SPORTS

VARSITY GOLF
Season ends at regionals

The Division 3 Golf Regional meet took place for the Elk Rapids golf team on Tuesday at the Red Hawk Golf Course in East Tawas. There were 20 total squads competing, with the top three teams advancing to the state finals, along with the top three individual golfers not on a team that qualified for the state final meet. The Elks were hoping to qualify for a return to the state finals after failing to advance last season, snapping a streak of three straight appearances in the state show. The Elks finished in ninth place shooting a 369, just four strokes behind Kalkaska in eighth place with a 365. The teams advancing to the state finals were St. Francis with a first place 327, followed by Manistee tallying a 331 and Tawas Area in third place recording a 333.
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The Elks top four were Owen Spencer (86), Spencer Ball (91), Gabe Lavely (93), Greyson Cook (99) and fifth man Jack Dupie (101). Spencer finished at number 15 overall.

The Elks played a final tune-up meet before regionals, competing in the Cardinal Invitational on Kate Golf Course located in Big Rapids last Thursday. The Elks shot a 360 to finish in 10th place, one stroke behind Remus in ninth place with a 359. Spring Lake finished in first place with a 314. The top four Elks were Ball (86), Lavely (90), Owen Spencer (91) and Luke Spencer (93). “I felt we had a successful season. We are only losing one of our top six golfers so the team will take a big step forward next season,” said Elk varsity golf coach Chris Hines. “I am looking forward to working with the kids as they develop and grow. The future looks bright for Elk varsity golf with all of the talent we have coming back!”

VARSITY BASEBALL
Elks thump Ramblers in hardball district opener

A team playing in a pre-district baseball game knows a loss will end their season much too early in post season play. The Elks drew Boyne City for a Division 3 pre-district matchup on Tuesday, the seven-inning game scheduled to be played in Boyne City. The Elks hosted the Ramblers in a doubleheader in early May, with game one going to the Elks in a close 2-1 battle, and the second game ending in a 4-4 tie due to darkness. The Elks were not going to see their season end on Tuesday, they instead sent the Ramblers to the locker room to turn in their uniforms after handing them a 9-1 drubbing. Chase DeArment was on the hill for the Elks, allowing six hits, one earned run with eight strikeouts and two walks. The Elks scored two runs in the top of the first inning, Boyne City answered with a run in the bottom of the inning cutting the Elk lead to 2-1. Boyne would not score again in the game. The Elks added a solo run in the third and exploded for six runs in the fifth inning to put the game out of reach for the Ramblers. The Elks had nine hits, led by DeArment with two hits, three RBIs and scored two runs and Dominic Fortuna with two hits including a double, an RBI and scored three times. Braden Fluty rapped an RBI single and scored a run, Jack OHara, Jayden Hresko, Brendan Shockley and Cooper Moore all had singles. The Elks lit up the basepaths with nine steals, two coming from Fluty, Hresko and DeArment and one each from Alex Barber, Fortuna and Moore. The Elks showed more patience at the plate, holding out for nine walks in the game.

Elk Rapids (17-17-1) moves on to face Kalkaska in a Division 3 district semifinal matchup scheduled for 10:00 a.m. in Charlevoix on Saturday. A win would advance the Elks to the district title game against the winner of the Charlevoix/Mancelona contest played at noon on Saturday. The Elks swept Kalkaska at home 7-3 and 11-0 this season.

The Elks picked up two road doubleheaders against Division 2 teams last week, playing Petoskey last Thursday and Gaylord on Friday to close out the regular season. Against the Northmen the Elks fell 3-2 in a close game one, then came back to win the nightcap 10-7. John Hawkins pitched the opener, throwing five innings and giving up five hits, two earned runs and struck out two. The game was knotted 2-2 after four innings, Petoskey notched the winning run with three straight singles in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Elks had six hits, two coming from Hresko, and Hawkins slapped an RBI single. In the nightcap Barber got the start allowing eight hits, five earned runs, five walks and striking out two; Hawkins pitched in relief giving up two hits and two earned runs. The Elks tallied eight hits, two each from Barber, DeArment and Hresko. The Elks led the entire game scoring five times in the first inning, tacking on three more in the fifth and two additional in the sixth giving them a 10-4 lead. The Northmen scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth, but the rally lost steam and the Elks got the 10-7 win. 

On Friday the Elks battled Gaylord but dropped both games losing 4-2 in the opener and 6-3 in game two. DeArment threw five innings of game one, allowing five hits, three earned runs and fanned five. The Elks were ahead 2-0 after batting in the third; Gaylord tied the game with two third inning runs, then added solo runs in the fourth and fifth innings handing the Elks the 4-2 loss. The Elks had seven hits, two each from Hresko, DeArment and Fluty. In game two it was Fortuna and Carter Veliquette sharing the mound giving up seven hits, four earned runs and striking out five. The Elks fell behind 4-3 after four innings and would not score again in the 6-3 defeat.

Elk Rapids finished the regular season with a record of 16-17-1, two wins better than last year in the regular season. They were 9-4-1 in the Lake Michigan Conference, good for sole possession of third place.

VARSITY SOCCER
Elks reach district title game

 

The Elks began a quest to return to the soccer final four, and possibly a little further, opening the Division 3 postseason with a 5-0 win over St. Francis in a district semifinal contest played Tuesday in Grayling. Temperatures were in the high 80s at the start of the game, the Elks were competing on the pitch for the first time since their final regular season finale win eight days earlier. Kendall Standfest scored the game’s first goal with a rocket shot from 40 yards out that sailed directly towards the Glad keeper but above and through her reach. The Elks wouldn’t score again until there was less than a minute remaining in the half as Pipre Meteer played a ball to Lauren Bingham and keeping the ball close to her feet scored on a shot just off the keeper’s hand into the lower right corner of the net giving the Elks a 2-0 lead at the intermission. Bingham found the net seven minutes into the second half off a ball played by Meteer. The Gladiators appeared as the Elks worked the ball around looking for the best shot. The clock read under six minutes to play as Sofie Bellner sent in a corner kick that came back to her for a quick shot into the net for a goal. Léa Tribouillard added the final goal, coming from another Bellner corner kick that Meteer was able to direct to Tribouillard for the score. Jorja Jenema had five saves in the Elk net.  “I told the girls that every team is hoping to hand them their first loss of the season and that they needed to take field as though it was their last game, and if they watched instead of playing, their season could end,” said Elk varsity soccer coach Andrea Krakow. “It is difficult to beat a team three times in one season. We did with St. Francis, and now we will have the same thing playing against Boyne City.”
The Elks will face the Ramblers for the Division 3 district title on Thursday in Grayling. The game is scheduled for a 5:00 p.m. start. 

VARSITY TRACK
Elks ready for state finals with honor roll and LMC firsts 

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Zeke Keaton gets a solid start off the blocks in the 4x400 relay. Photo by Kim Eardley Photography
On Tuesday evening 15 track teams from various schools in northern Michigan area all descended on Traverse City Central for the 49th annual John Lober Honor Roll Meet. Each season the popular meet invites the top performing track and field athletes from around northern Michigan for a competition of the best. Medals are awarded on the podium to the top five finishers in each event.

For the Elk girls a trip to the top of the podium was taken by Hunter Shellenbarger, the sophomore speedster finished first in the 400m with a personal record time of 58.91. This is also a new 400m Elk school record, breaking the previous record time of 59.94 set by Shellenbarger just five weeks earlier. First-place honors were also earned by the 4x800 relay team of Jaida Schulte, Anna Pray, Ella Peck and Joelle Swanson (10:22.60). A spot on the podium went to Anna Pray for a fifth-place personal record run in the 800m (2:25.83). On the Elk boys side Max Ward stood on the third-place perch for the 300m hurdles (42.36); Ryan McGuire medaled in the discus with a second-place throw of 137’10”.

The Lake Michigan Conference track and field championships were held in Charlevoix last Wednesday, with all eight conference teams in attendance and ready to battle. St. Francis finished in first place overall in both the boys and girls meets, ringing up 189 points on the boys side and totaling 175 points in the girls meet. The Elk Rapids girls team finished in second place with 112 points, East Jordan was a distant third scoring an 88.5. On the boys side the Elks finished at sixth place with 64 points, just a half point behind East Jordan in fifth place with 64.5 points. Charlevoix came in second place with 100.6 points, Harbor Springs was third tallying 83.3 points, just squeezing past Kalkaska in fourth place with 81 points.

The Elks came away with eight Conference Champion titles led by Shellenbarger with a trio of first-places finishes in the 100m (12.82), 200m (26.75) and 400m (1:00.44). In the 4x800 relay a first-place run of 10:31.08 came from Anna Pray, Peck, Jaida Schulte and Swanson. Two first-place crowns fell to Ward winning the 110m hurdles (16.00) and 300m hurdles (42.51), and McGuire earned two first-place honors for the discus throw (135’2”) and high jump (5’8”). The Elk girls had several strong second-place finishes, Brynne Schulte in the 1600m (5:31.82), Brooke Fluty leaping the 100m hurdles (17:59) and the 4x400 relay foursome of Paige Fosdick, Anna Pray, Shellenbarger and Peck (4:26.30). Coming in third place was Anna Pray for the 800m (2:29.40), Fluty in the 300m hurdles with a personal record (52.79) and Kami Jarvis with a personal record shotput throw (28’03”). There were 17 total personal records set by the Elk team, seven by the boys and 10 from the girls.
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On Saturday the Elks will turn loose 18 athletes at the Division 3 State Finals meet held Kent City High School, 25 miles north of Grand Rapids. Good luck Elks!

VARSITY SOFTBALL
Lady Elks playing hard and wanting the district crown 

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Reagann Merchant with her eyes focused squarely on the pitch in midswing. Photo by Kim Eardley Photography
A Lake Michigan Conference twinbill between the Elks and Blazers was postponed twice this season but wound up being the final regular season games on the Elk softball schedule. The teams met in Elk Rapids last Thursday, the Elks were coming off two come from behind extra inning wins over Grayling on the road, and they stretched that into a string of three come from behind extra innings wins by defeating Kalkaska 5-4 in game one. The Blazers scored twice in the first inning and added another run in the top of the sixth to take a 3-0 lead. The Elks were batting in the bottom of the sixth with two outs, but remained alive as Haleigh Yocom singled, then Rhielynn Skrocki was safe due to a Blazer error. Ryleigh Yocom ripped a double to centerfield scoring one run, Kalkaska decided to walk Reagann Merchant, loading the bases with a force out at any base. Brooke Fluty cracked a rightfield single knocking in two runs and tying the game at 3-3 and sending the game into extra innings. Kalkaska began the seventh inning with a runner on second as per the international extra innings rules. A two out single brought home the Blazer baserunner, giving Kalkaska back the lead at 4-3. Batting in the bottom of the seventh the Elks were again down to their final out with their starting baserunner still on second. Violet Sumerix beat out an infield bunt with the runner on second coming home to tie the game again at 4-4. Skrocki hit an infield pop-up that was bobbled then dropped for an error while Sumerix crossed home plate with the winning run in the 5-4 victory. Skrocki pitched all seven innings allowing eight hits, two earned runs with nine strikeouts and zero walks. Fluty and Ryleigh Yocom both doubled in the game, the Elks had seven hits total.

In game two the Blazers were leading 3-2 lead after the first inning; the Elks added a fifth inning run for a 3-3 tie. The Blazers were out one-two-three in top of the sixth, the Elks came to the plate and their first two batters grounded out and struck out. It appeared a second extra inning game was inevitable, then Haleigh Yocom drew a walk and Skrocki was safe after a long fly ball outfield error. Yocom sped past second and headed to third base but went too far and was suddenly halfway to home plate. Yocom turned the speed up a gear and slide into home ahead of the Blazer throw with the winning 4-3 run and a sweep of the Blazers. Merchant threw all six innings, giving up two hits, one earned run, walked three and fanned six. The Elks scattered six hits, led by Merchant with two.
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Elk Rapids (25-8) will host Division 3 Districts, as they open the post season facing the Mancelona Ironmen in a district semifinal game beginning at noon on Saturday. A win would advance Elk Rapids to the district title game scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Saturday against the winner of the Boyne City/Kalkaska game taking place at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. The Elks are looking to win their first district title in 20 years, last won during the 2003 season. Posting the best regular season record they have had in double digit seasons, this tough, gritty Elk softball team could be the right squad to end the district dry spell!