Article - High School Sports Scene

DAVID COOK
Sports Scene
Since moving to 8-man football four years ago, the Fulton-Middleton football team has been experiencing some success. With a solid group of players returning from last year’s team, the Pirates are poised to build on that success.
Fulton turned in a 6-4 overall record last season. The Pirates also made the 8-man playoffs for a second straight season.
“We as a staff and us as a program feel like we have our footing underneath of us,” said Fulton-Middleton coach Jason Baker. “Last year we returned three seniors and it was my first year coaching the eight man, so it was a little bit of uneasiness going into it, but we had a lot of buy in and we had a good year. This year we return a lot of upperclassmen from last year’s team so they know what to expect from us and we know what to expect from this league that we play in.”
This season, the squad returns plenty of talented players on both sides of the line. Peyton Reynolds is back at quarterback and also lines up at defensive end. Fulton featured a strong ground game last season and the Pirates look to be solid running the ball again this year.
“I definitely think our run game is a strong point,” Reynolds said, “but don’t count our passing game out either. We’ve been working on our passing game in 5-on-5s this summer and we have some great running backs.”
Tanner Villalobos returns at running back and defensive back. Villalobos has seen the team make progress the past couple seasons and sees more improvement this season.
“We had a real good build back season last year,” Villalobos said. “The last couple years we’ve been building back. Every year we’ve been making steps in the right direction and this offseason we’ve definitely made some right steps in the right direction. I’m excited, we’ve just got to keep on working at it.”
Trevor Brown and Parker Billings are a pair of returning tight ends. Brown will also play linebacker on defense while Billings will line up at defensive end.
Jared Akin lines up at offensive guard and defensive end while Connor Cunningham can line up at multiple positions on offense and is a defensive back.
While Fulton made the playoffs last season, they fell in the opening round against Portland St. Patrick. This year the goal is to make an even longer run in the playoffs.
“We want to make a bigger run in the playoffs,” Cunningham said. “We had a first-round exit last year and we want to go farther than that. Our goal is to have everyone buying into what we are doing.”
Working together as a team will be key to having a successful season.
“What we need is to work together,” Akin said. “We did that very well last year. We worked together a lot this summer, we had 30 people out to our camp and its great to see the team work together and I think we will have a great season ahead of us.”
Making a deep playoff run will definitely make the season special.
“We want to win a playoff game,” Baker said. “It hasn’t been done since 2011. Fulton is a very prideful community when it comes to football. Getting in the playoffs is something we strive for, but making deep runs in late October and November is something these kids are wanting to do.”

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By Jeff Steers
MHSSS Special Writer
When Ovid-Elsie made the playoffs with a 5-4 record last year, not much was expected of them.
But three wins over higher seeded teams took the Marauders into the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s D-6 state semifinal.
The team hopes to start off quicker and make another deep run into the playoffs – which has been the norm for the program.
Ovid-Elsie has made the playoffs nine of the last 11 years under veteran coach Travis Long.
“Our goals are to finish with a winning record, win the conference, and go to the playoffs,” Long said. “The off-season participation has been good, and we have a lot of great senior leadership.”
The Marauders expect to have 25 in its varsity program and 35 at the junior varsity level.
Ovid-Elsie finished 3-3 in the Mid-Michigan Activities Conference in 2023.
Key players for the Marauders start with first-team all-state lineman Jake Bowen.
“We have an amazing coaching staff and really work together as a family,” Bowen said of OEHS.
Others who will help lead the Marauders are Dawson Taylor (OL), Clayton Fruchey (RB/WR), Brock Spitzley (FB), Braxton O’Bryant (OL), Javen Belill (WR), Joe Bancroft (C), Michael Bancroft (WR), Owen Long (WR/S), and Tryce Tokar (QB).
Ovid-Elsie starts the season with a non-conference game against Powers Catholic, seven weeks of MMAC play, and a non-conference matchup with Standish-Sterling to end the season.
The Marauders were 2-3 to start the 2023 season before winning five consecutive games advancing to the state semifinal.
“At the end of the year we made a run … everything just meshed together,” Joe Bancroft said. “We have built a tradition of making the MHSAA playoffs nearly every year. We have to hold these standards up again this season.”

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BUTCH HARMON
Sports Scene
Numbers are up for Potterville football this season. Not only do the Vikings have a good turnout of players, but they will be playing a full nine-game schedule this season after playing a partial varsity schedule last fall.
A large group of players return from last year’s squad including quarterback Ezariah Taylor. Taylor, who plays defensive back on defense, is looking forward to the season.
“We are looking good,” Taylor said. “We have been practicing really hard and putting in the work in the offseason. I think we will be strong in all areas. Running, passing, I think everything”.
Keegan Bennett is another returning veteran who likes how the team is shaping up. Bennett is a wing back on offense and plays linebacker on defense.
“I think our running game will be a strength,” Bennett said. “We have a lot of versatility between fast running back and hard-hitting, power runners.”
Isaiah Woloscyn will also see playing time at wingback on offense and at linebacker on defense. Woloscyn sees playing with a high level of intensity throughout the season as being a key to success for the Vikings.
“The key will be our intensity” Woloscyn said. “We have to keep that up through the whole game and not letting off the gas at all.”
Potterville also brings back a solid group of linemen on both sides of the line. Left offensive tackle Keaton Bush is one of the leaders along the line along with Andrew Morales who also plays linebacker on defense. Bush also sees time along the Viking defensive front.
“Our defensive line is good,” Bush said. “We will get a whole lot of penetration right up the middle.”
One area the team is concentrating on during pre-season practice is developing the secondary.
Potterville also returns running back Markeil White who is the fastest player on the team. Cam Wood is a returning defensive end who is one of the leaders on the defense. Returning at the other starting tackle for the Vikings is Luke Ward (6-foot-4, 260 pounds).
With improved numbers the Vikings are poised to make gains on the field this fall and are looking forward to the season.
“We have about 30 kids out for the team which is great for Potterville,” said Viking coach Jason Baker, who is going into his second season as head coach. “The guys have been working hard in the offseason. We’ve been focusing on conditioning and getting the boys physically ready to play the game. We only lost one senior from last year so we have the core coming back. We’re also young, everyone but Ezzy and Keaton are juniors or sophomores or freshmen so we have a good couple years ahead of us for this program. We are going to be competitive this year. We have a tough schedule, but I feel like we stack up well against it.”

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By Jeff Steers
MHSSS Special Writer
The Ashley High School Bears won three of its four games to start the 2023
season, but injuries curtailed that momentum.
The Bears are learning that it is next man up theory when it comes to the
game of football.
Ashley finished the season with a 4-5 record.
“We don’t have the luxury of having 25 kids on the team,” Coach Kevin
Saylor said. “Our kids are learning to be resilient and becoming the next man up whether you are ready or not.”
Ashley will compete in the Big Thumb 8-Man Conference in the Red Division in 2024.
With only 74 students in the high school, staying healthy and being ready will be required for Ashley.
“It is hard to keep kids because we have been struggling in the seventh and eighth grade football programs,” Saylor said. “Football is all about having bonds with your players and teammates.”
Three seniors expect to enjoy bonds on the football field in 2024.
All-state and all-region senior linebacker Gavin Malek (OL/LB), Seth Stahr (WR/CB), and Zander Schneider expect to lead the Bears.
“We have to develop a lot of grit and play all four quarters,” Malek said. “This is our year to go, go go!”
Juniors Robert Kral is expected to be the starting quarterback on offense and cornerback on defense for Ashley and Gibby Jason will be a fullback on offense and a nose guard on defense.
Others expected to contribute in 2024 are juniors Will Long and Trent Byslma, sophomores Tristan Ringle, Nierescherand and freshman Ryder Yelsik.
Saylor believes the Bears will be in the top two in the league.
“Bay City will be the favorites in the league,” Saylor said. “I look for us to be one or two in the league.”
Ashley starts the season with an Aug. 30 game against Webberville, seven weeks of BTC action, then a non-conference game against Bear Lake to close out the 2024 regular season.
Ashley has not made the 8-man playoffs since 2020 and before that in 2009 and 2010 playoffs in 11-man football.

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By Jeff Steers
MHSSS Special Writer
The pride is back in Alma High School football for 2024.
Spurred by the Panther Pride Project, the Panthers open the season with a
home game against Shepherd with a new turf field.
Alma supporters Doug Yarnell, John Morgan, Kyle Lark, and Sherri
Downing – along with numerous Panther Pride Project members – raised
money and in-kind donations to make the project a reality.
“Our school board supported the project as Panther Pride Project brought it
nearly to the end,” AHS Coach John Mimranek said. “That game will be the
first competitive event on the new turf.”
A year after going 2-7, Alma is hoping the new turf means more wins in
2024 on the field.
“We have been impressed with kids showing up in the weight room and for
agility drills,” Mimranek said. “We have a huge freshman class coming in.”
The league will look different as Birch Run exits and each of the conference
schools have picked up Flint Powers Catholic for their 2024 calendar.
The Panthers will be anchored by Caylibe Thompson and Brighton Conn –
two three-year starters on the offensive and defensive lines for Alma.
Senior lineman Aidan Perdue (OL/DL) and junior Gavin McConnell (QB)
are two players the Panthers will count on this season.
“We were close in a lot of games last year, but mistakes made the
difference between winning and losing,” Perdue said.
McConnell believes Alma can win enough games to make it back to the
playoffs.
Alma opens with Shepherd on Aug. 30, plays conference games weeks 2-
5, faces Flint Powers Catholic on Oct. 4, battle for two more conference
games, and closes on Oct. 25 against Big Rapids.
“Frankenmuth and Freeland are the teams to beat in our conference,”
Mimranek said. “We have to get better at blocking and tackling.”
Tyler Brecht will serve as the offensive coordinator for Alma in 2024. The
2013 AHS graduate believes the Panthers are getting closer to being
extremely competitive.
“We were close in a lot of games last year … we could not finish games,”
Brecht said.

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DAVID COOK
Sports Scene
Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart turned in a big season in 8-man football last season and the Irish have a large group of returning players from that team that are setting their sights. On another big season this fall.
Sacred Heart turned in a 9-2 overall record last season including a 5-1 mark in the Central Michigan 8-man Football Conference as the Irish finished in a tie for the conference championship.
A host of starters return from that squad including several key parts of an offense that averaged 41 points per game a year ago. Jason Boge returns at quarterback for the Irish. A versatile signal caller, Boge is a strong runner and accurate passer.
“Things are looking pretty good so far,” said Boge. “We lost a lot last year, but I think we are going to be faster and more athletic than last year as well. I think our speed on defense is way better this year as far as getting to the ball quickly.”
Sacred Heart graduated some key players including a four-year starter at middle linebacker, a starting wide receiver and a starting running back.
Sacred Heart does welcome back a veteran running back in Jackson Verleger.
“We have a lot of guys coming back this year and I see a lot of guys that want to win,” Verleger said. “We have a lot of guys who are getting a lot better and we’ve seen even throughout the summer a lot of improvements. We’ve got a lot to look forward to this year.”
The squad is also strong at wide receiver with the return of Joe McDonald and Luke Hacker. A newcomer that is primed to make an impact is sophomore wide receiver Nathan Siler who has outstanding hands.
The Irish are solid up front with the return of offensive linemen Caleb Strauch, Brendan Ervin and Jim McDonald.
“I’m excited about the season,” McDonald said. “Most of us are seniors and probably all agree with me that we have one more season and we want to make the best of it. Our goal is, 8-man plays (the final) up at the Yooper Dome and of course that’s our goal to get up there.”
Several of the Irish will start on both sides of the line. The Sacred Heart defensive line is led by Ervin, Jim McDonald and Strauch. Joe McDonald and Verleger return at linebacker with Hacker returning in the secondary at cornerback.
“We’re excited,” said Sacred Heart coach Josh Wheaton. “We lost three real good football players to graduation. Probably the best three as a group that that might have ever been at Sacred Heart, but we feel like we might be as good or better as a team even without those three guys. We’re different. We are a lot faster. We swarm the football. We had guys that played the third level of our defense that are not playing on the second level and that just changes everything. Everything is going to come down to one thing and one thing only, and that is our offensive line, and if our offensive line rises to the occasion and plays the way they should play and the way we expect them to play, we are going to be really, really difficult to beat.”

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By Jeff Steers
MHSSS Special Writer
Jamie Slate was promoted to coach his alma mater at Hemlock High School after serving three seasons as the defensive coordinator at the school.
The 2007 graduate of HHS has experience of coaching at Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart and Bay City Western.
Slate is a physics and computer science teacher in the district who believes football is a key cog in the small-town community.
His players put that to the test completing more than 300 community service hours this summer.
“The football program is the heartbeat of small towns like Hemlock,” Slate said during media day. “The more we give in the community, the more support we get on Friday nights.”
Team members helped a local teacher battling cancer wash windows earlier in the summer.
On the field, Hemlock should look a little different according to Slate. The team was forced to throw the ball nearly 60 times per game in 2023.
“Throwing the ball 60 times per game made us a scoring threat,” Slate said. “We need more balance and will be refocusing on running the football.”
Chad Brown – a CMU baseball signee – will use his 6-foot 6-inch frame to run and throw the ball for Hemlock. He threw for more than 2,000 yards in 2023 – ranked as the No. 10 throwing quarterback in Michigan by MaxPreps.
Five-sport athlete Dawson Doan was the recipient of a number of those passes with nearly 1,100 receiving yards and more than 1,200 all-purpose yards in 2023. Doan was a D-7 all-state receiver and an all-region and all-conference football honors as a receiver.
Landon Zastrow played a number of positions for Hemlock in 2023 including running back and receiver on offense. He should be one of the team’s key players in 2024.
Steven Katzenberger was an all-region and all-conference linebacker in the Tri-Valley last year.
Others who are expected to make major contributions for the Huskies are sophomore William Foss (OL/DL) – a bull in a China shop according to Slate, D.J. Lyscas (RB/LB), and Trevor Hare (DE).
Hemlock has nearly been a lock for the Michigan High School Athletic Association playoffs. A 1-8 season two years ago stopped a streak of six consecutive seasons in the playoffs.
“The expectations over the years are to make the playoffs every year,” student-athlete Doan said.
Katzenberger believes the Huskies will make the playoffs for the community.
The Huskies will kick off the season against non-conference opponents Garber and Cass City before beginning play in the Tri-Valley Conference White Division.

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BUTCH HARMON
Sports Scene
The Ithaca football team has been among the gold standard for small school football in the state of Michigan the past few decades and this year’s edition of the Yellowjackets is primed to add another chapter to the legacy.
Ithaca welcomes back a talented core of veteran players from a team that compiled an 11-1 record last season and advanced to the regional title game before falling to eventual Division 8 state champion Ubly.
Ithaca featured a high-powered offense last season that averaged 43.6 points per game. Several of the key contributors of that offense return this season headlined by quarterback Jackson Conn. The strong-armed senior passed for 1,936 yards and 28 touchdown passes last season and is poised for an even bigger season this year.
“I feel pretty good about the season,” Conn said. “A lot of our kids are hungry. We’re amped up and ready to go for week one. We have a couple guys spread around between our offense and defense that are going to be our leaders. We have a lot of young guys coming up but I think the spread of our leadership through our guys will help out all the other positions with our younger guys.”
Ithaca graduated some key pass catchers from last year’s squad but it does return standout wide receiver Ryley White. White caught 26 passes for 681 yards and eight touchdowns a year ago and should be among the top receivers in mid-Michigan this fall.
“I think we should be pretty good this year,” said White. “Obviously we had quite a few kids leave last year. We had five seniors graduate, two of our starting receivers who helped us out a lot, but I think we have some kids coming into positions that will help us out a lot and be productive for us.”
Along with a potent passing game, the Yellowjackets will also have a running threat. Nathan Mikesell is back after rushing for 700 yards and 11 touchdowns last season.
Paving the way for the offense is an offensive line anchored by a trio of talented seniors in Nicholas Mikesell, Broden Peska (5-11, 230) and Lloyd Stoneman.
Many of the same standouts on offense will also be playing defense for the Yellowjackets who allowed 11.8 points per game.
Linebacker Nathan Mikesell led the team with 121 tackles last season along with five quarterback sacks.
“I feel pretty good about our team,” Mikesell said. “We still have things to work on but that’s pretty normal for every team.”
Nicholas Mikesell returns up front along the defensive line along with defensive tackle Karter Araujo. Peska also returns to the defensive line.
The defensive backfield is led by White and Conn.
“We’re excited about the season,” said Ithaca coach Jordan Hessbrook. “We have six or seven guys back on both sides of the ball. We had a lot of kids gain valuable experience as juniors last year. We’re also excited about some of the younger kids we have coming up.
Ithaca has reached the regional title game the last two years and this season the Yellowjackets are focused on taking the next step.
“After losing in the regional title game the last two years everyone is hungry to get back to that game and win the regional,” said Conn.
Ithaca kicks off the season in week one against St. Louis and then takes on a rugged Standish-Sterling team in week two before starting conference play in week three. The Yellowjackets close out the regular season with non-conference tests against Tecumseh and Shepherd.
To reach their goals, it will take a total team effort.
“I think for the older guys it’s going to be taking the younger guys under their wing and getting those guys up to speed in what it takes to play football at a high level,” said Hessbrook. “For those guys also, it’s going to be fighting complacency. We didn’t reach our ultimate goal last year but they did a lot of good things last season so it’s going to be not satisfied with that and continue to push to move up to the next level and play deeper in November. For the young guys, I think it’s going to be trusting their coaches, trusting in those older players who have been there and done that and it’s going to be trying to get them up to speed as fast as possible.”

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By JOHN RAFFEL
They’re celebrating another boys
state track and field championship
at Pewamo Westphalia.
P-W got the job at the state meet
by posting 57 points compared to
47 for Clare.
Pewamo Westphalia had some
outstanding performances, led
by Trevor Smith who won the
100-meter dash and was fifth in the
200 meters.
Collin Farmer was fourth in the
1,600 meters in 4:21.23 and second
in the 3,200 meters in 9:34.58.
In the 4×200 relay, the foursome
of Alex Nurenberg, Trevor Smith.
Rylee Arthur and Sam Muirhead
were fourth in 1:30.86. The
foursome of Wyatt Werner, John
Kowatch, Sam Muirhead and Allan
George was eighth in 8:19.65.
Gavin Nurenberg was first (60-2)
and Dalton Brown was third (54
7.5) in the shot put. Nurenberg was
second in the discus (165-11) and
Brown was 11th (140-0).
Pewamo-Westphalia finished
runner-up last season to Benzie
Central in Division 3.
In Division 4, P-W was state
champs in 2008 ad runners-up the
next two seasons.
P-W’s girls held their own in
their meet with 22 points to take
eighth place.

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By JOHN RAFFEL
Clare finished runner-up to
Pewamo-Westphalia in the Division 3
state meet.
“On the guys side, it was one of
the greatest finishes in school history
with our Division 3 state runner-up
finish,” Clare coach Adam Burhans
said. “Athletes who believed and stuck
with the program chose to envision
that they could be one of the best
groups ever, and in the end, they were.
We normally would have won the
MHSAA state title with the number
of points we scored (47) but it was
a dogfight all day with Pewamo
Westphalia, perhaps their best team
ever, who tallied 57 on the day.
“People underestimate what it takes
to even score at this meet, let alone
that many points as a team. It normally
takes an elite athlete to score 1 point to
be All-State. To score that many on an
off-and-on rainy day against that level
of competition says a lot.”
These athletes were superb:
Andrew Klaus, career PR in the 3,200
(10:13.54). Neiko Ketchum (11-9) and
Ethan Reeves (12-9) vaulted well in a
non-stop rain. The 3200 relay team of
Connor Schmidt, Brayden Schmidt,
Kona Crump, and Andrew Klaus ran
their fastest time with that group of
guys (8:47.26).
The 400 Relay team of Mason Heintz,
Joey Bouchey, Jacob Halicek, and Ryan
Rodenbo ran the No. 4 time all-time
for our school (44.74).
The 800 Relay team of Jeffrey Schafer,
Jacob Halicek, Ryan Rodenbo, and
Keagen Paisley was state runner-up
and posted the No. 3 time all-time
(1:30.37).
Jake Punches was all-state in shot
put (51-3) and discus (151-5) — both
tosses ranking No. 6 all-time; and Brad
White had a banner day. . . establishing
three school records on the day: the
1600 (4:17.31), the 800 (1:53.16),
and as anchor of the state champion
1600 relay team of Owhin Thompson,
Jeffrey Schafer, Nic Porter, and White
(3:22.38).
Conan Weeks (sophomore) was state
champion in the long jump in 22 feet.
2.25 inches.

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Fulton-Middleton looking to continue success in 8-man football

Ovid-Elsie hopes to continue playoff run

Potterville looking forward to full season with improved numbers

Ashley Bears look to rebound after 4-5 season

The Pride is back in Alma High School football

Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart loaded up for big season in 8-man football

Slate promoted to head coach for Hemlock football

Veteran, talented Ithaca squad looking to take next step in playyoffs

P-W Boys Win Track State Title

Clare Boys Track Team Is Second At State Meet