Petoskey's Marek, Eberhart bring confidence back to Northmen passing game

PETOSKEY — The Petoskey passing game wasn’t just one of the best around Northern Michigan a year ago, it was one of the best in Division 3.

With a 2,000-yard passer, receivers setting school records and over 20 touchdowns scored through the air, it was nothing shy of a force.

And with key pieces in the receiving core back for another season, there’s reason to believe it could be another special campaign through the air.

The first chance at showing that came this week with the first 7-on-7 session of the summer for the Northmen, when they welcomed in Cheboygan, Boyne City, Elk Rapids and Harbor Springs.

For the athletes lining up across from Petoskey, wideouts Seth Marek and Mitch Eberhart needed no introduction.

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The two had the No. 1 and No. 2 best single-season receiving campaigns, respectively, in Petoskey history a year ago and Marek believes it’s all on the table to do it again, even with losing quarterback Joe McCarthy to graduation.

“I think with the receivers we have and teams losing players, we can do everthing and more,” said Marek.

The 6-foot-2, 185-pound senior that's drawing collegiate interest capped an all-state and News-Review Player of the Year season with 45 grabs for 859 yards and 13 touchdowns last season, though he’s not looking to stop there or at his career 1,300 yards and 17 touchdowns.

“Of course,” he said. “My goal is just to build off all of those.”

Eberhart actually missed the first four games of the 2023 season with a broken wrist, unable to catch with a club covering his hand. The 5-foot-11, 155-pound speedster made up for it quickly and finished the season with 22 catches for 533 yards and four scores, averaging over 24 yards a catch.

“Obviously a lot of hard work and help from my teammates, but it really clicked after I came back,” said Eberhart.

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Marek noticed as well.

“It was crazy,” Marek said. “I wish we would have had him in the beginning, definitely.”

This past spring, Marek and Eberhart were part of a record-setting sprint relay team that earned all-state at the Division 2 finals. From the track to the football field, that competition they have with each other to be the best is what brings some excitement back into a new fall.

“It’s a competition,” Marek said. “It was the same with track. We had basically identical times and were out there talking trash before. We just fuel each other.”

While Marek enters his third season as a varsity starter, Eberhart got his only taste in those final seven games a year ago, so he’s a bit extra motivated to make up for time again.

“Of course I want to just keep building off it,” he said. “With playing every game this year, I want more yards, more touches and everything.”

They’ll both have to do so without the three-year starter McCarthy throwing to them, though they’re confident and working hard with likely starter, Korbin Sulitis.

There’s no questioning Sulitis' arm strength after his back to back all-state seasons in the discus, or his work ethic as a 6-foot-2, 220-pound defensive stud, so Eberhart and Marek have all the faith in their new QB.

“Korbin is one of the best athletes that I’ve ever seen,” Eberhart said. “He’s insane. He can obviously work on some accuracy, but he’s hanging around after practice and we’re running routes. We’ve been going every day and I think we’re really going to hone it in and it’ll be good.”

Marek echoed Eberhart’s thoughts.

“Korbin has been putting in a lot of work,” he said. “Obviously he’s getting kind of thrown into it and he’s been working all summer, going in early and putting his all into it.”

Contact or send game stats/info to Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DrewKochanny, and Instagram, @drewkochanny

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Petoskey's Marek, Eberhart bring confidence back to Northmen passing game