Opinions on five current sports topics from yours truly…

1. Lions vs. Packers - This is definitely what a Thanksgiving matchup should be! Two division rivals squaring off. The division is virtually locked up for the Packers, but a Lions win keeps some hope alive. Plus you need to watch in case Roy Williams does get 300 yards receiving!

2. Michigan State Football - That was a big win against Penn State for many reasons, but the way the Spartans did it impressed me the most. Down 24-7, they didn’t quit and that says more than anything else to me about Mark Dantonio and his staff. The future at MSU is very bright.

3. Lloyd Carr - I always enjoyed his conversations at halftime with sideline reporters, I would not have wanted to be in their shoes. He will be missed, but it was time for him to step down. I know alot of U of M fans that are happy, but if I was a Michigan fan, I wouldn’t be. He ran a great program and really coached some high-quality kids. They had better make the right decision about the next coach, and I’m not sure that means Les Miles.

4. Football at The State - Michael Moore has opened up the State Theatre in Traverse City on Saturday morning and will be showing Traverse City St. Francis playing for a state title. A great idea for those who can’t make the trip. I am sure it’s going to be a packed house.

5. Leelanau Sports Guy’s World - I plan on spending some more time getting things cranking again, so look for a new design and more frequent posts in the near future. Thanks to all who visit and send me emails, I appreciate it!

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!

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

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

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

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

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

Sorry for the lack of prep updates lately, I haven’t been able to focus during the Tigers late season collapse. I am planning on adding links and scores to the articles I have missed as soon as possible. If anyone would like to help out and post articles, etc., please send me an email.

Boys Football: Suttons Bay on the verge of 6th straight shutout
Suttons Bay is 6-0 and looking to finish unbeaten in the Northwest Conference when Frankfort visits on Friday. They are also in the midst of a record shutout streak after blanking opponents in the last five games. The Record Eagle’s Mark Urban takes a look at the streak and what the Norsemen think about it.

Read Norse a big red wall on D in the Record Eagle

Boys Golf: Norse, Glads ready to battle for District Crown
A preview of today’s Division IV Golf District at the Leelanau Club. Traverse City St. Francis is currently ranked No. 1 in the state, while Suttons Bay is at No. 5.

Read District duel at The Leelanau Club in the Record Eagle

Boys Soccer: Sabres shutout Lakers
Glen Lake fell to Traverse City Christian 5-0 as the Sabres remain undefeated in Cherryland Conference play.

Boys Soccer: Leland tops Benzie
Jordan Gibson, Brian Zaryczny and Adam Osiecki each scored a goal to lead Leland to a 3-1 non-conference win over Benzie Central. The Comets are 7-2 overall and 1-2 in the Cherryland.

Read West rips Rochester in the Record Eagle

Boys Soccer: Norse get two wins at Chippewa Invitational
Suttons Bay defeated Hart, 5-0 and Manistee, 2-1 to win their division at the Chippewa Invitational on Saturday.

Read Blues break scoring record in the Record Eagle

Cross-Country: Treece sets course record
Glen Lake’s Marissa Treece set a course record of 18:06 to capture the overall title at the Buckley Invitational. Her time helped the Lakers to a 5th place girls finish.

The Suttons Bay boys were led by a 10th place finish by Drew Palmer.

Read Fun in mud for Grieve, Petoskey in the Record Eagle

Boys Football: Suttons Bay improves to 3-0
Suttons Bay used a powerful running game to win their Northwest Conference opener 32-0 over previously undefeated Manton. Anthony Stewart led the Norsemen with 150 yards on the ground and two touchdowns.

Boys Football: Glen Lake holds off Mesick
Glen Lake’s Weston Buchan scored on a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter to help the Lakers top Mesick 15-12 in the Northwest opener for both teams. Jason Kemp passed for 132 yards for the Lakers.

Read Gaylord stops Petoskey in Big North opener in the Record Eagle

Boys Football: Lakers comeback short in loss to Class B Coloma
Jason Kemp threw for 174 yards and 2 touchdowns but it wasn’t enough as Coloma quarterback Alex Garrod accounted for 4 touchdowns in a 28-21 win over the Lakers.

“I’m disappointed in the score, but I’m not disappointed in our effort,” Lakers coach Bill Hollenbeck said. “They’re a real good football team, a very good football team. Last week they beat (Watervliet) 52-14. It was 44-0 at half. I didn’t sleep all week.

Glen Lake is 1-1 on the season.

Read Coloma holds off Glen Lake, 28-21 in the Record Eagle

Boys Football: Suttons Bay rolls over Harbor Springs 49-0
Suttons Bay improved to 2-0 with a 49-0 shutout of Harbor Springs. The Norsemen rushed for 352 yards with Cal Forton leading the way with 96. Jordan Peplinski scored two touchdowns on the ground and Colin Korson ran back a punt 56 yards for a score.

Read Elk Rapids, Mesick off to 2-0 beginnings in the Record Eagle

Girls Basketball: Eagles top Lakers in consolation game
Alyssa Korson scored 25 points and Susan Herman added 17 as Lake Leelanau St. Mary defeated Glen Lake 59-53 to capture 3rd place in the Katie Heinz “We Believe” Tip-Off Clasic. T.C. Christian topped St. Francis 42-30 to win the title.

Girls Basketball: Leland falls to Bellaire
Erin Sneed, Erika Green and Whitney Grant scored 10 points each, but it wasn’t enough as the Comets lost their opener to Bellaire 41-34.

Boys Soccer: Northport gives Leland first loss of season
Ryan Blessing scored the go-ahead goal with 1:52 left as Northport topped Leland 2-1 in a Cherryland Conference matchup.

Read Marquette adds another road victory in the Record Eagle

Boys Golf: Suttons Bay 9th at Okemos Invitational
Nate Kelly and Josh Schaub each carded a 79 to lead the Norsmemen to a 9th place finish out of 19 teams.

Boys Soccer: Sabres shutout Norsemen
Eric Pardini registered the shutout in the Cherryland Conference win for T.C. Christian.

Boys Soccer: Northport cruises past Buckley
Cody Brown and Ryan Blessing accounted for all the Wildcat goals in a 6-1 Cherryland Conference win over Buckley. Brown and Blessing each scored hat tricks and Drew Mitchell registered 8 saves.

Read Marquette tops Stags, Central up next in the Record Eagle

Cross Country: Glen Lake’s Treece takes 2nd
Marissa Treece ran a 18:54.8, but it wasn’t enough to claim the Benzie Invitational title as she finished second to Rockford’s Katie Haines by 10 seconds. Treece ran in up a class in the White Division against runners from bigger schools.

“She (Haines) was awesome,” Treece said. “It was a good race. This shows me what I have to do to get better. I ran up ( a class) so I could see what I needed to do for states. Now I know what I need to do.”

The Suttons Bay girls and boys both finished 6th in the Red Division.

Read Duo on the way back in the Record Eagle

Boys Soccer: Leland captures 5th straight Boynton Invitational
Leland defeated Manistee in the final 3-2 after defeating Forest Area 4-1 to advance to the final.

Read Comets keep crown in the Record Eagle

Boys Soccer: Big Day for Wildcats
Northport cruised to two 5-0 victories, the first over Harbor Light and the second over Grand Marais.

Read Northport soccer posts a pair of shutout victories in the Record Eagle

Boys Football: Suttons Bay, Glen Lake win openers
Glen Lake quarterback Jason Kemp accounted for three touchdowns and 183 yards of total offense to lead the Lakers to a victory over East Jordan 42-6.

Suttons Bay’s Anthony Stewart scored on 4th-and-goal in overtime and Matt Pasch added the extra point to give the Norsmen an exciting 13-12 OT win over Benzie Central. The game was 6-6 after regulation.

Read Rayders open with win in the Record Eagle