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CHEBOYGAN – With holiday break over, it’s go-time again for winter sports in the Cheboygan area.
Whether it’s basketball, hockey, wrestling or bowling, there’s plenty I’m looking forward to as events ramp right back up and take us all the way to March. Here’s some of the winter events I’m excited about.
Inland Lakes at Onaway, Boys Basketball, January – Heading into the new year, both the Cardinals and Bulldogs clearly aren’t where they want to be. At the same time, however, this is always a highly anticipated matchup between the M-68 rivals.
The Cardinals have had the Bulldogs’ number in recent seasons. Last year, Onaway took all three matchups from Inland Lakes, including a hard-fought triumph in the district final. Both teams still have plenty of quality players, led by Onaway senior Mason Beebe and I-L senior Aidan Fenstermaker, so this game will likely not disappoint.
And who knows, the winner might gain momentum for the rest of the campaign.
Cheboygan’s challenging five-game stretch, January – Cheboygan’s flying high right now with a 7-0 record going into the new year. But once 2025 starts, the Chiefs are going to be tested in a big way.
The Chiefs restart with a tough five-game stretch that includes a trip to Elk Rapids on Tuesday, Jan. 7. The clash is the first of four road games in five matchups for the Chiefs, who also welcome Grayling during that slate. The Chiefs have had some good battles with the Vikings in the past, but Grayling has had the upper hand for the most part. A contest like that will be a huge opportunity to keep Cheboygan’s good vibes going, while trips to Boyne City, Charlevoix and Harbor Springs all provide their own unique challenges.
Either way, Cheboygan’s winter should be thrilling to cover.
Inland Lakes vs. Gaylord St. Mary, Girls Basketball, Jan. 22 and Feb. 25 – There’s a good chance the Ski Valley Conference runs through these teams, as the Bulldogs and Snowbirds are the class of the league at the moment. Last year, the Bulldogs and Snowbirds split in a couple of hard-fought clashes, but it was Inland Lakes which sealed the conference crown with a victory in Gaylord in late February.
Daryl Vizina’s Bulldogs look poised to defend their Ski Valley title, but the Snowbirds always seem to feature quality players across the board. These games won’t decide the conference completely, but they’ll go a long way in determining the champion.
Get ready to see some high intensity and physicality when both face off.
Wrestling postseason, February – We only have three wrestling teams in the area for 2025, but all three have grapplers who have had success on the mats.
What I’m fascinated to see is if wrestlers from Cheboygan, Inland Lakes and Onaway can make a huge impact at both the regional and state levels.
The Bulldogs return 2024 state qualifiers in Wyatt Hanel and Gus Carper, while Cheboygan has talent in Chase Swanson, Evan Fradette, Luke Munger and others, and the Cardinals could have a couple contenders themselves in Levi Rigot and Andrew Gulley, who have starred early.
I’m not sure if these squads can win their respective districts team-wise, but individually, it could be a different story, as many wrestlers can make great runs.
Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf at jgreenleaf@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @sportsCDT
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