Hudson fans hope Tigertown becomes Titletown

By Scott McNieish

March 6, 2009

HUDSON, Mich. -

Jeremy
Beal has a special scheduling dilemma.

Beal, the Hudson High School athletic director, wants to watch his
school’s teams whenever they strive for state championships, but
therein exists a predicament. He can’t visit four places at once.

This weekend marks a busy one for Hudson athletics, as five teams will
compete in their respective postseasons.

Today, the girls and boys bowling teams will participate in the state finals
in Jackson, the wrestling team will battle in the state quarterfinals in
Battle Creek and the girls basketball team plays in the district finals in
Horton. The competitive cheer team will vie for a state title Saturday in
Grand Rapids.

Five teams. One weekend.

For Hudson sports fans, it doesn’t get bigger or better than this menu.

“It’s special,” Beal said. “It’s not something
that is going to happen very often. You have to give credit to the coaches we
have on staff, and the fact that we have a great group of kids walking
through the building right now.

“My schedule? It’s pretty up in the air.”

According to available results on the Michigan High School Athletic
Association website, Hudson represents the state’s only school to send
four teams to the finals this season, with basketball, swimming and hockey
finalists pending.

“It says a lot about the community and school system,” Hudson
wrestling coach Scott Marry said. “We’re strong academically, but
it’s good to see kids get better outside academics.”

A state championship this weekend would double as a historical feat.

Hudson has never claimed an MHSAA state championship. It won four Associated
Press football state titles in 1956 and from 1972-74, before the MHSAA formed
in 1975 and instituted a playoff system to decide state champions.

The Tigers have four chances this weekend to wipe away their ugly zero in the
state title column.

COMPETITIVE CHEER

After holding the No. 1 ranking in Division 4 most of the season, the Tigers
will cheer Saturday at noon at the Delta Plex.

Hudson has established itself as a perennial finals participant. This will be
its 10th trip to the biggest stage. The Tigers placed second in the state
last season and in 2006, while finishing third from 2001-05 and in 2007.

“We’ve had consistency,” Hudson cheer coach Kelly Bailey
said. “The girls that have done competitive cheer at Hudson are a
combination of very athletic and old fashioned cheerleaders. They really get
into what they’re doing.”

BOWLING

The boys and girls bowling teams will begin play in the Division 3 finals at
8:25 this morning at Airport Lanes in Jackson.

Three teams from seven Division 3 regions advanced to the state finals. After
the 21 teams bowl a qualifying round, the top eight will bowl again in the
quarterfinals. The top four from that round bowl in the semifinals, with the
top two facing off for the state crown.

The girls team bowled a 2,911 to finish second at the Westland regional.
Alycia Butler thew a 953 in six games for a 158.8 pin-per-game average.

The boys made things much more dramatic.

They came from 44 pins down to overtake Riverview Gabriel Richard for the
third finals spot. The Tigers finished with a 3,532, as Brian Crater tossed a
1,163 six-game total and Wes Miller bowled a 1,127.

“I told them after the match, ‘Any given day, guys,’”
Hudson boys bowling coach Alan Titsworth said. “On any given day,
anything can happen. We’re going in as underdogs like we have all year.
People have said, ‘Hudson bowling? Who are they? Where are they
from?’ But now they’re starting to figure out where Hudson
is.”

Madison’s Kodi White, and Sand Creek’s Cody Gallant and Gage
Snyder will compete Saturday as individuals.

WRESTLING

The wrestling team makes its fourth trip to Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek.
The three previous times, Hudson lost on the first day.

The Tigers (36-1) hope to change that against unseeded Bronson (29-4) in the
Division 4 quarterfinals at 5:30 p.m. A win would punch their first-ever
ticket to Saturday’s semifinals.

“It’s been a monkey I would love to get off our back,”
Marry said. “It’s not our No. 1 goal by any means, but
we’re going to wrestle our tails off. We’ve got a pretty even
match. Of all the unseeded teams, I think Bronson is the darkhorse of the
tournament. It’s going to be a good match-up, really.”

Hudson, which earned the No. 2 seed behind Hesperia, beat Addison last
weekend to claim its second straight regional championship.

“This might not be the most athletic team I’ve had,” Marry
said, “but they might be the best at working together for a common
goal.”

GIRLS BASKETBALL

The girls basketball team toppled Clinton, 53-36, on Wednesday night at
Hanover-Horton High School to advance to its first Class C district final
since 1998, which, ironically, also occurred at Hanover-Horton.

The Tigers last won a district championship in 1997. The following year, a
last-second shot prevented them from claiming back-to-back titles.

Hudson hopes for a different result tonight at 7 p.m. against Addison in
Round 3 of the US 127 rivalry.

“We've faced them twice, and the first time they beat us by 20, and the
next time we beat them by 15,” Hudson girls basketball coach Tom
Romanowski said. “So this is the rubber match. It should be a good
one.”