One of my favorite things about covering games during the boys basketball season is the support shown by student cheering sections.
Sure, other sports teams will have big crowds of fans behind them at various points in the season, especially late in the playoffs, but usually none are more consistent than those that appear during the boys winter hoops season.
But this year, all those student sections that pop up during basketball have a lot to live up to after the volleyball season, as the Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse students supporting their Lancers left some big shoes to fill.
Though it swelled to about 100 fans strong during the Lancers' season finale — a Nov. 18 quarterfinal loss at Grosse Pointe North — the L’Anse Creuse volleyball team got significant backing from its students all season long.
And just as the Lancers battled tough to the end on the court with the host Norsemen during the quarterfinal, the fans in their student section impressed to the end.
Even as their team fell behind, the group stood strong and let their voices be heard, encouraging the Lancers, and for the most part, avoiding falling into any negativity like some student sections inevitably do.
So boys basketball fans, the bar has been raised, I’m hoping you can match it.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Gridder stars in goal too for Huskies
As a pair of reporters searched for St. Clair Shores Lakeview goalkeeper Ryan Boren following a late October regional semifinal soccer game, a Huskies player wittily remarked, “Look for the big orange thing.”
The player wasn’t far off in describing his teammate in that manner, although he probably would have been wise to quickly look around and check that Boren wasn’t nearby.
The Lakeview goalkeeper, who was wearing an orange jersey in that game, is listed at 6 feet 3 inches tall and 235 pounds. Those dimensions are more often found on a football roster — which is where I got them.
Boren also played on the offensive and defensive lines for the Huskies' football team.
Built for battles in the trenches, Boren’s size didn’t hinder him on the pitch.
He helped lead the Huskies to their fourth straight district title and played well in the regional semifinal loss, keeping a talented team at bay as best he could in Dexter High (which later advanced to the state finals for the third straight season).
“(Dexter) definitely had more shots than us, for sure,” Lakeview coach Nick Spano said. “Ryan did a heck of a job, made some real critical saves. It could’ve been worse if not for him.”
It’s impressive that Boren has the endurance, focus and skill set to not only play both ways on the football field, but to step in between the posts without much practice and perform well on the soccer field.
“I can say we wouldn’t be here if not for him,” Spano said. “He’s done a heck of a job since he took over.”
Boren spent most of his practice time with the football team, joining his soccer teammates mainly just for games.
“It was kind of hard at first,” Boren said about splitting time between the two.
Eventually it worked out for all the parties involved, which is great to see because more often than not student athletes who want to play major roles on two separate teams during one season are forced to choose.
The player wasn’t far off in describing his teammate in that manner, although he probably would have been wise to quickly look around and check that Boren wasn’t nearby.
The Lakeview goalkeeper, who was wearing an orange jersey in that game, is listed at 6 feet 3 inches tall and 235 pounds. Those dimensions are more often found on a football roster — which is where I got them.
Boren also played on the offensive and defensive lines for the Huskies' football team.
Built for battles in the trenches, Boren’s size didn’t hinder him on the pitch.
He helped lead the Huskies to their fourth straight district title and played well in the regional semifinal loss, keeping a talented team at bay as best he could in Dexter High (which later advanced to the state finals for the third straight season).
“(Dexter) definitely had more shots than us, for sure,” Lakeview coach Nick Spano said. “Ryan did a heck of a job, made some real critical saves. It could’ve been worse if not for him.”
It’s impressive that Boren has the endurance, focus and skill set to not only play both ways on the football field, but to step in between the posts without much practice and perform well on the soccer field.
“I can say we wouldn’t be here if not for him,” Spano said. “He’s done a heck of a job since he took over.”
Boren spent most of his practice time with the football team, joining his soccer teammates mainly just for games.
“It was kind of hard at first,” Boren said about splitting time between the two.
Eventually it worked out for all the parties involved, which is great to see because more often than not student athletes who want to play major roles on two separate teams during one season are forced to choose.
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