IRON RIVER—The West Iron volleyball team’s battle for consistency continued in its final regular season match here Oct. 23 as the Wykons battled Houghton.
The Gremlins swept the Wykons 3-0. In the first set, the Wykons just weren’t there mentally and got crushed 25-8.

With nothing but open field ahead of him, West Iron’s Andrew Peterson dashes away for 25-yard gain that set up the Wykons’ first touchdown against Bark River at Nelson Field Oct. 19. In back are teammates Chasz Jonet and Ron Varney (5).
IRON RIVER—As the final days of the regular season counted down, West Iron football Coach Mike Berutti held out hope the Wykons might sneak into the Division 7 playoffs with a 5-4 record—if they beat Bark River-Harris in their final game and several other games turned out right.

CRYSTAL FALLS—Forest Park will hit the road for the first game of its Division 8 playoff season this Friday. Destination: L’Anse.
The Trojans and Purple Hornets go facemask to facemask at Meadowbrook Field Oct. 26. Kickoff is at 6 p.m. Central Time.
FP finished its regular season at Dick Mettlach Field Oct. 19 by earning a 33-14 win over Lake Linden-Hubbell.

Lexi Gussert winds up to lower the boom with a hard kill into the Wykons’ end during the Oct. 16 match at Forest Park. Next to her is Libby Shamion. Near the net for WIC are Emilie Christensen, Sierra Rasmussen and Amy Richardson.
CRYSTAL FALLS—Forest Park’s game was in the pink Oct. 16 when the Lady Trojans hosted West Iron County in their only match last week.

IRON RIVER—With its district tournament now just a week away, West Iron’s volleyball team took on one of its District 94 opponents Oct. 15—and earned a 3-1 win.
The Wykons defeated Norway at the Greenlund Gym on scores of 22-25, 25-21, 25-19, 25-16, at the start of a busy week.

Alec Schmelebeck hugs the ball after taking a handoff from Andrew Peterson at Hancock Oct. 12. Ron Varney (5), Chasz Jonet (50) and Max Maloney (61) work to clear his path.
HANCOCK—A pair of long scoring drives plus a shut-down defense boosted West Iron’s record back to .500 here Oct. 12, when the Wykons earned a 17-7 victory over the Bulldogs.
With a win over Bark River-Harris at home on Oct. 19, the Wykons would finish their season with a winning record. Going in, they are 4-4 overall and 3-3 in the West Pac Conference.
“Our defense played its responsibilities,” said Coach Mike Berutti after the game. “The defensive line changed the line of scrimmage, and our linebackers filled well. It was good to see.”

Gogebic’s Taylor Smith keeps his eyes on the ball after FP’s Brett Hietala (44) swats at it in second quarter action. Smith made the catch and completed a 24-yard touchdown.
WAKEFIELD—The dank, gloomy weather that hovered over Cardinal Field here Oct. 13 was mirrored perfectly by Forest Park’s fans, as they watched their Trojans absorb a 46-15 beating in their first-ever game against the Gogebic Miners.
It’s a costly late-season loss. Not only was it FP’s worst defeat in years, but it also gives the Miners a berth in the Division 8 playoffs plus a share of the Great Western Conference title. 

Lexi Gussert goes up high to send a spike past two North Central front-liners. In case one of them blocks the shot, FP’s Maria DeMuri (left) and Maria Stankewicz are in position to keep the ball in play.
CRYSTAL FALLS—Looking much more assertive than it had in recent weeks, Forest Park’s volleyball team took care of business when North Central visited Oct. 8.
The Lady Trojans were also up for the occasion when they visited Rapid River on Oct. 11, earning another 3-0 win. As the week ended, Forest Park was 24-3-3 overall and 11-0 in the Skyline Conference.

There he goes! Forest Park’s Austin Snell dashes down the right sideline after catching Jeff Johnson’s pass during the Trojans’ game against Baraga Oct. 5. It was a 31-yard gain to the 8; Snell scored on a sweep one play later.
CRYSTAL FALLS—What better way to celebrate Homecoming week than by clinching another berth in the playoffs?

West Iron senior Kylee Erickson served up her second straight U.P. first singles championship during the Division 2 finals at Westwood Oct. 3.

IRON RIVER—Reaching the top is one thing. Staying on top is quite another.
West Iron senior Kylee Erickson is one of the rare talents, as she showed Oct. 3 when she won the first singles championship in the Upper Peninsula’s Division 2 for the second straight year.
The title adds yet another major title to close out her high school tennis career. In addition winning two U.P. titles, Erickson reached the first singles semifinals in her freshman and sophomore years,
She won her final title at Westwood High School, defeating the Patriots’ Sarah Massie 6-2, 6-4 in the championship match.
First singles is where each school’s best player competes.