tiger talk by bill mullaly 

The winter sports season will officially kick off on Thursday, November 29th, when the wrestling team begins action on the road at Rochester in a meet. The next night at Hillsdale the varsity girl's basketball team will begin play taking on the Hornets. The boys will begin play on the hardwood on Tuesday, December 4th, at Adrian-Madison. Look for pre-season features on these three teams in next week’s Post-Gazette. The competitive cheerleaders will also be competing again this winter but they start competition a bit later than the other sports. The first action actually starts this Saturday at the high school as the wrestlers have their annual opening scrimmage type competition that will start at 9:00. This is an individual event where each participant pays $5 and they get to wrestle other kids from different schools around the area. The wins do not count on the wrestlers individual season record but the wrestling gets the grapplers in shape to begin the 2007-08 campaign. Thus, if you are tired of watching football and eating turkey head over to the local school gymnasium to watch the wrestlers work off their holiday feast and try to drop a few pounds as they get ready for the upcoming season.

More Football

If you are a football fan of the high school variety then this is your big weekend. The Blissfield Royals will add a local flavor to the games at Ford Field on Friday, as they play at 4:30 in the division 6 state final game. Blissfield edged Leslie last Saturday at Hillsdale College in the semifinal contest by a 21-14 score in double overtime. The unbeaten Royals at 13-0 will take on 9-4 Saginaw Nouvel a school that the Royals have played before in the state finals in baseball. Nouvel is a private Catholic school but the Royals are 1-0 in the post season against parochial schools as they edged Monroe St. Mary’s Catholic Central by one-point on a “Hail Mary” pass to tie the score at the end the game and then they won it by making the extra point with no time left. Sand Creek was also in the semifinals in division 7 but they were blanked by an awesome Mendon team 34-0. The Aggies ended the year at 11-2. Jackson Lumen Christi won in division 5 to advance to the state final game on Saturday at 4:30 against Menominee also unbeaten at 13-0.                                 

A peek back in time

In talking about state final football games let’s take a moment to reflect back on the events 32 years ago today (Thursday) as back on November 22, 1975, it was the day the streak was stopped. A little known village of Ishpeming, but one that is remembered and will be never forgotten, got the better of the Tigers winning 38-22 in the state final game. Do Tigers fans recall that freezing, cold, windy morning at Central Michigan University? The kickoff against the Hematites came at 11:00 and it was not football weather that we were used to that’s for sure. Within minutes it was 16-0 Hematites then it was 24-8 after one quarter and late in period two it was 30-8. Hudson scored just before halftime to make it 30-16 at intermission and were it not for Tiger fumble into the end zone it might have been a 30-22 or 30-24 game. Had the game been played inside in the Dome at Pontiac it’s a good bet the Tigers might have won. Okay, we lost but all of us still remember fans screaming after the game, “We’re from Hudson, couldn’t be prouder if you can’t hear us we’ll yell a little louder.” Yes, we are from Hudson and that year 1975 made us all proud and it was one of the greatest years in the lives of many of us. Yes, at 72 the streak stopped as “we tried to do our thing, to Ishpeming!” Remember those orange buttons? I had better stop now, as I’m living in the past again but why not it was the best year of my life and I had hair back then. Well, I don’t think Sports Illustrated has been around lately that I know of have they? About the loss let’s keep in perspective that 12 years earlier on that same fateful day of November 22, 1963, we lost a president in Dallas. The nation lost a hero (JFK) on that day and twelve years later our Hudson heroes lost a game. And now 32 years later or 44 years later let’s take a moment to reflect on two huge moments in our history one national and one local. Go Tigers!

Scott Chase chasing title

By Bill Mullaly

Thanksgiving is a time of reflection to look back on the past year and to see just how things have gone. One former Hudson Tiger has had a very good year by anyone's standards. He will celebrate Thanksgiving Day and look back and admit it has been a real good year.

Former Hudson High School head baseball coach Scott Chase who guided the Tiger varsity baseball program for five years from 1999-2003 must believe the old adage that good things come in threes. Last June he was the pitching coach for the Hillsdale High School Hornets who won the division III state baseball championship. Chase had coached at Hudson and his 2001 and 2003 teams set and tied school records for most wins in a season at 23 in both of those seasons. After his good friend Chris Adams, who is the head coach at Hillsdale, offered him the chance to coach in his hometown and for his former school Chase jumped at the opportunity to be a Hornet again. "We had a lot of good years at Hudson but to coach at my old school and to have the chance to coach my son, Derek, made the choice to become a Hornet an easy one," said Chase, who has been the pitching coach at Hillsdale for the past four years. Then with the success of the past high school season being reason enough for Chase to be content to stay where he was he couldn't pass up another opportunity that came his way. Jackson Community College made overtures about him coaching there in 2007 as a low-level assistant but Chase said no. However, when the Jets' head baseball coach upped the offer Chase decided to fulfill a dream of coaching at the college level. In early September he was hired on as the pitching coach for JCC. "I had five enjoyable years as a head coach at Hudson and then four very successful years as an assistant at Hillsdale. However, I felt the timing was right to head to the college level of coaching and it has been very rewarding," said Chase, who has only positive things to say about his years in Hudson and he is thankful that the school administration gave him the opportunity to be a young head coach and gain valuable experience. "You learn a lot being a head coach and then being an assistant in charge of the pitchers gives you a different perspective. Now, at JCC I'm Coach Smith's top assistant and he has complete faith in me to handle the pitching staff and I really have embraced the challenge."

One team’s loss is another team’s gain. After playing an instrumental role in helping the Hillsdale Hornets win a state championship the team's pitching coach is moving on. He is now the chief assistant to head coach Rick Smith at Jackson Community College. Close friend and head Hillsdale coach Adams is both happy for Chase and disappointed in the loss to the program. "He is moving on to bigger things," said Adams, who will miss having Chase at his side offering advice. "Scott was a huge part of our success last year and he played an invaluable role in our baseball program. We hope to have him around in some capacity whenever he has the time. I hope that he will bring back to us some of the things he learns at JCC."

Chase, a 1985 Hillsdale graduate, played college baseball at Glen Oaks for two years and also spent a year at Michigan State University. He was signed as a free agent in the fall of 1988 and spent a year playing rookie league ball in the New York-Penn League. The next summer in 1990 he moved to the Yankees AA team in the Colonial League. He pitched for the Albany Yankees mostly in relief and had a solid summer. Chase's dream of playing in the big leagues fizzled out due to elbow problems with his pitching arm. "After playing professional ball in the minors and then having to quit I turned my attention to coaching," said Chase, who returned to Hillsdale County where he has been a fixture in the baseball scene around here since 1991. He coached at North Adams-Jerome a few years as an assistant and then went to Hudson as an assistant from 1995-1998. From 1999-2003 he was the head coach at Hudson.  Derek will be a junior this spring playing for the Hornets and Chase will try to attend his games when possible. "I'm just glad I was part of the state championship last year and that I was there with my son and Chris and Nick to share in the excitement," said Chase, who will also miss his close coaching relationship at Hillsdale with Hudson resident Nick LoPresto the Hornet's other assistant. LoPresto helped Chase coach at Hudson during his five years as a Tiger and LoPresto moved west with him to coach at Hillsdale where he will remain assisting Adams.

Smith is quite pleased to have the services of Chase. "Scott is well respected by our pitchers and I like what he brings to our program here at JCC," said Smith. "I think Scott will be a big addition in the development of our pitchers. He is just a good fit for what we want to do here."

While Chase is spending Thanksgiving Day reflecting back on the past year of good fortune he will spend Thanksgiving Night in a Detroit hotel getting ready to referee a state championship football game on Friday morning. Chase will be the back judge in the division 8 final at 10:00 at Ford Field. "This is my first state final to be selected to referee in and it's a big thrill and responsibility," said Chase, who is a bit nervous knowing the state final games are broadcast on Fox Sports television. "I'm already heavy enough and they say the camera adds ten pounds." Chase still has his sense of humor and he also has had a very good year coaching, refereeing and growing professionally. "Yes, it's been a real good year and I'm quite thankful for the opportunities I have had."
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