Running to a new beat: A new coach and new philosophy in Jonesville

With their football program teetering on upper echelon status in the Big Eight and drawing closer to another state playoff berth, Jonesville athletic director Kathy Bondsteel looked to a former Hudson Tiger to transform her Comets from boys to young men.

Joshua Lindeman is a self-professed blue-collar kind of guy who loves to bang heads and throw people on the turf (he was a fullback and linebacker after all).

He can hardly contain himself when talking about the challenge that lie ahead at the county's second largest school.

At the first-ever Jonesville football camp for 9th- to 12th-graders, which began Monday, Lindeman has been quick off the line of scrimmage in getting his players to realize that being outstanding, disciplined individuals will go a long way when striving for tangible success. Lindeman said Bondsteel brought him in to develop leadership and create a lasting Friday night tradition and he has been hard at work ever since he was hired in early May.

"When I got hired here I was expected to do some things and one of them was to clean up the leadership and things of that nature," he said. "As a high school player I was a blue-collar player from a blue-collar family who just hit a lot of guys and enjoyed it. That's kind of the intensity and determination I want out of the players in this program. It's going to be our goal to be the toughest team on the field every Friday night."

Soon after taking the job, Lindeman unveiled his first lesson on how football can equate to life. Instead of just taking a vote and picking captains for the 2009 season, he implemented an entire interview process.

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Hornets out-slug the Tigers, score 24 runs in sweep

[caption id="attachment_417" align="aligncenter" width="510" caption="Hillsdale junior Kirk Putnam put this Hudson pitch over the wall in the first inning Thursday, for his first career homerun as a varsity player. Photo by Nick Sarles / HDN."][/caption]

By RJ Walters / Daily News Sports Editor

As published in the Hillsdale Daily News on April 17, 2009

A first-year varsity player hitting his first varsity homer in his very first home at-bat is one way to set the tone.

The Hillsdale Hornets can thank Kirk Putnam for doing just that Thursday.

The junior slugger drilled a pitch over the left field wall as part of a six-run first inning in the first of two Hornet wins over the Hudson Tigers, in a non-conference double-header.

The Hornet bats were alive all evening, as Hillsdale compiled 19 hits and 24 runs in 14-5 and 10-6 victories, evening its record at 2-2.

If conference's gave out Comeback Player of the Year awards, Putnam would be the early front-runner in the SMAA. He didn't play a single game last season, sitting out due to a back injury and he only took a few at-bats over the weekend, yet Hornet head coach Chris Adams said he likes his power in the eight-spot and thinks Putnam is capable of hitting around .280 or .290.

"He's got some pop and he's strong, kind of in the mold of a Drew Berube or Matt Ryan," Adams said.

While he provided some fireworks early on, Dillon Dirth was a hitting machine in the opener, getting three hits, including two doubles and driving in three RBI. He also scored three runs.

While senior stars Scott Lantis and Mitchell Gabriele struggled, going a combined 1-7, plenty of other players picked up the slack.

Kurtis Condon went 3-4 with two runs and an RBI, while Tyler Vanderberghe and Drew Byers both picked up hits off the bench.

"This might be one of the deepest teams I've had," Adams said. "Today Lantis caught, played in the field and at second, and Mitchell pitched and played first, and he's our everyday catcher; there is a lot of competition still taking place at the positions and I told guys not to be surprised when they move around."

One thing that wasn't moving around as much as Adams would've liked in game one was Darren Wisely's fastball.

He earned the victory despite walking nine and allowing five hits and four earned runs. He struggled to get the ball up into the strike zone and he threw 113 pitches in just four innings of work.

Nonetheless, Adams said it is just some minor adjustments that needed to be made.

"He's one of the guys who plays ball year round, and his dad is an assistant, so I'm not worried, we just have to work with him on some mechanics," Adams said. "Four of his walks he had full-counts on, so he was close."

For Hudson (4-4), Alex Middleton showed signs of brilliance, striking out Gabriele and Lantis back-to-back in the fifth, but giving up six runs in the first inning and three more in the third was insurmountable.

He struck out five, but took the loss after allowing 10 earned runs and 11 hits in five-and-a-third innings.

He was also one of Hudson's bright spots at the plate, going 3-3 with two RBI.
Leadoff hitter Taylor Milligan was the definition of an "on-base" guy in the first game, walking five times and scoring three runs.

The nightcap also included a six-run outburst from the Hornets, but this time it was in the bottom of the sixth.

Condon's two-run double put the Hornets ahead, and they added several insurance runs for good measure.

Dirth had another good outing in the second win, picking up a double and single and scoring two more runs.

Jenkins also added an RBI and two runs, while Wisely had two hits.

Gabriele started for Hillsdale and went four innings, allowing four runs (one earned) and striking out two, but it was Condon who picked up the win. He went the final three innings and gave up two runs on two hits.

Mitchell Webb suffered the loss for Hudson and the defense behind him didn't help his cause. He allowed 10 runs, but only three of them were earned, as the Tigers committed four errors.

Luke Milligan led Hudson with three RBI.

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COMING TOMORROW: FINALLY — A SIT DOWN WITH HILLSDALE COLLEGE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR DON BRUBACHER DISCUSSING THE INCIDENT INVOLVING THE COLLEGE NEWSPAPER, CHARGER BASEBALL TEAM AND ANIMAL CARCASSES.

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Wildcats go one and done in districts after perfect regular season

[caption id="attachment_274" align="alignright" width="188" caption="Hudson's Sam Klinger sends back a shot from Pittsford's Garet Lee as the Tigers put an end to the Wildcats perfect season."][/caption]

By RJ Walters / Daily News Sports Editor

As published in the Hillsdale Daily News on March 12, 2009

It took the Hudson Tigers just 32 minutes to tear down what the Pittsford Wildcats spent nearly four months building.

After losing to the Wildcats by 22 points Friday night the district-hosting Tigers (8-13) didn't trail by more than nine points Wednesday and their intense defense was just enough to keep Pittsford uncomfortable and timely shooting eventually helped break the Wildcats 20-0 season, 56-52.

"We just wanted to return the favor for what they did to us last time and we just had great momentum to do that and we wanted to get to the finals," Hudson junior forward Sam Klinger said, after scoring seven points in the win.

For Pittsford it appeared senior forward Corey Gamble might set the table, as he went off for three 3-pointers and 16 points in the first half, and junior forward Garet Lee might serve the Tigers a defeat, as he gathered steam and scored nine points in the third quarter alone. But Gamble didn't score a single point in the second half, Lee made just six of 14 free throws and a 29-22 halftime lead didn't stand the test of time.

An emotional Mike Burger said funny things sometimes happen in single elimination tournaments and he couldn't fault his kids effort, only praise Hudson's.

"They made a lot of shots, they played hard, they wanted it just as bad as we did and they just made a few more plays than we did. Friday was a different night. That's the quirky thing about basketball...March Madness, one and done," Pittsford's head coach said.

He said his players certainly felt the pressure to succeed on the bigger stage and that may have played into the final outcome.

"The pressure was there to be successful, they knew the magnitude of the game, they knew what was at risk and maybe that got to them a little bit. But you've got to give credit to Hudson for making the plays," he said.

Nathan Smith, Luke Milligan and Brandon Hephner all led Hudson with eight points, but it was the same team mind-set on defense that truly made a difference.

Burger said the Tigers are "big and strong" and he thought Klinger affected quite a few Wildcat shots. Klinger had help from Hephner among others down low and he said everything went according to plan.

"We just wanted to be great defenders and we wanted to shut down Lee and basically their 3-point stuff and make them go low," he said.

Lee had only three points at the half ad the Wildcats were piggy-backing onto Gamble's back, much to the delight of Pittsford fans who roared loudly with every long-range attempt from the lanky senior.

He not only buried three triples in the first half, he was also fouled on two 3-point attempts and he was far and away the game's most effective offensive player.

As Klinger said though, Hudson coach Lance Horwath switched his concern from interior defense to perimeter coverage at the half.

"We talked about never leaving your man if you can and making sure you got back on time and we just played tough in-your-shorts man-to-man 'D' and it worked out," he said.

Pittsford led 32-24 early in the second half thanks to several strong drives from Lee and some errant long-range shooting from Hudson.

Nonetheless Luke Milligan finally drilled a 3-pointer with 1:05 left in the third period and a 7-2 run to end the quarter put the Tigers within 40-41.

Josh Shephard made one of the biggest plays of the contest on Hudson's first possession of the fourth quarter when he made a long 3-pointer to give his team their first lead all night.

Pittsford guard Seth Weber hit a triple of his own to get the Wildcats within one with 4:32, but a 51-46 deficit with 2:20 remaining proved too much to overcome. The Wildcats went just 10-for-20 from the charity stripe in the contest and several Clark Pelham 3-pointers rimmed out in the final minutes.

Pelham was held to just three points Wednesday, as was Wes Smith. Zac Vanlerberg tallied four.

Despite an earlier finish to the season than he hoped for, Burger said he will never forget the ride this group of guys took him on and their character would be defined as much by the first-round loss as all their victories.

"You could play 1,000 games like tonight and lose a lot and win a lot and you learn so much about yourself, and that's what sports is about. You know you feel so alive and so wonderful during the game, the fight and just watching the guys play and I couldn't be more proud of them," he said. "They had a ton of fight tonight, they didn't quit and I think you learn a lot your character in adversity and these guys, they'll be alright."

Hudson's gift for taking down the Wildcats is a finals date on Friday with 18-4 Hanover-Horton who beat Manchester 56-40 Wednesday.

"We're going to have to play some real tough 'D' because defense wins games mostly and we have to find out who there best player is and shut them down." Klinger said.

Tip-off for that game is set for 7 p.m.

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Hudson wrestlers reach the peak of the mountain, win first-ever state championship

If you're a Hillsdale County wrestling fan it's likely a big deal to you that the Hudson Tigers (only miles from the county border) were able to overcome Hesperia in an intense state finals title bout Saturday in Battle Creek. While I was not out at the festivities, Marc Townsend from HDN's sister paper, the Adrian Daily Telegram, wrote an emotion-filled, short novel on one of the biggest athletic achievements in Tiger history.

Here's a link to his well-written story that has several interesting anecdotes that make it worth your time. Give it a looksie.

HUDSON'S WAIT IS OVER

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Can't get any better than this: Wildcat boys finish regular season 20-0

[caption id="attachment_249" align="aligncenter" width="510" caption="Senior guard Clark Pelham gets some love from a teammate after Pittsford wrapped up a perfect regular season Friday."][/caption]

By RJ Walters / Daily News Sports Editor

As published in the Hillsdale Daily News on March 7, 2009

It was a wondrous night in Pittsford, the type grandparents tell their grandchildren about 40 years later, the kind that makes a small town feel like the only place in the world for a few hours.

The Wildcat boys basketball team methodically hammered Hudson 65-43 in front of an electric crowd at home, putting the finishing touches on the first undefeated regular season in Pittsford High School history —a feat that left head coach Mike Burger nearly speechless, and something so big for the community that the team was donning brand new Wildcat shirts with a huge "20-0" on the back by 9:15 p.m.

"It's an exceptional bunch of guys and to me that's what it's about — having the rare privilege of coaching a great bunch of kids who are just extra special in my heart and I probably will never see this again in reality, and I'm going to savor it that much more," Burger said.

"I think a lot of  it had to with the amazing atmosphere we had down here. I mean, it was electric, our community came out big for our kids tonight and supported us. I think we just fed off the energy of this atmosphere."

The band was playing loud and proud for four quarters, it was standing room only in the gym and the Wildcat players rose to the occasion.

Fired up by five quick points from star Garet Lee, off of two steals by the junior forward, the Wildcats jumped out to an early 14-9 lead.

Less than two minutes later, after a Clark Pelham triple followed by a fist pump and a Corey Gamble 3-pointer it was 22-11 and the rout was on. The Wildcats had already experienced a close call earlier this week, in a three-point overtime win over Battle Creek St. Phil, and they weren't about to let the Tigers hang with them.

"I just told everyone 'This is just a regular game, play it like we play any other game' and we came out intense and it shows on the scoreboard," said Pelham, a senior guard who scored 11 points in his final home game.
Pelham said to go undefeated with this group of guys is by far the best thing that has happened to him in his athletic career, but he also realized he has a special place in history for years to come.

"With about 5:00 left in the fourth I looked at the scoreboard and said to myself, they can't come back, we just did it, we did it, 20-0," he said. "We just tied the school record for wins (in a season), we just made history — we are history."

Lee dominated all phases of the game, per usual, with 19 points, nine rebounds, seven steals and three assists, but it was junior guard Seth Weber who signified the progress the team has made over the course of one year.

As a sophomore he admits he was at times unsure, and hardly ever looked for his shot. On Friday he wanted to take the big shots, and almost every chance he had he delivered in the clutch. He was a perfect 4-of-4 from beyond the arc and finished with a game-high 21 points to go with four assists.

"He's the leader of this team period. Everything run through Seth, he and I have a lot of important conversations and he's really grown up," Burger said. "He worked, he lifted, you can see it in his game. Sure he gets rattled and has a turnover here or there, but good players will make turnovers trying to make plays....but tonight it seemed like every time Hudson started to make a run Seth made a big basket at just the right time."

Weber credited Burger for teaching him how to settle down and just make plays, while realizing mistakes happen and you just have to play through them. And as for Friday's performance, he said it was the fruits of his labor. as well as a certain optical enhancement.

"At the beginning of the season I wasn't shooting very well and then I started working on my shot, getting more gym time and I just shot all the time, even in sixth hour at school in Advanced P.E. And I got contacts last week and the rim is humungous now," he said.

What also is humongous right now is Pittsford's confidence, after completing a regular season journey that began December 9 unblemished.

Sure they have Class C district play in Hudson starting next Wednesday and Burger said he'll probably start turning his attention to that rather soon, but even he was all about basking in the moment.

"It's just an amazing feeling, I couldn't be more proud of those guys. I mean they work so hard to get where we're at, we put them through heck everyday in practice and they just work so hard and they deserve it," he said. "We play three sports down here and we just expect our kids to play sports at Pittsford, and they do and they learn to depend on each other and it develops this camaraderie...and there's nothing better than winning with your good buddies. It's just an amazing thing, I can hardly express it at this point."

Garrett Schoonover led Hudson with 10 points and Luke Milligan pitched in with eight including a pair of 3-pointers.

The Tigers drew no closer than 16 in the second half.

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