Awarding this winter's top performers
by Pete Cunningham
*As printed March 19, 2008 in The Homer Index   

The dinging of aluminum barrels will soon fill the spring air marking the start of baseball season. Before the last of the snow melts and we emerge from the indoor arenas of winter to the plush fields of spring, a little something is in order: the winter sports awards.

MVP (who isn’t to be trusted): Zach Allen, center/forward, Homer

Allen averaged 14.52 points and 12.24 rebounds per game, and chalked up 16 double-doubles in 21 games. Outside of the numbers, Allen was a leader by example both on and off the court. Whenever the team seemed to lose focus, it was Allen bringing them in for a huddle, or cracking a smile to loosen the tension. By the way, he’s class president and carries a 3.57 G.P.A.

He was chosen as MVP of the Big Eight for the second straight year. Look for the Citizen Patriot to follow suit with an all-area nod, and maybe the MHSAA with an all-state selection

Despite all this, I don’t trust the kid an inch…two first names.

Honorable mentions: Mark Schneider, Erica Marsh and Karter Finch.

Defensive MVP: Taylor Dow, center/forward, Homer basketball

Fifty blocked shots. Enough said.

 

Game of the season: Boys basketball, December 11, Litchfield-49 Reading-58 (OT)

Reading was the odds out favorite heading into this game, hoping the speed that eventually led them to a share of the Big Eight title would help them coast past the normally destitute Terriers. Litchfield, however, played like the better team for the majority of the game and led by five points with four minutes remaining. Litchfield’s two biggest threats, Mark Schneider and Terry Lawler, fouled out late in the fourth, and Reading was able to come back and grab a three point lead with less than 30 seconds remaining. When a double-team entrapped the Terriers backup center/forward Dustin Chapman beyond the three-point line, Litchfield’s chances seemed pretty grim. Chapman tossed up the self-described prayer and it beat the buzzer to bring the game into OT. The Terriers were outmatched in the extra frame, but the performance proved they could hang with elite squads. The 3-pointer stands as the most exciting play of the year.

Runners up: February 21: Homer boys defeating Reading 67-61 for a share of the Big Eight title, erasing an 11 point deficit along the way. December 11: Litchfield girls defeating Camden Frontier with a buzzer beater. December 6: Homer girls nearly toppling Jonesville after erasing a 17 point deficit in the fourth quarter.

Little engine that could award: Nicole Wurster, guard, Homer basketball

The sophomore guard is listed at 5’6”, but if she’s a hair over 5’3” I’ll eat my paycheck. In Answeresque fashion, the bony Wurster would emerge in traffic with floaters that would just miss the outstretched fingertips of post players licking their chops at the sight of her driving to the basket. She never hesitated to initiate contact or dive for loose balls if need be. When her confidence catches up to her talent, and her height to her shoe size, Nicole will be a menace for opposing defenders.

Homer 103 pounder Billy Tackett was considered until the realization that the kid’s more of a beast than a little engine.

Most heartbreaking moment: January 16, Homer vs. Union City, wrestling

Matt Plemmons came into his match against the Chargers’ Jayson York undefeated, and that’s how he would remain; unscathed, however, he was not.

York yanked on Plemmons’ shoulder awkwardly halfway through the second period and Matt let out a yell that sent a collective chill down the spines of all in attendance. Plemmons suffered a fracture in his shoulder and could only watch as York and many other opponents he had soundly defeated throughout the season collected all-state honors at the Palace of Auburn Hills two weeks ago. Next year Matty. Next year.

Runner-up: February 12: Union City defeating Homer boys at the buzzer. December 18: Camden-Frontier defeating Litchfield boys at the buzzer.

You deserve a real compliment award: Evan Leach, Homer basketball

Leach was a solid presence for the Trojans. Always in the right place at the right time, taking charges, making a basket to break a dry spell or grabbing rebounds in traffic. He was also an emotional leader and fan favorite, yet after most games players and coaches alike would say “you never see it coming with Evan,” “he surprises a lot of people,” “opponents underestimate him,” or something of that regard. That’s as backhanded a compliment as telling a girl the jeans she’s wearing make her look less fat.

Well, let me be the first to say, Evan here’s a real compliment: Not only were you an integral part of that team, I’d argue you were the most irreplaceable and a pleasure to watch.

Coach of the year: Tom Fleming, Homer basketball

Not to discount the impressive jobs Corey Dunn and Bill O’Dell did at rebuilding their respective programs, but Fleming’s squad took home a share of the conference crown and that’s worth a lot in my book.

 

Conspiracy theory of the year: Dow tanked the dunk

What do you remember about the Homer versus Athens game on February 15? If anything, fans remember a stretch in which Homer created four turnovers in as many possessions by executing a press. On the second such instance, Taylor Dow threw down a dunk that ignited the student section

So where’s the conspiracy?

Fast forward two plays to the fourth turnover and again it’s Dow on an open break with no defenders in sight. The crowd had built to its highest crescendo of the season as the entire arena awaited the throw-down and then … Taylor was called for traveling. Everyone was a little disappointed, but forgot the play two seconds later. Not me.

My theory, Taylor tanked the play; traveled on purpose. Four straight possessions of high octane ball in which he was the focal point, half the time in a lowered defensive stand, the other half sprinting toward the hoop and leaping tall buildings in a single bound. The kid’s legs had to have been burning like Rome. Behind him stood an entire section that he will pass in the hallway for the next year-and-a-half. Rather than be stuffed by the rim and forever live in infamy, I contend that Dow took an extra step and avoided the whole situation.

He has vehemently denied my accusations and was kind enough not to point out that I couldn’t dunk a Nerf ball on a Fisher Price rim while doing so.

Runner up: At Homer’s JV basketball games children can pay $1 to take half court shots. Their reward if they make it: a 99 cent 2-liter of Faygo. Am I missing something?

Performance of the year: Chelsea Hayes, first team all conference, Homer cheerleading

Chelsea, a senior, had never been able to join the competitive cheer squad because of volleyball. With the seasons changing this year, she decided to try it out and excelled enough to be named first team all Big Eight.

The caveat to this award is the fact that I don’t consider cheerleading a sport. In my eyes it is a performance art, like ballet or a play. This stance has gotten me in trouble in the past and I’m sure it will in the future. Whether or not cheerleading is a sport is debatable, the impressiveness of Hayes’ accomplishment, however, is not.

That concludes this season’s honorees. Award recipients are instructed to direct any and all questions regarding cash prizes to Mike and Sharon Warner.