Getting a kick out of soccer

I have soccer fever.
Dexter coach Scott Forrester told his players before they took the pitch – yes, the field in soccer is called a pitch – that they should feel lucky they weren't dressed up in coats, gloves and long johns. The Dreadnaughts had nice weather for their home opener last week and responded with a warm reception to the new season – a 3-1 victory over Pinckney.
The next day, Chelsea hosted Riverview in the Bulldogs' first game of the season. They weren't as fortunate as Dexter when it came to the weather. It was freezing. You could hear the teeth chatter from the other side of the field.
Still, Chelsea won 2-0.
Both teams displayed a high level of skill, especially considering it was the first game of the season.
Dexter was outplayed for much of the first half, but didn't respond by playing long ball and just trying to clear the ball out of its zone. The Dreads stuck to their game plan by using short passes, creating space and working hard. It paid off.
The Bulldogs also showed they were ready to go from the opening kick. Like Dexter, Chelsea was prepared. Both teams have some outstanding players, who obviously have a lot of experience.
I'm looking forward to covering both of these talented teams. It wasn't that long ago that I was playing high school soccer – OK, it was a long time ago. But our team went 23-1 and won the Class AAA N.Y. State soccer championship with a 3-0 win over a team from Long Island – a longtime hotbed of soccer talent.
I played two years of college soccer at EMU before trading in my cleats for a Fender Telecaster. I guess I wanted to be the next Springsteen more than the next Pele.
See ya on the pitch!

Go Sparty, Go AA Huron!

I have to say that in watching the Spartans beat Northern Iowa yesterday I was impressed with how they handled the team which had knocked off Kansas. The Jay Hawks were picked by everyone including the President to win the entire tournament.
It was a tough fight for Michigan State University but I think they did a good job and in the final two minutes they had too much for NI. Give them a tip of the hat but give Sparty the nod.
Now it is on to Tennessee tomorrow and a possible trip to the Final Four next week.
Good luck to former Belleville High basketball coach and now Associate MSU hoop coach Mike Garland.
Who knows by the time this is read the Ann Arbor Huron River Rats could be state champs. Good luck boys!

Heritage picks All-Area teams

With the Madness of March, at least for high school sports fans, coming to a close with the boys' basketball finals this week at The Breslin Center on the campus of Michigan State University, one can finally take a breath -- but only for a moment.

For the Heritage Newspapers-West sports staff, this time of year is for picking our All-Area teams. Last week, we selected our wrestling team. This upcoming week will be girls' basketball, followed by the best of boys' hoops. The Heritage Newspapers-West coverage area is full of talented athletes in all sports. I would put our All-Area teams up against any other newspapers' all-star squads.

Despite a lull in the sports action, keep looking for the winter sports postseason All-Area teams in your newspaper.

When will it rain?

It is never a question of how much rain we will get in the spring or even if it will rain. It is just a matter of when. The hardest part of spring sports is that so much of it is played outside. A baseball game or softball game can't be played in the pouring rain and you can't jump hurdles in the rain either.
I guess some school around here play water polo in the spring but neither Belleville or Ypsilanti does any inside once the weather breaks.
Pretty soon the sports will be coming fast a furious and the rain outs will be plentiful. The worst part it trying to gear up for the season and expecting all kinds of games and actually getting almost none because of the weather.
It means we have to double up on our stories and make everything longer to cover when we have no games. It also means putting double the information in the paper when thing do get started. Our new focus it to get game stories and videos on the web ASAP so coaches please get me the info right after the games. We do want our readers to know what is going on as soon as it happens.
With 25-30 sports in the spring I can't be everywhere at all times. So please email at dmerchant@heritage.com or give me a call and we can talk my work number is 697-8255 and I will be givinh all of you my home number once we talk.

Chow for now!

Spring time fun

Ok,

For the most part basketball season is over with the lucky exception of Mike Larson's trip to the Breslin Center in East Lansing for the Ann Arbor Huron River Rats. Good luck boys and I would love to be out there covering Huron but I will let the younger lad do that.
I love this time of you for a couple reasons. The first is Ypsilanti has some good track runners. Boys and girls in this area do extremely well. I am not saying Belleville is bad but they run in Division 1 and that makes all the difference in the world.
The other sports tend to be good as well. You have baseball and softball as well as boys' golf. girls' tennis, lacrosse, girls' soccer and I am sure I am missing a few sports. Coaches, get me your information as soon as possible and I can put it on the web. Call me at 734-697-8255 or email me at dmerchant@heritage.com.
I will do my best to get it all in the paper or on the net. Parents ans friends I am always looking for feature stories so please offer them up!

The Tiger Saga: Much ado about nothing?

The word is out that Tiger Woods is ready to make his triumphant return to golf next month at the Masters.
At the same golf tournament where he captivated audiences in 1997, shooting a 18 to win the storied event, in a few weeks, he will try to captivate us all again.
And it won't be easy.
Everyone in the world knows about his recent transgressions; his strange post-holiday car accident, the rumors of marital infidelity, the flood of women who came out of the woodwork to confess they had sexual relationships with him. Then the very public destruction of his marriage and the obligatory stay in a rehab facility.
All these things have been shoved down our throats for the past few months, and to be quite honest, I'm sick of it.
I'm not sick about the fact a public figure cheated on his wife. Yes, it's deplorable, but it's none of my business. It doesn't affect the way I live my life at all.
What makes me sick is that I can't turn on the television without hearing something about this.
Is it news?
Maybe, it was at the first onset, but not anymore. This isn't the kind of thing that people should be worried about being constantly updated about.
It's something that a man and his wife need to work out.
Them.
Only them.
Not anyone else. Once again, it's none of our business.
People act like it is such a big deal that he is going to start golfing again.
Why?
He's a professional golfer. That's what he does.
Yeah, he got caught doing something he shouldn't have been doing, but if you think it is something a thousand other professional athletes haven't done, you're kidding yourself.
Now, just because other people do it does that make it right?
No.
But it still makes it none of our business.
So next month Tiger Woods will go back to Augusta National and try to play well enough to make us all forget about the last few months.
I, for one, hope he does it.

Milan Sports Coverage

Our readers in Milan will notice this week that the wrong sports pages (1 and 4) appear in their newspaper. The Saline sports content for those pages was sent by the production department instead of the Milan content. We appologize for the mistake and thank you for your understanding.
Milan readers can find their stories online at www.milanleader.com. These stories also will appear in the March 18 edition of the Milan Leader.
For any questions or to send along any story ideas for Milan, contact Don Richter at drichter@heritage.com.

What a night for Chelsea sports

Friday in Chelsea is going to be a snow day regardless of the weather. Well, make that a "go" day. As in GO to Plymouth and cheer on the Bulldogs on the ice during the day and then return to Chelsea to root on the boys basketball team at night.
In Allen Park, the Chelsea Bulldogs were celebrating a state quarterfinal victory over Riverview Gabriel Richard on Wednesday. Then word came from home...the Bulldogs knocked off Willow Run in basketball.
Two wins in the state playoffs on the same day. One to send the hockey team to the state semifinals. Another, to send the basketball team to a district final.
Does it get any better than that?
Well, it could on Friday.
How about a hockey team victory Friday afternoon over one of the best teams in the state that will send the Bulldogs to the hockey championship game? And then a few hours later, a basketball victory to send the Bulldogs to the regionals?
Yeah, that would be better.
But Wednesday was pretty awesome for Chelsea sports, no matter where you were sitting that evening. The hockey team pulled off another victory when it looked like the end was a sure thing. The only sure thing with this group is you can never count them out.
Gritty. Relentless. Resilient. Tough as nails. Good as (blue and) gold.
Then there is the basketball team. These same Bulldogs who looked anything like a great basketball team on Monday switched gears and ran past Willow Run. Yes, the same Willow Run team that blew Gabriel Richard out of the gym. If you watched these two games on Monday, the first one looked like the JV game compared to the second one.
Sometimes, the Bulldogs play down to their opponent. But they always play up for the better teams and that was the case on Wednesday. Like the hockey team, the basketball has the talent for a long road trip through the state playoffs.
The hockey team plays at noon on Friday and the basketball team tips off at 7 p.m.
Does anyone have Bulldog fever? I think the whole school will come down with it on Friday.

A tough draw

Last Saturday the Ann Arbor Huron hockey team won its first regional championship since the early 90's.
The whole season long, the River Rats have been striving to get better, and their efforts culminated in that game, a 3-1 win over Lincoln-Milan in Dearborn.
The team, led by a talented group of seniors which include forwards Nick Daze and Brad Christman, as well as goaltender Luke Dwyer, has had its share of ups and downs this year, but none of that seemed to matter for a moment as the team sprawled out on the ice with its regional trophy out in front. All everyone could think about was how sweet the victory was.
By now though, the team has to have come down from that. By now, reality has probably struck the River Rats like a Mack truck.
Now that a regional title has been won, the team advances to play Detroit Catholic Central.
For those who don't follow the high school hockey scene, let's just say that DCC is about as good as it gets.
The Shamrocks aren't only one of the best teams in the state, but in the region. They are a school that sends players to college and juniors on a pretty regular basis.
Talentwise, they are better than Huron. I don't say that to be mean, I say it because it is true. Does that mean the River Rats can't beat the Shamrocks? No way. Upsets happen all the time.
But let's be honest, if Huron wins this one, it would be akin to another "Miracle on Ice."
The Huron team knows what it is up against. But I'm sure head coach Bill DeGroot will have his team prepared to play, and I know for a fact that the River Rats will take to ice ready to give the Shamrocks their best game.
If I was a gambler, I'm not sure I would be comfortable betting on the River Rats, but who knows? After all, miracles happen all the time.

March Madness in full swing

Well, the girls' basketball districts have just recently started and already I have experienced March Madness. Last Monday, in the sweltering gymnasium at Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard, the host Fighting Irish played Chelsea in a Class B first round district match-up. After enough ups and downs and highs and lows to satisfy any roller coaster enthusiast, Gabriel Richard prevailed in a thrilling double overtime squeaker. As the saying goes, neither team deserved to lose. What an opening to the Madness of March.

Are you ready for a rematch?

Last Friday night the Huron and Pioneer girls' basketball teams faced off against one another in what was the final game of the regular season for each team.
Huron won the contest 58-48, however, Pioneer might be able to get a little bit of revenge.
On Wednesday, Huron defeated South Lyon and Pioneer beat up on Pinckney in the second round of district play, ousting both the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the tournament.
Which means on Friday night, the two teams will face off in a rematch.
Only this next game has a lot more on the line, with the winner taking the district championship and advancing to the regional, while the loser goes home.
Pioneer star guard Kamilah Carter will face off against Huron's big gun, senior DeVonyea Johnson in what will surely be the most important game of the season for both teams.

My take: It's hard to pick a team to win back-to-back games against any opponent, however, I think Huron will take this game. Pioneer has had to rely on Carter for most of its scoring all season long, while Huron had been able to win games without Johnson. If these two players cancel out one another, Huron is still the better team. The River Rats take this one 52-46.

Chelsea, Dexter compete in hockey

Chelsea moved on Tuesday night in a pre-regional game. It was a rather easy win for the Bulldogs against a team that many thought had a chance to win the pre-regional. Richard came in with 16 wins but Chelsea proved that playing a tough schedule pays off in the end.
The Bulldogs played nine top-10 teams in out-of-league games. That helps prepare you for the playoffs and it paid off. Chelsea was in control from the opening faceoff to the end of the game.
The Bulldogs now face rival Jackson Lumen Christi in the final. These two teams don't like each other. It will be physical and intense. Playoff hockey at its best.
Lumen Christi beat Dexter in the first game. The Dreads couldn't hold a 2-0 lead and lost in overtime. It was a tough way to go out. Dexter had a solid team and was just as good as Lumen Christi or Chelsea for that matter. A few bad breaks and they find themselves out of the playoffs
But the Dreads have nothing to be down about. They played a solid game and played hard. What more can you ask for?

Dreams begin in the off-season at Chelsea, Dexter

They were at opposite ends of the gym. And at opposite ends of the long road to becoming a champion.
On a late Friday afternoon at Dexter High School, a small group of track athletes had gathered for a conditioning practice. They were on the track running, stretching, getting ready. It didn’t matter that the track outside was buried in a foot of snow.
At the other end of the track stood Dexter’s Dan Flowers, taking a break from his workout in the weight room. While track is weeks away from even starting, Flowers is at the finish line of his dream. He’s a senior. State qualifier. One of the favorites to win it all this weekend in Auburn Hills at the wrestling individual state finals.
But state titles aren’t won the weekend before the state meet. Athletes in the spring, like the Dexter track team, win state titles and league championships when the snow is on the ground. Basketball teams win state titles in the middle of the summer when their friends are going swimming and the dedicated players are headed off to basketball camp.
And at Chelsea High School, football championships are won after school in February – not in October or November.
Here’s a point that wasn’t lost on me after visiting the two schools last week.
Is it coincidence that on Friday afternoon in Chelsea the indoor track above the gym is full of football players? Yes. Football players. They were working hard, running sprints and putting themselves through different kinds of agility drills. I didn’t see any coaches. This was a voluntary workout. And the track was packed with strong, young men in gym shorts.
I didn’t see any football players at Dexter working out. The point? Well, anyone who follows these two programs already gets the point.
And you can also make the same point for the Dexter track team. I know they are pretty good every year and I know the cross country team knows the way to the state meet without using Mapquest. There is a reason why they are so successful. The reason was in full view on Friday.
And just ask the Dexter swimming team what it takes to be the best. They don’t just show up in November, put on their goggles and learn how to swim. You don’t win 12 conference titles in a row by accident or luck. Most of them swim year-round and already are in great shape for that first practice. You could say that the road to the championship is already paved before they even hit the water.
This brings me back to Flowers and the main point. Championships, state titles and elite performers are created over time and through hard work. Chelsea’s Travis Ostrowski and Dakota Cooley will be joining Flowers this weekend in Auburn Hills chasing their dreams. All three wrestlers are seniors. All three are close to achieving their dreams.
"It’s what I’ve been dreaming about and working towards since I was a freshman," Flowers said.
Some of those athletes on the track on Friday at both Dexter and Chelsea looked like they were freshmen. Four years ago you can bet that Cooley, Ostrowski and Flowers were working out in the off-season, sweating, hurting, practicing, preparing. They didn’t race home after school to play video games. They went to "run on the track" because there was something at the finish line that they wanted to accomplish.
Football is a good six months away. Don’t tell that to the Bulldogs. Football is year-round. That’s how you win championships. You pack the track on a cold Friday afternoon in February. The same way Patrick Roberts, Stefan Elslager, Rachel Cooperrider and Elly Mioduszewski spend parts of their summers inside an empty gym.
The basketball playoffs for both boys and girls begins this month. The girls is already underway. But the champions were crowned long ago. At this point, you either have it, or you don’t. Sure, there will be upsets and surprises, but hard work and years of preparation usually prevails.
Dexter wrestling coach Shane Rodriguez was asked recently about his wrestling team.
"We are going to be tough to beat next year," he said. "We have some really talented wrestlers and the middle school had a great year and the Dexter Wrestling Club is doing great." That’s how you build a program and create a tradition – look at the Dexter cross country and swimming teams or the Chelsea football team.
And success isn’t always whether or not you win it all. Sometimes, it’s about expectations. The Chelsea hockey team lost a rink full of good players off last year’s team. Still, they improved over the season and proved they could play with pretty much any team in the state.
The Dexter girls’ basketball team overcame a devastating injury to one of their key players early in the season and have proven that the team concept can win basketball games.
Flowers is spending his final days before the wrestling championships tweaking, fine-tuning, perfecting. The hard work, dedication and commitment have all been accomplished for this young man. But for others, it’s just the beginning.
So don’t frown when your coach or parent tells you that championships are won in the off-season. The proof was running on the track on a cold, Friday afternoon.
Opposite ends of the track. Opposite ends of the dream. But the same blueprint for success.