Leelanau Sports Guy at sportspig.com

Here’s a list of all of the Leelanau County state championships won by our county schools. The head coach is listed after the sport.

Originally printed in the Leelanau Enterprise.

1942 – Leland boys’ basketball – Carl Furney

1944 – Leelanau School boys’ track – John Evans

1959 – Glen Lake boys’ basketball – Harold O’Brien

1977 – Glen Lake boys’ basketball – Don Miller

1978 – Glen Lake girls’ basketball – Ted Swierad
- Leland volleyball – Mike Kenney

1980 – Leland girls’ basketball – Larry Glass
- Leland volleyball – Mike Kenney

1981 – Leland girls’ basketball – Larry Glass

1982 – Leland girls’ basketball – Larry Glass

1985 – Suttons Bay girls’ X-country – Terry Ebright

1986 – Northport soccer – Don Hungerford

1987 – Suttons Bay girls’ X-country – Tim Bedford

1988 – Northport boys’ basketball – Gordie Wick

1991 – Glen Lake girls’ track – Bill Brendel

1992 – Glen Lake girls’ track – Bill Brendel

1994 – Glen Lake girls’ track – Doug Greer

1994 – Glen Lake football – Bill Hollenbeck

1995 – Glen Lake girls’ track – Doug Greer

1998 – Glen Lake/Leland girls’ skiing – Mark Fisher

1999 – Glen Lake/Leland girls’ skiing – Mark Fisher

2000 – Glen Lake boys’ track – Pete Edwards
- Suttons Bay boys’ golf – Todd Hursey
- Glen Lake girls’ cross country – Bryan Burns

2001 – Suttons Bay boys’ golf – Todd Hursey

2002 – Leland girls’ volleyball – Laurie Glass

2004 – Glen Lake/Suttons Bay boys’ skiing – Mark Fisher

2006 – Leland girls’ volleyball – Laurie Glass

Totals by School
Glen Lake – 13
Leland – 10
Suttons Bay – 5
Northport – 2
Leelanau School – 1

Northport fell to Bay City All Saints 85-55 in a Class D Regional Semifinal at Traverse City West. Northport kept it close for a half, but it was All Saints 55-point second half that was the difference. Drew Mitchell led the Wildcats, who finished 14-9, scoring 28 points, grabbing 12 boards and blocking 7 shots. Cody Brown added 13.

Read Wildcats knocked off by All Saints in the Record Eagle

Northern Michigan will be short one more great coach with the retirement of Rene LaFreniere. The Manton Varsity Boys Basketball coach will be stepping down after 22 years at the position. He has a career record of 338-171. Rumor has it that former Manton star Ryan Hiller may be the next head coach.

Read Era nears an end in Manton in the Record Eagle

My View: I always had alot of respect for him. His teams played hard and were always prepared.

Northport survived a furious St. Mary rally and held on for an exciting 53-47 win over the Eagles. Northport led by 14 at the half, but St. Mary used a 15-5 run in the third quarter to close within 1, but couldn’t get over the hump. This was a great basketball game to watch, with both teams playing hard. Cody Brown scored 19 for the Wildcats, Drew Mitchell added 15. St. Mary was led by Adam Koniezka’s 20.

T.C. Christian used a team effort to defeat Leelanau School 63-51 in a score that didn’t reflect how the Sabres controlled the game. They held a 25 point lead going into the 4th before the Thunderbirds mounted a late rally. George Wilkinson scored 39 points to lead Leelanau.

Read Rayders win 3 OT thriller in the Record Eagle

My View: Lots of teams could learn a lesson by watching how hard St. Mary’s played, especially in the second half. They never quit and left it all on the floor. A credit to their coaches and players.

Suttons Bay battled hard, but it wasn’t enough as they fell to T.C. St. Francis 75-53 in Class C District semifinal action. The Glads raced to a 25-9 lead in the first quarter and never looked back. Ray Freund scored 13 points and Dan McKisson added 12 for Suttons Bay as they finished the season with a record of 11-11.

Kingsley defeated Forest Area 68-41 in the other semifinal and will meet the Glads on Friday at 7 PM at Suttons Bay.

Read Kingsley, St. Francis set to meet once again in the Record Eagle

The one-two punch of Ray Freund and Dan McKisson was just enough for Suttons Bay to hold off Glen Lake 55-52 in the Class C District opener. Freund scored 22 points and McKisson added 15. Suttons Bay now advances to play T.C. St. Francis on Wednesday. Suttons Bay is now 11-10 on the season while Glen Lake finished the year 6-15. Joey Wiejaczka scored 22 for the Lakers.

Read Suttons Bay slips past Glen Lake again in the Record Eagle

The battle of the boards was one-sided and the game went the same way after the half as Traverse City Christian defeated Leland 63-41 to advance to the Class D District semifinals on Wednesday. Jordan Gibson led the Comets with 15 points and Marcus Whittaker added 11 points and 8 rebounds. Leland finished the season 8-12.

Read Sabres cut through Leland in the Record Eagle

Here’s the schedule for the Class D Boys Basketball District at Traverse City Christian. All the Cherryland Conference team, except Buckley, will be going head to head for the district crown.

Monday, March 6
T.C. Christian vs. Leland, 7 PM

Wednesday, March 8
Game 1: Northport vs. Lake Leelanau St. Mary, 6 PM
Game 2: Leelanau School vs. T.C. Christian/Leland winner, 8 PM

Friday, March 10
District Final, 7 PM

My Pick: A district final of Northport vs. Leland looks like a distinct possibility. T.C. Christian is tough and will have home court advantage so they could actually be the favorite. St. Mary is a darkhorse having played better as of late. Official Prediction: Northport 71, T.C. Christian 64.

Here’s the schedule for the Class C Boys Basketball District at Suttons Bay.

Monday, March 6
Glen Lake vs. Suttons Bay, 7 PM

Wednesday, March 8
Game 1: Kingsley vs. Forest Area, 6 PM
Game 2: T.C. St. Francis vs. GL/SB winner, immediately following Game 1

Friday, March 10
District Final, 7 PM

My Pick: It should come down to a Kingsley vs. St. Francis matchup for the district final, but crazier things have happened. Suttons Bay will be on their home floor and are a dangerous team. I just think that the Glads have too much firepower and will top Kingsley in a close game. Official prediction: St. Francis 64, Kingsley 59.

Leland used a balanced scoring attack to move to .500 in the Cherryland Conference with a 79-51 win over Lake Leelanau St. Mary. Five players scored in double figures for the Comets led by Marcus Whittaker’s 16 points as the Comets improved to 3-3 in the conference and 5-9 overall. St. Mary was led by Adam Konieczka’s 16 points.

Northport battled tough with Buckley, but the Bears scored the final 9 points in a 70-61 win. Drew Mitchell scored 28 points for the Wildcats as they fall to 9-7 overall and 4-3 in the Cherryland.

Ray Freund’s double-double wasn’t enough as Suttons Bay fell to Lake City 59-45 in a non-conference game. Freund scored 16 points and grabbed 11 boards. Suttons Bay is now 8-7.

Read Buckley edges Northport in the Record Eagle

Leland led the entire game, but in the final second Buckley sank two free throws to defeat the Comets 57-55 and stay undefeated in Cherryland play. Leland falls to 2-2 in the conference, 4-10 overall.

Read Buckley topples Leland at Cadillac News

Bellaire brought the defense and Leland couldn’t protect the ball as the Eagles cruised to a 81-37 win. Adam Houdek’s 11 points led the Comets. Leland returns to action on January 6th at T.C. Christian.

Read Bellaire shoots by Comets in the Record Eagle

The Record Eagle has posted their preview of the Northwest Conference. Suttons Bay and Glen Lake will both have their hands full trying to compete in the tough Northwest Conference. Suttons Bay is led by junior center Ray Freund, who is averaging just under 15 points a game. Glen Lake senior Dennis Smith leads the 1-3 Lakers. Kingsley is the favorite, but Frankfort and Manton also field tough squads.

Read Stags favored in Northwest in the Record Eagle.

Today is the Record Eagle’s preview of the Cherryland Conference. My pick is Northport, but Leland, St. Mary and Buckley are all capable. It should be interesting. Watch out for Leelanau Schools George Wilkinson. The sophomore has already scored 64 points in two games and has helped the Thunderbirds off to a 1-1 start.

Read Cherryland Conference race should be wide open in the Record Eagle

Suttons Bay ran into a hot shooting T.C. St. Francis Gladiators team and lost 70-33 in a non-conference game. The Glads finished shooting 50% on the night and limited Suttons Bay to 28 percent. Ray Freund’s 13 points led the Norsemen.

Read Glads roll by Norse in the Record Eagle