Lady Chiefs hoops speared for this season

Lack of players on both varsity and junior varsity sited

 

CAPAC — There will be no Cows And Pigs And Chickens — nor Lady Chiefs, running up and down the hardwood this winter.

The Capac girls basketball team has struggled with numbers in recent years, forcing teams to consolidate and just have a varsity team, not a junior varsity.

It worked for a few years, but Superintendent Amy Nelson released a statement last week, following an announcement that the Lady Chiefs basketball program has been put on the shelf for this season.

In her email Nelson said, “We do not have a JV or Varsity girls basketball team this year. Unfortunately we had low turnout at tryouts, not enough interest to field a team. We offer a lot of athletic opportunities for students in the winter and we currently have a lot of female interest in wrestling, cheerleading, and bowling. We look forward to continuing to offer our students as many opportunities as possible and in supporting them in having opportunities that meet their interests.”

According to the superintendent, just two players showed up for girls basketball tryouts. Two.

This past summer, the Lady Chiefs had announced their third new coach in as many years. A few players had been with the program their entire time in high school and had hoped to finish their senior year on the hardwood.

Capac also bowed out of their own district tournament they were hosting last year, for reasons made by the administration.

Postseasons for basketball, along with bowling, will incorporate slight changes.

In basketball, entire District brackets will be seeded for the first time, instead of the previous top two teams receiving seeds only.

Michigan Power Ratings (MPR) data will still be used to seed those full brackets.

In bowling, Regionals may now take place as early in the week as Wednesday and Thursday, as long as the Team and Singles competitions are competed on consecutive days.

Previously, those were competed only on Fridays and Saturdays, respectively.

With basketball for girls not being offered at Capac, a few girls have chosen to move over to the wrestling team where, for the first time, an MHSAA Finals team championship will be awarded in girls wrestling.

After first introducing a girls championship bracket to the Individual Wrestling Finals for the 2021-22 season, the MHSAA decided to honor its first team champion based on individual finishes.

The format will be similar to how MHSAA team championships were awarded for boys wrestling prior to the creation of the dual format Team Finals with the 1987-88 season.

Also on the wrestling mat, a competition rule change alters the penalty for using a wrestler at an ineligible weight class – dependent on when the ineligible wrestler is discovered.

Beginning this season, the use of an ineligible wrestler – if discovered during the involved match – will result in six team points being awarded to the opponent, plus the head coach of the team with the ineligible wrestler will be assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty resulting in a one-point team score deduction.

If the ineligible wrestler is discovered after the involved match, any points earned by the offending wrestler will be removed from the team score, along with the point for unsportsmanlike conduct, and six points will be added to the offended team’s total.

In both instances, neither wrestler involved in the match in question may compete again in that dual.

If the ineligible wrestler is discovered after the dual is completed, the teams have left the mat area and the scorebook has been signed by the official, the results and team score will stand.

A pair of wrestling playing rules changes also will be immediately noticeable.

The number of match points awarded for a takedown was increased from two to three.

Also, near-fall points will now be awarded based on the number of seconds during which the near-fall criteria are met – beginning with two points for two seconds, up to four points for four seconds.

Winter tournaments

Boys Basketball
Districts – Feb. 24, 26, 28
Regionals – March 4, 6
Quarterfinals – March 11
Semifinals – March 13-14
Finals – March 15

Girls Basketball
Districts – March 3, 5, 7
Regionals – March 10, 12
Quarterfinals – March 18
Semifinals – March 20-21
Finals – March 22

Bowling
Regionals – Feb. 19-22
Finals – Feb. 28-March 1

Competitive Cheer
Districts – Feb. 14-15
Regionals – Feb. 22
Finals – Feb. 28-March 1

Ice Hockey
Regionals – Feb. 17-26
Quarterfinals – March 1
Semifinals – March 6-7
Finals – March 8

Wrestling – Team
Districts – Feb. 5-6
Regionals – Feb. 12
Finals – Feb. 21-22

Wrestling – Individual
Districts – Feb. 8
Boys Regionals – Feb. 15
Girls Regionals – Feb. 16
Finals – Feb. 28-March 1