High school fall sports begin this week

By BEN MURPHY

Cleaver Sports Writer

High school fall sports have officially arrived. Teams across the state officially began practice on Monday, as they put in the work for their upcoming seasons. The work is hard, but the goals are lofty, as squads get things under way. Games begin as soon as next week, though things really get going after the Labor Day weekend. Here’s a quick glance at teams in the Clare County Cleaver coverage area.

Starting with the Harrison football team, they will once again have veteran head coach Jamie Lipovsky leading the way. The Hornets went 8-3 last year, including a first round playoff win over Morley Standwood. They return a huge part of that roster, and they’ll begin what could be a promising season Aug. 28 at home against Pine River.

“The whole program is excited, and we are looking to build upon the last two seasons,” Lipovsky said. “These first few days will serve to iron some of the wrinkles out and give us a better understanding of where certain kids will fit our system or if the system needs some tweaking to fit our kids.”

The Harrison volleyball team will have Madi Hamina back for her second season as head coach. The Lady Hornets saw great strides under Hamina in her first year, and they’ll get things going with an early season tri-meet at Roscommon on Sept. 2. The Harrison cross country teams will have Elijah Hayes as head coach, and their first time hitting the course in a competition will be Aug. 25 at Chippewa Hills.

As for Clare, their football team will be led by Steven Spranger. The Pioneers went 6-4 last year, and they’ll begin a run at another playoff berth, beginning with their first game, at home against Whitehall on Aug. 28. Clare volleyball welcomes in new head coach Erin Murphy, and they’ll get things going early, playing in an tri-meet Aug. 19, over at Ludington, with Reed City also at the event.

The Clare soccer team welcomes back Jim Bond as head coach for another season. They’ll host Gladwin for their season opener, which will be Aug. 19. The cross-country teams will have their veteran coaching staff return once again, as Adam Burhans is set to lead the boys in another season and Kyle McKown will coach the girls; they’ll open the season in a meet under the lights at St. Johns on Aug. 21. Coaching the girls’ golf team will be Bob Tocco. They host an early season meet at Firefly Golf Links on Monday, Aug. 17.

For Farwell, they’ll have Travis Waddell returning as their head coach. The Eagles have shown steady improvement on the gridiron in recent years, having gone 3-6 last season. They’ll open up the new year at Hesperia Aug. 27. The Lady Eagle volleyball team has Mia Fetzer returning as their head coach, and they host Montabella on Aug. 24.

The Farwell cross country teams will be led by Sara Poet, and their first meet action will be Aug. 26 at the Clare Invitational. Coaching the girls golf team will be first year coach Stephanie Brown. The Eagles hit the course for their first meet on Monday, Aug. 17 at Clare’s Firefly Golf Links.