Catchin' up on 'Dale-related action

Unfortunately I can't make up news, coaches and athletes are busy pretending they can play golf and working on their tans and I've managed to fool my boss into actually believing I can write hard news stories.

In the meantime there have been several interesting tidbits of information that I feel obliged to pass along. If you've already seen it or heard it then good for you. If not, at least it's something to chew on — albeit only about as tasty as those cardboard cookies you find at the dollar store.

FORMER CHARGER NICOLET BREAKS GREEN BAY BLIZZARD RECORD

[caption id="attachment_470" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Mark Nicolet"][/caption]

Former Hillsdale College star Mark Nicolet had one of his most memorable games as a professional football player last weekend.Against the AF2’s top­ranked defense of the Milwaukee Irons he got in the act late, during the Green Bay Bliz­zard’s 86-42 blowout win.
In backup QB duty he threw only five passes, but went 2-for-5 for 78 yards and two touch­downs.
The real kicker though was that Nicolet also took a quarterback draw 44 yards for a score, setting a Bliz­zard record for the longest run from scrimmage.
The Blizzard are now 8-5 on the season.

HILLSDALE TEEN EARNS PTHA WORLD CHAMPION TITLE

Roni Jo Roth, 19, daughter of Troy & Renee Roth, has earned the title of Pinto Horse Association of American (PtHA) World Champion. Roth earned her title showing her nine-year-old gelding, Chero­kee, in English riding classes at the annual World Show in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The 2009 competition was simulcast in 52 countries around the world with 7,585 entries. During the 12 day competition Roth competed at the junior amateur level, ages 19-39. Her World Champion title was achieved in Disciplined Rail English. Additional placings included 3rd in English Pleasure, 4th in Ideal Pinto English, and 9th in Hunter Under Saddle. Roni is a 2008 graduate of Hillsdale High School and currently a sophomore at Hillsdale College studying pre-veterinary science.

LOCALS NAMED TO ALL-STATE BASEBALL TEAM
A pair of recently graduated Hillsdale County stars were named to the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association All­State teams earlier this month. After being named to the MHS­BCA All-State Second Team as a sophomore and junior, Reading’s Ryan Dillon was named to the Division 4 All-State First Team as a catcher. Likewise, Hillsdale senior Scott Lantis was named a utility player on the Division 3 All-State First Team. He will play baseball at Hillsdale College next year.

GLIAC COUPLE WINS FREE TV WEDDING
Ashland University cross country/track and field coaches Leigh Daniel and Nick Cordes have captured the hearts of viewers during the 10th annual NBC's 'Today Throws a Wed­ding.' The Ashland cou­ple have won a free wedding and the oppor­tunity to get married live on national televi­sion on July 15.
Following tradition, viewers will plan the winning finalists' wed­ding by texting and vot­ing on TODAYShow.com for the couple's rings, the wedding gown, the attendants' attire and the honeymoon.
Cordes and Daniel have dated for five years.
They met at an Olympic Development Program, but dating was prohib­ited so they had to keep their relationship silent.
Check out a video about the couple on MSNBC here if interested.

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2009 All Area Baseball Team: County will have a tough time replacing some its most lovable seniors

In a matter of innings and with just a few poorly located pitches and errant swings the curtain closed.

Two weekends ago marked the final high school contests for many extraordinary county stars — and they will not be forgotten, and possibly not even replaced.

This year of baseball in Hillsdale County was full of surprises, good and bad, and while no team survived past the first game of regionals there was plenty of excitement.

The Jonesville Comets revived their program under Dale Steward; Reading’s Rick Bailey took his lumps early and taught his team how to win down the stretch en route to another district championship; Camden-Frontier rose from the ashes to win an SCAA East Division crown and nearly knocked the Rangers out of the postseason; Pittsford showed life and exceptional character under the leadership of Chris Hodos, Quincy continued to be one of the most consistent programs in all the area, and Hillsdale was Hillsdale — breathtaking at times and hard to figure out at others.
What I will remember most though is not the games or the scores or the stats — hands down it’s all about the seniors who we will never have a chance to appreciate again.

For starters, Scott Lantis and Mitchell Gabriele are Hillsdale Hornets no longer. It sounds weird, it is weird and losing them is kind of like taking the explosions and guns out of action movies.

Some area residents might be tired of hearing their names and seeing their faces plastered all over the sports section, but they have earned every bit of attention they have received.

There is good reason Gabriele will be playing football and basketball at Adrian and Lantis will be suiting up as a Hillsdale College Charger.

Lantis was his usual self pitching this year, going 9-1, but if was his defense as a shortstop and leadership that trump everything else.

Gabriele’s desire to ruthlessly dominate made him the best defensive catcher in the area once again and during the postseason he was locked and loaded at the plate, as if to say the only fitting end to his career would be another state championship.

Teammate Dillon Dirth benefited from Gabriele’s great game-calling abilities, tying a school record with nine pitching victories.

He only played for Chris Adams for two years after transferring, but his progress was a treat to watch and he was easily one of the most pin-point accurate pitchers in the county.

While he could blow through opposing lineups, teammate Tyler Vandeberghe could sprint around the basepaths and his feistiness and athleticism reminded me of a young Ricky Henderson. Not bad for a middle of the order guy.

Keeping the senior theme going, the Big Eight had a darn good local trio of its own.
Jonesville’s Ben Stemen kept his temper in tact in ’09 and drove in a school-record 52 RBIs on his way to being named league MVP.

Quincy senior Brandon Stempien went 8-2 on the hill, with a no-hitter tossed in and hit .438 with 36 RBIs to boot.

Probably my favorite of all the Big Eight stars who are now graduates is a Reading Ranger though.

Ryan “Bulldog” Dillon was in essence the perfect point guard in every sport he played. He connected with Rick Bailey to the point that he was basically another coach and motivator for his teammates.

He may not have been blessed with the same raw skills as some kids around here, but he was blessed with a true understanding of how to come through in the clutch, how to treat people and how to make high school athletic fans proud.

I truly hope someone fills the cleats of these seniors because they were phenomenal to cover, and there a few juniors well on their way.

Kurtis Tyler and Jake Jividen of C-F are example 1A. Tyler throws fireballs from the mound like he’s Super Mario and Jividen has a nice mix of power and patience at the plate.

In Jonesville, John Sigler hit an astonishing .481 this season and also proved he’s more than just a knuckleballer in going 9-1.

Eric Stetler of Quincy hit .340 and won seven games as the No. 2 pitcher and Pittsford junior Seth Weber is a bit unassuming at times, but he’s a grinder on the hill and has better pop at the plate than you would expect from a guy his size.

As long as I live I’ll be interested in the paths some of these youngsters take, but based on the determination and results I saw from them on the diamond I’m sure there are plenty more proud moments on the way.

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Resilient Rangers: Reading comes back to win another district crown

[caption id="attachment_654" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Rick Bailey's troops celebrate another district crown."][/caption]

Sometimes the experience of a champion beats the heart of a champion and Friday was case in point, in favor of the Reading Rangers.

After ousting Camden-Frontier 3-2 in an epic 11-inning semifinals contest, the Rangers came all the way back from a 6-1 deficit and ultimately won yet another district championship in the bottom of the seventh, in a dramatic 8-7 win over Pittsford.

Adam Anspaugh’s wild pitch in the bottom of the final inning allowed the final run to cross the plate with two outs, but it was a memorable day for Pittsford faithful nonetheless.

After relinquishing its five-run lead and seeing Reading score the go-ahead run in the sixth, on a play where the third baseman could have thrown home instead of first base, the Wildcats showed no quit.

With one out in the top of the seventh, Seth Weber sent a solo blast over the left field wall after falling behind in the count 1-and-2, to tie things up.

"This is high school sports. I coach three sports and I wouldn't do it if I didn't love it. I love the emotions and I love Pittsford and I love hanging out with these kids and doing what I do," Pittsford head coach Chris Hodos said despite coming up just short.

In the bottom of the inning, Anspaugh walked Chad Berger and Bryce Jackson, before Trevor Shaffer reached on an error with two outs.

Then lead-off man Joe Hubbard stepped to the plate and less than half a minute later Berger scored the winning run on the wild pitch, as teammates piled on at home plate.

"All season long we've had a number of close games that we won and this is not the most prolific hitting team we've ever had. And we lost a big bat with the injury (to Alex Eastwood) but we've battled all year, especially the last 3/5ths of the year when we've played good baseball and we battled today too," Reading head coach Rick Bailey said. "And so did Pittsford and Camden...two good high school ball games."

Bailey and his troops never seemed rattled after falling behind early, something he thinks comes from the experienced seniors and also the rough-and-tumble waters of the Big Eight that they treaded through this season.

"It's very rewarding. We've got some senior leadership that did it and our young guys just kept getting better and better," he said, noting the Rangers started two freshmen and a sophomore in the title game.

For Hodos the loss was a tough pill to swallow, but he was proud of his boys.

"(Reading is) playing well right now, they're a good hitting team and Rick does a fantastic job with them. They do things right, move runners up and are fundamentally sound," he said. "I told the seniors it's a tough way to go out. I had four seniors who played baseball for T.G. (Cook) the last three years and this year for me, and they played well, and they were upset, so what do you say to them?"

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Hillsdale County high school diamond roundup from May 14

[caption id="attachment_587" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Not even bunts were working for the Comets Thursday, on a night where they loss a pair to Big Eight foe Quincy. Photo courtesy of Gary Baker / Gatehouse News Services."][/caption]

Baseball


Rangers hit Spartans hard
Reading baseball head coach Rick Bailey said Thursday night’s doubleheader at Springport seemed to last “forever and a day”, but it was worth it, as his Rangers earned two league wins.
In the opener Reading scored in six of the seven innings, including 10 in the seventh in a 24-14 slugfest.
Joe Hubbard, Ryan Dillon and Trevor Shaffer all had four hits, while Sam Creel tallied three.
One of Creel’s was a homer and he drove in four runs, while Shaffer, Hubbard and Tyler Ferrier all had three RBI.
Kyle Gibson picked up the win, pitching in relief.
The nightcap was Dillon’s own proving ground, as he smacked a grand slam and drove in six runs in a 13-1 four-inning Rangers win.
Chad Berger pitched well in victory, going four innings, giving up just two hits and no earned runs, while striking out four.

Softball


Harmon is too much for Comets
Former Hillsdale pitching ace Bree Harmon tallied 27 strikeouts against just three walks as Quincy took both games of a doubleheader from Jonesville Thursday.
The Orioles won the opener 2-0 behind a pair of hits from Sarah Cutler.
Harmon struck out 16 and walked zero.
The nightcap was a 10-0 Quincy victory.
Kelsey Aemisegger suffered both losses for Jonesville, but gave up just two runs and struck out five in the opener.

Reading loses pair on road
Springport downed Reading 6-1 and 6-2 Thursday.
Reading scored its only run in the first inning of the opener and in the nightcap errors squashed their hopes.
They went into extra inning tied at two in the second game, but four straight errors allowed the Spartans to score four runs.
KateLynn Wilson struck out a total of 12 batters and allowed just six hits in two wins for Springport.
Kasie Owens suffered both pitching defeats, but allowed just five hits and walked just one in 15 total innings of work.

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Friday night's Hillsdale County high school diamond roundup

[caption id="attachment_541" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Hillsdale senior Scott Lantis shrugged off a rough first inning pitching with a two-run bomb just minutes later. "][/caption]

Player of the Day: Brandon Stempien, Quincy

The feat: The same week he threw a perfect game, Stempien homered in three straight at-bats Friday and also picked up a complete game victory on the mound.

Friday's Other Diamond Stars
Jennifer Doriot, Wald.
• Stempien wasn’t the only one with three HRs Friday. Doriot hit two in her first game and one in the nightcap. She totaled 5 RBI in a sweep.

Jenna Crawford, Hills.
• The Hornet pitcher put together two complete game victories, totaling 14 strikeouts and allowing just five hits.

MacKenzie Price, Waldron
• The Spartans ace pitched two complete-game shutouts and struck out nine.

[caption id="attachment_542" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="The Jonesville softball team settled for a split with Athens Friday. Photo courtesy of Larry Jose."][/caption]

Drew Byers, Hillsdale
• The Hornets No. 8 hitter drove in seven runs on four hits in a pair of wins over Albion. In the nightcap he had three hits, including a triple and double to go with his six RBI.

Scott Lantis, Hillsdale
• The Hornet senior picked up another win on the mound (4 H, 4 K), but he also hit for the cycle over the course of the doubleheader sweep.

Tyler Vandeberghe, Hills.
• Vandeberghe scored five runs, added two hits and two RBI in the Hornets doubleheader.

[caption id="attachment_543" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Hillsdale's Tiki Malone drilled a solo shot over the wall in the third inning of the first game with Albion Friday."][/caption]

Ryan Dillon, Reading
• He earned a complete-game victory on the mound (3 ER, 5 K) in the first game and totaled three RBI on the evening.

Ben Stemen, Jonesville
• Stemen struck out seven in a game-one win on the mound and added two homers and four RBI in the same contest.

Notable:

• Jonesville maintained the Big Eight baseball conference lead by improving to 9-0, while Quincy sits 1.5 games back at 7-1. In the SMAA, the Hillsdale baseball team is currently tied with Western for the top spot at 9-1. The teams split earlier this season.

For all of the area scores from Friday, click below:

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