About this column:
Each week, John McTaggart will pick a game of the week and highlight an area high school sporting event. Give him an idea of what's happening with an e-mail to jmctaggart001@wowway.com.It’s playoff time. It’s title time. It’s the best time of the year for high school sports fans, We’re going to start by taking a quick peek backwards to see just how the baseball and softball teams in your community fared this past week, then we’ll give our weekly shout-outs to those squads who turned in incredible performances in the postseason. We’ve got to start with the girls soccer team from Lakeview High School. The Lady Huskies, on the heels of a somewhat pedestrian regular season, rose to capture a district crown Saturday night with an 8-0 trouncing of Center Line High in the final. …
We’re going to keep this week’s edition of the Pick of the Week short and to the point. Why? Well it’s because the forecast. For once this season it looks favorable and the state playoffs are about to get underway in both baseball and softball. The district round is slated to start with pre-district competition Tuesday, while the rest of the round wraps up on Friday, in a few cases, and Saturday. We don’t want to jinx the weather so let’s not spend a lot of time rambling about how teams may come in with less games than normal under their belts, thus tipping the scale to more experienced …
This weekend I was covering the track regional at a high school on the eastside of town. It was hot, believe it or not, and the sun was relentlessly beating down on the athletes all day long. One of the final events of the afternoon was the grueling 3,200-meter run, the metric two-mile run. It’s a true test of endurance and will for even the best athletes, and on this Saturday afternoon, with the heat and blazing sun, it was even more challenging. The girls went first and the race began without a hitch. Lap after lap, these incredible athletes pushed themselves and ran with pride and …
There’s little doubt the spring sports season is hitting its stride about now. The division races are shaping up. Players and coaches have shaken off all the rust and are in midseason form. Teams, whether they like to admit it or not, are beginning to look ahead to the state playoffs just a few weeks from away. This time of year is, for most prep sports fans, the start of a monthlong stretch that includes league-title chases, state playoff runs, and, in rare cases, state championships. So, let’s not waste any time getting this exciting time of year underway. I have to say, however, before I …
Alas, three days of good weather in a row! Perhaps the joke Mother Nature has been playing on us has finally come to an end. In fact, we here in the Pick of the Week Department actually got a little too much sun this past week watching games. Our tomato-red cheeks, necks and noses are a surefire sign that the games are back on track. Of course, the massive amounts of rainouts have a positive effect on fans from this point—these teams have to make up these games over the next three weeks. This means an extraordinary amount of baseball, softball, soccer, track, lacrosse, rugby and golf for …
Well sports fans, the weather promises to be a touch better this week. So, working under that assumption, we here in the Pick of the Week Department are going to bring you a slate of upcoming games with the hopes that you actually might be able to see them. The rain outs, delays and postponements have been nothing short of unprecedented and haven’t done much to get anybody fired up about the season. That, however, changes this week. We believe we’re going to actually get some games in this week. But, before we look ahead—we’re going to take a quick look back at some of the more notable …
Dear Mother Nature, This crazy-weather-thing you’ve got going on here in Michigan isn’t funny anymore. It’s making our job here at the Pick of the Week pretty difficult. Fields are flooded, fans are frozen in the stands, and games are getting canceled left and right. If you could, please wave your wand, wrinkle your nose or place an order with the sun (whatever it is you have to do), and send some spring-like weather our way. This is getting ridiculous. Sincerely, John Well fans, I hope that does some good. Either way, we’ll continue to press on here at Pick of the Week and look ahead, …
Admittedly, the weather for the opening week of the spring sports season wasn’t ideal. In many cases, games were cancelled and meets postponed. That said, let’s keep our fingers crossed for the upcoming week, weather-wise, and give you a healthy selection of game possibilities that you can catch if Mother Nature decides to cooperate. Before we get into that, though, let's take a quick look back at some baseball played teams managed to get in despite the weather and spring break. The Macomb County spring break tournament pitted some of the top squads in the Macomb Area Conference against one …
It’s a crazy-busy stretch here for the Pick of the Week staff, with all kinds of playoffs under way and a slew of seasons coming to an end. That said, it’s also a very exciting time for prep sports fans. With that in mind, let’s take our weekly look back at the week that was, and the week that lies ahead. The Lakers captured a regional title this past week with a 4-2 win over Birmingham. The squad, despite its youth, seems to be peaking at just the right time! Way to go boys! Hats off to the girls hoops squads from Lake Shore (who lost to Grosse Pointe North in the district finals, 41-27); …
This week begins a very exciting stretch in high school sports–the basketball playoffs. With that in mind, I’m planning on dedicating this little column this week to the girls hoops teams who will take the floor beginning Monday evening with the hopes of making a run at the game’s ultimate prize– a state championship. What each of these local teams did in the regular season means little at this point, and with the one-and-done format of the state tournament, there is no room for a bad game. I can’t stress to you enough how much fun it is to get out to one of these postseason ball games. The …
First of all, let me start out by saying a big “Thank You” to everyone who e-mailed in response to last week’s column. The response was really good, and as a result, this little column is going to be better. Please keep these comments, suggestions and ideas coming. Without your help, I can’t recognize any of the outstanding efforts put in by athletes all over the area—from the little ones all the way to our senior citizens. Everyone has a place on Patch.com, and in this column. This week we’re going to take a few moments to look back at some of the week’s highlights, as well as look forward …
Well, it was bound to happen now, wasn’t it? My ADD would kick in and I’d feel this unrelenting urge to tweak, improve and upgrade the Pick of the Week column. Now, I know what you’re thinking–John, wasn’t the Pick of the Week (I like to call it the “POW,” for short) already perfect? I mean, how could it ever be improved upon? Well, you’re right, the POW was pretty darn good–and yes, it did give you fans a heads-up on some of the more intriguing prep sports contests in and around town. But, there was room to grow, room to expand, room to make this little space even better. So, that’s what we’…
Lake Shore vs. Sterling Heights girls basketball When: 7 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 1 Where: Lake Shore High School Gym If the Shorians want to make a serious run in the Macomb Area Conference Gold this season, then this game is a must-win. Sterling Heights comes to town as the top team in the division (4-1 in the Gold), and is also one of the better offensive teams. But that doesn’t have to be a concern for Lake Shore fans. The Shorians are a pretty good defensive unit in their own right, holding opponents to just under 42 points per game thus far this season. That said, Lake Shore is going to have…
St. Clair Shores Unified vs. Eisenhower boys hockey When: 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 29. Where: St. Clair Shores Civic Arena. The Eagles are the team-to-beat in the Macomb Area Conference Red Division thus far, starting the season 5-1 in the Red and 14-2 overall. The Lakers are a young, upstart club just starting to realize their potential. SCS freshman Tommy Guzzardo and junior Joe Vitale are among the top players in the division and can cause real match-up problems for any opposing team. Meanwhile, Ike’s Chris Antonucci and Ryan Jaros, along with Jacob Schmidt are three dynamite skaters with…
Lakeview High girls competitive cheer team at the MAC Gold Division meet When: 6 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 18 Where: East Detroit High School I know, you’re thinking that it’s a crazy Pick of the Week–competitive cheer. But I beg of you, please hear me out before calling me crazy and clicking to another Patch.com story. Competitive cheer is not your grandma’s cheerleading squad–anything but that, in fact. These girls are incredible athletes, performing complex and difficult routines for score. They flip, dance, tumble and jump their way through three rounds of exciting and breathtaking competition…
Shores Unified vs. Clarkston High boys hockey When: 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 12 Where: St. Clair Shores Civic Arena This is a non-league match-up, but it’s a good one. The Wolves come into the game as one of the top teams in the Oakland Activities Association – an excellent league for prep hockey. Meanwhile, the Shores Unified Lakers skate into this home game as one of the top defensive teams in the Macomb Area Conference, allowing just over two goals per game, while scoring almost four per contest. This blends together to form a very worthwhile hockey game. Joe Vitale, Nick Schultz, …
South Lake vs. Lakeview boys varsity basketball When: 7 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 4 Where: South Lake High OK. The holidays are over and it's time for these squads to kick it into another gear. This begins for the Cavs and the Huskies with this contest. Although it's not an official division game–South Lake is in the Macomb Area Conference Gold while the Huskies are in the MAC Silver–it should be a battle between two pretty potent teams. South Lake has been up-and-down thus far, with flashes of brilliance from Sidney Jackson, Adam DeJans and Travon DeSaussure, and is looking to get some consistency…
Boys Varsity Wrestling at Marysville High Tournament When: 8:30 a.m., Thursday, Dec. 30. Where: Marysville High School. Ok. I admit – it's not around the block. That said, it's a worthwhile trip up I-94. The Huskies are a young team, but they are a team on the rise. Tournaments such as this one are a great way to see a wide variety of these athletes hit the mat and wrestle. "It's a big tournament for us," Lakeview coach Kyle Lowry said. "We need to get this kind of experience to get better. Plus, we get to see who is really dedicated to the team over the break." On the heels of a pretty solid…
Lake Shore vs. South Lake Boys Basketball When: 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 21 Where: Lake Shore High School The two squads square off this week as part of a tournament hosted by the Shorians, which also features Lakeview High. However, the matchup to pay attention to is undoubtedly Lake Shore against South Lake. Both squads play a similar style of ball—up-tempo and high-octane—and each one wants to stretch the floor as much as possible. It's unlikely they both will be able to do that consistently, so something will have to give. "We're looking forward to this game," Lake Shore coach Todd …
Shores Unified Hockey vs. Sterling Heights Stevenson When: 8 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 15 Where: Great Lakes Sports City (Utica Road south of 15 Mile Road in Fraser) Is there a better town in the state for hockey than St. Clair Shores? I think not. So, naturally, the Patch's Pick this week had to be boys hockey. And since the city has only one varsity squad, everyone, from the north end to the south end, can head out to Great Lakes Sports City, Dec. 15, and root the Lakers to victory. See, Patch.com bringing people together! The team is going to need some encouragement against a very worthy …
