Sports

In between the third and fourth quarters of Munising’s playoff run, a small surprise has kept the Mustang faithful energized late into contests. Jack Conklin, age 6, has been pulling out one of sport’s biggest dance crazes to show his support for Munising basketball.

In a now-viral photograph, the Jeffers Jets put Upper Peninsula success first by showing their support for the Munising Mustangs immediately after the game. “I told him he should win this and bring it home.

Ranked first and second in the final AP poll for Division 4, the contest did not disappoint between the Jeffers Jets and Munising Mustangs. Arguably the biggest game for Munising since the 1930 U.P. State Championship game, Munising came from behind to defeat Jeffers 52-43 in Negaunee on Tuesday, March 21.

Piper Grabowski, a hockey player and eighth grader at Munising Middle/High School, will be joining her team at the USA Hockey 14U National Championships this weekend. Grabowski is a forward for the Northern Michigan K-Stars, a travel team out of Kalkaska and her team qualified after winning the Michigan state championship earlier this year.

The Munising Middle/ High School gymnasium was packed by fans of the Baraga Vikings and the Mackinaw City Comets on Tuesday, March 14, as the local school hosted the MHSAA Division 4 Quarterfinals. It was the last basketball game of the season played in Alger County.

For the first time in 69 years, the Munising Mustangs are regional champions. “I think it’s a special group of kids right here that really wanted this,” Munising Head Coach Terry Kienitz said.

The Puck of the Irish Tournament is an annual tradition that’s spanned nearly three decades to date, and generations of hockey players. Current and former coaches and players describe it as a favorite weekend of the youth hockey season and a perfect way to wrap up the long, cold, hectic winter of hockey. Last weekend, the 26th Annual Puck of the Irish Tournament was held in Bay City.