Huron County View

Focused Bearcats add to their legacy

Division 8 State Semifinal Notebook



Ubly defensive lineman Logan Volmering (61) sacks Iron Mountain quarterback Joe Colavecchi. It was one of two sacks for Volmering, who was a key piece for the Bearcats defense, which held the Mountaineers in check.

Ubly defensive lineman Logan Volmering (61) sacks Iron Mountain quarterback Joe Colavecchi. It was one of two sacks for Volmering, who was a key piece for the Bearcats defense, which held the Mountaineers in check.

PETOSKEY – When the bus containing the Ubly football team arrived at Northmen Stadium, visibility was nearly zero.

But the focus for the team was unwavering.

The Bearcats departed Ubly around 6:30 a.m. in their chartered bus, receiving a police escort out of Huron County.

Despite Petoskey receiving nearly two feet of snow in about two days, they made it with plenty of time.

The trip and the conditions didn’t matter to the players, as they punched their ticket to Ford Field, with a resounding 41-14 victory over Iron Mountain in the Division 8 state semifinal.

“I questioned myself if we should have gone up Thursday,” said Ubly head coach Eric Sweeney. “We were in a nice bus. The kids were able to sit back and relax. We didn’t hit bad weather until we were 20 minutes away from Petoskey. I think the kids were focused. There was so much going on, but the kids were ready to go from the beginning.”

Ubly kicker Brett Mueller (14), along with holder Mark Heilig (27), execute an extra point attempt during the second quarter. Mueller converted 5-of-6 extra points, to bring his season total to 84, which is fourth-most alltime in MHSAA history. (Photos by Paul P. Adams)

Ubly kicker Brett Mueller (14), along with holder Mark Heilig (27), execute an extra point attempt during the second quarter. Mueller converted 5-of-6 extra points, to bring his season total to 84, which is fourth-most alltime in MHSAA history. (Photos by Paul P. Adams)

Sweeney’s message to the players was to embrace the moment.

“For these seniors, this is their fourth straight semifinal game. We came out and played this game like we walked out the back door and went to Herp Field,” he said. “That’s the thing I’m most proud of, they went out and played the game and didn’t let any of that other stuff distract them.”

Added Sweeney: “I told them before the game that this was a legacy game. Many years from now, when I’m in the old person’s home, these kids are going to come in and talk about: ‘Remember when we went up to Petoskey and played in a blizzard?’ This is the stuff that makes memories in football.”

RECORD BREAKING OFFENSE: The 41 points scored against Iron Mountain puts Ubly at 631 for the season, besting the 629 by the 2008 Bearcat squad.

It’s not only a school record, but a Thumb record for an 11-Player team, according to the Michigan High School Athletic Association record book.

Ubly is currently tied for 26th all-time for points scored in a season.

If the team were to score its season average of 48 in the title game, it would move into 10th.

The Bearcats have nearly rushed for 5,000 yards on the season.

Senior lineman Logan Volmering offered his perspective on what the offense has been able to accomplish.

“Being a lineman, all week, we learn who we have to hit,” said Volmering. “We don’t care if we get runs, that’s not our business, we just care about getting touchdowns as a team.”

He added: “When we get a good block and we look up to see them running 40 yards down the field, it’s a cool experience to seeing them be able to run from what we do on the line.”

DOMINANT DEFENSE: Through 13 games, Ubly has allowed just 91 points on the other side of the ball.

It’s one of the best season performances of any Huron County team to play 12 or more games.

Only three opponents have reached double digits on the Bearcats this season and they’ve been scored upon during the first quarter just twice.

“I like the big numbers the offense puts up because that takes a lot of pressure off the defense,” said Ubly defensive coordinator Jim Becker. “We’ve had a great year defensively. I’m kind of stingy, I don’t want anyone to score. I think our run defense has been really solid.”

Against Iron Mountain, Ubly allowed 223 yards, with just 51 rushing on 30 carries.

Canden Peruski had 10 tackles, while Evan Peruski added eight stops (1 for loss), Aiden Mackowiak eight tackles (three for loss), Seth Maurer five tackles (two for loss) and Volmering five tackles and two sacks.

“I was feeling amazing, I was nice and warm,” Volmering said. “I was able to be nice an agile, so I could move.”

MOVING UP THE LIST: Ubly kicker Brett Mueller was 5-of-6 on extra points against Iron Mountain.

When his attempt was blocked on the fourth score for the Bearcats, it snapped a streak of 63 consecutive makes.

Still, the five brought his season total to 84-of-87 and the 84 makes puts him in fourth all-time for most in a season, according to the MHSAA record book.

The next numbers are 85 and 87, with the record being 91.