COLDWATER,MI (WTVB) – In Branch County high school sports, Coldwater held its annual boys basketball awards banquet last night and sophomore Collin Warner was named Most Valuable Player. Also honored with team awards were junior Matt Sowles, Most Improved; junior Luke Beckhusen, Best Defensive Player; and senior Logan Targgart, Most Sportsmanlike. Targgart also received the Leadership Award. Warner, Targgart, Morgan Sims and Brendan Spangler were Academic All-Conference in the Interstate Eight while Warner made the I-8 All Conference First Team and Nate Waterbury was All-Conference Honorable Mention.
In other post season honors, Jake Rider of Quincy and Darren Austin of Union City today were named honorable mention for this season’s Associated Press Class C All-State team.
Quincy and Union City opened their track schedules yesterday in an indoor meet along with 18 other Division 3 and 4 schools at Hillsdale College. Union City brought home two silver medals with Thomas Anderson taking second in the boys long jump and Rachel Wing runner up in the girl’s shot put.
Other top ten showings for Union City included on the boys side, Jalen Boes fifth in the long jump and 400 meter race and the Chargers 400 meter relay team finishing fifth. In the girls meet, April Inman was fifth in the pole vault and Emma Hoppe ninth in the long jump. Leading the way for Quincy was Katie Spalding with her fifth place finish in the 60 meter hurdles and sixth place finish in the pole vault.
Also in the top ten in the girls meet was Kayti Hawkins, taking tenth place in the shot put and high jump. In the top ten on the boys side for Quincy were Tanner Parshall, taking 8th place in the 200 meter dash; Bryce Ruhl, eighth in the long jump; Logan Widlitzki, eighth in the high jump, and Jonathan Purvis, tenth in the shot put.
Today in high school sports, it’s the season opener for Coldwater girls soccer with the varsity and junior varsity on the road against Hastings. Also in soccer, Quincy plays tonight at Sturgis. And weather permitting, in baseball and softball, Quincy is at home against Olivet.
The MHSAA boys basketball Final Four tips off today at the Breslin Center with the Class C and Class D semifinals. The only area team still alive in the state tournament, Hanover Horton, plays this afternoon with a Class C matchup against top-ranked Flint Beecher. We’ll have all four of Saturday’s season ending championship games on the radio beginning with Class C at 10 a.m., followed by Class A at Noon and then it’s Class C at 4:30 p.m., and finally Class B at 6:30 p.m.
Today on the Coaches Corner, it’s Union City sports and a preview of the early season spring schedules for the Chargers.
