The Cedar Springs boys Red Hawk Cross Country team are OK Bronze champions.

The Red Hawk runners won the OK Bronze league this fall in Cross Country by placing first in all of the jamboree league meets this fall, and then winning the conference meet on their home course Oct. 17.

Senior runner Connor Mora led the way by running to a first place finish with a time of 15:42. He was followed closely by sophomore Austin Sargent, who finished 5th at 16:47; senior Justin Harthorn (7th) 16:53; freshman Cameron Umphrey (11th) 17:03; senior Alex Bray (12th) 17:05; sophomore Justin Jones (14th) 17:33; and senior Ethan Menefee (18th) 17:48.

Overall scores were: (Low score wins)

Cedar Springs 36, Northview 60, Forest Hills Northern 63, Forest Hill Eastern 85, West Catholic 132, and Greenville 160.

Currently the Red Hawks are rated 4th in the state in Division 2.

The Red Hawks will travel to Benzie Central High School on Oct. 27 to compete in regional competition, with the top three teams qualifying for the state meet on Nov. 3. Race times are 12:45 boys and 1:25 girls.

“Winning the conference meet was a challenge, with many strong runners from other schools, including the perennial strong team in Forest Hills Northern, who is rated 7th in Division 2. They ran extremely well all year,” said Coach Ted Sabinas. “This is my 28th year of coaching cross country at Cedar Springs and this group of young men is the fastest group that I have coached. Connor Mora, Austin Sargent, and Justin Harthorn achieved the top ten All Time Fastest Runners with Alex Bray a only a few seconds behind.”

Other runners on this year’s Ok Bronze Champion team are Alex Sias, Josh Bray, Dylan Finch, Brandon Harthorn, Jacob Walker, Remington Saude, Zack Zenker, Ethan Lewis, Logan McGahan and Jonathan Wolfarth.

Leonardo Rios claims a victory over Giovanni Miranda, of Grand Rapids.

The Sand Lake Boxing Club hosted the 2nd annual Tri-County Boxing Classic last Saturday, October 20, in Howard City. Five Sand Lake boxers competed and all but one came away victorious.

Cedar Springs’ Austin Reed began the night for Sand Lake. Austin faced Alberto Perez of Grand Rapids. Austin began the fight strong but was unable to finish the first round, after being hit with some hard shots from Perez. In the fourth bout of the night, Rockford’s Zach Shmuck out-boxed and dominated Ken Agnue, of Grand Rapids. In the fifth bout of the night, Leonardo Rios of Cedar Springs had his hands full with Giovanni Miranda, of Grand Rapids. Rios and Miranda exchanged hard shots for all 3 rounds but in the end Leonardo came away with the victory by landing the harder cleaner punches. In the sixth bout of the night, Davenport Lacrosse player Cody Cross came out strong and stopped Holland’s Eric McMahon in the first round.

In the main event of the night Ricardo Rios of Cedar Springs gave up 8 pounds and moved up a weight class to box Grand Rapids’ Germaine McKinney. McKinney was the 2012 165-pound state runner up in the Golden Glove tournament. Ricardo and Germaine fought 3 close and exciting rounds but Ricardo was able to win by landing the harder more visible punches.

“I didn’t fight in the show last year because my opponent cancelled and this year the only guy available was Germaine,” explained Rios. “He is quite a bit heavier but I had to take the fight. He is a very good fighter and I thought the fight was close, but I knew I had won.”

The Tri-County boxing show was once again successful in raising funds to help support the Sand Lake boxing club. Troy Rowland and Jose Rios would like to thank all the sponsors and all the fans who attended for their support.

Tyler Aungst #21 heads the ball towards #23 Gabe Zwinger at game against Sparta

On Monday, October 15, the Cedar Springs Boys Varsity Soccer team hosted the Sparta Spartans in the first round of the Division 2 District tournament. The Red Hawks walked onto the turf of Red Hawk Stadium ready to challenge their long time rival for the rights to advance to the Districts semi-finals. The squad took an early command of the game and played strong until the very end, crushing the Spartans 7 to 1. First half scoring credited to: Kyle Szirovecz (33:08-assist A.Dault), Robert Klein (25:59-assist A.Dault) & (11:29), and Carlos Pastor (14:28-assist A.Dault). Second half scoring by:  Robert Klein (28:36-assist Quiroga), Carlos Pastor (20:30-assist Klein) and Gabe Zwinger (13:39-assist Ensley).

The District 2 semi-final game was played on October 17 at Northview High School and the Red Hawks were slated to play against the Huskies of Forest Hills Northern. The Red Hawk offensive unit of Kyle Szirovecz, Robert Klein, Luke Dault, Carlos Pastor, Julion Qurigoa, Jon Shaw and Mitch Hanmer battled for possession of the ball and had many attempts on goal. The defensive line of Aaron Dault, Trevor Rose, Dontae Ensley and Vitor Camillo protected their net fiercely and forced many turnovers throughout the match. Goal keeper Josh Champion had a tremendous night, robbing the Huskies of many scoring opportunities. The teams battled for 60 minutes before a point was added to the scoreboard. The Huskies were able to capitalize on a weak defensive moment and sent the ball into the net, just out of reach of Champion (16:52). The Red Hawks turned up the intensity and fought valiantly, but were unable to get a shot into the net and fell to the Huskies 0-1. The team played a tremendous game and finished their season with a respectable record of 15-4-1. The parents and coaches of the Boys Varsity team would like to congratulate the boys on a great season. Great job Red Hawks!

The Cedar Springs Girl’s Golf Team finished 15th at the state final last weekend at Bedford Valley near Battle Creek.

Conner White shot a two day total 208, Bre White a 212, Marisa Morales a 222, Jessica Ingerson a 245 and Chelsea Hull a 252.

“It rained the entire time on day one,” said Coach London. “On top of that, it was cold and the girls were extremely nervous. We were a lot better on day 2.”

The Cedar Springs Girls finished 5th in the OK Bronze this season, so them making the tournament was incredible, noted London. “It will be a building block for the seasons to come.”

Photo by Rebecca Klompstra.

The Cedar Springs Varsity Red Hawks fought hard the last two weeks to keep the dream of the playoffs alive, but fell short of the six games needed. The Red Hawks ended the season with a 4-5 record overall, and were 1-4 in the new OK Bronze conference, finishing just ahead of Forest Hill Eastern (0-4).

West Catholic

The Red Hawks faced OK Bronze champion West Catholic (5-0) (6-3) in the 2nd to last game of the season. There was no score until the second quarter, when the Red Hawks scored 8 points on an Austin Hilyer pass to Dylan Block, and a two-point conversion pass to Cameron Link. They scored again at 2:24 left in the quarter, when Austin Hilyer passed right to Cameron Link for a 9-yard touchdown, but the run attempt for the two points fell short. The half ended 14-0 Red Hawks.

The Falcons owned the field in the third quarter, scoring three unanswered touchdowns and taking the lead 19-14.

The 4th quarter was a battle to the end. The Falcons scored first, then the  Red Hawks answered with six points of their own, when Austin Hilyer passed left to Cameron Link for 5 yards for a Red Hawk touchdown. The 2-point conversion of was unsuccessful, ending the game 25-20 Falcons.

“I was extremely proud of our players,” stated Coach Brian Busen. “Our guys knew we had a chance for playoffs on the line. We outplayed West Catholic for three quarters but came up a little short. I saw our players play with more heart and emotion than they ever have before. We gave a gutsy performance.”

Forest Hills Northern

Last week the Red Hawks traveled to Forest Hills Northern to attempt to end their season with a win. The Red Hawks looked strong in the first half of the game, but it was the Huskies that would get the only touchdown in the first half. The Huskies scored three more touchdowns in the 3rd quarter, and the Red Hawks were unable to move the ball against the Huskie Defense. The Huskies continued full throttle in the 4th quarter, getting around the Red Hawk defense and holding the Red Hawks to a nonscoring game, ending the game 39-0 Forrest Hills Northern.

Leading the Red Hawks for the night were Allen Slagter and Jeff Newland. Nick Krajewski led in pass receiving yards, with Allen Slagter. Leading tacklers were Jeff Newland, with 11 tackles and 1 assist; Allen Slagter with 9 tackles, 1 assist; Nick Krajewski 9 tackles and 1 assist; Jason Vietti with 8 tackles; and Cam Cooper, Tim Karafa and Cameron Klompstra all with 6 tackles.

“This was a very emotional season and I want to thank all of the people that supported these kids through this season,” said Coach Busen. “This season the kids played their hearts out despite all of the tragedies and injuries we had this year. During the season we had 14 players miss a total of 35 games, yet managed to go into game seven with hopes of both a conference championship and a trip to the playoffs. We played our hearts out and put ourselves into a position in the 4th quarter to win both our Northview game and West Catholic game but came up short. Even though we came up a little short of our goal, our kids played unbelievable. They played that way because they were playing for those that we loved and lost this season. They played in memory of Jim Porter, Wyatt Phillips, Nick Vietti, Earl Vodry and Norman Zeigler. They played for Sean Thompson, their teammate who wasn’t able to join them on the gridiron due to his injuries suffered in the car accident. They were playing to make their parents proud, they were playing for one another and they were playing because they love the game.”

The Cedar Springs JV football team lost to a tough Forest Hills Northern team Thursday night, October 18, 34-0. Northern got on the board early, scoring after only a few offensive plays. The Red Hawks had some success moving the ball, but were not able to score. The Huskies again drove down the field and scored, making it 14-0 late in the first quarter. Cedar then pushed the ball down field and were faced with a 4th and 10 from the Husky 15 yard line but came up short on a hook and ladder pass play.

On the next possession Cedar nearly intercepted the Huskies, but the ball bounced off of the Red Hawk player and in to the hands of the Northern receiver. The Huskies were pushed the ball down field and score again, making it 20-0 at the half.

The Red Hawks came out fighting in the second half but struggled to get much offense going. The Huskies were able to tack on two more scores in the 2nd half to cap off their undefeated season.

“That was a very talented FHN team,” said Coach Bowers. “They were able to go undefeated this season and that is very tough at any level of football. I sure wish we could have played them early in the year, when we were at full strength. I don’t think they would have ended up 9-0 if we would have seen them then. Thanks to all of the JV players

for the hard work this year and their ability to overcome adversity.”

Red Hawk Taylor VanDyke (#13) blocks a FHN punt.
Photo by Rebecca Klompstra.

It was a trying season for the Cedar Springs Red Hawk freshmen squad, a team who has played together for four years now. They wrapped up the 2012 season with a 26-8 loss last Thursday, October 18, to Forest Hills Northern

Cedar’s lone touchdown was scored by Keenan Gosselin.

Good luck to these freshmen boys in basketball, wrestling and whatever sport they are tackling.

Row 1: Alyssa Keaton, Breanna White, Sierra Clark, Erica Benham, Conner White, Kellsie Rypma. Row 2: Maddy Crandall, Chelsea Hull, Jessica Ingerson, Jessica Blackmer, Abby Kennamer. Row 3: Marisa Morales, Katie Esakson, Alysha Chaney, Julie Schut, Emma Schut, Alexis Wilks, Shelby Towers, Coach London. Missing: Monica West, Coach Carr.

The Cedar Springs Girl’s Varsity Golf Team qualified 3rd at the Regional at Egypt Valley with a team score of 421. The regular season had not gone very well as the Red Hawks placed 5th in the OK Bronze. However, the girls rose the occasion and shot their best 18 hole match of the season. Conner White led the way with a 94 (6th overall), Marisa Morales a career best 97 (10th), Bre White a 105, and Jessica Ingerson a 125. Chelsea Hull added a 133.

“I thought the girls learned and improved all season,” said Coach Glen London. “They have played tough courses all year so Egypt Valley did not intimidate them.”

The girls head to Bedford Valley Golf Course in Battle Creek to participate in the 2 day State tournament this Friday and Saturday.

The Cedar Springs Boys Varsity Soccer team closed out their regular season last week with two big wins bringing their overall record to 14-3-1 and securing second place in the OK-Bronze Conference.

Red Hawk Julion Quiroga battles for the ball.

On Tuesday, October 9, the Red Hawks traveled to Grand Rapids to take on the Northview Wildcats. It was evident that the Wildcats walked on the field determined to not repeat their mistakes of their last meeting with Cedar Springs. Northview’s offense jumped into action and pounded the Red Hawk goal with many shots throughout the entire first half, but senior goal tender Josh Champion robbed them of every scoring opportunity.

The Red Hawks were able to secure the first goal of the match when Kyle Szirovecz was able to put the ball into the net, slicing it past the charging Northview keeper (2:12). Northview scored a goal of their own, during the second half, evening the score 1 to 1 (39:28). Despite many attempts by both teams, neither team could capitalize on scoring opportunities, sending the game into overtime. Senior Robert Klein knocked in the first goal of overtime, to give Cedar Springs a 2-1 advantage. Northview answered quickly with a goal to tie it up again. After that, Cedar’s offense broke open and quickly put two more goals in the net (Kyle Szirovecz 6:02) and (Robert Klein 3:36) to ensure a 4-2 Red Hawk victory over the Northview Wildcats.

On Friday, October 12, the Cedar Springs Red Hawks hosted the Forest Hills Northern Huskies in their final conference game of the season. Before the game began, the eleven seniors of the team walked onto the turf of Red Hawk Stadium, escorted by their parents, and presented with a shadow box from Coach Avink. The seniors recognized were: Robert Klein, Aaron Dault, Kyle Szirovecz, Trevor Rose, Josh Champion, Dontae Ensley, Tyler Aungst, Kyle Longcore, and exchange students Vitor Camillo, Memo Garcia, and Carlos Pastor. All seniors started the game and played together for their final Conference game of their high school career. The Red Hawks celebrated another victory by defeating the Forest Hills Northern Huskies 3 to 0, with scoring credited to: Kyle Szirovecz (6:08-assist Klein), Robert Klein (6:59-assist A. Dault) and Josh Valentine (39:02-assist Ensley). Congratulations on a great season Red Hawks!

No game of the season was bigger than the one the freshmen football teamed faced last Thursday against West Catholic. With the team enduring a 4-game losing streak, this freshmen squad was resilient and determined to come back together as a team after their recent losses and salvage this season.

Cedar came out strong in all phases of the game, with their run and passing game firing on all cylinders. They took a 20-6 lead into halftime. West Catholic came out in the second half and made some adjustments, but Cedar had enough left in the tank, to hold off West Catholic for a final score of 26-20. This much needed victory improved the Red Hawk record to 4-4.

Not only was Cedar Springs led by their strong defensive effort, but also Michael Norton, who in the week prior leading up to the game, made the switch to fullback. As the kids would say, he was a beast—scoring 2 touchdowns for Cedar and adding a couple of two point conversions. It was his spirit, and determination, along with the new-found team bond, that propelled these fine football players to the victory! Join them this Thursday Oct. 18 at 4:30 p,m. as they take on Forrest Hills Northern in their final game of the season.