As the Winter season comes to an end, we at West Michigan Allstar would like to thank all of the fans, parents, Athletic Directors, coaches and players who have been so gracious and supportive all year long.  You are the lifeblood of high school sports in West Michigan.

With the support of the tremendous West Michigan community, this season we created a place in which high school sports was again all about the people – the parents, fans and schools around West Michigan who work so hard every week to create a great athletic experience for athletes.

Now the question is: where to from here? If you are interested in building on the momentum you’ve started here, WMA’s partner Varsity News Network (VNN) has a way to get involved.

VNN is building a high school sports media network for athletes in West Michigan.  A media network in which all athletic events are covered because students, athletes, parents and schools control the coverage.

Newspapers and mainstream media can’t keep up with every team in West Michigan. Instead of relying on Mlive.com or your local paper to cover your school’s athletics, nominate your school to be included in VNN, to make sure that your school’s athletes receive the recognition they deserve.  For an example of how this works, read how Forest Hills Central high school covered six sports in five days.

Eight schools around West Michigan are already working with WMA as part of the Varsity News Network, including East Grand Rapids, East Kentwood, Forest Hills Central, Forest Hills Northern, Grand Rapids Christian, Hamilton, Kalamazoo Central and Mona Shores.

To nominate your school to be involved, email info@varsitynewsnetwork.com.

Read a case study about East Grand Rapids high school’s experience in the Varsity News Network.

The future of the school newspaper:

VNN is also an opportunity for students to gain experience in online journalism. WMA correspondent Drew Sullivan is a perfect example of the talent in West Michigan high schools, which can flourish if given opportunities like these. Drew has been with WMA all season long and has created over 20 posts including game coverage, district previews as well as profile pieces!

Getting your school involved is easy.  Just go to http://varsitynewsnetwork.com/interested-in-program/ to find out more.

Professional images from this game are available free for your Facebook profile from Murray Photography.

Top-ranked Rockford contained Buccaneer powerhouse running back Dalton Stenberg in the first half.  They didn’t stop him, but they exercised some level of control.  They contained him on the first drive of the second half.  And then he woke up with a bang.  Stenberg rattled off two runs for 46 yards and his second touchdown of the night, sparking Grand Haven to their first victory over Rockford since 1999, final score: 26-23.

“It’s no secret that there’s some bad blood between Grand Haven and Rockford football teams,” said Stenberg, who finished with 132 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries.  ”This is huge.”

No kidding.  And more than simply beating the Rams, it was how Grand Haven did it.  Let’s all take a moment and appreciate this.  Friday night Rockford’s aerial wizardry clashed with Grand Haven’s bruising ground game.  Yes, those teams are in the right places; it only looks like opposite day.  It’s funny how quickly things can change.

After Rockford got out to an early lead on a 4-yard run by Connor Darby, Grand Haven senior Trent Hitsman, checking in at a massive 5’9” and 170-pounds, bulldozed a Rockford linebacker at the goal line to cap off a 7-play retaliation drive late into the second quarter.

The Rams answered in only four plays, quarterback Mark LaPrairie finding Josh Reinke in the back of the endzone for a 20-yard touchdown.  LaPrairie has an elite arm, and even as a junior already has a command of the field that typically takes quarterbacks much longer to develop.  LaPrairie finished 15-24 for 252 yards and two touchdowns.  193 of those yards came to receiver Neil VanderLaan, a hiccup-quick senior receiver for the Rams.

But apart from an 83-yard touchdown pass between the two late into the third quarter, the Rams were only able to muster nine yards in the second half.  Not nearly enough to keep up with the Buccaneers, who absolutely ripped up the ground game on the Rams.  While the winning team wore different jerseys, in the end it was the same story in this historical O-K Red rivalry — three-yards and a cloud of dust.  Only, in Stenberg’s case,  it was 5.28 yards.

Grand Haven’s surprise dual threat

He’s not Denard Robinson, but for a guy primarily known for his pocket passing, Grand Haven quarterback Adam Poel can scoot.  He’s got decent speed, and in coach Mike Farley’s shotgun read offense, Poel has the weapons around him in Hitsman and Stenberg to force defenders to stay on their man.  As he continues to get more comfortable making those reads, look for him to continue to have success on the ground.  Imagine a Bucs team with four legitimate threats running the ball.

Munger’s flexibility

A characteristic of a great coach is being able, and perhaps more importantly willing, to tailor your offense to the strengths of your players.  Despite his historical affinity to the misdirection running game, coach Ralph Munger’s gameplan was geared to leverage LaPrairie’s elite arm all night.  The Rams threw 4-wide and 5-wide sets at the defense, and LaPrairie patiently picked the Bucs apart.  Despite the loss, the Rams are still an elite team in the state.

Professional images from this game are available free for your Facebook profile from Murray Photography.

West Catholic trounced Forest Hills Northern in their O-K Blue conference opening game, 51-0.  Lance Buitendyk was the star of the show for the Falcons, with four total touchdowns to his credit (three rushing, one passing).

The story of the game is best told via the dramatic photojournalism of David Chandler Photography.  Action prints from the game can be purchased from DavidChandlerPhoto.com.

Powerful running attack by #23 Jalin Faison started early and opened-up the passing game nicely.

Cam Wysocki looks for an open target that was hard to come by with credit to the West Catholic defense.

W. Catholic took Northern out of their running game by scoring quickly and regularly. It made for tough work for the FHN air attack.

#8 Lance Buitendyk was banged-up early but made a strong case for MVP in my humble opinion.

#8 Lance Buitendyk connecting with #83 Zack Smith with a 25 yard pass play that opened-up the offense in the first half.

#83 Zack Smith with another deep ball from #8 Lance Buitendyk.

West Catholic started with the running game, then went to the air. Both were effective.

]]> http://westmiallstar.com/2010/09/photo-journal-west-catholic-runs-over-forest-hills-northern/feed/ 1 http://westmiallstar.com/2010/09/top-20-wm-quarterbacks-from-week-2/ http://westmiallstar.com/2010/09/top-20-wm-quarterbacks-from-week-2/#comments Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:59:40 +0000 Ryan H. Vaughn http://westmiallstar.com/?p=5763 From high-volume gunslingers like Zen Zimmer of Newaygo to models of efficiency like Grand haven’s Adam Poel, successful quarterbacks come in all breeds.  But one thing remains constant: a good one can carry a team, particularly at the high school level.  Check out the top-20 quarterbacks from week-2:

(Incomplete info: Zen Zimmer, Boyd Meeker, Ryan Hobby, Shawn Keller)

Check out the top-20 rushers and receivers from week-2 too.

Jaylin Staten from Grand Rapids Christian and Wade Paris from Fremont are based on incomplete data, so if you have corrections, please let us know in the comments.

Check out the top 20 rushers here, and the top 20 quarterbacks here.

Oh, and look who made the list this year at number three…

In high school football, two things are certain: successful teams are made in the weight room and Metallica is most definitely playing on the stereo. So, I think it’s time we Fade to Black and visit the next conference on our list.

KENOWA HILLS PREVIEW (8-2): Two-time conference champ Kenowa Hills will be without several key pieces from last year playoff team. On defense, four-year starting defensive back (RB, WR, LB, and QB, too) Justin Ford is now playing at Bowling Green State University. The versatile Ford snagged two interceptions and an honorable mention all-state team.

On offense, the Knights go into battle with only one returning offensive lineman, senior guard Jamie Dupuie, to protect senior quarterback Brenden Carey. Carey will have returning junior running back Kitwana Clark (5’10 190 lbs.) who made a name for himself with six touchdowns against Mona Shores last season. Much of the Knight’s success rides on the phenom’s legs. Returning with Clark is senior running back Tito Wingfield (5’9” 170 lbs.), another powerful threat.

“Kit is a physical, well-balanced runner,” said head coach Scott Van Essen. “Tito is only 170 but plays like he’s 200. Both of them spent a lot of time in the weight room.”

Van Essen noted his offensive line and defensive backfield will be young but should learn quickly.

“We moved some kids around, and with guys up front, it’s just going to take some time to develop. Our defensive backs, athletically they’re there, but your going to learn from mistakes.” “Out of the nine schools we play, five run the spread or a version of it. You have to take advantage of the athletes you have. When teams have that, you need guys who can run.”

“There’s a big opportunity to change a game late in the fourth quarter.”

If it comes down to late in the game, Clark and Wingfield are two game-changers I’d want on my team.

“All we think about is Sparta,” said Clark. “We’ve been ready for a long time. After that last game against Muskegon, we had three weeks, and we’re in the weight room for Sparta. This is all for them.”

“We’re ready for anyone who’s ready to go.” [Now that’s the kind of passion I like to hear.]

MONA SHORES PREVIEW (5-4): Speed will be key to several teams in the OK-Black. The Mona Shores Sailors have the elusive senior Tad Golliver back at quarterback. The kid can move. But we’ll have to wait a few weeks into the season to see the electrifying athlete. And if he can shorten his throwing motion, the Sailors should march across the field with ease when he comes back. Golliver has a big, fast target in sophomore tight-end Carter Simpkins (6’5” 200 lbs.). I think we’ll hear “Golliver to Simpkins for a long-TD” a lot this year.

HOLLAND PREVIEW (5-4): It looks like the Holland Dutch will be that ground team. And for very good reason. The Dutch return six linemen including both big tight-ends junior Scott Tackett (6’3” 200 lbs.) and senior Kodee Hof (6’4” 230 lbs.) and all-league honorable mention junior center AJ Anderson (5’10” 270 lbs.). Senior quarterback Jordan Medellin (5’6” 170 lbs.) will have no problem hiding behind his big offensive line and sneaking through holes. Though there are 12 guys vying for three running backs jobs, the Dutch have a little extra weapon to use in sophomore Corey Willis.

“He’s a do it all kind of guy,” said head coach Shawn McManus. “He has the speed and agility. He can run, catch, cover on defense, return punts, return kicks, everything.” “Just get him the ball.”

Defensively, the Dutch are a bit young and will need to grow quickly to cover the rest of the conference. They do have a young leader in junior middle linebacker Nathan Ricketts (6’3” 215 lbs.) Ricketts led the team in tackles last season. He visited Michigan State University earlier this year.

FOREST HILLS CENTRAL PREVIEW (2-7): Hard work makes a winner. Forest Hills Central’s new head coach Greg Ganfield seems to agree. “I’m very pleased with the off-season. We challenged these kids physically and mentally, probably more than they’ve ever been. That’s what it takes.”

Ganfield comes to Forest Hills after leading a newly combined Pontiac team to the playoffs and earning All-Metro North Coach of the Year. With the Central Rangers, coach Ganfield may have the pieces he needs to build a high scoring offense. Returning at quarterback is senior Jack Shull (5’10” 185 lbs.) who’ll have to make some changes going from an option heavy scheme to the spread offense. But like most of the OK-Black, he’s got huge targets to throw to. Senior wide receiver Mick VanVossen (who committed to MSU for baseball) stands at 6’2” 170 lbs. Next to the future-Spartan stands junior Marques Mondy at 6’4” 175 lbs.

“If they want to put eight guys in the box, we’ll go over them. We’ll spread teams horizontally and vertically.”

An experienced offensive line should give Shull enough time to play long ball with VanVossen and Mondy.

Defensively, the Ranger’s will lean on junior defensive end James Nutter and senior captain Matt Denko to anchor the defensive line.

UNION PREVIEW (1-8): Now, a team that’s got me real excited to see is Union. I know they went 1-8 last year and 2-7 the year before, but something tells me second year head coach Aaron Bailey is molding a mighty Red Hawk team around junior quarterback Chaz Carpenter.

“We’ve got a lot of guys out this year,” said senior running back Max PeWee. “The guys are excited to see the no-huddle offense and the shotgun. Chaz has an arm and good accuracy.”

A big target on Carpenter’s radar will be 6’1” 180 lbs. senior wide receiver Rachid Visser. Visser runs 4.5 in the 40-yard dash. On defense, the Red Hawks return most of their secondary including senior Xavier Watson.

“We fly to the ball fast. Our speed, coming everyday to practice and working hard will make us tough.”

REETHS-PUFFER PREVIEW (1-8): Our final stop in the OK-Black is the Reeths-Puffer Rockets, who are probably the youngest team in the conference. With just 11 seniors on last season’s roster, the Rockets could use their youth to propel them.

Arguably one of the most unpredictable conferences in the Ottawa-Kent mega-conference, the OK-Green has seen a different champion in each of the last four seasons. Four. Actually, five different teams in four seasons. Byron Center, Byron Center & Hamilton, Holland Christian, Zeeland West, and the Muskegon Big Reds (now a member of the OK-Red.)

BYRON CENTER PREVIEW (9-2): Page one, the Byron Center Bulldogs. Last year’s co-conference champs return not one, not two, but three of their top rushers in 2009. Seniors Zac Cross (5’9” 155 lbs.), Derek Sievers (6’2” 225 lbs.), and Austin Haight (6’ 160 lbs.) all return to a run heavy offence.

“They’re all different runners,” said head coach Marc Cisco, entering his second year at Byron Center. “Zac is a darter. He’s going to get around you. Derek’s a big, strong kid with good hips.” “Austin may be the most gifted runner. He’s got nice moves and explosiveness.”

Seeing that Sievers did launch the discus over 177 feet to give Byron Center the Division 2 track title, I’d definitely agree.

Be on the look out for another Cross, though. Garrett Cross, that is.

“Garrett’s basically a bigger version of Zac. He’s a very good athlete like Zac so there’s a lot of brotherly competitiveness.”

But you can’t run without a strong offensive line. Luckily for the Bulldogs, two familiar faces will be back in the trenches. Senior center Ryan Stankey and senior guard/tackle Tyler Schauer look to clear a path for their three-headed Bulldog backfield.

That same three-headed also brings experience back on defense. Sievers returns at linebacker, Haight at corner, and Zac Cross at safety. Byron Center’s defense was key to their success last year as they kept six teams to just a touchdown. The ‘Dogs are hungry for a rematch with East Grand Rapids

HOLLAND CHRISTIAN (9-3): Another team with a spot open behind center is Holland Christian. (You know, the same school that turned out Central Michigan’s AJ Westendorp and MSU’s Kirk Cousins.) It looks like that spot’s taken by junior Luke Brower, last year’s JV starting quarterback. First year head coach Josh Rumpsa, who’s been with the program for six seasons, has a lot of confidence in the three-sport athlete.

“He’s a tall, smart kid with a great arm.”

Brower enjoys the continuity of having his offensive coordinator at head coach.

“Nothing’s really changed offensively or defensively,” Brower said.

But senior running back Jeff Vroon wants to change one thing: taking their 9-3 team and turning it into their 14-0 title team from 2008.

“Vroon has a lot of experience and knows what it’s like. He has some moves, too. Not a power guy but not small. He’s going to juke you out of your shoes.”

Holland Christian lost 27 seniors from last year, but coach Rumpsa likes what he sees in the weight room with senior wide-out Reid Compagner and senior defensive lineman Troy Rietsma leading the way as vocal leaders. Senior Carter Woodwyk will lineup next to Compagner at wide-out and Rietsma at defensive end.

“He’s 6’4” and a strong guy,” said Brower.

HAMILTON PREVIEW (9-2): Starting seniors are never easy to replace. With QB Evan Mudd and RB Aric Spotts long-gone, the co-conference champion Hamilton Hawkeyes have big shoes to fill on offense… and on defense with linebacker Adam Koning now playing at Grand Valley State. Somehow, I still think the Region VI Coach of the Year will find a way to compete.

One strength head coach Chris Myers does have is an experienced offensive line. Seniors Pierce Velderman and Will Braschler return at guard, and senior Cody Buresh returns at right tackle. Seniors Josh Littell and a slimmer Casey Wabeke should fill in the rest of the line.

The Hawkeye’s defensive line should also be strong with John Norris, Dylan Raymond, Wabeke, and Buresh all returning. But again, their backfield is depleted.

Week one against Coopersville should tell us a lot about the Hawkeyes.

ZEELAND WEST PREVIEW (5-4): We might see the dominant power-T offense at Zeeland West that we saw in 2006. Junior Joe Gaiser, and seniors Colin Overweg and Zach Voet all return. All three rushed for 83 yards or more against Hamilton last season, and I wouldn’t expect anything less from the older and stronger backs. Oh, did I mention the state winner in the 400-meter (junior Daniel Pung) is also vying for the starting QB job? Let’s wait and see.

“Our style is all about being athletic,” said head coach John Shillito. “It’s never about size.”

Coach Shillito likes the skill they return, but is still molding his offensive line with what he calls their cookie cutter approach.

“All of our guys are about 6-foot, 200 lbs.” ”It’s just about moving the pieces.”

Senior Mike Langeland saw time at center last year and has grown a little bit. Jake Westhouse is back at guard and Alex O’Connor is back at tight-end.

“There’s a lot of good skill in this league. We face very aggressive defenses, Byron Center, Hamilton, and even Zeeland East. There’s a lot of competition.”

ZEELAND EAST (5-4): Speaking of competition, this may be the breakout year for Zeeland East. After splitting with West five years ago, the Chix have gone 5-4 the last two season behind a strong offensive line that saw two student athletes move on to college ball. Sophomore Patrick Banks (5’9” 270 lbs.) and senior C.J. Barense (6’3” 280 lbs.) are two big guys that should be able to close that void.

Going from 1-8 to 5-4 two seasons ago was a huge step for the Chix. Third year coach Derek Pennington attributed the jump to the number of athletes now trying out.

“A lot more kids are coming out. That’s the first step. Getting them to run track and develop them as athletes is a goal of ours.” “We’re not thinking about what’s behind us but what’s ahead tomorrow.”

Two positives heading into the season for the Chix are third-year running backs Brad Horling and Keegan Den Uyl. Casey VanHoof and T.J. Van Dyken also give coach Pennington experience at quarterback.

On defense, the Chix may have the best safety in the conference with Horling, a two-time all-conference player.

HUDSONVILLE UNITY PREVIEW (5-4): Hudsonville Unity was on a crusade of its own last year until late in the season when it dropped three of four games to put them out of the playoffs. With powerful Evan Westrate (6’2” 220 lbs.) returning for his senior year at running back, the Crusaders hope to not repeat history. They’ll face Byron Center, Hamilton, and Zeeland East again this year and in the exact same order. Senior Caleb Ellens give the Crusaders a speedy back to shadow Westrate, but they’ll both have to put on their dancing shoes until their new offensive line gets comfortable.

Defensively, the Crusaders have a lot of new faces, too. They only have one returner at each line of defense: senior Alex Morrison at defensive tackle, senior Matt Bordewyk at linebacker, and Ellens at corner. There’s a tough crusade ahead for the young team.

WYOMING PARK PREVIEW (2-7): It’ll all be about execution for the Vikings in 2010. Senior quarterback Brock Vander Klay and junior running back Lonnie Fields need to be on the same page as their inexperienced offensive line if they want a piece of the OK-Green. Fields is a physical, shifty runner while Vander Klay knows how to balance the Viking’s running and passing game. He lost a weapon in wide receiver Matt Tompsett to a knee injury but still has senior Ricco Hall and several other possession wide recievers. [Note: The Vikings do have another tall receiver who displayed some wheels at their scrimmage last week. But without a roster, we’ll have to wait until they face Middleville this week to hear his name.]

WYOMING ROGERS PREVIEW (0-9): Playing the role of comeback kids this year are the Rogers Golden Hawks. The Hawks hope transfer quarterback Jared Osbeck (5’10” 170 lbs.) can start the comeback in storybook form against his former team, Godwin Heights.

“[Jared] has a good arm and some speed,” said junior running back Ryan Andrews. “But he’s got a lot of heart.”

Heart and good old-fashion hard work are what the Golden Hawks are building their program on.

“Everybody’s putting more time in. More guys in the weight room doing more reps at everything. We’ve speed it up.”

Running the triple-option takes a lot of speed and a cohesive team, but that’s exactly what they’ve been working on with Osbeck, Andrews, junior running back Joe Mattone, and wide receiver LaQuan Smith (6’ 180 lbs.). Smith may be the fastest player on the team so he’ll also line up at cornerback on defense.

“Our team motto is, ‘Be better today than you were yesterday,” said Andrews. “We will be.”

Since it’s launch in January of 2009, West Michigan Allstar has been the recipient of a tremendous amount of support from the high school sports community around West Michigan.  What started out as an attempt to gain traction into a blue ocean market and launch a career in sports journalism quickly morphed into a calling to address the increasing lack of media coverage for high school sports.

For pushing WMA toward this end, I want to thank you.

In an effort to address this problem properly, WMA will be joining the Varsity News Network for the 2010-2011 fall sports season and beyond.  With WMA working together with Legends High and a select group of the leading high schools in West Michigan, VNN will be able to take high school sports coverage in West Michigan to an entirely new level.  We’re working to make sure that every high school athlete to put on a uniform gets the kind of recognition they deserve.

This is an important transition in the life of West Michigan Allstar, and if all goes well, in the life of high school sports journalism.  You can still expect the same high level of high school sports coverage that WMA is known for, and at the same address.  But we’re going to look a bit different, and we’ve brought some friends.  It’s all for the good, I promise.

As always, I can’t say enough how much I appreciate your continued readership of WMA.  None of this is possible without incredible amounts of support from the community, and the West Michigan high school sports community has stepped up in a big way.  Thank you.

VNN is out to start a revolution, and we’re honored to have you along for the ride.  Full speed ahead.

(To get your school involved in the Varsity News Network, email ryan@varsitynewsnetwork.com)