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.

Suttons Bay piled up 471 yards of total offense and pulled away in the second half for a 38-20 win over St. Francis. Eric Hernandez ran for 220 yards and two touchdowns, while Anthony Stewart (pictured at right) added 84 yards as the Norsemen showed off their speed and played very well in the season opener for both teams.

(Coach Joe) Trudeau said his team played about as well as could be expected for the season opener.

“This is not the same team that played in the scrimmage last week,” Trudeau said of his squad.

Next up for the Norse is a trip to Harbor Springs next Friday.

Photo by Douglas Tesner of the Record Eagle

Read Speedy Suttons Bay runs past St. Francis in the Record Eagle

It doesn’t get much tougher than playing Traverse City St. Francis on the road, but that’s how Suttons Bay will begin it’s 2007 football season. The two schools have only played twice before (St. Francis is 2-0) with the last meeting in 1998, a 53-6 St. Francis win. Since the 2000 season however both schools have almost identical records. Norsemen coach Joe Trudeau said it could be a “playoff-like atmosphere” and I wouldn’t expect anything less. The Norsemen were 12-1 last season while the Glads went 10-2.

Kickoff is set for 7pm at Thirlby Field.

Read Tough opener at Thirlby in the Record Eagle

Let’s just say I think I know where I am going to be on August 23rd and September 7th!

Glen Lake Lakers
8/24 vs. East Jordan
8/30 at Coloma
9/7 at Suttons Bay
9/14 vs. Benzie Central
9/21 vs. Frankfort
9/28 at Kingsley
10/5 vs. Mesick
10/12 at Milwaukee Marshall (WI)
10/19 at Baldwin

Suttons Bay Norsemen
8/23 at Traverse City St Francis
8/30 at Harbor Springs
9/7 vs. Maple City Glen Lake
9/14 at Kingsley
9/21 vs. Mesick
9/28 at Frankfort
10/5 vs. Benzie Central
10/12 vs. White Cloud
10/19 vs. Mio

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

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…

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