By John Raffel
Max Preps.com
It's his fifth year of coaching basketball at Jenison and coach Brett Dyke is hoping his team has hit the jackpot.
Jenison is off to a 15-0 start and bidding to be among the Michigan powers in Class A, the division featuring the largest schools in the state.
"Last year we had 20 wins which was the most in team history," Dyke said. "We made it as far as the regional finals. We returned eight kids this year. We knew we were going to be solid. The experience from last year has definitely helped.
"We have a great group of kids who love basketball. The kids are playing well defensively. We're giving up 54 points a game. Our team chemistry is very good. Our guys play well together. We're shooting 73 percent from the free-throw line. So getting to the free-throw line has been a key for us each game."
Jenison has been shooting 54 percent from the floor.
"We have good balance," Dyke said. "We have guys off the bench filling a good role for us. We're so deep."
Senior guard Tyler Tanis is averaging 20.5 points per game. Junior guard Wes Trammell is averaging 18 points per outing, while senior center Bryan Snyder is chipping in 13.
Dyke is also getting strong defense from seniors Michael Vaughan and Jayson Dieterle.
Wrestling
Teams across the state started vying for postseason championship honors this week in district competition. Team districts will be followed this weekend by individual districts.
Team and individual regionals are set for next week, followed by state competition.
Richmond players and coach George Hamblin are hoping to defend their Division 3 state title. Richmond enters the postseason with a 29-5 record, fresh off its ninth-straight conference crown.
"Last year we were ranked in the top 10 all season," Hamblin said. "Dundee is ranked No. 1 in Division 3. They're probably the favorite going into the postseason."
But Hamblin figured he has enough talent going into the postseason.
"We don't have a lot of depth," he said. "But we have some solid kids."
Volleyball
Portage Northern has been a perennial volleyball power in Class A, and head coach Brandy Koenigsknecht is hoping this year's team can add to the school's volleyball legacy.
"The season is going well," said Koenigsknecht, whose team is 29-7 in her third season. "We've been ranked high in the polls. We have a young team. We have a few things to work on, especially on our defense. We're where we should be right now. Offense right now is our strength. I'm trying to have our strength be our defense."
The top players for the Class A power, located in southwest Michigan near Kalamazoo, include Sydney Hill, who will be playing at the University of Virginia next year, and Emma Chrystal, who is headed to Rutgers.
"They're both playing very well for us," Koenigsknecht said. "Emma was a middle hitter last year for me. She's doing better on the outside."
The postseason starts March 1-2 for and Koenigsknecht hopes her team can make a viable bid for a state title.
"I want us to be playing confident as long as we keep doing well," Koenigsknecht said. "But in the district finals, Portage Central has knocked us out in the last two years."
From 1982 through 1999, Portage Northern won 10 state championships under former coach Jack Magelssen. The Huskies' last appearance in the state finals came in 2001, losing the title match to Temperence Bedford.