One Season Ends for Another to Begin

It was a sad couple of days for Beal City High School when both boys’ and girls’ basketball took the court for the final time this season.  Although neither team finished the way that they had hoped to come out, both teams had some star moments this season.

To start off with the girls’ team, they finished sixth in the Highland Conference per MaxPreps.com with a 4-10 league play record and a 5-16 overall record.   One standout game they had was against Evart on February 9 when they pulled off a 55-50 win.  A week later, Beal City girls had another impressive win of 48-13 over Marion.  With the season ending, Beal City will miss the seniors lost this year that include: Haley McMullen, Mackenzie Schneider, and Natalie Gross.  The remaining girls will look to build upon this past season while heading into next season with key returners: Ashley Reihl, Alex Fussman, and Mackenzie Yuncker.

On the boys’ side, Beal City finished with a third-place finish in the Highland Conference per MaxPreps.com with a 8-5 league play record and a 11-9 overall record.  One of the boys’ standout games was on February 7 against Sacred Heart.  They walked away with a whopping 67-38 win against Sacred Heart.  This was also Coach Cam Gatrell’s 200^th career win.  Another impressive game by the boys was on March 2 when Beal City pulled off the close win against the Lake City Trojans winning 73-67.  Since the season has come to the end, the boys’ team has had to say goodbye to one lone senior, Kyle Yuncker.  The team will have a strong returning class for next year to build upon the positives from this season which will be led by: Lucas Schumacher, Ryan Schafer, and Logan Chillman.

Although it is sad to know that the winter sports season has come to an end on the court, there are plenty of new activities starting up this spring.  Both softball and baseball practice started yesterday, March 13.  They start games up and hit the ground running towards the end of March and the beginning of April.  Both boys’ and girls’ track and field also start up to help finish out the school year on a high athletic note.  We want to wish all the upcoming sports teams the best of luck to start off their seasons!  #GoAggies

By: Valerie Johnson

We Wore Blue for Kelly Pung

Coach Antcliff with the girl's during a timeout.

Last Tuesday, February 21, 2017, Beal City Athletics did something truly amazing.  They came together as a community to bring hope and awareness for Kelly Pung’s fight against cancer during Beal City’s girls’ basketball game against the NMC Comets.  The girl’s team may not have pulled out a win in the game, but awareness was brought to a fantastic cause.

The game got off to a slow start for the Aggies when after the first quarter they were down 28-2.  The lone score for the Aggies was made off of an offensive rebound by sophomore, Alex Fussman.  She continued to have an impressive night for the Aggies by nailing a three late in the fourth quarter and by taking charge of the Aggie offense.

Another impressive standout for the Aggies that night was junior, Ashley Reihl.  She continuously battled on both the offensive and especially the defensive side of the ball for rebounds.  These are stats that not very many people pay attention to, so we wanted to give her some credit.  She impressed us enough with these behind the scene battles to win Athlete of the Week honors from our blog staff for last week.

Although the final score for the game was not in Beal City’s favor finishing 18-68, there was still a win on the night.  Beal City students, staff, and community members helped raise a whopping $4,186.  Some of the areas that raised money were the t-shirts that people were able to purchase with the saying, “I Wear Blue for Kelly Pung” on the back.  As a spectator, the front truly captured my attention reading, “Not all Cancer is Pink.”  Along with the t-shirts, there was a bake sale, bracelets for sale, and a 50/50 raffle.  To truly capture the Beal City spirit though, one had to be there for the halftime half-court shot.  This was run by Beal City’s own “Blue Crew,” an organization run by Beal City High School students, that raised an additional $57 to help Kelly’s fight.  Watch the video below to catch a couple lucky participants drain their half court shot!

By: Valerie Johnson