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KCHS Fall Newsletter -2018-

VARSITY FOOTBALL

Our eagles had an amazing season this year, ending with a 8-2 record, and as CSAA Silver Conference Champions. The team did so well, that they attracted attention from Fox News Detroit. The news crew did a broadcast on our pep rally, which focused not only on our football team, but also our cross teams, sideline cheer squad, volleyball team and band. This year, the team hosted the Division 7's first-round playoff game. The Eagles faced off against the Saugatuck Indians. Our team also raised an upward of $6,000 dollars for the veterans home with a 7 on 7 tournament and other fundraisers.

This season Giovanni Weeks broke the long-standing rushing record. Our All-Conference athletes included Giovanni Weeks, Evan Jones, John Meek, Nick Coalter, Brenden Geers, and Jared Coates, with Honorable Mentions being Rylan Kerwin, Nolan Sweers, and Jaden Cato.

“I had a fun time. My 4 years of football went fast. And for the underclassmen, just put in the work to get better.” Willie Salcedo.

JUNIOR VARSITY FOOTBALL

The 2018 season was a big challenge for the JV football team. They unfortunately didn’t always come out on top. The team went through some hard games with a few awesome comebacks. One of best games to watch was the game against Holton. That game showed what they were made of and what they could accomplish together as a team. Even though they came up short on most of their games, they continued to fight throughout the entire season and ended with a 3-6 record.

When asked for a quote, Nathan Baker, who played middle linebacker, said “Work hard. Don't worry about the other teams size.” Some of the other players favorite memories of the season included getting better everyday and getting a big hit. What the sophomores are most excited for next year is moving up to varsity.

Congratulations on working hard and getting better. Good luck next year!

VARSITY SIDELINE CHEER

The Kent City Varsity Sideline Cheer came out with a bang at this season with new coaches, stunts, and lots of school spirit. The new coaches are Kim Gugliotta and Hillary VanDam. They both were cheerleaders themselves in high school and college. Gugliotta and VanDam introduced the cheer squad to many intense practices, stunts and stunt camps, and creative routines and cheers. Karissa Hickman, senior, is a back-spot and starter, and this is her first season as a cheerleader. “I really enjoyed this season! I was nervous at first to tryout for the squad, but I love that I did! I have such a tight bond with the girls on the squad, and I loved learning all of the cheers and stunts. It was a lot of hard work, but definitely worth it!” The girls on the squad are a blend of all grades, and levels of experience. “ I loved this season because this is a sport I’ve never done before and the new coaches made the experience ten times better.” said Kaley Rice, junior. The girls had a great season alongside our great football team.

Boys' Varsity XC

The 2018 Cross Country Boys’ had an outstanding season. With many accomplishments completed, they all strived to compete their best. All the hard work put in during the summer and the season definitely paid off. The Eagles had an exceptional performance at Allendale during Regionals with a third place finish, allowing them to advance to State. Despite all the doubts that they would even qualify, the first four boys’ finished in the top 20, something that hasn’t been done in a decade. To end the season, they ran to their phenomenal fourteenth place finish at the Michigan International Speedway.

Many of the boys’ had their best season yet, breaking their own personal records within minutes. At Regionals, seniors Alex Russo and Jonathan Willison-Westbrook, alongside freshmen Thomas Swanson, ran their lifetime best. Hilly courses aren’t very ideal for a cross country course, if anything it is an additional obstacle for many runners. But the hills didn’t stop the boys’ from claiming their third consecutive CSAA team championship. Overall, it was an extremely successful season for the boys and it’s pleasing to see the team's hard work pay off.

Girls' Varsity XC

The 2018 Fall Girls’ Cross Country team had a very successful season. The team was CSAA conference champions this year, building off last season. The Girls’ team placed 2nd in Regionals, with all running their best times, giving them personal records. This would advance them to State Finals on Saturday, November 3rd to finish out the season. The lady eagles took 7th in the state meet as a team. Lauren Freeland ran her final race as a senior at state placing 3rd with a record breaking time of 18.06. Freeland has been all-state all four years of her career. Junior, Abby Ignasiak, received all-state with her best time of 19.39, for 17th place. Not far behind, sophomore Layla Martini, took 18th place, also receiving all-state.

Cross Country is a sport all about perseverance and dedication. The kids have put in a great deal of time running during the summer, and over the weekends this past season. Coach Evers and Coach Gerbers have worked hard to plan workouts and prepare the team for every race. “I’m so proud of our team this year for getting both boys and girls to State. It was an exciting day at MIS.” said Coach Evers. Congratulations to our cross team and good luck next year!

Varsity Volleyball

The Varsity volleyball team had an outstanding season. They had a 20-24-3 record this year, overall. The team had a strong offense with the front row hitters consisting of Holly Kosak, Janelle Krueger, Paula Roberts, Emily Bull, Madelyn Ellicott and Mikayla Loew with Jenna Harrison assisting the kills. As the back row helped defend the front row hitters, those consisted of Alyssa Hartzell, Makenah Bonter, Nicole McCullough and Madelyn Kruithoff. They traveled to North Pointe Christian to play against the Covenant Christian Chargers for pre-districts. Sadly, our fellow eagles fell short in taking the victory. The Chargers’ tough defense made it hard to get anything past them.

The team chemistry of these girls was strong and great memories were made on and off the court. For the six seniors, Holly Kosak, Janelle Krueger, Paula Roberts, Alyssa Hartzell, Makenah Bonter, and Madelyn Kruithoff, it would be their last high school volleyball game. The captains both gave us a quote. Janelle Krueger saying, “The best team isn’t a team with the best players, but with the best team that plays the best together” and Paula Roberts stating, “Play every game like it’s your last”. There were many tears that night, and they will be missed dearly. Thank you parents, fans and students for coming to support the Varsity volleyball team.

Junior Varsity and Freshman Volleyball

JV Volleyball had a very successful season, having an overall record of 23-8-1.They went undefeated in conference play by destroying all of their opponents. In conference play, their toughest opponent was Hesperia. As said by Joscey Carew, “Hesperia taught us that if you play as a team you get things accomplished.” They didn’t have much competition against any of the other conference teams so by playing Hesperia, it challenged them to grow as a team. It was obvious that the season was one of the best experiences for them and they wouldn’t trade it for anything.

One highlight of their season was the final game of their season in order to have a perfect conference record, playing against the Holton Red Devils. The team took control right away at the start of the game, defeating the Red Devils in all three sets 25-12, 25-13, and 15-11. Hannah VanderLugt led serving with 9 points and 3 aves followed by Alyssa Larson with 8 points, 2 aces and 6 assists. Jasmine Weeks added 10 assists too. MaKenah Ellicott led all of the hitters with 6 kills followed by Erica Bull with 4 kills. Defensively, Hannah chipped a team high 10 digs. This led the Eagles to a perfect 10-0 in league play.

The freshman team had a successful season they had a fun time and they played hard. Alexa Madrigal quoted the season saying “It ended too fast." Kylie Brown also added that “It was fun!” The team played great overall and enjoyed playing this season.

Dig Pink Tournament

On October 13th, The Varsity girls’ volleyball team hosted a Dig Pink Invitational against 9 teams. They started out pool play by going against Orchard View. The ladies started out a little sluggish, but would then pulled themselves out of it quickly to win the match 25-20 and 25-20. Next, they played Kelloggsville. They came out playing as a great team and would win the match 25-9 and 25-7. They defeated the first round and came out of pool play to start off the bracket and played against Tri County. The Eagles struggled to get consistent passing during the match and lost 18-25 and 20-25. This loss would put them up against Kenowa Hills for the 3rd/4th place game. The first set was a very close back and forth battle with both teams playing hard for every point. With the scrappy play by the Eagles they were able to pull out the win by 25-23. In the second set the lady Eagles started out strong with strong serving by Madelyn Kruithoff. With the Eagles up 23-18, Kenowa Hills called a timeout with Makenna Bonter serving. Kenowa Hills then hit the ball into the net to put the Eagles at game point. With the teams volleying the ball back and forth, Jenna Harrison would then set the ball up to Janelle Krueger who got the game point with a kill to the middle of the court for the 3rd place finish. A great team effort was given by each player on the team and each player made key contributions on the day. A big thank you to all the Kent City JV and freshman teams for all of your help on Saturday and making the day run so smoothly. Thank you to all the fans who came out and showed your support to the volleyball program and wore your “Dig Pink” shirts.

Girls' Golf

The Kent City Girls Golf team had an outstanding season with new team members joining and a new coach. The new coach is Dru Degraaf. The varsity girl’s golf team picked up their first win of the season, defeating Sparta 248-251 at Moss Ridge Golf Course. Senior Mackenzie Mortensen led Kent City with a 51. Kent City finished in 6th place in the CSAA Bronze Jamboree. Mortensen led the team once again (113) followed closely by Zara Weber (115). In only her second event, junior Joan Carr improved her nine hole score by 20 strokes! The varsity girl’s golf team finished their second official season at the Mines Golf Course in Grand Rapids for the MHSAA Regionals. Seniors Zara Weber and Mackenzie Mortensen played in their final matches for Kent City. These two have been a part of the girl’s golf program since its beginning as a club sport back in 2016. The girl’s golf team enjoyed their season and had fun making a ton of new memories with their teammates old and new. Senior Zara Weber said “I'm glad I played golf this year, I enjoyed making a lot of new friends and playing some of my best rounds.” And senior Mackenzie Mortensen said “This season was by far my favorite because I got to meet some new people who joined and I feel this was my personal best season.”

Boys' Varsity Soccer

This year the Boys Varsity Soccer Team started with a bang by beating Muskegon Oakridge in a shootout. They then ended in 2nd place during the Oakridge tournament for the first time ever against a tough Kelloggsville team. Throughout the season, fans were always showing up to the games no matter the distance. They were really supportive of the team and gave them confidence day-in-day-out.

This was one of the best years for the team in school history. It ended 5-7, even with having three cancelled games due to weather. The boys showed a lot of improvement throughout the season and fought till the end! This was also a final year for many beloved seniors. The senior captain, Jose Garza, stated, “Out of all 4 seasons, my senior year was by far the best for soccer. We had a strong bond with each other and even though our record doesn’t show it, I’ve seen a lot of improvement from the team.”

Band

This year’s Marching Eagles had a very successful season. This year their show was entitled “Breathe Life In.” Their show consisted of 5 movements about life’s first breath, moments that take your breath away, to life’s final breath. The Marching Eagles performed at six shows this year, including the Bands of America Regional at Bowling Green University in Ohio. This was their first year competing in a BOA competition.

The band finished second at Belding, third at Jenison, and third at Rockford. At each competition they got closer and closer to second place. This was the band’s third year finishing off their season as the MCBA’s Flight V Bronze Medalists.

Drama

The 2018 Kent City High School Drama Program would like to invite you to their production of A Christmas Carol! This classic story has definitely been a lot of fun to put together. Not only has the cast been working hard on memorization and polishing, but also their english accents.

Lauren Schnicke, a Junior playing the role of “Ebenezer Scrooge”, said, “I love how we are taking this classic story and putting our own twists on it. You will not want to miss this production!” Breegan Petruska, a Senior portraying “The Ghost of Christmas Present” (amongst a few other characters), said, “It is a great family production for an audience of all ages!” This play is an amazing opportunity to get into the holiday spirit. Bring your friends and family; this is a very family friendly production! The adult ticket price is $10 and the student price is ONLY $5.

Homecoming Royalty

Homecoming took place on Friday, October 5, 2018. The weather was cold and rainy, but our royalty lasted through it all! . Later that night our royalty took the field. Representing the freshman class was Aly Linsley and Carter Magoon. The sophomore class chose Kenzie Bowers and Casen Armstrong to be their princess and prince. The junior class nominated Kristen Toporski and Jesus Hernandez as their royalty. The senior candidates were Katlynn VanOeffelen and Austin Hickman, Bryn Mortensen and Evan Jones, Hannah VanWert and John Meek, and lastly Karissa Hickman and Gio Weeks. The competition was close but the queen is now Bryn Mortensen and our king is Gio Weeks. All of our royalty looked amazing and it was truly a night full of fun and games.

Homecoming Parade

The overall theme for homecoming was Fun and Games. The freshman classes float brought Pac-man back to life. The neon colors and fun design brought this classic game straight to Kent City. The Sophomore class did a float based on the Candyland board game; an all time favorite for them. Their candy cane lane helped guide the Eagles to a victory against the Indians. The Junior class boxed their way through with a game of Rock ‘em, Sock ‘em, Robots. Their life sized robots made the ring come to life. The Senior class rolled past go with their first place victory on their Monopoly float. Their moving dice and Kent City themed board stole the competition.

Homecoming Dance

The Homecoming dance was on October 6, 2018. After the victory against The Red Devils of Holton, students made their way to the dance floor Saturday night to celebrate.The Autumn season represented the theme this year.Thanks to student government, the wrestling room looked flawless.Twinkling lights outlined the whole room. Also, hay bales, corn stalks, and pumpkins accented the place. Multiple tables were set, so students could take a break from dancing, eat a snack, and/or play board games that were provided.The DJ was Isaac Schnicke.

Homecoming Dress Up Days

Homecoming week started with sports fan day. People from every grade dressed up in their favorite teams gear to try and outdo the other grades. “Homecoming was a blast! It was the best one in all my three years!” - Mallory Ignasiak

Day 2 was titled Twister Tuesday! Each grade had their own color of the twister board. Freshman shined like the sun with the color yellow, Sophomores got lucky (four leaf clover ;)) with the color green, Juniors washed away the competition with blue, and Seniors got hot with the color red!

“I had fun dressing up and it was the easiest day to participate.” - Kylie VeltKamp

Nobody had “Trouble” dressing up when it came to day 3, favorite game board or card game day! You could find every game in our hallways from “Old Maid” to “Checkers”. This day was a “Crazy 8” out of 8 for the whole high school. “I enjoyed card game day because it brought out the creativity in the students and the teachers joined in too!” - Katlynn VanOeffelen

Everybody had to ‘console’ themselves when it came to favorite video game character day. It was a true battle between the grades to see who could win this day. It was a good fight and everyone had a lot of fun. “Dressing up with my friends will be a high school memory I’ll never forget.” - Josey Carew

Veteran's Day

On November 12th, Kent City High School hosted the annual Veterans day assembly. This has been a tradition for many years, to honor all the veterans who have served or are currently serving our country. The whole high school fills the gym and pays respect as the veterans name, branch, and years they served were read off. The Boy Scouts then marched in and Owen VerSluis and Alex Drent folded the flag as Jacob Sikorski, and Paul Yates played the taps.The choir did a wonderful job at signing the patriotic songs, and the band also played great. The band played a little portion each military branch song, as each person who served/serves in that branch stood up. We would like to give a big shout out to Bridget for coming to share her story, as a nurse in the Air Force and her line in duty. We would also like to thank all the people who put together this event all made it happened. Finally, we would like to thank all the veterans. Thank you veterans!

By Katlynn VanOeffelen

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