By Bill Mullaly

The Hudson High School wrestling team will be one of its best in years that is if the work ethic and commitment of the kids continues like it has in the early season practices. “We have kids that are really working hard and they just love to be at practice,” said Hudson head coach Scott “Scooter” Marry. “We are excited about the work they are putting in and we are getting a lot done. They love being on the mat working and wrestling to make each other better.”
 

Practice began Monday, November 5th and Marry has a slew of about 22-23 wrestlers in what is arguably the most grueling sport going these days for high school athletes. Marry’s wrestling program is not for the meek and timid that is for sure and his practices and workout sessions soon separate the men from the boys. It always has and always will and this year there is going to be a real good payoff for all of the hard work. Football players all strive to get to Ford Field or I still call it “The Dome” but wrestlers want to get to Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek for the team event and then they desire to get to The Palace of Auburn Hills for the individual meet. Hudson was at Kellogg Arena for a brief visit back in 2004 and wants to return to the state championship site where all great wrestling teams show up occasionally or some almost every year. Hudson could have been to Battle Creek several times but the “A’ word keeps getting in the way. The “A” word is Addison but that will change in 2008. Hudson has its eyes pointed to Battle Creek and any team that gets in their way had better be ready to get beaten. Flat out this Hudson team is rock solid from top to bottom. Of course, you will never get coach Marry to admit that and he won’t because he is the coach and coaches never like to brag up their team too much. These Hudson kids have been wrestling for years in the youth program and now many of them have matriculated to the high school level. Watch out Addison and beware Hesperia as Hudson is headed to the Cereal City and they have been away far too long. Here is a look at this Hudson Tiger wrestling team that is going to earn lots of honors both individual and team this winter. If you like wrestling you are going to love what transpires on the mat the next three plus months.

Hudson Tiger Wrestlers

The 103-pound class is stocked with two outstanding freshmen wrestlers led by Dakota Kelley who has won numerous honors wrestling for the Hudson Wrestling Club as a youngster. Now he can start winning honors at the high school level. Tyler Mattison is another freshman who will do very well at 103 pounds. I dare another school to say they have two 103’s as good, as Hudson because they don’t. At 112 pounds they have Zeb Hilyard who qualified for the state meet last year and the sophomore is headed back this year if all goes as planned. He didn’t place last year but was there and did well for a freshman. The headliner of this team and a returning state runner-up is senior standout Taylor Smith who lost his championship match last year by a score of 8-7. He was at 103 last year and went 51-3 but will go at 119 this season. “I don’t know if I have a harder worker than Taylor,” said Marry, who noted all of his wrestlers work very hard. “He will win a lot of matches and he will have a great shot at winning a title again this season.”
 

Also, going at 119 pounds is junior Kevin Vanderpool who also went to the state meet last year where he finished sixth earning a place in the top eight and he earned a medal. Look for him to return this year also if all goes as expected. “Kevin wants to get back to the state meet and will have a great chance to do so,” said Marry about Vanderpool who was 38-19.
 

Jesse Reed is new transferring in from Hillsdale and he will help the team at 125 pounds or 130. “Jesse is going to be a real good addition to our team,” said Marry. Another 130-pounder who isn’t too shabby is Derrik Marry who last year as a freshman had a decent season. Well, if you count winning a state championship into what he did he had an outstanding year, especially for a freshman. Marry won the 125-pound division 4 state championship last March. He had quite a year in 2007 and look for more of the same this season from him. He was 47-13 and won all kind of honors. Very few freshmen ever win an individual state crown but he did. Can he repeat? “I’m going to work hard to win another state title,” said the soft-spoken Marry, who has his sights set on winning it all again. I will go out on a limb and make a prediction. This kid will win over 50 matches and will repeat as a state champion also he is on course to win over 200 high school matches. Now, that, of course, is if he stays healthy.
 

Marry and Reed like many of the wrestlers can bump around and wrestle at several different weights. Both can go at 130 or 135. Senior Eric Wolfe is returning for what should be another very good year. “If people try to bump around certain wrestlers they will face someone as good or almost as good,” said coach Marry about the opposition. Junior Keith Walworth can wrestle at 145 pounds as he has earned valuable experience the past two years and coach Marry expects big things from him this winter. Juan Alba also a sophomore can go at 145 pounds and he will look for as much mat time as possible and he is coming off a very good fall playing junior varsity football. Senior Caleb Ely didn’t make the state meet last year but has a very good chance to so this winter. Caleb will most likely wrestle at 152 pounds as this senior is one of the four seniors along with Smith, Wolfe and Kyle Hillard that will be the leaders of the team. “Caleb is going to have a great year,” said coach Marry. The team’s 160-pounder will be Kyle Benschoter who gained a lot of mat time as a freshman last year so the sophomore is set to have a very good year this season. Hillard is a veteran and he will go at 171 pounds and this is his fourth year on the varsity team. Last year Hillard was fourth in the state with a record of 40-19. “Kyle has a very good chance to do some big things at the state meet and do even better than fourth,” said coach Marry. A freshman Matt Smith is getting bigger and stronger every year and now he is in high school and ready to get to work on the mat. Smith will go at 171 or 189 pounds and will battle for time on the mat. Junior Joe Beaubien will get most of the time at 189 or he could bump up to 215 pounds. He has plenty of experience and is all set for a very good season. Another junior who like Beaubien is a tough football player is Gabe Elliott and this kid can wrestle at 189 or 215 or 275 if needed. Elliott will have a great year and like Beaubien will be trying to get to the state meet. Elliott was at the state meet last year at 189 and finished with a mark of 37-20.
 

A newcomer to the team is Kyle Walworth a junior who wrestled a lot as a youngster but it will be his first time on the school team. He will see action at the 275 pound spot. Another Tiger who will help if they can get him out of the weight room and on to the mat is junior Johnny Monahan. He could wrestle at 189 or 215. He has not decided for sure about wrestling but has been at some pre-season practices and he hopefully will decide to wrestle.
 

Coach Marry loves having the young kids out for the team and he has several freshmen that will fight it out for mat time. Thomas High will go at 103 pounds, Grant Benschoter at 119 or 125, while Meiko McDaniel looks like a 135-pounder and James Williams will go at 140-45 pounds. “It’s great to have so many young kids and we will work them and make them better and tougher,” said Marry, who usually does just that. One new note of interest is that the team will have three mat maids this season as Jessica Wollen, Megan Baker and Kelsey Carr will be helping out.

Season Outlook

This team is talented but won’t probably have enough talent to knock off Dundee in the LCAA. Hudson wants to win the team district and then take care of Addison in the team regional. Also, as many as perhaps 10 wrestlers or more have great shots at making the individual state meet. This will be an outstanding year for Hudson wrestling to get on out and watch some of it.
 

Hudson opens today (Thursday) at Rochester. Then this Saturday the 1st the Tigers host the annual Hudson Booster Invitational at 9:00.

By Bill Mullaly

Talk about optimism and having high expectations then you must be talking about the Hudson High School Lady Tiger varsity basketball team. Coming off a 17-4 season in 2006 the Lady Tigers are ready to roll and any team that gets in their way will get steam-rolled. Hudson is that good and they are also the defending LCAA co-champs sharing the honors with Ida last year with a league mark of 10-2. Hudson lost its first two league games last fall then won 10 straight league games when basketball was played in the autumn but now they will be winter wonders. “We should be very good and we want to compete for the league title and compete for a district championship,” said Tiger head coach Tom Romanowski, who uses the word compete instead of win but Hudson fans know what he really means. Hudson won its last ten games last year in the regular season to win the league title for its first LCAA crown in over 30 years. Then they took an unexpected quick exit in the first game of the district tournament and they want to change that scenario this season. “We are in a very, very good district with several teams that are capable of winning the district,” said Romanowski, who was referring to Addison, Napoleon and Hanover-Horton who will all be in the class C district at Hillsdale. “We want to win the LCAA and will be challenged by Ida as both of us won it last year and lost one player each so it’s up for grabs with us two the favorites. The district is a whole different story and whoever wins our district I believe can make a long run in the state tournament.” Romanowski pointed out that last year Napoleon won the class C district and wound up in the state semifinal game. You win games and lots of them along with league titles and district and regional crowns by having talented players and Hudson has several of them. Here is a look at the star-studded lineup Romanowski will have to work with this winter as Hudson goes for all kinds of glory.

The Elite Eight

Hudson will be small in numbers but large in talent. The crown jewel of this team is senior Kellee Wonders who has signed a letter of intent to play college basketball next winter at Hillsdale College. Wonders at 6-0 is quick and can run the floor. "Kellee has size and quickness and they like that at the college level and she will fit in well at Hillsdale," said Romanowski, who is in his 14th season as Hudson's head coach. "Kellee can play at that level and she will be the first player from our program to play at the division II level. She works hard and will be an asset to their program but first she has plenty of good things to do for us this season."

She is a tri-captain who scored 12 points per game last year and averaged over eight rebounds per game. Her high last year was 22 points and she led the team with almost three blocks per contest. "She is going to be blocking and altering a lot of shots this year from our opponents," Romanowski noted. Wonders was all-LCAA, all-Lenawee and all-Hillsdale County last year. Look for more of the same this year and she is more than capable of averaging in double figures in both scoring and rebounding.
 

Another senior and one of the team's three captains is Sheila Komarynski. This will be her third year on the varsity just like it will be for Wonders. Komarynski is the team's strongest player and will be a force down low rebounding and scoring. Wonders will be the center and Komarynski is a power forward who will be the team's most physical player. At 5-10 she and Wonders will present a dynamic duo for teams to have to stop. "Sheila is stronger then Kellee and is more of a physical presence for us and she can both score and rebound," said Romanowski. She averaged nine points and 8.9 rebounds per game a season ago and the coach thinks she can average in double digits in both categories this season. In one game last year against Ida she had 17 points and 13 rebounds and Romanowski is hoping for more of the same this year.
 

She is only a junior but she is something else. That player is tri-captain Aubrey Laughlin who was the 2006 Lenawee County Player of the Year. Enough said right there but Romanowski says that in the pre-season workouts that she has improved and is even better than last year. "I know it's hard to believe but she has improved her game and looks even better than she was a year ago," said Romanowski about his star prize. "Her jump shot looks very good and her all-around game has gotten better."
 

Laughlin averaged 15.5 ppg last year and had almost eight rebounds per game. She also had four assists per contest along with three steals. She shot over 50 per cent from the floor and was an outstanding 76 per cent at the foul line. Hudson has never had a division I player but Laughlin appears on course to one day reach that level but remember she is just a junior with two more high school seasons to play.
 

Classmate Rachel Pawson is the team's point guard and its top returning three-point shooter from last year when she made 27 treys. This is, like Laughlin, her third year on the varsity. She runs the team and averaged almost 11 ppg and had almost six assists per contest. "Rachel does so many things well and she is a big part of our team," said Romanowski. She averaged over two steals a game and three rebounds per contest in 2006.
 

Another junior who is quite talented is Mykahla Frayer who will be back for her third year on the varsity team as well. She is a wing player who can play point guard when needed. At 5-8 Frayer can rebound inside or score from the outside. She was second on the team in 3-point shots with 23 last year when she averaged 10 ppg and had almost five rebounds per contest. She added almost four assists and just over three steals per game. "Mykahla is going to have another real good year for us and she makes us better with all the things she brings to the team," said Romanowski. Another senior who will contribute to the team and she is a returner from a season ago is Janet Verdon. The veteran will get key minutes off the bench and any scoring and rebounding she does will be a plus for the team. She will be one of the team's better defenders and brings back experience after playing every game last year. "Janet needs to give us solid minutes when she is in there," said Romanowski about one of his key subs.
 

Sophomore Ashley Boies has been promoted from the junior varsity team where she was its top scorer and rebounder from a year ago. She will help Wonders and Komarynski in the post positions. "Ashley will rotate in there and will get some important playing time," said Romanowski, who is expecting good things from Boies.
 

The team's eighth player is a transfer from Onsted and Megan Gunn will have to wait until January 21st when the second semester starts to play in the games and Romanowski can't wait for that to happen. "Megan can help us and we will get her in there as soon as she is eligible," said the veteran coach. "She hustles and works hard and will be a good addition to our team." Hudson will battle Ida for the league title and the team has a simple goal and that is to be in each game and compete to win them all. That might not be possible but this team is capable of doing some amazing things and they are going to be fun to watch. They averaged over 62 points a game last year with a high of 81. Look for those figures to increase this year but the team must play better defense according to Romanowski to reach all of its lofty goals. Hudson opens Friday, November 30th at Hillsdale at 7:00 and the home opener is Saturday, December 8th at 6:30. If you have never seen these girls play get on out to watch them this year because they are going to be exciting and they are going to win a lot of games.

By Bill Mullaly

The third season is going to be a more productive one for Hudson High School boys head basketball coach Wayne Perry. He has watched his team struggle through four-win and six-win seasons the past two years but now the timing is right for Hudson to make some noise on the hardwood. And that noise won't be a thud either. Hopefully, the bedlam and pandemonium heard in rivals gymnasiums on cold winter nights will be heard in the Tiger gymnasium and if Perry has his way that will be the case. Hard work must mean something and Perry and his boys have spent a lot of time over the summer getting ready for what could be a breakout year for the boys hoop program at Hudson. Perry has a good returning nucleus of players with just the loss of talented Josh Williams being the only piece missing from last year's team. With a lot of returning players with experience Perry is hoping this will be the year.
 

"This will be an interesting year and I just want the team to keep improving all through the season," said Perry, who has been instrumental in founding the Hudson Basketball Club for local youngsters who love to play ball. "Our goal is not so much a certain number of wins but rather that we play hard, hustle, battle and compete well in each game. We want to fight right down to the end to win games and I think we have the type of players that do not have any quit in them."
 

Perry likes his squad this year that will be 13 strong and he knows one thing he has is quality depth. Many coaches talk about depth in numbers but Perry has both numbers and quality players that go at least 10 deep and maybe more, if need be. He had close to 45 kids try out for the program but several took themselves off the team due to eligibility issues and a few were not able to make the cut due to large numbers. "It was great to have so much interest and we are very happy as coaches with the kids we have to work with this winter," said Perry, who has a budding future star in his own son, Brady, a fourth-grader. Hudson wants to restore some of the winning tradition of years by gone and the time is right for that to happen. The following is a look at this year's squad and which players will comprise the 2007-08 edition of Hudson Tiger varsity boy's basketball.

A Baker's Dozen

The Hudson team will be led by its seniors namely Nick Hart who has been on the big team for two years now with this being his third season. He has toughness and brings leadership to the team according to Perry. "He is the glue that holds this team together," said Perry. "He will do the dirty work down low inside and he will bang with the bigger boys he will go up against." Hart can score, rebound, defend in the paint and he just makes good things happen. Next, is senior three-year players Zach Warner who Perry calls the X factor and we are assuming in coach talk that the X stands for excitement? Warner plays the off guard spot and he also is a leader who delivers on the floor. "Zach is solid at both ends of the floor and he will score and play tough defense for us," said Perry, who noted Hart and Warner are his captains. Another senior who was absent from football but fortunately found his way to the hardwood is four-year player Matt Aguirre. He has been playing varsity ball since his freshman season and he is the club's point guard.  He can stroke the 3-point shot as well as any player in the area and like all good shooters Aguirre is not a bit shy about letting go a long one or two a game. "He is one of our top ball handlers and he can penetrate well and score or dish off and he will have the ball in his hands a lot," said Perry, who again will be supported at each game by his lovely wife, Sarah. Senior Nate Burlew returns for his second year and he will get time at the guard spot. He will be expected to help off the bench and is a solid player who can contribute valuable minutes when needed. Jeremy Busscher is a senior with size as the 6-3 post player returns for another year. He will be counted on to rebound and score inside and play tough defense in the middle of the lane. "Both of those seniors need to give us solid minutes each time out there," said Perry, who looks to all of his seniors for leadership. Senior Brett Merillat rounds out the class of 2008 that will play for the Tigers this year and he is a second-year guard who will provide added depth.

Juniors go Seven Deep

The juniors on the team will be led by Blake Woodward who is a stud down low near the hoop. Perry is expecting big things from this youngster who played with the big team last year. "Blake has really worked hard in the off-season to improve his game, especially down low with his post moves and he should do quite well this year," said Perry. At 6-3 Woodward provides a tough, intimidating presence in the lane for Hudson. "He is one of our most physical players and he should really be tough in the paint and hard to stop," Perry said.
 

Next, is junior Garrett Schoonover who spent the fall getting toughened up on the gridiron and now he brings that toughness to the hardwood. He played varsity ball last year as a spot starter and he will start full-time this year. He is a forward who is athletic and he can score and rebound. "Garrett slashes well through the lane to the hoop and he is very versatile where we can use him in several spots," said Perry. Taylor Milligan came up mid-way through last year as a sophomore and this year as a junior he will be playing even more. He can play the point guard or shooting guard spots and he plays them well. He likes the 3-point shot and better yet he can make it often. "Taylor is a smart player and a good athlete and he is going to help us mostly as a defensive stopper and scorer," Perry said.
 

Taylor's cousin, Luke, will be on the big team this year as the junior moves up from the junior varsity squad. He has added three inches of height from last year and Perry expects that to help him. "Luke knows the game and he is a shooter and he will help us at the guard spot," said Perry about the other Milligan twin.
 

Junior Brandon Hephner is up from the junior varsity squad and at 6-4 provides the team with much needed size in the post. Perry expects him to contribute off the bench and help out down low in the paint. Jarrett Patterson didn't play last year as he took a year off but he is back in the program and is a positive addition to the team. He will play a guard position. The final junior is Kristjun Taylor who will battle for time at the forward position giving the team added depth.

Season Outlook

Perry knows that predicting a certain number of wins is always tough but he would love to see his team win as many as possible. The key thing is to be competitive and to be in games with a chance to win them and Perry believes that is the goal. He will be assisted by Brad Milligan and Brent Milligan will assist Drew Godfrey at the JV level. Chris Luma will be helped by brother, Mark, at the freshman level. Perry sees the strength of his team being the depth as he feels all of his players can help. Ida, Blissfield, Dundee and Onsted are going to be the usual powers in the LCAA. Hudson has a tough district as well and with a competitive schedule to play it should be an interesting year for the Tigers. "We just need to get a few wins and learn what it takes and gain some confidence," said Perry, who will only guarantee that his team will work hard, scrap, hustle and fight for every loose ball. "We will get better and we will compete with teams. We just need to get a few wins and get the kids believing with the right type of attitude. We are going to turn the corner this year. I'm excited and so are the kids!" It's time to tip it off and it all starts Tuesday, December 4 at Adrian-Madison at 7:00. They head to Hillsdale on the 7th and will host Pittsford on the 8th at 7:30 in the home opener.

JUNIOR VARSITY GIRLS BASKETBALL

Front row, Courtney Chrisman, Casey Brasher, Boyoung Kim. Second row, Courtney Walker, McKenzie Reilly, Meara Miller, Coach Mike Sprow. Back row, Jamie Grob, Rachel Koser, Sarah Luma.

JUNIOR VARSITY CHEERLEADERS

Front Row, Zoe Middleton. Second Row, Katie Seliz, Jessica Novelo, Katie Butts. Back Row Becca Barlow, Hilary Monahan, Wendy Cox. Missing Traylynne Bentley.

VARSITY BOYS BASKETBALL

Front row, left to right, T.J. Milligan, Jarrett Patterson, Matt Aguirre, Nathan Burlew, Brett Merillat, manager Brady Perry, Second row, Coach Brad Milligan, Zach Warner, Nick Hart, Kristjun Taylor, Manager Ashley Newsome. Back Row, Coach Wayne Perry, Garrett Schoonover, Brandon Hephner, Jeremy Busscher, Blake Woodard, Josh Shepard, Luke Milligan.

VARSITY GIRLS BASKETBALL


Front row, left to right, Manager Erin Wonders, Janet Verdon, Mykahla Frayer, Aubrey Laughlin, Ashley Boies, Megan Gunn, Rachel Pawson. Back row, Kellee Wonders, Sheila Komarynski.

 

WRESTLERS

Front row, left to right, Managers Jessica Wolham and Kelsey Karr; Taylor Smith, Dakota Kelley, Meiko McDaniel, Grant Benschoter, Zeb Hilyard, Kevin Vanderpool, Manager Megan Baker. Second row, James Williams, Juan Alba, Eric Walt, Caleb Ely, Kyle Benschoter, Johnnie Monahan, Coach Chad Baker. Third Row, Coach Scott Merillatt, Gabe Elliott, Keith Walworth, Kyle Walworth, Matt Smith, Joe Beaubien, Kyle Hillard, Coach Butts.

VARSITY CHEERLEADERS

Front Row, Sydney Barnhart, Sammy Flores, Meaghan Price. Middle Row, Mariah Kelley, Jennifer Adams, Nicole Smith, Brandi Grimes Back Row, Molly Johnston, Jenna Borck, Whitney Jeffrey, Elizabeth Court. Missing, Ashley Chalker.

FRESHMAN BASKETBALL TEAM

Front Row, Sandy Heistan, Richard Varner, Cullan Wilkerson, Teooy Griswold, Nathan Wilkerson, Jacob Enerson, Nathan Osborne. Back row: Zach Luma, Manager, Coach Mark Luma, John Ames, Brent Williams, Andrew Bocks, Jake Lancaster, Jordan Lake, Coach Chris Luma.

JUNIOR VARSITY BOYS BASKETBALL TEAM 

Front row, Manager Logan Milligan. Second row, left to right, Jake Woody, John Czmer, Tommy Verdon, Drew Milligan, Chris Aguirrie, John Nealy. Back row, Andrew Godfrey, John McKnight, Nat Smith, Sam Klinger, John Liby, Mitchell Webb, Assistant Coach Brent Milligan.

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