Kent City Athletic Weekly 10-19 — 10-24

Welcome Back MHSAA Boys Soccer Districts

This week, Ward Memorial Field will play host to the MHSAA District Semi-Finals on Tuesday and the District Finals on Thursday. This marks just the second time Kent City has hosted boys soccer Districts; the first was in 2021 when our facility was brand-new and our program was just taking root.

That season, the Eagles finished 8-10-3 overall, falling 4-0 to Tri-County in the opening round. In the years since, Kent City has gone an impressive 58-32-6. For anyone who has followed the program long-term, this five-year turnaround is nothing short of incredible.

It wasn’t long ago that games were played on the old grass field just southwest of the stadium—where the grass refused to grow and we held our breath every time we fired up the scoreboard with a car battery. It was a dismal setup. Since moving to Ward Memorial Field, we haven’t just turned things around in the win column; we’ve built an incredible home-field atmosphere.

We’re thrilled to host Districts this year, giving visiting teams a chance to experience our game-day environment and giving our boys the opportunity to play for a title in front of a home crowd. Whether you’re a lifelong soccer fan, a casual observer, or just love supporting the Eagles, this week is the perfect chance to see how far this program has come.

Come out Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. as Kent City takes on our northern rivals, the Grant Tigers!

Week in Review

🏃‍♂️ Varsity Boys XC: The varsity boys XC team finished in 2nd place for a third time at the final CSAA White event of the season. Dakoda Worley led the Eagles with an 8th place finish, followed by Emmett Elsner (9th), Kyle Hull (10th), Brayden Bloom (13th), Luke Tyers (14th), Levi Neely (15th), David Cox (16th) and Elijah Gee (21st). Elsner and Hull earned 1st team all-conference, while Worley, Bloom and Tyers were honorable mention all-conference.

🏃‍♀️ Varsity Girls XC: The varsity girls XC team made it 3 for 3 winning the final CSAA White event of the season. Kent City had the top four runners: Eliana Max (1st), Shelby Zimmer (2nd), Joselyn Vogel (3rd), and Bayla Curtis (4th). They were followed by Kesley Elsner (7th), Brooke Scheidel (8th), and Audra Niemi (9th). All seven of the girls earned 1st team all-conference.

🏈 Varsity Football: The varsity football team defeated Tri-County on the road on Friday night, 43-14. Kent City is now 6-2 overall and 4-0 in the CSAA White.

⛳ Varsity Girls Golf: The varsity girls golf team’s 2026 season has ended. The girls learned last week, that they earned Team Academic All-State.

⚽ Varsity Boys Soccer: The varsity boys soccer team defeated Tri-County 8-2 in the District Quarterfinals on Wednesday. Kent City is now 12-7-1 overall and 5-2 in the CSAA Blue.

🏐 Varsity Volleyball: The varsity volleyball team defeated Central Montcalm on the road on Tuesday 3-0 (25-14, 25-17, 25-14). Kent City’s record stands at 16-9-1 overall and 5-2 in the CSAA White.

Key Contests

Varsity Volleyball vs. White Cloud (Senior Night)

Tuesday, October 20, 2026 | 7:00 p.m. | Kent City High School

Tuesday is Senior Night for the varsity volleyball team as White Cloud travels to the Nest for middle school, junior varsity and varsity volleyball. The Eagles are currently in 2nd place in the CSAA White while the Indians occupy the third spot. White Cloud will be eager to shake things up with a win, forcing a tie for 2nd place in the conference. Kent City defeated White Cloud 3-1 in their initial meeting in September, 25-13, 25-21, 16-25, and 25-23. White Cloud is the only team in the CSAA White besides first place Morley Stanwood to take a set from the Eagles. Prior to the start of Tuesday’s varsity game, we will take a moment to honor our six seniors: Katelyn Duran, Kenzy Freeland, Gracie Goguen, Ellie Hansen, Brooklyn Pelletier Harding, and Shelby Searcy as their regular season is quickly winding down. On Saturday, the Eagles will travel to Newaygo for the CSAA Tournament, an event Kent City has won the past three seasons.

Varsity Boys Soccer vs. Grant (MHSAA District Semi-Finals)

Tuesday, October 20, 2026 | 7:00 p.m. | Kent City High School

Kent City will host the MHSAA District Semi-Finals on Tuesday, October 20 at Ward Memorial Field. The semi-final round will feature two games, first top seed Kingsley will play last year’s District winners, Fremont at 5:30 p.m. Then in the night cap, it will be the third seeded Eagles vs. the second seeded Grant Tigers. Tuesday will be the third meeting between Grant and Kent City during the 2026 season, Grant has prevailed in both contests. During the regular season, Grant visited Ward Memorial Field and quickly took a 2 goal lead on their way to a 5-1 victory. Then during the CSAA Tournament, Kent City traveled to Grant and fell again to the Tigers 2-0. The Tigers advanced to Tuesday’s game by defeating Chippewa Hills 5-1, while the Eagles beat Tri-County 8-2. Scheduled for 7:00 p.m., the Kent City vs. Grant match will begin 20 minutes after the conclusion of the first semi-final game. The winners will be back at Ward Memorial Field on Thursday at 6:00 p.m. for the District Finals. Since this is an MHSAA Post-Season event all tickets must be purchased through GoFan, NO passes will be accepted. Here is a link to purchase tickets: MHSAA District Semi-Finals – Kent City vs. Grant.

Varsity Football vs. Montrose (Senior Night)

Friday, October 23, 2026 | 7:00 p.m. | Kent City High School

Our final regular season game of 2026, features a rematch from last year’s Regional Final, also hosted by Kent City. Perennial power Montrose will make the trip to Ward Memorial Field again for a non-league match-up with the Eagles. Last year, Kent City jumped all over the Rams early in the game on their way to a 50-20 victory and the school’s first Regional championship in football. The Rams are currently 7-1 and having a typical Montrose football season. Montrose has made the playoffs and recorded a winning record 17 years in a row. Kent City has a string of 11 seasons with a winning record and nine playoff appearances in 10 seasons. It will be a tale of two different brands of football, the Eagles rely on a physical brand of football while Montrose will spread it out and throw the ball around. A win over Montrose would be a big help for Kent City and their seeding for the playoffs. Heading into this week Kent City is currently 28th in D6 with the top 32 teams making the post-season. Prior to kickoff we will be celebrating our eight seniors: Blake Carr, Hunter Gustinis, Sammy Gomez, Donovan Vogel, Trevor McGuff, Kai Kamanu, Ethan Barnhill, and Grant Ferguson, who will be playing in their final regular season game at Ward Memorial Field.