Get Prepped for a Fantastic Finale
May 24, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
We love this time of year. And not just because school is nearly out for summer.
There’s little argument that the week ahead is the most exciting of each MHSAA school year. And you’ll want to set your bookmarks for MHSAA.com and Second Half for updated results and coverage not just next week – but through the rest of this spring season.
The MHSAA.com Score Center is our home for scores from all District softball, baseball and soccer games, which begin Tuesday. You also can view real-time brackets for every District by going to the “Sports” page for each, and updated brackets for lacrosse by visiting our girls and boys pages for that sport as well.
In the Lower Peninsula, we’ll have same day or next morning results as golf Districts are played, and first-day results from next weekend’s Girls Tennis Finals on May 31 – followed by final results at the conclusion of play June 1. We’ll post Finals results for Upper Peninsula golf and tennis as we receive them Wednesday and Thursday, and then results for all seven Lower and Upper Peninsula Track and Field Finals as they come in June 1.
But results are only the start. As we have during the fall and winter, Second Half will provide coverage including photos from every MHSAA Final – beginning with Wednesday’s Upper Peninsula Girls and Boys Golf and Boys Tennis Finals. Keep an eye on Second Half throughout the week, or follow the Second Half feed on the cover page of MHSAA.com.
Transfer rule clarification
We released Monday the actions our Representative Council took earlier this month at its Spring Meeting, including an addition to the athletics-related portion of our transfer rule. Based on some questions we’ve received and read, here’s some further explanation of what will be installed for 2014-15:
The longer period of ineligibility for athletes who transfer because of athletics is not new. This has previously existed for cases in which a school could prove that it lost a student to another school purely for sports-related reasons.
What’s new is what must be proven and by whom for the longer ineligibility period to take effect. Now, a school that lost a student does not have to file a report with the MHSAA for the case to be considered. As long as one of a set of offending activities can be verified – including practicing, competing or training with a member of the new school’s coaching staff during summer or non-school sports activities or seasons – that student will have to sit 180 days instead of the usual period of roughly a semester. The 15 exemptions that allow a student to be eligible immediately – like making a full move to a new district or a student’s school closing – may still apply.
So, to conclude: The longer athletics-related ineligibility period is not new, just how athletics-related transfers are considered and reported. Click to read the full release.
Kickoff is coming
And that means we’re collecting varsity football schedules.
In fact, we have most of them thanks to our athletic directors, their secretaries, coaches and many others who chip in to help us keep complete and accurate information throughout the season.
But there are still plenty of steps in getting ready for August – and a huge one is locking down correct leagues for our teams this season, especially as schools continue to switch things up.
Check out your school’s schedule page by click on the “Schools” button in the menu bar at the top of MHSAA.com and searching for your school. Once on the school page, click the blue “Boys” button next to football. The schedule will appear in the middle of the page, with standings to the left.
See an error in a schedule or the standings? Email me at [email protected]. I thank you in advance.
Kramer’s words of wisdom
Long before Roy Kramer served as athletic director at Vanderbilt University, commissioner of the Southeastern Conference and creator of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) for Division I college football, he coached multiple sports at East Lansing High School.
He recently was named winner of this year’s Duffy Daugherty Award, given in honor of the former Michigan State University coach to a valued coach or contributor to college football. The award, presented in East Lansing, is among those recognized by the College Football Hall of Fame.
Kramer finished his acceptance speech with a stirring endorsement of the sport that brought the crowd of more than 300 to its feet. If you’re a fan, former or current player or coach, see below.
PHOTO: Athletes race toward the finish of a relay during this spring's Alma College Invitational. (Click to see more at HighSchoolsSportsScene.com.)
Three Rivers Emerges from Disappointment, Tragedies as Rising Contender
By
Scott Hassinger
Special for MHSAA.com
February 19, 2025
THREE RIVERS – Three Rivers is riding a wave of emotion as its wrestling team returns to the MHSAA Team Finals this weekend.
Fueled by a 31-30 Quarterfinals loss to Greenville last season, and then the tragic deaths of two assistant coaches, Jeff Smith's Wildcats hope the adversity helps them take the next step and reach the championship match this time.
No. 4 seeded Three Rivers (25-0) meets No. 5 Greenville (32-8) in a Quarterfinal rematch at 6:45 p.m. Friday at Wings Events Center in Kalamazoo. The winner will earn a berth in Saturday's Semifinals at 9:30 a.m., with all four Finals commencing at 3:45 p.m.
Smith, now in his ninth season as head varsity coach, started the MYWAY youth wrestling program in Three Rivers 15 years ago. A former standout prep wrestler himself, Smith is a native and graduate of Eaton Rapids and now has interest in Three Rivers' wrestling soaring to a new level.
"It's been a struggle and it's still a work in progress, but we're getting there. We have 102 kids participating in our MYWAY program, but not all of them wrestle every weekend or are ready for it,” he said. “We consistently wrestle over 50 kids though every Sunday. Our middle school squad has 40 kids on it, and we have 36 in our room at the high school level."
Three Rivers, ranked No. 2 a majority of this season by MichiganGrappler.com, will make its third appearance at the Team Finals. The Wildcats previously advanced in Division 3 in 2001 before returning to the season’s final weekend a year ago.
In addition to winning a second-straight Wolverine Conference title after a 23-year drought, Three Rivers also took first at the Hart Invitational, Freeland Invitational, Hastings Tournament, Stevensville Lakeshore Duals, Three Rivers Super Dual and Portage Central Invite.
"You have to start from the ground up to be successful at the high school level and retain those kids,” Smith said. “You need to make sure they're having fun. There's more to it than just coaching them. Individually, you need to know how they're doing in school. Academics is more important than athletics. You have to keep them involved because wrestling teaches many life lessons."
Three Rivers' upperclassmen are the core group Smith initially began working with when he started the youth program. Now it’s paying off at the varsity level.
"Our team has faced a lot of adversity in the offseason. We have a ton of leadership in our practice room and we've picked right up where we left off last season,” Smith said. “This group is pretty special. It's amazing the way they've trained and been able to stay together all season.”
Tragedy struck the Three Rivers' program twice last summer when coaches Brandon Morrill and Art Keller both died within a month of one other.
Morrill, one of Smith's youth and middle school coaches for several years, died from injuries sustained in an auto accident. Keller, a varsity assistant the past three years and a former youth and middle school coach as well, passed away a few days after suffering a brain aneurysm.
Both Morrill and Keller have sons, sophomore Brody Morrill and senior Ayden Keller, who are an integral part of Three Rivers' wrestling program and its success. The team, coaching staff, school and community have rallied around and supported those two as well as their teammates.
"Art and Brandon were both a big part of our program, and not having them here with us to celebrate after winning Regionals last week was very difficult. We all know they are still there in the corner cheering us on, and they are always on our minds in everything we do,” Smith said. “It's tough not having those guys right there because all these kids relate to each of their coaches differently
Three Rivers saw seven of its 12 individual qualifiers at Saturday's Gull Lake Regional advance to the Individual Finals set for Feb. 28 and March 1 at Ford Field.
The Wildcats' Finals qualifiers include Regional runners-up Braylon Faile at 165 pounds and Louie Smith (175), third-place finishers Jaxon Smith (215), Jak Monroe (126), Gaven Babcock (132) and Ayden Keller (144); and sophomore Ethan Moreland (138), who took fourth in his bracket.
Three Rivers' starting lineup includes senior tri-captains Sam Reynolds (285), Keller and Landon Moreland (150). All three have 100-plus career victories, and two of the three have won more than 150 matches. Reynolds, who plans to play college football and become a teacher and coach, is 38-11, while Smith, a junior, sports a 42-6 mark.
While No. 1-seeded Lowell will be favored to win its 12th-consecutive Finals title, Reynolds believes this is the year that streak could be broken.
"The sky is the limit for us. The word around the state is that we are the team to beat,” Reynolds said. “In the past Three Rivers hasn't been well-known at the state level, but a lot of our guys have wrestled around the state and some of us around the country. We still have a lot to accomplish. Our guys aren't going to go home after day one like we did last year. We went to the Grappler Golden Tournament the first weekend in Lowell, and that was a reality check. We faced some of the best wrestlers and dynasty programs in the state. We saw some things we needed to change and implemented it into our practices.
Joey Anglemyer played the unsung hero in Three Rivers' 42-21 Regional Finals win over Plainwell. Anglemyer, a varsity returner, trailed his Plainwell opponent 11-5 after two periods at 190 pounds. But with 57 seconds left in the third period, Anglemyer got a pin to give Three Rivers a 36-21 lead that clinched the match with one bout left.
Anglemyer, along with teammate Josiah Deare, have filled in for injured starter Jackson Palmer and done a phenomenal job, according to Three Rivers' head coach.
Louie Smith, another junior, is 41-6, and Faile is 42-7. Other standouts in the middle weights include Landon Moreland, a four-time Regional qualifier; Keller (46-6), Ethan Moreland (43-8) and Babcock (38-10).
"We fell a little short at state last year and it left a bitter taste in our mouth. It's exciting because we've been able to stay together as a group and do some special things against a few of the better teams in Michigan. We're taking it one match at a time, but our goal is to get to the Finals this time," said Landon Moreland, who plans to continue his wrestling career next year at Southwestern Michigan College, major in criminal justice and eventually become a Michigan State Police trooper. "I'm just interested in giving back to the community and being able to reach out and help people who are in need," he said.
Three Rivers' top entries in the lower weights include Monroe (44-6), Brody Morrill (113 and 120, 32-13), freshman Kyler Snellenbarger (113 and 120, 21-16) and freshman Mason Santos (106).
Jaxon Smith, Monroe and Louie Smith all have more than 100 career wins. Louie Smith has also recorded 100 career pins with one year remaining.
"We have the best team chemistry I've ever had since I've been here at Three Rivers. These guys hold one another accountable and have a lot in common outside of the practice room,” Jeff Smith said. “The heart and effort they show is at the highest level.”
Smith stated the keys to the Wildcats' goal of reaching Saturday’s Finals will be blocking out all distractions and worrying about only the factors the Wildcats can control.
Despite all of his team's accomplishments this season, Three Rivers' head coach is most proud of the Wildcats' dedication to its work in the classroom. The program has received several team and individual academic all-state awards the past few seasons.
Scott Hassinger is a contributing sportswriter for Leader Publications and previously served as the sports editor for the Three Rivers Commercial-News from 1994-2022. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Three Rivers senior 144-pound wrestler Ayden Keller gets in position for a takedown of Plainwell's Marco Vegan during last week’s Division 2 Team Regional Final. (Middle) Wrestler Landon Moreland poses for a photo with Wildcats' head coach Jeff Smith, far left, and his parents Torri and J.J. Moreland following a regular-season match at Sturgis this season. (Below) The Three Rivers varsity wrestling team poses for a team photo before the start of the 2024-25 season. (Keller and Moreland photos by Brandon Watson/Sturgis Journal. Team photo by Wethington Photo.)