The Vicksburg varsity baseball team used a little baserunning trickery to score the go-ahead run in its recent nightcap game against the Paw Paw Red Wolves.
The game ended up being a tight one. Paw Paw scored first. Brandon Shoffner hit a big double to center field in the top of the second and then advanced to third on a dropped pitch. Liam Cohrs then hit an RBI groundout to first that tied things up 1-1.
In the top of the fifth, Carter Brown hit a big double and was on third with another runner on first when the Bulldogs induced a balk call on the Red Wolves’ pitcher. It allowed Brown to advance for the winning run. The game was called in the top of the sixth due to lightning.
A balk call? “Basically, the runner, as soon as the pitcher comes set, and he’s in the set position, the runner at first base takes off, and we’re trying to induce a balk from the pitcher,” Head Coach Brian Deal said. “You know, make a different movement rather than going right to the plate. And he (the pitcher) buckled his knee, and kind of dropped like that. And what that does is it’s a dead ball, and everyone moves up one base with the box.”
The Red Wolves were unexpectedly surprised by the unusual and rare play, but the Bulldogs have regularly practiced it in preparation for the right in-game scenario.
“We try to take advantage of the situation, especially when the game is tight like that,” Deal said. “So, once we got a guy to third base with one out, we tried to run a play that we practice, and luckily, it worked out for us.”
In the first game, the Bulldogs forced Paw Paw’s top pitcher into over 100 throws in just the first four innings. This eventually led to Vicksburg scoring 17 total runs in the game. The Red Wolves attempted a comeback but eventually ran out of batters. The final was 17-7.
“I give credit to our hitters there because they did a good job working that count, and getting the pitch count up so that he had to come out of the game after the fourth inning,” Deal said.
The team sits slightly above .500 in the early part of the season. However, some of their early season losses came against tough Division One opponents like Portage Central. Another challenge has been the weather. Good baseball weather still hasn’t shown up. The contests against Paw Paw were marked by wind and cold temperatures.
Deal thinks pitching may be one of the more significant challenges for Vicksburg this year. The team should have no issues in scoring, but it also faces a more demanding schedule than usual this year.
“We have a really good 1-2 combination as far as pitchers go, but we’re going to have to have some other guys step up because I feel like we can play defense and we can score runs,” Deal said. “So, that’s going to be the challenge for us with the tough league schedule with a bunch of conference games coming up in a short period of time.”
A little cold and wind limited scoring but didn’t stop the Vicksburg varsity softball team from sweeping rival Paw Paw on the road.
The Bulldogs held a narrow one-run lead throughout most of the game. Both teams struggled against the cold and wind, which was straight into the faces of the batters. Paw Paw also had a good pitcher, which made hitting difficult.
“I thought their pitcher did a really good job against us, I thought she kept us off balance for a really long time,” Head Coach Paul Gephart said. “We played very good defense. I don’t think we made any mistakes, and that’s what kept us in the game.”
Vicksburg kept chipping away at the Red Wolves, and eventually, some scoring opportunities manifested. It was in the top of the fifth when Maddie Diekman put down a perfect bunt to get on base. Shortly after that, she scored on a big double to center field by Brooklynn Ringler to increase the lead to 2-0.
The winds seemed to be in play again at the top of the sixth on a wild play when Ella Luegge popped a ball up to left center field. The fielder got under it but dropped the ball. Paw Paw then threw the ball high trying to get Luegge out. She ran home in the ensuing scramble for an inside-the-park home run.
Shortly after that, Vicksburg managed to load the bases with no outs. Katie Veres made a nice hit to bring Kayla Chisholm home. The other runners ended up stranded, but it increased the lead to 4-0.
The Bulldogs loaded the bases again in the seventh inning. This time, Emily Zemitans hit a big single that allowed two runners to score. Vicksburg then held out the rest of the inning for a 6-0 win.
The weather has not cooperated this season. Vicksburg had to deal with freezing cold temperatures during their appearance in the Bailey Park Invitational the weekend before. The Bulldogs managed to pick up three wins there, 21-4 against Mattawan, 19-9 over Lakeview, and 15-3 over Wayland.
The week before that, the girls picked up wins over Portage Central and Grand Haven. Two of their losses this year came against Jenison, the second-ranked team in the state. Gephart is pleased with how things are going so far.
The Bulldogs have a tough schedule this season if they want to follow up last year’s state finals runner-up appearance. They are slated to face four or five Division One teams that are all ranked. Then there’s the Wolverine Conference itself, which should see plenty of competition from teams like Niles, Otsego, Paw Paw, and Three Rivers.
“I feel pretty good right now, and we’ve gotten off to a pretty good start. We’ve only been able to practice on our field twice, and this early in the year, I think we’re doing okay,” Gephart said. But we’ll improve as the season goes along. We’re hitting the ball pretty well.”
Vicksburg varsity lacrosse is off and running into the season with a current record of 4-4. Teamwork, skills in passing, and playing good defense have enabled the team to have some good wins this season.
On April 6, the Bulldogs met Waterford United, a combined team from Waterford Kettering and Waterford Mott, on their home turf. Vicksburg came out on top in this very explosive meet of checking, passing, and blocking shots at their goal by scoring goals with great passing, players cutting, and seizing good opportunities in scoring. The final score: Vicksburg 10-4 over Waterford. Scoring for the Bulldogs were John Hess, 2 goals; Jayden Keiser, 1; Braden Jimenez, 2; Quincy Schwartz, 2; Malachi McClelland, 1; and Trey Willmont, 1. The extra goal came from Waterford’s goalie who accidentally dropped the ball he caught into the Vicksburg net. Goalie Luke Wilson also was able to stop with quick defense many shots on goal. It was a great defensive stop by all the team members as they stayed with their opponents when on defense.
On April 13, Vicksburg played two games against Kenowa Hills High School at the Kenowa Invitational /Jenison in Grand Rapids and came out victorious on both. Vicksburg won the first game 10-3. Individual highlights for the Vicksburg team were: Caden Town, 1 goal; Malachi McClelland, 1 goal; Braden Jimenez 2 goals, 1 assist; Bo Dalman, 2 assists; Chase Wilmont, 2 goals; Quincy Schwartz, 1 goal, 2 assists; Jayden Keiser, 2 goals,; and John Hess, 1 goal. In the Bulldogs’ second game with Kenowa Hills, the Vicksburg boys won a close contest 5-4 in overtime. Individual standouts in this game were Trey Willmont,1 goal, 1 assist; Braden Jimenez, 1 assist; Bo Dalman, 1 assist; Chase Willmont, the winning goal in overtime; Jayden Keiser, 1 goal; and John Hess, 2 goals. Balance scoring, good passing and great defensive plays resulted in a victorious outing for the lacrosse team against Kenowa Hills.
Vicksburg boys lacrosse tangled with Portage Central high school April 15 at Portage Central. The boys crushed the Portage Central Lacrosse team by a score of 21-1. Individual standouts for the team were: Caden Town, 1 goal; Trey Willmont, 1 assist; Malachi McClelland, 1 goal, 2 assists; Braden Jimenez, 6 goals, 1 assist; Bo Dalman, 2 goals, 3 assists; Chase Willmont, 3 goals, 1 assist; Dillyn VanHuekelum, 1 assist; Hunter Roberts. 1 goal; Quincy Schwartz. 1 assist; Jayden Keiser, 2 assists; Nathan Hess. 1 goal; and finishing off the scoring for the Bulldogs was John Hess with 6 goals. Again, the team stifled their opponents to one goal by maintaining a super defensive stance throughout the game.
The lacrosse team took on a very strong team April 18 at home against Mattawan and ended up losing 16-5. Scoring for Vicksburg were Trey Willmott, Braden Jimenez, Bo Dalman, Chase Wilmont and Quincy Schwartz. John Hess, Dalman and Schwartz and Noah Dinzik also had assists.
The next home game was against a tough opponent, Grand Blanc, April 20 on a cold and slightly windy day. Grand Blanc won by a score of 14-4. Scoring and assisting for the Bulldogs were Trey Willmont, 1 goal; Bo Dalman, 1 assist; Quincy Schwartz, 1 goal; and John Hess, 2 goals,.
The JV Lacrosse Team with a 4-3 record is also having a good season with Coaches Nick Van Oost and Travis Newton. It’s improving with each game, and members work well together.
Coach Peter Schinkai talked about the offense: “We have some excellent senior leaders in Bo Dalman, John Hess, and Chase Willmont. However, we are a very young team with two sophomores and five freshmen on our varsity team. This means that we will have some good days, and some days with growing pains. Overall, I am incredibly proud of how all these young men are gelling this season”.
And on the defense: “Historically, Vicksburg’s success is built on excellent goaltending and stout defense. This year, we have two incredible goalies in Luke Wilson and Ryan Haddix. We also have a very strong defense led by Brendan Kelly, Noah Dinzik, and Reed Tassel. Our younger players, including Dillyn VanHeukelum, Noah Briggs, and Nick Simon, Jr. have a strong work-ethic and desire to be their best every day.
“I would argue that we have the best defense in the Southwest Michigan Lacrosse Conference, and that is a huge testament to our players and their work ethic.
“We’ve played against some of the best lacrosse teams in the state, especially Portage Northern, Mattawan, and Grand Blanc. Our overtime win against Kenowa Hills shows the work ethic and grit that our team has. If we maintain this work-ethic all year, we will be a force to be reckoned with. I am very proud of all our players”.
Coaching the varsity boys lacrosse team this season besides Head Coach Schinkai are Offensive Coordinator August Roberts, and Defensive Coordinator. Nick Simon. A big thank you to the parents, sponsors and fans who support the lacrosse teams.
Vicksburg’s varsity golf team hosted a Wolverine Jamboree #2 at Angel Crossing Golf Course April 18. The Bulldogs finished in second place in the meet, losing a tie breaker to Otsego with a score of 153. It was a team effort to finish in the top; opponents included Otsego, Plainwell, Edwardsburg, Niles, Paw Paw, Three Rivers, and Sturgis.
Individual efforts on teeing off and putting on the greens were sensational for the team. Junior Riley Briggs scored a 33;senior Luke Malocha, a 36; senior Colin Schramer, a 48; freshman Lincoln Taylor, a 42; senior Brayden Odell, a 42; and senior Kyle Wiessner, a 47.
Earlier in the day the Varsity Boys golf team traveled to the Coldwater Cardinal Invitational , taking fifth place overall on 18 holes out of the 24 teams competing. They ended up with a total score of 324, edged out by Lumen Christi with a total score of 322. Riley Briggs with an overall score of 76, Luke Malocha with 77 and Colin Schramer, 87, Brayden Odell, 86, and Lincoln Taylor, 85, were standouts in this meet.
A noteworthy comment by Coach Jared Meyer was the outstanding performance by Riley Briggs who finished the Coldwater Invitational with a birdie, an eagle, and a par on his last four holes to finish with a 76. Another remarkable highlight was Luke Malocha who also along with Briggs finished in the top 10 in the Coldwater tournament.
A salute to Riley Briggs for a score of 33 and Luke Malocha a score of 36 in finishing first and second at the Vicksburg Jamboree. Other individual highlights cited by Coach Meyer so far this season were Lincoln Taylor who finished 8th (80) at the Greater Kalamazoo Championships and Colin Schramer who shot a 40 and finished 3rd at the Edwardsburg Conference Tournament.
The JV boys’ golf team is having a successful season, winning the Schoolcraft Jamboree with a score of 196. A highlight was freshman Peyton Hudgins, who finished first with a 44. The best is yet to come for the Vicksburg Golf Team under the leadership of Coach Meyer.
Pouring rain and frigid temperatures didn’t seem to slow the Vicksburg varsity soccer team’s dominating 8-0 mercy of Coldwater in its season opener at home.
The Bulldogs’ midfield performance kept the ball on one side of the field for much of the contest. Vicksburg had a 5-0 lead at the half and mopped up with the final three goals to end it with about seven minutes still left on the clock in the second half.
“Unfortunately, Coldwater is a team that’s probably trying to improve, but our team, our midfield, and the forwards have played together amazingly,” Head Coach Lahou Boulnemour said. “They put a lot of pressure on the defense.”
There is an air of excitement around this year’s squad, mainly because the Bulldogs have one of their deepest rosters in years. The team is loaded with speed, talent, and youth. Freshman Livia Kline scored the night’s first goal for Vicksburg. She ended the game with two goals and an assist. “Livia is naturally talented,” Boulnemour said. “She’s very fast. She’s gifted, actually.”
Approximately halfway through the first half, junior Ella Rohrstaff took over the game with her speed. She ran past several defenders and quickly scored a hat trick of goals to put the Bulldogs up 4-0. Rohrstaff ended the night with four goals total. Freshman midfielder Evelyn Lincoln rounded out the scoring for Vicksburg with two goals of her own.
Boulnemour feels this will be the season for the team to make some noise. The team finished second in the Wolverine Conference last year. They lost in District play to Harper Creek in a nail-biting 1-0 game. Some injuries had made things challenging last year. However, a significant advantage is that the Bulldogs returned almost everyone from last season. This included first-team all-conference players Rohrstaff and Hannah DeVries and second-teamers Bella Hillard and Eleanor Lincoln.
The team now has a 7-3-1 record and is on a four-game winning streak. The team shut out Dowagiac, Paw Paw, and Three Rivers in their last three wins. Of their three losses, only their early-April loss to Gull Lake was by more than two goals.
Vicksburg should be set up for more soccer success thanks to its youth. While many of the girls have been playing travel teams, the Bulldogs also have a junior varsity squad for the first time in three years. It’s a good sign for Boulnemour’s hopes of greater consistency in the program. Some prior years have been rough because younger players were often forced onto the varsity squads early. Both teams now have much better depth.
“It’s really a relief to see a JV team,” Boulnemour said.
The Vicksburg varsity girls’ tennis team has had an excellent start to the season. One of its more notable outings was winning the annual Pink-Out Tournament on home court.
Scarlett Hosner won the number two singles, defeating Schoolcraft 6-2, 6-0. Maya Grossman took the number three singles final against Comstock Park 6-4, 6-2. Gracie Breitenback was runner-up in the number one singles. Comstock Park eliminated Sadie Grossman in the number four singles, but she made a match of it.
In doubles action, the team of Olivia Penney and Emma Vailler won the number two doubles 6-1, 6-4 over Milan. The number three doubles team of Isabelle Haun and Jenna Schramer also became a champion over Niles Brandywine 6-2, 6-0. Natalie Balkema and Bridget Webber took the four doubles championship 6-1, 6-1 over Loy Norrix in the championship round. The number one doubles team of Clara Centofanti and Sydney Glerum finished in sixth place.
The Bulldogs also won the Bulldog Invitational at the start of April. All the doubles teams took home first place, while the two and three singles also won. The one and four singles took home third place.
“Our season is going real good. It’s just a lot of tough teams, but we’re getting better each time we come out,” Head Coach Warner Offord said. “Right now, we sit second in the conference behind Otsego.”
Unfortunately, the Bulldogs’ home court is in rough shape, so tennis hasn’t always been easy for the team. However, Offord feels like the team has a good shot at the Conference again. The team beat Niles 8-0 and Sturgis 5-3 in individual match-ups. But it came up just short in a 5-3 loss against rival Otsego, which has been a formidable opponent the last few seasons. The team is hopeful to change its luck against the other Bulldog team later in the season.
“The girls say, ‘Coach, we’re going to get them in the Conference, and we’re going to bring home that trophy this year for our seniors,’” Offord said. “I said, ‘okay, that would be nice.’”
