The Hastings Banner — Thursday, September 16, 2021 — Page 13Pennfield falls to Saxons
in first I-8 tennis dual
Brett Bremer
Sports Editor
The Hastings varsity boys’ tennis team
opened the Interstate-8 Athletic Conference
season with a 6-2 win over visiting Pennfield
Wednesday at Hastings High School.
The Saxons and Panthers had five contest-
ed matches, with the Saxons picking up
default wins a the bottom three doubles
flights.
Hastings captured three of the four singles
points and narrowly missed out on the fourth.
Pennfield’s Reese Chapman took a 6-1 win in
the opening set of his second singles match
with the Saxons’ Joe Goggins. Goggins bat-
tled back for a 6-3 win in the second set
before ultimately falling 10-6 in a super tie-
breaker at the end of the afternoon.
Joey McLean scored a 6-0, 6-0 win for the
Saxons over Shane Carpenter in the first sin-
gles masch. John Tellkamp and Brandon
Darling finished strong at third and fourth
singles for the Saxons. Tellkamp scored a 6-3,
6-0 win over Pennfield’s Hunter Jenney. At
number four, Darling scored a 6-4, 6-1 win
over Owen Lewis.
In the lone doubles match that was contest-
ed, the Pennfield pair of Luca Gregor and
Caiden Bradley earned a 6-3, 6-1 win over the
Saxons’ Andre Perez and Keegan Lindsey.
The Saxons are now 1-1 in the I-8 this fall.
Coldwater scored an 8-0 win over the Saxons
last Thursday. The Saxon second doubles
team of Lang Haines and Heath Hays won the
only set for their squad, but fell 6-4, 4-6, (10-
4) in the end.
McLean at first singles and the Saxon third
doubles team of Mitchell Vann and Caleb
Borton battled to 7-5 scores in the second set
of their matches, but couldn’t quite force
super tiebreakers of their own.
The Hastings boys were back in action
Saturday at the Wayland Quad. Wayland took
the day’s championship with 20 points, ahead
of Otsego 10, Plainwell 10 and Hastings 8.
McLean was 3-0 for the day, besting foes
from Otsego and Plainwell and getting a for-
feit win over Wayland’s top player.
Darling went 2-1 at fourth singles for the
Saxons. On the doubles side for Hastings,
Hays and Haines scored a second doubles win
and the fourth doubles team of Evan Porter
and Ethan Helmholdt won a pair of marathon
matches.
The Saxon duo at number four pulled out a
6-4, 5-, (10-5) win over the fourth doubles
team from Plainwell and went to a super tie-
breaker against the number four team from
Otsego as well, pulling out a 1-6, 6-2, (10-8)
victory.Leaders set torrid pace at
first OK Gold jamboree
Brett Bremer
Sports Editor
The Bengals set a blistering pace at the first
OK Gold Conference cross country jamboree
of the season, hosted by Cedar Springs,
Wednesday afternoon (Sept. 8).
Ottawa Hills had the two fastest guys and
the two fastest girls while the Forest Hills
Eastern girls’ team and the South Christian
boys’ team each finished in first place.
Ottawa Hills sophomore Selma Anderson
was the individual champ in the girls’ race
with a time of 19 minutes 6.02 seconds with
senior teammate Adit Dau hot on her heels in
19:06.86. Catholic Central sophomore Emily
Tomes was a distant third in 19:43.33,
followed across the finish line by the two
fastest members of the Forest Hills Eastern
girls’ team which finished with 40 points on
the day.
The two leaders for the Bengals helped
their team to a second-place total of 94 points,
ahead of Cedar Springs 103, South Christian
104, Catholic Central 113, Thornapple
Kellogg 124, Kenowa Hills 145 and Wayland
189.
Thornapple Kellogg freshman Ava Crews
was by far the fastest freshman in the girls’
race, placing sixth in 20:00.4 just behind FHE
sophomores Ellory Clason and Ashlyn Smith
who were fourth and fifth respectively.
FHE had five girls among the first 13
finishers. TK had two in the top 15, with
senior Jessica Durkee placing 15th in
21:10.99.
The Trojan team also had sophomore Holly
Velting 28th in 22:33.29, junior Lindsey
Velting 34th in 22:52.42 and senior Kendall
Snyder 44th in 23:30.13.
Junior Benne Anderson led the Ottawa
Hills boys with a time of 16:05.12 and his
senior teammate Juan David Hernandez was
the runner-up in the race with a time of
16:05.66. Only Forest Hills Eastern junior
Aiden Sullivan was in a minute of the Bengal
duo. He placed third in 16:07.34.
South Christian’s Joseph VanderKooi was
fourth in 17:06.28 leading his team to a
victory with a 70-point finish. Cedar Springs
was second with 80 points, ahead of Forest
Hills Eastern 88, Catholic Central 92, Ottawa
Hills 109, Kenowa Hills 137
Sophomore Lucas Van Meter was the leader
for the TK boys, placing tenth in 17:40.49.
TK senior Camden Reynolds was 28th in
19:02.56, senior Matthew Smith 42nd in
19:44.75 and senior Benjamin Trudell 50th in
20:08.19. The TK team also had sophomore
Kaden Hamming set a new personal record
with a time of 20:45.92 which earned him
63 rd place.HHS girls run with four, boys
halted at first I-8 jamboree
It wasn’t the best start to the Interstate-
Athletic Conference season.
What Hastings head coach Steve Collins
called a long course prevented any of his girls
from running new season best times and
storms that moved through the Jackson area
prevented the boys from even finishing their
race.
Marshall won the girls’ race hosted by
Parma Western. The Redhawks scored 33
points to best Lumen Christi’s girls by eight
points. The Titans finished with 45 points,
ahead of Parma Western 60, Harper Creek 88,
Jackson Northwest 161, Coldwater 172 and
Pennfield 185.
Hastings did not have enough girls running
to earn a team score. Saxon senior Allison
Teed led her team with a time of 25:02.5.
Senior Carissa Strouse scored a 25th-place
time of 25:51.6. Hastings also had sophomore
Lily Comensoli 32nd in 27:05.2 and senior
Hannah Crozier placed 51st in 30:14.8.
Lumen Christi sophomore MadisonOsterberg was the individual champion in
20:43.4 Parma Western had senior Alyna
Lewis second in 21:44.6. Marshall was led by
a third-place finish from sophomore Camille
DeCola and her senior teammate Brooke
Waito placed fourth.
In all, Marshall had five girls among the top
13 finishers in the race.
Hastings had been busy in the lead-up to
Tuesday’s conference race. They were at the
Delton Kellogg Invitational last Thursday and
ran in the Battle Creek Lakeview Invitational
Saturday.
The Hastings boys and girls both placed
fourth in the Division 2 standings at the race.
Riley Shults led the Hastings boys with a
22nd-place (across all divisions) time of
17:37.39. Hastings freshman Brandon
Simmons placed 45th in 18:35.92. The next
three Saxon scorers were sophomores who
finished in the top 100 - Jonah Teed, Reuben
Solmes and Cole Greenfield. Teed was third
in 18:56.51, Solmes fo7rth in 19:04.79 andGreenfield 95th in 21:42.42.
The Hastings girls had five running. Strouse
led the way in 22:32.64, finishing in 38th
place. Allison Teed placed 50th in 22:53.50.
Comensoli finished 65th in 24:00.92. The
Saxons also had senior Hannah Crozier 96th
in 28:06.46 and senior Autumn Guernsey in
32:06.25.
Otsego won the Division 2 championships
in both the boys’ and girls’ races Saturday. St.
Joseph took the Division 1 boys’ championship
and Portage Central took the D1 boys’ title.
Osterberg from Lumen Christi was the
fastest girl at the meet, winning in 19:11.08.
Nick Cockerel, a senior from Otsego, finished
with a time of 15:59.55 in the boys’
competition. Cockerel set a new PR in
winning, as did the runner-up from Lakeview,
senior Parker LaGro, who finished in
16:01.17.The Saxons’ Keegan Lindsey hits a forehand during a first doubles match at the
Wayland Quad Saturday. (Photo by Valerie Slaughter)Hastings second singles player Joe Goggins hits a return back at one of his foes
during the Wayland Quad Saturday. (Photo by Valerie Slaughter)Members of the Hastings varsity girls’ golf team, Elisabeth Arnold, Lauren Arnold, Peightyn Cronk, Cassidy Easey, Addie Nickels,
Izzy Roosien and Kaydence VandenBurg (listed alphabetically) are all smiles at their Saxon Dozen Tournament in which ten teams
played 12 holes at The Legacy in Hastings Friday.Saxons play 12 at The
Legacy for the first time
Brett Bremer
Sports Editor
With a goal of getting young golfers used to
playing in longer tournaments, the Hastings
varsity girls’ golf team hosted its first Saxon
Dozen Tournament Friday at The Legacy in
Hastings.
A mix of varsity an JV players played 12
holes at the course in Hastings.
“Everyone seemed to have a really positive
experience and we had a lot of kids on the
course that it was just their first or second
nine, and they had never played any more
holes than that in a round,” Hastings varsity
girls’ golf coach Kristen Laubaugh said.
Vicksburg took the day’s championship
with a score of 294. Thornapple Kellogg
placed second with a score of 316, ahead of
Hopkins 321, Paw Paw 326, Allendale 335,
Hastings 337, Lakewood 338, Wayland 382
and Charlotte 382.Lauren Arnold led Hastings with an 80 and
Addie Nickels shot an 81.
“Lauren Arnold and Addey Nickels are
both showing some great strides in improving
their game,” coach Laubaugh said. “They are
both getting off the tee better and once they
can dial some of their short game in a little
better, I think they will really see some lower
scores.”
Hastings also got an 85 from Cassidy Easey
and a 91 from Izzy Roosien in the top four for
the team.
Vicksburg was led by a 66 from Peyton
Smith and a 69 from Maddie Diekman.
Thornapple Kellogg’s leaders were Sydney
Robertson with a 75 and Ibby Mosley with a
77.
Lakewood got an 81 from Izzy Wheeler
and an 82 from Audrey Hillard.
“The Legacy sets up really well to play 12
holes and it avoids walking the super steepholes on the back nine,” Laubaugh said.
“Hopkins just started their girls’ golf pro-
gram this year and they brought a team. It was
a good way to encourage new golfers,” she
added.
The slightly more relaxed tournament came
after a competitive nine for the Saxons at
Marshall Country Club last Wednesday where
the Redhawks form Marshall hosted an
Interstate-8 Athletic Conference jamboree.
Lumen Christi won the day’s event with a
score of 181, finishing ahead of Coldwater
188, Parma Western 196, Harper Creek 201
and Hastings 289.
Arnold led the Saxons with a score of 66.
Nickels shot a 67, Easey a 76 and Peighton
Cronk contributed an 80.
Parma Western’s Sydnie Redovich was the
day’s medalist with a score of 41 and Lumen
Christi’s leader, Ashley Hilderley, shot a 42.Lions suffer another one-goal
loss in GLAC soccer action
Brett Bremer
Sports Editor
The Lions talked a lot about playing from
whistle to whistle last week.
Laingsburg scored less than half a minute
into its Greater Lansing Activities Conference
contest with the visiting Maple Valley boys
Wednesday and eventually went on to a 2-
win.
The Lions had just suffered a one-goal loss
at Lakewood the previous week in which the
Vikings scored the game-winning goal in the
final half minute.
“Its a good learning lesson for the guys,”
Maple Valley head coach Andy Roush said.
Maple Valley did have time to battle back
this time. The Lions evened the score at 1-1 in
the second half when Owen Bailey converted
on a penalty kick. Maple Valley’s Daniel
Perez was taken down in the box to earn the
shot on goal for the Lions.
The Wolfpack broke the 1-1 tie with about
15 minutes to go, heading in a corner kick.“That is something we need to work on –
staying focused at the start stop,” Roush said.
“Sometimes that is where little lapses can
happen, not staying with the guy the whole
way through and he got a head on it and was
able to get it in the goal.”
Overall though, he likes the progress he is
seeing. Against Lakewood, the Lions were
pressed into their defensive end for the entire
second half. They were able to create morechances at Laingsburg and even out the
possession quite a bit.
The Lions faced another tough GLAC
match Monday, hosting Lansing Christian.
The Pilgrims scored an 8-0 win over the
Lions.
Maple Valley was scheduled to visit
Bellevue for a non-conference match
Wednesday (Sept. 15) and will host its Maple
Valley Invitational Saturday.Hastings soccer scores draws
with Charlotte and Pennfield
The Hastings varsity boys’ soccer team will
hit the road for an Interstate-8 Athletic
Conference match with Jackson Lumen
Christi this afternoon (Sept. 16).
The Saxons had their Tuesday afternoon
trip to Coldwater postponed this week.
The Saxons are still going after their first
Interstate-8 Athletic Conference victory of theseason. Hastings finished deadlocked in its
past two games.
Charlotte and the Saxons finished in a 3-
draw Saturday in Hastings. That came two
days after the Saxons and Pennfield Panthers
finished in a 4-4 draw in their I-8 match-up in
Hastings. Hastings has another Saturday
morning match at Allegan this weekend.