Vestaburg High School - Wolverine Yearbook (Vestaburg, MI)

Page 18 text:

Junior High Basketball 7th 8th VHS-OPP VHS-OPP 28- 12 Central Montcal m 33-13 21-14 Sacred Heart 28-25 24-13 Beal City 34-35 24- 7 Shepherd 41-14 9 26 Montabella 21-32 18-16 Beal City 13-42 38-19 Shepherd 17-28 23- 21 Sacred Heart 14-19 16-26 Montabella 30-40 18-19 Central Montcalm (T) 35-28 Montabella (T) 37-18 Saranac (T) 24-42 Overall: 7-3 Overall: 5-7 Lakeview Montabella Ashley !! COOL AS ICE. Coach Neff explains the situation to her attentive disciples during a short 4th period rest in the game against Central Mont- calm. ECT PRACTICE MAKES PERFECTION by Garilee Janofski and Sharia Holmes The ball was heading for the basket. Seconds ticked off the clock as it sailed toward the hoop. The air was thick with anxiety; then swoosh, the ball had found its destiny. Beth Hassenzahl had just gained a point for her team by shooting the renowned “Granny shot” and this be- came an item for much teasing and ridi- cule. At that moment Beth hadn’t led her team to victory but she had shown them all there was more than one way to play the game. On and off the court, the 7th and 8th grade girls learned a lot about the game and themselves. For one thing they learned how cool a coach can be. Miss Neff, the 7th grade coach, was dif- ferent as a coach than as a teacher. For instance, out of the classroom she became “Lady Cool” as one player said in amaze- ment. “She has shades, those ones like mirrors!” The 8th graders affectionately dubbed their coach Cheryl McClellan as “Coach Roach.” Being on the basketball court during an 8th grade game could sometimes be more dangerous than walking into a herd of stampeding elephants. Bobby Scharaswak found out just how dangerous it could be when she was bit by a girl she was guard- ing. Holly Rotunno provided a little aggra- vation of her own to opposing players as she was known for burping while they tried to shoot. There were other casualties during the season. Christina Fleming discovered the importance of paying attention as she was rudely brought back to reality by a thun- dering basketball that had mistaken her head for the backboard. Luckily she wasn’t slamdunked. Probably the most exciting game all sea- son came in the 8th grade tournament game against Montabella when a despera- tion shot at the buzzer clinched a two-point victory. Holly Rotunno passed to Jenny Johnston, who pivoted, sent the ball to- ward the basket and watched it miracu- lously drop through as her teammates went wild. Even exciting events that happen at a junior high basketball game can be over- shadowed by the happenings afterward. The 7th grade girls found this out at their game in Shepherd. It was a rainy night and the moon was out, but it wasn’t in the sky. While taking a stroll around town, the girls ran into the moon of their lives — on the street in front of them. They quickly made their way back to the gym. What made these teams so special was that they were made up of more than just girls who wanted to play basketball. They were made up of friends who stuck togeth- er through bruises bites and bashes. Each of these girls gave more than just their effort to the game. They gave their spirit, and they took away with them some valu- able knowledge about the game. 14a t Junior High Basketball

Page 17 text:

!! ENTRAPMENT. A Central Montcalm player struggles to find the daylight through the tenacious defense of Amy Hodges and Rikki Steele in the home game against Central Montcalm. JV BOYS’ FOOTBALL — FRONT ROW: Duane Ryckman, Darin Carter. Terry Packer. Trevor McCormick. Shay Throop. Steve Lott. Billy Grover. Rob Hanes. Chris Humphrey. Troy Graham. Chris Haag. Jay Janofski. MIDDLE ROYV: Matt Mortensen. Don Topper. Bill Kolenda. Joe Struble. Monte Antes. Glenn DePue. Corey Ferguson. Troy Ferguson. Rich Fisk. Chad Palmer. Scott Clements. BACK ROW: Coach Dave Holsworth. Mike Preibe. Aaron Carr. Eric Jackson. Bill Swisher. Tim Parrish. Kim Johnson. David Freeman, Stacey Hull. Leroy Benavidez. Coach Brad Showers GIRLS’ BASKETBALL — FRONT ROW: Jeannie Bush, Faye DePue, Rhonda McQueen. Linette Stratton, Rachel Butler. Shawn Antes. BACK ROW: Shannon Jenkins, Shelly Johnson, Amy Hodges. Rikki Steele, Coach Doug Beemer The Mud Bogger: Eight inches of rotting mud and stagnat water on the Montabella field made players plug their noses and grit their teeth before making a diving tackle. The Blow Out: A short Beal City team suffered through a long game as the Wolverine girls cleared their bench and had a 61-28 heyday. The Foul Defeat: In the first tournament game four of the five starters fouled out and had to ride the pine watching their team lose by a narrow two point deficit. !! SHOOT TWO. In the game against Montabella, Rachel Butler drives in for the lay up as Jeannie Bush and Amy Hodges trail for the carom. The Nail Biter: Polished nails gave way to clenched knuckles and finally jumps for joy. as the Wolverine girls snatched league honors from Portland and avenged an earlier loss. The Helmet Breaker: Determined not to let the hard-hitting Dansville Aggies advanced beyond the three-yard line, the JV gridders put everything they had into crushing the offense. ------------------------------------ Ups and Downs ----- Sports t 13a

Page 19 text:

The Learning Experience: Four quarters of tough-fought basketball and a crushing loss to the Beal City Aggies taught the girls that life isn't always all glory. The Triumphant Victory: In the game against rival Montabella, the lady Wolves proved their superiority once again by whip- ping the Mustangs. Sweating It Out: The stage was set, the girls were ready, and then the edgy crowd was whipped into a frenzy as the Wolverines edged out Sacred Heart 23-21. On the Edge: Forget the glamour, forget the glory, it was crunch time in the tourneys. The score was tied until a Central Montcalm girl hit one from the charity stripe to hand Vestaburg a heartbreaking 19-18 loss. Going through Motions: In the game against Central Montcalm everyone got to play, and the lady Wolverines tromped all over Central Montcalm by 14,28-12. —------------------------------------ Ups and Downs — !! LOOKING FOR TWO. 7th grader Erin Anderson contemplates taking a shot but thinks better of it in the home game against Beal City. !! PUTTING IT UP. Shelby Graham fearless- ly takes it up strong against a taller defender, in the home game against Montabella. !! RUN AND GUN. Brandi Stratton pounds down the court looking for an opening, that opening turns out to be Holly Rotunno in the home game against Montabella. 8th GRADE GIRLS BASKETBALL — FRONT ROW: Holly Rotunno. Brandi Stratton, Kristy Sharp. Rebecca Johnston. Veronica Cyphert. BACK ROW: Coach Cheryl McClellan. Lisa Beach. Jennifer Johnston. Christina Fleming. Bobbi Scharaswak. Candy Morey, Christa Buchanan. 7th GRADE GIRLS BASKETBALL — FRONT ROW: Marnie Carr. Gloria Price. Sarah Jackson. Beth Hassenzahl. Shelby Graham. MIDDLE ROW: Christine Ozment, Kaci Graham. Shana Throop. Shannon Jenkins. Tanya Buck. BACK ROW: Erin Anderson. Carol DeShano. Jackie Buskirk. Amy VanSickler. Bonnie Parrish. Sports ! 15a