Tag: "Athlete of the Week"
AOTW: Chapman is Avondale’s Mr. Versatility
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com Twitter: @LocalSportsFans AUBURN HILLS — If there is any question about Nathan Chapman’s ability as a track athlete, it’s what he hasn’t done during his prep track career at Auburn Hills Avondale. “I never tired the throws,” laughed Chapman at the recent OAA Blue Division championships. Beyond the […]
Avondale’s Aiello signs with Wright State
AUBURN HILLS — Marisa Aiello, a 6-foot middle blocker from Auburn Hills Avondale High School and Michigan Elite Volleyball Academy, has signed a National Letter of Intent to play volleyball at Division I Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. During her four years on varsity at Avondale, Aiello has garnered numerous academics and athletics accolades […]
AOTW: Lake Orion’s Yang puts together grand finish
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com Twitter: @LocalSportsFans LAKE ORION — Kevin Yang said he didn’t have the greatest season as a whole, but his final high school bowling campaign was highlighted with a grand finish. Yang, a senior from Lake Orion High school, ended his season as both an all-region and all-state performer — […]
AOTW: Floor general Henning returns to lead Rochester College
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com Twitter: @LocalSportsFans ROCHESTER HILLS — Stephan Henning was faced with a dilemma two years ago at Rochester College. Return the following season and then finish classes long after his college basketball career was complete, or take a redshirt year in 2010-11 and then play with an extremely talented […]
AOTW: Taylor-made: Rochester senior Taylor Perry helping Falcons back to prominence
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com ROCHESTER HILLS — Every time Taylor Perry walks into the gymnasium at Rochester High, he’s given a brief history lesson. The standout basketball player can plainly see the school’s championships over nearly 100 years of high school basketball. But there is something unsettling about those banners on the […]
AOTW: Oakland’s Hamilton putting up big numbers to keep Oakland relevant
DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com ROCHESTER HILLS — Four years ago, Reggie Hamilton was faced with a dilemma. His playing time had dwindled and he was benched for a few games without notification of the specifics. Hamilton, then a sophomore at UMKC, asked for his release from the school and it was granted short […]
AOTW: Lake Orion’s Dohm skies to state title on final run
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com HARBOR SPRINGS, Mich. — Marie Dohm was accustomed to walking off the slopes this season and hearing the announcers read off the times of the competitors. So when they didn’t read hers following her second run of the giant slalom at Nub’s Knob, she was confused. Actually, nervous […]
Superhuman for a night: Lake Orion Baptist’s Watterworth scores 51 with 34 boards in upset victory
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com LAKE ORION — Breanne Watterworth said she didn’t eat her Wheaties on Tuesday morning. In fact, she doesn’t even like the cereal. She didn’t do anything of super-relative nature during the day, either, except go to class and study for a large science project due Wednesday morning. On […]
SIGNING DAY 2012: Clarkston seniors pick football destinations
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com ALL-AREA TEAMS DIRECTORY: http://northoaklandsports.com/2012/01/04/all-area-teams-directory/ CLARKSTON — Matt Dellinger received a long distance phone call at about 11:35 a.m. Wednesday morning. The call came all the way from Afghanistan. “It was my dad,” smiled Dellinger. “He’s in Afghanistan, he’s stationed over there. He’ll be back March 17.” Dellinger had […]
Band of brothers: Renel, Wayne State playing for D-II national title
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com FLORENCE, Alabama — When Josh Renel was a senior in high school, he and his teammates fell one game short of playing for a state championship. An all-state all-purpose running back, Renel and Rochester Adams were upset in the Division 2 state semifinals by Detroit King in the state […]
AOTW: Missouri-bound Reedy looking for biggest splash to date
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com ROCHESTER HILLS — Lauren Reedy had to make a decision a year ago. Walking off the grandstand of the Division 1 state swimming and diving finals, the Rochester High student hds a seventh-place medal in her hand from the diving event. She vowed right there and then that she […]
AOTW: A little Legacy … Clarkston’s Lightfoot trying to follow in her mother’s footsteps
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com CLARKSTON — A few months ago, Kristie Lightfoot dug deep for an old sweater. Once it was unearthed, she laid it out for her daughter Maddie to see. Maddie, a senior libero on Clarkston’s volleyball team, tucked the old artifact into the bottom of her sports bag. This is […]
AOTW: Marani stands tall to give Clarkston some net presence
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com CLARKSTON — There has always been some confusion of how Stephanie Marani pronounces her last name. “I say it one way, but a lot of people say it another way,” she laughed. “It doesn’t really bother me at all.” While there may be some mystery on the exact annunciation […]
AOTW: Clarkston’s Baenziger deals with countless acts of adversity to shine on the field
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com CLARKSTON — Some athletes have to face all types of adversity. Mitch Baenziger has had to face plenty of it as an athlete at Clarkston High School — and that list is long. Yet the two-sport athlete, who is a quarterback in football and plays guard in basketball, has […]
AOTW: Halt right there: Holly netminder Ryan St. John emerging as one of state’s best
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com HOLLY — Standing between goalposts, Ryan St. John receives a great view of the soccer pitch. He can see the plays unfolding all over the field. When the ball is played down in his direction, the Holly senior is quick to get into the right position to make the […]
AOTW: Adams hopes to tie the ‘Knott’ with championship run
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com ROCHESTER HILLS — Suiting up for Rochester Adams has been a no-brainer for Dylan Knott. The senior has enjoyed great success with the storied Highlanders, who have a deep tradition in boys and girls soccer. After all, Adams has never finished below five-hundred in boys soccer since launching its […]
Under Pressure: Yurik steps up to keep tradition alive with state title
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com ALLENDALE — Gabby Yurik has had many memorable finishes in her high school golf career. None will compare to the one she turned in this weekend. Yurik, a senior at Rochester Stoney Creek and a Michigan State recruit, captured medalist honors at the Lower Peninsula Divisions 1 state finals […]
AOTW: The Hitman … Clarkston’s Zach Collins strikes fear into the opposition
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com CLARKSTON — It’s hard to imagine Zach Collins having any fear on the football field. Yet it was three years ago when he felt a little apprehensive lining up near the line of scrimmage. “The coaching staff came to me just before my first game my freshman year and […]
