Lapeer Merging High Schools could give Dragons some problems in the future

Written Tuesday May 28th, at 1:40 AM

Lapeer will merge its two High Schools starting in 2014-2015. The schools currently Lapeer East and Lapeer West will be Lapeer High School. The school board unanimously approved the merger calling it cost cutting and there are people in that area who are not happy about the decision to merge together.

This will be the first time since 1976 that Lapeer will have one high school. Lapeer East opened up in 1976. The original Lapeer High School was at Lapeer West. No new nickname was given as of yet for the new Lapeer High School. The Lapeer school district will have a community vote to decide the new nickname and new colors.

The students will be all at Lapeer East High School while Lapeer West High School will be used as an innovative center for students for alternative education and dual enrollment.

The Lapeer schools will be in the Flint Metro League for the 2013-2014 school year as Lapeer East and Lapeer West but in 2014-2015 when both schools merge, Lapeer High School would not be in the Flint Metro League because their class enrollment and that's a shame. The Flint Metro League's biggest school is Swartz Creek with 1222 students while it's smallest school is Linden at 923 students.

It is possible that there maybe a new conference that would bring Lapeer in would bring it great advantages to play in but also there are cons as well, here are the pros and cons of Lapeer being in the league.

Kensington Lakes Activities Association:

PRO'S: Would create a rivalry with Grand Blanc in the KLAA West and would play better competition.

CON'S: Travel would be a nightmare, if placed in the KLAA West, Lapeer would have to go to into Genesse County (Grand Blanc) then into Livingston County (Howell, Brighton, Hartland), then into Oakland County (Milford, Lakeland, Novi, South Lyon, South Lyon East, Waterford Kettering, Waterford Mott, Walled Lake Western, Walled Lake Northern, Walled Lake Northern, Lakeland), Wayne County (Northville, Plymouth, Salem, Canton, Livonia Stevenson, Livonia Churchill, Livonia Franklin, Westland John Glenn)

Genesee Area Conference:

PRO'S: Geographically it make sense for Lapeer to join this conference.

CON'S: Enrollment makes it hard for Lapeer to join this conference.

Saginaw Valley Association: * Most likely could be the conference they would be in.

PRO'S: Can create rivalries and would be placed in the south division with Davison and Flint Carman Ainsworth each season along with the Flint schools (Flint Northwestern, Flint Powers Catholic, Flint Southwestern Academy, and Flushing.) 

Has the enrollment to do it.

CON'S: Travel, bet that Lapeer doesn't want to travel north to the Tri-Cities often (Midland, Bay City, and Saginaw) if they have to go north during the season.

Oakland Activities Association:

PRO'S: Could renew a rivalry with Oxford since Oxford is close by to it's south. Also renew rivalries with Lake Orion and Clarkston.

CON'S: Travel might not be as bad unless you go south of the M-59 corridor for Lapeer then it could be a problem or if teams south of M-59 have to travel up to Lapeer for a game.

Lake Orion Factor:

Now what does this mean for Lake Orion if it does have to face Lapeer in sports, what would Lapeer bring to the table that could give the Dragons problems.

The first could be football and that’s because of enrollment, with this move it is possible that Lapeer could be in Division One for playoffs if they get there and if they are not then there is a real possibility that Oxford could move up to Division One and face the Dragons in the postseason. Lapeer could have enough students enrolled to be in Division One but Lapeer will most likely be a Division Two school with it's enrollment.

The next threat is girl’s basketball, there is nothing from Lapeer East but the problem could be Lapeer West. The Panthers have had success in girls basketball and it is possible that since they are merging at Lapeer East’s campus that the MHSAA could put Lapeer back into Oakland County with the likes of Lake Orion, Clarkston, Oxford, etc, in a district or they could keep them west with Davison and Grand Blanc, so that too could be an interesting situation.

I think a perfect nickname for Lapeer would be the Griffins. It would have both the Eagles and Panthers surroundings on it and the colors don't have to change, they can have green, gold, and black but I'm not going to have a say on it, it will be the Lapeer residents who will have the final say.

We’ll check back on the situation as we get more on this story.

District Ideas for 2013-2014 Volleyball and Basketball Season

Written Tuesday May 28th, at 1:38 AM

Yes the official announcements of the volleyball/basketball districts are a month away but if I’m on the MHSAA committee to decide the districts especially for Oakland County teams, I have some ideas that you might want to listen too in the near future.

1. Move Clarkston West/Split Clarkston and Lake Orion up: The Wolves have had success in girl’s basketball, boy’s basketball and volleyball in 2010 and 2011. Clarkston Volleyball made it all the way to the State Semifinals in 2011. Clarkston went northwest in the district round and then went northwest. Also the Wolves faced teams like Fenton, Grand Blanc, Holly, Brandon, and Swartz Creek and the likes of Midland Dow, Bay City Western, Saginaw, and Saginaw Arthur Hill in the regional. I think this is an area to look at when it comes to repositioning and giving coaches Kelly Avernall, Dan Fife, and Tim Waslik a good chance to get back to the promise land. Another good idea would be to split both the Dragons and Wolves up, it almost worked in the football playoffs and it certainly worked in the State Semifinals in volleyball as both teams got far and faced each other. It would bring out more competition and put more pressure on both of them to meet again.

2. Keep Lake Orion and Romeo out of districts in basketball and volleyball: Only separated by 20 miles the Dragons and Bulldogs are going to be very good in volleyball and boys basketball. Romeo last season won the Lake Orion district in boy’s basketball by taking out Adams and Clarkston while the Dragons fell to Clarkston. In volleyball the Bulldogs took Clarkston to five games while Clarkston beat Lake Orion in five games in the district. If Romeo is in Macomb County then there is a likelihood that they will play Macomb Dakota in the regional while Lake Orion could play Birmingham Marian in the playoffs but if these two schools do meet in district play then it could be a heck of a district and if Clarkston is in there than this will be the toughest district in the state.

3. Bring the Rochester Schools back together: In 2008-2012 the Rochester schools were together in districts however in 2013 Rochester Adams was placed with Lake Orion, Clarkston, Romeo, and Oxford while Rochester and Stoney Creek went east into Macomb County. I personally think that these three schools need to be paired back together in a district while a team like Romeo should move south to play Utica Eisenhower, Utica, and Utica Ford. Rochester had an easy draw in the boys basketball districts last season and if you put the Rochester schools with Lake Orion and Oxford then they have a better chance moving west than moving east.

4. The Waterford question: Each season Waterford Kettering and Waterford Mott are always in a district with Pontiac, Troy, Troy Athens, and Avondale but both those teams are in the Kensington Lakes Athletic Association. The problem I have here is geographic location of the district. It takes about 20 minutes to get to Troy and about 15-20 minutes to get to Milford, White Lake, and other. I think for league purposes that both Waterford Kettering and Waterford Mott should either be paired with Clarkston since they are closer to Clarkston and move north or go more west where their league rivals are at and see Milford, Lakeland, Howell, or even Grand Blanc in a district. I think it would be a good idea to do that.

5. Keep Farmington Out of Wayne County: In the past few seasons the Falcons location has really hurt them with districts. Farmington has had to go south into Redford and Wayne County. The Falcons should be in a district with their Farmington rivals, North Farmington and Harrison. It’s not right that Farmington gets left out of not facing their two in-town rivals while they go south to face a good Detroit team. That’s got to change, keep Farmington in Oakland County.

Coach Suspended over Recruiting an Eighth Grader

Written Monday May 27th, at 11:11 PM

Sometimes having the championship swagger of a program has it’s advantages and also its disadvantages but when it comes to making an illegal recruiting tactic to someone trying to finish middle school then you got some problems.

That is what’s happening in Grosse Pointe. 

The Grosse Pointe South, Blue Devils girls basketball team took an early season hit when the MHSAA suspended its head coach Kevin Richards for six games for illegally trying to recruit an eighth grade basketball player to come to Grosse Pointe South in 2013-2014.

Richards allegedly sent text messages to the player, went to her games, and evaluated tapes of her playing basketball. It’s  illegal under Regulation I, Section Ten of the MHSAA rules. The rules state that high school coaches or their representatives may not call athletic recruits nor send questionnaires or letters or visit athletes or their families at their homes, entertain them and their families and may not attend grade school basketball games for the purpose of evaluating and recruiting specific athletes or their parents.

Richards led the Blue Devils to a state championship in 2013 and has always been a power in the Macomb Area Conference Red Division.

This will be an early loss for Grosse Pointe South but it could have been worse. He could have been suspended for the season, which is normal protocol. All coaches have a code of conduct in their contracts but the rules have changed when it comes to someone breaking the rules.

I think Richards should be fired and let go for this act. As a coach and especially a State Championship Coach, you can’t do this and with the new transfer rules coming in 2014, you have to really go with what you got. I really think that the MHSAA has to look into this issue farther and make a stop to this recruiting of eighth graders.

I also think that parents need to understand that yes your son or daughter will go to college someday but not for sports. Parents have a hard time realizing that if your son or daughter doesn't get that athletic scholarship then their dreams are not over, there are other ways to get involved, you can walk on and play, it’s possible for that dream to come true. You’ll have star players but you have to work with that talent and let them develop.

New Transfer Rule

Written Thursday May 23rd, at 12:35 AM

Finally somebody had to crack down on the transfer rule.

In August of 2014 the MHSAA approved a move to ban immediate eligibility for transfers for all athletic motivated purposes. Now the transfer instead of having to wait until the semester to play for their new team must wait the whole school year (180 days) to play for their new team.

This is a big move especially here in Oakland County where the likes of Sydni Davis going from West Bloomfield to Southfield Lathrup via the transfer rule, Sabrina Cotton from Troy to Southfield Lathrup, and James Young leaving Troy for Rochester among others.

Just last season there were over 400 students who transferred to other schools to play common sports like football and basketball.

Currently the transfer has to sit out one semester, now there are loopholes to get out of that. Kids moving into their new school districts have become a more disturbing trend in recent years.

This move will be big especially into combat the open enrollment issue and also battle the AAU issue which has been a big problem and influence that has became a factor in athletic transfers.

The most notable transfer issue was at Oak Park when the Knights had 21 of their 22 starters play for well respected coach and Athletic Director Greg Carter. Carter took over the Knights in 2010 coming over from Inkster. Most of the students from Detroit, Inkster, and Utica all transferred into Oak Park to play for Coach Carter in 2011. The Knights won the White in football and made the regional finals last season.

Under the new rule schools that lose the transfer do not have to report it for sanctions as long as the move is verified for athletic purposes. Scenarios that are provided by the MHSAA memo include providing all contact the player had in the prior year of the transfer with high school coaches and AAU coaches affiliated with High School programs. If a coach leaves one school for another those transfers who leave to play for him or her are deemed athletically motivated and have to sit out the whole school year.

The transfer will also not be allowed to attend open gym sessions at the future school regardless of having contact or not with the team’s coaching staff.

To me this is a big rule in High School sports, the big losers here are the open enrollment schools and AAU influences as well but this rule also must be enforced in not only the public schools but also in the private schools, the catholic schools, and also those who openly recruit. I think this new rule sends a big message to those who want to transfer for athletic reasons that maybe staying put maybe a better option than leaving. If it’s for academic purposes than its understandable if a kid leaves because of its poor school system but not for athletic purposes.

Baseball District Preview

Written Saturday May 18th, at 3:12 PM

This district in baseball features five very solid teams. The Dragons and Wolves are state ranked teams. Oxford has given teams fits. Waterford Mott is always solid and has two good brothers who are going to go to some colleges. Waterford Kettering is young and did split with Clarkston this season, they will have nothing to lose.

The Dragons have had a somewhat of a disappointing season with seven losses but feature two left handed pitchers in Nick Deeg and Brad Schaenzer. The Dragons also have hitters as well in Nick Vogelmeyer, Josh Bays and Ryan Lambrecht and a deep lineup for Coach Andy Schramek. Lake Orion this season has had a tough non conference schedule and also the league in the Red is brutal as well.

Clarkston this season has not had the brutal schedule that the Dragons have went through but are right in it. The Wolves have the hitting led by Ryan Rea, Nick Mazzone, and Joe Popp and Joe Cox. Clarkston has two good pitchers in Ryan Slaughter and Alex Peck who will help them in the postseason. The Wolves are a very aggressive team and likes to steal bases. Clarkston will be a dangerous team to watch under Coach Phil Price.

Oxford is the sleeper here, with pitcher Nate Brubaker and some timely hitting could give teams problems. The Wildcats under Coach Jeff Willis will ride the arm of Brubaker along with Nate Morris and some timely hitting into the postseason.

Waterford Mott is yet another sleeper here. The Corsairs feature ace pitcher Trevor Bonniver. Bonniver is also the team’s best hitter along with his brother Todd Bonniver also is a star pitcher and shortstop who is another force. Waterford Mott will ride the Bonniver brothers along with Justice Bolling, Demetrius Lehman, and Riley McNabb to get them through in the postseason.

Waterford Kettering is a young team, who split with Clarkston this season feature shortstop and pitcher Andrew Demopolous along with junior first baseman Brett Reynolds and junior pitcher Avery Dudek

Baseball Projections:

Pre-District

Lake Orion vs. Waterford Mott:

The Corsairs were two outs away last season from upsetting Lake Orion from the playoffs. Don’t think Waterford Mott forgot about that. With the Bonniver brothers, Bolling, Lehman, and McNabb but going up against Deeg and Schaenzer is going to be a tough chore to handle. This game will be a close one like last season. If Waterford Mott upsets Lake Orion then they will be a force in the district final but in the end I think the Dragons will somehow escape with this one, closer than the experts think. PICK: LAKE ORION BY 1.

Projected Semifinals:

Lake Orion vs. Waterford Kettering

Clarkston vs. Oxford

Clarkston vs. Oxford:

This game will be a wild one. Oxford will have the pitching in this one with Morris and Brubaker to compete with the Wolves and if the Wildcats can keep the Wolves bats from going off then they will have a chance to pull off the huge upset but in the end I just think Clarkston has too much offense for Oxford to handle. This game will be all Wolves. PICK: CLARKSTON BY 6.

Lake Orion vs. Waterford Kettering

Waterford Kettering did split with Clarkston a few weeks ago but going up against the Dragons on its home field might not be good. PICK: LAKE ORION BY 10.

Projected District Final:

Lake Orion vs. Clarkston

This will be the rematch people will be talking about. Clarkston took one game at Orion the last time they met and the Dragons have had their way with the Wolves at that point. I just think with Deeg or Schaenzer on the mound it will be too much for Clarkston to handle but the Wolves will battle to the very end. PICK: LAKE ORION BY 3.

Softball District Preview

Written Saturday May 18th, at 3:10 PM

Next weekend will be interesting for the Lake Orion district. There are four solid teams in the district even though Oxford has had a down season can always be a dangerous threat. This is one of the toughest softball districts in the area as Lake Orion, who won the Red and Clarkston is always tough. Waterford Kettering and Waterford Mott are both solid teams.

The Dragons have had a nice season under Coach Joe Woityra. Lake Orion won the OAA Red and features a lineup that is potent and can score runs. The Dragons feature shortstop and pitcher Alicia Gronowski, third baseman Alex Carpenter, left fielder Kennedi Thomas, first baseman Rachel Dolland and catcher Julie Malear. Lake Orion also has depth on its bench led by Hannah Hamay and Megan Hall. Depth could be a huge factor in the postseason for the Dragons.

Clarkston has had an up and down season under Coach Don Peters but it does have a young and talented pitching staff led by sophomores Candace Kitchen and Madeline Maday. The Wolves have some solid hitting led by catcher/third baseman senior Sydney Hasselbach. Hasselbach this season has had 11 home runs to lead the Wolves and is the best player on Clarkston this season.

The Waterford Kettering Captains this season does have a win over Lakeland, who was the best team in the Kensington Lakes North division is solid. The Captains have a very good pitcher in Mackenzie Norton and some solid hitters in Sarah O’Connor, Emma Corgrove, Taylor Steinhelper, and Jordyn Troy. They all have home run power and are solid ball players that have carried Waterford Kettering this season.

The Waterford Mott Corsairs are a very young team but finished tied for second in the Kensington Lakes North Division with their arch rivals Waterford Kettering. Waterford Mott features a lot of players going to major colleges in shortstop Rachel Wayneck, who signed with North Dakota, third baseman Carly Banchiu who signed with Lake Superior State and pitcher Devin Schomeberg who signed with Saginaw Valley State are the team’s top horses. The Corsairs this season has had its top stars coming off surgeries but they have been on solid ground since then and hope to do some damage in the playoffs.

The Oxford Wildcats have gone through a coaching transition as Lindsay Long takes over the program. Oxford does have some versatility in their lineup in Autumn Cervantez (North Dakota State) and Jessica Palumabo (Olivet). The Wildcats have Cheryl Bandas and Skye Donaldson who should help the Wildcats along with Ashley Edgemon who had a great sophomore season. Oxford will go through a coaching transition during the season but should be fully in by the postseason.

Softball Projections:

Pre-District:

Lake Orion vs. Waterford Mott:

The Corsairs are getting their top players back for the pre-district but I think the Dragons have too much depth and hitting to move on and home field will help as well. PICK: LAKE ORION BY 3.

Projected Semifinals:

Clarkston vs. Oxford

Lake Orion vs. Waterford Kettering

Clarkston vs. Oxford:

The Wildcats are versatile and have had a tough season but anything is possible in the playoffs. Clarkston meanwhile has had an up and down season but in this game it will be too much Hasselbach and solid pitching from Kitchen will get the Wolves in the district finals. PICK: CLARKSTON BY 7.

Lake Orion vs. Waterford Kettering

This will be a tough game for the Dragons. The Captains will send Schoemberg to the mound and they have the horses to compete with the Dragons. Lake Orion has depth and a pitcher of it’s own in freshman Sierra Gonzales. If Gonzales pitches well than the Dragons will move on. This will be a close game but home field will benefit Orion in a tight one. PICK: LAKE ORION BY 2.

Projected District Final:

Lake Orion vs. Clarkston

It’s always hard to beat a team three times in a season, Lake Orion won twice at Clarkston. It’s hard to beat Madeline Maday and Candace Kitchen. I think Clarkston will send Maday to the mound and Hasselbach will have a big game. The Wolves will be the well rested team against the Dragons. This will be a wild one Clarkston is still very young and has experience in these types of games but I think this is the Dragons time to shine and rise in this tough district. PICK: LAKE ORION BY 1.

Dragons Boys Golf on a Mission

Written Saturday May 18th at 3:08 PM,

The Lake Orion Boys golf team is having yet a special season. They have already took home the OAA Red championship a few weeks ago and Last week Lake Orion took the Oakland County Championship beating Novi Detroit Catholic Central by 12 strokes and also won the NexTee Invitational at Oakland Hills outlasting a couple of state powers.

Lake Orion plays all its home games at Oxford Hills in Oxford are led by Coach Monty Gallagher along with a veteran cast. The Dragons are led by senior’s Alex Waelchi and Mason Gorris but Lake Orion’s point getter is junior Griffin Beeler. Beeler this season shot a 70 at the OAA Red meet at Boulder Pointe and have a sophomore in Schuyler Werth who shot a 77 in the Oakland County Tournament.

If these four continue to do well than it could be a more special season than it already was at Lake Orion in Boys Golf.

Dragons Track and Field Boys Take Home Regional Crown. Girls take Sixth

Written Saturday May 18th, at 3:07 PM

In a meet where you have two defending state champions in a regional along with the runner up in last season’s meet this year’s regional was not going to be easy especially with teams like Lake Orion, Grand Blanc, Romeo, Port Huron Northern, Port Huron, Utica Eisenhower, Rochester, Rochester Adams, Stoney Creek, Clarkston, Ortonville Brandon, Holly, Fenton and Swartz Creek are in the field.

The defending Division One State Champions got a measure of revenge in the regional at Ortonville Brandon on Friday. The Dragons boys won the regional with 104.5 points, outscoring Grand Blanc 104.5-93. This is the Dragons fourth regional championship under Coach Stan Ford.

Lake Orion took the 4 by 8 and 4 by 1 team won their relays and got second places in the mile and two mile from Missouri bound senior TJ Carey.

The Dragons 4 by 8 of Kurt Hansen, David Arenz, David Diaz, and Carey broke the school record with a time of 7:49.19 while Jordan Waymer won both hurdle events (110: 14.4) (300: 38.25) and the 4 by 1 team of Waymer, Matt Krause, Alan Karrip, and Chris Leigh won the event with a time of 42.8.

The Dragons girls finished sixth place in the regional. The girls under first year coach Dave Hudson did very well. Lake Orion had good performances from Claire Berschbach along with Kiana Brown along with others like Madelyn Martindale in the Pole Vault did well for them in returning the program back to where it was.

The Lake Orion track teams will go to the Oakland County Meet next week at Milford, hoping to repeat as Oakland County Champions in the boys and a top 10 finish in the girls.

OAA Football and Volleyball Early Top 10

Written Saturday May 11th, 2013 at 9:45 PM,

Hello all, I haven't written a post in a while but with my busy schedule I have set up the early fall football and volleyball rankings for the season. They will give you an idea of the projections for the early season. Now things can change between now and August so here are the early way before preseason top 10 for both football and volleyball.

Football Early Top 10:

10. North Farmington (3-6, 1-6 White): The Raiders move back from the White to the Blue makes a return to the playoffs a real possibility.

9. Avondale (9-2, 6-1 Blue: Lost to Orchard Lake St. Marys 42-14 in District Finals): The Blue is up for grabs and expect the Yellow Jackets to be up there this season.

8. Harrison (6-4, 4-3 White: Lost to Fenton 22-19 in first round): The Hawks are still young but with a year experience they will be back in the White race once again.

7. Oak Park (9-3, 6-1 White: Lost to Wyandotte Roosevelt 10-6 in Regional Finals): The defending White champs maybe down just a bit this season but a foundation is in place in Knight Valley under Greg Carter.

6. Southfield (7-4, 4-3 White: Lost to Oak Park 19-12 in District Finals): Laurence Marshall’s Commitment to Michigan is set, now he can focus on leading the Jays back to the postseason.

5. Rochester Adams (4-5, 3-4 White): The Highlanders will continue to ride the late season momentum into this season behind Matt Sokol.

4. Stoney Creek (5-4, 4-3 Red): Brad Zube may have his best team in a while in Rochester and with the peaces in place a playoff berth is real for the Cougars.

3. Oxford (7-4, 5-2 White: Lost to Birmingham Brother Rice 38-6 in District Finals): With Glacier Wallington and Ben Line, things will be interesting in Oxford

2. Lake Orion (11-2, 6-1 Red: Lost to Detroit Cass Tech 34-27 in State Semifinals): Dragons will relay on the running game this season to get back where they want to be.

1. Clarkston (11-1, 7-0 Red: Lost to Rockford 25-14 in Regional Finals): Program teams went unbeaten plus return of Ian Erickson makes the Wolves a dangerous threat.

Volleyball Early Top 10:

10. Rochester: The Falcons moved down from the Red to the White and with the loss of Stephanie Sikorski to graduation, questions will loom in Rochester.

9. Oxford: The Wildcats still have Darien Bandell but the question will still be around Oxford is who will be able to help Bandell out this season.

8. North Farmington: Even with the loss of Nacayla Joyce and Kaitlyn Schoeppner, the Raiders will be fine. A lot of opportunities are in hand for Jessica Condeni’s crew.

7. Troy: The Colts lost a lot of senior talent but the coaching staff there is one of the best in Vince Muscat and they still will have Olivia Parks back for another season.

6. Birmingham Seaholm: The playoff run into the state quarterfinals helped the Maples last season but the talent will be a little down with the departures of Erin Neudenfelt, Andrea Goddard, and Kathy Quigley but with the Maple Forest and tremendous coaching from Heather Lippert, a run back to the quarterfinals is possible.

5. Stoney Creek: The Cougars could be the best team in Rochester and the move to the Red will only help them this season, also there is motivation for Stoney Creek after losing in the district finals to Utica Eisenhower last season.

4. Beverly Hills Wylie E. Groves: The Falcons are talented and will be a force in Oakland County this season. They will be led by seniors Sarah Costello and Liz Putti along with junior Kristen Rathbun. Groves is the clear favorite to win the White this season.

3. Bloomfield Hills: The merger of Lahser and Andover gives the Blackhawks an advantage on the volleyball front. What makes things interesting for Bloomfield Hills will be the play of juniors Erin Okuniewski (setter), Michah Paulatter, (hitter), and Katie Wenson (hitter) along with the Andover talent will make Bloomfield Hills a serious contender in the Red this season.

2. Lake Orion: Hannah Murdock will be dominant this season in the Dragons green and white and Lake Orion is still a state title contender along with being one of the deepest teams in Oakland County. If the Dragons can get an inside threat from Tess Marshall and company then look out.

1. Clarkston: The Alabama transfer could be scarier than Rachel Dickerson and Dickerson was one of the best hitters in Oakland County. Her re-arrival to Michigan for her senior season puts the Wolves back in the state title hunt along with setter Brianna Frakes.