By BUTCH HARMON
The fall season was a productive one for Flint Metro League teams, and one of the most productive squads was the Fenton volleyball team.
- The Tigers, traditionally one of the strongest teams in the league, enjoyed one of their finest seasons in school history. Fenton won a school record 46 matches and reached the Class A state quarterfinals, where it fell to Northville.
Fenton, which won state and regional titles in Class B in 1992, won its first-ever Class A regional title this season. The Tigers defeated Davison 3-1 in the regional semifinal. Ashley Bearden and Bobbie Eastman led the Tigers in kills against Davison, while libero Megan Cockin led the defense.
The Tigers then won their school-record 46th match in the regional final on their home floor. The regional was scheduled to be played at Linden, but a squirrel caused a power blackout in Linden, and the title match was moved to Fenton. Playing in front of a large home crowd, the Tigers defeated Flushing 3-1.
Payton Maxheimer and Eastman led Fenton in kills, while Cockin turned in another big defensive effort.
Fenton also won the Flint Metro League regular-season championship with a perfect 8-0 record. Lapeer West placed second in the league at 7-1.
- The football season was a memorable one for Metro League teams. A total of four Metro League squads qualified for the state playoffs, with league co-champions Fenton and Linden both reaching the district championship game.
Fenton finished the year at 9-2. It fell to Walled Lake Western 49-27 in the district final after defeating Farmington Harrison 22-19 in the semifinal.
Linden ended its season in dramatic fashion, as it dropped a six-overtime thriller to DeWitt, 45-44.
Lapeer West and Swartz Creek both qualified for the playoffs, with West falling to DeWitt 34-28 in the first round, and Swartz Creek falling to Caledonia 53-27.
- A total of five Metro League football players earned all-state honors. In Division 1-2, Swartz Creek wide receiver Max Cummings and Fenton linebacker Mike Czarnota both were named to the first team, while Fenton lineman Cody Hocevar was named honorable mention.
Cummings had a big year for the Dragons, catching 57 passes for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns.
A pair of Linden Eagles earned first-team, all-state honors in Division 3-4. Eagle quarterback Shaye Brown finished his career with over 5,000 career passing yards, becoming only the fifth quarterback from the Flint area to surpass 5,000 yards in his career. This season, Brown threw for 3,213 yards and 32 touchdown passes while also running for seven touchdowns.
Defensive lineman Ben Armstrong also earned all-state honors. Armstrong recorded a school-record 21 sacks this season to go along with 30 tackles for loss and 85 total tackles.
- In boys’ cross country, Linden enjoyed a huge season. The Eagles finished second at the Division 2 state finals, 14 points behind first-place St. Clair.
Senior Roger Phillips led the way for Linden, as he placed fourth overall in a time of 15:35.3. Senior Graham Elliott was 11th overall in 15:51.8, while senior Zach LeMieux was 15th in 15:54.1, and junior Dave Doyle 32nd in 16:16.5.
Clio finished 17th as a team at the D2 meet. Senior Chris Koon led the way for the Mustangs, as he placed sixth overall in a time of 15:35.8. Junior Clyde Anderson took 56th place in 16:32.6, while senior Thomas Kean was 95th in 16:56.5.
The Linden girls placed 17th, also. Junior Sydney Elmer led the Lady Eagles, as she placed 8th in a time of 18:29.5. Freshman McKayla Guy was 21st overall in 19:04.8.
In the boys’ Division 1 state finals, Fenton senior Max Kryza placed 14th overall with a time of 15:36.1, while Swartz Creek senior Mitch Sansiribhan was 48th in 16:02.8.