2024: A year in sports

TRI-CITY AREA — From start to finish, the year 2024 was one to be remembered as a highly successful one for teams and athletes hailing from the Tri-City Area.

Here is a look at some of the top stories and accomplishments that were reported on the sports pages this past year:

1) Dryden standout Olivia Reynolds places four times at the Division 4 girls’ trackstate finals (June 5 issue).

Olivia Reynolds registered four placewinning efforts, helping lead the Dryden girls’ track squad (14 points) to a four-way tie for 16th with Lansing Christian, East Jordan and Allen Park Cabrini last Saturday at the Division 4 state finals.

Baldwin Middle School, in Hudsonville, is where the action unfolded.

Reynolds took third with a 400 dash time of 59.14 seconds and took fifth among 200-meter dash contestants aided by a clocking of 26.76 seconds.

She also joined forces with Delaney Wolle, Sophia Peter and Caila Fitchett to claim sixth among 1600 relay entries. They were timed in 4:17.94.

In addittion to that, Reynolds teamed up with Keira Miller, Wolle and Peter for an eighth against 800-meter relay foes. They managed a 1:50.8 clocking en route.

2) The Imlay City volleyball team knocks off North Branch (October 30 issue).

Imlay City (no. 5, Division 2) pulled out a 24-9, 18-25, 25-19, 25-20 victory over visiting North Branch (no. 4, Division 2) in a Blue Water Area Conference varsity volleyball showdown on Tuesday, October 22.

“The community showed up in droves to support the girls,” Imlay City Coach Rachel VanDyk commented. “The gym was packed,” she noted.

“It was a great atmosphere and the team played tough and united through the entire match. It was great volleyball and a great win for our program.”

Emma Keeping (16 kills), Chloe Bruman (17 digs) plus Makayla Bruman (17 set assists and 10 digs) put up Imlay City’s best numbers that evening.

Imlay City and North Branch would go on to share the distinction of BWAC champions.

3) Almont boys’ track standout Chase Battani places third at the Division 3 state finals (June 5 issue).

Chase Battani registered a pole vault clearance of 14 feet for third, helping the Almont boys’ track team (six points) wind up in a seven-way tie for 34th place last Saturday at the Division 3 state finals.

Kent City High School is where the meet was contested.

4) Imlay City grappler Dominic D’Ambrosio places at the Division 3 individual state finals (March 6 issue).

Imlay City 138-pounder wrestling standout Dominic D’Ambrosio closed out his high school career with a strong showing, earning a fourth-place finish at the Division 3 state finals this past week.

The tournament was held last Thursday and Friday at Ford Field in Detroit.

With his performance, D’Ambrosio earned All-State accolades (awarded the top-eight finishers in each weight class).

D’Ambrosio ended the year with a 53-3 record.

5) The Dryden boys’ cross country team enjoys postseason success (October 30 and November 6 issues).

The Dryden boys’ cross country team claimed a first-place finish at a Division 4 regional on Saturday, October 26.

Wagener Park is where the meet was contested.

Dryden (58 points), Marlette (66) and Harbor Beach (70) held down the top-three spots at meet’s end.

The following Saturday saw Dryden pull up 12th at the Division 4 state finals.

Michigan International Speedway, in Brooklyn, is where the meet was contested.

Dryden ranked 12th among the field assembled. They amassed a 360-point total en route.

Logan Romain paced Dryden at the meet. He registered a 71st, thanks to a clocking of 17:32.4.

6) The Almont football team enjoys an unbeaten regular season and competes in the Division 6 playoffs again (October 30 and November 6 issues).

The Almont varsity football team put the finishing touches on an unbeaten regular season run with a 41-22 road win against Detroit Edison last Friday afternoon.

The following Friday evening, Almont concluded a season that won’t soon be forgotten, dropping a 44-21 verdict to visiting Ovid-Elsie in a Division 6, Region 2, District 2 opening round playoff meeting it hosted.

With the result, Ovid-Elsie moves to 8-2 overall. Almont watches an outstanding 9-1 season reach an endpoint.

7) Dryden standout Cara Prusakiewicz ranks among the state’s top cross country runners (November 6 issue).

Cara Prusakiewicz registered a school record-setting clocking of 19:53.6 en route to a 23rd at the Division 4 state finals Saturday, November 2.

Michigan International Speedway, in Brooklyn, is where the meet was contested.

For her performance, Prusakiewicz earned All-State accolades (reserved for the top-30 finishers in the race).

8) Almont bowler Hunter Ross claims a top-ten showing at the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 3 Singles Bowling State Championship (March 6 issue).

Almont bowler Hunter Ross obtained a ninth-place finish last Saturday at the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 3 Singles Bowling State Championship.

Jax 60, in Jackson, is where the action unfolded.

9) The Imlay City boys’ soccer team claims a district title (October 23 and 30 issue).

Host Imlay City (no. 3, Division 3) saw to it that the boys’ district soccer title would be theirs at night’s end, accomplishing the feat with a 5-2 triumph against Almont last Wednesday night.

The following Wednesday Imlay City wrapped up an outstanding season with a 1-0 loss to second-ranked Flint Powers in a regional semifinal meeting.

With the decision, Imlay City (which won its ninth straight BWAC title a few weeks earlier), finished with a 22-4 overall mark.

10) The Almont girls’ soccer team wins a district title (June 5 issue).

Almont claimed a 4-1 win against host Richmond in a Division 3 girls’ district soccer confrontation last Thursday.

Lola Battaglia (three) and Avery Peake (one) provided Almont’s goals.

Five days later, Almont closed out their season with a 1-0 setback to Flint Powers in a Division 3 regional semifinal battle on Tuesday, June 4.

Clawson City Park is where the action unfolded.

Almont watches an outstanding 16-4-1 season reach an endpoint.

Honorable mention The Almont boys’ golf team ties for second at a Division 3 regional (June 5 issue).

The Almont boys’ golf team tied for second place at a Division 3 regional on Tuesday, May 28.

Washtenaw Golf Club is where the action unfolded.

Almont then followed it up June 7-8 with a two-way tie for 11th at the Division state finals.

Katke Golf Course, on the campus of Ferris State University in Big Rapids, is where the tournament took place.

Cam Bourdeau shot a 165 over 36 holes for 21st and Manny Goldstein carded a 167 en route to a 26th to lead Almont at the state finals.

The Almont girls’ golf team ranks 14th at the Div. 4 state finals (October 23 issue).

Almont obtained a 14th -place finish October 18-19 at the Division 4 state finals.

Forest Akers West Golf Course, in East Lansing, is where the tournament took place.

Olivia Kotelnicki led Almont with a 197 total. Kotelnicki shot an opening round 100 and a second round of 97.

The Almont girls cross country team places third at a Division 3 regional (October 30 issue).

The Almont girls’ cross country team wound up third, surviving a tiebreaker to earn the final qualiyfing spot last Saturday at a Division 3 regional.

Columbus County Park is where the meet was contested.

The following Saturday Almont closed out their season with a 26th at the Division 3 state finals.

Michigan International Speedway, in Brooklyn, is where the meet was contested.

Laila Evola led Almont that day. She took 100th in 20:54.8.

The Capac baseball team wins a district title (June 5 issue).

Capac saw to it that their tournament path would continue a bit longer, rolling to a 16-1 victory over host Genesee in a Division 4 baseball district last summer.

The following Thursday Capac concluded their season with a 16-0 setback to Marlette in a Division 4 regional semifinal matchup.

Cass City is where the action unfolded

With the outcome, Capac watches a 21-14 season draw to a close.

The Dryden girls’ bowling team places 16th at the Division 4 state finals (March 6 issue).

The Dryden girls’ bowling squad registered a 16th-place finish last Friday at the Division 4 state finals.

Northway Lanes, in Muskegon, is where the action unfolded.

It was Dryden’s first appearance at the state finals since the 2019 season.