×

Reliving the thrills of March

A lot of sports fans will tell you March is their favorite month for sports during the year and I’m no different.

Between the thrills of the NCAA college basketball and hockey tournaments, the knowledge that the start of baseball season is drawing closer and the late season pushes by NBA and NHL to make the playoffs, there’s something for any sports fan to enjoy.

Of course March is exciting for another reason. It’s one of the most exciting times of the year for high school sports with hockey, wrestling and basketball all in the midst of their postseasons. Every year, there’s no shortage of excitement when March rolls around and locally March 2016 wasn’t short on memorable moments.

The Alpena hockey team had a short run in the playoffs this season. A team that seemed destined to contend for a regional title was tripped up by Sault Ste. Marie in a humbling loss at home.

But games are about more than just the score and that was evident after the Wildcats’ loss.

In the third period, Dean Schmanski landed a big hit on a Sault player and was sent to the showers. As the Wildcats walked back to the locker room, Schmanski was there to greet every single player and almost all of them said (to put it cleanly), “Hey Dean, nice hit!” Shortly after that, Alpena captain Rhett Limback found Schmanski and told him never to stop playing hockey, because as coaches, fans and players alike have seen, Schmanski is a force when he’s on the ice.

Later on a Sault player was getting tended to by Alpena’s athletic trainer for a cut on his chin. In the midst of that he was commiserating with Alpena’s Nick Esch about the game and both players told each other there were no hard feelings about the outcome.

Even if the blood boils over during a game, there’s a lot of sportsmanship to be found once it’s over and that’s great to see in an era when too many athletes are focused more on I instead of being focused on the team.

The Wildcats may have exited the postseason early, but this was one of Alpena’s most exciting teams in years. The Wildcats posted nearly 20 wins and contended for the Big North title for the whole season. With Schmanski and Esch among several players slated to return next season, Alpena could be a very exciting team to watch. You can bet the Wildcats will enter the 2016-17 campaign with a chip on their collective shoulder, eager to make up for this season’s playoff disappointment.

Of course, most of the excitement this time of year is found on the basketball court and this year was no exception. After all, it’s not called March Madness for nothing.

Kudos to the Rogers City girls basketball team for their inspired effort in districts. Faced with the loss of basically their entire varsity roster, the Hurons could’ve easily thrown in the towel on the season. Instead, the few remaining varsity players and called up JV players had one of the most inspired efforts of the season as they beat Onaway to advance to the district final.

The Hurons’ run ended with a loss to Posen, but even that game was a back-and-forth affair in the final three quarters.

If nothing else, Rogers City’s younger players got some good experience in a trial-by-fire situation and the future could be very bright for the Hurons in the near future.

Speaking of the Vikings, their solid season was cut short too with an overtime loss to Newberry in the regional final.

Watching the ending of Posen’s battle with Newberry, I felt the sort of nervous excitement I’m sure a lot of the players were feeling, particularly the game is close in the late stages and the lead changes with every basket. I was reminded during that game what makes the basketball postseason so great: two teams giving it their all in games that go down to the wire.

But kudos to the Vikings for their season too. It’s been interesting to watch the Vikings remake themselves in the aftermath of their dominant stretch with Korynn Hincka. Some names have changed since then, but Posen’s principles are the same. The Vikings still hound teams with defense and they still have players who can score. Six district titles in seven years is no easy task, but the Vikings have done it nonetheless and you can bet they’ll be in the mix for another one next season.

The same goes for the Hillman boys basketball team which went 22-1 after losing eight players from the best team in program history. Coach Eric Muszynski did a superb job getting players to fill roles and the Tigers proved they aren’t going away anytime soon. With a number of players due back next season, the Tigers will be an exciting bunch to watch.

And of course I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the Onaway boys basketball team’s incredible season.

One of the best parts of the this job is watching when teams put together truly great seasons; seasons where a team breaks a lengthy postseason drought and makes a surprise run or sets a new program record for wins or contends for a conference title when no one expected it to.

The Alcona football team had that kind of season in 2013; Posen’s football team had it last year; Hillman’s softball team did it last spring and Hillman’s boys basketball team has been doing it for the last several years, just to name a few.

Onaway did just that during the 2015-16 season after several seasons that saw them fall short in the postseason. The Cardinals had plenty of veteran leadership this year, but I doubt many people were expecting them to do what they did. I’m not going to lie; I penciled Hillman in for a rematch with Powers North Central in the quarterfinals.

But there was Onaway in the district final, raring to go after rolling past easy opponents in the first two district games. The Cardinals took the fight to Hillman and came away with their first district title since 1989.

But Onaway didn’t stop there. No, the Cardinals were just getting started. They overcame an inspired effort by Rudyard and down Pickford for their first regional title ever, setting up a David vs. Goliath matchup with Powers.

Powers has been a step (or five) ahead of every else for the last two years and the quarterfinal played out like that as Onaway lost 75-52. Nonetheless, Onaway can be proud of its effort. The Cardinals can take solace in the fact that this year’s team is the greatest team in program history, having done what teams before it could not. Their district and regional trophies will be displayed at Onaway for years to come and members of that team will be talked about among the greatest to ever come through the school.

Moments like those above are what makes March an exciting time and you can bet next March will be just as memorable.

James Andersen can be reached via email at sports@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5694. Follow James on Twitter @ja_alpenanews.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today