Hobbs Valley Leads Pack of Finishers 

HUDSON RUNNER HOBBS VALLEY leads a pack of finishers across the finish line at the Michigan Cross Country Finals at Michigan International Speedway last Saturday. The Hudson team came back from the tournament eighth in their class. Emily Austin, the only Hudson girl at the meet, finished 108th.

Runners finish eighth in state

By Bill Mullaly

The fall sports season ended for the Hudson High School athletic teams with post-season play wrapping up the 2007 seasons for three of the teams. The highlight to the weekend was the outstanding all-state performance turned in by super sophomore Stephen Tennis. He placed 12th overall at the MHSAA division 4 state meet on Saturday at Michigan International Speedway (MIS). Tennis ran a very good time of 16:32 to earn first team all-state honors. Tennis was just part of the Hudson boys team that competed well and placed eighth overall as a team in the state finals meet. The girl's team had just one runner at the state meet and Emily Austin competed for the Lady Tigers. The volleyball team was beaten in the first round of district play to end its season. Here is a look at the weekend of action to finish up the fall sports seasons.

Tennis is all-state, team 8th

The Tiger sophomore ran a great race and ended his season in grand style earning all-state honors by placing in the top 30. The winning time was 15:49 with a runner from Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart taking top honors. "Stephen ran a great race and had just a great day,' said Hudson coach Matt Carpenter. "He ran the third mile faster than the second mile and he really moved up a lot of places that last mile. At the end of the race he was running really strong and he finished the season in an outstanding manner." It should be noted that a local runner from Waldron Tim Jagielski was third overall in a time of 16:02.

The Tigers were eighth as a team with 270 points far back of winner Potterville with 144 points. Hesperia, who was everyone's favorite going in, finished as the runner-up with 150 points. St. Louis was third at 181, Saugatuck fourth at 188, Saranac fifth at 219, Ellsworth sixth at 241 and Harbor Springs was seventh with 265 points and next were the Tigers. "We were hoping going in for at best a top five finish but realistically we wanted to finish somewhere between fourth and eighth and that is what we did," said Carpenter. "We ran a solid race and all the runners did fine and ran well. I'm pretty happy with our eighth place finish and with just one senior in the top five we have a bright future."

After sophomore Tennis it was junior Zach Pearce placing 53rd in 17:09 and the lone senior in the top five was Sabin Enerson placing 68th in 17:22. "We will miss Sabin and his leadership very much next year," said Carpenter. "Sabin is a great team leader and he works so hard and makes the other runners better by pushing them in practice. He had a great year and he always put forth his maximum effort."

Sophomore Derick Clark broke under 18 minutes for the first time this season running 17:50 and taking 107th. Junior Nathan Chamberlain was the fifth Tiger to be counted in the team score and he was 173rd in 18:31. Senior Hobbs Valley also competed and was 181st in 18:44 and another senior Brett Merillat ran and took 200th in 19:14. Now if you take out the individual runners who ran for themselves and not as part of the team race here would be the final places for the Hudson kids as follows: Tennis-8th, Pearce-32nd, Enerson-42nd, Clark-69th, Chamberlain-119th, Valley-127th and Merillat-144th.

The Tigers had a great year winning the league, regional and Hudson Booster titles and they were runner-ups at the county meet. Look for big things next year with a lot of very good runners returning. Two other seniors who didn't run but who will no longer be with the team due to graduation are Andrew Weasel and Nathan Roney. "I will miss all of my seniors and they were great kids, very good runners and great leaders," said Carpenter.

Austin represents Tigers

Senior standout Emily Austin was the lone Lady Tiger to compete at the state meet and she placed 108th overall in 21:31. "Emily ran well and did her best and she was happy so I was happy," said Tiger head coach John Enerson. "This was just a nice way for her to end her senior year by competing at the state meet. She is a great young lady and a fine runner and it just says a lot about her to make it to the state meet. She ran a very good time but the competition at this meet is just something else. Emily made a good showing for herself and she was a great representative for our team and school."                     

Volleyball ends

The Lady Tiger volleyball team made a quick exit for the class C district tournament on Saturday at Hillsdale High School. Hudson had the tough task of taking on the winner between Hillsdale and Hanover-Horton and both teams were the co-favorites to win the district. Hanover won over Hillsdale so the Lady Tigers took on the Comets and were beaten in three straight games. The scores were 25-7, 25-11 and 25-13. The Lady Tigers had a tough year but they battled until the end and never gave up so that is one good thing. The future looks brighter with a competitive junior varsity team this year along with a freshman team that was very good. Hang in there girls as better days are ahead. Hanover-Horton went on to win the district beating Jonesville in the finals in a very close match.

This puts a wrap on the fall sports and it seems we were just getting started back in early to mid-August and now it's over but it's been fun.

Pop Warner Football season ends

By Bill Mullaly

The final week of Pop Warner youth football was played under sunny skies last Saturday at North Adams-Jerome High School. The action was exciting as usual with three games played to end the season.

In the first game it was a battle of two teams both searching for that elusive first win of the season and it was Pittsford getting the win over Waldron. The Wildcats won 33-0 to end the year with a win. The Wildcats ended 1-7 and Waldron finished 0-8. The first score came from Trent Brackman on a nine-yard run for a 6-0 lead and Payton Lucas hit Brackman on a pass for a 7-0 advantage. Then Levi Hollis caught a pass from Lucas good for 16 yards and a touchdown and then Lucas hit Brackman for the point after and a 14-0 lead. Then Ronald Whitman scored on a run of 13 yards for a 20-0 Wildcat lead and Brackman added the point after for a halftime lead of 21-0. Whitman then added a 22-yard run in the third quarter for a Pittsford advantage of 27-0. Later Hollis broke free for a run of 41 yards for a touchdown to end the scoring putting Pittsford on top 33-0 on the first play of the fourth quarter. Bryce Collar had a fumble recovery for Pittsford, as did Brackman with two fumbles he fell on. Denny Mellon and Gavin Caskey both had a fumble recovery as well for the Cats'. Making hard hit tackles for Pittsford were Thayer Cook, Tucker Kik and Garrett Adams. Waldron didn't score but Keith Lindeman ran hard on offense and on defense it was Troy Smith with a fumble recovery. Cainan Lindeman had an interception for the Spartans and Gilbert Emens had a sack. Neal Kintner was credited with a hard hit for Waldron.

The second game was a battle for second place in the league standings and Madison wrapped up second with a convincing win over North Adams 19-6. The Trojans ended the year 6-2 to take second and the Rams fell to .500 at 4-4. The first score of the game came on a long 70-yard run by Zach Fisher as Madison jumped ahead 6-0. Next, it was Collin Slates scoring on a 17-yard run for Madison with 1:30 to go until halftime. The point after was good by Nick Klemm on a run for a lead of 13-0 at intermission. Fisher scored again early in the third quarter for a lead of 19-0 with the touchdown coming on a run of 30 yards. North Adams was bound determined not to be shut out and put together a drive of 65 yards to score with just 24 seconds left in the game. Josh Cramer pounded it in from five yards out for the Ram touchdown. On defense for Madison it was Klemm with a fumble recovery. For North Adams they had interceptions from Alex Irish and Collin Edinger. Dylan Howard had a fumble recovery for the Rams, while Chris Thomsen and Justin Whitcomb both had several hard hit tackles. Little but quick Ram safety CJ Russell had a touchdown saving tackle and another Ram highlight was the tough play on defense of Lady Ram Hannah Webb who led her team with tackles.

The third game was an intra-city battle between both Addison teams with the Red beating the White 27-19. The Red team wound up the year 4-4 and the White squad finished up 3-5. Tyler Corbin scored for the White on an eight-yard run to go ahead 6-0 and Trevor Maynard added the point on a run for a lead of 7-0. Then Tyler Clark answered for the Red team with a score from 35 yards on a run and he added the point after for a 7-7 tie. Erika Underwood recovered a fumble for the White team and soon after it was Corbin scoring on a run of 14 yards making it 13-7 with the White team ahead with four minutes until halftime. The Red team's Clark then scored on a long 65-yard run with 2:40 until intermission. When Ryan Stubbins ran in the point after it was the Red team on top 14-13 at halftime setting up a thrilling second half. Clark went right to work in the second half scoring on a run of 50 yards with 2:00 left in the third period. Stubbins ran in the point after for a lead of 21-13 for Addison Red. When Red quarterback Luke Meyer ran in a one-yard sneak the score stood at 27-13 in favor of the Red squad with 2:45 to play in the game. Addison White refused to quit and battled back scoring on a run by Corbin from three yards out with just 53 seconds left making it 27-19. On that scoring drive it was Corbin hitting RJ Walch for a 15-yard pass completion. That is how it ended as the Red team fell on the onside kick to finish out the game. Michael Stanley had a fumble recovery for the Red team and a one-handed tackle. Tristan Fuqua added a fumble recovery and an interception for the Red. Levi Morris of the Red team hit the White quarterback as he threw the ball and the pass wobbled in the air for Fuqua to intercept. For the White defense it was Drake Tosh with a fumble recovery and an interception, while Maynard had a fumble recovery, as did Corbin. Nick Burt of the White team had a fumble recovery also and a hard hit on the Red quarterback.

The fourth game of the day featured the two Adrian teams and they decided to play the game in Adrian at Maple Stadium in front of a large crowd according to Adrian White head coach Jay Reed. The White team won 30-24 in a thrilling contest. The Adrian White team finished in third place at 6-2 as they had the same record as Madison but the Trojans beat them in the head-to-head game back on October 13. The Adrian Blue team wound up 4-4 tied for fourth with both North Adams and Addison Red. Hudson had a bye week but they finished up 8-0 to win the league title.

It was yet another great year with the 2007 season two weeks longer but that was just two more weeks of fun. The referees deserves thanks as "Tiger Tom" Tom Freeman, "The Caber" Pat McCabe, "Easy Ed' Ed Emans and "Mean Gene" Gene Miller all did a fine job. See you all next year the first Saturday after Labor Day. A special thank you to league director Steve Webb of North Adams for all his work in making this league run so smoothly. The Addison Area Pop Warner league just keeps getting bigger and better each year and that is always good to see as youth football is such a great sport for young kids to play! 


Standouts of the 2007 Tiger Football Season

By Bill Mullaly

It’s that time of year again when I have to take a good, close look back at the recently completed Hudson Tiger varsity football season and pass out some awards. Well, actually I should say hand out some awards as Hudson doesn’t pass much do they? Here are my picks, selections, thoughts, reflections, comments, observations and the like for the 2007 Hudson Tiger high school football season.

Biggest win: This is easy, as the 32-8 triumph against Kingsley was the game-of-the-year for Hudson. The Tigers had to win to make the playoff chase still possible and they did. If Hudson doesn’t beat Kingsley then the Addison game doesn’t mean nearly as much. Going on the road to a supposedly “neutral” site and winning that game against a team that also had to win to keep its playoff hopes alive was huge. Maybe we can schedule one game a year at Ferris State as we played pretty well there.

Toughest loss: The game at home against Dundee. The Vikings were a decent team but the Tigers had just lost two straight and were at Thompson Field needing a win. The Tigers were up 20-14 in the third quarter but let this one get away. The loss left the team 2-3 at the halfway point with a must win mentality for the remaining four games. To make matters worse Hudson had won 14 straight over Dundee so that streak of dominance ended.

Top Offensive Back: Senior Gannon Curtis was the leading rusher and he was the one who got a lot of yardage for the team. Curtis wasn't fast but was quick enough to be effective and he ran for nearly 1000 yards this season.

Top Offensive lineman: Senior guard Caleb Ely was as consistent and fundamentally sound of blocker as Hudson had on its team. Ely was the leader of the line and perhaps its best all-around blocker that keyed the always-successful Hudson running game.

Top Overall Offensive Player: Senior do-it-all performer Zach Warner. He was the quarterback who could run the ball from under center or in the shotgun and he could throw it when needed. He also played some split end where he caught some passes and then he was also the team’s punter and a good one.

Offensive Surprise Performer: Junior fullback Kyle Benschoter was in the backfield a little bit early in the year and didn't get too many carries but by the tenth game he was a workhorse getting the tough inside yards. He won't surprise anyone next fall.

Offensive Play of the Year: Was there any bigger or more opportunistic play than the fumble recovery by Zach Warner against Addison late in the game? Most likely not. Warner not only got the loose pigskin but he went in for the clinching touchdown to seal the Tigers spot in the playoffs.

Honorable mention for Play of the Year: Against Morenci after leading 30-0 it was suddenly 30-22 and the ball was at the Tiger three-yard line with just under three minutes to play. Then senior speedster Joey Rodriguez bursts through the Bulldog line going 97 yards for the touchdown to lock up the win. What was even nicer was that he was untouched all the way to the end zone.

Top Defensive Back: Junior safety Taylor Milligan gets this honor as he had a couple of interceptions but he also came up and made some good tackles. Look for bigger things from him in the secondary next season.

Top Defensive Linebacker: Colin Wollet is a junior but he played more like a senior veteran. He likes to hit people and was in on plenty of tackles. He has two years of experience now on the varsity and he should be a dominating force in the middle in 2008.

Top Defensive Lineman: Senior Kyle Hillard. He was always in the mix of things shutting down the run and pressuring the quarterback. He was usually one of the top tacklers and was just a good old-fashioned hard-nosed player.

Defensive Surprise Performer: Junior Johnny Monahan. Talk about bursting onto the scene and being bigger and stronger. Monahan was a force on the defensive line and he wasn't even totally healthy after spraining his ankle in the pre-season scrimmage a week before the opener. Watch out for this guy next year on both sides of the ball but especially on defense where he was tough this year and he will be a force to be reckoned with in '08.

Top Overall Defensive Player: Senior three-year player Nick Hart. This kid was always one of the top tacklers as the linebacker despite receiving constant attention from the offensive linemen trying to block him. Hart was a hard hitter and a leader and he set the tone for the defense that constantly got better as the year went on. Hart ended his stellar career as one of the school's all-time leading tacklers.

Defensive Play of the Year: The entire defense gets credit as over at Ida early in the first quarter they made a big play. A goal line stop forcing a fumble at the one-yard line was huge. Had Ida scored they go ahead and gain confidence. Instead, Tiger linebacker Kyle Benschoter recovers and Hudson goes on not only to win but also to record its first shutout in three years. That stop and recovery were big in winning that game and setting the tone for the final three wins of the season to make the playoffs.

Newcomer of the Year: Sophomore Nathan Smith played great after joining the team for the fifth game. He was a big plus in the defensive secondary and it just a good all-around football player. He made the defense better and was a good tackler helping to prevent the long runs that plagued the team early in the season.

Most Improved Player: Junior defensive back Garrett Schoonover. He was playing football for the first year and got only better as the year went on. His tackling improved, as did his pass coverage. In the big win at Addison he had two key interceptions. He made great strides from game one to game 10. He will be even better in 2008.

Rookie of the Year: Sophomore Mitchell Webb. His mere presence just worries teams as he has speed and can make plays. He is dangerous with the ball and was superb at times in the defensive backfield grabbing a couple of interceptions. This youngster got his feet wet this year on the varsity but watch out for what he will do next year. He is so exciting and we are just glad we have him as a Tiger and for his first year he was very effective.

Top Hit of the Year: After scoring at Blissfield in the playoff game the Tigers were all pumped up and Colin Wollet went down and leveled the Royal returner on the ensuing kickoff. He didn't fumble but he was hit hard and Wollet delivered the blow.

Don't forget about me Player: Sometimes we forget about junior Gabe Elliott because he has been on the varsity for three years now. This kid is good but next year he will be even better and if he is Hudson will be even better. He plays at tight end and defensive end but we take him for granted because he has been around so long. His senior year is going to be sensational and you heard it here first. Elliott is the elder statesman and he deserves more recognition and will get it next fall.

Key Impact Player for 2008: A lot of players have to do great things next fall but one guy who was solid this year really needs to be a force next year, and if he is watch out opposition. Junior Keith Walworth is the man with a mission for next August. He was a good running back and a solid defensive back but he was so close to being a breakout player. He can do some very good things but if he does some great things next fall the Tigers will be the beneficiaries. He has speed and strength and he could be great in 2008.

Leaders for 2008: Wollet, Benschoter, Milligan, Walworth, Monahan, Elliott and Joe Beaubien. Just call these guys the super seven seniors in 2008. These guys will be forces that must step it up even more and crank it up a notch for Hudson to have a great season in 2008. They aren't the only seniors but they will be the key ones. What does a leader mean? He gets in the weight room and gets others there. He wants to win and does the work in the off-season to get ready to win. These seven must meet that challenge.

Tough Luck Player: If you know junior Josh Shepard then you know he is a competitor and a good all-around athlete. He was injured in the third game and never returned. What a bummer that was for him and the team along with the fans who didn't get to watch him make plays. I got a feeling he will be back bigger, better and stronger in 2008 and if he does what a boost that will be for the Tiger football team. Shepard is a very good player who lost most of they year to injury but he is not forgotten and will be back ready to go in August.

Don't forget about me Players: Three juniors Chase Briggs, Garret Barker and Jeff Liby all can be impact players next fall. Briggs was a starting guard much of this year and did a fine job and he brings back experience. The other two helped on special teams and will be back next year looking for more playing time. Another player I didn't mention much about is Beaubien and next year will be his third year on the varsity and he could be one of the best linemen the Tigers have on both sides of the ball.

Top JV Players Moving Up: The M & M boys will make some noise next fall on the varsity. Those two are Derrik Marry and Drew Milligan. Look for this pair to be difference makers next year for the Tigers.

Prediction for 2008: I try to be optimistic and realistic but you heard it here first. Hudson is going 9-0 next year. I truly believe it is possible. I know I should take the safe bet and say 8-1 or 7-2 but I really believe the players are in place. And if the commitment of these young men matches their goals they will realize that with lots of hard work they can win them all in 2008 and won't that be great! Go Tigers!
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