One of the premiere leagues in the entire state will be up for grabs tomorrow night at Rockford High School as the Eagles of Hudsonville will seek revenge against Rockford and grab a lead in the OK Red. Both teams enter at 10-3 on the year, and 7-1 in conference play. Rockford suffered its lone loss last Friday at home to West Ottawa 48-43 while the Rams handed Hudsonville its only loss back on Jan 7th 49-34. That game gives the Rams the slight edge confidence wise in this one and would seem to imply that they have less to lose in this game. That isn’t how High School sports works however, if Rockford splits with Hudsonville, their early January victory will mean nothing assuming the Eagles can finish out the year unbeaten.

Both teams face similar challenges the rest of the way having to go on the road to 3rd place East Kentwood (Rockford on the 21st and Hudsonville on the 24th), who is 11-2 on the year but lost at Rockford and Hudsonville earlier this year. This game should provide us with a great idea of who will escape with the league crown baring a major toe stub by the winner. Hudsonville may have the tougher road solely because they have to travel to Muskegon whereas Rockford will play them at home.

The Eagles will be looking to re-live some of the great memories they created in this building during last years Regional Championship victory over Muskegon. Hudsonville was a young team last year that got hot at the right time after an up and down regular season. The core of that team is back this year however and appear to be firing on all cylinders heading into this match-up. Blake Hibbitts leads the Eagle attack with a major contribution from junior center B.J. VanLoo, both of whom stand above 6’6″ and will give Rockford’s big men nightmares. The Eagles ability to also throw Hunter Price, last years Regional hero, into the paint gives them an advantage in a slow, low scoring game. Brad Lidgard will most likely draw the unenviable task of guarding Chad Carlson all night who has been struggling of late (outside of Tuesday night’s game with Grandville). If Hudsonville can work the inside-outside game the way they did in the first half of the first meeting they have a great chance to walk away with a W, if not then they may be forced into bad shots by the stingy Ram defense.

Hudsonville celebrating 2011's Regional Champonship at Rockford.

Rockford is led by their defense, no questions asked. The OK Red reminds me a lot of the Big Ten at the NCAA level for both Football and Basketball. They are all big schools, with big athletes and every win in league play is earned, not taken. With regards to Basketball you may not always see the prettiest offensive display and that is where people like to knock this conference but these teams are built for playoff runs not for lighting up scoreboards. Defense is a must in this league and nobody does it better than Rockford. Chad Carlson does provide much of the offensive production and is a deadly shooter from the corners (or anywhere inside of half court..) but first year Coach Nick Allen does have other key contributors to go along with his point guard. Mitch Caywood and Chase Fairchild have combined for 23 three-balls on the year and Ivy Johnson and Aaron Weston split much of the time at center with both doing many things above average. The key for Rockford starts at the defensive end as Hibbits can light you up quick from deep but a heightened awareness for the outside game will free up Price and Van Loo in the paint. Carlson will need to find baskets, either by himself or by setting up other shooters.

The Rams tightened things up in the second half of the first meeting outscoring the Eagles 30-15 after intermission and will hope to at worst keep things close early on. Hudsonville will need to top 45 points tomorrow to have a chance in my eyes. I just see them needing to apply some pressure to Rockford that they simply can’t do by scoring 30 some points. Hudsonville is no slouch on the defensive end either, and I know Coach Eric Elliot will be sure that his squad is up to the challenge of slowing Carlson and company. WMA will be all over this one as I will be out with full coverage while collecting video and our newest addition Rusty Yonkers will be behind the lens snapping some great pictures for our fans! Be sure to check back Friday night to see our jam-packed coverage of this OK Red title bout.

Hudsonville has been fighting all season to get their shot at the OK Red Conference title, and this Friday night they will get that chance when they hit the road to take on the Rockford Rams in what promises to be a classic. However, in order for that game to hold it’s value, the Hudsonville Eagles had to come out tonight and take care of business at home against fellow OK Red opponent, the Jenison Wildcats. Hudsonville head coach, Eric Elliot, made sure that his squad would not be caught overlooking this game, and had his team completely focused at the current task at hand. The Eagles came out and executed from tip-off to final buzzer and were able to put away the Wildcats to a final score of 71-55.

Although the game was a bit closer than the final score, and 16-point margin of victory might show, Hudsonville did seem to be in control of this one the whole time. The Eagles flew out to an early 5-0 lead in the games opening moments, and never gave up the lead for the entire game. In fact, after the first quarter, the score only got to within 5 points one time. Hudsonville had a clear size advantage with four players at 6’5 or taller, and they were able to work the ball into the paint very efficiently, while also hitting just about every open look that was given to them from the outside as well. Balance must be the mantra over at Hudsonville, as four different players were able to score over 13 points, in contrast to Jenison’s two.

Blake Hibbitts lead the way for the Eagles with 16 points and 8 boards, and right with him was BJ Van Loo who added in 16 of his own. Jake Bull also had a very impressive night with 15 points and 4 rebounds, and rounding out the bunch was Cody Stuive with 13 on the night. What was most impressive to me was the ability for big men like Hibbitts (6’6) and Stuive (6’5) to step out behind the arc and knock down some long balls, as both players were able to connect on three 3-pointers a piece.

For Jenison, the constant good all night was that Eric Evans was able to do what he always does; score points. Lots of them. Evans racked up a game high 23 points on the night, and did everything he could to keep his team in this one for as long as he could. Evans and the Wildcats also received substantial help from sophomore forward Luke Diekevers who chipped in with 14. Tyler Fredricks also was able to cash in on a couple spot up three’s and was able to finish with 8 points.

Jenison was able to stay around 7 to 11 points down for the majority of the game, and with Evans on, you had the sense that they could sneak back into the game at any given point and time. With only two minutes to go in the third they were able to do just that as a run lead by Evans and Diekevers had them down just 5 with the score 47-42. Hudsonville quickly put an end this as Stuive and Hibbits hit back to back 3 balls to give themselves an 11 point lead, and completely squash every ounce of Jenison’s momentum.

Hibbitts rises up above the rim

Hudsonville never looked back from here. They rode momentum into the fourth, and a breakaway two handed slam from Hibbitts put them up 61-45 and put an exclamation mark on the win as the crowd went nuts.

The OK Red match-up we have been waiting for is now set, as the now 10-3 Hudsonville Eagles, look ready as ever to take on the conference leading Rockford Rams. Jenison on the other hand, drops to 3-10, and has seemingly lost all real chance of the OK Red title.

Two weeks ago Davenport University was able to snag one of the top Forwards in the state in Northview’s Kevin Rich. The 6’6″ Wildcat is in the midst of his 4th varsity season at Northview, a team who has it’s eyes on an OK White crown in 2012. Davenport Head Coach Burt Paddock has high praise for Rich at his signing, “Kevin is going to be an incredible addition to our program for the next four years,” said Paddock.  “He is really a jack of all trades.  He is very unique in that I am not sure he is great at any one thing but REALLY good at nearly everything.  He has a high basketball IQ and is big enough to play around the basket yet athletic enough to play out on the floor.  Most importantly we are extremely excited about his competitive spirit.  In watching him throughout last summer it was increasingly evident we wanted and needed him to be a part of our program.” When this news broke we sought out Kevin to get his story as he plays through his senior year.

What was it about Davenport that made you decide to persue your future there?

When I looked at Davenport, they fit everything I wanted in terms of basketball and education as well. First of all, I love the coaching staff. Coach Paddock is very honest and he seems to get along with his players very well. Another thing is that they win. It’s always more fun to win and they have been very consistent with that. The location is also great because my family will still be able to come watch me and it’s just far enough where I get to move away, but at the same time it is very easy to come home if I need anything.

You guys had a great year last year and have to be thinking about being even better this year. What are some of your goals for 2011-12?

We were very excited coming back this season after winning a district championship last year and returning so many guys. We have a great opportunity ahead of us but we still have a lot of work to do. Right now we are focused on competing for an OK-White conference championship. We would also like to make a deep run in the playoffs but that’s looking forward very far and we need to focus on one game at a time.

What’s it like playing with Darren Kapustka on a nightly basis? What does he bring to your team?

I’ve been playing on the same team as Darren since 2nd grade. It’s always been fun and it’s really cool now to look back and see how far we have come since then. He brings so much to our team every night. He is a great player and is extremely smart when it comes to the game of basketball.

How do you plan on fitting in at DU? What role do you think you’ll have as a freshman? Any things you’ve been told to improve upon during your senior season?

I think I will fit in very well at Davenport. With the loss of this year’s senior class, I think I will have a chance to earn a spot in the playing rotation right away. I have the ability to play multiple positions so I think that will really help me have the opportunity to get playing time early. They haven’t given me any specific things to work on. Strength, shooting, and ball handling are 3 things that I think can always be improved so I will continue to work on those.

What has playing at Northview meant to you as you look to graduate in the spring? What does it mean to be a Wildcat?

This being my 4th year playing on varsity for Northview, I have been through a ton. It has gone by so incredibly fast and looking back on everything, there is so much to be proud of. The community support is great and that has made it even more fun. All of the guys who I have played with have always been great and playing for Coach Chalmers has been great. Everything about Northview has just been great.

The Wildcats roll into Cornerstone tonight to begin play in the Holiday Tournament when they take on Caledonia. The winner will face the Zeeland West and Forest Hills Northern winner on Thursday. Matt Philpott will have coverage from Cornerstone on Thursday night!

The Grand Rapids Christian Eagles had their best football season in school history in 2011 taking home the first league title in school history. The high powered offense scored points by the bunches against some of the best competition in the state while the defense was hard hitting and tenacious all year long. We conducted our annual All Star vote for this years football players in West Michigan and to little surprise the eagles dominated this vote. We decided to honor this team in a special way by delivering their All Star T-Shirts directly to them. The kids were very excited and honored to get their shirts and quickly searched the back to see where their names were. Coach Don Fellows also recieved a shirt for being Coach of the Year and also had some great comments for WMA, “It was a great, fun season.  It’s really cool for these kids to be honored like this and I know they really appreciate it. These are memories they will never forget, and I’m happy to have been a part of it.  Thanks!”

Pictured from Left to Right:

Drake Harris, WR

Kavon Frazier, RB/LB

Robert Cuba, Lineman

Alex Kohorn, Lineman

Joel Schipper, Kicker

Travis Kraai, QB

Don Fellows, Coach

The Playoffs are here and we are just as excited as you are! We look for West Michigan to dominate the state just as they did last year. As any coach will tell you however it’s now one game at a time so we start with week one. Each and every game involving teams in our coverage area is broken down as well as who will be next for the winners. Leave a comment at the end to let us know what you think.

Division 1
West Ottawa (6-3) at Rockford (8-1)

Previous Meeting or Common Opponents: 41-16 Rockford in week 4.

Look for our breakdown of this game on Friday with your chance to vote on who you think will win.

Winner Gets: Grand Haven or Grand Ledge.

Grand Ledge (7-2) at Grand Haven (8-1)

Previous Meeting or Common Opponents: Both beat Grandville by 28.

Why Grand Ledge Wins: They have loads of experience and a defense that can stand tall in key moments. GH could get caught looking ahead.

Why Grand Haven Wins: Too much offense and should be able to keep GL in check on defense. Run or pass Haven will put up points.

Winner Gets: Rockford or West Ottawa.

Division 2

Forest Hills Central (6-3) at Lowell (8-1)

Previous Meeting or Common Opponents: 35-6 Lowell in week 4.

Why FHC Wins: They play smart, disciplined football and run the ball well enough to limit Lowell’s opportunities.

Why Lowell Wins: Because they have too much talent on the field. Gabe Dean is enough by himself in this one.

Winner Gets: Muskegon or Mattawan.

Muskegon (7-2) at Mattawan (8-1)

Previous Meeting or Common Opponents: None.

Why Muskegon Wins: Too much athleticism and speed for Mattawan to handle. Experience will play big here especially if Muskegon jumps out to an early lead.

Why Mattawan Wins: They play the underdog card (although they host) and play like their backs are against the wall. Limiting big plays will also need to be a point of emphasis. Match physicality.

Winner Gets: Lowell or Forest Hills Central.

For more on this game check out a more detailed break down and let us know who wins this one.

Division 3

Kenowa Hills (6-3) at Grand Rapids Christian (9-0)

Previous Meeting or Common Opponents: 45-7 Christian in week 3.

Why Kenowa Wins: Christian allows Kitwana Clark to run as effectively as they allowed David Drummond to run last week.

Why Christian Wins: Because they are flat out the better team. Look for the Christian passing game to have a big night baring any weather concerns.

Winner Gets: East Grand Rapids or Fruitport.

Fruitport (7-2) at East Grand Rapids (6-3)

Previous Meeting or Common Opponents: None.

We previewed this game on Monday, Who do you think wins?

Winner Gets: Grand Rapids Christian or Kenowa Hills

Holland (7-2) at Stevensville Lakeshore (7-2)

Previous Meeting or Common Opponents: None.

Why Holland Wins: Corey Willis has a tremendous game on both sides of the ball. The defense steps up big, which has been an issue with this team at times.

Why Stevensville Wins: They come in via a tougher road. Look for Stevensville to out physical Holland, oh and they are home.

Winner Gets: Zeeland East or St. Joe’s.

St Joseph (7-2) at Zeeland East (8-1)

Previous Meeting or Common Opponents: None.

Why St Joe’s Wins: The defense finds a way to stop one aspect of the Chix offense. Stopping both is nearly impossible but if they can stop one aspect while limiting another they have a chance.

Why East Wins: Sour taste of last years exit will be huge, also the fact that they are loaded won’t hurt. St Joe’s two losses came to better teams plain and simple; Zeeland East is a better team.

Winner Gets: Holland or Stevensville Lakeshore.

Hastings (7-2) at Battle Creek Harper Creek (9-0)

Previous Meeting or Common Opponents: None.

Why Hastings Wins: Harper Creek stubs their toe. It’s just hard to envision Hastings having a chance here especially with the travel.

Why Harper Creek Wins: They are the #3 team in this bracket (Mt. Pleasant #2, GR Christian #1) and the only team in the bottom half of said bracket with over 100 playoff points.

Winner Gets: Mason or Sturgis.

Division 4

Ludington (6-3) at Escanaba (6-3) 1pm Sat.

Previous Meeting or Common Opponents: None.

Why Ludington Wins: Boyd Meeker has a great game for the O’s. They have been fighting for their playoff lives since week 5 and have thrown up 3 straight shutouts.

Why Escanaba Wins: Ludington’s travel will have a big impact; it’s a long ride (and extra night’s sleep) to think about one game. QB Austin Young is a human highlight reel.

Winner Gets: Alma or Chippewa Hills.

Whitehall (6-3) at Sparta (7-2)

Previous Meeting or Common Opponents: None.

Why Whitehall Wins: The Vikings come from a brutal league in the West Michigan Conference. Antwan Burks is a stud at RB for Whitehall so his impact will be vital.

Why Sparta Wins: Sparta is interesting because in their two losses they have been manhandled (42-2 against West Catholic and 45-7 against Comstock Park). The Spartans need to be on their game or Whitehall will ruin their season.

Winner Gets: Spring Lake or Comstock Park.

Spring Lake (6-3) at Comstock Park (7-2)

Previous Meeting or Common Opponents: Both lost to 5-4 Coopersville, SL lost 49-35 while CP lost 14-13.

We broke this one down on Wednesday, Who comes up with the big win Friday?

Winner Gets: Whitehall or Sparta.

 South Christian (5-4) at Zeeland West (9-0)

Previous Meeting or Common Opponents: Unity Christian, SC won 34-28 while West won 36-6 over the Crusaders.

Why South Christian Wins: Although the Sailors come in at 5-4 they are a tough team and had Catholic Central on the ropes for much of that game. The Sailors can win by stopping the run, ok slowing the run, limiting the run..?

Why West Wins: The Dux have proven to be superior all year long and are not afraid to show that on the scoreboard, a sign of a team that is serious until the game is out of hand. This game should be theirs rather easily.

Winner Gets: Catholic Central or Unity Christian.

Unity Christian (6-3) at Grand Rapids Catholic Central (8-1)

Previous Meeting or Common Opponents: South Christian, Unity lost 34-28 while Catholic beat the Sailors 16-7.

Why Unity Wins: They effectively run the ball while maintaining an early lead. Once they fall behind it will be hard or nearly impossible to catch this Cougar team.

Why Catholic Wins: Catholic is loaded as always but I look for these playoffs to be a coming out party for Junior Ryheem Stokes, keep and eye on #2.

Winner Gets: Zeeland West or South Christian.

Division 5

Wyoming Kelloggsville (6-3) at Reed City (9-0)

Previous Meeting or Common Opponents: None.

Why Kelloggsville Wins: The Ground game and trio of running backs will need to have a huge night against a very tough Reed City defense.

Why Reed City Wins: This team is loaded and has a stifling defense against weaker foes, 5 of their nine wins came by allowing 8 points or less.

Winner Gets: West Catholic or Manistee.

Manistee (6-3) at West Catholic (7-2)

Previous Meeting or Common Opponents: None.

Why Manistee Wins: The Chase Smith to Laketon Bellinger aerial connection provides many big plays. West Catholic may get caught a time or two.

Why West Catholic Wins: They have been here before and are looking to repeat. The Falcons have their own aerial attack but look for Jalin Faison to have a big game here.

Winner Gets: Kelloggsville or Reed City.

Hopkins (6-3) at Berrien Springs (7-2)

Previous Meeting or Common Opponents: None.

Why Hopkins Wins: Berrien comes in on a two game losing streak after being 7-0, which takes a toll on an ego.

Why Berrien Springs Wins: The play of QB Alex Padla and the overall team speed.

Winner Gets: Dowagiac or Parchment.

Division 6

Morley-Stanwood (8-1) at Shelby (8-1)

Previous Meeting or Common Opponents: None.

Why Morley Wins: The Mohawks are a tough team suffering their only loss to Reed City by 4 points. Shelby will have their hands full.

Why Shelby Wins: Honestly, because I think they have to in order to validate what they did all season long in the WMC (just my opinion however).

Winner Gets: Clare or Sanford Meridian.

 NorthPointe Christian (6-3) at Oakridge (8-1)

Previous Meeting or Common Opponents:  None.

Why NorthPointe Wins: They lost all three of their games to playoff teams which says two things; They are a good team and they have yet to beat a better team.

Why Oakridge Wins: They are tough, very tough and will deliver a daunting physicality. Oakridge is a very good team.

Winner Gets: Montague or Calvin Christian.

Montague (7-2) at Calvin Christian (8-1)

Previous Meeting or Common Opponents: Both beat North Muskegon, Montague won 19-0 while Calvin won 14-7.

We previewed this game on Tuesday and want your thoughts on who moves on.

Winner Gets: NorthPointe Christian or Oakridge.

Division 7

Ravenna (5-4) at Pewamo-Westphalia (9-0)

Previous Meeting or Common Opponents: None. But Ravenna is 2-0 all time including a win in last years playoffs.

Why Ravenna Wins:  The Bulldogs feel they have been given a gift by getting in at 5-4 on the year and have a knack for making a run in the playoffs. Last year they beat Westphalia in this very game and will look to repeat history.

Why Westphalia Wins: The Thelen brother’s (QB Justin and RB Alex) have helped this team score over 350 points on the season.

Winner Gets: Saranac or Springport.

Division 8

Saugatuck (9-0) at Muskegon Catholic Central (8-1)

Previous Meeting or Common Opponents:

Why Saugatuck Wins: Because of experience, and the bad taste last years final left in their mouth. The Indians have scored no less than 41 in a single game while giving up 16 as a high in their opener.

Why Catholic Wins: The Crusaders are back and will actually host the unbeaten Indians. Catholic has seen every kind of team you can throw at it and have been up for the task in all but one of those games, they will not be surprised by Saugatuck.

Winner Gets: Mendon or Lake Michigan Catholic.

Our parent site Varsity News Network has teamed up with Wood TV to create the ‘Capture the Spirit’ contest. Each week fans submit their photos and videos to VNN’s Facebook page and the ten best will be featured in a photo gallery on WMA. Fans will get a chance to vote on the best photos/videos and weekly winners will be chosen. At the end of the year all the winners will enter into a new fan vote with the winners taking home a HD Flip camera ($150 value). Check out VNN’s Facebook page for more details and to submit your schools spirit photos.

Here are the week 6 submissions:

Abrakadoodle Art Education with some great work for FHN fans!

More Huskie pride from Abrakadoodle Art Education.

Kenowa Hills student section via Rachel Resterhouse.

Will VanFossen drills one home against Unity, Tim Reilly.

Mona Shores pumps it up. Rachel Resterhouse.

Rachel Resterhouse with some Mascot agression.

Shores fans ready to celebrate a big win! Rachel Resterhouse.

Rachel Resterhouse captures the heart and sould of the Sailors team.

We’ve complied nominations over the last week or so and thank you all for your contributions. We know there are plenty of names we missed and welcome any more nominations into our comment section below where they will then be added as soon as we get them in order to get as many votes as possible. Pass this link around to get as many votes as you can for your favorite players! Voting will end Wednesday October 26th!

Quarterback

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Running Back

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Wide Receiver/Tight End

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Linemen

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Linebackers

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Defensive Backs

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Kicker/Punter

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Coaches

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Again we welcome a comment about anyone we missed! It’s impossible to include everyone but we want to include all the players that we can so continue to nominate and pass along this link for more people to vote. GOOD LUCK!!

Rockford Ram Quarterback Mark LaPrairie

We caught up with Rockford Quarterback Mark LaPrairie to ask him about the Rams great season to this point as well as his own adversity with the toe injury in the opener against Lowell. We look to see Rockford playing deep into November and Mark’s success will have a lot to do with that.

Week one you guys head to Lowell, biggest game around, you get knocked out of the game. Describe the injury and what that whole process was like for you to go through.

It was pretty tough. We all worked really hard for this game coming into the year and I definitely did not want to watch the game from the sidelines. With around 3 minutes to go in the 1st half, I got sacked and when I did, my cleat dug into the ground while my whole body weight twisted and fell on my left leg. Initially, I didn’t think anything was wrong. I just flipped the ball to the referee from the ground and got up. As soon as I put weight on my foot, I felt an intense pain in my toe. Also, it just felt something was out of joint and bone on bone. It turned out that I had a major dislocation of my left big toe, and it would take some time to heal. It was, as I said, just very hard to sit on the sidelines and watch our team, instead of being proactive and being out there myself.

Describe your roll in getting Kyle prepared to start those games you missed.

I just always gave him tips and pointers during practice and, the best I could, show him how to do things. Kyle’s a very, very athletic kid who’s very competitive and I knew he would do just fine filling in

Your schedule was very tough in the Red to start the year. What does it say about this team that you guys found a way to win all over those games?

That we’re resilient. We needed to bond together during all of those tough openers in order to get a win. West Ottawa, Grand Haven, and Muskegon are all very good teams and if you don’t play well and take care of yourself first, it’s going to be very hard to be successful. We’re a very close knit team this year and I believe that also contributed. Especially during the Muskegon game, our unity was our strength.

What are your plans the rest of this school year and beyond?

Personally, I need to keep working hard in the classroom and take care of my work. I’m not sure on a college decision yet but that will take care of itself here soon. I would like to play football in college and study business management.

How much do you guys talk about last year’s playoff loss and what it’s going to take to end this season in Detroit?

Pre-season it was a very helpful motivating tool. We all knew that just a little more effort in all areas from our team and we could’ve been competing for a state title last year. But last year was last year. During the season, it hasn’t surfaced. Our eyes are on the business at hand. There are very many teams who want to beat us, and we’re going to need to continue our focus as a group to get what we want.

How much pride to you take in playing for Rockford?

I take a lot of pride in the school I attend. I absolutely love our team and our coaches and also my teachers and friends. It’s always great to come out onto the TED on Friday nights in front of our home crowd. That is one of the best parts of being a Ram, the unbelievable fan support. The opportunities we have to reach out to the community are also a blessing. From running a kids camp during July to visiting elementary schools to have fun with kids is just an honor.

The Eagles had high hopes entering the 2011 season but look ahead to a daunting schedule in the OK White each and every year. Once starting quarterback Alex VandeVusse went down with a shoulder injury against Forest Hills Central some peoples thoughts may have changed. That was until Travis Kraai entered into the quarterback roll and led his Eagle team to victory that night. Kraai has blossomed along with this team to amazing heights and currently stand as the #2 ranked team in the state for Division 3. We caught up with Travis this week and asked him a few things about himself, the situation earlier this year and where this team can go in 2011.

First off are you guys surprised to be at this spot right now? Winning games over Lowell for example?

No, we are not surprised to be in this spot right now. We knew coming into this year that if we could stay focused and just play football that we would have something extremely special. Lowell is a great team, and has been for as long as I remember, but we feel like we can play with basically any team around.
What was going through your head when coach calls your number and it’s your turn to go lead this unbeaten team?

When coach calls my number, and it is my turn to be the quarterback, I wasn’t as nervous as I had expected. Our coaches do a fantastic job of making sure everyone is prepared, so I knew that if I just stick to what they’ve taught me we will be fine. Also, I know that I am not going to take as many hits as one might think. I’m convinced that I have one of, if not the best offensive lines around.
Describe to us what it’s like to have a WR like Drake Harris.

Having Drake Harris is amazing. I don’t even know how many times I’ve thrown a poor ball and he somehow came down with it. Also, the rest of our receiving core is fantastic, and having a huge threat like Drake really opens up the field for the other guys.
Who is the heart of this Eagle team? Did you feel a responsibility to take over some leadership roles once you stepped in?

I don’t think that there is one single guy that is the heart of our team. I would have to say that our entire defense is the heart. We rely on the defense so much to make big plays and keep us in each and every game. They do not get enough credit for our recent success. I did not feel too much responsibility to be a leader once Alex got hurt. He was one of our leaders, and continued to be a leader while he was injured. We have so many kids that lead our team, that basically none of the pressure was put on me.
How has Alex dealt with this situation?

Alex has done a fantastic job dealing with this situation. He has been here for me and the team the entire season. He’s truly a great kid, and we get along extremely well. We also play baseball together and have gotten really close over the past year or so.
What can we expect to see from Travis Kraai the rest of this school year?

We, as a team, are just going to try and continue to stay focused, taking this season game by game and just see what happens. We are not, by any means, looking ahead of the game in front of us. I plan to play hockey this winter and baseball in the spring. I have not yet decided where I will be attending college.