Category: My School | Page 556

Napoleon’s Owen ‘Getting Through Life’ Thanks to Sports

April 24, 2020

Napoleon High School senior Tyler Owen takes a look at a pitch during a non-conference game in 2019. Photo by Jeff Steers, JTV Sports. By Jeff Steers JTV Sports (April 24, 2020 8:36 PM) Napoleon High School senior Tyler Owen said that sports helps you get through life. That will come in handy these days. Owen is one of many high school seniors who had his/her career and season cut short due to the coronavirus. School was postponed in March and finally canceled in early April. The Michigan High School Athletic Association canceled all winter tournaments and spring sports a couple of days later. In March, Owen was a day away from joining his varsity basketball team in an MHSAA Division 3 district final at Stockbridge against Leslie. He was a week away from starting practice for his favorite sport – baseball – prior to the cancelation of the season by the MHSAA. “I thought it was going to be a short cancelation and then everything would be okay,” Owen said. “At first it was hard to believe we were going to lose our senior season of baseball.” Owen was part of one of Napoleon’s best baseball teams of all…

Northwest Schools LightUp4Seniors

April 24, 2020

JTV Drone video produced by Teague Gerweck, JTV. (April 24, 2020 4:36 PM) Northwest High School is honoring their 2020 graduates by lighting up Mountie Stadium last night and again next Thursday, April 30. Each Thursday, the stadium lights are turned on at 8:20pm (2020 hours military time) for 20 minutes and 20 seconds. Northwest High School invites you to join by turning on your porch lights or outside lights during the same time period. In a website post, Athletic Director Chris Galloway said, "We love and miss our all of our students but we especially feel for our Seniors that are not experiencing a traditional senior spring. Please be mindful of the Executive Order to Stay Home, Stay Safe and the gates to the stadium will be locked and people are not to be on school grounds. Our thoughts and hearts are with our Seniors. Go Mounties!!!"

Concord Track Disappointed by Season Cancelation

April 21, 2020

Concord High School athlete Vincent Giuliano won the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 4 title in the 200-meter dash in 2019. Photo by Jeff Steers, JTV Sports. By Jeff Steers JTV Sports (April 21, 2020 6:46 PM) Back before 1975, sportscasters and statistics used to decide who was the “mythical” state champions in Michigan High School Athletic Association football. On paper, Concord High School was probably the favorite to win the MHSAA Division 4 state title in boys’ track. Unfortunately for the Yellow Jackets, the season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic and athletes will have to wonder “what if.” “It is a tough year to lose a season … as any year would,” CHS Coach Mike Jurasek said. “I think we would have scored in the 60s at the state meet … which would have been enough to win.” Jurasek – a state-champion track and field coach at Albion High School – is right. The highest total to win a state title in track and field in Division 4 the last five years is 66 points. The average for five seasons is 51.4 points for the winning team. The Yellow Jackets had a number of all-state returning…

Wilcoxson Leaves Western with Nearly a Dozen School Records

April 20, 2020

Western High School senior Abi Wilcoxson hits a spike during a Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 2 regional tournament game last fall at Onsted High School. Photo by Jeff Steers, JTV Sports. By Jeff Steers JTV Sports Western High School senior Abi Wilcoxson leaves the school with nearly a dozen school records. But it is hard for the senior to comprehend what has happened in the last few months. “It still hasn’t sunk in yet,” Wilcoxson said of the COVID-19 pandemic canceling the spring sports season and classes. “Our athletic director told me on the last day of school (before it was postponed in March) that this ‘could be your last day in high school.’ “I wish I would have believed him and soaked it all in.” Wilcoxson is one of a number of seniors in the Jackson County area who have had his/her seasons and careers ended when schools were closed for the remainder of the year in April. A couple of days later, the Michigan High School Athletic Association followed suit and canceled the remainder of the winter tournaments and spring seasons. Wilcoxson has set five softball school records at WHS and six in volleyball. She will…

Brzezinski is the Wind of Positive Change at EJ

April 18, 2020

East Jackson High School golfer Alexis Brzezinski concentrates on a shot during practice in the fall of 2019. Photo by Jeff Steers, JTV Sports. By Jeff Steers JTV Sports (April 18, 2020 5:24 PM) If there is one athlete who could weather the winds of change caused by the coronavirus pandemic it would be East Jackson High School senior Alexis Brzezinski. Consider the last four years. Brzezinski has gone from a novice golfer to a two-time all-state player. She helped lead the Trojans to a district title in softball for the first time in a quarter century. And the Trojans advanced to the state semifinals in Division 4 bowling this last winter. All the while she has maintained a 4.0 grade point average in school and learned a few things about being a leader from a class. But Brzezinski and a number of seniors won’t be able to defend that district title in softball this season. The spring sports season was canceled after schools were closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. “What was happening in China caught my attention in January,” Brzezinski said. “I thought we could come back (to school) for sure, but I guess we underestimated the problem…

Sayles Learns Perseverance, Mental Toughness Through Athletics

April 17, 2020

Napoleon High School student-athlete Katie Sayles, left, talks with Coach Brian Beaman during a bowling match earlier in the year. Photo by Jeff Steers, JTV Sports. By Jeff Steers JTV Sports (April 17, 2020 5:14 PM) Napoleon High School senior Katie Sayles said she has learned perseverance and being mentally tough through participating in sports at the high school level. Case in point, despite not having the prototypical athletic build, she is a two-time state qualifier in track and field. She finished ninth at the state meet twice – the top eight earn all-state honors – missing out by a couple of inches each time. And when school was canceled for the remainder of the year and Sayles cannot work out in Napoleon’s weight room, she uses a broom and two five-gallon buckets filled with liquid for weight training. Talk about making the best of testing situations. Sayles is one of the many senior student-athletes who had their season and career cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic. The virus has shut down all of the United States and forced a lot of changes at different levels. But the Napoleon – soon-to-be – graduate has moved on emotionally, already able…

VCL Softball Players Missing out on Repeat Attempt

April 16, 2020

Anne Leach of Vandercook Lake High School takes a cut during a softball game in 2019. Photo by Jeff Steers, JTV Sports By Jeff Steers JTV Sports Like most high school seniors, Vandercook Lake High School student Kaely Howard was ready for school to be over. But not like this – senioritis on steroids. When school was closed for the remainder of the year because of the COVID-19 pandemic a couple of weeks ago, and the Michigan High School Athletic Association followed suit Howard knew her sporting days at VCL were over. Howard and Anne Leach – both four-year starters for the Jayhawks’ varsity softball squad – were left to say “what if.” Longtime Coach Tim Hoffman said Howard, Leach, and third-year varsity player Olivia Applegate were scheduled to be tri-captains for the Jayhawks this season. “I was pretty upset to be honest (when the season ended before it started),” Howard said. “I wanted the (senior) year to be over, but not like this.” Vandercook Lake surprised a lot of teams by winning the Cascades Conference in softball a year ago. It was the first conference title in softball since 2004 for the Jayhawks as they posted a 12-2 conference…

Anderson Presents Webinar on Importance of Sleep

April 9, 2020

Napoleon High School graduate Todd Anderson talks on the importance of sleep for high-performing athletes during a webinar on Thursday. Photo by Jeff Steers, JTV News. By Jeff Steers JTV News Napoleon High School graduate Todd Anderson wanted to put everyone asleep during a webinar for CG Sports Management on Thursday. That is figuratively not literally. Anderson was a guest host for an hour-long webinar on the importance of sleep for high end athletes. The webinar was called Snooze, You Don’t Lose and more than 300 participated in the webinar. Although the webinar was geared toward high-end athletes, the information was good for everyone in the battle of getting a good night of sleep. His wife, three-time Olympic swimming medalist Katie Hoff, introduced Anderson to the audience. Anderson said he studied the subject as part of his own self-learning. He knows the importance of sleep for optimal performance on the playing fields and pools. Anderson earned a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University in health studies. He was a walk-on at MSU and eventually started as a fullback. “There is not a lot of information on the subject of sleep,” Anderson said after the webinar. “I looked at studies…

MHSAA Cancels Remainder of 2019-20 Winter & Spring Seasons

April 3, 2020

(April 3, 2020 2:25 PM) The Michigan High School Athletic Association has canceled the remainder of the 2019-20 Winter and Spring sports seasons, in compliance with the Thursday (April 2) “state of disaster” directive by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer closing school buildings and moving education online for the remainder of the school year to help decrease the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. This will be the first school year to not see MHSAA Finals played in multiple sports since 1942-43, when World War II led to the elimination of Finals in most sports. The MHSAA on March 12 suspended its girls and boys basketball, girls gymnastics, boys ice hockey and boys swimming & diving tournaments amid COVID-19 concerns. All activity in all sports was halted March 13. Spring sports to that point had begun practice, but not competition. The MHSAA’s Representative Council approved during its Winter Meeting on March 27 a series of concepts for completing the Winter tournaments and an abbreviated Spring season, contingent on the lifting of a statewide quarantine. The closure of school buildings into June made those possibilities void. The MHSAA’s Executive Committee, comprised of officers of the larger Council, affirmed the decision today (April 3) to…

PGA Schedule Sets up Well for Stuard … If They Play

March 25, 2020

Napoleon High School graduate Brian Stuard follows through on a drive during the Rocket Mortgage Classic last year. Photo by Jeff Steers, JTV Sports. By Jeff Steers JTV Sports (March 25, 2020 6:26 PM) PGA Tour player Brian Stuard will have nearly two months off as the Tour canceled or postponed 11 events following The Players Championship due to the Coronavirus outbreak in the United States. The PGA Tour is scheduled to start up at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas. That could play right into Stuard’s hand as Fort Worth is his new hometown and the Rocket Mortgage Classic is the following week. “It sure would be nice to play those tournament (the Charles Schwab Challenge and the Rocket Mortgage Classic) to restart the season,” Stuard said via phone on Wednesday. “I know I will be playing a lot of golf this summer.” But the abrupt break in the Tour – the PGA canceled The Players Championship after round one – was “bizarre” according to Stuard. He heard about the cancelation on Thursday, March 13, after shooting 2 under par in the first round. “It was about 9:45 on Thursday night and I was ready to go…

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