Entries for 'Southwest Corridor'

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.

Jaden and Kelby Mabin are fraternal twins, but Matthew and Luke Pelak are identical. All four play on the undefeated Mattawan boys basketball team.  Telling the latter two apart was never much trouble for coach Ward Helakoski, a Mattawan Middle School counselor wh...

As a freshman, Abby House could not decide whether to play volleyball or golf, so she compromised and did both. Little did she know that first dual-sport fall season would put her on track to Comstock High School history.

High fives, music and a hallway full of students gave the Bloomingdale cross country teams an enthusiastic sendoff as they departed for the MHSAA Finals at Michigan International Speedway two weeks ago. The best part? The girls team already had carved out a place in th...

Braden Butler plans to make history twice at Climax-Scotts High School – and he is already halfway there. Butler and his teammates are part of the last 11-player football team at the school.

Monday Run Day for the Colon varsity football team is far from a fun day. But the Magi have embraced the burning in their lungs, the cramps and the piercing sound of the next whistle sure to bring on more agony. The grueling session of sprints follows study hall and we...

Skip Fox figures he and his buddies have the best seats in the house when it comes to Schoolcraft football. And the four have had them for a combined 167 years.