Fall Sports Recap
Boys Soccer
The 17th edition of the Alma High School boys soccer team was one for the ages. This team broke countless records on their way to a 18-4-1 season. The team won the TVC West by winning every single game and outscoring opponents 41-2 in league games. The team scored 89 goals on the year, shattering the previous mark of 78. The Panthers also shattered the team assists record as they had 78 compared to the previous benchmark of 75. Junior Brevan Bender broke both the single-season goal and point records, while seniors Giovanni Polini and Josh Morey were 6th and 9th respectively on the single-season goals list. Bender, Polini and senior Zach Hanson also moved into 4th, 6th, and 7th respectively in the record books for most assists in a season. Defensively seniors Brett Stebelton and Nick Moeggenborg along with junior Adam Moeggenborg, led a Panther back line that broke the single-season shutout record recording 15 clean sheets on the season. Junior goalkeeper Korbin Kovac played a big part in the team shutout record as well as breaking the individual shutout record as he had 13.
After a 2-2 start, the Panthers rattled off 15 straight games unbeaten going into the regular season finale with 6th ranked Saginaw Valley Lutheran. The Panthers took an early lead, but fell with the Chargers scoring in the last five minutes to take a 2-1 victory. The Panthers took on defending district champion Hemlock in the first round of districts, but the team proved their authority early and often as they won by mercy 8-0. In the second round perennial power Freeland was on the docket. The Panthers and Falcons were stuck at a deadlock 0-0 late in the second half when Polini drew a penalty and Bender buried it. An unbelievable chip from 35 yards out by Bender a few minutes later sealed the deal for the team and sent them to their fourth district championship in five years. The Panthers had their backs to the wall the first 40 minutes and the Vikings found the back of the twine in the 35th minute. A late goal by Polini from Hanson sent the match into overtime, but the magic would end there as Swan Valley scored to take the game 2-1.
Alma will graduate nine seniors who will leave as the winningest class in Alma soccer history, surpassing the previous grade by seven wins. Along with Hanson, Moeggenborg, Morey, Polini and Stebelton, the team will also graduate both senior captains in Jacob Adams and Spencer Benn. Adams was a four-year starter for the Panthers at defensive midfielder. The team will also graduate first year letterwinners Bryce DeVore and Quentin Gibson. Adams, Bender, Benn, Kovac, Adam Moeggenborg, and Polini all earned First-Team All-TVC and All-District honors, while Hanson and Morey earned Honorable Mention All-TVC. Bender and Polini also earned First Team All-Region and Honorable Mention All-State awards. Bender, Morey, and Polini all took home Lansing State Journal All-Area awards. The team will return four starters, but a lot of guys that played big minutes as the team will look to repeat the level of success next season.
Boys Tennis
The boys tennis team was a prime example of how the word “youth” could describe the fall sports teams of Alma High School in 2014. The boys tennis team featured just one senior and only two players who came into the year with more than one year of high school tennis experience. Luke Bieske and Tristen Mihelic captained the team, as they both were third year letterwinners. Second year varsity letterwinner Jordan Campbell was the team M.V.P. and Luke Bieske was the M.I.P. The team will return both Bieske and Campbell in 2015 and will only graduate Brennan Hall.
Cross Country
The boys and girls cross country teams at Alma High School showed a tale of two sides in 2014. On the boys side the team featured four upperclassmen, led by senior Collin Lott and juniors Hayden Bailey and James Gilson. Five freshmen and a sophomore, on the other hand, led the girls team that featured two state qualifiers in freshmen Morgan Johnson and Sydney Hanson. Hanson was named the team M.V.P., as she was the top freshman in the TVC Central Jamborees, the TVC All-Division Meet, and at the MHSAA Regional. Johnson, however, set the freshman average time record averaging a 20:22 on the year. Hanson clocked in with a 20:29 average as both shattered the previous mark of 20:50. Hanson, Johnson and Lott were all First Team All-TVC. Hanson and Johnson both earned First Team TVC Central Division honors, while Lott earned Second Team. Johnson brought home second team Lansing State Journal All-Area while Hanson earned Third Team honors. Both were All-Region runners. The girls team took second in the TVC Central and finished with a cumulative record of 92-69 as a whole as they got great contributions all season from freshmen Elizabeth Gotaas, Izzy Poquiz, and Tori Austin, as well as sophomore Alli Munger. The boys finished with a cumulative total record of 72-86.
Lott cracked the top 20 all-time senior average times on the boys side and was the team M.V.P. award winner. Lott and Seraphina Provenzano (who was unable to run this season due to injury) were the only seniors in the program. The teams will look to continue to build off of this next season as they return nearly their whole teams. The boys will look to Bailey, Gilson and junior Juan Rodriguez to step into a bigger role next season with the loss of Lott.
Football
Coming off of a 1-7 season in 2013, this year’s football team sought to make strides to turn the program around in 2014. The year got off to a rocky start as the team started 0-4 with losses to four playoff teams. The team then turned it around though with a convincing win at Hemlock and 35-34 nail-bighter at Chesaning. The team then returned home and took down rival Shepherd in the homecoming game. After then falling to sixth ranked Freeland the Panthers closed out the year with a drubbing of then 7-1 Newaygo to improve their record to 4-5.
The team was led by junior First Team All-TVC award winner Justin Doyle who carried the team with both his arms and legs passing for 2008 yards and adding another 498 on the ground, good for 29 touchdowns while only throwing nine interceptions. Sophomore Konner Vedrode led the way on the receiving end as he had 25 receptions for 384 yards and three touchdowns in just four games playing receiver. Senior Damian Castillo caught six touchdowns on his way to earning First Team All Conference honors.
Defensively, sophomore Ryan Cornejo paced the team with 111 tackles while senior Aidan Kunkel added 84 of his own and senior Boyd Hubbard added 79 from the safety position on his way to First Team All-Conference honors. Junior kicker/punter Brevan Bender was also a receptor of First Team All-TVC recognition. The team will graduate a handful of seniors including the four-year letterwinner Hubbard as well as fellow senior captains and two-year starters in Jared Peterman and Slade Martin. The team will return nearly their whole offense though, only graduating Castillo and fellow wide receiver Jalen Pereida.
Girls Golf
The varsity girls golf team brought a young squad to the table this season with all but one of their letterwinners being an underclassman. The team was led by freshmen Megan Radaz and C.J. Cleveland who averaged 55 and 60 strokes respectively. Fellow freshman Alynne Welch averaged 62 strokes per nine wholes on the season while sophomores Emily Eggenberger and Cora Mallory averaged 62 and 63 respectively. Senior Shay Kohus added an average of 64. The team will have a lot to build on as they return ten golfers for 2015 with eight being underclassmen. Kohus captained the squad while Radaz earned team M.V.P. honors and Welch took home the Most Improved Played award.
Volleyball
The 17-31-3 record that the team posted does not give justice for the success that the team had as a whole. The girls took a team that had kids from all four grades and built off of it as they finished strong taking second in the silver bracket at the TVC All-Divisions tournament. The team also won the silver bracket at a late season tournament at Mt. Morris. Both Senior Cali Anderson and junior Bailey McCarthy shattered the previous individual digs record and Anderson took the final record, accumulating 557 digs on the season. The duo led the strong Panthers defense that broke the team dig record as well, tallying 2,247 digs on the year as a team. Offensively senior Alicia Seeley led the way as she led the team in kills and points earned on the year. The team will graduate four seniors in Anderson, Seeley, Kirstan Hedrick and Shania Martinez, but will return a strong group that includes McCarthy, fellow juniors Aubree Catlin and Maggie Bever, sophomore Kaylynn Brecht and freshman Olivia Apple.
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The Panther volleyball team lost to the Redskins of Belding on Monday night in district action by a score 3-1. Belding took the first set by a score of 25-17, but the Panthers answered back in set number two with a 25-23 victory. The Redskins, however, regained control by winning the final two sets 25-15 and 25-17 respectively. Seniors Alicia Seeley and Cali Anderson paced the Panthers as Seeley had eight kills and five blocks while Anderson had six kills and 28 digs. Sophomore Kaylynn Brecht added eight kills and six blocks while junior Bailey McCarthy had two aces and 19 digs. Seeley, Anderson, and fellow seniors Shania Martinez and Kirstan Hedrick played their final games in a Panther uniform on Monday night.
Alma took part in the TVC Tournament on Saturday, going 3-2 on the day. The Panthers defeated Carrollton 2-0 (25-10, 25-14), LakeVille (25-21, 25-19), and Caro (25-18, 25-21) but lost to Millinton 2-1 (25-23, 20-25, 13-15) and Chesaning in the silver bracket finals 2-1 (27-25, 16-25, 11-15).
Junior Bailey McCarthy claimed the school's all-time record for most digs in a season on the weekend as she tallied 73 to go along with three aces. Senior Alicia Seeley added 36 kills, six aces, and two blocks while senior Cali Anderson added 20 kills, 54 digs, and four aces and junior Aubree Catlin had 64 assists and 33 digs. Alma will take on Belding on Monday for their first district game at Central Montcalm at 7:00. |