The Vicksburg varsity boys’ tennis team had a thrilling end to its season, culminating with a Wolverine Conference Championship. The title ended a half-century-long conference championship drought for the Bulldogs.
Singles action saw Maddox Rosalin as the conference runner-up. He started the day with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Three Rivers before eliminating Otsego 6-1, 6-3 for a trip to an unsuccessful final match against Sturgis. Jordan Diekman earned a conference championship in the two singles, with his first match against Niles being a 6-0, 6-0 win. He eliminated rival Edwardsburg 6-3, 6-1, before getting into the finals against perennially tough Otsego. Diekman took the final match 6-2, 6-2 to win the title.
Sawyer Kite started the day against Plainwell, advancing 6-0, 6-1, before facing Otsego. Kite took that matchup to advance to the finals against Paw Paw. He won the final matchup to notch another conference singles championship for the Bulldogs. Caden Town rounded out play in the four singles. He defeated Three Rivers in round one before a more challenging showdown against Edwardsburg in round two. Town persisted and went to the finals against Paw Paw, where he triumphed with a 7-5, 6-2 win for the conference championship.
In doubles action, Wes Post and Gio Gangloff finished in fourth place in the one doubles. Thomas Christiansen and Grant VanWoert had the best showing for Vicksburg’s doubles teams. They took down Edwardsburg 6-0, 6-3 before defeating Sturgis 7-6, 6-1. Unfortunately, they could not close it against Otsego in the final, needing to settle for runner-up.
In the three doubles, Reese Brush and Gaige Patnoude took third place. Their day started with a tough 6-3, 1-6, 6-0 win over Sturgis. They fell in round two to Otsego. Elias Ryder and Ryan Haddix took third in four doubles. They defeated Three Rivers 6-1, 6-0 before being eliminated by Paw Paw in round two.
Ultimately, the Bulldogs earned enough team points, 55, to narrowly squeak out a four-point win over runner-up Paw Paw, which had 51.
Roughly a week later, Vicksburg finished fourth place at the regional meet. It was a tough competition involving three teams ranked in the top ten for the state. Diekman successfully earned a regional championship to go with his conference title.
This was Head Coach Warner Offord’s final fall coaching the Bulldogs. He will do one more stint coaching the girls in the spring before retiring. It was a bonus that Offord was named Wolverine Conference Coach of the Year in his final fall coaching the boys.
The Vicksburg varsity volleyball team is having a solid year. Late in the season, it has a 26-17 record. The Bulldogs were recently able to exact some revenge on Wolverine Conference rival Edwardsburg on home court.
It didn’t look promising at the start of the contest. The Eddies took a 6-0 lead in set one before Vicksburg finally got a point on the board. The girls made a valiant effort through the rest of the set but eventually lost 25-19. At first, it appeared that momentum would continue into set two as the Eddies got out to an early 2-3 lead. However, momentum shifted after an ace serve from middle blocker Brynn Swetz. A few sets later, Vicksburg had a 6-4 lead.
The two teams traded the lead back and forth a few times in the middle of the set. However, Vicksburg was strong on the dig all night, with Addison Naplin and Jenna Schramer having 11 and 12 digs, respectively. It helped slow a late scoring charge by the Eddies. The Bulldogs tied things up with a 25-19 victory.
Vicksburg took control in set three with a Naplin ace serve, one of four she had for the night. She also leads the team for the year with 54 total. After the Bulldogs took a 2-1 lead, they never relinquished it. It was mainly senior Scarlett Hosner leading the scoring charge with 11 kills on the night. Freshman Lena Lancaster added 10 more, while Naplin had eight. Haily Havera was also a vital part of this attack, with 35 assists. The Bulldogs took set three 25-17 to give themselves a 2-1 lead.
Vicksburg took an early lead in the fourth set and mostly cruised to the finish. The lead was as much as eight at one point. Edwardsburg attempted a late run when the Bulldogs had a 24-17 match point. But it was too late, and Vicksburg won the set 25-19.
The victory marked only the second time the Bulldogs had won in the last eight matchups with Edwardsburg. Vicksburg has a 4-2 conference record as it rapidly approaches tournament play. The girls lost against Niles and Three Rivers. However, they defeated Otsego in a five-set thriller in mid-September for their first conference win. Their other conference wins were four-set victories over Sturgis and Paw Paw.
It’s been a rough season for Bulldog football, and things didn’t get any easier during the team’s most recent home contest against perennial powerhouse Edwardsburg. It was an unfortunate loss, especially considering how promising Vicksburg looked on the opening drive.
The Bulldogs received the opening kick and promptly marched down the field in only seven plays. Zachary Kline started the charge with a hard-nosed 16-yard run on the game’s second play. Hunter Bell then connected with Trey Willmont on an eight-yard pass play that took the ball into Eddies’ territory.
After getting stuffed for only short yardage on the next two plays, Kline cut the ball left and stiff-armed multiple Edwardsburg defenders on a powerhouse 41-yard touchdown scramble. Kline found holes in the Eddies’ defense all night, racking up close to 100 yards on a tough defense.
Unfortunately, Kline’s touchdown ended up being the only points of the night for Vicksburg. Edwardsburg promptly responded with two touchdown drives of its own. On their second touchdown, the Eddies managed to draw the Bulldogs offside on the extra point. Edwardsburg went for two to make it 15-7.
The Eddies scored again with 1:24 left in the half before the game turned disastrous for Vicksburg. Mitchell Beyer threw a pick-six on the next drive to make it 29-7. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the Bulldogs fumbled the ball away on their next offensive snap, leading to another touchdown and a 36-7 Edwardsburg lead at the half.
Vicksburg managed to force a few punts and stopped Edwardsburg on fourth down during their opening drive of the second half. However, the Eddies cruised to an easy 50-7 victory in the contest. The Bulldogs also had a field goal blocked, eliminating any other chances for points.
Besides a 49-6 win over Sturgis, it’s been a challenging second part of the schedule for the Bulldog faithful. Injuries have made quarterbacking inconsistent. Vicksburg lost its annual battle for the bone against Three Rivers 14-11. It also suffered another massive loss at home to Niles, 49-7.
Vicksburg municipal officials are declaring the inaugural military banner program a success.
Village Manager Jim Mallery told council members at their Oct. 21 meeting that 26 banners were in place throughout Vicksburg’s downtown area during two periods.
Mallery said the banners were put on display starting in early May, in advance of Memorial Day weekend. They were taken down at the end of May but erected again from October 15 until after Veterans’ Day.
The 18-by-36-inch banners are custom designed and include a photo of the service person, their name, dates of service and branch of the United States armed forces.
They cost $200 and are returned by the end of November to the family that purchased them. According to terms of the program, already-purchased banners can be re-hung the following year for $100.
In other action:
Following the meeting, Mallery said last month’s village-wide junk pickup yielded enough waste to fill nearly 64 truckloads. College Hunks Moving and Storage workers spent more than 86 hours on the task, which was conducted at a cost to the village of $19,000. Village officials will review the 2024 collection process and make a decision about whether to offer the service again next year, Mallery said.
Council member Gail Reisterer said nine households responded to the village’s tree offer. The trees will be planted this month, she said.
Mallery talked at length about details related to the annual “Christmas in the ‘Burg” event. He said plans are coming together nicely and the day-long holiday celebration starts at noon Dec. 14.
Council members acknowledged the success of the public open house held to celebrate the village’s new municipal building.
Vicksburg Village President Tim Frisbie led the ribbon cutting marking the ceremonial opening of the village’s new municipal building. Photo by Jef Rietsma.
By Jef Rietsma
A years-long journey for Vicksburg officials was celebrated Oct. 21, when a dedication and ceremonial ribbon cutting acknowledged the village’s new municipal building.
The 25-minute program featured a number of dignitaries who commended village officials for using cash on hand to cover the $2.7 million it took to construct the 7,800-square-foot building.
Village Manager Jim Mallery called the event “a historical day in the village of Vicksburg.” He said discussion of a new village office had been ongoing for eight years.
Mallery then called village council members forward.
“This village council had the progressive mindset and determination to be able to serve the citizens of Vicksburg for generations to come, but they had a mandate that came with that: to pay for and finance this project with cash,” Mallery said. “Eight years ago, we started saving what we could for this day.”
While village staff moved into the building in late December and the first council meeting was held Jan. 29, Mallery has said previously the grand opening would occur when landscaping and all other aspects of the building were in place.
A parade of elected officials followed. The lineup started with Kalamazoo County Commissioner Wendy Mazer. She was followed by Peter Dickow, a representative from the office of U.S. Sen. Gary Peters. Next up were State Sen. Sean McCann, State Rep. Matt Hall and Vicksburg Village Council President Tim Frisbie. Construction manager Mike Frederick also addressed the crowd.
Mazer said the new building represents a symbol of trust.
“It’s a place where residents of Vicksburg can engage with their local government in a space that is built to serve their needs for many years to come,” she said. “This building … is a demonstration to the dedication, foresight and commitment of this community and its leadership.”
McCann said the municipal building is a testament to the vision and commitment that have helped push Vicksburg forward.
“The project represents years of planning, diligent execution and fiscal responsibility, (and) it’s a shining example of what can be achieved with sound financial management,” he said. “By staying within the proposed budget, village leadership has insured that this new facility stands as a debt-free investment in the future of Vicksburg, an investment that will serve the nearly 4,000 residents and countless visitors for generations to come.”
McCann and Hall presented Frisbie with a framed tribute, acknowledging the milestone day and the village’s new home.
Frisbie acknowledged the county, and state and federal officials for their support that helped Vicksburg complete development of its municipal office.
He said the building, which sits on the west side of Richardson Street, is beautiful and a terrific gateway to the village, welcoming traffic entering from the Sprinkle Road corridor.
“You do good things and good things follow,” Frisbie said. “As far as the records go back and what I can find, this is the purpose-built municipal building in the village of Vicksburg. This was built for this council and the staff, and our incredible police department.”
Mallery has said the fact the village did not take out a loan to finance construction will save Vicksburg taxpayers $1.5 million in interest.
The first step toward the new village office was taken in spring 2017, when Village Council members agreed to start setting aside money toward construction cost. A ceremonial groundbreaking took place in April 2023 and work started in earnest a few weeks later.
Join us Saturday, October 12 at Bulldog Stadium for the 9th Annual Vicksburg Bulldog Marching Band Invitational.
We will have 18 different bands from near and far competing in this event and will be closing it out with our crowd-favorite face-off style “Drumline Showcase” before the final awards ceremony, where we will find out who our grand champion is for this year’s event!
The Invitational will also be livestreamed on vicksburgbands.com (where you can find more information) and on YouTube. Ibison’s Concessions will have one of their food trucks out, in addition to Sweet Caroline’s ice cream truck. Tickets are $8 per person and kids 10 and under are free. Come out and help support the biggest fundraiser of the year for the award-winning Vicksburg Band Program!
Vicksburg will also be hosting the two-night MSBOA District XI Marching Festival on Tuesday and Wednesday, October 8 and 9 from 5:45 p.m. to 8 p.m., featuring seven different local bands each night for a performance rating. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for students.
