Entries for 'Southwest Corridor'

A single afternoon in middle school set Skyler Crespo down a path that would lead to four Individual Finals wrestling championships. It was the day he quit the sport. The withdrawal was brief — only hours, really — but it happened. He ripped his headgear of...

Dave Studer knew he was too small to play varsity football in high school, and when someone approached him about wrestling, “I had no clue what it was,” he said. “I thought they did it in a ring like pro wrestling.” That was in the early 1960s a...

Coldwater High School gymnastics coach Kim Nichols and the many athletes that have been a part of the program over the last decade will probably never fully fathom the impact they’ve had and continue to have on their community.  The scoreboard says it&rsqu...

Two struggling hockey leagues found a perfect match, thanks to the behind-the-scenes work of commissioners, athletic directors and coaches. The Capital Area Activities Conference, a multi-sport league, had just four hockey teams. The Southwest Michigan High School Hock...

Ben Modert’s road to three all-state wrestling seasons and two individual MHSAA Division 4 Finals championships played out to a soundtrack of his own stomach rumblings and the clanging of silverware by those around him consuming everyday meals. The Bronson stando...

With just seven girls on her team, “we’re small but we’re mighty,” Gobles competitive cheer coach Nicole Durr said discussing her Tigers’ prospects this winter. Lack of numbers have not hurt them too much in the past, with the team qualify...

When Paul Mahar was hired to coach at Loy Norrix High School, he had nine returning swimmers on a team of just 14 girls. That was in 2004, and the program was on the verge of becoming a co-op with Kalamazoo Central High School. But Mahar turned the girls swimming &...

When Dick Hamilton signed on to coach the Marshall girls golf team, never in his wildest dreams did he think he would still be doing so 40 years later. “I’m just glad to be alive 40 years later,” he said, laughing.

Losing half its roster following a Division 4 championship season presented plenty of challenges to the Mendon varsity volleyball program this fall. But the resourceful Hornets, led by second-year head coach Heather Bowers, have managed to compete at a high level while...

Olivia Cramer wears her friends proudly — on her leg. When she is not wearing a blade to play volleyball or basketball, the Lawton High School junior wears a prosthetic, but it’s not just any leg.

When students enter one of the social studies rooms at Mattawan High School, they should not be surprised to see a white board full of Xs and Os. It is not a game of tic-tac-toe, just a series of football plays.

There won’t be any halftime ceremonies years from now celebrating the White Pigeon football team’s accomplishments in 2018. There’s no engraved award to display in the trophy case.  But the Chiefs’ 7-3 season certainly rejuvenated the progr...

Wyatt Alwine was one more failed attempt away from having a very bad day at last Saturday’s MHSAA Lower Peninsula Division 3 Track & Field Finals. With some of his adrenaline reserve drained from a long rain delay, the Constantine junior — seeded No. 1 ...

With her bubbly personality and bright smile, Abby Carpenter looks like any other tennis player trying to win points for her team. But the Portage Central sophomore's path to return to play for one of the state's top teams has been anything but typical.

We’re all students at YouTube University now, with information — some useful — accessible from experts around the globe. Centreville senior Tyler Overholt stumbled upon Poland’s two-time Olympic silver medalist in the discus, Piotr Malachowski. ...

When A.J. Jeffries injured her shoulder during basketball season, she was devastated, afraid that she would be watching her teammates instead of playing this softball season. But the South Haven junior catcher opted for physical therapy instead of surgery and, although...

Three years ago, Heath Baldwin was sitting in the stands watching his sister, Hope, play volleyball when he started chatting with head coach Lauren Cholometes’ husband. The current Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep senior had no clue that chitchat would turn into a...

She didn’t envision 79 varsity victories, three District championships, three league titles or a program scoring record at the time. As a young girl in her driveway years ago, Edwardsburg’s Kaitlyn Zarycki just wanted to master dribbling between her legs an...

Four year ago, Gage McGuire sat down with his mother, Carrie, and made a list of high school basketball goals. That piece of paper is still hanging on his bedroom wall, and nearly all the items have been checked. “Looking back on it, I can’t thank her enoug...

The silver lining from tragedy can take a while to come into focus. Searra Inman might not have been searching for it in the days that followed a motorcycle accident that would forever change her life.