Bowling
The Panthers bowling program enjoyed a very good season featuring six All-Conference performers and a State Runner Up in senior Hannah Chase, who was also a Regional Champion for the Panthers. Alma nabbed three All-Conference honorees on the boys side and three on the girls side. Chase earned first team honors while sophomore Chris Anderson and senior Rylee Donley received second-team honors. Senior Austin Baadte, junior Jerry Booth, and sophomore Susan Schultz were honorable mention All-Conference.
Boy’s Basketball
The 2013-14 season was thought to be a rebuilding year for many people outside of the Alma High School walls, as last season’s district championship team lost eight seniors. But that wouldn’t be the case for the Panthers. Alma had four sophomores and two freshmen on their roster of 11 players for the season. The youth movement proved to be an offensive juggernaut as sophomores Dylan Carl and Justin Doyle led the Panthers in scoring, while sophomore Than Woodand freshman Ryan Cornejo added to the Alma offense off the bench. Seniors Curtis Doyle, Matt Young, and Jay Green all provided veteran leadership on and off the court, while juniors Slade Martin and Zach Hanson contributed in their roles. The elder Doyle and sophomore Darren Olejniczak were able to bring back the intensity and mindset of the previous season’s team, as they both played big roles in the 2013 District Championship run.
The season began slow for Alma, as it went into winter break with an 0-3 record. A Curtis Doyle buzzer-beater gave the Panthers their first victory, over Ionia, in the first game of the new year. The team won four of their first five matchups of 2014, the win at Ionia and victories versus Shepherd, at Chesaning, and versus Bullock Creek. Alma lost the next two, and then made a run to win nine out of eleven contests heading into district finals. But their season ended on a heartbreaking last second overtime basket by Belding.
The Panthers concluded their season with a 13-9 record, and will return eight of 11 players to their roster in 2014-15. Carl earned first-team All-TVC honors along with honorable mention All-State, and both of the Doyle brothers earned honorable mention All-TVC.
Cheer
The 2013-14 Alma competitive cheer team enjoyed a very successful season this past winter. The team finished fifth in the conference’s regular season competitions, and took fourth place overall in the TVC Meet at the end of the year. The Panthers hosted districts, and gave a very good showing at the competition, but did not quite have enough to advance to the next round of competition.
Alma nabbed a total of six cheerleaders on All-TVC teams this season. Seniors Sydney McCarthy and Amber Swisher were selected for first-team honors while senior Jasminerae Gilson and sophomore Caitlyn Tryon were second-team all-conference. Junior Makynna Hoskin and sophomore Emily Kolb were honorable mention in the Tri-Valley as well.
Girl’s Basketball
The Lady Panthers season was a historic campaign that featured the girls’ first above .500 season since 2004-05, senior first Team All-Stater Maddy Seeley reaching the 1,000 point plateau, and the first District Championship since 1992. The girls basketball team was led by a barrage of different talents, ages, and types of basketball players. Senior Lexi Morton, junior Alicia Seeley, and sophomores Kialee Morton and Marissa Cornejo manned the paint for the Panthers, scoring in the low block, snagging rebounds, and being key assets in the girls’ on/off-ball-screen offense.
The Seeley sisters - senior Maddy and freshman Kenzie - served as the primary ball handlers and scorers for the team. The duo ran the offense, scoring on dribble-drives and spot up three-pointers, while also taking the task of guarding the opponent’s two best players each night. Junior Kendall Vedrode served as Alma’s best spot-up shooter, as she etched her name into the program’s record books as one of it’s greatest shooters of all-time on February 14th. On that evening, she broke Alma High School’s record for most three-pointers in a single game, as she hit eight to lead the team to a rout of Hemlock. Senior Sydney McCarthy and juniors Shania Martinez and Alexis Welch provided upperclassmen leadership and big sparks off the bench.
The season started 4-4 with the Panthers alternating wins and losses through their first eight contests. Alma then went through their lowest stretch of the season, dropping four of their next five games. The following nine games would be a stretch that loyal Lady Panthers basketball fans will remember for years. Through that period, Alma went 8-1, clinching a top-four finish in the TVC Central for the first time ever. That conference finish was the highest since 2004-05, when the girls finished 13-9 playing in the MMC. With February 28th’s 63-53 victory over Belding, the Panthers hoisted their first district trophy in over 20 years. The season would conclude the next Tuesday, as Alma dropped a heartbreaking Regional semi-final game to perennial power Freeland.
Alma concluded the season with a 12-10 record. The Lady Panthers will return their second and third leading scorers for the 2014-15 season in Kenzie Seeley and Vedrode. Maddy Seeley earned first-team all-conference honors, while Kenzie earned second-team, and Vedrode nabbed honorable mention all-conference.
Poms
The poms team had one of their more successful seasons of late, qualifying for states and placing sixth overall. The team was captained by a trio of juniors in Abbie Richardson, Amy Birnbaum, and Bethany Hoornstra. The Panthers poms team will lose one senior in Emma Bever, and will bring back most of their athletes for next season.
Swimming and Diving
The Alma boys swimming and diving enjoyed many highs and lows over the course of the 2013-14 season. The Panthers started the season 1-0 with a 113-68 trouncing of Ovid-Elsie and which started a streak of swapping wins and losses to start off 2-2 in the first four meets. Alma then dropped a harsh 120-27 decision to Otsego. That loss would not deter the Panthers though, as they would then close out the season with three of their four final contests ending in a positive result to finish with a record of 4-5-1.
Alma was captained by senior Mason Molesky, junior Todd Lovas, and sophomore Brevan Bender. Bender was an all-state swimmer for Alma this winter, and earned the team’s MVP award. Lovas earned the team award for Most Improved Player.
Wrestling
The Panther wrestling squad was one win away from a historic season in team district finals this winter, which would have added even more positives to a campaign that featured a fourth place finsh (out of 22) in the Tri-Valley Conference. Alma fell to Central Montcalm in the team competitions in the District Championship round, but they did have three individuals advance to the regional round. Juniors Boyd Hubbard and Damian Castillo each won their individual districts while senior Alex Lopez took second in his weight class.
Castillo went on to win his regional competition as well, while Hubbard took second in his. Both advanced to the state tournament where Boyd placed eighth. Hubbard and senior Stephen Hart each earned first-team All-Conference, whileLopez and juniors Jared Peterman and Nick Moeggenbord earn second-team honors. Castillo along with sophomores Dane Walsh and Gilbert Rosas and freshman Sage Gonzalez each earned honorable mention All-Tri-Valley awards.
The Panthers bowling program enjoyed a very good season featuring six All-Conference performers and a State Runner Up in senior Hannah Chase, who was also a Regional Champion for the Panthers. Alma nabbed three All-Conference honorees on the boys side and three on the girls side. Chase earned first team honors while sophomore Chris Anderson and senior Rylee Donley received second-team honors. Senior Austin Baadte, junior Jerry Booth, and sophomore Susan Schultz were honorable mention All-Conference.
Boy’s Basketball
The 2013-14 season was thought to be a rebuilding year for many people outside of the Alma High School walls, as last season’s district championship team lost eight seniors. But that wouldn’t be the case for the Panthers. Alma had four sophomores and two freshmen on their roster of 11 players for the season. The youth movement proved to be an offensive juggernaut as sophomores Dylan Carl and Justin Doyle led the Panthers in scoring, while sophomore Than Woodand freshman Ryan Cornejo added to the Alma offense off the bench. Seniors Curtis Doyle, Matt Young, and Jay Green all provided veteran leadership on and off the court, while juniors Slade Martin and Zach Hanson contributed in their roles. The elder Doyle and sophomore Darren Olejniczak were able to bring back the intensity and mindset of the previous season’s team, as they both played big roles in the 2013 District Championship run.
The season began slow for Alma, as it went into winter break with an 0-3 record. A Curtis Doyle buzzer-beater gave the Panthers their first victory, over Ionia, in the first game of the new year. The team won four of their first five matchups of 2014, the win at Ionia and victories versus Shepherd, at Chesaning, and versus Bullock Creek. Alma lost the next two, and then made a run to win nine out of eleven contests heading into district finals. But their season ended on a heartbreaking last second overtime basket by Belding.
The Panthers concluded their season with a 13-9 record, and will return eight of 11 players to their roster in 2014-15. Carl earned first-team All-TVC honors along with honorable mention All-State, and both of the Doyle brothers earned honorable mention All-TVC.
Cheer
The 2013-14 Alma competitive cheer team enjoyed a very successful season this past winter. The team finished fifth in the conference’s regular season competitions, and took fourth place overall in the TVC Meet at the end of the year. The Panthers hosted districts, and gave a very good showing at the competition, but did not quite have enough to advance to the next round of competition.
Alma nabbed a total of six cheerleaders on All-TVC teams this season. Seniors Sydney McCarthy and Amber Swisher were selected for first-team honors while senior Jasminerae Gilson and sophomore Caitlyn Tryon were second-team all-conference. Junior Makynna Hoskin and sophomore Emily Kolb were honorable mention in the Tri-Valley as well.
Girl’s Basketball
The Lady Panthers season was a historic campaign that featured the girls’ first above .500 season since 2004-05, senior first Team All-Stater Maddy Seeley reaching the 1,000 point plateau, and the first District Championship since 1992. The girls basketball team was led by a barrage of different talents, ages, and types of basketball players. Senior Lexi Morton, junior Alicia Seeley, and sophomores Kialee Morton and Marissa Cornejo manned the paint for the Panthers, scoring in the low block, snagging rebounds, and being key assets in the girls’ on/off-ball-screen offense.
The Seeley sisters - senior Maddy and freshman Kenzie - served as the primary ball handlers and scorers for the team. The duo ran the offense, scoring on dribble-drives and spot up three-pointers, while also taking the task of guarding the opponent’s two best players each night. Junior Kendall Vedrode served as Alma’s best spot-up shooter, as she etched her name into the program’s record books as one of it’s greatest shooters of all-time on February 14th. On that evening, she broke Alma High School’s record for most three-pointers in a single game, as she hit eight to lead the team to a rout of Hemlock. Senior Sydney McCarthy and juniors Shania Martinez and Alexis Welch provided upperclassmen leadership and big sparks off the bench.
The season started 4-4 with the Panthers alternating wins and losses through their first eight contests. Alma then went through their lowest stretch of the season, dropping four of their next five games. The following nine games would be a stretch that loyal Lady Panthers basketball fans will remember for years. Through that period, Alma went 8-1, clinching a top-four finish in the TVC Central for the first time ever. That conference finish was the highest since 2004-05, when the girls finished 13-9 playing in the MMC. With February 28th’s 63-53 victory over Belding, the Panthers hoisted their first district trophy in over 20 years. The season would conclude the next Tuesday, as Alma dropped a heartbreaking Regional semi-final game to perennial power Freeland.
Alma concluded the season with a 12-10 record. The Lady Panthers will return their second and third leading scorers for the 2014-15 season in Kenzie Seeley and Vedrode. Maddy Seeley earned first-team all-conference honors, while Kenzie earned second-team, and Vedrode nabbed honorable mention all-conference.
Poms
The poms team had one of their more successful seasons of late, qualifying for states and placing sixth overall. The team was captained by a trio of juniors in Abbie Richardson, Amy Birnbaum, and Bethany Hoornstra. The Panthers poms team will lose one senior in Emma Bever, and will bring back most of their athletes for next season.
Swimming and Diving
The Alma boys swimming and diving enjoyed many highs and lows over the course of the 2013-14 season. The Panthers started the season 1-0 with a 113-68 trouncing of Ovid-Elsie and which started a streak of swapping wins and losses to start off 2-2 in the first four meets. Alma then dropped a harsh 120-27 decision to Otsego. That loss would not deter the Panthers though, as they would then close out the season with three of their four final contests ending in a positive result to finish with a record of 4-5-1.
Alma was captained by senior Mason Molesky, junior Todd Lovas, and sophomore Brevan Bender. Bender was an all-state swimmer for Alma this winter, and earned the team’s MVP award. Lovas earned the team award for Most Improved Player.
Wrestling
The Panther wrestling squad was one win away from a historic season in team district finals this winter, which would have added even more positives to a campaign that featured a fourth place finsh (out of 22) in the Tri-Valley Conference. Alma fell to Central Montcalm in the team competitions in the District Championship round, but they did have three individuals advance to the regional round. Juniors Boyd Hubbard and Damian Castillo each won their individual districts while senior Alex Lopez took second in his weight class.
Castillo went on to win his regional competition as well, while Hubbard took second in his. Both advanced to the state tournament where Boyd placed eighth. Hubbard and senior Stephen Hart each earned first-team All-Conference, whileLopez and juniors Jared Peterman and Nick Moeggenbord earn second-team honors. Castillo along with sophomores Dane Walsh and Gilbert Rosas and freshman Sage Gonzalez each earned honorable mention All-Tri-Valley awards.