THE HASTINGS
Thursday, April 21, 2022Trojan girls sweep singles
flights in win over Scots
The Thornapple Kellogg varsity girls’ ten-
nis team swept the four singles flights and
took a win in a super tiebreak at second dou-
bles to secure a 5-3 win over the Caledonia
varsity girls’ tennis team on a blustery after-
noon at Caledonia High School Thursday,
April 14.
First singles player Charlotte Nelson led the
singles sweep for TK taking a 6-2, 6-0 win
over the Scots’ Payton Lee.
Sophia Beckering bested Caledonia’s Lydia
Sowerby 6-2, 6-2 in the second singles match.
At third singles, TK’s Hailey Dudik scored a
6-1, 6-0 victory over the Scots’ Erin Zielke.
Holly Carpenter took the fourth singles win
for TK by outscoring the Scots’ Lydia Hess
6-1, 6-2.
The Trojans’ doubles victory came at num-
ber two where the duo of Cailin Wodrich and
Tyne Bufka edged the Scots’ Josie Zomer and
Kiley Bommarito 6-2, 3-6, (10-5).
There was also a super tiebreaker at the end
of the third doubles match. The Caledonia duo
of Allison Weibel and Zoe Fleming took that
one over TK’s Jamie DeVries and Trinity
Simon. The Caledonia pair won by the scores
of 6-3, 2-6, (10-6).
Caledonia’s Allyson Abraham and Grace
Geer scored a 6-3, 6-3 win over TK’s Rachel
MacKellar and Heidi Church at first doubles
and the Caledonia team of Abby Duong and
Hailey Markwat bested TK’s Emma Thomp-son and Kendall Snyder 6-3, 6-4 at fourth
doubles.
The Trojans were back at it Friday, falling
8-0 to South Christian in an OK Gold Confer-
ence dual.
The Sailors won in straight sets at all eight
flights. The tightest matches were on the dou-
bles side where the Sailor team oaf Ava Gabri-
else and Chloe Dekam took a 6-4, 6-4 win
over TK’s Wodrich and Bufka at number two
and the South Christian duo of Anjali Diekev-
ers and Dayna Seif scored a 6-3, 6-4 win over
the TK team of Thompson and Snyder at
number four.
Dudik at third singles also battled through
two tough sets for TK, falling 6-4, 6-3 to the
Sailors’ Natalie Northouse.
Olivia Koeman from South Christian took a
6-2, 6-2 win over Nelson in the first singles
match.
The Trojans were scheduled to visit Kenowa
Hills for an OK Gold Conference match yes-
terday, April 20, and will be back in action at
Plainwell for a non-conference dual this after-
noon. TK is slated to see the Fighting Scots
again Saturday at the Caledonia Invitational.
The Trojans will play four duals in four days
in the week ahead, hosting conference matches
with Cedar Springs Monday, Forest Hills East-
ern Tuesday, Grand Rapids Catholic Central
Wednesday and then traveling to Lowell for a
non-conference match Thursday, April 28.Pilgrims edge Vikings at first conference golf outing
Lansing Christian took advantage of its
home course advantage to win the first
Greater Lansing Activities Conference jam-
boree of the season Tuesday afternoon at
College Fields.
The Lakewood varsity boys’ golf team,
the defending conference champions, were
three shots back of the host Pilgrims. Lan-
sing Christian won with a score of 161,
ahead of Lakewood 164, Perry 196, Olivet
197, Maple Valley 210 and Leslie 228.
Viking senior Trevor Simon was the day’s
individual medalist scoring a 38. Lansing
Christian seniors William Combs and Davis
Garrett tied for second with 39s and Pilgrim
junior Baylor Brogan tied Maple Valley
senior Owen Bailey for fourth at 40.
Lansing Christian had five guys among
the top ten scorers for the day and Lake-
wood had four.
Rounding out the top five for the Lake-
wood team were junior Drew Marquoit with
a 41, senior Brody Jackson with a 42, senior
Logan Kenyon with a 43 and senior Liam
Cavanaugh with a 44.
Lansing Christian senior Isaac Haley tied
Kenyon for eighth with a 43 of his own and
Christian senior Caden Kinnas tied Cavana-ugh for tenth with a 44.
Maple Valley got a 52 from senior Ken-
neth Curtis, a 56 from freshman Chris
Mock and a 62 from sophomore Diesel
Curtis.
Olivet junior Dawson Redfield and Perry
senior Caleb Woerner tied for 12th individ-
ual at 47.
Maple Valle is scheduled to host the sec-
ond GLAC jamboree of the season this
afternoon, April 21, at Centennial Acres in
Sunfield. The Lakewood team will head to
the Lakeview Invitational Saturday and then
host a GLAC jamboree Tuesday, April 26.Saxon soccer team shuts out its first four opponents
Brett Bremer
Sports Editor
The Saxons didn’t allow a single goal
against in the lead-up to the start of the Inter-
state-8 Athletic Conference girls’ soccer sea-
son.
Hastings was scheduled to visit Pennfield
Wednesday, April 20, to open conference
play. The Saxons were 4-0 on the season
heading into that game.
Hastings bested Wellspring Prep in Grand
Rapids 7-0 Monday after a 2-0 win over vis-
iting Lakewood Saturday morning in Hast-
ings. The Saxons scored shutout victories
over Delton Kellogg and Ionia prior to spring
break.
Hastings head coach Tim Schoessel said
Saturday’s contest was a really good, back
and forth ballgame with both the Saxons and
Vikings getting a few solid chances on goal.
Saxon goalkeeper Dekota Blough saved all
five shots on her net.
The contest was deep into the second half
when the Saxons’ Lauren Lamphere finally
broke the scoreless deadlock with a goal. Not
long after, the Saxons Reagen Morrison was
able to get a touch on a breakaway and with the
Viking keeper down and out of the goal which
gave the ball the chance to roll across the line.
The Saxons’ match Monday against Well-
spring Prep was back and forth for about the
first ten minutes and then Hastings started totake control of the game.
Morrison scored first for the Saxons and
then would go on to finish the match with
four goals. Lamphere scored three times.
Lamphere had two assists as well, and Bri
Barnes, Sage Winters and Lexi Gummo each
added an assist.
Coach Schoessel started to shuffle his line-
up near the midpoint of the match, getting
defenders some chances on offense and mov-
ing attackers back.
Blough had five saves once again.
Hastings is slated to host Coldwater for an
Interstate-8 match Friday evening and then be
at home against Kelloggsville for a non-con-
ference contest Tuesday, April 26.Saxons win handful of events at 82nd invite
Valerie Slaughter
Contributing Writer
The Hastings varsity boys’ and girls’ track
and field teams hosted the Annual Hastings
Invitational with a group of over 600 athletes
from ten schools, the event carried on for the
82nd year in the wind, rain and cold on a
blustery April Day.
Hastings head coach Brian Teed said he
was “proud of all the athletes from all the
schools after competing in the weather that
we had. They all remained respectful and
helpful to one another and the officials. The
boys ended up with several placing in the top
three, which is a big deal for such a large
meet.”
The Hastings boys placed third in the team
standings and the girls fifth.
The Saxon boys’ team had two athletes that
finished in first place for their events. Layton
Eastman won both the 110-meter high hurdles
(16.90 seconds) and the 300-meter intermedi-
ate hurdles (43.43), and Daniel Weatherly
finished first in the shot put (41 feet 9 inches).The Saxons’ Robby Slaughter was second
in the pole vault by clearing 12-0, and the
Hastings boys’ 4x100-meter relay team of of
Slaughter, Aiden SaintAmour, Zane Warner
and Reuben Solmes also finished second in
47.17 seconds behind only the team from
Mona Shores.
Hastings’ Charles Nickels finished third in
the high jump clearing 5-6 and the Saxon
4x800-meter relay team of Caleb LaBoe,
Nickels, Jonah Teed and Kearen Tolles fin-
ished third in 9 minutes 6.10 seconds.
Finishing in fourth place for their events
for the Saxons were Slaughter in the long
jump, and the 4x400-meter relay team of
Nate Kohmescher, Nickels, Teed and Tolles.
Winning the boys’ competition was Vicks-
burg with 940.5 points and Hillsdale finished
with 936.5 points for second place Hastings
had 934 points in third place ahead of Char-
lotte 932.5, Grand Ledge 856.5, Belding
763.5, Mona Shores 617.5, Grand Rapids
Track Club 466, Perry 296 and Maple Valley
218.
Every athlete who finished in an event
scored for their team. Teams could enter
three athletes into each individual event and
one team into each relay.
Saxon coach Brian Teed said, “we had two
mental mistakes that cost us a bunch of
points. If we could have those back, we
would have won the meet easily, but then
again probably other teams could say the
same thing. We are very young, so we will
learn from them and be better at the next
meet. After seeing our guys battle through
the elements, I’m excited to see what hap-
pens when spring actually shows up.”
The Saxon girls had only one individual
finishing first in her event. Allison Teed won
the 100-meter hurdles in 16.36 seconds.
Teammate and fellow hurdler, Addey Nickels
finished second in the 300-meter low hurdles
in 52.18. The Saxon 4x200-meter relay teamof Madison Nino, Addey Nickels, Isabelle
Roosien, and Allison Teed also finished in
second place with a time of 1:55.34 behind
only Vicksburg. Nickels followed that up by
placing fourth in the 200-meter dash in
28.42.
Nino also finished in third place in the
long jump with a mark of 15-8.5.
Coach Teed was happy with the girls’
team.
“The team meet is designed to award deep
teams. We had eight individual slots open
and two relays. It shows, finishing in the tophalf despite those openings, that we have
some quality athletes,” coach Teed said.
Winning the girls meet was Grand Ledge
with 939 points, followed by Vicksburg with
910.5, Belding with 852, Charlotte with
764.5 points and Hastings with 732.5 points.
The Mona Shores girls were just two points
back in sixth place with a total of 730.
points, ahead of Hillsdale 456.5, Grand Rap-
ids Track Club 441, Perry 272 and Maple
Valley 127.5.
As a combined team the Saxon boys and
girls were fourth on the day.Hastings' Reuben Solmes (center right) and Maple Valley's Evan Brandenburg take off at the start of the 100-meter dash during
the Hastings Invitational Friday inside Baum Stadium at Johnson Field. (Photo by Valerie Slaughter.
Saxon senior Allison Teed races to a victory in the 100-meter hurdles during Friday
afternoon's Hastings Invitational. (Photo by Valerie Slaughter)
The Saxons' Robby Slaughter (right) works to get the baton to teammate Aiden
SaintAmour in the 4x100-meter relay Friday at the Hastings Invitational. (Photo by
Valerie Slaughter)The Saxons' Addy Nickels looks to get the baton from teammate Madison Nino
during the 4x200-meter relay Friday at the Hastings Invitational. (Photo by Valerie
Slaughter)