GAYLORD — Elk Rapids repaid a favor that was 373 days past due.
The Elks (17-6-1) shut out the Kingsford Flivvers (17-2-1) in a 4-0 final of the Division 3 regional championship final at Gaylord High School on Thursday, capturing the program’s fourth regional crown in the last five years.
“That’s a proud statement right there,” Elk Rapids head coach Nate Plum said. “That just goes to show the consistency of the boys we’ve had, and that’s something I’m super proud of.”
The only year the Elks didn’t win the regional was in 2023 when Kingsford sent them home in the first round of districts after a double-overtime, penalty-shootout 3-2 loss.
No overtime and no penalty shots were needed this time around because the Flivvers did no scoring. The Elks, on the other hand, got on the scoreboard five minutes into Thursday’s championship contest.
Alex Barber scored on a laser that came off a clearance from Kingsford for the 1-0 lead. Tyler Standfiest doubled the Elks’ lead 15 minutes later on a corner kick from Drew Plum that Standfest headed into the goal.
“The early lead just made a statement that we’re here to fight and here to battle,” Plum said. “They came after us in those first 10 minutes, and we weathered the storm. That goal put us in place of ‘Oh my gosh, we can do this.'”
Elk Rapids took that lead into the half and scored twice more in the final 40 minutes to put the Flivvers away. Gavin Hamilton got a toe-poke goal that slipped underneath the Kingsford keeper for a 3-0 lead on an assist from Jayden Hresko, and then Standfest picked the Flivvers’ pocket for a breakaway goal that iced the match.
“We changed our shape and slowed them down, and that allowed us to soak up a lot of their pressure,” Plum said. “Kingsford has one of the better forwards in the state, Jaxon Buckley. He’s super fast, super strong and has a good shot. But we knew what they were going to do. We watched a lot of film.”
Plum said the game plan worked.
“That’s a hard team to shut out, but Jake Garrow, Alex Barber, Noah Bogard and Jonah DenHerder did a phenomenal job,” Plum said. “Will Vanderheide, our No. 6, was phenomenal, too. It was a big, big statement game for him.”
Jacob McManus made six saves in goal for the Elks, preserving their 11th clean sheet this season.
No. 10 Elk Rapids will battle No. 9 Hartford (20-1-1) in the D3 state semifinal at Cedar Springs High School on Wednesday. The match is slated to begin at 6:30 p.m.
Plum said both last season’s loss to Kingsford and the injuries the Elks have dealt with early this season have actually been a benefit to where the team is now.
“It puts us in a place where we have to go out and earn everything and play a full 80 minutes,” Plum said. “Last year, we won a lot of games and only had three losses, but we lost. This year, we struggled for the first six games just to find a shape and the right mix of guys on the field. To have that struggle, it set the tone for us and made us tougher.”
VOLLEYBALL
Buckley 3
GT Academy 0
The Bears def. the Mustangs 27-25, 25-11, 25-23.
Buckley: Katie Smith 6 digs, 2 aces; Maddi Sladek 3 digs, 8 kills, 9 aces; Kayla Milarch 4 kills, 3 aces.
UP NEXT: The Bears (25-8) host a tri Tuesday. The Mustangs (18-14-5) head to Lake Leelanau St. Mary on Tuesday.
McBain 3-0 at Osceola County Showdown
Results: McBain def. Pine River 25-18, 25-19; def. Reed City 25-21, 25-15; def. Evart 25-14, 25-14.
McBain: Gwyneth VerBerkmoes 19 kills, 18 digs; Madison Ochampaugh 40 assists, 14 digs, 2 aces; Adria Rozeveld 18 kills, 13 digs; Brooklyn Hall 14 kills, 10 digs; Ayla Fredin 11 kills, 1 block, 20 digs, 2 aces; Katelyn Dezeeuw 3 kills; Isabel Rozeveld 3 kills; Ivy Mills 7 assists, 100% serving; Megan Kile 22/23 serving.
UP NEXT: The Ramblers (23-11-2) host Pine River for their “Paint The Gym Pink/Purple” Night on Tuesday.
Lake Leelanau SM 3
Frankfort 1
The Eagles def. the Panthers 25-19, 21-25, 25-17, 26-24.
Lake Leelanau St. Mary: Kyla Barnowski 11 kills, 17 digs; Cathyrn Mikowski 9 kills, 16 digs, 2 aces, 2 blocks; Maggie Ursu 7 kills, 12 digs, 2 aces; Lydia Bramer 25 assists, 13 digs, 2 aces.
UP NEXT: The Eagles (21-13-3) travel to Leland on Saturday. The Panthers (15-9) play at Manistee on Tuesday.
Elk Rapids 3
Glen Lake 1
The Elks def. the Lakers 25-15, 22-25, 25-4, 25-15.
Elk Rapids: Rhielynn Skrocki 18 kills, 4 digs, 1 block; Gaboy Morton 10 kills, 1 ace, 2 digs; Mattea Ball 11 digs, 3 assists, 4 aces; Amanda McCann 3 kills, 6 aces, 9 digs; Myah Pescatello 3 digs, 1 kill; Ashley McCann 3 kills, 31 assists, 5 digs; Trudy Stibbs 3 kills, 2 blocks; Evelyn Bruso 4 digs; Ellee Lavely 4 digs, 1 assist.
UP NEXT: The Elks (23-9-1) host East Jordan for senior night Monday. The Lakers (6-13-2) play in the Carrie Bricker-Hauger Invitational at Boyne City on Saturday.
Suttons Bay 3
Mesick 1
The Norse def. the Bulldogs 25-14, 19-25, 25-21, 25-18.
Suttons Bay: Ava Anderson 10 kills; Megan U’Ren 13 kills, 3 aces, 14 digs; Bekka Grant 19 digs; Leah Clarke 21 assists, 4 aces; Olivia Schmidt 3 aces, 18 digs; Anna Porter 3 aces, 6 kills.
UP NEXT: The Norse (15-7) host Bear Lake on Tuesday. The Bulldogs (6-20) play in the Mancelona quad Tuesday.