June 11th, 2010
Almost, we are ever so close to the end of the high school spring sports season. Today I was in Montrose for the Freeland – Frankenmuth division 3 regional girls soccer final. I knew I was in for a LOW scoring defense laden match. Both teams had set school records for the season for shut-outs (Frankenmuth, 20 and Freeland,17)and someone had to budge. No ties, there was going to be a clear cut winner, so someone HAD to score.
The game was NOT a disappointment at all. Both teams did not seem to be able to get an advantage with tough defense played by both teams. The half ended at a 0-0 tie.
In the second half, the Eagles played more aggressively taking advantage of having the wind at their backs. Even the Eagles fans were more aggressive with lots of cheering and chanting. Sonner or later it was bound to happen. A scramble in front of the net and WHOOSH! Frankenmuth’s Emma Cookingham scored with 15 minutes left in the game.
Freeland tried to muster up a goal with a strong offensive but Frankenmuth’s defense stiffened and held them in check.
When the game was finished, Frankenmuth celebrated with their fans posing for a photo with what coach Paul Stenglein said was the backbone of the team and that they were the twelfth player on the field for them.
It was a real tough day for me because the video cameraman scheduled to be at the game could not make it. That left me with dual duties, videographer and photographer. I did not bring my bag so I had to sling to cameras (one with a wide angle lens and one with a long lens) plus the video camera which after a while gets heavy. When the action was far away I filmed it and when the action came to me down went the video and up with the camera. It is something I hope I dont have to do again anytime soon.
All in all it was a fun day. Anytime I get to shoot some great action and watch a good game it can’t be bad, and I’m not even a big fan of soccer. 
Tomorrow will be regional tournaments for baseball and softball. Sounds like another good day!
Tags: division 3 regional final frankenmuth and freeland, emma cookingham, frankenmuth MHSAA division 3 girls soccer regional champions, frankenmuth michigan girls soccer, freeland michigan girls soccer, high school spring sports, saginaw michigan
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May 31st, 2010
I guess i did not realize that it had been so long that I have updated this blog. I have been really busy out shooting baseball and softball double headers and soccer, track and lacrosse (boys and girls). What a busy season it has been. There are so many talented teams and players out here in the Saginaw area it keeps us all busy to keep up with them. It seems like only yesterday that spring sports started. Now, here we are ready for the state tournaments to begin and hopefully some of the area seniors can leave their high school days with a state championship under their belt.
but dont even think that area sports are done. There are so many youth leagues and summer sports camps that no child should be left bored. We are in the planning stages of putting together our very own sports camps for the summer and will be announcing them as soon as we can work out the details.
Central Michigan and Saginaw Valley State University have many sports camps planned with top notch coaching. Saginaw Township Soccer Association also has quite a few soccer camps planned as always. Check our events page for the most up to date sports camp information. We’ll be adding to them daily as we get more information. So get those kids active and get them outside enjoying sports. If they don’t try, they cant succeed. They’ll have tons of fun to boot.
Tags: saginaw michigan sports, summer sports camps saginaw michigan
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April 14th, 2010
Now that Easter vacation is over, spring sports got back into action this week. I have been real busy running from game to game shooting baseball, softball, lacrosse, soccer and track. whew!
I am not a real big baseball fan, but it sure is fun trying to get a great action shot. With softball and baseball you have to really anticipate where the play is going to go and be ready. It’s not like basketball where they will take many shots during the game. The game is limited in hits and runs. If the pitcher is real good, then a hit will be very hard to come by and all you will get is a bunch of swings. I try to at least get a good shot of the bat just coming into contact with the ball. To stop that action at just the right time is a real challenge sometimes. What makes it harder is the way the field is set up. Maybe the sun is not at your back and you have to shoot towards the sun. yuck.
Luckily so far the games have had plenty of action and I have gotten some good shots. Not tons, but enough. You always hope for that PERFECT shot, with the right expression on the players face and no harsh shadows and GREAT action. Well, you can always hope. but the more you do it the more chance you have. Most high school fences are too high to shoot over so you must be inside the fence which fans are not allowed to do. It does get kinda scary sometime when a foul ball heads in you direction. When you are looking through the lens, you really have no time to see that it’s coming right at you! Ouch.
A photo journalist I trained with and highly respect (AP photographer Greg Pearson) in Louisiana showed me his bruise one day when we went to shoot a game together. It was not pretty. But, it comes with the job, I have been run over on the sidelines of a football game a few times and it is no fun. But getting a good shot does make it worth it. It makes me feel great when a parent or even the athlete in a photo tells me I took a great picture.
I have my fingers crossed lots of action comes my way. See you at the game!
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April 1st, 2010
Michigan State had a tough road making it to the final four. Some say they knew they would be there, but after watching them play can you still say that. Michigan State did win those games, and by one point or two, a win is a win they say. That is true, a win is a win and that is all that matters, especially playing in a tournament. There are no second chances.
But, judging by the teams they played and the close calls they had, are they the best team in the land? Are they really good and just play hard enough to win most of the time? After all, a win is a win, no matter how hard you play. States largest margin of victory was only seven points against a #9 seed Northern Iowa. Granted they took out #1 seed Kansas, but they had to play hard to get there.
Luckily for State they take on an overachieving Butler team that is also a #5 seed. No doubt State has been an underachieving team in my eyes. That is why I wonder if they have the heart to really dig down and beat a really good team. Duke is a team that has dominated most of the teams they played so far. either team that comes out of the other bracket will be tough.
I believe that State has to dig down really deep and show them that they are a team to be reckoned with. The other team will come in with a bunch of confidence knowing they pounded their opponents.
We will know in a few days just how good they really are.
Tags: Michigan State Basketball, Michigan State basketball final four 2010
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March 29th, 2010
Hello all,
It’s that time of year. All indoor sports are done and it’s time to get outside and enjoy the weather. Girls soccer, lacrosse, softball and track are now or already have started. Boys baseball, lacrosse and track are getting ready also. Oh yeah, golf too.
If you have not seen a lacrosse match, you should get out and take a look see. This is a pretty rough sport. Guys banging around to get control of a small ball and get it into the opponents goal. Similar to hockey, it’s rougher. It’s becoming a more popular sport here. Down south, I mean in southern states it’s a really big sport. Every school has a team. But, up here in Michigan it’s just starting to grab root. Midland has quite a few teams now.
Track is always exciting for me, mainly because I ran track in school for a while. Then I switched over to tennis in high school. It was alot of fun. The only problem with spring sports is hardly anyone shows up for games. Maybe because it’s just so doggone nice in the spring. That doesn’t make the games any less exciting.
I for one am kind of glad winter sports are done, only because that means winter is over (hopefully). Now, I wont have to lug strobes all over the place and set up every time. Now, I can just go to a game carrying one bag and my camera and I am all set. Just point and shoot, thats all. One important fact when shooting outdoors is to try to keep the sun at your back when possible. This will reduce glare and harsh shadows. You can usually shoot at iso 100 or 200 also which means a good clean shot without any grainy look. When shooting baseball I try to shoot with at least a 500 to 700 shutter speed. You want to stop the ball, and that ball goes REALLY fast!
I can’t wait until it gets nice and warm out. I love warm weather and being outside. I go for hikes as much as possible. You never know, I may even lose some of my winter weight.
Yeah Spring!
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March 24th, 2010
Whatever happened to the great Team Spirit and Super Fans I seen at football games and the start of basketball season?
When Heritage and Swan Valley played the first game of the season against each other it was a great atmosphere at Heritage. Many students from Swan Valley made the trip over to cheer on their team. It was loud at times and the student sections egged each other on (In a fun Way). They were loud every time a player had to shoot at the free-throw line. That made me smile at times thinking the students were having a good time, and the players knew their fans cared.
But, as each week went on I noticed a trend that was growing out of control. The student sections were dwindling in size! Where were they? What where they doing on game night? It didn’t matter if the schools had a poor team or a great team. The students were not coming to cheer on their teams anymore. No more painted faces, no more Green Men (you know who you are) and more loud student sections.
Where had their team spirit gone? Didn’t they care if their teams won? What about bragging right with cross-town rivals, didn’t they matter anymore?
During football season I noticed the same trend, but not nearly as much. The smaller schools also seemed to support their teams more. I know their stadiums are smaller, but not that much. Those smaller schools FILLED their bleachers most of the time. I would have thought that since it is nice and warm in the gymnasiums that the kids would go to get out of the house. That was not the case.
With winter sports over and the start of spring sports next week I am sure things will be the same as last year. very few students cheering on their teams. Baseball? hardly: softball? nope, girls soccer? doubt it, maybe lacrosse? don’t think so. Then what? why don’t I see painted faces and big crowds.
I challenge every school to try to outdo each other showing team spirit this spring. Put on your school colors and attend any game you can and cheer on the athletes. Of course I will post photos of any super fans I see at the games.
I’ll see you at the game!
Tags: high school sports team spirit, saginaw michigan school spirit, saginaw michigan team spirit, school spirit, super fans, Team spirit
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March 19th, 2010
We are down to two teams locally that are competing in the MHSAA tournament. Swan Valley lost it’s game on Wednesday to powerhouse, Flint Powers Catholic. Powers now has the misfortune of playing #1 ranked Detroit Country Day.
Arthur Hill won big over Mt. Pleasant and Troy Zeiglar on Wednesday. This game was really impressive because the whole team came together and played some incredible ball. They have always played really well, but this game was gooood!
Even with an injured shoulder, Maurice Jones made some great plays. He dished the ball of really well and the rest of the team put it in the net. It was a solid team effort from beginning to end. Now, Zeiglar has the rest of his free time figuring out where he would like to play his college ball.
Buena Vista also advanced to the quarterfinals next week. They defeated Harbor Beach. Buena Vista took the ball inside and had no problems converting. Like Arthur Hill, the whole team pitched in on the win. These two teams are deep, and have a great chance of going to the finals.
I was really impressed with a girls game this past week. Freeland traveled up to Houghton to take on the U.P’s Kingsford. What really impressed me was that even though Kingsford was a 6-hour trip, they had a HUGE crowd. A really loud pepped up crowd. Unfortunately for Freeland they won. I almost feel as if the crowd had something to do with it. Their team gave them something to cheer about and the crowd stayed noisy the whole time. Kingsford jumped out to a 11-0 start and never looked back.
Freeland got within four-points at one time and their crowd never seemed to get behind the team and get noisy. Soon, Kingsford went on another run an Freeland never had a chance. their crowd chanted,”You got to want it to win it, and we want it more”. It almost seemed that way. Not on the part of the Freeland players, but more on the crowd. The Kingsford crowd wanted it more.
Now, lets prove this theory right and get behind our two teams that are left and make some noise. I know you wont regret it. These teams can put on a show and play some GREAT basketball. You want proof? just to to our you tube channel and watch some game video of these team!
http://www.youtube.com/user/SaginawSports
The proof is in the video. Enjoy.
Tags: Freeland michigan basketball, MHSAA basketball, Saginaw Arthur Hill basketball, Saginaw Buena Vista basketball, Saginaw Sports, saginawsports.com
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March 15th, 2010
It’s been awhile since I posted anything on this blog. Well, I have been sick, AGAIN. This winter is kicking my butt bad. But, thankfully I am feeling better now and my head is clearing up so I can think.
This past week i suffered thru some fantastic high school tournament basketball. Still fresh in my mind was the Arthur Hill – Saginaw High game at Heritage. The game was pretty close until the final period when the Lumberjacks pulled away for the win. Jones again led his team to a big win. For the Trojans, there will always be next year. They had a respectable season beating some very good teams in the state. maybe next year we can watch Tommie McCune wearing a spartan uniform. Yes, head coach Izzo was at the game scouting. I know he was at a previous game scouting McCune, so I believe he was again checking him out. A few members of the Spartan basketball team was also in attendance. Let me tell Izzo that he could not do wrong in McCune. The kid has mad skills. I am sure he did not disappoint Izzo with his performance. He scored a game high 32-points in the losing effort. Also in attendance was LaMarr Woodley and Clifton Ryan. Woodley attended Sagin
aw High and Ryan attended Arthur Hill in their high school days. It was good to see them back in Saginaw and showing support for their schools. hat is what we need here. Someone for the kids to look up to. Some GOOD role models. They are not flashy arrogant guys. They have done some good things for the children to show them respect and sportsmanship in their charity work.
Oh yeah, back to some games. I traveled to Montrose to watch Buena Vista roll to their district title on Friday over Valley Lutheran. The game was close in the first period with the Chargers keeping pace by burying three’s. But, soon afterwords the three’s stopped sinking and Valley Lutheran was falling behind. Buena played a smart patient game not forcing shots and defending very well. George Goodman played awesome, hitting for 32-points and Dequavion Hogg grabbed 17-rebounds. It was a good win and a district title for the Knights.
Freeland girls get back into action on Tuesday with a game at Houghton High in a MHSAA quarterfinal. If they win, its off to the Breslin Center for the semi-finals and hopefully a championship game as well.
The girls are playing very well right now and hope to get a win. I plan on covering the game at Houghton so I will post some photos and video.
See you at the game!
Tags: buena Vista, Freeland girls basketball, High school basketball, MHSAA basketball tournament, Saginaw Arthur Hill, Saginaw High, saginaw michigan high school basketball, saginaw michigan sports, Saginaw Valley Lutheran, saginawsports.com
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March 1st, 2010
As you may or may not know, March Magic is now upon us.
No, not March Madness, that distinction belongs to NCAA college basketball. I mean, Michigan high school basketball. The season was a long one, but we are finally down to the make or break, win and move on, or lose and go home. we have some great local teams right here in our own backyard. First off, the girls district tournaments have begun as of March 1st. The boys tournaments don’t begin until next Monday. While Freeland is the only high school locally hosting games in the district match-ups. There are many local teams playing all over the area.
The Hemlock girls powered their way past Bullock Creek 63-32 today and Freeland beat Shepherd 61-39. The Jankoska sisters double teamed Shepherd with 39 combined points. Jenni had 21, and Tori had 18. Their defense forced many turnovers which almost put the game away in the first half, if not for a spunky Shepherd rally. Jenni had 5 steals and sister Tori recorded 7. Yikes. Those girls can play.
In the earlier game Hemlock’s Peyton Apsey led a potent offense with 22 points and 6 steals, while 6 foot tall Shelby Herrington added 18 points and had 4 blocks. The Huskies out scored the Lancers, 27-5 in the second period to pull ahead and then blew the game open by out scoring them 18-4 in the third period. These two teams play again on Wednesday right back there in Freeland. Alma Plays Hemlock at 6 p.m and Chippewa Hills plays Freeland at 7:30 p.m.
The boys are finishing off their last regular season games, and then wham, right into the district tournament next week, ready or not.
Heritage will play host to some great boys games. Our very own Arthur Hill Lumberjacks and Heritage Hawks will take on Flushing and Owosso, respectively. Saginaw High is waiting in the wings to play the Ah vs Flushing game, hoping to get a third shot at a team which beat them twice during regular season. But this time will be different.
The losers season will be over, far short of it’s goal.
But wait, Freeland is also hosting some boys games. Remus, is taking on Shepherd in game 1, and Bullock Creek will play Freeland in the second. Waiting with bye’s are Alma and Hemlock.
Now, those are some ball games to see. Now, lets go cheer on our teams.
Tags: Arthur Hill High School, Bullock Creek High School, Freeland High School, Hemlock High School, Heritage High School, Jenni Jankoska, March Magic, MHSAA district tournaments, MHSAA March Magic 2010, Peyton Apsey, Saginaw Sports, Shelby Herrington, Tori Jankoska
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Almost, we are ever so close to the end of the high school spring sports season. Today I was in Montrose for the Freeland – Frankenmuth division 3 regional girls soccer final. I knew I was in for a LOW scoring defense laden match. Both teams had set school records for the season for shut-outs (Frankenmuth, 20 and Freeland,17)and someone had to budge. No ties, there was going to be a clear cut winner, so someone HAD to score.
