Vikings’ Sienna Surber signs with Florida State to play Softball
By Larry Jacobson, JTV Sports Okay, that did it… The last-gasp winter snowstorm that rolled through Jackson this week – one that resulted in a temperature plunge of almost fifty degrees in forty-eight hours – finally pushed Jackson High senior Sienna Surber over the edge. She has committed to playing college softball at powerful Florida State University in Tallahassee – and she’s excited to leave the harsh Michigan winters behind her. “Oh, I’m used to them by now,” Sienna said. “But the Florida weather was definitely a factor in my decision.” And it was a decision she never imagined making. “When Florida State first contacted me I was a little confused,” she said. “I wasn’t sure they were actually talking to the right person. I had to tell (FSU Head Softball Coach) Lonnie Alameda , ‘hey, I’m Sienna Surber in Michigan. You realize that? Do you have the right person?” But the Seminoles did indeed have the right person and all it took was one visit to the campus to convince Sienna she had found her collegiate home. “I went to a softball camp there in December and I absolutely fell in love with the place,” Sienna said. “I fell…
Albion’s Paul Lewis tabbed for MIAA track award
Photo by Lowell McGinnis Albion College distance runner Paul Lewis has been named the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association’s Men’s Track Athlete of the Week in the wake of his performance during the league’s jamboree meet April 12. A senior who prepped at Albion High School, Lewis won the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase by nearly 14 seconds in a time of 9:15.83, and finished second in the men’s 5,000-meter run in 15:04.18.
Albion College Men’s Track & Field Notes
ALMA, Mich. (April 12) - Vandercook Lake graduate Josh Lowe scored in three jumping events and Albion High School graduate Paul Lewis won the steeplechase as Albion College finished third in the men's standings of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Track & Field Jamboree. Lowe sailed 21’ 6” to win the long jump and he finished third in the triple jump (41’ 6 ½”) and high jump (clearing the bar at 6’ ¾”). Lewis cruised to first place in the steeplechase, completing the race in 9:15.83 for a 14-second margin of victory. He also finished second in the 5,000 meters.
Lumen Christi’s Khari Willis Named JTV Sports Player of the Year
By Larry Jacobson, JTV Sports When Lumen Christi Boys Basketball Coach Rich Karasek saw Khari Willis practicing as a freshman, he knew he was watching a unique talent. “When I saw him working out as a freshman, I knew he would be something special,” Karasek said. And Willis, JTV Sports Boys Basketball Player of the Year, is just that – even though his coach loses sight of him on the court sometimes. “There will be times when I physically can’t see him,” Karasek said. “Khari is one of the best anywhere at driving to the basket, and there are times when he’ll drive into the lane amongst all those big guys and he’ll just disappear. Then the ball goes in the basket or he passes to a teammate for an open shot and I’ll find him again.” Willis, one of the best on-ball man-to-man defensive players in the state, is the engine that drives the Titan machine. This year he averaged 14 points, almost 8 assists, 5 rebounds and nearly 3 steals a game for a Titans team that finished 23-2 with back-to-back conference and district championships. Lumen Christi spent several weeks this year as the number one ranked team…
East Jackson’s Kassidy Blough named JTV Sports Player of the Year
By Larry Jacobson, JTV Sports When East Jackson Girls Basketball Coach Meeka Sova was asked to highlight a couple of big moments this year for junior guard Kassidy Blough – JTV Sports Girls Player of the Year - she didn’t know where to start. Was it the night Kassidy hit a pair of free throws with three seconds left on the clock to beat Napoleon? Was it the second game against Napoleon when she scored 29 points? How about the night when she scored 35 in a game? Or is it the fact Kassidy is the first Trojan girl’s player to score 1,000 points (she has 1,105 in her career) and she’s only a junior. It’s all of the above, and yet it’s also none of it. “What makes Kassidy so special is her understanding of the team,” Sova said. “She’s our quiet leader and she leads by example, but she knows so much of what she has accomplished is because of the players around her.” Sova pointed to a game earlier in the year in which the media focus was entirely on Blough and her accomplishments that particular night. The junior guard, however, wanted nothing to do with that…
Lumen Christi’s Willis Named AP Class B All-State
Lumen Christi Junior Point Guard Khari Willis was named to the Associated Press All-State Class B Team. Willis averaged 14 points, 5 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game. The Titans finished the 2013-14 season with a 23-2 record, including a district and conference championship.
Area Girls Receive All-State Honors
Class B Honorable Mention - Angela Hubert, Lumen Christi Class C Honorable Mention - Kassidy Blough, East Jackson Class C Honorable Mention - Bailey Manis, Homer
Lumen Christi vs Wayland Union
Wayland Union 58 Lumen Christi 51. Photos by Ryan Kerwin, JTV Sports. Click above photo to launch gallery.