The Cedar Springs Cheer Team showcased incredible perseverance this week, overcoming illness, injuries, and unexpected challenges. Despite these obstacles, our resilient athletes came together to deliver three strong rounds at the Oiler Invitational. Their hard work and determination earned them a well-deserved 3rd place finish!

Now, the team is looking forward to a weekend of rest and recovery before hitting the gym on Monday with a full roster. With everyone back together, we are excited to prepare for RCA #2 at Lowell High School.

Great job, Red Hawks Cheer! Your dedication and spirit inspire us all. Let’s keep the momentum going!

It’s been an incredible week for the Red Hawks! The team worked hard to make upgrades and improvements across all three rounds, showing determination and growth. One of the most exciting highlights was adding back handsprings into Round 2, a major season goal set by the coaches. The athletes crushed this challenge, demonstrating their dedication and teamwork.

This week, the team traveled to Sparta for the first-ever RCA Conference Meet. They came out strong in Round 1, setting the pace early and staying ahead of the competition. The energy stayed high throughout all three rounds, with standout performances across the board. Adding to the excitement, the team proudly debuted their brand-new, fundraised Round 3 uniforms! It was a fantastic night for the Red Hawks, and they’ll be back on the mat for RCA Conference Meet #2 on January 23 at Lowell High School.

On Saturday, the team traveled to Stoney Creek High School for the Cougar Spirit Invitational, an elite event featuring many regional and state-qualifying teams. While the final outcome wasn’t what they hoped for, the team gave their best effort in all three rounds and showed resilience. It was a valuable experience, offering the athletes a chance to compete alongside top programs from across the state.

Now, it’s back to the gym on Monday for a week focused on cleaning, upgrading, and refining all three rounds. The Red Hawks will return to competition next Friday at Mt. Pleasant High School for the Oiler Invite. Let’s keep the momentum going, Red Hawks! 

After a well-deserved nine-day break, the Cedar Springs Cheer team returned to the gym on a mission – to finish round 3 before the Red Hawk Rumble. They stayed focused and accomplished just that! Practices were dedicated to finalizing round 3 and getting solid reps of rounds 1 and 2.

At the Red Hawk Rumble on Saturday, we proudly celebrated our three graduating seniors: Ashley and Sarah Buckley, and Kadee Rypma. Our youth program recognized each senior’s commitment and leadership by awarding them $500 for their contributions. The future of Cedar Springs Cheer is bright, with an incredible show of Red Hawk spirit as all levels, from 2nd grade through 12th grade, performed together!

The girls faced a challenging start in round 1 but showed grit and determination to deliver a strong round 2 and an outstanding round 3. Despite having only four days to prepare, they climbed from 5th place after round 1 to an impressive 2nd place finish after round 3.

The coaching staff could not be prouder of the team’s effort, heart, and performance. It was an incredible way to start the year!

We are now entering our busy season with a full focus on State Finals. This week, we continue to refine all three rounds and make upgrades as we prepare for two exciting competitions:

• Thursday at Sparta High School for our first River City Alliance event.
• Saturday at Stoney Creek High School, where we will face some of the top contenders in the state.

We are excited for the challenges ahead and can’t wait to see the girls continue to shine!

Before the break, we were excited to help host the inaugural RCA Middle School Conference Finals at our middle school! The event was a great success, and we even had the opportunity to perform our rounds for the crowd.

The rest of the week was filled with hard work as we focused on cleaning up rounds 1 and 2 while adding new sections to round 3. We also took some time to celebrate the holiday season with our festive “Dip-mas” and Secret Santa party, bringing the team closer together.

On Saturday morning, we traveled to Plainwell for our final competition of 2024. The team delivered outstanding performances in all three rounds, earning a well-deserved 2nd place finish!

Now, as we head into the break, we’ll be dedicating our time to perfecting all three rounds in preparation for our ONLY home event of the season: Red Hawk Rumble!

Save the Date: Red Hawk Rumble

• When: Saturday, January 4, 2025, at 9 a.m.
• Where: Cedar Springs High School
• Who: All levels (2-12) will be performing and competing!

This is the perfect chance to come out and cheer for these hardworking athletes as we kick off the new year with some incredible performances. Let’s pack the stands and show our Red Hawk pride!

Last weekend, Team 23 put in the work with choreography sessions and outside coaching to refine their routines and perfect their rounds ahead of their first competition. The team also brought their energy to the Cedar Springs Christmas Parade, representing Red Hawk pride in style!

Throughout the week, the team focused on cleaning Rounds 1 and 2 while building an impressive Round 3 from scratch.

On Friday night, Team 23 hit the mat for their first competition of the season—and they absolutely crushed it! They delivered strong performances in Rounds 1 and 2 and powered through a brand-new Round 3 that was finalized just six days before.

Now, it’s back to the gym to sharpen their skills and prepare for their next competition at Plainwell next Saturday. Let’s go, Red Hawks!

Tuesday night brought an intense matchup at home against Jenison High School, where the Varsity team narrowly fell 55-58. Sophomore Seth Williams had an incredible performance, leading all scorers with 31 points—29 of which came in a standout second half.

On Friday, the team bounced back with a hard-fought 54-51 victory over Wayland on their home court, improving their record to 3-2. It was a true team effort, with Marek Oleneack, Keenen Hullinger, Konor Shotko, and Seth Williams all scoring in double digits.

The JV team continues to impress, securing wins in both games this week and extending their undefeated record to 5-0.

Next up, Boys Basketball travels to Big Rapids on Tuesday for their final game before heading into the holiday break. Let’s go, Red Hawks!

We are thrilled to celebrate our Red Hawks who have been recognized for their outstanding performances this fall season! Their dedication, teamwork, and talent have earned them All-Conference and Honorable Mention honors. Let's show our support and pride for these incredible student-athletes!

All-Conference Honors:

• Tennis: Evan Mattson
• Boys Cross Country: Ethan Shoffner, Aiden Weller
• Girls Cross Country: Adelyn Nesbitt, Abby Noorman, Kendall Nester
• Boys Soccer: Gauge Ingersoll, Ian Stearns, Brody Klenk, Austin Grice, Morgan Duddles
• Football: Luke Egan, Dane Nienhuis, Marquise Mance, Marek Oleneack, Kaiden Dreyer, Avery Umphrey
• Volleyball: Kylee Rypma, Alyssa Krol, Olivia Williams
• Girls Golf: Aavra Relich

Honorable Mention:

• Boys Cross Country: Tadhg Shoffner, Peyton Farrell, Ryan Ladd
• Boys Soccer: Avery Umphrey, Levi Gunnell
• Volleyball: Elizabeth Pinkelman
• Football: Jackson Calati, Grant Payne

Congratulations to all our athletes for an amazing season! We’re so proud of your hard work and dedication on and off the field. Keep soaring, Red Hawks! 

The girls XC team travelled up to Benzie Central High School on Friday afternoon for the Regional Meet. They ran a very strong race, placing 4th overall as a team. The last time the girls team finished better than 7th place was 2014 when they won the regional meet. At the front were Emory Smith, Abby Noorman, and Addy Nesbitt - all breaking the 20:00 barrier for the first time. Closely behind them was Kendall Nester, followed by the duo of Maddie Viau and Kenzie Druce who finished right together in the final scoring spots for the team. Miriam Hess finished after them. 

In the open race, the Cedar Springs ladies were led by Kaisa Maki in her final race. Close behind her were Amaya Gomez & Lucy Hotz. Also running their best times of the year were Kylynn Grala, Claire O'Brien, Sophia Sinnema, & Cyan Minnich.

Our Red Hawks Volleyball team faced a tough match against Coopersville in the semifinals of the conference tournament, finishing 3rd overall in the conference. Despite the setback, our team has shown tremendous resilience and skill, boasting an impressive season record of 26-8-2!

Looking ahead, we have a meaningful event coming up with our Community Against Cancer games tomorrow, where we’ll rally together for a great cause. We’ll then close out the week with a game against Wayland on Thursday.

Stay tuned for more updates and continue cheering on our Red Hawks!

On Saturday, the Girls XC team travelled to Allendale to compete in the first ever RCA Conference Championship. They entered the meet tied with Lowell for 2nd place in the conference for the regular season and this meet counts as double points toward the overall team placing. 

The girls competed very well as a group, led by a strong performance from freshman Addy Nesbitt who placed 4th overall. She was followed by Abby Noorman and Kendall Nester who both finished in the top 11. This trio has been very consistent in conference races throughout the season and all three girls earned All-Conference honors for placing in the top 14 in terms of points ranking throughout the season.

Following that trio were Maddie Viau and Kenzie Druce who both ran the fastest times of their career to secure the last team points needed to get the team to the 2nd place finish. Lucy Hotz and Kaisa Maki ran their best times of the season and Miriam Hess followed shortly behind them.

In the second race, the freshman duo of Kylynn Grala & Claire O'Brien led the way. They were followed by season best performances from Sophia Sinnema, Shelly Zimmerman, & Megan Buttermore close together. Jordyn Kerrish was next, followed by season best efforts from Cyan Minnich and Baylee Johnson.

Half of the team will compete at the Donut Dash Invite at home on Wednesday, while the other half will prepare for Regionals on Friday. 

Varsity Volleyball wins first place at the Hesperia Invitational!  Additionally, Senior Olivia Williams was named Player of the Match for our home Tri- on September 26th.  Williams utilized an array of tempo sets coordinating the Red Hawks offensive game & secured skillful scoring opportunities.  At the service line, Williams was 100% through both games & recorded 3 aces and 11 service points.  She also tallied 34 assists, 4 digs, a successful attack and a block!

This week the Freshman team picked up their 1st win of the season against Conference rival, Sparta; 44-30. The boys executed well on offense, scoring on every offensive possession prior to running the clock out to end the 4th quarter.

Next week we will travel to Allendale, looking to keep the momentum rolling in another River Cities Alliance matchup.

For the first time in the 103 year history of Cedar Springs Football, the Red Hawks visited the UP!  The Red Hawks faced off against the Sault St. Marie Blue Devils and came away with huge victories in both the JV (54-6) & Varsity (54-8) match ups.  In addition to the game, fifty-seven players and coaches were also able to visit the Soo Locks and create some lasting memories together.   The Red Hawks are looking forward to Friday night's game at Sparta High School.

Our Red Hawks lead the River Cities Alliance Conference at 16-5-2, beating conference opponent Sparta last week in 3 sets.  We faced Allendale for Senior Night, we are hosting a tri- on Thursday, and we are traveling to Hesperia Saturday for their Volley Against Violence tournament.  

Last Sunday, we were excited to host our Alumni Game where we had over 20 alumni return to play, some who graduated in 1999!

The girls team has spent their past week with no meets preparing for the second RCA Jamboree at Lowell on Wednesday. They will race at 5:15pm against the other 6 teams in the conference.

The girls will look to have another strong performance following their second place finish at the first conference contest. They will have another 1.5 week break in meets after that, leading into the conference championship meet at Allendale on the morning of Saturday, October 19th.

The girls team traveled to the Otsego XC Invite on Saturday morning for the 2nd year in a row. This is quickly becoming a favorite race in the schedule for the girls due to favorable weather, a fun course, great competition, and a high energy atmosphere for racing.

In total, there were 12 season best or all-time best performances from the 18 girls that competed on Saturday. Both races featured significant improvements in terms of how close the girls were to each other and how they individually worked their way up the packs throughout the 5k distance. 
The team now heads into a 1.5 week training block with a break from meets this week and weekend. Their next competition is on Wednesday, October 9th at Lowell for the 2nd RCA Conference Jamboree. The girls are looking forward to that repeat matchup with the other 6 schools in our conference!

Earning Player of the Match for our home conference match against Lowell was #6 Kylee Rypma!  Rypma led the Lady Red Hawks in kills (17), aces (4) and service point (22) with a 90% serve rate.  The senior also posted 17 serve receptions, 7 digs, and an assist in the match.  The Redhawks rallied to top conference rival Lowell in a dramatic five set match on Sept 17.  The Red Hawks team worked in unity to effectively set up forceful attacks and generate a tough defense resulting in their first victory over the Red Arrows.

Cedar Springs Boys are ranked 2nd in Region 10 halfway through the season!  We remain in a tight battle fora  spot to the state meet (top 3 as a team or 4 runners in the top 20 individuals at the regional meet) and also for a Regional Title this year.  As always, the rankings reflect progress as of today - no more and no less!  The job is far from finished, but the Redhawks plan to push toward the finish line!

Varsity girls golfers had their last conference jamboree of the year.  As a team they shot 193, a very nice ending to the conference season.  Conference finals are held next Tuesday.  Good luck to these ladies as they hope to finish strong!

Last week, there were two cross country meets at home - the first River Cities Alliance Jamboree on Wednesday and the annual home invitational on Saturday.

Wednesday brought warm weather but the girls team went in very prepared to take on the 6 other new teams in the conference. Conference races are all about placing and the team did a great job of positioning early on and made some big moves in the second half of the race to place second behind a strong Coopersville team. 

This second place finish was the first time the girls team has been top 2 in any jamboree or conference event since October of 2014. It is also the first time the girls have scored under 90 points at a conference event since 2015 (66 was Wednesday's score).

On Saturday, 12 other high school teams attended the home invitational. The event went well and gave the girls a chance to see some competition that we don't normally get to see. Both girls races had great efforts in their 3rd race in an 8 day stretch. We were also able to honor our seniors, Madison Viau and Kaisa Maki at the end. 

Next up is the Otsego Invitational on Saturday.

The JV golfers had to make every shot count against Kenowa Hills to get a win.  The pin placements were tough which made every putt and chip count.

Despite the near 90* temperatures, the JV golfers won a close match against Lowell by one stroke.  This was a big win since losing to them the first time through conference play.

The Varsity Football team is off to their best start since 2014 with a dramatic come from behind victory against Greenville Friday night.  The Hawks trailed 33-28 with :18 seconds left when senior Rory Schoenborn hit senior Marek Oleneak with a 49 yard TD pass.  Junior Kaiden Dreyer added the 2 point conversion to seal the 36-33 win.  Schoenborn finished 4-4 155 yards passing with 2 TD's.  The team will take on Kenowa Hills for homecoming this Friday.

Way to go #11 Izzy Pinkelman!! You were named MaxPreps Player of the Match for the Mini Invite on Wednesday, August 28th!! Awesome job!!

Cedar Springs Varsity Volleyball finished 2-2 at the Varsity Mini-Invite played at Northpointe Christian on August 28th. Senior Elizabeth Pinkelman was a solid and consistent six rotation leader each match, enabling the teams offense and defense expanded scoring opportunities. The OH/OPP recorded 17 kills, 8 aces, 22 service points, 3 blocks, 22 digs and 53 serve receptions in the four matches. She averaged 2.5 digs and 6.0 serve receptions per set, Elizabeth brings an inspiring and contagious energy on and off the court each match. She is a principle positive and encouraging energy that elevates team confidence, focus and resilience. Elizabeth has been named Cedar Springs Player of the Match for the Cedar Springs Varsity Mini-Invite. Great job and congratulations!

The Red Hawks Boys Soccer team bounced back in impressive fashion after suffering their first defeat of the season on Monday against Allendale. They secured two crucial victories, starting with a 4-0 in-conference win over Coopersville. On Saturday, they continued their momentum by defeating Zeeland West 2-0 in an out-of-conference clash. Junior striker Ian Stearns scored his 15th goal of the season in the Zeeland West match, while sophomore goalkeeper Brody Klenk recorded his 7th clean sheet of the campaign, showcasing the team's strength on both ends of the field.

Looking ahead, the Red Hawks have a pivotal week of conference play, starting with a home match against Greenville on Monday. On Wednesday, they travel to face Kenowa Hills in another key contest before wrapping up the week with a Saturday road trip to Ludington. With confidence restored, the team is eager to continue their winning streak. Catch a game and cheer on the Red Hawks!

The Cedar Springs tennis team tied with Kenowa Hills in a dual match last Monday (9/9).  Wins for Cedar were from Evan Mattson at 1 singles, Heath Malon at 2 singles, Gabe Griffee at 3 singles, and Mason Rop at 4 singles.
Cedar also squared off against Lowell a couple of days later (9/11) and lost 7-1.  Freshman Mason Rop won at 4 singles.  An Honorable Mention for Cedar Springs 
1 doubles Gage Cassidy and Aaron Beckett who went 3 sets, but couldn't hold off the Red Arrows.  

Coming up this week, the tennis team will travel to Sparta to face the Spartans in a dual match on Wednesday(9/18) at 4p.m.

On Saturday, the Girls XC team took a short trip to the Sparta Invitational at Fruitridge Hayrides. In the two earliest races of the day, they competed well as a group. 

In the first race, Kaisa Maki led the group with a strong 1:46 improvement from her time the weekend before. Sophia Sinnema was next, followed by three season best performances from Shelly Zimmerman, Cyan Minnich, and Baylee Johnson.

In the second race, Abby Noorman and Addy Nesbitt led the charge with some of the top competition from our new conference. They both finished with season best performances - Abby moving to #14 on the sophomore all-time list and Addy moving to #13 on the all-time freshmen list. Kendall Nester had a strong performance, followed by season best times from Miriam Hess and Kenzie Druce to round out the scorers. This was Miriam's first time breaking 22:00 in her career! She was followed by four season best efforts from Lucy Hotz, Kylynn Grala, Amaya Gomez, and Claire O'Brien. 

The opportunity for an early morning race after a warm week of training was a great opportunity to gauge where the team is at for mid-September. This week, they race at home at 5:25pm on Wednesday for the first RCA Jamboree and then the two girls races on Saturday for the home invite are at 9:15am and 10:20am. Kaisa and Maddie will be honored following the last race for their senior walk as the only two seniors in the entire program.

The Red Hawks Boys Soccer program continued their impressive run, with the varsity team adding two more victories last week. They defeated Holland Black River 3-0 and Sparta 8-0, extending their undefeated streak in league play and securing their sixth consecutive shutout. Ian Stearns delivered a standout performance with five goals against Sparta, while Austin Grice contributed a goal and three assists. Goalkeeper Brody Klenk notched his sixth clean sheet, further solidifying the team's dominant defense.

The JV squad also had a strong showing, earning a 1-0 win over Holland Black River and battling to a 2-2 draw on the road against Fremont, pushing their record to 4-1-2. The Red Hawks look ahead to an important week with a key conference match against Allendale on Monday, a trip to Coopersville on Wednesday, and a home game on Saturday against a tough Zeeland West squad. Be sure to come out and support the team!

Last Wednesday, all three levels competed in a Quad/Mini Invite.

The freshman girls secured a win against NorthPointe Christian but faced tough losses against Hamilton and Catholic Central. Junior Varsity showed strong effort but ended the day with three close losses to NorthPointe, Hamilton, and Catholic Central. Varsity came out on top against NorthPointe and Alma but fell short against Hamilton and Catholic Central.

This week, all three levels will compete in a Tri: Freshman at NorthPointe, JV at Ionia, and Varsity at Ionia. We're excited to bring home some wins as we head into our first conference game of the season at Greenville! 

On Saturday morning, the Girls XC team traveled to the Bret Clements Bath Invitational for the first time. The conditions were ideal XC weather, with the temperature sitting in the high 40's and sunshine. The course was a mix of grass, hills, woods, and a little bit of mud. 

In the first race of the two, Abby Noorman (14th) made her season debut and earned a medal for placing in the top 30, along with Addy Nesbitt (20th). Kendall Nester was next in 46th place, followed by Miriam Hess (59th) and Kenzie Druce (63rd) to round out the top 5 scorers. Our depth in the first race was helped by season best performances from Kylynn Grala, Amaya Gomez, and Claire O'Brien, with Lucy Hotz fighting through quad soreness to be very close to her personal best in the muddy conditions.

In the second race, Jordyn Kerrish led the charge, followed by Sophia Sinnema and Kaisa Maki. Next was Mylee Stanton, followed by the duo of Shelly Zimmerman and Cyan Minnich. Rounding out the group in their first races of the season were Megan Buttermore and Baylee Johnson.

In total, there were 9 season best performances on a more challenging course than the first meet 2 weeks ago. Abby's time on Saturday is now #26 on the sophomore all-time list, joining Kendall and Miriam on there from their performances in the first meet.

Next up is the Sparta Invitational on Saturday, taking place at Fruitridge Hayrides. The reserve race is at 8:00am, followed by the varsity race at 8:30am. The early start time and great division 2 competition in the race should lead to a great opportunity to gauge the team's progress going into two home meets the following week.

Our Varsity girls' team surpassed their personal goal of 200 not once, but twice! In their first event, they shot a 199, followed by an impressive 198 in the second. It was also a big day for individual achievements: congratulations to VanBeekom for securing 8th place at Coopersville, and to Relich for winning both events!

The Red Hawks varsity boys soccer team continued their impressive performance last week with two victories. They secured a 2-0 conference win against Lowell and dominated Ravenna with an 8-0 non-conference win. With these wins, the varsity team is now 3-0 in conference play and boasts an overall record of 4-0-1.

Meanwhile, the JV squad also had a solid week, earning a 1-1 draw against Lowell and a 3-1 win over Belding. This brings the JV team's season record to 3-1-1.

Looking ahead, both teams face a busy schedule with two games in the week. Varsity goes against Black River and Sparta on Tuesday and Wednesday. The JV team will also take on Black River on Wednesday but will face Fremont on Thursday, as Sparta does not have a JV squad.