Grand Haven Tribune

12:45 PM Nov 3, 2011

VanderLaan's goal enough to lift Bucs to first-ever state finals apperance

Jake VanderLaan watched his teammates' shot glance off the post, pounced on the rebound, and fired. His shot blazed past Troy goalkeeper Matt Smolinski and into the back of the net, propelling Grand Haven to a 1-0 victory and a berth in Saturday's Division 1 state championship game at East Kentwood.

12:00 PM Nov 3, 2011

Volleyball district roundup: SL falls in 5-game thriller to Whitehall

Spring Lake's strong season on the volleyball court came to an end in heartbreaking fashion on Wednesday in the Class B district semifinals at Whitehall High School.

11:40 AM Nov 3, 2011

WMC soccer in line to defend its Division 4 state title

CEDAR SPRINGS - Here we go again: Western Michigan Christian's boys soccer team is heading back to the state finals. The defending Division 4 state champions scored a goal in each half Wednesday night in the Division 4 state semifinals at Cedar Springs High School to defeat a strong Kalamazoo Hacket Catholic team, 2-0.

10:31 AM Nov 3, 2011

GH, SL, WMC soccer each advance to state championship games

In a feat that has never been accomplished before, there will be a terrific trifecta of West Michigan-area teams that hail from the Lakeshore in the Michigan High School Athletic Association soccer state finals.

11:50 AM Nov 2, 2011

Bucs' soccer living up to own lofty expectations

As head coach of the Grand Haven varsity soccer team, Aaron Dean is used to his players listing lofty goals during their preseason meetings. The past few weeks, Dean has had a blast watching his current crop of players accomplish those goals. The Buccaneers (17-1-3) can cross another one off their list this evening if they can get past Troy (20-2-1) in the Division 1 state semifinals at Holt High School.

11:30 AM Nov 2, 2011

Area volleyball teams open districts tonight

Fruitport begins its defense of its Class B state championship tonight in the district tournament at Whitehall High School.

10:53 AM Nov 2, 2011

Can Grand Haven girls cross country go back-to-back?

With the pain she's had to deal with over the course of the past two cross country seasons, no one can question the dedication put into the sport by Grand Haven sophomore Claire Borchers. Even with the constant agony of shin splints, Borchers has again flourished for the Bucs this season, as she's routinely been their top finisher. It's a testiment to her natural talent in the sport, as her off-season training is often limited in the summer due to her dedication to another sport - soccer.

10:48 AM Nov 2, 2011

Duff creating his own legacy at Grand Haven

For a runner who had never experienced a first-place finish until this season, Grand Haven senior Ryan Duff doesn't sound like he's earned validation. Instead, he'd rather focus on the meets where he didn't perform up to his high expectations.

10:57 AM Nov 1, 2011

College Showcase: GH grad Myers turns in strong freshman season at St. Louis

Grand Haven graduate Natalie Myers has enjoyed a tremendous freshman season on the women's cross country team at Division 1 St. Louis University. The former Buc standout was the third Billiken to finish at the Atlantic 10 Championships on Saturday, held in Concord, N.C. Myers finished the 5K race in 19 minutes, 0.7 seconds to place 53rd overall. As a team, St. Louis finished fifth at the event, trailing champion La Salle, Dayton, Charlotte and Richmond.

10:56 AM Nov 1, 2011

SL hopes to rise to the occasion in state semifinals

Jeremy Thelen sees a lot of similarities between his Spring Lake team and the Mattawan squad his Lakers will face in Wednesday's Division 2 state semifinals.

12:01 PM Oct 31, 2011

Buitenhuis' overtime goal lifts Bucs to Div. 1 regional championship

Grand Haven varsity boys soccer coach Aaron Dean turned to an unlikely source for some instant offense during overtime of Saturday's Division 1 regional championship game. With his team looking for a spark after giving up a goal late in regulation, Dean inserted Jon Buitenhuis, a recent call-up from the junior varsity team.

11:50 AM Oct 31, 2011

Fruitport volleyball wins another Lakes Eight title

Saturday's Lakes Eight Conference Tournament at Orchard View wasn't much different than the regular season - everyone's still looking up at Fruitport.

11:33 AM Oct 31, 2011

GH boys, girls cross country teams each punch tickets to state finals

Grand Haven's girls cross country team kept its streak of state finals berths alive at 12 straight on Saturday, following the Bucs' third-place finish at the Division 1 regional in Allendale.

10:35 AM Oct 31, 2011

Strahl, Sanchez power SL soccer to Div. 2 semifinals

For the first time in two decades, the Spring Lake High School boys soccer team advanced to the MHSAA state semifinals after defeating Grand Rapids Christian on Saturday, 2-0, in the Division 1 regional championship game. With the victory, the No. 2-ranked Lakers advance to Wednesday's state semifinal clash with No. 8-ranked Mattawan High School. The Wildcats upset the No. 3 team in the state, Mason, 1-0, in overtime.

7:26 AM Oct 31, 2011

Tri-Cities teams bow out in first round of playoffs

The first round of the state high school football playoffs was played tonight, with all three Tri-Cities-area teams bowing out in the first round.

7:33 PM Oct 30, 2011

Bucs can't contend with Comets' defense

A furious fourth-quarter comeback came up seven points short as Grand Haven's varsity football team fell to visiting Grand Ledge, 21-14, in the opening round of the Division 1 state playoffs on Friday.

9:01 PM Oct 29, 2011

SL soccer wins Division 2 regional title in shutout victory

For the first time in two decades, the Spring Lake High School boys soccer team advanced to the MHSAA State Semifinals in Division 2 after defeating Grand Rapids Christian High School 2-0 Saturday afternoon in the regional finals. The Lakers were last crowned regional champions in 1991, but fell short to Stevensenville-Lakeshore in the semifinals. In 2005, Spring Lake reached the regional championship, but exited the tournament following a 2-1 loss to Hudsonville Unity Christian High School.