The Cedar Springs Girls Basketball team picked up a pair of league road victories last week defeating Northview 34-15 on Tuesday and Lowell 49-40 on Friday.  

In both games the Red Hawks were able to get off to a fast start. Arianna Rau scored 6 points and Avery Sparling scored 5 points as Cedar jumped out to an 11-0 first quarter lead against Northview. Pressure defense forced multiple Northview turnovers and led to easy baskets for the team.  

Rau continued her strong performance inside in the second quarter scoring a pair of baskets. Rosie Pigorsh scored 4 points in the second as the ladies took a 21-3 lead into halftime.  

The Red Hawks maintained their lead throughout the low scoring second half.  Sparling and Pigorsh scored 4 points apiece and Maggie Prins chipped in 3 points in the half for the Red Hawks.  

Rau led all scorers with 12 points, while Sparling scored 9 points and hauled in 6 rebounds on the night. Pigorsh finished with 8 points.

On Friday, the Red Hawks traveled to Lowell to take on the Red Arrows. Another quick start saw Cedar jump to a 14-8 lead after the first quarter. Five points by Kaelyn Colclasure and 4 points by Kyla Andres led the team in the opening 8 minutes.  

The second quarter was much of the same as Cedar outscored Lowell 13-4 to take a 27-12 lead into halftime. Colclasure scored nailed a pair of three pointers and knocked down 4 free throws to score 10 points in the quarter (15 points in the first half).  

Lowell responded early in the third quarter scoring the first 7 points of the quarter to cut into the Red Hawk lead. Cedar led 33-25 at the end of three quarters.  

The fourth quarter saw a back and forth battle as every time Lowell tried to close the gap further Cedar Springs responded. Prins scored a pair of baskets, one a key offensive rebound put-back, and Jenna Powell nailed a three in the quarter.  

Colclasure led all scorers with 18 points followed by Rau with 8.  Rau hauled down all 12 of her game high rebound total in the second half.  Prins scored 7 points and had 8 rebounds on the evening.

The team faced off against Greenville Tuesday, and you can see those results in next week’s paper.

This Friday, February 28, they play at Home vs. Ottawa Hills, starting at 5:30 p.m. It will be senior night between the boys and girls games, and the benefit spaghetti dinner for boys basketball player Ryan Smith. 

On Monday, March 2, the team will play in the district game at Forest Hills  Northern at 6:00 p.m.

Cedar Springs’ Sage Serbenta rushed for 200 yards in the win over Northview last Friday.
Photo by Kelly and Rob LaLone.

Red Hawk offense gains 300 yards rushing

By Judy Reed

The Cedar Springs Red Hawks Varsity Football team kept their winning streak against Northview alive Friday night, September 7, defeating them 26-10 in their sixth straight victory against the Wildcats. But the Red Hawks did more than that—they limited the Wildcats to only 10 points, something the two previous teams Northview faced couldn’t do.

The Wildcats had scored 68 points in their 68-47 win over Comstock Park, and 36 points in their 43-36 loss to Jenison. But Cedar Springs stood up to the pass and didn’t allow them to get an edge.

“Our defensive coaching staff did a great job with the game plan and our kids really executed it on Friday night,” said Red Hawk Coach Gus Kapolka. “I thought we tackled well against a dangerously explosive team in the open field, and limited their opportunities. Our special teams were key as well with a blocked punt to set up a score, as well as a blocked field goal.”

Northview attempted to score first with a field goal with 6:04 left in the first quarter but it was blocked by Cedar Springs. The first score of the game came in the second quarter, with 11:35 remaining, when Cedar Springs running back Sage Serbenta ran for a 60-yard touchdown. The 2-point conversion was no good.

Northview attempted a second field goal with 9:55 left in the second quarter and the 31-yard kick by Chris Mendez was good this time. The score was now 6-3.

Cedar Springs scored again with 4:55 left in the quarter when Sage Serbenta ran for a 15-yard touchdown. The two point conversion was no good, leaving the score 12-3. But the Red Hawks came back and scored again when Ryan Ringler ran for a 12-yard touchdown with 57 seconds left in the quarter. The two-point conversion was no good, and the quarter ended with a score of 18-3, Cedar Springs.

Northview scored again in the third quarter, when Jalen Williams ran for a 10-yard touchdown with 6:01 left. The extra point was good, making the score 18-10.

Cedar Springs put one more nail in the coffin with 3:07 left in the fourth quarter, when Ryan Ringler scored again with a 5-yard run. They scored two more points when Kolby Swank ran the ball in to get the two-point conversion. Final score Cedar Springs 26, Northview 10.

Overall, Cedar Springs had 301 yards rushing (but lost 15 on penalties), with Sage Serbenta getting 203. “Sage is new to our program, but he has picked up our offense quickly,” remarked Kapolka. “He has great speed and vision when running the ball, and our offensive line did a good job opening up space for him.”

Other rushing leaders included Ryan Ringler with 43 yards, Ethan West with 30, Lucas Pienton with 15, and Ben Shaw with 9.

Defensively, Ryan Ringler led in tackles with 9; Landon Totten had 7; Graham Bayink 6; Lucas Pienton and Sage Serbenta each had five. 

Cedar Springs is 1-0 in conference and 2-1 overall. They will host Greenville (also 1-0 in conference, 1-2 overall) this Friday, September 14, at Red Hawk Stadium. The Hawk’s Nest spirit theme is a blackout. Dress in black and come on out and cheer on your Red Hawks!

The Varsity Red Hawks traveled to Allendale on Saturday, January 6, for the Falcon Individual Invite.

Three Champions were crowned as the team took third place behind Lakeshore and Allendale. 

Aaron Smith (17-6) won his first ever Varsity tournament at the 135lb weight class. Lucus Pienton (21-2) dominated the 152 division. Ryan Ringler (22-1) earned Most Outstanding Wrestler while claiming the prize at 171.

Jacob Galinis won his 100th Varsity match while placing third at 140lbs. Consolation Champions also included Trevor Marsman (17-5), Logan Hull (21-2) and Anthony Brew (12-2). David Erxleben, Zak Schmid, Chris Shafer and Caleb Baty placed for the Red Hawks as well.

On Friday night, January 5, the team kicked off OK-White duel action with a victory over Northview and a loss to four-time defending State Champion Lowell.

The boys will be at Forest Hills Northern this Friday, January 12, at 5:30 for a showdown with the Huskies and Rangers. Saturday they will travel to the east side of the state to take on Warren Woods Tower and foe.

Ryan Ringler, #24, with ball and Nick Campione, #5 take on the Wildcats. Photo by Rob and Kelly LaLone.

Local spectators travel to Northview and show off their Red Hawk pride.

On Friday, September 15th, the varsity Red Hawks of Cedar Springs took on the Wildcats of Northview in their second conference game, bringing in a win at the Wildcat’s stadium with a final score of Cedar Springs 48, Northview 20.

The game began with both teams head to head, each scoring two touchdowns within the first quarter. Northview running back Cody Tierney scored the first touchdown of the night after receiving a pass from junior Kennedy Smith and completing his run into the end zone.

The Red Hawks retaliated quickly, John Jacob Todd scoring their first touchdown with 6:01 left to play in the first quarter after a completed 22 yard run down center field. The first quarter ended with a score of Cedar Springs 14, Northview 13, due to a two point conversion  ran by halfback Ryan Ringler, completed after the Hawks’ second touchdown scored by junior Lucas Pienton. The Wildcats were able to acquire an extra point after their second touchdown as well through a PAT (point after touchdown) kicked by Collin Cromwell, but fell just short of the Hawks’ score.

In the second quarter, the two teams were neck in neck once again with additional points scored by Cedar Springs quarterbacks Darius Barnett and Nicholas Campione, as well as Northview players Cody Tierney and Collin Cromwell.

With a standing score of Cedar Springs 22, Northview 20, the Red Hawks kicked it into high gear after coming back from the second half, racking up an additional 26 points.

Nearing the end of the game, Todd made a memorable interception on a Northview attempt to score, turning the ball around and completing a 33 yard run for his third touchdown of the night.

The final touchdown of this past week’s game was run in by junior Lucas Pienton with 8:56 left to play. The Wildcats of Northview had 0 touchdowns in the second half due to the Red Hawks’ strong defensive lines.

Next week, the Cedar Springs varsity football team will face off against the varsity Eagles of Grand Rapids Christian, on Friday September 22nd. This game begins at 7pm and will take place at the Eagles’ stadium.

The JV Competitive Cheer team with their first place trophy.

On Saturday, February 4, Cedar Springs JV and Varsity Competitive Cheer teams traveled to Southgate, Michigan, for the 2017 Southgate invitational.

Five JV teams competed at the JV level.

In round 1, Cedar Springs JV earned a score of 203.40. They gained an additional 175.6 in round 2, bringing their subtotal to 379.00. In round 3 they earned an additional 275.70  points, giving them a total score of 654.70, their highest scores of the season and another first place finish.

Nine teams competed at the Varsity level. At the end of round 1, Cedar Springs Varsity received a score of 224.20. Round 2 brought an additional 217.96 and a subtotal score of 442.16. After a couple of unfortunate errors, they earned an additional 295.8 at the end of round 3 and a final score of  721.96 and a 7th place finish.

On Wednesday, February 8, the JV and Varsity traveled to Northview for their final conference meet of the season. See results in next week’s Post.

On Friday, February 10, they will be traveling to Caledonia for the SCOTastic Competitive Cheer meet. This will be the last regular season competition before heading to districts on February 18 at Kenowa Hills.

Red Hawk boys bowling team took 2nd place in a baker tournament at Park Center Lanes. Left to right Jared Caniff, Brayden Harper, Dane Conely, Jonah Drake, Dugan Conely, Jared Liggett, Josh Hamilton, Kaleb Fisk, Coach Tim Jackson.

On December 27, Park Center lanes in Wyoming hosted a baker tournament.

The Cedar Springs Boys bowling team took 2nd Place against South Christian with a 2 baker total of 302-348.

The Lady Red Hawks bowling team fell short to Hopkins in the semifinals. Sophomore Sarah Galloway bowled her High school high of 211 and sophomore Rose Baty bowled her high school high of 117.

On January 4, the Red Hawks hosted a conference match at Rockford Lanes against Northview. The Cedar Springs boys team fell short with a score of 4-26, and the girls lost 2-28.

On January 8, the teams competed at the Jenison invitational. The CS boys team placed 5th. Red Hawk Josh Hamilton placed 5th in the individuals for boys with a pin total of 413 in 2 games.

The Girls placed 6th.

By Rebekah Cronk

The varsity basketball team went head to head with Kent City on Tuesday, January 19. It was a close game, but the Red Hawks took the victory with an ending score of 56-49.

The varsity team had three players score in double figures on Tuesday evening. Taylor VanDyke had with 15, Nikc Jackson had 13, and Dustin Shaw added 10.

Not only did the varsity team take the win on Tuesday against Kent City but they won yet again on Friday, January 22 against Northview. The team won by a score of 52-42.

The team was led by Nikc Jackson with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Taylor VanDyke had 10 points and a game high of 14 rebounds.

“All but one of our games in January have been away and anytime you can get wins on the road is an accomplishment,” said varsity basketball coach, Jeff Patin. “So we feel good about getting both of those wins. Also, the wins against Kent City and Northview will help us gain some momentum as we enter the halfway point of the season.”

The varsity team has suffered some losses since the start of the season, but with improvement and hard work, they have taken wins the last two weeks.

“Our team defense has been pretty consistent throughout the season and our team offense is starting to come around now. Being able to win even though you haven’t played your best yet, has given us the drive to keep continuing to improve,” said Patin.

On a roll 

The team felt as though winning against Kent City and Northview was crucial after their win against Greenville the week before.

“We felt it was important for us to play well after our first conference win against Greenville.  It [was] exam week for Cedar Springs students, so that added another dimension to our weekly preparations,” said Patin.

The team worked hard and took the victory against Kent City and Northview, despite the pressure of school.

“Throughout the season, thus far, we’ve gotten some good individual contributions from Taylor VanDyke, Nikc Jackson, Jameson Pavelka, Dustin Shaw, and Je’len Jackson.  Knowing that we have a different person who can step up on any given night is a nice feeling to have,” said Patin.

Red Hawk senior Cameron Umphrey scored both touchdowns for Cedar Springs in their loss to Forest Hills Eastern last Friday.

By Lauren VanDenHout

The Cedar Springs Red Hawks lost to the Forest Hills Eastern Hawks 49-12 last week Friday, October 16. Cedar Springs fought hard, but ultimately, they were no match for Forest Hills Eastern’s offensive and defensive line.

The Red Hawks’ first touchdown of the game was scored by senior Cameron Umphrey in the second quarter. It was an aggressive one-yard run in the middle that broke Forest Hills Eastern’s defensive line. The two-point conversion was no good. This made the score 7-6 in the middle of the second quarter. At halftime, the Red Hawks walked off the field trailing by a score of 21-6.

The Red Hawks came out aggressive in the third quarter. Umphrey scored another touchdown, and the two point conversion was incomplete. This touchdown made the score 28-12, and the Red Hawks held them at that score until the end of the quarter. However, FHE came back in the fourth quarter and scored three more touchdowns.

Cedar Springs is now in second place in the OK-Bronze, with a record of 3-1 in conference, and 5-3 overall.

Their next game is away at Grand Rapids Northview on Friday, October 23. Kickoff starts at 7:00 p.m. This game is sure to be intense, as it is the final chance for the Cedar Springs Red Hawks to make it into the playoffs.

Senior Ethan Brown

Senior Blake Fisher

Leading to the end of the Red Hawks boys tennis season was the conference meet on Saturday, October 3.

“As is the traditional weather situation, the winds were gusting and wind chills were in the 30’s. Great tennis weather!” remarked Coach Katie Unsworth.

The team’s conference record going in to the tournament was 4-4-1, and they were tied with Northview for 3^rd place. “Despite the weather conditions, the boys were able to get in some decent matches but at the end of the day, finished 5th overall, due to some upset matches with Greenville,” said Unsworth.  First singles Blake Fisk received the all-conference award for the Red Hawks team. Taking first and second in the conference meet were Forest Hills Northern and Forest Hills Eastern.

The final tournament of the varsity boys tennis season was the regional tournament held in Big Rapids on Thursday, October 8.

A 2015 regional realignment made the idea of going to state an actual achievable goal for the Red Hawks!” noted Unsworth. “Competition included:  Petoskey, Cadillac, Bay City John Glen, Clio, Goodrich and Fremont. It was an exciting day of tennis with six out of seven flights advancing to the second round. The #1 Doubles team Dylan Kolasa and Jared Liggett managed to upset the number two seed Clio in an epic two set battle. The two players had brought their ‘A’ game and took out the competition from Clio but unfortunately succumbed to the superior skills of Petoskey in the final round. Kolasa and Liggett took second place overall in the #1 doubles flight. Way to go guys. All of the boys played extremely well and, as it turned out, the Red Hawks came in third place.  The top two teams, whom advanced to the state tournament, were Petoskey and Cadillac.”

She said the team would be losing two seniors this year: Blake Fisk and Ethan Brown. “But with eight returning senior players next year, we have our eyes set on State. Thank you guys for an incredible season this year!” added Unsworth.

Their final match record was 7-4-1.

Photo by K. Alvesteffer

Cedar Springs boys varsity basketball suffered two tough losses last week. On Tuesday, February 18, the boys took on the Yellow Jackets of Greenville high school. Last time the boys played Greenville the Red Hawks defeated the Yellow Jackets 88-55. This time around, the tables were turned and Greenville took home the win 61-55.

“We didn’t play well defensively for 32 minutes, which is our goal, and that ended up being our eventual downfall,” commented head Coach Jeff Patin.

The lead changed a total of 9 times throughout the game and was tied a total of 6 times. In the first half, Greenville led Cedar Springs 35-32. And then in the second half, Cedar Springs added on 23 more points making their final score 55. But it wasn’t enough because Greenville came back and added on 26 more points making the final score 61-55.

Junior Brad Brechting led the team in total points coming in at 25 for the game. Brechting went 9 for 14 on his shots. Senior Cameron Link also contributed to the Red Hawks score by scoring 9 points for the game, making 2 of 6 on shots. Also scoring for the Red Hawks was senior Austin Hilyer with 6 points, senior Aaron Mabie with 5 points, and sophomore Taylor VanDyke with 4 points.

“Our defensives lapses put more pressure to score on each offensive possession.  We were able to cut our deficit to 2 points on a couple of occasions, but couldn’t get the big stop to get us over the top,” stated Coach Patin.

Also the Red Hawks took on the Wildcats of Northview. The game was originally scheduled for Friday, February 21, but due to the weather the game was moved to Saturday February 22. The first time the Red Hawks played the Wildcats, Northview defeated Cedar Springs 66-49. And the same outcome happened once again with Northview beating Cedar Springs 65-36.

“Northview came out defensively this game and really pressured the ball.  We allowed the pressure to take us out of what we wanted to do offensively,” said Coach Patin.

In the first half, Northview scored a total of 37 points while Cedar Springs scored 21. Then in the second half, Northview took hold of the lead even more by adding 28 more points while Cedar Springs scored 15. Northview took home the win by defeating Cedar Springs 65-36.

“It was disappointing. We didn’t come out and play anywhere near our best.  We have to put it behind us and get ourselves ready for the remainder of the season,” exclaimed Coach Patin.

Senior Cameron Link led the team in points coming in at a total of 14. Link went 3 for 4 on his free throws and had a shooting percentage of 62.5% for the game. Junior Brad Brechting also scored 9 points for the Red Hawks. Brechting went 3 for 5 on his free throws and had a shooting percentage of 42.9%. Also scoring for the Red Hawks was senior Dakota Bekins with 4 points, Mitchell Kooiman with 4 points, and Nate Sorenson with 2 points.

This week the boys varsity basketball team take on their last conference game of the season. On Friday, February 28, the boys go up against Forest Hills Northern. The boys are looking to defeat the Huskies once again. Also, the boys first district game is on Monday, March 3, at Cedar Springs High School against Rockford High School. Tip-off is at 7:00 p.m. for both games so come on out and support your Red Hawks!

Their first conference championship

The Cedar Springs boys bowling team finished the 2013-2014 OK Bronze conference season with a first place co-champion position with Northview. It’s their first ever conference championship.

The Cedar team consisted of Senior Josh Austin, Juniors Kyle Knarr and Mitchell Johnson, Sophomores Jacob Cartwright, Blake Fisk, Jarod Plank, and Shane Robarts, and Freshmen Trevor Ruark and Dugan Conely. The boys finished a successful season by finishing strong and challenging Northview to the end.

Cedar started the bowling season by winning the pre-season tournament on December 7 at Northfield Lanes. Cedar took the tournament with a total pin count of 2715 followed by Northview with 2684, Forest Hills Northern with a 2628, Forest Hills Eastern with a 2406, and West Catholic with a 2154.

Regular season matches took place and Cedar stayed strong throughout the season with a standing of 6 wins and 2 losses.

“The losses came early on in the season, but the boys rallied together as a team to finish a strong season,” commented Coach Austin. “Each bowler contributed a piece to such a successful season.”

The post-season tournament on February 15 at East Brook Lanes was a close match for the boys as they fought to finish first in their conference. Jacob Cartwright led the Cedar team and finished 5th in the post-season tournament with a 352 series. After 2 games, Cedar was behind Northview by 123 pins. Cedar came back strong in the 6 Baker games, but came up 18 pins short to claim the tournament from Northview.

“The boys struggled in their second game, but rallied back to finish strong with their Baker games,” explained Coach Austin. “I am proud of their accomplishments and personal bests this season.”

Some personal accomplishments this season were Blake Fisk finishing 1st in the Conference with a 208.5 average, Josh Austin finished 4th with a 191.7 average, Trevor Ruark finished 7th with a 182.2 average, and Jacob Cartwright finished 10th with a 175.9 average. Honorable mention for Kyle Knarr for a 166 average.

Congratulations to the Cedar Springs boys bowling team on a successful season.

The Cedar Springs wrestling team moved into sole possession of second place in the OK Bronze with a victory over homestanding Northview. Cedar took a big early lead in the upper weights beginning with a void at 171, followed by pins at 189 and 215 by juniors Austin Wamser and Teddy Edwards who both recorded their 20th victories. Northview voided to Partick DePiazza at heavyweight. When the match shifted back to the lightweights, freshman Jordan Ringler pinned in 36 seconds to run the lead to 30-0, but Northview stormed back with five straight wins of their own including a 6-5 win at 135 to make the score 30-25.

In a wild back and forth match at 140, sophomore Anthony Topolski pulled out a 26-15 win to earn four team points to push the lead to 34-25. At 145 Mike Smith quickly recorded a first period pin to make the lead an insurmountable 40-25. Cedar Springs voided at 152 but moved senior Jarrod Vodry up to 160 where he recorded the 100th win of his career with a pin. Final score 46-31 in favor of the Red Hawks.

An interesting twist to the match was provided by the rival coaches being former teammates, which increased the intensity of the match. Cedar coach Nick Emery and Northview coach Eric Fransen both were Red Hawk wrestlers from 1998-2001, and Fransen formerly was an assistant coach in the CS program.

With the win the Red Hawks secured second place in the OK Bronze needing wins against Forest Hills Eastern and Northern to earn the number two seed in the conference tournament.

Overall, the team dual record is 13-10 including a second place finish last weekend at the Pine River Invitational. Saturday 4 wrestlers placed at the Lakeview Individual Tournament. Pat DePiazza placed fourth at heavyweight while both Jordan Ringler at 103 and senior Baron Lenardson at 125 placed third. Junior Teddy Edwards pulled out heartpounding overtime win to be tournament champion at 215 pounds.

Ringler is off to a fast start to his high school career with a team leading 23 wins followed by Edwards with 22 wins including 15 pins. State ranked Zack Wamser has piled up 19 wins while Lenardson has 18 including his 100th career victory.