Saturday, June 10, 2023
Since 1854 — News from Montcalm County and Ionia County, Michigan
Jacob Montgomery had the odds stacked against him going into Saturday’s Division 2 state track finals at Forest Hills Eastern’s Hawk Stadium.
While Montgomery, an Ionia junior, was the No. 10 seed in the 800-meter run, he literally had people stacked against him at the start of his race.
Confidence is everything. Stuart Gould knows it, and he showed it on Saturday at Forest Hills Eastern’s Hawk Stadium for the Division 2 state track finals.
Remember last year, when Gould got him? That was pure confidence in laying it all on the line in the final moments of the 400-meter dash to win a state championship. Whitehall’s Trannon Aylor was on the other side of Gould’s win last year. Two tenths of a second behind it, actually.
Tri County’s Stuart Gould, Belding’s Hayley Conrad headline Daily News track Invitational
Tri County’s girls soccer team had plenty to celebrate at Goodin-Parker Field on Wednesday night. Five distinct moments, to be exact. The Vikings bounced Big Rapids from the CSAA tournament with a 4-1 win and celebrated along the way — of course ending with the victory bell.
When Greenville’s girls soccer team made its way to Tri County on Friday, it wanted to do something it hadn’t done in three games — get a shot on goal. Meanwhile, Tri County wanted to maintain its undefeated start to the season. Both teams accomplished their goals as the Vikings took a wild, 4-3 win over the Yellow Jackets.
Baylor Syrjala stepped into the batter’s box in Friday’s seventh inning on a mission. She wanted to spark the Wildcat offense, and take out some frustration about a close call on the previous play. She did both as an inside-the-park home run vaulted the Wildcats to a 14-9 win over Tri County.
At first glance, the Tri County track and field program looks like a successful bunch. A lot of kids, running hard, running together, cheering each other on, working independently under the general direction of their coaches.
On a deeper examination, the Vikings don’t just have the look of a successful team — they walk the walk, too. That success was quantified in a few different ways last June when Stuart Gould ended his junior season with a memorable 49-second sprint around the track at Forest Hills Eastern’s Hawk Stadium when he won a state championship in the 400-meter dash.
Girls Track Head coach: Tyler Arends Years as head coach: Five Last season’s conference record: Fifth in CSAA Key players lost: Meghan McGiverin, Amelia Jason and Janelle Docter Starters returning this year: 10 Number of seniors: Five Frosh/sophs: “It is hard to tell who will come in and immediately start to score points and earn varsity accolades. Incoming freshmen are […]
Case Johnson ended his first day at Ford Field with a shrug and a determination to get back at it the following day.
The Greenville sophomore was overpowered by a better wrestler in Adam Haselius of Jackson Northwest, the eventual state champ, in the state semifinals at the 215-pound weight class in Division 2. Johnson is a strong wrestler — even as a sophomore in a high weight class, he doesn’t get thrown around like that by anyone.
Just one year ago, the Perez family was celebrating a tremendous accomplishment in a once-in-a-lifetime wrestling match.
Lakeview brothers Joe Perez and Cam Perez found themselves in the third-place match of the 103-pound weight class in Division 4. It was a celebratory match — younger brother Cam won but both wrestlers ended the day as All-State finishers. It was a dream come true for father Abe and mother Jen to watch their boys on the All-State podium side by side.
