Lenny Padilla
Sports Writer at Freelance
Freelance sports writer/photographer in West Michigan, mainly for the Holland Sentinel. Prep basketball junkie. GVSU alum.
Articles
-
2 weeks ago |
westmichiganballers.com | Lenny Padilla
ALLENDALE, Mich. - Jace Opoku-Agyeman, wearing a black No. 5 jersey, looked comfortable on the court during the Grand Valley Shootout team camp on Sunday. You wouldn’t know he was in eighth grade two weeks ago. Now he’s playing with one of the top high school team’s in the state for the first time. Opoku-Agyeman, one of the top players in the 2029 class in the country, thought all along that he’d be playing at Northview High School. But things changed quickly in the past month.
-
2 weeks ago |
hollandsentinel.com | Lenny Padilla
Lenny PadillaSentinel ContributorHUDSONVILLE - The Holland Christian volleyball players took turns posing with a trophy after the match on Saturday. It just wasn’t the trophy they wanted. “I had no expectations of holding up the championship trophy going into the season,” senior Grant VanderZee said. “Of course you hope for it.
-
3 weeks ago |
hollandsentinel.com | Lenny Padilla
HUDSONVILLE - Grant VanderZee admits his serving could use some work. But the Holland Christian star was nearly perfect when it counted. VanderZee served six-straight points to finish off a 3-0 victory over Kalamazoo Christian to advance to the Division 2 boys volleyball state championship game. The Maroons won 25-12, 25-21 and 25-15 on Friday afternoon at Hudsonville High School in the state semifinals. “It feels awesome,” said VanderZee, who was named Michigan’s Mr. Volleyball last week.
-
3 weeks ago |
westmichiganballers.com | Lenny Padilla
EAST KENTWOOD: Former East Kentwood guard Jah Hatchett suffered a shoulder injury last month during a pick-up game. His arm was in a sling last week while he watched the action during the Highland Premier Elite Run at Hudsonville. He said he’ll be back playing in July. Hatchett played his first three years at Kentwood before transferring to a prep school in Connecticut. Then he reclassified to the 2026 graduating class.
-
3 weeks ago |
hollandsentinel.com | Lenny Padilla
SPARTA - Sam VandeWege began the game sitting on the bench. But the Holland Christian junior ended the game with his teammates chanting “MVP! MVP!” As he walked off the court. “I didn’t play the first two (games today),” said VandeWege, who was out for three weeks with a high-ankle sprain. “Sitting on the bench the past three postseason games in the tournament, it was so stressful for me.
Journalists covering the same region
Austin Metz
Business Reporter at Holland Sentinel
Austin Metz primarily covers news in the South Haven area of Michigan, United States and surrounding communities.
Dan Evans
Show Host at WHTC-AM (Holland , MI)
Dan Evans primarily covers news in the Lake Michigan region, including areas around Holland and Grand Haven, Michigan, United States.
Amanda Porter
Amanda Porter primarily covers news in the Grand Rapids area of Michigan, United States and surrounding communities.
Kayla Penokie
Executive Producer at WXMI-TV (Grand Rapids, MI)
Kayla Penokie primarily covers news in the West Michigan region, including areas around Grand Rapids and surrounding towns.
Thomas Schumacher
News Reporter at WSAU-AM (Wausau , WI)
Thomas Schumacher primarily covers news in the Fox Valley region of Wisconsin, United States, including areas around Appleton and Oshkosh.
Try JournoFinder For Free
Search and contact over 1M+ journalist profiles, browse 100M+ articles, and unlock powerful PR tools.
Start Your 7-Day Free Trial →Coverage map
X (formerly Twitter)
- Followers
- 6K
- Tweets
- 23K
- DMs Open
- Yes
Cam Ryans is having a strong summer. The 2026 star said he never considered leaving Northview after a coaching change. STORY: https://t.co/iKChTOggKm https://t.co/IonpTx9aF9
OFFERED: Connor Johnson got an offer to play basketball from Wayne State University. He is a 6-foot-7 forward from Grand Rapids Christian.
Blessed to receive an offer from Wayne State University! Thank you @Bryan_Smothers for the opportunity! https://t.co/BbuzQze7zW
COMMITTED: Unity Christian 2026 defensive back Justin Febus has committed to play football at Calvin University. https://t.co/ik1zh6Twz0
