Ludwig's Dedication to High School Pitch Energizes Clarkston's Title Pursuit

By Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com

September 15, 2022

CLARKSTON – It would be a bit much to say they have been full-scale recruiting pitches for Clarkston senior Richie Ludwig, but let’s just say there have been strong nudges each time the high school soccer season has rolled around.

Greater DetroitBefore each season, Ludwig has gotten some minor overtures from coaches at various academies trying to lure him to their organizations and away from high school soccer. 

And these aren’t some low-key academies, as several are affiliated with Major League Soccer organizations. 

“I usually get a text or two and calls from a couple of different coaches,” he said.

The coaches essentially are saying, “Hey, if you happen to change your mind about that high school thing, you know where to reach us.”

Each time, Ludwig has essentially responded saying, “Thanks, but no thanks.” 

You certainly can’t blame the academies for trying. 

A wondrously skilled and fast player, Ludwig should be on the short list of Mr. Soccer Award candidates this year, if not the favorite. 

Entering Tuesday he had 13 goals and nine assists already this season, and he’ll play next for Michigan State. 

But the fact he’s in the midst of his fourth year of high school soccer is news in itself, given his talents. 

Besides just loving high school soccer and playing with his friends, there are two other reasons why Ludwig has shunned prominent academies.

One, he plays on a club team, Nationals Soccer Union based out of Shelby Township — where one of the coaches is his dad, Rich — that has traveled the country to tournaments and events.

“Really, I’ve gotten all the scouting and recruitment needed at my club nationals,” Ludwig said.

Second, Clarkston plays in what annually is one of the state’s best leagues, the Oakland Activities Association Red, where nightly there are games against other prominent club standouts, future college players and state-ranked teams. 

It’s not like he’s missing out on developmental opportunities in high school.

“What I get out of high school is a good social environment while also getting to compete with a couple of my buddies,” Ludwig said. “Even though it may not be at a level as high as a club team is playing at, I can still push myself to be able to play at the standards I want to play at the next level.” 

Ludwig primarily plays as an attacking midfielder or a center forward, and while he is a natural goal scorer, Clarkston head coach Ian Jones said he’s a creator wherever he is on the field. 

Even if he is assigned to be in the middle of the field, Ludwig will go wide to create numerous scoring opportunities. 

“He almost creates more opportunities by not being involved,” Jones said. “He finds spaces. He creates space for other people, so his understanding of how to create space not just for himself, but other people, is the biggest improvement I’ve seen. He just has a knack of seeing things before they evolve.” 

Ludwig said he has worn a Spartans jersey “ever since I came out of the womb.”

“I’ve always wanted to go there,” he added.

Before that though, he hopes to leave high school by making history for Clarkston.

This year marks 15 years since the best team in Clarkston history made a run to its only MHSAA Finals in 2007, where the Wolves lost in the Division 1 championship match to East Kentwood.

Ludwig said he and other players have turned into historians a bit this year, studying up on that team and hoping to go one step farther so they can lay claim to being the best in school history.

“Our coaches have talked to us about some of those things they did,” Ludwig said. “The little things off of the field even. They have just told us the little things we need to pick up on to make that run.”

If a run at a Finals title doesn’t happen, Ludwig won’t have any regrets about sticking with high school for all four years given the memories he’s made and what he’s accomplished.

But if the Wolves do contend, it’ll make turning down those small overtures from academies worth celebrating more than all the goals he has scored combined.

“He’s a pretty loyal boy,” Jones said. "I think he has the ambition to do something in high school that hasn’t been done before.”

Keith DunlapKeith Dunlap has served in Detroit-area sports media for more than two decades, including as a sportswriter at the Oakland Press from 2001-16 primarily covering high school sports but also college and professional teams. His bylines also have appeared in USA Today, the Washington Post, the Detroit Free Press, the Houston Chronicle and the Boston Globe. He served as the administrator for the Oakland Activities Association’s website from 2017-2020. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.

PHOTOS Clarkston’s Richie Ludwig (10), an all-state Dream Team selection last season, is a likely contender for the Mr. Soccer Award this fall. (Photos courtesy of Richie Ludwig.)

Yearlong Motivation Drives Grand Rapids Christian to Latest Finals Win

By Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com

November 4, 2023

GRAND LEDGE — Grand Rapids Christian’s journey to this season’s Division 2 title may have officially begun in August when practice started. But, in essence, the beginning of the season for the Eagles was October 2022.

That’s when Grand Rapids Christian, which won the Division 2 championship in 2021, lost in a District matchup to eventual state champion Holland Christian – and the fire for 2023 was officially lit. 

“It was horrible,” Eagles senior Jackson Mindling said. “It was one of the worst feelings ever. I told myself that I didn’t want to feel that again, and I know everybody who was on the team last year felt the same way. We motivated each other.”

The Eagles completed their run at redemption, scoring three second-half goals to pull away for a 3-0 win over Mason on Saturday at Grand Ledge High School. 

Grand Rapids Christian (18-5-2) captured its fourth Finals title in school history, joining the 2021, 1998 and 2001 squads as champions.

“These boys have been so scrappy through our run,” Grand Rapids Christian head coach Aric Dershem said. “This is nine games in a row (won) for us. We had to come back from some earlier losses. But they’ve come together so well. Such great heart and such love for each other.”

The Eagles’ Peter Borst gets some air while moving the ball downfield.After a scoreless first half, Grand Rapids Christian took a 1-0 lead with 38:33 remaining on a goal by junior John Cassiday. Mindling fired a hard shot from the left side of the field that bounced off of the arms of Mason’s keeper in the box to Cassiday, who pounced on the rebound and put home a shot underneath the crossbar. 

Just 2:45 later, the combination of Mindling and Cassiday struck again.

Mindling beat a defender to the ball near the sideline, dribbled toward the box and fed a pass right in front to Cassiday, who buried the chance into the wide-open net to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead with 35:48 to go. 

Grand Rapids Christian put the game away with 5:59 remaining when freshman Liam Jansen was pulled down in the box and a penalty kick was awarded. Cassiday easily put away the chance for a hat trick and a 3-0 lead for the Eagles. 

In its run to the title, Grand Rapids Christian didn’t take the easy route. The Eagles defeated No. 4 Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central in a District Final (3-1), No. 3 Fruitport in a Regional Final (1-0) and then top-ranked and 2022 Division 3 champion Holland Christian in a Semifinal (2-1). 

“We had to respond in the second half,” Dershem said. “We let them take us out of our game a bit in the second half. We were able to start to control possession. That early goal really shifted momentum for us.”

Mason, which was seeking its fifth Finals title overall and first since 2015, finished 13-3-5. 

“Grand Rapids Christian is a phenomenal team,” Mason head coach Jacob Derby said. “At all times they had the ability to strike, and to strike quick. Coming out of the half, I think our guys weren’t back in the rhythm of the game, and they were. They came and put in two real quick. That kind of forced our hand to play a different brand of soccer that maybe we hadn’t all year. Credit to them.”

Click for the box score.

PHOTOS (Top) Grand Rapids Christian celebrates during Saturday’s Division 2 Final at Grand Ledge. (Middle) The Eagles’ Peter Borst gets some air while moving the ball downfield.