Top 10 Sports Stories of 2023 No. 4 -- Plethora of teams, athletes contend for state title but fall just short

Dec. 28—TRAVERSE CITY — Making it to the state championship game is an accomplishment within itself. There were many schools and individual athletes across northern Michigan that saw a trophy in front of them in 2023 but couldn't quite capitalize.

Two varsity volleyball teams in November had a shot at a state title at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek.

Leland lost in five sets (27-25, 25-18, 22-25, 19-25, 13-15) in the Division 4 championship game to Clarkston Everest Collegiate. Traverse City St. Francis lost in four sets (24-26, 25-16, 23-25, 20-25) in the Division 3 volleyball state championship match against Kalamazoo Christian.

Leland made it to Battle Creek with just seven players in a sport that requires six on the court. The Comets breezed their way through districts and regionals to win championships in both and then got the sweep in the state quarterfinals by defeating the 2022 Division 4 champions, Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart, in three sets.

In the D4 state championship game, the Comets had a chance to make capture their first state title since 2019 but watched a 2-0 set-lead slip away.

"We've been playing with each other since seventh grade. To be able to create a strong bond with each other, there's not a different group of girls I'd want to play this game with," senior Mallory Lowe said. "We've been with each other for so long, and it was just everything in that moment and making this run. ... It was special."

The young Gladiators team fought hard till the end after tying the second set, but Kalamazoo Christian would win the final two.

"It shows that we can," St. Francis junior libero Avery Nance said. "This is the first time we've been in this state finals since 2012. It's awesome, and I'm proud of us for making it this far. We wanted first, but making it this far shows to everybody that it is doable and it's not just some crazy dream to make it to the state finals."

St. Francis also saw several other teams and athletes shine bright and make a play for state championship gold.

St. Francis boys basketball back in March returned to the Breslin Center in East Lansing for a shot at the Division 3 state championship, but they had a deja vu moment from 11 years ago.

St. Francis faced Flint Beecher in 2012, with the Buccaneers snatching a 14-point victory. This time, Flint Beecher grabbed their 10th state championship in program history after defeating St. Francis 64-50.

The Frankfort boys basketball squad also made it to the Breslin, but the Panthers saw their state title hopes dashed a round earlier that the Gladiators as they lost to Wyoming Tri-Unity in the Division 4 state semifinals.

The Gladiators girls cross country team in November nearly made it a 2-for-2 day — with the boys team snatching the Division 3 state title — but ended up with a runner-up finish to Jackson Lumen Christi. St. Francis finished with 177 points to Lumen Christi's 140. Elk Rapids took third place with 190.

Junior Grace Slocum placed fourth in the Division 4 varsity girls golf finals in October after holding onto a two-shot lead going into the final rounds.

The talented multi-sport athlete for the Gladiators ended with a two-day total of 155, seven shots behind three-time state champion Mia Melendez, to finish in fourth place.

The football season almost had two high schools come away with state championship glory, but Inland Lakes' fourth quarter collapse in the Division 1 8-player state championship game in Marquette put a stop to it.

The Bulldogs entered the fourth quarter with a 20-0 lead on Martin but watched it evaporate into a 30-26 loss.

"Regardless of when the points were scored, that's still a four-point game, that's a hell of a state championship. That could have gone lots of different ways, and I don't think anybody expected us to give them a shot," Inland Lakes coach Travis Meyer said.

Traverse City Alliance nearly exceeded the unknown expectations with their second straight state championship appearance. Unfortunately, the young co-op varsity rugby squad ran into the undefeated Rockford Bulldogs in May at the Hope Sports Complex in Lansing and lost 54-22.

Many individuals made it to the state championship in their perspective sport this year. Traverse City Tritons' Ella Cabbage and Kira Adams made it to the state championship round in November but finished in the top 25.

Cabbage ended in 18th place in the 100-yard backstroke, and Adams placed 25th in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:10.84.

"Kira and Ella have been great assets to our program," Tritons head coach Megan Petroelje said. "They've grown quite a lot over the past year, and both have stepped up. That's been fun to see. They both work super hard, and it was great to see that hard work pay off."

Traverse City Christian graduate Brooke Smith finished as the individual runner-up in the Division 4 varsity bowling girls state championship finals back in March at M-66 Bowl in Battle Creek with a six-game score of 1,112.

Traverse City West's Jordan LaFleur finished second in points in the Division 1 girls state finals, followed by her teammate Taylor Phillips finishing in seventh.

Traverse City Central boys varsity golf team could not overcome the 15-stroke deficit they found themselves in after the first day of the Division 1 boys golf state championships at Grand Valley State University's The Meadows Golf Course. Central finished the two-day tournament in sixth place and 21 behind state champion Northville.

On the slopes this year, several of the local teams stamped themselves in the history books.

Petoskey girls varsity ski team finished runner-up at Boyne Mountain in February. The girls varsity team completed a runner-up feat with just four skiers with a combined score of 87. The girls haven't finished in the top three since 2020 — when they finished in third.

Traverse City Central's boys and girls varsity ski teams finished with a Division 1 runner-up title for the second year in a row at Schuss Mountain in Bellaire in February.

All of these teams and individual athletes in 2023 achieved what many others still hope to accomplish, and many more have a shot in 2024.