Fall Sports Are Back: Get To Know The Trojans
High school sports have begun across Michigan, and East Lansing High School is no exception. With the girls golf team already well into their season, the football team with a game under their belt, and other sports either underway or getting kicked off this week, ELi introduces you to each of the fall sports teams at ELHS, including links to team rosters.
Check out the various Trojans teams below.
Boys Cross Country
The Trojans are defending their 2020 Capital Area Activities Conference (CAAC) Blue Division title this year. It’s a goal for the team to win another this year and to beat out local rivals like Okemos, DeWitt, and Grand Ledge along the way.
Leading the charge for another title in 2021 for the Trojans is senior Matthew Zeleke, who won the conference meet in 2020. Along with Zeleke, a core group of seniors will be pacing the Trojans.
“We’ve got a senior heavy team, which we haven’t had in a few years,” Head Coach Pat Murray said.
Along with Zeleke, seniors Eli Kramer, David Ferguson, Jayden Page, Gavin Purnell, and Sean Fleming make up that core. Bolstering them are a bevy of juniors and sophomores and a handful of freshmen.
Girls Cross Country
After finishing fourth in the CAAC Blue a year ago, the Trojans feature a promising trio of runners to lead the 2021 team
Junior Anna Delgado will pace the Trojans after finishing 9th at regionals in 2020, Head Coach Tim Akers said. Additionally, junior Grace Rose had a “great summer of conditioning” and is poised to shine, along with freshman Abby Minnick, who Akers said ran a 5:49 mile as an eighth grader.
The big key for the season, Akers said, is to get the seniors back to pre-pandemic levels of conditioning.
Football
The Trojans are looking to build on last season, which ended in regionals against Muskegon Mona Shores. Despite some talented departures to graduation, the 2021 iteration of the Trojans is talented, particularly at the skill positions. Head Coach Bill Feraco noted several seniors are primed to take on bigger roles, along with a few younger players.
Wide receiver Mason Woods and quarterback Brevin Jackson, both seniors, shined in the Trojans’ first game against Grand Blanc on Aug. 27, setting single-game school records for receiving yards and passing yards, respectively.
Other seniors to look for are running back Asher Gregory and Ambrose Wilson, who started at quarterback last season until he was sidelined by a knee injury. Wilson is still expected to play a big role this season, once healthy. Junior wide receiver Evan Boyd is also expected to be a big contributor, along with junior running back Kanye Jackson.
Andrew Graham for ELi
The district title trophy held aloft by many players as the Trojans celebrated their district championship on Nov. 13, 2020.The questions for the Trojans, Feraco said, are along the offensive and defensive lines. Senior Roque Martinez brings starting experience from last season and anchors the Trojans inside at the center position. Playing alongside him are some talented, albeit unproven, players, like senior Ethan DeWitt, who Feraco said to keep an eye on.
Girls Golf
It’s a pretty simple recipe for the girls golf team, with four main players carrying the load for most of the season.
Seniors Ella Miller, Madi Miller, Greta Gmazel, and junior Charlotte Kirschner will be the Trojans’ main four varsity players.
Along with those four, senior Ali Frommeyer and junior Sydney Zaagman will be playing varsity on occasion.
Boys Soccer
The name of the game for the 2021 Trojans, according to Head Coach Jeff Lyon, is speed. The Trojans have oodles of it. On the wings and up front, East Lansing has the speed to play the ball in behind and punish their opponents this season. The Trojans want to use that speed to their advantage this year.
“This is my fourth year, but it’s the fastest team I’ve ever had. Uh, it might be the fastest team we’ve ever had,” Lyon said.
And if teams decide to sit back and nullify the advantage East Lansing has with their speed, Lyon is confident in his team to play and win in a more defensive fashion. This is in part because of senior center back and captain Spencer Powe, who Lyon said will anchor the backline and be a steady hand for the Trojans.
And in net, two seniors — Dominic Edwards and Connor Gott — will be splitting time, Lyon said. Each one brings a different aspect to the position that the other one doesn’t, and Lyon quipped that if he could combine them into one perfect goalie, he would.
Girls Swim and Dive
With a very young roster, Head Coach Madi Zink wasn’t quite sure where expectations for this year’s girls swim and dive team should be. After some early practices, though, she seems hopeful for a competitive season ahead. And with a massive roster of more than 25 swimmers and divers, she’s confident there will be several athletes of pop this year.
The big name returning for the Trojans is junior diver Gwen Petrie, who made it to states last season. Additionally, sophomore Sarah Bergdolt and two freshmen — Sophia Fickies and Peyton Roland — have stood out early on.
Photo courtesy of Gwen Petrie.
Current ELHS junior Gwen Petrie placed 10th in the state finals for diving as a sophomore.There are a lot of freshmen on this year’s team, which brings an infusion of talent, and also uncertainty.
“We’re really excited about that, but we’re kind of a very young, young group of kids,” Zink said. “So we’re kinda trying to figure out where we’re at.”
Boys Tennis
An experienced roster with returning players will set the tone in the first season for new Head Coach Cody Cross. The Trojans only graduated a handful of players and the players who do return are top-flight players.
“I feel pretty confident that we’ll have a good year,” Cross said.
Leading the Trojans are four seniors: Zachary Kleinermen, Iain Lewis, Austin Wilson, and Brandon Smith. Cross said those four will be the backbone of the lineup for the Trojans.
And the Trojans will need them to be good if they want to compete with Okemos — a powerhouse and defending state champion — in league play and the postseason.
Volleyball
The Trojans are an experienced volleyball team in 2021, according to Head Coach Heather Stanley. There are a couple of experienced upperclassmen set to take on leading roles, like juniors Gracin “Gracie” Emerson and Naomi Sowa and senior Taylor Mitchell.
All told, the Trojans will feature seven seniors and five juniors, with just one freshman and sophomore cracking the varsity roster.
After finishing in the middle of the pack last year, Stanley thinks the Trojans will be a competitive team in the top three of the CAAC Blue, in the mix with Okemos, DeWitt, and Grand Ledge for a league title.
“I’m pretty confident with that [prediction], watching these girls and seeing who we have come back,” Stanley said.