In light of our fall sports season wrapping up, I'm excited to have our Athletic Director, Brad McCormack, as a guest blogger to kick off this week's News and Notes highlighting our fall Trojan athletic season. Join me in congratulating all of our student-athletes and their coaches on successful seasons. Come out to support our Volleyball and Cross Country teams as their seasons continue over the next few weeks.
Read on after Mr. McCormack's post as I share some cool things happening in our 2nd-grade classrooms and ways to stay connected with what is happening in WLPS to wrap up this week.
It's a great day to be a Trojan.
-Tom DeKeyser
WLPS Superintendent
Read on after Mr. McCormack's post as I share some cool things happening in our 2nd-grade classrooms and ways to stay connected with what is happening in WLPS to wrap up this week.
It's a great day to be a Trojan.
-Tom DeKeyser
WLPS Superintendent
Trojan Fall High School Sports Recap
Guest Blogger: Brad McCormack, Athletic Director
For some, success is simply based on wins and losses. For me, success means so much more than that. Over the past several months, our fall student-athletes have worked tirelessly toward achieving one objective...success.
The 2017 fall sports season started with high expectations for the Trojans. Volleyball in search of a conference title and looking to avenge an early exit in the 2016 district tournament, Cross Country seeking a second consecutive TCC championship with sights on a team qualification at states and football with aspirations of making it to playoffs for the first time since 2013.
Football
Coming off a 2-7 2016 season, Trojan football opened their season with a shoot-out win over East Jackson. After storming out to a 40-8 lead, East Jackson stormed back tying the score 40-40 late in the 4th quarter. With our final possession, the boys marched down the field for six to win the game 48-40. After the season opener win, the team hit a rough patch losing the next four games to Dundee, Clinton, Whiteford and Summerfield. In week six, we were able to right the ship shutting out Madison 35-0--our first shutout since 2014. That win was followed up with a loss to Morenci and a win at Britton Deerfield. In a very emotional senior night, we were defeated by a strong Sand Creek squad completing our season with a 3-7 record.
Coming off a 2-7 2016 season, Trojan football opened their season with a shoot-out win over East Jackson. After storming out to a 40-8 lead, East Jackson stormed back tying the score 40-40 late in the 4th quarter. With our final possession, the boys marched down the field for six to win the game 48-40. After the season opener win, the team hit a rough patch losing the next four games to Dundee, Clinton, Whiteford and Summerfield. In week six, we were able to right the ship shutting out Madison 35-0--our first shutout since 2014. That win was followed up with a loss to Morenci and a win at Britton Deerfield. In a very emotional senior night, we were defeated by a strong Sand Creek squad completing our season with a 3-7 record.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Trojans were led by senior quarterback Bryan Pasciak. Pasciak completed 31 of 74 pass attempts ending his season with 498 yards and six touchdowns. Sophomore Evan Romeo was the leading ball carrier with 146 carries for 817 yards and six touchdowns. He was followed by senior Steven Leach with 82 carries for 453 yards and six touchdowns. Ryan Thoman was our third-leading rusher with 281 yards and our leading receiver with 236 yards.
Our defense was led by senior Ryan Thoman. In only eight games, Thoman tallied 122 tackles leading the Tri-County Conference. Sophomore Izaak Angel also had a terrific season with 109 tackles, one forced fumble, three fumble recoveries and two sacks.
With nine seniors set to graduate this year, our Trojans will be very young next season. Nevertheless, the goal will remain the same. Six wins get us in.
Cross Country
Looking to build on their successful TCC Championship last year, our boys cross country team started the season with their eye on back-to-back titles. Out of the 12 meets they competed in throughout the season, they won the Springport, Madison and Larry Steeb Invitationals. Junior Kevin LaMont was also the overall winner of the Springport Invitational. However at the TCC Championship meet they were outpaced by the state ranked Aggies of Sand Creek and finished 2nd. The boys had five student-athletes recognized by the conference:
1st Team All-TCC: Senior Hunter Fanson, Junior Kevin LaMont and Sophomore Clay Rinna
2nd Team All-TCC: Senior Colton Seigle
Honorable Mention: Dillin Kowalewski
The girls also had a strong 2017 season as well. They followed up their 2016 TCC performance with a fourth-place finish. They also placed third at the Madison Invitational and second at the Larry Steeb Invitational. Several of the runners set personal record during the season including Rylee Phillips (23:49), Jossalyn Johnson (24:36), Hannah Smith (26:30), Abbie Kurtz (28:27) and Eveliina Taylor (29:03). The following student-athletes on the team were recognized by our conference:
1st Team All-TCC: Jordan Craven
2nd Team All-TCC: Maggie Lustig
Honorable Mention: Rylee Phillips
Both teams head to the Regional Championship this Saturday, 10 a.m. where they will compete at Willow Metropark in New Boston with their eye on the prize. If the teams and/or individual runners advance to the State Finals, they will run at Michigan International Speedway on November 4th.
Volleyball
After a second place conference finish and an early exit in the state tournament last year, the girls started the season focused on a conference title and more. The Trojans are having one of the best seasons in school history...yes, you read that correctly. Their overall record currently sits at 31-8 and they finished as conference runner-up for the second consecutive year at 12-2.
The Trojans opened their season with consecutive tournaments at Jonesville and Ann Arbor Greenhills. After consecutive losses to Jonesville and Hillsdale, they won the next three matches to be crowned silver division champs. At the Greenhills tournament, they went 4-1 on the day and defeated Detroit Country Day in the championship match. Over the next 11 matches, the ladies went 9-2 heading into their annual home invitational. At their home invite, they finished 3-1 after losing to Olivet in the gold bracket semi-finals. That all led to a conference showdown with conference undefeated Adrian-Madison. After dropping the opening match of the double-header, the WLHS Trojans regrouped to defeat the opposing Trojans 3-1, handing them their first conference loss in two years.
After a second place conference finish and an early exit in the state tournament last year, the girls started the season focused on a conference title and more. The Trojans are having one of the best seasons in school history...yes, you read that correctly. Their overall record currently sits at 31-8 and they finished as conference runner-up for the second consecutive year at 12-2.
The Trojans opened their season with consecutive tournaments at Jonesville and Ann Arbor Greenhills. After consecutive losses to Jonesville and Hillsdale, they won the next three matches to be crowned silver division champs. At the Greenhills tournament, they went 4-1 on the day and defeated Detroit Country Day in the championship match. Over the next 11 matches, the ladies went 9-2 heading into their annual home invitational. At their home invite, they finished 3-1 after losing to Olivet in the gold bracket semi-finals. That all led to a conference showdown with conference undefeated Adrian-Madison. After dropping the opening match of the double-header, the WLHS Trojans regrouped to defeat the opposing Trojans 3-1, handing them their first conference loss in two years.
All of this leads up to MHSAA District play which opens next Monday, October 30th when the Trojans play host to Riverview Gabriel Richard at 6:00 p.m. A district championship would land them a spot in the Regional tournament at Vandercook Lake. We hope you will come out and support our team!
A noted individual accomplishment during the season was Bre’Anna Standlick being named
Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association (MIVCA) Player of the Week for the State of Michigan in September.
Overall, I am extremely proud of both our student-athletes and coaching staff. I have watched both invest countless hours of time in the weight room, film room and practice field/court all in search of one common goal...success. Their hard work has and is coming to fruition. I look forward to sharing their continued success.
Upcoming Winter Sports
Winter sports for WLPS will get underway on Monday, October 30th with the boys middle school basketball teams’ opening practices. In the following two weeks, girls (November 6th) and boys (November 13th) basketball, wrestling along with competitive cheer and bowling will also kick off. Later in the month, our swim team (a co-op with Greenhills and Gabriel Richard) starts November 20th. Interested in joining these teams and have questions? Feel free to contact me at brad.mccormack@wlps.net or 734.449.4461 x3005. And for continued Trojan athletics updates, follow us on Twitter @wl_athletics.
A few dates to mark your calendars:
December 29th: Wrestling will host a home wrestling tournament
January 27th: Competitive cheer will host their annual invitational
February 23rd: Boys and girls varsity basketball teams will host conference rival Clinton at Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit. Pre-sale tickets ($35) are on sale now in the athletic office. Your ticket will get you into the HS games AND the Pistons vs. Celtics game that evening.
Go Trojans!
Getting to Know Their HometownUpcoming Winter Sports
Winter sports for WLPS will get underway on Monday, October 30th with the boys middle school basketball teams’ opening practices. In the following two weeks, girls (November 6th) and boys (November 13th) basketball, wrestling along with competitive cheer and bowling will also kick off. Later in the month, our swim team (a co-op with Greenhills and Gabriel Richard) starts November 20th. Interested in joining these teams and have questions? Feel free to contact me at brad.mccormack@wlps.net or 734.449.4461 x3005. And for continued Trojan athletics updates, follow us on Twitter @wl_athletics.
A few dates to mark your calendars:
December 29th: Wrestling will host a home wrestling tournament
January 27th: Competitive cheer will host their annual invitational
February 23rd: Boys and girls varsity basketball teams will host conference rival Clinton at Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit. Pre-sale tickets ($35) are on sale now in the athletic office. Your ticket will get you into the HS games AND the Pistons vs. Celtics game that evening.
Go Trojans!
As part of our Project Based Learning, our 2nd-grade classes are learning about the community of Whitmore Lake. Several weeks ago both teachers Cathy Schneider and Katie Sloan sent home an assignment for their students to find out one interesting thing about their community to share with the class.
While sharing all the cool things they learned about their community with each other in class, their teachers asked them if they thought everyone in their community knows all these cool facts about Whitmore Lake. The students didn’t think everyone did and suggested they come up with a way to share this information.
Their solution? Write a book to put in the public library to teach others in our community about all that they have learned about Whitmore Lake!
They then set out to do first-hand research by visiting several places in Whitmore Lake to learn even more. And last Friday, October 20, they did just that.
Ms. Schneider and Ms. Sloan’s class loaded onto a school bus and visited the Northfield Township offices housing our police and fire stations and township offices, eating lunch upstairs at the fire station. After they continued on to the Jennings Athletic Complex and park, they headed to the Post Office; Polly’s Market, where they were given some yummy treats; and the Library.
One group of students from each class were assigned to a location they visited and given the task of generating questions at each location to become “experts.” Other groups of students were responsible for studying and observing how people in the community have fun and what they do for entertainment.
Students are now taking all the information they gathered from their research and have begun writing their books in class. We look forward to sharing the finished product with you, so we can all get to know our town a little bit better through the eyes of our second-grade students.
One group of students from each class were assigned to a location they visited and given the task of generating questions at each location to become “experts.” Other groups of students were responsible for studying and observing how people in the community have fun and what they do for entertainment.
Students are now taking all the information they gathered from their research and have begun writing their books in class. We look forward to sharing the finished product with you, so we can all get to know our town a little bit better through the eyes of our second-grade students.
You can check out more pictures from the trip HERE.
Get Informed and Connected
It is important to us that we stay connected with our students, staff, parents and community members, providing ways to stay informed on everything WLPS. Next week there are two opportunities to connect with school administrators. First is next Thursday for our WLES Principal and Early Childhood Director's first WANNA KNOW? Join her for coffee, doughnuts and conversation about things happening at the elementary level.
Then the following day, you can tune into our Facebook page for November's edition of "Between Two Terns." I'll be joined by our WLPS PTO President Lindsey Collins to hear about all the important things our PTO have happening.
Please join us.
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