High School Sports

1 sport or 2? High schools encourage athletes to branch out

Forty five percent of high school student-athletes are playing multiple sports, according to MHSAA study, Schools across metro Detroit have been recognized as “high achievers” for encouraging student-athletes to play more than one sport. At 17, Drew Sikora signed a letter of intent to play college football, fulfilling a childhood dream. What helped him get […]

Published

2 months ago

May 28, 2025

Your Sports Nation

1 sport or 2? High schools encourage athletes to branch out

Forty five percent of high school student-athletes are playing multiple sports, according to MHSAA study,
Schools across metro Detroit have been recognized as “high achievers” for encouraging student-athletes to play more than one sport.

At 17, Drew Sikora signed a letter of intent to play college football, fulfilling a childhood dream. What helped him get there?

Playing basketball and running track and field.

Hitting the court helped Sikora’s hand-eye coordination and running track helped him with his speed on the gridiron. Those who lead the governing body for high school sports in Michigan want to see more student-athletes like Sikora.

Drew Sikora, a football player at Carlson High School, is surrounded by teammates on signing day where he signed on to play tight end at Michigan Tech, at the school in Gibraltar on Feb. 6, 2025.

Since 2016, the Michigan High School Athletic Association has surveyed hundreds of schools to learn how many athletes are choosing to play more than one sport. Turns out the percentage of athletes who are making that decision is growing steadily.

MHSAA’s annual survey reported that 45% of all student-athletes played more than one sponsored sport during the 2023-24 school year, compared with 43% during the 2017-18 season when the association started the survey.

The MHSAA started the survey as part of its effort to encourage athletes to play more than one sport to “prevent burnout and overuse injuries.”

It also strengthens athletic programs, said Geoff Kimmerly, the association’s director of communication.

“I think it’s helped athletic programs to thrive. You need help across programs, especially at smaller schools where you just don’t have as many athletes,” Kimmerly said. “But I think that at some schools, there has to be a philosophical move toward that. I think that’s what we’ve seen.”

High achievers

Sikora’s school, Gibraltar Carlson is among the survey’s high achievers — defined as “schools that exceed participation norms” — in metro Detroit, along with Hamtramck, Livonia Franklin, Warren Fitzgerald and Detroit Douglass. All have been in the top 10% in three different school years. Michigan Collegiate has been ranked in the top 10% for four years and Detroit Cody has been the most consistent for five of the six years.

“I think down here, it’s kind of a cultural thing to be involved,” Carlson athletic director Dan Kalbfleisch said. “My principal, my superintendent, really encourage our students to get involved in some way while they’re here. And so, once they get involved in one thing, they have fun and want to try other stuff.”

At Detroit Douglass, the state’s only all-boys public school, with an enrollment of 70, athletic director Pierre Brooks credits the students for their school’s success.

“I’m aware of that ranking, but I’m not surprised because being in such a small school, to me, it’s a true brotherhood,” Brooks said.

‘I believe that’s the culture we’ve built here …’

Over 68,000 student-athletes were accounted for in the survey. Fifty-five percent reported playing one sport and 32% played two at their school.

The combinations of sports varies but there are some trends. For boys, it’s football and basketball. Other sports include track and field, cross-country and wrestling. Girls tend to play volleyball and basketball, along with track and field, according to athletic directors.

Detroit Cody has nearly 600 students and offers 13 sponsored sports with the overall roster growing. The school started an Esports team in 2023 that has seven players and Cody is one of 18 schools that joined the Detroit Lions Girls High School Flag Football program this spring.

Antonio Baker, the school’s athletic director, said that “a large percent” of the student-athletes at his school are playing three sports throughout the school year to stay in shape, and that students play additional sports, in part, because of their coaches.

“Some of the coaches, they coach multiple sports, so the athletes move with the coaches from those sports, ” Baker said.

Drew Sikora signs ceremonially to play as a tight end at Michigan Tech this fall, at Carlson High School in Gibraltar on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025.

At Gibraltar Carlson, coaches serve as teachers, hall monitors and other roles for roughly 1,050 students.

“Can you build an environment at a high school where coaches collaborate and coaches support each other’s successes and coaches believe that a student-athlete can play multiple sports?” asked Kalbfleisch. “I believe that’s the culture we’ve built here in this building.”

A parent’s viewFor Sikora, playing basketball and running track was really all about football.”I know a lot of the skills and different sports transfer over,” Drew Sikora said. “Like, I know playing basketball is really helpful for a receiver of football. And then track helps a lot with explosive ability and all that stuff; and, obviously, helps with speed. So mostly, I’ve just been enjoying myself and supplementing for football.”Sikora’s parents, Kent and Melissa, said all of that hard work added up to the moment he signed his commitment letter.“It’s an opportunity for him to go be the best version of himself and go chase dreams that hopefully surpass everything that Melissa and I have ever done,” said Kent Sikora, 52, of Gibraltar.It’s common for young athletes to specialize in one sport. Drew Sikora’s parents credit their son’s participation in football, basketball and track with making him a more well-rounded athlete.“It helps him learn how to be a part of the team,” Kent Sikora said. Melissa Sikora added that her son avoided “pigeon-holing” himself.That’s what DeMarko Thurman, a former Division 2 athlete, said he experienced when he played high school ball.“I played basketball and I put all my eggs in one basket,” Thurman, 52, of Detroit, said. “But looking back on it … I totally regret not playing football. I kinda let my mom, (talk) me out of it, and then so it just kinda (became) tunnel vision with me.”Thurman advised his 17-year-old son Jeremiah, who plays basketball, to branch out. Douglass’ track athlete Jeremiah Thurman practices long jump at Mumford High School in Detroit on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. Jeremiah Thurman played a bit of football in middle school but focused on basketball. He didn’t get involved in another sport in high school until students at Detroit Douglass recruited him to participate in track and field. He was inspired by three seniors on the team who competed in the state championships.“I saw an opportunity to learn from those guys because they were all really, really athletic,” Jeremiah Thurman said. He learned breathing techniques and leg exercises that he says improved his basketball skills. “I could definitely tell it was a difference. I actually felt a lot more athletic when I was playing track.”But sports aren’t cheap. DeMarko Thurman, who works for the Ann Arbor school district, said he works multiple side jobs to cover the costs of in-season basketball and track and Amateur Athletic Union basketball.“I have to work harder, too, in a different way to be able to support these things and at the same time, not set our family back,” he said.Student-athletes will always specialize, athletic directors say, in hopes of getting noticed and playing at the next level. But the chances of becoming a professional athlete are slim, and playing different sports offers lessons.“Play as much as you can and try as much as you can. Because you’re going to be coached by different people. You’re going to meet different kids. You’re going to be exposed to different backgrounds, and I think all of that is just so valuable to a kid growing up. … You’re gonna have to get along with different bosses,” Kent Sikora said. “You’re gonna have to get along with different employees and colleagues throughout your life. So I think that is the greatest lesson that you can learn by playing along.”Eric Guzmán covers youth sports culture at the Free Press as a corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. Make a tax-deductible contribution to support this work.

Contact Eric Guzmán: eguzman@freepress.com; 313-222-1850. Follow him on X: @EricGuzman90.

High School Sports

Cameron Boozer, Jane Hedengren Named Gatorade Best Players of the Year at ESPY Awards

Incoming Duke basketball player Cameron Boozer and BYU cross country and track and field commit Jane Hedengren were recognized as the best high school athletes of the year Wednesday. Boozer and Hedengren took home the Gatorade Best Male and Female Players of the Year awards during the broadcast of the ESPYS on ESPN. Track star […]

Published

6 hours ago

July 17, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Cameron Boozer, Jane Hedengren Named Gatorade Best Players of the Year at ESPY Awards

Incoming Duke basketball player Cameron Boozer and BYU cross country and track and field commit Jane Hedengren were recognized as the best high school athletes of the year Wednesday.

Boozer and Hedengren took home the Gatorade Best Male and Female Players of the Year awards during the broadcast of the ESPYS on ESPN. Track star Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford announced the winners during the annual award show.

Here is the full list of finalists who were up for the award:

Boozer is a familiar name among sports fans, as he is the son of former Duke star and NBA player Carlos Boozer. He is following in his father’s footsteps and joining the Blue Devils, which is quite the legacy to live up to as he enters the college game.

After all, his father was a national champion, All-American and ACC tournament MVP with Duke and then played with the Utah Jazz, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers over the course of 13 seasons.

The younger Boozer is well on his way to building his own legacy, and Wednesday’s award is just his latest achievement. He was also the 2022-23 Gatorade National Player of the Year and was recently a member of the McDonald’s All-American team and Team USA’s Nike Hoop Summit squad.

Boozer is a highly regarded recruit and could be Duke’s next star freshman after Cooper Flagg departed for the NBA. He is the No. 3 overall player and No. 1 power forward in the 2025 class, per 247Sports’ composite rankings.

As for Hedengren, her list of accomplishments includes no shortage of record-shattering performances.

She set the national record with a time of 8:40.03 in the 3,000-meter run at the Nike Outdoor Nationals this past season. Her time was more than 18 seconds better than the previous national record.

What’s more, she set national high school records in the mile, two-mile and 5,000-meter run this past season while also winning the mile competition at the HOKA Festival of Miles, the two-mile competition at the Brooks PR Invitational and the 1,600-meter run at the UHSAA state meet.

“Jane Hedengren delivered the multi-generational type of season we’ve never seen before and might never see again,” Rich Gonzalez, who is an editor for PrepCalTrack.com, said. Pure domination in the distance events and a ridiculous re-writing of the record books at multiple distances.

“The only thing more amazing than her repeated displays of mind-boggling stamina was her sheer grace in doing so, never flashing any sign of physical duress during her parade of record assaults. Her senior year resume was truly remarkable.”

And now she is a Gatorade Player of the Year.

High School Sports

3rd Marvin Jarman 7 v 7 football Tournament brought out the highlights

We are two weeks away from high school football practices officially getting underway, so teams are finding different ways to ramp up to it, like JH Rose hosting their 3rd annual Marvin Jarman 7 V 7 in Greenville. Eight teams with one goal, to get better. The Rampants wasted no time on their home field […]

Published

13 hours ago

July 17, 2025

Your Sports Nation

3rd Marvin Jarman 7 v 7 football Tournament brought out the highlights

The Rampants wasted no time on their home field with Jimmy Martin slinging a TD. Ryan Gieselman absolutely yoked. His star quarterback #1 Tyler Jones was money on the rollout to #5 Brennan Chambers back of the endzone, for the Marshall commit.

Terrance Saxby wanted more tenacity from his bears, his quarterback Israel Wooten tossed a dot to for 6 and wipe away the stinky defense. Ronald Pou in year two leading Bertie, he has a young offense without Zymiere Dempsey, but he’s excited to be out of year one, which is where Ryan Buie is leading South Central for the first time who had the tall order of guarding big foot for Southwest Edgecombe. Ron Cook, 5th at Farmville, he said stop making me feel old I didn’t have grey hairs in my go-t when I started, father time as the Three Amigos watched Kinston win the tournament, beating Northeastern. Aside from the great competition it was a day focused on honoring Marvin Jarman and how missed he is supporting JH Rose.

Staying in Pitt County, Holton Ahlers has announced his retirement from football according to pirate radio, the former DH Conley and ECU star went undrafted in 2022, played in the preseason for the Seahawks then followed up with the Arlington Renegades, but now has chose to hang up the cleats after nearly 14 thousand passing yards as a pirate with 97 air touchdowns. Quite a memorable career for the once Viking and Pirate.

Moving to baseball, every MLB draft, there’s always getting the call. The phone buzzes, its a random area code and the person on the other end is letting you know where your next home is, well, in this years draft, South Central Grad and UNCW pitcher trace Baker has a different story.

In the Frontier League All Star Home Run Derby, the Bird Dawgs own Stephen DiTomaso won the crown, with 22 bombs. 2nd place only reached 15 total so he crushed the competition up in try New York, a state over from his hometown in New Jersey.

We are wishing congratulations to the Kinston Lenoir 10 and under softball team that won the Dixie softball state tournament, they beat Pembroke 6–1 to win the title, now they start their fund raising campaign, so they can go to the national tournament in Louisiana next week.

High School Sports

CAMERON BOOZER AND JANE HEDENGREN NAMED GATORADE BEST PLAYERS OF …

Published

14 hours ago

July 17, 2025

Your Sports Nation

CAMERON BOOZER AND JANE HEDENGREN NAMED GATORADE BEST PLAYERS OF ...

Hailing from Christopher Columbus High School in Florida, Boozer is recognized for his exceptional performance, leadership and impact on and off the basketball court. He is set to continue his academic and athletic career at Duke University this fall. Hedengren, a standout from Timpview High School in Utah, became just the third female athlete in history to earn Gatorade National Player of the Year honors in both cross country and track & field ahead of her Best Female Player of the Year win, celebrating her outstanding achievements across multiple distance events, in the classroom and her community. She will further her education and compete in cross country and track & field at BYU in the fall.

“Gatorade Player of the Year recognizes exceptional athletes who are paving the way for the future of sport,” said Gatorade Chief Brand Officer Anuj Bhasin. “We’re proud to celebrate the remarkable accomplishments of this year’s group, and their bright paths ahead through a one-of-a-kind experience. For decades, these standout individuals have achieved greatness both in their sport and in their communities. We’re excited to see how Cameron and Jane carry the legacy forward.”

The Gatorade Best Player of the Year announcement caps off an exclusive, week-long experience in Los Angeles, honoring the Gatorade National Players of the Year across 12 sports. The brand rolled out the red carpet for these top high school athletes – celebrating their achievements in a way only Gatorade can. Highlights included meeting their sports heroes and Gatorade athletes, giving back to the LA community, engaging in educational and celebratory events, experiencing styling sessions, walking The ESPY Awards red carpet, and more.

This year, Gatorade’s 60-year legacy of sports science was on display at the Player of the Year Awards. Throughout the week, the 11 Gatorade National Players of the Year experienced Gatorade’s superior science in action during an immersive field day, alongside some of their favorite professional athletes including Karl-Anthony Towns, Lisa Leslie, Puka Nacua, Abby Wambach, April Ross and more. Throughout the experience, athletes participated in a variety of drills, personalized testing and analysis from the Gatorade Sports Science Institute to better understand the impact of dehydration and to receive personalized insights on their specific fueling needs.

2024-25 GATORADE BEST PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS
Cameron Boozer: The 6-foot-10 senior power forward led the Explorers to a 30-3 record. Also the 2022-23 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year, Boozer averaged 22.1 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.5 blocks this season and led Columbus to a fourth straight Class 7A state championship in March. Boozer was also a Naismith Trophy Award semifinalist and a member of Team USA’s Nike Hoop Summit squad.

Below are additional facts about Boozer:

Boozer is ranked as the nation’s No. 2 recruit in the Class of 2025 by 247Sports, Rivals.com and On3.com.
He has volunteered locally on behalf of Fellowship Church by assisting with youth services, including leading weekly bible study. He has also donated his time as a mathematics peer tutor, both in algebra and geometry.
Boozer has maintained a 4.82 weighted GPA in the classroom.

Jane Hedengren:
(Cross Country): The 5-foot-11 senior broke the tape at the Nike Cross Nationals Final this past season, clocking a course-record time of 16:32.7 to win by a meet-record 41-second margin. Hedengren also won the Nike Cross Southwest Regionals with a meet-record time of 15:50.1 and won the UHSAA Class 5A state meet in 16:21.5, leading the Thunderbirds to the team title. The state’s returning Gatorade Girls Cross Country Player of the Year, she concluded her prep distance career as a three-time state champion.

(Track & Field): The senior distance talent won the 3000-meter run at the Nike Outdoor Nationals in a national record clocking of 8:40.03 this past season. Hedengren also set national high school records in the mile, 2-mile and 5,000-meter run this past season. On successive weekends, Hedengren clocked a 4:23.50 at the HOKA Festival of Miles and 9:17.75 in the 2-mile at the Brooks PR Invitational.

Below are additional facts about Hedengren:

Both the 2024-25 Gatorade National Girls Cross Country and National Girls Track & Field Player of the Year and returning Gatorade State Player of the Year for track & field, she won a pair of titles at the UHSAA state meet in the 1600- and 3200-meter events, leading the Thunderbirds to the Class 5A championship.
Hedengren has volunteered on behalf of the Road Runner Junior Club as a coach and race day official and has also donated her time as part of multiple community service initiatives with her church youth group.
Hedengren has maintained a 3.79 weighted GPA in the classroom.

To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate student athletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com.

About The Gatorade Portfolio
The Gatorade Portfolio, a division of PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP), is a connected performance and wellness ecosystem built to fuel all athletes and exercisers. Bringing together Gatorade, Propel, Evolve and Muscle Milk, the Gatorade Portfolio is the most complete offering in the category today, with a broad range of personalized solutions at every stage of the athlete journey. This integrated system of brands is built on Gatorade’s 60-year history of studying athletes and is fueling the future of athletic performance and wellness by delivering solutions across hydration, protein, energy and all-day nutrition to fuel consumers, no matter how or why they sweat. For more information and a full list of product offerings, please visit www.gatorade.com.

About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated nearly $92 billion in net revenue in 2024, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with pep+ (PepsiCo Positive). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability and human capital at the center of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for planet and people. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com, and follow on X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @PepsiCo.

CONTACT: [email protected]

SOURCE The Gatorade Company

High School Sports

Brewster notches three home runs in a powerful seven

The Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox used a five-run first inning to end the Cotuit Kettleers’ three-game win streak on Wednesday. The Red Sox (15-9-2) consolidated their position atop the East Division standings in the process with the 8-5 win at Lowell Park. Connor Capece capped off a dream start with a bases clearing double on his […]

Published

16 hours ago

July 17, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Brewster notches three home runs in a powerful seven

The Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox used a five-run first inning to end the Cotuit Kettleers’ three-game win streak on Wednesday.

The Red Sox (15-9-2) consolidated their position atop the East Division standings in the process with the 8-5 win at Lowell Park.

Connor Capece capped off a dream start with a bases clearing double on his only hit of the game. He finished with three RBIs, two walks and a run scored.

Michael Catalano (Oklahoma) grabbed his first win of the season after he pitched five innings, where he gave up just two runs (both earned) on three hits and two walks. He recorded five strikeouts.

The Kettleers (11-13-2) staged a late comeback after they put up a trio of runs in the seventh inning to get within 7-5, but they did not get any closer.

Ryne Farber (Texas State) continued his strong play in the Cape League with a 2-for-4 night at the plate with two RBIs, while Luke Matthews (Kent State) also had a pair of hits to go with a run scored.

In other Cape Cod Baseball League action:

Brewster Whitecaps 12, Falmouth Commodores 3 (7 inn.)

The Whitecaps (15-10-1) exploded for five runs in the third inning and then seven more in the fifth inning to pull away from the Commodores (11-14-1) in a shortened game due to darkness.

Notre Dame’s Carson Tinney, Florida State’s Cal Fisher (Florida State) and Wake Forest’s Dalton Wentz each homered in the fifth inning. Tinney hit a three-run home run, while Fisher and Wentz both hit two-run shots.

Fisher finished 3-for-4 with a walk drawn, three RBIs and two runs scored. Wentz tallied three RBIs on a 1-for-3 day at the plate with two runs scored. Alex Sosa (North Carolina State) reached base on a trio of hits (3-for-3) and scored twice.

Mavrick Rizy (Louisiana State) picked up his first win after he pitched 1 2/3 scoreless and hitless innings to go with two strikeouts.

Jaden Wywoda (Holy Cross) was dinged for seven hits and five runs (four earned) in 2 1/3 innings to fall to an 0-1 record for the Commodores.

Allen Gunn covers high school sports for the Cape Cod Times. You can contact him at agunn@gannett.com and follow him on X at @allentgunn.

Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Cape Cod Times subscription. Here are our subscription plans.

High School Sports

Hoops and highlights from Lynn evening league

LYNN — The Lynn Parks and Recreation Summer Evening Basketball League is in the midst of week No. 2. It’s a free basketball program for boys and girls featuring elementary, middle school, and high school levels. For more information, visit https://lynnma.myrec.com. In middle school action, the Local 739 Firefighters took down the Pizza Lovers, 45-24, […]

Published

17 hours ago

July 16, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Hoops and highlights from Lynn evening league

In middle school action, the Local 739 Firefighters took down the Pizza Lovers, 45-24, behind Brayden Nicosia’s 13 points. Samuel Bregue netted 10 for the Pizza Lovers.

Behind Trey Robinson’s 19 points, the Department of Public Works defeated Capano and McGloin, which was led by Jayson Falcon’s 11.

Come round-robin time, Gannon Golf Course squeaked away from Solimine Funeral Home, 21-19, behind Junior Osorio’s 10 points. Nicosia scored eight for Solimine Funeral Home.

As for high school action, leading the way were DeIulis Brothers’ Gabe Gillette (14 points), Robert W. Irvine and Sons’ Juan Osorio (16), Columbia Insurance Agency’s Jacob Mercado (24), Lazy Dog’s Jacob Sutson (18), Councilor John “Jay” Walsh’s C’Amari Jones (15) and Logan Cushna (15), as well as K Security Systems’ Jayden Kelsey (16).

Joey Barrett is the Daily Item’s Sports Editor. He reports on local high schools, colleges, and professional teams. Prior to his current position, he worked for UMass Athletics, the Cape Cod Baseball League, and Gannett Media, among others. Barrett was also Sports Editor at Endicott College and treasurer of Endicott’s Society of Professional Journalists branch.

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High School Sports

LOOK

We’ve seen team practice highlights from the Kentucky men’s basketball team throughout the summer, but not so much from the women’s team — until now. Players have been on campus for the better part of a month now, and up until now, Kenny Brooks and the staff have been focused on doing individual and small […]

Published

18 hours ago

July 16, 2025

Your Sports Nation

We’ve seen team practice highlights from the Kentucky men’s basketball team throughout the summer, but not so much from the women’s team — until now.

Players have been on campus for the better part of a month now, and up until now, Kenny Brooks and the staff have been focused on doing individual and small group workouts, putting adequate time and focus into each and every player.

In Brooks’ first press conference of the summer, he explained that they were going to do those types of workouts for the first couple of weeks of summer practice before ramping up into team practices in mid-July. Of course, now that it’s mid-July, team practice is here.

We got 30 seconds of highlights from team practice on Tuesday, and they’re exciting.

Kentucky reeled in three transfers this offseason — one of the top point guards in the country in Tonie Morgan, plus former Conference USA sharpshooters Josie Gilvin and Asia Boone. You throw in a couple of freshmen and an elite returning core led by the reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year in Clara Strack, and maybe it isn’t too crazy for this group to have championship aspirations.

If one thing is clear from the highlights, is that this team can put the ball in the hoop. Hopefully, that translates in-game and Kentucky reach similar (or hopefully, higher) heights they did a year ago.

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