By Jeff Dassance

Guest Columnist

— Eaton Rapids High School (ERHS) is pleased to announce the following ten outstanding student athletes as Capital Area Activities Conference (CAAC) Senior Scholar Athletes for the 2019-2020 school year:

Kyra Acker participated in basketball and softball this year at ERHS. She will be attending Hope College in the fall and hasn’t quite decided on a major yet but plans to play softball for the Flying Dutch. Kyra remarks that “playing softball and basketball at Eaton Rapids has been a lifetime of memories and lifelong friendships.”

Peyton Benjamin was a senior member of the basketball and softball teams at ERHS in 2019-2020. She will be going to Hope College in the fall, where she plans to be a part of the nursing program and play basketball and softball. Peyton says that she is “thankful to have played four years with my best friends and for all the amazing memories that were made along the way.”

Fonz Byrd played tennis and was planning to run track for the Greyhounds this year. Fonz plans to attend Eastern Michigan University and study business. He says that “my athletic experience has been the most meaningful part of my time at Eaton Rapids High School. It took up a lot of time, effort, and devotion and it meant even more that I could excel in the classroom while being an athlete.”

Griffin Gleeson participated in cross country and basketball this year. Griff is planning to attend Hope College next school year where he plans to major in pre-med. Griffin commented that “the ER athletics experience has given me a fun way to stay in shape and compete.”

Selena Kingsley was on the cross country and soccer teams as a senior. She plans to attend Lake Superior State University to study pre-med. She says that “being involved in ER athletics taught me how to be disciplined, organized, and dedicated, which are some characteristics that will stick with me for the rest of my life. I’m so happy with all the friends I’ve made and goals I’ve accomplished during my high school sports career.”

Grace Lehto played volleyball and softball this year at ERHS. She will be attending Central Michigan University on a softball scholarship and plans to major in biochemistry/ pre-med in the fall. Grace says “being an athlete at Eaton Rapids has meant so much to me in that it helped shape the person I am today, giving me confidence, leadership skills and lifelong friendships.”

Emma Price participated in volleyball and tennis as a senior at ERHS. Emma will be at Western Michigan University in the fall where she will major in occupational therapy. She comments that “ER athletics has brought me some of the best experiences in my life, as well as introduced me to some of my closest friends.”

Are’onah Rogers was part of the Greyhound cross country, basketball and soccer teams in 2019-20. She plans to attend Lansing Community College and enter their paralegal program with the hopes of transferring to a university’s pre-law program. Are’onah says that “my experience as an athlete at Eaton Rapids has brought me countless memories, friendships and valuable life experiences such as time management, discipline and being goal-oriented.”

Bronson Sysum played tennis, basketball and baseball for the Greyhounds during his senior year. He is currently undecided on where he will attend school in the fall. Bronson plans to study business marketing/ finance and play basketball. He states that “my ER athletics experience has helped shape me into who I am today. Without it, I would have missed out on countless memorable moments and friends that turned into family.”

Mackenzie Wyman participated in volleyball and tennis at ERHS. She plans to attend Grand Valley State University next fall and major in biomedical sciences. Mackenzie states that “ER athletics has molded me into the person I am today. There were many obstacles and challenges I had to overcome but through all those I became part of a family.”

Each academic year, the Capital Area Activities Conference (CAAC) honors ten seniors from each of the 24 member schools. Unfortunately, due to the current pandemic, the formal ceremony was canceled. However, the CAAC still wants to extend their congratulations to these deserving seniors with a special thanks to Sparrow Health Systems for their continued sponsorship of this event. Once again, congratulations to these outstanding Greyhounds.

Jeff Dassance is ERHS athletic director.