Saturday, June 25, 2022
Since 1854 — News from Montcalm County and Ionia County, Michigan
The Ionia Bulldogs softball team traveled to Chelsea on Saturday morning for their first regional semifinal appearance in 16 years.
Pitted against the hosting Bulldogs, the No. 3 ranked team in Division 2 according to MHSAA’s Second Half rankings, Ionia came in as a clear underdog, but it didn’t stop them from giving their full effort.
In her 10th year as the head varsity softball coach of Ionia, Judy Becker has seen her fair share of something that plagues her veteran players each year around late May and early June — senioritis.
Yes, it’s not just taking place in the classroom but it can also manifest on the field of play. A lack of motivation, the mind wandering elsewhere and a different demeanor can be seen with some of the players each year around this time of year. Becker saw it start to happen with this year’s team and, as such, with their hosted districts looming on Saturday, she started to recount stories of districts’ past.
Josiah Magley channeled his idol in the 3,200-meter run at Saturday’s Division 2 state track finals at Forest Hills Eastern.
The Ionia senior was working in the middle of the pack, he wasn’t thrilled with the way the race was playing out in terms of pacing. He wanted to get it moving.
Each of Ionia’s baseball players filed out of the third-base dugout at Ciangi Field on Tuesday disappointed. That disappointment turned into hugs and daps — handshakes slapping the palms, sliding the hands and locking the fingers — as the Bulldogs cleared out for a final time.
There were some emotions on the faces of the Bulldogs as they left the dugout, continuing to share hugs and handshakes with the coaches and each other. Six seniors left Ciangi Field for the final time as players following a 7-0 loss to Portland in a Division 2 pre-district game on Tuesday.
The Greenville Yellow Jackets were ready to celebrate at Yellow Jacket Stadium as the clock ticked down under five minutes to go in Wednesday’s district-opener at home against Ionia.
Up 3-2, dominating the time of possession battle and shots on goal by a wide margin, the Jackets had every reason to believe they were the better team.
A decade ago, be it spending time at a museum or going on a school field trip, Lauryn Short knew exactly who she was, what she was interested in and in addition, she made sure everyone else knew it, too.
“I’ve always loved dinosaurs,” Short said. “You know that ‘dinosaur kid’ you remember growing up? I was that dinosaur kid.”
An Ionia County judge denied a request for a personal protection order filed by an Ionia High School parent on behalf of his daughter against former principal Jonathan Duley.
Duley resigned as principal on May 5, two days after an internal school district investigation cleared him of allegations of misconduct related to his monitoring and supervision of students in the high school parking lot.
Ionia High School senior Maddie Hanulcik receives the Congressional Medal of Merit from U.S. Rep. Peter Meijer last Saturday at the Gerald R. Ford Museum.
The coronavirus pandemic caused the cancellation of Ionia County Teen Court for the past two years. But students from Ionia High School packed the Ionia County Circuit Courtroom on April 25, as Teen Court was back in session for the first time since February 2020.
Judge Robert Sykes Jr. reinstituted Teen Court when he took the Probate Court bench in 2005. It’s a diversion program for first-time juvenile offenders who are otherwise eligible and choose to participate. All Ionia County High Schools are invited to participate as jurors and observers.
