SPORTS

VARSITY BOYS BASKETBALL
Experience blends with youth and talent on the hardwood 

Elk Rapids High School Varsity Boys Basketball Team 2022-2023: front row: Christian Kerfoot, Haven Somers, Spencer Ball, Maceo Gulich, Brendan Shockley, Chase DeArmant. back row: Assistant Coach Zach Kerfoot, Assistant Coach Doug Spencer, Zeke Bolde, Keagen Cotterman, Luke Spencer, Ryan McGuire, Caden Moore, Owen Spencer, Caleb Kerfoot, Head Coach Kevin Ball. Photo by Diane Drogowski, By the Bay Photography

The Elk basketball program graduated six seniors two years ago and another six from last season. The large senior exodus eventually catches up with a program, resulting in a roster of a few familiar veterans and a large number of new names and first year varsity players. Elk varsity boys basketball head coach Kevin Ball is facing this situation this season, but he is looking forward to watching this younger team progress through the season. “We usually start a week earlier than we were allowed to this season, so I haven’t been able to have as many practices as I would like,” Ball said. “We have just three players with full varsity experience and two that have seen some time on varsity. The rest of the players are juniors, they were on JV and know the game, but need time to work together. We need experience.”

The returning players are seniors Spencer Ball, playing in his fourth varsity season, Ryan McGuire and Caleb Kerfoot, both playing a second season on varsity. Haven Somers, a junior, and sophomore Keagan Cotterman both played some varsity last season, but spent most of the year on JV. Rounding out the 13-player roster are one senior in exchange student Maceo Gulich, and seven first year juniors.

“We really just need to play. We scrimmaged last week against TC West, and we did some good things, and saw areas we need to improve,” Ball said. “Unlike other seasons where we knew the role a returning player would likely play, this year we need time to evaluate and see who will stand out shooting or defensively or shooting the three. We will use the first few non-conference games to work through this and see where we are at.” 

Spencer Ball will be the team leader, he can score but plays incredible defense, McGuire is a wide body standing around 6’5” that can muscle underneath and won’t be pushed around in the low post, Kerfoot is quick, and he racks up steals and rebounds. “We have talented athletes with this group, we are young and will improve as the season goes on,” Ball said. The motto for the team is “Create Chaos” meaning to make things hard for the opposing team. “We want to be up-tempo, use our press and our defense to create problems and turnovers. 

St. Francis and Boyne City will be tough in the Lake Michigan Conference this season, but Ball thinks the Elks could be in the mix. The Elks were co-champs of the conference back in 02-03 and outright champions way back in 98-99; they are long overdue to add another conference title to the banner in the gym. Coach Ball will be assisted from the bench this season by coaches Doug Spencer and Zach Kerfoot.
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This group of Elks has potential for a strong season with the blending of the few experienced veterans and the large group of hungry, first year players. Stay tuned, the excitement on the varsity basketball court is about to begin in Elk Rapids!

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DANCE SQUAD
Live at halftime

Elk Rapids High School Dance Squad Team 2022-2023: front row: Captain Emily Lawhead, Captain Leah Keaton, Captain Tessa Nico. middle row: Rylee Loman, Kaira Beauchamp, Madeline Espinoza, Nora Wnek. back row: Arianah Starkey, Tavius Williams, Lilli Kuhn, Olivia Childress, Coach Colleen Burry. Not pictured: Riley Jenema.

Dance Squad returns to the gym during the varsity basketball halftime this year with a veteran squad and coach. The squad is made up of 12 dancers, with 10 returnees including seniors Madeline Espinoza, Leah Keaton, Arianah Starkey and Tessa Nico, each bringing with them three years of experience. The second year returning dancers are junior Olivia Childress and sophomores Kaira Beauchamp, Riley Jenema, Rylee Loman, Lillian Kuhn and Emily Lawhead, and rounding out the team are two newcomers in freshmen Nora Wnek and Tavius Williams. Dance Squad is coached by Colleen Burry, also returning with experience in her second season at the helm. “I am happy to be back for another year and was thrilled to have so many returning Dance Squad members,” said Burry. “We are able to grow on all of the skills we learned last year, and our new members are both strong dancers who have been able to pick up our dances quickly.”

The girls practice up to ten hours a week as a team, and also practice on their own time, either together in small groups or on their own. There are three captains this season, Nico, Keaton and Lawhead. “Our captains were picked after the first month of practice. There were a number of factors that went into this decision, but I focused on team members who exhibited leadership,” Burry explained. “The captain sets the tone and standard for every practice, so I was looking for captains with a positive attitude who were willing to teach and able to take on the additional responsibilities.”

The squad works together to choreograph the performances with the three captains being the main choreographers. “Our performance on Tuesday (12/6) was choreographed by the entire team. It has been wonderful to see them come together and create such a challenging dance that they all had a part of. The team picked the song, Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop the Music,” at the end of last season and have had a lot of time to think about what they would like to see in this dance.” 
Dance Squad made their season debut last Friday during halftime of the varsity girls basketball game against Kingsley. They are scheduled to take to the floor for 12 performances this year, planned with eight different songs. 

The squad hosted their popular “Dance Squad Clinic” last Friday, open to any Elk students from kindergarten through the eighth grade. “We had 19 girls from Lakeland and Mill Creek join us,” Burry said. “We performed to ‘Better When I’m Dancin’ by Meghan Trainor, choreographed by Captain Tessa Nico. We love hosting this clinic and we had a blast!”
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Head to the Elk Rapids gym to watch some exciting Elk basketball, then be sure to stay in your seat at halftime to see the Elk Rapids Dance Squad! 

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VARSITY GIRLS BASKETBALL
Elks fall to Lakers 

Lauren Bingham (2) finishes a fast break with two off the glass. Photo by Kim Eardley Photography

The Lady Elks were dealt their first loss of the season at Glen Lake on Tuesday, falling 52-41 to the Lakers in a non-conference contest. The loss extended an 11-game losing streak to Glen Lake; the Elks last beat the Lakers back in December of 2013. On Tuesday, the Elks fell behind early, trailing 14-6 after one, 26-16 at halftime and 40-28 after three quarters of play.

Standfest led the Elks with 16 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks, Bingham scored nine and tallied five steals, Ball chipped in with seven points. “We were 5-25 from the three-point line, not good shooting against their zone defense,” said Elk varsity girls head coach Mike Brown.

The Elks rolled over Kingsley 49-24 in their home opener last Friday. In the non-conference contest, the Elks dominated from the opening tip, building an 18-5 lead after one increasing to 26-7 at the half and 42-15 after three quarters of play. Bingham had 10 points with six steals, Standfest added nine points, pulled down 11 boards to go with five steals, Mattea Ball and Ally Plum each scored seven.
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The Lady Elks (2-1) open Lake Michigan Conference play at Grayling on Friday against the Vikings.

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VARSITY GIRLS BASKETBALL
Seeking third conference crown with new faces   

Elk Rapids High School Varsity Girls Basketball Team 2022-2023: front row: Mattea Ball, Hayleigh Yocom, Lily Morton, Ally Plum, Hunter Shellenbarger. back row: Asst. Coach Jana Morton, Asst. Coach Abby Porter, Anna Pray, Morgan Bergquist, Kendall Standfest, Lauren Bingham, Rhielynn Skrocki, Head Coach Mike Brown. Photo by Diane Drogowski, By the Bay Photograph

Losing six seniors, especially when most were three- and four-year varsity players, would indicate a rebuilding season was on the horizon. That shouldn’t be the case this season for the Lady Elks, they return four players including three of the four leading scorers from last year along with the top three rebounders. Back on the court are two seniors, Lauren Bingham, playing her fourth season on varsity, and Lily Morton, playing her third varsity season joined by juniors Kendall Standfest and Morgan Bergquist, both playing a third season on varsity. Bingham is arguably the fastest player on the court any time she steps onto it and was the third leading scorer last season with 164 points. Bergquist finished second in scoring (183 points) and rebounding (108) and can hold her own on the low post or take the occasional three, Morton was third in rebounding (53) and is quick on the floor. The Elks are led by Standfest, a complete player that led the team in scoring (288 points), rebounding (129), steals (82) and assists (57), playing in all 21 games last season. These four are joined by six first year varsity players that make up the varsity roster of 10 players, junior Ally Plum, three sophomores, Mattea Ball, Haleigh Yocom and Hunter Shellenbarger and two freshmen, Anna Pray and Rhielynn Skrocki.

“All of our new varsity players were contributors on the JV team last season, they know the game. They all play two or three sports with at least all-conference honors,” said Elk varsity girls head coach Mike Brown, entering his fifth season at the helm. Despite the solid group of players returning, Brown knows there will be an adjustment period for the team. “We will take a few games to find out who our shooters are, who can hit the three, who can play defense. You don’t lose that many seniors that played varsity for most of their high school basketball careers without missing the talents they brought,” Brown said. “This is a really good group coming in, they are athletic, unselfish, they practice and play hard. It is a matter of having them learn to play together and play to their strengths. That will take a few games, but we should be contenders this year. We should run more with this group; it will be interesting to see how they develop.”

The Lady Elks are two-time Lake Michigan Conference champions, holding a conference record of 27-1 over the last two seasons. They lost a heartbreaker to St. Francis in the opening round of districts last season, bringing the season to a much too early close. “Harbor Springs and St. Francis will both be good this season, and there can always be a surprise or two in the conference,” Brown said. 

A three-peat for the LMC crown will be a goal for this group, and a deeper playoff run. The Elks last won the district title in the 2018-19 season and came within a point of the regional championship that year. Brown will be joined on the bench by assistant coaches Abby Porter and Megan Gregorski.

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VARSITY COMPETITIVE CHEER
Ready for season two 

Elk Rapids High School Competitive Cheer Team 2022-2023: front row: Cale Dunnill, Bella Miller, Bernice Dunnill, Audreyanna Rollins, Kaylee Lemmien. middle: Olivia Wilcox. back row: Mikenzey Shananaquet, Asst Coach Jackie Paulosky, Ally Paulosky, Head Coach Kristie Wolgamott, Opal Dunnill. Photo by Diane Drogowski, By the Bay Photography

Last year the inaugural season of competitive cheer ended with a disappointment when bad weather, whiteouts and icy roads forced the team to miss the district meet. The Elks didn’t expect to advance to regionals, but the team was excited to perform at and experience their first district meet. The first season of competitive cheer may have ended with a disappointment, but overall could be graded as a successful season with the team earning a second-place trophy, third place medals and improved their team score at each meet. 

The competitive cheer team returns for season two with nine members on the roster, including seven with experience in seniors Bernice Dunnill and Audreyanna Rollins, a trio of juniors Cale Dunnill, Kaylee Lemmien and Bella Miller and the sophomore duo of Mikenzey Shananaquet and Olivia Wilcox. The first-year members are freshmen Opal Dunnill and Ally Paulosky

The team has been practicing two and three nights a week in the high school lunchroom, in addition to cheering for the football team all season as the sideline cheer team. Returning as head coach is Kristie Wolgamott and assistant coach Jackie Paulosky, both having suffered through the growing pains of the first season of a new sport, they are ready to improve on the successes from the first year. 

“The girls having one year under their belts helps because they know what is expected and having the experience helps motivate them to step it up,” said Wolgamott. “We attended two camps this summer, MaxAthletics in Houghton Lake and a camp that East Jordan hosts.” The team also has been doing fundraising, important to a new sport in need of funding, by selling Little Caesars Pizza Kits online and also collecting Village Market receipts. There are six competitions scheduled for the season with regionals being held at East Jordan. The first meet is scheduled for January 9 at Lake City.  

The Elks were in Division 3 last year, this season they will be competing in Division 4. The scoring at the competitions is done through three rounds, the opening round is made up of tumbling, jumps and motion, lasting 90 seconds. The second round is synchronized with each girl doing exactly the same thing, also lasting for 90 seconds. Every team starts with the same preset 10 count beginning, then adds to this with their own routines. In the third round each team has 2.5 minutes to perform their own routine with stunts, all done within the safety guidelines. In order to qualify for districts a team must have been in four competitions during the season. 

Coaches Wolgamott and Paulosky work out the routines with the team members also providing some input. Hours of practice on the wrestling mats are needed to get the routines perfected for competition. Last season was a learning experience for the entire team, both coaches and the athletes. This season the Elk competitive cheer team hopes to build on that experience with a successful second year!

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VARSITY BOYS BASKETBALL
Elk rally for fourth-quarter win

Brendan Shockley (22) and Spencer Ball (3) work hard to give the Elks the win. Courtesy photo

The Elks hosted Glen Lake in their season opener on Tuesday, turning a seven-point halftime deficit into a back-and-forth game in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Spencer Ball sank a pair of free throws with 20 seconds on the clock to give the Elks a 41-39 lead. A scuffle for the ball was very quickly ruled a jump ball, and the possession arrow went to Glen Lake, with complete disagreement among the Elk fans in the stands. The Lakers inbounded and got off a three that missed, the ball picked up by a second Laker, who launched a game winning three that went off the rim, this time the rebound was smothered by Caleb Kerfoot as time expired giving the Elks the win. Ball scored 20 points to go with seven deflections and six steals, Ryan McGuire added nine points.
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Elk Rapids (1-0) will play at Central Lake on Thursday in a non-conference matchup.

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