Marshall Standout Nears Finish of Fight
By
Pam Shebest
Special for MHSAA.com
November 17, 2015
MARSHALL — February 1 is a red-letter day for Andrew Shippell.
However, the Marshall senior doesn’t have a huge celebration planned — not yet, anyway.
As a freshman in the fall of 2012, Shippell and his Redhawks teammates were pumped as they headed into the Division 2 Boys Soccer Districts.
But Shippell had been dealing with pain in his shoulder. It went away, but when it returned in his other shoulder a week later, his mother, Theresa, took him to the doctor to have it checked.
When the doctors got the results of his blood counts, they wanted the diagnosis confirmed, so the Shippells ended up at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo on Oct. 19, 2012.
“They knew before we went over that his blood counts looked like he had leukemia, but they wanted that confirmed by the oncologist,” Theresa Shippell said. “We knew by midnight that we were in for a long haul.”
Thankfully, the journey is nearly complete.
February 1, 2016, is the day Andrew is scheduled to end the maintenance phase of his chemotherapy and will be chemo and pill-free for the first time in three years.
‘Reasons to fight’
His diagnosis back in 2012 was acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and all of a sudden the soccer team was without its leading scorer.
“I just didn’t think it was possible,” his dad, Dale Shippell, said. “That kid, as strong as he was, being taken out like this was ridiculous.
“His eighth grade year, just three months prior to that, he was breaking school records in track and field. Seeing him lying in that bed after having his port put in was just devastating.”
That season, Marshall won the District title but lost in the Regional Semifinals.
“I really believe we won districts for Andrew,” said senior Alec Kraushaar, Andrew’s longtime friend and teammate. “We came together.
“We weren’t the best skilled team, but we fought and we had a reason to fight. We wanted to let Andrew know we had his back in this.”
Instead of heading back to Marshall following the 4-3 double overtime District win at Coldwater, the team went straight to Bronson Methodist.
“Alec and the whole team came up to see him after they won districts,” Dale Shippell said. “He literally was just out of recovery when they walked into the room with the trophy.”
Shippell was back on the soccer and baseball fields by his sophomore year and ended his high school soccer career this fall the way it started: with a District title.
The Redhawks lost 2-0 to Plainwell earlier this month in the Regional Semifinals.
“I think he played more minutes than he did all season in our very last game against Plainwell,” Marshall’s first-year coach Hans Morgan said. “I told him he was the best player on the field that day.
“I pushed him as long as I could push him because we needed him out there. His fitness was never less than anyone else’s. He’s a very, very talented player.”
Even though he never played 80 minutes straight, Shippell led the team in scoring this season. He and Matt Terry scored nine goals each, and Shippell added a team-high 14 assists “so he blew everybody out of the water in terms of total points,” Morgan said.
'A scary word'
Looking back to their freshman year, Kraushaar remembers the impact Shippell’s diagnosis had on the team when it first heard the news.
“I was at practice,” he said. “Coach Tony (Tartaglia) got a call and had us huddle up. He goes, ‘I have some news. Andrew has been diagnosed with leukemia.’
“My reaction at first was ‘What’s leukemia?’ Someone said cancer. I immediately thought the worst. I broke down. I remember going to the bench and just sitting there and crying. What else could I do? Districts were that week.”
Said Theresa Shippell: “I have two boys and that was probably the worst news I’ve received my whole life. You think of the cancer. It’s not a pretty word. It’s a scary word.”
Andrew Shippell said his first thought was whether he would survive, but the doctors quickly assured him that the leukemia was found early enough and was treatable.
His parents also were assured that his twin brother, Ben, should not be affected.
“We asked the oncologist right away and he said no because fraternal twins don’t tend to have the same diagnosis,” their mother said.
During Andrew’s freshman year, the teen kept up with his school work via the Internet so “I’d be able to graduate on time with my class,” he said. “My teammates supported me through everything and made sure I’m pushing as far as I can go. They know my limit and, if not, I’ll let them know.
“Some teammates would cook food and bring it by the hospital and visit me at the hospital and make sure I was entertained instead of just sitting in a hospital bed watching TV.”
That first year, “One of the teachers (girls cross country coach Steve Wissink) had hair down to his shoulders and he cut it to raise money.
Students also sold “Andrew Strong” bracelets.
Morgan said he did not know about Shippell’s leukemia when he took over the coaching job this year.
He had a meeting with Shippell and Kraushaar during the summer to talk about the team and its goals.
“In the middle of the conversation, Alec mentioned Andrew’s going through chemo and recovering from leukemia,” Morgan said. “My jaw must have hit the floor because I had zero idea whatsoever. It was surprising, to say the least. It’s shocking he’s done so well.
“I remember I tried to save face a little bit that day and talked about how good it was that I knew it now and how we might have to manage minutes, play him in short bursts or something like that.
“Other than a few e-mails that Andrew might be late to practice that day because of medical stuff or practicing with their shirts off because you could see where the port was, outside of those two things, I would have had no idea.”
Looking back, looking ahead
Since his freshman year, “He’s had about 15 spinals since he was diagnosed where they treat his brain with a chemo,” Theresa Shippell said. “He’s had shots in the leg.
“He’s had three- and four-day stints of chemo through his port for 24 hours at Bronson, then flush it until his counts were back to normal. Usually two to four days there. He’ll be on pills (between 3 and 27 pills a day depending on the day) until February.”
In February, the port comes out but he will be checked monthly the first year and periodically over the next five.
“I’m looking forward to it,” his dad said. “I just want to see him as him again without the extras. This year, he was his freshman year all over again and it was great to see.”
The athlete could not play baseball his freshman year and was on the junior varsity team as a sophomore. This season will be his second on the varsity squad.
Playing second base and shortstop, Shippell “is in the heart of a really good class,” said baseball coach Trevor Kelley, who resigned this year to coach at Albion College. “Watching him practice and prepare, you can see he has tremendous ability.
“Because of his medical issues, he didn’t come back so easily. Once he got confidence, his playing time began to increase and he became a starter.”
The journey has been a learning lesson for many.
“I just wanted to get back to my normal life and not let it affect me,” Andrew Shippell said. “I learned that you definitely have to push through some obstacles in life and no matter what gets thrown your way, you have to keep going and look at the bright side.”
Said Kraushaar: “Now he seems like his own self. For (the soccer team) to finish the way we started was by far amazing. Both of us had great seasons.
“I learned that being a friend, being there for each other, the small things, they go a long way. You have to be there, have to let them know you care. That means a lot to people in more ways than you can realize.”
Kraushaar’s brother, Kurt, a junior on the soccer team, said he was only in eighth grade when he heard the diagnosis and did not know anything about leukemia.
“I knew cancer was a deadly disease,” he said. “You hear how people are fighting it but you don’t expect it to happen so close to home, to one of your friends.
“It was hard knowing what Andrew was going through. Just being there for someone, knowing they have it worse than you. You can’t look at your bad things because there’s someone who has it worse.”
Shippell has a suggestion to anyone else going through medical challenges: “Just make sure you let your family and friends give you all the support they can and don’t block anybody out.
“Keep involved in activities and don’t shut down and let your life stop just because you’re diagnosed with such a horrible illness.”
Pam Shebest served as a sportswriter at the Kalamazoo Gazette from 1985-2009 after 11 years part-time with the Gazette while teaching French and English at White Pigeon High School. She continues to freelance for MLive.com covering mainly Kalamazoo Wings hockey and can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Andrew Shippell (7) works to control the ball during one of Marshall's soccer games this season. (Middle) Clockwise, from top left: Andrew Shippell, Theresa Shippell, Alec Kraushaar, Dale Shippell. (Below) Andrew Shippell picks up a grounder; he'll play his second season on the varsity baseball team next spring. (Action photos courtesy of the Shippell family.)
Preview: Time to Take the Final Step
October 31, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Half of this season’s boys soccer finalists have never won an MHSAA championship.
But they’re surely looking forward to another opportunity after just-misses in the past.
Grand Rapids Covenant Christian has finished runner-up in Division 4 the last two seasons. Opponent Birmingham Roeper has made the Semifinals four times including last season and lost in its lone Final appearance. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood has fallen in Semifinals two of the last five seasons, and Williamston fell in overtime in the Division 3 Final only two years ago.
One of the Division 4 teams is sure to celebrate Saturday. Cranbrook and Williamston have their work cut out, however, against two of the most storied programs in MHSAA history. Division 1 is the lone division matching former champions.
Below is Saturday's schedule, followed by a look at each team in the hunt:
Division 1 at Brighton, Noon
Canton (23-0-3) vs. Rochester Adams (13-4-7)
Division 2 at Brighton, 3 p.m.
East Lansing (23-2) vs. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood (19-2-1)
Division 3 at East Kentwood Crestwood Middle School, Noon
Hudsonville Unity Christian (23-1) vs. Williamston (14-3-6)
Division 4 at East Kentwood Crestwood Middle School, 3 p.m.
Grand Rapids Covenant Christian (21-3-2) vs. Birmingham Roeper (22-1)
All four Finals will be streamed live on MHSAA.TV and available on a subscription basis. A one-day pass costs $9.95 and allows access to all four games plus the Lower Peninsula Cross Country Finals. A month pass costs $14.95 and allows fans to also watch live the Volleyball Semifinals and Finals and Lower Peninsula Girls Swimming & Diving Finals, plus weekly coverage of the football playoffs. Radio broadcasts of the Soccer Finals will be available on MHSAAnetwork.com.
Click for links to brackets and scores. All statistics below are through Regional Finals.
DIVISION 1
CANTON
Record/rank: 23-0-3, No. 2
Coach: Mark Zemanski, second season (40-2-6)
League finish: First in Kensington Lakes Activities Association Kensington Conference
Championship history: Two MHSAA titles (most recent 2011).
Players to watch: Jack Zemanski, sr. M (5 goals, 17 assists); Carter Schenk, sr. F (14 goals, 6 assists); Hunter Olson, jr. M/F (15 goals, 9 assists).
Outlook: Canton’s undefeated run has included wins over No. 3 Livonia Stevenson (by shootout), No. 9 Plymouth and No. 10 Northville (by shootout in the Regional Final) and one of the ties was against Rochester Adams, this weekend’s championship game opponent. Jack Zemanski and Schenk both earned all-state honorable mentions as juniors, with Zemanski this fall the main distributor to four players with at least 12 goals. Three keepers have combined for 15 shutouts, including a string of seven straight through the middle of the season.
ROCHESTER ADAMS
Record/rank: 13-4-7, honorable mention
Coach: Josh Hickey, sixth season (70-33-30)
League finish: Second in Oakland Activities Association Red
Championship history: Division 1 champion 1999, runner-up 2001.
Players to watch: Kevin Lencioni sr. F (17 goals, 5 assists), Lennart Zorn, jr. F (15 goals, 8 assists), Dylan Brown, soph. GK (0.50 GAA, 9 shutouts).
Outlook: Hickey has led Adams to two straight District titles and four total in six seasons, this time after a rather middling 1-1-4 start to the fall. Adams downed No. 4 Fraser 3-2 in the Semifinal in one of only five games the team gave up more than one goal. The ties are many but impressive against honorable mentions Novi, Detroit Catholic Central (which Adams later beat) and Canton, as mentioned above. Brown is one of three sophomore starters and also has a freshman among defenders in front of him.
DIVISION 2
BLOOMFIELD HILLS CRANBROOK KINGSWOOD
Record/rank: 19-2-1, No. 10
Coach: Chad O’Kulich, 16th season (214-54-24)
League finish: First in Detroit Catholic League AA
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Paul Holmes, sr. M (14 goals, 9 assists); Kolin Clark, soph. M (13 goals, 4 assists); Ken Kernen, jr. F (14 goals, 9 assists).
Outlook: Cranbrook’s run has been impressive with three shutouts and its last two wins coming over No. 5 Linden in the Regional Final and No. 9 Dexter in the Semifinal. Both losses were during the first half of the regular season to honorable mention Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, and the Cranes also own a win over Division 3 No. 9 Detroit Country Day. They’ve won nine straight league titles and 11 in 12 seasons, plus three straight Districts and two Regionals in three seasons. Five seniors man the middle and back in front of junior keeper Trevor Stormes, who has 10 shutouts.
EAST LANSING
Record/rank: 23-2, No. 4
Coach: Nick Archer, 38th season (595-154-72)
League finish: First in Capital Area Activities Conference Blue
Championship history: Four MHSAA titles (most recent 2013), two runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: DeJuan Jones, sr. F (22 goals, 13 assists); Zach Lane, jr. M (15 goals, 7 assists); Elmedin Celovic, sr. M (11 goals, 6 assists), Chris Wallace, jr. GK (15 shutouts).
Outlook: The Trojans followed last season’s championship with four shutouts to start 2014, and their lone losses were to top-ranked Mason and honorable mention DeWitt, the latter in a shootout. East Lansing avenged that Mason loss by beating the Bulldogs in the Semifinal and also beat No. 3 Spring Lake and DeWitt during this tournament run – and Division 1 No. 1 Okemos during the regular season. Jones has committed to play next season at Michigan State University and could be a finalist for Mr. Soccer.
DIVISION 3
HUDSONVILLE UNITY CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 23-1. No. 1
Coach: Randy Heethuis, 21st season (395-66-30)
League finish: First in Ottawa-Kent Conference Green
Championship history: Three MHSAA titles (most recent 2012), four runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Trent Vegter, sr. D/M (14 goals, 22 assists); Jared Timmer, sr. M (29 goals, 22 assists); Andrew DeJong, sr. F (21 goals, 6 assists); Carson Brinks, sr. F (17 goals, 13 assists); Lucas Ohlman, sr. GK (0.51 GAA, 15 shutouts).
Outlook: Unity Christian has won three of the last seven MHSAA titles in Division 2, including in 2012, and makes the move into Division 3 with a strong senior class looking for one last crowning achievement. Nine of 12 seniors start for a team that has shut out 16 of its last 18 opponents including No. 6 Grosse Ile 3-0 in the Semifinal. The lone loss was to Division 7 No. 3 Grand Rapids Christian, 4-3.
WILLIAMSTON
Record/rank: 14-3-6, No. 4
Coach: Brent Sorg, 10th season (132-83-21)
League finish: First in CAAC White
Championship history: Division 3 runner-up 2012.
Players to watch: Josh Ward, jr. M (11 goals, 13 assists); Aidan Pace, sr. F (6 goals, 9 assists); Zach Griffin, jr. F (18 goals, 3 assists); Brian Ganton, jr. F (14 goals, 5 assists).
Outlook: Williamston has taken a step into the elite over the last four seasons with four District and two Regional titles and a just-miss overtime loss to Grand Rapids South Christian in the 2012 Final. This Hornets run included wins over No. 7 Frankenmuth, No. 3 Flint Powers Catholic and regular-season victories over Division 1 No. 1 Okemos, Division 2 honorable mention DeWitt and Division 4 No. 3 Kalamazoo Hackett. Ward made the all-state second team last season as a sophomore, and Pace earned an honorable mention.
DIVISION 4
BIRMINGHAM ROEPER
Record/rank: 22-1, No. 4
Coach: Ed Sack, 17th season (226-113-21)
League finish: First in Michigan Independent Athletic Conference Blue
Championship history: Class D runner-up 1995.
Players to watch: Simon Roennecke, soph. F (35 goals, 34 assists); Max Whipple, sr. F (42 goals, 19 assists); Calvin Lind, jr. GK (1.06 GAA, 10 shutouts).
Outlook: Roeper took on its share of Detroit area teams with multiple wins during the regular season over No. 10 Plymouth Christian and honorable mention Allen Part Inter-City Baptist, and avenged an early overtime loss to honorable mention Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett with a win at the end of the regular season and then another in overtime in the Regional Final. Whipple made the all-state first team last season as a defender and ranks among the highest scorers in MHSAA single-season history; Roennecke made the all-state second team last season, and his assists tie for eighth-most for one fall in the MHSAA record book.
GRAND RAPIDS COVENANT CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 21-3-2
Coach: Mike Noorman, 11th season (145-70-17)
League finish: First in River Valley Conference
Championship history: 2013 and 2012 runner-up.
Players to watch: Travis Bouwkamp, sr. F (20 goals 33 assists), Jared Minderhoud, sr. M (24 goals, 6 assists); Colin Riemersma, jr. F (32 goals, 10 assists).
Outlook: Covenant Christian has fallen by a goal in both of the last two Division 4 Finals and graduated a strong senior class this spring. But Bouwkamp, an all-state first-team selection in 2013, has led a new group of standouts as they’ve outscored opponents by a combined score of 102-23. Covenant beat No. 3 Hackett in the Regional Final and then No. 9 Muskegon Western Michigan Christian in the Semifinal, and the losses all came to much larger schools including Division 2 No. 6 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern and No. 8 Holland Christian.
PHOTO: East Lansing's DeJuan Jones will attempt to lead the Trojans to their second straight Division 2 championship and fifth MHSAA title overall.