All-Tribune Volleyball Team has diverse mix

UPPER THUMB — It was a wild and wacky 2010 volleyball season in the Huron Daily Tribune coverage area.

Some teams started strong, but faded at the end.

Other teams struggled early, but came on and produced winning seasons.

Overall, the play wasn’t spectacular, but it was exciting. 

Selecting the 2010 All-Huron Daily Tribune Volleyball Team was difficult this season. While there were no area superstars, there were plenty of solid players who deserved recognition.

This year’s first team consists of Bad Axe’s Taylor Breault and Taylor Braun, Caseville’s Rebecca Janke, Cass City’s McKensie Parrish, Deckerville’s Mandy Nichol, Ubly’s Jessica Gracey and Unionville-Sebewaing Area’s Samantha Eisengruber. Breault, Nichol and Parrish are the co-captains of the team.

Caseville’s David Watts was selected as Coach of the Year for the squad, which is voted on by selected area coaches and the Tribune’s sports staff.

Breault’s net play and Braun’s defensive work formed a nifty 1-2 punch for the Hatchets.

Breault, a four-year varsity player, had 318 kills, good for a 2.61 per game average. She also had 38 blocks and served at 86 percent with 28 aces.

“Taylor’s one of the most powerful hitters in our league,” said Bad Axe coach Mindy Breault. “She is difficult to defend because of her height and strength. Opponents always concentrate on stopping her when she is in the front row. 

“She’s also a model of inspiration because, although she sat out her junior year with a torn ACL, she still came to practice every day last year and had to work very hard in rehab to come back and play the way she has played this year.”

Breault earned first-team All-Greater Thumb West honors, as well as All-Region and honorable mention All-State.

Braun has been Bad Axe’s libero the past few seasons, using her athletic ability to dig and frustrate many of the area’s top hitters.

“Taylor is a gutsy defender who reads the hitters very well,” Breault said. “She is definitely our vocal leader on the court. She is a very consistent serve receiver and led our team in serving percentage as well. Taylor always gives 110 percent all the time.”

Braun, a first-team All-GTW pick, had 722 digs, good for a 5.92 per game average. She also served at 96 percent with 55 aces and had a 91 percent serve reception. She finishes her career among the school’s all-time leaders in digs with 1,605.

“Both of the Taylors will be greatly missed next season not only because of their volleyball skills, but because of their leadership both on and off the court,” Breault said. “This excellent life skill will serve them well as they continue on to college.”

Caseville’s Janke was a four-year starter for the Eagles, racking up 135 kills, 226 digs, 112 aces and 43 assists this season.

“She was our team co-captain, our on-court team leader and an extremely versatile all-around player,” said Caseville coach David Watts.

Janke also was a first-team All-North Central Thumb League North Division selection.

Cass City’s Parrish is a repeat first-team All-Tribune selection. 

The Red Hawk libero registered 468 digs, 48 assists, 41 kills and served at 90 percent with 59 aces. 

“McKensie is a strong server, an excellent receiver and an awesome defensive specialist,” said Cass City coach Brenda Sherman. “She has an uncanny ability to read hitters and dig up what they send over. She has great court sense and is a very athletic and smart player.”

Parrish earned first-team All-GTW honors, as well as All-Region and third-team Class C All-State.

Deckerville’s Nichol is the other repeat first-team All-Tribune performer.

Nichol averaged 3.86 kills, 3.38 digs and 0.5 blocks per game for the Eagles. She also served at a 93 percent clip.

“She led our team in kills and blocks for three seasons,” said Deckerville coach Carl Krumenacker.

Nichol earned first-team All-NCTL South Division, All-Region and honorable mention Class D All-State.

In her four years with Deckerville, Nichol helped the Eagles capture four district championships and two regional titles.

Ubly’s Gracey was a bit of a surprise for the Bearcats and coach Andy Gusa this season.

The hard-hitting lefty had 313 kills, 350 digs, 98 blocks and served at a 90 percent clip.

“Jessica led our team in kills and blocks, and she was positive in every situation,” Gusa said. “Jessica really enjoyed playing the game. Her left-handed spike was very hard to read.”

Gracey also earned first-team All-GTE honors this season.

USA’s Eisengruber is the lone junior on the All-Tribune squad.

She racked up 301 kills, 56 blocks and served at a 96 percent clip with 40 aces.

“Sam is a great middle hitter,” said USA coach Teresa Rose. “She can see the court and knows where to put the ball. And for her first year of serving, she was very consistent when it came to our team needing points. 

“Sam is a great leader and I am thankful to have her for another year.”

Eisengruber also earned first-team All-GTW honors.

There was no coach who did more with his team than Watts, who guided the Eagles to league and district championships. It was the first NCTL title for the Eagles in volleyball since 1983. 

This year’s Caseville volleyball team became the school’s first girls sport to win both league and district championships in the same season. Also, it’s the first time the volleyball team has captured back-to-back district titles. 

The All-Tribune second team consists of Bad Axe’s Rachel Breault, Caseville’s Heather Nowak and Maureen Fortsch, Cass City’s Stephanie Leeson and Logan Rowell, Deckerville’s Jackie Guza, Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port’s Ashlyn Albrecht and Erin Albrecht, North Huron’s Sara Clancy and Hanna Selaty, Owendale-Gagetown’s Christin Harris, Port Hope’s Kayla Gust, Ubly’s Nicole Kubacki and USA’s Miranda Fuerst.

Honorable Mention

Justine Morneau, Bad Axe

Veronica Sauer, Caseville

Taylor King, Caseville

Hayley Buckey, Caseville

Caitlin Reed, Cass City

Megan Parrish, Cass City

Carley Hendrick, Cass City

Shashauna Sampson, Deck.

Kori Nunn, Deckerville

Kaleigh Spaetzel, Deckerville

Brooklyn Foy, EPBP

Erika Matteson, EPBP

Sam Hessling, Harbor Beach

Megan Bischer, H. Beach

Michelle Talaski, H. Beach

Amanda Navock, N. Huron

Ashley Case, N. Huron

Karlie Goretski, N. Huron

Mandy Muntz,  O-Gage

Kayla Montreuil, O-Gage

Lacie Prich, O-Gage

Brittany Schave, Port Hope

Kristen Kowaleski, P. Hope

Lauren Peplinski, Ubly

Alyssa Briolat, Ubly

Ashley Kubacki, Ubly

Brittany Forman, Ubly

Maddy Payton, USA

Calie Valentine, USA

Mackenzie Treiber, USA

Chelsey Ewald, USA

Rebecca Janke

Mandy Nichol

Taylor Breault

Taylor Braun

McKensie Parrish

Jessica Gracey

Samantha Eisengruber

David Watts

Shagena closes out stellar career at Alma

ALMA — Bryan Shagena started his post-high school football career protecting the quarterback at Alma College.

But when the 2007 Deckerville graduate played his final game for the Scots a few weeks ago, he was instead pursuing the opponent’s quarterback.

“I found out after my freshman year of playing offensive line that my talents would be much better suited toward playing defensive line, where my size and ability to throw a devastating punch would put me in the position to be able to make a lot of plays,” Shagena said.

“Playing defensive line in a 4-3 scheme is fairly similar in terms of technique to playing offensive line in a power running formation. The simple difference is holding at the point of attack for a split second and then getting off a block, instead of staying on a block and driving someone downfield, and then pursuing to the football.”

Shagena did plenty of pursuing this season for the Scots. Starting all 10 games, the 6-foot-2, 290 pounder recorded 20 solo tackles, including nine for loss and 2 1/2 sacks. He also had a pass breakup, a pass deflection, was selected captain for two games, and was chosen defensive player of the week after Alma’s Oct. 2 contest with Hope College.

Alma finished the season 3-7 overall.

“I was very happy with my senior season,” Shagena said. “My individual stats were even better than I hoped for coming into the season.

“My games against Hope and Olivet my senior year stand out the most for me because they were my best individual games statistically and they are both two of Alma’s biggest rivals.”

In his four years at Alma, Shagena has become a sort of student of the game, especially at his position on the defensive line.

“The biggest change for me has been mastering the overall technique that a defensive lineman is taught to carry out from the snap of the ball until the end of the play,” he explained. “There is a series of steps that a defensive lineman goes through, and the faster you can complete that process the better opportunity you will have to make not just a good play, but a great play...” 

Shagena said that he’s gone up against bigger offensive linemen, but bigger doesn’t always mean stronger. 

“Getting out of my stance low, throwing my hands out to defeat a block, and then collapsing down the line of scrimmage are all steps I go through every snap that will ensure my opportunity to be in the best position to make a football play,” he said. 

“As a sophomore, it would take probably three seconds for that whole process to take place. But through off-season training to develop better footspeed and lateral quickness, I was able to speed up that entire process by half-a-second. This allowed me to transition from making a tackle for no gain or a gain of one yard to all the tackles for loss I had this year.”

At Deckerville, Shagena earned All-State offensive line honors in 2006 and 2007. And while he had other offers, there was never a doubt where he was going to college.

“Alma offered me a small school atmosphere with big time academic credentials, which is what I wanted right from the start,” he said. “Even if I hadn’t have played college football, I still would have attended Alma because of the extremely diverse and well rounded education I received in the health sciences department. I was brought into a football environment where I could contribute right away and get the most out of my four years, which I was absolutely able to do.”

 Shagena has sound advice for any Thumb athlete who is interested in playing football in college.

“If you are interested in playing college football, it is important to let your high school coach know about it so they can go through the initial process of releasing names of players and film,” he said. “Film is the most crucial part of any player evaluation by a college coach. And if they are able to watch your film and they like what they see, then you have the opportunity of being recruited...

“There are ‘no cut policies’ in place for a lot of Division III schools, so showing up to any team function is within the rules. But just remember that if you aren’t up to the skill level with the rest of the players it will show in practice and you will probably find out sooner rather than later if you are capable of contributing...”

Shagena is grateful for the support he received from his family and friends during his time at Alma.

“I would like to thank all of my high school and college coaches for giving me the opportunity to make a lot of great football memories while developing a lot of good relationships along the way,” he said. “I would also especially like to thank my parents, my girlfriend Kelsey, and my grandparents for all their love and support throughout the last four years.”

Shagena is the son of Doug and Suzanne Shagena of Deckerville.

All-GTE Football Team

All-Greater Thumb Conference 

East Division 

Football Teams

First Team Offense

Quarterback 

Justin Mills, Sandusky

Kolby Lange, Marlette

Running Back

Tyler Peruski, Ubly

Bret Cleary, Ubly

Nathan Primeau, Brown City

Center 

Mike Lautner, Ubly

Tackle 

Josh White, Ubly

Kyle Lindsay, Brown City

Guard 

Josh Kubacki, Ubly

Matt Orchard, Sandusky

End 

Corey Kursinsky, Sandusky

Eric Booms, Ubly

Kicker

Brent Speer, Marlette 

Second Team Offense

Quarterback

Sean Sorenson, Harbor Beach

Aaron Mercer, Mayville

Running Back

Justin Carello, Marlette

Pat Chappus, Sandusky

Aaron Ginther, Harbor Beach

Center 

Chad Hoff, Brown City

Jacob Wiley, Marlette

Tackle 

Jesse Pagel, Sandusky

Joey Volz, Marlette

Evan Franke, Mayville

Guard 

Clayton Wehner, Harbor Beach

Travis Yonkowski, Brown City

Ian Grifka, Ubly

End

Tyler Banks, Brown City

Tom Sutherland, Harbor Beach

Kicker

Corey Kursinsky, Sandusky 

Honorable Mention Offense

Running Back

Jaden Fox, Brown City

Bryan Nash, Ubly

Guard

Cody Pfaff, Harbor Beach

End

Zach Wudarcki, Mayville

Tyler Albrecht, Sandusky

First Team Defense

Linemen

Matt Czewski, Ubly

Josh White, Ubly

Will Anderson, Sandusky

David Grosso, Sandusky

Linebacker 

Nathan Primeau, Brown City

Eric Booms, Ubly

Jason Kaufman, Ubly

Matt Orchard, Sandusky

Dillon Frank, Sandusky

Defensive Back

Quintin Pavel, Brown City

Bryan Nash, Ubly

Justin Mills, Sandusky

Brandon Tucker, Sandusky 

Punter

Brent Speer, Marlette

Specialist

Brandon Tucker, Sandusky

 

Second Team Defense

Linemen

Tom Sutherland, Harbor Beach

Tyler Banks, Brown City

Casey Martus, Brown City

Andrew Knox, Brown City

Ian Foster, Sandusky 

Linebackers

Travis Yonkowski, Brown City

B.J. Mellstead, Marlette

Joey Volz, Marlette

Gavin Colpaert, Harbor Beach

Defensive Back

Trenton Wood, Brown City

Donnie Thomas, Marlette

Pat Chappus, Sandusky 

Punter

Corey Kursinsky, Sandusky

Specialist

Donnie Thomas, Marlette

Brandon Gott, Mayville

Honorable Mention Defense

Linemen

Kyle Kramer, Harbor Beach

Linebacker

Cody Anderson, Brown City

Cody Giddings, Mayville

Vince Brown, Marlette 

Defensive Back

Ethan Martus, Brown City

All-GTW football team

All-Greater Thumb Conference 

West Division 

Football Teams

First Team Offense

Quarterback 

Drew Janer, BCAS

Running Back

Madison Harper, Vassar

Tim Canfield, USA

Austin Osentoski, Cass City

Center 

Casey Squanda, Reese

Tackle 

Dakota Gangler, USA 

Levi Bauer, Reese

Guard 

Max Bender, Vassar 

Austin Beyerlein, Reese

End 

Caleb Gnatkowski, Reese

Justin Locklear, Vassar

Kicker

Kyle Aurenhamer, Vassar 

Second Team Offense

Quarterback

Kyle Aurenhamer, Vassar

Running Back

Kevin Pratt, Vassar 

Cody Somerville, Reese 

Walter VanHouten, EPBP

Center 

Keith Gainforth, USA 

Jacob Hohman, Vassar 

Jimmy Jasman, BCAS 

Mike Milligan, Cass City

Tackle 

Gunnar Bouvy, Reese 

Nate Sobczak, BCAS 

Mitch O’Dell, Cass City

Guard 

Lucas Hagen, Reese 

Derek Guigar, Cass City

Matt LaBrenz, BCAS

End

Jared Bender, Reese 

Kyle Fletcher, USA 

Kicker

Garrett Bowker, BCAS 

Honorable Mention Offense

Kevin Swiercz, BCAS, Running Back; Aaron Villano, BCAS, End;  Garret Bowker, BCAS, End; Troy Elbers, Reese, Running Back; Alex Khoury, USA, Guard; Tyler Dick, USA, Running Back; Geoff Fearson, Cass City, Lineman

First Team Defense

Linemen

Austin Beyerlein, Reese 

Spencer Buchinger, Reese 

Dakota Gangler, USA 

Mitch O’Dell, Cass City 

Jimmy Jasman, BCAS

Linebacker 

Austin Huber, Vassar

Alex Khoury, USA

Cody Somerville, Reese

Tyler Beckman, Reese

Defensive Back

Justin Locklear, Vassar 

Chris Harper, USA 

Kyle Yaklin, Reese 

Punter

Drew Janer, BCAS 

Kyle Aurenhamer, Vassar 

Caleb Gnatkowski, Reese 

Second Team Defense

Linemen

Jared Bender, Reese 

Caleb Gnatkowski, Reese 

Cody Cucinello, EPBP 

Derek Guigar, Cass City 

Nate Sobczak, BCAS 

Tyler Zwingman, BCAS 

Linebacker

Drew Janer, BCAS

Nolan Whitney, Vassar

Dallas Kokowicz, Vassar

Nick Adams, Cass City 

Justin Licht, EPBP 

Defensive Back

Dan Rieck, USA 

Brody Lawrence, EPBP 

Alex Varney, Cass City 

Quincy Brissette, BCAS 

Punter

Tim Canfield, USA

Honorable Mention Defense

Linemen

Jim Kosinski, EPBP 

Corey Haney, Cass City 

Evan Hadd, Reese

Linebacker

Chase Voelker, EPBP 

Josh Jensen, Cass City 

Defensive Back

Derek Susalla, Bad Axe

Deaton Holz, Bad Axe

Travis Menapace, Reese 

Zac Case, Vassar 

Friday: All-Greater Thumb East

Division 7-8 All-State Team

 (AP) — Hudson High School football coach Chris Luma’s first impression of running back Drew Milligan was one that the coach may never forget.

“His dad told me back when he was a freshman that Drew said he wants to be the best running back ever to come out of Hudson,” Luma said. “I didn’t think much of it at the time, but guess what? 

“He’s going to be the best running back ever to come out of Hudson.”

Milligan added to an incredible senior season for the Tigers with 198 yards rushing in a 52-6 win over Warren Michigan Collegiate in the Division 7 semifinals to push his season rushing total over the 2,200-yard mark.

The 5-foot-6, 150-pound Milligan is the all-time single-season rushing leader at Hudson and this year’s Associated Press Division 7-8 Player of the Year. 

He heads the Division 7-8 All-State team that also includes Luma as the Coach of the Year.

“A kid like that makes my job a lot easier,” Luma said. “He’s one of those quiet, even shy, kids. We put in the Wildcat formation this year because of what Drew can do, and one of the first things that happened was some of the players were complaining because they couldn’t hear him in the huddle.

“It was kind of funny, but that’s just how he is.”

Undefeated Hudson plays Ishpeming in the Division 7 final at Ford Field Saturday morning. It will be the first meeting of those schools since Ishpeming downed Hudson in the 1975 final. Luma was the quarterback for Hudson in 1975.

Other running backs named to the Division 7-8 All-State team are Ethan Colton of Saugatuck, Damon Armstrong of Muskegon Catholic Central, Cody Ross of Deckerville, Corban Olson of Lawton and Jared Barton of Fulton.

Colton rushed for more than 2,380 yards for Division 8 finalist Saugatuck, while Armstrong rushed for 1,082 yards for Muskegon Catholic Central, which plays one of the toughest schedules among small schools in the state. Ross rushed for more than 1,000 yards despite breaking his leg early in Week 9 and playing just one half of two other games.

Olson rushed for 1,520 yards and 20 touchdowns for Lawton, which went through the regular season unbeaten. Barton, an All-State punter last year, rushed for 1,588 yards this season and amassed more than 5,000 yards in a three-year varsity career.

The All-State quarterbacks are Brett Wesner of Bellevue and Nic Aday of Springport.

Wesner led Bellevue to the school’s first playoff appearance and into the Division 8 district final. He passed for more than 1,400 yards and rushed for more than 1,500 yards. Aday led Springport to the first 9-0 regular season in school history. He accounted for 2,470 yards in total offense this year after missing all of last season with a knee injury.

The All-State receivers in Division 7-8 are Kevin Rice of Kinde North Huron, Kyle Mayan of Merrill and Austin St. Louis of St. Ignace LaSalle.

Rice led all Division 7-8 receivers with 74 receptions and 1,000 yards in the regular season. Mayan had 47 catches for 931 yards and seven touchdowns. St. Louis caught 25 passes for 351 yards and rushed for 717 yards and was named offensive and defensive player of the year in the Straits Area Conference.

Six linemen were named All-State, including Nick Pasch of Beal City, Stanley Matuszak of Whittemore-Prescott, Shaquille Sibley of New Lothrop, returning All-Stater Mitch Thompson of Lake City, John Schrauben of Fowler and Shafer Johnson of Southfield Christian. Johnson has committed to Indiana.

Eric Booms of Ubly is another repeat selection, and he is joined at linebacker by Jordan Hahka of Lake Linden-Hubbell, Tanez Hervey of Detroit Loyola, Jake Gilstorff of Petersburg-Summerfield and Cody Bingaman of Mendon.

The defensive backs are Branch Kampe of Royal Oak Shrine, Taylor Borst of Mancelona and John Zakrzewski of Traverse City St. Francis.

Chase Blake of Petersburg-Summerfield is the All-State pick in the all-purpose category. 

He rushed for more than 1,500 yards, ran a kickoff back for a touchdown, kicked a playoff-game-winning field goal and was one of Petersburg-Summerfield’s leading tacklers as a defensive back.

The kicker is Josh Bachleda of Bridgman, who was good on all 45 of his extra-point attempts and had a pair of field goals.

The All-State punter is Gray Vreeland of Gobles, who averaged 43.5 yards per kick with a long of 70 yards.

AP Division 7-8 All-State prep football list

The 2010 Associated Press Division 7-8 All-State football team, which is selected by Michigan sports writers and broadcasters:

PLAYER OF THE YEAR:

Drew Milligan, Hudson, 5-6, 150, Sr.

QUARTERBACKS:

Nic Aday, Springport, 5-10, 185, Sr. 

Brett Wesner, Bellevue, 5-11, 175, Sr. 

RUNNING BACKS:

Jared Barton, Fulton, 5-11, 205, Sr.

Damon Armstrong, Muskegon Catholic Central, 5-8, 170, Sr.

Drew Milligan, Hudson, 5-6, 150, Sr.

Ethan Colton, Saugatuck, 5-11, 170, Sr. 

Corban Olson, Lawton, 5-10, 170, Sr.

Cody Ross, Deckerville, 5-11, 180, Sr.

RECEIVERS:

Kevin Rice, Kinde North Huron, 6-1, 185, Sr.

Kyle Mayan, Merrill, 6-3, 185, Sr.

Austin St. Louis, St. Ignace LaSalle, 6-3, 190, Sr. 

LINEMEN:

Shaquille Sibley, New Lothrop, 6-0, 290, Sr.

Nick Pasch, Beal City, 5-10, 190, Sr.

Stanley Matuszak, Whittemore-Prescott, 6-1, 215, Sr.

Mitch Thompson, Lake City, 5-11, 240, Sr.

John Schrauben, Fowler, 6-2, 240, Sr. 

Shafer Johnson, Southfield Christian, 6-0, 292, Sr.

LINEBACKERS:

Jordan Hahka, Lake Linden-Hubbell, 5-8, 165, Sr. 

Tanez Hervey, Detroit Loyola, 5-9, 205, Sr. 

Jake Gilstorff, Petersburg-Summerfield, 6-0, 200, Sr.

Cody Bingaman, Mendon, 5-11, 215, Jr.

Eric Booms, Ubly, 6-1, 195, Sr. 

DEFENSIVE BACKS:

Branch Kampe, Royal Oak Shrine, 6-1, 205, Sr. 

Taylor Borst, Mancelona, 6-1, 185, Sr.

John Zakrzewski, Traverse City St. Francis, 6-1, 200, Sr.

ALL-PURPOSE:

Chase Blake, Petersburg-Summerfield, 5-9, 175, Sr.

KICKER:

Josh Bachleda, Bridgman, 6-2, 175, Sr.

PUNTER:

Gray Vreeland, Gobles, 6-2, 240, Sr.

COACH OF THE YEAR:

Chris Luma, Hudson

———

SPECIAL MENTION (nominees receiving two or more votes from the 11-member panel):

QUARTERBACKS:

Drew Janer, Bay City All Saints, 6-2, 170, Sr.

Vinny Delicata, Sterling Heights Parkway Christian, 5-10, 165, Sr.

RUNNING BACK:

Marcus Ruff, Cassopolis, 6-0, 205, Sr.

RECEIVER:

Jeremy Emmendorfer, New Lothrop, 6-3, 190, Sr.

LINEMEN:

Josh Hier, Ashley, 6-1, 260, Sr.

Kyle Rassmussen, Saugatuck, 6-2, 215, Jr.

Tanner Jacques, Stephenson, 5-10, 215, Sr. 

Nick Taylor, Deckerville, 6-1, 210, Sr.

Josh White, Ubly, 6-4, 250, Jr.

LINEBACKER:

Caleb Quintanilla, Genesee, 6-0, 205, Sr.

DEFENSIVE BACKS:

Brett Gervais, Lake Linden-Hubbell, 5-10, 160, Sr. 

Carl Youry, Genesee, 5-10, 165, Sr.

ALL-PURPOSE:

Tyler Mercier, Powers North Central, 6-0, 170, Sr.

Trevor Haas, Climax-Scotts, 5-10, 150 Sr. 

COACHES:

Erik Johnson, Petersburg-Summerfield

Bill Dunn, Saugatuck

———

HONORABLE MENTION (nominees receiving one or no votes from the 11-member panel):

QUARTERBACKS:

Isaiah Simmons, Big Rapids Crossroads Charter Academy

Dan Olson, Ishpeming

RUNNING BACKS:

Abe Van Sicce, Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary

Logan Nemeth, McBain

Nick Kolanowski, Manistee Catholic

Joey Frazee, St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic

RECEIVERS:

Austin Karbowski, Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes

Sam Davis, Potterville 

LINEMEN:

Dakota Price, Fulton

Chris Chermside-Scabbo, Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart Academy

Keegan DeZeeuw, McBain

Adam Williams, Lake City

Tim Schulze, Hillman

Jon Robinson, Hillman

Kyle Lints, Traverse City St. Francis

Tylor Demeuse, Powers North Central 

LINEBACKERS:

Thomas Fabus, Ashley

Dakota Mettert, Coleman

Nick Doyle, Manistee Catholic

Gavin Smith, Pewamo-Westphalia 

Luke Copeland, Morrice 

Andrew Estrada, Deckerville

Tommy Bush, Warren Michigan Collegiate

DEFENSIVE BACK:

Mike King, Central Lake

ALL-PURPOSE:

Tyrone Jarrett, Detroit Loyola

Anthony Caizzo, Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes 

KICKERS:

Aaron Mick, Sterling Heights Parkway Christian 

Logan Ahrens, Mendon

PUNTERS:

Aaron Mick, Sterling Heights Parkway Christian 

Devon Feldpausch, Fowler

TommeLee Miracle, Whittemore-Prescott

Alan Boitnott, Decatur

COACHES:

Clint Galvas, New Lothrop

Craig Koenigsknecht, Fowler

Jeff Brooks, Saranac 

Doug Blattner, Bellevue 

Joe Holloway, Ashley

Kevin Frederick, Whittemore-Prescott

All NCTL Football Team

All-North Central Thumb League

2010 Football Team

First Team

Jeff Weidner, Memphis Jr.

Rich Olbrys, Memphis Sr.

Ryan Fraley, Memphis Sr.

Brenden Manns, Peck Sr.

Cole Hamblin, Peck Sr.

Evan Bootz, Kingston Jr.

Ish Morell, Kingston Sr.

Taylor Nicol, Kingston Sr.

Dustin Pennington, Kingston Jr.

Erik Dhyse, North Huron Sr.

Kevin Rice, North Huron Sr.

Michael Cregeur, North Huron Sr.

Zach Ahearn, North Huron Sr.

Mike Schramski, North Huron Sr.

Anthony Murawski, N. Huron Sr.

Cody Ross, Deckerville Sr.

Nick Taylor, Deckerville Sr.

Andrew Estrada, Deckerville Jr.

Tony Morton, Deckerville Sr.

Rick Wilfong, Deckerville Sr.

Joe Spaulding, Deckerville Jr.

Grant Schulz, Deckerville Jr.

Gus Stolicker, Deckerville Jr.

Second Team

Tyler Pattullo, Deckerville Jr.

Matt Finan, North Huron Sr.

David Phillips, Kingston Jr.

Jacob Zuehlke, Peck Sr.

Nick Christopher, Memphis Sr.

Honorable Mention

Nathan Abraham, Memphis Jr.

Mike Quandt, Peck Sr.

Tyler Bastain, Kingston Sr.

Jordan Gembarski, N. Huron Sr.

Casey Hoff, Deckerville Jr.

Gust inks with Northwood

PORT HOPE — When Kayla Gust was a fifth grader, she had a dream of pitching at the varsity level.

Once she got to the varsity level, that dream shifted to pitching in college.

The Port Hope senior made her dream a reality as she recently inked with Northwood University.

“I’ve been there for basketball camp a few times, and I just felt like I was at home,” Gust said. “I went for another visit with the softball coach, and I felt like I fit in already.”

Gust has gained more headlines for her basketball skills, leading the Bluestars to league and district championships last season.

But she developed an affection for softball after playing during the summer.

“I got into a summer league, and I just found my love there,” she said. “I just felt more comfortable playing there.

“I’ve just grown every year with the help of my coaches.”

Gust gave a lot of credit to her first coach, Linda Johnson.

Johnson gave the young fifth grader an opportunity to be with the team — and Gust ran with it.

“When Kayla was in fifth grade, she asked me to be involved in softball,” Johnson said. “She wanted to participate in every drill possible. I had juniors and seniors who wouldn’t want to participate in a drill. Kayla had no problem as a fifth grader. 

“For Port Hope, she’s a one in a million. She’s one that comes around just so often.”

Gust is very fond of those days as a bat girl.

“I give a lot of credit to Mrs. Johnson. I started in fifth grade as the bat girl,” she said. “I practiced with the varsity team, and progressed along with them.”

With basketball season right around the corner, Gust wanted to get the signing out of the way early.

“It’s nice to have the pressure out of the way to know I have signed somewhere,” she said.

Gust is a self-driven athlete, and she isn’t about to take a break just because she knows what college she will be attending.

If anything, it has motivated her even more.

“When she made this decision, her dedication, hard work and desire have been second to none — that’s what’s made her what she is today,” Johnson said. 

Added Gust: “Someone told me now that I’ve signed not to relax or anything... So I plan on working hard in both basketball and softball.”

There were other schools she considered, including Grand Valley State, but Gust wanted to stay close to the area so her parents could easily attend her games. Her parents, Paula and Michael, have never missed their daughter play.

“They haven’t missed a game, so I didn’t want them to feel left out,” Gust said. “We went (to Grand Valley), but things just didn’t seem right there.”

Port Hope just missed out on winning a softball league title in 2009. 

Johnson is hoping to take the next step with Gust in her final season.

“Kayla’s a great pitcher, there’s not too many teams that would not want her,” she said. “She always tries to make the people around her better.

“For Kayla finishing her senior year, it would be awesome to win a league championship.”

Port Hope’s Kayla Gust recently signed her letter of intent to play softball for Northwood University. She was joined from left by her father Michael Gust, Port Hope athletic director Don Pitts, Port Hope softball coach Linda Johnson, her mother Paula Gust and brother Shawn Gust.