By By JEFF FISHER / Niles Daily Star
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Dozens of high school seniors will get their last taste of competition in the upcoming SportsFest 2008.
The fifth annual week-long series of girls and boys all-star games in 10 sports kicks off Sunday June 15 with the opening ceremonies. The events – except football – will take place on the campus of Bethel College. The football games will be played at School Field in South Bend.
The event breaks athletes into four teams: Michigan, Metro, Indiana West, and Indiana East.
The Michigan athletes will look to change their history in the event. Through the four competitions, Michigan is 19-29 with only four championships, baseball in 2004, girls soccer in 2005, and girls softball in 2005 and 2006.
There are currently 34 athletes in the Leader Publications coverage area and five coaches.
Below is a list of of the athletes competing from the winter season.
Boys soccer (8 plus coach) Coach Mike Williams, Clay Hewitt, Josh Devel, Nate Long, Dowagiac; Zak Hermann and Grant Cramer, Niles; Brent Shuttleworth and T.J. Treat, Edwardsburg.
"It is an honor to coach Sportsfest," Williams said. "This is the second time that I have been selected to coach in this event. I coached the girls my first time and now the boys. This event is one that gives senior players another chance to compete at the high school level. They put the athlete on a pedestal and recognize them for all their hard work over the past four years.
"It is pleasure to coach a group of kids with the skill level of all-stars. Half of the kids that are on the soccer all-star team will be playing college soccer next year. We should be able to compete well against the Indiana teams."
Williams added that he will be accompanied by assistants Craig Black, Justin Rose, and Chaiwa Chende.
Boys tennis (1) Harper Sulier, Buchanan.
Volleyball (6 plus coach) Coach Sarah Cichowicz, Evie Tafunai, Stephanie Koontz, Edwardsburg; Emily Ross, Buchanan; Allison Frontczak, Dowagiac; Sam Brawley, Niles.
"It is a great honor and I am very excited to be working with some of the berst volleyball players in Southwest Michigan I hope we do well in the competition and represent the Michigan area well," Cichowicz said.
Boys basketball (5 plus coach) Coach Josh Hood, Kris Morgan, Cassopolis; Marquis Hall, Buchanan; Bill Bussey, Brandywine; Jordan Parks, Niles.
"It is an honor to be the boys basketball coach. It will also be fun to coach a lot of the Lakeland Conference players instead of trying to coach against them," Coach Josh Hood said. "We want the kids to enjoy this experience, but we are also competitors and would like to win this. I really look forward to coaching Kris Morgan one more time as he has come a long way during his high school career and I am very proud of him for all of his accomplishments."
Girls basketball (7 plus coach) Coach Jim Arnold, Courtney Teske, Niles; Emily Ross, Hayley Cashier, Buchanan; Katie Smallwood, Brandywine; Stephanie Koontz, Edwardsburg; Katie Stuppy, Dowagiac.
"I know some of the girls, and don't know others, but they are all great players. We will not have a lot of height, so we will have to use quickness," Coach Arnold said. "It is an honor to coach and is great for the kids."
Football (12 plus coach) Coach Joe Austin, Arron Sater, Auston Ferris, Jon Mondschein, Marquis Hall, Buchanan; Caleb Frazier, Chris Ott, Brandywine; Jamie Simpson, Dowagiac; D.J. Wolnik, Kenyon Ellison, Niles; John Grice, A.J. Ballard, Larry Harris, Cassopolis.
"I like the team we got, it is exciting, there are some outstanding seniors on the roster." Coach Joe Austin said. "It is an honor, tremendous to be playing in this and I hope that it is a good game."