Vestaburg vs. Portland St. Patrick – – MHSAA Boys District Semifinal – – The Bleacher Denizen – – February 25, 2026 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight your Bleacher Denizen is in Fowler covering the MHSAA Boys District semifinal games. In the first game, Fowler played Fulton to determine one of Friday’s District Finalists. Here is the Bleacher Denizen play by play of that game. https://thebleacherdenizen.com/2026/02/26/fulton-vs-fowler-mhsaa-boys-district-semifinal-the-bleacher-denizen-february-25-2026-by-chuck-krafft/

In this game, the Wolverines from Vestaburg will take on the Shamrocks from Portland St. Patrick. Both these teams have had fine seasons as Vestaburg comes into the game with a 16-6 record while St. Patrick is at 17-5 on the season.

While we wait for this game to start, I hope you will enjoy this cover of “Snoopy vs. the Red Baron”, which was a big hit for the Royal Guardsmen in late 1966. I hope you will enjoy the humor and AI-enhanced video. (The audio is all standard stuff we do in the studio.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHucLvxuQx8

I saw Vestaburg earlier this season. Coach Ty Warczynsky gave me this information about his Wolverine players.

Brehm Warczinsky is a tough perimeter defender and a solid ball handler. He really stands out with the range on his three point shot. I don’t believe I’ve seen another player with more range on his shot this season. Jansen Scholer is an experienced guard who defends well either on the perimeter or in the post. On offense, he is a versatile scorer who can slash to the basket or score from the three point line.

Lucas Warczinsky, Brehm’s freshman brother is a guard who handles the ball well and defends the perimeter aggressively. He is a good ball handler who can slash to the basket. As he is a Warczinsky, he also has more range on his three point shot than most other players. Kofee Arntz defends and rebounds well in the post; he can also cover opponents on the perimeter.

Kolton Kilmer sets good screens and can hit the three point shot. Jackson Kilmer is a good wing defender who also rebounds well. Walker Arntz is a solid rebounder who can defend on the perimeter or in the post.

I’ve also seen St. Patrick this season. Coach Curtis Meyers provided this information about his Shamrock players.

Charlie Thelen is a four year senior starter who is a complete player. He is a fine athlete that excels at basketball, baseball or football. He defends either the post or the perimeter well. He is a strong rebounder who handles the ball well, so he can score on putbacks or drive to the basket. He is a great three point shooter as well. Unfortunately, Charlie Thelen is injured and out for the rest of the basketball season. Charlie, I hope you heal up so you can be the Shamrock baseball catcher again this spring!

Jerryd Scheurer is a four year junior starter. (He was able to play varsity as an eighth grader.) As you can imagine, he is a talented athlete who plays many sports and plays them well. For basketball, he is a quick, tough and determined perimeter defender who is a gifted ball handler. He is tough to stop when he drives to the basket or when he shoots from the three point line.

Brady Leonard is a great athlete who is a top player in baseball, basketball and football. He is a tough perimeter defender who can also cover opponents in the post. He brings confidence and great leadership to the Shamrocks. He is hard to stop when he slashes to the basket and is also a threat from the three point line.

Tyler Thelen, Charlie’s brother, is a tall junior who is a rugged post defender and strong rebounder. He is great at using his height and slick post moves to score in the lane. Mason Simon is a determined perimeter defender who brings toughness and dependable ball handling to the Shamrocks. Sean Fedewa is a solid perimeter who is an excellent three point shooter. Aiden Mosser is a strong player who can defend the perimeter or the post. Isaiah Rockey is an agile defender who can play in the post or on the perimeter.

It is now time to review the events of this game through the somewhat observant eyes of an Aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league when he played back in the days when everyone shot at peach baskets (shortly after the game was invented in 1891.) Unfortunately, your Bleacher Denizen had a bad habit of flinging bricks at the basket. When too many baskets crumbled under the Bleacher Denizen’s projectiles, he was asked to find a different sport so they could afford to keep the rest of the team playing.

St. Patrick wins the opening tap, but Vestaburg collects the ball. The Wolverines miss a driving ten foot shot from the side of the lane. St. Patrick misses a fast break layup. (Actually this was a Shamrock player and not the Saint, himself.) Tyler Thelen pulls down the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a layup. Vestaburg misses a threeball from the side. St. Patrick reciprocates and misses a threeball from the side. Sean Fedewa hits a putback to give St. Patrick the first two points of the game.

Vestaburg misses a three point shot from the wing. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the side. Vestaburg misses a driving layup. Jerryd Scheurer lobs the ball to Tyler Thelen, who hits a layup for the Shamrocks. Brehm Warczinsky drives and hits a layup for Vestaburg. Brady Leonard hits a six foot banked shot off the dribble from the side of the lane to give the Shamrocks a 6-2 lead.

Vestaburg misses a threeball from the corner. Lucas Warczinsky grabs the offensive rebound for the Wolverines. Tyler Thelen steals the ball for the Shamrocks. Jerryd Scheurer hits a fast break layup for St. Patrick. Tyler Thelen blocks a Wolverine layup. Tyler Thelen passes to Brady Leonard, who is cutting to the basket; Brady Leonard hits a layup fo give St. Patrick a 10-2 lead.

Jerryd Scheurer knocks the ball away from Vestaburg and Sean Fedewa ties it up for St. Patrick. The Possession Arrow is cleaning its hunting rifle and misses the play. The ball is awarded to Vestaburg. Brady Leonard steals the ball for the Shamrocks and passes to Jerryd Scheurer, who quickly hits a layup to give St. Patrick a 12-2 lead.

Brehm Warczinsky drives and dishes the ball to Kolton Kilmer, who throws in a threeball for Vestaburg. Lucas Warczinsky knocks the ball out of bounds; St. Patrick retains possession. Lucas Warczinsky gets his hand on the ball, but the St. Patrick dribbler maintains possession. Lucas Warczinsky is persistent and goes after the ball again; this time he steals it!

Vestaburg misses a fast break layup. The rebound goes out of bounds and St. Patrick takes possession. The Shamrocks miss a six foot shot from the side. The Warczinsky connection comes through as Brehm passes to Lucas, who hits a layup for the Wolverines. Jerryd Scheurer drives and hits a layup for St. Patrick. Vestaburg misses a heave as the first quarter buzzer seeks attention and blares very loud.

After one quarter, St. Patrick has a 14-7 lead.

St. Patrick inbounds the ball to open the second quarter. Jansen Scholer nearly steals the ball, but his momentum carries him out of bounds; St. Patrick gets the ball back. The Shamrocks miss a three point shot from the top of the key. Tyler Thelen pulls down the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick is fouled on a layup, but misses two free throws. Tyler Thelen gets the offensive rebound, dribbles in and hits a layup to boost the Shamrock lead to 16-7.

Kolten Kilmer passes to Jansen Scholer, who hits a three point shot from the corner for Vestaburg. Kolten Kilmer and Jackson Kilmer double team St. Patrick and force a traveling violation. Vestaburg commits a traveling violation. Brady Leonard passes to Tyler Thelen, who is fouled as he shoots a layup and hits two free throws to give the Shamrocks an 18-10 lead with 5:06 remaining in the second quarter.

Sean Fedewa gets his hand on a Wolverine pass and knocks it out of bounds; Vestaburg retains possession. The Warczinsky connection comes through again as Lucas passes to Brehm, who hits a three point shot from the wing for Vestaburg. Jansen Scholer steals the ball for the Wolverines. Brady Leonard steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick heaves the ball at the basket from the corner hoping to avoid a turnover. The Shamrocks foul on the rebound.

Vestaburg misses a three point shot from the wing. St. Patrick reciprocates and misses a three point shot from the wing. Brent Warczinsky fakes a three point shot and darts to the basket to hit a layup for Vestaburg to cut the St. Patrick lead to 18-15.

St. Patrick misses a turnaround six foot jump shot in the lane. Lucas Warczinsky drives, spines and hits an up and under ten foot banked shot from the side for Vestaburg. The Shamrocks miss a threeball from the side. Brehm Warczinsky drives and banks in an eight foot shot to give Vestaburg a 19-18 lead.

St. Patrick misses a ten foot shot from the side. The rebound goes out of bounds and Vestaburg takes possession. Lucas Warczinsky drives the baseline and hits a layup for the Wolverines. St. Patrick loses a pass out of bounds. Lucas Warczinsky drives the baseline and hits another layup to give the Wolverines a 23-18 lead. Vestaburg has scored the last thirteen points in a row!

St. Patrick misses a threeball from the side. Tyler Thelen grabs the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses an eight foot banked shot just before the halftime buzzer announces that it is time for a break.

Vestaburg has a 23-18 halftime lead.

Jerryd Scheurer and Tyler Thelen each have 6 points to lead the St. Patrick scoring at halftime.

Brehm Warczinsky has 9 points for Vestaburg and Lucas Warczinsky has 8 points.

As our readers cannot see or hear what is happening in the gym, I hope you will enjoy these videos from my You Tube Channel during the intermission.

“Sixteen Tons” was a hit for Tennessee Ernie Ford in the mid-1950s. I add a bit of comedy to this song and hope you will enjoy it!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHucLvxuQx8

Here’s “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” from around 1918. It features my best attempt at some rollicking Ragtime piano as well as more silly comedy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUieaBvS38w

Vestaburg inbounds the ball to get quarter number three underway. Brady Leonard knocks a Wolverine pass out of bounds; Vestaburg retains possession. St. Patrick ties up the ball. The Possession Arrow looks up from its wildlife magazine and awards the ball to the Shamrocks. Brady Leonard passes to Tyler Thelen, who is fouled on a layup and hits two free throws to cut the Vestaburg lead to 23-20 with 7:15 to play in quarter number three.

A Vestaburg dribbler loses the ball out of bounds. Brady Leonard passes to Mason Simon, who hits a layup to cut the Vestaburg lead to one point. Vestaburg misses a three point shot from the wing. Kolton Kilmer blocks a Shamrock layup. Vestaburg misses a threeball from the side. Kofee Arntz steals the ball for the Wolverines and hits a short hook shot. St. Patrick misses a reverse layup. Kofee Arntz passes to Jansen Scholer, who is cutting to the basket and hits a layup to give Vestaburg a 27-22 lead.

St. Patrick misfires on a triple try from the wing. Mason Simon grabs the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. Sean Fedewa passes to Brady Leonard, who is cutting to the basket and hits a layup for the Shamrocks. Vestaburg misses a ten foot shot off the dribble in the lane. St. Patrick misses a driving layup.

Vestaburg misses a threeball from the side. St. Patrick misses a three pointer near the top of the key. Vestaburg misses a three pointer from the side. Jansen Scholer pulls down the offensive rebound for the Wolverines. Tyler Thelen steals the ball for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the corner. Vestaburg misses a ten foot shot from the side.

Jansen Scholer grabs the offensive rebound for the Wolverines. Tyler Thelen blocks a Wolverine threeball from the wing; Vestaburg records the ball. Brehm Warczinsky hits a three point shot from the wing to give Vestaburg a 30-24 lead.

Tyler Thelen is fouled on a layup with 2:17 remaining in quarter number three and hits two free throws for St. Patrick. Vestaburg misses a three point shot from the side. St. Patrick misses an eight foot banked shot from the side. Mason Simon knocks the offensive rebound to Brady Leonard. Jerryd Scheurer drives and hooks in an eight foot shot in the lane to chop the Vestaburg lead to 30-28.

The Wolverines miss a layup. The Shamrocks reciprocate and miss a layup. Tyler Thelen grabs the offensive rebound for the Shamrocks. St. Patrick misfires on a threeball from the side and fouls on the rebound. Jansen Scholer drives and dishes the ball to Lucas Warczinsky, who hits a three point shot from the side to give Vestaburg a 33-28 lead.

Brady Leonard passes to Sean Fedewa, who hits a layup for the Shamrocks. He is fouled on the play, but misses his free throw. With 28.9 seconds to go in quarter number three, the Vestaburg lead is at 33-30.

Brady Leonard rebounds the missed free throw and hits a layup for the Shamrocks. Brehm Warczinsky is fouled and hits one of his two free throws for the Wolverines. Mason Simon hits a three point shot from the side just as the buzzer decides to end quarter number three.

After three quarters, St. Patrick has a 35-34 lead.

Vestaburg throws the ball in to open the fourth quarter. Jerryd Scheurer knocks the ball away from Vestaburg and Sean Fedewa picks it up for St. Patrick. Mason Simon passes to Tyler Thelen, who spins and hits a layup for the Shamrocks. Brehm Warczinsky drives and hits a layup for the Wolverines. St. Patrick misses a three pointer from the wing. Vestaburg misses a three pointer from the side. Kolton Kilmer steals the ball and passes to Lucas Warczinsky, who is fouled on a fast break layup. Lucas Warczinsky hits two free throws to give Vestaburg a 38-37 lead with 6:17 left on the clock.

St. Patrick misses a layup. Tyler Thelen gets his hand on the ball, but the Wolverines recover. Sean Fedewa blocks a Vestaburg layup. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the side. Sean Fedewa blocks a Vestaburg driving layup. St. Patrick misses a three point shot from the wing. Vestaburg reciprocates and misses a three point shot from the wing. Tyler Thelen drives, spins and hits a layup to give St. Patrick a 39-38 lead.

Vestaburg misses a three point shot from the wing. Brady Leonard passes to Jerryd Scheurer, who hits a three point shot from the wing for St. Patrick. Tyler Thelen steals the ball for St. Patrick. Mason Simon passes to Tyler Thelen, who quickly relays the ball to Jerryd Scheurer, who hits a three point shot from the side to give his Shamrocks a 45-38 lead.

Kolton Kilmer passes to Kofee Arntz, who hits a layup for Vestaburg. St. Patrick misses a threeball from the wing. Vestaburg misses a threeball from the wing. Jerryd Scheurer drives and hits a layup for St. Patrick. He is fouled on the play, but misses his free throw. With 1:55 remaining in regulation time, St. Patrick has a 47-40 lead.

Lucas Warczinsky passes to Kolton Kilmer, who hits a three point shot from the side for Vestaburg. Lucas Warczinsky knocks the ball out of bounds; St. Patrick retains possession. Lucas Warczinsky steals the Shamrock inbound pass. Vestaburg misses a fast break layup. Tyler Thelen is fouled and hits one of his two free throws to give his Shamrocks a 48-43 lead with 37.8 seconds left on the clock.

Brehm Warczinsky drives and dishes the ball to Kolton Kilmer, who hits another clutch three point shot from the side for Vestaburg to slice the Shamrock lead down to two points. Tyler Thelen is fouled and hits two free throws to give St. Patrick a 50-46 lead with 23.2 seconds left.

Sean Fedewa knocks the ball out of bounds; Vestaburg retains possession, but there are now just thirteen seconds to go. The Warczinsky Connection comes through yet again as Lucas passes to Brehm, who hits a threeball from the corner to cut the Shamrock lead to 50-49.

With five seconds left, Jerryd Scheurer is fouled and hits two free throws to put St. Patrick up by three. Vestaburg misses a three point shot from the wing that would have tied the game. The buzzer sounds and St. Patrick wins this exciting game by the final score of 52-49.

Brehm Warczinsky led the Vestaburg scoring with 18 points. Lucas Warczinsky joined him in double figures with 13 points. Kolton Kilmer had three three point baskets including two clutch ones late in the fourth quarter; he finished with 9 points. Jansen Scholer added 5 points. Kofee Arntz scored 4 points.

Jerryd Scheurer led the St. Patrick scoring with 18 points. Tyler Thelen supported him with 17 points. Brady Leonard chipped in with 8 points. Mason Simon added 5 points and Sean Fedewa tossed in 4 points.

St. Patrick will play Fowler in Friday night’s district final.