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Oceana's Herald-Journal
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Sports November 24, 2016
FRIDAY, NOV. 25
FRIDAY, DEC. 2
Manistee @ East Grand Rapids, 8 p.m.
Hart @ Montague, 7 p.m. Pentwater @ Brethren, 7:30 p.m. Ravenna @ Shelby, 7:30 p.m. Walkerville @ Big Rapids Crossroads, 7:30 p.m.
Hockey
SATURDAY, NOV. 26
Hockey
Jenison @ Manistee, 8 p.m.
TUESDAY, NOV. 29
Girls Basketball
Hockey
Manistee @ G.R. West Catholic, 5 p.m.
Girls Basketball
Walkerville @ Hesperia, 7 p.m. Calvary Christian @ Pentwater, 7:30 p.m. Ludington @ Shelby, 7:30 p.m.
Hart mulling CSAA Silver move
Pending CSAA approval, Hart will decide in January whether to leave WMC
“I would be surprised at this point if
By Andy Roberts Herald-Journal Writer
HART — The winds of change might be gathering at Hart High School, as the school hosted two meetings last week to inform the community of the possibility — and the reasons why — the school might leave the West Michigan Conference. Superintendent Mark Platt and athletic director Jason Hernandez emceed the meetings, which occurred on Wednesday and Sunday. T h e school has applied to the Central State Activities Association Silver division and, according to Platt, Platt has been approved to join by the league’s athletic directors. (Five of the six current Silver division schools — Hesperia, Holton, Kent City, Morley-Stanwood, Lakeview and White Cloud — must approve a new member for it to pass.) The league schools’ principals will vote in mid-December, and if they choose to admit Hart, the Hart board would then have to act
they are not part of the CSAA...I hate to see Hart leave, but I understand their concerns.”
— Tim Genson
Mason Co. Central athletic director
on the invitation at a January board meeting. The move likely wouldn’t take effect, were it made, until the 2018-19 school year. Hart also applied to the CSAA Silver in 2014 and was turned down, but Platt said that move was merely a backup plan at the time. The school had known fielding a varsity football team in 2015 was unlikely and for a time thought the 2014 season was in danger as well. Platt felt the WMC may have kicked Hart out if the Pirates skipped football season two years in a row, hence the application. Ultimately, Hart was able to field a football team in 2014 and attempted to pull its application, but due to a miscommunication this was never done. This time, Hart is serious.
Why consider leaving?
The Pirates, who are one of four founding members of the league never to leave in the conference’s 84 years (along with Shelby, Montague and Mason County Central), have taken this drastic step in large part, Platt said, because the WMC has not addressed concerns shared by the Pirates, along with North Muskegon and Mason County Central. Many of these concerns revolve around the WMC’s reluctance to expand and split into large and small-school divisions, which Hart believes would mitigate the fact that Whitehall and Oakridge have grown to be far larger school districts than the remaining six schools. MCC athletic director Tim Genson said the Spartans have generally been on Hart’s side in that debate.
Andrew Skinner • Oceana’s Herald-Journal file photo
Hart and Oakridge battle at the line of scrimmage during a WMC football game Sept. 1. The Pirates are considering a jump from the WMC to the CSAA Silver, which would mean the end of contests between the Pirates and the Eagles, who are much larger by enrollment than Hart is.
“Hart has had concerns for a number of years, and we’ve been an ally in pushing for change,” Genson said. “We’ve kind of had a 4-4 split within the conference on that. Everyone has their own concerns. (Expansion) hasn’t happened.” Platt said that by league rule, a 4-4 vote on a topic like expansion means the issue is tabled for a year. The line Platt and Hernandez say they’ve received from the league as to why that and other requested changes haven’t been made is, ‘That’s the way we’ve always done it,’ which each view to be unsatisfactory. The enrollment disparity between Whitehall and Oakridge
and everyone else has grown so large that Platt said the Vikings are actually violating league rules by being a member of the league at all. He said the WMC handbook states that no member school should be more than two times larger by enrollment than any other, and Whitehall is currently more than twice the size of North Muskegon, the smallest WMC school — and closing in on being twice as large as a few other schools as well, including Hart and Shelby. However, nothing has been changed in response to that disparity. Another concern Hart and other schools north of the Muskegon area share is what Platt
and Hernandez called ‘competitive equity’. They proposed that the northern schools are suffering competitively in part because they are further removed from the kind of club sports — Inside Out Volleyball, the West Michigan Riptide travel baseball team, and other options — that many athletes in the southern schools utilize to improve their skills. To illustrate this point, Platt and Hernandez showed a slide illustrating the number of total WMC titles won by member schools this century, a list dominated by Whitehall and Muskegonarea schools.
HART TO CSAA? continued on 3b
Shelby golfer signs to Northwood University By Andy Roberts Herald-Journal Writer
SHELBY — Shelby senior golfer Keaton Inglis achieved a program milestone earlier this month when he signed his letter of intent to play golf at Northwood University. Northwood competes at the NCAA Division II level, and is longtime coach Rick Zoulek’s first player to advance beyond the junior college level. “It’s exciting to see someone go to this level and continue to play golf,” Zoulek said.”It’s good for Shelby, and good for Shelby golf.” Inglis, the son of Oceana Golf Club pro Marc Inglis, has played golf his entire life and had a great 2016 season, winning West Michigan Conference medalist honors, helping the Tigers to the team WMC title, and competing at the state finals, where he tied for 21st place. The senior, who said this summer that he had been in contact with several schools in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Northwood’s league, chose the Timberwolves in large part because of their business focus academically. But there were certainly golf-related reasons for his choice as well. “I really liked their school in general and felt very comfortable with the coach,” Inglis said. “Their home course is incredible, it’s like nothing else. It’s really special. I felt very comfort-
able with the program and enjoyed the visit there.” Before heading off to school, though, Inglis has a season of Shelby golf left to play. While his 2016 was very good, Inglis has higher hopes for his final season as a high schooler. “I’m looking to repeat as conference medalist and help the team win another conference championship,” Inglis said. “I’m looking to win the state title and improve my overall scoring average. I’d like to have an average below 73.” Zoulek said his team should benefit from another year of Inglis’ leadership. “He does a great job with other players on the team, being there for them and giving them some tips without telling them too much,” Zoulek said. “He is extremely dedicated to the game. He loves the game and he loves to play and to help other players. I know he’ll represent Shelby well over at Northwood.” Inglis is a hard worker, but did allow himself a moment to reflect on the gravity of his signing. “I’m really happy,” Inglis said. “With a lot of work put into it, it’s nice seeing milestones like this. It’s been a goal to play in college for a really long time. I’d like to thank my parents and coaches I’ve had for supporting me along the way.”
Andy Roberts • Oceana’s Herald-Journal
Shelby golfer Keaton Inglis (front row, center) signs his National Letter of Intent to play golf at Northwood University during a ceremony Nov. 9 at Shelby High School. Inglis is joined in the front row by his parents, Marc and Roxanne. Standing are Shelby golf coach Rick Zoulek (left) and Tigers’ athletic director Chuck Persenaire.
Hesperia gridders earn Manistee hockey opens several all-CSAA Silver spots with pair of losses By Andy Roberts Herald-Journal Writer
Hesperia’s strong season on the gridiron earned the Panthers some postseason recognition, as four Hesperia players were chosen first team all-Central State Activities Association Silver. The Panthers had four offensive stars chosen, highlighted by junior running back Kanin Witte. Witte was voted team MVP and was one of three players who tied for the CSAA Silver’s Most Outstanding Player award. It was an earned honor, as Witte ran for 724 yards, nearly seven yards per attempt. He had eight touchdowns. On defense, he broke up eight passes and picked off six passes. “Pound for pound one of the best players I’ve ever coached,” Hesperia coach Doug Bolles said. “He has tremendous heart and football knowledge. His leadership and football skills take a back seat to no one. He also had 45 tackles, many of them for the highlight reel.” Senior Gage Balkema was
also voted all-league, mainly for his blocking work as a fullback. He also ran for nearly 400 yards in his own right. Tate Balkema Schooley He piled up 78 tackles, a team best, and had two interceptions, one for a touchdown. Balkema was the team’s defensive player of the year. “Truly one of our best players, Gage will be sorely missed,” Bolles said. Junior back Gerrit Yates’ allleague honors came because of his work on the ground as well. He averaged a whopping 9.4 Yates Witte yards per carry, nearly hitting line at guard and also played dethe 1,000-yard mark for the season. He was also a major defen- fensive end. “He is very intelligent and has sive contributor. Kevin Schooley was Hespe- a great grasp of our blocking ria’s fourth honoree because of ALL-CONF. FB his two-way play on the line. He continued on 3b anchored the Panthers’ offensive
By Greg Gielczyk Shoreline Media
VICTORY TWP. — A furious late rally wasn’t enough to prevent the Manistee Chippewas from dropping their second consecutive game of the young season, 6-3, to the Portage Northern Huskies. Manistee also lost 8-2 Friday night, to Cadillac. Manistee senior Miro Lehmusmies scored two of the team’s three goals, one of them unassisted, while Ludington junior J.T. Walunas netted the other as the Chippewas continued to press the attack even after falling behind 6-0 and losing four players off an already small roster to injuries and penalties. “We made it a game. I was proud of the way we finished,” Manistee head coach Mike Healy said. “We got off to a pretty bad start. A completely different team than what we saw (Friday) night. (Friday) night we started off (with) tons of energy. Tonight I don’t know if it was the back-toback games or what but we just were not the same team, got behind early and couldn’t really dig ourselves out of the hole. “Lehmusmies is a very good skater, one of our better players. He’s typically a defenseman. We had nothing to lose, so we pumped him up and told him to ‘do what you do and
see what you can get out of it’ and it worked out pretty well. It might be something to think about for some upcoming games. But very pleased with the way he played, and he had lots of other chances, too.” The Huskies opened up a 3-0 lead by the end of the first period despite also being hit with some early penalties. But their superior depth, with 20 skaters suiting up for the game, made the difference. Manistee (0-2) has 14 skaters on the roster, but came into the game already short one with Manistee Catholic junior Mason Calleson sitting out the game with concussion symptoms from a hit Friday night. Chase Besiallon caught an edge and went into the boards awkwardly in Saturday’s game. Healy reported that he injured his back and had the wind knocked out. But he came off the ice under his own power. Josh Fitzgerald received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for checking from behind late in the second period, disqualifying him for the balance of the contest and leaving the Chippewas with just 10 skaters for the final 17 minutes. “Coming into the season we knew we were going to be shorthanded, and penal-
CHIPS DROP 2 continued on 3b