East Grand Rapids High School Sports, East Grand Rapids MI

EGR’s Nelson Advances to Wrestling Regionals

EGRWrestlingFan — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 22:15:17 +0000

East Grand Rapids Pioneers competed in the 2012 Individual Wrestling Districts this past Saturday in Spring Lake. Fifteen Michigan high school wrestling teams were represented at the all-day, double-elimination tournament. East wrestling highlights included several wins in the early rounds. Senior captain Luke Headley (135 weight class) boasted a 7-2 opening victory; juniors JJ Rossi (140 weight class) and Cormac Bevins (145 weight class) pinned opponents with times of 1:38 and 3:58, respectively; and sophomore Ian Chappell (285 weight class) earned a pin in the 3^rd period at 5:38. Riding the winning wave to the championship round was junior Andrew Nelson (189 weight class), pinning competitors in 1:16, 4:49, and 2:59. Nelson held aloft a 4^th place medal, allowing him to advance to the Individual Wrestling Regional Tournament, to be held next Saturday, February 18^th. Nelson will be representing East Grand Rapids in the 189-pound division at Middleville High School. Congratulation, Andrew! Go East!

East Wrestling Team Runners-Up in Team Districts

EGRWrestlingFan — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:16:49 +0000

The East Grand Rapids Pioneers were runner-ups in the 2012 Wrestling Team Districts, hosted this past Wednesday by Northview High School. Earning a first round team victory over Creston High School (final score: 48-18), East wrestlers advanced to the finals, squaring up against Northview. Hampered by voids in the middle weight classes, Pioneers suffered a 52-18 team defeat. Individual East highlights for the evening included back-to-back pins for junior JJ Rossi (in the 140 and 145 weight classes) with pin times of 3:56 and 1:44. Junior Cormac Bevins (152 weight class) flattened his Creston opponent in 1:19. Junior Andrew Nelson (wrestling at 189) had the fastest East pin of the night, setting Northview’s shoulders to the mat in 59-seconds. And, bringing Pioneer fans to their feet, freshman Dan Zanko, wrestling at 160 against Creston, had his first varsity pin in 3:01. East Grand Rapids travels to Spring Lake for the individual district wrestling tournament this Saturday. Go East!

EGR Wrestles Well at OK White Conference Tourney

EGRWrestlingFan — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:44:12 +0000

Cormac Bevins Takes Silver

: Luke Headley Wins Match

The Pioneer wrestling team represented East Grand Rapids well, with half of its varsity members standing in the winners’ circle at the end of the OK White Conference Tournament this past Friday evening. Hosted by Greenville, the OK White Conference showcased wrestlers from East Grand Rapids, Greenville, Northview, Creston, Christian, and Lowell High Schools. The East wrestling team had some exceptional performances. Notable moments included a stellar run by freshman Andrew Walski (wrestling at 152 pounds) who overcame his first opponent with a 15-0 technical win, followed by a strong 8-0 victory in the second round. Freshman Mac Middleton (wrestling at 103) also sailed through to the final round. Other highlights: sophomore Ian Chappell (wrestling at 285) boasted a first-round 2-0 triumph, and set the crowd on its feet with a heart-stopping pin in the last second of his match against Creston (pin time, 5:59!). Junior Cormac Bevins (wrestling at 145) was also a particular crowd-pleaser, defeating his Greenville opponent in an intense 8-4 match. Juniors JJ Rossi (wrestling at 140) and Andrew Nelson (wrestling at 189) continue to subscribe to the “as-long-as-I’m-winning-I-might-as-well-be-pinning” philosophy, flattening several of their opponents throughout the night (Rossi with pin times of 58-seconds and 1:46, and Nelson with pin times of 1:20 and 50-seconds). Senior captain Luke Headley had a stunning final round victory, besting his Lowell opponent with a 3-2 arm-raiser. At the end of the night, East wrestlers returned home with an armload of conference championship medals: at 4^th place, Andrew Walski, Mac Middleton, and Ian Chappell. In 3^rd place, Andrew Nelson, JJ Rossi, and Luke Headley. Taking silver, Cormac Bevins. The team moves on to the Districts this Wednesday at Northview. Go East wrestlers!

East Wrestlers Defeat Christian High School

EGRWrestlingFan — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:31:49 +0000

Wednesday evening, the East Grand Rapids Pioneers traveled to Mona Shores for its weekly wrestling quad. This week’s team match-ups were against Christian High School and Mona Shores High School wrestlers. In their first dual, against the Eagles, points were added to the scoreboard by the following East wrestlers: freshmen Sam Jones, Dan Zanko, and Jacob O’Donovan; sophomore Mac Middleton; junior Andrew Nelson; and senior captain Luke Headley. Contributing the two East pins for the dual were junior JJ Rossi (wrestling up a weight class at 145 and pinning his opponent in 3:11) and junior Cormac Bevins (also wrestling up a weight class at 152 and earning the fast-pin gold belt for the evening at 34-seconds). EGR wrestlers triumphed over Christian High with a final team score of 48-24. An interim period of JV wrestling was highlighted by junior Farid Karadsheh’s close match win. Fighting to the final buzzer, Karadsheh emerged with a 4-3 victory over his competitor. His victory fired up the EGR team for their dual against Mona Shores, resulting in a series of Pioneer pins, among them senior Luke Headley (wrestling at 135, pin time 3:46); juniors JJ Rossi (wrestling at 140, pin time 3:06), Cormac Bevins (wrestling at 145, pin time 2:22), and Andrew Nelson (wrestling at 189, pin time 1:14); and a mighty fight leading to a satisfying pin for freshman Andrew Walski (wrestling at 152, pin time 3:15). The dual was a close battle, and, again hampered by voids in the middle weight classes, East suffered a defeat with a final team score of 47-36. East competes in the OK White Conference wrestling tournament this Friday in Greenville. It should be an evening of some fierce competition. We look forward to cheering on our EGR wrestlers. Go East!

East Girls Defeat Greenville 35-24

Tom Koperski — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:00:57 +0000

The East Grand Rapids Girl’s Basketball kept their undefeated season going Tuesday evening with a hard fought 35 to 24 victory over a very scrappy Yellow Jacket team. East had jumped out to 23-13 lead at half time behind the outside shooting of Lexi Russo and the inside play of Betsy Ronda. Once again Division 1 prospect Senior Betsy Ronda led the Pioneers with 17 points and 12 rebounds while Lexi Russo had 7 points.

The Pioneers held Greenville scoreless the last 4 mins and 30 seconds of last night’s game. East started the game without Janae McEwen who is recovering from ankle injury and then lost starting guard RaShawn Calvert with another ankle injury at the start of the 2nd quarter. Coach Lindsay Lieffers had to go deeper into her bench then she normally does. These injuries could be a mixed blessing for East as it gives some of the players more experience heading into the last third of the season before the HS playoffs start in March.

East is home again this Friday when the Red Arrows of Lowell come to town for a 6pm game.

East Boys lose Thriller in OT to Greenville 79-76

Tom Koperski — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:07:07 +0000

Marcus Hall

Greenville escaped tonight with a 79 to 76 overtime victory over the Pioneers. Greenville came in tonight’s game undefeated while East is starting to put it together. The visiting Yellow Jackets took a 20-17 first quarter lead and led throughout most of tonight’s game till Marcus Hall put the Pioneers ahead 65-64 with 1:10 left in the game. Greenville was lead by 6’6″ senior Austin Somerfield who finished tonight’s game with 21 points. Somerfield has led the Yellow Jackets all season long.

Greenville was 29 for 36 from the free throw line while East was 17 for 22. It was a very physical but extremely well officiated game. Tonight’s officials never let the game get out of hand even though bodies were flying on the ground all night long. Future Wayne State football player DeAndre Grady led the Pioneers with 23 points followed by Matt Alt’s 16 points while Marcus Hall and Austin Howell had 12 points each.

Jahaan Brown

Greenville upped its record to 13-0. Greenville has a very impressive team with a strong inside/outside game. Christopher Mickey and Aaron Crebessa added 17 points each. Crebessa was deadly from outside the three point line this evening. East’s Freshman player Deleon Brown put in 8 points this evening. This young man has a big future on the hardwood court.

DeAndre Grady

EGR Wrestlers Travel to Reed City Invitational

EGRWrestlingFan — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:46:22 +0000

While less hardy souls were huddled near their fireplaces on Saturday, the EGR Pioneer wrestling team was braving the winter conditions, journeying to Reed City for a day of individual duals. The competition was fierce, as thirteen Michigan teams lined up for hours of battle. In spite of the notable absence of the leadership of senior captain Luke Headley, who was home with the flu (we missed you, Luke!), three East varsity wrestlers fought their way to the final round. Pinning his way to the winners’ circle was junior JJ Rossi (wrestling at 140 pounds). Rossi’s pin times included a 3:05, a furiously-fast 8.4-seconds, a 2:03, and a final match end at 2:16. Junior Cormac Bevins (wrestling at 145 pounds) found satisfaction in a 4:47 3^rd period pin and an exciting final match, won in the last 10 seconds, with a stunning takedown, nearfall, buzzer—BAM! Final score: 6-4. The highlight of the day for junior Andrew Nelson (wrestling at 189 pounds) was a decisive 12-3 triumph over his opponent—with very little personal blood-loss to boot! At the end of the day, all three upperclassmen took home some hardware. Representing East Grand Rapids in the winners circle was JJ Rossi at 5^th place; Andrew Nelson in 4^th place; and Cormac Bevins holding up the bronze. It was a long day of some fine wrestling, gentlemen. We look forward to seeing the team perform this Wednesday at the Mona Shores quad. Go East!

EAST vs GR Christian the Rivalry Continues

Tom Koperski — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:47:32 +0000

East's Colette Cunningham

East girls and boys team play their top rival this evening Grand Rapids Christian in High School Basketball. The girls play at 6:00pm while the boys play 20 minutes after the girl’s game is completed. Both games are at Grand Rapids Christian. East girls are 4-0 in conference play and 10-0 overall. The Pioneers are led by seniors Betsy Ronda and Lily Clifford. Ronda has led East the past two games with 29 and 23 points. Grand Rapids Christian is 4-0 in conference play as well and 6-5 overall. The Eagles had a rough start dropping their first 3 games but have been playing well since.

The East boys take a 3 and 7 record into tonight’s game while Grand Rapids Christian is 6-3. Both teams still have high expectations for the year. The last time these two teams met where in the Regional Finals last year with East coming out on top. East is led by senior DeAndre Grady and junior Marcus Hall.

Marcus Hall

DeAndre Grady

Pioneer Wrestlers Persevere

EGRWrestlingFan — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:53:42 +0000

The Pioneer wrestlers faced stiff competition Wednesday evening at the Forest Hills Central High School wrestling quad. Squaring off against wrestlers from Lowell High School and Forest Hills Central in back to back duals, the East Grand Rapids team showed its perseverance and spirit. JV wrestler, freshman Sam Jones, set off sparks in the opening matches, pinning his opponent in the second period (2:40). Varsity highlights included a strong 10-3 decision in favor of junior JJ Rossi (wrestling at 140) over his Lowell opponent, followed by a 1st period pin over Forest Hills (1:27). Junior Cormac Bevins (145 weight class) engaged in a mighty battle with a member of the traditional wrestling powerhouse Lowell team, emerging with a 7-6 victory. Junior Andrew Nelson (wrestling at 189) continued his string of pins-to-wins, flattening his Lowell competitor in 3:44 and turning Forest Hills shoulders to the mat at 2:16. The EGR wrestling team suffered tough losses in both competitions, and East fans continue to be impressed with the discipline and fortitude of our wrestlers. The Pioneer wrestling team travels to Reed City this Saturday for an individual tournament. Ready, set, wrestle! Go East!

Wrestlers’ Mettle Wins Medals for East

EGRWrestlingFan — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 00:31:17 +0000

The East Grand Rapids Wrestling team prospered at this weekend’s 2012 Unity Invitational, hosted by Hudsonville Unity Christian High School. Eight mid-western high schools—EGR, Hudsonville Unity Christian, Grand Rapids Christian, Allegan, Hudsonville, Wayland Lee, and Illiana Christian—converged in Unity’s gymnasium to battle it out in the double-elimination, individual tournament. Highlights for the day included some exceptional athletic performances by East’s younger wrestlers: freshman Andrew Walski (145 division) twisted and turned to an exciting 17-15 win in the second round; freshman Jacob O’Donovan (119 division) wowed the crowd with a 44-second pin; sophomore Sam Jones (140 division) boasted a solid 14-8 triumph over his opponent; and sophomores Ian Chappell (285 division), Caleb Shaw (171 division), and Mac Middleton (103 division) had a run of pins. Chappell flattened his men at 3:47 and 2:19; Shaw brought fans to the edge of their seats, waiting to pin his competitors in the third periods (4:50 and 4:43); and Middleton charged into the final round with a pin-it-to-win-it attitude, raising his arm in triumph at 1:20. Senior captain Luke Headley (135 division) and juniors Cormac Bevins (145 division), JJ Rossi (140 division), and Andrew Nelson (189 division) tasted success as well. Headley garnered a 2:34 pin and a nail-biting, crowd-pleasing 4-1 win in the final round. Bevins stuck his opponent at 3:32 and secured his place in the finals with an 11-4 victory. Rossi paved his way to gold with a 3:13 pin; a 33-second pin; and 3-0 blazing match final. Nelson decided not to waste any time on the mat, earning all three pins in under a minute (49-seconds; 12 seconds; and 59 seconds). At the end of the day, seven East warriors were found in the winners circle, hoisting medals. Bringing home 4^th places for the team were sophomore Caleb Shaw and freshman Jacob O’Donovan. Taking 3^rd were junior Andrew Nelson and sophomore Mac Middleton. Bearing the silver medal was junior Cormac Bevins. And proudly raising the gold were junior JJ Rossi and senior Luke Headley. Hudsonville Unity claimed the team tournament, and EGR finished a respectable 5^th in team points. The Pioneer wrestlers displayed the grit and determination for which they have become famous among fans, and it was a day filled with cheering. We look forward to continuing the celebrations this Wednesday when East wrestlers travel to Forest Hills Central for a local quad. Go East!