Edited by Trinity Hurford (Class of 2028)
Written by Riley Cogburn (Class of 2026), Ava Blossingham (Class of 2028), Trinity Hurford (Class of 2028), and Jasmine Lapp (Class of 2026)
Boys Basketball (by Riley Cogburn)
The Onekama Portagers are excited for the 2025 basketball season and looking forward to another successful year. Starting off, this year we have a starting lineup consisting of junior point guard Carson Bradford, senior shooting guard Tyler Hart, freshman small forward Bennett Zeller (freshman), senior power forward Mitchell Falk, and senior center Luke Bradford. The rest of the roster consists of Jacob Burtch (senior), Chase Gauthier (senior), Evan Harvey (senior), and Ryan Hrachovina (junior).
Last season, the Portagers had a successful 19-5 season, good for second place in the Northwest Conference and #10 at the D4 level. A couple key wins were Traverse City Christian, where they secured a 53-46 win, and Pentwater, with a 60-44 win. A couple key players were Tyler Hart, scoring 26 points in one game, and Luke Bradford, averaging strong scoring and rebounding the whole season. Their head coach Nathan Bradford held the team together, emphasizing the strengths of teamwork and hard work. Nathan Bradford will be returning to coach this season.
The 2025-26 Portagers basketball team is off to a 3-2 start, having won 60-50 at Manton to open the season on 12/1, 42-40 at Frankfort on 12/5, and 61-38 at Kalkaska on 12/16. The team’s losses have been close: a 43-37 defeat hosting LeRoy Pine River (a 32-point road loss last season), and a 63-56 loss at Benzie Central (an 18-point road loss last season). The Portagers have a long season ahead of them and are looking to secure more successful wins. Stay tuned for the next upcoming games against Glen Lake (12/19) and Baldwin (12/22).
Girls Basketball (by Ava Blossingham)
For the 2025-2026 Basketball season we have a great line-up that consists of three seniors, four juniors, and one sophomore. Anna Bradford, Carley Guerne, and Hailey Hart are our senior operatives, Ava Mauntler, Delaney McCarthy, Elizabeth McKeough, and Addy Zeller are our junior representatives, and rounding out the team is star sophomore Callie Sinke.
This year’s team is coached by interim head coach Dan Mesyar. Coaching junior varsity we have Josh Berryhill, and as the assistant coach we have Karli Mesyar. The team is working extremely hard to prepare for the season ahead, and has a lot of experience returning to the court.
Last year, they averaged a 20-5 season record and achieved the district championship, losing to Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart in Regional semifinals. Their first game was on December 11th, a 41-38 loss hosting Buckley, and their most recent game was a 41-20 win hosting Kalkaska. The ladies will host Suttons Bay on 12/18 before reconvening on 1/6 to travel to Glen Lake. Good luck this season, ladies!
Co-Op Wrestling (by Trinity Hurford)
The Manistee-Onekama co-op wrestling team kickstarts its season now! Coached by Mackenzie Houston, this team consists of various athletes scattered throughout high school. Out of all the wrestlers, we have three Portager athletes: Faith Fessenden (Junior), Aerika Roberts (Junior), and Aiden Buckner (Freshman).
On Friday, December 5th, the Manistee-Onekama wrestling team traveled to Manton for the women’s opener. Faith Fessenden competed hard and proceeded to go 1-4. The following day, a Saturday meet occurred. Faith Fessenden established a 1-1, while Aiden Buckner in the freshman class went 0-2. Good luck this season, wrestlers!
Co-Op Ski (by Jasmine Lapp)
The Onekama Ski Team is made up of students from Manistee, Pine River, Bear Lake, and Onekama. Representing Onekama, we have Brickston Rinehart, Jasmine Lapp, and Aleah Blackmore. We have one Onekama student-manager: Bridget Place (Onekama). Our coaches are head coach Curt Mathieu and assistant coach Bowen Stoops.
This year marks Brickston Rinehart’s first year competing. Last year, Aleah made it to states, placing 13th in Slalom with a time of 1:20.17 and she placed 6th in Giant Slalom with a time of 1:07.78. Our first race is set for January 7th at Crystal Mountain, hosted by Glen Lake. Our races do depend heavily on if Crystal can open by then. Luckily, the weather is looking good for skiing this year. Crystal Mountain should be able to open before break with the snow we’ve been having and we start practice as soon as it opens. I have high hopes for this season and believe we can make it far.