Roennecke Rallies Roeper to D4 Title
November 1, 2014
By Ron Rop
Special for Second Half
KENTWOOD – Simon Roennecke long will be remembered for the individual effort he turned in Saturday in the MHSAA Division 4 boys soccer championship game.
The high-scoring sophomore scored all four goals as he led Birmingham Roeper to a 4-2 victory over Grand Rapids Covenant Christian on a sunny, cool afternoon at Crestwood Middle School.
Roennecke’s four-goal game not only gave Roeper its first-ever MHSAA Finals title in any sport, but sent Covenant Christian home with its third straight runner-up finish in Division 4.
“I never could have dreamt this,” Roennecke said. “My touch was on today, and I felt it throughout the first few minutes of the game. I had one chance in the first half when I took on a few defenders, and after that I felt I could do that the rest of the game.”
“He’s a competitor; he’s a gamer,” Roughriders coach Ed Sack said of Roennecke. “He’s come up all year for us, as a sophomore, it’s incredible, and to score four in the state final … come on, please. He’s just a wonderful human being and soccer player.”
Roennecke got loose from the pressure of three Chargers defenders and fired a low, 20-yard shot that found the net just inside the goalpost.
However, the Chargers came right back and within seven minutes produced the equalizer. Junior Colin Riemersma knocked down a loose ball, was able to elude Roughriders goalkeeper Calvin Lind and tuck a shot into the open net.
Both teams had other scoring chances during a wide-open first half, but neither could break the 1-all deadlock after 40 minutes of play.
Covenant made some noise in the offensive end in the early minutes of the second half, but came away empty-handed.
Then Roennecke struck a second time. Again, he was able to beat a defender, get into range for a shot and fire a well-placed, low shot inside the far post. That gave the Roughriders a 2-1 lead.
“He’s just an opportunist,” Sack said. “He’s got guts and he’s a competitor.
“I think what a lot of people didn’t recognize is that the Oakland County leading goal scorer, Max Whipple, was playing defense the second half.”
Roennecke completed his hat trick with 11:41 left in the second half when he broke in on the left side and fired a shot that, again, snuck just inside the far post.
Minutes later, the score became 4-1 on another low shot from the left side.
“He played a good game today,” Chargers coach Mike Noorman said. “He was a hard guy to cover.”
Covenant Christian was able to cut the deficit to two goals with 5:32 remaining when senior Jared Minderhoud unleashed a hard shot that Lind could not handle cleanly. The rebound ended up on the foot of Riemersma, and he wasted no time hitting the back of the net.
From there, the Roughriders were able to keep the Chargers’ offense at bay and wrap up the title.
“It’s amazing. I mean, this is the first state championship we’ve ever had,” Roennecke said. “To win it takes a lot of hard work.”
While Roennecke was putting on a show up front, it was the stellar play of senior Michael Matthews in the back that kept the Chargers at bay for much of the afternoon.
“He is our third-best attacker, and the only game we lost was 7-6 in double overtime the third game of the season because I was selfish and had him an attacking mid,” Sack said. “I realized if you score six goals you can still lose a game unless you have a strong defense. He’s the anchor … he’s the rock back there.”
For the Chargers, it was a disappointing finish to another strong season.
Covenant Christian finished the season 21-4-2 and was undefeated in the River Valley Conference, which sent a team to the MHSAA Finals for the ninth straight season and 16th time in the last 17 years.
“I wanted so badly for these guys to be the champion of the year, but the goal that we had at the beginning of the year was to win a different crown, to play as hard as we could to represent our school in the name of Christ,” Noorman said.
“They are a great team,” said Sack, whose team finished 23-1. “What a great league they must play in, but our two leagues must be the two best in the state for D4.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Birmingham Roeper's Simon Roennecke works to get past a group of Grand Rapids Covenant Christian defenders Saturday. (Below) Roeper's Max Whipple battles the Chargers' Brock DeBoer for possession. (Click for all team and action photos from Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
Star Seniors Emerge Amid Tragic Losses to Lead Manistee on Historic Playoff Run
By
Tom Spencer
Special for MHSAA.com
November 7, 2025
This fall’s high school boys soccer season is in the books, and Manistee advanced to the Division 3 Regional Finals for the first time since 2008 with Max Scharp and James Jados leading the way.
Coach Brandon Prince is prepared to never have players like Scharp and Jados again. The senior duo was a once-in-a-lifetime combination.
But there was so much more to their stories.
“I think it says a lot about the characters of Max and James to keep doing what they did and also says a lot about the support groups they have behind them,” said Prince, who completed his 14th season at Manistee. “They never showed hardship from what they were experiencing outside. They just kept the focus on the team and what the team goals were.”
Scharp scored the District championship game’s only goal as the day marked the four-year anniversary of the death of his mother, Jessica. She lost a seven-year battle with breast cancer when Scharp was an eighth grader and older brother Jacob a freshman in the midst of helping Manistee make a run to the Regional Semifinals.
“I wanted to keep going in all kinds of ways — it was pretty emotional, and it kind of inspired me,” said Max Scharp, who suffered an ankle sprain in two spots as the Mariners earned a 4-3 shootout win over Standish-Sterling in the Regional Semifinal on Oct. 21. “She always liked to watch me play soccer.”
Scharp had 23 goals and 17 assists this season and was named to the all-West Michigan Conference first team and third-team all-state by the state coaches association.
He pointed to the sky after he scored the winning goal in the District Final win over Montague. Scharp then scored two goals in the Regional Semifinal as Jados, an all-conference center back, scored the deciding shootout goal advancing the Mariners to the Regional Final in Clare – where their season ended with a 4-1 loss to then-undefeated Fremont.
Jados almost didn’t have a high school soccer career. He played as a youth but had no intention of joining the Mariners until he was encouraged to play by assistant coach Wendy Adamski.
This season, as the Mariners were about to host rival Ludington on Sept. 10, Jados lost his home, two dogs and cat in a fire. He vividly recalls watching the house burn with Prince alongside him.
“We were sitting up in front of the house and it was still burning, but Coach showed up for me and I knew I had to show up for the guys,” Jados said. “I told him I'd be there and got a ride over there. I told Coach I had to take care of business at home."
The Mariners took a 1-0 lead on Ludington but eventually fell 3-1. The team wasn’t told about the fire until after the game was over.
“I ran down to see him and his family before the game, and I was talking to James and his dad and I said, ‘Don't worry about us, we'll take it from here, but if you need something, you let us know,” Prince recalled of the conversation at the disaster site. “I remember, and here's the emotion in that moment, he kind of pulled my arm and he says, ‘I'll see you in a minute. We've got something to do.’”
Jados played all 80 minutes that day.
“James was dealing with the circumstances that you know, a 17-year-old young man probably shouldn't have to, but he did, and he did it with such maturity and composure,” Prince said. “I think that says a lot about James.”
Jados and Scharp were two of five seniors on the Mariners squad that finished 12-9-1 and featured a sophomore goalkeeper. Lane Piper, who finished the year with 155 saves. The senior leadership was key to the Mariners’ success as they also saw 15 freshmen, one sophomore and a couple of juniors come out for soccer in August.
Prince said he knew from the beginning of the season that Manistee would find success. He noted he’s had great players and great squads in the past, but this year’s team was unique. The team’s goal was to go as far as possible – together.
“We put the team first and the program first, and they never stopped believing that they could be doing something special,” Prince said. “And, you know, being in this sport as long as I have, I can honestly tell you these kids were special in a way that I don't think I've seen on other teams.”
Tom Spencer is a longtime MHSAA-registered basketball and soccer official, and former softball and baseball official, and he also has coached in the northern Lower Peninsula area. He previously has written for the Saginaw News, Bay County Sports Page and Midland Daily News. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTOS (Top) At left, Manistee’s James Jados (5) looks to his team’s bench after scoring the game-clinching goal in the Mariners’ Regional Semifinal win. At right, Max Scharp (10) celebrates his goal in the victory. (Middle) Manistee coach Brandon Prince, far right, talks to his team. Scharp is to his immediate right. (Photos courtesy of the Traverse City Record-Eagle.)