By John Raffel
MaxPreps.com
East Grand Rapids has been a state football power this decade with Division 3 titles in 2002, 2003, 2006 and 2007. After seven weeks and a 7-0 record, coach Peter Stuursma's team could be up to its state championship tricks again.
The Pioneers opened the season with a 49-14 victory over Orchard Lake St. Mary, the team it beat 46-39 in five overtimes in last season's state title game.
“Against a good Grand Rapids Christian team (that was 5-1), the team played well,” Stuursma said. “I was glad to see our guys respond and play every down tough.”
Stuursma has been happy with how his players have responded on both sides of the football.
“We're very balanced offensively,” he said. “Defensively, we're bending but not breaking at the right time. From last year, we lost seven returning starters. We had a good nucleus.”
Obviously the cupboard hasn't been bare for the Pioneers.
“There's a good core group of guys here,” Stuursma said.
Leading running back Joe Glendening is among that group. Josh Laarman, a junior linebacker, is leading the team in tackles. Chris Blair at tight end has also come up big for the East GR offense. Quarterback Andrew Thompson has thrown for 900 yards and only one interception.
The Pioneers have a big showdown Oct. 24 against Lowell, 7-0, and ranked No. 1 in Division 2 polls. East is No. 1 in Division 3 polls. But Stuursma doesn't want to get too far ahead of himself.
“We focus on progressing week by week,” he said.
Dave Moore, coach of O-K White Conference opponent Greenville, said East is as dangerous as it's ever been.
“They might be better than a year ago when they won the state championship,” Moore said. “They're awfully good in every position. They have a tremendous offensive and defensive line. Everything starts there. That's what makes them so tough. They have a lot of depth at all of their skill positions.”
Volleyball
When Pontiac Notre Dame defeated Holland Christian 25-13, 25-19, 25-11 for the Class B state championship, head coach Betty Wroubel's squad put itself on the volleyball map.
“We were the first ones to bring home a volleyball championship to the entire (Oakland) county which is phenomenal,” Wroubel said. “We had tremendous depth and a hard-working core group of seniors. We graduated 18 girls the last two years. We try not to cut so we have an extra big squad. Last year it really worked well for us. They were single minded in their goal last year. They worked hard together. They worked tremendously hard for that goal.
“It was the most confident group I've ever coached. They knew they could do it. They knew if they worked together it would happen. I don't think a lot of people in the state thought it would happen. In their junior year when they had a disappointing loss in the district finals, we felt we would go to the state championship.”
So far this season, the Pontiac team is 29-8-2.
“You're never satisfied,” she said. “Graduating as many kids as we did the last two years, a lot of people would think it's a tremendous feat to be where we're at right now. Of our losses, we feel four or five of those should have been wins. We have to accept our new roles. We graduated all the full-time starters last year, and we have two half-time players coming back. For the other girls, their roles have changed. Instead of being in a supportive role, they're now in a leadership role. They're still learning how to do that.”
Wroubel said she's satisfied as long as her team continues to grow.
“I think we're a little behind where we'd like to be,” she said. “It's not due to our lack of effort. The kids are working hard. We're a hard-working kind of blue collar program here. We try to play great defensive ball and get different scoring. That's what our program has made its mark on. I'm happy with where we're at."
Top players include 6-foot-1 junior left-hand hitter Destiny Tolliver.
“She's received interest from every major Division I school in the Midwest,” Wroubel said. “She's a very highly recruited player.”
Junior outside hitter Catherine Wieczorak is another standout along with junior libero Katie Bloomgren.
“The projected setter for this year, my senior, suffered a very severe stress fracture,” Wroubel said. “In fact they think it happened last year and she kept working and working. She's been out.”
Cross Country
Pottersville's boys cross country team is fresh off a Central Michigan Athletic Conference championship effort on Tuesday and the defending Division 4 state champions appear ready to stay on top of the standings for another season.
The regionals are Oct. 25 in Michigan which will have the state finals Nov. 1 at Michigan.
Potterville's championship effort in the league race served noticed that the team is favored heavily to win another title. Pottersville's Larry Julson won the race in 16:10.76 while Nick Flietstra was third in 16:40.11 and Collin Ward was sixth in 16:57.22.
It was that threesome that led Potterville in the state championship race last season. Flietstra was 10th in 16:34.2, Julson 14th in 16:40.0 and Ward 18th in 16:51.5.
“I ran pretty well. I ran the race I kind of wanted to run,” Julson said after Tuesday's championship run. “I finished a lot harder. I tried picking up a lot the last 1,200.”
