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If Britton Deerfield boys varsity coach Darren Shiels had to pick one word to describe his Patriot squad this year he would use the word “unity”.

The Blissfield High School athletic department welcomed seven new members into the BHS Hall of Fame during a ceremony Saturday evening in the high school cafeteria. Seven people with diverse athletic backgrounds were inducted for their contributions to Blissfield sports.

ATTENTION: The March 2 Advance has incorrect information on when the Lady Royals will play next in district  basketball action. Here's the right info: The Royals will take on Monroe-SMCC at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 2, at Summerfield. We apologize for the erroneous date in the paper.Here's what happened in the first round Monday:

Bleak was a good way to describe Whiteford’s chances of beating Madison on Jan. 11. Even on their home court the Lady Bobcats were, at one point in the second quarter, down 21-6. 

 Friday, October 22, 2010 (07:00 PM)
League game at Morenci

Morenci Bulldogs 52, Whiteford Bobcats 28

Summerfield Bulldogs 44, Whiteford Bobcats 0

Click the title for the full statistical report

(Stats provided by Whiteford Football)

After years of being one of the top teams in the Tri-County Conference, the Whiteford varsity volleyball team spent most of last year learning the ropes with a young team.

The team went 7-25-6 overall and 3-11 in the league. Coach Kathy Albers would like to improve on that mark, but once again, she’s guiding a very young squad.

All-TCC middle blocker Rebecca Groch is the team’s only senior. She can play anywhere on the court, but Albers wants her up front and in the middle, where she can block the league’s best hitters and find the floor with her spikes. A four-year member of the varsity team, Groch brings leadership and experience the team really needs.

Sandi Porter, the last Blissfield coach to guide a team to a state championship, has returned to coach the Lady Royals.

Porter takes over a team that went 28-16-5 last year, and 7-3 in the LCAA, finishing behind champion Ida. Blissfield’s season ended in a thrilling five-set district final match at Whiteford.       

Porter said former coach Gretchen Platzke, who was an assistant on the 2005 state championship team, left her with a group of girls who really understand the game.  Now Porter wants to use her team building skills to form a juggernaut.

New Blissfield boys’ soccer coach Tommy Tipton helped Noel Moreno guide the turnaround in the girls’ soccer program last year. Now the 20-year-old Adrian native, who was an all-district and all-county soccer player at Adrian High School, wants to do the same for the boys’ program.

“Working with the girls' program this past spring was a great experience. We had some young talent that just needed some direction. Noel is a great coach, and when he asked me to assist him, I jumped at the opportunity. Seeing the girls' progress just in those few months was fantastic. They had a great work ethic, and were very 'coachable'.  I would say it definitely impacted my decision to seek the boys' job in a huge way,” said Tipton, who met some of the boys in the soccer program. “They seemed to have the same positive, dedicated outlook that the girls had. I knew that if I got the job, these guys would be ready and willing to work hard and make huge improvements.”

The Britton-Deerfield varsity volleyball team could surprise some teams this year. Last year, the Lady Patriots finished 3-11 in the TCC and 11-19-8 overall before dropping the district opener to Summerfield.

While this year’s team will find it tough the challenge with the cream of the crop in the Tri-County Conference, the team does boast some skill and experience.

Coached by Michele Bearinger, the Lady Patriots have six seniors and four juniors on this year’s squad. They are led by senior captains Allison Unsicker and Anna Burnor.

“They both bring a strong work ethic and desire to win,” said Bearinger.