Friday, September 3rd 2017 Holt at Jackson - JTV Harper Creek at Lumen Christi - JTV Marshall at Western Northwest at Hastings Grass Lake at East Jackson Jonesville at Concord Hudson at Columbia Central Napoleon at Michigan Center - JTV Manchester at Hanover-Horton Springport at Union City Vandercook Lake at Addison
By Mike Moore File Photo by Ryan Kerwin, JTV Sports Staff Writer Jackson — Of all the Week 1 craziness across the state in high school football, few games could have had the intrigue and drama as Jackson High’s did. Up by 28. Tied at 28. A near touchdown waved off. An overtime touchdown for the lead. An overtime touchdown for the loss. That’s the quick version of the Vikings’ 35-34 overtime loss last weekend to Marshall, a loss the guys in orange and black have to get past quickly entering tonight’s battle with Zeeland East. “This is a very resilient group of kids,” coach Scott Farley said. “They came back and had a great week of practice. It was the first game of the season against a good opponent.” And there were positives to take from it, including the play that nearly won Jackson the game. “In reality, we drove the length of the field and scored a touchdown,” Farley said. “We weren’t given a…
SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – The Crossroads League announced that Spring Arbor University’s Bethany Balcer (Hudsonville, MI / Unity Christian) and Lewis Jones (Liverpool, England) have been named the league’s Women’s Soccer and Men’s Soccer Offensive Players of the Week for matches played from Aug. 21 through Aug. 26. Balcer scored three goals and added two assists to help the No. 2 ranked Cougars earn a pair of victories. The Hudsonville, Michigan native scored the game-winning goal in SAU’s 3-0 season-opening win over Trinity International University and tallied two goals and two assists in the 11-0 win against Cincinnati Christian University. Balcer, a two-time NAIA All-American, is now tied for the program’s all-time record for career goals with 64. The Spring Arbor women’s team will host the Cougar Classic on Friday, Sept. 1 and Saturday, Sept. 2. The Cougars are set to play Point Park University (0-0-0) on Friday at 7 p.m. and Lawrence Tech (1-1-0) on Saturday at 7 p.m. Jones fueled No. 14 Spring Arbor's 4-2 upset of No. 5 West Virginia Tech with one goal and one assist in the early-season clash. Jones assisted SAU's first score, before netting the game-tying goal in the second half. The Spring…
By Mike Moore (File Photo) Staff Writer Jackson — This was notable, only because of how troubling the past few seasons have been. In 2016, the Northwest football team went nine weeks without a win. In 2015, the Mounties needed nine weeks to find one victory, which was the exact same story in 2014, when the only win of the year came in Week 9. To add things up quickly, from 2014 through 2016, Northwest went an abysmal 2-25. So, to come from behind and beat Eaton Rapids 16-14 last weekend, well, that’s something to build on. “It’s always big to get that first win, even more so for us as a new coach and a new program,” first-year coach Adam Grybauskas said. “To get that first one and build some confidence moving forward was huge.” It wasn’t easy, either. “We played a solid game all the way around, but when you’re up almost the entire time until the end, it takes some guts to win,” Grybauskas said. Northwest led 10-0 at halftime, but gave up a touchdown with 2:07…
By Mike Moore, JTV Sports Concord — Rivalries are built on past happenings, and in most cases, an even record going back and forth. When it comes to Concord High and Homer football, neither school will likely boast of a strong rivalry, though Homer had taken the fun out of it in recent years, winning six games in a row. That all changed in 2016, when Concord won in Week 2, and then eliminated the Trojans in a Division 7 district final. Rivalry on! Rivalry renewed Thursday night. “We’re pretty excited for the opportunity,” Concord coach Max Clark said of Thursday’s game. “We think Homer is going to be extremely motivated, considering how last year went. We’re going to have to raise the bar in terms of how we play.” After six losses in a row, Concord won last year’s early season meeting 28-26 in a game that was as close as the score would suggest. Then in the D-7 district final, the Yellowjackets cruised to a 48-32 victory. “I think it’s difficult enough on its own,” Clark said of the match up. “But I think they have a great motivation factor having…
Thursday, August 31st 2017 Lumen Christi at Hastings Western at BC Pennfield BC Harper Creek at Northwest East Jackson at Vandercook Lake Homer at Concord - JTV Leslie at Columbia Central Napoleon at Grass Lake - JTV Michigan Center at Hanover-Horton - JTV Reading at Springport Friday, September 1st Zeeland East at Jackson
By Mike Moore File Photo Ryan Kerwin, JTV Sports Staff Writer Michigan Center — When the Michigan Center football team began the 2016 season against Climax-Scotts, coach Troy Allen and his guys had a pretty decent idea what they were getting in a team that went 11-1 the year before and reached the regional final in Division 8. As Allen and his group prepare for Friday’s opener at Climax-Scotts, needless to say, they know exactly what they’re getting. “A tough team that’s very disciplined and knows how to play at home,” Allen said of the Panthers, who went 11-1 last year as well, once again falling in the regional final. “We know how good this team is. We know they haven’t lost at home in 15 years, or whatever it is. At the same time, we feel this is a game we should be competitive in. We feel it’s a game we have a shot at winning.” First things, first. Climax-Scotts has made the playoffs every year since 2003,…
By Mike Moore File Photo By Ryan Kerwin, JTV Sports Staff Writer Jackson— The first week came and went, and the Jackson football team was 0-1. That was 2016, when a loss in the season opener gave way to five wins in the final eight games, and a season ending one win shy of a playoff berth. Scott Farley and his group isn’t about to look backwards, but, as the Vikings prep to move forward with 2017, there’s one resounding theme heading into Friday night’s tilt at Marshall. “We want to get off on the right foot,” Farley said. “It’ so important, especially when you look at the conference we are in and the games we have coming up. With a young team, getting some momentum is going to be key.” Separated only by a quick drive down I-94, Jackson and Marshall have never played before. The Vikings finished 2016 with a 5-4 record and have brought back a whole stable of starters. Marshall was 4-5 last year, and seemed to define close losses. The Redhawks final…
Photo by Ryan Kerwin, JTV Sports Andrea Clark, who has re-written the record book in Jackson women' s golf, is this year's inductee into the Jackson Golf Hall of Fame. Clark will become the 64th member of the hall when the induction ceremony is held at 1:30 on Sunday, September 17 at Sharp Park Golf Course. The public is invited to the ceremony. "Over the past decade, Andrea has dominated women's golf in Jackson like no one before," Hall of Fame chairman Gary Kalahar said." At the same time,she is respected for her sportsmanship and grace in competition. Add to that the way she has given back to the game with her involvement in tournament administration and passing on her knowledge of the game through coaching,and she clearly deserves a place in the hall of fame." Clark joins her husband,2006 inductee Shane, to become the second husband and wife team…
Men’s Tan Division 2 Mullings Roofing 20 Royal Adhesives and Sealants 1. Zack Prather went 3 for 3 with a homerun and 4 RBIs; Mikey Aerris also went 3 for 3 with a homerun and 2 RBIs while Mike “The Crusher” Mendez went 2 for 3 to lead Mullins Roofing. Alec Anderson went 2 for 2 with a double for Royal Adhesives and Sealants. Women’s Plum Division 1 Buzby Builders 3 Moorski’s Pub 3. Hannah Watson went 4 for 4 with 2 doubles; Megan Maurer went 3 for 4 and put on a sliding exhibition; Kalie Lamb went 3 for 5 with a triple and a double to lead Buzby Builders. Courtney Page went 2 for 3; Johanna Cavender went 2 for 2 and Lindsey Ames also went 2 for 3 for Moorski’s Pub. Women’s Plum Division 2 2nd Round Playoff Double Chiropractic 9 Mr. Tunes 0. Laurie Deermyer went 4 for 4 with a double; Megan Richardson also went 4 for 4 while Rachel Conant and Lily Warner each went 3 for 4 to lead Double Chiropractic. Steph Arver went 3 for 3; Chris Todd went 2 for 2 for Mr. Tunes. Championship Double Chiropractic 9 …