Gaylord – Thank you, Gaylord, for another great year of sports.
It’s been more than two years since I took over as sports editor, and I’ve had a great few years following high school sports around Otsego County. Throughout 2024, we sports fans in the North were able to witness some of the top teams and elite athletic performances. Relive the best of the Gaylord area:
VOTE: Who are the top female athletes in the Gaylord area in 2024?
VOTE: Who are the top male athletes in the Gaylord area in 2024?
winter
The rivalry between Gaylord St. Mary’s and Johannesburg-Lewiston is part of what makes Otsego County sports coverage so unique. Unfortunately, it’s been a few years since I could call these matchups a true rivalry experience, as GSM moved to 8-a-side soccer and there were some notable gaps in the programs that pitted them against each other. It’s been a while.
That was the case until last basketball season, when the Cardinals dutifully sensed an opportunity to assert themselves in the rivalry, and Joburg showed up in full force on the court and in the crowd on consecutive nights in late February. .
Buoyed by a packed student section, Joburg defeated St. Mary’s in the men’s basketball game on Thursday, February 22nd, followed by a decisive win in the women’s basketball the following night, which led to Joburg’s SKi Valley Conference It jumped over GSM and took second place in the final rankings.
Perhaps most importantly, the victory reinvigorated a passion for rivalries that had been fairly quiet in recent years.
No matter the sport, it’s always a pleasure to be part of the state finals broadcast. Being Gaylord’s sports editor has given me the opportunity to participate in quite a few interviews over the past few years, including a trip to Ford Field for the MHSAA Wrestling State Championships in early March. It soon became a regular job. .
But this year, there were real fireworks at the end.
With legendary head coach Jerry LaJoie retiring after the 2023-24 season, the trip to Detroit on March 2 will be the fourth most winning season in MHSAA history as the Blue Devils’ head man. At the end of the program, the team sent him on his way. In style with three more state champions.
Zane Willoughby won the Division 2 157-pound state title, Ty Bensinger won the D2 190-pound state title, Sunni LaFond won the girls 115-pound state title, and LaJoie won the girls 115-pound state title. GHS had three individual state champions in Coach’s final day as head coach.
Gaylord St. Mary’s is used to being a small school among the many small schools in Northern Michigan, and has proven to be an athletic program that maximizes the potential of schools with small enrollments. continues to be done.
Still, no one expected the group of sophomores and freshmen to perform as well as they did in last year’s MHSAA D4 girls basketball playoffs.
Facing one of the best freshmen in MHSAA history, Mia McGregor of Mio, GSM won 61-56 despite being robbed of 46 points from the freshman phenom, fielding almost an entire roster of underclassmen. , put together one of the best performances of the season. To the D4 district finals.
spring
Condensing the greatness of Gaylord softball into a single moment is not as easy as one might think. With three conference championships, three district championships, two regional championships and two state championships over the past three seasons, the Blue Devils have made a habit of providing memorable moments on the softball diamond.
Still, there’s not much to compare to last year’s state championship win. The win was a thrilling one-point overtime win in the D2 state title game against Vicksburg that gave the Blue Devils their second consecutive state championship and cemented their tradition as a great team. Ta. in state history.
We hope to see a new Blue Devils team return to Secchia Stadium this spring.
autumn
Gaylord has recently become a hotbed for college recruiting.
Last year alone, 17 GHS athletes from the Class of 2024 signed on to play college sports, two of whom went on to NCAA Division I programs. This fall, perhaps the best player carved out her name to join that prestigious D1 group.
Reigning Gatorade Softball Player of the Year Aubrey Jones officially announced her college choice on Wednesday, Oct. 13, during National Early Signing Day, signing with Oklahoma State University.
“As I got to know their program and their coaches, I thought their coaching staff was the best in the country. And I thought my personality was a very good fit for what I believe in. ” Jones said.
Jones led the nation with 26 home runs and 84 RBIs, and went 15-0 with 122 strikeouts. She was a key factor in Gaylord’s second consecutive D2 state title win and hopes to win a third this spring.
Honorable mention
Contact GHT Sports Editor Dylan Jespersen at Djespersen@gaylordheraldtimes.com. Follow him on X (@dylanjespersen), formerly known as Twitter, and on Instagram (@dylanjespersen).
