Michigan Team Wins State Playoff Opener After Player’s Death

Fennville High, the boys team that lost its star player in the tragic ending to a region championship game last week, won its state playoff opener in Michigan on Monday, beating Lawrence 65-54 in Holland, Mich.

On Tuesday, large crowds were expected at the funeral service for Wes Leonard, the senior guard who collapsed moments after a regional victory on Thursday. Leonard had made the winning basketball in overtime to give Fennville a 20-0 record heading into the Class C state playoffs.

For Monday’s game, Fennville sent four players on the floor for the opening tip. After a short pause, a fifth player joined the team, drawing loud cheers from the crowd of 3,500. The game was scheduled to be played at Lawrence but was moved to DeVos Fieldhouse at Hope College to accommodate the larger crowd.

“I think West would be proud of us all,” Fennville coach Ryan Klingler told the Associated Press. “I think he was watching down on us. This is a game he’d have liked.”

Fennville High and other schools in the district are closed so that students can attend Leonard’s funeral. Seven satellite trucks for TV stations and networks were positioned to cover the it, according to the Detroit Free Press. A Michigan TV station planned to televise the funeral live.

“People had an opportunity to smile for a little while and enjoy a game, which is what Wes would have loved,” Fennville superintendent Dirk Weeldreyer told the Grand Rapids Free Press. “Anytime you go through this kind of grief, it’s another step in your path to adulthood.”