Gladstone, North Central Clean Up On U.P. Awards

MARQUETTE---The Upper Peninsula Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association met on Wednesday to select its All-U.P. boys basketball teams.

Those selections were announced early Saturday morning. Gladstone's Reece Castor and his father, Clayton, were big winners. As were the North Central Jets, as expected.

Castor, a sophomore, was named to the Class A-B All-U.P. First Team and his father, the Braves' second-year head coach, was named Coach of the Year. Gladstone junior Brad Spindler was named to the second team after the Braves completed an 18-6 campaign.

Escanaba's Tyler Willette also made the Class A-B All-U.P. First Team.

No surprise in Class D, as the three-time state champion North Central Jets were Team of the Year and Coach Adam Mercier was named Coach of the Year.

Dawson Bilski and Jason Whitens were named Co-U.P. Players of the Year and were Dream Team selections. NCA's Bobby Kleiman was a first team selection, and Marcus Krachinski made the second team. Seth Polfus received Special Mention.

Carney-Nadeau senior Hunter Eichhorn was a first team selection in Class D. Rapid River's Logan Hardwick and Ryan Arndt of Bark River-Harris were both named to the Class D Second Team. The winners are all posted below:

2016-17 All-U.P. Boys Basketball Team

Dream Team
Jason Whitens, North Central, 6-5, Sr.
Trent Bell, Negaunee, 6-7, Sr.
Dawson Bilski, North Central, 6-3, Sr.
Carson Wonders, Iron Mountain, 6-4, Sr.
Dre Tuominen, Negaunee, 6-0, Sr.

Class ABC
First Team
Reece Castor, Gladstone, 6-4, Soph.
Brandon Paul, Sault Ste. Marie, 6-7, Jr.
Connor Ortman, Norway, 6-3, Jr.
Hart Holmgren, Ishpeming, 6-5, Jr.
Tyler Willette, Escanaba, 6-2, Sr.

Second Team
Justin Bal, Norway, 6-1, Sr.
Alex DuVall, Marquette, 5-9, Sr.
Marcus Johnson, Iron Mountain, 5-8, Fr.
Marcus McKenney, Menominee, 6-0, Sr.
Chad Raasio, Hancock, 6-2, Sr.
John Paramski, Newberry, 6-2, Sr.
Brad Spindler, Gladstone, 6-2, Jr.
Darien Nichols, Manistique, 5-8, Sr.
A.J. Weisnicht, West Iron County, 6-4, Sr.
Ryley Alaspa, Sault Ste. Marie, 6-0, Sr.

Class D
First Team
Jake Witt, Ewen-Trout Creek, 6-7, Jr.
Derrick Edington, Pickford, 6-7, Sr.
Bobby Kleiman, North Central, 5-10, Sr.
Hunter Eichhorn, Carney-Nadeau, 6-1, Sr.
Devin Schmitz, Dollar Bay, 5-11, Jr.

Second Team
Marcus Krachinski, North Central, 6-1, Sr.
Jaden Janke, Dollar Bay, 6-3, Jr.
Daniel Nocerini, Crystal Falls Forest Park, 6-2, Sr.
Mitchell Borseth, Ontonagon, 6-3, Sr.
Logan Hardwick, Rapid River, 6-4, Jr.
Jaden Wood, Jeffers, 6-0, Sr.
Austin Berglund, Ewen-Trout Creek, 6-3, Sr.
Max Samardich, Bessemer, 6-1, Sr.
Ryan Arndt, Bark River-Harris, 5-10, Jr.

Special awards
Class ABC Player of the Year: Carson Wonders, Iron Mountain
Class D Players of the Year: Jason Whitens, North Central; Dawson Bilski, North Central

Class ABC Coach of the Year: Clayton Castor, Gladstone
Class D Coach of the Year: Adam Mercier, North Central

Class AB Team of the Year: Marquette (20-2)
Class C Team of the Year: Negaunee (20-5)
Class D Team of the Year: North Central (28-0)

Special mention (players earning two or more votes)
Class ABC
Tyler Beauchamp, Kingsford; Alec Blank, Munising; Cade Contreras, Munising; Steve Nelson, West Iron County; Matt Ojala, Calumet; Joe Ostrowsky, Marquette; Ryan Robinette, Escanaba; Reed Weidenhoefer, Gwinn.

Class D
Duane Englund, Mid-Peninsula; Garrett O’Neil, North Dickinson; Seth Polfus, North Central; Jacob Suzik, Wakefield-Marenisco.

Honorable mention (players earning fewer than two votes)
Class ABC
Garrett Finkbeiner, Marquette; Wyatt Loukus, Calumet; Tanner Mathias, Menominee; Dylan Mills, Rudyard; Ian Ogea, Marquette; Rudy Peterson, Gladstone; Josh Plante, Norway; Geroge Sevarns, Newberry; Luke Terrian, Kingsford; Tucker Taylor, Gwinn; Brandt Tembreull, L’Anse; Dondre Yohe, Ishpeming.

Class D
Joe Heinonen, Superior Central; Tyler Johnson, Big Bay de Noc; Caleb Maki, Jeffers; Beau Rondeau, Superior Central.