Gritty Kenowa Hills having one of the best seasons in school history

Kenowa Hills senior Keegan Garvin is helped up by teammate George Rauschenburg after drawing an offensive foul in a 62-37 win over Cedar Springs on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. It helped the Knights improve to 10-0. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).

WALKER, Mich. - Inside the glass display case in the Kenowa Hills High School hallway, there is just one boys basketball trophy.

It is from the 1976-77 team that won the O-K White Conference title. It’s so old that the photo is slowly fading. 

First-year Kenowa Hills coach Adam Gulick wants to add another trophy or two to the case. 

The Knights beat Cedar Springs 62-37 on Tuesday night, Jan. 6 to improve to an impressive 10-0 record. It is the best start to a season in at least 30 years and maybe in school history. 

“It’s awesome,” senior Keegan Garvin said. “It’s something we haven’t done in a while and its cool to be apart of it.”

On Tuesday, starting point guard Frank Arnold had a game-high 14 points and Jacob Perdue 13 points off the bench. 

“He handles the offense really well and get a bucket when we need one,” Garvin said of Arnold. 

Kenowa Hills senior guard Frank Arnold pushes the ball up court in a 62-37 win over Cedar Springs on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. He had a team-high 14 points. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).

But just about anyone on the team could lead the team in scoring on any given day.

“We’re just believing in each other,” senior Brody Willick said. “It’s less of a one-on-one game. Every guy steps up. I think we’ve got four guys in the starting lineup averaging 10 or more. You never know who is going to step up.”

Any of the starters - George Rauschenburg, Arnold, Willick, Garvin and Brennan Gustinis - could lead the team in scoring in any given game. Or it could be a bench player such as Derek Chapin, who scored 19 points in a win over Jenison in the Cornerstone Holiday Tournament. Garvin had 17 that game.

“We have a lot of different guys who show up every night,” Gulick said. “We’ve got a lot of buy-in right now. Eight seniors really helps that. The guys really want this. They want to have a lot of success. They feel like they’ve been good enough in years past to have better results than they’ve had.”

Kenowa Hills is a gritty bunch. That was on display when Garvin, a 6-foot-4 forward, got tangled up with Cedar Springs’ Brayden Jacobs while fighting for a rebound. Garvin ended up shoving Jacobs out of bounds and got a technical for the play. He also was ejected, which may have been overkill by the referee. 

Garvin wasn’t proud of his actions. But it shows the team’s grit.

“I let my emotions get the best of me under the rim,” Garvin said. “I was going for a rebound. I like to get rebounds and stuff but I went over the line right there.”

Kenowa Hills senior Keegan Garvin, left, gets tangled up with Cedar Springs’ Brayden Jacobs in the fourth quarter. Garvin would be ejected after shoving Jacobs out of bounds. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).

Gulick likes his team’s grit. 

“He gives you a lot of that,” Gulick said of Garvin. “We’ve got a lot guys like that. I think Brennan Gustinis is a bulldog. I think Will Fussman gives us a lot of toughness. We’re getting everyone bought into that. If you aren’t tough, you aren’t going to play.”

Kenowa Hills hasn’t won a district title since 2006 or a conference title since 1994. And it has never had a regional title.

Willick likes his first-year coach.

“He’s good,” Willick said. “He pushes us like we’ve never been pushed before. It brings out the toughness in us. We appreciate him for that.” 

Kenowa Hills senior Brody Willick dribbles the ball up court against Cedar Springs on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. He’s been on varsity for three years. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).

In the past 15 years, Kenowa Hills has only had two winning seasons. They were 10-13 last year and 8-15 two years ago.

Are the Knights surprised by the 10-0 start?

“Not really,” Garvin said. “We’ve always had the talent. It’s all coming together this year as a team.”

Winning a River Cities Conference championship will have to go through Greenville, which was 11-1 last year in the conference and 22-2 overall. 

“Obviously, you have to beat the team that won it last year,” Gulick said. “We have that coming up in a few weeks. We can’t really focus on Greenville just yet. We have to have a great practice tomorrow and then Thursday. We can’t look too far down the road.”

Kenowa Hills hosts Coopersville (1-0, 5-4) on Jan. 16 and Greenville (2-0, 8-1) on Jan. 20. 

The Kenowa Hills record for wins in a season was set by the team in that old photo. 

“The record is 20 in 1977,” Gulick said. “It’s on the wall in the gym. I look at it all the time.” 

The Knights are already halfway there. 

On the left, the lone boys basketball trophy in the Kenowa Hills trophy case, the 1976-77 team that won the conference title and set the school record with 20 wins. On the right, first-year coach Adam Gulick has his team off to the hottest start in recent memory. (Photos | Lenny Padilla).