Tag Archives: High School

Rockford and West Catholic Girls Basketball Returns to Breslin

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A year removed from magical runs that saw the Rockford Rams lose in the state semifinal and West Catholic Falcons fall in the state championship, both squads will be returning to the friendly confines of Michigan State’s Breslin Center.

Rockford returns the bulk of their 2022 campaign’s roster, while West Catholic has made their run without the help of current MSU guard and 2022 Miss Basketball candidate, Abbey Kimball. Despite the huge loss, 2023 Senior guard Cadence Dykstra has stepped into the leadership role and several others have taken hold of bigger opportunities with a year of experience behind them.

Both squads have rolled this post-season with West Catholic only experiencing one scare in overtime against Grand Rapids Christian. West Michigan has a real chance at securing multiple titles this week on the girl’s side and will be riding high hopes when the boys head to Breslin next week.

Northview Ended 2023 Campaign with Conference Title and Eyes to the Future

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Northview followed up on a terrific 2022 run that brought the Wildcats to the Breslin Center with a conference championship and a rigorous schedule that offered a grueling list of opponents.

Despite a close loss in the District Championship game and some big senior departures, the 2023 season was a marked success and leaves the Wildcats with several key contributors returning next winter.

Rockford Rams Battle to Victory over Northview

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The Rockford Rams and Northview Wildcats met on Friday night with the Rockford Rams emerging victorious: 53-49 and winning the district championship. The game was an intense and closely contested battle throughout, with both teams displaying all the heart and talent that made this the game of the week and putting on a great show for a packed house.

Both teams had been battle tested this season and the game was set to be an absolute battle. It did not disappoint and lived up to the bill.

The second half of the game was a nail-biting affair, with both teams exchanging leads multiple times. The Rams managed to pull ahead in the fourth quarter with a series of clutch plays and timely shots. The Wildcats fought back, but it was not enough as the Rams held on to their lead till the end of the game.

#1 West Catholic Survives Overtime Scare Against Grand Rapids Christian

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In a thrilling regional championship game between the West Catholic Falcons and Grand Rapids Christian Eagles, it was the Falcons who emerged victorious in an overtime battle, winning 53-45.

The game was a closely contested affair throughout, with both teams displaying excellent defensive skills and offensive prowess. The Falcons controlled the game most of the evening and held a double digit lead late in the game, but the Eagles mounted a sterling comeback and tied the game at 42 with a final shot in regulation that would have given GRC the victory, but was off the mark.

In the extra period, the Falcons managed to pull away from the Eagles, outscoring them 11-3 to secure the victory. The Falcons’ defense was particularly impressive in overtime, as they held the Eagles to just one basket and two free throws.

The win was a huge accomplishment for the West Catholic Falcons, who will now move on to the state quarterfinals following the 53-45 win. It was a heartbreaking loss for the Grand Rapids Christian Eagles, who fought hard throughout the game but were unable to come away with the major upset.

Overall, the game was a thrilling showcase of high school basketball, with both teams displaying excellent skills and sportsmanship. The West Catholic Falcons will now look to build on their momentum and continue their run in the state tournament, while the Grand Rapids Christian Eagles will have to regroup and prepare for next season and find a new identity as several seniors graduate.

Mark Uyl, MHSAA, Issue Statement on State of Coach Availability

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Via Mark Uyl, MHSAA:

There is a crisis in Michigan schools today that centers on one problem:
Not having enough people.


In discussions with school district personnel, we are being told there has never been a more difficult time for finding people than today. All of us are searching high and low to find coaches for athletic teams, and officials, referees and umpires to administer those games in an orderly and safe way. Dig a little deeper, and school districts are desperate to find those willing to serve as substitute teachers and bus drivers.
Because of this current reality, we continue to be dumbfounded over the approval of Public Act 184 this past summer. This created a new set of retirement rules stipulating that a retiring teacher or administrator cannot be rehired to serve as a coach until after a nine-month waiting period. Even more frustrating: Individuals who had served as high school coaches for many years, who retired from the classroom last June but had planned to keep coaching for a few more seasons, are being told they cannot do so. Those coaches are sidelined, and for no sensible reason.


Cheri Ritz has been the varsity softball coach at Wayland High School since 1995. Cheri has won numerous championships, and has been a model coach and great leader of students throughout her career. Cheri retired as a teacher in June and planned to keep coaching the softball team for a few more years, making a small fraction of what her classroom salary was before retirement. Under the “old” retirement law, Cheri could have retired in June and been detached from the district for 30 days, and then returned and worked for the district in any capacity as long as she was making less than 30 percent of her compensation at the time of her retirement. Under PA 184, this scenario can no longer happen.


In the state of Michigan, we have hundreds of recently-retired school people who want to continue to be some of our best coaches, making pennies on the hour for their time. Now they simply aren’t allowed to do so because of a law that had no intention of impacting coaches and school sports. Cheri is just one example. The same issue has found several more longtime, successful coaches including Northville’s golf coach Chris Cronin and cross country & track field’s Steve Porter at Milan High School.
For the past few months, the MHSAA has met with the Office of Retirement Services, representatives from the Governor’s office and even the bill sponsor of PA 184. Every single conversation revealed the fact that coaches were not even part of the discussion when this new retirement law was passed. In other words, recent retirees continuing to coach were not the issue, but yet this new law now treats coaches as some sort of enemy with zero phase-in period, modification or even the ability to seek a waiver of this new law which became effective immediately on July 25, 2022. We have tried to work within the system to seek some commonsense approaches and solutions to this problem, but to no avail as of yet.


We need your help. We need you to contact the Governor’s office and your State Representative and State Senator’s offices. Let them know PA 184 needs to be fixed now. We need to find a way to let these individuals continue to coach and lead our student-athletes. Let them know our kids cannot play their games without individuals who want to coach, and let them know our kids will miss out on learning valuable life lessons if these coaches are not allowed to continue. And let them know that PA 184 could not have been passed at a worse time given our most valuable resource – people – is at an all-time low.

Kent City Concludes Season at Muskegon Catholic Central

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Kent City traveled west to Muskegon Catholic Central for a first round showdown a year after missing the post season. MCC made their debut in Division 6 and took the victory over the visiting Eagles after a close first half that widened inside the final two minutes of the half when a Crusader interception gave MCC field position and another touchdown to go up 21-7 at half.

The Eagles had a key injury to burly senior running back and linebacker Mason Westbrook, which hampered Kent City on both sides of the ball, but most noticeably on offense. The Eagles suffered another devastating injury that stopped gameplay for an extended period of time as KC senior linebacker and tight end Chase Moreno went down with a broken fibula.

The Eagles made one more push for a score, but were stifled at the goal line and ended the season with a 42-14 loss.

Perhaps, interestingly enough, electrical service to the stadium was experiencing issues, which kept half the lighting from functioning and the scoreboard was only lit intermittently throughout the night.

Muskegon Catholic Central will travel to face a formidable foe in Reed City in what is likely to be a very tough contest for the Crusaders.

Forecasting Week Two of MHSAA Football

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Game of the Week
It may be July, but the days are quickly passing like a 7 on 7 tournament happening all over the Mitten state as teams prep to chase their dreams at a state title. While some may have more reasonable hopes of achieving that dream, squads of helmeted teens prepare, nonetheless, to take the field in just over a month.

We wanted to take an early look at what will be our game of the week taking place during Thursday/Friday week 1 action the Rockford Rams and visiting Mona Shores Sailors.

The Sailors finished their season last year with an 8-3 (6-1) record with victories and defeats that were lopsided. When the Sailors won, they did with emphasis. When they lost, it was by a large margin. Much of this was due scheduling some difficult opponents in eventual state champion Detroit Martin Luther King and perennial power Muskegon. Mona Shores eventually fell in the second round of the playoffs in a lopsided 49-12 defeat to Caledonia.

Rockford had a tremendous season 11-1 (7-0) that saw them finish the regular season with a conference championship and undefeated record before being bounced in heartbreaking fashion in the third round of playoffs to Grand Blanc 28-27. The Rams came through in clutch time with several close victories throughout the year, but were unable to do it one more time and the magical run came to an end.

If the game had been played last year, Rockford would have been the clear favorite, but a single year can make a large difference; even at schools with larger class sizes. Rockford graduated a considerable number of impact players on both sides of the ball in 2021 and will see someone new under center in 2022. Replacing such incredible talent won’t be easy. On the flip side, Mona Shores also graduated star quarterback Mark Konecny. Both teams will be looking to find success regardless of changes in the lineup.

Mona Shores struggled to keep up when their defense put them in a position to make the game a shootout last year. If the Sailors are going to have a chance, it will be with stout defense in a game that keeps the score tight and low. If the Rams start stacking up points, the game will likely get out of reach for Mona Shores’.

Our “too early” prediction for the week one game of the week is: Rockford 38 Mona Shores 20

Other Week One Predictions:
Coopersville 28 – Sparta 7
GR Catholic Central 35 – Port Huron 20
Unity Christian 48 – Whitehall 14
Cedar Springs 7 – River Rouge 56
Reeths Puffer 14 – Grand Haven 13
Kent City 20 – Newaygo 13
Forest Hills Central 21 – Jenison 14
Northview 27 – West Ottawa 20
Forest Hills Northern 40 – Wyoming 13
West Catholic 28 – Edwardsburg 35



Unity Christian Freshman Arie Landstra Sinks Hole in One

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Arie Landstra began developing a love for the game of golf at a young age during outings to the course with his father. 8 years later, the Unity Christian freshman is in his first year of high school golf as part of the Crusader junior varsity golf team.

The individual nature of the game appeals to Landstra, “unlike the sports I play like basketball or football… there is a lot more of a mental game in golf.” That focus and mental game was tested last Wednesday when Unity Christian participated in a jamboree against five other schools at Pigeon Creek Golf Course.

Landstra opened with a slow start and triple bogeyed his very first hole. He shook off the nerves and managed to get clicking. By hole 17, a 170 yard par 3, he was in a rhythm. He approached the tee wielding his 7 iron and with the wind at his back. He entered his backswing and launched a beautiful shot that sailed towards the flag and disappeared from view.

Landstra was immediately overwhelmed by what he was almost certain he had seen and took off running towards the pin to verify it for himself. What he found was what all golfers aspire to achieve; his golf ball nestled soundly in the bottom of the cup. A hole in one.

He closed the day shooting a 41 on 9 holes, which placed him first as an individual and aided Unity Christian in sealing the team victory as well.

Landstra has checked this milestone off his bucket list, but several goals still stand before him. He hopes to close his freshman campaign with a winning record and work towards earning a spot on varsity next year. His long term goal is to raise a state championship trophy. He is certainly off to a great start.

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