Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
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By JASON JUNO [email protected] IRONWOOD --- Ewen-Trout Creek is a unanimous favorite among coaches to win next week’s MHSAA Division 4 District 97 championship. They’re the No. 1 seed in the bracket, they’re 8-1 against district opponents, they’re the defending champions and they’re ranked fourth in the U.P. poll with a 16-5 record. “Ewen has to be the favorite,” Ironwood coach Jesse Mackey said, “with that earned No. 1 seed. Very talented team. Those young girls have only gotten stronger and more experienced against the varsity lev...
KINGSFORD - The Ontonagon Area High School's robotics team won a District competition in Kingsford this past weekend. The Gladiators are only in their third year of competition and have faced many teams with many more years of experience. Team members include Abby Ollila, Bradley Myhren, Noah Lukkari, Ryszard Olszewski, Luke Soumis, Philip Voss, Whitney Rule, Isaiah Beck and Emma Pieti. Mentors are Glen Beck, Jon Ollila and Bret Pieti. The team traveled to Kingsford on Thursday for the three-day...
ONTONAGON, Mich. - James Patrick Strong, MD, Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians, 82, died on Jan. 6, 2018, at the Ontonagon, Aspirus Long-Term Care Unit after a lengthy illness. The oldest of four children, Jim was born on Aug. 16, 1935, in Milwaukee, Wis., to the late William F. Strong, MD, and Gertrude (Helmbrecht) Strong. In 1936, the family moved to Ontonagon, when Jim's father answered an advertisement to purchase a rural medical practice in Ontonagon. Jim attended St.... Full story
SOLON SPRINGS, Wis. — Solon Springs defeated Ironwood 66-52 in the season opener for the Red Devils’ boys basketball team Monday night. Ironwood coach Pete Lewinski said the game was close throughout the first half, but Solon Springs went up by seven points by halftime. "But we came out flat in the second half and they went ahead by 12 points," Lewinski said. "We cut it to 54-47, but that's the closest we got. Their big guy (Jens Gehl) was real good. He had 23 points and we had no answer for him." Lewinski said Tony Wiemeri was "the bright spo... Full story
ONTONAGON - In a game loaded with offensive fireworks, Ontonagon made a fierce comeback, but Crystal Falls Forest Park held on for a 52-38 win in a Western Eight Conference battle with playoff implications for both teams. "The game was what we expected," Forest Park coach Dave Graf said. "It was hard-hitting, good physical football on both sides. I never thought we'd score 90 points. I thought we'd score four or five each (touchdowns). Ontonagon nearly came back on us. Jake Witt is the real deal...
MARQUETTE - Four area players were named to the All-U.P. team at Wednesday's 67th annual boys basketball meeting of the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association. Ewen-Trout Creek's Jake Witt added to his collection of postseason awards by earning a spot on the Class D First Team. The 6-7 center averaged 24.2 points, 17 rebounds and 5.1 blocks per game, while also earning the Copper Mountain Player of the Year award and a spot on the Associated Press Class D All-State tea...
IRONWOOD - Just five days after helping the Ontonagon Gladiators to a U.P. track-and-field title, Lori Wardynski added another trophy to her collection Thursday. Wardynski was named the MVP of the Kiwanis Classic Border Bash after leading Northern Michigan to an 88-70 victory over Northern Wisconsin. Wardynski led all scorers with 17 points. Emily DiGiorgio of Ironwood had 15. Maria Swartz of Hurley was the second-leading scorer for Northern Wisconsin, tallying 14 points. Katie Stark of state...
BESSEMER - The team results played out much like last week's Division 3 regional track-and-field meet with the Bessemer boys and Ontonagon girls both coming in second behind Lake Linden-Hubbell at Tuesday's Copper Mountain Conference meet. There were some differences in the individual events, though. Bessemer sophomore Isaiah Aili finished five seconds behind Wakefield-Marenisco senior Sam Dean in the 1,600-meter run at the regional, but Aili came back on the final lap to beat Dean Tuesday....
ONTONAGON - Two local school records fell Friday at the Ontonagon Invitational. A meet record may have fallen if anybody kept weather records over the years. Bessemer's Lily Wieringa broke the school record in the 3,200-meter run and Ontonagon's Lori Wardynski became her school's all-time best in the 300 hurdles. The heat was intense for the first half of the meet when temperatures soared into the upper 80s before clouds and eventually rain came through. Houghton easily won both the boys and...
BESSEMER - Ontonagon won its sixth straight game, but they got a battle from the host Speedboys in a 66-54 Copper Mountain Conference win Friday night. The Gladiators haven't lost since they defeated their rivals, Ewen-Trout Creek, which is ranked fourth in the U.P. in Class D. Ontonagon is now over .500 at 9-8 overall and 7-5 in the conference. "I think we're playing well, better for sure," Ontonagon coach Kurt Lehmann said. "Against L'Anse (Tuesday), I think both teams had a setback. We have...
WAKEFIELD - Wakefield-Marenisco continued its winning ways with a 69-61 victory over Ontonagon in a Copper Mountain Conference match-up in the Cardinal Gym on Friday night. As the season passes it midway point, the Cardinals have answered most of the questions about just how good are they. They now have a sparkling 11-1 record, are firmly entrenched in first place in Porcupine Mountain Division with a a 8-1 record and are coming off solid wins over two good teams in Chassell and Ontonagon. They... Full story
ONTONAGON - Ewen-Trout Creek came from behind in the fourth quarter and won its renewed rivalry game against Ontonagon 12-6 in overtime on Friday. "We were down 6-0 most of the game," E-TC coach Larry Maki said of the battle between two Ontonagon County schools. "But the boys didn't quit. We ran a lot of plays and kept plugging away, but we had a tough time for three quarters. That No. 70 for Ontonagon (Logan Jilbert) was a beast. We took the battle of Ontonagon County, and the team and the... Full story
MARQUETTE — Frannie Zelinski became the latest Watersmeet Nimrod to be honored, while Emily DiGiorgio helped the Ironwood girls break a nine-year drought. Zelinski was named to the All-U.P. Class D Second Team, while DiGiorgio was a Class ABC Second Team selection at Wednesday's 40th annual girls basketball meeting of the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association. The last Red Devil to make the All-U.P. team was Brittany Pertile in 2006. She made the Second Team in back-to-back years, also earning a spot in 2005. DiGiorgio, a... Full story
KINGSFORD - Ontonagon showed it could compete with Crystal Falls Forest Park in the second half of Tuesday's MHSAA Class D regional semifinal. But it was too late by then. The Trojans jumped to a 29-5 halftime lead, taking advantage of an Ontonagon scoring drought that lasted approximately 10 minutes. Forest Park picked up a 50-28 win to advance to the regional final against Munising back in Kingsford Thursday. Munising beat Bark River-Harris 48-45 in Tuesday's nightcap. Tuesday just wasn't... Full story
ONTONAGON - Ontonagon had its best night of the season offensively as the Gladiators defeated shorthanded Watersmeet 62-32 Thursday. The Nimrods won the first matchup 37-35 in the season opener. But Watersmeet, which only has six players on its roster to begin with, was missing senior captain Jessica Barajas (illness) this time. Plus, Ontonagon has played better of late, especially offensively, picking up its fourth straight victory. The Gladiators reached 51 points twice this season, both... Full story
ONTONAGON – In their second encounter of the year, Gogebic and Ontonagon hooked up in an 8-man football game with the Miners coming out on top 45-20 on a windy, rainy Saturday afternoon. “They got the job done a little better than we did,” Gladiator coach Ben Mayer said. “Gogebic did a nice job. They started out fast and they’ve got those fast running backs and an excellent group of athletes. They ran a similar type of offense to the one they’ve been running and they really executed well on offense. It was a double-wing and it took us until ha... Full story
WAKEFIELD - If Megan Hagen ever decides to give up her volleyball job at Ontonagon, she may have a future as a psychic. She said before Tuesday's night game her team plays very well at times and then goes into a consistency funk and plays poorly. It happens every game. Ontonagon had a nip-and-tuck battle going with Wakefield-Marenisco most of the first set but played with a sense of urgency towards the end and surprised the Cardinals with a 25-17 win. But W-M hit the comeback trail and thumped... Full story
MARQUETTE — Like her sister, Ontonagon senior Brooke Turin can now be called an All-U.P. girls basketball player. Turin was named to the Class D First Team in voting at the 39th annual Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscaster Association meeting Wednesday. Her sister, Brittany, was a Second Team selection in 2009. Both U.P. Players of the Year led their teams to the state final. Crystal Falls Forest Park’s Lexi Gussert was selected — with zero debate or vote — as the Class D Player of the Year. St. Ignace’s Kelley Wright beat out last... Full story
HURLEY — Hurley finished the regular season at 8-1 with a 55-12 rout of Ontonagon in Great Western Conference play Friday night. The Midgets learn their playoff seed and matchup today with Level 1 scheduled for next Friday or Saturday. They should get a home game and a No. 2 or 3 seed is realistic, but there are so many variables it’s impossible to predict. “Good season, 8-1. Let’s get on to the second season now,” Hurley coach Scott Erickson said. “I think our team is focused. I think they... Full story
Andy and Jill Borseth went to the Ferris State Bulldog Women’s Golf Invitational Saturday to see their daughter Hallee, who plays for the Lake Superior State University golf team. But it was Hallee, pictured here, who surprised them. On the 154-yard par-3 15th hole, Borseth got a hole-in-one as her delighted parents looked on. She used a 4-hybrid. Hallee finished 50th with a score of 88-86—174 at Big Rapids. Borseth won three U.P. Division 3 golf titles for the Ontonagon Gladiators. She als... Full story
WAKEFIELD — The Gogebic Miners experienced great fall football weather and excellent fan support in overpowering the Ontonagon Gladiators, 36-20, in a Great Western Conference game on homecoming Saturday. “It was the seniors’ last game on their home field and they went out with a win,” Miner coach Mark Mazzon said. “For homecoming and some of its distractions, we came out and played very well. We want our players to enjoy homecoming, but their main job is to win the game. Everybody got to play and I’m very happy with our effort and with the bl... Full story
One of the premier matchups of the early part of the high school football season takes place Saturday in Lake Linden when Hurley heads north for a Great Western Conference battle. The Gogebic Miners are headed to the Superior Dome to take on Rudyard Friday while Ironwood heads to Washburn. Both Ontonagon County teams are home Friday night — Ontonagon plays Northland Pines; Ewen-Trout Creek hosts Engadine. Rudyard vs. Gogebic Miners at the Superior Dome, Marquette, Friday — JV, 5 p.m., varsity, 7... Full story
IRONWOOD — The Ironwood Red Devils defeated Ontonagon 25-18, 25-17, 20-25, 25-17 on Thursday night in a muggy John Krznarich Gym. “It was a pretty good start for our first real game,” Ironwood coach Lisa Graham said. “We’re real young, I was proud of them.” Mariah Beaudette led Ironwood with nine kills and she had six aces. Lacey Rimkus paced the Devils with six aces. Jessica Gering and Sarah Johnson each had seven kills. Emily DiGiorgio totaled four. Katie Erickson had 29 assists. Ontonago... Full story
KINGSFORD — The Bessemer Speedboys came home from the Division 3 U.P. Finals with three U.P. titles. North Dickinson ran away with the team trophy, its 77 points ahead of second-place Pickford by 26 points. Bessemer was just five points off of second-place, finishing fifth with 46 points, one point behind Rapid River and two behind St. Ignace. Two Bessemer relay teams, the 400 and 800, are U.P. champions. Alex Smith won the long jump with his leap of 20-5. Taylor Smith, Derek Gheller and Art R... Full story
BESSEMER — On the boys side, Wakefield-Marenisco won its first Marcy Bracket Invitational since 2002 and Ontonagon edged Bessemer 98 points to 95.5 in the girls division. Even though temperatures hovered in the low 40s, three new meet records were set. Bethany Engel of W-M set the high jump record (5-2), while Cole Stevens of Ironwood jumped 12-6 in the pole vault and Tony Soumis of Ontonagon blazed to 23.56 in the 200 meters and both boys were new record-holders. Boys 1. Wakefield-Marenisco 9... Full story
