Strength and condition training for all Red Hawk athletes will be taking place at Cedar Springs Red Hawk Stadium this summer.

June 6 – July 29 (Monday-Friday)

7 – 8:30 a.m. Varsity Football

8:30 – 10 a.m. Boys Sports

10 -11:30 a.m. Girls Sports

11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. Middle School

Tryouts for fall athletics will start on Monday, August 8. All athletes must create an account using FinalForms, and have an updated physical for the year.Check our website for details https://www.csredhawks.org/Athletics/index.html. 

The Cedar Springs Red Hawks sent four athletes to the Division I State Track and Field Finals this past Saturday.  The Championship event was held a short trip down Northland Drive at Rockford High School. The meet featured hundreds of athletes from across the State who qualified in Regional competition two weeks ago.  Two of Cedar Springs’ qualifiers earned All-State honors (finishing in the top 8) with the other two narrowly missing top 8 finishes.   

Senior Alyssa Detweiller ended her stellar High School career with a 6th place finish in the High Jump (5’4”) earning All-State honors.  Alyssa was the Conference and Regional Champion and is the Cedar Springs school record holder in the event.  Another Senior, Gabe White, also concluded his high school career on a high note with a 9th place finish in the Pole Vault.  Gabe is the two-time OK Gold Conference Champion in the event. Two underclassmen sent notice to the State that they will be forces to reckon with for the next two years.  Sophomore Taylor Diemond earned All-State honors with her vault of 11’6” to finish in 6th place in the Pole Vault.  Sophomore Dylan Lafontsee turned in a strong showing in the Long Jump narrowly missing All-State accolades by less than 6 inches.  Dylan’s jump of 20’3.75” earned him 14th place in a tightly contested competition. The team would like to thank all the Seniors for their contributions to the program over their careers and wish them all the best in their future endeavors.  

June 4: District Tournament

On Saturday, the Red Hawks took on the Wildcats of Northview in the semi-final.  Cedar totaled 8 hits throughout the game.  Aiden Brunin led the way with 2.  Clay Oosting, Brennen Porter, Braydon Gregory, and Zach Reed each had a single.  Walker Glyshaw had a perfect bunt for a hit and Austin Alcumbrack came on to pinch hit and was able to blast a single up the middle.  Oosting started on the mound.  We went 5 strong innings, allowing only 3 hits while walking another 3 and striking out 2. Sophomore Walker Glyshaw came on in relief.  He threw the final two innings to earn the save, allowing no hits in the 3-1 victory.

Without much of a break, the final against Forest Hills Northern was under way.  Senior Cayden Steinebach got the start on the mound.  He went the distance, pitching all 7 innings.  He allowed only one Husky hit, struck out 6 and walked 4.  Northern managed to punch one run across in the 5th inning and that run sealed the game.  The Red Hawks struggled at the plate against lefty Connor Foley who struck out 13 in his complete game performance.  The only two hits were a single from Brunin and a triple from Glyshaw, but Cedar was not able to execute and score them.  Forest Hills Northern earned a tough 1-0 win and will play Reeths-Puffer on Wednesday for the Regional title.

The Red Hawks finished the season with a 23-14 record.  The last time the Cedar Springs Varsity Baseball team had 23 wins was the spring of 1979.  They are losing 3 seniors in Brennen Porter, Cayden Steinebach and Aiden Brunin who will be sorely missed, as each contributed a great deal to this season’s success.  Coach Glyshaw expects next year’s team to be a force to be reckoned with.

“If we can stay healthy, the sky is the limit for the future of this baseball team,” he said.

Meetings for the OK Gold All Conference team and the All District team will take place this week.  Summaries of award winners will be in next week’s paper.

Softball

April: Olivia Tozer   

Parents: Jennifer Crystal and Jason Tozer

Olivia has been the varsity starting catcher for two years. We originally thought she would be a position player, but we needed this spot filled. She stepped in and exceeded our expectations.

In April, Olivia had the team’s highest batting average at .387. She had caught every game at this point. She has thrown out several baserunners and is a very smart player. Olivia is also a threat to steal each time she is on base. She was our leadoff hitter all season and did an amazing job getting the offense started. Olivia has one more year with us and then will take her talents to Aquinas College in the fall of 2023.

May: Paige Castor   

Parents: David and Terrie Castor

Paige started at 2nd base for us this year. She would have been a 3-year varsity player if not for the cancellation of the 2020 season.

Paige finished the season with the team’s high batting average at .441. She also had 31 singles, 7 doubles, 2 triples, 1 HR, and 35 RBIs. She also had 13 stolen bases. Paige also does well in the classroom with a 3.93 GPA. Paige batted 3rd in our lineup and is a consistent hitter that can also hit with power. We will definitely miss Paige next year, but wish her luck as she plans to attend cosmetology school, although I think the coaching staff may be relieved to see Paige graduate so we won’t be pressured into doing the “Gritty” and the “Stanky Leg” anymore.

Districts start this weekend

May 23

Last Monday the Red Hawk Varsity traveled to Byron Center to take on the Sailors of South Christian.  In the first of three games, senior Cayden Steinebach took the mound.  He managed a complete game, allowing 11 hits while striking out 5 in the 17-4 victory.  Cedar totaled 14 hits in the game led by Braydon Gregory with a pair of triples and a single.  He also had 5 RBI. Zach Reed and Parker Vaughn each had 3 hits, followed by Haydon Koepke with a double and singles by Bryce Luevano, Clay Oosting and Brennen Porter.

In game two, Parker Vaughn got the start pitching.  He also pitched a complete game, allowing 7 hits and striking out 5.  This game, Cedar Springs stranded runners in nearly every inning, failing to execute when the situation in the game required it.  Vaughn had a single and a double himself.  Walker Glyshaw, Koepke, Porter and Reed each had hits as well but it wasn’t enough as the Red Hawks fell to the Sailors 3-2.

May 24

In the third and final game in the series, junior Clay Oosting got the start. This turned out to be a game in which everything went right for the Red Hawks. Oosting threw a complete game, allowing 3 hits, walking 3 and striking out 2 in the 10-0 victory.  At the plate Brennen Porter and Aiden Brunin each had a pair of singles.  Parker Vaughn, Clay Oosting, Braydon Gregory, Adler May and Zach Reed each had hits as well.  The baseball found holes all over the field and Cedar was able to down the Sailors in record time.

May 31

On Tuesday the Red Hawks wrapped up the regular season with a pair of victories against the Yellowjackets of Greenville with scores of 11-1 and 15-5.

In the first game Cayden Steinebach went 2 innings, Walker Glyshaw threw another 2, striking out 3. Zach Reed came on to close out the final inning.  At the plate Aiden Brunin had a pair of singles and two RBI.  Parker Vaughn, Connor Dunleavy and Clay Oosting each had singles and Braydon Gregory had 3 RBI triple.

In the final regular season game, Oosting got the start.  He threw two solid innings, striking out a pair of Greenville hitters and allowing only one hit.  Chase Marsman and Austin Alcumbrack split the third inning and Hunter Hendges threw the final two innings, striking out 5.  At the plate, Cedar continued to pound the baseball.  Zach Reed led the charge with a triple and two singles. Brunin had a pair of singles and two stolen bases.  Walker Glyshaw had a single and a double, knocking in 3 runs.  Vaughn, Dunleavy, Nate Robinson, Ryan Vos, Tyler Twiss, Tristan Terpstra and Cayden Steinebach also contributed with singles.

These victories leave the varsity with a regular season record of 22-13. The District tournament will begin this Saturday at Cedar Springs.  At 10 am Forest Hills Northern will take on Greenville.  This will be followed by Cedar Springs against Northview at 12:30. The winners of each of these games will play in the championship game at 3:00. 

The Boys and Girls Track teams traveled to the Lakeshore on Friday, May 20, to compete in the Region 2, Division 1 Championships hosted by Grand Haven High School. Both teams qualified two individuals for the June 4^th State Finals to be held at Rockford High School. 

The boys team finished 12^th in the 17-team field with 23 points. State qualifiers were Senior Gabe White in the Pole Vault (2^nd place – 13’3”) and Sophomore Dylan Lafontsee in the long jump (5^th place – 21’3”).  Other point scorers for the Red Hawks were: Junior Espen Wood in the 3200-meter run with a 3^rd place finish (9:51. 31); Junior Josh Kriekaard in the discus with a personal record (PR) throw of 123-03 to finish in 7^th place; and the 4 x 200 meter relay teams 6^th place effort in 1:35.21. The relay team consisted of Ryan West, Kevin VanderHaag, Dylan Lafontsee and Mitch Metiva.  

On the girls side, the Red Hawks finished 10^th in the 17-team field. The Lady Red Hawks were led by Senior Alyssa Detweiler who leaped to a winning jump of 5’4” in the High Jump to secure a first place finish and Regional Championship. Alyssa’s effort qualifies her for the State Finals in two weeks. Joining Alyssa will be Sophomore Taylor Diemond.  Taylor finished as runner up in the pole vault competition with a vault of 11’3” punching her ticket to the 2022 State Championship Meet. Senior Emily Neiderheide narrowly missed a berth in the State Finals with her 3^rd place finish in the 200-meter dash with a time of 26.60. 

The Red Hawks will be back in action this week at Comstock Park High School for the Metro Health Invitational.  

May 16

In a rescheduled game, the Red Hawk Varsity baseball traveled to Middleville to take on the Trojans of Thornapple-Kellogg in the third of three games. Junior Clays Oosting got the start on the mound. In four innings of work he only allowed 2 hits while striking out 7. Ryan Vos came on to pitch in the 5th, earning a strikeout to end the game.  At the plate the Red Hawks totaled 10 hits. Zach Reed led the charge with a single, double and triple. Brennen Porter had a pair of singles. Braydon Gregory hit a single and a double. Aiden Brunin smashed a bases-clearing triple and singles were hit by both Bryce Luevano and Parker Vaughn. With a final score of 11-1, Cedar Springs won 2 out of 3 from the Trojans.

May 17

On Tuesday, May 17, the Cougars of Catholic Central came to visit.  This game would honor the 3 seniors: Aiden Brunin, Brennen Porter and starting pitcher Cayden Steinebach. In perfect senior-night fashion, Steinebach threw a complete game shutout.  In seven innings, he allowed only 4 hits while striking out 3 and walking none.  The bats were quiet at the plate.  Bryadone Gregory had a single and a double.  In the bottom of the 6th, Porter squirted a ball into right field which scored Gregory to earn a 1-0 win.

In the second game, sophomore Parker Vaughn got the start. He allowed 4 hits in his 6 innings of work, striking out 6 and walking 1. Walker Glyshaw came on to strike out the side in the top of the 7th to earn the save in the 4-1 victory.  The hitting was a bit better in game 2 as the Red Hawks totaled 6 hits, led by Clay Oosting with a pair of singles. Vaughn, Brunin, Luevano and May each had singles as well. The hitting in both games was timely and Cedar was able to capitalize on opportunities.  Coach Glyshaw was impressed with the solid defense, stating “When we play clean baseball, we can beat anybody.”

May 19

On Thursday, in the third and final game of the series, Clay Oosting took to the mound as the Hawks visited the CAT for the third and final game of the series. He pitched a strong 6 innings.  Walker Glyshaw came on in the 7th and wasn’t able to shut the door as the Red Hawks dropped the third game 6-5.  Zach Reed had 3 hits in the game. Glyshaw had two. Both Vaughn and Oosting had singles and Brennen Porter hit a double.  As frustrating a loss as this one was, it was a successful week with bright days ahead. With 5 regular season games to go before the District Tournament, the varsity record sits at 18-12.

This week the varsity team will wrap up conference play with three games against South Christian.  Next week Tuesday (May 31) will be the final regular season games as the Yellow Jackets of Greenville will come to town for a double header.  

The Cedar Springs Girls Track team traveled to Houseman Field on Friday, May 13 to compete in the OK Gold Championships. The team faced temperatures hovering around 90 degrees along with seven other schools from the Conference. The Lady Red Hawks placed 6^th in the strong field to finish the season in a fifth-place tie with South Christian (based on dual meet standings). 

Senior Alyssa Detweiler defended her title in the high jump leaping to a winning jump of 5’5”. Alyssa then set a new personal record (PR) in the discus with a throw of 91’4” to finish in 6^th place. 

Sophomore Taylor Diemond continued her dominance in the pole vault as she vaulted to a first place finish of 12’0”. The vault improved her own school record by a foot. 

Third place finishes were turned in by Annalise Elliott in the 800-meter run (2:29) and Alexis O’Dowd in the pole vault (9’0”). Fourth place finishes: Emily Neiderheide in the 200-meter dash (27.05), Annalise Elliott in the 1600-meter run and the 4 x 800-meter relay team of Hannah Reed, Addyson Brown, Larissa McGrath and Annalise Elliott (10:38.15). Fifth place finishes: Emily Neiderheide in the 100-meter dash with a time of 13.38, the 4 x 100 meter relay team of Emma Smith, Hannah Shears, Aubrie French and Emily Neiderheide (53.50). Seventh place finishes: Lauren Sherburn in the 100-meter hurdles (18.79), Larissa McGrath in the 3200-meter run and Kurynn Oleneack in the high jump (4’8”). Eighth place finishes:  Annalise Elliott in the 3200-meter run and the 4 x 400 meter relay team of Hannah Reed, Taylor Diemond, Reagan Viau and Jasmine Zimmer. 

Alyssa Detweiler, Taylor Diemond and Annalise Elliott all earned OK Gold All Conference honors for their performances. 

The team will now turn their attention to the Regional Championships scheduled for Friday, May 20th at Grand Haven High School. 

EAST LANSING, Mich. – May 6 – The selection of a restructured classification procedure for ice hockey and the approval of new boys wrestling weight classes were among the most notable actions taken by the Representative Council of the Michigan High School Athletic Association during its annual Spring Meeting, May 1-2 in Gaylord.

The Council considered 33 committee proposals and dealt with a variety of eligibility rule, postseason tournament and operational issues.

The Council approved an Ice Hockey Committee proposal to continue classifying teams by enrollment, but with consideration to whether those teams are standalone (one school) or cooperative (multi-school) programs. Approximately half of MHSAA member hockey programs are cooperatives. Beginning with the 2022-23 season, standalone and cooperative programs will be ranked by enrollment but on separate lists, with the top one-third from each list put into Division 1, the second thirds into Division 2 and the lowest thirds into Division 3. This change is expected to rebalance the divisions; in the recent past, Division 1 has been made up mostly of cooperative programs because the combined enrollments of schools involved in co-ops pushed them to the top of the overall classification list for the sport. However, cooperatives generally have not derived an advantage by having more schools involved; instead, cooperatives primarily have allowed schools to continue providing opportunities to athletes who wanted to play hockey when a school doesn’t have enough for a full team.

The Council also approved a switch from current boys wrestling weight classes to those determined by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS): 106, 113, 120, 126, 132, 138, 144, 150, 157, 165, 175, 190, 215 and 285 pounds. The NFHS will begin use of those weights nationally in 2023-24, but MHSAA member schools will make the switch beginning with 2022-23. The Council also approved a change to one girls weight, from 255 pounds to 235, aligning all MHSAA girls weight classes with those determined by the NFHS.

A pair of new opportunities to utilize video replay beginning with the 2022-23 school year will provide further support for game officials as they make split-second calls during competition, while assuring the correct outcome of some of the most controversial plays. The Council approved an Officials Review Committee recommendation to provide MHSAA staff the ability to review video of an ejection and modify subsequent penalties in three instances – when there is a clear misidentification and the incorrect athlete is ejected, when that participant is ejected as the direct result of a rules misapplication, or when incontrovertible video evidence shows an ejection or suspension for flagrant contact with an opponent or official was in error. 

Also, replay will be expanded at the 11-Player Football Finals to allow head coaches one challenge during the game. The challenge will cost that team a timeout if the original outcome is confirmed. Coaches will be allowed to challenge the following: complete/incomplete passes, if a runner/receiver was in/out of bounds, a runner who is ruled not down, the forward progress spot as it relates to the yard to gain, which player first touched a kick, the recovery of a ball in/out of bounds, if a pass was forward or backward, and penalties for illegal forward pass, targeting or illegal helmet contact, and pass interference only as it relates to the pass being previously tipped. All potential scores and turnovers will remain automatically reviewed by replay booth officials. 

The Council took multiple actions concerning the “fifth quarter” regulation that allows athletes to play both at the subvarsity and varsity levels on the same day (or same competition week for football) to help programs that are otherwise lacking enough participants to field teams at both levels. The Council approved a Soccer Committee recommendation to allow athletes to play in no more than three halves on a day not followed by a school day. The Council also approved an enhanced penalty stating that violators of the fifth quarter rule must forfeit the contest during which the violation took place (either varsity of subvarsity), and that head coach in violation will be ineligible for the next day of competition. Additionally, the Council approved a Junior High/Middle School Committee recommendation allowing leagues and conferences to request from the MHSAA staff the opportunity to use the fifth quarter rule for basketball.

See next week’s paper for changes in other sports.

The Cedar Springs Boys track team battled their way to a 3^rd place finish at the OK Gold Conference Championships at Houseman Field on Friday, May 13. 

The team saw a balanced scoring attack with numerous athletes stepping up to finish higher than their seed times or distances. Senior Gabe White successfully defended his Conference pole vault championship, winning the event with a vault of 12’6” and earning OK Gold All Conference honors.

Joining Gabe on the All-Conference team is junior distance runner Espen Wood. Espen turned in 2^nd place performances in the 1600 (4:38.75) and 3200-meter runs (9:55.78). 

The Red Hawks soared in the long jump competition, placing three athletes in the top six. The trio of jumpers were led by sophomore Dylan Lafontsee, who turned in a personal record (PR) effort to earn 2^nd place with a 21’0” jump. Mitch Metiva finished in 5^th place and Ryan West 6^th to secure valuable points in the event. 

Other point scorers for the Red Hawks were: third place: The 4 x 100 meter relay team of Ryan West, Kevin VanderHaag, Dylan Lafontsee and Mitch Metiva (44.82). Fourth place: Josh Kriekaard in the shot put (42’3”).  Fifth place: Elliot Moleski with a PR in the 300-meter hurdles (45.06) and the 4 x 400 meter relay team of Elliot Moleski, Espen Wood, Ivan Winters and Gabe White. Sixth Place: Ivan Winters in the high jump (5’4”), Cayden Steinebach in the pole vault (10’6”) and Senior Carter Molseki in the 3200-meter run (10:32.04). Seventh place: Mitch Metiva in the 200-meter dash with a PR of 23.57, Carter Moleski in the 1600-meter run (4:46.54), 4 x 200 meter relay team of Matthew McQueen, Joseph Drier, Rory Schoenborn and Trevor Page, the 4 x 800 meter relay team of Jack Sherburn, Caleb VanSickle, Brady Morrow and Carter Moleski. 

The Red Hawks will be back in action on Friday, May 20,when they travel to Grand Haven High School to compete in the Regional Championships.  

Go 4-3 on the week

May 9

Last week Monday the varsity baseball team traveled to Richland to take on the Gull Lake Blue Devils.  

In the first game, senior Cayden Steinebach managed to get through 5 innings.  He walked 3 and struck out 3 to earn the win.  Parker Vaughn came on to pitch in the 6th inning.  Walker Glyshaw closed things down in the 7th to earn the save in the 9-7 victory.  The Red Hawks hit the ball well, totaling 12 hits.  Vaughn led the charge going 4 for 4 with two singles and two doubles.  Braydon Gregory also had a double, along with a homerun that left a baseball-sized dent in a storage building over the left field fence.  Aiden Brunin had a single and a double.  Haydon Koepke, Bryce Luevano, Adler May, and Zach Reed each added a single.  

In the second game, Cedar Springs pitchers struggled to throw strikes and the defense didn’t do much to help them out.  Ryan Vos started but didn’t get out of the first.  Koepke came on to throw 2.1 innings and Dunleavy wrapped it up. The Red Hawks only managed 3 hits in the game: a double by Vaughn and singles by both Brennen Porter and Tristan Terpstra. The final in this game was 15-0.

May 10

On Tuesday the boys returned home to play a double header against conference opponent Wayland.  In game one, Clay Oosting took to the mound. He threw a complete game, allowing 6 hits while striking out 4 and walking one. The Red Hawks totaled 13 hits at the plate, led by Aiden Brunin with 3. Brennen Porter hit a single and a double. Haydon Koepke hit a triple. Vaughn, Terpstra and Reed each hit a double. Dunleavy, Luevano, Gregory and Steinebach each had a single as well in the 10-4 victory.

Game 2 was a different story.  Between the inability of pitchers to throw strikes and the lack of any defensive presence, Cedar had their work cut out for them.  They scattered 7 hits throughout the game led by Zach Reed with a single and a double.  Vaughn, Dunleavy, Vos, Brunin, and May each had singles but they only managed to score 2 runs to the Wildcat’s 10.

May 12

On Thursday the Red Hawks traveled to Wayland to wrap up the 3 game series. In an 8-5 win, Parker Vaughn nearly went the distance on the mound throwing 6.2 innings. He struck out 7 and walked 3 while allowing 9 hits. Koepke came on to get the final out of the game. At the plate Vaughn, Brunin and Gregory each had a single and a double.  Reed added a pair of singles and Oosting had one as well.

May 14

On Saturday both the JV and varsity hit the road to take on the state-ranked Titans of Traverse City West. In game 1, the bats were virtually nonexistent as we managed only 4 hits. Reed had a pair of singles. Porter added another and Brunin had a double. The game was pieced together on the mound with a combination of Oosting, Glyshaw and Reed who collectively struck out 8 and walked 2. The defensive errors were the story again, as the Titans won the game 9-1. Only 2 of their runs were earned.

In the second game, the bats came alive a bit as the Red Hawks managed 7 total hits, led by Brunin with 3 singles. Glyshaw added a double, while Dunleavy, Oosting and Reed each had a single. Cayden Steinebach threw 5 strong innings keeping the Traverse City batters off balance. Koepke came on to wrap up the final two innings to get the save in the 8-4 win.  

This left the Varsity record at 15-11 at this point in the season. This week they will play a makeup game against Thornapple-Kellogg, and a 3 game series against Catholic Central.

Track

Aubrie French

Aubrie is a bonafide point getter for our girls track team, but it’s the way she carries herself and supports her teammates in all event groups that makes her stand out even more than her athletic ability. She is deeply invested in the girls’ success as much as her own, maybe even more. The coaching staff, parents and athletes gravitate to her for her vocal leadership and commitment to success. Aubrie is a member of one of the area’s best girls high jump crews and is also an important member of of our sprint crew and relays. As she nears the end of her HS career, I hope that athletes take notice and emulate the way Aubrie carries herself to continue the upward trajectory of our program that she has been a big part of.

Baseball

Aiden Brunin

Through 15 games he’s batting .432 with 19 hits, 2 triples, 5 doubles, has scored 15 runs and stolen 4 bases

Soccer

Maddy Layne

Team captain, 2021 conference and district champs

Maddy is a team captain this year and has been a 3-year varsity member. Her technical ability and strength are some of the best we have seen. Integral part of our success last year and this year. She plays wherever she is needed on the field and she constantly pushes those around her with her leadership and work ethic.

Darrah Miller

Senior leader for us and 3-year member of the varsity team. She has been a tremendous asset to our team and program each year, but her senior year has been fantastic. She is a presence all over the field and has helped us achieve all that we have this season. Darrah leads by example and every player can see what she brings to the field every single day.

Emma Cassiday

In her second year with the varsity team Emma is really finding her importance. She is ready and willing to play whenever she is needed and is constantly asking questions in order to be better. She has made a wonderful impact for us this year and we’re sure that she will grow even more in our remaining games

Tennis

Boys Track

Espen Wood 

Espen, the son of Winston and Becky Wood,  is a Junior on the Boys track team.  He is a hard worker who never complains. Espen is a great team player and an asset to have on our team.