Joe Insider

19/09/2023

This was a fun project with great people.

17/08/2023

Thank you St. Joseph County for 10 years of supporting a grassroots operation. All we wanted to do was highlight local student-athletes, schools and coaches in a time when traditional media outlets were circling the drain.

It truly was a passion project and it wouldn't have been possible without the sponsors that took a chance on a new media outlet, all the volunteers, parents and freelancers who helped build this with me, and the coaches who understood what we were trying to do.

Passions change, however. These days, I'd rather be at my kids' events than documenting the athletic achievements of yours. My wife is owed approximately 492 date nights after I left her alone nearly every weekend since we got married in 2004.

I care far more about the perfect placement of a fly in front of a trout's mouth on a Friday evening in the fall than getting the right angle to photograph a touchdown catch. I've seen enough touchdowns in 20 years as a sports journalist. I haven't seen enough 20-inch brown trout.

Truth be told, I've felt that way for quite some time. It just took a while to work up the nerve to say it out loud.

Thanks to Jordan Slocum for handling the heavy lifting while I sorted out exactly what I wanted to do for the next 10 years of my life.

I've spent the majority of the last several years working as a marketing consultant and content creator for a variety of companies in the midwest. That is what truly paid the bills, and that side of the business has taken off in unbelievable ways.

That includes taking on a new role as Sports Information Director at Glen Oaks Community College, which was one of Joe Insider's longest running sponsors and biggest allies. It is exciting to focus on one athletic department and to keep telling compelling, local stories.

But it's a wrap on covering high school sports moving forward.

There are too many people to thank and I don't want to leave anyone out, so I won't try to compile the list of great folks here. But I'm grateful for your loyalty and energy over the last decade. We did a cool thing together.

Good luck to all the current and future Bobcats, Bulldogs, Magi, Wildcats, Trojans, Hornets, Falcons and Chiefs!

— Wes Morgan, Publisher

26/07/2023

We are excited to announce our 2023 Fall Prospect Camp!

Register today to secure your spot: https://tinyurl.com/mr2dnhpy

For questions regarding camp, please contact Head Coach, Tucker Waddups, by email at [email protected]

22/06/2023

17/06/2023

https://joeinsider.com/softball-state-final-mendon-falls-5-4-against-unionville-sebewaing-dynasty/

Mendon took top-ranked Unionville-Sebewaing to the limit in Saturday’s MHSAA Division 4 softball state championship at Michigan State University. Ultimately, the Patriots prevailed 5-4 to claim their fourth consecutive state title and deny the Hornets their first. The game went down to the wire wi...

16/06/2023

https://joeinsider.com/mendon-claims-state-softball-semifinal-4-2-advance-to-championship-for-second-time-in-school-history/

Mendon defeated Johannesburg-Lewiston 4-2 in Friday’s MHSAA Division 4 softball state semifinal at Michigan State University. The Hornets took advantage of key mistakes by the Cardinals, winning despite being outhit 6-1 for the game. The victory sends Mendon to a softball state final for the secon...

14/06/2023

https://joeinsider.com/mendon-softball-moves-to-semifinal-after-13-12-quarterfinal-win-vs-fowler/

Mendon outlasted Fowler 13-12 in Tuesday’s softball state quarterfinal game on a rainy Tuesday evening at Albion College. The victory sends the Hornets to the MHSAA Division 4 state semifinal on Friday for only their second-ever semifinals berth, joining the 1992 state runner-up season. Photos by ...

13/06/2023

This was a fun video project. The event undoubtedly boosted the local economy along with raising funds for current and future wrestlers in our area. Some people complain about not having stuff to do around here. Others create things to do. Kudos to Nick Fieberkorn and everyone who helped put this together.

11/06/2023

https://joeinsider.com/burr-oaks-hernandez-colons-vinson-compete-at-state-golf-final/

Two St. Joseph County seniors competed Friday and Saturday in the MHSAA Division 4 boys golf state championship at Bedford Valley in Battle Creek. Burr Oak’s Flavio Hernandez placed 36th overall with a 171 score and Colon’s Simon Vinson was 47th at 174. For Hernandez, he shot an 88 on day one, t...

11/06/2023

https://joeinsider.com/three-rivers-softball-thwarted-in-regional-championship/

The softball season ended Saturday for Three Rivers despite an impressive effort in the Regional #12 tournament at Mason. The Wildcats earned a 6-4 semifinal win against Lake Odessa Lakewood, but fell just short in the championship 3-2 against Parma Western. In the first game, TR scored thrice in th...

11/06/2023

https://joeinsider.com/mendon-softball-beats-burr-oak-river-valley-to-win-regional-title/

Mendon won a regional softball championship in a competitive Regional #29 battle Saturday at Colon. The Hornets defeated Burr Oak 3-1 in the semifinal, then rallied to edge River Valley 8-7 in the championship. For Mendon, this sends them to the MHSAA Division 4 quarterfinal for the third time in pr...

08/06/2023

https://joeinsider.com/wolverine-conference-season-summaries-track-and-field-soccer-golf/

The end of season summaries for the Wolverine Conference 2023 spring season have been released for track and field, girls soccer, and boys golf. Click the linked posts below for more information and details from each sport. Track and Field Summary. League Track and Field Records. Girls Soccer Report...

08/06/2023

https://joeinsider.com/centreville-baseball-knocked-out-at-bridgman-in-regional-semifinal/

Centreville’s baseball season ended Wednesday at Bridgman with a 6-2 regional semifinal defeat to the Bees. Bridgman found success early with a solo run in the first inning, followed by two in the second and another two in the third. The Bees added one final run in the seventh for extra cushion. T...

04/06/2023

https://joeinsider.com/2023-mhsaa-track-and-field-state-championship-results/

The 2023 MHSAA track and field state championships were held across the state Saturday. In the Division 2 meet at Forest Hills Eastern, the Sturgis girls finished second place among all teams with 34 points, behind only East Grand Rapids at 50. Three Rivers scored 15 points, tying for 14th. Trojan s...

04/06/2023

https://joeinsider.com/district-softball-saturday-three-rivers-takes-title/

Saturday saw four St. Joseph County softball teams in action across two districts. Three Rivers would be the lone local squad to end the day on top as the Wildcats secured the District 45 crown at Harper Creek. TR faced the hosting Beavers in the 12 p.m. semifinal and cruised to a 14-0 victory after...

04/06/2023

https://joeinsider.com/district-baseball-saturday-centreville-beats-constantine-for-championship/

Three St. Joseph County teams played in district baseball tournaments on Saturday with all three advancing to the championship game. Centreville was the one to come away with the hardware after surviving a pair of one-run games. The Bulldogs opened the District 82 semifinals at Schoolcraft against U...

03/06/2023

https://joeinsider.com/three-rivers-soccer-wins-district-title-against-berrien-springs/

Three Rivers defeated Berrien Springs 9-2 Friday in the girls soccer District #33 championship game at TR. With that, the Wildcats win their second district title in three years, improving to 12-6-2 for the season. The Shamrocks finish with a 13-7-0 mark. In the tournament, Three Rivers outscored th...

03/06/2023

https://joeinsider.com/district-baseball-friday-results/

On Friday, baseball District #116 at Mendon and District #117 at Colon were completed. The Hornets had the deepest run for a St. Joseph County team on the day, but ultimately were denied in the championship game. Mendon started the day with a 10-0 semifinal victory against White Pigeon. Brayden Crit...