Plymouth Plays Canton
By: Lauren Flynn
Photo Editor
Photography by Lauren Flynn and Kristen Semer
SPORTS
Monday, October 26, 2015
He shoots- and indeed he scores! Josh Posuniak sends a rocket into the left upper corner of the goal from the 30 yard line, leaving Damon Favero, the Plymouth goalkeeper, with no chance. Thursday, September 24, Canton Chiefs Boys Varsity soccer took on the Plymouth Wildcats at the varsity turf field for a park rivalry rematch. Last time these park teams faced off, Canton dominated the Wildcats with a 4-0 victory. The rematch was off to a quick start, with Canton winning possession from Plymouth’s kick off, and sending the Chief’s Ryen O’Meara on a breakaway, just barely skimming the outside of the goalpost for a goal kick.
Knowing it was going to be a challenging game, the Chiefs “watched a lot of film to prepare,” said senior Beau Hoffman, while Plymouth’s assistant coach Glenn Liguori said there was “a lot of focus and working hard for the team,” in order to prepare for the game. The game went back and forth, with few chances between the teams. In the 35th minute Hunter Olson, Chief’s number 7, broke loose on the left side and played a ball into 23, Sam Deloy. Deloy snuck the ball past Favero, and just like that, the Chiefs were leading one to zero going into halftime.
During half time, Liguori said to the Wildcats, “Keep up the focus, you can score. Only down by one goal, the game is still in our hands,” and changed their formation to a 4-5-1 in order to play more defensively.
Quick into the second half, Canton was rewarded with a free kick inside Plymouth’s defensive half. Chief’s number 5, James Walkinshaw stepped up to take the kick, but the ball was knocked out of bounds by Plymouth to create a corner. Many corner kicks were taken by Canton’s number 11, Josh Posuniak. Posuniak hit a lot of great balls, but Canton was not able to get on the end of it, and the ball was snatched gracefully away by Favero.
In the fourteenth minute of the second half, Plymouth finally got their chance to tie up the game. Michael Blake, number 7 on the Wildcats blew past the Canton defense to go one-on-one with Chief’s goalkeeper Steven Page. Blake attempted to slide the ball past Page, but the two collided, with Blake coming away with a foul, and Canton receiving a kick in the box. “Mike Blake is the hardest working man on the face of the Earth,” said Liguori about the forward.
No more than one minute later, Jayden Huxtable, Wildcats’ number 10, was yellow carded for aggression and had to take a break from play.
The excitement continued when Plymouth created yet another chance to tie the game when sophomore Thomas Sullivan broke loose down the left side of the field towards Canton’s net. Before Sullivan could get a shot off, Canton’s defenders Jordan Percy and Matthew Rockafellow were able to recover and force the ball out of bounds, keeping their sheet clean. After these close calls, Canton began to step up their game. In the 22nd minute of the second half, Canton was rewarded with a free kick inside of Plymouth’s 30 yard line. Stepping up to the ball, Posuniak hit the corner perfectly to increase Canton’s lead. Excited, Posuniak ran over to
his team in front of the student section and hyped up the unusually large crowd.
With only 18 minutes remaining in the game, both teams were hustling hard. The Wildcats hungered for some goals while the Chiefs battled to maintain their lead. Both goalkeepers, Favero and Page, played outstandingly in the final minutes of the game, and each keeper made save after save to keep the match in close quarters.
Eventually, the final whistle blew. The Chiefs had done it again, leaving the field with a 2-0 victory over the Plymouth Wildcats. “We won and it made me very happy,” said Patrick Ruhala, Canton senior goalkeeper who was cheering his team on from the sidelines. After the game, Canton’s Hoffman said their key players were “Steven Page, Sam Deloy, and Hunter Olson,” and that the Chiefs are “looking forward to playoffs.” From the Wildcats,
number 11, Senior Dylan Dwyer stated, “Everyone played well, especially Nick Freda in his first game back.” He said they came into the game with “new defense and stronger offense.”Unfortunately for the Wildcats, it just was not enough to take down the Canton Chiefs, who are undefeated in their district for the second year in a row. It will be exciting to see what happens between these two teams if they are to face off for a third time in a district game.
Back to Back
By: Jordan Anheuser
Staff Writer
Monday, October 26, 2015
Plymouth Girls Golf has qualified for the Michigan High School Athletics Association Division 1 championships for the fifth consecutive year. Senior Katie Chipman’s score of 69 led Plymouth to win the MHSAA Division 1 Region 2 tournament with a score of 320. Also contributing to the score were sophomore Erin Johnson with a score of 81, senior Alaina Strzalka with an 83 and senior Ariana Strzalka with an 87. Only the four lowest scores counted towards the total.
Qualifying for the tournament this year has to do largely with the team’s success in previous years as well. Plymouth Girl’s Golf coach, Dan Young, said “Anytime you have success, it gives you confidence that you can keep going or keep doing that.”
In addition to a state championship for the team, the tournament also involves a championship for the individual player with the lowest score. “Katie definitely has a chance at winning it,” said Young, “She’s one of the best players in the state, so she could, and I think she knows she can.”
“Having low numbers helps the team overall, I just hope to play the best that I can,” said Chipman.
The tournament will be held at the Meadows course at Grand Valley State University. “It’s a tough course, but we’re prepared,” said junior Heather Muir. The weather will also be a significant factor in how well the tournament will be played. “The weather is going to be really cold, windy and rainy,” Young said, adding that the conditions could be a leveling factor for the teams at the tournament. “The competition is going to be very good, as good as it’s ever been. There’s good teams that are just as good as or even better than us. But the weather can bring everyone together and you might have a chance.”
Photo courtesy of Plymouth Athletics
Wildcats Capture Fifth Regional Win
By: Hannah Saad
Staff Writer
Monday, October 26, 2015