By John Raffel
MaxPreps.com
Scott Soodsma remembers how busy it was when he was boys and girls basketball coach at Hudsonville Unity Christian, even when the girls played in the fall and the boys in the winter. It's really hectic now.
Girls basketball season has also been moved to the winter, but Soodsma is still coaching both teams at the same time. His girls team is the defending Class B state champion. He said there haven't been major conflicts in coaching both teams at the same time. But Soodsma has challenges with both teams.The boys team was 22-3 last year and has started out 2-1.
"We lost about everything," Soodsma said. "This season, we're playing mostly juniors. It's going to be a challenging experience. When last year's team played together, they were as good as any team I've seen."
But Soodsma still likes the prospects for this year's team with junior guard Tom Smeckers leading the way along with senior Jerry Dykstra.
Soodsma's girls team was 26-1 in winning a state title in 2006 but is off to a 3-3 start after losing all but two starters. Those two returners, Kayla Rosendale and Jill Flietsra are leading the scoring.
"We're quite a lot different this year," Soodsma said. "We're not as atheltic as we've been."
Whether or not his team can win a lot of games "remains to be seen," Soodsma said. "We'll have to see how we come along. The key for us is shooting. We're focusing on shooting from the perimeter."
Soodsma is among the few coaches leading both a boys and girls varsity team at the same time.
"I'm able to be at all the games. The only conflict is when we have a practice, I may have to leave early for a game," he said.
Soodsma said he coaches both teams because "we didn't have anybody else to replace me. Down the road, I might just go with one."
Hockey
Lake Orion has gotten off to a slow start at 2-4, but coach Pat Cherry said his team has had a tough schedule and he still expects to be a state contender.
Cherry pointed to last year's Division 1 state championship Orchard Lake St. Mary team, which had a mediocre 13-9 season, but still won the state title.
Lake Orion, located near Detroit, is led by defenseman Dave Johnson, a junior, who had six goals and 13 assists last season. He has scored one goal and added two assists in his team's first four games.
"He's the cornerstone for our defense," Cherry said. "He's a very good skater and plays physical. He was selected to the all-conference team for the Michigan Development High School League last year."
Lake Orion's losses have been to state-ranked teams.
"We hope to make a run in the playoffs," Cherry said.