Here are the top sports performances from around Emmet and Charlevoix counties over the last week away from the football field.
There won’t be a set number of players chosen in each sport in a given period, just including performances which stood out and deserve recognition.
Check for another installment of top performers next week and make sure athletic results are sent to dkochanny@petoskeynews.com for athletes to be included.
Petoskey varsity: The entire Petoskey tennis team continues to be off to roaring start to the 2024 season. The Northmen are ranked No. 5 within Division 3 and off to a 7-1 start in dual matches. This past week, Petoskey nearly swept Alpena in straight sets across the board, dropping just one game the whole day during the 8-0 win. The singles lineup includes: Elijah Rindfusz (1), Luke Washington (2), Collin Brantly (3) and Brian Tang (4). Doubles is made up of Luke Bailey/Louis Daurel (1), Liam Washington/Clark Tarachas (2), Cole Willison/Martin Howard (3) and Finn Clarke/Jack Dumas (4).
More: What happened when Petoskey volleyball met Gaylord for the first time in 2024?
Lily Snyder, East Jordan: The Red Devils recently picked up wins over Ellsworth (3-0) and Boyne Falls (3-0) and Snyder shined in both. Against Ellsworth, the junior had seven kills, six aces and a pair of digs, then against Boyne Falls, had nine kills, a pair of assists and another ace.
Lanie Irwin, Pellston: The Hornets met a trio of teams in an Onaway quad this week, dropping to Atlanta (25-27, 22-25), Roscommon (7-25, 18-25) and Onaway (15-25, 20-25). Irwin still stood out with 18 kills to lead the way and 21 digs.
Vanessa Groenewoud, Mackinaw City: The Comets earned a victory over Burt Lake NMCA this week (27-25, 26-24, 25-14) and Groenewoud stepped up with 14 kills, three aces, eight digs and a block. Said Mackinaw coach Jake Huffman, “I was very pleased with our energy and focus tonight, and felt the girls did a great job of staying positive and energized through the tough stretches.”
Ayla Kemp, Charlevoix: The Northern Shores opener didn’t go as planned for Charlevoix with a loss to Kingsley (8-25, 13-25, 10-25), though Kemp made some plays defensively, leading with 22 digs, while combining for 33 serve receptions with Gemma Bonney. Charlevoix coach Audra Randall still sees good in her young team, though, “There is great potential for our 2024 team and each time we are on the court we get a little better. We made some really great plays on the court but stringing points together.”
Morgan Erickson, Boyne City: Boyne City earned a sweep over Kalkaska (25-18, 25-12, 25-18) and stood out throughout the night defensively, led by Erickson’s 14 digs and 12 of 12 on serve receive, impressing head coach Annabelle Seelye, “The communication on the court was the best it’s been all season, these girls knew what they needed to get done and did. With barely any dropped balls, defense was constantly on their toes and had a stellar night on serve receive.”
Jo Kirkpatrick, East Jordan: Kirkpatrick stood out in a second match of a tri against Boyne Falls, finishing with 15 digs, six aces, six assists and three kills.
Breanna Willis, Pellston: Willis had a strong night in the Onaway hosted quad this week, finishing with 25 assists, eight aces, eight kills and 18 digs.
Josie Wilson, Boyne City: The Ramblers earned a 3-0 sweep over Kalkaska in Northern Shores action, their first league win of the season and first as NSC members. Wilson led with eight kills and added nine digs, while keeping the energy high on the court.
Jaslyn Blanton, Charlevoix: Up against a tough Kingsley block, Blanton still managed to finish the night with six kills and lead the Rayders.
Rian Esper, Mackinaw City: In a 3-0 win over Burt Lake NMCA, Esper finished with 20 assists, five kills, three aces and five digs.
Kendel Saganek, East Jordan: Against Boyne Falls in a 3-0 win, Saganek added 24 assists, six aces and nine digs to her stat line.
Allie Cameron, Pellston: Cameron finished the Onaway quad with a strong 15 digs and a pair of kills.
Elly Wilcox, Boyne City: Known more for her offense, Wilcox also shined defensively for Boyne City against Kalkaska with 19 digs and then six kills.
June Kirkpatrick, East Jordan: Between a pair of games against Ellsworth and Boyne Falls, Kirkpatrick finished with 14 kills, three aces and three digs.
More: Petoskey’s secondary wastes no time reintroducing itself in opener
More: How Petoskey soccer came away with a road rivalry victory over Gaylord
Mason Vadnais, Boyne City: The week came with a 1-0 loss to Charlevoix, followed by the first win of the year in an 8-0 win over Cheboygan for the Ramblers. That first win came with two goals and three assists for Vadnais.
Reese Bey, Boyne City: Bey returned from injury against Cheboygan and instantly made his presence felt with two goals.
Connor Kranig, Petoskey: Petoskey earned a 4-1 win over Gaylord this week, with Kranig coming up big in goal. In a tight game at the time, Kranig stepped up to stop a penalty kick attempt, then followed with the rebound stop at close range as well. PHS built off that momentum for the win.
Cam Little, Boyne City: Little scored two second half goals to help bring on a mercy over Cheboygan and deliver the Ramblers’ first win.
Wayland Smith, Boyne City: It’s been a tough go of things early in the season for Boyne, but Smith has been strong. In a 1-0 loss to Charlevoix recently, Smith made 11 saves. He then added his first shutout win in net against Cheboygan.
More: Northmen look to stay physical vs. Bay City Western, questions for area teams in Week 2
Ava Wendel, North Central: The Timberwolves came through with a 2-1 record during their hosted quad last weekend, which included 3-0 sweeps over Bay College and Alpena Community College on Friday. Wendel recorded 10 kills, four aces and eight digs in the win over Bay College.
Ceara LeBlanc, North Central: In a 3-0 win over Alpena CC, LeBlanc had four aces and 10 digs, making for six aces for the day after a pair against Bay College.
Eve Cheney, North Central: The Rudyard native recorded seven kills and had five block assists in a 3-0 win over Bay College last weekend.
Contact or send game stats/info to Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DrewKochanny, and Instagram, @drewkochanny
