Fall Sports Preview 2019

August 23, 2019

Tribune FALL SPORTS Huron

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2019

FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

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Members of the Bad Axe varsity football team are, front row, from left, Brandon McAlpine, Caleb Guigar, Logan Stark, Lane Weitenberner, Ben Thompson, Jack Fischer and Chandler Kady; middle row, Drew Bucholtz, Carson Affer, Jack Clancy, Vinny Blackstock, Luke Sobczak, Luke Schember and Connor Janssen; back row, Cody Talaski, Jensen Emerick, Michael Messing, Toby MacPhee, Michael Erla, Cody Bailey and Micah Gordon. (Eric Rutter/Huron Daily Tribune)

Bad Axe football eyes playoff appearance this fall

BY ERIC RUTTER Tribune Sports Writer BAD AXE — Last season, the Bad Axe football program relied heavily on a large group of younger players to lead the program to a 4-5 record.

Despite narrowly missing the playoffs, the Hatchets outscored their opponents by a 268-239-point margin, which is a positive indicator for the future.

Additionally, Bad Axe harnessed its offensive firepower for three different 40-plus point performances in 2018, including a season-high 63-point outpouring week seven against Reese.

These productive outbursts show what Bad Axe can accomplish when its offense is firing on all cylinders, and the Hatchets have continued to work on installing its playbook throughout the first two weeks of fall practice.

“I think we are narrowing in on getting our whole offensive package put in,” head coach Kelly Durr said.

So far, the Hatchets, who have 22 players in practice, have covered a lot of ground, and Durr suspects the efficiency of fall ball speaks to the amount of returning contributors on the Bad Axe squad.

“It’s been absolutely huge for us, especially with the cohesiveness on the offensive side of the ball,” Durr said.

“We’ve been able to plug in almost the entire starting look that we had last year. Those guys, having a whole second year communicating with one another and blocking with one another just makes things go a lot smoother.”

And Durr said the step-up in continuity is palpable on both sides of the football.

“To install some of the stuff that we’ve installed in the past, offensively it just seems to be flowing better because those guys have a grasp on it,” Durr said. “We’ve been doing it for, I think this is now our third or fourth year running this offense. They are getting more comfortable with it for sure.”

See HATCHETS, Page 20

Members of the Bad Axe soccer team are, front row, from left, Jordan Booms, Jordan Osentoski, Matt Osentoski, Clark Wehner, Tate Gordon and Cordell Prich; middle row, Aaron Sowles, Jacob Maxson, Reece Rapson, Mitchell Rowland, Nick Errer, Brett Campbell and Nick MacAlpine; back row, Noah Kervin, Bradley Howard, Dante Knarian, Connor Etzel, Brady Talaski, Liam Boyle, Jack Fitzpatrick and Kai Whipple. (Eric Rutter/Huron Daily Tribune) Members of the Bad Axe cheerleading team are, front row, from left, Samantha Zick, Brittany Scoviac, Amber Hiller, Nadine Nelson, Danielle Jones, Emma Kociba and Elyse Green; back row, Kara Cummings, Avery Budzisz, Amber Wolschlager, Joshua Turner, Bethanie Engel, Genna Rathje and Emily Maring.

(Eric Rutter/Huron Daily Tribune)

FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2019

BAD AXE HATCHETS 4-5 IN 2018 2018 Season Review Harbor Beach 20-34 L Vassar* 50-14 W EPBP* 18-26 L USA* 20-8 W Brown City 43-14 W Cass City* 20-50 L Reese* 63-31 W Caro* 14-32 L Sandusky 20-30 L

Members of the Bad Axe varsity volleyball team are, front row from left, Eva Engel, Laken Rosenthal, Alayna Engler, Kate Clancy, Imola Petved and Danielle Cubitt; back row, Laken Chapin, Ellee Weitenberner, Nicole Yageman, Camryn Affer, Haley Miller, Marissa Brown and Kali Capling-Pechette. (Eric Rutter/Huron Daily Tribune) Members of the Bad Axe cross country team are (front row from left) Franziska Gunther, Madelyn Laskowski, Jelena Prescott, Kara Cummings, Emma Kociba and Bailea Kohler (back row) Logan Kociba, Ethan Kent, Erik Kent, Nicholas Kent and Eli Buss.

(Eric Rutter/ Huron Daily Tribune)

GTW Record: 3-3 Points for: 268 (29.8) Points against: 239 (26.6) *League game 2019 Schedule Aug. 30 vs. Harbor Beach Sept. 6 at Vassar* Sept. 13 vs. EPBP* Sept. 20 at USA* Sept. 27 at Brown City Oct. 4 vs. Cass City* Oct. 11 at Reese* Oct. 18 vs. Caro* Oct. 25 at Sandusky *League game

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2019

FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

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Members of the Cass City varsity football team are, front row, from left, Tristan Swiderski, Jordan Mester, Justin Miller, Daniel Medina and Kyle Jordan; second row, from left, Bryce Fernald, Alex Perry, Hadyn Horne, Gary Janik, Collen Wrubel, Dustin Naegele and Cameron Kaake; third row, from left, Jeremy Velasquez, Joseph Zietz, Jacob Shantz, Caden Caister, Hunter Caister and Noah Zaleski; fourth row, from left, Ryan DeLong, Connor Herford, assistant coach Tavis Osentowski, coach Scott Cuthrell, Logan Boynton and Sandyn Cuthrell. (Eric Rutter/ Huron Daily Tribune)

Cass City adding new methods to past success

BY ERIC RUTTER Tribune Sports Writer CASS CITY — During 2018, head coach Scott Cuthrell helped the Red Hawks accomplish an exciting milestone for the program.

As a result of last year’s 8-3 record, Cass City won the Greater Thumb West championship, which was an important benchmark for the Red Hawks team.

This fall, Cass City is angling to reach greater heights in 2019.

“I think our goal is definitely to be in the hunt, and we are defending that,” assistant junior varsity coach Kyle Pine said. “So, finishing at the top and defending the conference title is a goal.

Obviously again, (the) long-term goal is (that) our school, we’ve never won a district championship, so I know that’s another goal that we’re trying to get back to, that district title game where we fell short last year.”

With such lofty expectations, the Cass City football team has kept working relentlessly throughout the offseason. During the summer months, Cuthrell’s team participated in multiple camps designed to sharpen the squad’s offensive skills and defensive coverage responsibilities.

“We are fortunate enough, coach Ross is a guy on our staff, he was a player at Northwood University, so he has some connections there,” Pine said. “We were able to go to a camp at Northwood. We did some 7-on-7 there versus Carrollton High School and Bay City John Glenn, which I thought was very beneficial for our kids. Then we did our own two-day camp here as well,

Members of the Cass City volleyball team are, front row, Hailey Beckrow, Tiana Tageson, Abby Phillips and Macey White; second row, Taylor Cumper, Madison Cumper, Abbey Salcido, Dawson Klein and Emma Hunt; third row, Haven Bouverette, Sierra Spry, Madilyn Tschirhart and Tiara Anthony. (Eric Rutter/ Huron Daily Tribune) which was very important to the JV kids.”

At the moment, the Red Hawks have 24 members on its varsity team.

For the junior varsity contingent, the roster number is 15-16. As with any season that may stretch into the playoffs, maintaining a healthy roster

deep in the schedule can prove to be the difference between victory and defeat.

In order to keep the Cass City players healthy, the program is working with a new program, Lighthouse, for the first time. Lighthouse is an innovative system designed to track players’ baseline

responses to different balance and cognizance tests. Logging these numbers pre-season will help the team make proper decisions regarding concussion testing should that issue pop up during the fall.

See RED HAWKS, Page 5

FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2019

5

CASS CITY RED HAWKS 8-3 IN 2018 2018 Season Review Montrose 22-48 L USA* 42-24 W Marlette 40-14 W EPBP* 36-12 W Vassar* 54-12 W Bad Axe* 50-20 W Caro* 64-39 W Reese* 42-7 W Ubly 6-20 L Sandusky** 32-28 W N. Lothrop** 20-44 L

Members of the Cass City boys cross country team are, front row, from left, Thomas Muter, Hugh Walker, Gabe Schwendinger, Kevin Estrella, Lucas Swiderski and Drew Markel; Brandon Witherspoon, Justin Schufele, Andrew Venema, Anthony Boscaglia and coach Jon Zdrojewski. (Eric Rutter/ Huron Daily Tribune)

GTW Record: 6-0 (League champion) Points for: 400 (37.1) Points against: 268 (24.4) *League game **Playoff game 2019 Schedule 8/29 vs. Montrose 9/6 vs. USA* 9/13 at Marlette 9/20 at EPBP* 9/27 vs. Vassar* 10/4 at Bad Axe* 10/11 vs. Caro* 10/18 at Reese* 10/25 vs. Ubly *League game

Members of the Cass City girls cross country team are, front row, from left, Madison Ware, Chloe Jaworski, Amelia Weiler and Riley Copeland; second row, from left, Mia Wright, Marla Muter, Mary Muter and coach Jon Zdrojewski. (Eric Rutter/ Huron Daily Tribune)

RED HAWKS Continued from Page 4 “(Lighthouse) contacted us,” Cass City athletic director Lindsay Bitzer said. “They have a new program they’re trying to kick off with local schools in order to provide some

education around concussion management. We always have a trainer on the sideline in games, and what that trainer lacks is understanding of how kids perform pre-concussion.”

With a bolstered medical strategy to treat difficult-to-diagnose concussion injuries, Cass City is taking

every opportunity to improve its team heading into the fall.

At this stage, much of that improvement occurs on the practice field in the early stages of fall team work.

“I think at this stage, coach Cuthrell talks a lot about getting better every day,” Pine said. “Obviously, at first there’s a little bit of a learning

curve, but you get better every day and use maximum effort.”

First on the Cass City schedule is Montrose Hill-McCloy, a team that advanced to the Division VI state semifinals in 2018. The Red Hawks will travel on the road for that contest, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 29.

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2019

FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

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Members of the Deckerville varsity football team are, front row, from left, team manager Cooper Brown, Zach Ellington, Ethan Bowerman, Juan Carlos Ibarra, Tyler Noll, Connor Lamont and Issac Keinath; second row, from left, Dan Brown, Traiten Colesa, Carson Benjey, Richie Oldenbug, Jacan Ciscke, Cody Franzel, Justin Trigger, Ian Espinoza, Travis Trigger and Trevor Osborne. (Eric Rutter/Huron Daily Tribune)

Deckerville retools after deep playoff run Coach Bill Brown looking to continue last year’s success with football program

BY ERIC RUTTER Tribune Sports Writer DECKERVILLE— In 2018, the Deckerville Eagles football program advanced to the second round of the 8-man Division I playoffs.

While reaching the postseason on a regular basis is a colossal achievement, head coach Bill Brown says such success also comes paired with a few disadvantages, such as the physical toll a deep playoff bid can have on a team.

Due to that reality, the Deckerville squad is taking a gradual approach into the leadup of the 2019 season.

“We kind of have been playing in November the last few years, and it’s a real long season, so we ended up not doing any 7-on-7s,” coach Brown said.

“We have weights three days a week and have had pretty good participation. The main thing is getting numbers right now.”

In terms of numbers, the Eagles program has 28 student athletes spread across the nine-12 grades.

Returning at quarterback is Isaac Keinath, who will be in his third year as a starter.

Keinath will be protected by two all-staters on the offensive line in Justin and Travis Trigger, and all three figure to play crucial roles this season.

Given the football team’s plentiful turnout this season, Brown spoke to the depth his team will field this coming fall after registering an 8-3 campaign in 2018.

“We are going to move a few sophomores up to play,” Brown said. “It’s about where we kind of thought we were going to be. We lost a few kids, we lost a couple to graduation and we had one kid move, so we have some nice young kids

Members of the Deckerville volleyball football team are, front row, from left, Kaylyn Kappen, Aubre Cashman-Brown, Lauren Flanagan, Karly Kappen and RayAnn Thompson; back row, from left, coach Jessie Heilig, Ella Watson, Addison Williams, Emma Beaver, Claire Watson and Mickaela Warczinsky. (Thumb Sportswriters Association) who will have to step up and play some roles for us.”

Last year, Deckerville posted 50-point outings on five separate occasions, which speaks to the success of the school’s Wing-T formation.

The Eagles return several components to on that side of the ball, namely third-year starting quarterback Keinath.

Joining Keinath as skilled position players in the Deckerville offense are tailback Carlos Ibarra and fullback Connor Lamont, who coach Brown highlighted as import-

ant figures on offense as well.

In front of that trio will be the two returning all-state linemen Triggers, and those five athletes will heavily factor into what many hope will be another postseason appearance this fall.

Deckerville breaks into its 2019 schedule with a home non-conference matchup against Ashley, a school that posted a 2-7 record at the conclusion of the 2018 slate.

The Eagles will kickoff that matchup at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 29.

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DECKERVILLE EAGLES 8-3 IN 2018

FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2019

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Members of the Deckerville boys cross country team are, front row, from left, Chase Simkiss, Kendall Dumaw, Javier (javi) Valencia Sanchez, Aaron Wilcox, Riley Regentin and Adam Eugster; back row, from left, Trevor Barker, Brett Dumaw, Ben Moeller, Brett Tanton and Tyler Park. (Thumb Sportswriters Association)

2018 Season Review IA of Flint 40-0 W Morrice 14-34 L MPSH 12-22 L Genesee 56-8 W Kingston* 38-20 W Dryden* 52-8 W Mayville* 50-20 W North Huron* 50-0 W Peck* 20-8 W Kingston** 54-16 W Au Gres-Sims 28-72 L NCTL Blue Record: 5-0 (League champion) Points for: 414 (37.6) Points against: 208 (18.9) League game* Playoff game** 2019 Schedule 8/29 vs. Ashley 9/6 at Genesee 9/13 vs. Sacred Heart 9/20 at IA of Flint 9/27 at Burton Atherton* 10/4 at Marlette* 10/11 at North Huron* 10/18 at Kingston* 10/25 vs. Peck *League game

Members of the Deckerville girls cross country team are Allison Lapp, Kaylee Wagester, Abigail Sanford and Sophia Sanford.

Not pictured is Leah Trigger. (Thumb Sportswriters Association)

Members of the Deckerville cheerleading squad are, from left, front row, Lola Fortushniak, Charlotte Matthews, Angelina Wagester and Gabriela Kimura; back row, from left, coach Janee Schmidt, Olivia Laviolette, Tare Esther Schmoll, Aubre Cashman-Brown, Aliana Fetterhoff and coach Chastity Franzel. (Thumb Sportswriters Association)

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2019

FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

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Members of the Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port varsity football team are, front row, from left, Jared Chandler, Mason Dubs, Jared Reiter, Noah Vaughn, Ethan Wissner, Logan Collison-Russell, Bryce Sears and Zac Kretzschmer; middle row, Mason Williams, Collin Schuette, Colton Overvidez, Garet Bowles, Gage Brownell, Dalton Horetski, Garrett Fritz and Jaden Eichler; back row, Hunter Keim, Anthony Sheridon, Dawson Gnagey, Blake Smithers, Westin Bowles, Jax McCabe and JT Warren. (Eric Rutter/Huron Daily Tribune)

Lakers to field youthful teams this fall

BY ERIC RUTTER Tribune Sports Writer PIGEON — On the football field, the Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port squad put together a combination of effective offense and smothering defense last year. The Lakers finished 2018 with a 7-3 record, and head coach Stephen VerBurg is preparing his team for another successful season this fall.

“We’re just perfecting our craft and getting better at what we need to do with our base offense, defensive and special teams skills,” VerBurg said.

By sticking to that recipe, Lakers won four games by at least 30 points a year ago. These large victories helped catapult the program to the Division VII playoffs in 2018.

In addition to that point disparity, Lakers held four teams to 10 points or less, an impressive feat that can be attributed to the many hard-working faces on the EPBP sideline.

“My staff does an outstanding job getting our kids prepared,” VerBurg said. “Our kids play defense very well.

We keep our scheme really simple, so they play fast and I think we work on our fundamental tackling all the time.”

By sticking to this measured approach, Lakers have also established a consistent approach that will hopefully bleed into work ethic.

“We have a very business-like attitude,” VerBurg said. “Kids know what to expect, they get to work, we improve and then we learn and move on.”

This year, VerBurg anticipates a more youthful squad than he’s had in past seasons. To help ease the transition of younger athletes into playing time, Lakers are fixing their sights on a season-opening non-conference

“My staff does an outstanding job getting our kids prepared. Our kids play defense very well. We keep our scheme really simple, so they play fast and I think we work on our fundamental tackling all the time.”

Stephen VerBurg Lakers varsity head football coach game against Carrollton High School, a team that finished 1-8 the year prior.

“To be honest, we worry about our week one game, which is Carrolton,” VerBurg said. “That’s all we’re focused on.”

By taking this week-by-week approach, Lakers will concentrate on limiting mistakes and giving each team its full effort. This approach paid dividends during conference play last year as the Lakers finished 5-1 in the Greater Thumb West.

Laker football will enter its conference schedule during week two when the school will host Reese at home at 7 p.m. on Sept. 6. This game is part of a three-week streak of home contests for Lakers to open the 2019 slate of games.

VOLLEYBALL PROGRAM RELOADS After a successful 2018 campaign, the Laker volleyball team has room to reload for the fall. Lakers graduated eight seniors over the offseason, which puts the team in a position to rebuild, but the returning players bring a high degree of leadership to the squad as well.

Last year, Lakers boasted four all-conference seniors. Now, the program will look to transition a new crop of talented athletes into those now-vacant spots in hope of produc-

ing similar results.

“I have a lot of dependable players,” head coach Renee Repkie said.

“I have a lot of leadership. When I looked at my group, that’s what I wanted. I have a lot of leaders.”

When examining the important characteristics that a team must exemplify, Repkie knows the important role that having on-court leaders can be. For those who look to take the step toward leadership, work is required year-round, and Laker volleyball has a batch of leaders on its roster in 2019.

Coach Repkie says the varsity volleyball squad had a “really good” offseason, though, which includes a productive stretch of fall practices so far.

“We are working on defense,” Repkie said. “We are working hard on defense and being able to get to a lot more balls than we’ve been to before.”

This defensive-minded strategy speaks to why the defensive specialists will play crucial roles for Lakers this fall, said Repkie, who also indicated the defensive specialists are paying dividends for her strikers as well.

“Our key position is going to be defensive specialist,” Repkie said.

“Our hitters will be able to be prepared a lot from our defensive specialists and how we’ll be able to run

tempo after that.”

Repkie says the team will name captains after the first tournament of the season. But until that time, the volleyball program is taking working to refine the sets and formations it looks to employ this fall.

“We have different sets that we’ll run,” Repkie said. “We’ll work on those in practice. We probably won’t ramp up a whole lot more than we did last year, just depending on how our season is going and where we’ll take the next steps.”

LAKERS SOCCER STUMBLES IN FIRST TWO MATCHES Over the offseason, the Laker soccer team suffered a handful of unexpected departures, but head coach Chad Craig is filling in the pieces.

“We have five seniors, so we’re split between that and our younger players,” Craig said. “We’ve got some younger players playing some more minutes than we thought they were going to be.”

So far, the Lakers have played in two matches but have3 yet to record the season’s first victory.

In the 2019 opener, EPBP suffered a 3-0 loss to Marlette on the road.

This past Wednesday, Lakers hosted Memphis at home but were defeated by a 5-1 margin.

Still, coach Craig sees several positives from the team’s early season performance.

“I like the fact that our guys are really trying to play possession,” Craig said. “They’re trying to find a lot of passes to keep control of the ball. I thought we did a good job in terms of that and being able to advance the ball into the middle of the field and build an attack.”

The Lakers will look to rebound from a 0-2 start moving forward.

FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2019

9

EPBP LAKERS 7-3 IN 2018 2018 Season Review Hudson 36-6 W Reese* 54-14 W Bad Axe* 26-18 W Cass City* 12-36 L Caro* 26-8 W USA* 36-8 W Vassar* 66-8 W Memphis 40-0 W Harbor Beach 0-20 L New Lathrop** 12-55 L

Members of the Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port varsity volleyball team are (front row from left) Jordyn Wisenbaugh, Savannah Beachy, Sydney Richmond, Lanea Rosa, Kyle Bowles and Kaitlin Brown (back row) head coach Renee Repkie, Maddie Wisenbaugh, Jaelyn Talaski, Kennedy Randall, Emma Irion, Leah Truemner, Mandy Arnott and Addison Pasek. (Eric Rutter/ Huron Daily Tribune) Members of the Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port cross country team are (from left) Alex Smith, Maya Viers, Jacquelyn Good, Eric McArdle and head coach Mike Klosowski.

(Eric Rutter/Huron Daily Tribune)

GTW Record: 5-1 Points for: 296 (29.6) Points against: 173 (17.3) *League game **Playoff game 2019 Schedule 8/29 at Carrollton 9/6 vs. Reese* 9/13 at Bad Axe* 9/20 vs. Cass City* 9/27 at Caro* 10/4 at USA* 10/11 vs. Vassar* 10/18 at Memphis 10/25 vs. Harbor Beach *League game

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10

FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2019

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FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

Members of the Harbor Beach varsity football team are, front row, from left, Dakota Deer, Evan Smaglinski, Jacob Kirsch, Devin Pfaff, Nathan Siemen, Michael Anderson, Ethan Hessling and Jeff Oakley; second row, from left, Parker Jahn, Mason Booms, Zivko Cirovski, Elliott Siemen, Dylan Kadar, Cayden Boynton, Grant Smaglinski, Benjamin Roggenbuck and Luke Woodke. (Mark Birdsall/Huron Daily Tribune)

Harbor Beach aiming to repeat success in 2019 Pirates look to field two strong teams once again in multiple sports

BY ERIC RUTTER Tribune Sports Writer HARBOR BEACH — On the gridiron, Harbor Beach saw two iterations of its football team in 2018.

At first, the Pirates relied on the offensive side of the ball to help the team rack up wins en route to an 11-2 record. Harbor Beach scored 30 or more points in six of its first seven contests, which helped bolster an eventual 244-point advantage for the Pirates by season’s end.

Towards the middle of the schedule, however, Harbor Beach saw its defensive unit take the reins and guide the program to another deep playoff run. In doing so, the Pirates shut out three teams while holding another three schools to 10 points or less, both signs of a dominant defense.

“A few years ago we didn’t have a good defense, then two years ago we made tremendous strides,” head coach Troy Schelke said.

“Last year we improved a lot, and I think last year if you look at our first two or three games, we weren’t very good. By the end of the year we were a tough, hard-nosed defense. We’d like to start at a little higher level and improve.”

Schelke says the defense played an instrumental role in shaping the team’s deep playoff run.

“We had that run last year where we held USA to maybe to one score,” Schelke said.

“Then Sandusky and Lakers we shut out, then we had a real good playoff run defensively. So, I thought in those six or seven games, we were really top-notch defensively.”

And in order to maintain that level of success this coming fall, Schelke envisions a collaborative effort from several position groups.

“If we are going to be any good, our offensive line has

Members of the Harbor Beach boys soccer team are, from left, front row, Ethan Woodke, Sean Hessling, Caleb Hunter, Adam Booms, Tyler Holdwick and Ethan Pawlowski; second row, from left, Santiago Christizabal, Alex Boltiador, Mitchel Karg, Dwayne Idnay, Brendan Roberts, Nolan Rick and Kade Roggenbuck; third row, from left, Carter Messing, Cody Volmering, Jayson Siemen and Camron Lewens.

(Mark Birdsall/Huron Daily Tribune) to play well,” Schelke said.

“You can’t play good offense without good offensive line.

Right with that, defensive line play is going to be huge, too. We have some experience from the back, and then we’ll have to work in some young bucks. I think our skill positions are pretty good with the ability to get a lot better as we move on here.”

In particular, the Pirates will need a mighty contribution from several returning players. Two-way starter Mike Anderson, identified as a “real leader” by Schelke, will once again man the quarterback position this fall.

Anderson will often receive company in the backfield from Devin Pfaff, who spent time at running back and linebacker in 2018.

Schelke said he was “one of the better” running backs in the area and rose to similar ranks as a linebacker by the

season’s conclusion.

Another player that can serve the role of an X factor for Harbor Beach in 2019 is Nathan Siemen, a returning senior who was felled by injury last year but brings a high degree of athleticism to the field when healthy.

“He can kind of be a guy that really steps up for us as a senior,” Schelke said.

Regarding the offensive line, Schelke has four players pegged as key blockers this fall who have all worked hard to improve over the offseason in the weightroom: Evan Smaglinski, Jacob Kirsch, Jeff Oakley and Zivko Cirovski.

“They were a real solid line last year,” Schelke said.

The 2018 season, which featured a 10-game winning streak and a trip to the Division VIII state semifinals, helped set the tone for a program that’s long been strong under Schelke’s leadership.

Schelke stressed that the

team is focused on one game at a time and will not be distracted by season-long goals.

Given that approach, the Bad Axe Hatchets have Harbor Beach’s full attention as the two programs clash for a season-opening bout on Friday, Aug. 30, at 7 p.m.

To start, Amber Pleiness is a middle hitter who earned first team all-conference honors in 2018 and brings a lot to the table for this year’s Pirates team. “(Pleiness) has worked to be more aggressive and smarter with her hits, can turn the ball anywhere, (is) a strong jump server and is very aggressive on defense, too,” Weiss said.

Harbor Beach returns three other all-conference Much like the football players with Makayla Robsquad, the Harbor Beach erts and Katherine Ocomen volleyball program perearning second-team honors formed well in 2018, and the while Kirsten Stein earned team’s success can be traced third-team honors herself. back to ninth-year coach These seniors combine Stephanie Weiss. with three other returnWeiss, who guided the ing 12th-graders to form a team to a 33-7-2 record last group of seven that Weiss year, will be tasked with sees as key heading into the replacing three “very solid” fall schedule. players from last year’s The Pirates open the 2019 team, but the Pirates head season on the road against coach sees several returning North Branch in a varsity seniors that are ready to quad-team meet at 5 p.m. on lead Harbor Beach this fall.

Aug. 28.

VOLLEYBALL TEAM RETURNS SEVERAL ALL-CONFERENCE PLAYERS

FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2019

11

HARBOR BEACH PIRATES 11-2 IN 2018 2018 Season Review Bad Axe 34-20 W Marlette* 14-20 (OT) L Capac* 50-14 W Brown City* 46-8 W Ubly* 36-28 W Memphis* 49-14 W USA 40-6 W Sandusky* 20-0 W EPBP 20-0 W Saginaw Nouvel** 26-6 W Ubly** 28-26 (3OT) W Flint Beecher** 35-0 W Breckenridge** 0-12 L

Members of the Harbor Beach cross country team are, front row, from left, Tessa Emerick, Paige Anderson, Hannah Emerick, Kayla Klee and Makara Kramer; second row, from left, Luke Bulgrien, Isaiah Learman, Seanluke Bendey, Matthew Halifax and coach Debbie Anderson. (Mark Birdsall/Huron Daily Tribune)

GTE Record: 5-1 (League champion) Points for: 398 (30.6) Points against: 154 (11.8) *League game **Playoff game 2019 Schedule 8/30 at Bad Axe 9/6 vs. Marlette* 9/13 at Capac* 9/20 vs. Brown City* 9/27 at Ubly* 10/4 vs. Memphis* 10/11 vs. USA 10/18 at Sandusky* 10/25 at EPBP *League game

Members of the Harbor Beach volleyball team are, front row, from left, Taryn Arntz, Claire Woodke, Kathryn Ocomen and Amber Pleiness; second row, from left, Kirsten Stein, Jenna Guza, Katrna Gentner, Makayla Roberts, Maya Pfaff, Leandra Woslchleger, Kenzie Knoblock and coach Stephanie Weiss. (Mark Birdsall/Huron Daily Tribune)

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12

FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2019

FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

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Members of the North Huron varsity football team are, front row, from left, Chris Augle, Robby Iseler, Delvin Galleck and Brad Hoody; second row, from left, Joe Weiss, Christian Brown, Cory Kent and Tyler Moore; third row, from left, head coach Chad Knoblock, Ty Woodke, Connor Smith and Justin Helm. Not pictured is assistant coach Troy Hildreth. (Eric Rutter/ Huron Daily Tribune)

North Huron teams adjusting to change Knoblock in first year as head coach; Warriors volleyball changed divisions

BY ERIC RUTTER Tribune Sports Writer KINDE— Two years ago, the North Huron football program fought their way to the 8-man Division II state semifinals. Last year, the Warriors posted a 5-5 record and survived until the second round of the postseason.

Head coach Chad Knoblock was a part of the staff both years, and the Warriors’ coach have their sights set on a trip to the playoffs in 2019 as well.

“I think that the goal is going to be once again to make the playoffs,” Knoblock said. “Last year, we were fortunate to make it to the playoffs consecutive years.

It hasn’t happened often, so that’s going to be our goal — to get back to the playoffs.”

However, a significant factor in North Huron qualifying for the postseason once again will be maintaining a healthy roster. At the moment, Knoblock reports 12 players on the varsity squad and 10 on the junior varsity team, so depth management will be instrumental this fall.

Knoblock says he hopes the football program picks up an additional member or two as the fall sports season progresses.

Members of the North Huron varsity volleyball team are, front row, from left, Megan Maurer, Mollie Zaleski, Karrigan Schipinski, Abi Opnowski, Hannah Mills, Tegan Kozlowski and Madi Koroleslei; second row, from left, Patricia Pineau, Emma Trudeau, Lucy Wiley, coach Lauren Fischer, Brooke Gordon, Emma Taylor and Paige Koroleski. (Eric Rutter/ Huron Daily Tribune) “As a team that’s going to have limited numbers, they’re going to play a lot of snaps,” Knoblock says. “The name of the game right now is to get them in shape, keep them in shape but also get them

comfortable with what we’re doing strategically within our offense and defense.”

But while North Huron may not have an abundance of men on the bench, those on the field are replete with expe-

rience. Last year, the Warriors saw Brad Hoody lead the squad on the ground and are looking forward to his contributions under center this fall.

“He was our starting tailback last year and played

a little bit of quarterback,” Knoblock said. “He has a lot of speed, very athletic. He is going to do big things on both sides of the ball.”

See WARRIORS, Page 13s

FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

michigansthumb.com

FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2019

Members of the North Huron cross country team are, front row, from left, Ellie Bender, Emma Case, Shelby Knoblock; second row, from left, Max Iseler, De’Andre Morris and coach Lance Tibbits. (Eric Rutter/ Huron Daily Tribune)

NORTH HURON WARRIORS 5-5 IN 2018 2018 Season Review C-PS 2-0** W MP Sacred Heart 20-41 L Bay City All Saints 50-8 W NH Merritt 68-48 W Mayville 20-52 L Kingston* 8-54 L Peck* 28-22 W Deckerville* 0-50 L Dryden 2-0 **W Posen 20-58 ***L NCTL-Blue Record: 2-3 Points for: 212 (21.2) Points against: 341 (34.1) *League game **Forfeit ***Playoff 2019 Schedule 8/29 at MP Sacred Heart 9/6 at Owen-Gage 9/13 Carsonville-Port Sanilac 9/20 Caseville 9/27 Kingston* 10/4 Peck* 10/11 Deckerville* 10/18 Mayville* 10/25 Burton Atherton* *League game

13

WARRIORS

to make a big difference.

“He’s the type of kid who wanted the play sheet and the playbook early this summer just so he could study it and he’s going to be on the offensive line.

“We will compete in this league,” Fischer said.

Continued from Page 12 “Playing teams twice, we will get to know them a lot Another two-way better than we do now.” impact player for the In a look forward to Warriors is Delvin Galthe fall slate of matches, leck. While splitting time Fischer pointed to conbetween full back and tests against Bay City tight end on offense, GalVOLLEYBALL SET All Saints, Caseville and leck moonlights as a tack- TO COMPETE IN Carsonville-Port Sanilac ling machine and averaged STRIPES DIVISION as important tilts for the over 15 tackles per game On the volleyball court, Warriors this fall. in 2018.

Lauren Fischer has her “Bay City All Saints will In terms of on-field team prepared to adjust be a tough competition,” awareness, Knoblock in a slight shift in compeFischer said. “Caseville highlighted offensive tition. is always tough. CPS is a lineman Robby Iseler as While still competing in very good defensive team. one of the most attentive the North Central Thumb Pretty much, you have players on the varsity League, the Warriors have to play well to win every team and sees his positive moved from the Stars divi- game.” influence already shining sion to the Stripes division And North Huron has throughout fall practice. for 2019. the talent to compete in its “He’s one of the smartLast year, North Huron new division. As an outest kids on the field,” played each Stars division side hitter, Abi Ornowski Knoblock said. “When he’s team twice with one cross- is earned Fischer’s praise out there, he’s going to over match against each as an important member really be directing traffic, Stripes team. That ratio of the team. Fischer also and he will provide some flips this fall, and the War- looks toward Karrigan of the leadership that we riors coach likes how her Shipinski and Mollie Zaleare going to need being a team shapes up in its new ski as potential leaders for young team. That’s going home. the Warriors this fall.

CROSS COUNTRY TEAM TARGETS PERSONAL GROWTH In his second year as head coach, Lance Tibbits is focusing his efforts on improving each runner from the season’s beginning to its end.

Last year, Tibbits found success in that department as De’Andre Morris and Ellie Bender posted strong 2018 campaigns. Tibbits sees those two as catalysts toward another season of growth for his team.

“De’Andre Morris, a senior this year, he has potential to make a state run,” Tibbits said. “Then we have Allie Bender this year who is a sophomore and has potential to make a state run.

“We are just looking for individual performance and to see them improve from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.”

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14

FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2019

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FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

Members of the Caseville football team are, front row, from left, Blain Elenbaum, Andrew Bond, Tanner Gast, Blake Newton and Matthew Pedery; middle row, Dominick Madison, Kevin Haag, Steven Wilkins, Nathan Dufty, Jacob Kennedy, Jacob Speare and Charles Witherspoon; back row, assistant coach Adam Figurski, head coach Sam Rogers, water boy Ben Nugent and assistant coach Dave Nugent.

(Eric Rutter/Huron Daily Tribune)

Caseville seeking conference crown

BY ERIC RUTTER Tribune Sports Writer CASEVILLE — Finishing one win short of a playoff berth in 2018, the Caseville Eagles are refocused to cross that threshold under firstyear head coach Sam Johnson.

But Johnson said improving on last year’s 4-5 record and achieving postseason success is a process that first begins in the preseason.

“As a first-year guy, it’s been awesome to get group-wide participation in your first year,” Johnson said. “It was something I really wanted to stress to the guys that it’s got to be a year-round thing if you’re going to be a winner.”

Caseville saw freshman-through-senior athletes seeking outside training at offseason camps, which builds on the year-round commitment Johnson alluded to.

“It’s always good to, especially as a first-year guy, you want to get as much information as possible,” Johnson said. “So, hearing those guys go to camps and learn from guys who are experienced and learning some tips and tricks and bringing that back to our program is hugely helpful.”

Another aspect that

CASEVILLE EAGLES 4-5 IN 2018

Members of the Caseville varsity volleyball team are (front row from left) Alissa Logsdon, Jessica Nugent, Tyonna Ontiveros and Cortney Moody (back row) head coach Samantha Krueger, Ninamarie Quintana, Adrian Ewald, Emma Hopkins and Ashley Guigar. Missing is Nicole Dufty. (Thumb Sportswriters Association) will be mightily helpful to the Eagles program is maintaining a bench deep enough to weather any depth-reducing events throughout the season. No team is exempt from the injury bug, and the Caseville program learned this firsthand during the 2018 season.

Last year, Johnson says the Eagles entered their game against Bay

City All Saints with only “10-11 healthy bodies,” a road contest Caseville dropped by a 44-30 margin.

“One focus this year is keeping our guys healthy, conditioned,” Johnson added. “It sounds cliché, but you’ve just got to keep them as safe and healthy as possible. This year, I think we’re a lot more in shape than we were last year, so I think

Good Luck

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keeping a full slate of guys on our sideline is an obtainable task for us.”

Entering the fall, returning quarterback Jake Kennedy is expected to provide key leadership during his senior season.

Johnson spoke of Kennedy’s “great arm” before detailing the intangible impact of his quarterback’s demeanor.

See EAGLES, Page 20

2018 Season Review Genesee 12-54 Wolverine (JV) 62-6 Burton Madison 64-50 Bellaire 14-52 C-PS* 2-0*** Akron-Fairgrove* 54-8 NH Merritt Academy* 7-54 BC All Saints* 30-44 Owen-Gage* 24-30

L W W L W W L L L

NCTL White Record: 2-3 Points for: 269 (29.9) Points against: 298 (33.1) *League game ***Forfeit 2019 Schedule 8/30 at IA of Flint 9/7 at Burton Madison 9/13 vs. Mayville 9/20 at North Huron 9/27 vs. Akron-Fairgrove* 10/4 at NH Merritt Academy* 10/11 vs. Bay City All Saints* 10/18 at Owen-Gage* 10/25 at Carsonville-Port Sanilac* *League game

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FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2019

15

The OwendaleGagetown varsity football team is, front row, from left, Shane Elliott, Andrew Partaka, Haden Gruehn, Casey Baker, and Brett Watson; back row, from left, head coach Vince Selfco, Ethan Harp, Boyd Evans, Clay Evans, Branden Fritz and assistant Coach Steve Forster.

(Julie Warack/ OwendaleGagetown School)

Bulldogs have new coach, new attitude OWEN-GAGE BULLDOGS 3-6 IN 2018 2018 Season Review Burton Madison 2-0** W Genesee 0-40 L Peck 6-58 L BCAS* 0-51 L New Haven Merritt* 0-2** L C-PS* 0-2** L Onekema 0-2** L Akron-Fairgrove* 56-0 W Caseville* 30-24 W NCTL White Record: 2-3 Points for: 94 (10.4) Points against: 179 (19.9) *League game **Forfeit 2019 Schedule 8/29 at Burton Madison 9/6 vs. North Huron 9/13 vs. Peck 9/20 vs. Akron-Fairgrove 9/27 vs. C-PS* 10/4 at BCAS* 10/11 at Akron-Fairgrove* 10/18 vs. Caseville* 10/25 at New Haven Merritt* *League game

BY ERIC RUTTER Tribune Sports Writer OWENDALE — This fall, first-year head coach Vince Scelfo is preparing for what figures to be a young Bulldogs team across the board.

At the moment, OwenGage has only one returning senior on the roster, but the junior class is expected to contribute in several key areas this fall. However, several athletes have been unable to attend multiple practices, so Scelfo hopes to see his roster total grow as fall progresses.

“Right now, we are still missing kids,” Scelfo said.

“I am expecting that by the time it’s all said and done, we will have about 13 kids.”

Branden Fritz, the lone returning senior on the Bulldogs squad, is one player Scelfo immediately singled out as a difference maker in 2019. Scelfo says Fitz has the requisite experience to lead both verbally and by example.

“He’s really taken a leadership role on the team,” Scelfo said. “In the weight room, he was pushing the kids. I really see him as the big leader right now.”

During the 2018 season, Fritz compiled 31 total tackles, including two

The Owendale-Gagetown cross country team is Libby Ondrajka, Amber Haldane, Allison Haldane, Karsyn Gruehn, Madelyn Haldane and Katriana Curtoys. Not pictured is coach Nate Gruehn. (Julie Warack/ Owendale-Gagetown School) tackles for loss. His ability to disrupt a play behind the backfield or around the line of scrimmage is part of what Scelfo has noticed about the returning senior’s play style.

“I would say Brandon brings experience and the way he loves playing the game,” Scelfo said. “He’s always out there trying to improve himself.”

Boyd Evans also received complimentary

words from the OwenGage head coach. With a limited bench, these players will be looked upon to improve on 2018’s 4-5 record.

Taking strides in the fall will be a gradual process, though, according to Scelfo. Each game deserves his program’s full attention, and that is the mindset the first-year head coach is carrying throughout fall practice.

“Week one we have Burton Madison,” Scelfo said.

“You’ve got to take one game at a time, so right now my focus is on Burton Madison, then we just go from there. Preparing for each team each week.”

From a ground standpoint, the Bulldogs should feature a stout offensive line this fall. Scelfo expects these linemen to adequately block for the team’s ball carriers.

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16

FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2019

FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

michigansthumb.com

Members of the Ubly varsity football team are, front row, from left, Ethan Smalley, Levi Perusla, Nolan Van Erp, Casey Sweeney and Austin Burk; second row, from left, Ethan Peruski, Carson Heleski, Griffin Peruski, Ethan Gillig, Kyle Sweeney and Colin Oberski; third row, from left, Carter Hughes, Isaac Warczinsky, Alex Foote, Logan Hulburt, Shane Osantowski, Austin Peruski and Blake Badger. (Mark Birdsall/Huron Daily Tribune)

Ubly sticking to blueprint for success in 2019 Football program remaining focused after last year’s playoff bid

BY ERIC RUTTER Tribune Sports Writer UBLY — During the 2018 season, the Ubly football team reached the second round of the playoffs with an 8-3 record.

Varsity assistant coach Aaron Maurer said the Bearcats were able to climb toward such heights largely in part due to the continuity of the program.

“As everyone knows at Ubly, we haven’t rewritten much of the playbook for a few decades,” Maurer said.

“So, we stick to the basics.”

As the old adage goes, Ubly’s offense is not broken, so there is no need to poke around with intentions of fixing a well-oiled machine. Last season, the Bearcats scored nearly 400 points (386) and more than doubled the points scored of their opponents (191).

This vast margin of victory was fueled by a culture of physical football on the Bearcats practice field.

Maurer said Ubly manufactures a brand of hard-nosed ball, and his team will work hard to maintain that reputation this fall.

“We try to be as physical as we can obviously while staying within the limits and instill that within the kids,” he said. “Knowing we are going to have a little bit lower numbers, they kids have to be able to keep pace with what we ask of them and hopefully that parlays into game night.”

In terms of roster size, Ubly, too, is suffering through a batch of low turnout, but the Bearcats assistant coach

“We try to be as physical as we can obviously while staying within the limits and instill that within the kids. Knowing we are going to have a little bit lower numbers, they kids have to be able to keep pace with what we ask of them and hopefully that parlays into game night.”

Aaron Maurer Ubly assistant varsity football coach

is not discouraged thanks to the quality of players that have seen the field previously.

“We’ve got some experience coming back in some key positions,” Maurer said. “You hope for your younger underclassmen to meet what the expectations are for them. If that’s the case, then we could have a pretty good year.”

To be specific, five players particularly caught the attention of Maurer.

The assistant coach spoke about what each student athlete can contribute throughout the 2019 season.

“Our linebackers are back — Nolan Van Erp and Carson Heleski,” Maurer said. “We look for big things from them defensively.

Casey Sweeney is back under center and you’ll have Austin Peruski in the middle of that offensive line.

Our backs, Shane Osantowski is back again. Those are some of our key positions, and the deck’s been

shuffled a little bit with positions, but hopefully we have that figured out by next week.”

As a team, Ubly makes it a point not to overlook any of its opponents because that recipe can spell disaster for unfocused programs. After a scrimmage on Thursday, the Bearcats will place complete focus on their first matchup of the 2019 regular season.

At 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 29, Ubly will host USA for the school’s home opener.

VOLLEYBALL RELOADING WITH TALENT Over the offseason, Ubly volleyball head coach Aaron Mueller saw continuous activity from several players on his 2019 team.

After turning in a 14-16 record (7-5 in conference), the Bearcats kept working over the summer at offsea-

son clinics or workouts to progress from the results of a year prior.

“We had a few summer scrimmages,” Mueller said. “Some of the girls played in volleygrass and went to volleyball camp, so many of them had a pretty active offseason.”

This year, the Bearcats team figures to have 10 players on its roster overall, and each member of the squad will be looked upon to carry a bit of responsibility. Mueller mentioned several athletes that he suspects will help carry the Ubly volleyball program this fall.

“They are all key, but Josie Gusa is our barrel, she shared time last year but she will be a very big presence in the back row defensively,” Mueller said. “Lindsay Guza and Allison Lautner are our middles, and they are both very talented. Both played real high-level club volleyball in the offseason. We have several others — Dajnae Leipprandt will be stepping up as a right side for the first time to provide a good blocking presence.”

CROSS COUNTRY RETURNS BEVY OF STRONG RUNNERS Along the cross country courses, the Ubly Bearcats return a wealth of experience from the head coaching position. Garrett Jurges, who is in his 10th season leading the varsity squad, sees plenty of strengths on the Bearcats team for this upcoming fall season.

See BEARCATS, Page 17

FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

michigansthumb.com

FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2019

17

UBLY BEARCATS 8-3 IN 2018 2018 Season Review USA 20-12 W Memphis* 44-0 W Sandusky* 22-28 L Reese 46-8 W Harbor Beach* 28-36 L Capac* 62-6 W Brown City* 48-12 W Marlette* 40-27 W Cass City 20-6 W Saginaw Mich. Lutheran** 30-28 W Harbor Beach** 28-26 L

Members of the Ubly cross country team are, front row, from left, Maze Gusa, Grace Conley, Shelby Messing, Sierra Walker, Andrea Grifka and Danielle Tschirhart; second row, from left, Ethan Saging, Alexiss Guigar, Alexia Vogel, Josie Gusa, Jazmyn Warchuck and Andrew Vogel; third row, from left, coach Garrett Jurges, Abigail Guza, Gabe Sweeney, Theron Harris, Isle Roggenbuck, Grant Geiger and Zachary Garner. (Mark Birdsall/Huron Daily Tribune)

GTE record: 4-2 Points for: 386 (35.1) Points against: 191 (17.4) *League game **Playoff game 2019 Schedule 8/29 vs. USA 9/6 at Memphis* 9/13 vs. Sandusky* 9/20 at Reese 9/27 vs. Harbor Beach* 10/4 at Capac* 10/11 vs. Brown City* 10/18 at Marlette* 10/25 at Cass City *League game

BEARCATS Continued from Page 16 Jurges first spoke about the boys squad.

“We have some solid returning runner with the team most likely being led by my trio of seniors, who will be leaders for the younger runners,” Jurges said.

For a deeper look, the Bearcats return three boys senior letter winners in Zachary Garner, Ethan Sabins and Grant Geiger. Junior Gabe Sweeney and sophomore Theron Harris also earned varsity letters a season ago.

On the girls side of the team, much reason for optimism exists as well after a series of strong performances last season.

“We are coming fresh off sweeping both the League and Regional Championships last year,” Jurges said. “They also placed 8th at the state finals. We still have six returning senior girls who will show some strong leadership and experience as well.”

Members of the Ubly volleyball team are, front row, from left, Elizabeth Weber, Haley Klama, Josie Gusa, Abigail Sorenson and Angela Bezos; second row, from left, Dajnae Leipprandt, Allison Lautner, Lindsey Guza, Kylee Brandt and coach Aaron Mueller. Not pictured is Samantha Souva. (Mark Birdall/Huron Daily Tribune)

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18

FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2019

FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

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Members of the Unionville-Sebewaing varsity football team are, front row, from left, Walker Foley, Nash Morton, Cody Pawlowski, Jacob Nimitz, Draper Holland, Chase Payne, Ethan Engelhardt and Justin Hunt; second row, from left, Keegan Bixman, Evan Volz, Kirkland Czewski, Logan Houthootd, Landin Zimmer, Braylon Ballard, Nehemiah Parmenter, Cade Rierson, Conner Getkl and Jeremiah Hahn. (Eric Rutter/Huron Daily Tribune)

Unionville-Sebewaing targeting success in 2019

BY ERIC RUTTER Tribune Sports Editor UNIONVILLE — This fall, the Unionville-Sebewaing Patriots are aiming to qualify for postseason football after falling one game short in 2018.

In doing so, the Patriots will face a schedule loaded with strong opponents, so a potential road to the playoffs will not be a path easily traveled.

“We open with Ubly, who is a very tough opponent,” head coach Josh Hahn said. “Then we go to Cass City, who is the defending league champion. That’s a big game and a big rivalry for us. Then at Caro, they have a new coach, and I’m sure they’ll be tough.

“I see the league as very competitive,” Hahn said. “I see Cass City as the favorite and defending champs, probably followed by Bad Axe and Lakers, but very competitive games all year.”

The Patriots will begin their home schedule week four against Bad Axe, and Hahn identified the Hatchets as another stingy opponent who returns many of their key players from 2018.

“There’s not a game on there that I can’t say is not a big game,” Hahn said. “I’ve got all nine circled. Every one for us is a big one.”

Last season, USA put forth a .500 record during intraleague play with three wins and three losses apiece.

In order to bridge that gap and challenge Cass City for the league crown, the Patriots will pay close attention to the size of its team as 2019 progresses.

“For us to compete for a championship, we need to stay healthy, improve in blocking and tackling as the year progresses and take care of the football,” Hahn said.

Last season, the Patriots totaled dominant yardage on the ground with 2,314 rushing yards. Conner Gettel was the lone Patriot to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards last year, but USA featured a handful of rushers, three of which return this fall in Nash Morton (238), Cody Pawlowski (209 yards) and Braylon Ballard (192).

Overall, USA reports more total players than it had last year, which is another sign of optimism for the

Members of the Unionville-Sebewaing girls cross country team are Emma Trischler, Hailey Eremia, Isabella Mammel, Olivia Peter and Lauren Green. (Eric Rutter, Huron Daily Tribune)

The Unionville-Sebewaing boys soccer team. (Thumb Sportswriters Association) upcoming season.

This year, the Patriots will field a varsity team of 18 players, 12 of which are returning letter-winners from 2018.

“I think last year we had some young players who gained valuable experience last year,” Hahn said. “I also think our guys are versatile and can play many positions.”

In particular, Hahn isolated five players that figure to play an instrumental role in the Patriots’ success this season: Gettel, Ballard, Morton,

Landin Zimmer and Keegan Bixman.

Gettel, an all-conference running back from 2018, drew acclaim from Hahn as a player “who works hard” with a bevy of talent.

In total, Hahn sees these five players as pivotal contributors for what could be a successful 2019 campaign.

“Those five right there are pretty important pieces for us, the leaders of our team,” Hahn said.

The Patriots open their season on the road at 7 p.m. on Aug. 29 against Ubly.

VOLLEYBALL PROGRAM LOOKING TO EXTEND SUCCESSFUL 2018 Under the direction of head coach Teresa Rose, the USA volleyball team posted a torrid pace on the Greater Thumb West with a 12-0 league record en route to a 44-5-4 final tally.

After such a strong campaign, Rose predicts several newer faces will earn a healthy dose of playing time this fall.

See PATRIOTS, Page 19

FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2019

19

USA PATRIOTS 4-5 IN 2018 2018 Season Review Ubly 12-20 Cass City* 24-42 Caro* 14-12 Bad Axe* 8-20 Reese* 20-14 (OT) EPBP* 8-36 Harbor Beach 6-40 Vassar*

32-13 Brown City 34-28

L L W L W L L W W

Members of the Unionville-Sebewaing boys cross country team are, front row, from left, Jacob VanHove, Ty Pavlichek, Nathan Miklovic and Tyler Aleksink; second row, from left, Michael Jacobs, Ethan Liken, David Khoury, Bryce Langmaid and Bentley Alderson. (Eric Rutter/Huron Daily Tribune)

GTW Record: 3-3 Points for: 158 (17.6) Points against: 250 (27.8) *League game 2019 Schedule 8/29 at Ubly 9/6 at Cass City* 9/13 at Caro* 9/20 vs. Bad Axe* 9/27 at Reese* 10/4 vs. EPBP* 10/11 at Harbor Beach 10/18 vs. Vassar* 10/25 vs. Brown City *League game

PATRIOTS Continued from Page 18 “The last two years, I’ve had pretty much the same team out on the court,” Rose said. “This year, I still have some of those players, but it’s kind of some new players that are having to work into that mix. Basically, it’s communication and getting those girls to gel together.”

Rose keyed in on Brynn Polega, Maci Montgomery, Allison Kemp and Grace Williamson as key returning players for the Patriots squad.

Over the offseason, USA participated in a team camp at Saginaw Valley State University, and Rose saw an encouraging performance from her squad.

Members of the Unionville-Sebewaing volleyball team are, front row, from left, Hannah Riskey, Maci Montgomery and Allyson Kemp; second row, from left, Grace Williamson, Lydia Kilburn, Danielle Vogel and Brynn Polega; third row, from left, Kylie Bohn, Allison Eimers, Carly Koch, Emily Rieman and Emma Stecker. (Eric Rutter/Huron Daily Tribune)

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20

EAGLES

Running back / linebacker Nate Dufty was another recipient of praise Continued from Page 14 from coach Johnson, who says Dufty is “a real gritty player.”

“He’s a great leadership, respon“He’s just what you love to see in sibility kind of guy,” Johnson said. high school football,” Johnson said.

“He really takes the team under his “He likes getting his nose dirty and wing and really pushes the guys getting in there, making hard tackles, and just shouldering that kind of making big plays. He’s fired up, ready responsibility, that captain-like to go.” mentality.

Another player Johnson sees as a “Jake especially, he loves to teach critical piece to a potential 2019 playwhat he knows and really try and max- off berth is AJ Pattengill, an all-conimize what he can,” Johnson said. “He ference tight end from last year’s just loves to win, and he wants to push squad as only a sophomore. his guys to want to win the same way.

“He’s talented,” Johnson said.

He’s a key building point for us.”

“Great jump ball ability. He was a first

HATCHETS Continued from Page 2 With a roster laden with returning contributors, the Hatchets are looking to cross the playoff threshold, which seems attainable given how close the team finished a year ago.

“Jack Clancy is one of our main running backs,” Durr said. “He was over 1,000 yards and our leader in touchdowns. Then we have a junior in Vince Blackstock, who is coming back at quarterback, who is looking very good, as well. On the perimeter, we have a couple guys coming back.”

In order to accomplish that postseason goal, Bad Axe is invoking surgical precision in practice to properly prepare for each opponent. At the moment, that opponent is Harbor Beach.

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FALL SPORTS PREVIEW

FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2019

teamer in basketball too, so we love using his athletic ability out there for us.”

Overall, Johnson sees signs for optimism spread across the Eagles team, both from the older groups and the new players as well.

“We’re really happy with the guys that we’ve got,” Johnson said. “The kids who came back are experienced and ready to teach the younger crew, and we’re happy with the younger crew overall.”

From a large perspective, coach Johnson saw several signs that his team is buying into the program during his initial stint as head coach.

“Jack Clancy is one of our main running backs. He was over 1,000 yards and our leader in touchdowns.

Then we have a junior in Vince Blackstock, who is coming back at quarterback, who is looking very good, as well. On the perimeter, we have a couple guys coming back.”

Kelly Durr Bad Axe head football coach “With week one, you always have to do fundamentals,” Durr said. “But we are kind of starting at zero in on how our defense is going to matchup against Harbor Beach in week one.

You start with little pieces, then as time goes by they come together for

the big picture.”

Last season, Harbor Beach compiled a 10-game winning streak as part of its long playoff run. Against the Hatchets, Harbor Beach won 34-20 in the 2018 season opener.

Durr said his team is not taking its

Attending offseason workouts is part of the ownership that Johnson is seeking from his players, and an increased level of commitment should pay dividends on the field this fall.

Like Johnson mentioned, success in the postseason comes from increased focus during the preseason. This attention to detail could manifest itself in the form of conference success this season.

“I think the conference is ours for the taking,” Johnson said.

This season, Caseville opens its schedule with a home non-conference game against Flint’s International Academy at 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 30.

opening game lightly.

“They are going to be one of the better teams in the area I’m sure, so it’ll be a tough week one matchup,” Durr said.

But as Durr said, this year’s Bad Axe squad has more returning experience than in past years. The Hatchets coach believes that aspect could compel his squad to play with a higher level of poise in 2019.

“I think as time goes by, the boys are getting more and more comfortable with what we’re doing,” Durr said. “With that comfort I’m hoping comes a little bit more confidence.

We are not questioning what we’re doing, and we’re just ready to execute is what we’re hoping.”

The Hatchets host Harbor Beach at 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 30, to begin the 2019 campaign.

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