by Justin Gibson | Jun 12, 2018 | Schoolcraft, Sports
Coach Nathan Ferency in action with his Shephard football team in 2017.
By Sue Moore
“Any coach wants to be in a community that values football,” said Nathan Ferency, just named Schoolcraft’s new head football coach.
He comes from the small town of Sanford, in the Midland area. Ferency graduated from Albion College, where he played strong safety and linebacker. He has coached football in Shepherd, a village southeast of Mt. Pleasant, for the last five years.
Ferency said he likes the idea of stepping into a successful program where two Hall of Fame coaches have set the standard of excellence for many years. “It brings some pressures and challenges that I welcome.” His challenge in the Shepherd schools was having just six juniors on his team that went 2-7 last year. Previous to that, he had built a program from the ground up, going 5-4 in 2016 – the first winning season the school had experienced in several years.
He spent a year as head JV football coach and two years as an assistant, also at Shepherd. Coach Ferency also served as the president of the Shepherd Youth Football program, lead the powerlifting team at Shepherd High, and coached high school baseball and softball and middle school basketball. Ferency started his career as an assistant football coach and physical education teacher at Northwest High School in Jackson, where he also served as a varsity assistant softball coach and strength and conditioning coach.
He and his wife Molli and their two boys, Camden, 4, and Ty, 2, will be looking for a home in Schoolcraft as soon as theirs is sold in Shepherd. They are expecting another boy in November. The couple met at Albion College. Ferency said she knew he was headed into the coaching field. She bought into it and is his biggest, most enthusiastic supporter. He will join the high school staff in Schoolcraft as a physical education and health teacher.
by Justin Gibson | Jun 12, 2018 | Schoolcraft, Sports
By Sue Moore
The Schoolcraft Eagles baseball team’s record is 16-11 overall and 6-6 in the SAC conference. Coach Larry Phelps said Marc Shaink has pitched very well. “Jett Gott and Connor Nutt have been leading our offense along with Dalton and Wyatt Adams. With a very young team, we are working hard to improve our defense and be ready for the district tournament on June 2.”
Schoolcraft plays Lawton first, then the winner of the Galesburg, Parchment, Comstock bracket. “Everyone is a team to beat at tournament time. We just have to control how we play and not who we play,” Phelps said. The team will advance to regional play after winning their district contests last week.
by Justin Gibson | Jun 12, 2018 | Schoolcraft, Sports
By Sue Moore
Schoolcraft has a core group of soccer players who are young and looking to work hard to better themselves, according to their head coach, Brian Ladd. They will be there for a new head coach; Ladd had stepped in to help out this year although he formally retired from coaching in 2017 when his kids graduated.
The team includes juniors Corrine Mullens and Lily Hendershot, sophomore Paige Copeland and freshmen Katelynn Delaney, Isabel DeVisser and Lily Curtis. The soccer program is only four years old for the girls with coaches Ladd and Scott Fitzsimmons leading the way. Fitzsimmons also announced his retirement from coaching but both agree that there is a core foundation to build on even though the team did not win a game this year.
by Justin Gibson | Jun 12, 2018 | Schoolcraft, Sports
The Schoolcraft softball team celebrates their conference championship. Front row left to right: Kenzie Crissman, Katie Parker, Jordan Watts, Brenna Walther, Kayla Onken, Ali Goldschmeding. Middle row from left: Brooke Crissman, Kennedy Leighton, Lydia Goble. Back row from left: Gabi Saxman, Madi Ballett, Lexi Kirkendall, Mikayla Slavin, Danielle Blyly, Adrienne Rosey, Anna Fiebelkorn, Mikayla Meade, Megan Shaink, Kelby Goldschmeding, Dani Warnaar.
By Sue Moore
A coaching change took place in mid-season for the Schoolcraft Eagles softball team. The girls have moved right along in their winning ways under new head coach Jim Goble, who was the assistant coach previously.
The Eagles were 26-3 in the regular season, dropping their only league loss to Constantine 5-7, to class B ranked Wayland 2-3 and class A honorable mention Lowell 1-3. They won the Schoolcraft Invitational that they hosted on April 21.
Coach Goble said, “We’ve hit .398 as a team with seven players notching at least one home run. They include Jordan Watts, Kennedy Leighton, Kelby Goldschmeding, Katie Parker, Kayla Onken, Brooke Crissman and Lydia Goble.” Lydia Goble broke the previous MHSAA record of 22 homers in a season on May 23rd hitting three that night against Delton Kellogg. She now has a season total of 25.
“Our pitching staff of Mikayla Meade a junior, and Adrienne Rosey, a sophomore, has been just as incredible with a combined ERA of 1.253, WHIP of .957 and .688 percent of all pitches being strikes. Rosey has pitched two no-hitters and Meade has pitched two no-hitters and two shutouts,” the coach said.
The team won the SAC Valley conference and won their district to advance to games next week. Coach Goble is projecting that regional play will be challenging, with Constantine and Coloma the teams to beat.
by Justin Gibson | Jun 12, 2018 | Schoolcraft, Sports
Abby Blodgett was all-league selection for first singles.
By Sue Moore
The Schoolcraft Eagles girls’ tennis team scored enough match wins and met the number of points necessary to qualify for the state tournaments. Everyone won at least one match in the Regional tournament. “We needed 10 points to qualify, and we earned 15 points,” said Coach Eric McGehee.
The team record is 8-5-1. It placed third in the SAC, with the conference tournament being rained out. The team had two regional champions, with Grace Deyoung at second singles and Maya Pearce at fourth singles, who won their flights. The girls were regional runner up at second doubles of Kelsey Feddema and Annika Varker, third with Grey Buchheit and Savannah McDonald, and fourth with Jaice Parker and Zosha Kuiper.
Paxton Green plays third singles. “We were runner up in the region and qualified for the Division 4 state tournament, which is to be held in Novi.” McGehee said.
All-league selections were first singles Abby Blodgett, second singles Grace Deyoung, and fourth singles Maya Pearce. Honorable mention were the number one doubles team of Kayla Julien and Emily Parker.
“This was a team that is not large in number, but really worked hard this year to improve,” McGehee said.
by Justin Gibson | Jun 12, 2018 | Schoolcraft, Sports
The regional golf champions for Schoolcraft are from left: Coach Terry Haas, Collin Hampton, Jack Waldron, Rielly Troyer, Reilly Puhalski, Parker Lawrence, Coach Jon Krum.
Schoolcraft golf coach Terry Haas lists these highlights for this season:
1st Place Finish in the Delton-Kellogg Invitational.
3rd Place Finish in the Sturgis Invitational at Klinger Lake CC out of 12 teams.
1st Place Finish in the Lawton Invitational at Lake Cora Hills out 11 teams.
3rd Place Finish at the White Pigeon Invitational at KLCC out of 8 teams.
1st Place Finish at the Battle Creek Lakeview Invitational at Cedar Creek our of 16 teams.
3rd Place overall in SAC with a (league record 21-9).
2nd Place Finish in SAC league tournament.
