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FALL REWIND
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BAD AXE FOOTBALL Hatchets narrowly miss 2019 playoffs During the 2019 season, the Bad Axe Hatchets football team struggled to find a consistent rhythm and narrowly missed the playoffs with a 4-5 record on the year. Throughout the season, senior athlete Jack Clancy kept the offense moving steadily along the ground with 18 rushing touchdowns, and wide receiver Cody Talaski, too, was a dangerous weapon for Bad Axe quarterback Vince Blackstock to utilize. With a 66-14 win over Vassar in Week 2, the Hatchets began the season 1-3 and could not climb back into the playoff hunt. Bad Axe did collect wins over Brown City, Reese and Caro during the second half of 2019, but the team ended up short of the postseason. Following the conclusion of the Hatchets’ season, head coach Kelly Durr resigned, citing a yearning to follow separate personal and professional goals.
BAD AXE CROSS COUNTRY
Hatchets rally around coach and his family One of the biggest challenges the Bad Axe cross country team faced in 2019 was off the course. Members of the cross country squad teamed up with parents to support Abigail Rochefort, the wife of Bad Axe cross country head coach Nick Rochefort. The team wore the supportive breast cancer shirts for the Division 3 Regional meet on Oct. 25.
BAD AXE VOLLEYBALL Clancy emerges as reliable member of volleyball team With head coach Chrissy Kaczuk at the helm, Bad Axe’s volleyball program went through the 2019 season looking to challenge their opponents and experience personal growth along the way, two goals that were achieved in spades. Sophomore Kate Clancy was a regular on the court for the Hatchets, and her emergence as a reliable player helped the team work cohesively together. Bad Axe ended up dropping a district semifinal match against Cass City 3-1, ultimately halting the Hatchets’ postseason hopes in the process.
FALL REWIND
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BAD AXE BOYS SOCCER
Hatchets make deep playoff run Under the guidance of head coach Adam Sutherland, the Bad Axe soccer program reached great heights in 2019 with a district championship to complement the team’s 12-5-3 season. The Hatchets made an appearance in the Regional finals before losing a 2-1 affair against Clarkston Everest to camp of the 2019 campaign. After the season wrapped up, midfielder
Nick Errer received thirdteam all-state honors for his performance, and both Jack Fitzpatrick and Mitchell Rowland landed on the all-state honorable mention team. Looking ahead to 2020, the Hatchets are slated to return everyone from the junior-loaded squad of this past season, so the future of the Bad Axe program is bright.
Congratulations on a great fall season!
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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2019
Eagles persevered through adversity
CASEVILLE FOOTBALL
In his first year as Caseville head coach, Sam Rogers knew that coaching the Eagles squad could turn out to be a challenging endeavor. However, Caseville’s roster dwindled throughout the season, as did Rogers’ coaching staff, which worked to provide additional hardship for the Eagles team in what was an 0-8 season complete with one forfeit. “I think you can always expect to face some sort of adversity in the 11 weeks you’ve got your team on the field,” Rogers said. “But the roster overhaul was a pretty unique challenge for my staff and me.” But Rogers’ team responded and bound together to issue strong performances each Friday night. In particular, Rogers credited quarterback Jake Kennedy as the driving force behind Caseville’s offense and commended the senior’s leadership throughout a trying season. And Rogers also felt lucky to coach a player like Nathan Dufty on defense, an athlete that embodies the toughness and durability that comes with playing football. Dufty and Kennedy helped to set strong examples all season, and the Caseville team followed in their footsteps.
CASEVILLE VOLLEYBALL
Short bench vexes volleyball team During the 2019 season, the Caseville volleyball team also battled against the reality of having a short bench with a small roster, but the Eagles fought hard all season before losing to North
Huron in a four-set Districts opener match. On the season, Emma Hopkins and Adrian Ewald received North Central Thumb League honorable mention awards for their effort.
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CASS CITY FOOTBALL
Red Hawks capture regional championship The Cass City football team had a record-setting run in 2019, a stretch that took Scott Cuthrell’s team all the way to the Division 7 state semifinals. Though the Red Hawks came up short of reaching the state title game, Cass City won its first District and Regional championship in program history with big wins over Laker and Detroit Loyola respectively. On offense, Cass City operated out of a run-heavy offense with a trio of gritty, talented athletes to tote the rock in Alex Perry, Jordan Mester and Hadyn Horne. In fact, Horne eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing threshold in the regular season,
and Cass City imposed its will on opponent after opponent during the year. Quarterback Sandyn Cuthrell also offered a dynamic element to the offense with his ability to pull the ball down and run for first downs when necessary. The Red Hawks defense, though, had a legendary midseason stretch. After the first week of the season, Cass City did not allow a single team to score double-digit points until the state semifinals contest. With such a swarming, aggressive defensive unit, the Red Hawks ripped off an 11-game win streak and formed one of the most formidable units in the Thumb.
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CASS CITY VOLLEYBALL Volleyball squad notches district win On the volleyball court, Cass City fielded a team that worked well as a unit and stuck together en route to a district semifinals victory over Bad Axe. After that, the Red Hawks lost to USA in the District finals, but Cass City had a strong year with several standout efforts from players such as Hailey Beckrow, Sierra Spry and Abbey Salcido. Early on in the season, Cass City participated in an invitational at Ogemaw Heights, and the team made it all the way to the tournament semifinals.
CASS CITY CROSS COUNTRY
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FALL REWIND
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DECKERVILLE FOOTBALL
Eagles’ offense established dominance early in 2019 The Deckerville football team opened up the 2019 season as one of the strongest 8-Player teams in the area, and the Eagles kept this reputation throughout their 9-0 regular season. With a peerless mark before postseason play, Deckerville shut out four teams during the regular season, helping to support an offense that averaged 44 points per game during 2019. Led by Isaac Keinath at quarterback, the Deckerville offense was highly successful in establishing its presence
on the ground early before luring defenses in to crowd the line of scrimmage. At that point, Keinath would attack over the top and initiate the passing game, one which yielded 14 receiving touchdowns for tight end Traiten Colesa on the season. This prolific connection helped Deckerville overpower their opponents with a balanced offensive approach. Eventually, the Eagles were upended during Round 2 of the postseason, losing 50-24 to a dominant Morrice team.
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DECKERVILLE VOLLEYBALL
Volleyball team competitive from start to finish in 2019 The Deckerville Eagles landed the most first-team selections out of any North Central Thumb school with three athletes representing the team. Addison Williams, Claire Watson and Ella Watson earned first-team honors for their hard work this season, and Deckerville head coach Jessie Heilig praised their hard work throughout the year. “Addison is an amazing athlete,” Heilig said. “She wasn’t just a setter but a
leader also. She blocked and made a lot of plays happen. Addison had a great serve that she worked hard on. She never gave up and played until the very end. The program will definitely miss her. Addison never missed a practice nor was late.” The Watson twins also provided a strong source of offensive firepower for the Eagles, and their balanced, defensively sound play helped the team challenge opponents all year.
DECKERVILLE SCHOOLS (810) 376-3615 2633 Black River St. Deckerville, MI
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LAKER FOOTBALL
Lakers fought through injuries to make playoffs During the 2019 season, the Laker program fought through untimely injuries midway through the season to not only qualify for the playoffs but reach the second round. With a 7-4 record on the year, Laker started off the season 3-0 with victories over Carrolton, Reese and Bad Axe. Though Laker did register four losses, each of these games were against teams that qualified for the playoffs, which includes Cass City twice, so Laker had a difficult strength of schedule to overcome. During the postseason, Laker faced a pass-heavy Madison Bishop Foley squad, and Laker succeeded in shutting down the opposing passing game on the way to a 56-19 win in Round 1.
LAKER BOYS SOCCER
LAKER VOLLEYBALL
Exchange student provides spark The Laker boys soccer team experienced a rough go during the 2019 season, but Spanish foreign exchange student Alvaro Brea-Diaz provided a host of excitement in the offensive end of the field. With a strong sense for the game, quick footwork and high-level vision, Brea-Diaz tended to make plays on his own before finding the back of the net. Brea-Diaz spent time at both forward and midfield, but Laker head coach Chad Craig moved Brea-Diaz into the midfield to create more touches for the talented player. This move paid dividends for the Lakers as Brea-Diaz grew accustomed to the style of play in the Thumb.
Squad headed in new direction with new coach With new head coach Dale Grifka assuming his role midway through the season, the Laker volleyball squad saw several players receive awards
on an individual level. After the year, senior JJ Talaski landed on the Greater Thumb West’s all-conference team for her efforts, and both senior Emma
Irion and senior Addison Paysek received honorable mention honors. The Laker team ended the year with a 1-11 record in league play.
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HARBOR BEACH FOOTBALL
Pirates rolled through 2019 before playoff exit The Harbor Beach football team opened up the 2019 season at a torrid pace. Early on, the Pirates jumped out to a 6-0 record with a handful of blowout victories along the way. As head coach, Troy Schelke led the Pirates to three shutouts in the first six weeks, and Harbor Beach averaged 43.3 points along the way. During that stretch, athlete Michael Anderson solidified himself as one of the more explosive players in the Thumb with 14 touchdowns and over 800 all-purpose yards on the year. Running back Devin Pfaff also used his hardnosed running style to move the chains with regularity. However, after Week 6 the Pirates offense began to slow down. Harbor Beach won its next four games to start the season 10-0, but the team averaged just over 26 points per game in that four-week stretch. After beating Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary 22-0 in Round 1 of the postseason, Harbor Beach hosted Ubly in Round 2, and the Bearcats prevailed in the rematch by a score of 34-20 to move on in the playoffs. “Overall, as a team we may not have achieved exactly what we wanted to this season, but I still think that we accomplished a lot, and it is still something to be proud of,� Anderson said.
michigansthumb.com
Pirates had lots of talent on court in 2019
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HARBOR BEACH VOLLEYBALL
This season, Harbor Beach had four first-team selections to pair with two second-team honors in the East Division. Among the first-teamers were Amber Pleiness as a middle hitter, Jenna Guza as an outside hitter, Makayla Roberts as a middle hitter and Claire Woodke as a libero. Kathryn Ocomen and Kirsten Stein earned second-team All-Conference honors. “Amber Pleiness was a strong all-around player last year, and I think she came out even stronger this year,” Harbor Beach head coach Stephanie Weiss said. “She came ready to be an impact player on the team, with her serve, defense, and especially her presence at the net.” On the season, Pleiness logged 278 kills, 309 digs and 64 blocks as a well-rounded asset on the Pirates roster. Woodke posted 427 digs on the season to complement her 93.6% serving rate. “Claire loves the game and as libero has an aggressive type of play, which gave us an edge on defense,” Weiss said. Stein was also the leading assist-collector on the team with 533 helpers on the year.
HARBOR BEACH BOYS SOCCER & CROSS COUNTRY
New coach leads team to district win In Jon Dimock’s first year as head coach of the program, the Pirates compiled a 5-12-3 record, but the team came into form as the postseason approached. With a tie two days before the start of the
districts opener, the Pirates welcomed Saginaw Nouvel to Harbor Beach with a thrilling 2-0 victory over the Panthers. The Pirates playoff luck ran out when Harbor Beach faced Bad Axe at home
in a match that went through both overtime periods and into a shootout. Eventually, the Hatchets came through from the penalty shot dot and moved onto the next round of the playoffs.
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FALL REWIND
NORTH HURON FOOTBALL
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Formidable defense leads Warriors to playoff win The North Huron football team made a habit of overcoming adversity, and the Warriors’ 2019 season is chalk full of examples as to what teamwork can create. To start the year, weather conditions forced North Huron to travel to Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart twice in two days to pick up the 14-6 road win. This game set the tone for what was a defensively responsible team under head coach Chad Knoblock. With Delvin Galleck roaming the defense, the Warriors posted two shutouts this past season and worked to limit offensive powerhouse Deckerville to only 18 points in Week 7. Such a strong defense helped put the North Huron offense in favorable positions on the field, and the team’s rushing attack, led by Brad Hoody, helped pick up a 44-12 win in Round 1 of the playoffs over Peck. However, North Huron’s postseason kick ended in Round 2 with a 51-16 loss to Portland St. Patrick.
NORTH HURON VOLLEYBALL
Warriors undefeated in league play
With head coach Lauren Fischer orchestrating the team, North Huron pieced together an undefeated record during North Central Thumb League play. In the Stripes Division, Mollie Zaleski, Patricia Pineau, Karrigan Schipinski and Abi Ornowski earned first-team allleague honors on the season. With 563 assists on the season, Zaleski is what Fischer called “an unsung hero,” and her play this year shows what a team-first mentality truly means. “Mollie has a will to win,” Fischer said. “She knows the game and was a great setter for the team… Her spirit is what gave us an edge this year.” In particular, Fischer highlighted Zaleski’s effort during the second half of the season after a fourset victory over Caseville in early November. “Mollie’s want to win is contagious,” Fischer highlighted.
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OWENDALE-GAGETOWN FOOTBALL
Injuries plagued hard-luck Bulldogs
During head coach Vince Scelfo’s first season as head coach of the Bulldogs program, Owen-Gage had a tumultuous year that was filled with a quite a few ups and downs. From a positive standpoint, the Bulldogs picked up two wins on the season by defeating Carsonville-Port Sanilac 28-28 and Caseville 58-30. These were bright spots in a season marred by injuries and, consequently, forfeits. Owen-Gage was forced to forfeit five times in 2019, leading to only two losses picked up from actual gameplay. Depth was clearly an issue for the Bulldogs program, but Scelfo was always proud of his team’s effort, their will to win and ability to remain positive despite ample adversity.
OWENDALE-GAGETOWN VOLLEYBALL
6 Bulldogs had all-league seasons On the hardwood volleyball court, Owendale-Gagetown was efficient in its utilization of the Bulldogs’ 2019 squad. Despite a limited roster from a numbers standpoint, head coach Kathy Champagne coached six players toward
All-League seasons. Libby Ondrajka earned first-team North Central Thumb honors, and Aaliyah Gonzales was a member of the second team. Owen-Gage had four players make the honorable mention squad, which is as
follows: Maddy Haldane, Carly Haldane, Allison Haldane and Amber Haldane. These players helped carry the Bulldogs’ team during the season and were rewarded for their standout performances.
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UBLY FOOTBALL
2019 a year to remember for Bearcats football This past season, the Ubly football team exceed the expectations many had placed on the Bearcats entering 2019. With Casey Sweeney at quarterback, Ubly started its season 4-0 before running into a tough 4-0 Harbor Beach team in Week 5, but this meeting helped give the Bearcats a blueprint on how to defeat the Pirates in a future postseason matchup. After Week 5, Ubly secured wins over Marlette, Brown City and Capac to secure its playoff position, but the Bearcats saved their best ball for last. First, Ubly downed USA in the playoffs by a score of 30-8. Next, Ubly took down Harbor Beach 34-20 in a highly anticipated road rematch to win a District championship. After that, a six-touchdown outing from Carson Heleski allowed for the Bearcats to defeat Saginaw Nouvel in Round 3 for the Regional title. Ubly’s luck would eventually run out in the state semifinals against Beal City, but the program put together a year to remember in what would be head coach Bill Sweeney’s final year on the sidelines.
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UBLY VOLLEYBALL
Ubly volleyball claims district, regional titles Like the football program, the Ubly volleyball team peaked later in the season and put together a strong playoff push. With Allison Lautner and Lindsey Guza fueling the Ubly offense as middle hitters, the Bearcats took home a District title with a postseason win over North Huron.
“Allison has really come on this year as a dynamic force in the middle,” Ubly head coach Aaron Mueller said. “She has taken over many games as an impact player with outstanding hitting and blocking.” However, Ubly continued to find its rhythm as Mueller’s squad pulled
off victories over Dryden and Genesee Christian, locking up a Regional championship in the process. Eventually, Ubly ran into a strong Southfield Christian team that would advance over Ubly to the state semifinals. On the season, Lautner recorded 293 kills, 49 digs, 38 aces and 34
blocks on the year, while Guza posted 171 kills and 41 blocks during 2019. “Lindsey Guza is an impact player,” Mueller said. “She is a 6-foot middle that can dominate the net on offense and defense. Lindsey is very agile and is getting better and better with time.”
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USA CROSS COUNTRY
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USA BOYS SOCCER
USA boys second at state finals During the 2019 season, head coach Mike Peter had a team full of strong runners that stuck together and really worked to encourage each other during training. This connection between the runners on the Patriots’ squad helped push the team to a second-place finish at the Division 4 state finals. “It’s been nice
because the culture of our boys team is very strong,” Peter said. “They spend a lot of time together at school. They spend a lot of time together out of practice. I think all of that connection and brotherhood really makes them strong and connected. It pushes them to run along that pack in meets. To run in a pack, I think
they’re so much stronger.” At the states meet, USA’s Bentley Alderson finished 16th, Bryce Langmaid checked in at 22nd place, Ty Pavlichek had a 38th-place time, Jacob Vanhove finished in 53rd, David Khoury 54th and Tyler Aleksink was 150th. This group of athletes helped USA find success all season long.
USA VOLLEYBALL
Patriots earn Team of Year honors The USA Patriots volleyball team had a slow start to the season but really picked up momentum as the 2019 slate of matches moved along. On Nov. 2, the USA squad picked up an energizing win in a weekend invitational at Fowlerville, and this victory helped provide additional confidence heading into the postseason. With Grace William-
son and Brynn Polega operating as dominant middle hitters, the Patriots snagged wins over Harbor Beach, Laker and Cass City before claiming the District championship. However, USA’s season ended in the regional finals after a sweep to Saginaw Valley Lutheran. As a result of the team’s success this year, the Thumb
Sportswriters Association named USA as the volleyball Team of the Year, head coach Teresa Rose as the Coach of the Year and Williamson as the Team of the Year. “She has been a very dominant player for us,” Rose said of Williamson. “She plays all the way around and is one of our go-to girls. She has great net sense and works hard.”
USA reaches district finals With an 18-5-2 record on the year, the USA Patriots boys soccer team brought home some hardware in 2019 with a share of the league championship. Looking to add to the regular-season
title, USA picked up postseason victories over Caro and Frankenmuth before running into an athletic, experienced Flint Powers Catholic team in the district finals, which ended as a 4-0
USA loss. Despite this result, USA head coach Kevin Kuhl was proud of his senior-filled team, which will be a challenge to replace next year in what is expected to be an junior-laden team.
USA FOOTBALL
USA earns playoff berth Placing a premium on strength of schedule, the USA Patriots had perhaps the most difficult three-game stretch to open 2019 out of any team in the Thumb. In Week 1, USA suffered a 28-6 loss on the road to Ubly, an effort that the Patriots followed up with a 13-8 loss to Cass
City. After those early season pitfalls, USA compiled a four-game winning streak behind quality play from its rushing attack. With a strong rushing game that wore teams out as the game went on, the Patriots averaged 43.5 points from Weeks 3 to 6.
USA added wins over Vassar and Brown City before beginning the playoffs with a rematch against Ubly. In that contest, the Patriots were unable to defeat the Bearcats in the second meeting of the two teams, falling by a score of 30-8.
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FALL 2019 HIGHLIGHTS
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FALL REWIND
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YOUR BEST CHOICE IN PRIMARY CARE FAMILY PRACTICE
PEDIATRICS
CARRIE FRANZEL, FNP-BC
NICK HIMMEL, PA-C
CHARLES CHRISTENSEN, DO
1011 S. Van Dyke Bad Axe (989) 269-5258
2269 Main St. Ubly (989) 658-2159
1060 S. Van Dyke Bad Axe (989) 269-7775
INTERNAL MEDICINE MARTHA KOGLIN, PA-C
RICHARD LOCKARD, MD
YASIR BABIKER, MD
24 E. Spring St. Pt. Austin (989) 738-5222
6 N. Main St. Elkton (989) 375-2273
Internal Medicine & Pediatrics 1060 S. Van Dyke Bad Axe (989) 269-7606
OSMAN MUKHTAR, MD
SHANNON NOWISKI, FNP
SHIRLEY JAKUBEC, MD
2269 Main St. Ubly (989) 658-2159
233 State Street Harbor Beach (989) 479-3111
6 N. Main St. Elkton (989) 375-2273
BEHZOD ROSTAM, MD
JAIME TAN, MD
SCOTT MASON, PA-C
1080 S. Van Dyke Bad Axe (989) 493-9327
233 State Street Harbor Beach (989) 479-3111
1080 S. Van Dyke Bad Axe (989) 269-6048