By Sean Budlong
Schoolcraft High School enjoyed another successful fall sports season, including some eye-popping Eagle performances.
The Schoolcraft football team completed its second consecutive undefeated regular season. While outscoring its opponents 426-71 over nine games, the Eagles shut out three different teams, and beat three state-ranked teams on the road.
Schoolcraft hosted Constantine in the first round of the Division 6 playoffs and exacted revenge against the school that eliminated it during last year’s playoffs. In the 40-28 Schoolcraft victory, Ricky Clark accounted for six touchdowns (four passing, two rushing) and Nolan Anspaugh had 120 receiving yards. Jakob Huysken, Spencer Fox, Aaron Lenning, and Collin Tone led the defensive effort that ended the Falcons’ season.
The second round of the playoffs matched Jackson Lumen Christi (which won the state champion final at Ford Field) against Schoolcraft on the Eagles home field.
Over the past two seasons, Schoolcraft has only lost two of 21 football games, both overtime playoff losses. The future looks bright for the Eagles. Many key players – Huysken, Jack Hunt, Phelps, Shaink, River Fox, Reilly Puhalski, – return. They will be looking to defend their division championships and advance even further in the playoffs.
Volleyball Takes Second Place in the SAC
The Schoolcraft volleyball team finished the season with a 34-14-2 record, good for second place in the SAC during the regular season. After ending the regular season with a 11-1 league record, the Eagles finished fourth in the tournament.
The Eagles beat Lawton in the first round of District play before falling to Centreville 3-1 to end the season. Schoolcraft finished as Honorable Mention in the Class C final rankings. The Eagles were led by three seniors – Jessica Budlong, Madie Hybels, and Sophie Woodhams. All three seniors were three-year varsity players, and played a total of 15 playoff matches during their high school careers. Sophomore Kelsey Feddema and freshman Andelyn Simkins were impact players all season. Simkins led in kills.
Soccer Team Shows Big Improvement
In only its third season of existence, the Schoolcraft boys’ soccer team had a very strong year. While finishing 8-8-1 (6-4 in conference play), the Eagles were able to compete with state-ranked teams like Kalamazoo Hackett, Hartford, and Kalamazoo Christian. Schoolcraft finished with five shutout victories and a strong outlook for future success.
The Eagles were led by an outstanding senior class. Jason Feddema, Alex Fitzsimmons, Nic Freer, Kameron Snyder, Cameron Faulk, Devin Matheny, Jared Lynch, and Connor Abell were leaders on and off the field. Freer, Faulk, and Snyder were counted on to score goals, while Fitzsimmons and Matheny were always involved in the scoring plays even if they were not given credit. The Eagles played an extremely difficult schedule, and Feddema, Lynch, and Abell were counted on to keep the team’s attitude positive and the play competitive.