Nichols Lends Winning Past to West's Present
July 28, 2020
By Tom Spencer
Special for Second Half
Thirteen Novembers ago, Drew Nichols, then a senior captain, took a bus ride home from Troy High School with the Traverse City West boys soccer team. The Division 1 boys soccer championship trophy was happily along for the ride as the Titans had just beaten Livonia Stevenson 1-0 in the Final.
Last November only an overtime loss prevented the now-West assistant varsity coach from taking a very enjoyable similar bus ride. The loss was at the hands of Troy Athens, and the ride home departed this time from Comstock Park.
Perhaps this November he’ll get another shot from Comstock Park, one of two sites to be used for the coming season’s championship tilts. He plans to be on the sidelines again with head coach Matt Griesinger as the Titans dream of yet another long postseason run (COVID-19 permitting, of course).
While many would think there would be a world of difference in the two long November bus rides after a Division 1 Final with differing results, Nichols believes there really wasn’t.
“The way I saw it, both 2006 and 2019 bus rides had a bunch of exhausted players that fought hard in the pinnacle game of the year,” Nichols pointed out. “I'm not saying there wasn't some pain for the boys to be on the losing side, but in the end I think they still recognized the amazing achievement it was.
“I think everyone that played or watched that 2019 game recognized that it was a moment away from ending in a win,” he continued. “They held their heads high and should command the respect of the program for being only the second team in its history to reach that game.”
Nichols became the varsity assistant coach at West in 2015 after coaching the Titans’ JV two seasons. Griesinger took over the head coaching position at the same time from the Titans’ first coach – and now athletic director – Jason Carmien.
Nichols and Griesinger guided the Titans to Regional appearances in 2015, 2016 and 2019. Nichols said he doesn’t know what to expect in 2020 with all the uncertainties the nation and world are facing.
“The COVID interference has been disastrous on so many levels, and it will certainly disrupt the quality of play for the 2020 fall season,” Nichols said. “We had a strong result last year and have a lot of returning players, so on paper we have the potential for another great season.
“However, the landscape of fall sports and soccer in particular will be so different this year that it's impossible to know how everything plays out,” he continued. “There was a huge loss of development without club soccer or college camps over the spring and summer. From my perspective, the best way to help is to make sure players come into the season fit and focused.”
Nichols, whose wife Andrea gave birth to their daughter Quinn after last season, expects to have an impact on future generations regardless of how sports weather the impact of COVID-19.
“The game finds its way into the hearts of kids much earlier than they meet me, but I really enjoy being a positive influence on their growth and appreciation for what the game can offer,” he said. “I don't pretend to be the absolute authority on anything, but I have perspective to share and hopefully the time spent in our program will foster their appreciation of the game itself and the skills (and) values it can teach you.”
The West program has produced two Michigan Mr. Soccer Award winners during the school’s 20-year history in the sport, Dalton Michael (2016) and Casey Townsend (2006 and 2007). Nichols has ties to both.
Michael and his twin brother Donovan are now playing at Western Michigan University, and both played under Nichols. Townsend went on to a stellar career at University of Maryland and played in Major League Soccer. He was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2012 MLS draft and played for Chivas USA and DC United. All of that came after he scored the only goal in that 2006 Division 1 Final, with Nichols a teammate.
Nichols, a midfielder who went on to play at Hope College, made the all-state third team with nine goals and five assists as a senior that fall at West. He and Townsend had played side by side since their beginning soccer days at Traverse Bay Area Youth Soccer and with its premier club, NorthStorm.
“I sometimes forget just how much Casey has accomplished because first and foremost he is just a goofball friend of mine,” Nichols said. “We played together in our formative years, so even though he was the difference-maker in a lot of games, it was hard for us to recognize just how high his ceiling was at the time. Clearly we found out when he progressed into college and the professional leagues, and it was a blast to watch.”
Carmien, the coach of the 2006 championship team, recalls the connection Nichols and Townsend had.
“Drew scored some big goals and really was an anchor to our team,” Carmien said. “Drew caused a lot of turnovers and created transition scoring opportunities by combining with Casey or playing balls in behind defenses.”
Carmien anticipates Nichols will continue with Griesinger to foster the Titans’ success.
“Drew was a great player, he was a key piece in some very good Titan teams,” Carmien said. “I am proud to see him on the sidelines, working with our kids at practice and still involved in the program. We have alumni that still follow us each fall, and last year was a lot of fun; (I’m) glad Drew was a part of it, and hopefully we can have continued success.”
Carmien and Griesinger have impacted Nichols’ coaching style, which is also linked to his studies abroad as a student at Hope. He played some soccer in the Spanish cities of Murcia and Pontevedra as he earned academic honor roll recognition all four years at Hope.
“My expertise comes from my development as a player through high school, college, and afterwards playing and engaging the soccer community in a variety of countries,” Nichols said. “My coaching style comes heavily influenced by Jason Carmien, the founding father of the West soccer program.
“He trained me as a high school player and then again as a coach when I joined the staff around 2013,” Nichols elaborated. “Of course, more recently, head men's coach Matt Griesinger has challenged our staff and the program to exceed the high standards set by Jason.”
Nichols is not a school teacher. He manages payrolls for several companies as the director of operations for Integrative Payroll Services in Traverse City. Still, he intends to stay with coaching for the foreseeable future.
“My ‘career’ goal is to merely engage the soccer community where I live and stick around as long as I can offer value,” he said. “Obviously I was drawn to give back to the program I participated in as a player, and that's as far as it will likely go. With my daughter's birth this year, odds are good that you'll see me in the girls coaching pool in a few years.”
Rest assured, no matter where he is, Nichols will always remember the feeling of winning a state championship.
“It was amazing,” he said. We had a chip on our shoulder the whole playoff run since we were the nobodies from up north, so to win brought a mixed bag of feelings – excitement, accomplishment, relief, vindication,” he said.
“We didn't play particularly well, but most teams don't once they make it to that game. Nerves take their toll, just like with a big rivalry game, so anything can happen. That has become even clearer now that I have coached both rivalry games and a state Final. That day we were fortunate to have a future All-American to clinch it for us.”
But, as a coach, Nichols said he is “hoping to leave it one of many in the West program trophy case.”
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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) Drew Nichols was a standout midfielder for Traverse City West during the mid-2000s, and led from the sideline as the Titans’ assistant varsity coach during last season's Division 1 Final. (Middle) Nichols, left, enjoys a celebratory photo in 2006 with then-West coach Jason Carmien and teammate Dan Kellogg. (Below) Nichols and his wife welcomed a daughter after last season. (Photos courtesy of Drew Nichols.)
East Kentwood Soccer Provides Conlon Bridge Back to Health, Top Form
By
Dean Holzwarth
Special for MHSAA.com
October 18, 2023
KENTWOOD – Six months ago, East Kentwood junior standout Brody Conlon couldn’t imagine sprinting down the soccer field and delivering a booming shot to the back of the net.
An unfortunate diagnosis had put his budding soccer career on pause.
In January, Conlon was told by doctors that he had ulcerative colitis. The disease prevented him from playing soccer or attending school for five months.
Conlon returned to the sport he loves this fall to help lead the Falcons to a successful season.
“If you told me six months ago that I was able to play 80 minutes, pretty much every game for a whole high school season, I honestly wouldn't believe you,” said Conlon, who recorded 11 goals and 22 assists.
“But high school soccer is so special and was definitely a great way to bring me back into the sport again after being out for such a long time.”
Last November Conlon, a nationally-ranked midfielder, was in Florida with his Midwest United Region II ODP team when he felt sick and his stomach was hurting during games.
He returned home to undergo testing, and after the diagnosis started on a drug protocol and heavy steroids.
Conlon basically was bedridden from January to May.
“I was definitely upset, and it was tough because I couldn't do things that I've always done like soccer and being at school every day. But I learned to cope with it pretty quick and embrace it, and I think I did pretty well getting out of it,” Conlon said. “I kept going through the day like it wasn’t affecting me as much as it was, and eventually I think my mind overcame it.
“The key was staying positive. Negativity builds up so you have to stay positive, even in the tougher moments. That’s when you have to pull through. There were days where I would start to feel better and then I would crash and burn again so it was tough because it was like a mind game, but eventually I got used to it.”
Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease in which abnormal reactions of the immune system cause inflammation and ulcers on the inner lining of the large intestine. It can develop at any age, but the disease is more likely to develop in people between the ages of 15 and 30.
Conlon is the son of former East Kentwood coach and current Byron Center girls soccer coach John Conlon, who won 376 games guiding the Falcons from 2000-21.
“The whole last year has been a bit of a whirlwind,” John Conlon said. “Brody had been telling me for five months that he had a "disease" and it just wasn't diagnosed yet. When we were told by doctors that he had ulcerative colitis, it was a real shock to the system because we truly didn't know much about the disease.
“We were told it was in the same autoimmune class as Crohn's. To be honest, my wife Kelly and I had to read everything we could on it because we were unfamiliar. What stood out right away is that every patient responds differently to the protocols and drug protocols for the disease. He tends to have a pretty severe case.”
The experience took a toll on the family.
“What was hard for me was to see my son struggling physically, and as a parent I could only offer the advice that was given to us by physicians,” John Conlon continued. “In July, we started to see some improvement from the drug Rinvoq. We spoke with Luke Ruff (Brody’s MLS coach) who was amazing and fully agreed that high school would be a good bridge to get Brody back to where he needs to be.”
Brody Conlon showed little effect this fall as he shined while catapulting the Falcons to a 12-5-1 record.
East Kentwood’s season ended with a disappointing 2-0 loss to Byron Center in District play.
“I was definitely happy with how I played, battling two things at once with the pressure of having a good season then also the stomach stuff, but I think I did pretty well with that,” Brody Conlon said. “We had a great season, and soccer can be brutal. You have to be at your best every game, and the state tournament is where you have to be the best at.
“It was tough because no one likes losing, but I was able to play with the guys I’ve known forever so in the end the positives outweigh the negatives in this situation.”
Falcons assistant coach Carl Warfield, who began with the program under John Conlon and has continued the last two seasons with current head coach Giuseppe Barone, said they would pull Brody from games to give him breaks, but "I can count on one hand the number of times this season he asked for one during a game, and even then he wanted right back in to keep supporting the team.
"The days after games could be really tough on him," Warfield continued. "The pain would sometimes keep him from coming to school the day after a game. Brody really has been a study in courage and determination that anyone could draw inspiration from. He has maintained his grades and shown constant leadership all season while dealing with his disease."
Conlon also was dealing with the loss of a former East Kentwood standout who he idolized as a young kid.
Nermin Crnkic, who helped the Falcons win three Division 1 championships and played professionally, was found dead in his apartment in early July after a heart attack.
“That had a huge effect on me,” Conlon said. “I’ve grown up around Nermin, and he was my idol when I was growing up in soccer. It was definitely a huge blow to me, but it was motivation for me to play and play for him.
“I was number seven my freshman year, but after hearing the news I decided to take number 10 and play for Nermin this year.”
John Conlon is amazed by the way his son has handled his condition.
“Brody is as tough a young man as anyone I have been around,” he said. “He battles this disease every day and has handled it more maturely than I could have at the same age.
“I'm sure there are other athletes out there battling similar diseases or even more difficult situations. I think Brody's goal is to show the world that an obstacle will never stop him, and hopefully that inspires young players. It's the toughest thing I have ever dealt with as a parent, but Brody handles it with dignity and grace.”
Added Warfield: "I have coached a lot of players, but Brody’s determination to compete and not let his disease stop him from playing the game he loves so passionately is truly amazing. He has been an inspiration to every player on the team and (I) truly believe that his efforts and determination were a large part of our success this season."
Brody Conlon said the high school season “took a lot out of me,” but he’s expected to rejoin his club team at some point.
He remains optimistic about his future.
“It's one of those diseases that the doctor says I could have for the rest of my life, or it could just go away,” he said. “I’m just going to keep doing me and being me. Everyone has something that affects them, but you just have to keep pushing through it and better days will come. I’ve progressed a lot this year, and I believe I will keep improving.”
Dean Holzwarth has covered primarily high school sports for Grand Rapids-based WOOD-TV for five years after serving at the Grand Rapids Press and MLive for 16 years along with shorter stints at the Ionia Sentinel and WZZM. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Allegan, Kent and Ottawa counties.
PHOTOS (Top) East Kentwood’s Brody Conlon (10) returned to the field this fall with his high school team. (Middle) Brody Conlon, far right, takes a photo with past East Kentwood star Nermin Crnkic, center, two summers ago. (Below) Conlon reached double-digit goals and assists this season. (Photos courtesy of the Conlon family.)