League champs: Reviewing the 2023 Cheboygan varsity girls soccer season
CHEBOYGAN – Over the last few days, I've focused primarily on reviewing the seasons of Cheboygan area baseball and softball teams.
But we’re going to head in a different direction for this edition.
That means we’re focusing on soccer. And while there’s only one high school varsity girls soccer team in this area, it’s a darn good one.
Yes, head coach Tom Markham’s Cheboygan Chiefs came up with another strong season in the spring.
So, let’s break down how the campaign went for the 2023 soccer Chiefs.
OVERVIEW: This was one of those unique seasons for Markham’s Chiefs, as it took them a while to really hit their stride and dominate the competition. This was evident in the early portion of the season, which saw the Chiefs earn a few wins, tie a few key matches that they probably should have won, and suffer a 3-1 loss to an outstanding Boyne City team. But momentum started to shift in the Chiefs’ favor after they earned a 3-2 victory at Ogemaw Heights in May. From there, the Chiefs went on a tear and smashed through their Northern Michigan Soccer League foes, including McBain Northern Michigan Christian, the team that beat them for the outright title last spring. After the victory over the Comets, the Chiefs sealed both an NMSL east division title and an outright championship a few games later. Cheboygan’s season ended in a 2-1 district loss to Traverse City St. Francis, but it was one of the best games of the spring sports season. Against a strong TCSF team, the Chiefs had plenty of chances to earn the win. It wasn’t meant to be, but the season was still a very good one for Cheboygan.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Kenzie Burt and Cassidy Jewell – These two seniors were so important to the Chiefs over the last few years, and they were both fantastic during their final seasons with the program. Burt scored a team-high 33 goals and Jewell, who struggled to find the back of the net during the first half of the season, recovered brilliantly and finished with 20 goals of her own. Watching both stars play give-and-go passes together and set up each other for goals was a thrill the entire spring. As terrific as they were with their play, their leadership was also exceptional. With both exiting the program, Cheboygan will need to reload and try to find a duo that worked as well as this one.
BREAKOUT STAR: Taylor Bent – This junior defender was consistent for the Chiefs all season. Every time you watched Bent defend and break up opposing attacks, she always looked calm, cool and composed. And while she’s not a senior, she certainly played like one and spearheaded the Cheboygan defense. Markham will be thrilled that he’ll have her back to lead a back four that improved throughout the season. With the departures of many talented players, you could make a great argument that Bent is the best returning player for the Chiefs. I thought she was excellent all season in terms of her defending and reading the game.
PLAYER TO WATCH NEXT SEASON: Addy Baldwin – There’s no question about it that the Chiefs will have to replace a lot of talent. So, with the players returning, who could be Cheboygan’s next great attacker? I believe that might end up being Baldwin, a player who developed nicely during her sophomore season. While she didn’t net a ton of goals like Burt or Jewell, she played a major role in Cheboygan’s attack and helped set up several scoring opportunities as a winger. Baldwin saw a lot of time on the right wing, but who knows where she might end up playing next season. If Markham wants Baldwin on the wing, she’ll be on the wing. If she’s capable of playing as a center forward or anywhere else, that would be just as exciting to watch. What makes her a dangerous attacker is her speed and ability to deliver quality crosses into the box for her teammates. If she picks up right where she left off as a sophomore, she’ll be even more of a threat for the Chiefs next year.
SAYING GOODBYE: Seniors Callie Wanke, Burt, Jewell, Lizzie Lopiccolo, Lia Basanese, Ella Pilon, Anna Hudson and Leslie Basham will all be tough to replace as each played key roles in Cheboygan winning the NMSL with an unbeaten record. Markham’s had some superb senior classes over the years, and this one was right up there at the top. Whether it’s a goalkeeper, defender, midfielder or forward, the Chiefs will have their work cut out for them as they try to plug in players to positions that were occupied so well by those seniors. But in recent years, Markham’s shown an ability to move players around and put them in the best possible position to succeed. Let’s see what he can do next season.
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2024: The Chiefs will have a chance to defend their NMSL League title before they make the move to the newly formed Northern Shores Conference that begins at the start of the 2024-25 school year. The Chiefs will return several key players, including Bent, as well as Addy and Ava Baldwin, who will be juniors, and Autumn Gingrich, Bella Lail and a few others who received tons of playing time. Jaelyn Wheelock, who suffered a knee injury in the final game of the season, will hope to make an impact if she’s able to return and play, so the Chiefs still have plenty of pieces to work with.
This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: League champs: Reviewing the 2023 Cheboygan varsity girls soccer season
