1THE HASTINGS
Thursday, April 1, 2021Saxon runners back on the track after almost two years
The Hastings varsity boys’ and girls’ track
and field teams returned to the track Tuesday
after the Covid shutdown caused the cancella-
tion of spring sports last year. Runners have
not seen the track since May 22, 2019. The
teams showed no signs of rust though as they
blew past Lansing Catholic in the season
opener at the Cougar Field in Lansing.
Saxon Head Coach Brian Teed said, “There
was definitely a higher level of new nervous
excitement even among athletes who are vet-
erans. Just getting out and competing again as
a team was a lot of fun. Even as a coaching
staff, we were a little nervous and we had to
think through logistics more after being side-
lined for so long. There was good positive
energy on the team because I think everybody
realized that all their teammates, from first to
last, needed this today. Being outside, com-
peting in the fresh air, and experiencing those
endorphins rush through the body is great for
mental health.”
That nervous excitement propelled the
Saxon girls as they outscored the Cougars
89-39 and powered through the events taking
first place in 13 out of 17 events. Placing first
for the Hastings girls were Allison Teed in
four events, the 100-meter hurdles and 300-
meter low hurdles, pole vault and the 800-
meter relay. Madison Nino placed first in
three events, winning the 400-meter run and
the long jump. Nino was also on the 800-
meter relay team. Carissa Strouse placed first
in two events, the 1600-meter and 3200-meter
runs. Kali Grimes took first in the 100-meter
and 400-meter relay with her Saxon team-
mates. Addey Nickles scored first in the 200-
meter dash and the 400-meter relay, and Josie
Nickels placed first in the high jump and the
800-meter relay team. Hailey Graham was on
both the 400-meter and 800-meter relay teams
that took first. Other Saxon girls taking first
place in their events were Maddie Miller in
shot put, Natalee Sanders in high jump.
Placing second for the Saxon girls’ team
were Madison Nino in the 200-meter dash,Addey Nickles in 300-meter hurdles, Daisy
Kerby in discus, and Kali Grimes in long
jump. Girls placing 3rd in their events were
Hailey Graham in the 100-meter, Lauren
Arnold in the 800-meter, Lily Comensoli in
the 1600-meter, Daisy Kerby in shot put, and
Audrey Vertalka in the high jump.
The Saxons’ Boys team also defeated
Lansing Catholic in their first competition in
almost two years with a score of 79–59. The
HHS boys’ team ran away winning 10 out 17
events for the night. Placing first for the boys’
team in two events was Jason Haight who
won the 100-meter dash and was on the 400-
meter relay team that included Zane Warner,
Robby Slaughter and Daniel Harp. Harp also
took first in the long jump. Kearen Tolles took
first in the 800-meter and was on the winning
3200-meter relay team that also included
Xander Signeski, Caleb Laboe and Jonah
Teed that took first for the Saxons.
Other Saxons taking first place were: Laboe
in 3200-meter, Sam Randall in shot put,Layton Eastman in 110-meter high hurdles,
and Kirby Beck in pole vault, Charlie Nickles
in high jump. Placing second for the boys in
their events were: Harp in the 100-meter dash,
Haight in the 200-meter dash, Nate
Kohmescher in 110-meter hurdles, Daniel
Weatherly in discus, Eastman in the high
jump, and Slaughter in the pole vault.
Saxons finishing third in events were:Randall in both the discus and 110-meter high
hurdles, Slaughter in 200-meter dash, Jacob
Arens in 400-meter run, Laboe in 1600-meter
run, Rylie Shults in 3200-meter run, Weatherly
in shot put, Beck in high jump and Teed in the
long jump.
Hastings will return to the track after spring
break with their first Interstate 8 Conference
Meet against Jackson Northwest.Bittersweet ending for
Saxon girls at districts
Valerie Slaughter
Contributing Writer
The Hastings varsity girls’ basketball team
closed out its season with a tight game against
Olivet, who was the number one seed in their
Michigan High School Athletic Association
Division District 2 tournament last week.
Olivet stretched a two-point lead in the
fourth quarter, but he Saxons kept battling in
what would eventually become a 41-38 loss to
the Eagles at Hastings High School.
Hastings head coach Mike Engle said, “I
am extremely proud of how our girls compet-
ed against the number one seeded team in the
district. When Olivet stretched the lead to
seven with three and a half minutes to go, the
girls battled back and did a great job turning
Olivet over a number of times.”
At half time the Eagles led 19-17, and the
ballgame remained a close one. Olivet main-
tained a two-point lead, 31-29, at the end of
the third quarter. In the fourth quarter the
Eagles stretched that lead to 40-31 with three
and a half minutes to go. The Saxons tried to
take that lead away and brought the game
back to a three-point game at 41-38 with less
than a minute on the clock. Brooklyn Youngs
threw out a three-point shot that fell short
which could have tied the game in the remain-
ing seconds. In the end the Eagles hit a pair of
free throws to make the final five-point mar-
gin.
Youngs, a junior on the team, said the loss
was “a bittersweet game to end on, being so
close to moving on. Being a part of a team
that pulled together after this year to compete
the way we did tonight is something I am
proud of. I just wish the ball would have
bounced a couple different ways.”
Coach Engle noted that the team “had our
chances to send it into overtime or even win
the game with three missed opportunities at
the basket and two missed front ends of a
1-and-1 free throw. This team played with
tremendous heart all season and tonight was
no different.” Engle also noted a key stat in
the game was at the free throw line. Hastingsonly went 2-of-6. Olivet finished 10-of-12.
Youngs led the Saxons in scoring with 13
points. Josey Nickels hit a double double with
ten points and ten rebounds. Bri Barnes also
had seven rebounds for the Saxons. Macy
Winegar and Carly Warner both had four
assists each.
Defensively, the Saxons’ Allison Teed held
Olivet’s top scorer, Abbey Peters, to zero
points for the game.
Olivet lost in Friday night’s district final to
Pennfield 45-43.legals
The Saxons’ Carly Warner pressures
Olivet guard Isabell VanDorpe near center
court during the fourth quarter of their
Division 2 District Semifinal ballgame at
Hastings High School Wednesday. (Photo
by Valerie Slaughter)The Saxons’ Layton Eastman works to clear the bar in the high jump during his
team’s season-opening victory at Lansing Catholic Tuesday night. (Photo by Valerie
Slaughter)Hastings’ Madison Nino takes off with the baton in the 800-meter relay Tuesday at
Lansing Catholic after getting the hand-off from teammate Allison Teed. (Photo by
Valerie Slaughter)Barton and TK pair participate in D2 singles tourney
Brett Bremer
Sports Editor
Saxon sophomore Abby Barton rolled high
games of 154, 145 and 143 as she finished off
her 2020-2021 varsity bowling season at the
Division 2 State Finals Saturday at Century
Bowl in Waterford.
Barton, the area’s lone girl to qualify for the
state singles competition, placed 58th overall
with a final six-game total score of 799.
“Abby did great for her first time at states,”
Hastings head coach Deanna Rhodes said.
“She was able to go out there and enjoy her
experience at the state finals.”
“[Barton] has already stated that she is
going back again next year with more Hastings
bowlers,” Rhodes added.
There were more local bowlers in Waterford
Saturday, as Thornapple Kellogg had two
guys in the Division 2 state singles competi-
tion: senior Michael Willshire and sophomore
Wyatt Jacobson. Jacobson placed 30th in the
six qualifying games and Willshire, who has
recently signed his National Letter of Intent to
join the Davenport University Men’s Bowling
program, was 36th.
Jacobson put together a total score of 1,
with high games of 211, 202 and 200 among
his six. Willshire had a score of 1,098 and had
high games of 202, 196 and 187.
The top 16 players in both the boys and
girls qualifying entered match-play brackets
to determine the state singles champion.
Grand Rapids Christian Jerry LaRue was the
final match-play qualifier in the boys’ compe-
tition with a total score of 1,181. Tecumseh
freshman Owen Williams was tops with a
total score of 1,470 that put him 151 pins
ahead of Dearborn Divine Child senior Noelle
Jackson who was the runner-up.
A pair of the Trojans’ OK Gold Conference
foes from Kenowa Hills earned spots among
the top 16, senior Lucas Buck who was fifth
and junior Zeke Dykstra who was eighth.
Grand Rapids Northview sophomore Kyle
Pranger was the ninth seed and he bumped off
the eight-seeded Dykstra in the opening round
of match-play and then bested Williams in thequarterfinals on his way to the state singles
title. Pranger outscored Jackson Northwest
junior Damien Milliman 416-389 in the two
games of their finals match-up to clinch the
title.
The girls’ tournament saw Flint Kearsley
senior Allison Robbins outscore Kadence
Bottrall, a sophomore from Wayland, 1,287 to
1,232 to finish at the top of the qualifying
rounds, and St. Clair Shores Lake Shore
senior Dani DeCruydt third at 1,230. Jackson
Northwest senior Karrah Wiggins was the last
of the 16 match-play qualifiers with an overall
score of 1,116.
In the end, DeCruydt outscored Robbins
426-402 in the championship final. Robbins
and the Kearsley girls also captured the
Division 2 Team State Championship Fridayat Century Lanes, outscoring Mason 1,189-
1,166 in the championship match which
included two Baker games and one regular
game – with Robbins actually putting up just
the fourth best score from among her team-
mates in the regular game to close out the
team tournament. Kearsley got a 190 from
Megan Timm, a 188 from Emilea Sturk and a
179 from Allison Eible in that final.
Dearborn Divine Child defeated Chelsea
1,358-1,310 in the Division 2 boys’ final.
The Hastings Saxons’ Interstate-8 Athletic
Conference foes from Jackson Northwest
were first in the boys’ qualifying rounds
which included eight Baker games and two
regular games, but Chelsea knocked off the
Northwest boys in the semifinals of the eight-
team match-play bracket.Saxon golfers beat Allegan
by a stroke in first round
The Saxons wasted no time getting out on
the greens this spring.
The Hastings varsity boys’ golf team
opened the 2021 season with a 181-182 victo-
ry over host Allegan at Cheshire Hills Golf
Course Tuesday afternoon.
Will Jensen led the Saxons with a 39, and
the Hastings team also got a 44 from Joey
McLean and a 46 from Collin Fouty. In his
first varsity match for the Saxons, freshman
Owen Carroll shot a 52.
It was also the first match leading the
Hastings varsity boys’ golf team for head
coach Kristen Laubaugh who takes over for
long-time leader Bruce Krueger.
Hastings won’t compete again until after
spring break, taking part in the Delton Kellogg
Invitational at Mullenhurst April 15 and the
Thornapple Kellogg Invitational at Yankee
Springs April 16.FAFSA deadline extended
Students and families encouraged to complete forms
Students who want to be given priority
consideration for State of Michigan financial
aid programs now have some extra time to
complete their Free Application for Federal
Student Aid, according to a March 29 press
release from the Michigan Department of
Treasury.
Commonly referred to as FAFSA, this
application is a critical step when applying for
grants, scholarships and other forms of
financial assistance. Academic Year 2021-
FAFSA submissions now received at the
federal processor on or before May 1 – rather
than the original March 1 deadline – are given
priority consideration for the Michigan
Competitive Scholarship and Michigan
Tuition Grant.
“Completing the FAFSA should be on top
of everyone’s list when applying for college
financial aid,” said Robin Lott, executive
director of the treasury’s Office of
Postsecondary Financial Planning. “We are
hopeful that this deadline change will help
families who have been faced with challengesduring the pandemic. Please do not delay and
complete this free application today.”
Students who wait to complete their
FAFSA after the new May 1 deadline may not
receive all the financial aid they might have
been entitled to receive.
Prior to completing the FAFSA online, the
student and at least one parent or guardian
must obtain a Federal Student Aid ID at fafsa.
gov. This ID serves as a legal signature and
confirms an applicant’s identity when
accessing financial aid information through
certain U.S. Department of Education
websites.
Information on FAFSA can be found at
fafsa.gov. More about State of Michigan
scholarships and grant programs is available
on MI Student Aid’s website, michigan.gov/
mistudentaid.
Administered by the treasury department,
MI Student Aid is Michigan’s go-to resource
for finding the financial resources needed to
pay for college and can be found at
[email protected].