Benzie Central hoops rolls Kingsley, honors Copemish Cyclones Skip to main content Benzie Record Patriot Homepage Currently Reading Benzie Central hoops rolls Kingsley, honors Copemish Cyclones Subscribe Subscribe e-Edition Sign In Home Forms Puzzles News Local News Family Special Sections Sports Obituaries Submit an Obituary Opinion Columns Letters to the Editor Classifieds E-edition Subscriber Services Most Popular Watch deer leap over Michigan driver in video caught by police Fall Festival set to warm up Beulah on Oct. 1 Ironman makes positive impact on economy in Benzie County, beyond Benzie Central XC claims jamboree win, show out in weekend invite Benzie County Life Chain event to be held Oct. 2 Uncharted territory: Townships without a clerk The Parable of the 10 virgins Elberta triple homicide trial scheduled for January Sports Benzie Central hoops rolls Kingsley, honors Copemish Cyclones McLain Moberg, Sports Editor Jan. 7, 2022 Facebook Twitter Email Comments This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 9 1of9 The Huskies and Stags prepare to tip off on Friday night. McLain Moberg/Record Patriot Show MoreShow Less 2of9 The Huskies' Nate Childers awaits the inbounds pass. McLain Moberg/Record Patriot Show MoreShow Less 3of9 4of9 Benzie Central head coach Joshua Crocker addresses his team on the bench. McLain Moberg/Record Patriot Show MoreShow Less 5of9 Jayce Anderson (left) and Chaz Grundy (right) talk during a timeout. McLain Moberg/Record Patriot Show MoreShow Less 6of9 7of9 Benzie Central's Jaxon and Nate Childers look on as Chaz Grundy shoots a free throw. McLain Moberg/Record Patriot Show MoreShow Less 8of9 Benzie Central head coach presents the Copemish Cyclones banner to former members of the 1951 and 1952 teams before tip off. McLain Moberg/Record Patriot Show MoreShow Less 9of9 BENZIE COUNTY – On Friday night, the Huskies improved to 5-0 on the season following a 25-point victory over Kingsley. It's Benzie Central's best start since head coach Joshua Crocker took over in 2019, and tonight was another step in the right direction for a program with high aspirations. "We knew they were a little undermanned, I think they have a guy that got hurt this summer that's still not back, and then another guy hurt his shoulder ... and we knew that might be the case in terms of getting out and running and challenging their depth," said Crocker. "We like to run, it works to our strengths anyways, but the fact that they didn't have the ability to match that off the bench would be a really good opportunity for us to play free, get out to an early lead, and hopefully stay there." The Huskies flew up and down the court all night as 10 of 11 players scored at least two points, including Chaz Grundy (10), Nate Childers (10), Quinn Zickert (nine) Jaxon Childers (eight), Miles Pritchett (seven), Michael Wooten (six), Kevin Hubbell (three), Henry Koehne (three), Ike Koscielski (two), and Harrison Kitely (two). "We were pretty balanced ... so the fact that we were able to spread the ball around, play in transition, and try to do some exciting things; we probably left a few points out there by taking some chances," Crocker said. "We might have some more guys in double digits, but it was nice to share the wealth tonight." Looking ahead Benzie Central is undefeated, and all of their goals remain in front of them. If the Huskies can keep this up, the postseason accolades have a chance to be substantial. "We tried to schedule some things pretty tough just to push them ... we're trying to play these bigger teams to get them ready for the level of competition we are likely to see in the playoffs," Crocker explained. "But, I like our chances against anybody you put us in the gym with, I really do. We have a solid team, and they've played together a lot. "This is year three of three in terms of what we had planned when I first got here, and give all the credit to the players." The Huskies chemistry was on full display, and it quickly became difficult for the Stags to match their energy. In the end, Benzie Central took advantage on numerous occasions. Earning recognition On Jan. 2, Benzie Central received some exceptional recognition, being ranked No. 2 in the state for Division 3 hoops via the Detroit Free Press. Crocker acknowledged it after defeating Kingsley but added they want more than to be ranked. More News News Graceland Fruit joins Habitat for Humanity to build... News What's new for Frankfort-Elberta Area Schools in the... News Ask an expert: How to help your child develop a lifelong... News Benzie County Life Chain event to be held Oct. 2 "We said that's something really nice to have ... but they don't hand out trophies for any of that, and we set goals at the beginning of the season; being ranked wasn't one of them," he said. "It's certainly something nice to point to, but we want to win the conference first, then a district, regional, and whatever else beyond that." Though, it assuredly won't be easy. "Right now, the conference runs through Frankfort, Buckley, and frankly, we think it's going to run through here," said Crocker. "We think anyone who wants to get that crown is going to have to topple us." Honoring the Copemish Cyclones As a precursor to tip off, the Benzie Central Huskies honored the Copemish Cyclones, who won four district titles from 1951-54, back-to-back regional championships in '51 and '52, and appeared in the 1952 Class D State Finals, losing to Fowler (55-20). Crocker's program wore replica jerseys in the win against Kingsley, honored those teams before the game with Ben Blaho, Chuck Bigelow, Fred Scarbrough, and Larry McGinity (team manager), the last four living members of those squads, in attendance. To cap it off, the Huskies raised a banner inside their home gym, forever commemorating what the Cyclones accomplished. "I got hired a few years ago and started digging into the history of them right away, and that one jumped out because obviously, they had the deep postseason run," Crocker said. "It was an opportunity to celebrate something not a lot of people knew about ... the guys were really excited, any chance to wear something different in terms of a uniform. And then, I think seeing those guys out there, thinking a long time ago they were in their shoes. So it was a neat opportunity, and I think it really hit home when they saw the guys here." More News News Graceland Fruit joins Habitat for Humanity to build... News What's new for Frankfort-Elberta Area Schools in the... News Ask an expert: How to help your child develop a lifelong... News Benzie County Life Chain event to be held Oct. 2 Written By McLain Moberg McLain Moberg is a graduate of Michigan State University and the current Sports Editor for the Manistee News Advocate. McLain lives in Manistee with his lovely wife and beautiful daughter. He previously covered Michigan State Athletics for The Only Colors and Sports Illustrated's Spartan Nation. 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