Resilient, 'Grounded' North Muskegon Building on 2022 Breakout with Superb Start
By
Tom Kendra
Special for MHSAA.com
September 7, 2023
To appreciate Landon Christiansen’s euphoria Thursday night, you have to understand the depths of his despair last fall.
North Muskegon enjoyed a breakout football season in 2022 – going unbeaten in conference play to win the West Michigan Conference Rivers title – but Christensen missed almost all of it with a knee injury.
But he has returned with a vengeance, leading the Norse to a 2-0 start, hauling in six passes for 260 yards and four touchdowns in a 41-21 win at Muskegon Catholic Central last week.
“I felt like I was due for something good to happen,” said Christensen, a 6-foot, 170-pound senior. “That game kind of made up for last season, in a way. It was such a great feeling.”
North Muskegon (2-0), which is in Division 7, is no longer flying under the radar after back-to-back wins over state powerhouses – a thrilling, 17-14 win in the opener against Pewamo-Westphalia and then the air show at MCC.
The leader of the Norse is junior James Young (6-3, 195), a third-year starter with a Division I college arm and pocket presence.
North Muskegon coach Larry Witham said after Thursday’s big win at MCC that he has given Young “the keys to the kingdom” – referring to the dizzying number of playmakers he has all around him.
While Christensen was the man against MCC – scoring on touchdown passes of 59, 32, 12 and 78 yards – in future games the leading role could go to junior wideout TJ Byard, senior slot Alec Newville, senior running back Ben Meyers or junior H-back Drew Bartos.
“I have a lot of skill guys to throw to, and the chemistry is great,” said Young, who completed 70 percent of his passes for 2,022 yards and 26 touchdowns in nine games last season. “We’ve been playing together since we were little kids.”
That special bond was apparent from the emotion displayed by Young and other teammates after Christensen’s return to glory Thursday.
“Getting him the ball and then watching him do his thing was honestly very emotional for me and a lot of the guys on the team,” said Young, who was near perfect against MCC, finishing 19-of-20 for 391 yards and four touchdowns.
Witham said this year’s 26-member Norsemen team is incredibly humble, unselfish and grounded – characteristics that could be attributed to the injuries and health issues the team has endured.
Christensen was just one of many injured players for the Norsemen last season, joined by leading rusher Denny Belmonte (knee) and Young, who had a torn labrum which required surgery after the season.
The team also has dealt with more serious life-threatening issues, with Tate Pannucci and Ethan Bates battling cancer (Pannucci has returned to the field) and senior Mitchel Peterson hospitalized much of last season with blood clots.
“These kids are very grounded, and they keep each other in check,” Witham said.
North Muskegon starts WMC Rivers play this week at Mason County Central.
While the Norse broke through with an 8-1 regular season last year, the playoffs haven’t been kind. NM hasn’t advanced out of Districts since 2006, when it lost to Saginaw Swan Valley in a Division 5 Regional Final. The Norse were eliminated by Pewamo-Westphalia in 2019 and 2020, then lost low-scoring Pre-District games to Ravenna the past two years.
Witham said his team learned valuable lessons during those losses.
“We know that we have to be balanced and have to be able to run the football,” said Witham, a 1980 North Muskegon graduate who is in his eighth year as head coach. “Wintertime approaches early in the state of Michigan. We are not going to live and die throwing the football when it’s 32 degrees and snowing.”
With those early playoff exits in mind, Christensen and his teammates are putting in extra practice time on a daily basis.
“None of us are comparing stats,” said Christensen. “We all have different strengths, and that’s what makes it hard for teams to guard us. We just want to win games and make it as far as we can.”
Tom Kendra worked 23 years at The Muskegon Chronicle, including five as assistant sports editor and the final six as sports editor through 2011. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Muskegon, Oceana, Mason, Lake, Oceola, Mecosta and Newaygo counties.
PHOTOS (Top) North Muskegon junior quarterback James Young drops back to pass at Muskegon Catholic Central on Aug. 31. Young completed 19-of-20 passes for 390 yards and four touchdowns in the Norsemen's 41-21 victory. (Middle) North Muskegon senior receiver Landon Christensen hauls in a pass during last week's win. He caught six for 260 yards, including TD receptions of 59, 32, 12 and 78 yards. (Photos by Mike Banka.)
Working Together, with Neighbor's Help, Schoolcraft Teams Making Selves at 'Home'
By
Pam Shebest
Special for MHSAA.com
September 19, 2023
SCHOOLCRAFT — If it is a home game for the Schoolcraft football team, head over to Vicksburg.
If it is soccer, go to Schoolcraft’s baseball field.
Things are a bit jumbled in the sports world for the Eagles this season.
With a new football field under construction and a new elementary school built on the site of the former practice fields, the two teams have been a bit displaced.
“Along with our football field, we had three practice fields that were utilized by a lot of our youth programs, Rocket football, youth soccer and our soccer and football programs,” Schoolcraft athletic director Bryan Applin said. “It’s taken a lot of understanding and flexibility from our coaches, players and our community to make it work out, and it has.”
Meanwhile, all four Eagles home football games will be played at Vicksburg High School.
If Vicksburg is home on a Friday, then the Eagles will play Saturday, including their Homecoming game this Saturday against Galesburg-Augusta.
The Eagles won their only “home” game so far, 33-14 against Kalamazoo United, and take a 3-1 record into Saturday’s contest.
The soccer team gave up its field to the football team for practices and has been practicing and playing their matches in the outfield of the baseball stadium.
For the soccer team, “It’s kind of an upgrade,” Applin said. “The soccer field they traditionally play on, they don’t have a scoreboard, they don’t have a bathroom facility, so we’ve been able to use the (baseball) scoreboard, the PA system, open up the bathroom building.
“The goal at some point is to give soccer a home, and we’re very, very excited about that.”
This year definitely has been challenging for the first-year AD, who credits Vicksburg athletic director Mike Roy with being a tremendous help.
“Mike Roy has been nothing but accommodating to us,” Applin said. “He’s been super helpful to me stepping in and assuming this scenario.
“The communities are so close, it almost feels like home for us.”
Roy said Jeff Clark, former Schoolcraft AD, reached out once the bond was passed for the new stadium last year.
“We had to make small accommodations as did Schoolcraft to make the schedules work,” Roy said. “By moving (Schoolcraft’s) games to Saturday, Vicksburg had to work with our Rocket football organization to make sure games were completed” before the Eagles varsity games.
Schoolcraft football coach Nathan Ferency said his team has been “rolling with the punches.
“These guys don’t care where it’s at; they just want to play football. We’re all taking care of each other. What a great place to be when everybody works together.”
When Jake Bailey heard the team would be playing at Vicksburg, “That got me excited,” the junior offensive tackle said. “They’ve got a really nice facility. I know the school will come out to support us no matter where we are, but it’s definitely different.
“Good thing we don’t play Vicksburg, although it would be fun because it would be both our home fields. The new facilities and being back at our home field at Roy Davis (Field next year) will be really fun.”
Vicksburg is Division 4, while Schoolcraft is Division 7.
The soccer team was “just being a team player” in giving up its own field for football practice, second-year head coach Jeremy Mutchler said.
“For the soccer team to be a team player and get behind the football team will help the community get behind the soccer team as well,” he added.
The biggest drawback is that part of the current field includes a piece of the baseball infield.
“The only odd thing is it is a smaller field, still regulation size, but smaller,” Mutchler said. “Part of the field is in the diamond, so we have to play in the dirt and it gets tricky, especially when you’re trying to throw it in or just play down the line.”
The move has cost the team a few home games.
“At the beginning of the year, we allowed schools, if they didn’t want to play here, we would go to their house,” Mutchler said. “We had to go to a few schools we would have played at home.”
Maintenance supervisor Eric McGehee was instrumental in preparing the field.
“He laid out exactly the parameters, so I was able to send that to all the ADs that were going to visit to give them an opportunity to decide whether that’s something they wanted to help us out for our home games,” Applin said. “A lot of schools were more than willing to come and play us to give our boys some home games. A couple wanted to be cautious and play on a more traditional surface, and we were able to make those arrangements as well.”
In only its second year as a varsity sport, the boys soccer team is still finding its identity, posting a 2-5 record so far.
“We’re a very young team,” Mutchler said. “All juniors and freshmen. This is the juniors' second regular season. It’s all been a learning phase with maturity and sportsmanship.”
Junior captain Jack Curtis said he was a bit “bummed out” when he heard the team would move to the baseball field.
“The first practice, I drove over to our practice field,” he said. “No one was there.
“I drove over to the high school and saw everyone practicing (at the baseball field). I didn’t think a soccer field could fit on a baseball field.”
Curtis said in spite of the temporary move, “I’m just glad we can have some home games this year on Schoolcraft soil.”
As for Applin, he spent much of his career coaching basketball at both the high school and college levels and most recently worked as a salesman for Zeigler. His wife, Meredith, is an assistant coach for Western Michigan University’s women’s basketball team.
Ferency is appreciative of the work Clark and Applin have done to make this season’s changes relatively seamless.
“I’d like to highlight how great our athletic department is,” he said. “It takes a lot of moving pieces and parts to move people around and have a space for everybody.
“I’m really proud of our athletic department and all our coaches and kids for just rolling with the punches.”
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) Schoolcraft’s varsity boys soccer team, including Nyan Wonders (15), faces Comstock this season on its field in the outfield of the baseball stadium. (2) Schoolcraft’s Kolby Lloyd (10) works to break away from a tackler during a “home” game played at Vicksburg this fall. (3) Clockwise, from top left: Schoolcraft football coach Nathan Ferency, Schoolcraft boys soccer coach Jeremy Mutchler, soccer player Jack Curtis and football player Jake Bailey. (4) Schoolcraft athletic director Bryan Applin has taken over the maneuvering of the teams’ home sites during his first year on the job. (Action photos by Stephanie Blentlinger/Lingering Memories Photography. Headshots and Applin photo by Pam Shebest.)