The Wyoming Hall of Fame introduced nine new members in between the girls and boys basketball games against Zeeland East on Friday,
The new members include Pam and Jim Brower, long-time Wyoming Public Schools Boosters who volunteered at multiple athletic events.
K’Brio Kimble, one of the all-time best basketball players at Wyoming Park who finished with 1,252 career points.
Emily Holt Wallace, one of the best all-around athletes to come out of Wyoming, who lettered in five different sports.
Orlando Villarreal, A multi-sport athlete at Wyoming Park who was a standout on some of the best baseball teams in Wyoming Park history.
Whitney Hudson Sharkey, a three-sport athlete who was a two-time, all-state softball player and led the Rogers softball team to the 2005 state championship.
Shawn Veenstra, a three-sport athlete at Wyoming Park who was a member of the 1994 state semifinal basketball team and was one of the best baseball players in school history.
Justin Vasquez, a three-sport athlete who was one of the best swimmers in school history and holds career records in baseball for strikeouts and wins.
Jeff Klomparens, a three-sport athlete at Rogers who stood out in football, wrestling and baseball.
Wyoming High School’s football team will be at home this week when the visiting South Christian comes to Davies Memorial Field at Wyoming Junior High for a key game in both teams’ season goal to be a factor in the OK Conference Gold title race.
But will it matter that this week’s WKTV High School Sports Featured Game of the Week is on home turf for the Wolves with the Sailors facing a mostly opposing crowd?
Wyoming is 1-2 (0-1 in OK Gold in early-season action) while South Christian is 2-1 (1-0), with the Wolves only win coming at home, and the Sailors only loss on the road.
For all WKTV’s local high schools — including East Kentwood, Godwin Heights, Kelloggsville, Wyoming Lee and Tri-unity Christian — the football teams are 6-1 at home and 3-10 on the road.
WKTV talked to both head coaches — South Christian’s Danny Brown and Wyoming high’s Irvin Sigler — and while both agree that “they don’t call it home field advantage for nothing”, what happens on the field usually means more.
The coaches also talked about what their team has done well so far this year, and their respect for the opposing head coach and the opposing programs.
All Featured Games, as well as other high school sports and community events covered by WKTV, are available on-demand within a week of play at wktvlive.org.
For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action each week, any changes to the WKTV feature sports schedule, and feature stories on local sports, visit wktvjournal.org/sports/.
When Wyoming High School’s football team plays its last game at Davies Memorial Field this week, at the current middle school but at what was once Wyoming Park high, those in attendance will have many memories of games and players on the field.
And the Friday, Sept. 20, game pitting the Wolves against the visiting South Christian Sailors will also be filled with memories of the late Jack VerDuin, who rolled up a 243-118-6 record with the Wyoming Park Vikings before the school merged with Wyoming Rogers into Wyoming high in 2012.
The Friday game will be the first part of a two-part, two-home game special event for Wyoming high as the Wolves will honor VerDuin during their last varsity football game at Davies field before moving to the new football stadium for a Oct. 11 home game.
One person who will have special memories, especially at this week’s game, will be Ted Hollern, Wyoming High School Athletic Director, who remembers VerDuin as an opposing coach, mentor and friend.
“I can remember, as a high school student, playing against Jack VerDuin’s teams and how good they were,” Hollern said this week to WKTV. “They were well coached. What a machine they had operating.
“And then (later) … I was at Wyoming Rogers, when he was at Park … to be able to rub shoulders with him. At the time, I was a young football coach … you know, I could pick up on some of his ideas. I was the head football coach at Rogers and he was still coaching here. We shared a lot of time together.”
There will also be many memories by VerDuin’s family and many friends who will be in attendance at the game, set to start at 7 p.m. The Jack VerDuin family will be there as they will be announced as our Honorary Captains for the game.
VerDuin, who died in 2007, coached the Vikings for 38 seasons beginning in 1962. During the years, Wyoming Park won 19 conference championships and the Class B state championship in 1984, a 33-20 victory over Monroe Catholic Central. The Vikings were state runner-up in 1985, falling to Dearborn Divine Child 21-0.
VerDuin is a member of the Wyoming Hall of Fame, Grand Rapids Hall of Fame, Michigan High School Hall of Fame and the Michigan Football Hall of Fame.
Clearly Coach VerDuin and his “Mighty Vikings” built a tradition of excellence — a tradition which Hollern hopes can carry over from the “the house that Jack built” at Davies field to the new football stadium.
“I think of all the players and coaches who have played here, at what was Wyoming Park. How many championships they won. The tradition they had,” Hollern said. “I just think it will be great to remember some of their past, and some of their accomplishments, and then hope that tradition, those accomplishments, kind of springboard into the new place.”
For a story on the new football stadium, and how students and staff at Wyoming high are anticipating its opening, see a School News Network story here.
The South Christian vs. Wyoming Community Night Football Game at Wyoming Junior High will be the WKTV High School Sports Featured Game of the Week, with on-demand video replay available at WKTVLive.org.
The game will have a 7 p.m. kick-off, but, among many special events, will have a Jack VerDuin Family Night pregame with a hospitality tent opening at 5:15 p.m. in the north end zone, with all family and friends welcome.
Wyoming High School honored great players past and present as the Wolves hosted their Hall of Fame Basketball Community Night, and hosted Hudsonville high’s teams, for a pair of games and several ceremonies Friday, Feb. 15.
The highlight of the evening was Wyoming Hall of Fame (which includes players from Wyoming Park and Rodgers high schools) inducting Rick Heuvelman, Robin Bolitho, Angel Chan, Roxie Claxton, Dave Greco and Anthony Thomas — as well as the 1994 state semi-final Wyoming Park boys basketball team.
But there was plenty of other events on what was also 2018-19 basketball senior night. On the boys side, four seniors played their final regular season game on their home court. They were Payton Stark, Andrae Wells, Menilek McGee and Zach Fry.
1994 Wyoming Park team
At the halftime of the boy’s game, the 1994 Wyoming Park boys basketball team, led by coach Kelly McEwen, was recognized and honored.
Their 22-5 record won an OK White conference championship, along with a district, regional and quarterfinal championship. According to supplied information, the team was comprised of five seniors and nine juniors, and “they combined defensive toughness and offensive togetherness” to defeat two of the top three ranked Class B teams in the state during its 1994 tournament run, including a dramatic 64-60 victory over a 24-1 Sturgis team. In that game the team made 13 three pointers, which tied a tournament record for 3’s made in a game at that time.
The team included Mike Brown, Marc Drougal, Mark Herrema, Jerry Jordan, Terry Krosschell, Daryl Lamar, Joe McKenzie, Kirk Scharphorn, Shawn Veenstra, Mark Baker, Ryan Baumbach, Joe Burke, Bob Henning and Matt Perez, along with assistant coach TJ Restau and head coach McEwen.
Individual Hall of Fame inductees
After the conclusion of the boys game that night, the individual Hall of Fame inductees were honored.
Heuvelman is a graduate of Rogers High School, where he played football, basketball, and baseball, and was Athlete of the year at Rogers High School in 1974. He earned All Conference honors in football on offense and defense. In baseball, he was All Conference for two years. Heuvelman went on to play baseball at Aquinas College, where in 1979 he was named to the All American Baseball Team and is also in the Aquinas College Hall of Fame.
Bolitho graduated from Rogers High School in 2001. She was a four year varsity basketball letter winner while averaging 17 points a game. She was a three-year All Conference, All Area player in basketball. In 2001 She was received basketball All State honors and her teams won the conference championship for two of her four years. In softball, she was on three state championship teams. During this time she was All Conference, All Area, and All State three times at three different positions.
Chan was one of Wyoming Public Schools best basketball players. She earned her varsity letter at Wyoming Park all four years and was twice selected to the Associated Press and Detroit Free Press All State team. In 2004 and 2005 She was O.K. Gold All Conference and scored over 1400 points for Wyoming Park. She led her basketball team to Conference Championships and to the State Regional Finals. After high school, Chan received a full ride scholarship to play basketball at Central Michigan University. At Central Michigan she became one of the schools all-time leading scorers.
Greco played for three years of varsity football at Wyoming Park. He was named to the 1979/80 All Conference all Areas football team. His senior year, he was All Area and All State in football at Wyoming Park. In 1981 he was selected from thousands of players throughout the State of Michigan to play in the 1st Annual MHSAA High School All Star at Michigan State University. In baseball, he was a three-year letter winner, two-year All Conference, and his senior year was selected to the All Region Team. As a one-year wrestler his senior year he was 15-8 and a member of the Conference Championship team. He went on to play football in college and he earned baseball scholarship to attend Grand Valley State University.
Thomas was a three sport athlete for Wyoming Rogers High School during the 1990-91 season. He played football, basketball and track, and it was in track and field were he set records and went to MHSAA State Meet. He ran the 100 yard dash, 200 yard dash and the 4X100, 4×200 yard relays. In football, he was a two-way starter and selected to the All O.K. White All Conference, All Area and All State Class B teams at Rogers, and was the leader of the Rogers High School 1994 Class B State quarterfinalist. He went on to play football at Ferris State University.
Claxton was honored as a life-time achievement awards winner. In 1988 she started working in the concession stand at Wyoming Park High School. Since then, she has worked on the Frank Grimm Relays, became a athletic booster, band booster, Hall of Fame Committee member, chaperone, academic booster, Bond Construction Committee member, Title IX Committee member, and volunteered at all athletic events — including keeping scorebook for more than 25 years for the boys basketball team. She received her Master’s Degree from Michigan State University at age 55.
At halftime of the girls game, there was a ceremony for the Wyoming Dance Team Senior/Parent Night. Seniors on the team included Taina Rodriguez, Nicole Rodriguez, Guadalupe Rivera-Parada, Sanae Magoon, Heaven Coleman and Ramatu Kanneh.
The New Year has started and with it most local high school basketball teams began the conference portion of their schedules. WKTV will continue to be there bringing its viewers at least one Featured Game matchup each week, so, as always, if you can support your local school and its student-athletes in person do so, but then join in on the broadcasts.
WKTV’s sports crew will be on the road Jan. 5 with a doubleheader of boys and girls basketball, with Grand River Preparatory High School at Wyoming Potter’s House on the girls side, and Kelloggsville High School at The Potter’s House High School on the boys side. Then on Jan. 6, the crew will be at South Christian High School for a boys hockey game against Catholic Central High School.
The remainder of the tentative January Featured Game broadcast schedule is:
Friday, Jan. 12 — Girls and Boys Basketball: South Christian at Wyoming
Tuesday. Jan. 16 — Boys Basketball: West Ottawa at East Kentwood
Tuesday, Jan. 23 — Boys Basketball: NorthPointe Christian at Godwin Heights
Thursday, Jan. 25 — Boys Swimming: Grandville at East Kentwood
Currently, each Tuesday game will be broadcast that night on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 at 11 p.m. and repeat on Wednesday at 5 p.m. Each Friday game will be aired that night on WKTV 25 at 11 p.m. and repeat Saturday at 11 a.m. The games can also be seen on AT&T U-verse 99.
For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action each week, any changes to the WKTV feature sports schedule, and features on local sports, visit wktvjournal.org/sports/
Local high school sports events this week are as follows:
Tuesday, Jan. 2
Boys Basketball
Grandville @ Wyoming
Wednesday, Jan. 3
Boys Wrestling
Godwin Heights @ Spring Lake
Kelloggsville @ Spring Lake
Wyoming @ Hamilton
East Kentwood @ Grandville
Girls Cheer
Godwin Heights @ Wyoming Lee
Kelloggsville @ Wyoming Lee
Girls Basketball
Benton Harbor @ Godwin Heights
Boys/Girls Bowling
Calvin Christian @ Kelloggsville
Wyoming @ South Christian
Belding @ Wyoming Lee
Thursday, Jan. 4
Boys Wrestling
Calvin Christian @ Wyoming Lee
Boys Swimming
@ East Kentwood
Boys Basketball
TBA vs Grand River Prep – GR Drive Winter Classic @ The DeltaPlex
Girls Basketball
WMAES @ West Michigan Lutheran
Friday, Jan. 5
Girls Basketball
Calvin Christian @ Godwin Heights
Holland Black River @ Kelloggsville
Wyoming @ Middleville T-K
East Kentwood @ Grand Haven
Grand River Prep @ Potter’s House
West Michigan Aviation @ Tri-Unity Christian
TBA vs West Michigan Lutheran — GR Drive Winter Classic @ The DeltaPlex
FH Eastern @ South Christian
Boys Basketball
Calvin Christian @ Godwin Heights
Kelloggsville @ Potter’s House — WKTV Featured Game
Wyoming @ Middleville T-K
NorthPointe Christian @ Wyoming Lee
East Kentwood @ Grand Haven
TBA vs Grand River Prep — GR Drive Winter Classic @ The DeltaPlex
West Michigan Aviation @ Tri-Unity Christian
Zion Christian @ Holland Calvary
FH Eastern @ South Christian
Girls Cheer
East Kentwood @ Hudsonville
Boys Hockey
East Kentwood @ Muskegon Mona Shores — Stan Konrad Tournament
South Christian/BC/Wayland @ Lansing Catholic
Saturday, Jan. 6
Boys Wrestling
Godwin Heights @ Allendale
Kelloggsville @ Wyoming
Girls Cheer
Godwin Heights @ NorthPointe Christian
Kelloggsville @ NorthPointe Christian
Wyoming Lee @ NorthPointe Christian
Boys/Girls Bowling
Godwin Heights @ Fruitport
Kelloggsville @ Fruitport
Wyoming Lee @ Jenison
Boys Swimming
East Kentwood @ East Grand Rapids
Boys Hockey
East Kentwood @ Muskegon Mona Shores — Stan Konrad Tournament
Catholic Central @ South Christian/BC/Wayland — WKTV Featured Game
With Christmas and Christmas break this month, the December schedules are a bit thinner than a normal winter month, but boys basketball tips off the first week of the month and there are several holiday tournaments going on between Christmas and New Year’s, so get out to watch in person your local high school teams.
If you can’t make it in person, or even if you do, then join us on WKTV as we have an assortment of contests coming to the airwaves. The tentative December schedule is:
Tuesday, Dec. 12 – Girls Basketball Potter’s House at Kelloggsville
Friday, Dec. 15 – Girls and Boys Basketball Caledonia at South Christian
Tuesday, Dec. 19 – Boys Basketball East Grand Rapids at East Kentwood
Friday, Dec. 22 – Girls and Boys Basketball Wyoming Lee at West Michigan Aviation
Currently, each Tuesday game will be broadcast that night on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 at 11 p.m. and repeat on Wednesday at 5 p.m. Each Friday game will be aired that night on WKTV 25 at 11 p.m. and repeat Saturday at 11 a.m. The games can also be seen on AT&T U-verse 99.
For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action each week, any changes to the WKTV feature sports schedule, and features on local sports, visit wktvjournal.org/sports/
Local high school sports events this week are as follows:
Monday, Dec. 4
Girls Basketball
Orchard View @ Godwin Heights
Boys/Girls Bowling
East Grand Rapids @ Wyoming
Tuesday, Dec. 5
Boys Basketball
West Ottawa @ Godwin Heights
Allendale @ South Christian
Kelloggsville @ Delton-Kellogg
East Kentwood @ FH Northern
Zion Christian @ Galesburg-Augusta
WMAES @ Grand River Prep
Girls Basketball
South Christian @ East Kentwood
Union @ Kelloggsville
Zion Christian @ Galesburg-Augusta
West Michigan Lutheran @ Potter’s House
Muskegon Catholic Central @ Grand River Prep
Montague @ Tri-Unity Christian
Wednesday, Dec. 6
Boys Wrestling
Godwin Heights @ Unity Christian
Wyoming Lee @ Unity Christian
Wyoming @ Unity Christian
Kelloggsville @ Holland
East Kentwood @ Hudsonville
Boys/Girls Bowling
Wyoming @ Byron Center
Thursday, Dec. 7
Boys/Girls Bowling
Caledonia @ Godwin Heights
Boys Basketball
Wyoming Lee @ Zion Christian
Grand River Prep @ Saranac
Boys Swimming
FH Central @ East Kentwood
Girls Basketball
Wyoming Lee @ Zion Christian
West Michigan Aviation @ West Michigan Lutheran
Friday, Dec. 8
Girls Basketball
Godwin Heights @ Union
Wyoming @ Jenison
Holland Christian @ South Christian
Kelloggsville @ West Michigan Aviation
East Kentwood @ FH Central
Barry County Christian @ Potter’s House
Boys Basketball
Hudsonville @ Godwin Heights
Jenison @ Wyoming
Holland Christian @ South Christian
Kelloggsville @ West Catholic
East Kentwood @ FH Central
Potter’s House @ Pewamo-Westphalia
Big Rapids Crossroads @ West Michigan Aviation
Algoma Christian @ Tri-Unity Christian
Boys Hockey
South Christian @ Lowell
Muskegon Reeths-Puffer @ East Kentwood
Saturday, Dec. 9
Boys Wrestling
Godwin Heights @ Kent City
Wyoming Lee @ Greenville
Wyoming @ Calvin Christian
Buchanan @ Kelloggsville – Dave Flemming Tournament
Long-time Wyoming are high school basketball coach Thom Vander Klay was recently recognized for 305 varsity victories at the Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame Banquet in the Detroit.
While he was unable attend in person, Vander Klay was inducted into the 300+ Varsity Century Club at the BCAM Hall-of-Fame/Clinic week-end, held Oct. 14-15 at Oakland University in Auburn Hills.
“The award is mostly a longevity award,” Vander Klay said in an interview with WKTV Journal. “I love teaching and coaching and have done it a long time, so a few wins will happen along the way.”
Vander Klay been coaching prep basketball for more than 30 years, with his first 10 as Wyoming Park’s junior varsity coach and the next 21 as a its varsity head coach. He became Wyoming’s head coach after Park and Rogers high schools merged in 2012. he is a member of the Wyoming Public Schools Hall of Fame.
“I have had some Hall of Fame caliber mentors when I attended Wyoming Park and first began teaching, including Jack VerDuin, Rich Renzema, Frank Grimm, Dick Locke, Kelly McEwen and Ron Engels,” he said. “We have also had so many gifted players with great work ethic who were driven to compete and reach their potential. To name even a few of those kids would take a long time!”
Vander Klay is a 1982 Park High School graduate, and a 1986 Hope College graduate.
He has guided the Wyoming varsity basketball teams to nine Academic All-State teams, seven conference championships, four district championships, a regional championship, and a state Final Four. In all, 27 of 32 teams have been in the top three in the conference.
He has three times been named Regional Coach of the Year, The Detroit News state Coach of the Year in 2004, and the MLive Best Coach 2016, and West Michigan Officials Association Coach Of the Year 2017.
But he made clear his staff deserves as much credit as he for the 300-plus wins.
“Our basketball staff has been outstanding,” Vander Klay said. “Professional educators such as Jerry Haggerty, John Robinson, Craig VanVliet, Brett Dyke, Craig Neitzel, Kirk Kambestad, Jacob Underhill, Abbey Czarniecki, Bernard Varnesdeel and Chris Hose have worked tirelessly in years past to give our kids the leadership they need to become quality young men.
“Bernard is currently our program assistant coach, and Jacob and Chris are still coaching our younger teams. Volunteers such as Jason Bleyerveld and Scott DeYoung have given much of their time and energy to our program for many years.”
Ultimately, though, Vander Klay credits the “atmosphere” in Wyoming as being a big reason for the program’s success.
“I am fortunate to be able to teach and coach in Wyoming where the parents, students, and school work together to make sure our kids have opportunities to be successful. Our parents not only allow the coaches to have high demands on their sons to be developed as young men. Tough love is the expectation from our parents which allows us to coach their sons hard and demand they compete.”
And, after all, Wyoming his coach’s home.
“My parents still live here, my siblings and I went to school here (Wyoming Park), I live here, my kids went to school here,” he said. “This is a great place to work, raise a family, and go to school. We have so great teachers and coaches who really care about the kids and work hard to make sure they have an opportunity to be successful.”
WKTV’s broadcast crew’s coverage of high school sports will continue this week with football taking center stage again with a game on Thursday, Aug. 31, as White Cloud visits Wyoming Lee. Lee won its road opener last week, when it defeated New Buffalo, 26-8; and this week’s game will be the home opener for the Rebels, as well as a welcome back to the sidelines for head coach Tom DeGennaro, who is returning for his second stint at the school.
WKTV sports events will be broadcast the night of the game on Live Wire Comcast Channel 24 throughout the Grand Rapids Metro Area and repeated on Saturday at 11 a.m. on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 and AT&T U-verse Channel 99 in Wyoming & Kentwood.
For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action each week, any changes to the WKTV feature sports schedule, and features on local sports, visit wktvjournal.org/sports/
Local high school sports events this week (through the holiday weekend break) are as follows:
WKTV’s broadcast crew’s coverage of high school sports will begin in a couple weeks, but local high school sports has already begun.
WKTV will once again be bringing a game of the week to the viewers starting with two weeks of Thursday night games before Labor Day weekend, after which the Friday night games will return.
The August schedule is Thursday, Aug. 24, with Holland at Wyoming; and Thursday, Aug. 31, with White Cloud at Wyoming Lee.
WKTV sports events will be broadcast the night of the game on Live Wire Comcast Channel 24 throughout the Grand Rapids Metro Area and repeated on Saturday at 11 a.m. on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 and AT&T U-verse Channel 99 in Wyoming & Kentwood.
For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action each week, any changes to the WKTV feature sports schedule, and features on local sports, visit wktvjournal.org/sports/
Local high school sports events this week (through next Monday) are as follows:
Wednesday, Aug. 16
Boys Tennis
East Kentwood @ FH Northern
Kelloggsville @ Wyoming – Quad
Calvin Christian @ South Christian
Girls Golf
East Kentwood @ Kent County Classic
Calvin Christian @ Wyoming
South Christian @ Lansing Central
Thursday, Aug. 17
Girls Golf
East Kentwood @ Portland
Wyoming @ Sparta
South Christian @Lansing Central
Boys Football
@ East Kentwood (Scrimmage)
Wyoming @ Plainwell (Scrimmage)
Union @ Wyoming Lee (Scrimmage)
Kelloggsville @ Schoolcraft (Scrimmage)
Tri-unity Christian @ Camden Fortier
Boys Tennis
NorthPointe Christian @ South Christian
Friday, Aug. 18
Boys Water Polo
East Kentwood @ Ann Arbor Pioneer
Girls Golf
East Kentwood vs Jenison @ The Meadows GVSU
Boys Tennis
East Kentwood @ Ludington
Western Michigan Christian @ Wyoming
Boys Soccer
FH Central @ East Kentwood
West Michigan Aviation @ Union
Girls Volleyball
@ Wyoming – WMVOA Meet
Boys/ Girls Cross Country
Wyoming @ Wayland
Kelloggsville @ Wayland
Tri-unity Christian @ Unity Christian
Saturday, Aug. 19
Boys Water Polo
East Kentwood @ Ann Arbor Pioneer
Boys Tennis
South Christian @ East Kentwood – Tennis Invite
Girls Volleyball
East Kentwood @ Grand Haven Lakeshore Classic
Wyoming Lee @ Grand River Prep – WMVOA Tournament
Kelloggsville @ Grand RiverPrep – WMVOA Tournament
Zion Christian @ Grand River Prep – WMVOA Tournament
Tri-unity Christian @ Grand River Prep – WMVOA Tournament
West Michigan Aviation @ Grand River Prep – WMVOA Tournament
South Christian @ Grand Haven – Lakeshore Classic
Boys Soccer
Godwin Heights@ Grand River Prep
Tri-unity Christian @ Wyoming Lee – Copa Rebelde
Potter’s House @ Kalamazoo Hackett
Kelloggsville @ Muskegon Oakridge
West Michigan Aviation @ Muskegon Oakridge
Catholic Central @ South Christian -Mark Hasper Invite
Monday, Aug. 21
Boys Tennis
East Kentwood @ FH Central – Elliott Pearce Invite
When cross-town athletic rivals Wyoming Park and Rogers high schools combined to form the current Wyoming High School, two athletic traditions were combined and a new one was born.
That shared past and unified present was honored early this month as five one-time students athletes were inducted into the Wyoming High School athletic Hall of Fame.
The ceremony was held Feb. 10, between home boys and girls basketball games. Those inducted included Andy Vavere, Laura Erdmans Readle, Doug Chappell, Kim Blouw Norden and Eric Taylor.
For many of the inductees, it was not only night to be honored but to remember high school athletic careers and experiences still remembered fondly — including one where cross-town athletic competition led to a union of a different kind.
Andy Vavere, Rogers High Class of 1980, was not only a standout football, basketball and baseball athlete — highlighted by the basketball team’s deep runs into the state tournament in 1979 and 1980 — but he also met his future wife during his high school years.
“My favorite (athletic) memories were our tournament runs we had in 1979 and 1980. We were regional finalists in ’79 and semifinalists in ’80,” Vavere said. Rogers was 21-4 the first year and 21-5 the second.
During those years, Vavere was an OK Red all-conference baseball player in 1979, an all-conference quarterback in 1980, and a all-conference basketball player in both years. He was also the 1980 Adrian Allen Athlete of the Year Award winner.
But the longest lasting memory was meeting his wife, Margaret, who attended his school’s arch rival.
“I was a senior at Rogers High School in 1980 and she was at Wyoming Park, a competitive school, and we met through competition,” he said. “I started dating Margaret in 1979 and we got married in 1989.”
And, Vavere admitted, it was always a challenge to face Wyoming Park on the field: “Absolutely, those guys were great,” he said.
Running into the Hall of Fame
One of those “great” Wyoming Park athletes was cross country and track runner Kim Blouw, Class of 1990.
Blouw, who later graduated from Central Michigan University, was track all-state each of her four years of high school, and was an all-state cross country runner her junior and senior years. She held school records in the 800, 1,600, 3,200-meter runs as well as in the 2-mile relay run. And she was part of a state champion 2-mile relay team one year.
But, maybe, the highlife of her high school career was spring track practice after a 16-hour bus ride to Myrtle Beach, S.C.
“I guess my favorite memories about high school would be my two coaches, Mr. (Frank) Grimm and Mr. (Dick) Locke, and traveling to South Carolina to go to Myrtle Beach, becoming a team, but not only a team but becoming a family,” Blouw said.
She also credits her family, both at home and on the Wyoming Park athletic teams, for keeping her focused and successful in her high school years.
“What made me do that was that I had two great parents who instilled a really good value system in us, myself and my brother,” she said. “I had really great coaches that really emphasized the importance of never giving up. I had a goal, and my goal was to go to college. And I was blessed with the ability to run. … So many people believed in me, encouraged me to excel in my career as a track and cross country runner. I embraced that.”
Three more honored with induction
Eric Taylor, Wyoming Park Class of 1988, had a basketball career that not only brought success to his high school, but to his college and professional teams as a player, and then carried him back nearly to full-circle as a high school basketball coach.
Taylor was an all-conference and all-state player his last two years at Wyoming Park, then played basketball and earned a degree at Oakland University. He went on to play professionally in Europe, winning multiple championships, and earn his masters degree from Grand Valley State University. He now coaches varsity basketball at Grand Rapids Christian High School.
“My passion is giving back to students and to influence their lives in a positive way everyday,” Taylor said in supplied material. “It’s about the legacy to reach, teach, love and support all students and be an example and a role everyday for all students.”
Doug Chappel, Rogers Class of 1979, died in 2012 but left a mark on the basketball record books both at his high school and at University of Detroit. He was a multi-sport athlete but starred on the basketball court in high school — including being all-conference three years, all state two years including being one of the top five players in the state his senior year, and scoring 1,300 points while grabbing more than 700 rebounds. He then played four years of college ball at Detroit, scoring nearly 1,200 points and gaining all-league honors.
Laura Readle, Wyoming Park Class of 1981, was a multi-sport athlete, including all-conference honors multiple years in volleyball, basketball and track. She was a rebounding machine on the basketball court, averaging 29 rebounds a game one year, and a record-braking sprinter on the track. She went on to gain her bachelors and masters degrees from Aquinas College, coached AAU basketball for 10 years and is now the track coach at Tri-County High School.
She also still runs, and runs and runs — including finishing marathons, ½ marathons, triathlons and the 25K River Bank run spread out over 30 years, and recently participated in a 5-hour adventure race. And the track for Wyoming Park, at Godwin High School, is still one of her favorite memories.
She remembers “when the only track that was ‘rubberized’ not cinder, in the late ’70s, at Godwin High School … every track meet all 8 schools in our conference would be there,” Readle said in supplied material. “I met many wonderful friends from all the other schools in our conference and I am still friends with many of them today. It is also where I met my husband. Many, many happy memories!”
This week in WKTV’s featured high school sport games, the coverage crew will be at Wyoming Lee for boys basketball game against Kelloggsville on Tuesday, Feb. 14, and then at East Kentwood for a hockey game against Grandville on Friday, Feb. 17.
WKTV videos and broadcasts several games each week during high school sports season.
Each Tuesday game will be broadcast that night on Live Wire Comcast Channel 24 at 10:30 p.m. throughout the Grand Rapids Metro Area and repeat on Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 and AT&T U-verse Channel 99 in Wyoming & Kentwood. Every Friday game will be aired that night on Live Wire 24 at 10:30 p.m. and repeat Saturday at 11 a.m. on WKTV 25 and AT&T U-verse 99.
For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action in January, see now.wktv.org/sports/
DVDs and Blue-Rays of each game are also available for purchase at $20 including shipping. For more information, visit WKTV.org