The Manchester Enterprise
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
2007 Year in Sports: August-December: Area teams take fans on wild ride
Surprise seasons and personal records cap final months of 2007
By Ed Patino, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: January 3, 2008
With a fight for a playoff spot in football, a breakout season in volleyball and a record-setting campaign in cross-country, Manchester sports fans had plenty to cheer about during the fall sports campaign. The local stories blended with compelling moments across the region, from an exciting race for the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football title (Division III) to a roller-coaster year for the University of Michigan football team.
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Here is a look at some of the top sports stories from August through December 2007.
August
Manchester fall sports teams return to training camp early in the month. The varsity football team had its largest number of participants in camp (40), while the volleyball program began its first season as a fall sport.
Hope College was a near-unanimous pick by coaches and media members to repeat as the MIAA football champions during the league's Media Day. Adrian is picked second, while Olivet is tabbed third.
Former Manchester High School player Jordan Tallman is named the starting quarterback for the Kalamazoo College Hornets of the MIAA. The year prior, Tallman makes eight starts after starting out as the backup, finishing as one of the top-10 passers in the conference.
Manchester inducts its first class to the Wall of Fame. In all, 19 former athletes dating to the Class of 1932, three coaches, six volunteers and five organizations are inducted.
Kurt Busch wins the NASCAR Nextel Cup 3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway. The race begins Aug. 19 and finishes two days later after thunderstorms force postponements of the event.
The 2007 varsity football season begins Aug. 24 with Manchester and Clinton renewing the "Battle of M-52." Led by running back Tim Snell, the visiting Redskins defeat Manchester 21-14, snapping the Flying Dutchmen's four-game winning streak in the rivalry.
Making its fall debut, the Manchester varsity volleyball team opens the season Aug. 25 by placing second in the Jackson County Western Tournament.
September
The college football world is turned on its ear on opening day Sept. 1 when Appalachian State upends Michigan 34-32 in Ann Arbor. The Mountaineers, who enter the game as 41-point underdogs, become the first Division I-AA team to defeat a ranked I-A school. Michigan entered the season ranked No. 5 in the nation and is favored to win the Big Ten, but drop out of the rankings following the loss. Things get worse before they get better, as Michigan is blasted by Oregon the following week.
Behind a strong option attack, Manchester's varsity football team picks up its first win of the season, a 34-20 victory at Napoleon Sept. 7.
The Manchester equestrian team captures the Division 1 district championship, winning the final two rounds of the event to beat out Ann Arbor Pioneer. The 18-rider Dutch advance to the regional events, where they finish the season with a third-place finish.
Behind nine kills from Liz Curby, eight apiece from Julie Fielder and Amanda Mutchler and 18 service points from Ally Way, the Manchester varsity volleyball team sweeps defending Cascades co-champion Napoleon on the road Sept. 20. The loss is the first in the league for Napoleon since the 2005-06 season. The win propels the Dutch to a second-place finish in the league.
Jordan Tallman (Manchester) throws three touchdown passes to lift Kalamazoo College to a 37-19 victory over Bluffton University Sept. 22.
With a time of 19:58, Liz Timoszyk sets a new Manchester school record for the girls' cross-country team Sept. 22 at the Ella Sharp Invitational. The sophomore beat the previous record (20:02) by four seconds.
The Manchester varsity football team scores three touchdowns in a 1:23 span of playing time during a 28-18 victory at Hanover-Horton Sept. 28. Justin Welton hits Corwin Every for an eight-year score on the final play of the first half, and Ty King runs in two more scores early in the third quarter, giving the Dutchmen a 28-6 lead. The win evens Manchester's record at 3-3.
October
Kyler Ritter runs in a two-year touchdown with 40 seconds remaining Oct. 5, giving the Flying Dutchmen a 15-12 victory over Grass Lake in the homecoming game. Just over three minutes earlier, Manchester fell behind after an 84-yard touchdown run by Grass Lake gave the visitors the lead. A win the following week at East Jackson keeps the Dutchmen's playoff hopes alive.
James Hughes sets a new boys' cross-country school record for the third time in a month Oct. 13 at the Father Gabriel Richard Invitational. The senior records a time of 15:44 and places third overall in the boys' Division 1 race. Seven other runners set personal bests in the Division 3 race for Manchester.
Both the junior varsity football and volleyball teams go undefeated in Cascades Conference play to win their respective league titles. The Manchester JV football team defeats East Jackson to wrap up its second straight Cascades crown and consecutive unbeaten seasons in league play. Likewise, the Manchester JV volleyball team finishes a perfect 7-0 in the conference to win the Cascades crown.
Finishing a big turnaround, the Manchester varsity volleyball team posts a 6-1 record in Cascades play, and a second-place finish in the league tournament Oct. 25 gives the Dutch second place outright in the league. Hanover-Horton wins the Cascades title for the 24th straight season.
Needing a win to qualify for the state playoffs, the Manchester football team jumps to a 14-0 first-quarter lead against Onsted in the season finale Oct. 19. The high-powered Wildcats rally for a 23-21 victory, however, and keep the Dutchmen out of the postseason for the first time in five years.
November
After outlasting Addison in the opening round, the Manchester varsity volleyball team builds a two-game lead on Jonesville in the Class C district semifinals Nov. 3. However, the Comets rally to win the next three games and the match 19-25, 22-25, 25-22, 25-14, 15-12. Manchester finishes the season 25-17-8.
James Hughes finishes sixth in the Division 3 state cross-country meet Nov. 3 at Michigan International Speedway. The Manchester senior records a time of 15:54.3, while fellow Dutchmen Carl Wharam finishes in 16:58.4 in his first state appearance.
Olivet and Hope College both finish 6-1 in league play to share the MIAA football championship. Olivet advances to the playoffs thanks to a 28-25 victory over Hope in Week 9. The title is the first for the Comets in 33 years. Olivet is eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Division 3 playoffs by Central College (Iowa).
Girls' basketball makes its winter debut Nov. 27. Manchester varsity coach Cori Kastel returns to Clinton, but her former team tops the Dutch 54-30 in the season opener.
Michigan falls to archrival Ohio State for the fourth straight year with a 14-3 loss Nov. 17 in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines' fourth loss of the season sends them to the Capital One Bowl against Florida. Two days after falling to the Buckeyes, Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr announces his retirement effective after the bowl game.
December
The varsity boys' basketball season opens Dec. 4. Manchester falls to Clinton in the opener 46-40.
Building off last spring's postseason, the Manchester wrestling team trades victories with Springport. The Dutchmen drop the first meeting 36-34 during a Dec. 1 invitational, but return the favor two weeks later with a 44-34 victory in the finals of the Michigan Center Team Tournament. Manchester eliminated then-No. 4 Springport in the Division 4 team regional tournament in March.
Justin Welton scores 21 points as the Manchester varsity boys' basketball rallies for a 61-60 victory over Michigan Center at home Dec. 14. The Dutchmen's first win of the season comes in its first Cascades game of the season.
The Manchester varsity girls' basketball team matches Cascades power Addison for most of the night, but the visiting Panthers escape with a 52-41 victory Dec. 21 thanks to Dana Cook's 18 points. The Dutch enter the holiday break 2-6.
After a potential deal with LSU football coach Les Miles falls through, the University of Michigan hires West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez as Lloyd Carr's successor.
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