THOMPSONVILLE — Petoskey’s Marley Spence and Onekama’s Braydon Sorenson were the top skiers at the Divison 2 regional meet at Crystal Mountain Resort on Monday.
Harbor Springs was the top team for the girls with 112 points. Norway was second with 128 points, while Great North Alpine took third with 138 points.
Harbor Springs also won the boys team event with 74 points. Petoskey was second with 87 points, and GNA was third with 155 points.
The top three teams in each division advance to the finals.
Spence started the day with two first-place finishes in the slalom for a combined time of 52.57. In the afternoon, she took two more wins in the giant slalom for a combined time of 41.84 seconds.
Also for Petoskey, Sydney Hoffman came in fourth place in the giant slalom in 44.3 seconds and finished 10th in the slalom to qualify for the state finals.
The top 10 in each event qualify for the state finals on Feb. 24 hosted by Nubs Nob in Harbor Springs.
Sorenson took first place in the boys giant slalom with his two runs of 21.2 seconds and 23.89 seconds on his second run. In the slalom, he won both races with a combined time of 53.93 seconds. Onekama had another skier qualify, Aleah Blackmore, who finished seventh in the girls slalom.
Gaylord head coach Gary Konsza had more than his birthday to celebrate Monday.
At the halfway mark, Gaylord had three skiers qualify for the state finals.
Gaylord’s Keaton Abraham will return to the state finals for the third time after finishing second in the giant slalom with a combined time of 45.4. In the first race, the junior finished in sixth, but he took the top spot in the second race with a time of 23.85 seconds.
Gaylord’s Clover Hamilton and Rayna Robel locked up sixth and seventh place in the girls giant slalom. Hamilton was in the top three in the slalom with a time of 55.24, while Robel finished eighth.
“It was something I was expecting from these three, but they came through and did it,” Konsza said. “It is a very good birthday present. It has been a good day for racing.”
It was redemption for Grayling’s Trevor Cvitkovich in the slalom after not finishing in the giant slalom in the first run. Cvitkovich was eighth in the slalom and will ski at the finals.
Petoskey had three skiers in the top 10 in the men’s giant slalom, including Gavin Galbraith and Mick Galbraith, who took third and fourth place with times of 45.62 and 45.82, respectively. Gavin also took second in the slalom in 54.17 seconds in his two runs.
The Northmen’s Taylor Keiswetter finished in ninth place in the giant slalom with runs of 21.53 and 24.35.
GNA had five skiers qualify for the finals. In the giant slalom, Corbin Bogard had a combined time of 45.88 seconds for fifth place, and James Thuente finished sixth with a time of 45.94 seconds in the event to advance to the finals. GNA’s boys team also had another state qualifier when Jason Jansen finished fourth in the slalom.
On GNA’s girls team, Grace Rowe took third in the giant slalom and was second in the slalom in 54.12 seconds. Teammate Miriam Ahluwalia finished in the top 10 in the giant slalom with a time of 45.69 seconds and was sixth in the slalom.
“The snow held up a lot better than anyone expected,” GNA coach Sean Wells said.
Wells said this season has been challenging with the lack of snow, but he was happy with how his skiers performed on Monday and is looking forward to the finals.
“We had a couple of hiccups in the slalom,” Wells said. “But the girls have done great.”
Harbor Springs’ Nolan Kennedy and Carson Truman came in seventh and eighth place, respectively, in the boys giant slalom, while Benzie Central’s Ben Stoops rounded out the top 10 with a time of 46.61 seconds.
Benzie’s Aiden O’Dwyer qualified in the boys slalom in 10th place.
Harbor Springs’ Elliott Baetens took second in the girls giant slalom in 43.28 seconds, and the Rams’ had another skier in the top five in the event — Mckenzie Bowman, who took fifth in 44.46 seconds.
In the boys slalom, Jackson Deegan took fifth, and Caiden Phillips was sixth for Harbor Springs.
Lake Charlevoix Ski Team’s Avery Kita took fifth in 56.58 seconds in the slalom to make the finals.
The Division 2 state finals take place Monday, Feb. 26, at Nubs Nob.
ALPINE SKIING
Titans, Trojans go 1st, 2nd in both boys, girls regionals
MARQUETTE — Drama was the name of the game at Monday’s Division 1 regional alpine ski meet at Marquette Mountain Resort as both the Traverse City West Titans and Traverse City Central Trojans girls ski teams tied for first place with 38 points.
But there can only be one champion, and the Titans’ fifth-place skier performed better than the Trojans’ fifth-place skier to give the D1 regional title to West and the runner-up medals to Central.
The Titan boys also claimed a regional championship with a little less drama but still skied a close race. West won with 52 points to second-place Central’s 57 points.
“I’m just very excited for all of the Traverse City kids and families going on to the state finals from West and Central,” West head coach Ed Johnson said.
In the girls slalom, Central’s Quinn Gerber took second place with a combined time of 1:30.11. Erinn Hale was fifth followed by Cady Madion in 14th, Ella Sill in 15th, Kellan Kudary in 17th, and Sienna Houlberg in 18th for the Trojans.
Lila Warren was West’s top finisher in the slalom, taking fourth place with a time of 1:35.18. Avery Plummer was sixth, Ellie Gruber was seventh, Olivia Bageris was ninth, Charlie Schulz was 10th, and Dillyn Mohr was 11th.
In the GS, it was West’s Schulz taking the runner-up spot as the top area finisher with a time of 1:07.32. Gruber was fifth followed by Warren in sixth, Bageris in 13th, Mohr in 15th, and Plummer in 20th.
For the Trojans in the GS, Gerber was fourth followed by Kudary in seventh, Fiona Colliver in ninth, Hale in 11th, Madion in 16th, and Sill in 17th.
Caleb Lewandowski continued his quest for another Record-Eagle Boys Skier of the Year award with regional titles in the giant slalom at 55.85 seconds and the slalom at 1:20.9.
Also helping West to the boys title was Isaac Shapiro taking third in the GS and sixth in the slalom, Cam Lewandowski taking eighth in the GS and 15th in the slalom, Charlie Licht taking ninth in the GS and fourth in the slalom, Ryan Lamphere taking 22nd in the GS, Grady Ellis taking 23rd in the GS and 32nd in the slalom, and Judd Davis taking 65th in the slalom.
For the runner-up Trojans, Diddier Romoie took fourth in the GS, Asher Paul nabbed fifth in the GS and fifth in the slalom, Rocco Elkins was sixth in the GS and third in the slalom, Isley Moshier was 11th in the GS, Jace Rowell was 13th in the GS and seventh in the slalom, Cooper Gerber was 17th in the GS and 21st in the slalom, and Trever Suttle was 11th in the slalom.
The Division 1 state finals take place Monday, Feb. 26, at Boyne Highlands.
Cadillac girls win regional championship
CADILLAC — The Cadillac Vikings took home the girls regional championship in Division 2 action at Caberfae Peaks on Monday.
The Vikings won both the slalom and GS as teams, scoring 18 points in the GS and 26 points in the slalom to win the 44 points to Mattawan’s 60.
Onalee Wallis took home individual regional gold in the GS with a combined time of 38.96 with teammate Avery Meyer taking second at 39.51. Erin Meyer was fifth, Lilly Shankland took 11th, Elise Koenig was 13th, and Mairyn Kinnie was 21st.
In the slalom, Meyer was in second place, Shankland in fifth, Meyer in eighth, Koenig in 11th, Kinnie in 12th, and Wallis in 40th.
“The girls accomplished their main goal today, which was to qualify for the finals,” Vikings head coach James Netzley said. “Our depth is definitely our strength. They know they will have to bring their A-game come states to get the result they are looking for.”
The Division 2 state finals take place Monday, Feb. 26, at Boyne Highlands.
NORDIC SKIING
3 win state titles for TC Vasa Raptors
TRAVERSE CITY — The Traverse City Vasa Raptors are state champions after the weekend’s Nordic skiing finals that saw the Raptor girls take first and the boys take second to combine for first place overall. Three skiers for the Raptors earned state championships as well.
Traverse City West’s Liam Wierzba won all four boys titles, taking home state championships in the sprint, the pursuit, the 5K Classic and the 5K Skate. On the girls side, Traverse City St. Francis senior Annie Paulson won the sprint and skate 5Ks while Traverse City Central’s Ella DeBruyn won the classic and took home the pursuit championship.
Other local skiers earning All-State honors at the cross country ski state finals were West’s Willem DeGood in the sprint, taking sixth for the Raptors; DeBruyn taking third and Benzie Central’s Mylie Kelly, who competes for Crystal Nordic, taking sixth in the sprint; Wierzba taking second and Central’s Olin Kasperowicz finishing fourth in the classic and fifth in the skate; Paulson finishing second in the classic; and DeBruyn finishing second and Kelly third in the skate.
BOYS HOOPS
TC West 72(OT)
Big Rapids 65
Traverse City West: Ben Habers 20 points, 5 assists; Lincoln Lockhart 8 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists; Quinten Gillespie 11 points, 7 rebounds; Mason Zimmerman 6 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists; Wally Tupper 6 points, 6 rebounds; Gunnar Canty 6 rebounds.
UP NEXT: The Titans (14-5, 6-2 Big North) host Traverse City Central on Friday.
Bellaire 51
Charlevoix 44
Bellaire: Jayden Hanson 27 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists; Drake Koepke 12 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals; Dawson Derrer 4 points, 10 rebounds; Luca Menestrina 3 points; Corperryale Somers 3 points.
Charlevoix: Joe Gaffney 14 points, 3 steals; Hudson Vollmer 9 points; Troy Nickel 6 points; Logan Wadkins 6 points.
UP NEXT: The Eagles (15-3, 12-1 Ski Valley) travel to Johannesburg-Lewiston on Tuesday. The Rayders (14-5, 8-4 Lake Michigan) travel to East Jordan on Thursday.
Benzie Central 50
Petoskey 44
Benzie Central: Miles Pritchett 19 points; Andrew Gray 13 points; Rowan Zickert 7 points.
Petoskey: Jimmy Marshall 15 points; Brady Odenbach 7 points.
UP NEXT: The Huskies (16-2, 11-0 Northwest) travel to Suttons Bay on Tuesday. The Northmen (10-9, 4-4 Big North) host Gaylord on Friday.
Grayling 70
East Jordan 40
Grayling: Tristan Demlow 14 points; Ethan Kucharek 11 points; Daniel Hunter 10 points; Maddox Mead 9 points; Fletcher Quinlan 7 points.
East Jordan: Angel Delgado 9 points; Lucas Stone 6 points.
UP NEXT: The Vikings (7-11, 3-9 Lake Michigan) host Traverse City St Francis on Wednesday. The Red Devils (6-12, 2-10 Lake Michigan) host Kalkaska on Tuesday.
Wolverine 57
Boyne Falls 40
Boyne Falls: Keaton Matelski 11 points; Bryce Tonsor 14 points.
UP NEXT: The Loggers (4-14, 0-11 Northern Lakes) host Pellston on Feb 22.
Brethren 58
Walkerville 46
UP NEXT: The Bobcats (14-5, 12-3 West Michigan D) travel to Baldwin on Tuesday.
Harbor Springs 67
Harbor Light 46
UP NEXT: The Rams (13-6, 9-4 Lake Michigan) host Traverse City St Francis on Friday. The Swordsmen (15-3, 8-1 Northern Lakes) travel to Alanson on Tuesday.
TC West JV 78
Big Rapids JV 36
Traverse City: Nick Klein 16 points; Ashton Royal 15 points; Graham Hetherington 11 points.
TC West Frosh 71
Big Rapids Frosh 39
Traverse City West: Logan LaCourse 15 points; Duncan Robinson 12 points; Jabari Jackson 11 points.
GIRLS HOOPS
GT Academy 37
Ellsworth 32
Grand Traverse Academy: Megan Pavwoski 12 points, 10 rebounds, 6 blocks, 3 steals; Brea Graczyk 6 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals; Paige Bell 6 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals; Alleah Dix 6 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists.
Ellsworth: Kerri DeYoung 9 points; Isabella Essenberg 7 points; Avery Strange 6 points.
UP NEXT: The Mustangs (9-7) travel to Cadillac Heritage Christian on Thursday. The Lancers (10-6, 3-3 Northern Lakes) travel to Burt Lake Northern Michigan Christian on Friday.
Ludington 37
TC West 32
Traverse City West: Grace Bohrer 10 points; Madyson Sebela 9 points; Mikayla Thompson 7 points; Lily Smith 6 points.
UP NEXT: The Titans (6-12, 2-4 Big North) host Traverse City Central on Friday.
Charlevoix 47
Gaylord SM 37
Charlevoix: Abbey Wright 16 points, 14 rebounds; Bayani Collins 14 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists.
Gaylord St. Mary: Payton Glasby 11 points; Emery Blust 8 points.
UP NEXT: The Rayders (10-7, 7-4 Lake Michigan) host East Jordan on Friday. The Snowbirds (11-6, 10-2 Ski Valley) travel to Onaway on Wednesday.
Manistee 46
Hesperia 11
Manistee: Jayna Edmondson 16 points, 10 rebounds; Lindsay Gardner 5 steals.
UP NEXT: The Mariners (7-9, 5-4 West Michigan Lakes) host Montague on Thursday.
Brethren 58
Marion 21
Brethren: Maddy Biller 12 points, 9 rebounds; Elly Sexton 13 points, 2 assists, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals; Grace Kidd 6 points, 8 steals, 2 rebounds; Stella Estes 4 points, 2 rebounds, 5 blocks, 1 steals.
UP NEXT: The Bobcats (13-4, 11-0 West Michigan D) travel to Marion on Wednesday.
Grayling 45
East Jordan 36
Grayling: Makayla Watkins 23 points; Cali D’Amour 11 points; Jill Hartman 4 points.
UP NEXT: The Vikings (8-9, 5-6 Lake Michigan) travel to Cheboygan on Tuesday. The Red Devils (8-8-3-7 Lake Michigan) travel to Kalkaska on Tuesday.
Harbor Springs 81
Cedarville 8
UP NEXT: The Rams (15-2, 10-1 Lake Michigan) travel to Traverse City St. Francis on Friday.
Harbor Light 43
Alanson 32
UP NEXT: Harbor Light (7-9, 4-4 Northern Lakes) host Mackinaw City on Tuesday.
Joburg 42
Alcona 36
UP NEXT: The Cardinals (12-5, 8-3 Ski Valley) travel to Central Lake on Friday.
TC West JV 44
Ludington JV 28
Traverse City West: Brooke McSawby 15 points; Hailey Nickerson 10 points.
TC West Frosh 36
Ludington Frosh 21
Traverse City West: Lillian Bardenhagen 21 points; Rachel Rosa 6 points; Kylea Cascaganett 5 points; Grace Finch 2 points.