CHEBOYGAN – We’re in the heart of summer right now , but I still can’t get over some of the classic athletic events over the past year or so.
The 2023-24 high school year was one of the most exciting years of my career as a sports journalist, especially knowing that so many awesome games happened.
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Here’s a look at my top games from the past school year.
1. Inland Lakes at St. Ignace (MHSAA 8-Player Football Regional Final; Nov. 3, 2023)
Sequels aren't always as good as the original. In this case, however, the rematch between the Bulldogs and Saints was the 8-player football version of the Godfather, Part II, the Dark Knight and the Empire Strikes Back.
It was breathtaking.
After suffering a narrow 30-28 loss to the Saints in the regular season, the Bulldogs – aided by a mesmerizing six-touchdown performance from quarterback Aidan Fenstermaker – got revenge with a thrilling 40-36 postseason victory in St. Ignace, sealing a trip to the state semifinals in Pickford.
Whether it was Fenstermaker making big plays, Andre Bradford coming up with a clutch TD reception on a fourth-down play, or Jake Willey and Grant Blumke lifting a good-enough Inland Lakes defense, the Bulldogs earned it.
A few weeks later, they’d finish their season in the state championship game. Despite losing to Martin, this season – and that incredible sequel across the Bridge – won’t be forgotten by Bulldog supporters anytime soon.
2. Onaway vs. St. Ignace (MHSAA Division 4 Boys Basketball Regional Semifinal at Inland Lakes; March 5, 2024)
If there was ever a clash that lived truly lived up to the hype, it was this intense showdown between a pair of basketball powerhouses.
On one side, you had the Jonny Ingalls-led Saints of St. Ignace, a high-flying offense that scored in bunches.
On the other side, you had the ferocious, refuse-to-quit Cardinals of Onaway, who fought tooth-and-nail all night.
What I’ll remember most was the amazing senior duel between Ingalls and Onaway’s Jadin Mix, with Ingalls pouring in a game-high 44 points, and Mix delivering 38, the best performance of his career.
The intensity, the atmosphere, the battle. Everything about this game symbolized the beauty of high school sports.
Later, St. Ignace – a Doug Ingalls-coached squad that made many basketball fans up this way so proud – reached the state semifinals in East Lansing.
They got there, but getting through Onaway was far from easy.
St. Ignace 79, Onaway 74.
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3. Onaway vs. Inland Lakes (MHSAA Division 4 Regional Baseball Final at Harbor Springs; June 8, 2024)
One of the last games of the high school year featured two M-68 rivals duking it out for a big trophy.
The Bulldogs got off to the fast start, scoring a run in the top of the first, but that never rattled Onaway pitcher Cole Selke, who out-dueled Inland Lakes all-state ace Connor Wallace.
The biggest hit of the game was delivered by Onaway’s Austin Veal, who put the Cardinals up 3-1 late in the game. That’s all the Cardinals needed as they hung on to earn their first-ever regional crown.
From what I watched all season, this was a fitting way to end the 2023-24 high school sports year.
Honorable Mentions: St. Ignace at Cheboygan (Girls Basketball; Feb. 1, 2024); Onaway at Cheboygan (Boys Basketball; Jan. 29, 2024); Inland Lakes vs. Martin (MHSAA 8-Player Division 1 state title game; Nov. 18, 2023)
Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf at jgreenleaf@gannett.com . Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @sportsCDT
This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Inland Lakes-St. Ignace football rematch is my 2023-24 high school game of the year
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