Jay’s Sporting Goods Northern Michigan, U.P. Report
Teams to Watch
1. Petoskey – Petoskey reeled off nine straight wins and reached the Division 3 regional final round last season before falling to Muskegon. Senior quarterback Evan Whitmore (6’3″, 195 pounds) returns, along with senior running back Brent Murry (5’11”, 195). Sophomore Craig Ladd (6’1″, 240) is a solid two-way lineman.
2. Traverse City West – West features an impressive collection of linemen, led by University of Illinois commit Jacob Cerney (6’5″, 290 pounds) at tackle and Tommy Roush (6’4″, 270). Standout senior linebacker Jack Mikula (6’2″, 200) heads the defense.
3. Cadillac – Cadillac looks to make a seventh-straight trip to the playoffs this season, behind standout fullback/linebacker Michael Holdship (6’0″, 215 pounds), who is drawing plenty of college interest.
4. Menominee – Menominee has qualified for the playoffs 19 straight seasons, the last five seasons being stopped by Grand Rapids West Catholic. The Maroons have outstanding size again, led by offensive tackle Sam Hartwig (6’5″, 280 pounds) and defensive lineman Adam Byersdorf (5’10”, 290).
5. Boyne City – Boyne City reeled off 12 straight wins to start the season before falling to Ithaca by four points in the Divisioon 6 state semifinal round. Standout linebacker Luke Sage (6’0″, 190 pounds) returns after notching over 100 tackles the past two seasons. Tight end/linebacker standout Tanner Kruzel (6’2″, 200) also returns, along with running back Malik Smith (5’9″, 201).
6. Gaylord – With powerful senior lineman Kyle Augustine (6’3″, 315 pounds) returning, along with all-conference defensive lineman Forest Madagame (5’10”, 195) the Blue Devils are aiming for the playoffs this season.
7. Ishpeming – Ishpeming has ended the last three seasons at Ford Field playing for a Division 7 state title. It must do some re-tooling along the lines but returns veteran quarterback Ozzy Corp (6’5″, 200 pounds).
8. Traverse City St. Francis – Plenty of talent returns for another deep playoff run, led by senior quarterback Joe Coates (6’2″, 195 pounds) and running back Jake Klingelsmith (5’11”, 180) who rushed for over 1,000 yards last season. Junior lineman Dominic Hathaway (6’3″, 280) paves the way up front.
9. Johannesburg-Lewiston – The Cardinals have qualified for the playoffs and won eight or more games each of the past four years. Senior defensive lineman Nathan Fox (6’3″, 240 pounds) leads what will be another solid team this fall.
10. Munising – Munising reached the Division 8 state final last year, and another trip to Ford Field is possible. The defense will be rugged, led by lineman Ian McInnis (6’2″, 280 pounds) and linebacker Brent Brock (6’2″, 230).
11. St. Ignace – St. Ignace reeled off 10 straight wins last season before falling to Munising in the district final round. With U.P. Co-Defensive player of the Year Gage Kreski (6’3″, 190 pounds) back, the Saints are primed for another big year.
12. Sutton’s Bay – Senior defensive lineman Matt Jelinek (6’4″, 230 pounds) and senior linebacker Zach Smith (5’11”, 230) lead what should be a dominating defense.
13. Grayling – The Vikings saw their run of five consecutive playoff appearances snapped last year. With senior running back Spencer Kent (5’11”, 165 pounds) returning after rushing for over 1,200 yards last season, Grayling is looking for a bounce-back season.
14. Elk Rapids – Junior linebacker Alec Trautman (6’1″, 205 pounds) leads the way this season.
15. Glen Lake – Junior fullback/linebacker Duke Angers (6’1″, 225 pounds) is a force on both sides of the line.
16. Kingsley – The Stags look to return to the playoffs behind standout running back Nick Endres (5’11”, 220 pounds).