Ricardo Rios (right) at semi-finals.

The Sand Lake Boxing Club competed in the 2013 West Michigan Golden Gloves semifinals last Friday, April 5. Sand Lake entered four boxers into this year’s tournament and all four were able to make the semifinals.

Jon Hawley started the night off for Sand Lake in a 235lb junior bout against Robert Curry III of Grand Rapids. Jon was able to win a split decision in what was a very close bout. On one occasion Hawley knocked his opponent’s mouthpiece out with a straight right hand.

“I feel great,” noted Hawley. “My opponent was pretty tough, and I can’t wait to get into the ring again.”

In the 132lb semifinal bout, David Lewis was able to hit Lansing’s Verome Edmonson with several hard right hands. The bout ended early, in the second round, when Lewis put a great combination together that forced Edmonson to quit. Lewis will be moving on to the West Michigan Championship bout against Holland’s Isaac Flores.

In the 152lb semifinal bout, Zach Schmuck was able to beat Grand Rapids Devon LeSure. Devon was coming into the bout after knocking his previous opponent out 30 seconds into the first round. Schmuck was able to negate his power and out box LeSure, while also hurting him with hard right hands on several occasions.

Cody Cross was scheduled to box in the 178lb semifinal bout but could not box due to a schedule conflict that had him in Virginia with his Davenport Lacrosse team.

In the final bout of the night, Ricardo Rios lost a decision to Grand Rapids Burim Beqiri. Rios got off to a slow start, which costed him. “I really didn’t get going until the 3^rd round and by then it was too late,” he explained. This will be the first time in 4 years that Rios will miss the championship round.

David Lewis and Zach Schmuck will be boxing for the West Michigan Championship on April 19 in Grand Rapids. They also have qualified for the state tournament that will be held on April 26 and 27 in Grand Rapids.

The Cedar Rock Storm JV Ice Hockey team won the WMJVHL Tier III championships Monday March 11 at the Griff’s Ice House. They played the Lakeshore/St. Joe Warriors JV team and won in a hard fought game.  Both teams came to win and provided exciting and action packed three periods of hockey.

What is special about this win and this team is the boys played the entire season with just nine skaters and two goalies against teams that had double and triple the number of players. Despite being out numbered, the boys faced every game with gut, heart and hard work that clearly paid off. They surprised the league time and time again becoming the team to watch. Through sheer determination they made it to the playoffs and won all three of their playoff games and then the final championship game by a score of 3 to 1.

Top Row L-R: Coach Devon DuBois, Nick Fennessy, Robert Hiltz, Kyle Oberdorfer, Brandon Sipka, Coach Steve Obney
Front Row L-R: RJ Tennant, Maggie Voelkel, Spencer Bohlinger, Cole Davis, Cameron Umphrey, Joe Hughes and Ben Hopkins

Congratulations Cedar Rock Storm on a fantastic season!  The coaches and boys should be very proud of their accomplishments and the title of Champions.

The Cedar Rock Storm JV team consists of Brandon Sipka (Cedar Springs Sophomore), Kyle Oberdorfer (Cedar Springs Sophomore), Nick Fennessy (Cedar Springs Sophomore) Cameron Umphrey (Cedar Springs Freshman), Cole Davis (Cedar Springs Freshman), Robert Hiltz (Greenville Sophomore), Joe Hughes (Cedar Springs Junior), Spencer Bohlinger (Northview Freshman), Maggie Voelkel (Northview Junior), RJ Tennant (Cedar Springs Sophomore) and Ben Hopkins (Cedar Springs Junior), Coaches Devon DuBois and Steve Obney.

The Cedar Rock Storm JV team is based out of our very own Cedar Rock SportsPlex located just north of 14 mile on 4758 Cornfield Dr in Cedar Springs.  They have many programs and opportunities to learn how to skate and to play on ice hockey teams throughout the year. Tryouts for next year’s Cedar Rock JV team will be held in April so stay tuned to the cedarrocksportsplex.com for more details.

Over seven hundred youth wrestlers attended the MYWAY Wrestling Western 

Regionals held at Grandville High School on March 9 and 10, 2013. This year Cedar Springs Youth Wrestling Club is boasting a total of fourteen regional placers, 10 of whom are MYWAY State qualifiers. Of those 10 state qualifiers, four were Regional Champions!

This year’s Regional Champions were Landon Demorest in the 7-8 year old 43 lbs division, Braden Hallman in the 7-8 year old 61 lbs division, Ryan Ringler in the 11-12 year old 119 lbs, and Jordan Ringler in the 13-14 year old 85 lbs division. All four of these champions were undefeated this year in regular season tournaments. They will be leading the Red Hawks into the State Finals to be held this weekend, March 22, 23 and 24, at the Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek.

Additional state qualifiers were those who finished in the top four of their divisions. Keaton Klaasen took second in the 4-6 year old 46 lbs division. Third place finishers were Austin Averill in the 4-6 year old 37 lbs, Reese Gonzales in the 11-12 year old 85 lbs, Gage Gardner in the 11-12 year old 119 lbs, Allexis Gonzales 11-12 year old 126 lbs, and George Gonzales Jr. in the 13-14 year old 155 lbs division.

The last four regional placers narrowly missed their chance at finals by taking 5th and 6th in their divisions. Logan Hull and Bryce Hallman both took fifth place in the 11-12 year old division; Logan at 75 lbs and Bryce at 100 lbs. Pistachio Gonzales and Aiden Bouwens both finished in sixth place; Pistachio in the 4-6 year 52 lbs division and Aiden in the 9-10 year 85 lbs division. Hundreds of wrestlers were put out of the tournament within the first several rounds of wrestling. All of these wrestlers worked very hard to place at regionals. Good luck to those who are attending State Finals this weekend. Get out there and show them what Cedar Springs is made of, Champions!

Cedar Springs Youth Wrestlers have been busy preparing themselves for the Western Regional Championships by participating in numerous events over the past few weeks. The kids continue to improve their skills in search of the coveted titles of Regional and State Champions.

Back in February, wrestlers competed in three tournaments. The first was the annual Monster Trophy tournament held at Tri County High on February 17. Champions were Keaton Klaasen, Landon Demorest, Braden Hallman, and Ryan Ringler. Runners-up were Trevor Marsman and Samuel Couturier. Taking third were Logan Hallman, Aiden Bouwens and Bryce Hallman. Sergei Byxbe rounded the results with a fourth place finish.

The second tournament was held at Allendale High School on February 24. Champions were Landon Demorest, Braden Hallman, Aaron Smith, Ryan Ringler, and Allexis Gonzales. Runners-up were Keaton Klaasen, Tacho Gonzales, Reese Gonzales, and Gage Gardner. In third place were Pistachio Gonzales, Trevor Marsman and Bryce Hallman. Rounding out the results was Sergei Byxbe with a fourth place finish. Samuel Couturier also had a second place finish on February 24 at another tournament in Gladwin.

On March 2, over 600 wrestlers were in attendance at the final regular season tournament held at Greenville High School. Although competition was some of the toughest of the year, Cedar wrestlers were tougher, bringing home twelve trophies. Champions were Keaton Klaasen, Landon Demorest, Braden Hallman, Ryan Ringler, Jordan Ringler and George Gonzales Jr. Lone runner-up was Allexis Gonzales. Taking third were Austin Averill, Pistachio Gonzales, Cody Averill, and Gage Gardner. Sergei Byxbe took a fourth place finish. Landon Demorest also wrestled at Portage on March 3, taking Champion there.

Wrestling is one of the toughest sports in which any person could possibly compete. Cedar Springs Youth wrestlers have proved that hard work and dedication pay off. Make sure you watch next weeks Post for

Western Region Results to see which of your youth wrestlers have qualified for MYWAY State Finals!

Cedar Springs students Bradley Barnard, Will Fisher and Alan Kolenda part of an extraordinary winning season with Rams Hockey JV Team

2012-2013 Rams JV Hockey team celebrates after winning their season-ending league tournament. Along with their impressive collection of championship trophies won throughout the ’12-13 season. Team members include: Chris Anderson, Ian Bach, Bradley Barnard, Joey Bazaire, Christian Conati, Will Fisher, Jacob Harkema, Ryan Harpst, Damon Harvey, Cam Hendrie, Collin Hooper, Alan Kolenda, Jacob Moroney, Nick Peterson, Sam Price, Colin Rebhun, Jordan Taylor, Jarrett Ullrey, Austin Winicki Coaching staff includes: Head Coach, Chris Davis; Assistant Coaches, Gord Angus, John Lapham, Emery Lovse; and Team Manager, Mike Bazaire.

The Rockford Rams JV hockey team closed the final chapter of a great season this weekend by winning the West Michigan JV Hockey League Tier 1 Year End Tournament held at the Lakeshore Sports Centre in Muskegon.

The Rams entered the year-end tournament as the rivaled favorite since claiming the regular season title with an impressive 15 win, 1 loss, and 1 tie record. These young men never took their success for granted and knew it would take everything they had to claim their one remaining goal of this storybook season.

Thursday, March 7, was the Rams first of the 4-game round robin tournament facing off against the Buccaneers of Grand Haven. Throughout the season, Rockford faced the Bucs three times with the Rams winning all contests by multiple goals in each. By the 3rd period of this game, the Rams took a three goal lead and things were looking like this fourth meeting would follow suit. Grand Haven was determined to dig out of their hole and that’s just what they did. The Bucs scored twice to bring it within one. With 43 seconds remaining to play, Grand Haven took advantage of a Rams penalty and scored to tie the game at 3. The game ended 3-3 and Rockford knew they had to win their next three to get to the championship final.

On Friday, the Rams matched up with the GRAHA JV Griffins. The Rams had not lost to the Griffins at all this season and were certain to continue that trend. Three 15-minute periods of Rockford’s offensive thrashing was more than GRAHA could manage as the Rams started the scoring and never looked back. After the smoke cleared, Rockford’s goal scoring production doubled the efforts of the Griffins with the Rams winning by a score of 8-4.

A double header on Saturday put two teams in Rockford’s path that had every intention to slow them down. The last time the Rams faced Muskegon Mona Shores, a combined 26 penalties were called in the Rockford win. Tournament hockey is always different and the Rams were prepared for this one. The Rams dominated the play and held on to win 3-2, edging them closer to securing a spot in the finals. The Saturday Night game was much anticipated as the Rams would face the team that could take credit for Rockford’s only league loss, the Grand Valley Stars. The Rams entered this game with a 2-3-1 record against the Stars. Rockford jumped on Grand Valley early in the game and started the scoring. After one period, Rockford’s offensive fury ended with a 3-0 lead and momentum was on their side. The next two periods continued to be productive for the Rams as they doubled their lead until late in the game. With just over a minute remaining in the game, the Stars found a way to find the Rockford netting. Too little, too late as Rockford dominated with a 6-1 win and locked their spot in the final game.

Enter Championship Sunday Night. Earlier in the day, Grand Valley edged Grand Haven to get the berth to the final game. The Rams knew their opponent would not be the same Stars they beat up the prior night. Once the puck dropped, the battle began. Grand Valley would strike first, taking a 1-0 lead. Rockford would answer twice to tie it up and take the lead for the first time of the game. The Rams would be the next to score and increase the lead to 3-1. The Stars were not ready to give up and scored twice to tie the game at 3. The 3rd period went scoreless and the game was gridlocked. The game moved to a five-minute overtime that was dominated offensively by the Rams. The Grand Valley goaltender was not about to let the game end in those five minutes. Time expired with neither team scoring, forcing a five round shootout. The coach of each team selected 5 players to go one on one versus the opposing goalie. In the best of 5 shooters for each team, both the Rams and Stars matched up with 2 goals each. This brought the sudden death shootout. First to score with the other team to miss would be claimed as champion. Rockford’s first shooter made no mistake and buried the puck in the back of the net with a nifty move that left the Stars goaltender sprawled on the ice. The Stars would attempt to answer with a quick shot that beat the Rams goaltender only to be obstructed by the cross bar and off behind the net. Game Over! Rams win! Rams Win!

The Rams ended their season with a record of 42 wins, 8 losses, and 4 ties. Overall, Rockford outscored their opponents with 251 goals for and 98 goals against. In all, the Rams claimed three tournaments championships and the WMJVHL league championship. The team’s adopted motto all year was, “Play like a Champion Today!” and that they did. What an amazing accomplishment for RAMS Hockey and this group of young men.

Open Tryouts for the 2013-14 RAMS JV team will be held on Tuesday and Thursday, April 23rd and 25th from 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm. An additional tryout date of Friday, April 26th (7-8 pm) will be held if necessary. Please visit www.ramshockey.org to sign up for try-outs and find more information on all levels of programs that Rams Hockey offers, from Learn-to-Skate to travel hockey and everything in-between.

Justin Balczak, a 2011 graduate of Cedar Springs High School and sophomore at Lake Superior State University, continued to show his athletic ability last weekend, when he came in second in the men’s heptathlon in the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, in Birmingham, Alabama.

Last year he won an All-American title for placing third in the decathlon in the Outdoor Track and Field Championships. His second place score last weekend of 5,664 points will bring him another All-American title.

Balczak came in second to Brent Vogel, of Central Missouri State, who scored 5,760 points.

“Justin broke the old national record by more that 200 points, and his score of 5,664 is the second highest score ever in NCAA D2 history (both regular season and national championship competition),” said LSSU coach Matt Sparks, in an article on the LSSU website. “He had all time personal bests in five of seven events, and heptathlon best marks in seven of seven events. It was the deepest field of any competition at the championships, considering the top eight places all reached the automatic qualifying mark.”

Balczak entered Day 2 in first place after winning two events Friday. On Saturday, he finished second behind Vogel in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of :08.12, sixth in the pole vault (4.20 meters) and sixth in the 1,000-meter run (2:42.71).

While in high school, Balczak was a state champion in the 110m high hurdles and broke school records in the high hurdles, 300m low hurdles, and the 800m relay. He is the son of Mark and Ann Balczak of Cedar Springs.

You can always count on the Cedar Springs Red Hawk Cheer team to excel, and they did that again this year by advancing to regionals for the sixth straight year. In those six years, they also made two state finals appearances. But it was not meant to be this year.
“Advancing to regionals was a goal the team had from the beginning of the season,” said Coach Anna Ramirez. “The girls have worked hard and earned the spot they received to compete last Saturday.”
She said it is slowly becoming an expectation that Cedar Springs Cheer advances out of Districts, and a yearly goal the team has had for themselves. “For only six years has this semi final competition taken place, and Cedar Springs has advanced from Districts in all six years, winning the district title in both 2010 and 2012,” explained Ramirez. She added that since 2010, Cedar Springs Cheer has made two state finals appearances and were hoping for their third this season, but fell short with some tough competition in this west side region.
DeWitt finished on top with St. Joseph as runner up. Advancing to state finals with them will be Grand Rapids Christian and Mt. Pleasant. Competition will be held at the Delta Plex at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Cedar Springs finished 9th out of 12 teams to end their season.
“I am really proud of how far my team made it and how hard everyone worked to get there. I’m also really thankful for the support in the stands because it means a lot to have our community behind us,” said senior Briana Pierson.
“They are a young team, with tons of potential. I look forward to the years to come,” remarked Ramirez. “They held a strong performance, showcasing their best in all three rounds. I am very proud of each and every one of them.” The make up of this team was 13 new varsity members, 9 of which were freshman.
“As a freshman, I was honored to be able to have such an amazing opportunity. Our group of seniors were so encouraging throughout the whole competition. I wanted to do my best for them,” said freshman, Kaylee Mihlethaler.
This competitive cheer team will be back next season, once again, competing for one of the top spots. As for the four seniors who led this team, Briana Pierson, Katie Maka, Nicki Luevano, and Jacy Wasoski, they will all be heading to college this fall. “Being part of the Cedar Springs cheer community has been a long journey for them,” remarked Ramirez. “Hopefully one that will bring a lifetime of memories.”

Cedar Springs Varsity Cheer competed in District Finals at Kenowa Hills last Saturday, February 16. The best four teams from the District competitions held at Kenowa Hills, Thornapple Kellogg, and Mt. Pleasant would advance to the regional competition at Cedar Springs this coming Saturday. The pressure was on. The Lady Hawks would need to perform three outstanding rounds in order to earn the honor of being one of the best 12 teams on the west side of Michigan.

With a Round 1 score of 212.6 and a Round 2 score of 189.6, the Red Hawks were in 5th place leading into Round 3. Fifth place is no place to be, when it comes to competitive cheer districts. Only the top four schools advance to the regional competition. The Red Hawks had to make up the 2.08 points they were behind after 2 rounds in order to place high enough to advance.

“Going into round 3, I was discouraged, but I used my feeling to give it all I had,” said senior, Katelyn Maka. “I did not want that to be my last competition and I gave it my all to ensure that it wasn’t.”

Junior Kristen Schreiber added, “I have never wanted something so much before. I went out for round 1 and gave it every ounce of energy I could give. Knowing we were only one place away from getting that (4th place) spot pushed me that much harder in round 3.”

The team did pull together and performed their best round 3 of the season! “It was a tight competition, and even though we are a young team, we proved that we could come together and pull through”, said senior Briana Pierson. Their score of 291.9 pulled the Hawks up to the 4th place position, almost 10 points higher than 5th place and only 3.5 points behind Sparta. Kenowa Hills took the 1st place position and Grand Rapids Christian, 2nd.

“I could not be more proud to coach these girls,” remarked coach Anna Ramirez. “Each week these girls continue to grow and make changes and corrections. I am proud of their hard work, perseverance, and dedication to improve.”

The top four teams at Regionals (hosted by Cedar Springs at 10 a.m. on Saturday February 23) will be advancing to State Finals on Saturday, March 2, at 10 a.m. at the Delta Plex.

From the Michigan Audubon Society

The Henslow’s Sparrow is Michigan’s smallest species of sparrows measuring only four to five inches long and weighing no more than half of an ounce. The Henslow’s Sparrow is a grassland bird that blends to its surroundings well, with streaks of brown, olive and chestnut to mimic the tall grass it calls home. It is also a Michigan Endangered species.

John James Audubon discovered the species in Kentucky in 1820 and named the sparrow in honor of John Stevens Henslow, a close friend and botanist at Cambridge University and professor to Charles Darwin. The Henslow’s Sparrow was not documented in Michigan until 1881 and was uncommon in the early 1900s.

Population numbers increased during the early part of the last century; woodlots and forests were cleared, which grew into large open grasslands, providing suitable cover and abundant food for the sparrows. The first observation of the sparrow in the Upper Peninsula did not come until 1959. Today, the Henslow’s Sparrow has been observed in 36 counties in Michigan.

Unfortunately, the last decade has shown a large population decline in Michigan and all over the Midwest. Kalamazoo County has reported an 80 percent decline in population numbers since 1970. This trend is largely due to rapid decreases in the amount of suitable habitat. Livestock grazing and early hay harvests have decreased the size and value of breeding grounds along with the encroachment of woody vegetation. Urbanization of small grassland parcels and the reduction or exclusion of fire management practices has also diminished the sparrow’s habitat.

Management techniques used to bring back and stabilize the sparrow’s population numbers include prescribed burning, scheduled mowing after the breeding season and monitored grazing to ensure vegetation remains adequately tall and dense. Ornithologists also recommend providing 75 acres or more of contiguous grassland to allow for colonization of the Henslow’s Sparrows. Lastly, limiting or restricting the use of insecticidal applications will provide better food resources for the Henslow’s Sparrow, who feeds exclusively on insects.

These management techniques also benefit Ring‐necked Pheasants and the hunters that pursue them each fall. Mike Parker, a Michigan DNR Wildlife Biologist and former Pheasant Forever representative, has spent several years working to improve grassland habitats in Michigan and agrees that improving habitat for one species greatly benefits the other. Parker also suggests that private landowners can help conserve both species by landscaping their property to include high quality grassland habitats.

“The great news is there are a variety of programs available to landowners from the Michigan DNR, US Department of Agriculture, US Fish and Wildlife Service and other partners [such as Michigan Audubon] that can provide funding or technical assistance to restore grassland habitat that is beneficial to pheasants,

sparrows and a diversity of other grassland birds.”

The Henslow’s Sparrow is a shy and elusive bird that is usually heard rather than seen. “It takes a really keen birder to be able to find the Henslow’s Sparrow”, states Tom Funke, Michigan Audubon’s Conservation Director. “Often, the bird is shown to birders by someone else“, says Funke, “as this bird is very hard to see and hear. You just don’t stumble upon this rare bird.”

Michigan Audubon has three sanctuaries were the Henslow’s Sparrow has been observed in recent years: the Mildred Harris Sanctuary in Alamo Township in Kalamazoo County; the Phyllis Haehnle Memorial Sanctuary in

Leoni Township in Jackson County; and at the Otis Farm Bird Sanctuary in Hastings in Barry County. Michigan Audubon holds an annual event at the Otis Sanctuary, Cerulean Warbler Weekend May 31 thru June 2, where the Henslow’s Sparrow is a featured species. The Otis Sanctuary is a globally recognized Important Bird Area for the Henslow’s Sparrow.

This is the second biggest regular season tournament of the year in Michigan, next to the Super Bowl of Wrestling, which was held last month in Lansing. Cedar Springs continues to prove it is a power to be reckoned with, bringing home a total of 13 trophies, more than any other club in the MYWAY league. Out of those 13, seven were Champions!

Champions this year were Austin Averill, Cody Averill, Landon Demorest, Trevor Marsman, Ryan Ringler, Jordan Ringler, and George Gonzales Jr. The sole runner-up was Allexis Gonzales. Taking third place finishes were Chase Sarniak, Keaton Klaasen and Logan Hull. Rounding out the bunch in fourth place were Pistachio Gonzales and Sam Couturier. Even though wrestling season is slowly winding down, with regionals less than a month away, these Red Hawks are getting geared up to make this the best season yet.