Marian secures D2 district title in powerhouse matchup with Country Day

By JAKE THIELEN
@MIPrepZone

BEVERLY HILLS – The steady rainfall was not enough to slow the Birmingham Marian offense down Saturday night, as the Mustangs scored three times in the second half to defeat Detroit Country Day, 3-0, in a Division 2 girls soccer district final at Country Day High School.

Freshman Jansen Eichenlaub had two goals and an assist and junior Ellie Deconinck added a goal and an assist for Marian (14-2-2, which advances to the regional semifinals on Tuesday against Trenton.

Eichenlaub’s first goal came just 22 seconds into the second half, giving the Mustangs the momentum as the rain intensified. Marian coach Barry Brodsky said scoring early in the second half was crucial after an even first half.

“(Country Day) is a very good team, and it takes a while to get in the game and wear people down,” Brodsky said. “The first five minutes of the second half we were really on fire. We have two forwards (Eichenlaub and Deconinck) that really are special, and when they’re connecting good things happen.”

Deconinck added to the Marian lead with 31:17 to play as she corralled a pass from Eichenlaub and powered a shot past the Country Day keeper. The Mustangs picked up an insurance goal with 12 minutes to play when junior Elaina Eckert made a run up the field and passed to Eichenlaub, who scored her second goal of the game.

Country Day’s best chance to score came in the opening half, but freshman Kennedy Bearden’s shot from long range hit the crossbar and bounced over the net. The Yellowjackets (14-4- 3) were unable to find a way to get a shot past Marian’s junior keeper, Isabel Hayes, who made five saves.

Yellowjacket coach Laura Hamway said she thought her team did a good job adjusting to Marian’s attack, but it didn’t get the breaks it needed against a good opponent.

“It was a physical game – it’s what we thought it would be on paper,” Hamway said. “(Marian) is disciplined, they get numbers going forward and I felt like we handled that. Our girls marked them tight, and we lost them a few times. They’re a good team.”

Last Updated: 6/4/2016 11:16:39 PM EST

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West leads Berkley past Troy in district semi

By JAKE THIELEN
@MIPrepZone_Trib

ROYAL OAK – Thanks in part to a pair of goals from sophomore Meghan West, Berkley is one step closer to its goal of a district title.

West tallied a goal in each half, and the Bears withstood a rally in the second half from Troy to earn a 2-1 win in a Division 1 girls soccer district semifinal Thursday at Royal Oak High School.

Berkley will advance to the district final Friday at 6:30 p.m., and the Bears will meet Troy Athens in that game.

West opened the scoring against Troy with 25:57 to play in the first half by corralling a long throw-in from junior Emma Green and lofting a shot into the far corner of the net.

Berkley extended its lead to 2-0 less than two minutes into the second half with West scoring her second of the game, and the assist was credited to senior Alexia Tyler.

However, Troy answered back with a goal of its own. Junior Caroline Schlimgen capitalized on a loose ball in front of the Berkley net and fired a shot off the post and in with 33:43 to play, which cut the Bears’ lead to 2-1.

The Colts were able to put pressure on the Berkley defense over the final 30 minutes, but Troy could not get another shot past the Bears’ freshman keeper, Monica Hodges, who made five saves in the game.

Berkley coach Lindsey Lubanski said a focus on defense after building a two-goal lead helped the Bears preserve the win, as did a couple of timely saves by Hodges.

“Monica is a freshman for us this year, and she has done a fantastic job,” Lubanski said. “She’s very aggressive, she comes out (of the net) and she is very vocal with the defenders and with all of our team. She does her job, she knows when she can go and she knows when she can’t.”

Lubanski said West plays like an upperclassman in terms of leadership, though she is only a sophomore.

“She always comes out, and she is there to get the job done,” Lubanski said. “She works hard. She’snever going to have be told to work hard. She does what she has to do, and she wants to win.”

Troy coach Dan Troccoli said his team faced adversity at times during the season, but he was proud the Colts were “incredibly resilient” all year.

“They played that way all year long, and they don’t let things get them down,” Troccoli said. “They’re a very good soccer team, and sometimes the soccer gods just don’t smile upon you. Unfortunately, that’s the case that happened this year, but again I’m incredibly proud of them and they have nothing to hang their heads about.”

Last Updated: 6/2/2016 11:12:09 PM EST

 http://www.miprepzone.com/oakland/results.asp?ID=19205

Seaholm grabs early lead, shuts down Troy

By JAKE THIELEN
@MIPrepZone

BIRMINGHAM – Birmingham Seaholm scored two goals in a 5:10 span in the first half, and the Maples held Troy off the scoreboard to earn a 3-0 win in an Oakland Activities Association girls soccer crossover game Monday night at Seaholm High School.

Julia Kiehle opened the scoring for Seaholm (9-4-2) by heading in a loose ball on a corner kick with 26:25 to play in the opening half. A little more than five minutes later, the Maples’ Katie O’Connor was tackled in the penalty area, drawing a red card on Troy and a penalty kick for Seaholm.

Fotini Demetriou took the penalty kick for Seaholm, and her shot beat the Troy keeper to give the Maples a 2-0 lead.

With Troy down a player due to the red card, Seaholm was able to keep up its offensive pressure in the second half. The Maples generated several scoring chances, and eventually earned a third goal late in the game when Olivia Graham corralled a pass from Demetriou and slipped a shot past the keeper and into the net.

Seaholm coach Manuel Rodrigues said the Maples tried a new formation in preparation for the upcoming district playoffs, and the change paid off.

“I was really proud of our defense and our midfield,” Rodrigues said. “Again it was a brand new formation today just to see how it worked, and obviously it worked pretty good. Cate Brown in the middle, she’s normally my center forward, but she’s a freshman and she’s a monster. She had probably the best game of the year for her.”

Troy coach Dan Troccoli said he was proud of the way his team was able to generate pressure despite playing with only 10 players in the second half.

“They have a lot of heart, as you saw in the second half,” Troccoli said. “This team never gives up at all, ever. They have the desire to win all the time, and a few bounces here or there and it’s a different game. There’s no doubt about it.”

Seaholm will play its next game Tuesday at home against Pontiac for senior night, while Troy will look to bounce back at Grosse Pointe South on Wednesday.

Last Updated: 5/23/2016 11:46:19 PM EST

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Lutheran Northwest capitalizes in ninth inning to top Country Day, 5-4

By JAKE THIELEN
@MIPrepZone

BEVERLY HILLS – Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest scored the eventual winning run in the top of the ninth inning, and the Crusaders held on to earn a 5-4 win against Birmingham Detroit Country Day in softball Tuesday afternoon at Country Day.

Lutheran Northwest and Country Day were tied 3-3 after seven regulation innings, and each team scored a run in the eighth inning to further extend the game.

With the International Tie Breaker rule in effect, Lutheran Northwest began the top of the ninth with a runner on second base. The Crusaders’ Rebecca Oleskie led off the inning with a bunt, and an errant throw allowed the runner to score and give Lutheran Northwest a 5-4 lead.

Pitcher Madison Macy allowed a one-out walk to Country Day in the bottom of the ninth, but she was able to escape trouble. Macy induced a groundball for the second out, and she got the next Yellowjacket hitter to fly out to right field to end the game.

Macy threw all nine innings to earn the win, and the sophomore finished the game with 17 strikeouts.

Lutheran Northwest coach Jeff Ludwig praised Macy’s demeanor on the mound in the victory.

“In that last inning, (Macy) jammed her ankle sliding into third, and we were worried whether she would be able to come out (to pitch,)” Ludwig said. “But she’s a fighter and a battler. She might be a sophomore by grade, but she pitches like a senior, and we rally around her. She puts the team on her back.”

Ludwig said playing a talented team like Country Day was a challenge that his team was looking forward to facing.

“We’ve been playing some games recently where were we’ve been racking up lots of runs, but really haven’t been getting pushed,” Ludwig said. “We got pushed today, and the girls rose to the occasion.

We had to fight through some adversity with an injury (to infielder Sara Seemann) and they just found a way to will themselves to victory today.”

Despite striking out 20 times against Country Day pitcher Jacqueline Spizizen, the Crusaders were able to find some offense at crucial times during the game. Lutheran Northwest scored three times in the fourth inning, turning what had been a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 lead.

Macy led off the inning with a single, and Rebecca Johnstone followed with a bunt single of her own.

Three batters later, Grace VanDellen drove in both runners with a single, and Brynn Cudney followed with another single that scored VanDellen.

Country Day tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the fifth inning thanks to back-to-back doubles from Spizizen and Jessica Garmen. The Yellowjackets’ earlier run came courtesy of the first career home run by senior Brooke Reiter in the third inning.

Yellowjacket coach John Meyers said the home run was a special moment for Reiter.

“(Reiter’s) a great kid, one of our captains, and she’s our only senior,” Meyers said. “She puts her heart into everything, and she’s a great teammate. It was nice to see her hard work pay off.”

Last Updated: 5/17/2016 10:46:01 PM EST

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Clarkston uses a consistent offensive attack to power past Adams

By JAKE THIELEN
@MIPrepZone

ROCHESTER HILLS – Clarkston scored in each of the first four innings as the Wolves were able to build an early lead and hold on for an 8-3 win over Rochester Adams in an Oakland Activities Association Red Division softball game Thursday night.

Sophomore Hannah Chadwell was the catalyst early in the game for the Clarkston offense. Chadwell followed a Abby Skvarce double with a RBI single in the first inning, and in her next at-bat in the third inning, she hit a solo home run to left field to give the Wolves a 3-0 lead.

Rochester Adams (6-15) cut the lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the third thanks to a RBI single from Lisa Cicatello, but Clarkston (19-6) answered right back. Senior Mariah Hood drove in a pair of runs with a single in the fourth inning, and Skvarce followed with another double to put Clarkston up 6-1.

Clarkston coach Don Peters said a combination of timely hitting and solid defense allowed his team to find success in the first few innings.

“You like to have two or three runs early, so the pitchers can settle down and the team can relax,” Peters said. “(Chadwell) hammered the ball too.”

The Wolves led 8-2 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, but Adams refused to go away quietly. The Highlanders opened the inning with a single and a walk, and they scored a run on a fielder’s choice to trim the deficit to 8-3. However, Clarkston freshman pitcher Sarah Kuenzel recovered to end the game by inducing a groundout to third base.

Chadwell finished the game 2-for-3 with three RBI, and Skvarce was 3-for-4 with a RBI. Pitchers Hailey Minton, Sarah Gladding and Kuenzel combined to allow just six hits to Adams.

Rochester Adams coach Fran Scislowicz said he was impressed by the way the Highlanders played with heart and desire throughout the game.

“We’re a little overmatched sometimes in the Red Division, but we continue to compete,” Scislowicz said. “(Clarkston) is a very good hitting team, and they got one each inning at the beginning against us. But we got it to 3-1, and I thought the seventh inning was good for us because we got some people on base.”

Ashley Bomireto threw a complete game for Adams, with four strikeouts, and helped her own cause with a RBI at the plate.

The game was scheduled as part of a doubleheader, but the second game was called in the first inning due to inclement weather. A makeup date for the second game has not yet been determined.

Last Updated: 5/12/2016 10:08:51 PM EST

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Wolfe’s four-goal night lifts Walled Lake Northern past Kettering

By JAKE THIELEN
@MIPrepZone

WATERFORD – Freshman Dani Wolfe led the way with four goals for Walled Lake Northern, as the Knights defeated Waterford Kettering, 8-0, in a Kensington Lakes Activities Association North Division girls soccer game Monday night at Kettering High School.

Wolfe scored three times in a span of 11:02 during a first half that was controlled by Walled Lake Northern. The Knights (11-0-2) scored six times in the opening half with junior Kameryn Szalay (2) and senior Devyn Brough adding the other goals.

Walled Lake Northern did not let up in the second half as Wolfe scored her fourth goal of the game 1:04 after the break. Junior Sophie Fisher gave the Knights an 8-0 mercy rule victory by collecting a loose ball from a corner kick by Brough and slipping a shot past the Kettering keeper with 26:06 remaining on the clock.

The Knights’ star freshman may have filled up the stat sheet individually, but Walled Lake Northern coach Drew Drummond said he was impressed by the way the rest of the Knights stepped up as well.

“(Wolfe’s) a big talent, and she stood out tonight which was nice, but if you look around the team we have plenty of other players who can do a lot of damage as well,” Drummond said. “Dani shined tonight with her finishing and her composure, but like I said she was one of many tonight, especially in the midfield and defensively.”

Drummond said the team has worked hard to get everyone on the same page offensively, and that the training is paying off this season.

“It’s nice to have players who how to play their positions, and who can combine well,” Drummond said.

“It makes it really easy for our strikers to get on the end of things because we create so many opportunities.”

The Knights will look to stay unbeaten as they face Waterford Mott in their next game on Wednesday.

Kettering (1-9-2) will look to get back on track the same night at Lakeland.

Last Updated: 5/9/2016 11:15:10 PM EST

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Early goal stands up as Athens tops Adams, 1-0

By JAKE THIELEN
@MIPrepZone

ROCHESTER HILLS – Troy Athens scored a goal off of a corner kick in the first half, and that was enough to earn a 1-0 shutout win over Rochester Adams in an Oakland Activities Association Red Division girls soccer game Tuesday night at Adams High School.

With scoring chances hard to come by, Troy Athens (2-3-1) struck first after earning a corner kick to the right of the Adams’ goal with 14:17 left in the first half. Senior Hannah Schell sent a cross into the box where senior Elyse Merbach was waiting to send a header past the Adams’ keeper and into the net.

Adams (0-2-2) started the second half by controlling play, but the Highlanders were unable to get a shot past Athens’ keeper Amanda Harris, who made two saves in the win.

Athens coach Todd Heugh said he expected a low-scoring game in a matchup between two of the top keepers in the area – Harris and Adams’ Olivia Argeros. He said scoring early was crucial for his team, which has struggled to get its offense going at times this season.

“We’ve played a really difficult schedule, against difficult opponents, and we’ve been in every game but we’re still trying to find our way with essentially a new midfield,” Heugh said. “Hannah served a great ball on the corner kick, and Elyse got on the end of it – she’s gotten on the end of a few corner kicks for us.”

Adams coach Aaron Donaghy said he liked the effort his team showed, and that the results will come as his young team (two seniors on the roster) continues to gain experience.

“There’s nothing to be disappointed with,” Donaghy said. “I liked the way we possessed, I liked the way we moved it around, I liked the chances that we were creating and I liked the way my backs played.”

Last Updated: 4/19/2016 11:54:14 PM EST

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Balanced scoring effort helps lift Berkley past Clawson

CLAWSON – Senior Celia Somers finished with 10 points, leading all scorers, as Berkley defeated Clawson, 47-16, in a non-league girls basketball game Friday night at Clawson High School.

Berkley’s defense shut out Clawson in the second quarter, and the Bears outscored the Trojans by a 24-4 margin in the first half to take control of the game.

Somers scored eight of her 10 points in the first half, and Berkley coach Jordan Gruppen said he expects Somers to be a leader on the floor for the Bears this season.

“She can attack, she can finish from the outside and also drive and make a good pass to help her teammates,” Gruppen said. “Our offense is going to run through her, but we also have other people who can definitely score too, so it’s a great thing.”

Berkley countered any attempt at a run by Clawson in the second half thanks in part to a balanced offensive attack. Ten different players scored at least a point for the Bears in the game.

Juniors Makoya Denham and Cali Weed and freshman Olivia Dicarlo all finished with six points for Berkley. Junior Nina Palazzolo added five points, while Denham and junior Cara Hall each had seven rebounds.

Defensively the Bears were able to force several Clawson turnovers, and the defensive pressure was something that Gruppen liked to see from his team.

“I thought we played some great defense today,” Gruppen said. “There were times we kind of fell apart on our help side a little bit, but it’s definitely something we’ve been working on, and I saw improvement from our first game to our second game for sure.”

Clawson coach Jenny Stanton said she saw some growth from her young team as the game progressed.

The Trojans have no seniors on the roster and had three sophomores in the starting lineup Friday.

“(We had) a great defensive presence, especially in the second half,” Stanton said. “The girls started driving to the hoop in the second half too on offense.”

The Trojans were led offensively by sophomores Jackie Hauser (five points) and Shaniya Evans (four points.) Sophomore Raquel Lewis had three points and six rebounds, while junior Carly Butterfield had six rebounds and five blocks.

Last Updated: 12/4/2015 11:02:30 PM EST

http://www.miprepzone.com/oakland/results.asp?ID=17639

Slow start dooms Allen Park in regional final loss to Chelsea

By Jake Thielen | MLive.com
on November 13, 2015 11:31 PM, updated November 14, 2015 12:42 AM

Allen Park struggled to get its offense going in its Division 3 football regional final, and the Jaguars ran out of time late in a 35-12 loss Friday night against Chelsea.

Chelsea (11-1) took control early, scoring on the first possession of the game to take a 7-0 lead.

Allen Park (10-2) responded on its ensuing possession by driving to the Chelsea 4-yard line, but the Jaguars’ Antonio Mangiapane was stopped short on a 4^th-and-2 play that swung the momentum back to the Bulldogs.

With the offense unable to replicate the success of its first drive, Allen Park trailed 14-0 at halftime and fell behind by a 35-0 margin in the second half.

Chelsea kept the Jaguars off the scoreboard until the fourth quarter when senior Nate Berrelez scored on a 3-yard run to make the score 35-6.

Allen Park scored one more time, on a 7-yard run by Mangiapane with 1:35 to play, but the Jaguars failed to recover the ensuing onside kick. Chelsea ran out the clock to seal the victory.

Allen Park coach Tom Hoover said his team battled, but just couldn’t recover from its early deficit.

“We some made mistakes that we haven’t made all year,” Hoover said. “We were under pressure and didn’t respond well.”

Mangiapane threw for 144 yards and ran for 53 yards and a touchdown in the loss. Berrelez caught a team-high six passes for 86 yards and ran for 17 yards.

The Jaguars’ 10-2 mark was the program’s best season since 2006 when they also went 10-2. The regional final appearance was the team’s first since 2004.

http://highschoolsports.mlive.com/news/article/-1343111753150349145/slow-start-dooms-allen-park-in-regional-final-loss-to-chelsea/

Chelsea 35, Allen Park 12: Bulldogs advance to football semifinals for first time in school history

By Jake Thielen | MLive.com
on November 13, 2015 10:41 PM, updated November 14, 2015 12:19 AM

Chelsea took control of the game early and never looked back as the Bulldogs defeated Allen Park, 35-12, in a Division 3 football regional final Friday night at Allen Park High School.

The win sends Chelsea (11-1) to the state semifinals for the first time in school history. The No. 9 ranked Bulldogs will meet No. 3 Coldwater in that game to decide who gets to play in the Division 3 final at Ford Field.

Chelsea opened the game strong, scoring on its opening drive, and it built a 14-0 lead at halftime thanks to rushing touchdowns from seniors Jacob Somodi and Jacob Grob.

The Bulldogs recovered the opening kickoff of the second half following a misplay by Allen Park and took advantage of the solid field position. Junior quarterback Jack Bush extended the Chelsea lead to 21-0 on the ensuing drive with a 3-yard touchdown run.

Bush also had success through the air in the second half as he connected with senior Jacob Scheese on a pair of touchdown passes to put Chelsea up 35-0 and trigger a running clock with 11:54 to play.

Allen Park scored twice on touchdown runs from senior Nate Berrelez and junior Antonio Mangiapane in the fourth quarter, but the Jaguars ran out of time. After recovering an onside kick, Chelsea was able to take a knee to run out the clock on a 35-12 victory.

Chelsea coach Brad Bush said the Bulldogs had never made the state semifinals previously because of a combination of bad draws and playing poorly at the wrong time. The Bulldogs had lost all five previous times they had reached the regional final.

“We’ve had so many teams in this spot, good teams, and we haven’t been able to get to the finals,” Bush said. “It was (losses to) Farmington Harrison, Inskter with Devin Gardner – I’m proud of just not these guys but all the guys that have played here because we finally have broken through.”

Jack Bush said the win felt good, but the team is still focused on its goal of winning a state title.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling, the first time in school history – something we dreamed about from the beginning,” Bush said. “Now we have to get one more to get to Ford Field.”

Bush threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns on 16-of-20 passing and added 11 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Grob led the Bulldogs with 74 yards rushing on five carries, which included his 66-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

Scheese had four catches for 67 yards and two scores, while senior Bailey Edwards had five catches for 87 yards.

http://highschoolsports.mlive.com/news/article/-3904715724195069170/chelsea-35-allen-park-12-bulldogs-advance-to-football-semifinals-for-first-time-in-school-history/