The Gladstone School Board Monday night fired football Coach Josh Mileski after four years in charge. The vote to "not renew" his contract was unanimous. Mileski led the Braves to an 11-25 record over four years, including 2-7 this season. Click the above headline to read more, and to listen to comments from Superintendent Jay Kulbertis.
The Rapid River Rockets were eliminated from the state football playoffs on Saturday, as the Bellaire Eagles held on for a 20-16 win in the "Eight Man" semifinals in Rapid River. Click the above headline to read the details, see videos and listen to audio from the game.
The St. Ignace Saints jumped to a 26-0 lead and then hang on to beat the North Dickinson Nordics, 26-20, in the Division Eight Regional Championship game Friday night in Felch. Click the above headline to read more details.
The Michigan High School Athletic Association has decided to switch the sites for next Tuesday's state quarterfinal volleyball matches involving two Upper Peninsula teams. The matches will now take place in Manistique. Forest Park will face Onaway in a Class D quarterfinal at 5:00 Tuesday, and Calumet takes on Traverse City St. Francis at 7:00.
The Rapid River High School football team will host the Bellaire Eagles in the Division Nine state semifinal game Saturday afternoon. The Rockets held their final practice Friday afternoon, after the student body cheered the players on during a pep assembly. The boys then enjoyed a home-cooked meal Friday evening. Click the above headline to read a preview on the game, and to see a few pictures and videos from Friday's practice.
The Forest Park Trojans and the Calumet Copper Kings won regional volleyball championships Thursday night. Forest Park swept Superior Central, 3-0, in a Class D final. Calumet did the same to West Iron County in the Class C Regional Final. Click the above headline to see all of the U.P. volleyball results.
The Rapid River Rockets football team pulled the biggest upset of the season Friday by knocking out the top-ranked Cedarville Trojans, 22-14, in the Eight-Man Regional Championship Game. Jake Pearson scored the go-ahead touchdown with 2:51 to play, and then the defense made a last-second stand to defeat the previously-undefeated Trojans. Click the above headline to read the game story, see pictures and videos, and listen to radio highlights.
The volleyball season came to an end on Saturday for the Bark River-Harris Broncos as the North Dickinson Nordics won the Class D district championship, 3-0. The scores were 25-21, 25-18, and 25-21. Also on Saturday, St. Ignace won a district championship. Click the above headline to see all of the U.P. volleyball scores.
Eight Upper Peninsula girls volleyball teams won district championship trophies Thursday night. One of them was the Kingsford Flivvers, which ended the Gladstone Braves' season with a 3-0 win in Kingsford. Click the above headline to see all of the U.P. volleyball scores.
The Bark River-Harris Broncos volleyball team survived a scare as they beat the Carney-Nadeau Wolves, 3-2, in a Class D district semifinal Wednesday night. The Broncos will face North Dickinson in Saturday's district final, after the Nordics blanked Mid Peninsula, 3-0. Click the above headline to see pictures and videos from the BRH-Carney match.
The high school volleyball post-season continued Tuesday night with 20 Upper Peninsula teams in action in all four classes. Kingsford shut out Menominee, 3-0, to advance to the Class B District Final against Gladstone on Thursday. Click the above headline to see all of the U.P. scores.
Jake Pearson rushed for 254 yards and scored three touchdowns, and Robert Metter caught five passes and had three interceptions as the Rapid River Rockets held off the Superior Central Cougars, 44-34, Friday in Rapid River. Click the above headline to read details, see photos and videos, and listen to audio highlights.
The Kingsford Flivvers won the Great Northern Conference volleyball championship this fall, and Kingsford outside hitter Carlee Benzie was named Player of the Year. Escanaba's Holly Ettenhofer and Gladstone's Callie Jensen were named to the All-GNC First Team on Saturday. Click the above headline to see the list.
The Escanaba Eskymos did not win the Upper Peninsula girls championship this fall, but the girls still had a successful season and they were praised for their efforts on Thursday. Click the above headline to read see the All-U.P. Girls Tennis Teams.
The high school girls regular season came to an end Thursday night, and both of Delta County's teams dropped their Great Northern Conference finales. Escanaba lost at home, 3-0, to Stephenson, while Gladstone fell in Kingsford, 3-1. The Eskymos and Braves will open district tournament play against each other Monday night in Gladstone. Click the above headline for more details and photos.
Governor Rick Snyder signed legislation Tuesday aimed at protecting young athletes from concussions. The law requires coaches to remove an athlete from play immediately if there is suspicion that the athlete may have a concussion. That athlete will only be allowed to return with a written note from a health professional. Click the above headline to read the full story.
Two Escanaba Eskymos were selected as members of the Upper Peninsula Cross-Country "Dream Teams" by the U.P.'s cross-country coaches on Tuesday. Andrew Stenberg was one of seven boys picked for the Division One boys "Dream Team", while Aimee Giese was picked for the D-1 girls "Dream Team". Click the above headline to read more details.
The Michigan High School Athletic Association announced its Field of 256 playoff teams Sunday night, as well as the 16 "eight-man" teams. There will be 21 Upper Peninsula teams in the post-season. Click the above headline to see all of the pairings.
The Escanaba Eskymos finished as Upper Peninsula runners-up in both the boys and girls races Saturday at the U.P. Finals at the Pictured Rocks Golf Course in Munising. The Eskymo boys finished seven points behind D1 Sault Ste. Marie for the championship. The Escanaba girls finished 21 points behind D1 champion Calumet. Click the above headline to see the U.P. Finals results.
The Rapid River Rockets got a couple of touchdowns from Jake Pearson and the defense made two big stands in the red zone during the first half of Friday night's game against the Bellaire Eagles. But the Rockets could not hold a 16-6 lead and lost to the downstate team, 28-16. Click the above headline to read the story and to see photos and videos.
The Kingsford Flivvers scored 28 points in the first quarter and cruised to a 49-13 win over the Escanaba Eskymos Friday night at the Escanaba Athletic Field. The win gave the Flivvers the Great Northern Conference championship, and at the same time, dashed the Eskymos' playoff hopes. Click on the above headline to see photos and videos from the game.
The Calumet Copper Kings dominated the line of scrimmage Thursday and cruised to a 36-12 win over the Gladstone Braves at the Marble Athletic Field. Calumet got four touchdowns from Clark Kangas and held the Braves to just 22 yards of total rushing. lick the above headline to read details, and to see videos.
The Delta County Junior Boys Little League All-Star team that won the state championship this summer will be honored at Escanaba-Kingsford varsity football game this Friday night. Also, it will be Parents Night before the game. Click the above headline for details.
Green Bay Packer fullback John Kuhn used his day off Tuesday to come to the U.P. to meet Yooper Packer fans. Kuhn spent about 90 minutes at the Escanaba Wal-Mart store, and one by one, fans of all ages filed by to get their picture taken with the popular fullback. Click the above headline to see photos.
The Gladstone Braves volleyball team went the distance with the Marquette Redettes Tuesday before the Redettes pulled out a 3-2 Great Northern Conference win at the Gladstone High School Gym. Click the above headline to read the details.
The Bark River-Harris Broncos won the first two sets of their match against the Mid Peninsula Wolverines Monday night. But the Wolverines battled back to tie the match, before BR-H pulled out an exciting 3-2 win by taking the final set, 15-13. Click the above headline to read details and to see pictures and videos.
The Escanaba Junior Hockey Association is sponsoring a "pre-season" hockey team this fall, getting the boys ready for the upcoming high school hockey season. But on this team, they're not only boys! Click the abive headline to read more, and to see photos taken from Sunday's pre-season game.
Volunteers have been doing renovation work on the Al Ness Baseball Field this fall. There will be new all-grass baselines between first and third bases, a warning track behind the plate to the backstop, and artificial grass walkways between the plate and the dugouts.
Gladstone Braves volleyball team did not make it out of pool play Saturday at a tournament in Houghton. The Braves beat Ishpeming and Dollar Bay, but lost to Calumet and L'Anse to finish the day 2-2. Click the above headline for details.
The Escanaba Eskymos had a Happy Homecoming Friday night after posting a 42-14 win over the Iron Mountain Mountaineers at the Escanaba Athletic Field. David Falish rushed for three touchdowns and Jake Walker scored twice to lead the attack. Click the above headline to read more details from the game.