Leelanau Sports Guy’s World

The Detroit Athletic Club has named Glen Lake track/cross-country star Marissa Treece as their 2007 Female Athlete of the Year. Treece was one of six finalists for the award. It’s the second year in a row a Leelanau County athlete has won with Alisha Glass winning last year.

“I think it’s pretty exciting,” said Treece, who has won four state titles in track and three in cross country. “All six of us are qualified. It’s just exciting that I got something like that.”

Treece is headed to Notre Dame this fall.

Read Treece state’s top athlete in the Record Eagle

The NFL Draft - I am in a NFL Draft contest again this year (last year I got 1 right) and I have absolutely no idea who is going where. The Lions have many options and they have to wait to see what the Raiders are going to do before they can get really serious about the draft. I like the Lions to trade down to #4 and then get Gaines Adams. It’s the position they need the most and Adams appears to be an impact player. Read Dan Wetzel’s column The misadventures of Millen if you want to laugh and be scared at the same time!

Maggs - Is it me, or is Magglio Ordonez quietly having a great start to 2007. He’s first on the Tigers in RBI’s, 2B’s, Runs, OBP, SLG & OPS, and he’s second in HR’s and BA, but no one’s talking about him. This is the Maggs that people weren’t sure we would ever see again, but he appears to be healthy and back to normal. I now it’s early, but Maggs playing like this is huge as Sheffield and the bottom of the order struggle.

Wings vs. Sharks - The Wings are in for a tough series, that should go seven games, and I like there chances with home-ice. They struggled against the Sharks during the regular season, losing 3 of 4, but they played two very solid games to finish off Calgary and will hopefully carry that momentum into tonight’s game. On the other hand, I wouldn’t be surprised if they lost tonight either. It’s just going to be that kind of series.

Pistons vs. Magic - If Detroit is going to lose one, tonight’s the night. I just don’t see it happening. I think they will sweep the Magic and get some rest for the Bulls. Chicago is going to be the toughest team (and series) in the Eastern Conference.

High School Baseball - If you aren’t busy on Saturday, head over to Wuerfel Park to watch Lake Leelanau St. Mary take part in the inaugural Beach Bums Division 3 & 4 Invitational Tournament. The Eagles face Traverse City St. Francis at 10 AM, followed by Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart and Gaylord St. Mary’s at noon. A consolation and championship game will follow. Tickets are $5 for the entire day, and let me tell you Wuerfel Park is not a bad place to watch a game!

Random Stuff - Could less people be excited that Barry Bonds is now at 741 home runs? Seriously, no one cares outside of San Francisco. There’s not much better than Fantasy Baseball. Winning or losing, it’s just fun! I can’t wait for the Beach Bums season to start, it was exciting (and well played) baseball to watch last summer, and I look for more of the same as the Bums have added some good talent along with their “new” coach! Lots of people have Drew Stanton going very high in the draft, and I think be a good pick and could be a legitimate starter in the NFL!

Opinions on five current Leelanau and Northern Michigan sports topics from yours truly…

1. Leelanau Enterprise Sports - The Leelanau Enterprise has revamped their website and now will be posting more stories online, including sports! Check out their sports department! I of course will be linking to them often as they provide another way to follow our favorite Leelanau teams.

2. Leelanau Classic - I only wish this event would have been around when I was coaching! Lake Leelanau St. Mary defeated Suttons Bay 4-1 to capture the baseball title and Glen Lake cruised to the softball title with a 17-0 win over Suttons Bay in the championship game.

Read Korson sparks Eagles to title in the Record Eagle

3. Beach Bums ready for 2007 - Opening Day for the Beach Bums is one month from today (at Kalamazoo Kings on May 23rd) and plenty of new things are on tap as they start their second summer in Traverse City. Lots of new faces, including a new manager, should make for another exciting season in the Frontier League. See what the Beach Bums have in store for 2007!

4. NHL & NBA Playoffs - It’s never hard to get a prediction in Leelanau County for the Pistons and Red Wings. The Pistons are a popular choice to be crowned NBA Champions this summer, and the Wings well who knows. The Wings did get out of the first round, and did play pretty well, in 4 out of the 6 games. If the Dominator can hold up, they have an excellent chance in my opinion. Whatever happens Hockey Town North is buzzing with playoff excitement right now!

5. The Season Switch - Nick Edson of the Leelanau Enterprise reported last week that longtime volleyball coach Laurie Glass will be stepping down, at least for the time being, as she can’t coach and follow her daughter Alisha at Penn State because of the girls volleyball season being moved. My opinion is that it’s a shame that a few people can ruin a good thing for many. The seasons seemed to be working just fine for 99.9% of the athletes, but a couple of parents couldn’t handle their kid’s not getting scholarships.

If you want to let the me know what you think, you can always send me an email at leelanausportsguy@sportspig.com or post a comment!

Dennis Chase of the Record Eagle takes a quick look at the final week of the boys basketball regular season. Only one team really stand out in the county and that’s Leland. The Comets clinched the Cherryland Conference title on Friday. Suttons Bay, with a little help, could still clinch a share of the Northwest title with a win over Frankfort and a Kingsley loss at Glen Lake.

Read Parity in preps makes for wild league races in the Record Eagle

Lake Leelanau St. Mary will join Traverse City St. Francis, Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart and Gaylord St. Mary in the inaugural Beach Bums Division 3 & 4 Invitational Tournament. The tournament is set for Saturday, April 28th, 2007 at Wuerfel Park. Game 1 will feature the Eagles and Glads at 10 am, followed by Game 2 between Sacred Heart and Gaylord St. Mary at noon. A consolation game will be played at 2 pm and the championship at 4 pm.

Tickets will cost $5 per person for the entire day and a portion of the ticket proceeds going to each of the participating schools. You can purchase tickets from any of the schools or at the Beach Bums box office at (231) 943-0100.

My View: I was waiting for the Beach Bums to start hosting these kind of events. It’s a beautiful ballpark and it will be a thrill for the players and coaches to play on it. A few years ago I was coaching when St. Mary traveled down to the Sacred Heart Tournament and we played one of our games at Central Michigan University’s Theunissen Stadium. It was a great experience and a whole lot of fun.

The Beach Bums have alot to offer area baseball fans and players, and there will be lots of winners, regardless of the scores, at Wuerfel Park!

Nick Edson of the Leelanau Enterprise is asking for your votes and opinions on the top 10 boys and girls basketball players in the history of Leelanau County. You can also vote for the Top 5 county coaches of All-Time as well.

The ballot is available in the January 25th edition of the Leelanau Enterprise or you can send Nick an email with your choices. Please include the players/coaches names and schools. Ballots are due by Friday, February 9th.

Now I have to start compiling my list, but here’s my #1 for each team…

Boys Basketball All-Time Top 10
1. Sander Scott - Northport

Girls Basketball All-Time Top 10
1. Julie Polakowski - Leland

Coach All-Time Top 5
1. Larry Glass - Leland

Let the debating begin…

Mitchell becomes 8th Wildcat to reach milestone
Senior Drew Mitchell scored 31 points to pass the 1,000 career point mark in a 66-53 win over Boyne Falls. Mitchell also pulled down 13 rebounds, grabbed 4 steals, and made 2 blocks. He now has 1,002 career points. Cody Brown added 17 points and Nathan Scherrer 10 as Northport evened it’s record at 5-5. Congrats Drew!

Photo by Anne Marie Mitchell

In other games…

Leland improves to 9-3
Marcus Whittaker led Leland with 21 points to help lift the Comets to a 72-57 win over Manistee Catholic in a non-conference matchup. Matt Lichty scored 16 and Jordan Gibson added 10.

Lakers fall to Elks
Glen Lake fell below .500 with a 46-39 loss to Elk Rapids. Ryan Dyksterhouse led the Lakers with 14 points as Glen Lake’s record falls to 5-6.

Read Prep Roundup in the Record Eagle

The Traverse City Record Eagle continues it’s countdown of the top 10 sports stories of 2006 with a story about the Suttons Bay Norsmen football team’s shutout streak.

Read Suttons Bay’s defense: Seven straight shutouts in the Record Eagle

The Traverse City Record Eagle is starting it’s countdown of the top 10 sports stories of 2006 with a story about the Suttons Bay Norsmen golf team’s run to the state championship.

Read Sit-down meeting sparked Norse to title in the Record Eagle

Dennis Chase of the Record Eagle breaks down the incredible fall for the school’s in the Northwest Conference. State titles and strong teams made it one to remember! Plus he takes a look at the future of the conference…

Read Northwest shows it is the best this fall in the Record Eagle

Leland tops Northport, Eagles fall to Sabres
Erica Breen scored 21 points to lead Leland to a 55-30 win over Northport in the Class D District Semifinals at T.C. Christian. Christian eliminated Lake Leelanau St. Mary 68-33 to advance to the District Final. Sarah Schaub led the Eagles with 15 points.

The District Final is set for Thursday (11/16) at T.C. Christian. Tipoff is set for 7:00 PM.

Read Sabres, Comets advance to district final in the Record Eagle

Norsemen top Lakers to advance

From the Leelanau News Blog…

Glen Lake & Suttons Bay squared off in Class C action at Kalkaska Monday night, and the Lady Norseman emerged with a 46-32 victory. They will face Fife Lake-Forest Area tonight (Wednesday, Nov 15) at 8 PM in Kalkaska with the final Friday night at 7.

Read Kingsley topples Blazers in the Record Eagle
Read Girls Basketball District Tournaments in the Leelanau News Blog

Boys Football: A preview of Suttons Bay’s matchup with Calumet
Mark Urban of the Record Eagle breaks down the matchup in the Division VI Regional Final between Suttons Bay and Calumet. Kickoff is set for 9pm on Friday at the Superior Dome in Marquette.

Read Defensive test for Norse in the Record Eagle

Boys Soccer: Suttons Bay’s Darling, Northport’s Brown named first team All-State
Suttons Bay defensemen Ben Darling and Nortport forward Cody Brown were named to the Division IV All-State first team in boys soccer. Leland’s Eric Larsen, and Suttons Bay’s Alex Dingrando earned third team honors. Honorable mention went to Leland’s Brad Dunklow, Northport’s Ryan Blessing, and Suttons Bay’s Jesse Wright, Kent Eikey and Matt Ness.

Congrats to all!

Read Townsend is the tops in the Record Eagle

The accolades keep coming in for Suttons Bay golfers. After helping the Norsemen capture the Division IV state golf title, senior Nate Kelly earned first team honors. Junior David Tropf and sophomore Charlie Olson were named honorable mentionn and coach Todd Hursey was named Division IV coach of the year.

Read Five area players earn All-State honors in the Record Eagle

In what’s becoming playoff tradition, Suttons Bay (10-0) will face Kingsley (8-2) in the Division 6 District Final at Suttons Bay. Kickoff is at 7:00 PM. The winner will advance to play the winner of the Calumet (8-2) vs. Iron Mountain game.

Both advanced with big wins as Suttons Bay cruised to a 49-12 win over Boyne City and Kingsley advanced with a 42-14 win over Charlevoix. The Northwest Conference also was represented by Frankfort winning, and once again shows how tough of a conference it is.

Suttons Bay got touchdowns from 7 different players, and the defense limited Boyne City to 17 first half yards, as the Norse led 28-0 at the half and cruised to victory.

Read Seven score for Norse in the Record Eagle

Boys Football: Football playoffs start Friday
Suttons Bay finished 9-0 and only gave up 30 points all season, earning the Norsemen a home game for the first round (and second if they win) of the Division 6 playoffs. The Norsemen host Boyne City, who finished 6-3, a young team who only has six seniors.

Kickoff is Friday at 7:00 PM at Suttons Bay.

The winner of this game will advance to the District Final against the winner of the Kingsley (7-2) vs. Charlevoix (8-1) game.

Read A look at area playoff matchups in the Record Eagle

Boys Golf: Suttons Bay celebrates state championship
Suttons Bay captured the school’s third golf state title with a balanced performance in the state final to hold off St. Francis, 647-651. Senior Nate Kelly was sixth overall with a 159 and sophomore Charlie Olson ninth with a 160.

“This is exciting,” Norsemen coach Todd Hursey said. “Everybody stepped up.

“But I’m really happy for our seniors — that they could finish their careers with a state championship. There have been high expectations for these guys since their freshmen year. They’ve had great careers, but they knew what they needed to do this weekend to validate it.”

Suttons Bay also captured golf state titles in 2000 and 2001.

Read Norsemen honored in the Record Eagle
Read 2006 MHSAA LP Division 4 Boys Golf Finals at MHSAA
Read Norsemen save best for last in the Record Eagle
Read Norsemen lead Glads by 6 shots in the Record Eagle