Greyhound pair wins regional title

Written by: Blake Johnson '13

This season the Eaton Rapids 2^nd doubles team of Zack Laginess and Alex Arrington was very successful. They finished with a strong record of 18-2, (losing to Lumen Christi twice) and ended up winning the regional championship!

On their way to the title, Laginess and Arrington took out Haslett, Mason, and an undefeated Lakewood team; which was arguably their best match.

Even when times looked tough, they still found ways to pull through. For example, when an injury plagued Laginess early in the season, Tanner Jones (’13) stepped up and delivered an excellent performance to defeat Dewitt and to keep what had been an undefeated streak, alive.

Head coach Ryan Anderson felt that their success was due to, “A combination of team chemistry, their skill as individual tennis players, and the position they were in as second doubles players.”

Anderson also said that the rest of the team stayed consistent and strong around them to keep Zach and Alex in their positions through the whole season.

Even with the team behind them, winning consistently was quite a challenging thing to do. “Staying focused after three straight matches was really hard,” said Arrington when asked about the regionals. “You have to find ways to stay pumped up and ready to play.”

Luckily for them, all of that hard work paid off, and they became the only Eaton Rapids players to win a regional title this year. That title was an accomplishment both of them would agree highlighted the season and it is a memory they will have for a long time.

Athlete of the Month: Natalya Ferri

Written by: Jacqueline Mills '12

           Cross country can be a very overwhelming sport, but for Natalya Ferri, it’s a piece of cake. Fall 2011 is Natalya’s first year of cross country. She has also participated in other sports in the past such as track and softball. She is a sophomore and for a first year cross country runner, she is starting off very well.

            In track and field, Natalya would run short distances only. Her longest distance in track was 400 meters. This would require her to sprint for a short distance and would also make her push herself for a short period of time. This is why she was intimidated by the thought of joining the cross country team. She was not sure she would be able to run long distances such as 3.1 miles (5k).

            During parent teacher conferences last spring, Natalya’s mom and Coach Smith had a very long and engaging discussion. It was about Natalya joining cross country for the fall 2011 season. They were determined to get her to join the team. After a while of Natalya’s mom nagging her about joining the cross country team, Natalya put aside her doubts and gave in. She had officially decided to join the cross country team.

            Natalya’s first meet went very well. She ran 2 miles and placed 4^th among the Eaton Rapids girl runners. She kept working to get better times at practices and while running at home. Her practices consist of stretching and then running on the treadmill while listening to music or running down the road and back. Natalya says, “I make sure I’m all stretched out and then I run. What else would I do?” After long practices on the trails with the team and the practices at home alone, it started to pay off.

            Coach Smith thinks that Natalya has a lot of determination. This could be an understatement. Natalya tries her best at everything. There is not one second when she is not trying her best. This doesn’t just apply for cross country, she tries her best at school and all the other sports she participates in as well. Due to her hard work, Natalya has become the number one runner for the Eaton Rapids girls cross country team.

            During practices, Natalya kept giving her all. The girls would do practice runs and Natalya started to get the fastest times. So far Natalya’s best time is 20 minutes and 27 seconds.

Practices for the cross country team are not just a ton of running. Natalya says, “I like that we spend time together as a team and it’s not just all about running.” The team has gone out and got ice cream together and they just spend time together and talk. The team even sits around and does homework together before meets.

            As a sophomore in high school, Natalya’s running skills are great. Her practices are paying off and she knows it. For a first year runner and a sophomore, Natalya Ferri has shown that it’s not size or age that matters, it is determination.

Greyhound gridders visit Michigan State

Written by: Kanon McVicker '12



ERHS Varsity and Freshmen football players pose for a photo after a tough practice.



Practicing in a Division 1 College environment is a rare opportunity for any high school athlete. However, the Eaton Rapids football program was given the privilege to utilize this once in a lifetime experience. Anticipating playing on turf against Dearborn Edsel Ford on October 7^th, head varsity football coach Bob Ribby pulled some strings at his college alma mater in East Lansing. At about 5:40pm on October 5^th, the Eaton Rapids Varsity and Freshmen football teams piled on two buses and headed out to Michigan State University.

As they filed off the bus, each individual, including the coaches, seemed to have an altered mind-set. The atmosphere outside radiated with a new kind of focus and determination brought on by the sheer power and size of the MSU football facilities. The Varsity captains led both teams, two-by-two, into the Duffy Daugherty Building. This was far from just another practice.

Defense set the tone for the rest of practice, starting off the day with the usual warm up run and stretches. Getting used to the unbelievably flat and soft turf was tough at first, but soon the players seemed to be flying around faster than the day before.

The players definitely felt the change in intensity.

According to Jacob VanVliet, being in a college environment for football, especially a nationally ranked team like Michigan State really raised the intensity and level of everyone’s game. “Everyone was excited about going there to practice and play on the new turf. I feel it really brought the best out of everyone’s game and if we could we would practice there every day after school,” said VanVliet.

All in all, practicing at MSU was a great, once in a lifetime experience for the Eaton Rapids football players.