No state qualifiers for cross country team
While there were no qualifiers for the Division 3 Individual State Finals cross country meet, seven members of the Galesburg-Augusta cross country team had either personal or season best times at the Division 3 regionals October 30 at Napoleon.
The top 15 runners automatically qualified for the State Finals and top seven individuals not on a state qualifying team also qualified.
In the mens race Hanover Horton placed first with 48 points. Jackson Lumen Christi, with 38 points, were regional champions in the women’s race.
G-A junior Segura Lopez was the first Ram to finish in the mens event, posting a time of 19:10.3 in 56th place out a field of 97 runners.
Cameron Kuhse (20:36.7), Everett Finedell (23:09.5) and Matthew Chichester (24:43.0) all enjoyed personal best times and Nick Stevens (19:23.2) and Ashton Dingee (19:48.3) posted season best times at the event.
Sophomore Sophia Dohm was the first Lady Ram to finish, running the course in 23:03.7 in 48th place out of a field of 84 runners.
G-A sophomore Grace Allie (28:14.6) and junior Addison Walden (33:51.6) had personal best times.
Division 3 Regionals
At Napoleon Ella Sharp Park
Men
G-A Results
56-Segura Lopez, 19:10.3, 64-Nick Stevens, 19:23.2SB, 69-Ashton Dingee, 19:48.3SB, 78-Cameron Kuhse, 20:36.7PB, 92-Everett Finedell, 23:09.5PB, 95-Vincent Finedell, 23:57.0, 97-Matthew Chichester, 24:43.0PB
Women
G-A Results
48-Sophia Dohm, 23:03.7, 72- Ellesa Callender, 26:09.8, 78-Grace Allie, 28:14.6PB, 84-Addison Walden, 33:51.6PB
Rams season ends with
playoff loss at Schoolcraft
By Dale Martin
Two scores in the first 5 minutes of the game set the tone for the evening as the Eagles of Schoolcraft ended the playoff hopes of the Galesburg-Augusta football team, 56-28.
A mishandled punt by the Eagles was recovered by J.J. Bailey of the Rams at the Schoolcraft 11 yard line. On fourth and four from the seven yard line Patrick Armock rolled to his right and then ran up the middle for G-A’s first touchdown. Ronald Kasten passed to J.J. Bailey for the two point conversion and the Rams were back in the game trailing 14-8.
Jack DeVries would score on runs of 1 and 39 yards in the second quarter extending the Eagles lead to 28-8.
On the Rams last possession of the first half, the visitors moved from their own 21 yard line to the Eagles 48-yard line. With just seconds to play Armock was forced out of the pocket attempting to pass. He was chased toward the sideline where he was hit from behind causing a fumble.
Schoolcraft’s Saxton Abfall scooped up the ball and raced 56 yards down the side line for a touchdown with 2 seconds on the clock. The conversion kick sent the teams to the locker room with the Eagles well in command 36-8.
In the second half the Rams were stopped on their first possession and it took only two plays for the Eagles to take advantage.
Jack DeVries tossed a perfect pass to David Richardson for a 35 yard score.
G-A mounted its best drive of the game, a 67 yard, 13 play that was culminated on an 8 yard pass from Armock to Kasten. Corentim LaHard added the point after kick, narrowing the lead to 42-15.
The Eagles needed only two plays, a 55 yard run by Easton Drenth followed by a 5 yard touchdown run also by Drenth, to reach the endzone again.
On G-A’s next possession an Armock pass was deflected and intercepted by the Eagles defense. A 6 play drive was capped by a 12 yard touchdown run by Drenth.
Now trailing 56-15 the Rams refused to quit.
A three play drive covered 68 yards with Armock passing to Bailey for a 55 yard touchdown.
G-A held the Eagles to a three and out and took possession at their own 19 yard line.
It took the Rams just two plays to collect their fourth score of the night, this time Armock hooked up with Alex Krugh on a 77 yard bomb. Lahard’s point after kick completed the scoring.
For the game, Armock completed 12 of 24 passes for 225 yards. Krugh caught 3 passes for 91 yards, Bailey caught 4 for 75 yards and Kasten and Cayden Allie each caught 3 passes for 36 yards. Armock finished with 43 yards on 11 carries to lead all rushers.
Kasten and Colton Robertson led the defense with 10 and 8 tackles respectively. Kasten also had a blocked kick to his credit.
The disappointment of the loss should not diminish the accomplishments of the 2026 team. They finish the season with a 7-3 record the most wins in a season since the 1995 team finished with an 8-2 record.
Success this year, plus buy in leaves
G-A football coach optimistic for future
By Bruce Rolfe
There was certainly disappointment in the Galesburg-Augusta football teams’ lockerroom following a 56-28 loss to Schoolcraft in the first round of the playoffs October 30 at Schoolcraft that ended the season for the Rams.
But G-A coach Chuck Hadley hopes that pain will slowly give way to a feeling of fulfillment.
The G-A coach hopes this year’s accomplishments will build on a winning culture that has been established, and raise expectations.
G-A finished the season with a 7-3 record and were in a position of controlling their own destiny of winning the division championship all to themselves until a week six loss to Decatur (34-7) reduced those chances.
The seven wins are also the most wins a G-A football team has had since the 1995 team finished with an 8-2 record.
The strong season also pushed G-A into the playoffs for a second straight year. The 7-3 record and qualifying for the playoffs a second straight season is something Hadley feels his team should be proud of.
“It was a great season. Back to back playoff appearances and the most wins in 30 plus years. This outgoing senior class should be so proud of what they’ve done and for the program as a whole. They’ve shown every kid from rocket through varsity that you can win at G-A,” said the Ram coach.
Hadley and the coaching staff emphasized before the season began, making the playoffs should be an expectation for every player.
Now that G-A has qualified for the postseason in back to back seasons and a winning culture has developed, he would like those expectations to be elevated to where players should have a goal of winning playoff games.
He feels the underclassmen and returners coming back next year embrace that message.
“The kids believe that it is possible, which is the first step. The second step will be putting in the work in the off season. The weight room will be open every morning at 6:30 a.m. We’ll find out real quick if they are ready to take the next step,” observed Hadley.
The G-A playoff roster lists 14 seniors graduating and 22 that could return, including six juniors. Players from a JV team that went 6-3 this season will be eager to continue the momentum next season.
Seniors listed on the G-A playoff roster include Corentin Lamard, Giovanni Evans, Patrick Armock, Alex Krugh, Gregory Buckner, Tyler Evans, Colton Robertson, Dominic Corsi, Juan Soriano, Luke Dennis, Dylan Bergeon, David Oliver, Tristan Jackson, Milo Schwendinger and Brady Towery.
Senior Patrick Armock completed 84-of-149 passes for 1482 yards.
Senior Giovanni Evans rushed for 650 yards on 86 carries, senior Greg Buckner added another 328 yards on 80 carries and Armock had 357 yards on 74 carries.
Senior Alex Krugh had 27 catches for a team high 496 yards, Evans caught 15 passes for 360 yards, junior Cayden Allie had 17 receptions for 357 yards and junior Ronald Kasten had 13 receptions for 201 yards.
Senior Dominic Corsi led the team in tackles with 98, senior Colton Robertson had 95 and Kasten added 59.
Statistics were for nine games because G-A won a forfeit game over White Pigeon.
A big thank you to Dale Martin for the statistics.
There was certainly disappointment in the Galesburg-Augusta football teams’ lockerroom following a 56-28 loss to Schoolcraft in the first round of the playoffs October 30 at Schoolcraft that ended the season for the Rams.
But G-A coach Chuck Hadley hopes that pain will slowly give way to a feeling of fulfillment.
The G-A coach hopes this year’s accomplishments will build on a winning culture that has been established, and raise expectations.
G-A finished the season with a 7-3 record and were in a position of controlling their own destiny of winning the division championship all to themselves until a week six loss to Decatur (34-7) reduced those chances.
The seven wins are also the most wins a G-A football team has had since the 1995 team finished with an 8-2 record.
The strong season also pushed G-A into the playoffs for a second straight year. The 7-3 record and qualifying for the playoffs a second straight season is something Hadley feels his team should be proud of.
“It was a great season. Back to back playoff appearances and the most wins in 30 plus years. This outgoing senior class should be so proud of what they’ve done and for the program as a whole. They’ve shown every kid from rocket through varsity that you can win at G-A,” said the Ram coach.
Hadley and the coaching staff emphasized before the season began, making the playoffs should be an expectation for every player.
Now that G-A has qualified for the postseason in back to back seasons and a winning culture has developed, he would like those expectations to be elevated to where players should have a goal of winning playoff games.
He feels the underclassmen and returners coming back next year embrace that message.
“The kids believe that it is possible, which is the first step. The second step will be putting in the work in the off season. The weight room will be open every morning at 6:30 a.m. We’ll find out real quick if they are ready to take the next step,” observed Hadley.
The G-A playoff roster lists 14 seniors graduating and 22 that could return, including six juniors. Players from a JV team that went 6-3 this season will be eager to continue the momentum next season.
Seniors listed on the G-A playoff roster include Corentin Lamard, Giovanni Evans, Patrick Armock, Alex Krugh, Gregory Buckner, Tyler Evans, Colton Robertson, Dominic Corsi, Juan Soriano, Luke Dennis, Dylan Bergeon, David Oliver, Tristan Jackson, Milo Schwendinger and Brady Towery.
Senior Patrick Armock completed 84-of-149 passes for 1482 yards.
Senior Giovanni Evans rushed for 650 yards on 86 carries, senior Greg Buckner added another 328 yards on 80 carries and Armock had 357 yards on 74 carries.
Senior Alex Krugh had 27 catches for a team high 496 yards, Evans caught 15 passes for 360 yards, junior Cayden Allie had 17 receptions for 357 yards and junior Ronald Kasten had 13 receptions for 201 yards.
Senior Dominic Corsi led the team in tackles with 98, senior Colton Robertson had 95 and Kasten added 59.
Statistics were for nine games because G-A won a forfeit game over White Pigeon.
A big thank you to Dale Martin for the statistics.
Injuries send Rams into Districts shorthanded
The Galesburg-Augusta varsity volleyball team entered the district tournaments without a starter due to an injury and played a key match near the end of the regular season down two starters when another player was ill.
G-A coach Jonica Klimp said her team played a first place conference matchup against Hackett in the SAC triangular October 20 without starter Jeni Klimp, who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in the powder puff game homecoming week and Ellesa Callender, who did not play against Hackett and only part of a win over Fennville the same night because she was ill.
The G-A coach said freshman Rylee Bailey and sophomore, Riley Wetzel were brought up from the JV team to play the middle blocker position for G-A. She adds Audrey Dennis is now playing a true libero and playing Klimp’s back row position.
G-A coach Jonica Klimp said her team played a first place conference matchup against Hackett in the SAC triangular October 20 without starter Jeni Klimp, who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in the powder puff game homecoming week and Ellesa Callender, who did not play against Hackett and only part of a win over Fennville the same night because she was ill.
The G-A coach said freshman Rylee Bailey and sophomore, Riley Wetzel were brought up from the JV team to play the middle blocker position for G-A. She adds Audrey Dennis is now playing a true libero and playing Klimp’s back row position.
(Photo by Bruce Rolfe)
“Each athlete rose to the challenge and are doing well,” said Klimp.
“We were disappointed to not be able to play full-strength against Hackett. The girls are getting more comfortable in their roles each day,” adds the G-A coach.
The district champion G-A played in advances to the Watervliet regional November 10 against the Bridgman district champion at 7 p.m.
The Lady Rams closed out the regular season impressively with a three set sweep over Climax-Scotts (25-11, 25-12, 25-16) October 29 at C-S Jr./Sr. High School.
Lily Gilbert led the team in two categories with 12 digs and 13 kills and shared a team high three aces with Lexi Coburn. Coburn had a team high 26 assists to go with three aces and Kayla Bortolussi had a team high two blocks.
G-A Def. Climax-Scotts 25-11, 25-12, 25-16
G-A Stat Leaders
Aces: Lily Gilbert 3, Lexi Coburn 3, Kayla Bortolussi 2, Claire Callender 2, Ellesa Callender 2, Audrey Dennis 1
Kills: Lily Gilbert 13, Kayla Bortolussi 8, Kirra Puglise 5, Rylee Bailey 4, Emily Coleman 3, Ellesa Callender 3, Lexi Coburn 1
Digs: Lily Gilbert 12, Audrey Dennis 11, Emily Coleman 7, Lexi Coburn 6, Kayla Bortolussi 3, Jilaya Henry-Philips 2, Ellesa Callender 1
Blocks: Kayla Bortolussi 2, Lily Gilbert 1, Rylee Bailey 1
Assists: Lexi Coburn 26, Jilaya Henry-Philips 3, Lily Gilbert 1, Audrey Dennis 1, Ellesa Callender 1, Kayla Bortolussi 1, Emily Coleman 1
G-A Holds off Kalamazoo Premier
The Rams won a four-set match over Kalamazoo Premier October 25, 25-18, 28-26, 18-25, 25-16.
Audrey Dennis had a team high 25 digs, Lily Gilbert had 16 kills along with four aces, Kayla Bortolussi had a team high seven blocks and Lexi Coburn led the team in assists with 37.
G-A Def. Kalamazoo Premier, 25-18, 28-26, 18-25, 25-16
G-A Stat Leaders
Assists: Lily Gilbert 4, Lexi Coburn 1, Claire Callender 1, Audrey Dennis 1, Jilaya Henry-Philips 1
Kills: Lily Gilbert 16, Ellesa Callender 10, Kayla Bortolussi 8, Emily Coleman 5, Kirra Puglise 2, Lexi Coburn 2, Rylee Bailey 2
Digs: Audrey Dennis 25, Emily Coleman 19, Lily Gilbert 12, Lexi Coburn 8, Ellesa Callender 5, Claire Callender 3, Kayla Bortolussi 3, Riley Wetzel 1, Kirra Puglise 1, Jilaya Henry-Philips 1
Blocks: Kayla Bortolussi 7, Rylee Bailey 3, Ellesa Callender 1, Lily Gilbert 1
Assists: Lexi Coburn 37, Lily Gilbert 4, Claire Callender 2, Audrey Dennis 1, Emily Coleman 1
G-A Drops Match to Hackett for First Place
The Rams dropped a match for first place in the division to Kalamazoo Hackett in two sets (20-25, 17-25) at a SAC triangular October 20.
G-A defeated Fennville in the other match in two sets (25-19, 25-23).
Against Hackett, Emily Coleman had a team high eight digs, Lily Gilbert led the team in kills with six, and Lexi Coburn had a team high 13 assists.
In the Fennville match, Coburn had 15 assists, Audrey Dennis had a team high four aces and eight digs and Lily Gilbert led the team in kills with nine.
SAC Triangular
G-A Def. Fennville, 25-19, 25-23
G-A Stat Leaders
Aces: Audrey Dennis 4, Kayla Bortolussi 1, Lexi Coburn 1
Kills: Lily Gilbert 9, Kayla Bortolussi 6, Emily Coleman 2, Ellesa Callender 1
Digs: Audrey Dennis 8, Lexi Coburn 3, Lily Gilbert 3, Kayla Bortolussi 2, Emily Coleman 1, Jilaya Henry-Phillips 1
Blocks: Kayla Bortolussi 1
Assists: Lexi Coburn 15, Audrey Dennis 1
Kalamazoo Hackett Def. G-A 25-20, 25-17
G-A Stat Leaders
Aces: Jilaya Henry-Philips 1, Kayla Bortolussi 1
Kills: Lily Gilbert 6, Kayla Bortolussi 5, Emily Coleman 2, Kirra Puglise 1, Rylee Bailey 1
Digs: Emily Coleman 8, Audrey Dennis 7, Lily Gilbert 6, Lexi Coburn 4, Kirra Puglise 1, Claire Callender 1, Jilaya Henry-Philips 1
Assists: Lexi Coburn 13, Audrey Dennis 1
“We were disappointed to not be able to play full-strength against Hackett. The girls are getting more comfortable in their roles each day,” adds the G-A coach.
The district champion G-A played in advances to the Watervliet regional November 10 against the Bridgman district champion at 7 p.m.
The Lady Rams closed out the regular season impressively with a three set sweep over Climax-Scotts (25-11, 25-12, 25-16) October 29 at C-S Jr./Sr. High School.
Lily Gilbert led the team in two categories with 12 digs and 13 kills and shared a team high three aces with Lexi Coburn. Coburn had a team high 26 assists to go with three aces and Kayla Bortolussi had a team high two blocks.
G-A Def. Climax-Scotts 25-11, 25-12, 25-16
G-A Stat Leaders
Aces: Lily Gilbert 3, Lexi Coburn 3, Kayla Bortolussi 2, Claire Callender 2, Ellesa Callender 2, Audrey Dennis 1
Kills: Lily Gilbert 13, Kayla Bortolussi 8, Kirra Puglise 5, Rylee Bailey 4, Emily Coleman 3, Ellesa Callender 3, Lexi Coburn 1
Digs: Lily Gilbert 12, Audrey Dennis 11, Emily Coleman 7, Lexi Coburn 6, Kayla Bortolussi 3, Jilaya Henry-Philips 2, Ellesa Callender 1
Blocks: Kayla Bortolussi 2, Lily Gilbert 1, Rylee Bailey 1
Assists: Lexi Coburn 26, Jilaya Henry-Philips 3, Lily Gilbert 1, Audrey Dennis 1, Ellesa Callender 1, Kayla Bortolussi 1, Emily Coleman 1
G-A Holds off Kalamazoo Premier
The Rams won a four-set match over Kalamazoo Premier October 25, 25-18, 28-26, 18-25, 25-16.
Audrey Dennis had a team high 25 digs, Lily Gilbert had 16 kills along with four aces, Kayla Bortolussi had a team high seven blocks and Lexi Coburn led the team in assists with 37.
G-A Def. Kalamazoo Premier, 25-18, 28-26, 18-25, 25-16
G-A Stat Leaders
Assists: Lily Gilbert 4, Lexi Coburn 1, Claire Callender 1, Audrey Dennis 1, Jilaya Henry-Philips 1
Kills: Lily Gilbert 16, Ellesa Callender 10, Kayla Bortolussi 8, Emily Coleman 5, Kirra Puglise 2, Lexi Coburn 2, Rylee Bailey 2
Digs: Audrey Dennis 25, Emily Coleman 19, Lily Gilbert 12, Lexi Coburn 8, Ellesa Callender 5, Claire Callender 3, Kayla Bortolussi 3, Riley Wetzel 1, Kirra Puglise 1, Jilaya Henry-Philips 1
Blocks: Kayla Bortolussi 7, Rylee Bailey 3, Ellesa Callender 1, Lily Gilbert 1
Assists: Lexi Coburn 37, Lily Gilbert 4, Claire Callender 2, Audrey Dennis 1, Emily Coleman 1
G-A Drops Match to Hackett for First Place
The Rams dropped a match for first place in the division to Kalamazoo Hackett in two sets (20-25, 17-25) at a SAC triangular October 20.
G-A defeated Fennville in the other match in two sets (25-19, 25-23).
Against Hackett, Emily Coleman had a team high eight digs, Lily Gilbert led the team in kills with six, and Lexi Coburn had a team high 13 assists.
In the Fennville match, Coburn had 15 assists, Audrey Dennis had a team high four aces and eight digs and Lily Gilbert led the team in kills with nine.
SAC Triangular
G-A Def. Fennville, 25-19, 25-23
G-A Stat Leaders
Aces: Audrey Dennis 4, Kayla Bortolussi 1, Lexi Coburn 1
Kills: Lily Gilbert 9, Kayla Bortolussi 6, Emily Coleman 2, Ellesa Callender 1
Digs: Audrey Dennis 8, Lexi Coburn 3, Lily Gilbert 3, Kayla Bortolussi 2, Emily Coleman 1, Jilaya Henry-Phillips 1
Blocks: Kayla Bortolussi 1
Assists: Lexi Coburn 15, Audrey Dennis 1
Kalamazoo Hackett Def. G-A 25-20, 25-17
G-A Stat Leaders
Aces: Jilaya Henry-Philips 1, Kayla Bortolussi 1
Kills: Lily Gilbert 6, Kayla Bortolussi 5, Emily Coleman 2, Kirra Puglise 1, Rylee Bailey 1
Digs: Emily Coleman 8, Audrey Dennis 7, Lily Gilbert 6, Lexi Coburn 4, Kirra Puglise 1, Claire Callender 1, Jilaya Henry-Philips 1
Assists: Lexi Coburn 13, Audrey Dennis 1
