Chuck Klonke

1 week ago | macombdaily.com | Chuck Klonke

EAST LANSING – Ryan Felax wasn’t surprised when his Marine City baseball team cut a 5-0 deficit to a single run in the state Division 3 championship game against No. 14 Traverse City St. Francis on Saturday. He was probably more surprised that the Mariners didn’t complete the comeback. “It’s kind of what they always do,” Felax said after the Gladiators held on for a 5-4 victory in the game at McLane Stadium on the Michigan State campus. “They battle all the time.

2 weeks ago | macombdaily.com | Chuck Klonke

EAST LANSING — Film study pays off. It helped Grand Rapids Catholic Central win its first state soccer championship Friday with a 2-0 victory against Regina in the Division 3 title game at the DeMartin Soccer Complex on the Michigan State campus. Both Cougars goals came off restarts, something that hasn’t been typical of Catholic Central this season. “No, it’s so random,” said coach Genevieve Sandner, who won her first state championship as a coach after winning three as a player for Bishop Foley.

2 weeks ago | macombdaily.com | Chuck Klonke

EAST LANSING – Howard Stuart has had enough outstanding pitchers during his 47 years of coaching No. 7 Richmond softball to know that great pitching can be a double-edged sword. Teams with dominant pitchers don’t get a lot of fielding practice in game situations. It turned out that way for Escanaba, which came into the state tournament ranked No. 1 in Division 2. The Eskymos were led by senior pitcher Grayson LaMarche, who is headed to the University of Michigan next year.

2 weeks ago | macombdaily.com | Chuck Klonke

When the soccer season started for Regina on April 1, no one in their wildest dreams would have expected the Saddlelites to be preparing for a Division 3 state championship game two months later. It was a young team — six freshmen and two sophomores — playing a grueling schedule. Regina took its lumps early, winning only once in its first 12 games. Once the state tournament started, however, there has been a remarkable turnaround for the Saddlelites.

2 weeks ago | macombdaily.com | Chuck Klonke

A tough schedule can be a great confidence builder. It has been for Ford’s softball team, which advanced to the state quarterfinals Saturday with an impressive pair of victories in the Division 1 regional hosted by Royal Oak. The Falcons were 10-8 on May 2 after dropping a doubleheader to Port Huron Northern 10-9 and 11-0. Since then they’ve gone 19-2, including a 12-0 win against Royal Oak in the regional semifinal and a five-inning 11-0 victory against PHN in the championship game.