By John Raffel
MaxPreps.com
The 2007 Michigan football season didn't end the way that Muskegon head coach Tony Annese and the Big Red had anticipated.
But after directing his teams to Division 2 state championships in 2004 and 2006, Annese wouldn't mind forgetting about the lack of a title in 2007 with a state crown this season.
Muskegon was 9-2 last season, but lost in the second round of the five-week playoffs despite being heavily favored in preseason to win it all.
“We were disappointed the way the season finished,” Annese said. “We started out 8-0 and lost to Rockford and shared the (league) championship. We had beaten Hudsonville in the regular season (but lost 41-7 in the rematch in the playoffs).”
Going for it all this fall isn't going to be that easy for the Big Red.
“We have three starters back on both sides of the ball. It remains to be seen. We have a tough schedule. It's going to be a huge test for us. We play (Detroit) Martin Luther King the first week and (Birmingham) Brother Rice the second week,” Annese said.
Brother Rice won the 2005 Division 2 state title while King took it in 2007. Execution will be key against a feature that doesn't feature any soft spots.
“We need to execute on both sides of the ball,” Annese said. “We can't give up big plays and make mistakes. With our special team strengths, it will be a good mix.”
Standout players for Muskegon include 6-foot-1, 170-pound quarterback Elan Banks.
“He's a huge key for us,” Annese said. “If he plays well, we'll be tough to defend.”
Also back is third-year running back-linebacker Jason Hannett, who started on Muskegon's 2006 state championship team, plus Carlton Johnson, a 6-2, 205-pound defensive end and Alvin Fletcher, a 5-11, 240-pound defensive tackle.
If his team can get past Brother Rice and Luther King, it then has to contend with a strong O-K Red Conference schedule.
“We were tri-champs last year with Hudsonville and Rockford,” Annese said. “I expect both of them to be better than last year.”
More Football
Alma was among the state's Division 4 powers last season, advancing to the state quarterfinals after posting an 11-0 record. Alma lost 46-35 to Marine City, which went on to take the state crown.
But Alma coach Randy Lark warns that his team has several key players that are returning from a year ago.
“Our defense is pretty strong. Both of our kickers are back who are pretty good,” Lark said. “We have three wide receivers and one offensive lineman returning.”
Lark's son, Kyle, was an All-State lineman. Luke Kanin, will be a running back and defensive back for the Panthers.
Alma's schedule won't be easy.
“Ovid-Elsie has got a lot back from last year's team. They gave us a tough run,” Lark said. “Freeland and Shepherd will be a lot better.”
Alma expects to be a championship contender again.
“We've been in the playoffs quite a few times and we've made a tradition with that,” Lark said. “The kids kind of expect every year to do that. Our senior class was 8-1 as a junior varsity team.”
Looking back at last season, Lark realizes how close his team came to winning it all. In the close loss to Marine City, “we were going in to score but threw an interception. It was a great season and a great football game.
“We had a good senior class. It blended well with our junior class.”
Girls Volleyball
Ubly came to within one victory of the Class C volleyball state championship last year and coach Andy Gusa is hoping the Bearcats can win it all this season.
Last year, Ubly finished 48-5-1 before losing to Morley Stanwood in the Class C state title game. Andy Gusa, with a 404-118-54 career record, returns for his 12th season.
It was the first time Ubly has made it past the state quarterfinals.
“One of the big things was the team chemistry. Everybody got along all season long,” Gusa said. “Even when we lost, nobody was pointing fingers. They worked hard. When it was over it was over. We came together at the best time all year. We came together at the end. It helped to peak right at the end.”
His team's record would indicate it's the best volleyball squad Ubly has had.
“It was definitely an excellent team,” Gusa said. “It's hard to say if it's the best team we've had. Sometime it helps to have a little luck and it depends on who you draw in the playoffs.”
Ubly graduated five seniors from the state runner-up squad.
“We have little experience,” Gusa said. “It will be kind of a rebuilding season. We'll see what happens.”
Top players back for Ubly include 5-8 senior outside hitter Kayla Kubacki and senior defensive specialist Lyndsay White.
"(Kubacki) was probably our second best hitter last year and will probably be our top one this year,” Gusa said. "(White) played all the way around for us. She has a good attitude. She'll be back. Those are the two starters back from last year. The rest of the spots are up in the air.”
Other teams in Class C to watch out for include Bad Axe and Unionville-Sebewaing (USA).
“Bad Axe has a very strong program and USA has a ton of talent this year,” Gusa said.
More Volleyball
One of the Class B powers this season should be Belding, coming off a 37-5-3 campaign last season.
“We've been working a lot on serve receive, defense and mixing up some sets for hitters to run a quicker tempo game this year,” Belding veteran coach Mikayla Linebaugh said. “We're going to try to run a little different offense than what we're used to running so it mixes in a few more kids for playing time and makes us stronger along the net so we're putting up better blocks.”
Belding switches to the O-K Blue Conference, consisting of strong Grand Rapids-area Class B teams such as Cedar Springs, Coopersville and Sparta.
“There will be tougher teams this year,” said Belding senior defensive specialist Sheila Johnson. “But I think we'll be really strong.”