Success is blowin' in the 'wins' at the
Park this spring
BY ED WRIGHT
May 18, 2010, 11:55 a.m.
"There are
no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and
learning from failure."
-
Colin Powell
At the rate things are going at the Plymouth-Canton Educational
Park's athletic venues this spring, the members of the Plymouth-Canton
Board of Education are going to be facing a difficult financial
question in the approaching weeks.
The question is bound to come up at an upcoming board meeting: "How in the world are we going to pay for
the necessary expansion of all these trophy cases?"
What a nice problem to have, eh?
The past two months have been a non-stop gold rush -- as in gold
trophies -- for the Salem, Canton and Plymouth spring sports team.
As of Tuesday, 10 varsity teams had already earned
significant
titles -- everything from a division championship to a county
championship in their given sport -- or were on the verge of being
crowned.
And to think there were people who predicted that the opening of
a third high school eight years ago would dilute the area's talent so
much that championships would be few and far between.
As neighboring schools are finding out on a regular basis, the
talent may have been spread out
following the opening of Plymouth High School, but definitely not
diluted.
"The price of success
is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that
whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the
task at hand."
- Vince Lombardi
The PCEP varsity soccer pitch has been flooded with success this
spring. Although only one of the three teams is currently ranked in the
Division 1 poll -- Canton is No. 8 -- Salem was ranked as high as No. 5
earlier this year and Plymouth has been knocking on the door of the Top
10 all season. It is perplexing why the one-loss Wildcats get no
respect in the polls.
A lot will shake out Thursday night when Plymouth and Canton
face off at 7 p.m. in a game that will decide the KLAA South Division
champion. The intensity level of this match will be off the charts.
On Wednesday, Canton's baseball team and softball team will be
playing for KLAA Kensington Conference titles against Northville and
South Lyon, respectively. Both teams will be hosting the championship
games, which are set to begin -- under sunny skies, I might add -- at 4
p.m. (Anybody have a cloning machine I can borrow for a few hours?)
The Chiefs' baseball team has been on a season-long roll,
racking up a record of 20-4 thanks to solid pitching, clutch hitting
and air-tight defense. Their success is not surprising, considering
they've won back-to-back District titles and they returned a solid core
of players from last season's 22-win season.
Given its tradition of excellence, Canton's softball success
isn't surprising either, unless you take into consideration that the
team has just one senior. Fortunately, that senior is Amy Dunleavy, a
potent threat on the mound and at the plate.
Success has spilled over to the track-and-field venue as well
this spring as the Plymouth and Salem boys teams have both raced to
impressive division titles.
The Rocks won the deep and talented KLAA Central Division thanks
to a trio of high-achieving throwers, some incredible sprinters and a
distance crew that is one of the best around.
The Wildcats' success can also be attributed to depth, balance
and as Coach Lombardi mentioned earlier in this column, a dedication to
the job at hand.
Track-and-field athletes may fly under the recognition radar at
times, but you only need to check out a couple practices to understand
the diligence that is required to succeed at this sport.
Last but not least, the PCEP golf teams have been splitting the
fairways with regularity this spring. Plymouth has yet to be beaten in
a dual meet while Salem has already won a pair of glistening trophies
in tournaments that have attracted many of the top teams in the area.
From fairways to outfields to 100-meter straight-aways, success
has been abundant at the Park this spring.
The proof is in the jam-packed trophy cases.
Ed Wright
can be reached at (734) 453-1980 or info@plymouthcantonsports.com.
ED WRIGHT COLUMN
ARCHIVES
This pitcher's comeback hit close to home
Wedgewood's performance was off-the-charts
amazing!
CEBL's 8-9-year-old Sixers proved winning
isn't everything
Canton's girls basketball team played like
true champions
There are some 'sick' performances unfolding
around these parts -- and we're not talking Swine Flu
Plymouth's Hahn well deserving of MHSAA's
scholar-athlete award
Unnesessary red
tape is tripping up Zech's college soccer career
Falcusan earns
"Greatest PCEP Female Athlete 2000-09" title with convincing victory
Goble-Rolfe showdown was one for the record
books
Local teams hit the high school basketball
lottery
Unscientific
survey will lead the "greatest" PCEP athlete from the past decade
They
don't make sports games like they used to
Annual poem saluting athletes who
excelled in 2009
Danny Cassidy will be remembered as
a
humble, happy young man who had the jump shot to be envied.
Steelers-Lions
rivalry brings out the best in junior gridiron heroes
Let's bury that crazy John
Glenn-Plymouth play
On
crazy finishes, sharp cornerbacks
and unheralded mid-fielders
Let's hear it
for the band, high school volleyball and 88-cent Corn Flakes
This
All-Star Football team has true
character(s)
The story
behind the creation of
PlymouthCantonSports.com
If you would like to advertise on
PlymouthCantonSports.com or if you have ideas for the site, please send
an e-mail to Ed Wright at info@plymouthcantonsports.com.
