Brandon Newbern tries to catch the ball during the Dec. 5 Zion Top of the Mountains Games against Snow College. GRCC lost 41-37 after playing in 18 degree temperatures in Utah. (Photo by Bjorn Skogen,Collegiate)

Football team springs to action
By Dana Finkler
Collegiate Staff Writer

The GRCC football team will hold spring practices from March 8 to April 2.

Practices are scheduled Mon.-Thurs. from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Athletic Director Doug Wabeke finalized a deal with Houseman Field for its use during the spring.

“This allows us to connect with these kids and hold them accountable to the expectations we have set in place,” said Head Football Coach Tony Annese.

However, the focus is not just on their goals on the gridiron but in the classroom as well.

“During the season, you have more oversight. We can monitor them on the things you come to expect from them academically,” Annese said. “This also helps to get more kids to stay around.”

Defensive Coordinator Curtis Andrews believes it will be a positive experience for both the coaches and players.

“From a development standpoint, it allows the kids to get better,” Andrews said. “With this spring ball, I think it will allow them to be more prepared for the upcoming season.”

Richard Halley, a GRCC running back, is motivated by the loss on Dec. 5 to Snow College in the Zion Top of the Mountains Bowl Game.

“We should have won that game,” Halley said. “Spring practice will allow us to work even harder to make a run for a championship next season.

“Many of us are going out of our way to do our own conditioning and drills aside from what we the
coaches have set in place to make ourselves better.”

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Last year’s golf team ranked third in the nation among junior colleges, and Head Coach Bruce VandenBeldt is confident this year’s team will do the same.

“We’re pretty solid,” VandenBeldt said. “We have five kids back from last year’s team who are sophomores. we have an additional sophomore that made the team this year, and we have three very talented freshmen that are also on the team.”

VandenBeldt has nothing but praise for his team.

“We’re nine deep, and there is strength in numbers,” VandenBeldt said. “A lot of schools only have one or two; we have all nine that are real solid players.”

The team had an outstanding season last year, according to VandenBeldt.

“Last year, with the recruiting and everything, we finished third in the country; we were fifth in the national tournament,” VandenBeldt said. “We had an amazing year last year. That’s what we’re trying to
duplicate.”

According to VandenBeldt, the golf team recruits their players.

“We cover the whole local area by contacts with the high school,” VandenBeldt said. “We also get referrals from past players.

“What’s nice now is that kids are coming to us because of our success,” VandenBeldt said. “Recruiting has definitely gotten a little bit easier.

And according to VandenBeldt, the students get some benefits.

“They get to play at one of the nicest courses in Michigan, Egypt Valley,” VandenBeldt said. “They get to play for a national championship. They get a year round program. There is financial aid available to them.”

The players see GRCC as a place to help them achieve their goals.

The team is leaving next month to play in warmer weather.

“We’re leaving for Alabama in the third week of March to play in a big national tournament,” VandenBeldt said. “That gives us a big jump on our competition because we get to get out in the warm weather for a little bit to play. That’s good for us.”

But according to VandenBeldt, practicing in the cold weather gives the team an advantage.

“We’re a cold weather school, where as most of the schools that we compete at in the nationals are
out west, down south: Arizona, Texas, Florida,” VandenBeldt said. “They’re playing golf year round; we play golf when we can with the weather. We surprised a lot of people at the nationals last year. What’s a Michigan school doing this well with the weather they play in?

“That’s one of the things we offer. Our golf program is year round. A lot of the schools in our leagues just do it for the six weeks of the league. To the serious golfer, that’s very appealing.”

Returning sophomore Jackson Davison had some good things to say about last year’s team.

“It went well,” Davison said. “It wasn’t that hard.”

Davison also has a lot of confidence in this year’s team.

“We should be pretty good; we’ve only got one of our players that didn’t come back from last year,” Davison said. “I think we’ve got some good players coming in so we should have another run at nationals.”

But Davison knows he’s not perfect.

“I’ve been working on shortening my swing and putting up good scores so I can transfer to Eastern,” Davison said.

Sophomore and returning team member Ian Straayer also had good things to say about this year’s team.

“We’ve got some new incoming guys who are stepping up pretty well,” Straayer said. “After last year, I’m feeling pretty confident.”

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GRCC basketball team’s leading scorer, guard James Thomas, returned to the court Feb. 17 against Glenn Oaks Community College, but the team still lost 82- 94.

Thomas cracked his head open after driving hard to the basket for a lay-up in the first seven minutes during the Feb. 8 game against Lansing Community College.

Thomas received stitches. Thomas currently has many offers from colleges in Michigan.

“It was unfortunate, we hope he is well” said Head Coach Kelley McEwen. “Its hard to make up for someone who is averaging 20 plus points”.

The Raiders jumped out to a 30-27-halftime lead after a physical first half.

But Lansing Community College hit many key free throws and 3-pointers off turnovers down the stretch to pull away with a 68-60 victory.

The loss leaves the Raiders with a 13-6 overall record and 7-4 record in conference play.

Sophomore Guard Bradley Whitby led the Raiders with 16 points in a losing effort.

Freshman forward James Taps scored a career high 11 points off the bench.

“It’s a tough loss we played hard,” said Kelley McEwen.

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Snow still covers the ground around campus, yet the GRCC Baseball Team is gearing up in reparation for their first game of the year.

The team will play a series of road games in both Florida and Ohio before their home opener at Belknap Park according to the GRCC Baseball Team’s website.

“The strong point of the team has yet to be determined, the fall went very well with the pitching staff as awhole,” said Head Coach Mike Cupples in an e-mail.

“A few injuries had set some of the staff back a bit but we are starting to get healthy now as we get closer to our southern trip,” Cupples said.

The team will be traveling to Marianna, FL for a tournament the weekend of Feb. 26.

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