Latest news, weather, high school sports for Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

Courtesy:  Escanaba Daily Press and Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

Two future teammates will get one last chance to be opponents and one of the Upper Peninsula's finest products will play her last high school game at the 26th U.P. All-Star Classic June 18.

Jordan Chartier of Superior Central is on the South team in the boys game and Connor McLeod of Cedarville will play for North at Norway High School. The future Michigan Tech teammates have met in the Class D quarterfinals the past two years in Escanaba, with Chartier and the Cougars winning both games.

Meanwhile, highly decorated St. Ignace senior Nicole Elmblad makes her final prep appearance in the peninsula when she suits up for the North girls. Elmblad will play at University of Michigan for coach Kevin Borseth, a member of the U.P. Sports Hall of Fame, which is sponsor of the All-Star Game.

The girls game is at noon (CDT) and the boys play at 2 p.m. Skills contests (free throw, 3-point shooting and dunking) start at 10 a.m.

A breakfast which is also open to the public begins at 8 a.m. (CDT) and former Green Bay Packer placekicker Chester Marcol will be the guest speaker. His daughter, Mariah, was an All-U.P. pick for Dollar Bay and will play for the North.

Elmblad was Associated Press Class C Player of the Year, U.P. Class A-B-C Player of the Year and runner-up for Miss Basketball while leading the Saints to the Class C state championship as a senior.

She scored 1,960 points in four seasons, third in U.P. history. She also helped the Saints win consecutive U.P. Division 2 track championships, winning pole vault Saturday and just getting nudged by Megan Kangas of Norway in the 300 hurdles.

Elmblad was also runner-up Friday at the U.P. Division 2 golf finals after winning the title in 2010. The North coaches are her St. Ignace coaches, Dorene and Doug Ingalls.

That trio is among at least eight All-Stars who will play in college.

Matt Sinnaeve of Gwinn joins Chartier on the South squad and will play at Ferris State University. Also playing Division II basketball will be Maria Almquist of Hancock, who will play at Minnesota Duluth.

Also playing college basketball will be Marcol at Wisconsin-Superior and Grace Wheeler of St. Ignace at Alma College.

Jade Ledy of Marquette will also play college basketball but is still undecided between three GLIAC schools.

Cedarville's Jordan Baker will play football at St. Norbert College and Negaunee's Brad Macario will play football at Northern Michigan University.

Three football recruits declined to play in the basketball game, Austin St. Louis of St. Ignace (Ferris), Gabe Eppert of Ishpeming (NMU) and Colin Terry of Marquette (NMU).

In addition to Elmblad, six girls are members of the 1,000-point club: Almquist (1,418), Mara Ryynanen of Chassell (1,541), Marissa Burke of Watersmeet (1,004), Courtney Holsworth of Ishpeming (1,801), Mallory Pruett of Ishpeming (1,302) and Alicia Tollefson of Forest Park (1,000-plus).

Joining Chartier in the 1,000-point club on the boys side are Joe Larson of Chassell (1,450), Derek Pistulka (1,521) and Christian Harris (1,164) of Rapid River, Colin Harbenski of Big Bay de Noc (1,217) and Tim Dunstan of Dollar Bay (1,176).

Elmblad and Sinnaeve will play in the state All-Star Game Aug. 6 at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

South Girls

Marissa Burke, Watersmeet; Tabytha Boyak and Jade Ledy, Marquette; Emily Bray, Gwinn; Amanda Kleikamp, Norway; Megan Mackowiak, Bark River-Harris; Brianne Stroud, North Dickinson; Alicia Tollfefson, Forest Park; Mallory Pruett and Courtney Holsworth, Ishpeming. Coach, Joel Schultz, Bark River-Harris.

North Girls

Maria Almqust, Hancock; Mara Ryynanen, Chassell; Nicole Elmblad and Grace Wheeler, St. Ignace; Paige Koskinen, L'Anse; Mariah Marcol, Dollar Bay; Megan Turunen, Baraga; Kaci Brockman, Superior Central; Justine Hatfield, Pickford; Aliisa Paquette, Munising. Coaches, Dorene and Doug Ingalls, St. Ignace.

South Boys

Jordan Chartier and Dylan Johnson, Superior Central; Matt Sinnaeve, Gwinn; Jalen Bal, Norway; Erik Hines, Menominee; Trent Schwalbach, Escanaba; Christian Harris and Derek Pistulka, Rapid River; Tyler Mercier, North Central; Bryce Jauquet, North Dickinson. Coach, Cary Chartier, Superior Central.

North Boys

Joe Larson, Chassell; Alex Beeler, L'Anse; Ryan Hendrickson, Rudyard; Connor McLeod and Jordan Baker, Cedarville; Ian Burton, DeTour; Jordy Chiapuzio, Bessemer; Tim Dunstan, Dollar Bay; Brent VanAlstine, Baraga; Brad Macario, Negaunee. Coach, Bill Schomberg, Sault Ste. Marie.