and the crowd’s continued support of Cedar Springs’ athletics. “Cedar Springs is the place I’m proud to call home,” he said.

Varsity Coach Gus Kapolka had high praise for his center. “Caden is hands down one of the best leaders I’ve been associated with,” remarked Kapolka. “His work ethic and off-field demeanor served as an example to all the players in our program, as to how a champion conducts himself. He played against some really good, highly recruited players this year and held his own. He was the cornerstone of our success. I believe Davenport is very lucky to sign Caden.”

Caden said he would be studying to get a degree in sports management at Davenport.

Lee Braun was champion in the 7/8 age group in the 58 lb wt class.

This past weekend, most of the West Michigan Pursuit team traveled to Alma for a chance to earn a first place Monster Trophy, and four grapplers also entered into the Lakewood tournament. WMP took 23 grapplers to compete and placed 13 in the top four.

“It’s a proud moment when I see four of my grapplers wrestling on separate mats at the same time and all four of them win by fall within seconds of each other. That would have been a great picture to capture on film,” said Owner and Head Coach Dave Andrus.

This week the team battled 75 times with 46 ending in victory. Results are as follows:

4^th Place Medalists include Owen Meinke in the 9/10 Novice age group, in the 71 lb wt class.

3^rd Place Medalists include Chayson Eberspeaker in the 4/5/6 age group in the 55 lb wt class, Luke Egan in the 7/8 Open age group in the 52 lb wt class, Kameron Ogden in the 7/8 Novice age group in the 55 lb wt class, Zak Schmid in the 11/12 age group in the 158 lb wt class and Maston Wood in the 9/10 age group in the 130 lb wt class.

2^nd Place Medalists include and Gage Bowen in the 7/8 Open age group in the 82 lb wt class and Xavier Contreras in the 11/12 age group in the 75 lb wt class.

Champions are Lee Braun in the 7/8 age group in the 58 lb wt class, Jayden Marcano-Cruz in the 4/5/6 Novice age group in the 46 lb wt class, Blake Peasley in the 7/8 Open age group in the 64 lb wt class, Lucus Pienton in the 13/14/15 Open age group in the 138 lb wt class, and Josh Vasquez in the 7/8 Open age group in the 52 lb wt class.

If you are interested in learning more about this sport or if your wrestler is looking to compete at the next level, check out West Michigan Pursuit. We are located at the Cedar Springs Sports Plex, practices are Tuesday and Thursday from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.