Second and third grade students performed folk dances as the culminating event for a Social Studies/Language Arts unit of Cinderella folktales from around the world.
The co-op track & field team (along with West Michigan Lutheran) traveled to Marcellus High School on Tuesday, May 15th and continued to show great improvements in all areas. The schools competing in the meet along with PH/WML were Marcellus, Paw Paw, and Decatur. Coach Peter Vande Brake was pleased with his programs improvements. “The highlight was that all four members of the relay team took about two seconds off both their 4X200m and 4X100m relay race times, placing 2nd and 3rd respectively in the meet.” In addition to the success of the relay team, freshmen Jason Blaauw had a personal best in discus with an 84’7″ throw (about 8 feet further than his previous best).
Come out to support the Track & Field team on Friday when they travel to Gobles High School for the State Regional meet.
The track & field team traveled to Fennville High School on Wednesday, May 9th. The program, which is a co-op with West Michigan Lutheran, continues to show improvements in each meet. Several student-athletes continue to get better and better each meet, showcased by their ability to continually get personal best times and distances.
Here are the results from the meet:
Long Jump
David Katabana – 16′ 10″ (personal best)
Rae Hudnell – 16′ 2″ (personal best)
Janvier Irafasha – 15′ 11″ (personal best)
Sarah Jawara – 12′ 1″
Miracle Jones – 12′ 1″
100m
T-Boy Lonpeah – 12.12 (tied personal best)
David Katabana – 12.60
Rae Hudnell – 12.68
Janvier Irafasha- 12.42 (personal best)
Sarah Jawara – 14.48
Miracle Jones – 14.45 (personal best)
200m
Sarah Jawara – 31.37
Miracle Jones – 30.94
400m
Sarah Jawara – 1:15.28
Miracle Jones – 1:16.41
Boys Relays
4X100 – 51.34 – 3rd place (best time this year)
4X200 – 1:45.63 – 3rd place
1600m
Francesca Bruschi – 2nd place
3200m
Francesca Bruschi – 1st place
Head Coach Peter Vande Brake had this to say about the meet that the PH/WML track & field co-op participated in on Thursday, April 19th. “This track meet was a learning experience for everyone in the new Potter’s House and West Michigan Lutheran track program. Hopefully the relay teams will be able to put things together in practice in the next week. I think it is our best chance to score and move on at regional. Everything about a track meet is still pretty foreign to the students on the team.”
Freshmen Jason Blaauw had a personal best in the disc while junior T-Boy Lonpeah had solid performances in his events, but didn’t score in the top three for an individual medal. However, Lonpeah but he did score some points for PH/WML. The relay team got a second place finish while sophomore Sarah Jawara did very well in the short sprints and long jump and scored two seconds and a third. Junior Miracle Jones did well in the 400m dash and placed 5th in the long jump.
Here are some of the results from the meet:
Jason Blaauw (FR)- Discus – 76′ 0″ (PR) / Shot Put – 26′ 5″
T-Boy Lonpeah (JR)- Long Jump – 14′ 11″ / 100m – 12.12
Rae Hudnell (FR) – Long Jump – 14′ 1″
David Katabana (SO) – Long Jump – 15′ 10″
Janvier Irafasha (JR) – 400m – 1:07.4 / 200m – 27.27
4 X 200 meter relay (Katabana, Hudnell, Irafasha, Lonpeah) – 1:45.4 – 2nd place
4 X 100 meter relay (Katabana, Hudnell, Irafasha, Lonpeah) – 53.38 – DQ (would have been 3rd if they had not been disqualified)
Sarah Jawara (SO) – Long Jump – 12′ 11″ – 3rd place / 100m – 14.21 – 2nd place / 200m – 30.57 – 2nd place / 400m 1:17.46
Miracle Jones (JR) – Long Jump – 10′ 11″ – 5th place / 200m – 32.54 / 400m – 1:14.17
The Girls’ Varsity soccer played a close game against Algoma Christian on Monday, May 14th, but came up just short and lost 2-1. PH is now 4-13-1 on the year and 3-8-1 in the Alliance League. Despite the loss, PH played exceptionally well. Junior April Phillipi took a great shot assisted by fellow junior Yare Leal in the second half and scored to make it 2-1 with only a few minutes left. The Pumas had a few opportunities to tie it up in the finals seconds, but couldn’t quite put it in the back of the net. PH had four of their starting players gone due to injuries or academic trips and many girls stepped up and played positions that they had never played in a game before. They played as a team and showed a lot of improvement since they last played Algoma.
The Lady Pumas hosted Fruitport Calvary Christian on Friday, May 11th and lost by a score of 8-0. PH is now 4-12-1 overall and 3-7-1 in the Alliance League. The game was called at 8-0 with only a few minutes left in the second half due to the MHSAA “mercy rule”. Fruitport is a difficult team and the Pumas held on very strong. They showed a lot of heart as they continued to play their hardest despite three players having to be taken out of the game due to injuries. Goal keeper Dana Hulst helped to keep the team in the game with 21 saves.
Come out to support the Lady Pumas when they host Algoma Christian on Monday, May 14th for a 5:15pm start time at Marquette Park.
The Lady Puma Soccer team hosted Kalamazoo Heritage Christian on Thursday, May 10th and came away with a big 3-2 victory. PH is now 4-11-1 overall and 3-6-1 in the Alliance League. Sophomore goal keeper Dana Hulst had 19 saves while sophomore Hannah Fouty helped to give the Pumas a great start in scoring with a beautiful goal assisted by sophomore Kassi Walcott. Senior Mayra Hernandez continued to the lead the scoring attack, scoring two goals. One was assisted by sophomore Alyssa Tuttle and the second by freshmen Genesis Garcia.
The Lady Puma’s played a wet and rainy game against Zion Christian on Monday, May 7th, falling by a score of 3-0. PH is now 3-11-1 on the year and 2-6-1 in the Alliance League. The Pumas had their hands full in this game as Zion is one of the strongest teams in the Alliance League. Despite that, PH hung in there was only down by a score of 1-0 at halftime. Zion pulled away in the second half for two more goals to finalize the score at 3-0. The Lady Puma’s offense had a difficult time overcoming the offsides trap that Zion’s defense played. PH Keeper Dana Hulst had 18 saves in the game as she continues to play very well.
The PH Soccer team hosted 1st place Alliance League member Holland Black River on Tuesday, May 1st, falling by a score of 4-0. The Lady Pumas are now 3-7-1 on the year and 2-5-1 in the Alliance League. The Lady Pumas left it all on the field tonight despite the loss. Black River got off to a quick start and headed to halftime with 4-0 lead. However, the Pumas held them of and were able to shut them down the second half.
The girls came out very strong and showed that they are capable of competing with any team in our league. Sophomore goalkeeper Dana Hulst had her best game of the season by getting 36 saves and earned a well deserve shutout in the second half. Head coach Ellen Zilka had this to say after the game, “The girls played as a team and I couldn’t be more proud. They showed significant improvement from their last game against Black River, which ended in a 8-0 loss. The Lady Pumas are now turning our focus to our tournament at Freedom Christian this Saturday!”
Recap:
The Lady Puma’s had their first sweep of the season with a 1-0 victory against Holland Calvary on Thursday, April 27th. Their last game against Calvary was a 6-5 overtime victory a few weeks ago. PH is now 3-5-1 on the season and 2-3-1 in the Alliance League. Coach Ellen Zilka was very happy with her teams’ performance and with the progress the girls are making. “The girls did a nice job this time transitioning and getting back on defense which allowed us to get the shut out. We played tough as always and we are really excited to see the girls’ hard work paying off.” Going into halftime the score was 0-0. The only goal of the game was scored during the second half by sophomore stand-out Deysi Cosyal off of a corner kick, assisted by sophomore Kassi Walcott.
Come out to support PH as they travel to Fruitport Calvary on Friday, April 27th for an Alliance League match up. Game time is 5:30pm.
Recap:
The PH Varsity Girls Soccer team traveled to Tri-Unity Christian on Monday, April 23rd in a non conference match up and fell by a score of 4-0. The Pumas are now 2-5-1 on the year. Tri-Unity executed a good game against PH and the Lady Pumas were not able to get through their tough defense. Head Coach Ellen Zilka had this to say after the game, “Despite coming off a 6-5 victory over Holland Calvary last week, and it was hard loss to suffer for us today. But the girls are putting it behind them and looking forward to our conference games Thursday and Friday.”
Come out to support the Pumas as they host Holland Calvary at Marquette Park on Thursday, April 26th at 5:00pm.
Recap:
The Lady Pumas Varsity Soccer team traveled to Holland on Tuesday, April 17th to take on Holland Black River and were defeated by a score of 7-0. The girls played hard, but the River Rats are a very skilled team and executed a very good game. Black River scored five goals in the first half and two in the second. Goalkeeper Dana Hulst came played her first game back from an ankle injury and had twenty-three saves. Head Coach Ellen Zilka had this to say after the game, “The girls are looking forward to their game on Thursday. And were able to realize a lot of their strengths and weaknesses going up against Black River. Though it was not a victory, the players are still growing and developing individually and as a team as the season continues.”
Recap:
The Potter’s House Girl’s Varsity Soccer team traveled to Kalamazoo on Saturday, April 14th to take on Heritage Christian and ended with a 1-1 tie. The Pumas are now 1-3-1 on the year. PH showed a lot of puma pride in their game against Heritage Christian as they were missing many players due to conflicts or injuries. It was a very aggressive and physical game, but PH did not back down. Heritage Christian scored from a penalty kick in the first few minutes of the game. However, April Phillipi (Junior) lifted the Puma’s spirits with the help of Mayra Hernandez (Senior). During the second half, Herndandez had a nice assist to Philippi who had a great shot in the upper right corner of the goal. Genesis Garcia (freshman) also stepped up and played keeper for the first time this season. She had some big shoes to fill, but did an excellent job and made eight saves.
Come out to support the Pumas as they travel to Holland on Tuesday, April 17th to take on Holland Black River at 5:00pm
Recap:
The Potter’s House girl’s varsity soccer team suffered an unfortunate loss to Zion Christian this Tuesday, April 10th by a score of 1-0. PH is now 1-3 on the year. It was an aggressive game and resulted in some of our Lady Puma’s having to be walked off the field due to injuries. Zion Christian scored during the second half after sophomore goal keeper Dana Hulst made a block, which resulted in an ankle injury and gave Zion an open net. Hulst had a very good game with 12 saves before having to leave the game because of her ankle. Sophomore Kassi Walcott stepped in as keeper for the first time this season and made five saves. Though it was not a victory for the Lady Puma’s, Coach Ellen Zilka still believes there is a very promising outlook for the season. “We have a young team this year, with only two seniors. Zion Christian had six seniors on their team and only one freshman. I am very proud that our girls were able to hold their own and play just as experienced and aggressively as the other team.”
Recap:
The Lady Pumas Varsity Soccer team traveled to Kent City on Tuesday, March 27th and fell 4-3 in a nail biter to Alliance League foe Algoma Christian. PH is now 1-2 on the season and 0-1 in Alliance League play. The Knights of Algoma Christian were able to capitalize on an unfortunate penalty kick called by the officials during the last twelve minutes of the game to take the 4-3 lead. Both teams scored two goals during the first half. Junior April Phillipi was the first to get the Lady Puma’s on the score board, assisted by sophomore Elli Huizinga. Senior Mayra Hernandez followed shortly after, assisted by junior Yare Leal. The Puma’s came into the second half strong and showed their strong determination by scoring a goal within the first few minutes. The goal was scored by sophomore Sarah Teesdale and it was her first official goal of the season. Head Coach Ellen Zilka had this to say after the game, “Algoma Christian unfortunately was able to pull off the victory this time. However, we were missing a few of our starting players and many girls took on the initiative and really stepped up to fill some important positions. I’m very proud of a game well played. We definitely proved that we can put the ball in the back of the net and are looking forward to a strong comeback for our highly anticipated games post spring break.”
Come out to support the Lady Pumas as they host Zion Christian on Tuesday, April 10th at Marquette Park at 5:00pm.
Recap:
The Lady Pumas Varsity Soccer team hosted their first game of the year on Friday, March 23 and they fell 4-0 to Grand River Prep. PH is now 1-1 on the year. The girls put up a good fight but just couldn’t get the ball in the back of the net. In the last 2 minutes of the first half, Grand River Prep scored a goal on a lucky breakaway to take a 1-0 lead going into halftime. GR Prep followed with scoring three more goals the second half despite tough defense from the Pumas. Coach Ellen Zilka had this to say after the game, “Having only one week of practice under our belt, we did well considering our busy first week of games with three games this week. We have a lot to work to do in the upcoming season but the girls have a lot of spirit and proved from this game that we will never stop playing our hardest.”
Come out to support the Puma Varsity soccer team on Tuesday, March 28th at 5:00pm when they travel to Algoma Christian for the first Alliance League game of the year.
Recap:
The Lady Pumas Varsity soccer team traveled down the road on Wednesday, March 21 to take on Lee High School and came away with a dominating 4-0 victory. PH came out strong with two goals in the beginning of the first half to take a quick 2-0 lead. Despite numerous injuries and over eighty degree weather, the players showed high endurance and scored two more goals the second half. Team captain and senior Mayra Hernendez led the team by scoring three goals, one assisted by sophomore Sarah Teesdale and another assisted by sophomore Elli Huizenga. Hernandez also assisted a great goal scored by junior April Phillipi. The Lady Pumas also did a nice job defensively shutting down Lee’s offense. Great defense by stud sophomore defender Kassi Walcott and some incredible saves by sophomore goalkeeper Dana Hulst gave the girls a well deserved win and shut out to be proud of.
The Potter’s House Athletic Director Brett Geertsma is excited to announce the hiring of Ellen Zilka as our new Varsity Girl’s Soccer coach. Ellen, who is originally from Minneapolis, MN, comes to us as a graduate of Calvin College this past December with a K-8 Elementary Education degree. Zilka has been playing soccer since her youth and played competitively all the way through high school where she starred as a high school soccer stand out. Zilka had this to say after the hiring, “I am very excited about the season and to have the opportunity to help the girls grow in their faith, soccer abilities and as a team.” Additionally, Athletic Director Brett Geertsma had this to say about Coach Zilka, “Ellen exemplifies exactly what a Potter’s House coach should be. She is a dedicated and passionate follower of Jesus who has the skill set and desire to mentor our student-athletes. She comes from a soccer family and knows the game extremely well. I am confident in Ellen’s ability to get the best of her soccer players on and off the soccer field and I can’t wait to see the girls get on the field this year.”
The Pumas traveled to Zion Christian on Tuesday, May 8th looking to stay in the hunt for the conference lead. After beating the Mountaineers in a home double header earlier in the season, the Pumas were excited for the challenge. The Mountaineers struck first in game one as they pushed across one run in the second and one run in the third and after 4 short innings, the Pumas were in need of another comeback to win the game. Down 2-0 in the top of the fifth, the visiting Pumas would not go quietly. Peter Bulten led off the inning with a walk and Jonah Jansen hit what looked to be an easy out that turned into an error allowing both runners to safely reach base. With two on and one out, senior Jacob Adams hit a sharp base hit to score both Jonah Jansen and Hason McFerrin, who was running for Peter Bulten. Adams ended the game going 2-3 with two singles and two RBIs. With that base hit, the Pumas tied the game at 2-2. Then, still with only one out, freshman Samuel Jansen stepped to the plate and delivered a double to the gap that would score Jacob Adams and give the Pumas their first lead of the game. A couple more Pumas would reach base in the top of the 5th but that was all the scoring they could do. But, with Samuel Jansen on the mound, that was all the scoring they needed. Jansen struck out the first two batters in the bottom of the 5th and then got the Mountaineers best hitter to pop out to center field and end the game with the Pumas winning 3-2. The win gave Jansen his seventh of the year as he is now 7-2. Jansen gave up only one hit and three walks in his complete game effort. He gave up one earned run and had seven strikeouts. The Pumas went into game two tied for the Alliance League lead with Zion Christian. The Pumas this time would jump out to an early 2-0 lead after sophomore Jake Johnson ripped a two out single that scored two. But the Mountaineers responded in the bottom of the first with a one out two run homerun to tie the game at 2-2. The Mountaineers would tack on one more in the second and two more in the third. A third straight comeback was not in the cards for the Pumas in game two as they went down 1-2-3 in the top of the 5th as they watched the Mountaineers get their first victory of the year over the Pumas but also take a one game conference lead. Alex Brill and Jonah Jansen were the only other Pumas to record a hit in the game. Peter Bulten took the loss at the mound to bring his record to 7-2. He ended up giving up seven hits and two walks while striking out three. The Pumas, now 17-5, will travel to Big Rapids on Wednesday to take on nonconference foe Crossroads Charter in a doubleheader. The first pitch is set to take place at 4:30 at the home field of the Ferris State Bulldogs baseball team.
After dropping two in a row on Tuesday, May 1st to Black River, the Pumas took the field again on Friday attempting to avenge the losses. Unfortunately for the Pumas, the Mustangs of West Michigan Lutheran were trying to make a statement as well. The Potter’s House was only able to come up with 3 hits on the night and were held scoreless as they lost 1-0. The Pumas loaded the bases with one out in the third inning after back-to-back hits by Mark Peless and Devon VanderLaan. Unfortunately, the next two batters the Pumas were not able to come up with the big hit. They would also leave the tying run in scoring position in the top of the 5th as their comeback effort failed. Freshman Samuel Jansen was sharp on the mound as he gave up only three hits while walking one and striking out eight. The one run scored was unearned. The struggles continued for the Pumas as West Michigan Lutheran jumped out to a 4-0 lead in game two. The Pumas would get one back in the second as Alex Brill came up with an RBI single scoring Ethan Johnson who got on with a one out base hit. But that was all the scoring the Pumas could come up with as they went into their last at bat of the game. Needing three runs just to have the game continue, the Pumas would not go quietly. Devon VanderLaan led off the top of the 5th with a walk and then was followed up by back-to-back hits by Jacob Adams and Samuel Jansen. Jansen’s base hit scored VanderLaan and Adams to make it a one run game at 4-3. With one out, Jake Johnson continued the attack as he reached on a solid base hit. Ethan Johnson followed up with a walk and an error by the shortstop scored Jake Johnson from second to tie the game at 4-4. That was all the Pumas could come up with though in the 5th. They then were able to shut down the Mustangs as Junior Peter Bulten held them scoreless into the 8th inning. In the top of the 8th, freshman Jonah Jansen led off with a walk the was followed up with back-to-back base hits by Devon VanderLaan and Jacob Adams. The hit by Adams gave the Pumas a 6-4 lead. Samuel Jansen followed that with a walk and then sophomore Mark Peless hit a strong groundball through the infield to score both Adams and Jansen and that gave the Pumas an 8-4 lead. That was all the scoring that was necessary as Bulten shut down the Mustangs in the bottom of the eighth to get the win. Bulten ended up throwing eight innings while spreading out seven hits, walking two, and striking out nine. Jacob Adams ended up going 3-4 with three stolen bases and two RBI’s. Samuel Jansen went 2-2 with three walks, a single, a double, and an RBI. And it was Jake Johnson that made the biggest impact as hit went 4-5 with four straight hits that included three singles and a double. The Pumas (16-4) will travel to Zion Christian on Tuesday to take on the Mountaineers who hold a one game lead over the Pumas in the Alliance Conference. The first pitch is set to be thrown at 4:30 PM.
PH dropped two games in a row on Tuesday night for the first time this season as they looked to add to their 15 game-winning streak as Holland Black River came to town. In game one, the Pumas carried a 2-0 lead into the top of the fifth inning. Looking to close out the River Rats, pitcher Samuel Jansen was able to strike out the first batter of the inning. Unfortunately for the Pumas, the River Rats would not go quietly. Five of the next six batters for Black River reached on hits and with that were able to push three runs across the plate to take a 3-2 lead. The Pumas would threaten in the bottom half of the inning as they were able to get there lead-off hitter to third with one out. But, the inability to get the ball out of the infield left the Pumas one run short. Jacob Adams led the Pumas offensively as he went 2 for 2 with a big two out RBI in the 4th inning. Samuel Jansen had a double and Jake Johnson rounded out the hitting attack for the Pumas with a single.
Peter Bulten took the mound for the Pumas in game two and suffered a similar fate as Samuel Jansen. The River Rats pulled out to an early lead in game two and did not look back as they beat the Pumas 11-1. Jacob Adams continued his hot streak at the plate as he picked up another hit on the night. Samuel Jansen also stayed hot as he went 2 for 3 with a double. Jake Johnson also had a double and Alex Brill’s lone single rounded out the Puma’s hitting attack. The Pumas look to rebound as they take on another Alliance Conference foe in West Michigan Lutheran. That game will take place on Friday, May 4 with the first pitch taking place at 4:30 PM.
After playing 14 straight Alliance Conference games, the 14-1 Pumas traveled to Barry County Christian for their second non-conference game of the year. The Pumas were excited for the challenge and by the second inning had to handle not only a strong pitching effort by BCC but also cold wind and snow flurries. That would not slow down sophomore Jake Johnson as he made his third start of the year for the Pumas. In three innings of work, Johnson gave up no hits while walking three and striking out two. BCC was able to score one run in the third but it was unearned as it followed a Puma fielding error. Freshman Jonah Jansen pitched the final three innings and was able continue a strong pitching performance by the Pumas. Jansen gave up one hit, walked one, and struck out one as he did not yield a run to BCC. The lone run for Barry County Christian would not be enough for them to win as the Pumas put up four runs in the first inning, followed by two in the second, and one in the sixth to give the Pumas a 7-1 victory. The offensive attack was led by Peter Bulten and Ethan Johnson who each hit doubles down the left field line. Also recording hits in the game were Jonah Jansen, Alex Brill, Jacob Adams, and Devon VanderLaan. The day was scheduled to feature two games against the two teams but game two was rained out and a rescheduled date has yet to be determined. The Pumas now look to refocus on their conference run as they travel to Zion Christian to finish up the season series with the Mountaineers.
The Puma baseball team traveled to Algoma on Tuesday on a mission. The mission was to complete a first half sweep of the Alliance League. Behind two impressive starting pitchers, mission accomplished. The Potter’s House Pumas won 9-1 & 7-2 to bring their record to 14-1 overall and 14-0 in Alliance League play. Freshman Samuel Jansen got his 6th start of the year and had his bid for his third no-hitter of the year ended with a Knight’s hit in the bottom of the fourth inning. Jansen, now 6-0, finished his sixth complete game of the season as he gave up only two hits and one run while walking three and striking out 10. With a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, Jansen got into a bit of trouble as he gave up a two out walk. But, senior catcher Ethan Johnson took a perfect pitch out as the Knight’s base runner attempted to steal second. Johnson was then able to throw a laser down to second that caught the runner stealing by three steps and got the Pumas out of the early jam. While Samuel Jansen was dominant on the mound, his brother, freshman Jonah Jansen was dominant at the plate. Jonah Jansen finished the game with two hits as he went 2 for 2 with a walk, a sacrifice fly, two RBI’s, two stolen bases, and two runs scored. “Jonah had really quality at bats today and he was a huge spark to our offense,” said head coach Adam Locker after the win. Senior Alex Brill was also strong at the plate as he had a base hit in his only official at bat but was on base three more time as he drew three walks. Brill had two stolen bases and three runs scored. Also making an offensive impact was Devon VanderLaan who reached base twice in game one and was able to record four stolen bases. Peter Bulten, Jacob Adams, and Ethan Johnson rounded out the hitting attack for the Pumas as each recorded a single hit.
Game two saw another quick start for the Pumas as they were able to put two runs on the board in the top of the first inning, then two more in the second, and three more in the third. That was all the scoring needed with Junior Peter Bulten on the mound. Bulten made his fifth start of the season and it ended just like the others, with a win. Bulten, now 5-0, pitched his third complete game and only gave up four hits and two runs while walking two and striking out one. The Pumas offensive attack was led by sophomore Devon VanderLaan. VanderLaan went 2 for 2 in the game with a run scored. Senior Alex Brill went 1 for 1 with a walk, three runs scored, and four stolen bases. Freshman Samuel Jansen had the Pumas lone extra base hit as he went 1 for 2 with a double, a stolen base, and a run scored. Jonah Jansen and Jake Johnson rounded out the Pumas hitting attack with one hit each. The game was called because of darkness in the middle of the top of the fourth inning after the Pumas lit up the Knights with five runs in the fourth inning. It was with no outs and the bases loaded that the game was officially ended. The Pumas face their first non-conference opponent since game one as they hit the road Saturday to take on Barry County Christian in a Saturday morning/afternoon double header. The first pitch will be thrown at 10 AM.
The Puma baseball team traveled to Holland on Thursday, April 19th to take on the Calvary Crusaders and came with victories, 11-5 and 6-2. PH is now 12-1 on the yea and they have won 12 games in a row. Sophomore Jake Johnson started game one for the Pumas after beating the Crusaders the first time he faced them earlier in the season. Johnson quickly picked up where he had left off and was able to hold off a strong hitting attack by Holland Calvary and get the game one victory for the Pumas 11-5. Johnson pitched a complete game while giving up only three hits with six walks and eight strikeouts. Although the Crusaders scored five runs, only one of those was earned. “If we are going to contend for a conference championship, we are going to need that kind of pitching effort by whoever takes the mound,” noted head coach Adam Locker after the game. The 11 run Puma hitting attack was led by freshman Samuel Jansen. Jansen went 3 for 4 in game one with two doubles and a triple and three runs scored. “He was seeing the ball well tonight,” said assistant coach Jeff Boggs. Sophomore Devon VanderLaan wasn’t far behind Jansen’s effort as VanderLaan went 2 for 3 with two base hits, a run scored, and a stolen base. Also recording hits in game one were Jonah Jansen, Alex Brill, Peter Bulten, Jake Johnson, and Ethan Johnson.
After closing out the Crusaders in game one, the Pumas were looking at an opportunity to sweep the season series against Holland Calvary. Freshman Samuel Jansen took the mound for the Pumas and proved to be too much for the Crusaders as the Pumas won game two 6-2. Jansen finished the three-inning game by only giving up two hits, one walk, and striking out six. Both runs scored by the Crusaders were unearned. The win improves Jansen’s record to 5-0 on the season. Senior Alex Brill led the Puma hitting attack in game two, he went 2 for 2 with a double, two runs scored, and two stolen bases. Freshman Jonah Jansen recorded the only other hit for the Pumas in game two as he went 1 for 2 with two runs scored and a stolen base. Sophomore Hason McFerrin also had his first RBI of the season when he grounded out to the second baseman, allowing Ethan Johnson to score from third. The Pumas would break the game open in the top of the 4th inning but the game was called due to darkness. In the top of the 4th, freshman Samuel Jansen hit a rope to the left center gap with two on and one out in the top of the fourth. He would end up speeding around the diamond and beating the play at the plate to record his first career homerun. “We have a couple of guys that have the speed to record an in-the-park homerun and Samuel is one of them,” said head coach Adam Locker, “as he was running toward third, you could tell he wanted the chance to score and it was exciting to see him make it.” The Pumas now 12-0 in conference play, take on the Knights of Algoma Christian on Tuesday at Algoma. The first pitch is set to be thrown at 4:30 PM.
The Puma baseball team continued its time on the road today as they traveled to Holland to take on the River Rats of Black River High School on Tuesday, April 17th and came away with 5-0 and 7-3 victories. PH is now 10-1 overall, 10-0 in the Alliance League and have won 10 games in a row. The games were two of 12 straight road games for the Pumas. Black River came into the games today statistically tied for first place and the only other unbeaten in the Alliance League along with the Pumas. Fresh off a no-hit effort against Kalamazoo Heritage on Saturday, freshman Samuel Jansen took the mound for the Pumas. Jansen was able to get off to a great start and made quick work of the entire Black River lineup as he recorded his fourth complete game and fourth win of the season. Most impressively though was that he did not give up a single hit to the River Rats. In his five innings of work, Jansen struck out 6, walked 5, and gave up no runs, and no hits. “To be able to record two no-hitters in four days says a lot about the type of competitor Sam is,” said head coach Adam Locker, “To see a freshman start off his varsity career like Sam has is very exciting to be a part of.” The Pumas were also strong offensively in game one, particularly in the bottom half of the order. The Pumas 5 through 9 hitters recorded five of the team’s seven hits. That group included Alex Brill, Ethan Johnson, Markese Franklin, Devon VanderLaan, and Jacob Adams who started the Puma hitting attack with a double in the second inning. Samuel Jansen had a two RBI triple in the third inning and his brother Jonah Jansen had a two RBI single in the fourth inning to complete the scoring for the Pumas and secure the game one victory at 5-0.
Game two featured another standout pitcher for the Pumas, Junior Peter Bulten. Bulten also took the mound for the fourth time this season, also looking for his fourth win. Behind a very balanced Puma hitting attack Bulten was able to record his fourth win as the Pumas beat the River Rats 7-3. Bulten only allowed two hits in five innings of work as he struck out five, walked two, and gave up only two earned runs. Alex Brill and Jacob Adams led the Puma hitting attack as both went 2 for 3 with two singles. Brill also tacked on two stolen bases and two runs scored. Samuel Jansen led off the game with a hard hit double but was thrown out trying to extend the extra base hit into a triple. Then Jonah Jansen, Peter Bulten, Jake Johnson, Ethan Johnson, and Markese Franklin rounded out the hitting attack as each had a hit of their own. “We are always working on putting the ball in play and in game two, our entire lineup did a very nice job of doing exactly that.” said head coach Adam Locker after the game.
The Pumas will look to continue their conference roll as they take on Holland Calvary in a double header at Harbor Lights Middle School in Holland on Thursday, April 19th. The first time the two teams met this year the Pumas won 12-11 and 6-1. The first pitch of this conference rematch is slated to be thrown at 4:30 PM.
The Potter’s House Pumas baseball team continued to roll on Saturday, April 14th as they traveled to Kalamazoo and recorded two more victories on the young season vs. Heritage Christian. Game one featured freshman standout Samuel Jansen. For the third straight game, he did not disappoint. Taking on Heritage’s ace, Jansen did not allow a baserunner until there were two outs in the third inning. After an error allowed the Eagles to record their second baserunner of the game, Jansen quickly preserved his no-hit bid by striking out two of the last three batters. “It was quite the pitcher’s duel in game 1,” said head coach Adam Locker, “Hutchens (from Kalamazoo Heritage) was great and it was going to take a no-hit effort to beat (Heritage) today.” If all of Jansen’s accomplishments on the mound were not enough, Jansen led off the game for the Pumas with a walk. After a stolen base, he was able to score after his twin brother Jonah Jansen put the ball in play down the third base line. That was all the scoring that was needed for the Pumas as they escaped game one with a 1-0 victory. Jonah Jansen and Markese Franklin were the only Puma batters that were able to record a hit in game one.
Game two started off a little more quickly for the Pumas. They were able to plate 3 in the first inning as they took advantage of some fielding errors by Kalamazoo Heritage. The Pumas would add one run in the second, four runs in the third, and one run in the fourth to give them the 9-4 victory in game two. Samuel Jansen, Alex Brill, Jacob Adams, and Markese Franklin each recorded one hit for the Pumas. Junior Peter Bulten also recorded a 2 RBI double. Senior catcher Ethan Johnson had one of his best days at the plate as he went 2 for 3 with two stolen bases and two runs scored. Bulten took the mound for the Pumas for the third time this year and he recorded his third victory of the year to bring his record to 3-0. Bulten allowed only four hits while walking three and striking out three. He only gave up one earned run in his four innings of work. Samuel Jansen came in the game in the 5th to preserve the win for the Pumas. In that inning he recorded his 35th strikeout of the year. With that strikeout coming after only 17 innings of work, Jansen is averaging two strikeouts an inning. “Our pitching has been very good in the early season,” noted head coach Adam Locker, “The boys were committed all winter long to becoming better pitchers and we are starting to see that work payoff.” The Pumas will be on the road all week next week as they take on two more conference opponents. They will travel to Holland on Tuesday to take on Black River in a double header. The first pitch is slated to be thrown at 4:30 PM.
Two days after the Pumas took on Zion Christian in a game that featured snow and 20 mph winds, the Pumas from The Potter’s House took on another conference rival in Holland Calvary on Thursday, April 12th. In game one the Pumas came away with a 12-11 victory. Both the Pumas and the Crusaders struggled to get the outs they needed to get. The Potter’s House took an early 10-3 lead but Holland Calvary would not go down without a fight. After the Pumas would add two more runs, the Crusaders scored five runs in the third and one run in the fourth to make it a 12-9 game. The Crusaders opened the 5th with a base hit that began their comeback attempt. After two straight outs, the Crusaders came up with back-to-back hits to bring the game to 12-11. Fortunately for the Pumas, sophomore pitcher Jake Johnson was able to induce a soft ground ball that was fielded cleanly and sealed the 5th straight victory for the Pumas.
In game two, the Pumas jumped out to an early lead and pitcher Jake Johnson was able to shut down the Crusaders hitting attack for a 6-1 victory. Over 4 innings of work, Johnson gave up only two hits while striking out two and walking two, and holding the Crusaders to only one run. The Pumas hitting attack was led by underclassmen. Freshman Jonah Jansen went 2 for 2 with four stolen bases. His twin brother, freshman Samuel Jansen, had a double and two stolen bases. Additionally, sophomore Devon VanderLaan went 1-for-1 with a big two RBI triple. Also recording hits for the Pumas were Peter Bulten, Alex Brill, and Ethan Johnson. “It has been great to be a part of the turn around this team has made,” said head coach Adam Locker after Thursday’s games, “The boys come ready to work hard everyday and it is great to see their hard work paying off.” The Pumas look to continue their hot streak as they head to Kalamazoo to take on Heritage Christian on Saturday in yet another conference doubleheader (the Pumas third in five days). First pitch is slated to be thrown at 1 PM.
On a day when most teams in West Michigan canceled games because of the snow flurries, The Potter’s House Pumas hosted the Mountaineers of Zion Christian on Tuesday, April 10th. After each team won their opening Alliance Conference games, the Pumas were excited to take on the 3-0 2011 Alliance League champions. The Mountaineers started the scoring by putting one run across in the first inning. The Pumas then answered with two runs of their own. After battling back and forth for 3 more innings, the Mountaineers took a 4-3 lead into the Pumas’ bottom half of the inning. But, the Pumas would not go quietly. Freshman standout Samuel Jansen started the bottom of the 5th with a base hit and quickly followed it up by stealing second. After the Zion Christian sophomore Jonathan Moorman struck out senior Jacob Adams, Potter’s House sophomore Jacob Johnson ripped a double into the right field gap scoring Jansen and tying the score at 4. The next batter, junior Peter Bulten, then hit a fly ball to left field. The out was made cleanly, but in an attempt to complete a double play by getting Johnson out at second, the ball was overthrown into an empty right field. Johnson immediately went to third and was waved home and scored the winning run for the Pumas as he slid under the tag at home plate. “It was an exciting win for us,” noted head coach Adam Locker, “especially against a strong, well coached, team like Zion Christian.” Jansen was the winning pitcher improving his record to 2-0. He also improved his strikeout total to 24 in only 10 innings of work. Additionally, he helped his own cause by going 2 for 2 at the plate with a walk, three runs scored, and three stolen bases. The Pumas’ Jake Johnson not only was strong on the base-paths but also went 2 for 3 with two doubles, two RBI’s, and a stolen base. Also recording hits for The Potter’s House were Jacob Adams, Alex Brill, and Ethan Johnson.
Just 20 minutes after the exciting game one, the Pumas and the Mountaineers squared up for game 2 of the Alliance Conference double header. The Mountaineers again jumped out to an early 2-0 lead over the Pumas. But, after the quick start, starting pitcher Peter Bulten was able to keep any more runs from scoring. Bulten pitched 4 strong innings for the Pumas as he gave up two runs on three hits as he struck out one and walked four. After The Potter’s House scored two runs in the bottom of the 4th inning, the Pumas called on their star freshman pitcher, Samuel Jansen, to get the last three outs of the game and earn a save after earning the win in game one. Jansen struck out the first batter he faced in the top of the 5th inning. After a throwing error by the Puma shortstop and a walk, the Mountaineers had the go-ahead run on 1st base with only one out. Then, Jansen perfectly executed an inside pickoff move that fooled the Mountaineers runner at 2nd base. The Pumas were able to tag the base runner out between 2nd and 3rd and then were able catch the Mountaineers other runner off base between 1st and 2nd. After a quick throw to first and quick tag by the Pumas’ first baseman Mark Peless, the Pumas were able to complete the game ending double play to complete the sweep of Zion Christian. Bulten and sophomore Jonah Jansen were the big hitters for the Pumas. Bulten ended the game going 2 for 2 with a double. Jonah Jansen ended the game going 2-2 with two RBI’s. Also recording hits for the Pumas were Alex Brill, Markese Franklin, and Devon VanderLaan. VanderLaan’s lone base hit ended up scoring the Pumas third run and giving VanderLaan the game winning RBI in the 4th. Both teams will be back in action on Thursday as the Mountaineers take on West Michigan Lutheran and The Potter’s House Pumas take on Holland Calvary.
Second and third grade students performed folk dances as the culminating event for a Social Studies/Language Arts unit of Cinderella folktales from around the world.
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