Aug 26, 2014 By Steve Gunn Local Sports Journal MUSKEGON - The Muskegon Lumberjacks hit the ice tonight for the opening of training camp, and expectations couldn’t be higher. That’s because last year’s team finished very strong, missing the United States Hockey League playoffs by... READ MORE
Aug 26, 2014 By Steve Gunn Local Sports Journal FRUITPORT - Everyone missed “Doc” Pierce at Fruitport varsity football games last year. After all, he was the Trojan team physician since 1969, a tenure that lasted more than four decades. Nine head coaches came and went, but Pierce w... READ MORE
Aug 23, 2014 By Steve Gunn Local Sports Journal MUSKEGON HEIGHTS - Jimmy Purnell is like most coaches who work with young people. He becomes attached to his players, like they are his own children. Of course that involves a tremendous emotional gamble. That’s because coaches are n... READ MORE
Aug 22, 2014 By Steve Gunn Local Sports Journal MUSKEGON - Brand new teams are expected to pay their dues by losing a lot a games for at least a few years. But someone forgot to send that memo to the Muskegon Community College men's soccer program. The Jayhawks have existed as a var... READ MORE
Aug 21, 2014 By Steve Gunn Local Sports Journal Lorenzo Rodriguez' life story almost reads like a Disney movie. The former factory worker and school custodian became the head coach of the woeful, last-place Shelby High School football program in 2006. Eight years later he's turned the T... READ MORE
Jun 06, 2014 By Mark Lewis Local Sports Journal High school sports teaches student-athletes more than just how to properly throw a ball, run a sprint, how to tackle, or how to block a volley. Just ask Whitehall pitcher Jake Gillhespy. “Before this year, I was really weak emotional... READ MORE
Jun 03, 2014 By Steve Gunn Local Sports Journal MUSKEGON - Individual honors are great, and few high school athletes have collected as many as Orchard View's Amanda Skidmore. She's been an All-State soccer player for three years in a row, and will probably make it a four-year sweep... READ MORE
May 31, 2014 Local Sports Journal At Rockford High School, the Muskegon area earned two individual All-State place finishers at Saturday’s Division 1 Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) state track and field meet. And both were high jumpers. Mona Shores senior Adreon ... READ MORE
May 30, 2014 By Jason Goorman Local Sports Journal It could be a very good sign for the Mona Shores baseball team, heading into Saturday's Division 1 district tournament: Sophomore Tyler Trovinger cranked 23 home runs during a home run derby fundraiser last Friday. That's right - 23... READ MORE
May 29, 2014 By Steve Gunn Local Sports Journal MUSKEGON - Most people can only push themselves so hard for so long before exhaustion takes its toll. But Oakridge senior Morgan Giddings seems to have an endless supply of physical energy. Last summer she played softball on an eli... READ MORE
May 28, 2014 By Steve Gunn Local Sports Journal NORTON SHORES - It’s hardly news that a Mona Shores golfer finished second in districts, and has a good chance to finish high in the standings at the regional and state tournaments. Mona Shores is always great in golf, and its top ... READ MORE
May 25, 2014 By Mark Lewis Local Sports Journal Sometimes life doesn’t work out the way we want it to. While championships are one measure of team sport success, more often athletes must learn to deal with bitter loss. Exhibit A: In high school varsity athletics, only one team... READ MORE
May 20, 2014 By Steve Gunn Local Sports Journal LUDINGTON - It's pretty hard for a high school soccer team to reach elite status without at least one big scorer. So the Ludington Orioles are pretty lucky to have Jacquelyn Lynch to build around. The junior forward burst on to the... READ MORE
May 17, 2014 Local Sports Journal Check out photos from Muskegon Catholic Central's baseball game at Comerica Park against Grand Rapids Catholic Central. The Crusaders cruised to a 12-3 victory at the home of the Detroit Tigers on Thursday. Fortunately there were more than enough oppo... READ MORE
May 15, 2014 By Steve Gunn Local Sports Journal Maybe the athletes at Muskegon Catholic Central are growing accustomed to the big stage. After all, it was only six months ago that many of them played at Ford Field and won the Division 8 state football championship. So when a lot... READ MORE
May 15, 2014 By Mark Lewis Local Sports Journal Track and field is different from other sports in that competitors stand face-to-face, toe-to-toe and wish the entire field, with complete sincerity, “Good luck.” And then they run their tails off trying to beat each other. The... READ MORE
May 14, 2014 By Steve Gunn Local Sports Journal MUSKEGON - Claire DeYoung had every reason to believe her senior season would be her best. And it still might turn out that way, now that the Mona Shores No. 1 singles player has regained her form heading into this week's regional tournam... READ MORE
May 12, 2014 By Jim Moyes [email protected] What a pleasant surprise I had recently when I picked up our local paper here in Jacksonville, Fla. and saw a front-page sports headline announcing that Jacksonville University had hired Whitehall’s Tony Jasick as its head basketball coach. ... READ MORE
May 08, 2014 By Mark Lewis Local Sports Journal There is a reason the 100 meter dash is one of the most enduring and exciting spectacles in all of sports. Obviously, while raw speed is important, other factors also determine how well a potential 100 meter sprinter is going to do. T... READ MORE
May 07, 2014 By Steve Gunn Local Sports Journal MUSKEGON - Beka Shepherd and Aliza Olson do a lot of crucial things for the Oakridge girls soccer team. That's pretty obvious, since they're both four-year varsity starters who earned honorable mention All-State honors last season. ... READ MORE