Preview: 1st-Time Finalists, D3 Rematch Among Saturday Storylines
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 5, 2021
Three teams will make their first MHSAA Boys Soccer Finals appearances Saturday, and we’re guaranteed a first-time champion in Division 4. Three more finalists are seeking to win their first Finals title in a decade or longer.
And then there’s the Division 3 Final, where the two contenders couldn’t be more familiar with each other. Grosse Ile has won two straight championships, both times defeating Grand Rapids South Christian, and they’ll meet for a third-straight title-deciding match Saturday at Comstock Park.
Here’s a look at Saturday’s full schedule:
NOVI
Division 1: New Baltimore Anchor Bay (22-1-1) vs Okemos (19-0-4), noon
Division 4: Clarkston Everest Collegiate (18-2-4) vs Wyoming Potter's House (23-3-1), 3 p.m.
COMSTOCK PARK
Division 2: Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice (10-6-4) vs Grand Rapids Christian (15-7-2), noon
Division 3: Grosse Ile (21-1-1) vs Grand Rapids South Christian (21-0-3), 3 p.m.
All of Saturday’s Finals will be broadcast live and viewable with subscription on MHSAA.tv, with audio available on MHSAANetwork.com. See below for glances at all eight finalists, and come back to Second Half later Saturday for coverage of all four championship games. (The Michigan Power Rating noted below is derived from a team's success and strength of schedule and was used to seed Districts at the start of the postseason. The MPRs listed were where teams ranked at the start of District play. Rankings were by the Michigan High School Soccer Coaches Association in its final weekly poll.)
DIVISION 1
NEW BALTIMORE ANCHOR BAY
Record/rank: 22-1-1, No. 3
Michigan Power Rating: No. 9
Coach: Nate Williams, 10th season (108-63-19)
League finish: First in Macomb Area Conference Red
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Evan Linsley, sr. GK (0.97 goals-against average, 6 shutouts); Jake Ursitti, sr. F (21 goals, 8 assists); Carson Hodgson, sr. M (13 goals, 29 assists); Tanner Hodgson, sr. M (21 goals, 17 assists).
Outlook: Bringing Anchor Bay to its first MHSAA Final in this sport is a crowning achievement for a group of 16 seniors, including nine who start. But they have a chance to accomplish an even greater feat. The Tars earned it in part by handing top-ranked Troy its only loss in last week’s Regional Final, and Anchor Bay’s only defeat this fall came against No. 15 Macomb Dakota – a loss then avenged in the District Final. Tanner Hodgson made the all-state first team and Carson Hodgson and Linsley made the second team in 2020 when the team reached the Regional Finals and lost in a shootout.
OKEMOS
Record/rank: 19-0-4, No. 4
Michigan Power Rating: No. 4
Coach: Brian Guggemos, 20th season (290-83-43)
League finish: First in Capital Area Activities Conference Blue
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2004, Class B-C champion 1984.
Players to watch: Sawyer Van Antwerp, jr. GK (0.46 goals-against average, 10.5 shutouts); Ben Hussey, sr. M (4 goals, 5 assists); Jack Guggemos, sr. F (45 goals, 14 assists); Owen Brewer, sr. F (19 goals, 19 assists).
Outlook: Okemos won its first Regional title since 2004 after claiming a third-straight District trophy and a league championship ahead of No. 11 East Lansing and Division 2 No. 12 DeWitt. Okemos defeated the Trojans, No. 8 East Kentwood and No. 5 Northville on the way to the championship match. The ties came early against East Lansing and Rochester Hills Stoney Creek and then at the end of September against Division 2 finalist Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice and Troy. Eight seniors start. Jack Guggemos set the school record for goals this fall after making the all-state first team last season, and Hussey earned an all-state honorable mention a year ago.
DIVISION 2
BLOOMFIELD HILLS BROTHER RICE
Record/rank: 10-6-4, unranked
Michigan Power Rating: No. 32
Coach: Danny Price, third season (19-27-5)
League finish: Fourth in Detroit Catholic League Central
Championship history: Two MHSAA titles (most recent 2009), three runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Giuliano Denipoti, sr. F (12 goals), Enzo Bordogna, jr. D (3 goals, 15 assists), Josh Copeland, jr. M (4 goals, 5 assists), Henry Allen, jr. GK (1.55 goals-against average).
Outlook: Brother Rice has found its stride under Price this season, and especially over the last three weeks after coming into the playoffs on an 0-3-1 trip – although that draw was against Division 1 finalist Okemos. The Warriors also had shown their potential with regular-season wins over Detroit Catholic Central and Detroit Country Day, and a 3-1 District Final victory over No. 5 Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood made a big wave in the bracket. Rice defeated No. 12 DeWitt in a shootout Wednesday to advance to this weekend. The future should be bright as well with only two seniors among 11 players who have scored for the team this fall.
GRAND RAPIDS CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 16-7-2, No. 13
Michigan Power Rating: No. 20
Coach: Aric Dershem, second season (28-10-2)
League finish: Second in Ottawa-Kent Conference White
Championship history: Division 2 champion 1998 and 2001.
Players to watch: Nicholas Cassiday, sr. M (36 goals, 10 assists); Benjamin Kuiper, sr. F (16 goals, 5 assists); Hans Pruis, sr. F (10 goals, 9 assists); Xander Scofield, jr. GK (1.94 goals-against average, 6 shutouts).
Outlook: Grand Rapids Christian won its first Regional title since that last Division 2 championship run, despite entering the postseason off a 1-4-1 two-week span. The Eagles have outscored their six tournament opponents by a combined 27-4, upsetting top-ranked and reigning champion Richland Gull Lake 2-1 in the Semifinal and also defeating No. 8 Petoskey, No. 9 Spring Lake and No. 14 East Grand Rapids along the way. Cassiday made the all-state Dream Team last season, while senior defender Eli Leegwater and junior midfielder Jonathan Clarkin also are back in the lineup after earning all-state honorable mentions in 2020.
DIVISION 3
GRAND RAPIDS SOUTH CHRISTIAN
Record/rank: 21-0-3, No. 5
Michigan Power Rating: No. 2
Coach: Joel Vande Kopple, first season (21-0-3)
League finish: First in O-K Gold
Championship history: Three MHSAA titles (most recent 2015), four runner-up finishes.
Players to watch: Levi DeRuiter, sr. M (7 goals, 18 assists); Diego Tiscareno, sr. M (13 goals, 3 assists); Sam Medendorp, jr. F (12 goals, 6 assists); Jordan Gabrielse, sr. F (12 goals, 5 assists).
Outlook: South Christian returns for its third-straight try for the Division 3 title after graduating five players who earned all-state recognition in 2020. The Sailors did return DeRuiter, who earned an honorable mention a year ago, and Vande Kopple took over the program with more than 200 career wins and having led Lansing Christian to the 2013 Division 4 championship. The Sailors have defeated No. 1 Holland Christian, No. 4 Elk Rapids and No. 12 Grand Rapids Catholic Central during their tournament run and total have won 16 straight matches.
GROSSE ILE
Record/rank: 21-1-1, No. 2
Michigan Power Rating: No. 5
Coach: Jon Evans, sixth season (136-7-10)
League finish: First in Huron League
Championship history: Division 3 champions 2002, 2019 and 2020; runner-up 2018.
Players to watch: Hayden Watson, jr. GK (13 shutouts), Joe Molnar, jr. M (24 goals, 8 assists), Anthony Shaheen, sr. F (21 goals, 6 assists), Jon Duke, sr. M (16 goals, 9 assists); Cannon Kawadri, jr. M (12 goals, 6 assists).
Outlook: Grosse Ile is making its fourth-straight trip to the championship match with a lot of important players from last season’s run again leading the way. Duke, Kawadri and Watson all made the all-state first team in 2020, while sophomore defender Ali Khaled (2 goals/19 assists) and senior defender Clayton Lafayette (4 goals/14 assists) made the third team and senior defender Ty Garza (8 goals/8 assists) earned an honorable mention. The only loss this fall came in the regular-season finale to Division 1 Brownstown Woodhaven, and the Red Devils rebounded to outscore their five playoff opponents by a combined 23-5.
DIVISION 4
CLARKSTON EVEREST COLLEGIATE
Record/rank: 17-2-4, No. 5
Michigan Power Rating: No. 11
Coach: John Haezebrouck, 11th season (94-86-21)
League finish: First in Detroit Catholic League Intersectional #2
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Lucas Cross, sr. F/M (29 goals, 29 assists); Mark Cross, fr. F (24 goals, 7 assists); Luke Walker jr. M/D (6 goals, 17 assists); Tom Williams, jr. GK (1.03 goals-against average, 7 shutouts).
Outlook: Haezebrouck has built Everest from a program finishing under .500 five of his first six seasons to one that is coming off its third-straight Regional title. The Mountaineers got past league rival and No. 4-ranked Royal Oak Shrine Catholic in the District Final before winning Regional matches against No. 11 Lansing Christian and No. 10 Bad Axe. The only losses came to Shrine in their first of three meetings Sept. 2 and 1-0 to Division 3 No. 10 Pontiac Notre Dame Prep. Lucas Cross made the all-state first team in 2020 and Walker made the second. Sophomore forward Tito Fortuny had added nine more goals heading into this week.
WYOMING POTTER’S HOUSE
Record/rank: 23-3-1, No. 6
Michigan Power Rating: No. 8
Coach: Mike Colago, third season (46-12-3)
League finish: First in Alliance League
Championship history: Has never played in an MHSAA Final.
Players to watch: Jonathan Stout, sr. F (26 goals, 9 assists); Seth Hoeksema, sr. GK (0.76 goals-against average, 11 shutouts); Jok Nhial, sr. F (9 goals, 6 assists); Yosia Mukanda, sr. M (24 goals, 5 assists).
Outlook: Potter’s House has reached the season’s final week for the first time after navigating a tournament path that included No. 2 Grandville Calvin Christian and saw the Pumas win three one-goal games and their District opener in a shootout. Stout made the all-state first team last season and Hoeksema and Nhial earned honorable mentions, and they lead a starting lineup featuring six seniors total. Junior midfielder Jacob Caballero (3 goals/8 assists) also had reached double-digit points entering the week, and senior forward Daniel Fesahaye (5 goals/4 assists) and junior midfielder Rukundo Masengesho (3 goals/5 assists) were closing in.
PHOTO Grosse Ile's Jon Duke (4), here controlling possession during last season's Division 3 Final, returns Saturday hoping to help his team to a three-peat.
Parchment Team On Verge of Never Playing Putting Off End As Long As Possible
By
Pam Shebest
Special for MHSAA.com
October 17, 2023
PARCHMENT — With just five returning players and no coach, things looked bleak for the Parchment soccer team at the beginning of summer.
Boy, have things changed.
Former football offensive line coach Jesse Roder agreed to take the head soccer coach’s job and, with some intensive recruiting, the Panthers not only fielded a team this season but are headed into tonight’s Division 3 District Semifinal with an 11-6-1 record.
Those 11 wins are two more than the last three years combined and make this the first time in 14 years Parchment has had double-digit wins.
In fact, the Panthers’ record over the previous three seasons was 9-41-3 overall.
Athletic director Brennan Davis credits Roder for the turnaround.
“Our first-year coach has done an excellent job creating a positive environment for the team,” Davis said. “He is focused on building character and camaraderie within the program. Academics, participation, relationships, reliability are all important to Coach Roder.”
The players echo those accolades.
Junior goalkeeper Brady Caswell said it was an angry team the past two seasons with a lot of fighting among teammates.
“This year, everyone’s excited to play, ready to play, a little hungry to play, and I love that,” Caswell said. “Everybody works hard, and that’s the big change.
“You can see it out there. We’re faster, we’re stronger, we have more ambition this year because no one pushed each other before.”
He credits the team’s defense for his own success this year.
“That’s one thing that has changed a lot over these last couple years,” the keeper said. “I used to see 20 or 30 shots a game and we’ve cut that down to about half, which gives me a way better chance at saving shots and less chance of getting injured.”
Major choice
Roder had a big decision to make before taking the head coaching job: His son, Brady Newington, is a senior lineman on the Panthers football team.
But Roder, who played soccer in high school while growing up in Garden in the Upper Peninsula, liked the challenge of turning the soccer program around.
Roder, who also coaches powerlifting and track, recruited from those ranks.
“Most of our athletes are first-year soccer players,” he said. “I approached a bunch of my powerlifters and told them I thought it would be right up their alley, so let’s give it a shot, and they did.”
Because of their dismal record the last few years, the Panthers have been underdogs in most of their games this season, including their District Quarterfinal last week, a 2-1 shootout win over South Haven.
“Last year they beat us 8-0,” Roder said. “We knew they were going to be a little confident, but our team’s philosophy starts with, ‘We’re going to outwork everybody in everything we do.’
![Micah Shank [5] steps into a kick.](/sites/default/files/article-images/2023/231017_Parchment_2H3.png)
“We do an hour conditioning every day when we have practice. We played 100 minutes of soccer last night, and not a lick of them was tired.”
Roder also mandates lifting two days a week and has his own solution to any in-team fighting, holding players accountable.
“We have a three-strikes-and-you’re-out rule,” he said. “If you argue with a teammate once and I warn you about it, you’re sent home and you miss the next game.
“Do it again, you miss another game. You do it a third time, you’re off the team.”
The coach has given out just one warning all season.
Key players step up
Freshman Cameron Wagner, who leads the team with 26 goals, made an immediate impact.
“That kid’s vision of the field and his soccer IQ at the age of 15 is leaps and bounds beyond many coaches,” Roden said. “He’s got a real bright future in front of him.”
Wagner and teammate Caden Ragan were selected to the Southwestern Athletic Conference all-conference team Saturday.
Familiar with past Parchment teams, Wagner figured this season would be more of the same.
“I wasn’t going to take it seriously, but thought it would be good for conditioning,” the freshman said.
“Once (the season) started, it became more like a family.”
Wagner credits the coach with his success.
“The coach made me condition a lot, which helped me,” he said. “He changed dribble moves which I couldn’t even think of. At home, now I do the drills he taught me.”
Ragan was the one who fired the winning shot last week.
“I was the fourth (kicker) and I took the (shot) before the other person,” Ragan said. “Brady saved their fourth and saved us the game.”
Roder said the goalkeeper has been strong all season and is the most analytical and intelligent person he has met as far as goalkeeping goes.
![The Panthers’ Cayden Brown [4] defends.](/sites/default/files/article-images/2023/231017_Parchment_2H4.png)
“During the game, he watches people and the way they play the ball off their foot,” the coach said. “He sees which way they go with the ball more often than not.
“So when we got into the shootout situation (in Districts), he actually was telling the ref before he walked up there which way the kid was going to go, and he guessed right every single time. He didn’t get to all the balls, but he still managed to pull off a couple stops which gave us the win.”
Another captain who has been on the team all four years is central defensive midfielder Ty Mulka.
“First two years weren’t the best,” he said. “My friends kept me on the team. This year was our best year.”
If Parchment did not field a team this year, “I was afraid we’d have to merge with our rival school, Comstock,” he said.
The coach said Mulka has been a workhorse.
“He’s been here every single day for everything,” Roder said. “He’s never missed, and he has a relentless work ethic.
“For being a small guy (5-foot-10, 150 pounds) he loves to put a body on people, so he plays a really physical style of soccer. Does a great job seeing the field, and he’s got a laser of a shot.”
Senior center midfielder Wyatt Nieboer said, “I thought 100 percent there would not be a team this year. I found out during the summer.
“I was just happy to play. I knew there was a new coach, and I heard he was really good, which he is, but I didn’t think there was going to be a massive change like there is.”
Roder said Nieboer is a “high energy, a bigger-bodied kid (5-8, 190). His work ethic will not let people beat him. He’s a honey badger.”
Not ready to end
Having tasted success this season, Ragan said the team is not ready to end it.
“The people want to play more,” the junior said. “We’ve had more practices that are actually helping us as a team.
“Things like the weight room are helping build the team and make us stronger, which helps us win games.”
Roder said Ragan, who is one of the captains, has good leadership qualities.
“He has a natural good touch on the ball,” he said. “He’s very aggressive, very physically dominating. Does a great job going up to get balls, contesting people.”
The Panthers will have a tough test tonight when they host Grand Rapids South Christian (12-4-2), ranked seventh in the state in Division 3 and coming off a bye.
“They’re really good,” Roder said. “They move the ball really, really well. It’s going to be a tough test.
“The kids are excited about soccer around here, and that’s something we want to bring back. We’ve got eight seniors on the squad, probably the last time they’re going to play, so we’re trying to eke out as much time as we can.”
Caswell said all the credit goes to the coach.
“Thank Coach Roder for helping change everything here,” the goalkeeper said. “He’s been one of the biggest parts in changing the culture, changing the team, changing how we play soccer.”
Other seniors on the team are Devin Wilson, Myles Brooks, Kriss Patel, Tyler Lingbeek, Darius Baker and Akhil Veecumsee. Juniors are Keagan Cole, Trey Sukola, Conner Moynihan, Elijah Damron-Webster and Luka Lagina, while sophomores are Tyrone Edwards, Micah Shank, Cayden Brown and Hayden Hose.
Pam Shebest served as a sportswriter at the Kalamazoo Gazette from 1985-2009 after 11 years part-time with the Gazette while teaching French and English at White Pigeon High School. She can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Parchment’s Darius Baker, left, controls possession during a game against Allegan. (2) From left: Parchment coach Jesse Roder, Brady Caswell and Caden Ragan. (3) Micah Shank [5] steps into a kick. (4) The Panthers’ Cayden Brown [11] defends. (5) From left: Wyatt Nieboer, Ty Mulka and Cameron Wagner. (Action photos by Shawnia Preston/Oh Shoot Photography, head shots by Pam Shebest.)