Lakes boys come up just short in boys U.P. Finals (2025)

KINGSFORD — The Lake Linden-Hubbell boys were in the hunt, but came up a little short in their quest for an Upper Peninsula Division 3 track and field championship here Saturday.

Newberry held off St. Ignace 96-92 for its first title in eight years. The Lakes placed third with 89 points.

The Lakes concluded their day by winning the 1600-meter relay in three minutes, 41.94 seconds and Newberry edged St. Ignace by a few steps for second in that race and the title.

“We knew we had to beat St. Ignace to win,” Newberry senior Kennedy Depew said after completing the anchor leg. “This was my last race ever. I knew I had to give it my all.”

LL-H senior Gabe Popko won discus at 153 feet, 4 1/2 inches and classmate Matt Jokela took the 400-meter dash in 51.09 seconds.

“Real good hydration and confidence are keys,” Jokela said. “I think having confidence helps a little. I usually don’t go too hard out of the blocks. Then, I usually try to go as hard as I can in the last 200.”

Chassell junior Kolson Kytta became a triple-winner, taking the 800 in a personal-best 2:03.62, 1600 (4:39.58) and 3200 (10:27.32).

“Three wins, I’m pretty happy with that,” he said. “The 800 went real well. Overall, I’m very happy with my performance today.

Fourth-place Bessemer set U.P. records in the 400 relay (45.3) and 800 (1:34.64). Powers North Central held the record for two years after running a 45.34 in 2022. Rock Mid Peninsula kept the record since 2001 when it was clocked in 1:35.1.

“We shaved two seconds off in the 800 relay which feels good and our handoffs in the 400 were good all year,” Bessemer senior Landon Peterson said. “Our school record in the 400 is 44.98 which is something we’ve done three times this year. Running on a rubber track gives you a better grip which helped us a lot today.”

L’Anse freshman Connor Kemppainen placed third in the 110 hurdles (18.13) and 300 (45.03).

Marquette ran away with the Division 1 title, winning for the fourth consecutive time with 163 points. The Sentinels were followed by Kingsford 101 and Houghton 67.

“We really did well,” Marquette coach Derek Marr said. “I’m really proud of the fact we were able to score in 16-of-17 events, and it was good to see our guys win three relays. It’s great to see a full team effort. A few years ago people talked about how good we were in the distances, but we weren’t satisfied with that. We wanted to be a well-rounded team.”

Houghton junior Luke Hill, however, did shine as he collected three firsts.

He won the 800-meter run in two minutes, .05 seconds and 1600 (4:26.36) and anchored the winning 3200 relay.

Sault Ste. Marie sophomore Gabe Litzner set the U.P. record in 3200 at 9:35.62, surpassing the previous best(9:46.53) by Marquette’s Carson Vanderschaaf two years ago.

“I was two seconds away from a PR (personal record),” he said. “I was going to hold on for six laps, then try to pick it up. After coming back from the injuries I had, this one is very special. I’m the most proud of this of any of my events. It’s the greatest feeling ever. I didn’t think I’d ever make it to the Finals again, let alone win it.”

Gremlins’ senior Brody Mattila won the 300 hurdles at 39.87, edging Negaunee junior Brady Mager by .06 second.

In the 110 hurdles, Mattila was runner-up at 15.34, finishing a quarter-second behind Gladstone senior Luke Bracket (15.09).

“Brody really pushed me,” Bracket said. “I’m good friends with Brody and it’s good to have that competition. It feels great to get No. 1 after taking second two years in a row. This makes it all the more rewarding.”

Houghton senior Bryant Lee placed third in the 200 (23.58) and Calumet junior Mathew Frantti took third in shot put with a toss of 45 feet, 2 3/4 inches.

In D-2, Pickford retained its title with 137 points, followed by Munising 106 and Ishpeming 79.

Senior Myles Lewis provided Hancock with a first on a toss of 42-11 1/2 in shot put.

Newberry won for the first time in eight years, holding off St. Ignace 96-92 for the D-3 title.

U.P. Finals

Saturday, June 2

at Kingsford

Boys

Division 1

Marquette 163, Kingsford 101, Houghton 67, Sault Ste. Marie 52, Gladstone 47, Negaunee 34, Menominee 24, Manistique 15, Escanaba 13, Calumet 3, Ishpeming Westwood 3.

3200 relay — 1, Houghton (Seagren, Hemmer, Van Karsen, Hill), 8:26.14; 2, Marquette; 3, Sault Ste. Marie; 4, Kingsford; 5, Manistique; 6, Escanaba.

110 hurdles — 1, Bracket, G, 15.09; 2, Mattlila, H; 3, Mager, N; 4, S. Olson, K; 5, Waite, Mqt; 6, C. Hinkson, Mstq.

100 — 1, Floriano, K, 11.54; 2, Young, G; 3, Welch, Mqt; 4, Demers, Mstq; 5, J. Olson, K; 6, Roth, H.

800 relay — 1, Marquette (Welch, Hrodey, Richardson, MacPhee), 1:32.47; 2, Kingsford; 3, Gladstone; 4, Menominee; 5, Negaunee; 6, Sault Ste. Marie.

1600 — 1, Hill, H, 4:26.32; 2, LItzner, S; 3, Balko, Mqt; 4, Barch, Mqt; 5, Thomsen, Mqt; 6, Tomasoski, K.

400 relay — 1, Marquette (Welch, DuVall, Richardson, Sager), 44.4; 2, Kingsford; 3, Gladstone; 4, Sault Ste. Marie; 5, Calumet; 6, Houghton.

400 — 1, MacPhee, Mqt, 50.47; 2, Komp, Men; 3, Sands, E; 4, Ballard, Mqt; 5, McEachern, N’ 6, Fornetti, K.

300 hurdles — 1, Mattila, H, 39.87; 2, Mager, N; 3, Bracket, G; 4, S. Olson, K; 5, Richardson, Mqt; 6, Waterman, N.

800 — 1, Hill, H, 2:00.05; 2, Papin, Mqt; 3, Teeple, Mqt; 4, Kraeg, Mqt; 5, Van Karsen, H; 6, Mulligan, K.

200 — 1, Floriano, K, 23.13; 2, MacPhee, Mqt; 3, Lee, H; 4, J. Olson, K; 5, Richardson, Mqt; 6, Lacar, N.

3200 — 1, Litzner, S, 9:35.62 (meet record); 2, Camilli, Mqt; 3, Barch, Mqt; 4, Balko, Mqt; 5, Tomasoski, K; 6, Hill, H.

1600 relay — 1, Marquette (Balko, Ballard, Papin, MacPhee), 3:32.5; 2, Manistique; 3, Negaunee; 4, Escanaba; 5, Menominee; 6, Kingsford.

High jump — 1, Butler, Men, 6-2; 2, Mager, N; 3, Thomas-Holm, S: 4, Cattoor, Mqt; 5, Peltin, G; 6, S. Olson, K.

Pole vault — 1, Rizzo, S, 13-0; 2, Bradley, Mqt; 3, Cattoor, Mqt; 4, Karl, G; 5, Salmi, IW; 6, Comero, IW.

Long jump — 1. Sager, Mqt, 19-11.5; 2, Mattila, H; 3, Rizzo, S; 4, Woelffer, G; 5, Quick, K; 6, Williams, Mqt.

Shot put — 1, Johnson, K, 46-7; 2, Veale, K; 3, Frantti, C; 4, Palmer, K; 5, Brown, E; 6, Ditmeyer, S.

Discus —1, Johnson, K, 141-0.5; 2, D. Smith, Mqt; 3, T. Smith, Mqt; 4, Palmer, K; 5, Veale, K; 6, Hughes, G.

Division 2

Pickford 137, Munising 106, Ishperming 79, Ironwood 50, Iron Mountain 46, Bark River-Harris 42, Rudyard 13, West Iron County 10, Gwinn 5.

3200 relay — 1, Munising (Lindquist, Adkinson, Nolan, Goss), 8:50.22; 2, Pickford; 3, Ishpeming; 4, Bark River-Harris; 5, Ironwood; 6, Gwinn.

110 hurdles — 1, Kelley, M, 16.46; 2, Gauthier, Ish; 3, Hughes, Iwd; 4, Anderson, P; 5, McDonough, BR-H; 6, Storey, P.

100 — 1, Colavecchi, IM, 11.44; 2, Hughes, Iwd; 3, Cotey, M; 4, Bergquist, BR-H; 5, Gauthier, Ish; 6, Bylkas, H.

800 relay — 1, Munising (Cotey, Adkinson, Lindquist, Dusseault), 1:36.19; 2, Pickford; 3, Bark River-Harris; 4, Ishpeming; 5, Iron Mountain; 6, Ironwood.

1600 — 1, Goss, M, 4:33.98; 2, Hagen, P; 3, Nolan, M; 4, B. Knauf, BR-H; 5, Nicholls, Ish; 6, Gearhart, Ish.

400 relay — 1, Iron Mountain (Wolfe, Jayne, Ellis, Colavecchi), 45.92; 2, Munising; 3, Bark River-Harris; 4, Pickford; 5, Ishpeming; 6, Ironwood.

400 — 1, Bennin, P, 53.36; 2, Hagen P; 3, Bissell, Iwd; 4, Warner, P; 5, Bylkas, H.

300 hurdles —1, Kelley, M, 42.12; 2, Gauthier, Ish; 3, Storey, P; 4, Brzuchalski, P; 5, Holm, Iwd; 6, Hughes, Iwd.

800 — 1, Hagen, P, 2:05.03; 2, Goss, M; 3, Sprague, R; 4, Nolan, M; 5, Lauzon, Iwd; 6, Gearhart, Ish.

200 — 1, Bennin, P, 23.85; 2, Hughes, Iwd; 3, Ives, BR-H; 4, Jayne, IM; 5, Smith, Ish; 6, Bissell, Iwd.

3200 — 1, Goss, M, 10:23.9; 2, Hagen, P; 3, Gearhart, Ish; 4, Kirschner, R; 5, MItchell, P; 6, Nicholls, Ish.

1600 relay — 1, Pickford (Warner, Andrzjak, Socia, MacDonald), 3:43.36; 2, Munising; 3, Ironwood; 4, Ishpeming; 5, Bark River-Harris; 6, Rudyard.

High jump — 1, Anderson, P, 5-8; 2, Storey, P; 3, Smith, Ish; 4, Ellis, IM; 5, Steele, BR-H.

Pole vault —1, Niemi-Alcorn, R, 11-6; 2, Storey, P; 3, Schmitt, BR-H; 4, Arvon, Ish; 5, Jones, G; 6, Martin, Iwd.

Long jump — 1, Colavecchi, IM, 19-8.25; 2, Gauthier, Ish; 3, Lindquist, M; 4, Bennin, P; 5, Day, P; 6, Graveen, Iwd.

Shot put — 1, Lewis, H, 42-11.5; 2, Sistrunk, R; 3, Davis, IM: 4, Nordstrom, WIC; 5, Martin, Ish; 6, Perez, Ish.

Discus — 1, Martin, Ish, 123-9.25; 2, Hoolsema, R; 3, Nordstrom, WIC; 4, Bissell, Iwd; 5, Beauchamp, G; 6, Perez, Ish.

Division 3

Newberry 96, St. Ignace 92, Lake Linden-Hubbell 89, Bessemer 58, Crystal Falls Forest Park 48, Chassell 30, Rapid River 27, Stephenson, L’Anse, Dollar Bay and Escanaba Holy Name 12, Engadine 11, Brimley 6, North Dickinson 5, Powers North Central 3, Mackinac Island 2, Republic-Michigan and Norway 1, Hannahville 0.

3200 relay — 1, Crystal Falls Forest Park (M. Mainville, Hoffman, J. Mainville, Tarter), 8:57.36; 2, Dollar Bay; 3, St. Ignace; 4, Lake Linden-Hubbell; 5, Newberry; 6, Escanaba Holy Name.

110 hurdles — 1, Ingalls, SI, 16.39; 2, Popko, LL-H; 3, Kemppainen, L; 4, Taylor, RR; 5, Suri, Bess; 6, Parker, E.

100 — 1, Trudgeon, Bess, 11.46; 2, Depew, New; 3, Jokela, LL-H; 4, Rao, New; 5, V. Guiliani, FP; 6, Peterson, Bess.

800 relay — 1, Bessemer (Peterson, Trrudgeon, Holst-Larsen, Triggiano), 1:34.64 (meet record); 2, Newberry; 3, Lale Linden-Hubbell; 4, Rapid River; 5, Powers North Central; 6, Superior Central.

1600 — 1, Kytta, Chas, 4:39.58; 2, Snyder, C-D; 3, Kuntze, S; 4, Johnson, Brim; 5 Pearson, C-D; 6, Verbos, Bess.

400 relay —1, Bessemer (Peterson, Holst-Larsen, Triggiano, Trudgeon), 45.3 (meet record); 2, St. Igance; 3. Newberry; 4, Lake Linden-Hubbell; 5, Rapid River; 6, Powers North Central.

400 — 1, Jokela, LL-H, 51.09; 2, Green, RR; 3; Parker, E; 4, Kramer, ND; 5, Kromer, MI;6, Huuki, FP.

300 hurdles —1, Ingalls, SI, 42.89; 2, Rao, New; 3, Kemppeinen, L; 4, Hopson, New; 5, Axford, LL-H; 6, Huffman, SI.

800 — 1. Kytta, Chas, 2:03.62; 2, Lewicki, New; 3, Axford, LL-H; 4, Gaunt, DB; 5, Rahilly, New; 6, M. Mainville, FP.

200 — 1, Trudgeon, Bess, 23.85; 2, Jokela, LL-H; 3, Lipnitz, SI; 4, Depew, New; 5, Vonseggern, Brim; 6, Visnaw, SI.

3200 — 1, Kytta, Chas, 10:27.32; 2, Tarter, FP; 3, Kuntze, S; 4, Taylor, E; 5, Verbos, Bess; 6, Lawrence, R-M.

1600 relay — 1, Lake Linden-Hubbell (B. Axford,Mikus, L. Axford, Daavettilla), 3:41.94; 2, Newberry; 3. St. Ignace; 4, Crystal Falls Forest Park; 5, Bessemer; 6, Rapid River.

High jump — 1, V. Guiliani, FP, 6-0; 2, Kingsbury, SI; 3, Rahilly, New; 4, Taylor, RR; 5, Daavettila, LL-H; 6, Kramer, ND.

Pole vault — 1, Lester, SI, 12-6; 2, Roberts, LL-H and Lipnitz, SI (tie); 4, Mohar, New; 5, Christoff, RR; 6, Lambert, HN.

Long jump — 1, Rexford, HN, 19-9; 2, Rahilly, New; 3, Visnaw, SI; 4, Peterson, Bess; 5, V. Guiliani, FP; 6, Trudeau, Nor.

Shot put — 1, Luck, New, 44-1.75; 2, Halberg, SI; 3, Popko, LL-H; 4, Pavey, New; 5, K. Guiliani, FP; 6, Willa, PNC.

Discus — 1, Popko, LL-H, 153-4.25; 2, K. Guilani, FP; 3, Rand, Bess; 4, Forslund, RR; 5, Nalette, New; 6, Halberg, SI.

Adaptive

Boys

100 — 1, Bennett, Mqt, 24.5; 2, Osborn, S.

200 — 1, Bennett, Mqt, 47.58; 2, Osborn, S.

400 — 1, Bennett, Mqt, 1:31.51; 2, Osborn, S.

Shot put — 1, Osborn, S, 17-1.25; 2, Bennett, Mqt