Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
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By JASON JUNO [email protected] ATHENS, Wis. - Hurley has given up just 26 points in three Northwoods East Conference games this season. All of the other top teams in the league have given up more than double that. They're still undefeated because of it. The Northstars used another stellar defensive effort to hold off an upset bid by winless Athens and go home with a 12-6 victory Friday night. They needed their defense to stand tall because of their problem with penalties and while they...
By JASON JUNO [email protected] IRONWOOD — Norway ended Ironwood’s two-game winning streak with a 60-14 victory Friday night. The Knights entered the U.P. poll in fourth this week after the win. They’re 3-1 with their only loss coming to No. 2 Crystal Falls Forest Park. Norway quarterback Cole Baij was 9 of 12 for 326 yards and five touchdowns. He also ran for a score. Bryce Adams scored twice and had 154 receiving yards and Owen Baij had one touchdown and 101 receiving yards. “We expected them to throw the ball quite a bit and they su...
By JASON JUNO [email protected] CHASSELL — Aubrey Smith has been the one runner preventing Division 1 Houghton from sweeping the top four individual finishes at most of Ironwood’s cross country meets this year. It’s been pretty much the same for the Ewen-Trout Creek girls except the Panthers have been finishing behind both Houghton and Hancock in their first season with a full team. Smith scanned the field at the starting line at Thursday’s BlueBolts Panther Invite and didn’t see any of the Houghton runners. Smith and the Panthers...
By JASON JUNO [email protected] HURLEY — Hurley’s offense has looked strikingly different the last two weeks than the lethal rushing attack its 26-year playoff streak was built on. In Friday night’s 26-12 win over Flambeau, the Northstars threw for 267 yards, which was more than the 238 yards they passed for in the last two seasons — combined. And so far, it’s helped them win games. When Prentice loaded up against the run last week, Hurley went to the air and discovered their passing game looked pretty dynamic in the new-to-them 8-playe...
By JASON JUNO [email protected] ONTONAGON — After two blowout wins to start the season, Ontonagon won a close one 46-40 at Newberry last week. “It was a heartstopper for sure,” Ontonagon coach Kadin Mustafa said. “We shot ourselves in the foot a few times, but we held it together. It was a good test for us.” The Gladiators were voted No. 4 in the first U.P. poll after the big win and the strong first third of the season. Caden Besonen finished with 430 all-purpose yards and he accounted for five of Ontonagon’s touchdowns. He caught t...
By JASON JUNO [email protected] BESSEMER — To say the Gogebic Miners are bit by the injury bug would be an understatement. “More like ripped apart,” Gogebic coach Nick Heikkila said. “Less of a bite, more of a mauling.” The Miners lost 38-18 at Munising Friday night. While the Mustangs are a good team, ranked third in the U.P., Gogebic has been dealing with many injuries. “Well-coached team; the kids, they play tough, they’ve got two big guys and then about seven other athletes out there that round out their 8-man team,” Heikki...
By JASON JUNO [email protected] IRONWOOD — Ironwood returns home this week with a winning record after beating Rapid River 60-28 Friday night. The Red Devils have won two straight after dropping the season opener to Munising. Rapid River provided more of a test than they received in a 70-0 win over Carney-Nadeau the week before, but Ironwood was up to the challenge. “We’re playing pretty confident right now,” Ironwood coach Kevin Lane said. “Not worrying too much about mistakes, those are going to happen. As long as we’re playing 100...
By JASON JUNO [email protected] MERCER, Wis. — Mercer has improved a lot before their rather late home opener thanks to some tough competition at tournaments across the state. The home crowd saw them sweep South Shore Tuesday on a special night for senior hitter Eiley Schoeneman, who tallied her 1,000th career kill. Mercer is up to sixth in the Division 5 coaches poll and they’re a tough matchup for a lot of teams. “I think we’re doing well, I feel like our last tournament in the Dells definitely helped,” Schoeneman said. “We got s...
By JASON JUNO [email protected] IRONWOOD — Ironwood put a tough opening-week loss in the rear-view mirror with a 70-0 bounceback win over Carney-Nadeau Friday. “That’s good for our kids, get back on a positive note,” Ironwood coach Kevin Lane said. The Wolves didn’t have an answer for Ironwood power running back Ethan Gallo. The 5-7, 190-pound back rushed for 152 yards on just four carries. Touchdown runs of 57, 37 and 50 yards accounted for Ironwood’s first three touchdowns....
By JASON JUNO [email protected] BESSEMER — Shorthanded Gogebic suffered their first loss of the season 54-22 at Norway Friday night. The Miners were without Gabe Harju, Cayden Harju, Owen Miljevich and Wyatt Aspinwall. Cayden Harju sustained a leg injury in the first game of the season, Gogebic is waiting to find out how serious Gabe Harju’s foot injury is, Miljevich went down with a non-football injury the day before the game and they’re hoping Aspinwall starts his season this week at Munising. “It makes a little bit of a differe...
By JASON JUNO [email protected] ONTONAGON — Austin Gordon and Caden Besonen lit up the scoreboard in Rapid River as the Gladiators breezed to a 72-22 win Friday night. Gordon threw four touchdowns to Besonen and Besonen threw a 51-yard TD to him. Gordon added TD passes to Jack Nelson and Brody Bobula, he ran for two scores and Besonen rushed for one in a dominating performance by the two playmakers from Ewen-Trout Creek. “It wasn’t how I thought it was going to go at all, but we had a couple athletes that decided to take the game over f...
By JASON JUNO [email protected] PRENTICE, Wis. — Prentice sold out on stopping Hurley’s vaunted rushing attack. So the Northstars went to the air and passed for almost as many yards as they ran for in a 36-8 victory Saturday afternoon. After Devin Soltis ran 55 yards for a touchdown on Hurley’s first offensive play, the Northstars had to vary their attack to move the football and it worked. They ended with three passing touchdowns and 144 yards through the air compared to 154 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. It gives Hurle...
By JASON JUNO [email protected] BRUCE CROSSING — Jake Witt has made memories the rest of us never will. He heard his name called in the NFL Draft. He was an Indianapolis Colt for a year and a half. He was a pro athlete. And now he’s saying goodbye to football. The offensive tackle from Bruce Crossing didn’t make the Colts’ 53-man roster last week. And the next day, rather than taking one of the offers he received to join a practice squad, he announced his retirement from football, unwilling to risk his health for an uncertain future in...
By JASON JUNO [email protected] IRONWOOD - The wheels weren't off yet. But they sure were wobbling. The Gogebic Miners' two-touchdown lead totally evaporated in the last 21 seconds of the first half. They went from dominating their season opener with North Dickinson to a tie game at halftime where the Nordics had all the momentum. As luck would have it, North Dickinson got the ball first in the second half and they drove all the way inside the Gogebic 10. The Miners came up with a big...
By JASON JUNO [email protected] IRONWOOD - Missed opportunities in the first half cost Ironwood as Munising took the 48-14 season-opening win Thursday at Longyear Field. The Red Devils led 14-12 at halftime, but it could have been a bigger lead. Munising pulled within two points with a touchdown as the first-half clock expired. They rode the momentum into the second half, scoring first and coming up with a stop on Ironwood's next possession. "Even though we played OK, I still think we...
By JASON JUNO [email protected] ONTONAGON — Ontonagon won its season opener in convincing fashion, defeating Carney-Nadeau 86-0 Friday night. The Gladiators scored 52 of those points in the first quarter and it was 60-0 at the half. “We scored on the first play to dust on just running it outside and the defense took over from there. I think we scored two or three defensive touchdowns in that first quarter,” Ontonagon coach Kadin Mustafa said. “Then the JV kids got subbed in and took control of the game after that.” Caden Besonen r...
By JASON JUNO [email protected] HURLEY — Lake Linden-Hubbell hasn’t been playing 8-player football for years and years, but the Lakes and coach Brett Gervais have found plenty of success in those four seasons, which was capped by reaching the state semifinal last year. So when Gervais complimented Hurley’s 8-player offense after the Northstars’ first game in this format, that means something. Hurley beat his Lakes 36-20 Thursday and it appears the Northstars are going to be a strong 8-player team after being so good in the 11-play...
By JASON JUNO [email protected] IRONWOOD — Ironwood has a small roster and a new quarterback. But they’re also a motivated team ready to take on a challenging schedule. The Red Devils have just 18 players on the roster and they are working on transitioning Nick Miskovich from receiver to quarterback. Coach Kevin Lane is excited about Miskovich’s potential at the quarterback spot as the Red Devils get ready to start the season with a Thursday home game against Munising at 5 p.m. He also thinks the team can get past any limitations from...
By JASON JUNO [email protected] HURLEY — There’s no doubt Hurley’s going to look a little different this fall in their first season as an 8-player team. They switched to an option offense. They’re adjusting to a narrower field. And scoring’s probably going to go up a little bit. But 8-player football is still football. The Northstars still expect to run the ball the vast majority of the team. Defense still counts. And Hurley still expects to have a good shot to win every game they play in. “This was done out of necessity,...
By JASON JUNO [email protected] MERCER, Wis. --- In a lot of schools, the start of football or basketball ranks as one of the most anticipated days on the sports calendar. In Mercer, it's the beginning of volleyball season. The Tigers began their quest for a ninth straight WIAA regional championship Monday with an evening practice. They played some over the summer, but that ended 2.5 weeks ago and there was already a bit of rust to get rid of, coach Robyn Schoeneman said. The first...
By JASON JUNO [email protected] IRONWOOD --- Rukus Betlewski has been involved in a lot of sports. This year, he coached middle school baseball and then took to the diamond himself for the Ironwood Athletics, a summer American Legion team. His sharpshooting ability from 3 helped the Ironwood basketball team to a district title in 2023. But neither of those are his favorite, nor are they his most accomplished. "I love being here," he said recently at the Karate Institute in Ironwood....
By JASON JUNO [email protected] HURLEY - The three H's are what make the Paavo Nurmi Marathon so difficult. Heat. Humidity. Hills. But sometimes runners catch a break from two of them. On a fall-like day when spectators donned hoodies, the 54th Paavo proved fast with none of the heat and humidity, even as midday approached. "While it may not have been the best weather for spectators, it was fantastic for runners," race director Derek Lindstrom said. "The runners ran so well." Six...
By MEGAN HUGHES [email protected] IRONWOOD - The Ironwood Area Sports Hall of Fame inducted new members during their annual banquet held on Saturday at the Lindquist Center. These members included Ron Tretheway, Gordon "Big Slim" Kennedy, Jan Swetkovich, Jim Kivisto, Jacob DiGiorgio, the 1990-91 Ironwood girls volleyball team and the 1997 girls cross country team. The evening started with a welcome from IASHOF board member Tim Kolesar, who acted as the MC for the event. Ron Tretheway Ron...
By JASON JUNO [email protected] HURLEY - One of Hurley's best football teams, two of the school's top basketball players, one of their best linemen and a pioneer in women's sports were welcomed into the Hurley Athletic Hall of Fame Saturday. It was the Hurley Quarterback Club's 26th annual induction ceremony. 2013 State Semifinal Football Team The 2013 team was one of three Hurley teams to advance to the state semifinal. The team finished 11-2 after winning three straight playoff home ga...
By JASON JUNO [email protected] HURLEY — Support for Hurley football remains strong as it moves to the 8-player format, by at least one pretty solid measure. Golfers came out Friday like they always do for the program’s golf tournament, held each year at Eagle Bluff Golf Club to raise money for the Northstar football program. “This has been a signature event for our program,” Hurley coach Scott Erickson said, “and I was a little worried going to 8-man, but everybody has been super awesome about still supporting the program....
