Tuscola County Sports

Eagles, Redford stay perfect By Andrew Selich Sports Writer EAST LANSING - With his team playing in an arena that was bigger than any they had ever played on before, Frankenmuth coach Tim Crawford wondered how the backdrop would affect his team's s hooting. Then he remembered he still had Brad Redford on his team. Redford, who showed that he had no problem in the larger venue, scored 37 points in leading his team to a 66-48 win over Leslie at the Breslin Center on the campus of Michigan State University in the Meijer Holiday Hoops Invitational on Thursday. Redford, who was averaging 36.8 points per game entering the contest, hit 5-of-13 from beyond the three-point arc, made 9-of-17 from the field and nailed all four of his free throws in a game that many who have seen the 6-0 senior guard have come by now to expect. "Weird things can happen in a gym like this," Crawford said. "But when Brad gets warmed up, he can really score some points. When that happened, we start

Frankenmuth holds on for win By Andrew Selich Sports Writer FRANKENMUTH - Faced with a huge lead entering the fourth quarter against North Branch on Friday night, and coupled with the fact the Eagles play host to Holly on Saturday night; Frankenmuth coach Tim Crawford decided he would rest his starters and empty the bench, giving some players who might not normally get it a chance to play. The decision almost came back to bite Crawford, but in the end, Frankenmuth had too big of a lead and the Eagles held on for the 77-60 win over the Broncos in Tri-Valley East Conference action. The Eagles held a 66-36 lead over the Broncos at the completion of the third quarter, and with his players having to play two games in two nights; Crawford just felt that his starters needed a rest. He just never thought his backups would let North Branch back in the game. "We gave some guys a chance tonight, emptied the bench," Crawford said. "And then, in about four minute’s time, a thirty po

Reese 'D' leads the way Rockets force fifteen turnovers in win over Marlette By Andrew Selich Sports Writer REESE - It's only two games into the 2007-08 season yet the Reese Rockets are playing in mid-season form. And coach Jeff Casler credits it all to hard work. Reese wasted little time disposing of Marlette Friday night, as the defending Greater Thumb West champions ran to a big first-half lead over the Red Raiders and played the majority of the second half with a running clock in a 67-40 win. Reese (2-0) actually trailed Marlette 7-6 with four minutes left to play in the first quarter before the Rockets defense took over, forcing turnover after turnover, which in turn led to easy points for the Rockets. Which, accoring to Casler, was just a part of the plan. "We work on our transition game everyday," Casler said. "Our kids want to play an aggressive defense, and that takes time to work on. We put a lot of time and energy into that, and sometimes the p

Tigers make some noise. The Detroit Tigers made headlines and shocked the baseball world on Tuesday night when they acquired Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis from the Florida Marlins for highly-rated prospects Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller along with three other players. In Cabrera, the Tigers have picked up Major League Baseball's most dangerous hitter. In his first season in 2003, Cabrera batted .268 (84-for-314), with 12 home runs, 62 RBI, 39 runs, 21 doubles, and three triples in jsut 87 games played. In 2004, he proved that his rookie season was no fluke, batting .294 with 33 homers, 112 RBI, 101 runs, 177 hits, a .366 on base percentage,a .512 slugging percentage from the third and fourth spots in the order, while playing in 160 games and earning his first All-Star berth. Cabrera, 24, spent the whole 2004 season playing in the outfield, with no games at third base; he showed his arm strength as a former third baseman with his 13 outfield assists. In 284 total fielding

Say goodnight, Millen. Did anyone really believe that four weeks ago, when a blowout victory over Denver gave the Lions a 6-2 record, that Detroit was playoff-bound? I said it at the time--I told my brother that the Lions would lose their next eight games and finish with a 6-10 record. Was I crazy, or just some mystic with the ability to see up to two months into the future? Now that Roy Williams is out for the rest of the season, Lions fans might as well pick another team to root for or jump on the Patriots' bandwagon, because, like a thanksgiving turkey that has been in the oven for six hours; the Lions are done! The sad thing is....given their recent history, six wins is an improvement for the Lions. But, after six wins in their first eight games, a 6-10 record would be anything but a success. What happened to the Lions? How did they get here? Well, I can only speculate from what I see on T.V (because no way could I stomach a performance like yesterday's in person), so

What now!? After the most topsy-turvy college football season came to a close last night, fans are now left to wonder what happens now. Eight teams are left with legitimate claims to being able to play in the National Championship game, but unfortunately for the fans, none of this will be decided on the field. The BCS system is totally ridiculous...unlike some of the more recent years, there is no clear-cut No. 1 and No. 2 teams to fight it out in the BCS-appointed National Championship game. Tonight, we will find out who is left when all the dust has settled when the BCS selection show airs on FOX, and as soon as the two teams picked to play for the big game are announced, the rest of the nation will be left wondering why. Why is it that one of the country's most popular sports is left as the only one where a true champion is not decided on the field? Why is that almost every year, two to three teams who are deserving are left out of a shot at the National Title? Why is that

All Thumb football team released. This year's All Thumb football team was released yesterday, highlighted by the announcement that the 2007 All Thumb Player of the Year is Millington's Dustin Griesing. There were a few questionable nominations but I can personally attest that the meeting was enjoyable. Most importantly, I think we got it right this time around. After two undefeated teams forced us to assign co-team of the year awards for the boys basketball season; we were again faced with a similar dilemma with a couple of undefeated teams after the conclusion of the 2007 football season. In my mind, though, no team was as dominant this year as Harbor Beach, so thankfully we were able to avoid giving out another co-team award. Yes, Reese was undefeated during the regular season, but I felt that the Pirates were the best team available to pick from, and they were a unanimous selection. They won the Greater Thumb East in dominant fashion, and they were among four teams from t

Big First Half carries Marlette past USA SEBEWAING - Led by 19 points from Jenna Lange, Marlette used a big second quarter to grab a 51-39 opening game win over Unionville-Sebewaing on Monday night. The Red Raiders outpaced the Patriots 22-10 in the second frame, which allowed coach Fred Mroczek's team to carry a 30-15 lead into the half. Lange made good on just five field goals, three of which were three-pointers, while teammate Kelsey Hall added 18 points for the Raiders (1-0). USA (0-1) was led by Dani Gremel, who led all scorers with 24 points. Marlette: A. Wood 0 2-2 2, K. Hall 8 2-6 18, K. Roberts 2 0-0 4, A. Wilson 0 1-5 1, C. Distelrath 0 4-4 7, J. Lange 5 0-0 19, K. Smith 0 0-2 0. Totals: 15 9-19 51 USA: D. Gremel 10 1-2 24, J. Williamson 4 1-6 9, K. McBrayer 3 0-4 6. Totals: 17 2-12 39 Marlette 08-22-09-12--51 USA 05-10-14-10--39 Reese 67, Millington 39: The Cardinals lost their season opener on the road against Reese (1-0), falling behind 37-16 at halftime

Three from area named First Team All State Congratulations go out to three area volleyball players who were named First Team All State this past week on the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association teams. North Branch's Olivia Kohler (Class A), Frankenmuth's Nicole Bade (B) and Marlette's Jenna Lange (C) all were selected by the coaches as First Team selections for their efforts during the season. MIVCA FIRST TEAM ALL STATE CLASS A Sara Skornia, Bay City Central; Kyndra Abron, Livonia Churchill; Brittany McGinnis,Fraser; Megan Hendrickson, Jenison; Ashlee Crowder, Jenison; Kim Stewart, Kentwood; Megan Steenhuysen, Kentwood; Olivia Kohler, North Branch. SECOND TEAM ALL STATE CLASS A Ashley Nevelle, Caledonia; Taylor Root, Jenison; Jessica Brown, Kentwood; Alexandra Cocklin, Marian; Rachel Charles, Marian; Kaitlyn Schultz, Milford; Jessica Curtis, North Branch ; Grace Hill, Portage Northern. HONORABLE MENTION CLASS A Taylor Minor, North Branch. FIRST TEAM ALL S

In case anyone was wondering who actually wrote this....here it is, with full credit given to the author. By Andrew Selich Sports Writer TUSCOLA COUNTY - Football is a simple game. Two teams made up of eleven players line up against each other across the line of scrimmage and take turns fighting for yardage. The team with the ability to move the ball the farthest the most times and scores the most points within the time frame allowed wins the game. Period. As complex as the game may appear to be at certain times, it all begins with eleven players and one team. With that in mind, the 2007 Tuscola County Advertiser's Dream Team is a collection of the top eleven football players from in and around the Tuscola County area for the past football season. One team....eleven guys. A throwback to another era, when eleven players took the field and played the whole game on both sides of the ball. No third-down specialists; no nickel-back defensive players. Just eleven guys led by one coa

Congrats. Congratulations go out to North Branch's Zac Hueter, who today was named as a First Team All State Linemen on the Division 3-4 AP team. Player of the Year: Dan VanDreumel, DeWitt. FIRST TEAM QB: Brendan Kay (Marine City), Dan VanDreumel (DeWitt). RB: Joe Glendening (East Grand Rapids), Jonas Gray (Detroit Country Day), Andy Plaska (Zeelancd West), Ron Spears (Milan). WR: Jason Fleet (DeWitt), Robert Philips (Gaylord), Nate White (Comstock). L: Matt Armstrong (Lansing Sexton), John Deyo (Richard Gull Lake), Matt Forward (Zeeland West), Shelton Gaines (Detroit Crockett), Andrew Harig (Fruitport), Jason Harvey (Grand Rapids Catholic Central), Zac Hueter (North Branch). LB: Kenny Demens (Detroit Country Day), Taylor Hopkins (Chelsea), Mike Matyniak (Marine City), Nathan Schott (Cheboygan). DB: Dan Hocker (Richland Gull Lake), Mike Noffsinger (West Branch Ogemaw Heights), Floyd Simmons (Detroit Crockett). P: Andy Herman (Flint Powers Catholic). K: Doug Raak (South Haven). Sp

Congratulations to Reese's Isaac Zimmer, who today was named First Team All-State as a Specialist in the Division 5-6 Associated Press. Others from the area who were honored include: Marlette's Austin Comment, who earned Special Mention as a quarterback; Millington's Dustin Griesing, Honorable Mention All-State at quarterback; and Frankenmuth's Ryan Keith, Honorable Mention All-State as a Specialist. PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Deandre Johnson, Madison Heights Madison, 5-8, 170, Sr. QB: Kirk Deering (Grand Rapids West Catholic), Simuel Overall (Flint Beecher), Joe Bitterman (Chesaning). RB: Deandre Johnson (Madison Heights Madison), Jezrel White (Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Central), Ethan Shaver (Menominee), Antoine Smith-Guise (Flint Hamady). WR: Clifton Powell (Madison Heights Bishop Foley), Neal Zott (Almont), Zac Dreffs (Elk Rapids). L: Brad Saunders (St. Charles), Steve Winston (Muskegon Heights), Armando Roque (Madison Heights Madison), Spencer Bouwkamp (

All-State Teams coming this week. This is the week when the All-State Teams are released, timed to coincide with the upcoming State Finals games this Friday and Saturday at Ford Field in Detroit. Congratulations to Peck's Michael Mann and Harbor Beach's Jason Volmering and Brett Bucholz, three Thumb football players who were all named First Team All-State for Division 7-8. Here is the entire Division 7-8 First Team. QB - Jason Pratt (Merrill), Ray Wojtala (Allen Park Cabrini). RB - Brandon Kelly (Au-Gres Sims), Casey Hares (Ishpeming), Michael Mann (Peck). L - Jordan Rahme (Fulton-Middleton), Jason Volmering (Harbor Beach), Shane Hettinger (Martin), Justin Leonard (Webberville), Andrew Buday (Traverse City St. Francis), Andrew Barrowcliff (Waterford Our Lady). WR - Billy Myler (Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart), Josh DuPree (Ottawa Lake Whiteford), Brad Guy (Bellaire). LB - Joe Smith (Mendon-Div. 7-8 Player of the Year), Max Bankston (Frankfort), Brett Bucholz (Harbor Beach) ,

Here they are. With every team involved in fall sports around here finally finished for the season, attention has turned to the release of the all-conference teams. Here are the football teams for the four conferences in and around the Tuscola County area: Tri-Valley East First Team - Offense OL - Mike Mosier, Birch Run; Corey Robinson, Caro; Tony Ball, Frankenmuth; Spenser Summersett, Millington; Zac Hueter, North Branch; Ben Ward, Vassar. WR - Bret Coleman, Birch Run; Justin Zielinski, Garber; Garrett Stier, Millington; Tyler Reinert, Millington. RB - Mitch Babcock, Birch Run; Ryan Keith, Frankenmuth ; Josh Pierson, Garber; Corban Stewart, Millington . FB - Nathan Cormier, Frankenmuth . QB - Dustin Griesing, Millington ; Randon Henika, Garber. Second Team - Offense OL - Earl Leach, Birch Run; Madison Todd, Frankenmuth ; Kendrick Heinlein, Garber; Rick Lich, Millington; Rick Holtzlander, Millington . WR - Jordan Duby, Birch Run; Andrew Lapointe, Caro; Casey Linck, Nor

Mid-Michigan still well represented. There are a few teams left in the Mid-Michigan area as far as the MHSAA football state playoffs are concerned. In fact, 11 Mid-Michigan area teams are still alive, with five of those teams hosting games either this Friday night or Saturday afternoon. In fact, one team is even hosting a home game for the first time after winning their first two playoff games on the road. Here's a closer look at this weekend's games, starting in Division 2. Division 2 Davison (8-3) at Midland (9-2)-F7: At first look, it might appear that the Big Nine-champion Cardinals are over matched against the Chemics, who were the co-champions of the of the SVL. But a cloeser look at Davison's schedule shows that their only losses were to fellow playoff qualifiers, Lowell, Rockford and Holt. Still, the game is in Midland. PICK: Chemics 19, Cardinals 8 Division 3 Mt. Pleasant (8-3) at East Grand Rapids (10-1)-S1: Being that both of the my parents are MPHS grads,

Cardinals blow late lead MILLINGTON - Going into Friday's District Title championship game, Chesaning coach Jim Szappan had said about his quarterback Joe Bitterman that in Szappan's thirty years as a football coach, Bitterman was the best athlete that he had ever coached. After the fourth-quarter performance the senior had on Friday, it is easy to agree with Szappan's statement. Bitterman led the charge against Millington in the Division 5, District 4 Title game, leading his team back from a two-touchdown, fourth quarter deficit to the come-from behind 29-28 win over the Cardinals on Friday night. While trailing at halftime, Bitterman told his team at the break that if they wanted to win, they had to give a little more. "I told them I would lead them," Bitterman said. "I just asked for them to play a little harder, give a little more than they could. "I just needed some more time." He took a little more time than he his teammates may ha

I was there. A lot of talk this week in the blog-world has focused on this Friday's Chesaning-Millington District Final game of the Division 5 playoffs and whether or not it is relevant to talk about 1998. For those if you unfamiliar, let me summarize: 1998 was the last time these two teams met. It was the second round of playoffs, Millington was 10-0, which included a 29-26 win over Chesaning in week one of the season. The Cards were flying high; they had scored 444 points in 10 games and looked like the team to beat in the Class B playoffs. The Indians, on the other hand, were 9-1 and came into Millington that day in November full of confidence. Coach Jim Szappan and his team had ran over nine straight teams and they came to play. Unfortuantely for Millington, they were shut out by the Indians, 28-0, eliminated from the playoffs after a season which looked as though Coach Furno and his team had a legitmate chance at winning the school's first state title. The outcome of

UM vs MSU. Is there any doubt in anyone's mind that Michigan is going to demolish Michigan State this Saturday afternoon? The Sparty's started out the season on a high note, but losses over the last few weeks, especially the pathetic one last Saturday in Iowa, have taking some of the luster out of this week's game with the Wolverines. On the other hand, after back-to-back losses to open the season, UM has won seven in a row and looks poised to make a run at the Big Ten Title, which was nearly unfathomable two months ago. How the tide has changed! I have no doubt that once Mark Dantonio gets a few years under his belt and once he brings in his style of players after three or more years of recruiting, then and only then will Dantonio turn this program around. He has the swagger of a winner, and I believe that he will eventually take the Spartans to Pasadena. Just no this year. PICK: UM 38, MSU 14

Rockets falter in first round REESE - Bob Saylor thinks his team may have been eliminated by the eventual state champion. Only time will tell if Saylor is correct. The undefeated Rockets ran into a wall against Saginaw Nouvel in the opening round of the State Playoffs on Friday night. The Nouvel defense led the way, limiting the Rockets to just 20 yards of the offense in the first half and forced three turnovers in the Panthers 22-14 win in the Division 6 playoffs. Nouvel (6-3) moves on to face St. Charles (10-0); Reese is finished in the first round for the second straight season. "You never know with a team like Nouvel," Saylor said after the game. "They play a tough schedule, and they are always a tough team. "We just couldn't get anything going against their defense." Nouvel held Reese to just 15 offensive plays in the first twenty-four minutes of play, and the high-flying Rocket offense was held without a first-half first down for the first time in

Second Season starts Friday night. We have five area football teams from in and around the Tuscola County area playing this Friday night in the first round of the MHSAA state playoffs. Here's a closer look at the teams and the matchups , starting in Division 5. DIVISION 5 Montrose (8-1) at Millington (8-1): This one has the potential to the best matchup in the entire area. The Rams were the co-champions of the Genesee Area-Red Conference this season, lost just one game to 8-1 Lake Fenton , and were rewarded with a first-round road trip to Millington , where the Cardinals defeated the Rams in the second round of the 1999 playoffs. This will be the third time these two teams have met in the state playoffs (1992 and 2000 were the other years) and the Rams hold a 2-1 edge over the Cardinals. Montro se scored 325 points this year to 315 for Millington while the Rams held their opponents to 117 while the Cardinals surrendered 153. Coach Dennis Reinhart has led his team to two