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Sports
8rad Emoni, Chris Mccosky editors/591-2312
Thursday, April 11. 1985 o&e
Chris
McCosky
Keep news writers
off baseball beat
The ntes (and wrongs) of spring.
REMEMBER WHEN Free Press sports
columnist Mike Downey wrote daily
columns about the 1984 presidential
' election campaigns? I remember reading
numerous comments from indignant readers
wondering how the Free Press could let, god-forbid,
a sports writer cover something as significant as an
election.
Well, after all the bub-bub over the Tigers season
opener. I'm wondering why the Free Press would
allow so many news writers to cover a baseball
game? It made for some pretty dull reading. You
couldn't say Downey's political writing was dull.
The spring sports season kicks into gear Monday.
All those suntanned athletes can put their rusty
talents to work on the field or the track.
Perhaps I shouldn't let this Easter exodus thing
bother me. After all. there's no crime in students
wanting to spend their vacation time in sunny
Florida.
On the other hand, if you make a commitment to
play a spring sport, and that team practices or
plays games during the break, you should honor
your commitment to the team. That means no
Florida trip. If the trip is that important, don't play
spring sports.
I don't know. I'm probably just jealous. I couldn t
afford to go to Florida when I was in high school
and I certainly can't afford to go now
Still; I can't help rooting for teams that stay
home and play ball over the break.
MEANINGLESS PREDICTIONS: Salem will win
the Lakes Division and Canton will win the Western
in the Western Lakes. Walled Lake Western, after
its state title a year ago. will falter this year.
Livonia Churchill will average 7-10 runs per game
and give up 10-12 Farmington will be the surprise
team in the league and seriously challenge Salem in
the Lakes. Canton wins its first Western Lakes title
and makes it to the regional finals.
Garden City baseball coach Bob Dropp could
become the first coach in recent memory to win
two Northwest Suburban League titles the same
year. Dropp's Cougars won the NSL basketball title
earlier this year and his baseball team is favored to
J win as well.
IT'S AMAZING the type of athletic success
Garden City has had since combining two high
schools (Garden City East and Garden City West)
The Cougars were 7-2 and fourth in Observerland in
football. And they were champs in volleyball,
wrestling and basketball. Are you listening
Plymouth-Canton Community Schools?
It's also amazing how the Garden City
community supports its athletic program and how
the Garden City district administration supports its
coaching staff. Two long-time coaches, Dean
Shipman and Chris Babler, were promoted to
administrative roles in the district.
'• Next time Plymouth-Canton wants to do a
comparative study on how area schools operate,
focus on Garden City.
MORE MEANINGLESS predictions: Bishop
Borgess will win the Observerland Boys Relays and
Churchill will win the Observerland Girls Relays.
Farmington boys will be the champions of the
Western Lakes track and the Falcon girls won't be
as bad as coach Jerry Young says they'll be. I
really can't tell who will win the Western Lakes
girls meet. If I had to pick, I'd say Churchill.
Glenn's girls dominate the NSL and its anyone's
guess for the boys.
Long-range forecast: Look for Farmington Hills
Mercy's Michelle Fryatt to be one of
Observerland's best point guards next season.
Plymouth Salem Softball coach Rob Willette is
generally very low-keyed when he discusses his
players That's why I'm excited to see Salem's
Leslie Plichta play this season Here's what
Willette had to say about this Junior
"Leslie Plichta is the best outfielder in the state.
LIVONIA STEVENSON will be one of the favored
teams to win the state title in girls soccer. The
Spartans won the title two years ago, but were
upset last year by a scrappy Northville team. That
loss continued an unusual string of bad luck for the
Spartans in state tournament play.
The boys soccer team made it to the state finals
and lost to Troy Athens (for the second straight
year). Tbe Spartans' boys and girls swim teams,
after dominating the area, faltered in the state
meet the past two seasons The Spartans' volleyball
team lost in the state finals In 1984 and in the state
semifinals this year The Stevenson hockey team,
always powerful In tbe area, was knocked out in tb«
first round of the state tourney this season.
Still, how many Observerland schools can boast
of having as many opportunities for state title® as
Stevenson has? Not many
A POST-MORTEM boys basketball item: The
talk around the Catholic Central basketball camp
was that tbe reason Ken George transferred from
CC to Farmington Harrison was that be was told he
didn't have the physical tools needed to play
regularly at CC. I can't help thinking that George
would have taken a huge load of John Mclntyre this
year George could have brought the bell up court,
which no other Shamrock could do coniisteetly this
season besides Mac
One last note: I would like to extend, on behalf of
this sports department, a special congratulations to
John Glenn basketball star Mike Baydarian For
two straight years, Baydarian missed making All
Area first team by one vote But Mike Baydarian
was a special player and a special person. His
talent oo the court (his sweet jump shot and his
deceptive passing skills) will be miased Even more,
m miss the claaa and sportsmanship be displayed
on the hail court, win or lose. I wish there
were more players like him.
r
®tje (©bseruer Newspapers
entertainment, classifieds inside
CEP kickers title run
By Chris McCoaky
staff writer
It's been a long road, but for the first
time, it appears the level of high school
lirls soccer in the Plymouth-Canton
area is equal to that of tbe vaunted
Livonia teams.
"The new players coining in get better
every year," said Plymouth Salem
coach Ken Johnson. "This year, I can
see three or four freshmen starting
right away."
Freshmen are making their mark in
the Plymouth Canton camp also. Coach
Mike Morgan is counting on at least
two freshmen to crack the starting
lineup.
The heavily populated youth soccer
programs in the Plymouth-Canton
community are certainly responsible
for the recent influx of talented players.
Freshmen players are coming into
high school soccer programs with three
to five years of playing experience.
For many years, only the Livonia
teams had the advantage of
soccer programs. Now Elymouth-Can*'
ton and Farmington have improved
youth programs and are finally able to
compete with the Livonians.
Observerland has become a hot-bed
of soccer talent. The Western Lakes
Soccer League has produced the state's
only two champions (Stevenson and
Northville). And while the other teams
have improved, the league remains
dominated by the three Livonia powers:
Stevenson, Churchill and Bentley.
Can Salem or Canton unseat these
perennial powers in 1985? Here's a
preseason glimpse at the Centennial
Educational Park squads
PLYMOUTH SALEM
Ken Johnson's team finished 8-7-1
last year and lost standouts Shelley
Staszel, Colleen O'Connor and Sarah
Wallman to graduation.
But Johnson thinks his crew will be a
factor in the Western Lakes.
"With our newcomers, plus our returning
strength, I think we can challenge
Stevenson for at least the division
title. Churchill is the team to beat for
the conference and state, though."
soccer
Three seniors and two juniors will
supply Salem with a strong, experienced
nucleus. Seniors Ruth Knoerl
(all-division defender), Fran Whittaker
(all-division wing) and Tracey Greenhalge
(midfielder) return, as do juniors
Julie Tortora (35 goals in two seasons)
and Suzie Balconi (midfielder).
Ah, but those freshmen. Dena Head
has terrorized the youth soccer fields
the past three years with her explosive
style of play. The strong and extremely
quick winger should have an immediate
effect upon the Rocks' offense.
Other freshmen expected to contribute
are Rachael Thiet (back), Ellen
Schnackel (defense), Tracey Krajewski
(midfield) and goalia-Karen Phillippi.
Sophomore Lisa Hysko also will help
out at midfield.
"Our strength will be our overall fitness
good team spirit, strong young
bench and a dynamite front three with
Tortora, Whittaker and Head — they
should give us all the goals we need"
Johnson, though, is worried about his
team's lack of experience, especially in
goal, where freshman Phillippi is replacing
all-stater Wallman.
Salem will open the season this
weekend at the Schoolcraft Invitational
PLYMOUTH CANTON
Second-year coach Mike Morgan put
his team through an intense preseason
aerobic conditioning program, and he's
hoping the Chiefs will be able to dance
their way to a division title.
"We hope to improve our record
(which was an impressive 11-5-1), although
the other teams in the league
are very strong," Morgan said. "The
loss of key players due to job commitments
will hurt defensively, but our fitness
and skills should help us attain our
goal of a division championship "
Please turn to Page 2
FILE PHOTO
Mercy's Annette Ruggiero is one of the area's many outstanding
individual players this season.
Canton, Salem battle
for S'craft kick title
By Robert McElheney
special writer
The competition will be fierce Friday
and Saturday when 16 teamj compete
in Schoolcraft College's fifth annual
High School Girls Soccer Invitational.
Defending state Class A champion
.Northville returns to the tournament
along with last year's Schoolcraft
winner. Livonia Churchill. Tournament
runner-up Troy Athens also returns
Churchill coach and tournament director
Ed Dudek. whose squad beat
Athens 1-0 for last year's crown, said
any of four teems. Including his own,
have the best shot at winning the tournament.
"Northville, Athens, Troy and ourselves
are the strongest of the buuch,'
he said. 'Plymouth Salem will also be
tough. Other teams to watch,out for Include
Plymouth Canton, Farmington
Hills Mercy. Frsser and Brighton "
LIVONIA FRANUJN. Garden City.
Dearborn, Dearborn Fordson. Harper
Woods Bishop Gallagher. Harper
Woods Regina and Madison Heights
Bishop Foley round out the weekend Invitational,
which will run M p.m. on
Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p m. oo Saturday
The championship game Is scheduled
for I p.m. Saturday
Tournament matches consist of two.
25-minute halves in favor of the standard
4 5-minute periods Games tied at
the end of regulation play will be decided
by a pair of 5-minute overtimes, followed
(If neceessry) by s pair of S-minute
sodden death periods and (If oecessary)
s shootout
Key players to watch, according to
Dudek. include forwards Jennifer Flowers
and Jennifer Huegll of Churchill,
goalie Trtcia Docker and halfback Kathy
Korowin of Northville, center Sheila
Brett, Athena; halfback Lis Suttie
Troy, forward Dena Head. Salem, center-half
Annette Ruggiero Mercy; forward/halfback
Tamara Brown, Dearborn;
and forward Jenny WUcos, Brighton
m
Julie. Tortora (above) will team with Fran
Whittaker and Dena Head to give Plym-
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