Berkley High School Varsity Teams Ready to Spring into Action

Energy and optimism are pervasive among Berkley High School's spring sports teams as the athletes get ready to pursue their goals this season. Here is a preview of what has changed on each squad since last year and what each group hopes to achieve.

Baseball

Confidence is not something Adam McDowell lacks this season.

The senior trusts that he and his teammates have exactly what it takes to earn league bragging rights for a second consecutive season.

McDowell is one of eight seniors who returns to the baseball diamond this spring after having won the Oakland Activities Association Blue Division title in 2010.

“We fully expect to win league again this year and definitely expect to compete for a district title,” said McDowell, a first baseman and pitcher. “Hopefully, that will carry us in the state tournament as far as possible. As far as the league goes, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t go undefeated and win the league.”

The Bears will need to compete against Southfield, Southfield-Lathrup, Hazel Park, Ferndale, Pontiac and Oak Park to defend their league title.

Southfield and Southfield-Lathrup should be solid threats in Berkley’s repeat quest. However, first-year head coach Jordan Gruppen is optimistic about his team’s potential in 2011.

“We have a lot of returning guys, but we also add in a significant amount of younger guys, too,” said Gruppen, who coached the Berkley junior varsity team for the past three seasons. “I think that we’re going to have a pretty good lineup all the way through, as far as batting and some quality pitching to go along with it. If we can play some good defense, then I think we can put together a pretty good season.”

McDowell and senior outfielder Brendan Tomaszewski are among the key experienced players on the Bears’ 17-man roster.

“We have a lot of key returning players, so I expect a real good season out of us,” Tomaszewski said.

The Bears set a school record with the 25 wins they racked up last season. Overall, Berkley lost in the district finals and posted a 25-11 mark.

Track and Field

Assistant track coach Sarah Berman is optimistic about the 2011 spring season for the Berkley boys and girls track and field teams.

For starters, the Bears return senior Justin Peguese, who qualified for the state meet last year in the high jump.

Peguese increased his personal best jump by 4 inches from his sophomore to junior seasons. At this point, there’s reason to believe Peguese can continue to progress.

“We believe he can make similar improvements this season and expect he will return to the state finals in June,” Berman said.

Peguese was the Division 1 regional champion in high jump last spring after hitting the 6-foot-1 mark.

In addition to Peguese, the Bears have a bright-looking freshman class to provide depth throughout the program.

“Student-athletes are still signing up,” Berman said, “But so far, both teams look very promising. We have an abundance of individual talent on both the girls and boys teams. I’m excited to see how everything will come together in team competition.”

The Bears will be competing in the OAA Blue this season along with Troy Athens, Ferndale, Birmingham Groves, Royal Oak and Southfield-Lathrup.

The team was slated to open the season Friday at Ferndale, but that meet has been postponed until April 18.

The Bears open the 2011 season against Royal Oak at 4:30 p.m. April 13 at the Hurley Field track.

“We are looking forward to winning at more meets this year and placing more athletes at states,” head coach Les Hale said.

Girls Tennis

When you ask Lenny Waldman about the makeup of his tennis team this spring, you can just hear the joy in his voice.

And it has nothing to do with what the team’s potential record will be or how far it will go in the playoffs.

“They are just the nicest bunch of girls,” said Waldman, who is in his fifth season as the Berkley girls’ tennis coach. “They just mesh with each other and have a great sense of energy.

“These girls genuinely care for each other," he said. "They know each other and all get along.”

Part of why this team is lacking drama is because the individuals competed for the flight spots in the lineup and have simply accepted the outcome – something that’s not always the case.

“They’re all playing in a position that they’re OK with,” Waldman said.

Leading the way for the Bears in 2011 will be senior Erika Northcross, who worked her way up from No. 2 singles to the top flight last season.

“It’s pretty exciting,” Northcross said. “I’ve never been in it (No. 1 singles) before, so it’s one of those things I’m going to try my hardest at. I’m excited to do it. It’ll be a different experience, that’s for sure.”

Outside of the high school spring tennis season, Northcross hits the courts two to three times per week to work on her game.

“She’s just a diligent, hardworking athlete,” Waldman said. “She’s a great player, but she wasn’t born playing tennis. Her diligence and dedication and passion for the sport pushes her right on through.”

Filling Northcross’s vacated spot at No. 2 singles will be her freshman sister, Lexi  Northcross.

“It’s unique to walk on to the team and go to No. 2 singles,” Waldman said. “But she earned the spot. She’s got big shoes to fill as a freshman.”

In the team’s opening match of the season, Lexi Northcross had no trouble dealing with the freshman nerves of her varsity debut. She downed her Walled Lake Central opponent in two sets.

At No. 3 singles, will be Emma Bunin. The four-year varsity player and co-captain only lost one match last season.

“She’s like playing against a wall,” Waldman said. “You hit it to her, and everything comes back. We’re really excited for her.”

The Bears will once again be competing in the OAA White Division. They will face off against Birmingham Groves, Rochester Adams, Stoney Creek, Farmington, Lake Orion, Farmington Hills Harrison and Troy Athens.

Stoney Creek and Adams – which tied for 12th place in the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 2 Finals last season – are likely candidates for top league honors.

The Bears open league play against Stoney Creek at 4:15 p.m. April 14 at the Berkley community courts next to – where all home varsity matches will take place this season. Varsity squad practices will take place at the Huntington Woods courts off Scotia Road.

Girls Soccer

Five freshmen will get a chance to see just how much pressure it is to play on the Berkley girls’ soccer team this spring.

The Bears will rely on the five freshmen and a pair of seniors as they begin their quest to repeat as district champions in 2011.

“There’s a lot of pressure,” senior Audrey Duncan said of the expectations for this spring. “We’d like to win again.”

How realistic is that goal?

“There are so many new players, I’m not sure, but I think we can do it,” said Duncan, one of the team’s captains. “I think we can work on it. There’s a lot of energy from the freshmen, and with the leadership of the seniors and the juniors, I think it’s a possibility.”

The Bears will look to raise the district trophy again while recovering from the loss of the 2010 senior class that graduated 10.

Gone from the mix is Berkley’s top player from the Class of 2010, Natalie Zimmerman, who won all-state first-team, all-regional and all-district honors after finishing with a 20-goal performance.

Junior Stephanie Miller is optimistic.

“There were so many seniors last year that had such a huge part, and losing them, we could probably still do it because we’re so young, and we have good freshmen and good returning players,” Miller said.

Of course, district play could end up being a little less challenging than the regular-season league schedule.

The Bears are faced with the task of competing in the OAA Red Division – the top level on the league ladder.

Berkley will play Troy, Troy Athens, Rochester, Rochester Adams, Stoney Creek and Lake Orion in the OAA.

Rochester Adams is the defending champion.

Troy Athens should be tough as well, as the Red Hawks have Olivia Brannon on their roster. Brannon is headed to Virginia on a scholarship in the fall. She is a member of the United States U-17 National Team and was the No. 4 recruit nationally by TopDrawerSoccer.com.

Chemistry will surely be a key ingredient for the Bears in 2011.

“I think if they mesh well, we’ll do well because the players who are here are very, very talented,” Berkley coach Cliff Brandmier said. “I think a lot of it will come down to chemistry.”

Boys Golf

The goals have been taken to a new level. And the challenges to achieve those goals are higher as well.

While the Berkley boys golf team has a tall task ahead if it wants to accomplish its ultimate feat of playing in regionals, this group is ready to tackle whatever hurdles it must face.

“Our goal is always to win the league,” said Scott Baltes, who is in his eighth season as Berkley’s head coach. “So we want to win the league title. But the guys have talked to me, and they all want to qualify for regionals as a team and not just individuals. The last two years, we only had two individual guys qualify for regionals, but the goal is to do that as a team this year.”

To meet that goal, the Bears will need to finish in the top six at districts, which will be held May 26, 27 or 28 at a site to be announced. From there, the top three teams at regionals will advance to the state finals in June.

To help reach their late-season target, the Bears have moved up to the OAA White Division this spring.

Berkley, Farmington, Birmingham Groves, Farmington Hills Harrison, North Farmington, Royal Oak and Birmingham Seaholm will fight it out for league bragging rights.

Seaholm was ranked No. 1 in the state in Division 2 throughout last season. North Farmington heads into this spring ranked in the top 10 in the state. Needless to say, the road to regionals will be a difficult one.

“The whole reason for us moving up was to face a little better talent and just to work on getting ready for district and regionals when they come up,” Baltes said. “By playing better talent, we should definitely be in better place by the time we get to that point.”

Berkley is slated to officially open the match season with a 4 p.m. meeting with Troy on April 13 at the Detroit Golf Club – the Bears’ varsity home course for the second consecutive spring.

The Berkley team is led by sophomores Jimmy Demery, who earned all-league honors as a freshman last spring, and Eric Israel.

“Fortunately, I have them for the next two years, too,” Baltes said. “They put in a lot of hard work, and they both had golf backgrounds. Eric is a member at the Detroit Golf Club, and Jimmy was a natural golfer right from when he came in.

“Rarely do two freshmen make the varsity team … but their scores were too good to keep them down at the JV (junior varsity) level.”

Also returning to the team are senior co-captains Danny Despard and Drew Bartosik. The pair are in their second season of competing at the varsity level.

Seniors Kyle Flowers and Justin Ozrovitz moved up from the JV team to help give the Bears some depth in scoring options.

Softball

Between graduation in 2010 and the decision by a handful of current seniors to pass up the opportunity to return to the team, openings were aplenty for the Berkley softball team this spring.

Freshman Jessica Steele was certainly thrilled by the opportunity to join the varsity squad out of the gate.

“It’s been very enthusiastic and fun because it’s a new experience,” said Steele, an infielder.

The Bears will rely on a mix of players, including three freshmen and two seniors, in their attempt to improve from last season’s 12-win campaign.

“Obviously, we’re very limited in experience,” said Ken DePerro, who is in his second season as the Berkley head coach. “I think with this young of a team, we just need to learn what it takes to play varsity softball because so many of these girls have never played varsity softball. We’ve only got four girls who have ever played varsity before.”

The Bears will face off against Stoney Creek, Hazel Park, Birmingham Groves, Farmington Hills Harrison, Bloomfield Hills Andover and Royal Oak in the OAA Blue.

Harrison and Groves are predicted to be among the favorites to win the league title.

“Because there were so many girls who didn’t show up, we want to try to prove to them that we aren’t going to be what they think we’re going to be,” senior infielder Ashley Bujarski said. “We’re going to try to prove them wrong.

“We do have a lot of younger girls, but they are a good set of girls. Obviously they’ve showed more dedication than people who should have.”