The Kent City Girls Basketball Team Had Its Heart Broken in the State

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JOURNAL.COM4 The Champ Who Remembers His Roots Muskegon native Raeese Aleem has become a world champion boxer based in Las Vegas, but he still keeps his old local coach, Terry Markowski, in his corner for every fight. 8 Just Two Points Removed After four years of trying, the talented Kent City girls basketball team finally made the state finals, only to lose a two-point heartbreaker. 10 The Zeerips Go to Kalamazoo Dad Craig Zeerip and his sons Justin and Collin are all successful high school wrestling coaches, and led their teams to the state finals in Kalamazoo. 12 Four Area Champions Whitehall's Ira Jenkins and Max Brown, Spring Lake's Jack Parker, and Hesperia's Aydan Sturte vant-Roesly won individul state wrestling titles. 14 Most Wins, New Contract Muskegon Lumberjacks Coach Mike Hamilton re cently became the winningest coach in team history and received a new 4-year contract. Now he hopes to be the coach who brings the Clark Cup to town. 15 Finally 500 Longtime Oakridge baseball coach Brandon Barry Sign your team up today! was stuck at 499 career wins for almost two years, before hitting the mark in the first game this spring. On the cover: Raeese Aleem after his successful WBA Call Jim Goorman at 231-206-4458 championship fight in January. BOWEN LAW OFFICES We offer 4% APY Attorneys & Counselors on checking accounts! 1042 TERRACE ST. Call for details. MUSKEGON, MICHIGAN 49442

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Buy 1 pound of candy, get 1/4 pound free expires 5/20/21 the champion who remembers his roots Muskegon's Raeese Aleem has become a world champion boxer, based in Las Vegas and fighting on national television. But in his corner remains Terry Markowski, the local trainer who introduced him to the sport and spent years helping him develop his skills. By Steve Gunn Aleem eventually became a pro, left Muskegon and moved to LocalSportsJournal.com Las Vegas, because he was having trouble finding quality opponents and building his career here. After a few impressive bouts out west, Terry Markowski spent several decades training young boxers at he was signed by a reputable management firm, promoter and pub- the Muskegon Athletic Club in the Jackson Hill neighborhood. licist, and has several top-of-the-line trainers working with him on a He mostly did it out of love for the sport and a desire to work daily basis. with kids. He never imagined training a fighter with the talent to He’s an up-and-coming star in the boxing world, with all sorts become a professional champion, until Raeese “The Beast” Aleem of opportunities, and a very good income, knocking on his door. came along. But he has never forgetten about Markowski. Aleem is a 30-year-old Muskegon native who recently won the Whenever Aleem has a fight, Markowski travels to the site and World Boxing Association super bantamweight championship in a works in his corner, serving as his assistant manager and secondary fight viewed worldwide on the Showtime cable television network. coach. But years before that, he was just a small, talented kid who wanted to learn boxing, and was fortunate enough to meet Mar- “He’s the one who told me all kowski. Markowski remembers the day that Aleem first walked into the of this was possible. I was just a Athletic Club. He was 12 or 13 at the time, and came with his father. kid from Muskegon, and what Aleem had had already earned his black belt in karate a year or two before, and at that tender age was looking for a new sport to did I know? It only takes one master. person to believe in you, to He was immediately impressive, and it didn’t take long for Mar- kowski to discover his incredible potential. help you reach your goals and “His dad brought him into the gym, and he did well right from the beginning,” Markowski said. “You could tell he was something dreams.” - Raeese Aleem talk- special at the time. He was kind of head and heels above everyone ing about Terry Markowski. else. Other people expected the same thing out of him. Everybody expected him to do what he’s been doing.” Unfortunately Markowski couldn’t make the last two fights, Aleem also remembers that first day at the gym, when he put on including the championship bout in January, due to the challenges the gloves and got into the ring for the first time. of COVID-19, but plans to be back in the corner when Aleem fights “After I got that black belt, I wondered what was next,” Aleem again this summer. told LocalSportsJournal.com. “My dad took me to the boxing gym Aleem wouldn’t have it any other way. and I was naturally good, because I already knew how to fight. “He taught me all the basics,” the boxer said. “We talk pretty That’s where I first met Terry. I sparred with one of the kids one day, much every day, and he’s still part of Team Aleem. When you relo- and I kind of beat him up, even though I didn’t even know the basics cate you leave everyone behind, but I’ve always kept him a part of at the time.” everything I’m doing. “He’s the one who told me all of this was possible. I was just a here to test his mettle in one of the many local gyms with the hope of kid from Muskegon, and what did I know? It only takes one person attracting the eye of one of the major promotional firms.” to believe in you, to help you reach your goals and dreams.” Markowski knew it was time for Aleem to become one of those “young fellows.” ‘I’ve been hit so hard I saw stars’ “The move out there made him better,” Markowski said. “He’s Aleem spent his earliest years living with his family in the city working with world champions and ex-world champions.” of Muskegon and attending Angel and Moon elementary schools in the Muskegon school district. Becoming a world champion When he was still young, his father, who was also his karate instructor, moved the family to Ravenna, so the kids would avoid the kind of trouble that occurs in some neighborhoods in the city. Aleem also spent some time attending Oakridge schools, before finally moving back to town and graduating from Muskegon High School in 2009. Aleem decided as a teen that he wanted to be a professional boxer. He didn’t have any Olympic dreams, never considered pursu- ing one of the more modern forms of professional fighting, like cage fighting or mixed martial arts. Markowski knew Aleem’s goal was achievable, and started working to find him the best available competition for sparring and amateur bouts. That meant driving all over the state and Midwest, with Markowski footing the bill, to find opponents who could challenge Aleem and help him develop his skills. “Even back at that time we started traveling around to find the best sparring he could get,” Markowski said. “We did a lot of traveling as he got older. We were spending weekends in Detroit, Chicago and Toledo.” Aleem was extremely successful Aleem lands a solid left hook to the face of on the amateur circuit, Vic Passilas in January during their WBA winning five Michi- super bantamweight championship bout. gan Golden Gloves championships, and Success didn’t come overnight for Aleem. He was an unknown finishing in third place quantity in Las Vegas, and he had to scratch out a living while con- in two national Golden tinuing to train until the chance came to demonstrate his abilities and Gloves tournaments. gain attention. He also had his “I did it all by myself,” Aleem said. “I had no family, friends or share of setbacks as an support system there. When I first came out here I had no coach, no amateur, finishing with gym. I had to find all of that. The first job I worked at was a pawn a 59-10 record, but his shop, then I got a job in security. I trained myself for the first year losses all came against and a half. more experienced “Then I got a chance to fight an undefeated fighter, I dropped fighters, and he learned him in the first round, and that started a domino effect.” something from each Aleem’s professional record speaks for itself. He is currently of those defeats. 18-0 with nine victories by technical knockout and six by unanimous “I was fight- decision. ing guys who were He won his last three fights by TKO, including the most recent national champions,” one, which was by far the biggest of his career. He fought undefeated said Aleeem, who went Vic Passilas on Jan. 23 for the interim World Boxing Association to school and worked super bantamweight championship at the Mohegan Sun Arena in at several local Meijer Connecticut. It was one of several bouts televised live that evening stores while he was by the Showtime cable network. fighting as an amateur. Aleem won the championship bout easily, finishing Passilas off A very young Aleem during “I only lost to top in the 11th round of a scheduled 12-round fight. A written descrip- his days of boxing at the guys. I’ve been in position of the fight, provided by BoxingInsider.com, explains how Muskegon Athletic Club. tions where my feet dominant he was. were literally in quick “The first round was a high octane affair,” the article said. “With sand, but I plowed through and still won. I’ve been hit so hard I saw that in mind, Aleem appeared to be the somewhat sharper of the two stars, but I kept fighting and won. It all prepares you for the pros.” in the opening three minute chapter. Pasillas went down in the final Aleem turned professional in 2011 at the age of 20 and had suc- minute of the second. The southpaw was able to get up and survive cess right away, winning his first seven bouts by knockouts. But it the round, however. Still, the man was truly getting beaten up. soon became obvious that he was too talented for the competition in “The third saw Aleem asserting himself, as did the fourth. By the Midwest. He started having trouble getting bouts, and went the the fifth, it was clear that Aleem’s high level of energy was impres- entire year of 2013 without a fight. sive, for he kept up a fast pace. Pasillas went down in the sixth, but Finally the situation became intolerable, and he decided to pack got up. Aleem, however, controlled the round. Aleem made it look up and head to Vegas. easy in the seventh. By the midpoint of the round, Pasillas appeared As one boxing writer put it, “If you’re an aspiring film actor, to be almost out on his feet. you go to Hollywood. If you’re an aspiring boxing champion, you go “Surprisingly, Pasillas performed better in the eighth than he to Las Vegas. Not a week goes by without a young fellow turning up had perhaps throughout the fight. He came on strong in the ninth, but was then dropped by Aleem once more. Pasillas kept fighting in the style and kind of went at it that way.” tenth, but it was clear he’d need to stop his man in order to win. An Markowski said he can’t even begin to guess how many young absolutely thunderous shot rocked Pasillas in the eleventh. A follow- boxers he trained over the years. Only two of his students ever went up shot from Aleem put him down and out.” pro – Raeese and Johnny Garcia, a Holland native who posted a 19- After the fight, a jubilant Aleem did a televised shoutout to 6 record before hanging up the gloves in 2017. Muskegon – “Hey, Muskegon, Michigan, stand up!” - and an- Developing a professional champion was never a goal for nounced with confidence that he was ready to take Markowski. He simply liked working with kids. on anybody. Many of the youngsters who came to the gym “I was dominant,” Aleem said, according to over the years had been in trouble at school or FightNews.com. “I wanted to put an exclamation with the law, and he used the sport to try to get point with this performance. It feels absolutely them back on the right path. amazing. It just confirms what I knew in my head, Others pursued boxing for a hobby, and that I have elite power. He’s one of the top fight- Markowski loved working with them, as well. ers in the division so to knock him out, it means Markowski’s priorities changed when Al- I’m a true threat." eem came around. Later on, when talking to LocalSportsJour- “The whole thing just kind of evolved with nal.com, a more subdued Aleem admitted that he Raeese being as good as he was," Markowski wasn’t completely satisfied with his performance. said. "It was not something I was trying to hang “He’s a really tough fighter,” Aleem said my hat on. It was just me realizing this kid can about Pasillas. “He was undefeated as a pro, and go somewhere. (Coaching a pro champion) he was coming off a knockout victory. He wasn’t wasn’t a goal, but it turned into a goal after be- a pushover, but I got the job done. ing with Raeese.” “I made a lot of mistakes in that fight. I still Markowski started spending more time have room to grow. I haven’t hit my ceiling yet.” away from the Athletic Club as he traveled with Aleem was awarded the championship belt in Aleem throughout the Midwest for sparring ses- his weight class, a coveted prize that he keeps in a Aleem with his WBA title sions and bouts. It wasn’t long before the boxer special case at home in Las Vegas, and is eager to belt after finishing off became the main focus of his training and coach- show off when he gets a chance to come back to Passilas back in January. ing efforts. Muskegon to visit family and friends. He admits it was hard when Aleem decided “It was pretty exciting,” he said about winning the champion- to leave for Las Vegas, but he fully supported the decision. ship. “There are fighters who go their whole careers and never have “He asked me to go with him – he said ‘Let’s do this together,’ the opportunity to fight for a belt, let alone win one.” Markowski said. "But I had too many ties here in Muskegon. I had a parent still around at the time, so the move wasn’t for me.” “I could hear the smile on his face’ Aleem and Markowski remain very close, and talk on the phone Markowski could have made the trip to Connecticut for the at least once a week. Markowski knows Aleem better than most championship fight, but that would have required him to spend sev- people, and says the brash boxer who boasts about his abilities to eral weeks in Las Vegas first, being tested for COVID-19. the media is not the real person. He says Aleem is actually pretty Instead he stayed home and watched the fight on TV, and in- modest, polite and friendly away from the cameras, something oth- tensely followed every punch and jab. ers have started to realize, as well. “I thought about it for a minute, but I’ve “He had an interview on Showtime, and been trying to take care of my health, so I stayed afterward (the announcers) said that he is a beast home,” Markowski said. in the ring, but nothing like that outside of it,” “I was probably clapping my hands and Markowski said. punching my fists,” Markowski added about Markowski has total confidence that Aleem watching the fight from his home. “I expected will continue to succeed at the pro level, because (Passilas) to be tougher. I wouldn’t say I was of his skills and incredible determination. surprised. I had no doubt Raeese would win. He “He does a good job of it,” he said. “It’s ended up knocking him down four times. just his ring IQ, his knowledge in the ring, his “He called me probably within 20 minutes knowledge of what to do and what not to do. after getting out of the ring. I could hear the smile He’s strong for his weight, and he’s a good on his face.” puncher. Markowski, who grew up in Muskegon, was “He’s probably peaking right now, although an amateur boxer as a youth, and fought fewer he could probably get a little better through than 10 bouts. But he never lost his love and fas- sparring.” cination for the sport. After spending a few years Markowski said when Aleem is done, his in California as an adult, he moved back to town career in the sport will also be done. and started training local kids at the Muskegon Raeese Aleem lands a “I kind of cut my time back as far as the Athletic Club around the year 2000. devastating blow against gym goes,” he said. “I retired to just working Markowski came up as a coach under the Passilas in the title fight. with him. That will be it for me when he’s done. great Kenny Lane, who had several pro champi- I will be 63 in a couple of weeks.” onship bouts during his career, then started the youth boxing gym at The dual retirements may not come any time soon, however. the Rec Club before passing away in 2008. Aleem seems driven to accomplish everything he can in the ring, Markowski and Lane became great friends, but they didn’t train and one of his main motivations is rewarding the commitment that their boxers the same way, Markowski had ideas of his own on how Markowski made to him over the years. to work with kids, and he followed his own philosophy. “He was spending his own money taking me to Chicago and “Me and Kenny did good together,” Markowski said. “We were Detroit and different places to spar,” Aleem said about his home- close. That’s who I worked with when I first started coaching. But I town coach. “You can’t just give up when a guy like that has your kind of did my own thing. I studied a lot of tapes and had my own back.”

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665 W. Clay Muskegon, Michigan 49440 1-800-968-9855 (231) 722-7831 Fax (231) 726-5783 Roger Garretson Financial Advisor Just two points removed The Kent City girls basketball team had its heart broken in the state tournament for the fourth-straight year - but made it to the state finals and had the best season in the history of the program. By Steve Gunn After so much success over a four-year period, with each season LocalSportsJournal.com in disappointment, how will the Eagles define their experience in coming years? Basketball coaches like to remind us that only one team in each Will they view it as the most successful era in program history, high school division gets to finish the season with a victory. or as an effort that had great potential but never quite lived up to Everybody else goes out with a loss. That’s the nature of the expectations? state tournament. For veteran Coach Scott But for really good teams with Carlson, that’s an easy question realistic state title hopes, losing before to answer: achieving the ultimate goal is a painful “What would I say about way to wrap things up, and makes it the last four years? It was fun, hard to stop and appreciate all the suc- it was exciting, I had a bunch of cess that came before. girls with great work ethics, and I That’s true for great teams that wouldn’t trade it for anything.” suffer that fate even once. So imagine how the Kent City girls basketball A great mix of seniors, team must have felt on April 9 as underclassmen they packed their gear at Michigan State University’s Breslin Center and The Eagles’ story actually headed home, following a heartbreaking loss in the state champion- goes back a few years, when ship game. Carlson became aware of four It was like a recurring nightmare for the Eagles, who had all the unusually talented sixth-graders makings of a state champion squad after flirting with the possibility who were just starting their trek for three previous years. through the program. In 2018, Kent City posted a 22-4 record and advanced all the They were Kenzie Bowers, way to the state quarterfinals before losing to Pewamo-Westphalia Jenna Harrison, Audrey Dreyer 45-30. In 2019 the Eagles were 19-5 but lost in regionals to eventual and Alyssa Larson, and there state champion Pewamo-Westphalia 35-33. In 2020 they were 22-2 was no doubt in Carlson’s mind but lost in regionals to ...you guessed it ... Pewamo-Westphalia 40- that the group would form the 37. foundation of a very good high So a lot of people figured that 2021 was going to be their year, school team, at least by the time because they returned four starters from a great team, including they were seniors. senior stars Kenzie Bowers and Jenna Harrison, who had suffered “I think I probably started through those repetitive tournament losses as underclassmen. talking about it and anticipating As it turned out, it was a great season. The Eagles were 21-1 and back when they were in the sixth the finally made the Division 3 state finals. They were undefeated in grade,” said Carlson, who just the regular season and won another Central State Activities Associa- completed his 12th season of run- tion Silver Division championship. They were dominant in the first ning the program. “That group part of the tournament, destroying their opponents at the district, was really, really good as kids.” A disappointed Kent regional and state quarterfinal level. Of course things don’t City Coach Scott But they ran into problems in the state championship game that always turn out as planned, and Carlson with the state they had worked so long to reach. They led by four points after one the group did not end up playing runner-up trophy. quarter, then had a really bad second quarter and fell behind. They together for four years of high trailed by as many as 12 points in the third quarter and 10 in the school. Dreyer transferred to another school after her sophomore fourth. year, and Larson suffered injuries that forced her to miss her junior Kent City battled back valiantly in the final minutes and made and senior seasons, even though she remained part of the team. the score close, but in the end lost a nail-biter, 52-50, and had to That left just Bowers and Harrison to carry the torch as they settle for the runner-up trophy. entered their senior season this year. That made four great seasons in a row culminating in bitter Luckily for Kent City, there was more talent coming up the pike. defeat. It meant another painful end for Bowers and Harrison, two It started with current juniors Emma Geers and Taryn Preston, who of the best offensive players in school history who both eclipsed the stepped in as starters in 2019-20 and provided a lot of depth to the 1,000-point mark in their careers. roster. Then came Lexie Bowers, Kenzie’s talented younger sister, who came up to varsity as a freshman in 19-20, ball over five times. followed by Maddie Geers, Emma’s younger But then the Eagles found their game, led by sister, who joined the squad as a freshman as many as 11 points in the fourth quarter, and phenom this season. escaped with a 59-53 victory. So Carlson had it right when he figured “I think it was more a matter of us being those sixth-graders would accomplish great shocked by such a big game in a big arena,” said things in varsity. The coach just didn’t realize Carlson about his team’s shaky start. “Once we how many underclassmen would end up play- settled down and started hitting our shots, things ing huge roles beside them. went our way.” This year the two seniors, Kenzie Bowers The state championship game against Grass (who averaged 20 points per game) and Har- Lake, a team with only one loss, started out quite rison (11 points), along with sophomore Lexie differently than the semifinals. Bowers (9 points) and freshman Maddie Geers The Eagles looked good in the first quarter, (11 points) were the leading scorers for the when they hit four triples and came away with an high-flying Eagles. 18-14 lead at the first buzzer. “We still have three of them (from that But that type of shooting, which has pro- sixth-grade group), including two who are Kent City's Jenna Harrison pelled the Eagles for the past few years, went healthy and can play,” Carlson said before this south in the second quarter, when they only made year’s state semifinal game. “The group behindgets ready to launch a three.two buckets and trailed 30-24 at halftime. them, the juniors, are strong, and the next ones after that just stepped Grass Lake opened the third quarter with a pair of “and one” up. We returned four starters from last year’s team, and plugged in three-point plays to pull ahead 36-24 less than two minutes into the freshman Maddie Geers, who’s been very good.” half. Each team ended up with 10 points in the quarter, and Grass The Eagles rolled through the regular Lake went into the fourth with a 40-34 lead. season with a perfect 15-0 record, and most of Grass Lake’s Bargesser hit a pair of layups the victories were blowouts. They opened the to start the final quarter, the Warriors led 44-34, season with a jaw-dropping 125-9 victory over and it looked like Kent City’s hopes were fading conference rival Lakeview and were off and away. rollling But the Eagles put up a battle all the way The domination continued when the state to the end. Kenzie Bowers hit a three-pointer tournament came along. In districts they beat with about five minutes left, and Harrison had a White Cloud 57-14 and Morley Stanwood 63- steal and a three-pointer about 30 seconds later, 32. In regionals they beat Western Michigan and suddenly the Eagles had cut their deficit to Christian 53-37 and Covenant Christian 69-23. 44-40. Everyone was stunned when the Eagles Grass Lake hit a layup to pull ahead 46-40, demolished Schoolcraft 52-19 in the state then Harrison nailed another three with 3:08 quarterfinals, and people started to wonder if remaining, making the score 46-43. anybody could beat them, or at least give them Kenzie Bowers made one of two free throws a run for their money. with 2:11 left to make it 46-44. Grass Lake’s The Eagles rolled to all those wins with a Abrie Cabana sank a layup nine seconds later great offense powered by their amazing three- to give her team a four-point edge, then Mad- point attack, and a defense that really devel- Kenzie Bowers drives into die Geers answered with a layup for the Eagles, oped this season. They scored an average of 63 the lane during the finals. leaving the score 48-46 with 1:31 remaining. points per game, and only gave up an average Bargesser downed two free throws with 35 of 28. seconds left, then Kenzie Bowers made a layup 13 seconds later, One really fun part was that they did it all with only seven leaving Grass Lake with a 50-48 edge with 23 seconds on the clock. players, from their first game through the state Bargesser made two more free throws with finals. Carlson did not call up any players from 10 seconds remaining, then Harrison hit a bucket the junior varsity because he wanted to mini- for Kent City at the final buzzer, but the Eagles’ mize the risk of COVID spreading, so Kent comeback fell two points short. City gutted it out with very little depth. “With that type of deficit, the team could But that never really mattered, according have just rolled over and said this is over,” Carl- to their coach. son said. “I’m proud of them.” “The toughest part was practice,” Carlson Six days after the loss, Carlson was asked said. “With seven players we really couldn’t how he was feeling about the season, with the scrimmage, and we couldn’t work on our of- sting of the loss starting to fade a bit. fense against our defense. That was probably He said it was the same feeling he has every the part that impressed me most about these year when the season ends, and it had nothing to guys. They are smart and they adjusted. And do with losing in the finals. they were in fantastic shape. They could press “The toughest thing was not losing the the whole game.” game,” Carlson said. “We played a good game. There were some things I wish we would have Falling just short done differently, and some things I wish I would Emmalyn Geers makes a have done differently, but the toughest part was The games got a lot tougher when the pass for Kent City. Photos/ knowing my run with this team was over. Eagles reached the state Final Four for the first Jason Goorman “We had become a very, very tight-knit time in school history. group. It was a great, great group to be a part They started out slowly in the state semifinals against undefeat- of. Every year I go through two or three days of mourning when the ed Calumet, and the game was tied 7-7 after one quarter. Kent City season ends. It’s like when your kids go off to college. It leaves a made only 3 of 13 shots from the floor in the quarter and turned the little hole in your heart.” THE ZEERIPS GO TO KALAMAZOO

Craig Zeerip, whose Fremont wrestling Justin and Collin Zeerip, whose Whitehall team made the D2 state quarterfinals wrestling team made the D3 state finals

By Steve Gunn his alma mater. The wrestling program was in rough shape at a time, LocalSportsJournal.com with only a few kids competing and lots of losses. Fremont ended up losing to Monroe Jefferson 49-19 in the state It had been 14 years since Craig Zeerip and his sons Justin quarterfinals this year, but just advancing that far was another mark and Collin had been at the state high school team wrestling finals of progress for the program. together, at least as competitors. Justin and Collin Zeerip have been the co-coaches at Whitehall It was back in 2007, when Craig was an for the past three years, and have led the Vikings to regional cham- assistant coach with the Hesperia team, while pionships and a berth in the state Final Eight two of the past three Justin and Collin were standout wrestlers for seasons, including this spring. the squad. Whitehall won its state quarterfinal match against Hart 41-23, The Panthers lost in the state quarterfinals and survived a dramatic semifinal match against Alma 37-29, before that year on a tie-breaker, and Justin graduated losing to perennial power Dundee in the Division 3 state champion- a few months later. The next year Hesperia ship match, 55-17. won the state championship with Craig as an It was the first time that Whitehall, a longtime area wrestling assistant coach and Collin a sophomore wres- power, had advanced all the way to the state final match, so it was a tler, but Justin wasn’t part of it. new high point for an already strong program. But all three made a triumphant return on March 30, when father “We are super proud of our team,” Collin Zeerip said. “We went and sons were all at the team state finals in Kalamazoo, this time as against a great conference opponent in Hart and wrestled very well, coaches. and we found a way to beat Alma. In the finals, I’m proud that our Craig Zeerip, in his seventh year as the kids fought hard. Dundee is ranked in the top 20 in the nation, and head coach at Fremont, led the Packers to their our kids kept battling. That’s all you can ask for.” second straight team regional championship “It was a great day for them,” Craig Zeerip said. “It was a new earlier in March and a berth in the Division 2 accomplishment for Whitehall, and it was fun to watch them get to Final Eight. climb that mountain. We were really excited for them.” Competing at the state level was nothing new for the elder Zeerip. He was the head New challenge for an old coach coach at Hesperia in 1999, when his sons were still small, and the Panthers finished second in the state. In his 32 years serving as a Craig Zeerip was a standout wrestler at Fremont High School head coach or assistant at Hesperia or Fremont, his teams have quali- who went on to letter in the sport at Ohio State University. fied for the state team Final 8 a total of 15 times. He came home after college to begin his coaching career. He But the last two years have been special, because Zeerip accept- actually started as an assistant coach at Fremont for a few years, ed a rebuilding challenge when he left Hesperia to coach Fremont, before becoming the head coach at Hesperia in 1990-91, a stint that lasted 13 years. As head coach, he took Hesperia to the team state Final Four Two brothers living a dream six times, including the state championship match in 1999, when the Panthers lost a 33-32 heartbreaker to Whittemore-Prescott. Collin Zeerip was an assistant coach under his dad at Fremont, When his three sons – Justin, Brandon and Collin – started to and Justin was coaching middle school wrestling at Hesperia, when a reach Hesperia Middle School, he took a step back and became an very old dream suddenly became possible. assistant coach with varsity, so he could spend more time with his As far back as high school, Collin and Justin had talking about boys and help them develop their skills. someday coaching a team together, and the opportunity arose when The three Zeerip longtime Whitehall varsity wrestling coach Cliff Sandee retired fol- boys developed very lowing the 2017-18 season well, indeed. Justin “We’re really close, and we always dreamed of coaching Zeerip (Class of 2007) together,” Justin Zeerip said. “It’s been really, really fun these last went undefeated through few years. It’s been a blast. It’s definitely fulfilled all of my expecta- four years of varsity tions.” wrestling and won four The Zeerip brothers were fortunate to take over an extremely individual state champi- good program. Whitehall had been the dominant wrestling program onships at Hesperia. He among Muskegon County schools for more than a decade, winning finished with an unbe- 12 straight Greater Muskegon Athletic Association City Wrestling lievable career record of Tournament titles, and advancing far into the state team tournament 260-0. Collin (Class of numerous times. 2010), the youngest son, The Zeerips have maintained the program’s tradition very well won three individual so far. In their first season, 2018-19, the Vikings again won the state titles, while Bran- GMAA City Tournament and advanced all the way to the Division 3 don (Class of 2009), the state semifinals before losing to Dundee 35-27. middle son, won two Last season the Vikings took a bit of a step back, finishing state titles and was a second to Reeths-Puffer at the city tournament and ending their runner-up once. long title streak, and losing again to R-P in a tough Division 2 team Fremont's Tee Ward squares All three Zeerip district match, which cut their season short. boys were also class This season the Vikings, back in Division 3, rebounded with a up to face his opponent in valedictorians at Hes- roar, posting a 27-2 record, regaining the GMAA city tournament the state quarterfinals. peria, and went on to title, then roaring through the Division 3 team tournament by beating wrestle at the University Shelby 83-0 in the finals of a three-team district tournament, and of Michigan. Comstock Park 64-6 in the finals of a three-team regional. Craig Zeerip spent 10 years as an assistant coach at Hesperia The first two rounds of the state team tournament went great before he was contacted by Fremont officials about their head coach- for the Vikings. They beat local foe Hart easily, then had to battle ing vacancy. The Fremont program has suffered over time, and the to the last match to down a numbers were low when it came to participation and victories. very strong Alma team in the It was a new challenge for a seasoned coach, and he decided semifinals. Riley Buys sewed to take it on, along with one of the other Hesperia assistants, Jeff up the victory with a 9-3 win Thome. at 130 pounds. The Fremont team has steadily improved under Zeerip’s veteran The state championship guidance. In the first year the team finished with a modest 12-10 match started out well for record, but the last three seasons have been outstanding, with the Whitehall. Max Brown won Packers going 31-9 in 2019, 24-9 in 2020 and 26-3 this season. the opener at 140 pounds in The Packers steamrolled through team districts this year, beating a 3-2 overtime thriller, and Ludington 78-6 and Mount Pleasant 62-10. In regionals they de- Marco Moore won a 6-3 match feated Bay City John Glenn 46-30 and Escanaba 48-29 to gain their at 145, giving the Vikings an berth in the state Final Eight. early 6-0 lead. His sons were not surprised at his ability to turn a bad program Dundee won at 152, 160 into a winner. and 171 pounds to take a 15-6 “He just had a few kids on the team (at Fremont when he lead. Dundee got a pin at 189, started), and he’s done a really good job of building it up,” Justin Whitehall won by forfeit at Zeerip said about his father. "He’s done a great job of developing 215, and the Vikings’ Ira Jen- those guys. I’m really happy for him. I know he’s worked hard at it." kins won by pin at 285, pulling Fremont had abit of bad luck the day before the state tourna- Whitehall within four points at ment, because two starting wrestlers discovered that they had been 21-17. exposed to COVID and had to sit out. Craig Zeerip isn’t saying his Whitehall's Riley Buys But Dundee won the last team would have won in the quarterfinals with them, but he does in the state final match. five matches, four by pins, to believe it would have been closer. Photos/Leo Valdez seal up its fourth straight state “I think it affected our kids somewhat," he said. "I think they title. gave a valiant effort, but were just a little off. That was the type of The Vikings’ day could be viewed in different ways. On the one curveball we hadn’t dealt with all year, and I think it affected the hand, they came a lot closer to Dundee two years ago, losing by only way they wrestled.” eight points in the quarterfinals. This year they lost by a lot more, but Numerous wrestlers had big seasons for Fremont, including were seeded second in the tournament and made it all the way to the RJ Thome (30-0 on the season), freshman Tee Ward (28-2), senior finals. Eli Beasley (28-3), freshman Trey Meyers (26-3), sophomore Alex “It’s a different year every year,” said Collin Zeerip, whose team Gleason (26-6), senior Jager Kibart (23-4), senior Trey Breuker (29- will only lose seven seniors to graduation. “We would obviously 2), sophomore Michael Romero (21-9), and freshman Killian Prewitt prefer to be wrestling (Dundee) in the finals than the quarterfinals. (19-5). Hopefully we can take it one more step next year." STATE INDIVIDUAL WRESTLING FINALS

FOUR AREAchampionship match. CHAMPIONSwas hard to sleep.” By Andrew Johnson LocalSportsJournal.com Part of what motivated Parker’s historic Brown did not struggle once he hit the run was a loss to Trevor Marsman of Cedar mat. He won his quarterfinal match by pin It’s one thing to win an individual state Springs about a month before the state in just 1:03, and won his semifinal match by high school wrestling championship. finals. pin in 2:38. It’s quite another to do so as impres- “My loss was In the finals, Brown defeated Austin sively as Whitehall’s Ira Jenkins did it. a turning point,” Fietz of Dundee via a 7-1 decision to take Jenkins, only a junior, finished the sea- said Parker, who home the title. son with a perfect 38-0 record after winning finished the season “It just felt great,” said Brown, who fin- the Division 3 state championship in the with a 29-1 record. ished the season with a 35-1 record. “I had 215-pound weight class at the state finals. “It really motivated so many emotions and I wanted to celebrate. Even better, he won all of his matches me to step up and I thought of everything that got me to that against the top make sure I was level. Plus, I had family in the stands and competition in doing everything wanted to get to them to celebrate. But more Michigan with right. It made me than anything I was happy and relieved." pins. Jenkins work my hardest.” Capping off a career spent a total of Also on less than five Parker’s mind was The final individual champion from minutes on the his 2020 loss to Jack Parker the Muskegon area was crowned on April mat – 4:17 to be Jacob Byra of St. Johns in 112-pound state 3, when Hesperia senior Aydan Sturtevant- exact – while final match. Roesly brought home the Division 4 state picking up four “That was my goal the entire season,” title in the 119-pound class at Van Andel victories. Parker said about redeeming himself with a Arena. Jenkins won title. “I couldn’t imagine not winning.” Sturtevant-Roesly won his first two his first match matches via 9-0 major decisions before by pinning his Another Brown wins a title beating his semifinal opponent with an 8-2 Ira Jenkins opponent in 1:28. The name Brown commands a lot of re- decision. He did the same thing in the quarterfinals, spect in the Whitehall wrestling community. Sturtevant-Roesly squeaked out an getting a pin in just 1:46. In the semifi- That was true even before Max Brown exciting 2-1 victory over Zak Shadley of nals, Jenkins finished things off in just 19 won the Division 3 state championship in Clinton in the seconds, then needed only 44 seconds to pin the 140-pound weight class on April 2 at championship Algonac’s Ryan Osterland in the champion- Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo. round. ship match. Max’s brother, Reilly Brown, won two “It was Now that’s domination. state titles during his high school career at insane,” said the “I was really locked in,” Jenkins said Whitehall, and by doing so established a set senior about win- about his performance. “It was my goal to of goals for Max. ning the title after pin all the way through, and I just kind of “One of my finishing seventh honed in to get it done.” goals has been his sophomore tying my broth- year and sixth Parker first SL champ in 53 years er,” said Max, his junior season. Spring Lake senior Jack Parker made a who will need to “Just coming little bit of history on April 2 at Van Andel win another title from such a leap Aydan Arena in Grand Rapids, when he beat next season to tie is a pretty crazy Tayden Miller of Mason 6-1 to win the Divi- Reilly. “He still thing to think Sturtevant-Roesly sion 2 state championship in the 119-pound has me beat cur- about.” weight class. rently, and he’ll Sturtevant-Roesly had to work extra Parker became the first Laker wrestler remind me at din- hard for his championship, because he to capture a state title in 53 years. ner. That’s just a started the 2021 season battling a dislocated “It’s really cool,” Parker said about put- lot of motivation, left kneecap and torn ligament. The injuries ting his name in the school record book. “It Max Brown and now that I’ve forced him to skip the first week and a half just shows that kids can now come to Spring gotten one title, I want to show it’s not a of team practices, although he still competed Lake and become a champion if they put fluke and win in a dominant fashion.” in meets.’ everything into it.” Brown admits that he struggled to sleep He had to compete all season in a knee Parker paved his way to the champion- before taking the mat at the state finals. brace. His ability to overcome the injuries ship round by winning his opening match “I’d been there before,” said Brown, and battle through to a state title made it a via technical fall (17-2), then advanced to who finished fourth in the state in 2019 memorable final season. the semifinals when his opponent had to at 125 pounds, and third in 2020 at 130 “I think about it every day, just about withdraw due to injury. pounds. “But I think you always have more all the work and time I put into it," he said. Parker defeated Cael Weinzweig of pressure when you think you should win, so It’s a good storybook ending, and it’s a great DeWitt 8-3 in the semis before winning the I was kind of lost in my own thoughts and it way to finish off on a high note.”

Longtime Oakridge baseball Coach Brandon Barry was stuck at 499 career wins since June 2019. After losing a season to COVID, he finally reached 500 in the first game of the new season. By Steve Gunn done and out of the wind.” LocalSportsJournal.com The truth is that Barry’s accomplishment is a very big deal, marking another Brandon Barry had been coaching one milestone in a great baseball coaching high school sport or another, at one school career. or another, since way back in 1989. As of this writing, he has an all-time So the 2019-20 school year was ex- 502-287 record, including three wins this tremely odd for him. season. His Oakridge teams have won 11 In September 2019, Barry expected to West Michigan Conference championships, be doing what he had been doing for years – 12 district titles and seven regional champi- coaching the Reeths-Puffer girls basketball onships. They have made four appearances team in the winter and the Oakridge boys in the state final four – in 2004, 2011, 2014 baseball team in the fall. and 2019. His teams lost each of those years But none of that came to pass. He in the state semifinals, always to the team resigned from the R-P basketball position that went on to win the state title. shortly before the 2019-20 season began, for Barry, who has always been very mod- personal and professional reasons. It ended a est, said the 500th win is significant because successful 11-year run with the program. it means he's survived in a tough business. He did not leave his Oakridge baseball “People can be pretty critical if coaches position, but the 2020 season never occurred aren’t winning,” he said. “Just to last this due to last spring’s initial COVID outbreak. long is what I’m proud of. It’s nice to have

FINALLY 500more wins than losses. It’s fun to hit mile- His last baseball game had been in June 2019, when his Oakridge squad lost in the stones in your personal career or as a team, Division 2 state semifinals. If Oakridge had and it’s fun to do that with kids and assistant won, it would have been his 500th career coaches that you really like.” coaching victory in baseball. Barry’s coaching career spans several So Barry was sidelined from coaching decades and several sports. for nearly two full years, and he was stuck He spent three years as the JV baseball at 499 career wins for the same period of coach at Oakridge before taking over the time. varsity. Between 1989 and 2004 he was the All of that took care of itself on March freshman, junior varsity and then varsity 30, when the Oakridge baseball team played boys basketball coach at Oakridge. He its first game of the 2021 season. Barry was became the girls varsity basketball coach at back doing what he loves to do, and his Oakridge in 1993 and served in that post for Eagles slugged their way to an 11-8 victory about six or seven years. at Hudsonville Unity Christian, putting him Barry stepped down from the Oakridge at 500 career wins at the start of his 27th basketball program altogether in 2004, but season. was back on the court coaching the Reeths- “That’s the longest I have ever gone Puffer girls varsity between 2008 and 2020, without coaching anything,” said Barry, a after a stint as a volunteer assistant coach. 1984 graduate of Reeths-Puffer High School Somewhere in between all of that he who has been teaching at Oakridge High spent four years coaching golf at Oakridge. School since 1989. “It was really weird. I Barry said he got a phone call after was surprised my wife liked me as much as Barry said of the weather conditions on the winning his 500th baseball game from Mike she did. I thought she might kick me out of first day of the season. “I think their start- Johnston, his freshman baseball coach, the house and tell me to go do something.” ing pitcher had his hat blow off after every which reminded him of just how long he has There was no ceremony to mark the single pitch. Afterward I told the kids, they been coaching. 500th win – just a brief mention from Barry had waited a year to get their first varsity “He reminded me that he was on my to his players after the game. win, and on a personal note, that had put me team when I got my first win, and his son “It was a horrendous day for baseball,” at 500. They said congrats and patted me on Andy is on my team this year,” Barry said. the back. I think they were just happy to be “I’m too old to remember that kind of stuff.” Most wins, new contract ... now first Clark Cup? By Steve Gunn would have been expiring," LocalSportsJournal.com Hamilton said. "We have been talking about it, and On Friday, April 2, the Muskegon we were able to lock down Lumberjacks beat the Team USA Under-18 a really nice extension.” squad at Mercy Health Arena, and an an- A four-year contract nouncement came over the PA system, im- for a coach is not typical in mediately after the game. the USHL, but the Lum- The an- berjacks have clearly been nouncer said that pleased with Hamilton’s with the victory, performance, and wanted to Lumberjacks keep him around for awhile. Coach Mike Hamilton was a suc- Hamilton had cessful youth hockey coach become the win- in the Detroit area for years, ningest coach in and first became familiar franchise history. with the Jacks in 2014 The fans when his son, Trevor Ham- cheered. The ilton, played for the team. players doused Hamilton with water when He served as the Lum- he walked into the locker room. The news berjacks’ video coach in the went out to the area through radio and as- 2017-18 season, before get- sorted media outlets. ting the head coaching job As it turned out, the news was a bit the following year, replac- premature. ing John LaFontaine, who Through some faulty math, the Lumber- was fired after two seasons. jacks front office incorrectly calculated the In his first year Mus- number of wins that Hamilton had after that kegon won the USHL’s game. He didn’t actually collect his record- Eastern Conference cham- setting 93rd win until Friday, April 9, after pionship with a 41-17-4 the Jacks beat Dubuque at home. record in the regular season. Mike Hamilton, who recently became the That game was long over, and nobody The Jacks won a first- winningest coach in Lumberjacks history. was around to douse him with water, when round playoff series over hotttest team in the league in recent months. Hamilton was told. He took it with a laugh, Dubuque, then lost in the conference finals If they finish second they will play Green and said it made no difference to him. to Chicago. Bay in a best-of-three first round playoff Regardless of when he set the record, Last season the Jacks had a very young series, with all games in Muskegon. If they the fact is that Hamilton has done a great job roster, and were struggling with a 21-23-5 finish third, the games would be played in coaching the team over the past three sea- record when the COVID virus forced the Green Bay. sons, and the people who run the organiza- cancellation of the rest of the season. The winner of the series would very tion are very happy with his performance. This season, with many of those young likely play first-place Chicago in the confer- Proof of that came on Sunday, April players a year older and better, the Jacks ence finals. The winner of that series would 4 – two days after the erroneous announce- have been soaring, with a 33-14-4 record play the Eastern Conference champion in ment about Hamilton setting the win record heading into the final weekend of the regular the Clark Cup finals, May 14-25. – when the club announced that he had season. “That is 100 percent the hope,” Ham- been granted a four-year contract extension, That left Hamilton with a 95-54-12 ca- ilton said about winning the Clark Cup. which could potentially keep him with the reer regular season record, as of this writing. “Winning is something that this organiza- Lumberjacks through the 2024-25 season. Hamilton could also be the first Lum- tion takes pride in, and it’s truly time for us The new contract will make Hamilton berjacks coach to accomplish a very big to take that next step toward getting the big the longest serving coach in the 11-year goal - winning the Clark Cup, which goes to one done. history of the Lumberjacks, as soon as he the league playoff champion. “We knew we had some pretty key coaches one game in the 2021-22 season. On April 17, the Jacks were in second pieces here this season. It was just a matter No previous coach has served more than place in the USHL Eastern Conference with of getting everybody on the same page. We three seasons. 70 points (two points for a win, one for a tie knew we had a lot of talent, we just needed “My first year I had a two-year con- or overtime loss) with three regular season to come together at the same time, and now tract, and they extended that one year, and it games remaining. 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