Thanks to a four run first, which was capped off by a towering three run Nathan Krikke homer, the Huskies of Forest Hills Northern defeated the Byron Center Bulldogs 5-2, in first-round action at East Kentwood High School’s Jeff Bosma Tournament.

Starting on the mound for Byron Center was Zachary VanTuinen.   VanTuinen found his groove after giving up the Krikke home run, setting down eight straight batters at one point during his five innings of work.  All five Forest Hills runs scored in VanTuinen’s five innings on the mound, as the junior allowed five hits, one walk, while striking out three.  Jacob Tetreault pitched two innings in relief for the Bulldogs, surrendering no hits, walking one and catching two Huskies looking.

Ty Millard got the nod for Forest Hills Northern, the junior was nearly un-hittable through his first six innings of work, allowing just two hits.  Byron Center cracked the armor slightly in the seventh, however, touching up Millard for three hits and scoring their only two runs of the contest.  Millard got the complete-game victory for the Huskies, allowing two runs on five hits, walking four and striking out two.

Forest Hill’s Nathan Krikke and Manny Campbell led the charge on offense.  Krikke was 1-3 at the dish, with the big first inning blast.  Campbell was also 1-3, with a single, drawing a walk and scoring two runs.

The Bulldogs’ offense was led by Jacob Tetreault and Blaine Wierzbicki.  Both were 1-3 with a single and a run scored.

Matt Philpott Photography was happy to bring you coverage of today’s baseball action.  Please contact him for details on how you can purchase prints of any of the photos featured here!  Matt does more than just cover sports for West Michigan All Star!  Be sure to visit his website to check out examples of other photography services he offers, including senior portraits!

This district, hosted by the Hopkins Vikings, has two clear front-runners.  Upsets aren’t likely, but not impossible.

Allegan- The Tigers have had a difficult season, going without a regular season win.  A first round bye, followed by a victory on Wendesday would make them forget about all their troubles.  It’s not like Allegan is completely devoid of offense– the Tigers are averaging a little over 37 points per game, and three players have netted over 100 on the season– Tanner Boysen (132), Shaquille Hill (125), and Trey Clifford (110)– Allegan just happens to play in a super-tough Wolverine Conference which saw five of its nine teams finish the regular season with ten or more victories.  The difficult truth of the matter is that Allegan will likely wind up playing Otsego in their second round game, which will spell the end of their season.

Wayland Union- Wayland Union comes into the District tourney hoping to snap an eight game losing streak.  The Wildcats are led by three-point machine Dilon Aten, who drilled 29 shots from downtown.  Wayland Union finds themselves facing an uphill battle on Monday night, taking to the court against Holland Christian.  If they happen to take down the Maroons, they will play Hopkins on Wednesday, whom they beat by seven in the first game of the season.

Hopkins- The host team of this District, Hopkins, was a team that struggled for consistency.  A win followed by a loss, followed by two wins, followed by a loss… you see the picture.  Clayton Williams paced all other Vikings by scoring 278 points this season.  A bye on Monday means Hopkins just needs one victory to play for the District title.  Unfortunately it is likely they will wind up having to play a difficult Holland Christian team.  The Vikings will get to see just how much of a home court advantage they have come Wednesday night…

Hamilton- Hamilton ended the regular season with a couple of strong offensive performances– scoring 76 against Rogers, 74 against Wyoming Park, and 58 against Coopersville.  The Hawkeyes will need every point of that offense if they want to make it beyond Monday’s game against Otsego.  Nick Kronemeyer and Chris Scholten lead the attack for Hamilton, scoring 230 and 178 points, respectively.  If Hamilton can manage the upset special on Monday night they should have an easy time putting away Allegan on Wednesday, giving the Hawkeyes a shot at winning a District crown.

Holland Christian- The Maroons enter Districts on an 8-2 run. They are one of two teams that should have expectations at winning the District title.  Although Kyle Steigenga (245 points) and Jon Maas (198 points) far-and-away lead their team in scoring, Holland Christian manages to spread the wealth among everybody else– the Maroons have five other players with 50+ points on the season.  Holland Christian opens up on Monday night against Wayland Union.  A win and they play host Hopkins.  Although neither game should be a pushover, the Maroons will likely find themselves playing in Friday’s finale.

Otsego- These guys are hands-down the favorites within this District.  The Bulldogs suffered their lone conference loss on February 21 at Vicksburg.  Other than that, Otsego essentially lay waste to the Wolverine Conference.  Jared Klein was a monster on offense, scoring an amazing 396 points.  Reid Dugan was a force down low, putting up 273 points, while also hauling in 138 boards.  Otsego should have no problem with Hamilton on Monday, same story, different day on Wednesday against Allegan.

Don’t expect any major upsets in the end here.  Although Holland Christian could trip and fall victim to looking ahead, this is Otsego’s District to lose.  A final matchup of Holland Christian/Otsego should be a fun one to watch, so this District won’t be a snooze-fest.  When all is said and done I predict the Bulldogs will come out on top over the Maroons, in a game decided by 5-10 points.

Feel free to give us your predictions below in the comments section!

Despite the hopes of the mostly maroon clad crowd, this game would be anything except one for the ages.  If you believe in spirits, this game may have had all the ghosts inside the old walls of the Civic Center cringing as the Maroons held on desperately to a 17-15 lead at the half after a three by Bulldog senior Aaron DeLange tickled the twine at the horn to cut the lead.  A first half that could be summed up with only one word, ugly, had ended.  However, thanks to both DeLange and Holland Christian sophomore, Kyle Steigenga, the teams were able to reach double digits at the break.  DeLange tossed in 11 of the Bulldogs 15 first half points, while Steigenga notched 9 of the 17 for the Maroons.

In a game that seemed as if both team’s tires were stuck in the mud, it was the resurgent Bulldogs who effectively slowed the game down and grabbed the momentum as the third quarter unfolded.  Again they trailed by two at the end of the third after Holland Christian was able to turn away every effort the Bulldogs made to take the lead.

The Bulldogs, however, stayed true to their name and would not leave the Civic Center without getting a taste of the lead.  After two quick buckets by their leader DeLange, Byron Center took their first lead of the night at 30-28 with 6:00 left in the game. 

Their taste would only last 20 seconds.

Using 6 points from senior Jon Maas and a 3 by fellow senior Connor Leppink, the Maroons went on a decisive 9-0 run that catapulted them to a 37-30 lead with 4:10 remaining.  The Maroons never looked back; the Bulldogs had finally been tamed.

Shooting 15-19 from the free throw line on the night, Holland Christian was able to pull through for a much tougher victory than they would have liked, notching a 43-38 win.  However, a W is a W, and all that matters is who has the lead when the final horn sounds.

The Bulldogs showed heart and effectively executed their game plan in slowing the game down, but unfortunately for Head Coach Jered Crandell and his team, it resulted in another tough loss.  DeLange was the heart and soul for the Bulldogs scoring a game high 27 of the Bulldogs 38 points, but in the end it wasn’t enough.  The 17 points scored by the sophomore Steigenga carried the Maroons to a hard fought OK-Green victory which solidified their 2^nd place standing in the Green at 10-3.

Here is Holland Christian Head Coach Kevin Koeman after the game. (Sorry for cutting your face off coach!)

Grandville and Jenison were both looking for their first OK Red conference win as they squared off on Friday night.  The Wildcats, in fact, were looking for their first win in general, after losing four very close games by a combined ten points.  After clinging to a slim one point margin at the end of the first quarter, the Bulldogs were unable to overcome the Jenison offensive attack, as the Wildcats posted a strong 57-46 victory.

After trailing Grandville by a score of 10-9, the Jenison offense came alive, never being outscored in any of the final three quarters.  The Wildcats‘ attack was led by senior Eric Evans, who brought home 23 points, leading all scorers.  The turning point for Jenison came in the second and third quarters, in which the Wildcats outscored the Bulldogs by a combined score of 32-22, the ten point gap proved to be too much for Grandville to overcome.

Seth Cook led the Bulldogs in scoring, with a team-high 12 points.  Joey Lanning and Sean Rogers each chipped in 10 points.  Jenison‘s Cory Barrigear also scored 10.

Jenison improves their record to 1-4 overall, 1-1 in the OK Red.  Their next action will be on Tuesday, as they travel to West Ottawa.  Grandville falls to 1-4 overall, 0-2 in the OK Red.  The Bulldogs will take to the road and square off against East Kentwood this upcoming Tueday.

Matt Philpott Photography was proud to bring you coverage of tonight’s game.  Please visit his website to learn view other sports action, or to learn more about services he offers!

Zeeland West entered tonight’s game looking to build upon a successful first game of their season.  Conversely, Byron Center was looking to get their season going after a bad loss to open their season.  The Bulldogs fell in a deep hole early on, trailing 12-4 at the end of the first quarter, but came thundering back in the second to send teams to the locker rooms tied at 24.

The Dux narrowly edged out Byron Center during play in the third, despite putting the Bulldogs in the bonus midway through the quarter, and came into the final quarter of regulation with a slim 35-32 lead.  As Byron Center appeared to run out of gas in the final eight minutes of play, Zeeland West’s offense managed its most productive quarter of play, scoring 16 points en-route to a 51-45 final.

Zeeland West ups its record to 2-0 overall, 1-0 in the OK Green.  The Dux will next host cross-street rival Zeeland East on Friday night.  Byron Center falls to 0-2 on the year, 0-1 in the OK Green.   The Bulldogs see action again on Friday night when they travel to Hamilton.

Matt Philpott Photography was proud to bring you coverage of tonight’s game.  Please be sure to visit his website to view more sports action photos, or to learn about purchasing prints!

On a night when defense ruled and offenses struggled to gain any consistency, the Zeeland East never seemed worried.  Being held off the board for majority of the game, the Chix kept their heads up and managed to find just enough offense at just the right time in the fourth quarter, to score a come-from-behind 13-7 victory over the visiting Byron Center Bulldogs.

Zeeland East and Byron Center both traded punts on their first possessions of the night.  Although the Chix second drive stalled just like the first, they had an early scoring opportunity with a 35 yard field goal attempt, with a stiff breeze at their backs.  Gabe Boss‘ kick had the leg but it sailed wide left.  On the ensuing possession, Byron Center put together an impressive 82 yard march down the field, eating up over five minutes of first quarter play.  The drive was capped off when Garrett Cross rumbled into the end zone from six yards out, giving the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead with just under a minute left in the first quarter.

Neither Zeeland East or Byron Center could get anything going offensively during the second quarter.  The Chix first possession ended in a punt, as did the Bulldogs‘.  The Chix second possession of the quarter ended in another punt, as did the Bulldogs‘.  Zeeland East turned the ball over on downs on their final possession of the half, and Byron Center ran the clock out, content to take a 7-0 lead into the locker room.

The second half picked up right where the first half ended– with one punt after another.  Byron Center punted the ball away on each of their first three second half possessions, and Zeeland East had a punt, turnover on downs, and a fumble.  The Bulldogs had a chance to extend their lead on their fourth possession, attempting a 40 yard field goal, but the knuckle-ball of a kick missed the uprights wide left.

Finally, with 8:46 left in regulation, Zeeland East got on the scoreboard, when Casey VanHoof struck Alex Robbins for a 30 yard touchdown pass, knotting the score up 7-7.  Energized by the late score, the Chix defense forced a Bulldogs punt.  Zeeland East’s offense took the field looking to build off their previous possession, and build they did.  On their first play from scrimmage Spencer Viening took a handoff, slipped through the Byron Center defense, and raced down the field for a 43 yard game-winning touchdown.  The extra point kick was no-good, but the Chix found themselves ahead 13-7, their first lead of the night.  There were still six and a half minutes to go and Byron Center looked to possibly have a strong comeback drive, but an ill-timed holding penalty called back a long  Jake Tetreault completion that would have put the Bulldogs securely into Chix territory.  Following the penalty the Byron Center offense sputtered, giving Zeeland East the ball back on downs, and allowing them to run the clock out for a victory.

Byron Center falls to 4-4 on the season following tonight’s loss.  They now stand at 4-2 in the OK Green.  The Bulldogs will host Zeeland West next week in their regular season finale.  Zeeland East improves to 7-1 overall, and 5-1 in the OK Green.  They will host Hamilton next week in what is their final regular season game.

Josh Snyder (#1) and Michael Greenlund (#56) bring the ball-carrier down.

Garrett Cross (white) had 59 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Alex Robbins looks in a game-tying touchdown pass from Casey VanHoof.

Jacob Fuller (#10) and Zack Gnass (#56) wrestle the rusher to the turf

Spencer Viening runs by defenders for his game-winning touchdown.

Matt Philpott Photography was happy to bring you coverage of tonight’s action.  Please visit his website to view photos from this and other games!

Despite the bitter nip of a gusty wind on Friday night, the homecoming crowd at Grand Haven High School was lively and energetic.  The players on the field gave fans plenty to cheer about, as they easily defeated the visiting Grandville Bulldogs 41-13.

Grandville drew first blood, taking an early 3-0 lead thanks to a 30 yard field goal by Alex Crisan on their first possession.  Grand Haven was quick to respond, answering with a 19 yard Scott Staal touchdown pass on their first possession, taking a 7-3 lead.  Both teams struggled to sustain any other first quarter drives, with the second quarter starting with that same 7-3 score.

The Buccaneers extended their lead midway through the second, scoring another touchdown, this time on the legs of Dakota Smith, widening Grand Haven’s lead to 14-3.  Grandville was now the one to answer quickly, putting up a touchdown of their own, with Colin DeKam connecting with Dean DeVries from 17 yards out, closing the gap to 14-10.  With just under two minutes before halftime Grand Haven managed to find the end zone one more time, with Devin Howard scoring on a 15 yard rush, making the score 21-10.

If the Bulldogs were going to remain in the game, they were going to need to hold Grand Haven when they received possession to start the second half.  Grand Haven quickly put a damper on any of those hopes, however, driving down the field for a touchdown in just under two minutes, with Devin Howard finding pay dirt for the second time, this touchdown coming from 14 yards out.  The score was now 28-10 in favor of the Buccaneers.  Grandville did manage to get some points on the board in the third quarter, kicking a field goal with 5:52 left in the third, but that was the last of their scoring.  Grand Haven did score one more touchdown in the third, with Scott Staal tossing his second touchdown of the contest, this one to Matt Kroll from 14 yards out.

Things got interesting in the fourth quarter, but unfortunately for Grandville, it wasn’t due to any sort of comebacks.  With about eight minutes left in the game, the south-east light standard went out.  Officials stopped the game for a brief moment to talk, and the decision was made to continue play with only three of the standards working.  Moments later, the south-west light standard also went out, in the middle of a Grand Haven extra point kick attempt.  The kick, by the way, was no-good, and following a Dakota Smith touchdown run, the score was 41-13, where it remained until time expired.  With half the field now engulfed in darkness, game officials met with both coaching staffs.  The Grandville special teams impatiently took the field, yelling to continue play, and eventually the decision was made to play.  To help keep lighting situations safe, officials decided to have Grandville/Grand Haven flip sides of the field, so Grandville could receive the impending kick in the light.  If their drive were to cross midfield, the first play after the crossing took place would be turned around, so that the offense would now be coming into the light.  Both teams had a possession under these rules, but neither of them had to “turn around.”  Eventually, with only a couple minutes remaining in regulation, both light standards turned back on.

With this loss, Grandville falls to 0-6 on the season, 0-4 in the OK Red.  They will look for their first win of 2011 next week when they host Rockford.  Grand Haven improves 5-1 overall, 3-1 in the OK Red.  They remain in a three-way tie for second, with West Ottawa and Muskegon, both of whom were also victorious tonight.  The Buccaneers will travel to East Kentwood next week.

Colin DeKam rushed for 120 yards, in addition to passing for 190.

Dakota Smith goes up and over the defender for his first score of the game.

Courtney Myers takes the ball up the middle.

Devin Howard ran for 214 yards and two touchdowns.

Ryan Bischoff runs for the outside edge.

Matt Kroll hauls in a touchdown reception.

Dean DeVries surveys the incoming defense.

Scott Staal threw for 98 yards and two touchdowns.

Matt Philpott Photography was excited to bring you coverage of tonight’s game.  Please be sure to visit his website to learn how you can order prints from this fall’s high school football action!

The Bulldogs‘ offense had little trouble with the Golden Hawks‘ defense in the first quarter, as they raced out to a 22-0 lead, scoring on each of their first three possessions.  Touchdown number one came via a six yard rumble by Garrett Cross.  Cross again found the end zone, this time from 23 yards out, accounting for the second Byron Center score of the quarter.  Finally, Jake Tetreault scored on a QB-keeper plunge up the gut from the one yard line, with just over two minutes left in the first.

Wyoming Rogers struggled to establish itself on offense all night.  The Golden Hawks were forced to punt on their first possession.  Their second possession was cut short thanks to a Byron Center interception by Ryan Ashbaugh.  Another punt was the result of their third possession.  Yet another turnover ended the fifth possession, and so on.  Byron Center put strong pressure on Jack Rozema seemingly every time he dropped back to pass, and when Rozema tried to dish the ball off for a run, more often than not there was nowhere for the ball-carrier to go.

Byron Center scored on its first possession of the second quarter, making it four straight possessions ending with a touchdown.  This fourth drive was capped off with a 32 yard touchdown pass from Jake Tetreault to Zach Busing.  Following this score, which made the score 29-0 in favor of the Bulldogs, Wyoming Roger’s defense clamped down, forcing a Byron Center punt and a turnover on downs, during the next two Byron Center possessions.  The Golden Hawks offense, however, still struggled to find consistency.

Wyoming Rogers received possession to start the second half of play, trailing 29-0.  Their drive progressed to midfield before Byron Center’s defense did its best impression of a brick wall, forcing a turnover on downs as they held tight on a fourth and one attempt by the Golden Hawks.  The Bulldogs put yet more points on the board with their first possession of the second half, as Jeff Saltzgarber scored on a 41 yard run.  With the score now at 35-0, a running clock began.  After forcing another Wyoming Rogers punt, Byron Center scored again, this time on the legs of Cody Lenhart, as he ran the ball in from nine yards out.

Quarter number four started with the game already decided, with Byron Center leading 42-0.  The Bulldogs had one more touchdown left in them, with Christian Thompson finding paydirt, making the game 48-0.  The offensive woes continued for Wyoming Rogers, as on their next possession the ball was fumbled away, being picked up by Byron Center’s Justin McCullough.  With possession once more, Byron Center now ran out the clock, mercifully ending the game, with a final score of 48-0.

Wyoming Rogers falls to 1-4 on the season, 0-3 in OK Green play.  They will next face off against the undefeated Zeeland West Dux.  Tonight’s victory puts Byron Center at 2-3 overall, 2-1 in the OK Green.  Their next game will be next Friday as they host the winless Wyoming Park Vikings.

Garrett Cross takes the ball, looking for a hole in the defense.

Tyrease Lewis with a kick return.

Tyler Roon slips just out of reach of the Rogers defender.

Christopher Wisner makes a hole for the rush.

Zach Busing hauls in a pass.

The Rogers defense swarms the ball.

Jake Lancaster loads up for a pass.

Jack Rozema looks for a running lane.

Cody Lenhart wraps up a tackle.

Jacob Dagley races to the outside.

Matt Philpott Photography was happy to bring you coverage of tonight’s action.  Please be sure to visit his website to learn how you can order prints from this, and other, football action!

The teams may have taken the field a day late, but as the saying goes, the show must go on, and that’s exactly what happened as the Grandville Bulldogs went to nearby Hudsonville to play the conference-leading Eagles.  West Michigan All Star was on hand to cover the first game of a rain-delayed double header, and we were treated to a tense, back-and-forth contest.

For much of the game, runs were hard to come by.  Hudsonville jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, but Grandville immediately responded with a run in each of their next two half-innings.  It seemed that as soon as a potential rally would start, the opposing defense quickly managed to record a key out, promptly holding the damage to a run.    Trailing 2-1 in the fifth, the Eagles knotted things back up, just as before, however, the Bulldogs put up a run of their own in the top of the sixth, taking the lead once more.

With just six offensive outs left at their disposal, Hudsonville entered the bottom of the sixth knowing it was do-or-die time, and after being held quiet for much of the afternoon, their bats finally came alive.  The Eagles tacked up three runs, the first time a team managed to score more than one run in an inning.  The inning was capped by a screaming line-drive home run to right.  Grandville was unable to respond in their half of the seventh inning, and Hudsonville walked away from the diamond with the victory in game one, to a final score of 5-3.

Hudsonville pitching held Grandville to only three runs in a victory.

Bulldogs bats were quick to respond to early runs by the Eagles.

The Hudsonville runner dives back to safety on this pickoff attempt.

Both teams had to battle the sun and a strong crosswind.

Timely hitting kept the Eagles within striking distance.

The Bulldogs allowed only one run through the first four innings.

The Eagles defense responded when called upon.

The Grandville runner slides back to first to avoid being picked off on a pitch out.

Fans witnessed a pitching duel for five innings.

A Bulldogs run slides safely across home.

A three-run sixth spelled victory for Hudsonville.

Grandville held Hudsonville scoreless for three straight innings.

Matt Philpott Photography was happy to provide photo coverage of today’s action.  Please visit his website to view additional photos!

Following back-to-back wins over OK Red front runners Rockford and Muskegon, Hudsonville entered their game at Grandville with momentum on their side.  That momentum remained strong as the Eagles easily defeated the Bulldogs by ten, 56-46 on Tuesday night.

Coach Eric Elliott’s Eagles came out of the gate running as they quickly opened up at 20-11 lead at the end of the first quarter.  The Bulldogs, led by head coach Kyle VanderWall, were not about to roll over, however, as they started the second quarter on a 9-5 run, bringing them within five points at the midway point of the quarter.  Any ground they gained in the second quarter was quickly lost in the third, as the Hudsonville outscored Grandville 17-10.

Needing only to eat time, the Eagles slowed the pace of the game down in the final quarter of play.  Grandville tried to save valuable clock time by starting to play ‘Hack-a-Shaq’, but the tactic backfired as Hudsonville shot an impressive 83% (15-18) from the charity stripe.  Free throws also played a significant role for Grandville as they only attempted one freebie all game.

Junior, Blake Hibbitts, led the way for the Eagles, scoring a game-high 23 points and pulling down six rebounds.  He was also a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line.  Also in double digits for Hudsonville were juniors Hunter Prince and BJ VanLoo, each putting up 10 points.

Ben Lanning, a senior, put up a team-leading performance for the Bulldogs, scoring 14 points and hauling in eight boards.  Senior, Davon Wade, knocked in 11 points of his own, including his team’s only free throw.  Caleb Cook, also a senior, drained two threes en-route to an eight point showing.

With tonight’s win Hudsonville has a three game OK Red winning streak going.  They improve their conference record to 6-5, and overall record to 8-8.  They next play conference powerhouse East Kentwood at home on Friday.  Grandville drops to 6-10 overall with the loss, and 3-8 in the OK Red.  Their next action sees them travelling to Muskegon to challenge the Big Reds on Friday.

Cody VanNoord (#2) forces his way in for a layup.

A potential rebound falls just out of reach of Ben Lanning (left).

BJ VanLoo (#42) backs his way into the key.

Davon Wade (#5) drives in from the outside.

Jake Blauwkamp (left), BJ VanLoo (center) and Ben Lanning (right) fight for a rebound.

Blake Hibbitts moves the ball on offense.

Ben Lanning (#10) with two of his 14 points.

Hunter Prince (blue) struggles to get the low shot off, Ben Lanning (white) on defense.

Jake Blauwkamp (#12) takes off to the races after pulling in a loose ball.

BJ VanLoo (#42) hauls in a rebound.

Matt Philpott Photography was please to bring you tonight’s photographs and game recap.  Please visit his website to get info on how you can purchase prints from the game, as well as view additional preview photos.