Leelanau Sports Guy at sportspig.com

Girls Districts

Class C at Glen Lake
A-Traverse City St. Francis 62, Suttons Bay  34
B-Glen Lake 67, Forest Area  24
Traverse City St. Francis vs Kalkaska  3/2 – 6 pm
Elk Rapids vs Glen Lake 3/2 – 8 pm
Final 3/4 – 7 pm

Class D at Traverse City Christian
A-Traverse City Christian, Leland 49-31
Lake Leelanau-St Mary  vs  Grand Traverse Academy  3/2 – 6 pm
Traverse City Christian vs Northport  3/2 – 7:30 pm
Final 3/4 – 7 pm

Boys Districts

Class C at Glen Lake
A-Kalkaska vs   Suttons Bay  3/7 – 5:30 pm
B-Glen Lake  vs  Forest Area  3/7- 8 pm
A vs Traverse City St. Francis  3/9 – 5:30 pm
Elk Rapids vs B 3/9 – 8 pm
Final 3/11 – 7 pm

Class D at Traverse City Christian
A-Northport vs Traverse City Christian 3/7 – 7 pm
Leland  vs  Grand Traverse Academy  3/9 – 6 pm
A vs Lake Leelanau-St Mary  3/9 – 7:30 pm
Final 3/11 – TBD

Suttons Bay running back Noah Reyhl and linebacker Aiden Keilty were two big reasons the Norsemen went 11-1 and had another outstanding season. Reyhl rushed for 1,312 yards and 24 touchdowns as he earned his second consecutive All-State Team. Keilty registered 128 tackles and nine sacks to help Suttons Bay dominate opponents on their way to the Northwest Conference and District Championships.

Glen Lake’s Elliot Clark was named the all-purpose player as he racked up 1,181 yards and 17 TDs on offense, picked off four passes on defense, punted for a 38.5 yard average, and kicked three field goals. Clark helped lead the Lakers to the playoffs.

Congratulations to both of our county football teams on terrific seasons!

Read Snead headlines Div. 5-6 All-State team in the Record Eagle

Suttons Bay topped Bridgman 52-38 for the right to face Melvindale ABT for the Class C State Championship. Dwuan Anderson led the way with 16 points.

Here’s the best recap I found from 9&10 Sports – Suttons Bay Advances to State Championship Game

I was fortunate enough to be at those games in 1982 (as a 10-year old and future basketball star) and it’s hard to believe that Suttons Bay never got that far again before last night’s 80-60 win over Mason County Central in the Class C Regional at Traverse City West.

“I can’t even describe it,” Norsemen senior David Wheelock said of winning the regional. “It’s priceless. At the beginning of the year there were all these expectations. I’m just happy. These are the best group of guys I’ve ever played with. It just so happens we all love basketball. Going to practice every day is like hanging out with friends.”

Dwaun Anderson led the Norse with 27 points, 12 rebounds and two assists. Wheelock had 17 points, Chase Palmer scored 11 to go with nine rebounds and Jared Orban added 10 points.

“As always, Dwaun is our best player, but we’ve had other guys step up all season long,” Hursey said.

You can see some video of the first half from 9&10 Sports.

Suttons Bay now advances to the Quarterfinals against Rudyard at Lake Superior State University on Tuesday.

Read Norsemen win first regional since ’82 in the Record Eagle

Suttons Bay started fast and never looked back in cruising to a 81-58 Class C regional semifinal win over Boyne City. The Norsemen will now battle Mason County Central on Wednesday for the regional title. Suttons Bay was led by Dwaun Anderson’s 18 points, while Jared Orban and Noah Rehyl each had 10 points for the 22-1 Norsemen.

“I was proud of the way we started,” Suttons Bay coach Todd Hursey said. “Our focus has been strong defense, and we got off on that note tonight. This time of year, it’s all about how you play on defense.”

Read Norsemen put on a show, beat Boyne City in the Record Eagle

Leland, now 16-8, used big games from Sam Scott (22 points); Galen Whittaker with 16 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks; Calvin Gibson’s 16 points and Nate Sneed’s 11 points to hold off Manistee Catholic Central 69-64 in overtime. They now get a third game against Northwest Conference Rival Buckley for the Class D Regional Title.

Leland won the more exciting game, as Scott’s bucket with 35 seconds left knotted it up and Whittaker’s block with two ticks left sent the game into an extra session.

“I was really proud of our team,” Whittaker said. “We were down and we just didn’t quit. All of us. On that block at the end of regulation, I saw my career flash before my eyes.”

Read Leland, Buckley to collide for title in the Record Eagle

Suttons Bay carries a 19-game winning streak into the Class C Districts next week at Traverse City St. Francis. The Norsemen capped the regular season with senior David Wheelock hitting nine 3-pointers as Suttons Bay topped Buckley 87-65.

“To play like that in your last home game, that’s pretty special,” Norse coach Todd Hursey said.

Wheelock was 9-of-13 behind the arc. Ben Walters had the previous record with eight 3-pointers.

Dwaun Anderson added 18 points, Stephen Wheelock and Chase Palmer 10 and Marcus Russell nine points and nine rebounds for Suttons Bay (19-1, 14-0), which finished the regular season with 19 consecutive wins.

Suttons Bay drew a bye in the first round of districts and awaits the winner of Forest Area and Elk Rapids on Wednesday night. Glen Lake (who finished the season 16-4) awaits the winner of host Traverse City St. Francis and Kalkaska. District Final is set for Friday at 7:00pm.

Read Basketball Roundup: School record set in win in the Record Eagle

Tom Izzo was the latest coach to visit Suttons Bay basketball star Dwaun Anderson this fall. Anderson, just a junior, is receiving plenty of attention after his breakout sophomore season.

“It went pretty good,” Anderson said. “He told me he was impressed and that he would like to see me work out some more.”

Anderson has scholarship offers from Central Michigan and Utah on the table. Several other schools are showing interest. A University of Dayton coach watched Anderson during an open gym on Sunday.

“September is the month when (college) coaching staffs are on the road trying to see guys play,” Hursey said. “My phone’s been ringing off the hook. Coaches are trying to find time to come up and watch him play — Michigan, Michigan State, Dayton, Oakland, Detroit. Eastern Michigan just called (Monday). Butler called today.”

I’m already planning some games to go watch this year. Some words I’ve heard describe him are: talented, unselfish, explosive, quick, and strong. Can’t wait!

Read Izzo keeps eye on Suttons Bay’s Anderson in the Record Eagle

Updated! – Another article and a video of Anderson dunking at Gang Green Blog.

The Record Eagle’s Mark Urban has compiled his latest look at local stars in college and several former Leelanau County athletes are doing quite well especially Leland’s Alisha Glass…

The top-ranked Nittany Lions beat No. 20 Illinois (25-16, 25-19, 25-12) on Saturday and No. 19 Purdue (25-12, 25-15, 25-21) on Friday to increase their record to 14-0. Penn State has yet to lose a set in any match this season.

Leading the Nittany Lions is junior setter Alisha Glass (Leland). Glass had 36 assists, two kills, two digs and one block while helping PSU hit .453 against Illinois and had 34 assists, two kills, four digs and two blocks against Purdue.

Read College Notes: Perfection for Glass in the Record Eagle

Although he’s most famous for being a great college basketball player, I’ll always remember Jeff Tropf as my biology teacher and freshmen basketball coach at Suttons Bay. He also knows how to catch great tasting fish! Along with teaching at Suttons Bay, Tropf now coaches varsity basketball at Northport.

His college career got off to an interesting start to say the least, but it ended up being quite successful after his transfer to Central Michigan.

Tropf, who played 2 1/2 seasons for the Chippewas, was a first-team all-Mid American Conference (MAC) selection in 1978, finishing second in the Player of the Year voting. He averaged 17.3 points — shooting 60 percent from the field — and a MAC-high 11.1 rebounds per game that season.

Congrats to Mr. Tropf and his family!

Read Tropf to be inducted into CMU Hall of Fame in the Record Eagle

The Northwest Conference and Lake Michigan Conference have completed a 2-year contract to square off in next year’s Lake Michigan Conference/Northwest Conference Challenge. Both Boys and Girls teams will be matched up according to how they finished in the conference the previous season, so we will see some very exciting matchups, and some we don’t see very often. The Girls games are scheduled for December 6th and the Boys games for December 13th. The games will tip-off the 2008-09 seasons.

Here’s the Boys Matchups…

Charlevoix, which won the Lake Michigan boys championship and advanced to the Class C regional, will take on Northwest co-champion Benzie Central. The Frankfort Panthers, who also earned a share of the crown, will draw St. Francis, the runner-up in the Lake Michigan. Other match-ups include: Leland vs. East Jordan, Kingsley vs. Boyne City, Suttons Bay vs. Grayling, Glen Lake vs. Elk Rapids, Mesick vs. Kalkaska and Buckley vs. Harbor Springs. The boys games will be hosted by the Lake Michigan Conference schools.

And the Girls…

Since Charlevoix and Kingsley won the Lake Michigan and Northwest girls titles, respectively, they’ll meet in the marquee game. Frankfort, which tied Benzie Central for second in the Northwest, will face East Jordan, which was second in the Lake Michigan. Benzie will take on Boyne City, the third-place finisher in the Lake Michigan.

Other match-ups include: Glen Lake vs. Kalkaska, Suttons Bay vs. Harbor Springs, Buckley vs. Elk Rapids, Leland vs. St. Francis and Mesick vs. Grayling. The girls games will be hosted by the Northwest Conference schools.

Sounds like a whole lot of fun!

Read Basketball challenge set to tip off in the Record Eagle

where people are making resolutions (Big Al isn’t going to like #8!) and putting together best of lists for 2007, so it’s a perfect time to add a link to the Record Eagle’s Top 10 Sports Stories of 2007.

One of their stories is about former Leland volleyball star Alisha Glass helping Penn State win the 2007 NCAA Volleyball Championship.

Updated!
Here is the Leelanau Enterprise’s 2007 Year in Review!

Mark Urban of the Record Eagle breaks down Montague’s 23-20 win over Suttons Bay in a Division 6 District Final. Suttons Bay finished the year 9-2.

Read Montague boots Suttons Bay from playoffs in the Record Eagle

Mark Urban of the Record Eagle has compiled a report on area athletes participating in college athletics. This latest article features former Leelanau County stars…

Ben Darling (Freshman, Suttons Bay)
Men’s Soccer, Kalamazoo

Alisha Glass (Sophomore, Leland)
Women’s Volleyball, Penn State

Read College Notes: Burke comes up big for Colgate in the Record Eagle

Opinions on five current sports topics from yours truly…

I’m not including it in the five, but my overall Beach Bums record with me in attendance is now 6-1 as I attended the season finale, a 8-5 loss in 11 innings to the Windy City Thunderbolts. I thought I was going to keep my perfect record as the Beach Bums rallied for a 5-4 lead after 8 innings, but they couldn’t hold on. Congrats on another fun season in Traverse City!

1. Wolverines upset by Mountaineers – If you say it that way it doesn’t sound as bad because I could be referring to West Virginia. I am still in shock of this outcome, but I can’t say I’m disappointed, and as a State fan I loved this…

In East Lansing, after plowing for four touchdowns in Michigan State’s 55-18 beatdown of Alabama-Birmingham, Spartans running back Jeehu Caulcrick said, “It felt like we won two games today.”

Here’s a great article on the game from Michigan Football Saturdays.

2. Spartans look good in Dantonio’s debut – Mike Dantonio has some big plans for Michigan State and his Spartans got off to a good start with a 55-18 win over UAB. Lots of power football and great passing from Brian Hoyer led the way to victory. The Spartans will struggle to finish .500 this season, but Dantonio should lay the foundation for a nice turnaround in East Lansing.

3. Tigers continue to struggle – It’s looking more and more like 2007 isn’t going to be the Tigers year. They can’t seem to get a winning streak going. Inconsistent pitching, injuries, and the lack of clutch hitting have all played a big part. Rogers returns tonight and Sheffield tomorrow to hopefully give the Tigers a spark for one last run at the Indians.

4. Norsemen vs. Lakers – The Leelanau County rivals go head to head this Friday for bragging rights for the following year. Suttons Bay is off to a 2-0 start including a big win over Traverse City St. Francis. Glen Lake is 1-1 and coming off a loss. Kickoff is Friday at 7:00 in Suttons Bay.

5. Michigan In Play Magazine – Check out their latest issue featuring 2007 Roberto Clemente Award Winner Curtis Granderson on the cover. I just emailed Jack Rosenberg and told him to keep up the great work. This magazine is a great source for Detroit and Michigan sports fans!

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!

Each Tuesday and Friday (no promises), I am going to take a quick peek into the world of Leelanau County prep sports.

Boys Soccer
Suttons Bay topped Northport 4-2 and Glen Lake defeated T.C. Christian 5-2 in Monday’s soccer action. Suttons Bay is now 3-1 on the young season, while the Lakers improved to 3-2.

On Saturday Suttons Bay captured the Harbor Springs Soccer Cup with a 2-0-1 record. The Norsemen tied Harbor Springs 1-1, defeated Glen Lake 3-2 and Sault Ste. Marie 6-0. Glen Lake beat Sault Ste. Marie 2-1 to finish the tourney 1-2.

Last week Suttons Bay couldn’t keep up with Elk Rapids as the Norsemen fell to the Elks 6-2.

Boys Football
Suttons Bay wasn’t the only county school with a big win in it’s football opener, Glen Lake defeated East Jordan 27-12 behind two big plays by Ryan Dyksterhouse, a 35-yard touchdown catch and a 60-yard interception return for a touchdown. The Norsemen and Lakers meet in less then two weeks in what is shaping up to be a great game, with both teams showing big play capability in their opening games.

Girls Volleyball
Suttons Bay and Glen Lake welcome Leland to the Northwest Conference as county volleyball just got a little more interesting. You can check out the conference preview in the Leelanau Enterprise and the area preview in the Record Eagle.

The Lady Norsemen have gotten off to a fast start by winning the Pellston Volleyball Invitational. Suttons Bay defeated Charlevoix 25-18, 27-25 to capture the title after posting wins over Kingsley in the quarterfinals and Boyne City in the semifinals.

Leland has a new coach, but found some similar results with a strong second place finish at the Traverse City Central Invitational. The Lady Comets, led by head coach Angie Shinos, fell to the Lady Trojans 25-12, 25-12 in the finals. Leland topped St. Francis (25-13, 25-22), Glen Lake (25-8, 25-12), ElK Rapids (25-13, 25-14), and lost to T.C. Christian 26-24, 25-15 in pool play. Leland responded to it’s lone loss by topping the Sabres 25-20, 25-23 to reach the finals.

Have scores or game details to report, don’t hesitate to email them to me at leelanausportsguy@sportspig.com.