The Hastings Banner — Thursday, July 1, 2021 — Page 13MHSAA opens registration
for 2021-22 sports officials
The Michigan High School Athletic
Association (MHSAA) is accepting registra-
tions online or by mail for game officials for
the 2021-22 school year.
The MHSAA annually receives registration
by more than 9,000 officials, but in part due to
COVID-19 precautions had just 7,968 during
the 2020-21 school year – a decrease of near-
ly 14 percent from 2019-20.
“We are thankful for the leadership shown
by our officials as they worked together to
provide coverage of all levels of school sports
events during this unpredictable year, but cer-
tainly we’re looking forward to refilling our
ranks and taking some of the pressure off the
many officials who worked nearly daily
during the pandemic seasons,” said MHSAA
assistant director Brent Rice, who supervises
the officials program. “With the elimination
of restrictions this spring and the return of full
schedules anticipated this fall, there’s no bet-
ter time for experienced officials to return and
those interested in registering for the first time
to become part of this essential and valued
group.”
For all new and returning officials, those
who register online again will receive a $
discount off their processing fees. A $16 fee is
charged for each sport in which an official
wishes to register, and the online processing
fee is $40. Officials submitting registration
forms by mail or on a walk-up basis will incur
a $45 processing fee. Officials registered in
2020-21 will be assessed a late fee of $30 for
registration after Aug. 15. The processing fee
includes liability insurance coverage up to $
million for officials while working contests
involving MHSAA schools.
Online registration can be accessed by
clicking “Officials” on the home page of the
MHSAA Website at https://www.mhsaa.com.
Forms also are available online that can be
printed and submitted by traditional mail to
the MHSAA Office at 1661 Ramblewood
Drive in East Lansing. More information
about officials registration may be obtained
by contacting the MHSAA by phone at (517)
332-5046 or by e-mail at register@mhsaa.
com.
There is an officials’ registration test for
first-time officials and officials who were not
registered during the past school year. The test
is derived from the MHSAA Officials
Guidebook, which also is available on the
Officials page of the MHSAA Website.
Additional exams must be taken by those reg-
istering for football or basketball for the first
time or those who were not registered for
those sports during the previous school year.
Manuals for both sports are available on the
Officials page. New officials and those who
didn’t officiate during 2020-21 also must
complete the online MHSAA Principles of
Officiating course, also available on the
MHSAA Website.
There also are opportunities to officiate for
students at least 14 years old and in grades
9-12 through the MHSAA Legacy Program.
Juniors and seniors may officiate subvarsity
contests, while freshmen and sophomores
may officiate contests at the middle school/
junior high levels. Mentor officials will workevents with Legacy participants to provide
guidance and support. Find information on
the Legacy Program by clicking “REGISTER
NOW” on the Officials page of the MHSAA
Website.Call 269-945-
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Carpenter coaches West All-Stars at Comerica Park
Brett Bremer
Sports Editor
Maple Valley varsity baseball coach Bryan
Carpenter, the winningest varsity baseball
coach in program history, isn’t sure he
deserves the honor he had Monday, but he is
extremely thankful for it.
Carpenter remembers being out on the field
at the old Tiger Stadium at the corner of
Michigan and Trumbull in downtown Detroit
during a fan day event as a youngster, but he
got to hit the field at the “new” home of the
Detroit Tigers, Comerica Park, for the first
time as he was chosen to be one of four
coaches for the West Team in the 40th Annual
Michigan High School Baseball Coaches
Association All-Star Game. It was an experi-
ence he was supposed to have at the conclu-
sion of the 2020 varsity season, that carried
over when the 2020 game was canceled.
“I kind of went into the whole thing as a
fan,” Carpenter said. “I am a baseball nerd. I
really am. I just wanted to watch those kids
experience that and experience it with them -
watch these kids do what they do and really
just try to soak it all in while we had the
chance.”
Carpenter led the West squad Monday
along with Kalamazoo Central coach Scott
Spada, Otsego coach Matt Eldred and
Cheboygan coach Kevin Baller. Area ball-
players for the West team included Pennfield
shortstop Cody Hultink, Hackett Catholic
Prep third baseman Stephen Kwapis, Zeeland
East pitcher Ethan Houtaling, Grandville
catcher Spencer Verburg, Hudsonville short-
stop J.T. Sokolove and Portage Central team-
mates pitcher Gavin Brasosky and shortstop
Luke Leto.
“Every kid on our team, on the west side, is
a D1 commit,” Carpenter said. “There kids
going to the SEC [Southeastern Conference],
kids going to Michigan State, Michigan. We
had kids from all over the place.”
The MHSBCA All-Star Game was called
due to severe weather in the area after five
innings with the East All-Stars holding a 2-
lead over Carpenter and the West All-Stars.
Carpenter said the biggest challenge was try-
ing to get everyone into the game. He said
there were a few ballplayers there only to
pitch who didn’t get to take a turn on the
mound, but the coaching staff worked to get
as many ballplayers as possible a chance to be
out on the field. Carpenter said the coaches
were given a heads up about the approaching
storms about an inning before the game had to
be called.
The West took a 1-0 lead in the top of the
first inning as Leto tripled into the deepest
part of the ballpark in right centerfield and
then scored on a sacrifice fly into right field
by Verburg. The East took a 2-1 lead with a
pair of runs in the bottom of the second
inning.
The Detroit Tigers managed to take two of
three games against the Houston Astros
between the raindrops in a three-game series
over the weekend at Comerica Park and then
the Tigers headed to Cleveland to start a series
with the Indians leaving the park open for the
high school all-stars.
The Maple Valley head coach was
impressed by the overall talent level of his
all-stars, but also by the way he saw the guys
approach practice throughout the day Monday.
The day started with game participants
meeting at University Liggett High School for
practice. Carpenter said the coaches divided
up their teams to get to know the players bet-
ter, and then the West and East teams got
together to practice for about two hours
before lunch. The teams held meetings about
the pitching rotations and line-ups after lunch
and then it was off to Comerica Park.Carpenter and the other coaches soaked up
the views from all over the field as a the play-
ers went through a mini media session for
photos pregame.
“I had not set foot on the grounds in
Comerica, inside the fence,” Carpenter said.
“It is just amazing. It is meticulous.”
Carpenter had his own small group of
cheerleaders in the box seats during the ball-
game, wife Sarah Carpenter and daughter
Keilyn Carpenter were there along with
Bryan’s parents, a few more family members
and assistant coach Dean Wieber were among
the group.
“It was neat to have that support and see
them, to look up into the stands like they say
and see them. It was awesome to have thatsupport,” Bryan said.
The spring of 2021 marked the 20th seasonleading the Maple Valley varsity baseball pro-
gram for Carpenter.Maple Valley varsity baseball coach Bryan Carpenter (10) looks on from the dugout
during the 40th Annual Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association All-Star
Game at Comerica Park Monday. Carpenter was one of four coaches for the West
team that trailed the East squad 2-1 when the ballgame was called due to severe
weather after five innings.Maple Valley varsity baseball coach Bryan Carpenter signs autographs on the
concourse at Comerica Park in downtown Detroit Monday as rain falls on the field
where Carpenter was one of four coaches for the West Team at the 40th Annual
Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association All-Star Game.Maple Valley varsity baseball coach Bryan Carpenter’s cheering section looks on
from the rows behind the dugout at Comerica Park during the Michigan High School
Baseball Coaches Association All-Star Game Monday.The MHSAA is accepting registrations online and by mail for 2021-22 game officials,
looking to boost the number of high school officials in the state after the numbers
dwindled during the 2020-21 school year. (File photo)Stop in to fill out an application or call us at 269-
241 -1040 for more information! You can also
check out our Facebook page for more
information!
Wanted: Machine Operators!
1900 Patterson Rd. Middleville, MI 49333
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Stop in to fill out an application or call us at 269-241 - 1040 for more information! You can also
check out our Facebook page for more
information!
Wanted: Machine Operators!
1900 Patterson Rd. Middleville, MI 49333
$1,000 Sign-on Bonus!
Starting Pay up to $15. 00 to $17.50!
Competitive insurance offered the first of the month after 30
days of employment.
Airport commission tables ditch talk
Benjamin Simon
Staff Writer
The Hastings airport has a ditch. The ques-
tion is whether it needs to be filled and how
much filling it would cost. But the answers to
those questions were tabled during
Wednesday’s Hastings City/Barry County
Airport Commission session.
The commission spent the majority of that
meeting opening bids from potential contrac-
tors who want to fill the ditch. B&R Excavating
said it would cost $21,500, Metternick
Excavating bid $15,147, Weiler Excavating
bid $55,880 and Bakers Excavating said it
would cost $16,500.
After opening the envelopes, Airport
Manager Mark Noteboom said he doesn’t
know if they should fill the ditch after all.
They just spent $100,000 on a fence to keep
out deer, he said, and the ditch has been there
for 65 to 70 years.
“Our ditch is not the problem,” he said.
“People are going in the ditch.”
The 2- to 3-foot deep, 6-foot high ditch is
near Runway 12-30, around the southern part
of the airport. In the past two years, Noteboom
said, three student pilots and two certifiedpilots have gotten stuck in that ditch. If the
commission goes through with the project, it
would fill 95 percent of the ditch.
Noteboom went on to acknowledge the
potential safety issues of the ditch, but ques-
tioned how much of a difference filling the
ditch would make.
“I want people to be safe, but how far do
we go to protect the pilots that are supposed to
know how to fly?” Noteboom said, noting that
“the feds OK’d [the ditch] when it was put
in.”
Noteboom said he is concerned that some
of the bidding companies might not have the
right equipment, such as a rock truck, to com-
plete the project in the desired two days.
If the commission does decide to have the
ditch filled, Noteboom said he would priori-
tize companies who own the right equipment.
With two members, Don Bowers and Ron
Holley, absent, the commission decided to
continue the discussion until it meets again at
4:30 a.m. July 28.
In other action, the commission agreed to
solicit sealed bids to close underground stor-
age tanks on airport property.