Portagers win D League titles

ONEKAMA — Early in the season, weather wreaked havoc on the West Michigan D League’s originally planned schedule.

Locations were altered, jamborees were dropped, and adjustments were made accordingly. Despite it all, however, Wednesday’s finals ended in familiar fashion: an Onekama victory lap.

The Portagers continued their stronghold on the league’s landscape, sweeping boys and girls action among the eight-team field in each. Both Onekama squads won the title outright after wins in a pair of regular season jamborees prior to Wednesday’s championship meet.

“It was one of the girls’ goals to win conference, so we’re happy,” Onekama girls coach Nathan Bradford said. “We told them just to come into today and push yourself, and they did.”

The Portager girls won 13 of 17 events Wednesday to pace the way to 207 points while Brethren (81) remained steady at second, Manistee Catholic Central (60) finished third, Mason County Eastern (50) fourth, Walkerville (37) fifth, Pentwater (31) sixth, Baldwin (22) seventh, and Crossroads Charter Academy (7) rounded out the field.

“We’ve got some bigger meets to go to,” Bradford explained of wrapping up the league, “and now the goal is to place in regionals and move on to state.”

Onekama swept all four relay events as Alycia Peterson, Alyson Fink, Meredith Hengy, and Nisha Collins won the 400 (53.47) and 800 (1:56.65); Peterson, McKaya Groenwald, Taylor Anderson, and Kelly Babcock won the 1,600 (4:40.40); and Groenwald, Faith Moerdyk, Anderson, and Babcock won the 3,200 11:02.39.

Individually, Moerdyk paced the way with a pair of wins in the 800 (2:44.51) and 3,200 (14:06.97) while Hannah Harrington won the discus (84-foot-1); Kendra Curtice the pole vault (6-0); Collins the long jump (14-8); Alyson Fink the 100-meter dash (13.19); Keena Gilbert the 1,600 (6:07); Anderson the 400 (1:08.09); and Peterson the 200 (27.35).

Brethren brought home a trio of league championship medals as Emily Krause continued her dominance in the hurdle events and Naomi Mason emerged as the winner in the high jump.

Mason lept 4-8 for the victory while Krause finished the 100-meter hurdles in 17.50 and the 300 in 49.84.

“There were several highlights,” Brethren girls coach Jason Kemler said. “They did well overall, and some really good things took place today.

“Next week, of course, we really start training hard for regionals, which has been our goal all year.”

MCC finished the program’s first season back to the track in years with a strong third-place performance paced by shot put champion Alysha Heck, who won with a toss of 29-11.

“It’s fun watching each and every one of them, because they’ve all improved so much,” said Sabers coach Denny Capling. “They keep getting better and better, and it was neat seeing them trying new things today.”

In boys action, Onekama won six events en route to 179 points while Brethren (96) took second, Mason County Eastern (72) third, Crossroads (59) fourth, Baldwin (53) fifth, MCC (23) sixth, Walkerville (18) seventh, and Pentwater (10) eighth.

“It’s good to win it, but just like (Bradford) said, it’s time to change the focus to the regional meet,” said Portagers boys coach Tony Shrum, “and get everyone dialed in for that, and hopefully on to state finals.”

The Portagers took three of four relays as John Schoedel, Shane Peterson, Jordan Anderson, and John Girven won the 3,200 (9:14.29); Reilly Merrill, Jordan Coe, Justin Solis, and Nick Streeter won the 800 (1:38.41); and Michael Belinsky, Peterson, Paul Hayes, and Merrill won the 1,600 (3:46.42).

Girven won a pair of events individually in the 1,600 (4:53.91) and 3,200 (10:44.57) and Peterson took first in the 800 (2:10.71).

After Brethren took third in the season’s first jamboree, the Bobcats bounced back with second-place finishes in the last two league meetings to finish as runners-up overall.

“To finish second today, and second in the league overall, is really our goal,” said Brethren coach Travis Walker, considering his squad’s numbers compared to Onekama’s. “To take back second is good for our kids.”

James Connolly led the way Wednesday by taking home a pair of league championships in the high jump (6-1 1/2) and long jump (19-1).

“It was another good day in the field events,” Walker said. “As far as the running events go, we saw a lot of PRs today, and they’re not just PRing, they’re really cutting seconds off drastically.

“That’s really good to see this point of the season.”

MCC’s Jason Kaminski rounded out a strong league season in the shut put by winning the title with a toss of 40-6 to pace the Sabers.