The Pressbox

My apologies to our readers. Problems with the internet connection at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek prevented me from getting online until now.

Dundee is locked in a tight battle with Corunna. The Vikings lead 22-17 with four matches remaining. Here is what has happened so far.

135: Brandon Desbrough, D, d. Casey Edgar, 7-3.

140: Brad Wade, D, md. Eric Partain, 9-1.

145: Brennin Adkins, C, md. Scott Snook, 13-4.

152: Trevor Straub, D, d. Matt Schrack, 4-0.

160: Chris Eggert, D, md. Curtis Hoskins, 10-0.

171: James Riddell, C, md. Jarryd Gotts, 13-3.

189: Joe Lepior, C, d. Dustin Dayvolt, 12-11.

215: Jimmy Rowe, D, md. Scott Robbins, 10-2.

285: Adam Dingens, p. J.T. Hemdal, 4:22.

103: Chris Rau, D, md. Matt Raysin, 10-2.

Bedford and Monroe will have a girls basketball rematch at 7 p.m. Friday in the finals of the Class A District at Ypsilanti Lincoln.

It should be a great game.

I saw the first meeting between the two teams and it was a little disappointing. The teams were coming off Christmas break and neither was sharp. Monroe coach Gretchen Elliott said it was one of her team’s worst games of the season.

That should not be a problem this time.

Both teams are playing well.

Monroe has won 12 of its last 13 games and carries a 17-4 record into the game. Bedford is 20-2 and owns a 15-game winning streak.

Monroe has two outstanding post players in Ariel Hatcher and Chae Small and guards Hanna Firchau and Staci Stadler create a lot of havoc with their quickness and hustle. The Trojans bench has really improved since that first meeting with Bedford.

Bedford is all about balance. The Mules don’t have a player averaging in double figures and no one jumps out at you athletically, but all 12 girls on the roster can play the game. Coach Bill Ryan doesn’t have to worry about using any of them in any situation.

The key to this game could be how well Monroe shoots outside against Bedford’s aggressive zone defense.

I heard rumblings a few years back that Denny Brighton was thinking about getting out of the coaching business.

Some said that when his youngest son graduated, that Brighton would step down as Bedford’s wrestling coach.

I’m sure glad he didn’t.

Brighton always has been an outstanding coach and this year he might be doing his best job ever. The Mules were not expected to do much this season. This is not your typical Bedford team. Most years, the Mules have a lineup loaded with seniors who have been waiting for their chance to shine.

This year, Brighton has just three seniors in the starting lineup, yet the Mules are 25-2 with several major tournament titles under their belts. The coach was masterful in the championship match of the Wittibslager Challenge Saturday, shuffling his wrestlers around to set up the best matchups against Dundee.

Monroe and Bedford meet Thursday in perhaps the biggest girls basketball game of the regular season in Monroe County.

It’s a shame the game has to be played on the day both schools return from Christmas break. I wonder what kind of crowd it will draw. It was fun to watch Monroe and SMCC play in front of a nearly full house earlier this season. I doubt that many will be in Bedford’s gym Thursday night.

Both teams come in with 5-2 records. They have won common opponent: SMCC. Monroe beat the Kestrels 90-74 in the season opener, then 84-71 a week later.

By the way, the boys teams from the two schools play the next night at Monroe.

I was in Ida Friday night to watch Tim Leonard win his 300 game as Ida’s girls basketball coach.

Leonard might be one of the least appreciated great coaches in the Monroe County Region. You don’t hear much about him, but year after year he produces quality teams.

His 300-69 career record is staggering. He’s never won fewer than 12 games in a season.

In typical, understated Leonard fashion, the celebration of his 300th win was subdued. A short announcement was made after the game and his players hung a banner commemorating this milestone and celebrated with a giant cookie. Senior Kayla Spotts summed it up, saying “I’m honored to be on his team.”

SMCC got its boys basketball season started with a 50-40 victory over Bedford tonight.

I was surprised that SMCC coach Ray Lauwers was so disappointed with the performance of his squad, considering that the Falcons graduated 11 seniors from last year’s 15-7 team. But Lauwers feels his guys are capable of playing much better.

I am sure that they will play much better. There were some bright spots against Bedford. Seniors Todd Walters and Kurt Lehmann led the way as expected with 16 points each, Josh Arnold should be solid inside and sophomore Keenan Wetzel stands nearly 6-4 but is able to play guard. He hit a big 3-pointer in the fourth quarter.

Bedford also had some nice moments. Ricky Rightnowar should be one of the top shooters in the Region, Austin Mack and Matt Drew battled hard inside, Joe Martin had a steady game at the point and Michael Wolcott showed athleticism off the bench.

Monroe, SMCC, Airport, Milan and Dundee have qualified for the state football playoffs. Flat Rock and Whiteford will wait until Sunday night to see if the computer spits out their names.

Here are some quick thoughts on the playoff teams and the hopefuls.

Monroe: What a run this team went on at the end of the season, winning seven in a row including the last four against playoff teams. The quick, aggressive Trojan defense is a joy to watch.

SMCC: This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Falcons after suffering heavy graduation losses. Jack Giarmo and his staff have done a wonderful job with this young team.

Airport: The Jets have developed such a great program that they expect to be in the playoffs every year. This might be the best offense I’ve seen at Airport.

Milan: Ron Spears has put together one of the greatest seasons for a Monroe County Region running back ever and the defense has improved dramatically over last season.

Dundee: It’s great to see the Vikings enjoying success again. Ryan Irwin is one of the real nice guys in Region coaching.

Flat Rock: I’d love to see the Rams slip into the playoffs. They are small in size and numbers, but play with tremendous heart.

Whiteford: Coach Jack Luettke didn’t sound hopeful about his team’s playoff chances Friday night. I hope he’s wrong. It would nice to see the Bobcats’ high-octane offense get to take the field for another game.

I got a kick out of seeing Bedford soccer coach Kirk Brazeau wearing a suit and tie during Monday’s District game against Ypsilanti Lincoln.

Brazeau says he occasionally gets dressed up like that “for big games.”

It was kind of a throwback to the days when football coaches dressed in suit and tie on the sidelines. I liked it.

I covered Monroe’s soccer match against Dearborn today. The Trojans lost, but they played well in a 2-0 loss to a state-ranked team.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen Monroe’s field and I came away very impressed. It has developed into a very nice facility. Coach Goran Cepo would like to have lights at the field, but everything else is first class.

This program has improved by leaps and bounds since in recent years. The team and the field have grown together.

I covered tonight’s Huron League football showdown between Airport and SMCC.
I can’t remember ever seeing a game that featured such a dramatic turnaround.
Airport completely dominated the first half, outgaining the Falcons 283-21. The gap in first downs was 16-1.
SMCC stopped an Airport drove at the four-yard line and returned a kick-off for a touchdown, otherwise the halftime deficit would have been much greater than 17-6.
If you asked me at halftime if SMCC had any chance of coming back to win the game I would have said no.
But the Falcons showed how much I know, dominating the second half almost as thoroughly as Airport dominated the first.
That’s the great thing about high school athletics. These aren’t hardened pros. Emotions play a huge roll in these games.
It was a pleasure to watch two well-coached, talented teams battle before a big crowd.