by Jennifer Weiser One person is dead after a UTV crash early Saturday morning in Osage County. The Missouri State Highway Patrol's online crash report states that the crash happened at 12:25 a.m. on Missouri 133, south of Route EE. The report states that a 42-year-old man from Westphalia was driving a 2021 Polaris Ranger 1000 northbound. The UTV went into a left curve and then off the right side of the road. The driver overcorrected, and the UTV then went off the left side of the road. The man was thrown off the vehicle when it overturned. Osage County Coroner A.J. Probst pronounced the man dead at the scene of the crash. Editor's note: This article was updated to change the vehicle type from ATV to UTV. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol about eight-tenths of a mile south of Route EE The man was driving a 2021 Polaris Ranger 1000 northbound when the vehicle entered a left curve traveled off the right side of the roadway The driver was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle He was pronounced dead at the scene by Osage County Coroner A.J The crash marks the first traffic fatality for Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop F in May and the 13th for the year 2025 along with the Osage County Sheriff’s Department A Westphalia man died after his UTV flipped over in Osage County early Saturday morning According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report the 42-year-old man was driving a 2021 Polaris Ranger 1000 on Missouri Route 133 just after midnight The vehicle entered a left curve and traveled off the right side of the road The man then overcorrected-- the vehicle went off the left side of the road-- and eventually flipped over The report states he was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash ABC 17 News is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Community Guidelines | KMIZ-TV FCC Public File | FCC Applications | Do Not Sell My Personal Information Your request has been blocked by our security system due to potential security concerns Please contact us for assistance Farmhouse brewing was once common across much of Europe Here’s what we know about a surprising and little-known rural brewing tradition in northwest Germany Germany isn’t the first place we associate with farmhouse brewing It also appears that farmhouse ales were widespread in northern Germany until World War I except for a pocket in Westphalia; the region’s Folklore Commission reported on the practice in the 1950s if Germany is a surprising place for farmhouse ale then Westphalia—northeast of Köln and Düsseldorf and just east of the Dutch border—should be downright shocking one of the densest concentrations of industry anywhere on Earth—one of the last places on the planet where I would have looked for the survival of ancient farming traditions the custom in Westphalia was to brew the beer in March and drink it for the grain harvest in autumn That should be a familiar story to anyone who knows anything about traditional beers: As you may recall, farms produced saison and bière de garde that way, and it was the same with gammeltøl in Denmark and Lithuanian morčėnas all may have come from similar traditions The Westphalian farmhouse ale is yet another example of a custom that may several of the farmers in Westphalia say their farmhouse ale was not too different from altbier capital of the state known (since 1946) as North Rhine–Westphalia While not within Westphalia’s historical borders Düsseldorf is only about 80 miles from Münster and the farms that were still brewing in the 1950s “altbier” means the same thing as the Danish “gammeltøl”: old beer (or old ale) It may well be that this is the true explanation for why altbier has that name: that it was originally stored over the summer when Düsseldorf’s Schumacher brewery first used the term “altbier” in 1838 it referred to beer that was cellared longer than others the brewers of Westphalia apparently brewed that farmhouse ale only one time per year and the reason is probably that brewing was taxed The farmers had to go to the local customs office and buy the right to brew a certain amount of beer That made the farmhouse ale expensive; even in this relatively developed region the farmers seldom bought any food or drink—instead They would have had to report each brew to the customs office keeping a log of each batch near the brew kettle—presumably so customs officials could do spot checks you’d think they would use a decoction mash but these farmers used a normal infusion mash followed by a long boil of the wort—one source says four hours; another says one to three hours the brewing process is effectively the same as that of Norwegian heimabrygg though: Some farmers boiled the mash but not the wort.) There’s another connection with Scandinavian farmhouse brewing: While the Westphalian farmers added hops to the boil it was also common to add juniper or juniper berries to the kettle particularly in high heaths—but also in pastureland because the animals don’t eat it juniper was probably easy for farmers to find It shouldn’t be a surprise that they used it: In traditional brewing juniper appears to have been the second-most important spice in beer It’s only rarely been used in commercial brewing probably because it would be hard (or expensive) to get enough juniper Some of the Westphalian farmers also added salt like in gose—but the Folklore Commission’s documents say nothing about why One farmer reported getting ale yeast from a nearby brewery and pitching it at 46–50°F (8–10°C) while another was pitching at 77–86°F (25–30°C) It’s not clear what yeast the second farmer was using Some farmers were collecting the yeast that came out of the bunghole of the beer cask so there may have been a hardy Westphalian farmhouse yeast culture If the warmer pitching temperatures were closer to the norm the culture might also have been highly heat-tolerant One source says the taste was different from year to year Perhaps the comparison with altbier is the best hint though these Westphalian farmhouse ales must have gotten much more character from homemade malt and these farmhouse ales appear to have been One was even hopped at a rate of 10 grams per liter of beer—more than 1.3 ounces per gallon The beer appears to have been quite light in strength somewhere around 2.5 to 3.5 percent ABV—probably just as well the laborers would bring wheat rusks to eat and a mug full of beer—probably just a simple stoneware krug with a metal lid The idea was to give them energy to keep going Most farmers apparently brewed this way until World War I and one reason they stopped was that the military confiscated many copper brewing kettles for the war effort Farming also became increasingly mechanized meaning that harvest ale for people working in the fields was less necessary—and having tipsy workers operate farming machinery was not necessarily the best idea brewing continued on many farms until World War II one Folklore Commission source wrote that he’d gone to a farm near Steinfurt because he knew they’d been brewing until quite recently they showed him a customs documents for that same year giving them permission to brew 2,000 liters I’ve heard claims that brewing on some farms continued as late as the 1970s—and they still have a complete brewhouse and made a film of themselves brewing a re-creation of the original farmhouse ale it’s not entirely clear whether they ever stopped brewing did Westphalian farmhouse ale ever die out completely If you scour the villages around Steinfurt DALLAS TWP – A portion of Grange Road north of Westphalia is closed after the road collapsed over a creek following Wednesday’s heavy rainfall across the region The Clinton County Road Commission posted that Grange is closed south of Taft Road over the Kloeckner and Fuller Creek The section that is closed is north of Westphalia and south of M-21 A picture shows a gaping hole where pavement and dirt have washed away The office did not immediately say how long it would take to make repairs President Donald Trump’s transactional approach to international relations represents an “America First” vision of withdrawal from free trade and the burdens of American post-war hegemony But what kind of new world order will it produce?   The recent reversals in America’s Ukraine policy—the threat to cut off military support the public humiliation of Volodymyr Zelensky—suggest the outlines of an emerging world order Considering Ukraine’s current fate invites a painful counterfactual evaluation: Would any of this be happening if it had not agreed in the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances of 1994 to give up its nuclear weapons?    the third largest stockpile of nuclear warheads in the world was in Ukraine Its nuclear disarmament was completed by 1996 after it received security assurances from Russia in keeping with the vital interest in nuclear non-proliferation following the end of the Cold War which began in 2022 and seems likely to end in the country’s partition.   All the conventional force that Ukraine and its backers have mustered on its behalf since 2022 has evidently proven insufficient to save the country because it could never risk seriously antagonizing Russia How should Taiwan expect to fare in the event of the expected Chinese blockade Should it depend on an adequate American-led response which would nevertheless pit two nuclear powers against each other should it race to join the club of nuclear powers If its sovereignty cannot be guaranteed through either durable geopolitical alliances or international law what choice does it have other than seeking the symmetry of reciprocal mass destruction to counterbalance an extreme asymmetry of conventional force?  GRANDVILLE - With all of its post power on the bench with injuries, the Saugatuck girls basketball team has relied on its trio of talented guards throughout the postseason It was a showcase of what we will call "Run T-M-P" and it faced the best in the state and put those top teams on notice that Run T-M-P (Talia Laskowski Mylah Simpson and Penny Grob) isn't going anywhere However, the Trailblazers hadn't met any team that could defend at their level until Monday when Saugatuck faced top-ranked and undefeated Pewamo-Westphalia in the Division 3 regional semifinals The Pirates disrupted everything the Trailblazers tried on offense Saugatuck lost 51-23 to end its season 22-2 More: Mylah Simpson scorches career-high 36 to lead Saugatuck basketball to district title More: Saugatuck steals win from rival Fennville to reach district final behind dynamic guards "We prepared for what each of the three guards could do We had girls take on the challenge of guarding them 1-on-1 and we did a really nice job with our help defense They didn't have a good look at the basket all night long," P-W coach Steve Eklund said P-W led 16-1 after the first quarter and 25-5 at halftime getting their hands in the passing lanes to thwart Saugatuck's offense but then slowed the tempo down to take away Saugatuck's transition and attacked the rim without injured Kennedy Gustafson in the post "We had to make sure we were in the right spots because of all the different traps they run "We saw that there would be opportunities in the halfcourt if we could avoid the pressure We controlled the glass and obviously their center was out It was important that we showed early that we were prepared to them I don't think they have been defended like that this year and we threw something at them that they haven't seen." Peyton Eklund had 17 points to lead the Pirates "We very likely just played the state champions We got taken to the woodshed tonight," Saugatuck coach Kevin Tringali said They were so fundamental offensively and took away gaps defensively That is a testament to their coaching staff being prepared We had a lot to be proud of this year winning a conference and a district and being undefeated at home Inside Saugatuck's 'Run T-M-P'With all the talented teams Saugatuck has produced over the years the Trailblazers have never had a trio of guards with this kind of talent The "Run T-M-P" is an homage to a trio of Warriors guards in the NBA from the 90s "Run T-M-C" for Tim Hardaway who were a run-and-gun team with all three players making the Basketball Hall of Fame during the emergence of musical group "Run DMC." Laskowski joined the Trailblazers from being home schooled and immediately proved to be one of the best guards in the state as junior and first-year high school player Simpson was a freshman starter for Saugatuck last year and has been one of the best defense-to-offense fastbreak players Grob started last year as a sophomore and has gone from 3-point specialist to an all-around threat that has added the extra layer needed as Saugatuck reached 20 wins for the second year in a row and third time in school history I felt like we were one of the top two teams in regionals (but we just happened to get the No We are at our highest point since I have been here You saw the difference between a really good team and an elite team tonight." Injured postSaugatuck was without starting center Kennedy Gustafson who was out with a broken nose she sustained a week ago Gustafson is the only player in Holland-area history to reach 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds and her presence in the paint was missed a sophomore post with great rebounding and leaping ability leaving Saugatuck without its top two post players Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as  Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports GRANDVILLE — With all of its post power on the bench with injuries, the Saugatuck girls basketball team has relied on its trio of talented guards throughout the postseason However, the Trailblazers hadn't met any team that could defend at their level until Monday when Saugatuck faced top-ranked and undefeated Pewamo-Westphalia in a Division 3 regional semifinal P-W disrupted everything the Trailblazers tried on offense on its way to a 51-23 victory We had girls take on the challenge of guarding them 1-on-1 and we did a really nice job with our help defense," P-W coach Steve Eklund said "They didn't have a good look at the basket all night long." The Pirates got their hands in the passing lanes to thwart Saugatuck's offense but then slowed the tempo down to take away Saugatuck's transition game and attacked the rim without injured Kennedy Gustafson in the post It was important that we showed early that we were prepared for them PORTLAND — Pewamo-Westphalia junior guard Grady Eklund and the rest of the Pirates' starting five trotted out to begin the fourth quarter with a 25-point lead Eklund started the quarter off with a 3-pointer then swiped a pass and turned his steal into a transition dunk The P-W starters would quickly head back to the bench allowing the reserves to finish the game out – a 66-36 win on Tuesday to keep the Pirates undefeated in CMAC play Eklund led all scorers with 26 points in P-W's ninth 20-plus point win of the season – eight being by at least 25 points Eklund carved out a big role with the Pirates since his freshman season Eklund has evolved into much more than just a reliable shooter and offensive playmaker he's so much more efficient," P-W coach Dominic Schneider said "It feels like his shot percentage has doubled and it feels like every shot he takes is going to go in But his assist numbers are nearly doubled and his IQ is through the roof." (Eklund) understands what he needs to be for our team and having him on the floor makes us a way better basketball team Eklund's biggest growth has come from the gym where his body has gotten significantly stronger and his ability to finish through contact has improved Eklund's trips to the free-throw line are frequently coming after made shots – much like one he had Tuesday Patrick defender from the three-point-line into the paint and laying it in while getting slapped across the arm hitting guys when they are open," Eklund said "I think that helped us get to a quick start Eklund's play through the first three quarters and the beginning of the fourth allowed Schneider to empty the bench and that depth is a luxury that P-W will have come postseason time "This is probably the best shooting team I've had here and we've done a heck of a job on the defensive end P-W (12-2) will play at Saranac on Thursday Patrick (8-6) will host Fowler in an important CMAC game Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on X @Nathaniel_Bott EAST LANSING — It took all of 26 seconds Thursday to erase a year’s worth of horrific memories for Riverview Gabriel Richard point guard Luke Westerdale On Richard’s first possession of the Michigan high school boys basketball Division 3 semifinal Westerdale rose up and nailed a 3-point shot then raised his arms and screamed: “Let’s go Westerdale and running mate Nick Sobush each scored 22 points to lead Richard to a 66-45 victory over Pewamo-Westphalia at the Breslin Center FOLLOW ALONG: Michigan high school basketball state scores, watch stream, schedule for semifinal games The victory sends the Pioneers into Saturday’s Division 3 state championship game against the Arts and Technical Academy of Pontiac at 4:30 p.m. The reason Westerdale was so emotional after one shot is because of what happened last year in the semifinals in a 43-41 loss to Detroit Old Redford “I’ve honestly thought about that for the entire year Westerdale felt 25 points lighter and the Pioneers were off and running Westerdale wasn’t the only player haunted by last’s season loss in the semifinals Old Redford won the game when Arkell Boyd hit a triple from the corner Sobush played textbook defense on the play THE OTHER SIDE OF DIVISION 3: Freshman Lewis Lovejoy and dad Orlando lead A&T Academy of Pontiac to first state title game Now Sobush and his teammates have other things to think about like how well they played against P-W (24-4) Richard (24-2) led by nine midway through the second quarter The Pioneers took control in the third quarter when Westerdale handed out the majority of his seven assists including a pair of spectacular alley-oop dunks by Drew Everingham  “Drew is one of the best high-flyers in the state,” Westerdale said “When I’m attacking and I see him do his little run up I put it up there and he goes and gets it and Charles (Kage Jr.) is a great finisher inside They make it look easy for me and since my teammates are so good offensively I get open shots because of that and today I could knock some down.” Sobush got the Pioneers on their way to putting the game away with a couple of layups as they made it difficult for P-W to get into its offense Then Everingham added the wow factor with his jams and helped make the runaway official MICK McCABE'S PICKS: Who's headed to state finals at Breslin Center? him throwing it the down like that,” Sobush said “Then I stole the ball in transition and hit Luke for a 3 and after that I thought it was over.” It was over because Richard had 14 assists on 27 baskets and hit 51.9% of its shots while but there were many balls he kept alive by tipping it back to teammates or even out of bounds which kept P-W from attacking in transition just to slow them down,” Richard coach Kris Daiek said “Our guards get deep sometimes going to the basket so we’ll tell the guys even if you’re out of position tip it out of bounds just so we can get back in transition.” The 6-foot-8 Kage took only two shots and hit them both he was looking to pass to open teammates on the perimeter bother me because when we’re winning the game I feel that’s our plan,” he said “Our plan is not to get me the ball and score 20 points But when my teammates are knocking down shots and we’re winning Now there is only one potential win to care about which will come Saturday if Richard can handle A&T The Pioneers were in a completely different mood Thursday than they were a year ago But that loss may be why they are in Saturday’s title game “When we lost that game in the fashion we did These guys used that shot for them to become in the position they’re in now.” Mick McCabe is a former longtime columnist for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at mick.mccabe11@gmail.com. Follow him on X @mickmccabe1 Save 30% on his book, “Mick McCabe’s Golden Yearbook: 50 Great Years of Michigan’s Best High School Players, Teams & Memories,” by ordering right now at McCabe.PictorialBook.com 2025Bruce HefflingerMichigan Senior Writer Follow on Twitter- @PrepBaseballMIFollow on Instagram- @prepbaseballmichigan Prep Baseball Michigan is eagerly anticipating bringing the state the best high school coverage that can be found anywhere in 2025 we began releasing team previews for squads across the state we will have Preseason All-State Teams as well as the Preseason State Rankings coming your way To view the full list of 2025 Team Previews that we have already completed, please click here If you are a coach and haven't filled out your 2025 Team Preview, click here Interested in attending a Prep Baseball Michigan event? Check out our schedule by clicking here WESTPHALIA - A former assistant coach is now in charge of the Pewamo-Westphalia baseball program and excited about what the future holds “We want our program to be known as a group that plays as a team and no one is bigger than the team,” explained new head coach Trey Bauer “We want our guys to grind together and everyone be willing to do whatever is required of them to win but if we have everyone working together and trusting each other it can make life difficult for whoever we are playing.” a second-year high school head coach who led Lansing Catholic to the Division 3 regional finals a year ago after serving for six seasons as an assistant at Pewamo-Westphalia is of the belief the pitching potential of the Pirates can make it tough on opponents in 2025 Trey Nurenberg is the top pitcher for Pewamo-Westphalia with Nolan George another being counted on this year “Our strength this year is going to be our pitching led by Trey Nurenberg and Nolan George,” Bauer noted “Both have had experience pitching on varsity for multiple years now I believe that when Nurenberg is on his game his stuff is about as tough to hit as anyone else in the Lansing area Nurenberg is the 65th-rated senior right-handed pitcher in Michigan while George is a junior righty joins Nurenberg as a three-year starter for the Pirates with junior Logan Drysdale set to lead the way behind the plate Drysdale is the 11th-ranked 2026 catcher in Michigan “Our weakness is going to be our lack of varsity game experience,” explained Bauer who must replace LHP/1B Gabe Miller (three-year starter) and outfielder Will Bengel (single season stolen base record with 41) in the lineup we only have maybe one or two guys that got varsity ABs or innings pitched last year We are going to be looking at the youth of our program to step up big time but we believe we have some guys that are going to be able to step into those roles along with freshmen Alex Drysdale (LHP/OF) and Andrew Khriss (Utility/RHP) are newcomers being counted on to make big contributions this season after a 14-9 campaign in 2024 that ended with a district finals loss to Central Montcalm a team that went on to lose in the regional semifinals to the Bauer-led squad of Lansing Catholic “I love the willingness to work from this team,” Bauer related we are getting north of 20 guys showing up which is amazing These guys want to get after it and they are showing that this off-season.” It is a program that has had success in the past “Our key to success this year is going to be staying strong mentally,” Bauer said “We are going to be very young this year and are going to be relying on quite a few young guys to step up into big roles but I believe if we are able to stay strong mentally and pick each other up we should be able to compete for a very difficult CMAC championship and make a push in the playoffs.” the Central Michigan Athletic Conference is expected to be strong in the coming season “I believe the CMAC is going to be tough yet again this year,” Bauer said and Laingsburg) are all going to be tough once again Dansville has Wyatt Mosley who is going to pitch at West Virginia next year The top of the conference is loaded which makes every game a challenge “Our expectation is that we will be able to compete for another title then compete for a district title which will be difficult with Lansing Catholic in it,” Bauer concluded and are excited to see what we are made of.” Team Name: Pewamo-Westphlaia PiratesHead Coach: Trey BauerDivision: 32024 Record: 19-122024 Tourney Finish: District Finals loss to Central MontcalmReturning Starters/Pitchers: 4/3 Coach Outlook: "We are a little bit of everything this year Our guys that have experience have quite a bit of it (Trey Nurnberg and Carter Wirth are 3 year starters Nolan George and Logan Drysdale are both juniors who got some PT as freshman and were starters as sophomores) but we will also have a lot of new guys that will be stepping into big roles It will be exciting to see who is able to step up where it is needed." Trey Nurenberg Logan Drysdale Alexander Drysdale           Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInLANSING (WILX) - The girls high school basketball regional finals were on Wednesday night News 10 was at four of the games where a winner was crowned Fowler kept its regional title streak alive and extended it to six straight years Jackson Lumen Christi continued its dominant win with a regional crown at Spring Arbor claiming its first regional title since 2019 Haslett went all the way down to the very end with Goodrich but fell to the Martians 58-56 Portland also had a strong season that ended with a loss to Frankenmuth Subscribe to our News 10 newsletter and YouTube page to receive the latest local news and weather. Looking to hire people, or grow your business through advertising? Gray Digital Media is your one-stop marketing solution. Learn more 1/79Pewamo-Westphalia faces Schoolcraft in D3 boys basketball state quarterfinal.st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Matthew Ehler | mehler@mlive.comKALAMAZOO MI –– A feeling that’s become all too familiar this time of year Brady Eklund could see his team’s door to a Breslin Center berth starting to close once again Eklund decided to take matters into his own hands With Pewamo-Westphalia’s back against the wall Eklund exploded for a dazzling 18-point second half that ignited a furious surge and powered the Pirates to a 50-45 comeback victory over Schoolcraft in a Division 3 state quarterfinal on Tuesday After missing out on a trip to the Breslin Center in three of the last four seasons Pewamo-Westphalia (24-3) broke through thanks in large part to Eklund’s game-high 27 points 1-ranked Riverview Gabriel Richard in a D3 state semifinal in East Lansing at 2 p.m I knew I only had 16 minutes left of this season so I just put my whole heart into it,” Eklund said I’m always ready for situations like this.” as the junior heated up at just the right time –– and his Pirates teammates followed suit With Pewamo-Westphalia trailing 28-21 late in the third quarter Eklund dropped in a 3-pointer to kickstart back-to-back-to-back treys for a 9-0 run including long-range bombs from both Brady Heckman and Dominic Weber That pulled the Pirates within 31-30 entering the final frame “The crowd was on their side the whole night so when we hit those 3s we got the crowd on our side and started to play our game,” Eklund said Eklund scored seven of Pewamo-Westphalia’s first nine points in the fourth quarter –– including a 3-pointer and a driving layup for a 39-34 lead midway through the frame the game definitely wasn’t going our way but we battled adversity and we talk about adversity all the time in practice,” Eklund said “It’s about battling through the highs and the lows and we came out in that fourth quarter and kept hitting and hitting and finally came through.” Tucker Walther scored at the rim to pull Schoolcraft within 39-36 but a 6-0 Pirate run highlighted by three straight defensive stops and a putback and-1 by Trevor Smith helped seal the quarterfinal victory Eklund 5-of-6 free-throws in crunch time were the final exclamation point I think he understood the assignment,” Pewamo-Westphalia coach Schneider said of Eklund “He grabbed buckets when we needed him to and found his stroke to keep us in the game he kept us in it and helped us flip the switch to take a lead.” Heckman finished with 11 points for Pewamo while Schoolcraft was led by Tucker Walther’s 22 points Schoolcraft led 11-6 after a quarter thanks to a pair of Ty Goddard triples and maintained a 17-14 lead at the break The Eagles’ lead was as much as seven in the third but the Pirates began to heat up in a hurry life would have been good,” Schoolcraft head coach Derrick Small said “But we just never were able to and part of that was their defense we’ve been blessed with shots falling and tonight Schoolcraft came up just shy of its first trip back to the Breslin Center since winning a state title in 2022 –– the Eagles bowed out in a regional final last season to eventual state champion Niles Brandywine “You wish that this wasn’t the end especially with last year being regionals and now this year being quarterfinals but we’re getting tough,” Small said “The kids played hard tonight and left it out there and that’s what I’m so proud of They just made more shots and that’s the way it goes.” After winning a state championship in 2019 Pewamo has fallen to Niles Brandywine and Schoolcraft in the 2022 and 2023 quarterfinals while losing to Grand Rapids Covenant Christian in last year’s regional final It’s all the fuel the Pirates needed to get over the hump in 2025 “Being here three of the last four years and having that door slammed in your face as you’re trying to get to the Breslin Center hurts,” Pewamo-Westphalia coach Dominic Schneider said “It just sits with you a little bit and that’s what fuels your fire in the offseason and this year we had that in our minds that we weren’t going to be satisfied “We’re excited but we still have a job to get done yet.” Cracking the code of the state’s top-ranked team Schneider says his team is hungry for the challenge “We’ll be ready no matter who you are,” Schneider said “We’re not going to back down and now we understand the assignment 1 team in the state and we’re excited for the opportunity.” Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025) © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices North Muskegon and Pewamo-Westphalia met on the regional stage it was their blistering start that made all the difference and held off a furious second-half push from the Norse to escape with a 46-39 win and another regional championship hitting 12 of their first 21 shots and going 4-for-7 from deep holding North Muskegon to just 29 percent shooting An 8-0 first-quarter run put P-W in control North Muskegon, though, refused to go quietly. It was as if they had taken to heart the words of Michael Caine’s character in Interstellar: “Do not go gentle into that good night Old age should burn and rave at close of day rage against the dying of the light.” The second half started with a jolt—back-to-back 3-pointers from T.J Byard and Chuck Meyers cut the deficit to single digits had them within eight heading into the final quarter knocking down five straight free throws to trim the gap to just five in the closing minutes and made just enough free throws to seal it North Muskegon outscored P-W in the second half limiting them to just nine points in the fourth outside of late free throws but the Pirates had just a little more in the tank Grady Eklund led P-W with 12 points and 10 rebounds while Trent Piggott added 10 points and five boards and Brady Heckman finished with five points with Byard grabbing six rebounds and blocking two shots and everything they accomplished this season Interested in more content from us? Check out our website catchmarksports.com, our Facebook page, or our YouTube page Conner Raeth began his journey at CatchMark as an intern in October 2020 and Security Technologies at the Muskegon Career Tech Center His dedication and expertise led him to a full-time role as a Help Desk Technician in mid-2022 he excels as the Digital Content Lead for CatchMark’s SportsNet platform leveraging his technical knowledge to drive its success and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Transitioning from a small high school to the collegiate athletic level often presents challenges,.. Ludington ran into Kingsford in the regional finals Copyright © 2023 CatchMark SportsNet. Website Design & Development by CatchMark Technologies EAST LANSING — Brady Heckman never thought he would be good at sports after breaking his leg in eighth grade Even after barely playing last season as a junior Heckman was motivated in the offseason to step up and help the Pewamo-Westphalia boys basketball team add to its winning ways The senior guard wound up starting every game this winter and was a major contributor while playing a role in the run to Breslin Center for the Pirates And while their tournament run ended with a 66-45 loss to Riverview Gabriel Richard in a Division 3 state semifinal Thursday afternoon Heckman's growth was an example of what helped P-W break through this season for its first trip to Breslin Center since 2019 when the program won its first state title The Pirates had players like Heckman step up as seniors in a season they finished 24-4 "He wasn't much of a factor last year as a junior," P-W coach Dominic Schneider said "He got hurt last year with his knee and was out for a few weeks He came back with a purpose and he wanted to have these moments like this A guy like that you cheer for his successes just a little bit louder because he's done it the right way every big shot and every big thing he did for this team."  Heckman gradually grew throughout the season to play a supporting role for the Pirates behind star junior Grady Eklund and Trent Piggott He went from struggling on defense and not hitting his shots early in the season to making plays on defense and knocking down 3s to help P-W win its first CMAC title in a few seasons and then add on district and regional titles "As the season went on I kept shooting better and then my defense got better," Heckman said "Later in the season we started playing really good teams and the coaches trusted me in guarding the better players and my confidence started to go up." The only thing better for Heckman about this season would have been the Pirates capturing their second state title in program history "It would have been nice to get that state 'ship as a senior but I thought this team was great," Heckman said after scoring four points in 27 minutes P-W hung around for the first half Thursday and trailed just 27-24 at the intermission in its first Breslin experience since 2019 But Riverview Gabriel Richard took control in a third quarter in which it outscored the Pirates 23-10 which fell in the state semifinals last season used a 16-4 run to close the quarter on its way to another state tournament win by double figures Gabriel Richard (24-2) has won each of its six tourney games by at least 16 points to earn a spot in Saturday's final against Arts & Tech Academy of Pontiac Eklund had 16 points and junior Trent Piggott had 11 points to lead the Pirates who hope to build off their run behind that junior tandem "The semifinals will never be the goal that we want to get to," Schneider said we've made it this far and the state championship is one more game away A lot of work needs to be put in this offseason Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com 1/42Division 3 volleyball quarterfinal between Kalamazoo Christian and Pewamo-Westphalia.st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Eric Ingles | eingles@mlive.comRICHLAND --With the third set knotted up and the Kalamazoo Christian volleyball team nine points from a quarterfinal sweep of Pewamo-Westphalia on Tuesday the Comets rattled off the last nine points to beat the Pirates for the third time this season and in the quarterfinal for the second year in a row The Comets and Pirates also met in the Division 3 state championship game in 2022 which the Comets won in three sets en route to a state championship The Pirates and Comets met twice at the Warrior Showdown in August Tuesday’s quarterfinal saw the Comets eke out close wins in the first two sets and the third seemingly headed in the same direction before the Comets took the last nine points “I just told my team we need to play our game,” Kalamazoo Christian senior hitter Annelise de Jong said “We always do our best when we lock in and just enjoy the moment and that’s when we started to pick up the pace and that’s when we got our lead back.” A pair of Pewamo-Westphalia hitting errors broke the 16-16 tie and Comets libero Carien Ybema added an ace after the Pirates had been able to dig up a hard spike from de Jong the Comets set Emma Underwood who got the final kill to end it The three set win gets Kalamazoo Christian back into the pattern it had set earlier in the postseason The Comets swept district matches with Galesburg Augusta and Kalamazoo Hackett as well as the regional semifinal against Bangor but got pushed to five sets in the regional final against Bronson “What we learned from Bronson was that we have to work a little bit harder for a quick fast start,” Comets coach Carlie Southland said We got rid of the negative thoughts and replaced them with positive.” The Comets got 18 kills from de Jong and 12 from Deming “What we’ve been working on in practice with [de Jong] is just getting a really quick fast snap so she can really put the ball down,” Southland said Pewamo-Westphalia got strong play at the net from Annie Platte both in racking up kills on offense and in getting blocks on defense “She’s grown a lot as a hitter,” Pirates coach Jon Thelan said “She’s a very athletic kid with a fast arm but she was really predicable at the beginning of the year and she just had to mature into that She did a better job of hiding where her swings were going to go and she was moving defenders and blockers around by doing that.” Pewamo-Westphalia scored the first four points of the night before Maya Gaertner came up with a block and de Jong added a kill No sooner had the Comets tied it than the Pirates jumped back in front when Mara Smith won a 50/50 ball The Pirates extended the lead out to 12-8 thanks to a Makayla McRae ace but the Comets rallied to tie it and eventually take the lead A kill from Annie Platte briefly put momentum back in the hands of Pewamo-Westphalia getting the Pirates within two late in the set But a hit down the line barely missed the back corner to but the Comets within two points of closing the set and de Jong had back-to-back kills to end it The Comets jumped into the lead early in the second set when Gaertner starting things off with a block Deming added a pair of kills and Ybema served an ace An Ally Nurenberg kill for Pewamo-Westphalia stopped some of that momentum but de Jong soon responded with another kill and the Comets were up 9-3 de Jong added two more kills and Gaertner a block to help the Comets build a 12-point lead before a pair of lengthy rallied ended in kills by Platte Moments later she tooled a block for another kill to cut the Comets’ lead to 17-11 Deming responded with back-to-back kills to make it 20-13 Another de Jong kill had the Comets up by six getting kills from Platte and Carlee Fox and taking advantage of a couple Comet miscues to get within two But VanDusen tipped a ball over the net beyond the reach of a pair of diving Pirates to end the second set with a roster featuring just four seniors following the graduation of 2023 Miss Volleyball Taylor Smith nevertheless finished 29-13-2 and won district and regional crowns “The start of the summer you never know what you’re going to have and to get back to the quarterfinal with a young team after graduating a lot of really talented players just says a lot about the depth of the program and how hard the girls worked,” Thelan said That was our biggest problem at the beginning of the season was we weren’t a very mentally tough team Kalamazoo Christian heads back to Battle Creek in a bid to defend its state title won a year ago in four close sets against Traverse City St “We always call these courts the work-up court so to finally make it to the show court is awesome,” de Jong said KALAMAZOO — A 20-point fourth quarter helped the Pirates secure a trip to the Breslin Center and a spot in the Division 3 state semifinals with a quarterfinal victory over Schoolcraft (20-7) on Tuesday Grady Eklund led all scorers with 27 points and Brady Heckman tacked on 11 points for Pewamo-Westphalia The Pirates (24-3) will face Riverview Gabriel Richard (23-2) in the semifinals at 2 p.m HOUGHTON LAKE — The Eagles clinched a spot in the Division 4 state semifinals for the first time since 2002 with their quarterfinal win over Bellaire (22-5) Fowler (24-3) will take on Allen Park Inter-City Baptist (24-3) at 7:30 p.m FOWLER – The Fowler football team was able to recapture the "Milk Jug" trophy after a 14-11 rivalry win over Pewamo-Westphalia on Friday night Player of the GameFowler QB Jacob Halfmann: The senior quarterback who helped win this rivalry in his sophomore season was able to play a big role in this year's win Halfmann had a 33-yard touchdown run in the first half and connected with Nate Spicer on a 10-yard touchdown in the third quarter Halfmann completed a fourth down throw that ultimately sealed the game for the Eagles P-W was starting to put together a drive with two straight first downs But the Eagles' defense recorded back-to-back sacks before an incompletion to force a punt with 5:32 remaining P-W's offense wouldn't see the ball again as the Eagles ran clock and converted a fourth down to ice the game away Fowler (6-0) now controls its destiny in the CMAC with two league games remaining The Eagles shared the league title in 2022 with P-W and Laingsburg but have a chance to win it outright after Friday's win After not having a team reach the final stages of the boys basketball state tournament each of the past two years Greater Lansing will have a strong presence at Breslin Center this weekend Three area teams will be in the mix for Michigan High School Athletic Association state championships Fowler and Pewamo-Westphalia will each try to capture their second state titles in program history This marks the first time since 2019 that the Lansing area has multiple boys basketball teams in the state semifinals Okemos and P-W made it to the semis that year Here’s a look at each of the three programs as they try to give Greater Lansing its first boys basketball state champion since Williamston in 2022: ▶ State runner-up finishes: The Trojans are in the final four at Breslin Center for the first time since 2008 East Lansing fell in the Class A semifinals to a Saginaw team that featured Draymond Green by a 69-49 score who went on to play at MSU and is now in the NBA with the Golden State Warriors had 30 points and 16 rebounds in that game who each have more than 1,000 points in their high school careers Hutson and Torbert are the sons of former Michigan State players Andre Hutson and Kelvin Torbert ▶ State runner-up finishes: The Pirates have made it to Breslin for the first time since 2019 when they captured the state title under the direction of coach Luke Pohl P-W beat Erie Mason in the semifinal that season before recording a 53-52 win over Iron Mountain in the state championship game ▶ What to know: After winning its first three state tournament games by at least 38 points the Pirates have earned tight wins over North Muskegon in the regional final and Schoolcraft in Tuesday’s quarterfinal CMAC champion P-W has won six straight since a non-league loss to Hudsonville entering its semifinal against Riverview Gabriel Richard at 2 p.m The Pirates have been led by standout junior Grady Eklund who surpassed 1,000 career points early in the season ▶ Last final four appearance: The Eagles are in the final four for the first time since finishing as the state runner-up to Wyoming Tri-unity Christian in 2002 Fowler beat Covert in the semifinal that season ▶ What to know: The Eagles head into their Thursday semifinal matchup against Allen Park Inter-City Baptist on a nine-game winning streak since a loss to CMAC rival P-W has won four of their five state tournament games by at least 12 points The Eagles recorded a 65-27 win over Bellaire in their quarterfinal This is the latest deep run in a sport for Fowler which has several key contributors that were part of a football team that reached the Division 8 state semis in the fall Senior point guard Jacob Halfmann is among the leaders for the Eagles WESTPHALIA — The Pirates captured the outright CMAC title with their victory over Laingsburg Elly Bengel had 15 points and four steals to lead the Pirates (21-0 Mallory Woodbury had 12 points for Laingsburg (13-8 CHARLOTTE — Leah Palacios paced the Quakers with 15 points in their nonleague win over Charlotte Illyana Montgomery added 12 points for Eastern (2-19) Avery Silvas had 15 points and Peyton Howarth scored 11 points to lead Charlotte (3-18) EATON RAPIDS — The Greyhounds outscored Okemos 30-16 in the second half en route to a nonleague win over Okemos Elle Lorente had a team-high 12 points and Kylie Alvarez added 10 points to lead Eaton Rapids (11-9) Natalia Hawks finished with a team-best 13 points for the Wolves (6-15) outscoring Mason 23-6 while pulling away for the nonleague win Allison Metzger had 15 points and seven rebounds and Olivia Gadson added 10 points and seven rebounds to lead Holt CEDAR SPRINGS — Madi Uyl had a team-high 12 points to help DeWitt secure a nonleague road victory over Cedar Springs (16-5) Carly Dennis finished with 10 points and Sophie Beland chipped in nine points for DeWitt (20-1) — LaDraya Worthy led all scorers with 12 points to help guide the Warriors to a nonleague home victory over Lakewood Amari Carter picked up six points and Natalia Suddeth had five points for Waverly (9-11) Heidi Carter notched a team-high eight points Joanna Duits tallied seven points and nine rebounds and Anna Grant added seven points for the Vikings (5-12) PORTLAND — Lilly Thelen led the Raiders with a game-high 20 points as Portland picked up the nonleague home victory over St Paige Spedoske scored eight points and Aaleigha Roberson added on seven points for Portland (18-3) Joce Kotowicz tallied a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds and Rowan Matice chipped in seven points and snagged five steals for St FOWLERVILLE — Tommi Kleinschmidt notched a game-high 17 points to help lead the Gladiators to a nonleague win over Everett (1-16) Michaela Gulledge tallied 10 points and Ella Orich chipped in seven points for Fowlerville (11-10) POTTERVILLE — The Redhawks went on a 20-8 run in the fourth quarter to record a CMAC road win over Potterville Maycee Reed tallied 14 points and Elli Latvala and Leah Wernet each tacked on six points for Saranac (6-15 Aubrey Gasch finished with a team-high 14 points and Kyra Marciniak added eight points for the Vikings (2-16 PORTLAND — Gracelyn Rockey led the Shamrocks with a team-high 15 points and grabbed five rebounds as Portland St Patrick notched the CMAC victory over Bath Mattie Honsowitz notched nine points and 10 rebounds and Lily Sandborn and Bella Russman each chipped in six points for Portland St Anna Poppema scored a team-best nine points for the Bees (10-10 PERRY — Lydia Brogan scored a team-high 19 points to help guide the Pilgrims to a CMAC road victory over Perry (7-13 Sophie Hazelton chipped in nine points for Lansing Christian (16-5 WEBBERVILLE — Jenna Lycos led the Bears with a team-high 16 points four rebounds and four steals as the Spartans picked up a home win over Ashley (4-17) 10 rebounds and five blocks and Lexi Proctor and Haley Proctor each chipped in seven points for Webberville (11-9) FLINT — Gracie TerMeer led all scorers with 17 points to push the Cavaliers to a Flint Metro League crossover win over Flint Kearsley (9-13) Kaylee Owens tallied 10 points and Lizzie Dettman added six points for Corunna (11-10) IONIA — Logan Thomas picked up 14 points and dished out three assists for the Bulldogs in a nonleague home defeat to Greenville (16-6) Tessa Lemke notched 12 points and six rebounds Lexi Daugherty scored 12 points and Aubree White tacked on eight points and four rebounds for Ionia (11-7) NEW LOTHROP -- Danica Dwyer notched a team-high 19 points and dished out five assists for the Trojans in a nonleague road defeat to New Lothrop (18-3) Audri Hrncharik tacked on six points for Owosso (10-11)