Pick the latest Lansing State Journal high school athlete of the week.

Here are the latest Lansing State Journal high school athlete of the week candidates.

Voting is open until noon Wednesday. The winner will be featured in the print edition of the LSJ.

(Refresh your browser if poll doesn’t immediately appear.)

LOGAN LEFKE, PORTLAND FOOTBALL:  The senior had a big night, rushing for 197 yards and four touchdowns in the Raiders’ comeback win over Williamston. He had three touchdowns in the second half, which included the go-ahead score in the third quarter. Friday’s win helped Division 5 No. 4-ranked Portland improve to 7-0 and wrap up the outright CAAC White title.

LEXI NORDMANN, DEWITT VOLLEYBALL: The senior and Miss Volleyball candidate helped the Class A state-ranked Panthers continue their strong season. Nordmann helped DeWitt to a league victory over Mason on Wednesday and win the St. Johns tournament Saturday. She had 64 kills during Saturday’s tournament for DeWitt, which knocked off Lakewood in the title game.

JOE SPARKIA, HASLETT SOCCER: The junior helped the Vikings reach the CAAC Gold Cup final with wins over Lansing Catholic and Okemos last week. Sparkia scored the game-winning goal in Thursday’s 3-2 win over Okemos in the semifinals. He scored his goal in the closing minutes, capping a three-goal second half that helped the Vikings overcome a 2-0 deficit.

CLAUDIA VONDRA, MASON GOLF: The junior finished the CAAC Red season as the overall champion and then helped the Bulldogs qualify for the Division 2 state meet as a tean. Vondra shot a 78 at the league meet to finish as the individual champion. She then carded an 80 to help Mason finish third as a team at a Division 2 regional.

Know of a worthy LSJ athlete of the week? Send nominations to bcalloway@lsj.com by Sunday each week.

High school athlete of week: Mason’s Autumn Kissman

High school athlete of week: Dansville’s Daniel Hartman

Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @brian_calloway.

Sports stock photo

Two videos made the cut for this week’s LSJ high school video of the week voting. The poll is open until 4 p.m. Thursday (Poll best viewed in Firefox, Google Chrome), and we’ll announce the winner at LSJ.com shortly after.

Videos can be best submitted weekly until 5 p.m. Sunday using the Twitter hashtag #LSJVOW or emailed to James L. Edwards III at jledwards@lsj.com. Each week we’ll select the best videos and post them online for public voting.

Videos can be of any high school event: A great play from any sport, a pep rally, a matching band performance, someone being honored or a team choreographed dance at practice. If you find it interesting, we want to see it.

This summer, we’ll chose 10 of the best videos from the entire school year and ask you to vote on the video of the year. The winner will be recognized at the Lansing State Journal Greater Lansing Sports Awards banquet.

(Note: The poll to vote is at the bottom.)

Vote for LSJ athlete of week: Oct. 3-8

ERIK SEELMAN, GRAND LEDGE: The Grand Ledge senior scored from a 25-yard free kick in his team’s opening-round CAAC Gold Cup match against Jackson. The goal ended up being the game-winner.

ANDREW SMITH, DANSVILLE: With his goalie unable to cover the entire net, the Aggies’ Smith rushed into position to save a would-be goal with his head.

Vote for the LSJ high school video of the week: Oct. 3-8Vote for LSJ athlete of week: Oct. 3-8

Contact James L. Edwards III at jledwards@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @JLEdwardsIII.

Bruce Baker

Bruce Baker had one of his best finishes of the season Friday.

And the Olivet College junior cross country runner was recognized for his strong showing over the weekend by being named the MIAA men’s runner of the week Monday.

Baker (Charlotte) received the honor after finishing sixth out of 172 runners at the Lansing Community College Invitational. He finished the 8K race with a time of 26:21.9 to earn his second top-10 finish this fall.

MICHIGAN STATE: Sophomore midfielder DeJuan Jones (East Lansing) scored his second goal of the season Sunday to help the No. 21-ranked Spartan men’s soccer team to a 1-1 tie in a matchup of teams tied for second in the Big Ten. Jones, who was named the Big Ten offensive player of the week Tuesday, has appeared in 11 games for MSU (8-2-1) and ranks second on the team with six points (two goals, two assists).

WISCONSIN: Junior goalkeeper Caitlyn Clem (Williamston) registered her sixth shutout of the season Saturday in the Badger women’s soccer team’s 1-0 Big Ten victory over Iowa. The shutout was the second in three games for Clem, who has a 0.79 goals against average and helped Wisconsin to a 6-4-5 mark.

GRAND VALLEY: Freshman Charley Campbell (Haslett) and sophomore Tara Lierman (Holt) helped keep the Division II top-ranked Laker women’s soccer team unbeaten in the GLIAC on Sunday. Campbell and Lierman each scored a goal in GVSU’s 8-0 win over Lake Erie.

Tara Lierman

LAKE ERIE: Freshman outside hitter Brooke Peiffer (Holt) had 29 kills and 14 digs while helping the Storm volleyball team split a pair of weekend matches against Lake Superior State and Saginaw Valley. Peiffer has a team-high 210 kills for Lake Erie. She also recently was named the Storm student-athlete of the month for September.

SIENA HEIGHTS: Sophomore quarterback Lucas Barner (Everett) completed 20 of 40 passes for 337 yards and three touchdowns for the Saints in their 24-22 loss to NAIA No. 5-ranked Saint Francis (Ind.).

HOPE COLLEGE: Senior Alex Lindsey (East Lansing) is the leading scorer for the Flying Dutch men’s soccer team this fall. He has three goals and one assist in 12 games.

Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @brian_calloway.

Members of the East Lansing soccer team celebrate their Gold Cup Final win over Haslett Tuesday October 11, 2016 in Mason. KEVIN W. FOWLER PHOTO

MASON – East Lansing senior Drew Person wasn’t particularly enthused when he was moved from his attacking midfielder role to center back after the Trojans’ first game of the year.

However, it was a necessary move, as East Lansing boys soccer coach Nick Archer was trying to clog the holes in his back line after his team’s season-opening 5-4 loss to Haslett.

Things have gone well for the Division 2 No. 1-ranked Trojans since then, and Tuesday’s rematch with the No. 18-ranked Vikings showed how far East Lansing has come since the initial encounter with the two teams.

East Lansing captured its second consecutive CAAC Gold Cup championship with a 2-0 victory over Haslett at Mason High School.

“It definitely was a really good test,” Person said. “I wasn’t excited about (changing positions), I wanted to score goals and get assists. …It really helped us against this team.”

The Trojans entered the Lansing-area tournament as the No. 4 seed after finishing second in the CAAC Blue. The Vikings, who went a perfect 5-0 in the CAAC Red, were the No. 2 seed.

Person said coming into the tournament that his team felt like it had something to prove, even though East Lansing is regarded as the top Division 2 program in the state.

“We have a target on our back because we are East Lansing,” said Person, whose team was the No. 1 seed when it won the Gold Cup last season. “Going into this tournament, we had the mindset that we are a No. 4 seed and we need to play our game and play very well if we want to win this tournament. I feel like that fired us up a little bit and helped us get to this point.”

The two teams played to a stalemate in the first half, with the Trojans dominating possession in the first 20 minutes and Haslett applying pressure in the attacking third in the final 20 minutes.

East Lansing was able to get a break with 29 minutes remaining in the game when an errant goal kick from a Viking defender sent the ball directly to senior Sam Lebbie, who was able to put the ball away right in front of the net.

The Trojans caught another break nearly 15 minutes later on their second goal when a bouncing ball maneuvered past the Haslett defense and keeper Nathan Westerlund and gave junior Petrus Marten an open net to shoot at.

“It feels good, real good,” Archer said. “The (Gold) Cup is one of the toughest tournaments around, and in our experience playing in the Cup, we learned we need to rest afterward. It’s a tough three-game grind.”

The Vikings had multiple opportunities on the night to get on the scoreboard, but they were unable to capitalize on their near-scoring chances. In the first half, junior Joe Sparkia almost handed Haslett a one-goal lead, but his header in front of goal went wide left. Late in the second half, facing a two-goal deficit, junior Andy Vahng made a nifty move inside the 18-yard box and fired a shot that was caught by East Lansing keeper Scott Campbell, who had to dive across his line to make the stop.

“If we could have scored one or two (in the first half), I think the game would have been a lot more challenging for them coming out in the second half,” Vikings coach Darus Ward said. “We wasted a lot of chances. They had two chances, and they took advantage of them.

“We’ll fix it, we’ll grow from it, and we’ll keep going.”

SILVER CUP: Prior to the Gold Cup title game, No. 1-seed DeWitt faced No. 2-seed Holt in the CAAC Silver Cup. The Rams won the game, 2-0, at Mason High School.

Holt’s Josh Rosendale scored the game’s opening goal early in the first half to give his team a 1-0 lead. The Panthers’ Caleb Randall scored the equalizing goal. The game-winning goal for the Rams came from senior John Weaver, who scored with under three minutes remaining in the contest.

Contact James L. Edwards III at jledwards@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @JLEdwardsIII.

Hunter Nash ,16 of Haslett fights for position on the ball with Sam Lebbie ,right, of East Lansing as the Haslett goalie Dubs Westerland ,0, readies himself in the 1st half of their Gold Cup Final game Tuesday October 11, 2016 in Mason. KEVIN W. FOWLER PHOTO

Fowlerville senior Bailey Edwards

Here’s a look at the high school boys soccer leaders in the Lansing area. This list reflects stats submitted by coaches. Stats should be submitted to jledwards@lsj.com by Tuesday night each week.

GOALS

Koby Hall, Corunna – 21

Nick Hitchens, St. Johns – 19

Andy Witchell, Dansville – 16

Ben Ransom, Laingsburg – 16

Sam Lebbie, East Lansing – 14

Quinton Hay, East Lansing – 13

Bailey Edwards, Fowlerville – 13

Dylan Beck, DeWitt – 12

Andrew Spalding, Fowlerville – 12

Andy Vahng, Haslett – 11

Cory LeMieux, Fowlerville – 11

Chuck Plaehn, Lansing Catholic – 10

Shin Nishimura, Haslett – 10

Adrian Schmidt, Dansville – 9

Zack Rollis, DeWitt – 9

Cody Luce, Dansville – 9

Daniel Hartman, Dansville – 8

Jason Brevick, Dansville – 8

Kyle Salisbury, Grand Ledge – 7

Jack Gonzalez, Lansing Catholic – 7

Ryan Kingsbury, Laingsburg – 7

Brian Coscarelli, Haslett – 6

Aiden Metzmaker, East Lansing – 6

Erik Seelman, Grand Ledge – 5

Munir Sherali, Haslett – 5

Brady Carlson, East Lansing – 5

Nate Cox, Grand Ledge – 5

Jon Ezzo, Haslett – 5

East Lansing tops Haslett, 2-0, captures CAAC Gold Cup title

ASSISTS

Remy Collard, Lansing Catholic – 12

Bailey Edwards, Fowlerville – 11

Zack Rollis, DeWitt – 10

Clay Chernich, Haslett – 10

Ethan Moore, Fowlerville – 9

Ryan Kingsbury, Laingsburg – 9

Munir Sherali, Haslett – 9

Brady Carlson, East Lansing – 8

Kyle Salisbury, Grand Ledge – 8

Quinton Hay, East Lansing – 8

Kyle Gross, Fowlerville – 8

Matthew Frantz, Dansville – 7

Jon Ezzo, Haslett – 7

Andy Witchell, Dansville – 7

Ben Ransom, Laingsburg – 7

Joey Sparkia, Haslett – 7

Adrian Schmidt, Dansville – 7

Cody Luce, Dansville – 7

Gilby Lentz, Corunna – 6

Chuck Plaehn, Lansing Catholic – 6

Dylan Beck, DeWitt – 6

Brian Coscarelli, Haslett – 6

Cory LeMieux, Fowlerville – 6

Lua Val, Corunna – 6

Andrew Spalding, Fowlerville – 5

Sam Lebbie, East Lansing – 5

Aric Phinney, Grand Ledge – 5

Brandon Rebufet, Laingsburg – 5

SAVE PERCENTAGE

Scott Campbell, East Lansing – 89%

Nathan Westerlund, Haslett – 88%

Myles Douglas, Dansville – 80%

Trevor Christoson, Fowlerville – 76%

SHUTOUTS

Blaine Teahan, Grand Ledge – 11

Myles Douglas, Dansville – 7

Nathan Westerlund, Haslett – 5

Contact James L. Edwards III at jledwards@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @JLEdwardsIII.

Erik Seelman (10) is embraced by some of his Grand Ledge teammates after scoring with 10:39 remaining in the first half of a CAAC Gold Cup first-round game earlier this month against Jackson. It wound up being the only goal of the game.

In the process of preparing for a free kick, Grand Ledge senior Erik Seelman usually decides last whether he’s going to try and score, or setup one of his teammates.

But during last week’s CAAC Gold Cup tournament – the top-tier tournament for the Lansing-area programs – the midfielder didn’t hesitate to go for goal when he got his opportunity.

With less than 11 minutes to play in the first half of the Comets’ opening-round game against Jackson, Seelman stepped up to take a 25-yard free kick, confident that he could capitalize on the Vikings’ miscue.

He was right.

Seelman’s shot just missed the outstretched arms of Jackson’s goalkeeper and handed Division 1 No. 20-ranked Grand Ledge a 1-0 lead. It was the game’s only goal.

“I scoped the goalie out, and I (realized) he wasn’t that tall. I knew if I could put it in one of the top corners that there was a good chance of it going in,” said Seelman, whose goal was voted the LSJ high school video of the week.

The Comets were the tournament’s No. 1 seed after going undefeated in the CAAC Blue and claiming their first-ever outright conference title. However, in the following game, Grand Ledge suffered its first loss of the season in a shootout to Division 2 No. 1-ranked East Lansing. The Comets lost the third-place game to Okemos, 2-1, Monday.

East Lansing tops Haslett, 2-0, captures CAAC Gold Cup title

Aside from being league champs, Seelman said one of his team’s top goals this season was to win the Gold Cup. And even though Grand Ledge didn’t perform up to expectations in the tournament, he doesn’t believe it will hinder his team’s aspirations of putting together a deep postseason run.

“I think we had a disappointing run,” said Seelman, who has five goals so far this year. “Against Okemos, I don’t think we were as motivated to win that game.

“We’re going to give it our all during districts, and I hope we win.”

Senior goalie helping Grand Ledge to best regular season in school history

Contact James L. Edwards III at jledwards@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @JLEdwardsIII.

Caleb Graham ,center, of Mason is taken down by a Chelsea defender in the last minute of their Division 2 District first round game Monday October 17, 2016 in Mason. Mason would get a free kick and that would be one of their last best chances to level the score. KEVIN W. FOWLER PHOTO

MASON – Nick Binder and the Mason boys soccer team kept waiting for some bounces to go their way.

It never quite happened for the defending Division 2 state champions.

A tough-luck season came to a halt Monday for Mason, which suffered a 1-0 setback to Chelsea in a Division 2 district opener.

Mason had its scoring chances, including one in front of the goal in the final minute. But just as its season has gone, the bounces didn’t go in their favor in a fall that ended with a 9-8-4 record.

“They’re not used to being on the end of the results we were sometimes this year,” Binder said. “For the most part, we continued to show up and train and prepare. I thought we were really, really well prepared for (this) game. Where the ball was the whole game showed it. We were prepared to create chances and we created a lot of chances. Unfortunately we didn’t finish any of them. That’s soccer. Soccer can be a cruel game.”

Binder thought the better opportunities for Mason came in the first half and said two chances stuck out to him. Chelsea stopped both of those and also capitalized on a Mason mistake in the first half.

Lirim Shefkiu of Mason reacts as time expires in the Bulldogs’ Division 2 District first round loss to Chelsea Monday October 17, 2016 in Mason. KEVIN W. FOWLER PHOTO

Just under 10 minutes into the game, Mason misplayed a ball and had a defender slip. That left the door open for Chelsea, which converted the opportunity for what wound up being the game’s lone score.

“That was the theme of the season unfortunately for us,” Binder said. “You always try to tell your guys your chances are coming and bounces are going to come your way. They just didn’t, even (in this game).”

Mason loses three seniors to graduation from this year’s young squad. Binder hopes the sophomores and juniors that were relied on this fall will be motivated by this year.

“We didn’t have that bitter taste in our mouth at the end (last year) that can sometimes motivate you,” Binder said. “I don’t think we didn’t work hard because of that. Sometimes you just need that little extra and that being knocked down to build yourself back up.

“There were a lot of underclassmen on this team that were a part of last year and this year. I think hopefully it turns out to be a good mix, and that they’ve tasted success, they’ve tasted defeat. I think it’s pretty obvious which one tastes better and hopefully these guys can be motivated by this year and strive to work back to what they were (when we were state champs).”

Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @brian_calloway.

Aaron Baumgarten

Aaron Baumgarten added to his junior season with another top-10 finish for the University of Michigan men’s cross country team.

And the Williamston grad helped the No. 20-ranked Wolverines placing fourth at the adidas Pre-National meet at the Levern Gibson Championship Course in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Baumgarten finished eighth overall with a time of 24 minutes, 11.8 seconds to lead the Wolverines in the 8K race.

Baumgarten has been the top-finishing Michigan runner in the three races he has competed in this fall. He has finished in the top-10 in each of the races.

OLIVET: Senior Justin Madar (Holt) was a force on the defensive line Saturday while helping the Comets stay atop the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings. Madar had four tackles, which included 2 1/2 sacks resulting in 24 yards lost, to help Olivet to a 31-14 victory over Alma. Madar, who was named the MIAA defensive players of the week, also had three quarterback pressures to help Olivet to its first win over Albion since 2007.

Junior safety Javon Walker (Everett) also had a big performance for the Comets and was named to the D3football.com team of the week after registering 10 tackles and having an interception in Saturday’s win.

AQUINAS: Aquinas senior midfielder Peter Brandenburg (Mason) was named the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference men’s soccer player of the week Monday. Brandenburg had two goals and two assists while playing a role in each of the Saints’ goals in a 2-0 week that included victories over Michigan-Dearborn and Concordia. Brandenburg had the game-winning goal in a 1-0 win over Michigan-Dearborn and the winning goal in overtime of the 3-2 victory over Concordia. He has three goals and six assists this fall.

CENTRAL MICHIGAN: Senior quarterback Cooper Rush (Lansing Catholic) threw the game-winning touchdown pass in the third overtime to lift the Chippewas to a 34-28 win over Northern Illinois on Saturday. Rush completed 19 of 35 passes for 254 yards and three touchdowns in the win. He has thrown for 2,053 yards and 18 touchdowns.

NORTH CAROLINA: Freshman Sara Daavettila (Williamston) reached the semifinals of singles play in the Oracle ITA Masters on Saturday before having her run halted. She owns a 10-2 overall record for the Tar Heels.

GRAND VALLEY: Freshman Charley Campbell (Haslett) contributed to the Lakers’ rout of Findlay on Sunday with a pair of goals. Campbell scored twice in a two-minute stretch in the second half to help Grand Valley improve to 8-0 in the GLIAC and 13-1-1 overall. She has four goals this season.

Sophomore Dylan Carroll (Portland) had three tackles, including 2 ½ for loss, while helping the No. 2-ranked GVSU football team to a 41-3 win over Truman State. Carroll has 20 tackles, which includes 9 ½ for loss, and an interception in seven games for the Lakers.

SAGINAW VALLEY:Alexandra Davis (St. Johns) helped the Cardinal swimming team open their season with wins over Alma and Findlay. Davis won the 1,000-yard freestyle in the win over Alma and the 200 and 500 yard freestyles against Findlay.

Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @brian_calloway.

Williamston’s Jack Bellinger, left, and Lansing Catholic’s Jack Gonzalez vie for the ball Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2016, in Lansing, Mich.

After moving from Illinois to mid-Michigan midway through his freshman year, Remy Collard was split between attending Williamston High School and Lansing Catholic High School.

In the end, after attending Catholic schools his entire life, he picked the Cougars. And during his first couple of seasons on the school’s varsity soccer team, the program failed to beat the Hornets in the regular season and in the district tournament.

That changed Wednesday night.

Collard, a senior captain, scored a goal and netted a penalty kick as Division 3 No. 13-ranked Lansing Catholic fought back to defeat No. 5-ranked Williamston, 2-1 (4-2 on penalty kicks), in a penalty-kick shootout in the district semifinals at Lansing Catholic High School.

The Cougars will face the Leslie Blackhawks, who defeated Perry, 4-1, for the district championship Saturday.

“Our mentality was confident, not cocky,” Collard said. “We know how great of a team we are, and our goal is to win states. We haven’t set that high of a goal since 2011 when we (finished) second.

“We’re looking forward to winning more games.”

After five minutes of play passed, it looked as if the Hornets were on pace to keep the winning streak alive. Junior Eli Richardson gave Williamston a 1-0 lead around the 36-minute mark when his chip shot soared over Lansing Catholic keeper Matthew Benivegna.

Lansing Catholic’s Jack Gonzalez, left, heads the ball over Williamston’s Max Eyster (5) Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2016, in Lansing, Mich.

However, from there, the Hornets struggled to create many more scoring opportunities, and the Cougars quickly took over as the aggressor. Lansing Catholic was able to even the contest at the start of the second half when Collard ripped a shot from 20-plus yards that found the back of the net.

“Early on in the season, we panicked whenever someone scored on us first,” senior captain Chuck Plaehn said. “We’ve grown, we’ve matured, and we didn’t panic. We knew we could come back and win, and that’s what we did.”

After two scoreless extra-time periods, the Cougars and Williamston entered a penalty-kick shootout. Alec Gonzalez, Collard, Plaehn and Jack Gonzalez executed all four of the team’s shots. The Hornets missed on two of their four shots.

Coming into the season, the expectations remained high for Williamston, despite losing 10 starters to graduation from last year’s team that fell short in the state championship. The Hornets, who won the CAAC White title, came into the tournament looking to win their sixth consecutive district title.

“As soon as last season ended … We came together,” Richardson said. “We worked hard. We wanted to get here, wanted to win a district (title), and wanted to go further.

“We didn’t get the ball forward. …They had the ball, and we were forced to defend a lot. We couldn’t really get the ball forward, and that added to our struggles.”

Contact James L. Edwards III at jledwards@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @JLEdwardsIII.

Members of the East Lansing soccer team celebrate their Gold Cup Final win over Haslett October 11, 2016 in Mason. The Trojans have several players in the Lansing-area stat leaders list.

Here’s a look at the high school boys soccer leaders in the Lansing area. This list reflects stats submitted by coaches. Stats should be submitted to jledwards@lsj.com by Tuesday night each week.

GOALS

Tate Dziewiatkowski, Portland – 19

Bailey Edwards, Fowlerville – 16

Quinton Hay, East Lansing – 15

Andrew Spalding, Fowlerville – 15

Sam Lebbie, East Lansing – 14

Josh Rosendale, Holt – 13

Dylan Beck, DeWitt – 13

Takeshin Inayoshi, Eaton Rapids – 12

Cory LeMieux, Fowlerville – 12

Deion Rogers, Eaton Rapids, 12

Matt Prehn, Portland – 10

Zack Rollis, DeWitt – 9

Eduardo Palma Carrillo, Portland – 7

Alden Metsmaker, East Lansing – 6

Brendin Lipp, Eaton Rapids – 6

Mike Averill, DeWitt – 6

ASSISTS

Bailey Edwards, Fowlerville – 13

Zack Rollis, DeWitt – 11

Eduardo Palma Carrillo, Portland – 10

John Weaver, Holt – 9

Ethan Moore, Fowlerville – 9

Brady Carlson, East Lansing – 9

Cory LeMieux, Fowlerville – 8

Dylan Beck, DeWitt – 8

Quinton Hay, East Lansing – 8

Kyle Gross, Fowlerville – 8

Takeshin Inayoshi, Eaton Rapids – 7

Matt Prehn, Portland – 6

Mike Averill, DeWitt – 6

Sam Lebbie, East Lansing – 6

Deion Rogers, Eaton Rapids – 5

Tate Dziewiatkowski, Portland – 5

Alden Metsmaker, East Lansing – 5

Andrew Spalding, Fowlerville – 5

SAVE PERCENTAGE

Scott Campbell, East Lansing – 90%

Trevor Christoson, Fowlerville – 77%

SHUTOUTS 

Trevor Christoson, Fowlerville – 6

East Lansing’s Nick Isham, left, and DeWitt’s Dylan Beck tangle in the D2 District Final Saturday, October 22, 2016. East Lansing won 2-1.

DEWITT – In his team’s first meeting this season with the DeWitt Panthers, East Lansing senior Sam Lebbie was a bit uneasy.

In the end, the Trojans came out on top, but it took two 10-minutes periods of extra time and a penalty-kick shootout for Division 2’s No. 1-ranked team to pull out the victory. Lebbie didn’t want to be on the edge Saturday afternoon when East Lansing took on DeWitt for the district title, so he did something about it.

The forward scored the game-winning goal early in the second half to propel the Trojans past the Panthers, 2-1, at DeWitt High School.

“I didn’t want this to go to (penalty kicks),” Lebbie said. “I really had to step up, and I was glad I made it happen.”

The win handed East Lansing its fifth district title in as many years. Trojan senior Alden Metzmaker said there is both outside and internal pressure that comes with being a part of such a successful program.

East Lansing, which finished third in the CAAC Blue this season, also captured the CAAC Gold Cup tournament trophy earlier this month. The Trojans will face Petoskey Tuesday at Mount Pleasant in the regional semifinals.

“People expect a lot out of us,” Metzmaker said. “We just have to deliver.”

Metzmaker delivered the game’s first goal less than five minutes into the match. The midfielder put away a goal right in front of the Panthers’ net to give his team early momentum.

“We haven’t started well in other games, and we’ve gone down and stayed down,” Metzmaker added. “I felt like we had to come out and get started early.”

Nearly 14 minutes after the Trojans took a 1-0 lead, DeWitt was able to grab the equalizer. Junior midfielder Zachary Rollis scored his 10th goal of the season with 21:16 left to play in the first half.

The Panthers almost jumped on the scoreboard just minutes before Rollis’ goal when Michael Averill’s 35-plus-yard free kick was pushed over the crossbar by Trojan keeper Scott Campbell.

The second half was all East Lansing, as the state’s top-ranked team created multiple scoring opportunities following Lebbie’s game-winning goal with 35:15 to play in the match. Josh Wolfinger had a shot that hit the crossbar with under 10 minutes to play, and Lebbie missed just wide on a header in front of the goal shortly after.

Rollis said he could feel the momentum shift in the second half.

“We were playing balls behind (the defense), but we still couldn’t create chances,” the junior said. “It wasn’t working like it did in the first half.”

Despite the loss, Rollis said he’s able to walk away from the season feeling good about what the Panthers were able to accomplish.

DeWitt, which lost multiple starters from last year’s team, tied for second in the CAAC Red and topped conference champs Haslett earlier this week for a chance to contend for the district championship.

“This was going to be a tough year, and we knew that,” Rollis added. “We put in so much work during the week – the only day we don’t practice is on Sunday.

“To be able to get this far was pretty nice.”

Contact James L. Edwards III at jledwards@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @JLEdwardsIII.

Photos: East Lansing defeats DeWitt in district soccer final

East Lansing scores the game-winning goal against DeWitt in the D2 District Final Saturday, October 22, 2016. East Lansing won 2-1.

DeWitt’s Benjamin Schon, left, challenges East Lansing’s Quinton Hay for the ball in the D2 District Final Saturday, October 22, 2016. East Lansing won 2-1.

DeWitt goal keeper Chrisian Reisig makes a save against East Lansing in the D2 District Final Saturday, October 22, 2016.

A DeWitt corner kick gets headed away from the goal in second half play in the D2 District Final Saturday, October 22, 2016. East Lansing won 2-1.

East Lansing goal keeper Scott Campbell sends the ball downfield against DeWitt in the D2 District Final Saturday, October 22, 2016. East Lansing won 2-1.

The Okemos boys soccer team captured a Division 1 district title with a 1-0 win over No. 2-ranked Portage Northern on Saturday.

Okemos completed a strong run through its Division 1 district with a 1-0 victory over No. 2-ranked Portage Northern in the championship game Saturday afternoon.

Alejandro Arana had the goal for Okemos, which claimed its third district title in four years.

The Chiefs didn’t surrender a goal in their three district victories.

Okemos advances to face No. 19-ranked East Kentwood in a regional semifinal at Holt on Tuesday.

DIVISION 2 AT CHARLOTTE: The run for the host Orioles came to a halt with a 3-1 setback to No. 12-ranked Marshall in a district final

DIVISION 3 AT LANSING CATHOLIC: The host Cougars captured a district championship with a 6-0 victory over Leslie. The win sends No. 13-ranked Lansing Catholic to a regional at Williamston where it will face No. 9 Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard in a 7 p.m. contest.

DIVISION 4 AT HILLSDALE ACADEMY: No. 10-ranked Lansing Christian posted a 3-1 victory over host Hillsdale Academy to capture another district title. The Pilgrims, who outscored opponents 22-2 in their three district wins, advance to face New Buffalo on Tuesday in a regional at Lawton.

DIVISION 4 AT DANSVILLE: The tournament run came to an end for the host Aggies with a 3-0 loss to No. 6-ranked Genesee Christian.

Sports stock photo

Two videos made the cut for this week’s LSJ high school video of the week voting. The poll is open until 4 p.m. Thursday (Poll best viewed in Firefox, Google Chrome), and we’ll announce the winner at LSJ.com shortly after.

Videos can be best submitted weekly until 5 p.m. Sunday using the Twitter hashtag #LSJVOW or emailed to James L. Edwards III at jledwards@lsj.com. Each week we’ll select the best videos and post them online for public voting.

Videos can be of any high school event: A great play from any sport, a pep rally, a matching band performance, someone being honored or a team choreographed dance at practice. If you find it interesting, we want to see it.

This summer, we’ll chose 10 of the best videos from the entire school year and ask you to vote on the video of the year. The winner will be recognized at the Lansing State Journal Greater Lansing Sports Awards banquet.

(Note: The poll to vote is at the bottom.)

Vote for LSJ athlete of week: Oct. 3-8

ERIK SEELMAN, GRAND LEDGE: The Grand Ledge senior scored from a 25-yard free kick in his team’s opening-round CAAC Gold Cup match against Jackson. The goal ended up being the game-winner.

ANDREW SMITH, DANSVILLE: With his goalie unable to cover the entire net, the Aggies’ Smith rushed into position to save a would-be goal with his head.

Vote for the LSJ high school video of the week: Oct. 3-8Vote for LSJ athlete of week: Oct. 3-8

Contact James L. Edwards III at jledwards@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @JLEdwardsIII.

Vote for the State Journal’s high school video of the week.

Lansing Catholic’s state-championship aspirations would have been shattered if it weren’t for Remy Collard’s game-tying goal. Ionia football wouldn’t have ended its season with an upset victory if it weren’t for Matt Grand-Girard’s 46-yard touchdown. Ithaca football needed Brayden Shaw’s score to help hold off Shepherd and capture another perfect regular season.

All three Lansing-area athletes dazzled in last week’s high school action, but only one play can be voted as the State Journal’s high school video of the week.

Watch and vote below for the video you feel is most deserving of the weekly award. A story on the play will be posted on LSJ.com later in the week.

Videos can be best submitted weekly until 5 p.m. Sunday using the Twitter hashtag #LSJVOW or emailed to James L. Edwards III at jledwards@lsj.com. Each week we’ll select the best videos and post them online for public voting.

Vote for LSJ high school athlete of week: Oct. 17-22

Videos can be of any high school event: A great play from any sport, a pep rally, a matching band performance, someone being honored or a team choreographed dance at practice. If you find it interesting, we want to see it.

This summer, we’ll chose 10 of the best videos from the entire school year and ask you to vote on the video of the year. The winner will be recognized at the Lansing State Journal Greater Lansing Sports Awards banquet.

(Note: The poll to vote is at the bottom.)

REMY COLLARD, LANSING CATHOLIC: Early in the second half of last week’s Division 3 district semifinals match against Williamston, Collard connected on a 20-plus-yard strike to even the score. Lansing Catholic went on to win the game in a penalty-kick shootout.

View video “Williamstom (District Semi-Finals)”

MATT GRAND-GIRARD, IONIA: The sophomore wide receiver connected with junior quarterback John Meyer for a 67-yard touchdown reception. The Bulldogs defeated Division 4 No. 9-ranked Lakewood, 35-30.

BRAYDEN SHAW, ITHACA: Shaw’s 7-yard touchdown run helped Ithaca top Shepherd, 31-24, and finish the regular season undefeated.

Can’t view the video? Click here.

Ithaca went up 21-7 on this Brayden Shaw score. #LSJVOW @JLEdwardsIII https://t.co/4vuGHAwySO

—
Brian Calloway (@brian_calloway) October 21, 2016

Contact James L. Edwards III at jledwards@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @JLEdwardsIII.

East Kentwood’s Adrian Diaz (14) and Okemos’ Andre Owczarzak (11) go up for the ball during the D1 regional soccer semifinal at Holt High School on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016.

HOLT – The Okemos High School boys soccer team made a strong run last week while navigating its way to a third district championship in four years.

The Chiefs weren’t able to add on to that success Tuesday.

The state tournament run came to a halt for the Chiefs with a 4-0 setback to No. 19-ranked East Kentwood in a Division 1 regional semifinal at Holt High School.

Okemos was hurt by tough stretches to start both halves in the season-ending loss. All of East Kentwood’s goals came in the opening 10 minutes of both halves.

“We had 10 bad minutes,” Okemos coach Brian Guggemos said. “That’s happened to us a couple of times this year whether that was against Haslett or against another team. We had 10 bad minutes. It was the first five minutes of the game and then we settled down and I thought it was a pretty even game the entire rest of the first half.

“Then in the second half from the 40 until the 30-minute mark we had a couple more (bad) minutes and we just couldn’t recover. They are a great team and great program and really well coached. We just couldn’t get over that hump. I’m really proud of the way they guys kept fighting until the end.”

Okemos entered Tuesday having not allowed a goal during its first three state tournament games. That changed quickly as East Kentwood struck five minutes into the game on a goal by Narcis Sprecic.

That was the only goal scored in the first half, but East Kentwood struck early after the intermission to take control. The Falcons scored three goals in less than three minutes during the opening seven minutes of the second half.

Adrian Diaz had a pair of goals during the stretch as East Kentwood advanced to Thursday’s regional final.

“They played a lot harder today (than when we saw them before),” said Guggemos, whose team played to a draw with East Kentwood earlier this season. “Their on the ball defense was a lot better than what it was when we saw them at the beginning of September. They kind of did what we thought they could do. They just did it a higher rate than what we could keep up with.”

Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @brian_calloway.

Okemos goalkeeper Patrick Restum reacts to a East Kentwood goal during the D1 regional soccer semifinal at Holt High School on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016.

Okemos goalkeeper Patrick Restum reacts to a East Kentwood goal during the D1 regional soccer semifinal at Holt High School on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016.

Okemos’ Ben Meschke moves the ball down the field during the D1 regional soccer semifinal at Holt High School on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016.

WILLIAMSTON – In 2010, Lansing Catholic boys soccer coach Gus Flores took over a program that possessed everything a first-year coach could ask for. It was a senior-laden group that, as a collective, scrapped and clawed their way to the Division 3 state championship game.

Mattjew Benivegna ,right, Lansing Catholic goalie slides to block a shot on goal by Brenden Cupchak ,13, of Gabriel Richard late in the 1st half of their Division 3 regional quarterfinal game Tuesday October 25, 2016 in Williamston. The ball would pop oer Benivegna and give Juan Sancho of Gabriel Richard a wide open net but the ball would miss wide right. KEVIN W. FOWLER PHOTO

Seven seasons later, Flores is coaching another veteran cast that, too, has some fight in them, and he’s hoping the intangibles can help his program get another crack at a state title.

So far, so good.

The Cougars will advance to a Division 3 regional championship game after defeating No. 9-ranked Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard, 2-0, Tuesday night in the regional semifinals at Williamston High School.

Lansing Catholic goalie Matthew Benivegna ,right, grabs the ball after a Gabriel Richard corner kick came close to scoring late in the 2nd half of their Division 3 regional quarterfinal game Tuesday October 25, 2016 in Williamston. KEVIN W. FOWLER PHOTO

“This group is the same as (2010),” Flores said. “We have seniors that have four years of experience, desire, hard work. ….I don’t like to say it, but there are similarities.

“Two weeks ago, we said this was the start of the season, and we wanted to make sure that when we stepped on the field that we gave everything that we have. The boys just continue to work hard.”

The victory handed No. 13-ranked Lansing Catholic its second top-10 win of the postseason, as the Cougars defeated No. 5-ranked Williamston in the district opener last week.

Senior forward Chuck Plaehn said his squad has felt like a top-tier team all season and has set out to prove so in the final weeks.

“We always felt like we were in the same place as Williamston and Gabriel Richard, even though the rankings didn’t say so,” Plaehn said. “Our coach always tells us that we’re capable of playing any team, and this just helps us gain confidence heading into (the championship).”

The match started with a Jack Gonzalez goal, and it ended that way, too.

Gonzalez scored his first goal less than three minutes into the game. After a free kick from senior Remy Collard bounced around in the box, the sophomore ripped a shot to give his team a 1-0 lead.

Gonzalez converted on the final goal after a nifty pass from Sam Gonzalez glided across the box and put him in prime position to bury a shot right in front of net with 1:43 left to play.

“We all knew we had the skills, but to put it away like that, we’ve been looking for that all season,” Jack Gonzalez said.

Lansing Catholic will face No. 6-ranked Grosse Ile at 6 p.m. Friday for the regional championship.

Contact James L. Edwards III at jledwards@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @JLEdwardsIII.

Jack Gonzalez ,left, of Lansing Catholic dribbles around Tom Holowicki of Gabriel Richard during their Division 3 regional quarterfinal game Tuesday October 25, 2016 in Williamston. Gonzalez would score both Cougar goals in the game. KEVIN W. FOWLER PHOTO

Hope’s Elizabeth Perkins, left, and Ferris State’s Grace Kraft recently set school single-season records.

Senior forward Elizabeth Perkins has become one of the best goal scorers in Hope women’s soccer history.

The Eaton Rapids native and Lansing Christian graduate set the single-season scoring record at Hope with a pair of goals in a 4-1 victory over Alma on Saturday.

Perkins’ goals gave her 20 for the season, making her the first player in program history to reach that mark. She has 17 goals in conference games for Hope, which is 11-3-2 overall and 10-2-2 in MIAA contests.

With 34 career goals in three seasons, Perkins ranks sixth in Hope history.

FERRIS STATE: Freshman goalie Grace Kraft (Williamston) set the Ferris State single-season school record for shutouts by blanking Northwood in a scoreless tie Sunday. Kraft, who was named the GLIAC defensive player of the week Tuesday, has nine shutouts and allowed just six goals in 12 outings in her debut season. The Bulldogs are 6-2-4 with Kraft in net.

MICHIGAN: Redshirt freshman Keenan Rebera (Lansing Catholic) finished as the runner-up for the Wolverine cross country team at the EMU Fall Classic on Friday. Rebera had a time of 15:20.8.

SIENA HEIGHTS: Quarterback Lucas Barner (Everett) completed 20 of 32 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns while helping the Saint football team to a 17-3 victory over Olivet Nazarene.

GRAND VALLEY: Sophomore midfielder Tara Lierman (Holt) had a pair of goals Friday to help the No. 2-ranked Laker women’s soccer team wrap up the regular season GLIAC title. Lierman has three goals this fall for Grand Valley, which is 14-1-1.

OLIVET COLLEGE: Freshman Tyler Mojet (Waverly) had a rushing and receiving touchdown while helping the Comets improve to 6-1 with a 54-48 overtime win over Benedictine (Ill.) on Saturday. Mojet’s second touchdown came in the late stages of the fourth quarter and helped Olivet force overtime.

HILLSDALE COLLEGE: Sophomore Joe Reverman (Grand Ledge) rushed for 125 yards and one touchdown for the Charger football team in their 35-17 loss to No. 2-ranked Grand Valley.

Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @brian_calloway.

Soccer

MOUNT PLEASANT – Josh Wolfinger had a pair of second half goals as the top-ranked East Lansing boys soccer team posted a 2-0 victory over Petoskey in a Division 2 regional semifinal Tuesday night.

The win sends the Trojans (20-2-2) to the regional final for a fifth straight year. East Lansing will face Forest Hills Northern at 6 p.m. Thursday for the regional crown.

Elijah Sheridan tecorded six saves in the victory for East Lansing.

DIVISION 4 – LANSING CHRISTIAN 5, NEW BUFFALO 1: At Lawton, Nick Jamieson had a hat trick and added an assist as the No. 10-ranked Pilgrims moved on to a regional final. Bryan Mains added a goal and an assist and Riley Donahue also scored for Lansing Christian, which improved to 18-3.

Jack Gillespie made seven saves for the Pilgrims, who advance to face Kalamazoo Hackett at 6 p.m. Thursday in a regional final.

Lansing Catholic advances to D3 regional championship game

Okemos soccer falls in regional semifinal

East Lansing advances to the state tournament for the third time in four years after defeating Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern, 1-0, Thursday night at Mount Pleasant High School.

MOUNT PLEASANT – Sabri Fair didn’t get to be a part of the East Lansing varsity soccer team at its height.

In 2014, when the Trojans hoisted their second straight Division 2 state championship, Fair, then a sophomore, was on junior varsity, patiently waiting his turn to one day add his own building block to the powerhouse soccer program.

That day came Thursday night.

Fair, who first attended East Lansing High School as a sophomore, scored the lone goal for the No. 1-ranked Trojans in their 1-0 victory over No. 6-ranked Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern in a regional championship game at Mount Pleasant High School.

East Lansing, which has now qualified for the state tournament three of the past four years, will face No. 11 Mattawan in the state semifinals Nov. 2 at Grand Rapids Christian High School.

“It felt so good to have the stress release and go over to my teammates and fans,” said Fair, who grabbed just his second goal of the season Thursday. “We all know that feeling from last year, and we had no intention of losing again.”

The Trojans’ season was ended in the regional final last season by the Huskies. Forest Hills Northern shut down East Lansing’s state-title streak by grabbing a 4-3, penalty-kick shootout victory.

Quinton Hay was the player who was unable to score on his penalty-kick opportunity last year – the Trojans lost the shootout, 5-4 – and he was looking forward to the opportunity to avenge the season-ending defeat.

“I know it’s a team sport, and we had our chances throughout the game, but to be the one that missed it (last year), it’s not the best feeling,” said Hay, who was on the 2014 championship team as a sophomore. “I knew we would have a strong chance at winning it, and I just wanted to come out and win this game.

“We were freshmen when (EL) won the first state title, and sophomores when they won the second. … The brand of success that East Lansing soccer has, we just wanted to make our mark.”

Early in the second half, after a back and forth opening 40 minutes, Fair ripped a shot from 25 yards out that squeezed between the crossbar and the outstretched arm of the Huskies’ goalkeeper.

East Lansing, unlike the final 10 minutes of the first half, were the aggressors for most of the second half. Before Fair’s goal, Hay missed a shot just wide of the goal. And with five minutes remaining, after a pass from Sam Lebbie, Hay had a one-on-one with the keeper, but he was able to make a leg save.

Trojan senior Josh Wolfinger, who scored both of his team’s goals in the regional semifinal, said his side felt it had to be more aggressive with its attack in the final 40 minutes.

“At the start of the half, we were anxious to get a goal. We had the fire inside of us,” the senior captain said. “But after Sabri’s goal we just played lock down, played the corners and kept it away from them.”

Contact James L. Edwards III at jledwards@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @JLEdwardsIII.