Four members of the Leader Publications Football Forecasters avoided big upsets to post 9-1 records in Week No. 5.

Dennis Cooper, Bruce Laing, John Jarpe and John Proos all bested the field by at least one game.

Kevin Dean, Frank Williams and Brent Nate were all 8-2 on the day, mostly missing on the Michigan State-Iowa game and the Washington State-USC contest.

After the first five weeks of the college football season, Cooper leads the way with a 41-9 record.

Williams is just a game back at 40-10, while Sue Dobrich and Jarpe are both two games back at 39-11.

Five forecasters, including Laing and Dean, are currently 38-12.

Football Forecaster

Overall records

Dennis Cooper 41-9

Frank Williams 40-10

Sue Dobrich 39-11

John Jarpe 39-11

Allison Hayes 38-12

Kevin Dean 38-12

Jeff Upton 38-12

Brent Nate 38-12

Bruce Laing 38-12

Scott Novak 37-13

John Proos 37-13

Tom Atkinson 36-14

Matt Brawley 35-15

Fred Upton 35-15

Cassopolis sweeps Hartford

CASSOPOLIS — It has been a busy few days for the Cassopolis volleyball team.

The Rangers won a five-set thriller over Southwest 10 Conference foe Marcellus last Thursday and reached the semifinals of the River Valley Invitational on Saturday,

On Tuesday night, Cassopolis swept Hartford in Southwest 10 play 3-0.

“I am very happy with the way we played tonight,” Cassopolis coach Demi Schrader said. “We came out strong and finished strong. We were aggressive and kept Hartford on their toes. We were able to control the pace of the game.”

The Rangers defeated the Indians 25-20, 25-15 and 25-19.

Sophia Fiala had a huge night at the net with 16 kills and eight blocks.

Malie Barber finished with 11 kills and eight digs, while Gabby Rowan had 23 assists, seven digs and three aces.

‘Battle of the Fans’ expanding

EAST LANSING — A focus on student fan sportsmanship at high school events, including an announcement outlining an expanded “Battle of the Fans” contest, will highlight this fall’s Michigan High School Athletic Association annual Sportsmanship Summit series, which will run during the second and third weeks of November.

The MHSAA has conducted Sportsmanship Summits across Michigan for more than 20 years and again will visit four sites this fall. The Summit series kicks off Nov. 6 at Northern Michigan University in Marquette and finishes Nov. 15 in Lansing.

Changes for this school year’s Battle of the Fans VII will provide more opportunities for schools to take part and remain in contention throughout the winter season.