The Pilgrim Preview 10/14-19

• Trevor Orton (LCS Senior)

Lansing Christian enters another week of the grueling fall sports season, with several marquee match-ups ahead of them. As the fall season begins to come to a close, the Pilgrims still have several teams in contention with big prizes on the line. Lansing Christian men's soccer was recently ranked #4 in the state in the most recent coaches poll, while the tennis team has an individual state contender, and is joined by some strong performances on the cross country course, and the volleyball team begins to wrap up their season with a huge conference home game. Lets preview this week in Pilgrim athletics.

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The Journey Begins:

With a state championship in mind, Lansing Christian soccer enters the postseason this week with incredibly high expectations. The Pilgrims (18-2,) finished up their regular season last Monday with a 3-2 victory over the 10th ranked Jackson Christian Royals on the road. A top 10 victory is nice, but the Pilgrims know they need to be better if they want to reach the top crown in division 4. This Tuesday, Lansing Christian begins their playoff journey in the district semifinal @ Dansville high school. The Pilgrims will take on the Yellow Jackets from Ithaca High School (9-6-2,) who recently defeated Dansville in the district quarterfinal 2-0. Ithaca, a formidable opponent, will be a good start to the postseason for Lansing Christian, who has won 3 district titles in a row. A district title is considered the standard, but the Pilgrims know they will need to come to play in order to survive and advance. 

The district final is slated for Thursday night, also at Dansville high school.

Pink Out!

Lansing Christian volleyball also has a big game on Wednesday night, as they begin to wrap up their regular season as they host the Eagles of Fowler. This game has been deemed the annual “pink out,” where shirts are sold to raise money for the Cancer Center @ McLaren Hospital in Lansing. The Pilgrims have played some strong volleyball as of late, but the Eagles will be a strong test to gauge where the Pilgrims are, heading into the postseason. Fowler (13-6,) has played some strong ball this season, including wins over Dansville, Pewamo-Westphalia, and D2 St. Johns. The Eagles are currently undefeated in the CMAC, and look to wrap up the regular season championship against the Pilgrims. 

Lansing Christian, will host Fowlerville for senior night the following week.

Weekly Roundup..

Overall, aside from the two major fall sports, Lansing Christian has some other athletic events scheduled to close out the weekly calendar. Lansing Christian swimming, led by junior Ashlynn Schaefer, heads to Waverly for a match against the Warriors on Thursday night at the Waverly pool. The Cross Country team will head to Perry high school on Wednesday as well for the third and final CMAC jamboree, where the Pilgrims have had some strong showings at, notably a third place girls finish at the most recent of the events. 

Sophomore tennis player Steven Gollapali won the regional tournament last week, with a strong showing at Portland High School, and he will continue to prepare for the upcoming state tournament in a couple of weeks. Gollapalli, who is undefeated, will look to improve upon his quarterfinal finish from his freshman season.

• Trevor Orton, Sr, Lansing Christian School