The Red Hawks scored early in the first quarter against the DeWitt Panthers, but lost the game 36-12. Photo by K&R LaLone.

By Kayleigh Boomgaard 

On Friday, November 3, in the city of DeWitt, Michigan, the Cedar Springs varsity Red Hawks faced off against the Panthers of DeWiitt, in their second round playoff game for the district chamionship. With a final game score of Cedar Springs 12, DeWitt 36, the Red Hawk boys of fall brought their season to a close. They finished with a record of 5-1 in conference play (2nd place in the OK-White) and 7-4 overall.

With touchdowns scored in the first and third quarter, the Red Hawks left the stage to their opponents, but put up a tough fight throughout the game’s entirety. The first Red Hawk touchdown, and the first touchdown of the night was scored by Cedar Springs running-back John Jacob Todd. Todd ran left for 32 yards. After his touchdown, he attempted a pass to teammate Jordan Lyon for a PAT (point after touchdown) that was incomplete. 

The Hawks’ second and last touchdown of the night was run in by Ryan Ringler in the third quarter with 4:29 seconds left to play in the quarter. This touchdown also followed an incomplete two-point conversion, which Todd attempted to run in. 

Panther players Noah Koenigsknecht, Jack Horn, Alan Smith, and Darron Weber scored for DeWitt throughout the night, with passes assisting these touchdowns thrown by Blake Gatfield and Anthony Joseph. 

In spite of their defeat, the varsity Red Hawks were greatly supported by the Cedar Springs community, who took great pride in how far their team had come in the 2017 season. The Cedar Springs High school filled three spirit buses, bringing students to fill the stands at DeWitt high school, nearly two hours away from our hometown. 

Although this game was a last for many seniors, it was only the beginning of the varsity journey for others. The future team of 2018 looks forward to what next season has in store. 

Congratulations on a great season!

The Red Hawks celebrate their win over EGR. Photo by K&R LaLone.

The Red Hawks scored more points on the Pioneers in the first quarter (27) than the Pioneers allowed in each game all year. Photo by K&R LaLone.

By Kayleigh Boomgaard

Under the Friday night lights on October 27, the varsity Red Hawks of Cedar Springs faced off against the Pioneers of East Grand Rapids in the first round of playoffs. The Red Hawks defeated the previously undefeated Pioneers with a final score of Cedar Springs 41, East Grand Rapids 40.

Throughout the entirety of this intense match up, the two teams were neck in neck on the scoreboard. The Red Hawks finished with a one point lead due to a kick in the first quarter by Moritz Lerch.

The Red Hawks were the first to make it on the scoreboard, with a touchdown run in by Ryan Ringler at 10:07 left to play in the first quarter. This touchdown was followed by a PAT (point after touchdown) also scored by Ringler. Additional Cedar Springs touchdowns in the first quarter were run in by Darius Barnett and Ringler, followed by incomplete attempts at PATs.

In the second quarter, running back John Jacob Todd scored an additional touchdown shortly after a Pioneer run made by Max Lundeen, who received a key pass from teammate Michael Malewitz. Malewitz also made passes to Connor Davis for a run into the end zone, and to Pioneers Ben Forestner and Nick Milanowski for two completed two-point conversions.

Coming back from halftime with a standing score of Cedar Springs 33, East Grand Rapids 28, the close game continued. Pioneer player Connor Davis ran up the middle for a total of 8 yards, scoring a touchdown with 7:39 left to play in the third quarter. Cedar Springs senior Nicholas Campione finished off the third quarter with a Red Hawk touchdown, then passed to teammate Ryan Ringler for a PAT.

The Hawk’s defeat of the Pioneers was a triumphant win, and the Cedar Springs varsity football team greatly looks forward to next week’s game against DeWitt at DeWitt high school. The Cedar Springs High School will be hosting a spirit bus for students to travel to the home of the Panthers and show their Red Hawk pride. The game will take place on Friday, November 3rd at 7pm.

Jordan Ringler commits to Davenport University

Jordan Ringler, a 2017 Cedar Springs High School graduate, has signed a letter of intent to wrestle for the Davenport University Panthers this fall.

Jordan, son of Paul and Jane Ringler of Cedar Springs, has wrestled most of his life, beginning with freestyle when he was just a kindergartener. Jordan, a very tough competitor, has taken several awards over the years through the Michigan Youth and the Middle School/High School programs. He has participated on national teams, and he has been a consistent hard working leader, as described by teammates and coaches. Jordan plans to pursue the health care field for his BA and eventually hopes to obtain his doctorate of Physical Therapy. Congratulations Jordan!

Brad Brechting led the team in total points scored with 22 against Comstock Park. Photo by Kelly Alvesteffer.

By Kendra Coons

On Monday, January 20, 2014, the Cedar Springs Red Hawks varsity boys basketball team took on the Panthers of Comstock Park. Before this match-up both teams were undefeated and ranked in Western Michigan. It was a very close game between the two undefeated teams. There was a total of 11 lead changes throughout the game, but in the end, Comstock Park came out on top and beat Cedar Springs 73-69 in overtime.

“I felt we played at a high energy level from the start. The game was back and forth for a while and every possession required that level of energy,” said head Coach Jeff Patin.

In the first period, it was a tight race the whole time, but Comstock Park ended up leading the Red Hawks 14 to 12. The Red Hawks came back fighting hard after the first period and entered into halftime down 5 points. After halftime, the Red Hawks came back out focused and in the third period, the Hawks scored 19 more points to add on to the score. Comstock Park was still on top after they scored 21 points, making it 50-43 at the end of the third period.

The Red Hawks were not willing to give up and at the end of the fourth quarter the Hawks scored a total of 20 points while Comstock Park scored 13. At the end of the fourth quarter, the game was tied 63-63, sending it into overtime. The teams fought hard and the game went back and forth. In the end, Comstock Park scored 10 more points to clinch the victory, while Cedar Springs scored 6. The final score was 73-69 Panthers.

“Comstock Park is a very good team. When you play a team of that caliber every possession is important,” stated Coach Patin.

Cedar Springs’ own Brad Brechting led the team in total points scoring 22. He was 9 for 13 on his two point shots and 4 for 6 on his free throw shots. Cameron Link also came on strong totaling 15 points. Link was 3 for 8 on his 2-point shots and 6 for 9 on his free throws. David Kearney, Aaron Mabie and Nick Krajewski also contributed to the Red Hawks points by scoring some key baskets in the middle of the game. Kearney had a total of 12, and Mabie and Krajewski both came in with 6. Overall, Cedar Springs was 22 for 56 on their shooting. Their shooting percentage for the game ended at 39.3 percent.

Comstock Park’s Jake Bush and Matt Hurley both scored a total of 20 points for the Panthers. Drake Baar came in third in highest scoring for Comstock Park with 14 points. The Panthers beat the Red Hawks in their shooting percentage coming in at 42.9 percent.

The battle between the Panthers and Red Hawks was a hard fought match. The game ended was tied 8 times and the largest lead throughout the whole game was 10 points. After the loss, the Red Hawks record is now 8-1.

“We didn’t finish the game the way we would like to, so we are hoping to learn from that experience,” commented Coach Patin.

On Friday, January 24, the Red Hawks were scheduled to play the West Catholic Falcons. Due to the weather, the game was cancelled and rescheduled to Monday, January 27. Due to weather, the game was also cancelled again. It is now rescheduled to Saturday, February 1. The boys varsity game will be starting around 4:30 pm after the girl’s game. The varsity boys basketball team’s next game is scheduled for Friday, January 31 at Cedar Springs High School. The Red Hawks are matched up against the Wildcats of Northview High School. The Red Hawks are looking for their 9th win. So come on out and support the boys varsity basketball team! Tip-off is at 7:30 pm! Go Red Hawks!

“It should be a very good game,” noted Coach Patin. “Both teams have had some success in the early part of the season, so it should be fun.”

#14 Aly Hamilton getting the steal against Comstock Park. Photo by Ron Francis.

Cedar Springs girls JV basketball continue to have a great season. After a 12 -game winning streak, the Red Hawks suffered a tough loss at home last Tuesday against a very talented West Ottawa team.

They traveled to Comstock Park last Thursday to take on the Panthers on their home court.  They came out strong against Comstock in the 1st quarter and after several fouls for both teams, they ended it with a 13-point lead.  After allowing the Panthers only 2 points in the 2nd quarter and making several free throws they went into halftime leading 33-6. Comstock started strong in the 3rd  but Cedar responded with some very tough defense to end the quarter 44-20. With nearly everyone sharing in the scoring, they ended the game out on top, 54-26.  This improved their record for the year to 16 wins and only 2 losses.

Still undefeated in conference play, the JV girls traveled to Belding on Tuesday, the 21st and will end their season on their home court today, Thursday, to play the Falcons from West Catholic.

For the second time this season, the varsity boys basketball team dropped a heartbreaker in overtime to the Comstock Park Panthers.

The Red Hawks used a strong defensive effort in the first quarter to jump out to a 9-5 lead.  The defensive battle continued throughout the 2nd quarter, and Cedar Springs took a 19-15 edge into halftime. Great defense by both teams led to Cedar Springs shooting just 35 percent in the first half and the Panthers only 22 percent.

A key steal and a basket by Comstock Park late in the 3rd quarter trimmed the Red Hawk lead to six and gave the Panthers momentum heading into the fourth. The lead went back and fourth throughout the 4th quarter.  With 8 seconds remaining, the Panthers missed a free throw and Cedar Springs appeared to be fouled in the act of shooting. However, the official ruled that the foul occurred prior to the act of shooting and no free throws were awarded. Ryan Dines’ desperation 3-point was off the mark and the game went to overtime, which the Panthers dominated en route to a 50-44 overtime win.

Coach Secor commented, “I was awfully proud of the fight, effort, and energy we played with for 32 minutes. In a few crucial situations, we made some mental errors that really cost us. Having said that, I think we have proven that we can play with anyone in this league and the difference between who finishes first and who finishes fourth is very slim. I look forward to the challenge of the next 3 games and preparing to host districts for the first time in nine years.”

Brandon Slater played a key role throughout the contest, coming off the bench to score 10 points and grab 3 rebounds in one of his best games as a Red Hawk.  Ryan Dines led the team in scoring with 14 points. Dines and Jason Gingrich also combined to play solid defense on Comstock Park junior guard Ryan Schall, the leading scorer in the OK Blue. Their defense led to Schall shooting 2/19 and only mustering 10 points. The Panthers converted on 25/32 from the free throw line while the Red Hawks shot just 5/12.

Cedar Springs, now 8-9 overall and 5-5 in the OK Blue, finishes up league play with home games this week vs. Belding and West Catholic.  Tuesday the 28th will be “Senior Night” when the Red Hawks host undefeated, and ranked #4th in the state in Class “B,” Godwin Heights

#20 Jon Shaw challenges for the ball vs. Comstock Park. Also pictured are #7 Aaron Dault, #17 Luke Dault, #19 Ilan Caballero.

The Cedar Springs boys varsity soccer team walked on the field Tuesday, October 4, geared up for an aggressive match up with the Comstock Park Panthers. The tone of the game remained charged up when only a little over 10 minutes into the game, Red Hawks forward Kyle Szirovecz knocked the ball under the keeper’s gloves, giving Cedar Springs a quick lead (28:48) [Assist Aaron Dault]. With only 7:23 remaining on the clock, Comstock Park tying up tied up the game and put it into two 10 minute regulation overtime periods. In the first over-time, on a free kick, Aaron Dault blasted the ball past a wall of Panther players into the upper 90. Once again the Panthers tied the game up in the second over-time with only 5:07 remaining in play. But the Red Hawks fought back when #7 Luke Dault found the back of the net with only 4 minutes left on the clock. Assists were credited to Kyle Szirovecz and Jon Shaw. Cedar Springs claimed a 3-2 double over-time victory over Comstock Park.
On Thursday, October 6, the Red Hawks added another win to their OK Blue record by shutting out the Belding Redskins 8 to 0. The Hawks jumped to an early lead when Jon Shaw connected with a pass from Robert Klein and drilled it into the net (35:25). Minutes later, Aaron Dault drove a free kick past the goaltender into the upper 90 giving Cedar a 2-0 lead (29:49). The Red Hawks third goal was credited to Josh Champion, who rocketed a shot, from the 40 yard line, over the keeper’s head.(17:05). Freshman Parker Selleck, redirected in a corner kick, sent by Trevor Rose, giving Cedar Springs a comfortable lead of 4 to 0 at the half (14:29). The defensive line of Dontae Ensley, Trevor Rose, Josh Champion, Bryan Taylor and Kyle Longcore protected the Cedar Springs goal by shutting down the Redskin offense. Second half scoring began right away when Cedar Springs was awarded a direct penalty kick and the team called goalkeeper, Kyle Coutchie, upfield to score his first goal of the season (38:02). Minutes later, Aaron Dault scored his second goal of the evening, when he launched a free kick past the goaltender (36:20). The last two goals of the match were credited to forward Robert Klein, with Dontae Ensley assisting both, and Trevor Rose also assisting the final goal on the game. This secured Cedar Springs second mercy win of the season.
“This week our goal was to really enjoy the game and get back to the reason we all started playing soccer…for the love of the game,” said Cedar Springs Coach Kyle Avink.
Congratulations on another great win Red Hawks!

It was a hard night for the Cedar Springs Red Hawks as they faced the Panthers of Comstock Park last Friday, September 30, and fell to them 28-6.
The Panthers came out showing claws in the first quarter, recovering a fumble from Cedar Springs’ first possession, and scoring the first points of the game. The Red Hawks were unable to answer, and lost senior Hank Porter to an injury. The ball turned back over to the Panthers, who were then able to score again on the Red Hawks. The Red Hawks held the Panthers the rest of the quarter, and ended the first quarter 14-0 Panthers.
The second quarter proved to be as brutal as the first. Both teams fought to move the ball down the field, however, it was the Panthers who scored points, and ended the half at 21-0, Comstock Park.
The Red Hawks regrouped in the third quarter, even after losing Hank Porter earlier and then Allen Slagter at the half to injury. The Red Hawk defense continued to hold the Panthers, while the offense fought the Panther defense and scored their only points in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the battle continued as the Red Hawks continued to fight down the field, but the attempts would not pay off, and the Panthers were able to score one last time ending the game 28-6, Comstock Park.
“Our first play on our first offensive possession we fumbled the ball and three plays later we were down 7 nothing,” said Coach Busen. “After the kickoff we ran 3 plays for 30 yards and at the tail end of that third play Hank Porter got his leg rolled up on by a CP defender. Hank had to leave the game and I think that took some more wind out of our sails. We gave up two more scores before half and went in to the locker room down 21-0 and lost Allen Slagter to a concussion. Allen ended up leaving the game at halftime by ambulance. The second half we regrouped and had guys step up and fill in for Hank and Allen and we played much better but not good enough.
“For the second straight year we have been bitten by the injury bug,” continued Busen. “Losing Hank and Cam Cooper for the season is tough.  It will literally take 5 different players to replace what Hank did for us on offense, defense and special teams.  However, this team has set the playoffs as their goal and now they need to come together and step up in order to make their goal a reality.”
The Red Hawks travel to Belding this week to take on the Redskins, and hope to improve their now 4-2 record. Come out and show your support.   Good Luck Red Hawks!

Jesse VanHemert (#51) on the carry.

The threat of a thunderstorm lingered as the Red Hawks fought for a win against the Comstock Park Panthers on Thursday, September 29. The Hawks started early with a touchdown in the first quarter and made good on their two-point conversion. The Hawk’s defense fought hard against a comeback by the Panthers, with an interception in the end zone ending the quarter with Hawks 8 Panthers 0.
“Defense was able to step up and create turnovers, which was key, at the beginning of the game, preventing Comstock Park from scoring early. The offensive line was able to create some nice holes up front and the running backs made some great runs,” said Coach Covey.
The 2nd quarter had another successful touchdown by the Hawks. Although the two-point conversion was not any good, the score remained in Cedar’s favor at 14 to 0.
The battle continued through the 3rd quarter, without gain for either team. The Panthers put 8 on the board in the 4th quarter. The Hawks answered back with a touchdown of their own. Late in the 4th quarter, the Panthers continued to fight, but the Red Hawks’ defense made another interception in the end zone to end the game. The final score was Cedar Springs 20, Comstock Park 8.
The Red Hawks, now 5-1, will take on Fremont on Thursday, October 6, at Red Hawk Stadium, and West Catholic on Thursday, October 13, also at home. Games start at 4:30 p.m.

Last Thursday the Cedar Springs High School freshmen girls basketball team traveled to Comstock Park to take on the Panthers.  Cedar dominated the game from the start and got out to a 19-3 halftime lead. The Red Hawks cruised in the second half and secured a 39-22 victory.
Allison Hamilton led the Cedar Springs with 17 points and 18 rebounds. She also recorded 6 steals in the game. Hamilton has an incredible 38 rebounds in the last 2 games. Mary Monterusso had 10 points and shot 2-4 from behind the arc. Alysha Chaney scored 5 points and Jessica Kriekaard had 3. Sayge Wight had 2 points and Nikki Matzke had 2. Point guard Mikenzie Francis led Cedar with 4 assists. Taylor Baker pulled down 4 rebounds. Bre Burns and Alli Rohacz had 1 rebound each.
The victory improves the Red Hawk record to 6-4, and 3-2 in the OK Blue Conference. The next game for Cedar Springs is Thursday, February 3rd at 5:30 pm at Sparta High School.