SPORTS

VARSITY TRACK AND FIELD
Track braves bad weather for home meet 

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Hunter Shellenbarger with a season record run in the 100m. Photo by Kim Eardley Photography
The cold, rainy weather that postponed many northern Michigan sporting events on Monday was ignored by seven track teams that came to Elk Rapids for the Elk Home Meet.

Traverse City St. Francis won both the boys (176.5 points) and girls (221 points) meets in Elk Rapids, the Elk boys finished in third place (120 points) and the Elks girls ended in third place (73 points), a single point behind second- place Kalkaska (74 points). 

The Elks claimed three first-place finishes led by Max Ward for the 110m hurdles (15.52) and the 300m hurdles (40.50) along with Connor Carlisle in the long jump (18’8”). The Elk girls had six first-place finishes: Brooke Fluty won the100m hurdles (17.83) and the 300m hurdles (54.02). Anna Pray had a personal record, winning the 400m (1:02.37); Hunter Shellenbarger finished first with personal record in the 800m (2:34.16), Brynne Schulte won the 1600m run (5:44.86); and the 4x400 relay (4:31.73) was won by the foursome of Schulte, Pray, Shellenbarger and Joelle Swanson. Runners-up for the Elk boys were Carlisle (200m,25:01-PR), Braden Fluty (300m hurdles,45.00-PR); the 4x200 relay (1:39.39) by Fluty, Noah Liggett, Gavin Hamilton and Max Smith; and the 4x400 relay (3:41.84) by Liggett, Hamilton, Fluty and Ward. 

Last Friday the Elks competed in the eight-team Bruce Garland Invitational held at Benzie Central. The Huskies won both the boys (98 points) and girls (76) meets, the Elk boys finished fourth (45 points), just two points behind Frankfort in third place. The Elk girls came in fifth (35 points), three points behind the teams from Glen Lake and Brethren that tied for third place (38 points). 

The Elk boys were led by Ward, winning the 200m (24.11), the 400m (51.22) and the 110m hurdles (15.18) along with Qwynn Darnell finishing second in the 3200m run (10:30.88). The Elks won the 4x400 relay (3;46.34) courtesy of Liggett, Hamilton, Miles Prabhaker and Ward.

For the Elk girls, Pray finished first in the 800m (2:27.38); Shellenbarger won the 400m (1:02.93) and came in second in the 200m (28.42); Tabitha Pritchard finished with a personal record second place in the 300m hurdles (55.36); and the 4x800 relay (10:40.74) was won by the Elk quartet of Olivia Douglas, Schulte, Shellenbarger and Pray.
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The Elks are next scheduled to run on Friday in the 10th Annual Kent City Elite Invite followed by the Boyne City Invitational on Tuesday.

VARSITY TENNIS
​Elks defeat Boyne City in conference meet 

The Elks took to the road for a Northern Shores Conference match against Boyne City last Thursday and finished with an impressive 6-2 victory over the Lady Ramblers. In singles competition the wins came from number one seed Anneka Croftchik (6-1,6-0) and second seeded Remy Croftchik (6-2,6-0). The Elks swept the doubles competition with wins from the first seed duo of Chloe Taylor and Maggie Best (6-2.6-2), second seeded Josie Lorenz and Gabby Morton by default, the third seed team of Claire Birch and Leilani Sigrah (6-1.6-0) and fourth seeded Lily Johnson and LeAnn Simon (6-1,6-3). 

The Elks fourth seed singles player Braelyn Nelson nearly pulled out a win with a thrilling comeback. Nelson lost her first set 6-2 and was down 5-2 in the second set before rallying for a 7-5 win to force a tiebreaker that resulted in a 10-6 loss.

“I was really proud of Braelyn’s competitive level, she really battled back, it was a great match. We had a good day as a team,” said Elk girls tennis coach Keith Schulte.
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A match at TC Central on Monday was canceled due to weather. The Elks are next scheduled to play at St. Francis on Wednesday, followed by a trip to Grand Rapids on Saturday.

VARSITY SOFTBALL
Lady Elks split pair of doubleheaders 

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Emily Vandergriff (21) leads off the second game with a double. Photo by Kim Eardley Photography
The Lady Elks played a pair of bigger schools last week and finished with a crushing sweep of the Division 1 TC Titans then dropped two games against the undefeated Division 2 Petoskey Northmen.

The Elks hosted TC West last Wednesday, winning game one 16-6 followed by a 17-3 victory in game two. Rhielynn Skrocki pitched the opener, lasting all five innings allowing three hits and six runs (four unearned) with four walks, six strikeouts. At the plate the Elks tallied 13 hits, led by a three-hit game from Jillian Moazeni, Brooke Fluty and Amanda McCann, Skrocki had two RBI homeruns. The Elks struck out just once in the game, drew three walks and were able to take advantage of 10 Titan errors to score nine unearned runs. In the nightcap Coraline Rainey threw all five innings, giving up three hits, three earned runs, walked three and struck out five. 

The Elks had 12 hits, Moazeni stroked a homerun and double, tallying three RBIs, Ashley McCann had two hits with a homerun, Emily Vandergriff ripped two hits with a double and Haleigh Yocom had two hits. The Elks committed zero errors; the Titans had seven errors resulting in 12 unearned Elk runs. 

The Elks were in Petoskey on Thursday suffering a 4-0 loss in the opener followed by a 4-3 defeat in game two. Skrocki was the game one starting pitcher, throwing three innings, allowing seven hits, four earned runs and whiffing five. Moazeni pitched two innings in relief giving up one hit and fanning two. The Elks had just one hit in the first game, a fourth inning single by Skrocki.

In the nightcap the Elks held a 2-1 lead after batting in the top of the third, led by solo dingers from Moazeni and Fluty. The Northmen scored three runs in the third, taking a 4-2 lead. The Elks rallied for a run in the fifth but came up short in the 4-3 loss. Moazeni and Rainey shared the mound for the Elks, allowing two hits and two earned runs with five whiffs. The Elks scattered seven hits in the game and committed just one error, but that led to a pair of unearned runs. 
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The Lady Elks (6-3) played a make-up doubleheader at St. Francis on Wednesday, then begin Northern Shores Conference play at home with a doubleheader against Kalkaska on Thursday, followed by the Frankfort Tournament on Saturday, then at home for a conference doubleheader with Boyne City on Monday.

VARSITY BASEBALL
Elks lose six on the road

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Alex Barber (24) reaches first on a single to start the opening game against Freeland on Saturday. Courtesy photo
The Elks varsity baseball team began the season with two wins at home, but since then have lost six straight games. Elk baseball fans should not be alarmed, it is early in the season and the Elks have been playing this non-conference portion of the schedule on the road against bigger schools, working on honing their skills, cleaning up errors and improving as they head into the upcoming Northern Shores Conference games. 
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Last Wednesday the Elks took on the Division 1 Traverse City Titans on the road and fell 13-2 in the opener and 10-2 in game two. Dominic Fortuna started game one, throwing 3.2 innings allowing two hits, six runs (four unearned) and striking out four. Eli Zbytowski pitched two innings in relief, allowing five hits, seven runs (three unearned) and whiffing three. Dayne Dreher pitched to one batter to end the game. The Elks committed four errors that led to the seven unearned runs. The Elks had five hits, led by Alex Barber and Braden Fluty with RBI singles.

In game two Barber started on the mound, followed by Nathan Barton, Ethan Draper and Fluty. The quartet allowed 10 hits, 10 runs (three unearned), seven walks and nine strikeouts The Elks had just three hits, two by Jayden Hresko, including an RBI triple. The Elks fanned eight times and drew one walk.

Traveling to Petoskey on Thursday the Elks dropped two games, falling 10-5 in game one and 4-3 in extra innings in the nightcap. The Elks fell behind scattered five hits in game one, falling behind 8-2 in the first inning and suffering the 10-5 loss. Draper pitched four innings, giving up nine hits and nine runs (one unearned) while walking eight. Dreher pitched the final inning, allowing one hit and one run.

In game two the Elks took a 2-0 lead into the fifth inning; Petoskey scored twice due to a pair of Elk errors to tie the game and send the teams into extra innings. The Northmen pulled out the win in the bottom of the eighth, scoring off two singles and an Elk error. The Elks hit five singles in the game, and used Barton, Fluty and Barber on the mound.

On Saturday the Elks traveled south to play the Freeland Falcons and fell 13-4 and 7-3. Elk Rapids (2-6) played a non-conference doubleheader at St. Francis on Wednesday and will begin Northern Shores Conference play with a twinbill at home against Kalkaska on Thursday, followed by the Frankfort Tournament on Saturday then back home for a conference doubleheader against Boyne City on Monday.

VARSITY SOCCER
Soccer wins three straight conference games 

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Kara Thompson (11) uses a knee to control the ball with Sophie McDonald (7) ready to assist. Photo by Kim Eardley Photography
The Lady Elks improved to 4-1 in the Northern Shores Conference after tallying three victories in a five-day stretch with shutouts over Boyne City, Charlevoix and Kingsley. “The girls are really starting to play as a team and will continue to become stronger as they learn to trust each other on the field,” said Elk soccer coach Andrea Krakow.
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On Monday, the Elks were at Boyne City, fighting strong wind gusts and a driving rain in 40-degree weather but came away with a 2-0 win over the Ramblers. The Elks scored four minutes into the game on a goal by Aliza Dupuie, her first of the season. The second Elk goal came midway through the second half courtesy of Pipre Meteer. The Elks were impressive on defense, controlling the ball for most of the game and denying the Ramblers a chance to shoot. Meteer had an assist, Natasha Beebe recorded two saves in the Elk net.

Last Thursday the Elks were in Charlevoix and left with a 5-0 victory. Sierra Boilore had two goals, the first coming on a rebound of her own shot early in the first half. Twenty minutes later Sofie Bellner scored off a one touch pass from Karalyne Thompson. Carlee Bingham scored a minute later on a high shot into the corner to give the Elks a 3-0 halftime lead. Midway into the second half Boilore notched her second goal with a rebound kick off a stop by the Rayder keeper. Meteer had the final goal off a laser kick from 18 yards out giving the Elks the 5-0 win. Cora Moore, Kara Thompson and Gianna Maris had assists; Beebe had three saves in goal.

Hosting the Kingsley last Wednesday, the Elks’ streak began with a 6-0 blanking of the Stags. The Elks led 5-0 at halftime, Boilore scoring the first goal four minutes into the game. Bingham followed with rebound goal after a corner kick deflected off the Stag keeper, Meteer scored on a hard shot through the keeper’s hands, Boilore added her second goal on a far post shot and Bellner scored on a penalty kick after a handball call on Kingsley. The lone score in the second came from Bellner, her second of the night.

The entire Elk team saw playing time in both halves of the contest. Bellner had two assists, Boilore earned an assist, Beebe had one save in goal.

Elk Rapids (4-2, 4-1 NSC) played a conference game in Cheboygan on Thursday, then will be home on Saturday afternoon (1:00 p.m.) for a non-conference game against North Muskegon. The Elks start the second half of the NSC schedule at Kingsley on Monday

VARSITY GOLF
Elks open with solid start

The Elk varsity boys golf team opened the season on Monday competing in the TC Titan Invitational, played on the Wolverine Course at the Grand Traverse Resort. There were 20 teams playing in the Invite; the Elks finished the day at number seven tallying a 351, just five strokes behind sixth-place Gaylord and six strokes in back of Cadillac, finishing fourth. The meet was won by host TC West scoring a 321, St. Francis was second with 332 followed by TC Central (334) and TC West 2 (340). 

The top four Elks were Blake Springstead (81) along with Bryce Reid (86), Jack Dupuie (88) and Greyson Cook (96). Rounding out the team were Noah Hilley (103) and Jack Morton (103). The 81 shot by Springstead placed the Elk freshman in the individual top ten, finishing in a three-way tie for fifth place.

The Elks are next scheduled to play in a Northern Shores Conference Quad with Boyne City, Grayling at Harbor Springs at Antrim Dells on Thursday.

VARSITY FOOTBALL
Wolgamott commits to Scots on gridiron 

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Luke Wolgamott celebrates his signing to play football at Alma with his high school teammates. Photo courtesy of Elk Rapids High School
Elk senior Luke Wolgamott signed a letter of intent last week to play football for the Alma Scots next year. Wolgamott was a first team all-conference selection as a senior and sophomore for his play as an Elk defensive lineman and earned all-conference special mention as a junior after his season ended early with a knee injury.

Wolgamott led the Elks with 60 tackles as a senior and tallied 9.5 career sacks to finish fifth on the Elk career sacks records list. Wolgamott also played varsity and JV basketball for the Elks.

“I chose Alma because I believe it was the best spot for me to find success,” Wolgamott said. “I also want to thank my family, coaches and my teammates.”

Wolgamott carries a 3.581 GPA at Elk Rapids and plans to study kinesiology and exercise science at Alma.

“My favorite memory was getting to play with my brother during his senior year when I was a sophomore, and all the team dinners,” Wolgamott said.

​Congratulations to Luke on making the leap from an Elk to a Scot! 

JV BASEBALL
JV baseball has youth and potential

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Elk Rapids High School JV Baseball Team 2024-2025: front row: Henry Clausen, Wyatt Schaub, Lucas Keely, Landon Porteous, Jimmy Ayers, Luke Vowels. back row: Head Coach Ryan Janis, Patrick Mitts, Brody Turner, Jack Volkers, Merrick Peters, Colin McCormack, Luke Otto, Asst Coach Zach Platt. Not pictured: Asst Coach Dan Platt. Photo by Kim Eardley Photography
The Elk JV team has 12 players on the roster this season including four returnees in junior Landon Porteous along with a trio of sophomores, Lukas Vowels, Jimmy Ayers and Henry Clausen. The remainder of the roster is filled out with eight freshmen playing baseball for the first time at the high school level. Also returning are two of the major strengths for the squad, JV baseball head coach Ryan Janis is back for his third season at helm, along with second-year JV assistant coach Zach Platt, 2017 Elk graduate and four-year varsity baseball player. Coach Janis has a great deal of baseball knowledge and has a strong desire to help the JV players improve and be ready to play at the varsity level. Fundamentals in throwing, hitting and fielding and breaking old habits are what Coach Janis concentrates on for his players. Winning is important but learning to play the game correctly is what Janis and Coach Platt work on. 

“I expect our team will improve with accuracy and throwing strength each week,” Janis said. “Teaching hitting mechanics and breaking bad habits is something we will continually be working on.”

The JV has played three doubleheaders and have a 1-4 record. The Elk JV team will improve as the season goes on, and so will their record, and especially so will their skills. Practicing outside and getting in game time will make the Elk JV squad exciting to watch this upcoming season!

JV SOFTBALL
ELK JV softball plays hard to open season

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Elk Rapids High School JV Softball Team 2024-2025: front row: Maizie Schiller, Haylee Hanson, Norah Greene, Jillean McCrandall, Janna Pharo. back row: Head Coach Jessica Vandergriff, Kamryn Day, Kami Jarvis, Allyson Hawkins, Emmelia Brege. Not pictured: Hope Van Aken, Jaden Efu, Asst Coaches Chris Vandergriff and Ben Brege. Photo by Kim Eardley Photography
The Elks JV softball team returns to the field this year with new players and a new coach. Jessica Vandergriff will be the JV softball head coach this season, continuing a career of coaching a large part of the JV team.
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“I agreed to coach because I have coached the freshman group since they were six and seven years old,” said Coach Vandergriff.

The JV squad has 11 players on the roster made up of seven freshmen, two sophomores, one junior and one senior, with just two players returning in Haylee Hanson and Ally Hawkins. Assisting in the coaching duties are Chris Vandergriff, Ben Brege and Mark Schiller.

The JV team has experienced several schedule cancellations because of weather and due to some schools having to cancel JV softball programs due to a lack of players.

The Elks have played three doubleheaders, opening the season with two wins over Lake City, followed by two game losses against TC West and Petoskey. “Our two losses against Petoskey were both good, close games,” said Vandergriff.

“This JV team has a lot of heart and hustle. They work really hard in practices and it shows on the field. The freshmen on the team have come in quite strong and have a good grasp on fundamentals.”

The team has looked good defensively, turning several double plays in the six games played this season and even pulled off a triple play.

“We show a good heads up playing on defense. The whole team has great contact this year up to bat and if they keep putting the ball into play, good things will happen,” Vandergriff said.

The future of the Elk softball program looks to be in good hands with a solid JV team in place this season! Go Elks!