MHSSCA All-State soccer honors presented to nine area athletes

Drew Kochanny, The Petoskey News-Review
·3 min read
Petoskey's Hayley Flynn finishes up a standout career with second team All-State honors within Division 2.
Petoskey's Hayley Flynn finishes up a standout career with second team All-State honors within Division 2.

Year after year, the surrounding area has proven to be a hot bed of soccer talent and standout teams.

Petoskey has regularly competed for Big North Conference titles and pushed for district titles, while Boyne City, Charlevoix and Harbor Springs all own hardware in the last handful of seasons.

The players that have made up these teams have equally gained attention, with a collection of nine players again doing so with the recent release of the Michigan High School Soccer Coaches Association All-State teams.

Petoskey's Emma Nicholson played throughout the field and closes her season with All-State recognition.
Petoskey's Emma Nicholson played throughout the field and closes her season with All-State recognition.

From Division 2 to Division 4, nine standouts were given honors across all four area teams.

Within Division 2 both Petoskey seniors Hayley Flynn and Emma Nicholson pulled in honors.

Flynn, a four-year varsity player for the Northmen, earned second team after leading the team in scoring and finishing second in the Big North in scoring.

She closed the league season with six goals and five assists and will play for Hope College next season.

Nicholson earned honorable mention within D2 after a year of playing all over the field for Petoskey. While she was a scoring threat with a powerful leg, her speed made her a larger asset on the defensive end thwarting breakaway threats.

Nicholson will compete next season at Rocky Mountain College.

Boyne City's Maddie Smith battled some injuries, though returned to form and earned All-State honors.
Boyne City's Maddie Smith battled some injuries, though returned to form and earned All-State honors.

Boyne City placed a couple with the Division 3 All-State list, as both Elly Day and Maddie Smith, both juniors, earned honorable mention.

Day picked up the scoring slack for the Ramblers after much of the goals from a state finals run graduated and led the team with 13 goals and two assists as a striker.

Smith played at the opposite end of the field as a midfielder and defender, though still managed five goals and an assist.

A host of area athletes then picked up honors within Division 4, led by four from Harbor Springs after their regional championship run that came up just short.

Seniors Claire Hayhurst and Jilly Wagner, along with juniors Hailey Fisher and Grace Thorpe all earned all-state.

Charlevoix’s Mikayla Sharrow also earned recognition in D4.

Harbor Springs' Claire Hayhurst helped bring the Rams to the regional final round and now earns All-State honors.
Harbor Springs' Claire Hayhurst helped bring the Rams to the regional final round and now earns All-State honors.

For Hayhurst, second team honors came her way after another strong season of protecting the Harbor Springs back end. Despite playing primarily on the defensive end, Hayhurst also finished with three goals and three assists.

Fisher earned honorable mention after a full season in goal and 51 total saves through the season, while also being part of 10 shutouts.

Wagner also played on the defensive end and closed the year with two goals and two assists, then Thorpe led the Rams with 14 goals on the season as a froward. Both earned honorable mention.

Charlevoix’s Sharrow earned third team honors in Division 4, as the Rayders’ main scoring threat and someone who fought through injuries throughout the season.

Charlevoix's Mikayla Sharrow earned third team All-State honors within Division 3.
Charlevoix's Mikayla Sharrow earned third team All-State honors within Division 3.

Sharrow closed her junior season with 10 goals and four assists

Also earning all-state from throughout the area included:

DIVISION 1: Audrey Wolff (HM), TC West. DIVISION 2: Kate Mumford (HM), Gaylord; Claire Gorno (HM), Gaylord; Abby Kovacevich (2nd), Cadillac; Lydia Schamanek (HM), Cadillac. DIVISION 3: Lauren Bingham (1st), Elk Rapids; Gabrielle Krakow (1st), Elk Rapids; Jorja Jenema (2nd), Elk Rapids; Kendall Standfest (3rd), Elk Rapids; Annabelle Parrish (HM), Elk Rapids; Monika Gregorski (HM), Elk Rapids; Kenzie Burt (HM), Cheboygan. DIVISION 4: Jessica Robbins (HM), Glen Lake.

Contact Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com. Follow him on Twitter, @DrewKochanny, and Instagram, @drewkochanny

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: MHSSCA All-State soccer honors presented to nine area athletes