Camden-Frontier hires new athletic director

Jim Dion has been coaching for 40-plus years, he calls himself "semi-retired" and yet he is ready for new more challenges than ever.

Dion was recently hired as Camden-Frontier's new athletic director, replacing the retired Brad Bohner, and he is also set to take over as JV football coach if the school board approves that action at their next meeting.

The 60-year-old Dion has been the head track and field coach at C-F for three years and he said he has been ready to take over the AD post for quite some time now.

"Brad actually talked to me about the job several years ago when he said he would be retiring, but some things changed in his retirement plans and obviously the job didn't open," Dion said. "But this year we talked about it more and to be honest, this job just fits right into my lifestyle."

Dion was actually Litchfield's athletic director for a year-and-a-half prior to coming to C-F and his 27 years of teaching and 41 years of coaching experience make him feel he's aptly prepared for his new gig.

"I have the argument with a lot of people about how much things have changed in high school athletics over the years. In my mind they really haven't," he said. "Sure some of the extracurriculars have changed, kids don't do the same things we did for fun in the 60s and 70s, but what every kid really wants is to be successful and to feel wanted and needed."

Dion also said he believes the district is home to plenty of talented athletes who simply "need to be put in the best positions possible to succeed."

"We really have good talent, we just have to know how to use it," he said. "My philosophy is you just hire good coaches and get out of the way. It's a real easy concept if you ask me."

The Redskin baseball and softball teams are fresh off district titles, while the girls basketball team had the same success in the winter. The C-F football program has been down the last few years in terms of victories, but has a strong tradition behind it, and the volleyball program is one of the SCAA's best on a yearly basis.

Superintendent Wendy Moore said Dion seemed like the perfect fit to continue building all of the programs.

"Jim has been coaching for us for a couple of years and has stepped up as an administrator and was willing to do it on a part-time basis so it works well," she said."We were looking for someone who understands state requirements, someone who works well with kids at this level and someone who understands the balance between academics and athletics."

Dion said he plans on continuing his duties as the track and field coach.

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Errors doom Camden-Frontier softball team as season comes to an end

By Bill Mullaly / Special to the Hillsdale Daily News

Camden-Frontier hung tough with Ottawa Lake-Whiteford for two innings but things changed in the third and the Bobcats went on to a 10-1 win in the Division 4 regional semifinals on Saturday.

Three runs in the third inning and four more in the fourth sent the Bobcats to the final game where they beat Petersburg-Summerfield 6-3.

Summerfield had beaten Homer 4-0 in the other semifinal.

The Redskins had just one hit in the first three innings as catcher Kara Bryner singled in the third inning.

And the Bobcats used three hits off of Redskins pitcher Morgan Warfield to take a 3-0 in the bottom of the third inning.

Megan Schwartzengraber came in for the final three innings, but things didn’t improve.

Two walks and two more Bobcat hits in the fourth plated four more runs and the game was all but over against a very good Bobcat pitcher. Only a solo home run by Erika Poikey in the fifth kept the Redskins from being shut out.

The only other Redskin hit in the game was a sixth inning single by Kim Bennett.

The Bobcats added a single run in the fifth and two more runs in the sixth to put the game away. The Redskins suffered 10 strikeouts and went down in order in the second, fourth and seventh innings.

Warfield gave up four hits, didn’t walk a batter and did record three strikeouts in taking the loss in the circle. Schwartzengraber allowed six hits, struck out four and walked two.

“We only allowed one earn run the entire game but we didn’t make the plays on defense,” said Redskin head coach Melissa Warfield. “We need to hit the ball well to be successful and Whiteford made the plays on our hits and we didn’t make the plays on their hits."

Camden-Frontier finishes at 22-7 after going 22-9 the year before with both seasons ending in the regional semifinal game.

“The story of this season was pretty much the same thing that being if we didn’t score enough runs and made  one or two errors then things would go downhill. We had a real good year overall but I was hoping we would play better in the regional game,” said Warfield, who returns her two top pitchers who are both sophomores.

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Division 4 baseball and softball regional previews and picks

Here is a look at the Division 4 baseball and softball regional action that will take place at Homer this Saturday. A rundown of all of the matchups is followed by my picks:

Softball
Ottawa Lake Whiteford (22-8) vs. Camden-Frontier (16-6), 10 a.m.; Homer (20-10) vs. Petersburg-Summerfield (23-4), noon.; Championship 2 p.m.
Other media outlets continue to talk about Homer as the team to beat following a run all the way to last year's Division 4 state title game, where they came up short, but people need to remember they surprised plenty of "favorites" in 2008 and they could be upset themselves this year.
Ace Paige Winchell is nearly un-hittable on the mound at times and she mowed right through the opposing lineups in districts, but their hitting attack has been a bit hot-and-cold this season.
Winchell is hitting nearly .460 while Vickie VanWert checks in at .412, but the bottom of the lineup is not always a tough out.
Petersburg-Summerfield (23-4) is certainly a worthy opponent  in the semifinals, one from the extremely competitive Tri-County Conference, so they're battle tested to say the least.
Summerfield actually beat Homer 10-0 in the regional final two years ago, but many of the Trojan's top players were only sophomores.
Summerfield had it easy last weekend though, with a bye in the semifinals, and a 16-0 championship game win over Britton-Deerfield.
Ottawa Lake Whiteford is also at TCC team, one who has a 22-8 record and is led by top pitcher Kesley Hutchison. She pitched a one-hitter (against Waldron) and five-hitter last weekend to guide her team to the regional round.
Hutchinson, along with Kelsie Barron, Kim Lambert and Caitlin Granata of Whiteford were all named to the All-Tri-County Conference Softball Team recently.
Whoever starts on the mound for Camden-Frontier, Megan Schwartzengraber or Morgan Warfield, should create the opportunity for a fantastic pitchers dual with Hutchison.
This is the Redskins third regional since 2000, and second in a row, after they lost to Homer last season.
Editor's pick: One thing that makes this an extremely difficult regional to pick is the fact that all four of these teams have outstanding pitchers that can carry them through the entire afternoon. That said, I think Homer does get the job done against Summerfield because of how they've been playing and because Winchell has proven to be a big-game player, especially on her home-turf. I don't think things will go quite as well for C-F fans unfortunately. I'm concerned that their defense could hurt them if the game stays tight and they showed a bit of vulnerability against Reading in the district semifinals last Friday. I know they'll play their hearts out, but I think depth becomes a factor at this point. Ultimately it's almost a toss-up in the finals, but I'm going to go with Summerfield just because I'm tired of hearing Homer fans say how great their team is, when they couldn't even win a Big Eight crown.

Baseball
Homer (21-13) vs. Petersburg-Summerfield (13-10), 10 a.m.; Reading (19-9) vs. Ottawa Lake Whiteford, 12:30.; Championship 3 p.m.

The Rangers are playing the poised, championship style of baseball that people have come to expect of Rick Bailey's teams in June, but the competition will be stiff at the Homer regional Saturday.
They will face a veteran Ottawa Lake Whiteford team who starts seven seniors in the regional semifinals, after the Bobcats crushed Waldron 20-0 and beat Lenawee Christian 8-0 in district play last weekend.
Whiteford can put up some runs, like the 28 it put on Madison earlier this season, but most of their wins come via strong pitching and mistake-free defense.
On Wednesday the Bobcats played one of Division 3's best teams in Blissfield and lost just 7-6 at Adrian College.
Starting pitcher John Morrison pitched a three-hit shutout in Whiteford's district championship victory.
On the other side of the bracket, Homer faces Petersburg-Summerfield.
Homer is 20-10, but finished just fourth in the Big Eight and had a pair of easy 10-0 wins over Tekonsha and North Adams-Jerome in district play.
Summerfield is an interesting case because they are only 13-10, but they come from a strong TCC conference and are coming off an impressive showing in districts.
Jake Gilstorff pitched a no-hitter with 11 strikeouts in s semifinals bout with Saline Washtenaw Christian, before Tyler Glass hurled a no-hitter with five strikeouts in the championship game against Ypsilanti Calvary Christian.
Gilstorff also hit two homers and drove in six runs in the semifinals.
The competition was far from the best, but they dominated the field nonetheless, making them a tough read.
Editor's pick: I mulled over this one from sunrise to sunset Thursday, just because I try and give you my honest, well-thought out opinion, instead of what my heart's telling me. I came up with this: Reading's intangibles give them the slight edge over a fairly even field, but Homer has the home-field advantage. Thus, those two make the semifinals, setting up an all Big Eight final. I say if Reading can beat Camden-Frontier's Kurtis Tyler, like they did last week, they can hang with any pitcher as long as their own pitching and defense holds up. Part of me hopes Bailey thinks he can make it to the finals without putting Ryan Dillon out to the mound, so the Rangers can save him for the championship game. If this indeed happens it's just the edge Reading needs. Hopefully this savvy group of youngsters can make me look smart come Saturday.

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Redskins roll to district title after close call

[caption id="attachment_658" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Back-to-back district titles for the Lady Redskins."][/caption]

The Camden-Frontier softball team nearly panicked, down a run in the fifth inning of the district semifinals, but ultimately their bats heated up and several unsung heroes came through as the Redskins won their second consecutive district title.

The Redskins eked out a 6-5 eight-inning win over Reading in the semifinals before downing Pittsford 10-2 in the finals to win the program's third district crown since 2000.

What makes this title special for head coach Melissa Warfield and her girls is how they got as much out of the talent they had as they possibly could.

"We've talked about before how Megan (Schwartzengraber) and Morgan (Warfield) are the only two girls who play year round. Most of these girls...the game doesn't come easy to them and it's a sport they take up in March and are done with in June," she said. "I'm so proud of how hard they worked every day in practice and it is rewarding as a coach to see your team progress the way we have."

One of those girls who has been working ever so diligently lately is Kim Bennett and her sweat paid dividends Friday.

After picking up a single in the semifinals, she went 4-for-4 with a double, triple and two RBI in the championship game, much to the delight of her coach.

"She's been an up-and-down player who would have a hit one game and then go hitless for maybe the next three games," Melissa Warfield said. "But she's been working so hard in practice, on her stance and swing, and it was special to seeher have a big day."

Helping her out in the championship game was the ever so consistent trio of Kara Bryner, Warfield and Schwartzengraber.

Bryner had two hits and two RBI, while Warfield had three hits and drove in two runs.
Schwartzengraber pitched a complete game three-hitter and struck out seven and walked four, while driving in two runs at the plate.

C-F had just a 2-0 lead after three innings of the finals, but a four-run fourth gave them a comfortable cushion they never relinquished.

Nicole Culbert pitched well in defeat, striking out seven and walking five in seven innings.

"I don't know what it is, but for some reason it takes three or four innings almost every game for us to get our hitting and timing down," Melissa Warfield said.

Luckily for Warfield and her girls their bats came through just in time in the semis.

Behind a pair of RBI from Kasie Owens, Reading jumped out to a 3-1 lead on the host Redskins before C-F took advantage of a pair of walks and several key hits in the fifth.

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Hillsdale County district diamond preview

District 81-3
Location: Hanover-Horton
Saturday (starting at 10 a.m.)
Teams: Albion, Concord, Jonesville, Hillsdale

BASEBALL
Synopsis: The first-round showdown between Jonesville and Hillsdale is the game local baseball fans have been waiting all year to see. The Hornets are 21-9 overall and co-SMAA champs, while Jonesville is 22-6 and are the outright Big Eight champions. Both teams have strong pitching and the ability to put up a lot of runs, so it should be a contest fans remember for years to come. The winner will play the winner of the Albion-Concord contest. The Hornets beat Albion 17-2 and 13-3 less than a month ago and for being a pretty good sports school, this Wildcat team just doesn't have enough talented baseball players. Concord is an interesting case, as they are 12-14-2 overall, but are 8-2-1 over their last 11 games and scored 60 runs in their final 60 contests. Jonesville beat Concord twice this season, 6-1 and 12-1.
Editor's pick: This is one of two really hard districts to pick because I love what both Hillsdale County teams have brought to the table this season and I would be shocked if either the Comets or Hornets didn't bring home the district trophy. But, when push comes to shove I have to pick one of the two schools and all I keep thinking about is pitching ace Scott Lantis. The Hornet senior is no stranger to big games and more often than not he comes through as expected. He's had a few hiccups this season, but if he has a good first inning and finds his rhythm I don't think Ben Stemen or John Sigler can silence the Hornet bats enough for the Comets to end Hillsdale's season. Ultimately I see Hillsdale beating Concord in a close championship game to finish out a momentous afternoon.

SOFTBALL
Synopsis: The Comets and Hornets also meet on the softball diamond in round one, but the buildup for this contest is not quite as big. Jonesville did win the Addison Tournament recently and finished out the season 12-18, but Hillsdale has struggled to put together an entire consistent week of play all season. Concord and Albion haven't had years to remember either though. Albion has been at the bottom of the SMAA all year and Concord is 4-28 on the season, but surprisingly chalked up one of its wins at the expense of Jonesville.
Editor's pick: The best team on paper in this district was actually Hanover-Horton, but Jonesville upset the 20-13 Komets 3-2 Tuesday and now have a straight path to a trophy if all plays out as I expect. The Hornets have made strides under new coach Lottie LoPresto and Jenna Crawford is a solid top pitcher, but Jonesville has too many bats and senior pitcher Kelsey Aemisegger has thrown well the past few weeks. Unless the Comets shoot themselves in the foot with too many errors, which has happened a few times this season, I see them taking care of business. The Comets should win the championship game over either opposing squad, unless a major upset takes place.

District 118-4
Location: Camden-Frontier
Friday (starting at 1:30 p.m.)
Teams: Camden-Frontier, Reading, Pittsford

BASEBALL
Synopsis: With Will Carleton Academy dropping out Pittsford is a shoe-in for the championship game, but the lone semifinal contest should be a doozie. Under head coach Nate Gust the host Redskins have experienced a resurgence of sorts with an SCAA East title and 16-10 record. Kurtis Tyler is arguably one of the top pitchers in the county and Jake Jividens has some pop, and Brady Nusbaum can be counted on to get on base. The Rangers are one of the area's hottest teams, finishing in a tie for second place in the Big Eight after struggling out of the gate. Senior Ryan "Bulldog" Dillon has the leadership, a solid bat and great glove at the catcher's position and several Ranger pitchers have shown the ability to leave opposing hitters confused whenever they're accuracy is on. Pittsford is a 10-12 team that has beaten the teams they expected to, but seems to lack a dominant pitcher. On the flip side, they've had at least a half-dozen hitters come through in big spots throughout the season.
Editor's pick: This is the other toughy. Rick Bailey is a championship coach who has a red-hot team right now, but Tyler can be a dominant pitcher at times, and he has the home-field advantage. I'm going to say the only thing that holds the Redskins back Friday is the "big-game experience" that almost every Ranger player has. Reading also beat Quincy and Jonesville in the regular season, proof they can beat anyone. The "feel-good" story here would be for Gust's team to win the title, but I think Bailey is going to add another banner to his high school full of them by beating C-F first and then toppling Pittsford, in what could be a closer contest than some people think.

SOFTBALL
Synopsis: As in the baseball bracket, the Wildcats have a free-pass to the title game. That leaves another Reading, Camden-Frontier bout. The Rangers have been a middle-of-the-road Big Eight team that pulled some upsets along the way, and Kasie Owens can be tough to hit when she's on. The Redskins are the SCAA East champs, mainly behind the pitching of Megan Schwartzengraber and Morgan Warfield and leadership of catcher Kara Bryner. They stumbled a bit in the middle of the season, but recovered nicely, albeit against some of the weaker teams in the SCAA. Pittsford is an 8-20 team that struggles with errors at times, but seems to do well in low-scoring pitching duals when their defense is solid.
Editor's pick: I have no doubt in my mind that the Redskins pitching is just too good for the competition it will see. Even though the C-F bats went cold for a few weeks in early May I don't think it will matter. On their home field, with arguably one of the states best 1-2 pitching punches in Division 4 I think it's a no-brainer. Pittsford did actually beat C-F once earlier this year, but I think the Redskins learned from that surprising defeat.

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Undiscovered Champs

[caption id="attachment_621" align="alignleft" width="450" caption="The Camden-Frontier softball team practices earlier this month — with only 11 girls and a barn in the background."][/caption]

Sorry about absolutely NO posts as of late, but 12-14 hour days at the sports desk and tournaments, championship meets and the conclusion of the regular season is wearing me out, and I don't need to get carpal tunnel from blogging!

Anyways, one quick note, then a full-length feature to indulge yourself in if you've got a little time and consider yourself a Hillsdale County high school sports fan.

First, the note: The last four days is precisely why I've always liked the NBA way more than college basketball. The personalities are bigger, the stakes are higher and as LBJ proved last night, the players are exponentially more talented. Hands in the face are no matter, time is no object and sorry to plug it, in a very non-journalistic fashion, but the NBA IS "Where Amazing Happens...". Wow.

Anyways, onto the local stuff. This feature took several weeks, many phone calls, and me attending a C-F softball practice and I hope it provides a worthwhile glimpse of what it's like trying to build a successful program at a Class D school with a whole lot of variables involved. Enjoy.

Undiscovered Champs

An inside look at the success of the Camden-Frontier girls’ athletic program, what it tries to stand for and what types of challenges stand in its way.

Gale-force winds rip through the country side, where cows and horses outnumber cars and houses.

A hint of manure melds with the smell of fresh grass with the wide blue yonder as the backdrop.

An out-of-place Powerade ad takes up space on an already tiny scoreboard not far from a gaggle of evergreens that ever so slightly blocks the view of your run-of-the-mill red barn.

This is where 11 girls practice in anonymity this May, hoping to stay healthy so their championship hopes don't hit the injured reserve.

This is the softball diamond for a team that holds no tryouts and has no room for errors, yet expects to uphold its lofty definitions of success.

This is the venue Dawn Follis and Melissa Warfield have turned into a beacon for getting the most out of young girls, all skill levels, as long as they possess strong hearts and commendable work ethics.

Sometimes it seems like no one cares, especially college scouts and on occasion even their own fans — but if they cared what everyone else thought, they may never have built programs with such strong winning traditions in the first place.

A winning tradition that includes five straight SCAA volleyball titles from 2003-07, six district championships in girls hoops since the turn of the century and district titles in softball in 2003 and 2008.

Being a bit off the beaten path, and one of 11 high schools in the county, it is relatively easy to remain anonymous though.

If only people understood what takes place at 4971 West Montgomery Rd.

FOLLOW THE LEADER
Players come and go, so sometimes the face of a high school program is its unchanging leader.

Follis is fiery, but gentle, all at once, urging her volleyball teams to conference championships each fall, but once basketball rolls around in November the Redskin girls are all Warfield's, until the end of June.

For the last 16 seasons she has called the shots for C-F basketball, and in 2001 she took over as the varsity softball coach.

Coaching was never part of Warfield's plan, until a school board member gave her the heads up on the JV basketball job opening in 1994. Now Warfield can't imagine life without it.

[caption id="attachment_623" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Head coach Melissa Warfield does it all at C-F, including trying to catch flyballs with a bucket."][/caption]

She pitches to her girls in batting practice, runs around the outfield shagging fly-balls, and tries to interweave solid principles with explanatory demonstrations. In her mind not much has changed over the years, other than her body is starting to feel the wear-and-tear and she likes to think she's learned a trick or two.

Warfield said she gleans philosophical ideas from books written by historically successful coaches like Pat Summit, John Wooden and Mike Krzyzewski, but ultimately she feels like she's done her job if she is instilling valuable life principles.

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Hillsdale County baseball and softball roundup from Thursday's action

[caption id="attachment_394" align="alignright" width="183" caption="Justin Carr of the North Adams Rams is called out as he runs through the base during their first game of their double header thursday night. Photo by Nick Sarles / HDN."][/caption]

Baseball
Jonesville        6
Concord           1
The Comets improved to a perfect 3-0 on the season with their first Big Eight win Thursday.
John Sigler pitched four strong innings to earn the win, and Chase Jacks caused most of the damage in the runs department.
Sigler allowed only two hits and one run (none earned), while striking out four in four innings. Ben Stemen pitched three scoreless innings, allowing no hits with four strikeouts in relief.
Jacks belted a 3-run double in the second inning to give the Comets breathing room.
Casey Clow helped pile on with a 2-run single in the fifth.

C-F takes two from NA-J in double-header
Jake Jividens was on a power trip Thursday, helping the Redskins take a pair from the Rams in their first action of the season.
Kurtis Tyler struck out 10 and allowed just two hits in a 10-3 game one victory.
Jividens provided the offense with a home run and five RBI.
He wasn’t done though. In the second game he smacked another dinger in a 5-4 Redskins win.
“They were both mammoth shots to deep center field in the bleachers,” C-F head coach Nate Gust said. “I just told him hopefully he doesn’t hit his stride too early.”
Brady Nusbaum earned the win in relief for C-F and sophomore Jimmy Walker tallied three hits on the day.

Softball
Wildcats drop a pair to start season
The second was close, the first wasn’t close and the Pittsford Wildcats started 2009 with two losses, at the hands of North Central (OH).
Nicole Culbert suffered the loss in the first game and Sam Cole picked up the teams lone hit.
Marissa McEathron came up with a big hit for Pittsford in the nightcap, a two-run single, but North Central scored a run in the bottom of the seventh to eek out the victory.
Marissa Hamilton took the loss in game two.

Jonesville 10, Concord 0
Jonesville pitchers combined on a one-hitter and tallied 11 hits of their own in the Big Eight win.
Kelsey Aemisegger earned the win with nine strikeouts in three innings and Kelly White struck out three in two innings of relief.
White, Aemisegger and Megan Rowe all had two singles for the Comets.

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C-F Redskins coast into district finals where their season will be defined

By RJ WALTERS / Daily News Sports Editor

As published in the Hillsdale Daily News on March 5, 2009

The Camden-Frontier Redskins have only one thing on their minds — a district championship — thus, taking care of business Wednesday was a necessity.
Against the upstart Will Carleton Academy Cougars, they did just that.

Defense turned into offense all game long for the Redskins and Morgan Warfield led all scorers with 19 points as C-F cruised into the district finals with a 70-29 win over the Cougars.

It wasn’t the prettiest game, but every C-F player scored and three put in double figures in the win.

“It’s kind of two-fold. Because my girls are so young they need a game, because when they just hear the word ‘districts’ I think they get nervous, so it was a good game in that aspect,” C-F head coach Melissa Warfield said. “But it was not such good a game because we tend to play a little lazier…but we’re ready to play Friday.”

The Redskins jumped out to a 26-4 lead thanks to a whole host of transition buckets and despite a second-quarter push from the Cougars the contest was never in question.

Will Carleton was only outscored 18-15 in the second quarter behind strong play from Jamie Davis and Leah Robinson, showing signs of what made it a successful season for Mandy Salsbury’s squad.

The Cougars tied for its league title and won its first-ever district game, against North Adams-Jerome on Monday.

Davis paced the Cougars with 12 points, while Robinson added nine and Cheyenne Hobbs scored eight.

According to Warfield everything comes down to Friday night for the Redskins, will they butt heads with Waldron, who they split with this season.

“I don’t think anything has mattered up until now, other than Friday night’s game.”

Warfield says she knows her team is capable of big things, her girls just have to stay even-keel and stay tough under pressure.

“From my perspective, we just have to be consistent. Morgan has to be on, I need Jackie on, I need Megan on, our big girls need to rebound…everyone has to be there at the same time,” she said.

It also helps that sophomore Effie Spieth, who scored 12 points and had six steals, has stepped up of late, to give the Redskins another weapon.

“I’m extremely proud of her,” Warfield said. “She struggled being the only sophomore left down with the JV group, so I know she’s glad to be up here and she’s a worker and she works hard defensively and I like it because I can get the ball out of Morgan’s hands a little bit, and she doesn’t have to feel so much pressure.”

To go with her 19 points Morgan Warfield added eight rebounds and four assists Wednesday. Jackie Parker scored 16 points and Jasmine Mann tallied five points, seven boards and seven steal.

Friday’s title game will tip off at 7 p.m. at Litchfield High School.

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