weekly choice - section b - december 27, 2013

8/13/2019 Weekly Choice - Section B - December 27, 2013

1/10

By Andy Sneddon

CHARLEVOIX Coming

into the season, the Petoskey

High School boys basketball

faced myriad questions.

The young Northmen pro-

vided plenty of answers

through the first week.

After dropping their open-

er to Brighton, the Northmenfollowed with three consecu-

tive victories and hit the

Christmas break a pleasantly

surprising 3-1, including 1-0

in the Big North Conference.

Weve gotten better every

game, were taking care of the

ball better, and we do have a

lot of guys who can shoot it,

the defense has been solid,

veteran Northmen coach

Dennis Starkey said. We feel

really good about where we

are right now.

As they should. After open-

ing with a 53-49 loss to

Brighton, the Northmen

rebounded the following daywith a 53-49 win over Milford

in their season-opening invi-

tational.

Then came a 52-32 league-

opening win at home over

Traverse City Central, and a

67-50 victory over Charlevoix

in a non-league game.

This from a team that has

three sophomores Jason

Bur, Evan Whitmore and

Aron Lee -- who have started

at times this season, has two

juniors, Nick Mesnard and

Parker Monley, in the rota-

tion, and returned just one

starter, Joe LaBlanc.

Clearly, the Northmen are

evolving, but they have been

able to learn and grow while

winning.

Weve had to really break

things down and teach at alevel that we havent had to in

a long time, said Starkey,

whose team is seeking its

fourth consecutive Big North

championship. We really

have to get back to basics. Itll

be good to have the

Christmas break because we

know now what we need to

focus on.

The other thing with a

young team is you really

dont know our identity, or

what its going to be, how fast

we want to play, wheres our

point of pickup on defense.

Right now we have to fig-

ure that out on the run.Even though weve

learned a lot over the four

games, we still have a lot of

decisions to make on how we

need to play.

Monley hit four 3-pointers

en route to a team-high 14

points in the victory over

Charlevoix, while senior Shea

Whitmore added 11 points,

Evan Whitmore added 10,

and LeBlanc finished with

nine.

Two other Northmen, Lee

and Mesnard, finished with

eight apiece. Mesnard and

Evan Whitmore each made a

3-pointer as the Northmen

finished a sizzling 8-for-12

from beyond the arc.

Monley hit five triples to

account for all 15 of his

points in leading the

Northmen past T.C. Central

in their Big North opener.

LeBlanc added 12 points and

made six steals, while Burfinished with 10 points. Lee

grabbed a team-high 10

rebounds.

It was the first league loss

of the season for the Trojans,

who had opened league play

four nights earlier with a 64-

62 win over Alpena.

They had just beaten

Alpena, who a lot of people

think is going to be one of the

top teams in the league,

Starkey said. Every teams

going to be different for us.

The matchups are so impor-tant. We matched up well

with Central, but that doesnt

mean we match up well with

Alpena.

Still, in what appeared on

paper in November to a

rebuilding year may, eventu-

ally, be so much more for

Petoskey.

We got that much confi-

dence out of a single win,

Starkey said.

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2/10

GAYLORD The Gaylord

freshmen girls turned in

another strong showing on

Tuesday, Dec. 17, taking a 44-

26 decision over Big North

foe Ogemaw Heights.

Skyler Wickert turned in an

expansive performance for

the young Blue Devils, con-

trolling play inside while

dropping 18 points through

the iron and cleaning the

glass for 10 boards. She also

notched three steals.

Mary Bailey covered the

floor defensively like wall-to-

wall carpeting while record-

ing 10 points and six boards.

Kendyl Jarski was also a fre-

netic force defensively for

Gaylord, terrorizing Warrior

ball handlers while securing

six steals to go with six

rebounds.

Jaz Krajniak canned six

points while Molly Hamilla

hit for four and Taylor

Harding for three as Gaylord

pushed its record to 3-0 over-

all and 1-0 in the Big North.

Gaylords game Friday,

Dec. 20, against T.C. Central

was postponed by the white

stuff.

Gaylord captures Big North openerYoung Blue Devils remain unbeaten with victory over Ogemaw Heights

F#e$hme Gi#l$

Northmen take league opener, fall to Cheboygan

Page 2-B Tell our advertisers you saw their ad in the Weekly Choice December 27, 2013

By Andy Sneddon

RUDYARD No matter what

Jason Purcell finds in his stock-

ing on Christmas morning, he

went into the break a much

happier man.

Thats what a couple of wins

will do for a coach a fter a n 0-3

start.

It makes going into

Christmas break a lot more

merry, the Cheboygan girls

basketball coach said. Were

headed in the right direction.Weve got more stri des to

make, but were headed in the

right direction.

The Chiefs won a pair of

road games last week, the first

a non-leaguer at Petoskey, 38-

16, the second a Straits Area

Conference game at Rudyard,

40-33. The Chiefs return to

action on Friday, Jan. 3, with a

non-league game at home

against Kingsley.

Cheboygans defense smoth-

ered Petoskey, surrendering

just ei ght fir st-half points t hen

pitching a shutout in the third

quarter, after which the Chiefs

led, 29-8.

One of the things we always

tell (the players) is defense

should be a staple, Purcell

said. You have those nights

(offensively) where the rim

looks really, really large and

youre sho oting the lights out.

Then you have nights where it

looks really, really small and no

matter what you do, you cant

buy (a bucket).

But defense, we alwayswant to be solid, and we were

really solid defensively

(against Cheboygan).

Much of the credit for that

defensive effort went to junior

Macey Charboneau, who lim-

ited Petoskeys top offensive

threat, Kati Lewis, to just three

points.

Kati has scored in double

figures on us a number of

times the last couple of years,

said Purcell, whose team limit-

ed Petoskey to an ice-cold 4-

of-46 shooting night and

forced 22 turnovers. Macey

did a nice job on Kati, and she

didnt really even get a lot of

looks. Macey and the whole

team did a nice job defensive-ly.

Junior Brooke Hancock

scored 15 points and grabbed

six rebounds to lead the

Chiefs, while Bridget

Blaskowski added seven

points. Autumn Hudak and

Mariah Clark had six rebounds

apiece.

Sophomore Lily Kingma

scored six points to lead the

Northmen, who are 1-3.

Also for Petos key, Abby

Blanchard grabbed nine

rebounds and Asia Abram-

Craig added seven.

The night before their game

with t he Chi efs, the Northmenopened Big North Conference

play with a 38-28 win over

Traverse City Central.

Lewis scored 11 of her 13

points in the fourth quarter to

lead the Northmen past T.C.

Central in their league opener.

Petoskey led, 15-12, at half-

time, then outscored the

Trojans, 23-16, over the final

two quarters. Abram-Craig had

six points and five rebounds,

and Amanda Stinger who left

the Cheboygan game with an

injury in the first quarter, fin-ished with five steals.

Hancock and Hudak scored

12 points each and Blaskowski

added eight in the Chiefs vic-

tory over Rudyard. Hudak also

grabbed 12 rebounds.

Becky Schlesinger scored 15

points to lead the Bulldogs.

Cheboygan trailed 12-5 after

one quarter and 21-15 at half-

time, but surged to an 18-5

advantage in the third quarter

for a 33-26 lead entering the

fourth.

Rudyard, 2-3, went scoreless

for the first six minutes of the

third quarter while the Chiefs

took control.I think that first quarter we

were a little bit on Christma s

break already and a little bit

flat, Purcell said. It was a

matter of clawing our way

back in it. We were just having

a hard time scoring. We were

getting good looks, but we

couldnt get shots to fall.

The second half against

Rudyard was symbolic of how

things have come together to a

degree for the Chiefs, whose

first three games all losses

were against Gaylord and Sault

Ste. Marie, both Class A

schools, and a very good

Newberry team. Those three

schools are a combined 9-4.

Those first three games,

our bad stretches were really

bad where (turnovers) were

leading to easy transition bas-

kets for other people, Purcell.

Weve cut down on our

turnovers and I think were just

playing much more consis-

tently. I think weve cleaned up

on those big glaring issues.

Chiefs head into breakon two-game win streak

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3/10

By Mike Dunn

WEST BRANCH The

Gaylord girls of coach Frank

Hamilla pushed their record

to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the

Big North with an impressive

48-38 win at Ogemaw

Heights on Tuesday, Dec. 17.

Hamilla was especially

pleased with how the Blue

Devils took care of the ball,

made smart decisions mov-

ing the ball, and closed out

strong.

We buckled down in the

fourth quarter and convertedour free throws (going 6-for-

8), he said. We did a nice

job taking care of the ball and

running time off the clock

when we had the lead.

It was a balanced scoring

effort led by Brandi Wagner,

who waxed the twine for 13.

Senior wing Maddie Hamilla

hammered home nine and

reliable Lindsey Zaremba

added nine with eight boards

with a typically gritty effort.

Joslyn Rider rang up eight

points as she brought her

usual energy and offense off

the bench and was a physical

presence inside.

Lauren Hintz latched onto

six boards while Hamilla

hauled in five and produced

five steals. Wagner, Sydney

Kassuba and Sydney

Gooding each delivered two

assists.

Were a work in progress

and continue to improve;

were working hard together,

Hamilla said.

Gaylords game with T.C.

Central that was scheduled

for Friday, Dec. 20, was post-

poned. The Blue Devils

return to action on Tuesday,

Jan. 7, with a Big North date

at Alpena.

The Gaylord JV also pre-

vailed at Ogemaw, pushing to

a 3-1 log with an impressive

48-28 victory.

Mallory Marshall added

her usual muscle to theattack, making the twine

twitch to the tune of 14

points and she also grabbed

eight rebounds. Casey Korte

had the C-Ko Mojo going

big time as she produced 11

points and 10 boards for a

double-double and she cov-

ered the floor like wet on

water defensively, making six

steals.

Point guard Adrienne

Edwards tallied 10 and

served teammates with more

sweet deliveries than a florist,

notching seven assists.

Maddie Sides was super off

the bench, contributing

seven points and eightrebounds.

GRAYLING The Kalkaska

boys varsity basketball team

was probably happy to leave

Grayling, after the rival

Vikings handed the Blazers a

crushing 84-32 conference

loss Friday, Dec. 20.

The host Vikings (4-0 over-

all, 1-0 conference) used a

suffocating press to force

Kalkaska (1-2 overall, 0-2

conference) into numerous

miscues, often times before it

could even set up its offense.

Grayling tallied 25 steals in

the early season clash

between the two Lake

Michigan Conference foes.

Grayling immediately

attacked the visiting Blazers

by using its pressure defense

to create turnovers and fuel

its fast break offense right

from the start, opening up a

27-12 lead by the end of the

first quarter.

Loved the energy at the

defensive end of the court

throughout the game, said

Grayling head coach Rich

Moffit. "I was very pleased

with our effort and focus in

this game. Our kids shared

the ball in transition and

effectively ran our transition

break.

The Vikings more than

doubled Kalkaskas output in

all four quarters, forging an

overwhelming 56-22 advan-

tage at halftime and leading

73-28 going into the fourth

quarter. Grayling completed

the onslaught by outgunning

Kalkaska, 11-4, in the final

period.

Senior Tyler McClanahan

helped pace a quartet of

Vikings in double figures

with a team-high 17 points, 3

rebounds, 4 assists and 5

steals.

Fellow seniors Matt

Burrell, Michael Branch and

Geoff Wilson also hit for dou-

ble digits. Burrell tallied 13

points, 3 boards and 1 assist

in the win, while Branch tal-

lied 11 points, a team-best 10

rebounds, 4 steals and 1

blocked shot. Wilson chipped

in with 10 points, 5 rebounds

and 3 steals.

Other contributors for

Grayling on Friday included:Scout Tobin with 6 points, 1

rebound, 1 steal and 1 assist;

Justice Junttila with 6 points,

8 rebounds, 1 assist and 1

steal; Carson Burmeister

with 4 points, 5 rebounds, 7

assists and 3 steals; Mason

Papendick with 4 points, 3

boards, 1 assist and 1 steal;

Scott Wakeley with 4 points, 3


steals; Darin Nicholas with 3

points, 1 rebound and 2

assists; Peyton Zigila with 2

points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist

and 1 steal; Zane Pittman

with 2 points, 2 boards and 1

steal; Tony Stankovski with 2

points and 1 steal; Emmett

Helsel with 4 rebounds and 1

steal; and Gunner Metzer

with 1 board, 1 assist and 1

steal.

This group has improved

a ton since the beginning of

the year, Moffit said. We

had a lot of contributions

from a number of players.

We have some huge

games in January and we are

looking forward to the chal-

lenge, he added

Grayling 70TC St. Francis 64

Its not necessarily how you

start a game, but how you

finish it. And, the Vikings

used a big finish to top LMC

power Traverse City St.

Francis, 70-64, on Tuesday,

Dec. 17, on the Gladiators

home floor.

The Gladiators (1-2 overall,

0-1 conference) controlledmuch of the action in the first

three quarters, leading 35-30

at the intermission and

building a double-digit

advantage, 57-44, going into

the final stanza.

But, the rest of the game

was all Graying, as the

Vikings outscored St. Francis

26-7, in the fourth quarter for

the come-from-behind victo-

ry on the road.

This was a huge win for

our kids on the road, Moffit

said. Our guys showed a lot

of character and heart down

the stretch of this game.It helped that the Vikings

forced 27 Gladiator

turnovers.

Wilson had a solid night

scoring with a team-best 21

points, 5 rebounds and 6

steals to lead the Vikings,

while Junttila pounded St.

Francis for a team-high 17

points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists

and 2 steals.

Burmeister was the onlyother Grayling hoopster to

reach double figures, hitting

for 10 points, 3 boards, 3

assists and 1 steal on the

night.

Also contributing for the

Viking s were: McClanaha n


assists and 2 steals; Branch

with 5 points, 6 boards and 2

steals; Tobin with 4 points, 4


steals; Burrell with 4 points, 5

rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal;

Helsel with 4 boards and 1

steal; and Zigila with 2

rebounds and 1 steal. Report by Dennis

Mansfield, Buckland News

Service.

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4/10

CENTRAL LAKE The

Mancelona girls varsity bas-

ketball team couldnt muster

enough offensive firepower

to close out a potential winover host Central Lake on

Friday, Dec. 20, falling on the

road, 40-34.

The Lady Ironmen (2-2

overall) led for much of the

game, battling their way to a

slim 8-5 lead at the end of

the first quarter and still

holding a two-point advan-

tage, 14-12, at intermission.

Mancelona again narrow-

ly outgunned the host

Trojans in the third quarter,

12-11, to boost the gap to

three points.

But, that simply wouldnt

be enough. Central Lake ral-

lied late and outscoredMancelona, 17-8, in the

fourth period to send the

Lady Ironmen home empty

handed.

Senior Emily Nixon was

the lone Mancelona hoop-

ster in double figures with 10

points. Classmate Tyra

Oetting added 9 points in

the loss.

Other contributors for the

Lady Ironmen included:

Eileene Naniseni with 6

points; Sara Hittle with 4

points; Tori Reichelderfer

with 2 points; Ashley Joseph

with 2 points; and Jill

Smigielski with 1 point.

Mancelona 56

Pellston 37The Lady Ironmen scored

their second win of the sea-

son, thanks in part to a out-

standing performance by

Nixon on Wednesday, Dec.

18.

Mancelona topped visit-

ing Pellston, 56-37, as Nixon

posted a rare triple-double

that included 23 points, 12

rebounds, 10 blocked shots

and 3 steals.

The host team jumped out

to a 19-9 advantage at theend of the first stanza and

continued to widen the gap

by halftime to 37-19.

Pellston rallied after inter-

mission, getting the best of

Mancelona with a 15-8 per-

formance in the third quar-

ter. But, the Lady Ironmen

sealed the win by winning

the final eight minutes, 11-3.

Nixon wasnt the only

Mancelona cager to put upsolid numbers. Naniseni tal-

lied 12 points, 8 rebounds, 5

steals and 2 blocked shots,

and Oetting hit for 8 points,

2 steals and 2 blocked shots

in the win.

Also contribu ting for

Mancelona were: Smigielski


steal and 2 assists; Morris


steal and 1 blocked shot;

Joseph with 2 points, 3

rebounds, 1 steal and 2

assists; Hittle added 9

rebounds, 2 steals and 4

assists; Reichelderfer with 6

rebounds, 1 steal and 1

assist; and Bekky Piatt with 1

rebound.

Report by Dennis


Service.

Lady Ironmen struggle latein loss to Central Lake



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Blusts boys rally from halftime deficit to secure first leaguevictory of season

By Mike Dunn

GAYLORD The St. Mary

boys of coach Ken Blust

gradually pulled away from

scrappy Ski Valley foe

Central Lake in the second

half on Tuesday, Dec. 17, en

route to a hard-fought 56-45

victory in the league opener.

The Snowbirds trailed 28-

26 at the half but outscored

the visiting Trojans 9-4 in thethird quarter to take a 35-32

lead into the final period,

then outscored the visitors

21-13 the rest of the way.

Strong-armed senior Cam

Juneac and rangy senior

Charles Strehl led a frontal

assault for the Snowbirds.

Juneac turned on the juice in

the second half, lead the late

charge. He finished with 22

points and grabbed four

boards and was a physical

presence in the paint.

The long-armed Strehl

struck for 15 points and did a

Windex number inside,cleaning the glass for 12

boards and a double-double.

Strehl also secured three

assists. Orion Beningo also

showed up strong on the

glass, making 10 rebounds in

limited time on the floor on

a night when St. Mary won

the rebound battle signifi-

cantly, 36-21. Orion also tal-

lied four.

Willy Canfield and Jack

Lochinski also helped the

Snowbird cause with solid

two-way play, earning five

points and three steals

apiece."Central Lake was a scrap-

py team that we couldn't

shake until late in the game,

Blust reported. Cameron

Juneac really turned it on in

the fourth quarter, allowing

us to pull away. Charles

played strong inside the

paint. Orion, in limited time,

played strong next to the

glass."

St. Mary (2-1, 1-1) also

played at the court of talent-

ed Onaway on Thursday,

Dec. 19, and suffered its first

setback of the season, 68-41.

The Snowbirds play againon Tuesday, Jan. 7, at the

court of perennial cross-

county rival Johannesburg-

Lewiston.

Snowbirds surge to Ski

Valley triumph

GRAYLING The Grayling

girls varsity basketball teamwasnt able to supply its fans

with an early Christmas pres-

ent, falling to the visiting

Kalkaska Blazers, 47-38, in a

clash between the two Lake

Michigan Conference foes on

Friday, Dec. 20.

The visiting Blazers (4-1

overall, 2-0 conference)

jumped out early and built

an 11-5 edge at the end of the

first quarter and used a 16-8

second period to push their

advantage to 27-13 at thehalf.

But, Grayling (3-2 overall,

0-2 conference) wasnt about

to just give up, not on its

home floor. The Lady Vikes

rallied and outgunned

Kalkaska, 16-9, in the third

quarter to cut the gap to

seven points.

However, Kalkaskas Taylor

Birgy made sure the Vikings

comeback fell short, scoring

8 of her team-high 10 points

in the final stanza, asKalkaska doubled up

Grayling, 18-9, in the last

eight minutes.

Despite the loss, several

Vikings posted solid per-

formances on the night.

Junior Samantha Denno led

all scorers with a game-high

13 points, while sophomore

Erica Umlor chipped in 9

points against the Blazers.

Other contributors for

Grayling included: Brittany

Nielson with 4 points; Rachel

Money with 4 points; Cierra

Prosser with 4 points;

Courtney Hatfield with 2

points; and Makayla Cragg

with 2 points.

TC St. Francis 65

Grayling 38The visiting Traverse City

St. Francis Lady Gladiators

made sure they left Grayling

with a win Wednesday, Dec.

18, outscoring the host

Vikings in all four quarters on

their way to a 65-38 confer-

ence win.

St. Francis (3-0 overall, 2-0

conference) scored 16 points

in both the first and second

periods, while building a 32-

22 lead at the half.

The gap between the two

LMC rivals grew to 20 p oints,

47-27, going into the final

stanza, with the Gladiators

dominating Grayling, 15-5, in

the third quarter.

Cragg and Money each

scored 9 points to help lead

the Lady Vikes. Cragg also

had 6 rebounds, 1 steal and 1

blocked shot in the loss, with

Money tallying 2 boards and

1 assist.

Also contributing for the

Lady Vikings were: Denno


steals and 2 blocked shots;

Tandy Mitchell with 4 points;

Nielson with 3 points, 7

rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal;

Umlor with 2 points, 4 assists

and 2 steals; Hatfield with 2

points, 2 boards, 3 assists and

2 steals; Leslie Reilly with 2

points, 1 board and 1 steal;

Katie Vierling with 1 point, 2rebounds and 1 blocked shot;

and Prosser with 3 steals and

1 blocked shot.

Report by Dennis


Service.

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Lady Vikings fall torival Kalkaska, 47-38

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photo byDeNNiS MaNSFieLD, buckLaNDNewSService

S%. Ma#' 56, Ce%#al Lake 45

By Mike Dunn

GAYLORD This one went

to St. Mary.

The Snowbird gals of

coach Dan Smith turned in a

strong 32-minute perform-

ance on the home floor on

Wednesday, Dec. 18, to take

a 65-49 decision in the first

of two much-anticipated

meetings with Ski Valley foe

and cross-county rival

Johannesburg-Lewiston.

St. Mary and J-L are not

just the top-tier teams in the

Ski Valley but are among the

top girls programs in the

entire region. The Snowbirds

improved to 4-0 overall and

2-0 in the league while the

Cardinals of coach Heather

Huff slipped to 4-1 and 2-1.

Sweet-shooting senior

guard Kari Borowiak, whoearned All-State honors a

year ago after surpas sing

1,000 points for her distin-

guished prep hardwood

career and helping St. Mary

advance to the Class D quar-

terfinals, had the nets danc-

ing in the second half as she

tallied 19 of her game-high

25 points and helped the

Snowbirds to pull away on

the scoreboard.

In the first half, it was

rangy sophomore Bekah

Myler doing most of the

damage offensively, putting

16 of her 20 points through

the iron as St. Mary built an

18-10 lead in the physically

intense, defensive show-

down.

Georgi Nowicki generated

nine points to help the St.

Mary cause while Caylee

Lawnichak, Gabby Schwartz,

Natalie Burzynski, Danica

Bebble and Jacquelyn

Harbin helped ratchet up

the defensive pressure.

Coach Smith was particu-

larly pleased with his teams

defensive showing in the

contest as the Snowbirds

limited the explosive visi-

tors, who typically score in

bunches off the transition

game, to less than 50 points.

Maddie Showerman

shook the twine for 11 points

to lead the Cardinals and

steady senior forward

Brittany Cherwinski put

nine on the board.

Coach Huff also noted the

contributions defensively of

hardworking Kelsey

Cherwinski in the contest.

The rematch is set for Jan.

28 in Johannesburg and it is

also the annual Rivals Rallyfor the Cure contest, a

fundraiser the teams partici-

pate in each year to raise

money for cancer research.

Last year, St. Mary won in

Gaylord and J-L won its

home game as the teams

split the series and shared

the Ski Valley title.

ON THURSDAY, Dec. 19,

the Snowbirds improved to

5-0 and 3-0 with a workman-

like 60-30 win over game-

but-outmanned Pellston.

Myler made the twine

jump for a game-hi gh 26

points while Borowiak blis-

tered the nets for 20.

Kelly Lewis led Pellston

with 20 points.

St. Mary has a big one

coming up on Friday, Jan. 3,

when Mount Pleasan t

Sacred Heart comes to

Gaylord.

Snowbirdswin first one

with J-LSt. Mary stayed unbeaten with

home win over Cardinals infirst meeting between

perennial cross-county rivals

Gi#l$ H!!"$


5/10


F#e$hme B!'$

GAYL0RD The Gaylordfreshmen boys of coach

Jeremiah Young turned in

another strong performance

on Tuesday, Dec. 17, taking

care of business on the

home court with a convinc-

ing 55-36 victory over

Ogemaw Heights in the BigNorth opener.

The young Blue Devils

attacked the paint ferocious-

ly all night, coach Young

reported, and led 12-7, 35-15

and 50-25 at the quarter

breaks.

Levi Irish was a fightingforce for Gaylord, launching

15 points through the iron to

lead a balanced scoring

ledger on a night when eight

of Youngs 10 players put dig-

its on the scoreboard. Logan

Mahn had the Lo-Mo flow-

ing as well, scoring 13, andShane Duncan deposited 10

to reach double digits.

Lucas DeForge helped the

cause as well, lubricating the

nets for six points, and Cam

Pearson produced four.

Blue Devils attack the paint andlead all the way in Big North opener

photomichigan.com

Your photos on the web

Bob [email protected]

989-348-5355

December 27, 2013 Tell our adver tisers you saw their ad in the Weekly Choice Page 5-B

MIO-The Alcona girls bas-ketball team earned its

fourth win of the season on

Tuesday, defeating Mio 60-

48 in a North Star Leaguecontest.

Karina Cole paced Alcona

(5-2, 3-1 NSL) with 16

points, six rebounds, fourassists and six steals. Kendra

Cole added a double-double

with 12 points and 12

rebounds. Megan Quickadded eight points.

Alcona took a 19-9 lead

after the first quarter and led

37-20 at halftime. The Tigersled 51-34 after three quar-

ters.

"We had a very aggressive

first half. Our posts playedvery well and complimented

our outside shooting,"

Alcona coach Brad Cole

said.Jalen DeFlorio had a dou-

ble-double for Mio, scoring

16 points and grabbing 13

rebounds.Alcona's JV team beat Mio

37-31.

Alcona 60, Mio 48

KALKASKA The Grayling

boys JV basketball team

headed to the holiday breakby bringing home a 59-20

win over host Kalkaska on

Thursday, Dec. 19.

Blake Gregory led the JV

squads effort with 12 points

and 3 steals.Other key contributors for

Grayling included: Trent

Hickman with 8 points and 4

rebounds; Garrett Anderson

with 7 points and 8

rebounds; and DakotahMansfield with 6 points and

3 steals.

The Vikings return to

action after the holidays on

Jan. 7, when they host Boyne

City. Report compiled by

Buckland News Service.

Grayling JV hoopsters topKalkaska, 59-20

By Mike Dunn

ONAWAY The Onaway

boys of coach Eddy

Szymoniak took a truck load

of momentum into the

Christmas break after post-

ing back-to-back-to-back

victories over Ski Valley rivals

Johannesburg-Lewiston and

Gaylord St. Mary and peren-

nial non-league foe Rogers

City.

On Tuesday, Dec. 17, the

Cardinals outscored the visit-

ing Cardinals of

Johannesburg by a 65-55

count. On Thursday, Dec. 19,Onaway defeated visiting St.

Mary 68-41, and on Friday,

Dec. 20, they won in Rogers

City by a 79-26 count.

In the win over Rogers City,

the Cardinals cruised to a 23-

7 first-quarter lead behind

the blazing hot shooting of

Joe OBradovich, Carlos

Bautista and Andrew Prow.

They increased the lead to

46-17 by halftime and 69-19

after three quarters.

OBradovich, who has

been a Beast for Onaway in

the early going, made the

nets dance to the tune of 23

points to lead the way and he

also grabbed eight boards.

Bautista also had a big night,blistering the twine for 18

points to go with 10

rebounds, and Prow pro-

duced 18 points as well,

going 6-for-10 at the line.

Point guard Joe Sigsby

served up his teammates

with some sweet dishes,

accumulating seven assists

to go with four points, and he

was all over the floor defen-

sively, making five steals.

Chris Lopez led the Hurons

(0-4) with nine points.

In the win over St. Mary,

the Cardinals again stormed

out to an early lead and held

it the rest of the way. Onaway

held the Snowbirds scoreless

in the third quarter whilebuilding a 64-21 lead.

OBradovich assaulted the

iron for 27 points to lead the

way once again, even though

he didnt play in the fourth

quarter.

Szymoniak was especially

pleased with the Cardinals

suffocating defensive pres-

sure and the way they moved

the ball around.

The game with

Johannesburg-Lewiston was

a rugged, four-quarter battle.

Onaway led just 28-26 at the

half but pulled away in the

third quarter as the deadly

OBradovich scorched the

nets for 12 of his game-high

23 points.OBradovich also brought

down eight boards in the

game. Bautista tallied 11 with

eight boards and fueled the

Cardinals high-pressure

defense, making five steals.

Prow was poison from the

perimeter once again, put-

ting 11 through the iron.

The J-L boys of coach Troy

Huff trailed by 10 after three

quarters but stayed with

Onaway over the final eight

minutes of frenetic play, as

each team scored 19.

Sweet-shooting sopho-

more Logan Huff lit it up for

17 points to lead the visiting

Cardinals and he also gener-

ated five assists and securedthree steals. Chad C-Gar

Garton sizzled from the floor,

serving up 12 points with a

super effort off the bench.

Hard-nosed Nathan Fox

fired in eight points and

fought fiercely in the paint.

Brandon Huff brought eight

through the iron as well and

Tyler Tarbutton tallied five.

Onaway (3-1, 2-0) travels

to Central Lake on Tuesday,

Jan. 7.

J-L (0-2, 0-1) is off until

Tuesday, Jan. 7, against St.

Mary.

Onaway boys win three straightOBradovich is a Beast for Cardinals in victories over J-L, St. Mary and Rogers City

Ba$ke%ball

MIO The Mio girls varsity

basketball team remains at

the .500 mark entering the

holiday break.

Unfortunately, thats due

fact the Lady Thunderbolts

falling to visiting Alcona, 60-

48, on Tuesday, Dec. 17.

The Thunderbolts (2-2

overall) started the season

with consecutive wins over

rivals Atlanta and AuGres-

Sims. But, Mio was then lost

its next two games, against

neighboring Fairview and

then Alcona last Tuesday.

Janet DeFlorio battled her

way for a double-double in

the loss last Tuesday with 16

points and 13 rebounds.

And, Leslie Asman had a

solid all-round performance

with 12 points, 3 rebounds

and 3 assists, while Cassidy

DeFlorio added 7 points and

2 steals for the Lady Bolts.

Report compiled by

Buckland News Service

Lady Bolts fallto 2-2 to start season

CHEBOYGAN Time for a

break and a little fun, then

back to work for the

Cheboygan High Schoolhockey team.

The Chiefs host their

annual alumni game 7 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 26, at Ralph

G. Cantile Arena, then wel-

come five teams for the

Cheboygan Christmas

Showcase on Friday and

Saturday, Dec. 27-28.

Joining the Chiefs in the

six-team field are the Bay

Area Thunder, Midland Dow,

LAnse, Kalamazoo and the

St. Ignace Midget BB squad.

The Chiefs dropped a 7-5

decision to Walled LakeNorthern last week on their

home ice, a result that

evened their record at 5-5.

Zack Schley recorded a hat

trick for the Chiefs, who con-

tinually battled from behind

all night long against their

foes from suburban Detroit.

Northern seized 1-0 and 3-1

leads only to see the Chiefs

respond and tie it on both

occasions.

The Knights scored with a

5-on-3 advantage to break

the 3-3 tie in the second peri-

od, then scored with 1 sec-ond remaining in the period

for a 5-3 margin heading into

the third.

They added another goal

to up the spread to 6-3 before

Cheboygan got goals from

Adam Jeanotte and Schley

the latter coming with 2 min-

utes, 14 seconds remaining

to pull within 6-5.

Northern iced it with an

empty-net goal with 12 sec-

onds left.

John Granter also scored

for Cheboygan, while

Jeannotte and Austin Christieeach picked up an assist.

Kaleb Wood turned aside 16

shots in goal for the Chiefs.

The showcase schedule:

Friday, St. Ignace vs. LAnse, 3

p.m.; Midland Dow vs.

Kalamazoo, 5 p.m.;

Cheboygan vs. Bay Area, 7

p.m.; Saturday, St. Ignace vs.

Kalamazoo, noon; Bay Area

vs. LAnse, 2 p.m.; Cheboygan

vs. Midland Dow, 4 p.m.

Cheboygan

hits Christmasbreak at 5-5

Alumni game, showcaseon the docket this

weekend

H!cke'

Gaylord guns downOgemaw, 55-36

By Andy Sneddon

PETOSKEY Brent Ward

would have preferred a win,

or even two.

But in light of the circum-

stances, hell take a tie and

head into the Christmas

break with something on

which to build.

Ward, the Petoskey High

School hockey coach,

watched his team squander

a three-goal third-period

lead and lose in overtime, 5-

4, to Negaunee in the open-

ing game of the Petoskey

Invitational at Griffin Arena.

The Northmen rebounded

with a late goal the following

day to forge a 3-3 tie Walled

Lake Northern in the tourna-

ments consolation game.

The results left theNorthmen 0-7-3. They

return to action on Saturday,

Jan. 4, at Manistee.

Not much of a break from

the late game on Friday

night (Negaunee) and the

early game on Saturday

(Northern), Ward said. The

team forgot about Friday

night and came out and

played hard on Saturday

morning. Walled Lake,

theyre a physical team.

A tie is not a win, but at

the same time for Ben

(Schwartzfisher) to get that

goal late, it ended up being a

pretty exciting.

Schwartzfishers goal, his

second of the game, came

with under three minutes

remaining in regulation,

knotting the it at 3-all.

Im not unhappy, Ward

said. We played the whole

game. It was one of our bet-

ter games of the season thus

far. We played hard, we skat-

ed hard, and we played

smarter hockey.

We only had one penalty.

It goes to show the differ-ence of staying out of the

penalty box and playing

smart hockey.

The Northmen took six

penalties in the third period

in Fridays loss to Negaunee.

Petoskey led 3-0 after one

period and 4-1 heading into

the third. The Miners got the

equalizer with under a

minute remaining, then

scored in overtime to hand

the Northmen the heart-

breaking defeat.

They realized it was

tough on Friday to have that

big of a lead and kind of

throw it away, Ward said of

his players. Give Negaunee

credit. They didnt quit.

Penalties really hurt us

and Negaunee really took

advantage of it. Weve got to

play smarter hockey. You

cant play short-handed as

much as we did in that third

period. They didnt necessar-

ily score power-play goals,

but (killing penalties) really

wears you out. It messes up

your lines and keeps you

from getting any flow goingwhen youre playing short-

handed.

Nick Gadowski finished

with a hat trick for Petoskey

against the Miners.

Schwartzfisher scored the

other Northmen goal, and

finished with two assists.

Brandon Worden, Tim

Sysco and Cody Rogers also

picked up assists for the

Northmen. Petoskey goal-

tender Adam McCain made

32 saves.

Sysco scored in Saturdays

tie with Walled Lake

Northern, while Gadowski,

Cam Wilder and Worden

each had an assist.

Michael Whittaker made

16 saves in the Petoskey net.

We did have a young

team coming in, but a little

over a third of the way

through the season I think

were still moving in the right

direction, Ward said. A

couple of weeks off to get

healthy; were battling

through some injuries to a

couple key players. Well see

them back on the ice.Connor Monaghan scored

three goals to lead the Bay

Area Thunder to a 4-2 win

over Negaunee in the tour-

nament championship

game.

Northmen rebound, forge tie inconsolation game

Petoskey hockey team hits break 0-7-3

H!cke'


6/10

The Michigan Department

of Natural Resources (DNR)

is seeking volunteers to serve

as hosts at Michigan state

parks and state forest camp-

grounds for the 2014 camp-

ing season, giving people the

opportunity to spend sum-

mer enjoying Michigan's

great outdoors while provid-

ing a valuable service.

Hosts will handle a variety

of responsibilities, including

directing visitors to theircampsites, answering ques-

tions about the park or state

forest, arranging camp-

ground activities and per-

forming light maintenance

and other services (depend-

ing on the host's talents and

interests). In return for their

volunteer service, hosts are

allowed to camp in the state

park or state forest camp-

ground at no charge.

Both individuals and

teams (couples, families,

etc.) may serve as hosts.

Candidates must be at least

18 years old, provide 30

hours of service per week

(including weekends andholidays), serve a minimum

of four consecutive weeks

and furnish their own camp-

ing unit, equipment and per-

sonal items. Some host

assignments begin as early as

April and continue as late as

October.

Hosts are chosen by park

and forest managers, who

may require an interview or

request additional informa-

tion. Selection is based on

the individual's familiarity

with the state park or state

forest system, his or her

camping experience, special

skills, availability, knowledge

of the area and the needs ofthe specific park or forest

campground.

Host training for the 2014

camping season will be held

June 4-5, 2014, at the Ralph A.

MacMullan Conference

Center in Roscommon.

Special arrangements can be

made for anyone who cannot

make those training dates.

Information and applica-

tions about the host program

are available from the DNR's

website at

www.mic higa n.gov /dnr vol-

unteers. For more informa-

tion on the campground host

program in state parks or

state forest campgrounds,please contact Miguel

Rodriguez at 517-241-4129.

The Recreation Passport is

an easy, affordable way for

residents to enjoy and sup-

port outdoor recreation

opportunities in Michigan.

By checking "YES" for the $11

Recreation Passport ($5 for

motorcycles) when renewing

a license plate through the

Secretary of State (by mail,

kiosk, online at

www.expressso s.com or at

branch offices), Michigan

motorists get access to state

parks, recreation areas, state

forest campgrounds, non-

motorized state trailheadparking and state boat

launches. In addition,

Recreation Passport holders

can enjoy real savings at

businesses and retailers that

participate in the Passport

Perks discount program. The

Recreation Passport is valid

until the next license plate

renewal date. Nonresidents

can purchase the Recreation

Passport ($30.50 annual;

$8.40 daily) at any state park

or recreation area or through

the Michigan e-Store at

www.michigan.gov/estore.

Learn more about this cre-

ative way of sustaining

Michigan's outdoor recre-ation and natural resources

at www.michigan.gov/recre-

ationpassport.

DNR seeks summer campsite volunteersHosts provide valuable service while enjoying the great outdoors



A suspected sighting of the

highly invasive plant parrot

feather (Myriophyllumaquaticum) was reported to

the Department of

Environmental Quality

(DEQ) in the fall of 2013.

Following recently developed

state agency protocols, the

DEQ transferred the report to

the Department of Natural

Resources (DNR) Wildlife

Division. A team of Wildlife

Division staff, utilizing the

new Early Detection and

Response Plan, conducted

verification and assessment

at a small detention pond in

Wayne County's Brownstown

Township.

As part of the assessmentprocess, staff members sur-

veyed local waters near the

detention pond to determine

the distribution of the

species and gather pertinent

information. From that ini-

tial assessment, it appears

this non-native species is iso-

lated to the detention pond;

however, more intensive sur-

vey efforts are being planned

for the surrounding area in

the spring of 2014.

Following verification and

assessment, DNR staff devel-

oped an initial response planfor eradicating this species

from the site. Working coop-

eratively with the local

homeowners' association,

Aqua-Weed Control, Inc. (the

original reporters) and DEQ,

the DNR obtained permis-

sions and permits for a late-

season herbicide applica-

tion. Treatment of this

species was conducted in

early November, funded

through a federal grant proj-

ect. The site will be moni-

tored for treatment efficacy,

with any necessary follow-up

treatments to begin in spring

2014.Parrot feather has only

been found in the Great

Lakes basin in a few previous

locations (in Michigan's

Oakland County and

Indiana's Steuben County).

The source of this new infes-

tation is unknown, but it is

possible that this plant - pop-

ular in aquariums and water

gardens - may have been

released into the pond.

Parrot feather is a prohib-

ited species in Michigan,

which makes its possession,

transport or release illegal,due to the severe negative

effects it can have on native

ecosystems. It is a sub-

merged plant, which will

eventually grow to emerge 6-

12 inches above the waters

surface. It is highly aggressive

and out-competes many

native plant species, disrupt-

ing ecosystem functions,

clogging navigable waters

and impeding recreation.

Finding and eradicating

any new occurrences of these

types of species before they

become established or

spread is the key principle

behind the DNRs EarlyDetection and Rapid

Response (EDRR) program.

Proactive EDRR is typically

much more cost-effective

and provides higher chances

of success in dealing with

invasive species.

The EDRR program was

pioneered through a three-

year Great Lakes Restoration

Initiative grant. After two and

a half years, the EDRR pro-

gram has verified 60 unique

detections of six new high-

threat aquatic invasive plant

species in Michigan.

Prioritized response efforts

have occurred at 21 sites,

with future actions planned.

For more information on the

EDRR program, please go to

ww w.m ic hi ga n. go v/ in va -

sivespecies.

Early detection and

response is one of four main

goals outlined in the states

recently revised Aquatic

Invasive Species State

Management Plan. Revision

and implementation of this

plan is a collaborative effort

between DEQ, DNR and the

Michigan Department of

Agricult ure and Rural

Development.

Suspected parrot feather

sightings should be reported

to www.misin.msu.edu or to

Matt Ankney, EDRR coordi-

nator, at ankneym2@michi-

gan.gov or 517-641-4903.

In$a!i$e plan" %a! !igh"ed in fallParrot feather is discoveredin detention pond in Wayne County

ATLANTA The Mio boysbasketball team is off and

running with a 4-0 start, after

its most recent win over

North Star League rival

Atlanta, 54-27, on Thursday,Dec. 19.

The Thunderbolts (4-0overall) were never really

threatened, leading 16-7 at

the end of the first quarterand 25-17 at intermission.

And, things only got worse

for the Huskies (1-2 overall),

as Mio outgunned Atlanta,19-6, in the third quarter.

Sophomore hoopster Ben

Lubitz had a double-doubleto help spark the Bolts with

24 points, 11 rebounds, 5assists, 1 steal and 3 blocked

shots.

Senior Bryce Degrammont

also hit for double figures for

Mio, with 11 points, 6 boardsand 1 steal.

Other contributors for Mioincluded: Bryson Devers with

7 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist,

3 steals and 1 blocked shot;Charles Auten with 6 points

and 4 assists; Seth Thomey

with 4 points, 2 boards, 6

assists and 4 steals; Josh Foxwith 1 assist and 1 steal;

Jessup Hudson with 1 steal;

and Trent Vaughn with 1rebound.

Mio 59, Alcona 28A trio of Mio cagers scored

in double figures in powering

the Thunderbolts to a 59-28over host Alcona on Monday,

Dec. 16.

Thomey and Lubitz eachscored 16 points for Mio, with

Degrammont adding another

14 points in the road win.Thomey also had 4


steals against Alcona, with

Lubitz grabbing 7 boards togo with his 4 assists and 2

steals. Degrammont chipped

in another 7 boards and 1assist.

Also contributing for Mio

were: Devers with 6 points, 5

rebounds, 1 steal, 1 assist and1 blocked shot; Auten with 3

points, 1 rebound and 1assist; Drake Thornton with 2points and 1 rebound;

Vaughn with 2 points; and

Fox with 2 boards and 2assists.

Report by Dennis


Service.

Mio bol"! "o 4-0 !"a" %i"h%in o$e A"lan"a

Northern Michigan Ski

Academy race training ses-

sions start Wednesday,

January 8th at Boyne

Mountain and Thursday,

January 9th at Boyne

Highlands. Training ses-

sions take place from 6:30 to

8:30 PM on Wednesdays at

Boyne Mountain and

Thursdays at Boyne

Highlands. A meeting for

parents will take place at

both locations during the

first sessions.

This year the Northern

Michigan Ski Academy(NMSA) is celebrating its

35th anniversary. The

NMSA is a non-profit organ-

ization that is run by a

Volunteer Board of

Directors and Coaches. The

program is designed to

teach area youth the funda-

mentals of ski racing.

Training sessions are held

for nine weeks beginning in

January. During the

Wednesday and Thursda y

night sessions, skiers ski in

small groups with a NMSA

coach. Skiers practice the

fundamentals of ski racing

with racers of their own age

and capability. Friday

nights are open gate nights

only at Boyne Mountain and

Boyne Highlands with

courses set that the skiers

can run as they wish.Coaches are available at the

top and bottom of the

courses to provide feedback

to the skiers.

Each Sunday, from 2:00

4:30 PM club races take

place. All of the Sunday

club races bring together

the Highlands and

Mountain skiers for com-

bined racing. Throughout

the season, club races are

scheduled at Boyne

Highlands and Boyne

Mountain.

This year two all day races

will be held at Boyne

Highlands. Racers are

ranked for participation in

the NMSA Racing Team that

participates in the

Wellborn Cup which

brings together skiers from

across Northern Michigan.The Wellborn Cup will be

held on Sunday, March 2nd

at Boyne Highlands.

For registration forms,

pricing and additional

information on the

Northern Michigan Ski

Academy please refer to the

website, www.nmsa-

zone.org .

For information related to

this press release call Tom

Teske, 231-536-3128.

Northern MichiganSki Academy

season starts soon

H** & *-: ;*< + &9 +*&9*,


7/10

December 27, 2013 Tell our advertisers you saw their ad in the Weekly Choice Page 7-B


Michigan's 2013 elk hunt-

ing season that just wrapped

up was a successful seasonall-around. While hunters

walked away with an experi-

ence theyll never forget,

Department of Natural

Resources (DNR) staff mem-

bers are happy management

goals were met, both safely

and legally.

We manage elk in

Michigan by hunting, said

area wildlife biologist

Jennifer Kleitch. Our sea-

sons are very specific. We

have certain hunting areas,

dates and quotas, and we are

very deliberate in order to

maintain a healthy elk herd

in balance with the available

habitat.

The early elk season, which

is held in late August and

September, has three sepa-

rate hunt periods totaling 12

days of elk hunting. One

hundred lucky hunters were

drawn in the weighted elk

lottery to hunt this period,

and a total of 78 elk were har-vested 34 bulls and 44 cows.

The late elk season ran

from Dec. 7-15, and another

100 hunters were able to

hunt with great success.

Hunters harvested 93 elk,

and all those with bull licens-

es were successful.

Elk have come a long way

in Michigan. From disap-

pearing in the late 1800s due

to the need for food and

hides, to today with elk num-

bers being maintained in the

northeast Lower Peninsula.

Due to habitat management,

laws regulating the take of elk

and increased protection by

DNR conservation officers,

the elk population is now

healthy and stable.

Elk are important to the

entire state of Michigan; folks

come from all around to view

them in their natural places,

said Doug Doherty of the

Rocky Mountain Elk

Foundation. For manynorthern Michigan towns

and businesses, elk viewing

and hunting are a huge part

of their livelihood.

Over 32,000 resident

hunters apply annually for a

chance at harvesting a

majestic Michigan elk, and

hunters play a key role in bal-

ancing biological and social

goals for the elk herd. The

ideal goal for elk numbers in

Michigan is 500 to 900.

Where the elk actually are

and their impacts on habitat

are the biggest concerns in

elk management, said

Kleitch. Our hunts are used

to help keep elk in large

blocks of public land to

reduce conflicts on agricul-

tural and private lands.

To learn more, visit

www.michigan.gov/elk.

Elk season was success all-aroundManagement goals were met; 78 were harvested in early season and 93 in late season

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8/10

4 WHEEL DRIVE

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HELP WANTED

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10/10


By Jim Akans

This weeks feature listing offers a

wonderful opportunity to enjoy the

peace and privacy of the country life,

yet it is located just minutes fromdowntown Mancelona.

Situated on an over one-acre parcel

that offers fabulous woodland views,

this three-bedroom, two-bath home also

has over 1,500 square feet of nicely laid

out living space for the family to enjoy.

The home, built in 2002, is clean as a

whistle and has recently received a

fresh coat of paint. So it is ready and

waiting for the new homeowner to

move in without any prep work!

Other convenient features include an

attached two-and-a-half car garage,

maintenance-free vinyl siding and a

covered rear deck.

This fabulous country retreat just a

short drive from Mancelona is being

offered at $74,900. Call Gregory

Tomaski today for a private showing.

(231) 587-0291 ext 5 or email gpt-

[email protected]

weeklychoice.com

www.NorthernRealEstate.comOffice: 989-732-1707 Toll Free: 800-828-9372

1738 S. Otsego Ave., P.O. Box 641 Gaylord, MI 49735

OLDY BUT AGOODY

3 Bed,1 Bath usableCabin with 2 additionalfixer upper cabins forthe do-it-your-selfer.An-other shed and garage

currently used for woodstorage.All on 1.7 acres

within a 1/2 mile of BigBear Lake. $43,900.

MLS #287342

SQUARE 10 ACREPARCEL

Filled with Maples andBasswood.Electric, Septic

and Partially Built Cabin onSite. Sits Off Beaten Path

but Close to Gaylord,Petoskey,Boyne City.Main

Snow Machine Trail 1/2Mile Away.Great Deer

Haven too.

$36,900. MLS #288353

25K PRICEREDUCTION!

Peaceful Up NorthCustom Built 3 Bed,3

Bath Home on 10Wooded Acres.Pri-

vate Setting Flourish-ing with Wildlife (see

Elk-Deer in backyard). New Maple Flooring,Field Stone Fireplace,T&G Vaulted Ceiling,Built

In Appliances, Wet Bar,Jet Tub,Sauna.Large Deck,Naturally Landscaped, 21/2 Car Attached Garage,Car Port and Additional 24x24 Out Building.Close

to Gaylord, Petoskey,Boyne Falls. $310,000. MLS #280633

EXCEPTIONALHOME

Custom Prow FrontRanch-Kitchen re-done in 2006-New

Cabinets- Tile ceramicfloors - Lighting- Allstainless steel appli-ances- Natural gas

Furnace with pelletstove for low heating costs. - Black top Drive- Fenced in backyard - Beauti-fully landscaped with irrigation system. Many extras and a Great Location!

$179,000. MLS #286694

NEW

LISTIN

G

IDEAL

SKI/

SNO

WMOB

ILE

RETREAT

!

$20K PRICE DROP!Completed Furnished,CharmingYear Long or Vacation Home in

Canada Creek.3 Beds, 2 1/2 Baths.Cedar Sided Inside.Low Maint

Vinyl Siding Outside.Walk OutBasement,Gas Fireplace, RoomyDeck,Attached 2 1/2 Car Garage

plus Additional Garage for Storage-Toys.Newer Well-Septic System.

Enjoy All that Canada Creek has toOffer Including 13,500 Acres for Hunting-Fishing,5 Lakes, 2 Blue Ribbon

Trout Streams,Archery and Gun Ranges. $149,000. MLS #276951

CANAD

A

CREEK

Featured HomeOn the Market

10113 Kiel Road, MancelonaContact; Gregory P. Tomaski, Front Street Realty LLC, (231) 587-0291 ext. 15

Nice ranch home on overone-acre located just outside

of Mancelona

Real EstateIs the New

Neighborhood

Right for You?Test Drive It!

Compliments ofEd Wohlfiel

When seeking out new areas,check them out, live and inperson. If you have a vacationcoming up, pick a region, rent acar, and drive around to take alook. Spend some time in thearea and ask yourselves thesequestions.

Do people have home pride?Houses that arent kept up

can either signal an area full ofrenters or a town on thedecline. But if people are clear-ly investing in their properties,its a great sign that theyrestaying put because they likethe town and believe that theirhomes are good investments.

Whos hanging out?Do people spend time out-

side? And are they the rightkind of people? Do you feelcomfortable saying hi to any-one? Are firefighters present atthe local firehouse? Do packs ofteenagers hang out on the cor-

ner? Depending on your obser-vations, that town may or maynot be a good fit.

Whats the downtown vibe?Walk through the downtown

area. Visit and shop at thelocally owned businesses.

What does it look like atnight?

A cute neighbo rhood canlook a lot different at night. Youshould walk or drive aroundtown when the sun goes down.

Who are my future neigh-bors?

Make sure that your triptakes place during a weekendbecause thats when people aremore likely going to be out andabout. If theres a local coffeeshop, get a cup and sit and lis-ten because, chances are, someof these people will be yourneighbors. Dont be afraid toask them some questions.

Is the police report positive?Ask the police department to

give you a crime log. Youll seeexactly whats going on, and

where.

Whats rush hour like?Take the route to work when

traffic is at its heaviest to findout what both of your com-

mutes would be like during themorning and evening rushhours. Even if your dreamneighborhood is 10 miles awayfrom work, it could take muchlonger in traffic, and that does-nt make any homecoming wel-coming.

Can we rent before we buy?If youre still not sure and needto move ASAP, consider rent-ing. This lets you really get toknow the neighborhood beforeforking over a down payment.

weekly choice - section b - december 27, 2013

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