The inaugural season of soccer and a No.1-ranked volleyball team were just a few of the many highlights of Schoolcraft High School’s fall sports season.
In addition, both its cross country teams finished second in the Kalamazoo Valley Athletic Association and the Eagles saw their football team finish with a winning record and trip to the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.
Volleyball Aims for Perfection
The Eagles’ volleyball squad is expected to make a deep run into the post season and hoping to repeat the fate of the school’s 2008 team, which won the state Class C title.
Flynn said senior Marianne Douglas, a four-year starter on the varsity squad, is the face of the program.
“Marianne isn’t big, but, man, she plays big … she pounds the ball,” Flynn said, noting the squad has six seniors and an embarrassment of riches when it comes to depth on its bench. District play starts the first week of November.
Soccer Is In Its First Year
Flynn said though it failed to notch a win, the school’s first-ever soccer team was a fall sports highlight. The novelty of being able to offer soccer was an exciting development for the district. He said the fact he squad showed growth from the start of the season to its conclusion was a noteworthy development.
“You want to win, yes, but if you see a squad growing and developing, you know the wins will start to come,” Flynn said. “If you build a house, you can’t put the roof on first … you start with a foundation and work your way up, and that’s the analogy I like to use when I talk about our soccer team.” The squad did play to a tie twice against Three Rivers. The school will feature a girls soccer team in the spring.
Cross Country
Meanwhile, Schoolcraft’s cross country teams made their presence known in the KVA. Led by Coach Tom Broekema, the squads had different runners every week step up and keep the Eagles in contention.
Flynn singled out senior Matt Ring as “an upper-echelon runner” who consistently placed in the top three. Turnout for cross country was strong, Flynn said, noting Broekema is well liked by his runners and respected by his counterparts.
“Tom is one of those coaches who has the ‘it factor’,” Flynn said. “Kids want to run for him, he inspires them to excel and cross country always draws solid numbers.”